by Milly Taiden
Monica wiped more tears and nodded again. “I do. I just never wanted you to be hurt by our relationship.”
She sighed, suddenly drained from the waves of emotions coming from Monica. “What’s done is done. You’re both happy.”
Monica shook her head. “I had hoped you’d find happiness, too. So I could know you weren’t sad and alone. That was really tearing me up. But you haven’t re-married and I feel horrible. I need you to be happy or I’ll always feel like I destroyed your life.”
“You did not destroy my life. I was married to Edward, not to you. He destroyed our relationship.” She didn’t know why she needed to reassure the woman, but the whole scenting her distress was making Zuri feel sick to her stomach. “In any case, I forgive you for what happened.”
She thought about that for a second. She wasn’t just saying the words. She really did forgive them. Both. If she was still married to Edward, she wouldn’t have been able to meet Savage. He’d brought happiness, love, romance, and a bit of the old Zuri back into her life. “And you’re wrong. I am happy.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
She had to do something. She had to live and get back to Sav. He was her mate. Maybe things hadn’t started out the normal way with them, but she’d fallen in love with the bear and she wanted to be with him. The indecision she’d been suffering had disappeared and been replaced with absolute certainty he was the one for her.
Heat filled her chest, spreading through her limbs and outward. Fur rolled under her skin. She couldn’t scream; she was in shock. Monica said something but it sounded distant. She raised her gaze to meet Monica’s but noticed she was moving away from Zuri, her eyes wide with fright.
Zuri listened to her insides. There, the animal spoke to her, asking her to let it roam, that she would help and take her back to Sav. Zuri gave in, giving the bear reign over her. The shift moved swiftly at that point. She went from human to bear fast.
Power filled her. She roared, her body feeling invincible. Wow. This was damn cool. She did a full circle and then slammed the door with her shoulder, taking it off its hinges. The door hit the floor and slid down the hall to stop several feet away.
She moved forward, looking for threats. She heard the men arguing and fighting. Someone screamed. Then Sav’s voice came into her head.
Zuri, love? Are you okay? Talk to me. Our mate link finally connected us.
Sav? You won’t believe this. I’m a bear.
Yes, baby. I know you’re cuddly.
She rolled her eyes in her mind. No. I shifted. I was able to turn into a bear.
You did it. We’re at the warehouse now. There’s some bad guys we have to take care of before we can get to you. Stay put.
No way! I can help. I’m strong. I’m deadly. I am bear, hear me roar!
She continued down the hall and found the scene of human men being chased by bears, wolves, and grizzlies fighting with brown bears. She knew who everyone was based on scent. The bad guys, the good guys. Her scent took her straight to her mate. He was fighting a brown bear.
Mick and his men were being torn to pieces by wolves. She couldn’t even feel bad for them. She had to lead the women out of the fighting to safety. They stayed close behind her in a single line.
Taking down another door, she took them out to the parking lot of the warehouse. They ran to the police cars with humans inside. They were smart not to get involved in shifter fights.
Zuri turned back to the warehouse but noticed a grizzly leaving the scene into the woods. She inhaled and roared. She knew that smell. Chasing after another bear would not have been her first thought, but her animal was in control. She knew Greer was bad news.
She tackled Greer. They flipped and rolled down a hill. On their feet again, she prowled toward the other bear.
They were supposed to get rid of you!
Zuri stopped. Who? Why?
Those stupid humans and that moron, Billy, from Midway Point. They promised to make you go away. Savage is mine!
The bear in Zuri was a lot more possessive and aggressive than the human. She clawed at Greer’s bear and bit her muzzle. Blood filled her mouth but the bear wasn’t as disgusted by this as the human.
You’re wrong, Greer. Sav is mine! Mine! MINE!
She clawed at the other repeatedly. The fury grew inside her at the thought of anyone taking her mate. Savage was the only man Zuri wanted. She knocked Greer on her back and it was easy to continue her attack.
The bites on her muzzle and clawing of her face and chest were nonstop. There was blood everywhere. Greer had stopped fighting and Zuri’s bear was still attacking.
Zuri?
She stopped, raised her head and saw Sav straight ahead. She went to him, her body stumbling as she transformed from a massive grizzly to a naked human. He was already in human form when she reached him, his arms wide open for her. She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her body tightly to his. She loved how perfect it felt to be held by him. Now she understood what he meant. Knowing he was the right man for her made opening herself fully to his love easier.
“Take me home. Our home on top of the mountain.”
He growled in her ear and kissed her head. Then he picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the area before anyone else saw her naked. As an animal, she might not care, but as a human she still had modesty.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Savage combed his wet hair with his fingers. Their combined shower had taken a lot longer than if he’d gone in alone, but he didn’t care. They’d made love and then talked about Billy and the Midpoint Clan. They were going to need a new leader now that Sav had killed Billy.
He deserved it. Billy and Greer had worked together to get rid of Zuri. Billy used the opportunity to steal human women, knowing they wouldn’t be able to fight shifters, and tried to bring them back so his men could use them as breeders. Thank god, Sav had arrived in time and Zuri had taken to the change.
Zuri was a shifter now. She understood how he felt and reciprocated. Oh, he’d known she loved him before, but now that she could scent his emotions, she was able to understand there was no need to be scared or worried.
Sav was never going to hurt her. She’d taken his empty life and given him purpose. He leaned back on the bed, a smile on his face. He was so fucking lucky. Zuri might not realize it, but the power in her beautiful eyes and sinful smile wasn’t small. She had grabbed hold of his heart and wasn’t letting go. Not that he minded. He didn’t want her to let go. He belonged to her now. His mate.
“What are you grinning about, bear?” She smiled, walking into the bedroom naked. She crawled onto the bed, her eyes bright with her desire and the scent of her need making his cock instantly hard.
“I’m grinning because I’ve got you.” He flipped them over and she widened her legs, cradling his cock with her sex. The heat of her pussy pulled a rough groan from him. “Fuck, you’re always so hot. So hot and tight.”
She licked her lips. “And you’re always so velvety and hard. So hard, Sav. Fill me.”
He kissed her at the same time he rocked his hips and thrust into her slick heat with a deep drive. She clung to him, scoring his back and shoulders with her nails. Loud moans traveled through their kiss as he continued to plunge into her, harder with each movement.
He caressed her thigh. So silky soft. She tugged out of their kiss, her ragged breaths calling for him to keep going. Her soft cries inciting him further, deeper.
He licked her neck, jaw and ear. “I want you to come for me.”
“Sav…”
He fucked her harder, rocking his hips when he was as deep as possible and then pulling back out to do it again. She sounded breathless and her pussy started to flutter around his dick, sucking and gripping.
“Come. I want to feel your pussy take my dick deep and suck every bit of cum from me. I’m going to fill you so good. Tonight’s the night, Zuri. I know I’m going to breed you. My baby will be in you when your pussy’s full of cum.�
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She choked, her body tensed and a scream fell from her lips as her pussy contracted around his dick. The pressure of its tight hold was too much for him. He came into her, pushing his cock as far as it would go and roaring with every spurt of cum her pussy swallowed.
Fuck, yes! This was the only woman he wanted this with. The only one. He was still in her when he rolled them on the bed. She lay on top of him, her legs to either side of his waist and her head on his shoulder. Their untamed heartbeats fought to get under control.
She slowly raised her head and smiled at him, her face and body shining with sweat. “I love you. I didn’t realize what love was until I met you.”
He swallowed at the rock in his throat. His mate loved him. She was happy about it. An amazing amount of energy and power surged through him.
He wanted to get on top of the mountain and roar his love for her to the world. But instead, he cupped her flushed face and stared at her intently. “I had no idea I’d find my mate. You’re perfect, just the way you are and I am lucky to have you as mine.”
“Ours.”
He frowned. “What?”
“You were right. You did get me pregnant. I can feel the change.”
He pulled her face to him and kissed her softly, nuzzling her mouth and swiping his tongue over her lips. “No matter how many children we have, love, you’re always going to be mine. I’ll share them because they’re ours. But you, you’re mine. Yesterday. Today. Forever.”
Epilogue
After the showdown with the Midpoint Clan, Mirabel had insisted they come over for dinner. It was show up to her mom’s house or have Isaline and her mother drive up the mountain. Her mother was too reckless to be allowed behind a wheel on a mountain. Wanting to look nice for Sav, she decided to change her outfit for one of Sage’s before dinner.
Zuri glanced at herself in the mirror. She should just hire Sage to make her a whole new wardrobe and stop stealing her sister’s clothes. She’d been gone for too many days on a job and Zuri missed her.
“Are you ready?” Isaline grinned from the bedroom door. “Mom is about to start telling Sav what’s the best position to make sure he gets you pregnant.”
Zuri gasped. “Oh god.”
“Well, what do you expect? She wants grandchildren.”
Zuri rushed out of the bedroom and ran to the kitchen. “Mom! We have something to tell you. Stop perverting my mate.”
“You’re not married, yet.” Mirabel grinned. She turned to Sav with a raised brow. “When are you going to make an honest woman out of my daughter?”
Sav chuckled and got on one knee.
Zuri laughed and slapped his hand. “Get up from there. She’s just messing with you.”
But he didn’t get up. Instead, he winked and pulled a ring out of his pocket. A ring that looked really old with a beautiful blue sapphire in the center. “Sav?”
“Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” He glanced at Mirabel and whispered, “she’s already having my baby, so this should probably happen first.” Isaline and Mirabel both gasped. Then he turned back to her. “What do you say?”
“Yes! I say yes!” She squealed and kissed him hard. He put the ring on her finger and when she turned to face Isaline and Mirabel, both were crying as was Sage on the tablet video call.
“I’m going to be a grandmother,” Mirabel said. “A very cool grandmother. I think I’ll ask them to call me Mimi.”
She hugged Sav. She recognized his scent anywhere and loved that she could. It brought her peace the moment she knew he was next to her. He picked her up in his arms and kissed her.
She grinned and shook her head, her arms around his neck. “Animal.”
“No. Savage.”
Continue the series with Savage Kiss
THE END
Bound in Flames
Drachen Mates Book 1
NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
MILLY TAIDEN
Chapter One
Morgan Polley glanced up from the children’s files on her desk to see who had walked into her office without knocking. Her glasses sat at the tip of her nose and she pushed them up to the right location before feeling them start to slide down again.
“It would be nice if you picked up the phone when I call,” her mother, Lara, snapped at her.
She frowned down at her files and continued making notes. “What do you want, Lara?”
“I’m here to offer you a job,” Lara told her. She stood across from Morgan’s desk and stared her down, her perfectly made up face not showing any emotion.
“What kind of job?” Morgan asked, suspicion raising her hackles. “You know I’m not even on the radar with your people.”
Lara gave a sharp nod. “You’re right. You’re not. But we are making progress with the Drachen. Those damn dragon shifters really like to make it hard to get a hold of them. I need you to come to our next meeting with one of their leaders.”
“Why?” She pulled a non-interested face. “Aren’t they almost extinct anyway? Why would I care about some meeting between the government and dragon shifters?”
“Yes, not many Drachen are left. I am trying to find out more about their powers.”
Morgan closed the file she’d been reading and took her glasses off. “This is all fascinating,” she said, not hiding her sarcasm, “but I still don’t see what this has to do with me.”
Lara pressed her lips into a thin line. “I want to know more about them, Morgan. In order for that to happen, I need someone to smooth the way.”
Morgan jerked to her feet. “You people really think you can play Let’s Make a Deal with creatures that have been on this planet longer than we have?”
Lara rolled her eyes. “Stop being so dramatic. From what one of their people told us, they need mates or they lose their powers and die.”
She sat slowly, a frown working her brow and a headache pinching the back of her eyes. “Mates? And how the hell are you going to help them get that?”
“I’m not. I want to know if they just die or if they pose some kind of threat if they don’t find their mates.” She slapped her hands on Morgan’s desk. “You can tell me that. From what we’ve learned, if their mate mark shows up, they only have one week to find the female that is right for them and mate, or they lose control of their dragon and both mate and dragon die.”
Morgan sighed.
Her mother nodded. “Yes. I’ve been told they die if they don’t find their mate. But if they lose control, will they be some kind of danger to humanity.”
“And who is it that’s telling you all this?” She watched her mother turn away from her.
“None of your business. I just need you to talk to one of them. See what you gather from him.”
“You’re not really hoping I’ll sense something, are you?”
Lara nodded and met her gaze. “Yes, I am. And if you do, I want to know what it is. You’ve always been able to sense stuff from all these creatures.”
“I’m not a lab rat and neither are they!”
Lara glared daggers at her. “I know that. But you’re going to do this because you’ll be too worried about the dragons not being able to find their mates. I know you, you’ll want to help them.”
Fuck! She knew her too well. Hearing the story of the Drachen, there was no way Morgan could sit by and not talk to them. See if there was something she could do to help find their mates.
“So what’s your goal here, Mother?”
Lara raised her brows. “Simple. I want them to find their mates. The last thing we need is uncontrollable dragon shifters flying around destroying the world.”
Morgan shook her head and got back on her feet. “That doesn’t sound like you. There’s got to be something else.”
“That’s my only drive, Morgan.” Lara pressed her lips into a thin line. “Why can’t I have the good of the world in mind?”
“Because it would be a first.”
For a second, sadness flas
hed through Lara’s eyes. “There’s a first time for everything.”
Chapter Two
Tor Drachen hated these meetings. “I don’t know how I got stuck being the one doing this shit. Wasn’t Jae supposed to be here?”
Ker shrugged. “He said you could handle it.” He slapped him on the arm and motioned for him to get out of the car. “You’re the oldest out of all of us.”
Fucking great. “You know that doesn’t mean jack shit. I’m the last person you want talking to these humans. All they want is to get into our business. We shouldn’t trust any of them.”
“We protect them and we shouldn’t trust them?” Ker chuckled. “Do you listen to the words coming out of your mouth?”
“One doesn’t have to go with the other,” Tor snapped.
“Just go in there. Talk to the woman Jae has been meeting with. Apparently, she wants to make sure we have any and all backup necessary to fight Sayeh and the Noir Dragons.”
Tor frowned. “See, I don’t get it. Why would they care what we have? Sayeh and his people haven’t embattled the humans yet. So far, all they’ve done is target our kind.”
“She told Jae she wasn’t waiting around until humans became Sayeh’s new toys.”
Tor grumbled and got out of the SUV. The door slammed, metal against metal squeaking. He glanced into the driver’s seat. “Don’t fucking leave me. I don’t want to have to break out of these clothes,” he warned Ker. “I’m making this as short as possible.”
Ker grinned and nodded, his dimples flashing and humor lighting is hazel eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Go do your thing, bro. I’ll be here.”
He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and marched toward the office building where their meeting was set. When Jae told him about the woman who had contacted him with more information than anyone knew about them, he’d been concerned.