Sperling takes a deep breath, wipes the blood from the side of his mouth and glares at me with his jade green eyes shining brighter than ever.
“Keep your Bureau friends away from me,” he says as he begins to shake and tremble. “This was a warning. Next time it won’t be.”
Huge red wings rip out of his back and then, in a skin-crawling tear, he explodes into the red dragon I’ve been chasing for years.
He flaps his wings, sending my hair flying back with the wind, and I watch in awe as he flies up. I dart to my hands and knees and furiously dig through the snow for my gun. When my fingers wrap around cold steel, I yank it out and fire three shots at him.
They do nothing. This guy is unstoppable.
I’m so focused on him as he flies away that I barely register the enormous polar bear rushing back out of the hole in the wall. Several other men—probably shifters from the size of them—follow him out and all of them are staring at me.
I grip my gun and take a few steps back with my heart hammering against my ribcage.
“I’m from the FBI,” I say in a stern warning. “Go back inside.”
The polar bear doesn’t listen. He keeps walking toward me and doesn’t even stop when I point the gun between his eyes.
He finally stops and begins to shake. I watch with my stomach churning as he explodes into a familiar-looking man.
It’s the fire chief. Blake Frost.
And he doesn’t look happy with me.
At all.
Chapter Five
Blake
“What are you doing here?” Lily asks as she stares at me in shock. Her brown eyes are alert and wide as they dart down to my naked cock that’s hanging between my legs.
She sucks in a breath and then her eyes dart back up to mine. She doesn’t blink for a long time after that.
“I followed you,” I admit in a shameless way.
“You… followed me?” she asks as she jerks her head back in shock. “That’s illegal.”
“I’d break every law that man has ever made to keep you safe, Lily. There are no laws when it comes to a shifter protecting his mate. The only law is keep her safe at all costs.”
Her breaths are coming out quick and shaky.
“What the fuck, Blake?” Colby, the bartender and owner shouts as he walks through the Koolaid Man-sized hole in his bar. “My bar is fucked!”
“I’ll send my boys to fix it first thing tomorrow,” I say, feeling awful even though it wasn’t my fault and I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant saving Lily.
“Tomorrow morning?!” he shouts. “I have a bar full of people and it’s early March!”
“I’ll buy everyone a round. There’s not much more I can do.”
“The hell there isn’t,” he says as he pushes my chest. My inner polar bear growls. Colby is a Kodiak bear shifter and a grumpy one at that.
“Hey, asshole!” Lily shouts as she pulls out her gun and points it at his chest. “This is FBI business so get back in the fucking bar or I’ll make some calls and have a dozen agents going over your last year’s taxes with magnifying glasses! Start pouring those nice people some drinks on this naked gentleman over here and stop interfering with an official FBI investigation!”
Colby’s face drops as he looks at my fierce girl. His hands slowly go up and then he backs away through the hole and disappears into his bar.
Her vicious brown eyes turn back to me and I gulp.
“Do I look like I need someone to keep me safe?” she snaps as she shoves her gun back into the holder under her jacket.
“No,” I admit. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere. You’re coming back to my place.”
She storms up to me and sticks her finger in my face, but before she laces into me, her eyes drop down to my package one more time.
“Can you put some clothes on please?” she asks with her cheeks blushing an adorable pink.
I grab my shredded clothes off the sidewalk and put them on. Even though I like seeing her all flustered like this, there will be a better chance of getting her to come home with me if I’m not a perverted naked guy in the street.
Once I’m dressed, her finger resumes its place in my face.
“I’m not going back to your place!”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not.”
I think about picking her up, throwing her over my shoulder, and carrying her back to my house kicking and screaming, but she’d probably shoot me in the back.
“I know where the other two dragons are,” I tell her. “Aylwin and Reginald Kirk. I’ll tell you back at my place.”
Her face twists up in fury, agitation, frustration, rage… I could go on…
“Tell me here.”
I cross my arms over my chest and shake my head. “Not going to happen. My place or nothing.”
“And you know their exact location?”
“Down to the latitude and longitude.”
She stares at my face for a long moment and I can see the thoughts spinning behind those gorgeous brown eyes.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
She storms off and I smile, knowing I have her right where I want her.
“Lily!” I call out. She stops and turns, looking annoyed. “It’s this way.”
* * *
“This was not what I was expecting,” Lily says as she looks around my house.
“What were you expecting?” I ask her as I make some drinks. A couple of Manhattans.
“I don’t know,” she says as she looks out the large windows. In the morning, she’ll see a stunning view of the mountains, but right now, she can’t see much of anything in the dark. “Like a cave or something.”
“Because I’m half bear?” I say with a chuckle. “That’s specist.”
I walk over with the two drinks and try to hand her one. She doesn’t take it.
“I’m here in an FBI capacity,” she says in a firm unwavering voice. “Not as your date. And definitely not to get drunk.”
I pull the drink back, taunting her. “You don’t want it?”
All that unwavering resolve fades as she eyes the drink and licks her lips. “Fine, I’ll take it.”
I think we both need a strong drink after what we just went through on the street.
She takes a sip and tries to hide her enjoyment, but she can’t get her feelings past her mate.
“So, where are Aylwin and Reginald?”
I’m going to be honest with her. With everything. I don’t ever want to tell her a lie.
“They’re both dead.”
She swallows hard as she watches me. “How do you know?”
I can’t throw my crew under the bus, so I decide to leave them out of it.
“I killed them.”
“You killed them?”
I nod. “And I’ll kill Sperling too if he touches you again.”
She takes a long deep breath and then takes a big gulp of her drink, nearly finishing it as she watches me over the rim of the glass.
“Why did you kill them?”
“They were trying to hurt the mates of the guys in my crew.”
“So, you killed them?”
“Yes,” I say bluntly, unapologetically, happily.
“Where are they now?”
I point at the window. “Buried somewhere deep in those mountains.”
She tilts her chin to the side as she studies me. Fuck, she’s beautiful. Having her in my house is killing me. A part of me—the dark primal part—wants to drag her into the bedroom and show her how meant to be together we really are, but instead, I give her some time to realize it for herself.
“How do you know I won’t arrest you for admitting that?”
“Because I know.”
She scoffs. “How do you know?”
“Because I know you wouldn’t do that to me. I know you have feelings for me?”
“Feelings?” she scoffs as she puts down her drink. “We just met and I’m working. I don’t ha
ve feelings!”
Her flushed skin and trembling voice are telling me otherwise. I know these intense emotions flowing through me can’t be one-sided. She’s got to be feeling some of it too. She is my mate after all.
“This is outrageous,” she says as she runs her hands down her shirt. “I’m going to have another agent drop by tomorrow and take a sworn statement from you.”
“I’ll only talk to you.”
She storms past me on the way to the door, but then suddenly spins around to face me. “We’ll see about that. Thank you for… helping with the dragon shifter—”
“Saving you.”
She rolls her eyes. “Thank you for helping me with the dragon shifter, but it’s been a long night and I’m leaving. I’ll come by the station tomorrow.”
“You’re not leaving,” I tell her.
She crosses her arms and looks at me, daring me to try and stop her.
“There’s a dragon out there who wants you dead. You’re staying here.”
“Look, Mr. Frost,” she says with a bit of attitude in her voice. I love how fierce she is. I knew my mate would keep me on my toes and not be a meek shy girl, but a ball-buster like this. “I’m sleeping and going wherever I choose to go. Because I’m an independent woman and an FBI agent.”
“You’re also my mate,” I snap back. “And that trumps everything else. You’re staying here.”
Her mouth drops as my words hit her hard.
“Your… what?”
Chapter Six
Lily
Did he just say what I think he said?
Because I think Blake just said that I was his mate…
There’s so much to think about. He just admitted to killing Aylwin and Reginald Kirk. Those horrible monsters are off the streets. I feel immediate relief. I’m bound by duty to turn Blake in, but I already know that I won’t.
I can feel my allegiance shifting away from the Bureau toward him. It’s like something in him is pulling me forward, urging me closer to this man with the salt and pepper hair and kind hazel eyes.
“You’re my mate,” he repeats in a possessive tone. He’s watching me with a territorial look, staring at me like he already owns me. Why do I like it whenever he looks at me like that?
“That can’t be.” My hands are trembling. My heart is pounding. I know it’s true, even though I’m not ready to admit it just yet. “We don’t even know each other!”
“I know enough to know.”
“But I live in Miami!”
“And you think it’s a coincidence that brought you here?” he asks. “It’s fate.”
I close my eyes and shake my head, trying to clear it, but all I can see is his wicked eyes and knowing grin behind my eyelids.
“I know you feel it too,” he says softly. “We’re mates, Lily. There’s no denying it. I know you’re drawn to me. I could see your face when you saw my polar bear. There was no fear. Just recognition. You may have been pointing your gun at me, but I know you weren’t afraid.”
I don’t say anything. I can’t say anything.
“Do you think it’s normal to be facing down a giant polar bear and feel nothing but safe?”
I swallow hard and drop my eyes. “No.”
“Don’t you feel the electricity in the air crackling all around us? The sexual tension? The heat?”
I slowly look back into his eyes and can’t help but nod. I do feel it. The heat of desire is thick in the air between us and is getting even thicker.
My nipples start to harden and tingle as he steps toward me and takes my hand. I let him.
His hands are softer than I thought they’d be. They feel good wrapping protectively around mine.
I’m in a strange man’s house, but I don’t feel anything but safe and warm. Instinctively, I know he would never hurt me. I can see how protective he is. How nurturing. How caring.
But there’s more to him than that… I feel a hungry desire coming from him as well. A ravenous lust. A deep primal yearning for all of my tingling parts.
“We belong together, Lily,” he whispers as our bodies close the distance between us. “It cannot be avoided, so stop trying.”
“I just… how can I be sure?”
He decides to show me instead of telling me and his lips come crashing down onto mine. I moan as he wraps his muscular arms around me and pulls me against his hard chest as he kisses me deeper. His tongue slides against mine and it’s like lightning sparking through me.
A wave of heat flows from my core down to my pussy, making it burn with need and desire. My hormones have taken over—my brain no longer in control—and I stand on my toes and add more pressure to the kiss.
I’m sure now. The jury is in. The judge agrees. Blake Frost is my mate.
Nothing else can explain this.
It’s way too intense to be anything else.
After several breathless seconds, we pull away and stare into each other’s eyes. So much is being said in this stare even though our mouths aren’t moving.
It’s recognition. It’s surrender. It’s the realization that this is our destiny.
“Are you sure now?” he whispers in a rough hoarse voice.
“Yeah,” I say as I feel his hands tighten on my hips. “The doubts are gone.”
He takes a breath of relief, but although I’m ready to admit we’re mates, I’m not fully ready to let all my walls down yet.
“I’ve been waiting for you for way too long, Lily,” he says with a rough desperate tone to his voice. It’s like my absence caused him pain. “I’m not about to let you go. Especially into the hands of a dragon. You’re my girl to protect.”
I nod despite myself.
I’ve always been so fiercely independent. I never needed a man to protect me. I’m a brown belt in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu and am an excellent shot with the revolver that’s usually strapped to my hip. I protect myself just fine.
But now, that’s all changing. I want to give myself over to him completely. To let him do what he was born to do. Take me. Protect me. Cherish me.
“You’re staying here.” Dominance and authority are thick in his voice.
I nod again.
“Our bodies belong together,” he says. “They were made for each other.”
He pulls off his shirt and I gasp when I see his hard naked chest in front of me. I can’t help but run my hands over his hard pecs and down his chiseled abs. He’s so fucking hot. I can’t get over it.
“I waited for this moment for decades and I don’t want to wait any longer.”
He gently takes my shirt and starts lifting it up. I’m expecting the reaction of stepping back or slapping his hands away, but I’m mesmerized by his beauty and my arms raise instead.
My shirt goes over my head and drops to the floor. His eyes are on my breasts that are heaving up and down as he reaches around to the clasp resting against my back.
He fumbles with it and then grunts in frustration when it’s clear that he’s unable to figure it out.
“I thought my mate would be smoother,” I grin, teasing him as I run my hands up and down his thick carved arms.
“I’ve never had to do this before,” he admits. “I’ll rip it off if you prefer.”
“You’ve… never done this before?” I’m shocked. This man is gorgeous. And he’s a fireman too! I’d figure he’d have gone through multiple beds from the accumulation of notches in the wood that eventually made the beds collapse.
“I’ve been waiting for my mate,” he whispers. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
I shiver, knowing this man is serious. He only wants me.
Memories of hot guys being interested in me start rolling through my head. I never wanted any of them back. I didn’t understand it. I craved something, but it wasn’t any of them.
Now I know… I was waiting for this moment as well.
“Then, I won’t make you wait any longer,” I say as I reach back and unclasp my bra, helping him out. I let it slide down my arms and
fall between us.
His big strong hands are on my breasts immediately and he’s in awe as he massages them and runs his thumbs over my hard tingling nipples.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” he whispers as he looks at me.
“I was thinking the same thing,” I whisper back as I look at the masculine curve of his jaw. His sexy lips. His fierce hazel eyes. He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.
His mouth comes down on my breasts—kissing, licking and gently nibbling my nipples. I slide my fingers into his hair and hold his mouth against me. It feels so good. He’s already making my toes curl against the floor.
I moan when I feel his hands slide over my ass and onto the back of my thighs. He picks me up easily and I grab onto his neck as he carries me, kissing the whole way, into the kitchen.
He drops me onto the granite island and we knock over the bottle of bourbon. It rolls into the sink, but we don’t stop what we’re doing to get it. Who needs alcohol when you have intoxicating kisses like this?
I hear a primal rumbling filling the air between us and at first, I think a wild animal got into the house until I realize it’s his polar bear. The rumbling goes straight to my aching clit and I moan as my body heats up.
This man is driving me wild. He’s stirring me into a frenzy and I can’t seem to get my body close enough to his.
I gasp into his mouth when I feel how hard his cock is. It’s pressing against me and trapping my breath in my lungs.
“Oh, fuck,” I moan as he starts kissing my neck with rough kisses. His hot breath is brushing against my skin, teasing me, killing me. All while his hard dick keeps grazing against my inner thighs. Too many clothes… He grabs my ass and yanks me closer, pressing my spread pussy against his steel cock as his hand moves back up to my breast.
I wanted to leave a moment ago, but now I want to stay forever. The anticipation of what’s going to happen next wrestles with the incredible sensations in each second that passes. My mind is everywhere. My brain is broken. All I can think about is that throbbing cock pressed against me.
I want to feel it thrusting deep inside me. I want to feel skin on skin. I want to feel his hot cum warm me from the inside out.
Pulled to the Alpha: Alphas in Heat Book Five Page 3