How to Date a Dragon (14 page)

“Where were you? Angie said you never passed her on the stairs, and she was sitting there the whole time. After about an hour, we went up to the Balogs’ apartment because we thought you might have been abducted by the creepy neighbors.”

“Uh—what did they say?”

“Nothing. They didn’t answer the door.” She thought she noticed a flash of relief before his expression returned to one of concern.

“May I come in? I promise I’ll make it up to you?”

Damn
it. He probably means with sex, and I’ve been horny all night.
She decided it was time to forgive him and probably jump his bones.

She stepped away from the door, allowing him entrance. As soon as he’d crossed the threshold, she locked the door behind him and launched herself into his arms for a desperate hug.

“You had me worried sick.”

He caressed her back and murmured more apologies. Eventually she leaned away to look at his face, and he ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you what was happening… not right now, anyway. I will when I can.” He gently held her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Soon.”

Bliss narrowed her eyes. Maybe if she squinted he wouldn’t look so mouthwateringly gorgeous.
No
such
luck.

He leaned in for a tender kiss. She met his lips, tentatively, but the inevitable magnetic pull demanded that she open to him and caress his tongue with hers. She was heating up fast.
Damn, he gets me hotter than any guy I’ve ever known.

The next thing she knew, he had scooped her up and was carrying her to the bedroom. They fell onto the bed together. He whispered the sweetest words in her ear as he pushed up her T-shirt and found her bare breasts.

Bliss arched into his hand and moaned with the gratifying sensations his touch provided. “This is what I’ve wanted since the first time I kissed you outside my burning building,” she murmured. She pulled his shirt up, freeing the hem from his belted waist.

He paused just long enough to pull his shirt over his head and toss it on the floor. Bliss followed suit, losing her T-shirt. He bent down to suckle her breasts while, at the same time, pulling the drawstring on her sweatpants. She raised her bottom, allowing him to work her pants down her legs until they were bunched at her ankles.

Her free hand moved up his side over his bare, heated skin. He shivered as she trailed her fingers down his ribs, continuing toward her goal—the large bulge he was thrusting against her thigh. When she gripped what she could through his pants, he lifted his head and groaned.

As he unbuckled his belt, he said, “Finally, after all the daydreaming, you’re right here in my arms.”

She sighed. “You daydreamed about me, too?”

“Every waking hour. The real woman is so much better. Hot, wicked, and sexy.”

Say
something
not
stupid, Bliss.
But she couldn’t think of a thing. Her mind was turning to mush and all she could do was feel.
Ah, hell… thinking is overrated.

She grasped his zipper and heard the quick rasp as she yanked it down. She plunged her hand under the waistband of his underwear and tried to envelop his girth. He was too thick for her to close her fingers.

When he opened his eyes, they held a golden glow. She had seen that before, but was now the time to mention it? Hey, when had she ever held anything back? “Your eyes—”

Suddenly he flipped her onto her stomach. Then next thing she knew, her sweatpants were torn off and his pants soon followed them onto the floor. He lay on top of her and whispered, “Do you mind doing it this way again?”

She almost laughed. “Mind? Please do. Or should I say, ‘Do me, please’?”

“Relax,” he whispered in her ear. “Let me give you a massage first.”

“A massage? You mean, on my back?”

“I said I’d make it up to you.”

“Wow.”
How
many
horny
guys
stop
to
give
a
girl
a
massage?
“And after that?”

He chuckled. “Then I’ll lift you up and massage your front.”

“In that case… yes, please.”

Drake applied just the right pressure as he massaged her tense muscles all the way down her back on either side of her spine. Bliss turned her head to the side and relaxed in the warmth of his take-charge hands and fingers. When he reached the bottom of her spine, he kept going.

“Ah… that feels fantastic, even if you’re using it as an excuse to manhandle my butt.”

“It’s a big muscle. The gluteus maximus.”

“Hey, it’s not
that
big.”

He bent over and whispered in her ear. “Relax. It’s perfect.” Then he gave her right butt cheek a little smack and returned to working his way up from base to shoulders.

Despite the tiny sting, Bliss could have melted into the mattress.

After the thorough massage, good to his word, he lifted her onto her hands and knees and positioned himself behind her. He dipped his fingers into her core to test her wetness, but she could have told him she was plenty ready.

Without a word, he thrust into her and she welcomed him by pushing back and meeting him halfway. Being filled with him felt so good. So right.

He began his rhythm and added the promised massage to her clit. Pleasure spiked through her like an electric current.

“Ohhh.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say, but talking didn’t seem necessary at this point anyway. Instead, she rocked a little harder against him.

He leaned down and placed little kisses all over her shoulder. “You have the right name. You’re absolute Bliss.”

It seemed as if all she could do was drown in the sensations and moan her appreciation. A spiral of delicious pleasure was building within her. “I’m close.”

“So am I.”

They tumbled over the edge together. She screamed as she climaxed, and the orgasm lasted longer than usual.

“Oh, God,” she said when they collapsed. “Oh, God; oh God; oh God.”

“Yeah,” he agreed breathlessly.

Drake withdrew and turned her over. He gathered her into his arms and held her close while their panting breaths returned to normal.

She couldn’t have been more relaxed if she’d had a Valium. As Bliss was about to drop off to sleep, Drake said, “Bliss, honey. There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Now?”

“Yes. Before I lose my nerve.”

Bliss rolled up onto her elbow and rested her cheek in her palm. “You have to go back to work tonight, don’t you?”

“No. I’ve worked all the overtime I’m allowed to for a while.”

Facing him and frowning as if waiting for a firing squad to be called in, she said, “Okay. Tell me.”

Drake propped himself up against the pillow so their eyes were even. “Actually, there’s quite a lot I have to confess to you, but if at any point it becomes too much, tell me to stop.”

“Confessions?” She flopped back onto her pillow. “Uh-oh. This doesn’t sound good at all.”

“There’s both good and bad.”

“Give me the good stuff first.”

He sighed. There wasn’t really anything good that didn’t start with something bad… oh, except possibly one thing.

He stroked her cheek. “I love you.”

The wrinkle in her forehead disappeared and her lips twitched into a smile. “I think I love you too—but I reserve the right to take it back, depending on what else you have to say.”

Oh, great. Someone who admits to conditional love.

He inhaled a deep breath. “Okay. Here it is… I told you before that I was a dragon. You laughed it off because, as far as you know, nothing like that exists, right?”

She smirked. “Well, of course dragons don’t exist. Oh, wait. Maybe they do. Let me go ask my unicorn.”

Drake rolled his eyes. “Okay, not unicorns. We know they died out when Noah couldn’t get them to come onto the ark, but why not dragons? Don’t you think they could exist?”

She stared at him for a few moments. “Are you saying
you
believe they do?” She reached out and felt his forehead. “You don’t seem to have a fever.”

He smiled. “I’m fine, honey. There are all manner of beings that have been talked about in legends, but how do you think those legends got started?”

“Um… in the old days people had big imaginations to answer their questions, instead of science.”

“Believe me, people back then were no more imaginative than they are now. And as for science, a lot of folks think that if they haven’t seen something with their own eyes, it doesn’t exist, but science has proven the existence of all kinds of things you can’t see. Tiny molecules, germs, plus planets so far away you’d never be able to see them with the naked eye.”

“Yeah, but… dragons? They’d be kind of hard to miss.”

“Not if they don’t want to be seen. And after all the talk of St. George destroying the last dragon, why would any unknown survivors come forward? Are they going to say, ‘Oh, hey, Georgie… Look, you missed one!’”

Drake thought about how his mother had kept him hidden for years, because they were safer with humans believing the extinction rumor. His great-grandfather
had
been
that “last” dragon—or so the humans of the time thought. Most of his other relatives had been slaughtered long before that. Knights just loved to sneak up on and kill dragons. Then they’d brag about it upon their return to their respective castles.

Bliss faced away from him, as if talking to her furniture. “Damn. And he seemed so normal… even smart.”

He laid his hand over hers. “I can prove it.”

“You can prove dragons exist?” She chuckled. “How?”

“I can show you my alternate form.”

She began to pull her hand away, but he grasped it tighter. “Do you remember seeing my eyes shimmer?”

That stopped her momentarily. “Uh… yeah. I wondered about that. They’re green most of the time, like now, but I thought I saw them turn gold a couple times.”

“It’s what happens when I begin to shift.”

“Shift?” She shook her head slowly. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I can change my form. Several centuries ago, as a way to survive, some dragons found a wizard and convinced him to use his magic to help them blend in. I’m descended from those dragons. I understand the Asian dragons found a way to do the same thing, but I’m not sure how. We look human most of the time, but if necessary, we can return to dragon form.”

“Any time now, you can give up and tell me you’re joking. I won’t hold it against you if you admit it—soon.”

Damn, she still doesn’t believe me.
But at least she didn’t appear ready to run off, so he blundered on.

“I have a few advantages in my alternate form. As a dragon, I’m fireproof. It comes in handy when fighting fires—I just wish I could let my chief in on that little fact. And my vision improves tremendously. Think about the first time you saw my eyes glow gold.”

“It was during the fire. I couldn’t see you well under all the protective equipment you were wearing, but I did notice your eyes.”

“I had to shift when I was inside the building. The fire was so hot, and flames were everywhere. If I hadn’t taken on my alternate form, I might not have survived, and I certainly couldn’t have seen through the flames and smoke to find my way out.”

She reached out and touched his cheek. Her expression was deadly serious. Maybe he was reaching her, at last.

“You don’t have to go through this alone, Drake. We’ll find you a good doctor. I’ve heard with medication they can treat all kinds of delusions.”

Oh, crap. We’re back to square one.

“Bliss, honey. I’m not delusional. I can show you my dragon transformation, but I don’t want to scare you. If you see me as a dragon you might be afraid, but I can assure you, I’d never hurt you.”

“I believe that. If you didn’t hit back when that awful biker chick was kicking you in the ribs, I don’t think you’ll hurt me for giving you a little ribbing. Although, you might rib me back. I’m pretty sure that’s what you’re doing now.”

He dropped his head and let out a deep breath in a whoosh.
I’m still not getting through.

After a long silence, she lifted her chin. “Okay. Prove it.”

“Really? You’ll let me show you my transformation?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Think about it. If you see something you really don’t believe in, it’ll change your perspective forever.”

Bliss flopped onto her back and threw her hands in the air. “Do you want to show me or don’t you?”

“You won’t be scared?”

She rolled back onto her elbow, propped herself up, and looked him right in the eye. “I won’t be scared.”

“Promise? Because it would be perfectly normal to be a little bit nervous.”

“I’m not perfect, nor am I normal.”

“You’re joking again.”

“That’s how I cope.” After a long pause, she worried her lip. “Okay. I guess I’m a little afraid
for
you, but I’m not afraid
of
you.”

That was good enough.
This
is
it. Now or never.

Drake got up off the bed and backed away a few feet. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his dragon form. His back vibrated, letting him know his wings and tail were ready to emerge. When he opened his eyes, he saw Bliss still on the bed and not running for the hills. The shimmer he knew could be seen in his eyes colored his vision for a matter of seconds. He transformed briefly but didn’t flap his wings or tail. He truly didn’t want to scare her.

Her eyes had rounded and grown huge throughout the process. Perhaps she wasn’t moving because she was frozen in fear. He’d made his point and didn’t need or want to impress her. All he wanted was her trust—and for her not to doubt him anymore. He quickly closed his eyes and concentrated on his human form. The tingling stopped and the glow faded.

As soon as he could speak with his human mouth he asked, “Are you okay?”

As if she couldn’t quite make words come out, her mouth moved a little before she said, “I… I guess.” She shrugged a shoulder, but he thought he saw it tremble.

He wanted to gather her close and hold her, but he didn’t know if she’d welcome him. He had never let a human see his transition before. Hell, he wasn’t supposed to let anyone see it now.

Maybe
if
I
just
tell
her
that…
“I’ve never shown this side of me to anyone else.”

“G—good. I imagine it would scare the pants off most people.” She backed away for the first time since they’d begun talking.

“Are you
sure
you’re all right?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m good.” She grabbed her clothes with shaking fingers.

“Bliss, there’s more I have to tell you.”

She groaned but didn’t stop pulling up her sweatpants or fastening the drawstring. “Uh—can we do it later?”

“Not really. The whole reason I had to tell you about dragons was to warn you.”

“Warn me?” She finished tying her drawstring, then dragged her T-shirt over her head. “I thought you said you’d never hurt me.”

“I won’t.
I
promise
you have nothing to fear from me.”

“Then why do you have to warn me?”

“Because I’m not the dragon who means you harm.”

She froze. “Are you saying there are more who do?”

“Just one. Possibly.”

She jammed her hands on her hips. “How possible is this possibility?”

“It’s a pretty good possibility. Remember the biker chick who kicked my ass?”

“Fuckin’ A!”

“I know…” He started to stroll toward her until she held up one palm to stop him.

“I need a minute, Drake. Maybe a whole lot of minutes. This is a crazy amount of information to process.”

“I understand. Please don’t be afraid. Let me help.”

“Help? What can you do to help? If you’re fireproof, I expect she is too. And you can’t possibly stand guard over me day and night.”

“I know. That’s why I need to come up with another way to protect you.”

“Can you… you know, breathe fire like in the legends?”

“No. My family lost that ability centuries ago, but I don’t know about other clans.”

“There are clans? Is that because you’re Scottish, or… Oh, fuck it. I don’t even know what questions to ask.”

“I’ll answer any questions you have, later. Right now it’s important to come up with a plan to keep you safe. I
can’t
lose you, Bliss.”

“Especially not to someone like her. I imagine that’s why she wants to get rid of me—so she can drag you off to Hanalei or wherever it is that dragons live happily ever after.”

“I can’t lose you to
anyone,
Bliss. Not for any reason. I wouldn’t have told you any of this—and you can’t imagine how many rules I’ve broken—but it was important that you truly understand the danger. I’d never forgive myself if I could have warned you but didn’t because of my own cowardice.”

She stroked his cheek. “A coward is one thing you’re
not
, Drake Cameron.”

***

It had taken Drake another hour to calm Bliss down to the point where she could sleep. The one thing he wanted most was for her to be safe. When he suggested she move back with her parents, even temporarily, she about lost her mind.

He couldn’t tell her what to do. He could only make suggestions and hope she’d see the wisdom in listening to him.

She moved in his arms and mumbled something unintelligible, as if having a restless dream. Drake stroked her hair until she calmed down and her breathing returned to the long, slow breaths of deep sleep.

He couldn’t tell her that he was under orders from the Supernatural Council. They had expressly forbidden him from sharing any knowledge of their existence. He had also been told not to reveal his own paranormal identity, but he had promised Bliss he’d be honest with her, need-to-know basis or not. And yes… she needed to know.

However, one promise kept and one broken with each competing part of his life had seemed half as bad before. Now he wasn’t sure he hadn’t blown it with both.

Warning Bliss had been the right thing to do. How could he have explained the danger to her without revealing the existence of dragons? She had to know that Zina could probably breathe fire from twenty feet away. His family lost their fire-breathing abilities when his uncle tried to burn down the City of Chicago. But he didn’t know if Zina’s clan was affected too. He didn’t get the impression that Mother Nature punished all dragons equally.

Bliss also had to know that dragons could fly and that Zina could spot her from the air.

Drake would never forgive himself if anything happened to the woman he loved… especially if he hadn’t told her what she was up against. Knowing Bliss, if Zina confronted her again, Bliss might say something she’d regret. If Zina let her live long enough to regret it.

Just because he hadn’t seen Zina didn’t mean she hadn’t seen him. His skin had tingled several times when he was out on a job, battling blazes large and small. The sensation could have been a reminder that he was mortal now, but it seemed like more than that. Why hadn’t his warning sense kicked in when he was rescuing Bliss’s computer?

Maybe he was still fireproof but could be killed in other ways. Maybe Gaia was lying to him… but why? His uncle and mother had died within weeks of each other. It had made no sense at the time, but now it did. His mother had done nothing wrong, but the link between clans would explain why she became mortal as soon as her brother did. He died of a heart attack, and she had been in a car accident.

Just in case, he’d have to remember to listen to his chief from now on. The other guys relied on the chief to keep them safe, and now he should too. The last thing anyone needed was a firefighter’s funeral to attend. He had to find Zina and stop her. With Vulcan’s help, he might be able to pull it off.

Drake needed to get some sleep, but he couldn’t stop imagining all the possible scenarios. Unfortunately, he couldn’t come up with any in which Bliss would be safe and that the Council would approve. Her survival was completely up to him… and her.

He had to get her to understand. Perhaps in the morning she’d be thinking more clearly and would agree to go somewhere safe. But where? She’d refused to move back in with her parents and nixed the idea of living with one of her brothers’ families—and Claudia wasn’t open to guests. That left his place. But he’d had tingles when he returned to his studio apartment to change his clothes and pick up a fresh uniform, so he had to assume Zina knew where he lived. She had probably been watching him, so his place was out too.