Abducting Abby (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 1) (6 page)

Abby was so startled by the kiss she didn’t even think to resist. Clay had never tried to kiss her before. Now he was not only kissing her, he was doing it in the middle of the parking lot of the post office. A soft cough behind them caused both of them to jump.

Abby looked over Clay’s shoulder to see Mrs. Patterson grinning as she locked up the post office. Abby blushed. Now, everyone in Shelby and every county within a fifty mile radius would know the Sheriff of Shelby got caught kissing in the parking lot. Abby felt like a teenager getting caught making out.

“I have to go.” Abby muttered, pulling herself into the driver’s seat of her truck. “I still have to get groceries.”

Clay backed up with a grin on his face, tipping his hat to Abby as she pulled out of the parking lot. He had staked his claim on Ms. Abigail Tanner and he knew Mrs. Patterson would help let everyone know it. Whistling, he walked over to his truck. Abby may not have said she would go out with him but she had not resisted him when he kissed her. He was off tomorrow so he might just make a trip up into the mountains.

Abby had forgotten all about the incident with Clay by the time she was winding her way back up her driveway. She was thinking about Zoran and his golden ship. She couldn’t believe out of all the places in the world for an alien to land, it was in her own backyard. She wondered what her grandparents would have thought about him. Abby absently reached up and rubbed the gold around her neck. She could feel the thin gold chain warm under her touch. She knew the creature, or whatever it was, enjoyed it when she rubbed it. It would often try to wrap around her fingers, moving in and out. She was amazed at how fast she had gotten used to it. She wondered what it was like where Zoran and the gold creature came from.

As Abby rubbed the gold necklace around her neck flashes of images poured into her mind. She saw huge trees and flying creatures that resembled dragons in Earth’s mythology flying through the air, gold armor covering their bodies. She saw a city of white rising out of the dense forests surrounded by huge walls that towered high into the sky. Large crowds of men and women were strolling about what looked like a market with the gold creatures taking all kinds of shapes and sizes. She saw what looked like space ships flying over the city and landing while others took off. She saw Zoran naked and surrounded by lots of females who were rubbing on him. The gold necklace around her neck seemed to realize it shouldn’t have shown her that image and it quickly faded away.

“Hey! No fair.” Abby said sucking in her breath as her heart beat wildly.

She didn’t even realize she was stopped in the middle of the driveway until the last image faded. She felt a wave of pain around her heart at the sight of Zoran naked with so many females. Obviously, he didn’t lack for female attention. She would be damned if she would be one of his harem girls! It wasn’t like it was likely to happen anyway. After all, he wouldn’t be here much longer. She got the impression his family was on their way to get him. It would be better for the both of them if she kept a distance between them. The kiss they shared this morning wasn’t a big deal. Hell, Clay had kissed her too and it didn’t mean anything to her. She would just have to make sure it didn’t happen again – with either one of them.

Abby finished the drive up the mountain. Try as much as she could, the image of all those women rubbing on Zoran wouldn’t fade from her mind. Abby bit her bottom lip as she prepared herself to face him. She wouldn’t let him know she found him attractive. She would concentrate on her work. She found if she did that it helped. It helped when her grandmother died and it helped when her grandfather passed on. It would save her from making a fool of herself now.

Zoran was pacing back and forth on the front porch of the small cabin for the past hour. It was beginning to get dark and Abby still had not returned. He tried reaching out to her but his symbiosis refused to answer his call. He growled, scaring Bo who was playing with his tennis ball in the front yard. Bo immediately laid down and rolled over to be petted. Where was she? Why was it taking so long? Had something happened to her? He knew he should have gone with her. He should have insisted she take the weapon he tried to give her. What if she was hurt? He paled. What if she was being held a captive or worse, dead? He shuddered at the thought, calling out to his symbiosis again almost frantically. He felt a wave of dizziness pass over him as it finally answered him. He growled wanting to know why it hadn’t replied before. Flashes of Abby driving down a road with the wind blowing through her hair flashed through his mind. He could hear her singing. His grin faded as he saw a man approaching Abby. The man appeared to be wearing some type of uniform. He couldn’t hear the conversation between them but he could tell from the look the man was giving Abby that he desired her. A deep growl exploded out of his chest when he saw the man holding Abby and kissing her. Zoran felt a flash of fury as the man pulled away from Abby, smiling at her. She had not resisted the man. Jealousy burned though him at the thought of Abby in another’s embrace. She was his!

Zoran’s head jerked around as the lights from Abby’s transport flooded the front of the cabin. Zoran growled again as he watched her pull up. The dragon inside him roared for him to claim her, to put his mark on her. Zoran was at the door to the truck before Abby even turned it off.

Abby laughed as he pulled the door out of her hands, “Not in a hurry to help get the groceries out, are you? You know, most men run the opposite way when they know it’s time to bring them in.”

Zoran was so lost in the haze of jealousy he didn’t hear what Abby was saying. He needed to know if the images his symbiosis sent to him were true. Zoran pulled Abby from the seat of the truck and into his arms, holding her close while he breathed deeply of her scent. The scent of another man still clung to her. A deep growl erupted from the back of his throat as his hand reached up to hold Abby’s jaw still as he sniffed her.

“What are you doing?” Abby asked breathless.

She thought it funny Zoran would react so strangely to her returning with groceries. She thought he must not have figured out how to work the microwave or make a sandwich and was just hungry. But, the possessive way he grabbed her and the way he was growling told her he was upset about something.

Zoran growled again when Abby tried to push him away, warning her not to resist. He could smell the other man on her skin. The thought of the other man’s scent on his true mate was too much for the dragon in him. He had to put his own scent on her. Gripping her neck in his large hand, he brought his lips down on hers, crushing her in his arms as he tried to gain control of his jealousy.

Abby resisted at first. Fighting the possessive hold Zoran had on her. She didn’t know what was wrong but he was obviously upset about something or he missed her more than she had thought. Abby was just beginning to relax and respond to Zoran’s kiss when the image of him naked with so many women rubbing on him flashed into her mind. Twisting her head to the side, she took a shaky breath before trying to push him away from her.

“What is your problem?” Abby demanded. “I haven’t been gone all that long and even if I had been, you have no right to manhandle me!”

Zoran pulled back glaring down at Abby. She was his. He was frustrated that he could not explain this to her. She had no right to allow another male to touch her. A Valdier male was very, very possessive of his true mate. He would not think twice about killing any male who even looked too long at his mate. For another male to touch her, mark her with his scent was more than the dragon in him could bear. He wanted to kill the male. If Abby purposely tried to leave him for another, he would do whatever was necessary to stop her; even if it meant tying her up or locking her away until she realized she belonged to him. He would never let her go. In Abby’s case, it was even more potent as not only had he chosen her as his mate but so had his symbiosis and from the feel of it, his dragon. This was very rare. As the ruler of his people, he would be expected to produce many heirs and only in a union where he, his dragon and his symbiosis accepted the female would this happen.

“Mine.” Zoran growled as Abby tried to push him away.

“Mine!” Zoran roared, the dragon in him finally overcoming his control.

Abby’s breath caught in a gasp as she watched Zoran’s face change. His eyes glowed with molten gold and his pupil’s became long narrow slits. As she watched green, gold, and red scales began forming as his head began to shift into the form of his dragon. His hands began to elongate, turning into sharp claws. Abby heard the sound of tearing as his shirt split open and long, leathery wings appeared out of his back. A sound penetrated Abby’s brain as if from a distance, it sounded like a whimper. That was the last thing Abby remembered as everything faded to black.

Zoran was so upset over the other male’s scent on his mate and Abby’s apparent rejection of him that he was unable to control his dragon any longer. He felt the change as it swept over him, enjoying the feelings of power and freedom as he let his beast free. What he had not expected was Abby’s fear at his transformation. He saw her flinch as he roared out and then the stunned panic as he began to shift. It was only when she collapsed unconscious in his arms that he realized just how much he had frightened her.

Chapter 7

Abby stretched her arms over her head, arching her back like a cat. She didn’t feel near as tired as she had been. It was only when she felt skin on sheet that she froze. Something was wrong. She never, ever slept in the nude. She tried it once and it felt to uncomfortable, not to mention she had gotten cold. Right now though, she felt nice and warm, like someone had put a heating pad or an electric blanket on top of her.

Opening her eyes, Abby turned her head to look outside the window. Frowning, she rose up on her elbows. The sun was just coming up. She didn’t remember getting ready for bed last night. Turning her head the other way, she let out a squeal of terror. She was not only in bed naked but she was in bed with a man naked. Abby tried to roll out of the bed but was pinned instead by the sheet tucked around her. The reason she was so warm was because her other side was pressed up against Zoran’s hot, naked body.

“What are you doing?” Abby squeaked. She tried to drag the covers up to her chin.

“You have awoken.” Zoran said with relief.

After Abby fainted last night, he brought her inside. He undressed her and placed her in his bed but she still did not wake up. As the long night passed, Zoran became concerned and had his symbiosis constantly monitoring her to see if she was injured. He finished bringing in the food products, guessing what went where by the temperature of it, while he waited for her to recover. When she appeared to have fallen into a deeper sleep, he finally undressed and joined her in the bed as was his rightful place as her mate. He held her throughout the night, waking frequently to make sure she was well.

Abby frowned. She really needed to learn his language or get one of those translator devices because this one way communication was getting on her nerves. Abby’s eyes widened as she recalled her last thought before everything turned black. She stared at Zoran, picturing how his eyes and face changed. She remembered his skin turning to scales and wings coming out of his back. He had turned into a dragon. A real live dragon!

Making sure she had the sheet tucked up under her arms as she rolled over until she was propped up on her one elbow, Abby tentatively reached out to touch Zoran’s face. It was warm and smooth. She let her hand moved down to his shoulder, running her hand gently over his back where the wings had been.

“You changed. Last night, you changed into a dragon. I saw you.” Abby whispered her eyes wide with awe.

“
Zi
.” Zoran said hoarsely.

Abby sat up pulling the covers with her. “Can you do it again? Change?” She asked.

Zoran frowned. He did not want to frighten Abby again. He liked having her in his arms. He liked her touching him. He did not like the look of terror on her face as she stared at him last night before she fainted.

“
Ni.”
Zoran said, shaking his head firmly.

“No? No, you can’t change or no you won’t?” Abby asked staring at Zoran.

Zoran ran his hand through his hair frustrated. He wanted to explain why he wouldn’t change but there was no way to do so where she could understand. He had six more days before his brothers arrived and could have a translator implanted into Abby so they could communicate. This was driving him crazy. There was so much he wanted to ask her, so much he wanted to tell her and yet he couldn’t. Swinging his long legs over the side of the bed, Zoran stood up completely at ease with his nudity. It wasn’t until he heard a gasp and turned to see Abby pulling the covers over her head that he began to chuckle then laugh. She was so adorable with her shyness. It took all of his enormous will power last night not to take her after he undressed her. If not for the fact that he wanted to watch her respond to him, he might have considered taking her anyway just so he could mark her as his. As it was, he had barely been able to cover her up without touching her. During the night, she had gotten cold and sought the warmth of his body. He was only too willing to offer his body to hers. It was pure hell as the scent and feel of her in his arms made sleep impossible. Now, he stood before her harder than hell and she was shaking like a leaf under the covers of the bed they had shared.

Abby kept her eyes firmly closed as she stuck her head out from under the covers. “Laugh all you want to but I don’t normally have naked men in my bed. Now, go into the bathroom so I can get out of here.”

Zoran growled at the idea of Abby having another naked man in her bed. The sound made Abby’s eyes fly open as her gaze flew to his. He made that same sound last night right before he changed into a dragon.

Zoran moved back to the bed pulling Abby up into his arms. He moved so fast that Abby hadn’t even seen him. The sheet was ripped out of her hands as he pulled her close, crushing her lips to his as he kissed her deeply. Abby could feel the coarse hair on his chest rubbing against her breasts. Zoran groaned as he moved one hand behind Abby’s head to hold her still while his other hand moved down over her body to rest on her bare hip; never before had Abby been held so intimately against a man. A shiver of desire ran though her as her pussy clench with desire. Zoran pulled back sniffing. He let out a growl when Abby tried to pull away from him. He could smell her desire. It was a heady scent and he breathed it in deeply. Moving his hand down from her hip until it covered her moist mound, he refused to let her look away from him or move as he let his fingers brush the hot curls.