In a Dragon's Mind (Dragons of Mount Teres Book 1)

by Riley Storm

  Vlad slowed, matching her breathing with his strokes. As her brain recovered, she noticed he was watching her.

  “Enjoying yourself?” she asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious about herself.

  “Very,” he growled. “Can you not feel how turned on you make me?” He pushed his hips right into hers, eliciting a soft gasp.

  “Maybe a little,” she admitted.

  “This is cause of you. You are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen,” he growled.

  Could he read her mind? Did he know she was suddenly feeling shy about herself?

  “I can see the doubts in your eyes,” he said, resting his forehead on hers. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. Your body is perfect.”

  “Well, I’m glad you seem to like it.”

  “Oh, I certainly do,” he said, twisting his head and gently nibbling on her neck as he resumed his motions.

  “How much do you like it?” she gasped, digging her nails into his back, thrusting her hips up, trying to capture more of him.

  “So much,” he growled.

  Ellyn could hear his voice grow tighter.

  “Show me,” she whispered. “Prove it.”

  Vlad moved faster. Her body began to bounce as he thrust into her and now it was Ellyn’s turn to watch Vlad. Her body was still locked in an endless loop of pleasure from his actions, but she was focused on him, watching his face as it tightened.

  “Yes,” she whispered, knowing he had to be close. “Do it. Come for me.”

  Ellyn wasn’t sure where the last sentence had come from, but the instant she said it Vlad’s eyes went wide and he shivered.

  “Oh fuck,” he groaned, and then pulled out, spilling himself all over her stomach and splashing onto her breasts as he repeated himself over and over again.

  She watched with rapt interest, loving every second of it.

  “Um,” he panted, looking down at her body. “Sorry about that.”

  Ellyn shrugged. “It wipes off. Who cares?”

  He grinned. “I like that attitude.”

  “I like…you,” she said, stumbling over the words again a bit, but wanting to say them here, now, after they had, well, done this.

  “I like you too,” he said with a grin, leaning in to kiss her. “Be right back.”

  He hopped off her and Ellyn watched as he made his way to the bathroom.

  “Nice butt,” she joked.

  Vlad paused, gave a little shimmy and then disappeared into the other room, leaving Ellyn to giggle.

  He appeared a moment later with a towel and proceeded to clean her up. After tossing it away he climbed onto the bed and then did something she’d never done before. He pulled her into him, so that they could cuddle.

  Ellyn tensed. She’d never been a post-sex cuddler. To do that would make her vulnerable. Sex had always just been about quenching desires, nothing more. Now, with Vlad’s arm draped over her, his body up against hers, Ellyn fought back a sudden wave of panic.

  “Everything okay?” Vlad asked, propping himself up on one elbow to better meet her eyes.

  “Uh, yeah,” she said. “Just...”

  “You don’t normally cuddle,” he said, once again proving that he knew her as well as she knew herself.

  “Yeah.”

  “Then just consider it a close-quarters-break before round two?” he quipped.

  Ellyn chuckled softly with laughter, feeling herself relax a little as the issue was addressed head on. “That might have to wait. It’s been a long time, and you’re…well, you.”

  “Whatever it takes,” Vlad said as calmly as could be, then lay back down.

  Whatever it takes.

  She sank back into the bed. There was no denying that she was enjoying this new journey of her life. Vlad was sweet, kind, he made her laugh, he protected her. Ellyn was having a harder and harder time convincing herself that he was out to use her, that he was going to suddenly flip a switch and become someone else.

  That had already happened. He’d done that, and shown her who he was. That he was a dragon shifter. There was still the issue of why he’d left Five Peaks in the first place, but that seemed to be with Vlad, not with anyone else, at least from what she’d picked up on. He was genuine, she was convinced.

  That scared her, but it also put her at ease. Helped her sink into his cuddle, and even maybe, just maybe, enjoy it a little bit.

  It didn’t take long before she heard his breathing change as he slipped back into sleep. Getting up she eased out from under his arm and padded over to the washroom to relieve herself and put her pants back on—sans underwear, thanks to his efforts.

  Vlad was still asleep when she emerged. Ellyn watched him sleep for a bit, then reached into her pockets and removed her cell phone. Biting her lip she looked at it, then at Vlad.

  Finally, in a moment of strength she unlocked it, typed a message and sent it.

  That done, she grabbed his keys for the second time and headed for the door. There was a noise from the bed when she opened the door. Ellyn paused, turning slowly, once again expecting to see Vlad hovering over her shoulder.

  But he was still fast asleep in the bed, having just rearranged his position. Ellyn gave him another long look, fighting back the wave of guilt that threatened to wash over her.

  This was about her now, not about him.

  Whatever it takes.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Ellyn

  The reply to her text had come shortly after sending it. Getting out of the compound had been far easier than she’d expected. Whoever was watching the gate simply opened it as she pulled the truck up to it, and Ellyn had driven off into the night.

  A quick internet search had revealed how to reach the destination, and now she pulled up to the ramshackle barn on the south-end of Five Peaks. A dark blue SUV was already parked there, highlighted by the truck’s headlights.

  She came to a halt, trying to fight down the nerves.

  This is going to work. Just do what you have to do, and get out. Just like that.

  Killing the truck she climbed out, keys in hand. They were going to come in handy.

  “I know you’re here,” she said, staying at the side of the truck. “So just come on out, stop trying to scare me for no reason.”

  There was a pause, then a black-clad figure appeared in front of the barn and strode toward her.

  He was tall, almost as tall as Vlad, though slimmer at the shoulders and arms, but not a slouch in either department either. The features were obscured by his hood, even the headlights not penetrating deep enough to reveal much, though that didn’t matter.

  She knew what he looked like.

  “Hello Ellyn,” the voice said, sending a shiver down her spine.

  “Jason,” she replied tartly, greeting Lex’s favorite hired enforcer with as much bravado as she could muster.

  It wasn’t easy. The man across from her was a stone-cold killer. Enforcer, thug, but perhaps assassin was the better name. He had plied his trade for years, and was well known for it. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if that’s what Lex had sent him here to do.

  “I must admit to being disappointed when you texted me,” Jason said, his voice calm, completely devoid of emotion. “I was enjoying the hunt”

  That was what made him so scary, she thought. He simply did what he did, as a job. He never let himself get worked up, he did not care who he killed. Jason Entrery was the most cold-blooded person she had ever met. A true-to-life psychopath killer. And he was standing less than ten feet away from her.

  “I don’t care,” she snapped. “I’m done, got it? Done. Take the truck, it will more than cover what I owe Lex, I’m sure. But I want out.”

  That was why she’d messaged Jason, finally responding to all the taunting texts he’d sent her, letting her know that he was on her trail, that he was now in Five Peaks. At first Ellyn had been prepared to take the truck and run. That’s why she’d broken into Vlad’s room in the first place.

  But
after what had happened, she knew that wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t what she wanted. So she was here, now, with her old boss’s handpicked killer, trying to convince him not to end her life.

  “You expect Lex to just let you go?” Jason asked, sounding surprised. “He’s not going to like losing his prized thief.”

  “Too bad,” Ellyn said. “Because I’m done. I’m out of the game. I’m not even on the east coast anymore. It’s over.”

  “No,” Jason said with that same emotionless calm that made him all the more terrifying. “No, you aren’t out.”

  Before she could take more than a step he had surged across the distance, grabbing her by the arm. “It’s not that easy, you see. There are rules.”

  “No rules,” she said, struggling to free herself, but unable to break from his grip. “I’m done.”

  “My contract with Lex states to bring you back. Dead or alive. More for me if you’re alive, so I shall keep you that way. For now. I do wish to get paid.”

  “Oh fuck off. You can get twice what I owe Lex for this thing. It’s blinged out hard. Take it and go. It will be easier for both of us,” she growled, trying not to let her fear show.

  Ellyn wasn’t backing down. Not now that she knew what she wanted. Freedom. Not just freedom, but the ability to live her life without looking over her shoulder, constantly expecting someone to pop out and grab her, and take her back to Lex in chains. She was done.

  There was something else more important in her life now. She smiled to herself. Someone more important. Someone that made it worth going through this. Someone who was worth her trying to sever all ties to her previous life.

  “You are coming with me,” Jason said, as calmly as if simply stating a fact.

  “No, I don’t think so,” she countered. “This is your last chance. Either take the offer and go back to Lex, or things are going to get worse.”

  Jason paused, and for the first time she sensed a bit of hesitation on his part. Something about her was throwing him off. Perhaps it was her confidence, she didn’t know, but it proved that he was human, and he could be put off his game.

  “I don’t know what you think you’re going to accomplish,” he told her. “But remember that my contract states dead or alive. I suspect you wish to be the latter.”

  “If those were my only two choices, you can rest assured I would choose dead in a heartbeat,” she said, modulating her voice to come across as calm and confident as she could, feeding him some of his own medicine. “Unfortunately for you, there’s a third.”

  “No,” Jason said, a gun materializing in his other hand as if by magic. “That is where you’re wrong.”

  Ellyn shrugged. “Last chance Jason. Otherwise it’s going to get a lot worse. For you.”

  The gun clicked as he pulled back the hammer. “No, I don’t think it will.”

  A third voice spoke from behind him. “Oh, but I do.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Vlad

  He emerged from the dark behind the veiled assassin, watching carefully the path of the gun as it swung from Ellyn toward him.

  “Now, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said, lifting a hand to try and stop the assassin.

  “And why would that be? I fail to see any disadvantage to me,” Jason said in that same even voice. “In fact, I only see an issue if I don’t pull it. Which is leaning me further and further toward just doing it already.”

  Vlad shook his head. “You see—”

  The gun went off.

  The impact staggered Vlad, pushing him off balance. The weight of bullet was heavier than he’d expected, and pain blossomed across the upper-right of his chest.

  “Sonofabitch,” he said in a stunned voice. “He did it. The crazy bastard pulled the trigger.”

  His gaze swiveled to focus on the assassin. “Big mistake,” he snarled, and moved.

  Surging forward he ducked to the side of the next bullet, dodging before Jason had even finished pulling the trigger. Then he was inside the man’s defenses. Grabbing him by the collar he chucked him backward.

  The assassin hit the rear passenger door of Vlad’s truck, bounced off and fell to the ground, in a daze. The gun clattered out of his hand, and Ellyn quickly scooped it up, carefully holding her finger away from the trigger. By the simple, easy way she held it, Vlad knew this wasn’t her first time with such a weapon.

  He wandered over to her, looking at her. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said. “You saw everything, nothing happened to me.”

  Vlad growled. “He laid a hand on you.” His glare hit the assassin, who was still in a crumpled heap on the ground, his brain likely just catching up to what had happened to him.

  “And you stopped him,” she said, putting a hand on his chest.

  Vlad winced and she yanked it back. “Sorry, sorry I forgot. How are you?”

  “I’m going to bruise. I don’t know what’s in that gun, but it’s got some decent stopping power. That thing freaking hurt. But nothing is broken, just a big welt, nothing more.”

  Ellyn eyed his chest, bringing her free hand to her mouth where she kissed two fingers and pressed them lightly to his chest. “There,” she said softly.

  Vlad smiled. “Thank you. That will definitely speed things up.”

  “Smart-ass,” she teased.

  He took in a slow breath. “Now aren’t you glad you listened to me?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she said, lifting her head to stare at the sky. “I wondered how long it would take for me to hear about that.”

  Vlad smiled.

  “Don’t act like I’m a complete idiot though,” she admonished. “I knew from the start it wasn’t a good idea.”

  “It was a terrible idea,” he pointed out.

  “Well I didn’t have any better options, okay? I just wanted it to be done with. Over. I was finished running, Vlad. Which, may I remind you, is your fault.”

  He blinked. “You’re going to blame me, for you falling hard enough for me to try and tell an assassin sent to kill you that you were just done? Oh, and that he could have my truck as payment? Is that what I’m getting here?”

  There was a smile on his face the entire time to let her know he was joking, but deep down, Vlad was touched.

  “It feels good to be myself around you, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?” she said, nuzzling in to him, both of them watching the assassin out of the corner of their eyes as they shared a moment, neither interested in letting him go.

  “It’s nice to hear, yes,” he admitted sheepishly.

  “Well, I want it to be permanent, okay? That’s why I messaged this oaf. I was coming here to try and pay him off, to get Lex to stop coming after me. So that I could be with you.”

  “I know,” he said, wrapping an arm around her. “I know.”

  Vlad had woken up just as Ellyn was about to leave the room. He had sensed that something was off, and after some cajoling and gentle convincing, she had spilled the beans to him.

  When he’d first learned that this assassin had been sent after her, been tracking her and sending her threatening texts, Vlad had nearly lost his lid. She’d known ever since she got her cell phone back, and not once had she told him? He’d been furious at first, but Ellyn had swiftly talked him down—she was quite good at defusing him, it was turning out. That would probably bode ill for the future, he suspected she was going to walk all over him in the best of ways, but for now it had helped calm him.

  Then together they had come up with a new plan. A different plan, to lure Jason and anyone he was working with out of the shadows. And it had worked. Better than either of them had any right to hope.

  “Well, everything is going to be fine now,” he said as Jason finally managed to prop himself up against the side of Vlad’s truck, holding his head in one hand.

  “I hope you’re right,” Ellyn said, holding on tight to him. “I would like that a lot.”

  A low laugh came from Vlad’s truck. They both
turned to see the assassin looking up at them. The hood had fallen back to reveal a long-faced man with a thick shock of brown hair on his head, cold, dead hazel eyes and thin lips. A reedy nose completed the look.

  “What do you find so funny?” Vlad asked curiously. “It’s done. You’re going to go back to Lex, and you’re going to take a message from me. Got it?”

  Jason’s laugh grew louder. “No,” he said, getting to his feet.

  Vlad lifted his eyebrows. “I went easy on you last time. You can barely stand. How do you think this is going to end any differently?”

  Jason shook himself gently, standing erect. “It’s going to end with me going back with her.” He pointed at Ellyn.

  Glancing down, Vlad exchanged confused looks with Ellyn.

  “You can’t think that I’m going to go voluntarily, now can you?” she asked. “You never did have a reputation for being stupid Jason. Did he rattle your brain that bad?”

  “No,” Jason said. “But you’re going to do it anyway.”

  “Now how do you think that’s going to happen?” Vlad asked sarcastically.

  “Because,” another voice said. “You’re going to stay out of the way.”

  From inside the barn another figured walked forward. The trucks headlights had long since gone out, but Vlad didn’t need them to know who it was. He would recognize that voice anywhere.

  “Sache,” he gasped, dumbfounded.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Vlad

  “Of course it’s me,” Sache said with a laugh.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Vlad snarled, looking back and forth between his friend and the assassin from Ellyn’s old gang. “You two know each other? You’re working with him?”

  Sache snarled angrily. “He’s working with me, thank you very much. This is my operation. I orchestrated this.”

  “But…how?” Vlad asked, still not understanding.

  “He came looking for her,” Sache said. “I was patrolling, walking past the front gates the morning after you let her go. We came to an…agreement.”