Dragons do it nerdier, p.18
Dragons Do It Nerdier, page 18
But then he grabbed my hand and forced it onto the desk. Not wrong. Not wrong at all. These two thugs were going to cut one of my fingers off.
A funny thing happened.
I got mad.
Really fucking mad.
Like, lop-a-guy’s-head-off mad.
Like, eviscerate-a-sorry-kidnapping-bastard mad.
Like…
Grab all the magic, all of it, because I couldn’t just see it. I could feel it. Taste it.
Grab all the magic, and make it my bitch.
That kind of mad.
There was some screaming.
I ignored it.
I yanked that magic like a carpet from under their feet.
Or not.
Because I could feel it pulsing in my veins.
Fuck. Maybe more like a vampire chugging blood.
I opened my eyes. I hadn’t even realized I’d closed them.
The two who were about to cut off one of my fingers were limp heaps of man-thugs on the ground.
I was still tied to the chair.
And, actually, I didn’t know if the finger-stealing asses were dead or passed out, but if they happened to still be alive, or if their friends were, I needed to get gone now. I had no clue how I’d done what I’d just done. I didn’t even know what I’d done.
I grabbed the knife on the desk, the same one used to cut my hands free, and sliced the zip ties binding my ankles to the chair legs.
Standing was harder.
I had pins and needles in my feet and halfway up my legs. Also, I had this weird bubbly sensation that made me sort of want to laugh but also smash something.
Was I high? Is this what it felt like to get high?
It was weird.
I looked for a phone in the office, because I was pretty sure Dex would know what to do in this situation. Also, we’d just had tons of sex. Pretty sure he was good for a ride. Calling a rideshare seemed iffy in this scenario.
Holy shit, I felt weird.
There wasn’t a phone, so I weighed the risks of leaving the office and maybe finding one of those other guys against the risk of the guys in the office waking up really, really angry. Since I was pretty sure I saw one of them breathing, I decided to venture out of the office and away from the men I’d knocked out. They weren’t gonna be happy when they woke up.
I opened the door to the office and half a second later a knight in shining armor busted through the warehouse door.
I really was high, wasn’t I?
Because when I squinted and tried to see through all the shining light, I could discern that the man standing there wasn’t a knight. It was Dex—with a sword in his hand. And a gun in his other hand. Who knew that he was ambidextrous? Not me.
He shone with the purest of lights. And glints of fire. Oh yeah, there was definitely fire.
But in my defense, what with the shining light and the sword he was carrying, he really did look like a knight.
No, scratch that.
With the beard and the fire in his eyes, he looked like a demented modern-day Viking.
He had lost all of his chill.
Completely.
Utterly.
It was… Wow, it was sexy as fuck.
He looked like he wanted to break some necks and bury some bodies, but only after he’d bathed in his enemies’ blood.
That should have freaked me the fuck out.
But it didn’t.
It made me wet. And horny.
Oh my God, was that boy getting some later.
And then the most wondrous event of my life happened.
I saw my very first dragon.
25
DEX
As we closed in on the location Mia had provided, there was a great sucking pull.
A great sucking magical pull.
My hex broke.
Just like that. Gone. Like chains had snapped and fallen away.
My dragon was free.
I was currently being carried, like a preflight infant, in Bain’s claws, so I couldn’t shift. I also happened to be carrying clothes for both Archer and Bain. Those fuckers weren’t going anywhere near Kaylee without clothes.
“Was that…?” Archer didn’t finish the question.
Because none of us knew anything. Not until we landed at the warehouse location Mia had given us. That magical implosion we’d all felt came from there.
Dragon flight defied physics, but it still took time. The last minutes before we landed were fraught.
We didn’t know what we’d find. For all we knew, Lizbet got her panties in a twist and decided to rain hell down on her blackmailers.
But that didn’t explain my hex breaking.
Bain released me a foot from the ground then landed. I threw the pack I’d carried for him and Archer on the ground, but only after drawing my sword.
Sword in one hand, gun in the other, I was ready for lizard or human. And I wasn’t waiting. Bain and Archer would catch up. I needed in that warehouse now. In case Lizbet had lost her mind or—
I didn’t stop to consider various permutations. That magical implosion meant something, and it had happened a good two and a half minutes previous.
I busted through the door to find…
Two men on the ground.
And Kaylee.
At the head of a set of stairs, directly in front of a door, looking alive and whole. She looked amazing.
Her fluffy sweater had been lost, and she was wearing nothing but a T-shirt and jeans, but she looked magnificent. Her hair was pulled back, her posture tall and proud. She looked ready to kick some ass. My guess, she’d been the source of that magical bomb, and her mom had been exactly right. She could take care of herself.
I couldn’t be prouder.
I felt an uncontrollable need to shift. I’d been half of myself ever since I’d met her, and now that I was whole, I was desperate to spread my wings, flash my iridescent underbelly, fry some assholes with my fire.
No sooner had I thought it than I was winged, scaled, fanged, and clawed.
There was room in the warehouse. It was nothing more than an open space.
Kaylee squealed. Like a kid who’s seen their first unicorn…or their first dragon.
I arched my neck, displaying my prettiest scales, the ones under my chin, and spread my wings.
She scrambled down the stairs, running until she stood directly in front of me. “Can you talk when you’re all…dragon-y?”
I laughed, and her eyes widened.
“You sound…the same.”
“It’s magic.” I flexed my wings. “The same for flight. My wings control my direction of travel. They don’t give me the ability to fly.”
“Amazing.” She was stroking my neck. I don’t think she even realized she was doing it, but I flexed under her fingertips anyway. “So soft. I wouldn’t have thought they’d be soft. And all the colors!” Her fingers moved from the dark blue-green scales on the top of my neck to the iridescent, multicolored scales underneath.
“Uh-hm.” Her fingers felt so good on my neck. A rumble started low in my belly and traveled through my body. It didn’t waiver as I watched Bain and Archer in their clothed human forms secure the two men on the warehouse floor.
“You’re purring,” she whispered, as if speaking too loud would make me stop.
After a few minutes, she stopped rubbing my neck and said, “Dex. I think you have a PR problem. And since I’m the other half of you—” My heart thrummed loudly in my chest. She wasn’t talking about mating. She didn’t even know what a dragon’s mate was. Even so… “—that means we have a PR problem.”
Much as I would have preferred she keep stroking my scales, or even better yet, explain exactly what she meant when she said she was the other half of me—was it a casual comment, or did she feel what I felt?—I deferred to her wishes that we discuss this public relations issue. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
And she did. It was the same bullshit that Bain had dealt with. No one respected dragons any more. Because we showed restraint, they assumed we wouldn’t protect our own.
I remained in my dragon form, because if I shifted back to my human form, I’d be all over her. The need to mark her was even more intense than it had been when we’d been intimate.
“So, any ideas?” Kaylee asked.
I felt a pulse of guilt. I’d been paying attention. Mostly.
Bain and Archer had secured two additional men who’d been in the office with Kaylee, but they were back now and listening.
“Easy,” Archer said. “Kill the kidnappers. They should expect as much. Probably sent their disposable guys to do the dirty work.”
“Uh, no.” Kaylee’s hand was still on my neck, but she stopped petting me at the mention of murder.
“We torch the place,” Bain announced. “It’s showy. They’ll take a multimillion-dollar hit on the property loss.”
“But, what about the other properties? Or if the fire gets out of control and someone’s hurt?”
I rubbed my jaw against her shoulder. “Magical fire. No one’s hurt, because it’s out before the human firefighters show up. And unlike physical fire, we control it until it’s extinguished.”
Bain winced. “Mostly.”
Kaylee latched on to his comment. “What do you mean mostly? Can you guarantee no one will be hurt or not?”
“I can,” I promised. And I proved it to her.
Kaylee got her first dragon flight, and she got to watch me light up the warehouse where she’d been held captive and threatened.
It was a feel-good moment watching it burn. Like playing with puppies. Especially since Bain would have his rat shifter contacts spread the word that it was dragon retaliation for acts against a dragon mate.
It was the twenty-first century. We shouldn’t have to rely on intimidation and showy acts of destruction. But Kaylee was right. We did have a PR problem. And if a little fire kept our mates safe, I was completely fine with some light destruction of property.
I was thankful that Kaylee had handled her captors, because I was certain if I had, I’d have removed their heads. She would not have approved.
Also, she’d needed the confidence boost of handling herself in a dangerous situation, and I’d gained the comfort of knowing my mate was a complete badass.
Not that I wasn’t capable of protecting her. I was.
My brother’s death was a very long time ago. Many lifetimes. I needed to let that pain go, and along with it, the guilt.
I had a future to forge.
With my mate.
26
KAYLEE
It had been days since Dex had explained the concept of dragon mates.
Binding of souls, shared life force, yada ya.
I loved him, a fact of which he was well aware, since apparently I’d gone from chanting his name when I came to chanting “I love you” over and over again.
He loved me, a fact of which I was well aware, because he told me so, and I trusted Dex.
So…what the fuck? When did this whole mating thing happen?
Not one to dally when important matters needed doing, I called Taylor and got the basic details.
I was ready for sexy dragon biting action.
I had slutty-hot lingerie. I had a horny dragon. This was happening.
Dex had gone to get groceries, because, unlike Archer, he knew how to grocery shop for himself. He tried to convince me to go with him, but that didn’t fit with the plan.
When I heard the garage door opening, I apologized profusely to Chelsea and put her in the guest room she stayed in when Dex and I were getting our freak on outside of the bedroom. Kitchen sex? Great. Living room couch sex? Very nice. Laundry room sex? Surprisingly awesome.
I had on my sexy teddy. Dex’s favorite color, blue, of course. Not that I was saying he was egotistical, but I managed to find one that had just a hint of green shining through…like his gorgeous mostly blue but green-tinged top scales.
My thighs were damp from the excitement coursing through me. Practically living with the walking epitome of sex meant that I was always turned on, but this was different.
“Hey, Kaylee, hon? What’s going on?”
I’d turned off all the lights and lit a few candles, because that was romantic, right?
Dex flicked on the kitchen light. His arms were full of perishables.
Dammit. Maybe I didn’t think this all the way through.
But Dex took one look at me and dumped everything on the counter. His nostrils flared and his eyes glinted with the fire I could always see in him.
I’d learned to dial down my magical sight so it wasn’t distracting, but I knew exactly what Dex looked like in all his magical glory. He was my knight is shining scales.
“That’s new.” His eyes told me how much he appreciated the teddy.
“Don’t you want to put the milk away?”
“Nope.” He stepped closer, his eyes flaring with passion.
“Or the, ah…” I glanced at the counter. “Cheese?”
“Uh-uh.” He was outright stalking me now as I moved toward the bedroom.
Then I ran.
Because dragons loved to chase.
I could hear his sexy growl behind me. He could have caught me, but he waited until we made it to the bedroom. Then he tackled me.
Exactly as I planned.
I arched my back, snuggling my ass into his hard cock.
Taylor had told me that dragon mating required a certain position. I was just giving my dragon the hint.
He covered me chest to back, his cock nestled between my butt cheeks.
I lifted my ass, and he gave me enough room to get to my knees. His big hands shaped and squeezed my ass. He was about to find my special surprise.
“Fuck, yes.” His fingers sunk inside me.
Crotchless teddy for the win.
He thrust two fingers in and out, teasing me, knowing I wanted him. His hard length pushing inside me. He knew I was ready for him. I was dripping wet, wanting. I moaned, and he added a third finger.
I thrust back against his fingers, hungry for more and a little pissed that he wasn’t fucking me.
Reaching behind me, I squeezed his hard length.
His fingers disappeared, and I reached down to play with myself while he stripped.
He came back seconds later and smacked my hand away. “Mine.”
I sunk into the bed. I fucking loved it when he got all growly and possessive.
And he knew it. He grasped the back of my neck with one hand and lifted my ass higher with the other. I was splayed out, waiting for him to fuck me.
He didn’t. He teased me with the fat head of his cock, and I started to beg.
“You want me?” he grumbled
“Yes, yes, yes. I want you. I love you, Dex. I love you. Fuck me.”
And only then did he thrust inside me.
I made some more noises, probably screamed, probably cried, because it was so good. Each thrust made me feel everything. It was so good. So hard. So good. I love you, Dex. Fuck me, Dex. Harder, Dex. Yes, yes, yes. Fuck! Bite me, Dex. Please, please. Mark me. Mate me. Fuck me. Yes.
At some point, I realized I was saying all that out loud. And that was fine, because I didn’t have any secrets from Dex.
I loved him. So much.
And that was when I felt it. The magic. The fire. The bite.
My heart was open. My heart was his.
His mating fangs sank into my neck and I screamed as I came.
Dex pumped inside me four more times, five, and then he collapsed on top of me, whispering, “I love you, Kaylee.”
EPILOGUE, WAR DEMONS AS MOTHERS: KAYLEE
Dex had agreed to my meeting with my mother under threat of no sex.
To be fair, I said, “Either you agree to let me meet with my mother alone or I’m withholding sex.” And then I immediately laughed. We both knew I wasn’t about to withhold sex.
Because one, I loved having sex with my favorite nerdy-hot dragon.
And two, Dex wasn’t the boss of me. I didn’t need sex or the lack of to manipulate my mate.
I’d lived under my dad’s benevolent tyranny for far too long. My dad and I were good. I understood why he’d done the things he had, but I wasn’t about to let anyone else run my life again. Not even a hot dragon. Not even my mate.
That said, I didn’t want Dex worrying. So I’d arm-twisted him to agree to come with me, wait in the lobby, then take me to lunch afterwards. But I’d also made him promise he wouldn’t try to bust into our meeting and take down my demon mother.
Now that he was all dragony again, he was really full of himself.
But let’s be real, he wasn’t capable of taking on a war demon by himself.
When I said as much to him, his reply had been, “Of course not. I’ve got you to help me.”
True statement. I was on his side every time.
But me and Dex against my mother was an eventuality that would inevitably lead to years and years of therapy.
When I pointed this out to Dex, he pouted, then agreed to stay in the lobby.
And that was how I rolled these days. Point to me.
So here I was, in my mother’s massive corner office, on the top floor, asking her all the good stuff. Like…
“What exactly is a war demon?”
She laughed. It was a throaty sound, full of the deep sort of pleasure I associated with the truly uninhibited. “It’s an old-fashioned name. I used to use the weather to attack my prey—or my enemies.” She shrugged. “Mostly, these days, I sit in a boardroom and decimate men with small minds. It’s more fun. Less fallout.” She wrinkled her nose. “Certainly less cleanup. Everyone’s so fussy these days about visible magic.”
Uh, my mom was kind of a badass. And maybe a murderer. I might be conflicted. Which was fine. She did give birth to me and let me stay with my dad even though she knew I had magic. (Yeah, figured that one finally.) And there was the trust fund. It would be something nice for my kids, if nothing else. But on the flip side, she had left me to fend for myself against a bunch of poisonous lizard men who liked to use guns.
And moving right along. Now was not the time to unpack all that.
