Ever Mine (Dragon Lore) (5 page)

He
had
been trying to claim her. It wasn’t something he’d thought about, or even understood, but damn, it roared up inside of him like an inferno. If Lux hadn’t stopped them when she had, what would he have done?

He dragged a hand down his face and slid behind the wheel, refusing to look at her. He still didn’t know what the hell was happening to him every time he touched her, and he wasn’t in a hurry for her to see the truths inside of him—he wanted her and had a caveman urge to possess her.

His jaw clenched. Because
that
had worked out so well for his parents.

He refused to say anything else as he pulled out into traffic and headed for his aunt’s house. If she wanted to talk, fine, but he was keeping his damn mouth shut or he was going to end up deeper in a hole he hadn’t meant to dig in the first place.

Then the words came out anyway, and he gave himself up as an idiot. He’d lost all self-control where this woman was concerned. “Out of curiosity, why would we be a bad idea?” He waited a beat for her to answer, and when she didn’t, he shot an annoyed glance toward her side of the vehicle, letting out a low curse when he saw her white-knuckling the door handle. “We aren’t going fast enough for either of us to be hurt if I crash, Katenia. You’re going to break your fingers if you don’t loosen your grip.”

She let out a pathetic snort, her wide eyes darting everywhere, as if she were trying to take in everything all at once. “You say that like I have any reason to believe you. Fairies are not meant to go this fast. Look at all these vehicles.” A strangled sound escaped her when she paused to swallow. “How can this possibly be safe?”

“Airbags.” He tapped the steering wheel and pointed toward the dashboard in front of her. “And seat belts.” He reached over to tug hers on, pissed he’d been so distracted he’d forgotten to belt her in before he closed the door. When his fingers brushed over ample breasts, the tension in the enclosed space ratcheted up a few hundred degrees. His cock went hard, her nipples stiffened, and he was sure for a second she’d stopped breathing.

Clicking the belt into place, he yanked his hand away, and wrapped them both around the wheel. “Damn it. This has to stop.”

To his utter surprise, she shifted in her seat to look at him. “Why does it have to stop? Sex is natural for humans, right?”

Grateful for the red light, he pulled the car to a stop and dropped his head against the seat. He closed his eyes and thought about math. Complex problems. When that didn’t help, he thought about football. The mountain of paperwork on his desk. Cleaning out his refrigerator. Anything to distract him from his hard-on, but it did no good. The woman not only breathed sex, she thought it was a good idea. There wasn’t a diversion big enough to keep him from thinking about how good she’d feel screaming in bed beneath him.

“Nathan? Are you alright? You look like you’re contemplating ways to kill me.”

He opened his eyes and glared at her, even as he let out a shuddering laugh. “No, Katenia,” he gritted out through clenched teeth. “Killing you is not what is on my mind. I thought you said we would be a bad idea?”

“I did,” she said, her beautiful face screwing up in confusion. “Pair-bonding between us would never work. Sex, however…sex is a very good idea.”

Nathan nodded once, finally understanding. Ignoring the honking of the line of cars behind him, he rolled up one shirtsleeve and pinched his arm.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice worried.

He barked out a laugh when the pain did nothing to wake him from whatever dream he’d landed in. “Testing myself.”

“Oh.” She sighed. “I don’t know what that means.”

“I don’t, either, but considering I am not certifiable enough to have sex with a fairy, the only other logical conclusion is I’m dreaming.”

“Oh,” she repeated, still sounding confused. “Are you dreaming?”

He sighed and shook his head, accepting the facts laid out before him. “No. My whole world view has just been altered, but unfortunately, I am not dreaming.”

Chapter 6

Katenia considered hitting him. The man looked miserable and uncomfortable, but that didn’t mean he had to be mean. She gripped the handle thingy when he started moving the vehicle again, and glared at him. “Are you done insulting me?”

“No, damn it. You need to start making sense before one of us does something we’re going to regret.”

She thought she’d made perfect sense. Pair-bonding was bad. Sex was good. She frowned. Maybe the two were linked in his head? Sex and mating? “Nathan, your eye is twitching.”

He pressed a palm to it and nodded. “It’s your fault.”

Her grip tightened on the handle. “Please, can you keep both hands on the wheel? I don’t want to die.”

He let out a low frustrated sound, then did as she asked. “Here’s an idea. No talking until we get to my aunt’s, alright? Because honestly, Katenia, I can’t handle much more of this conversation.”

She ground her teeth together and turned her attention to the rapidly changing scenery.

“Well?” he snapped.

She turned very slowly to stare at him, before she finally understood. She nodded, not sure if she was relieved or heartbroken. “I got it. You’re insane. Right? You tell me not to talk, then snap at me when I don’t. You’re like Elder Asenia.”

“I don’t know—” His words cut off as he sighed. “Who is Elder Asenia?”

“She is one of the eldest fairies in our valley. Some days she insists she is a goat.”

He pointed at her. “If I’m crazy,” he ground out, “it’s because you’re driving me there.”

“I don’t understand,” she finally admitted. “I thought human men were more casual about sex than this.”

He snorted.

She sighed and shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable in the enclosed space. While she could understand the convenience of a vehicle of this type, it wasn’t natural, and it showed a total lack of respect for the earth.

When the vehicle stopped moving again, she leaned forward, staring out the open hole next to her, where the glass had been before it had mysteriously vanished at the push of a button. “Nathan, what are those children eating?”

He glanced over, then shot her a confused look. “Ice cream. You’ve never had ice cream?”

“No. Is it healthy?”

To her surprise, he chuckled. “No, but it’s wonderful anyway.”

“Oh.” Because she didn’t know what else to say, and he didn’t want to talk about anything that involved them, she tugged at the sleeves of her top and loosened the button on her pants. While most human females wore the same type of clothing, Katenia felt like her skin was suffocating.

“Are you alright?” he asked after a long few moments. They’d turned out of the crowded area, and now, minutes later, there was nothing but rolling hills and trees. She perked up, her discomfort forgotten.

“Oh, my.” She stuck her head out the window. “It’s beautiful. Where are we?”

“Elm Springs. There are some beautiful gardens coming up.”

She gasped as they passed house after house, each one with a lawn garden more beautiful than the next. Bright, gorgeous flowers spilled over windows and pots, the grass so green it hurt her eyes. She’d never seen so many flowers together. Even when she was flying at her highest, there had never been anything like this. Suddenly, she could see the benefits of being human, surrounded by all of nature’s beauty.

“Does every house have a beautiful garden like these?”

“Around here, yes. If you like these, wait until you see my aunt’s.” He chuckled again. “Just whatever you do, do not pluck one of the roses, or you may lose a hand.”

Her head whipped around. “She’ll cut off my hand?” she asked, terrified. The woman had her kidnapped, and now she’d remove a hand for the price of a rose? “Nathan, are you sure—”

He cut her off by reaching over and wrapping his fingers around hers. “I’m kidding.” He caught her gaze for a brief second. “Calm down. No one is going to hurt you. I won’t allow it.”

Katenia’s heart swelled in her chest as his large, strong hand wrapped firmly around hers. “I don’t understand you,” she finally admitted.

“Yeah, well, don’t feel too bad about it,” he sighed as he glanced at her. “I don’t understand myself at the moment.”

“But, why would you joke about cutting off someone’s hand? Is removing a limb amusing for humans?”

“No.” His brow furrowed, and after a moment, he shook his head. “It’s a figure of—never mind. I’m sorry for scaring you.” He jerked his chin toward the front window. “We’re here.”

She glanced to where he’d gestured, only to sit up straight as they wound through the most beautiful, spectacular garden she could ever imagine. Everywhere she looked was a riot of color; every hue of the rainbow could be seen. The flowers and plants all ran together in what looked like a messy, haphazard way, but it only took her a few minutes to realize the quiet ingenious behind the randomness. She leaned forward, excitement and hope building inside of her, her hand gripping Nathan’s.

He glanced at her. “What is it?”

“Each garden is designed for a specific type of fairy, or pixie—they’re kind of like fairies, only bigger and more mischievous. That’s a water sprite’s garden there, and the one with the sunflowers is the sky fairy.”

His brow winged up. “Sky fairy?”

She bobbed her head as she smiled. “Yes. I am an earth fairy from the Lillie Valley. We primarily live in lilies, or compatible plants and trees. The sky fairies like to be in the air, so they sleep in sunflowers.”

* * * *

Nathan breathed a sigh of relief as he listened to her talk. It meant his aunt knew exactly where Katenia had come from, and that was half the battle.

But like the bastard he was, her excitement wasn’t contagious. He wasn’t ready to let her go yet. She infuriated him, challenged him and confused him with every word that came out of her perfect mouth, but he’d felt more alive in the last couple of hours than he had in years. He’d had a gaping hole inside of him since he’d been a teenager, where his emotions should have been. It was as if Katenia had shown up and had finally given him life. A need to do more than stumble through life like the walking dead.

Forcing a smile he didn’t feel, he pulled his car up in front of his aunt’s sprawling Victorian mansion, noticing that it needed a fresh coat of paint, new stairs and new balconies. He sent her money every month to pay for the upkeep of this elephant, but she insisted on putting every penny of it into her gardens, saying month after month that one day, he would thank her for it.

He snorted.
Not likely.
And he doubted she was going to be thrilled with him, either, once he accused her of kidnapping.

Reaching into the backseat, he grabbed Katenia’s plant and slid out, walking around the car to help her to her feet. He was already braced when she stood up, her amazing body brushing against his as she leaned into his side, steadying herself. “You okay?” he asked, searching her eyes. “I’m sorry for being an ass.”

Her brow screwed up in confusion, and her freckled nose wrinkled. “I don’t understand. When were you a donkey?”

He laughed, he couldn’t help it. “No, ass means asshole.” When she continued to give him a blank look, he grinned. “Jerk? Bastard?”

“Oh!” she said, relief flashing over her face, before she frowned. “Why would you apologize for being born to an unwed mother?”

“I wasn’t—never mind.” He crooked his fingers under her chin, lifting her face to his. A mistake. She had the most kissable mouth he’d ever seen, and he could lose his soul in her eyes. Instead, to prove to himself he could do it without screwing up again, he leaned down and brushed his lips gently over hers. “I’m sorry for upsetting you.”

Her lips parted on a soft gasp, and to his surprise, she went up on her toes and kissed him back. “I’m sorry for upsetting you, too.”

“Oh, good, Nathan.” A lilting Irish voice sounded from behind him. “I see you got my gift.”

Ignoring the old woman for the moment, he focused on Katenia. He brushed a strand of pale hair behind her pointed ear. “Listen. No matter what happens here, I will find a way to get you home, alright? I promise.”

He’d expected relief, so the worry and fear colliding in her eyes shook him. She didn’t want to go home. And then it hit him. “In your fairy size. If you can grow, I’ll find you a way to shrink back.”

She smiled and walked into his chest, wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you, Nathan. For everything.” She lifted her face until she could see his. “No matter what happens, nothing is your fault, alright?”

He started to tell her he wasn’t that hard on himself, but the look in her eyes worried him, and his body tensed. Yeah, there was something going on in her head he didn’t know about, and it scared him.

Before he could figure it out, his aunt’s voice pitched to an ear-shattering level. “Nathan Malone Alexander,
what have you done?
”

Chapter 7

For someone who could barely stand on her legs, Katenia turned into a wildcat. She shot around him, putting herself between him and his irate aunt.