Surrendering to the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 7) (11 page)

Swallowing, she answered, “My dad found his true mate, and even had a child with her. Yet she abandoned us both as soon as possible. I adore Delphine, but my dad didn’t meet her until I was six years old, when she came to visit a friend on Stonefire. We had a hard time of it before that.” She paused. Rafe caressed her cheek, and she found the strength to carry on. “Even if the law changes so you can stay, you might change your mind later and leave. Being a human mate to a dragon-shifter is never easy, and sometimes, it takes its toll. I don’t want to put any child through the ordeal of losing a parent like I have.”

Rafe smiled. “So you want to keep the baby?”

“Yes. No. Hell, I don’t know. But that’s not the larger point. You may want to stay now, but you might want to run later.”

“You need to have more faith in me, Nikki. Did I ever give up when we were both serving together four years ago?”

She didn’t miss a beat. “No.”

“Then if I can survive a war zone, I can bloody well survive a few barbs or insults thrown my way. Besides, if my sister is to be believed, she will have all of Britain loving Stonefire once her videocast series launches in a few weeks.” Brushing his thumb against her cheek, he murmured, “So, do you want to give this a chance? Because I know I want to.”

She’d wanted to hear those words for so long. The only question was if she could make the leap to give Rafe a second chance?

Her beast growled.
Of course we can. Stop doubting everything and just go with your gut. Otherwise, maybe I should be the one talking with our human.

If you would stop nattering inside my head, I could answer him.

Her dragon huffed.
Use me as an excuse if you like. Just spit out the truth already.

Leaning against Rafe, she whispered, “I want to try.”

“Make me believe your answer, Nikki.” He moved a fraction closer. “Kiss me not because of your dragon’s instinct, but simply because you want to.” He lowered his voice. “I know I want you to.”

With her heart pounding in her ears, Nikki was done overthinking everything. She raised her face and touched her lips to his. As Rafe gently nipped her lower lip and caressed the light sting with his tongue, she melted against him.

If there was one thing she would never doubt, it was Rafe’s ability to make her knees go weak with nothing more than a kiss.

Rafe finally pulled away with a grin, his green eyes content.
 

Damn, he was beautiful when he smiled.

When Rafe spoke, Nikki had to concentrate on his response. “If you ever feel as if you’re going to retreat and cut me down to protect yourself, then just ask for a kiss. That will remind you of why we should try.”

“Oh? So that must make me the best bloody kisser in all of England.”

Moving a hand to her arse, he squeezed. “I rather thought that was me.”

Nikki chuckled, and her dragon chimed in,
This is better. Be nice to him.

Rafe brushed her cheek, and she met his gaze again as he asked, “What is your dragon saying?”

“She wants me to be nice to you.”

Amusement danced in his eyes. “And what did you say back?”

“I haven’t said anything yet because of a nosey human male interrupting,” she teased.

“Well, then.” He pulled her tighter against his body and nuzzled her cheek with his own. “Tell her that I only want you mostly nice because your fire and passion is what caught my interest in the first place.” He leaned back to meet her gaze. “Don’t ever lose it, Nikki. I mean it. Or, I will have to tease you endlessly to bring it back out again.”

“Always you and the ordering me around.”

“I was trying to compliment you, woman.”

She smiled widely. “I know. But teasing you is so much fun.”

With a growl, Rafe kissed her again, and she forgot about everything but his firm, warm lips. Needing to feel his skin, she ran a hand to the back of his neck and lightly dug in her nails.

Only because she was still sore and exhausted did she not rip off his clothes and jump him.

Her dragon hummed.
Maybe tomorrow. Then he can take his time.

And whose fault is that about the rough, rushed sex?

Her beast huffed.
I was running on instinct.

As Nikki was about to reply, Rafe murmured against her lips, “Stop thinking so much.”

“How can you—”

“You become distant. Tell your blasted dragon it’s my turn. She can have you later.”

To Nikki’s surprise, her beast faded to the back of her mind and settled down.
 

Clearly, her dragon was rooting for Team Rafe.

Leaning back, Nikki tilted her head. “Did you make me lasagna with heaps of garlic bread?”

The corner of his mouth ticked up. “Maybe.”

“Well, if you did, then I’m all yours for as long as it takes to eat it.”

“And after?”

“That depends on your cooking.”

Rafe’s chuckle echoed inside the cottage, and a fraction of doubt lifted from her mind. Maybe, just maybe, she and Rafe could work. The real test would be when they started working on the Bourne case again.

But that was for a different day. Pushing aside her concerns, Nikki focused on the moment. Because for once, she was just a regular dragonwoman enjoying some downtime with a male. The baby, the mission, and even what the clan thought of her could wait.

And with all of that off her shoulders, at least temporarily, Nikki felt lighter than she had in a long time.

Rafe turned her around so she was at his side, and then looped an arm around her waist. He gestured with his head. “Then come, my lady. A feast awaits.”

Torn between rolling her eyes and laughing, Nikki merely leaned against Rafe’s shoulder and headed into the kitchen.

Chapter Nine

The next morning, as Nikki woke up and stretched her arms, she should have bumped into Rafe’s warm body. Opening her eyes, she saw his side of the bed was empty.

After earning brownie points for his lasagna and garlic bread, Nikki had agreed to let Rafe sleep in the same bed. But only for sleeping. To her surprise, Rafe had been content to merely pass out next to her.

He might not have admitted it, but the frenzy had taken its toll on her human.

She blinked. Since when had she thought of Rafe as her human?

Her dragon’s sleep voice filled her head.
But he is ours.

A conversation, dinner, and sharing a bed hardly constitute a claim.

Considering he trusted us enough to fall asleep first, I would say he wouldn’t mind being claimed.

With a sigh, Nikki ignored her dragon and slowly sat up, not willing to acknowledge the soreness in her muscles. If she hurt this much after a frenzy, and Nikki was in top physical shape, she wondered how the human females ever survived it.

Standing up, she stretched again and listened for any sounds. She was disappointed not to hear Rafe singing. Maybe she’d work up the nerve to ask him to do it again.

Frowning, she wondered when the hell she had started hesitating so damn much. She really needed to fix that.

She made it down the stairs and found Rafe sitting at the kitchen table. Piles of papers sat on the table, with a laptop in front of Rafe. He looked up and smiled at her. “So, the lazybones finally decided to wake up, huh?”

“I’m sleeping for two people now. So, unless I’m sleeping more than sixteen hours a day, you can’t say anything.”

He snorted. “Right, because that’s how pregnancy works. Besides, what was it you told me to do? Not treat you any differently?”

“I suddenly feel the urge to throw something at you. Or, maybe punching you would be better. How’s your nose doing? Is it ready for a second go?”

Chuckling, he gestured toward the chair next to him. “Let’s save that for a later time. You probably want to hear this instead.”

“What is it?” she asked as she slid into the chair.

He turned the laptop so she could see the screen. “A recording of Simon Bourne’s most recent speech to the former Carlisle-based dragon hunters. My undercover man, who thinks with his dick, is trying to make up for his mistake.”

Rafe clicked play and the deep voice of Simon Bourne filled the room: “
After a lot of thought, you are the one chosen to start recruiting from Belfast and Londonderry. With enough men, we can take down Clan Glenlough. The alliance between Lochguard and Stonefire has made attacks more difficult. Glenlough needs to be taken care of before they form an alliance as well.”

A different male voice asked,
“Why come in person, Simon?”

“Because there are moles in the ranks. I want this done swiftly, with as many dragons captured as possible. We’ll meet again tomorrow. I expect each of you to bring ideas of how to accomplish the takedown without attracting much notice.”

Murmurs of agreement finished the recording.

Nikki met Rafe’s eyes. “How in the bloody hell did your man get that? I can’t imagine him being in that room.”

“He wasn’t. The woman he’s shagging was. He slipped a listening device into her pocket.”

“Can you trust him, though? Sex has led many a male astray before,” Nikki stated.

“He has a weakness for women, but he and I served together for years. He would never let me down. I saved his life not once, but twice.”

“Right, then putting aside any doubts for a second, this is huge, Rafe. Does Killian O’Shea know what’s about to happen?” Nikki asked.

Killian was the leader of Clan Glenlough, which was based in Glenveagh National Park, in northwest Ireland.

Rafe shook his head. “I highly doubt it. The British DDA knows Bourne’s movements rather well. However, the Irish clans haven’t reached out to the British DDA offices since the Irish Republic gained independence and created their own Department of Dragon Affairs. And given what I know of bureaucracy, the two DDA offices haven’t done much sharing between them.”

“But sometimes the militaries trade information. Maybe someone you know in the army could reach out to the Irish and give Killian a head’s up.”

“Good point. I’ll have to ask around.”

“In the meantime, I might have an idea.” Rafe raised his brows and she debated telling clan secrets. Then she remembered Bram had petitioned Rafe to stay with Stonefire; if he hadn’t wanted Rafe to be privy to clan knowledge, he wouldn’t have done that. She added, “Bram’s brother, Bennett, is currently living with Glenlough. We might be able to reach out to Bennett, and through him, talk with Killian.”

“From what little I know, Killian isn’t a fan of the British dragon clans. The division of Ireland nearly caused a war between his clan and the one in present-day Northern Ireland. During that time, the British clans had backed the Northern Irish one during the dispute.”

“So? We weren’t even on speaking terms with Lochguard until last year and now look at us—fostering clan members, allowing cross-clan matings, and fighting together. I’m sure if we share the recording with him, he might open up.”

“You’re a bit more optimistic than I am,” Rafe grumbled.

She stuck out her tongue. “That’s because you’re an old man.”

“Old man, eh?” He reached over and tickled her side. As Nikki tried to contain her laughter, he lifted and settled her on his lap. “After we talk with Bram and I reach out to my contacts, this old man is going to show you a thing or two.”

“Rafe.”

He chucked her chin. “Have you changed your mind from last night?”

“No. But there are a million things to do. If we play our cards right, you and I might even be the ones going over to County Donegal to meet with Killian.” Rafe fell silent, and Nikki barely restrained from swallowing. “You aren’t going to break your vow now, are you? Even if we technically don’t catch Simon Bourne with this mission, I’m not about to pass it up. Reaching out to a new clan is something I’ve dreamed about.”

Patting her hip, the corner of Rafe’s mouth ticked up. “As much fun as it would be to tie up your dragon and watch you break loose, no, I haven’t changed my mind. I’ll allow you to go.”

She raised her brows. “Allow me?”

“You know what I mean. Now, how about you make your famous bacon and toast? Bram is either sleeping or busy with his sick daughter. You should have time for it.”

“But Kai should be awake. I’ll call him.”

Rafe groaned. “Do you have to?”

“Did you share this with him yet?”

“No. I wanted to share it with you first.”

Nikki’s heart warmed at his words.

Not that she was going to let him off that easily. She swatted his chest. “Then of course I need to share it with Kai. Maybe if you didn’t antagonize him so much, you might actually get along. You two have more in common than you think.”

“About as much as a cat and an octopus have in common.”

Rolling her eyes, Nikki tried to get up, but Rafe tightened his grip. “Rafe, I have to. Kai’s my boss and he’s very clever. He will probably have suggestions that will give us a better chance of success.”

“I may not like it, but I understand that. However, I’m not letting you up until you kiss me good morning. Won’t you kiss me, Nikki?”

“I’m surprised you’re asking.” He gave her a look and Nikki laughed. “Hey, if you ask my permission for everything, we’re going to waste a lot of time.”

His look turned heated. “So, if I want to bend you over this table and take you right now, I don’t need your permission?”

The image of Rafe taking her hard from behind sent a rush of heat through her body.

Rafe spoke again before she could. “Judging by your blush, I’ll take that as a no, I don’t.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

Rafe took her lips in a quick, hot kiss before whispering, “Last chance to say no, you don’t want it, Nikki.”

Surely Kai wouldn’t mind if she took twenty minutes to play with her human. After all, she was supposed to be taking the entire day off.

Her beast hummed in approval, but Nikki ignored her. “You have to catch me first.”

Nikki slipped under the table, between Rafe’s legs, and slid to the other side. She was about to stand up when Rafe blocked her path. “Someone’s slow today.”

Reaching out, she grabbed his ankle and pulled. Rafe stumbled, but couldn’t find his balance and tumbled to the floor. She tried to slink past him, but he grabbed her arm and put her wrist in a lock. It wasn’t painful, but if she moved, it would break.