15 Paranormal Romance Collection Boxset- Billionaire Bad Boy (26 page)

Double Dragon

Dragon Shifter

 
By: Lisa Cartwright

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Copyright 2015 by Lisa Cartwright - All rights reserved.

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

Shae tried the door at the back of the bar. Sighing at the locked entrance, she started back around the loud building. It was just starting to get dark and she knew that she had several more hours until she had time to leave. With a test the next day, Shae just wanted to get home and get some studying in. The parking lot was full though, so the chance of her leaving early was slim.

Waving to a regular that was heading home, Shae ducked back into the dark interior of the club. Her friend Carla was behind the bar and once she got back to work, the rest of the night finished off quickly. The walk home was quick, as the college housing was only a few blocks away. The moon lit the way where the street lights did not. Shae didn’t sleep till several hours later. There was just not enough time in the day for the woman to do everything she needed to and she hoped that the load would slow down when she left school.

The next morning came early and she woke up in a daze. Realizing that she was going to be late for Economics, Shae changed and took off out the door. She made the class just before the Professor came in. She found a seat in the back and waited. The room filled up quickly and Shae got to spend the time scanning her classmates. She was only a few weeks into the class and there were not many people that she knew.

The Professor was an older man with hazel eyes. He had a lecherous look on his face most of the time, but Shae just didn’t wear low-cut anything and he could manage some eye contact. “Good morning class. Today is test day, so I hope you have all studied.”

He started passing out papers and she looked at the test in her hand. It was all stuff she knew and started to relax. She was too type A and would over-prepare in everything. Shae was not a go-with-the-flow kind of girl. She had plans and steps to reach her goals. It was like her education, a certain path was laid out for her. Shae was done early and instead of waiting around, she wrote down the work for the next class and took off. It was frowned upon, but the only way that Shae could afford to go to the college she wanted, she had to have many jobs.

Dashing across campus, she made it to the student services building with enough time to grab a smoke. Shae was trying to quit, but the few she had throughout the day, seemed to take the edge off of her chaotic life. Beyond the bar four nights a week and booking three days a week, she also graded papers for several of the professors. Shae stayed busy and she waited for the summer that would bring a little more time to just be.

Stubbing out the fire with her shoe, Shae walked in the air-conditioned building and instantly felt better in the cool air. She said hello to a couple of people and then went back to the small cubical that she used while she was there. It was not just hers, but several others, so she looked at the smiling faces of someone else’s kids all day. Looking at the files that needed to be keyed in, she sighed to herself and checked her watch. She had four hours there and then another class and another night at the bar before she had to get a few hours of sleep and do it all over again. It was safe to say that Shae was burning out quickly and needed something new and exciting in her life.

*** 

“Shae you coming out with us tonight?”

The blonde shook her head. “No, got to work.”

Alice sighed. “You are always working.”

“Well tuition hikes each year don’t help. I am so happy this is my last semester. One job is going to feel like a vacation.”

“That is if you find a job. My sister is still looking and she graduated last summer.”

Shae nodded and turned away to head home and shower before work. It was her last night there for the week and though she felt like she may drop then and there, she got dressed and slowly made her way to her second job of the day.

The night went slow and by the time she left, she was beyond tired. Shae didn’t pay much attention that night at work or that evening as she walked home. If she had, she would have noticed the man that stared at her and then drove behind her slowly as she walked home. Shae was oblivious to it all, her mind already thinking about a writing project for Comp class that she still needed to finish. Her mind had no time to worry about the present. She was too far ahead into the future.

She took the stairs down to her apartment. It was nice to not have too many stairs and even better when they went down, but it also made the windows smaller than every other apartment in the building. Sighing to herself, she fed her fish and ran some water for a shower. She hoped that the next day would be better, but she still had two jobs to go to.

Shae undressed and got in the hot, steaming water. Her mind was on her mental to-do list and Shae spent several minutes with her head under the hot water. It helped her think and relaxed all the muscles her over-worrying caused throughout the day. Stepping out ten minutes later, she grabbed a towel and dried herself off. Wrapping up in the plush fabric, Shae padded back into her bedroom to put on some sleep clothes. She had a feeling that caused the hair on her neck to stand up. She figured it was because the window was open, so she shut the blinds and let the towel fall to the floor.

Her curves glistened in the light streaming in from the hallway. She didn’t see that the closet door was slightly ajar or did she feel the presence in her house. Shae bent down to get some panties out of the drawer and when she stood up it was too late to realize. Her present took over her future and as a large, hot palm covered her mouth, she tried to scream but her sound was cut short.

“Shut up and don’t make a sound or I will cut you.”

Shae didn’t feel a knife, but she wasn’t going to argue. She could feel hot breathe on her neck and she whimpered with the hard cock that pressed against her ass. There was no mistaking what it was and the intent of her intruder seemed clear. The hand moved from her mouth, trailing down her body as she grimaced. “Please let me go. I won’t say anything to anyone.”

There was a rough-sounding cackle behind her and then a rip as his hands forced their way into her shorts. Shae felt a surge of adrenaline and when he turned her around for a kiss, she kneed him in the groin and started to run towards her front door. Her hands shook and like in the movies, the damn door knob was making it far too hard to open it.

She finally got out and the air tasted sweeter than it ever had before. Shae was running up the steps when she felt a hand on her ankle and she fell down onto the top of the stairs. Another scream pierced the air, louder than before and un-muffled. She called for help before the man started to cover her body with his own. His hand moved to cover her mouth and shut her up, but she got out one more sound, hoping that someone would hear her and help.

Caspien heard a muffled scream and when his eyes scanned the block of apartment buildings, he couldn’t pinpoint it.

“Come on, let’s go Cass. I don’t know why you listen to that old witch. She hasn’t had a credible prediction in years. You have to let go of the stories.”

Caspien looked at his partner. They were not blood related, but had been raised as brothers. They had trained together and from the time they were five, each other was all the two had. Caspien wanted to believe that a woman as old as dirt knew where he would find his true mate, their true mate. Renald had given up on love when he turned thirty. It had never taken so long for any of his ancestors and he had begun to believe that as times changed, so would the families have to change. Renald had found several suitable women to take the place of their mate, though Caspien held out for what he saw as destiny.

The old witch everyone called Daria, yet no one really knew much about had told the raven-haired man that he would find his love that night and in the spot where he was. He was to wait and watch and she would reveal herself. She gave no description, but she was certain that he would know the right woman when she crossed their path. Caspien was high on hope, but Renald was ready to call it a night and go pick up some love from the bar. He didn’t understand the need for a mate, when in the present culture, it didn’t really matter anyways.

“Can we please just go home?”

“You heard that sound didn’t you? I need to be here. If you want to go find you some tail, just go. I am staying here, she is here and I can feel it.”

The light-haired man agreed and bade him a goodnight. His desires needed tending to and there was a local bar that he frequented with a cute bartender. He took off in that direction and left his friend to wait for something that was not going to happen.

Cass almost forgot about the sound and his mind wandered to what he was supposed to be doing. He was there to meet with some of the other families. There had been several deaths because of a dispute in the lines and he was supposed to be finding some sort of peace between them all. The meeting they had earlier had been anything but helpful. The room exploded into arguments and a few fist fights and threats of fire-breathing was kicked around. Caspien had called the day off and hoped that the next day would be better.

Renald was probably right, he thought to himself. He usually was the more pragmatic of the two, but Cass still believed in the old ways and he believed that it was close to being his time. He was losing faith though, until he heard a loud scream that was clearly a woman in need. When he heard the cry for help, he was already on his way to her, but the sound sent a shiver through his spine. It was her!

Caspien flew down the hillside where he had been perched. He shifted and ran the rest of the way. He saw a wisp of blonde hair and then it being snatched from his view. His dark eyes turned to slits and he saw the bright images through the brick wall. There were more noises and then Cass was upon the struggling pair.

His eyes adjusted and he grabbed the dark man on top of the woman that he still couldn’t properly see. His hands crushed the man’s shoulder and he threw him backwards, his body crashing halfway back up the stairs and laying limp where he landed. Cass gave him one more glance before he turned his attention to the woman trying to get to her feet. He could tell she was shaken and he reached out to help her.

“Her Miss, let me help you.”

Shae looked up at the gentle baritone voice. He seemed to be more shocked then her and she saw something different in his eyes for a moment before he blinked and it was gone. She searched the dark black depths for a hint of color or the mysterious wild look she had seen a moment ago. Neither one of them spoken for and Shae cast her eyes to the hunched over body of her intruder.

After several long heart beats, she got herself together and took the offered hand. She had two conflicting urges, to stay and to go. She should call the police, but she knew she was safe with the dark-eyed stranger. Shae was not sure how she knew that, but it was true nonetheless.

“Thank you.”

Another long look at the blocked stairs, she moved towards her apartment door. She didn’t invite him in, but it didn’t seem needed and she was thankful that he didn’t leave. The woman that was always in control was not in control at all and the realization scared her.

Caspien followed the enchanting woman into her apartment and his large frame seemed to fill the doorway, blocking the light as well as the door did. She looked back at him with those bright blue eyes and he was lost. He could tell she was shaken and he knew that he should comfort her in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to move forward.

“Will you shut the door?”

Her voice was small and quavered a little as she formed the words slowly. She did not add anything else and he watched her walk to her counter that had her phone on it. She picked it up and started to dial a number.

“What are you doing?’

“Calling the police.”

Cass walked towards her and took the phone out of her hand a bit too quickly. She pulled back a little and looked at him with a look he never wanted to see on her face. “Sorry, um let me take care of it. Me and my partner are in law enforcement. I don’t want you to have to worry about anything. He will be picked up in under ten minutes and I promise you will never have to worry about him again.”

She nodded her head and waited while he made a call, saying a few words into it and then hanging up abruptly. “All done. Why don’t you sit down? Are you hurt anywhere?”

His hands touched her arm, moving her body this way and that, trying to make sure that she did not have any contusions. Cass saw one area on her shoulder that looked like it was going to bruise. It was then that they both seemed to realize that she was hardly dressed. Her breathing had become rapid and she was practically panting as he checked her.

“Who are you?”

The question seemed to surprise him, like she was supposed to already know. “Forgive me. I’m Caspien Charlton.”

“Shae, thanks for helping me. He was in my apartment when I got out of the shower. I never realized how alone I was until…” She visibly shook and he finally moved forward to comfort her. She felt slight in his expansive embrace and she audibly sighed when he held her against him tightly.

The pair heard cursing and some loud thuds as he comforted her, ruining the moment. Shae wanted to go outside and see what was going on, but he didn’t initially let go of her. “It is being taken care of. Don’t let it pass through your thoughts again.”

Shae looked a little incredulous. She didn’t think she would ever be able to forget the helpless feeling or the sheer panic of it all. Shae was ready to move and find a couple of roommates. Large ones that could throw robbers like Caspien had done for her, like it was nothing to him. His virulent strength was palpable as he still cradled her in his arms gently, like she was a breakable piece of glass. Her gaze softened as she looked up at him. “Thank you, really. I don’t know what I would have done if you wouldn’t have been there. Or what he would have done to me.” Another shiver and he pulled her closer.

They stayed like that for several minutes and Shae could not help her body’s reaction to his. Cass was getting hard against her, his hands slowly caressing her instead of comfortably rubbing. The mood changed and when she pulled back enough to look at him, Caspien leaned down and captured her lips with his own. There was one thing he could do to make her forget everything and it just happened to be what he had been dying to do since the first time he laid eyes on her.

Shae closed her eyes to the soft touch and then moaned softly into his mouth as his tongue pushed her lips open to taste her sweetness. His body pushed her back into the counter, every inch of her curved formed pressed hotly against his own. There was no denying the hardness that she felt on her hip or the excitement that came over her.

She moved her tongue with his, her finger playing in the silken strands at the base of his neck. The black strands felt perfect and she grabbed him to pull him down for more of a taste. Cass was lost in his own desire, his hands searching her voluptuous curves. His lips went from soft to insistent and her back bent backwards as he overwhelmed her with his need.

Her hand pushed back against his chest, just needing a moment to breathe. He was too much and her mind was muddled, her heart pounded in her ears. Cass got the hint after a couple of increasingly hard shoves on his rock-hard chest.

“Wait Cass.”

His dark eyes were hooded and glazed, his primal look was back and it drew her into his deep pools. “Sorry, something just took over me.”

He moved back and she didn’t like the space between them so she took a tentative step forward. “I didn’t say stop. Just maybe, slower?”

Her words sent him back towards her and he grabbed her up with less fervor than before. Their lips met and she mewled as their tongues touched slower than before. His body was just as hard against hers and her back was pressing against the counter once again. She forgot why she wanted him to wait as her own body burned with need for him. Cass was so hard against her and her soft curves melded perfectly to him.

She squeaked out a noise when his strong arms picked her up like she weighed nothing. Her thighs opened to encircle his body with their lips never breaking contact in the move. His hot mouth moved down her body and his hands ripped the front of her tank top in two. Her heated flesh felt the cool breeze and then an even hotter mouth on her left nipple. Her thighs tightened around him and her hands delved into his dark hair, pulling him closer.