Her Dragons, Her Mates

Chapter 3

Jay landed gently in the snow-covered street in front of the only shop in Montrose. Heather, whom he carried, gave a satisfied sigh when her feet touched the ground. Under his forearms, her chest heaved with the excitement she found in flying.

"Thank you, Jay," she said as her small hand brushed over his dragon paw. The words had a breathless quality that made him think of bedrooms and whispered panting pleas.

He ruthlessly choked that thought before it could blossom. Bryan, his beta, nurtured enough of those kinds of inappropriate thoughts for both of them, regardless of how many times they discussed how Heather wasn"t for them. She was too fragile. Too soft.

He loosened his hold on her. She stepped out of his embrace and turned to face him. The pink of her flushed cheeks matched the rosy color of her lips. Again, his mind turned to sweaty bodies writhing together and uninhibited moans.

Fuck.

Heather is not for us.

Heather is not for usDragons waited in a queue at the shop door. It was the same every day. The males eyed Heather like she was one of the goods available. Heather was an unmated woman living in the heart of dragon country, but she was under his protection. She wasn"t to be gawked or pawed at, or lusted after. She was off limits by decree of the clan chief. Every one of the bastards standing in that queue knew it.

Jay growled a warning.

Heather wouldn"t be his mate, but he"d be damned if he let another male cart her off. From the moment they"d pulled her out of that cage over a year ago, he swore he would protect her. Always. Against everything. Including himself and Bryan if he had to. But it wouldn"t come to that. He wouldn"t let it.

Her pink curls caught on a breeze and fluttered in the air. She laughed and pushed them out of her face. God, she was beautiful when she smiled. When they"d first rescued her, he wondered if she"d ever smile again. And thankfully, as time passed, she"d been doing more and more of that. He wanted to transition to his human form and taste her lips when they smiled like that.

Heather is not for us.

Heather is not for us"I"ll see you later, okay?"

He couldn"t speak anything but dragon-tongue while in this form, so he bobbed his head. The movement was strange and uncomfortable. She patted him once more, then stepped toward the store. The little blue notebook she always carried with her was tucked into her pocket and she tapped it to make sure it was still in place. The males on the street watched her, but their eyes weren"t on the adorable way the ball on her knitted cap bobbed as she walked or the way she held her tattered notebook like it was the most important thing in the world. No. They were watching the sway of her hips because her jacket didn"t cover her rounded ass. His growl grew louder. Most of them looked away.

But one bold pair, Vyk and Dytr, eyed her with lust on their faces until she disappeared into the store. One of the males reached down and adjusted his crotch. The f*****g bastard was hard. For Heather. For his Heather.

his He locked his gaze on the two and lumbered toward them. The other males stepped away from the pair. Their eyes widened when smoke curled out of his nostrils, but Vyk simply smirked up at him. Jay curled his paw, itching to claw the look from the male"s insolent face.

"If you can"t close the deal with her," Vyk said, "you should step aside for someone who can."

The other dragons murmured. Holly, one of the shop’s owners, was watching from the window. Her hands were fisted on her hips. She didn"t tolerate arguments or fights in her shop. But he wasn"t fighting. He was reminding everyone to stay away. If the others didn"t like it, that was their problem.

"She"s under the chief"s protection. She isn"t here for you." He spoke in dragon-tongue, but everyone who needed the reminder would understand what he"d said.

Dytr clenched his hands. Dragon fire danced in the male"s eyes.

"She. Is. Not. For. You," Jay reiterated, punctuating the words with a snarl.

Dytr"s jaw tightened. "That is for her to decide, not you. Not the chief."

More smoke streamed from Jay"s nostrils. "Stay away from her or I will hurt you."

He and Bryan were two of the best fighters in the clan. And, now that the chief and his pair were mated and didn"t fly as much, he and Bryan had stepped into the void. They flew more patrols than anyone else, which meant they"d stopped more rogues than anyone else.

Even without his beta, Jay could easily take down Vyk and Dytr, at the same time. And everyone here knew it, including the two dragons who should be cowering at his threat, but weren"t.

Fuck. This was worse than he"d imagined. How many other dragons lusted after Heather? How long before one of those pairs tried to take her? They"d have to do something soon. To remind everyone Heather wasn"t to be touched… and to let them know the consequences if they did.

Molten rage clashed with his weakening control. No one would ever take her or use her against her will. Never again. Flashes of fire sparked from his mouth with each exhale.

Vyk straightened, like he would challenge Jay.

Bring it on.

Bring it on.Jay stared unblinkingly into the other alpha"s eyes. Dytr elbowed his alpha in the ribs. Vyk clenched his teeth. Then slowly, he averted his eyes, ceding to Jay. Jay stayed there, watching them for several long moments. When they kept their faces turned to the ground, he stepped back.

"I have my eye on you. And if anything happens to Heather, you"ll be the first pair I visit." Then he cast his gaze slowly down the line of males. Fire slipped through his teeth and heated the crisp winter air. The snow under his feet melted. "She is under my protection. Do not forget that."

Then he surged up, launching himself into the air. He was late to meet Bryan and the rest of his squad, but that was the least of his worries. He made a mental note to inform the chief about the situation with Vyk and Dytr when they returned from patrol. They needed a way to keep Heather safe. Even if it was sending her back to human territory.

His chest tightened at the thought of her leaving.

Heather isn"t for us.

Heather isn"t for usHe needed that reminder as much as Vyk and Dytr.