Hailey came out of the kitchen. “Why is Madd yelling?” she asked.

  I bent over and hugged her tightly. “Oh, he’s just being silly. You want to spend the night with Nana?”

  Her face lit up. “Yes!”

  “Okay, go pack a bag.”

  Hailey followed her brother up the stairs. By the time they came back down with overnight bags, I was ready. I pressed a large casserole I’d made as a thank you into Maddox’s hands. “Tell Carla I appreciate her.”

  I’d already told her over the phone, but nothing said thank you like a dinner she didn’t have to cook.

  My phone beeped. I pulled it out of my pocket to see a text from Maverick. Have dinner with me.

  I grinned before replying. I was about to invite you to come for dinner. Charlotte left this morning. Be here at 8?

  His reply came back so fast it was like he read my mind before reading my text. Yes!

  I chuckled. It was a little after four, so I put the second casserole in the oven to warm and headed to the bathroom. A little primping would go a long way toward making me confident about my decision to have sex with Maverick.

  After a long bath, refreshing my polish and putting on just enough makeup to make me feel enhanced, I put on my sexiest lingerie and a form-fitting dress over it. I’d shaved pretty much all over and lotioned as soon as I got out of the tub.

  In short, I felt sexy as hell.

  On the way to the kitchen, I lit every candle in the house, I even moved a few to the staircase. When Maverick arrived, he’d be swept away by my efforts.

  It still didn’t stop me from being nervous as hell. It didn’t matter that we’d done everything but have sex in the time we’d been staying together, I still worried that something might go wrong.

  A few minutes before eight, my front door opened. I ignored it as I pulled the casserole out of the oven and set the table.

  Maverick walked into the kitchen as I set the plates down.

  “Hot damn,” he whispered, and Zephyr growled his agreement in my head. “You look amazing.”

  Giggling at the feeling of a dragon speaking to me in my own mind, I preened; glad my efforts had paid off.

  “You’re always beautiful, but I missed you, so you’re extra beautiful.”

  Well, that was a nice thing to say. Even though I’d tried harder, he saw my beauty without the extra eyeliner and lotions. “Are you hungry?” I asked, but when I looked at him again, I realized he was stalking me. “Oh, my.”

  Butterflies danced across my chest as I saw his golden eyes. Mate, Zephyr rumbled in my mind.

  “He’s riled up,” I commented as I backed away, loving the cat and mouse game.

  “He spent years away from you and now we hate being apart. We missed you.”

  His words mimicked exactly how I’d felt. “I agree. If Charlotte comes to visit, you should stay.”

  “How important is it that we eat first?” Maverick asked.

  “Not at all.” I darted around the island and put the casserole back in the oven at a low temperature.

  As soon as I finished, Maverick scooped me into his arms. “I missed you.” He nuzzled my neck, inhaling my scent. “You put perfume on.”

  “It’s lotion.” I tried to keep my breath as he made desire dance across my skin.

  “I like your natural scent, but this is pretty.” He breathed in deeper. “Citrus.”

  “Okay,” I whispered. I’d buy unscented lotion. He liked my natural scent. Damn.

  He carried me up the stairs, somehow not looking where he was going one time. He couldn’t possibly see past my hair, and then on the stairs, he connected our lips, exploring my mouth with his tongue.

  Even so, we made it to my bedroom, where he set me gently on my feet. “Damn, Ava. I can’t hold back. Are you sure?”

  “I’m positive,” I said. Then I grabbed the hem of my dress and lifted it over my head, exposing the red teddy that I hoped looked good against my pale skin and black hair.

  Maverick dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around me. “You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.”

  I knew he only thought that because we were fated, but it still was nice to hear.

  His hands roamed under the teddy, finding my bare skin underneath. I sucked in my stomach at the feel of his hot hands on it. Throwing my head back, I simply enjoyed. The feel of his hands, the atmosphere in the house. Being together with the love of my life again after so long.

  “It’s a shame to destroy this,” he said, and before he had a chance to destroy more of my lingerie, I stepped back and shimmied out of it.

  “It was really hot when you did that before, but I like these.”

  He laughed and advanced on me, but this time I made him chase me. Across the bedroom and around the bed, I allowed myself to be caught on the bed. “You got me,” I said with a giggle.

  “I’ll always get you,” he replied seriously. “Forever, Ava. I’m here.”

  I grabbed his face and pulled him toward me for a kiss as he splayed his hands across my sex. “No,” I said. “Not this time. I need you.”

  He pulled back and looked into my eyes, reading the desire there. When he liked what he saw, he stood and stripped quickly, returning to the bed with no clothes on and an enormous hard-on. “I didn’t bring a condom; do you have some here?”

  “I just want you,” I whispered. “Nothing between us.”

  Besides, I had an IUD. Pregnancy wasn’t likely and I knew I was clean. And Maverick had told me earlier in the week that dragons weren’t susceptible to the same diseases as humans. He couldn’t give me anything even if he’d had the chance.

  “I’ve loved you all my life,” he whispered as he lifted my legs apart and settled between them.

  I grabbed him and guided him to my entrance, sliding his head around to wet it. Then I remembered how big he was and used my hand to spread my moisture all over the top of his dick. He’d hurt me otherwise.

  “I’ll never stop loving you, Ava.” He slid inside in one smooth thrust, filling me and stretching me around him. I arched my back because his dick gave me an energy and passion deep inside that I’d never felt.

  “Oh my god, Maverick,” I whispered as he pushed in. “That feels...” I couldn’t finish. He pushed forward as far as he could, then slowly glided out again.

  When he was out, with just the tip barely inside me, he paused. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “More,” I whispered, and watched his cock disappear inside me. “Oh.” I couldn’t describe the pleasure of such a large dick inside me. “This is great,” I said weakly. Wow. That was lame. I could do better. “I mean, you feel amazing.” Not much better.

  He growled. “I’m barely getting started. Just wait.” I stopped talking and enjoyed the ride.

  His words proved true. As he was able to move faster and harder, the pleasure built to a level I’d never experienced before, not even with him. He’d been a wonderful and attentive lover before, but now he fit inside like this was what I’d been sculpted for. To fit his body, and his to fit mine.

  Fated.

  Even though he’d said it had been a very long time since he’d had sex, he managed to put me through three orgasms, one after another. His finger on my clit helped with the last. By then, I was exhausted. He’d flipped me onto my knees, which made me feel vulnerable. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to come again.

  “Give me one more. This ass is perfect, Ava, do you know that?”

  He hadn’t said anything so dirty before, and his words made it easier for me to relax and enjoy the position. “I want to bury my face in it.”

  Zephyr growled in my mind. Mate.

  We hadn’t talked about the mating process much, but I was pretty sure it involved him biting me. I wasn’t ready for that, and he knew it. I trusted him not to bite. Instead, he reached around me and pressed his finger into my fold as he moved harder in and out of my body.

  It was all I needed to go over the edge. I came with a guttural cry at the same time as Maverick. He pulled me close, breathing hard next to my ear, with his arm around my waist. We’d gone so long without this type of connection and for a few moments, we felt as bonded as we’d been all those years ago. He nuzzled my neck as I floated down from my high.

  When he released my waist, I collapsed on the bed, disregarding the mess I was sure had leaked out of me. I had a mattress protector on and would change the sheets the next morning.

  Maverick wrapped himself around me, pulling the blankets over both of us and kissing my shoulder as we fell asleep.

  The chirruping of his phone woke us several hours later. He got out of bed and rustled around until he found it in his jeans. “Yeah?”

  I turned on the light, worried about the kids. He hung up the phone and started pulling on his clothes. No underwear. He hadn’t worn it since I’d told him I liked him commando. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Nothing, I just have to go deal with something. Give Dad some backup.” He made it sound like an annoyance more than anything, but he didn’t meet my eyes.

  “You sure?” I asked.

  He leaned over the bed and pressed a long, hard kiss to my lips. “Go back to sleep.”

  I nodded and burrowed in the blanket, inhaling his scent. I trusted him, even though something in my gut told me there was a problem that he didn’t want to tell me about.

  20

  Maverick

  “Damn it!” I banged my hand on the steering wheel as I pulled out of Ava’s driveway. Why had I lied to her?

  It would’ve thrown huge complications into everything, but I should’ve told her the truth.

  Yeah, right.

  Zephyr was right. If I’d told her I had to go with my Dad and brother to investigate a dead body, she would’ve freaked. She’d barely begun to accept dragons’ existences at all. Throwing a dead body into the mix would’ve been catastrophic. I’d deal with the threat and she’d never know.

  The phrase ‘bad idea’ kept floating through my head. I’d promised her we weren’t dangerous. No, that wasn’t quite right. I’d promised her we’d never hurt her. I couldn’t have promised that no dragon was dangerous. We were all dangerous in the right circumstances.

  Zephyr roared inside me, angry that someone committed such a heinous act in our territory.

  Dad and Axel found the body on a hunt. It was high up on our land, down an access road that hadn’t been used in years. It wasn’t easy to get a vehicle up there, so they wanted me to fly. Carlos was there as well. He’d probably run with a backpack—clothes for after our shifts.

  I made it home in no time and ran for the backyard, throwing my clothes off as I went. I’d collect them later, or if I was being honest, my mom would probably do it before I had a chance. I’d check though, when we got back.

  Launching into the air, I flew in the direction dad had given me. As soon as I was within a quarter mile of their location, Zephyr took over, sensing his clan. He was able to pinpoint them with sharp accuracy and fly straight to the scene.

  We shifted back to my skin as we landed, something we’d practiced day after day for an extremely long time to get right. It wasn’t totally necessary—not like we were in that much of a hurry—but it looked cool as hell and we both loved doing it. I slowed to a stop beside Dad, Axel, and Carlos. Carlos wordlessly handed me a pair of jogging shorts.

  “Well?” I slipped the shorts on as I breathed deep, taking in the smell as the sun rose over the mountain, giving us a better view of the body. “It’s definitely the other clan. The rogues that came through a couple of nights ago.”

  The body was burned to a crisp, unrecognizable under the black char. “We’re pretty sure it’s a corpse stolen from the morgue,” Dad said. “They reported a missing body last night.”

  Sighing, I crouched and looked closer as the lighting improved with the rising sun. I could see pretty well at night, but I didn’t want to miss a clue that might help us track these assholes.

  Unfortunately, they seemed to have covered their tracks. Except for their faint scent, which would’ve dissipated in another day, there would’ve been no way for us to know it was them. “They probably hoped enough time would pass before we found it that we couldn’t smell them.”

  Carlos chuckled. “Like you’d blame this on anyone else.”

  He was right. It wasn’t the smartest move. Even if I hadn’t been able to smell them, who would’ve left a charred body for us to find besides the rogue dragons?

  Nobody. Zephyr wasn’t happy. He didn’t like other clans on his territory at all, but he tolerated them for short periods to keep the peace. This is why I don’t like it.

  I couldn’t argue with him with the evidence of the argument against allowing others near our territory staring me in the face.

  “Son, this is a message.” Dad scrubbed his hand over his face wearily. He wore shorts like the rest of us, his torso just as fit as ours. It wouldn’t be much longer before Dad would have to retire as sheriff before people started really commenting on his appearance. He had a few silver hairs at his temple, but otherwise barely looked older than his sons.

  Dragons matured to mid-thirties or so, then aged very slowly after that. Dad was actually nearing seventy. He and Mom had Axel when they were in their mid-thirties and me a year later. He looked like he was early forties, max.

  Thanks to his mating bite, Mom would live a similar life span. If we were lucky, they’d both reach 200 at most. Most dragons and their mates passed between 150 and 175 years old.

  My grandfather, in Arizona, was over a hundred himself and didn’t look a day over sixty. He’d already had to move once. The Kingston clan all over the world was prepared to shift territories and stories when necessary to keep appearances.

  “I know,” I said, bringing my thoughts to the present and out of our family’s possible future moves. “I don’t know why.”

  “If this is a message, and I don’t see what else it could be,” Axel said, “then this is only the beginning. There’s more coming.”

  “Fuck,” I muttered.

  Zephyr stirred restlessly. Hunt.

  “Zephyr wants to hunt them down.” I wasn’t sure if that was the best course, but his insistence rode my good sense hard.

  Dad shook his head. “No. We can’t leave the territory unprotected. You’re the best fighter. You must stay here.”

  Carlos nodded. “I agree. That’s probably what they want us to do.”

  Black Claw was in danger. I couldn’t abide by that. “We’ll need to send out a tracker. Is Jury up to it?”

  Dad nodded. “Yes. He’s been training while we’re working. He’s ready.”

  Jury had surprised us after his first shift. Trackers were rare and valuable. Only Carlos knew about his ability outside of the clan. We had to make sure nobody knew he tracked, or he’d be in danger. He’d been training in stealth, learning to move through the woods without being caught. When he was able to sneak up on wild animals like deer without detection, we’d deemed him ready to track. We had no other way to determine if he was ready, there wasn’t a manual. I hadn’t heard of another tracker alive in several hundred years.

  “Get him up here,” I said. “Then bring the department Jeep up to return what’s left of the body to the morgue.”

  Dad nodded. Technically it should’ve been him giving the orders, but our sheriff business had meshed with our clan business for the moment, making me the leader. We generally stepped comfortably from one role to the other, one of us taking the lead as needed. Zephyr was good with it, which made life easier for all of us.

  I walked away from the body and breathed deep, trying to calm both myself and the beast wanting to rage inside me. “How do I keep Ava and our children safe with a threat like this?” I asked.

  Of course, Dad and Axel heard me. Carlos probably did too, but he didn’t comment.

  “You stay close to them.” Dad put his hand on my shoulder, and his nearness helped. Axel moved beside me, knowing it would settle me.

  “What if they followed me? What if they know I have a vulnerability now? Mom stays home most of the time, where she’s safe.” Panic blossomed in my gut, driving Zephyr nuts.

  “So does Ava,” Axel pointed out.

  “Yeah, but the kids don’t.”

  “So, we’ll increase patrols near the school.”

  Carlos piped up. “You know, a few of my pack are teachers. I can warn them.” He normally kept any dragon business he heard in the course of working with us to himself, but on occasion we worked closely with the wolf pack to keep Black Claw a safe place for us all. There were quite a few more wolf shifters, and they spilled over into the neighboring county, where they kept the peace. But dragons always reigned supreme. If I’d wanted to annex the county next to ours as part of my territory, it would’ve been within my rights as the local dragon alpha. I had no reason to do such a thing, though. We had plenty of land to roam and no need to expand at this point. When Maddox matured, that might change.

  “I would appreciate that, in this case,” I told him. “Thanks.”

  He nodded. “I’ll go get the truck.”

  Dad and Axel stepped out of their shorts and put them in the backpack strapped to Carlos’s back. I did the same with a sigh. Time to go home and pretend like everything was okay. It might be necessary to create some distance between Ava and myself. If the rogue clan somehow managed to track me, I didn’t want to give them anything to use as leverage, least of all my mate or kids. Maddox hadn’t matured, so he still smelled human, but if I stayed at the house, my scent would be all over him and Hailey. Who knows if the rogues had spies among the wolves or humans? A human could be an unwitting informant without ever knowing about shifters.

 

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