Obsession: Paranormal Romance : Dragon Shifters, lion shifters, immortals and wolf shifters (Dragon Protectors Book 2) Page 3

  “Perhaps you should wait until you are back on your feet before you throw your royal weight around?” He smirked.

  That’s when she lost it.

  Heaving off the covers, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Ignoring the twinges of unused muscles, she pushed herself to her feet.

  “What are you doing?” He pinched his lips together.

  Was that a hint of worry in his voice? A warm feeling spurted inside. She paid it no attention.

  “What does it look like?” She gritted her teeth. “I’m trying to walk.” She put her weight on her feet. Her legs held. She took a step forward. Her thigh muscles twitched. She ignored it.

  If she could just keep going and make it to the door on her own, he’d see she was fine. He’d leave and take that delectable, sculpted chest of his with him, which was driving her crazy with wanting to touch him.

  The next second, the floor rushed up to meet her.

  She flung out her hand, expecting the floor. She hit flesh that was almost as hard.

  The sensuous scent of parched desert after the first rain sent goosebumps skittering over her skin.

  Placing an arm around her shoulders, the other below her knees, he lifted her.

  Her palms had somehow found their way up against the front of his shirt. Her palm slid over the hard planes she’d admired. An answering twinge of lust tugged her belly.

  Heat from his skin poured over her, surrounded her, drawing her in closer. Her throat went dry.

  With a last ounce of energy, she pushed. “Put me down.”

  His eyes narrowed. This close, she could see that the flares in them were more silver than gold.

  He walked to the bed. Lowered her to the mattress.

  As he withdrew his arm from beneath her shoulders, his fingers touched the nape of her neck.

  Sizzle.

  Desire pulsed, firing up her nerves.

  What would it be like to have those hands on her? Would he be rough or gentle as he slid his fingers over her waist and down toward where desire pooled between her legs?

  Her nipples insisted on pebbling. She hated it when her body betrayed her like that.

  His nostrils flared. Dense heat spooled off his chest, slamming into her.

  Her heart thudded.

  His touch lingered on the curve of her waist. The cloth whispered over her thighs, sending pinpricks of awareness dancing across her skin.

  His head lowered.

  Her eyelids fluttered down. How would his lips feel against hers?

  There was a murmur of air over her skin. Reaching for the cover, he lifted it up and around her shoulders.

  What the fuck? Her eyes popped open.

  His lips twisted in a smirk. “Didn’t want you getting cold, Your Royal Kittenness.”

  He knew the effect he was having on her.

  Her fists curled. “Am not a cat.”

  He tucked a strand of hair that had fallen over her forehead behind her ears. “You sure hiss like one.”

  She caught his wrist, tightening her hold on him.

  He didn’t wince.

  Sure, she was still recovering, yet she knew she was strong. The dragon shifters she’d met in the past hadn’t been able to face her power.

  This lion was more dominant than them.

  He ran his thumb over her knuckles, sending little shivers of awareness racing down her skin.

  “Not fair.” She pulled her hand out of his hold.

  “Don’t expect me to play by the rules.” He bared his teeth, the predator in him peering out of his eyes.

  A pulse of excitement tugged her belly.

  She snuggled into the mattress, thrusting her shoulders toward him. She wanted to rub herself against his skin, like the cat he accused her of being.

  Something inside her sparked. That pale lavender blush of her dragon shifted. “My dragon.” She swallowed. “She stirred.”

  His head tipped back, and a grin spread over his face, lighting up his eyes and transforming those rough features.

  He was gorgeous.

  Was her dragon reacting to his nearness?

  Reaching up, she scraped her nails over his unshaven jaw. The rough whiskers scratched her skin.

  The pulse between her legs throbbed.

  Her dragon moved toward the source of heat that bled into her veins from him. How was that possible? They weren’t connected on the psychic plane. Are we?

  She dropped her hand, reining in her dragon at the same time.

  His jaw tightened. He’d sensed her withdrawal, then, which was crazy. How could this man be tuned in to her on such an intimate level?

  A vein throbbed to life at his temple. “You’re pushing yourself.” His tone deepened.

  She raised her chin. “I am a dragon shifter. I should be healed and flying by now.”

  “You need to be patient, kitten.”

  She didn’t want to be patient. She wanted to throw him on the floor, jump on him, and have him slam into her.

  Fuck. This was insane. Maybe being in a coma had left her starved of human contact. That’s why she was reacting like a sex-starved teenager.

  She should thank him for watching over her, for being there for her. But if her dragon continued to act in such an erratic manner around him, she wouldn’t be able to control it. It would insist on bonding with him. She would only put his life in danger.

  Best she made him hate her and let him go before either of them acted on the sparks simmering between them.

  She covered her mouth and pretended to yawn. “I think you need to leave, cat.” Her heartbeat sped up.

  She was good at lying, wasn’t she? She could tell him to walk away, no matter how much her body insisted otherwise.

  He was a proud dominant male. If she insulted his ego, there was no way he would stay.

  She stretched. Ran a finger down his cheek. “You have your appeal if I went in for the rough-and-tumble kind of man. Perhaps even as an experiment if I wanted to find out what it would be like to sleep with someone the wrong side of the tracks.”

  His nostrils flared.

  Her stomach churned, bile rising up. She bit her lips to stop herself from being sick.

  Say it, get it out, make him hate you so he’ll never want to be with you again. “Dragons are the superior of all the species. I am grateful for what you did but I am not going to sleep with you.”

  His eyes shuttered. When he opened them, the amber flares were gone, replaced by a brown that was shorn of any feeling.

  She winced.

  Rising to his feet, he stalked out.

  The snick of the door shutting reached her.

  Her shoulders drooped. She’d done the right thing. So why did it feel like her heart was shattering in half?

  6

  Eve

  Hope had come by to keep her company. Eve had avoided asking her anything about Cain.

  That hadn’t stopped her sister, who’d told her how Cain had kept watch over her and even fought off an Elysian attempt to take her life.

  It only made her feel like she was the most ungrateful person ever.

  She had to remind herself why she was pushing him away. To protect him, to make sure he stayed alive.

  She fell asleep with his lingering scent teasing her nostrils.

  When she woke up, the light outside the window was fading. She darted her gaze around the room.

  She was alone.

  Her chest tightened. The skin over her heart throbbed. The back of her eyeballs felt swollen.

  She’d told him to go, made sure he had no choice but to leave her. So why she feel like she’d lost her only friend in the entire world?

  Her limbs were heavy, like they’d been weighed down with stones. Every part of her body ached. She dragged her hands through her hair. Even her scalp pained her.

  Goosebumps on her skin rose, and she shivered. It was as if he had taken all the heat in the room with him.

  She was cold and...bereft. She missed the man.
>
  What the hell? She didn’t know who he was. He’d been gone just a few hours. And she was acting like he had abandoned her.

  He had abandoned her.

  Images came back to her, of the time she’d been unconscious.

  She hadn’t dreamed it...she’d sensed his presence on the psychic plane.

  He’d held her hand and promised her he’d never leave her side. It’s why she’d come back.

  Could her dragon have bonded with him and used his energy to heal herself?

  Fuck.

  A sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her she was onto something. It was why she’d been so attracted to him from the time she’d woken.

  There was no way they could be together.

  She had to leave before she gave in to the temptation of mating with him.

  She flung off the cover and placed her feet on the floor.

  When she rose, she was pleased to find her legs steady. At least her shifter healing powers had kicked in.

  Walking to the window, she pushed aside the drapes and flung it open. She took in the lawns that sloped down to the beach.

  A girl ran up the shore.

  There was a shout from behind.

  The girl stumbled and fell.

  Three boys pursued her. They were taller, almost grown men. Their bodies pushed forward with intent. This wasn’t a game.

  “Run!” Eve gripped the edge of the window. Fear closed her throat.

  The girl staggered to her feet. Turning around, she put up her fists, crouching in a defensive stance. She was going to take on the men all by herself.

  No way was Eve going to stand by and see the men hurt her.

  Where the fuck was that lion shifter when she needed him? She cursed him aloud.

  The sound of her voice stopped her short. Since when had she come to depend on others to fight her battles?

  She crossed the floor to the entrance of her room, breath coming in short puffs. Knees shaky, she clung to the doorframe and peered around the passage. It was empty. Panic twisted her stomach.

  She couldn’t just stay here and not do anything.

  Her thigh muscles twanged from staying upright for so long. The world spun around her. She was too weak to go to the girl’s defense. But together they stood more of a chance than the girl on her own.

  She darted down the corridor, the hospital gown ballooning behind her. Her bare feet slapped against the cool tiles as she took the steps two at a time.

  Adrenaline pumped. Her chest felt light. Inside, the pale shadow of her dragon sparked to life, pushing her on. She grew stronger with every step.

  Running through the empty lobby, she burst out of the main entrance of the infirmary. Out over the lawns. She jumped over the short wall that separated the garden from the beach.

  Ahead, the three men circled the girl, who stood defiant. She held up her fists.

  Eve put her fingers to her lips and let out a piercing whistle.

  The man closest turned.

  His eyebrows slashed down in a frown before it cleared. His lips drew back in a grin.

  She pulled on every last ounce of energy. Drawing on the dragon heat that flickered to life, she kicked out. Eve hit him squarely in the center of his chest. The force of the impact took the man down. He hit the ground on his back.

  The shock jolted her bones. Adrenaline spiked her blood.

  She clamped down on the weakness that had her stomach careening like she’d swallowed butterflies.

  Locking her fingers together, she smashed her double fist down on the center of his forehead. The man stopped moving.

  Pain ripped up her forearms. Eve snarled. She wasn’t going to let it distract her.

  The thrill of the fight sent another pulse of adrenaline thrumming inside. Her eardrums popped.

  She pushed away from the unconscious male and sprang to her feet. Eve planted her legs in the sand, her hair swirling around her face.

  In time to see the girl knee one of the men in the groin. He howled in pain and bent over.

  His partner growled.

  This guy was massive, large shoulders, almost as big as Cain’s. He grabbed the girl around her waist and hauled her up, biceps bulging.

  The girl screamed.

  The sound was more of fury than helplessness.

  It spurred Eve into action.

  Pulse pounding, she closed the distance between them. Bending low to gather momentum, she head-butted the man in the back.

  Red sparks bounced around inside her head. The world tilted. She hit the ground, on her back. Sweat poured down her forehead, stinging her eyes.

  Eve blinked, and when her vision cleared she found the shifter raising his fist on her.

  The girl threw herself at the brute, only to be flung over his shoulder.

  Gritting her teeth, Eve rolled to the side.

  His fist missed her head by centimeters. Sand spewed from the impact, hitting her cheek. Her hair was grabbed and pulled. The brute yanked her up. A scream tore out of her. It felt like her neck had been snapped off.

  The next second, she tumbled free.

  The male shifter was flung away with such force the earth seemed to shudder.

  The scent of heated desert sand… Cain was here.

  With a snarl, he punched the man in the stomach, to the face, the forehead, back in the chest. His fists were a blur, and she lost count of the number of times Cain beat him.

  The man’s body vibrated with the shock of the blows.

  Cain wasn’t going to stop—not until he killed the other man.

  Staggering to her feet, she flung herself at Cain. His shoulders were too wide for her arms to go around him.

  He didn’t pay her any attention, simply raised his fist again to hit the other man.

  “Stop.” She sunk her teeth into the exposed skin at the curve of Cain’s neck and shoulder.

  A growl boiled up. He turned on her.

  His eyes were amber, dilated, sparks of gold swirling in them. This close, she could see the green flecks burning. His lion was about to break through.

  She laid the back of her palm against his cheek.

  Rage vibrated off him, so potent she could feel it.

  She had to pull back his lion before he lost control. Leaning up, she touched her lips to his.

  7

  Cain

  The touch of her lips cut through the rage. The hint of lilies and wildfire enticed him, maddening him.

  The last of the anger dropped away. A slow, powerful need for her throbbed inside.

  All through those two weeks when he’d watched over her, his lion had been too worried about her, scared that he was going to lose her. He hadn’t let his need come to the fore. But seeing her alive and fighting, seeing her move with the swiftness of the dragon she was, he couldn’t hold himself back anymore.

  He nipped her lower lip.

  The honey and cinnamon of her sank into his bloodstream. The shock of the contact poured inside. His head swirled.

  If he lost control with her, he’d never be able to reclaim it.

  It wouldn’t be casual or easy. He wouldn’t be able to walk away from her. He couldn’t let her see how much she affected him. She was royalty, and he was…a wildling. A beast born to roam free.

  The two could never meet.

  Eve had been right to ask him to leave. There was no future for them.

  He pulled away from her so fast she almost lost her balance.

  Stepping over the body of the fallen man, he moved toward the girl.

  “Lana.” A boy, tall and lanky for his age, his shoulders just filling out with the promise of adulthood, jumped over the low wall separating the garden from the beach. In two leaps he was next to the girl before Cain could reach her.

  The girl moaned and sat up.

  Sinking to his knees, the boy slid an arm under her shoulders. “If something had happened to you…” He touched his forehead to hers.

  “Max.” The girl coughed. “I am f
ine, just a little bruised. Thanks to the dragon shifter, we beat off the wolves.”

  Max lifted Lana in his arms and turned to Cain. “I’ve told her many times, she’s a human not a shifter. I’ve warned her against antagonizing the wolves in Shifter town. They are stronger than her. But of course she never listens. She’s too stubborn.”

  He could have been speaking about Eve.

  Two other figures came running over. He recognized them as the junior soldiers who helped to patrol the community.

  The female soldier squatted next to the prone figure. “You beat him up bad, Cain.” She frowned. “You shouldn’t have taken the law into your hands.”

  “He deserved it. He hurt those weaker than him.” Cain balled his hands into fists.

  He understood why the mayor had laws in place to keep the peace. Just he didn’t always agree with them.

  It’s why he didn’t belong in a city. Too many rules, too many people he cared about. Too many connections that held him back from just being the wild feral being he was inside.

  The man on the ground groaned.

  The male soldier walked around to his other side. “Let’s get this piece of shit patched up.”

  The two warriors heaved the fallen man up. Paramedics came running toward them. They began loading the others onto stretchers.

  Cain sensed Eve turning toward the building. She stumbled and slid to the ground.

  His chest tightened.

  His lion rumbled and flicked his tail.

  Yeah, he got the message. Whether the man in him accepted her as his mate or not, his beast was going crazy realizing she was in pain and needed tending.

  Striding to Eve, taking care not to look at her, he picked up the dragon shifter in his arms.

  8

  Eve

  He cradled her against his chest, his heart thudding under her cheek.

  Sweat trickled down his temple. She wanted to reach up and wipe it off. She curled her fingers into her hand.

  From this angle, she could see the thrust of his chin, the makings of a dimple at the base, which she’d never noticed before. His attention was fixed on a point ahead.