Mannix Dragon Shifters

Chapter 10

KYLAN

"Tell me what happened." Kylan"s voice was calm and quiet as he warred with an overwhelming desire to claim the fiery woman in front of him. He was typically attracted to women with milder personalities, but this woman piqued his interest stronger and faster than any woman had in a long time.

She stood over him now with her chest heaving and fire in her eyes, and for a moment all he could think about was how tempted he was to kiss her plump red lips. Her cheeks were flushed and he wondered if a blush of passion would deepen the color. The clothing she wore fit neatly over her luscious curves, leading him to speculate about what she would look like naked on his bed.

The only thing that kept him from reaching forward and pulling her into his arms was the need to know what had happened to her.

An election was not part of the plan. It had never been discussed, debated or considered. The women who came to the clans needed to want to be there, otherwise this was just another form of a*******n. Even if both governments sanctioned such a process, it wouldn"t be sustainable.

He"d found long ago that staying calm while others blustered was the easiest and fastest way to dissipate their anger. Jasmine was, thankfully, no different. She raised her eyebrows at his request, but seemed to accept that he wanted to hear her story. She pulled her hand away from him, and he longed to reach for it and bring it back. Luckily, she stepped away from him before he gave in to the urge.

Her curvy form swayed enticingly as she paced in front of him. She pushed her trembling hand through her long auburn tresses. She was a beautiful woman. The smile he"d seen in the photo on the Internet hadn"t put in an appearance yet, but so far he hadn"t given her much reason for happiness. He"d have to change that.

But first he needed her to confirm what he suspected had happened.

If his damned bereavement band could be broken before his two weeks were up, he"d already be flying her back to the clan and getting this fixed before some other poor girl had to go through the same thing she had endured.

"About six months ago, I got a letter saying I was short-listed to be a possible volunteer."

Six months ago? They hadn"t even finished the first draft of the agreement at that time. Damn it. He should have asked for more details, but how could he have suspected the humans would resort to sacrifices the way they used to in the Dark Ages?

"Of course all of the people who"d received the letter appealed. We hired a lawyer. Things were going well, I thought. But then, when the local municipal election was called, there was a secondary ballot for these so-called volunteers…" She shuddered.

volunteersHe felt a strange compulsion to comfort her, but stayed where he was. He didn"t want her to stop talking until he knew it all.

"I couldn"t believe it. There was my name. Hell. They even had my photo and a bio on the sheet." She wiped her cheek, as if removing a tear, but her eyes were dry.

"How many other names were there?"

"Six." She turned to stare out the window. "There were six of us in my riding, but who knows how many women were listed on similar ballots in other jurisdictions."

"What happened next?"

"Nothing until this morning. No one knew what the election results were. No one knew there was an agreement." She motioned randomly with a trembling hand. "My aunt called to warn me, but there wasn"t enough time." She picked up a small glass fish ornament from the windowsill, another remnant of the former residents, and began to worry it between her finger and her thumb. "There was a…" Her words faded.

Kylan scented the air. He didn"t note any tears, but her fear and anger rolled from her like a noxious gas.

"He was so big," she continued, "and he was watching me in my bedroom with those reptile-like eyes…"

She spoke softly, but Kylan could hear it all, every shudder, every panicked breath as she relived her morning. Someone with this much fear of his kind was not destined to be a good match for a clan, any clan.

She straightened her shoulders and turned toward him. Her eyes scanned his face, as if looking for a trace of his dragon half. "A man showed up when the dragon was trying to break through my window. God, I hope he is okay. He stalled it long enough so that I could escape. And now I"m here." She frowned. "With another dragon. I can"t believe I ran all day… straight toward a dragon."

She sounded disgusted with herself. She looked down at the figurine, as if surprised to find it in her hands. After setting it down on the windowsill, she wiped her palms on her pants.

"So now what? Are you taking me back there?"

"You are safe here. Safer here than anywhere else at the moment," he said quietly. "And no, we"re not going anywhere just yet."

JASMINE

Jasmine stared at the dragon. She still couldn"t believe the sexy man in front of her was like the beast that attacked her this morning. What was more unbelievable? She trusted him when he said they weren"t leaving the cabin and he wasn"t going to turn her over. The tension in her shoulders ebbed.

"So now what?" she asked.

"Now we sleep."

It"d been hours since he"d found her in her tent, so she should feel tired, but she didn"t. Anxiety still crashed over her in waves and she didn"t think sleep would come any faster now than it had earlier.

"The bathroom is through there." Kylan motioned toward one of two doors at the back of the room.

She nodded. Maybe he was right. Maybe she did need to rest, so she was ready to escape when the opportunity presented itself. She walked to the bathroom, aware that he was watching her.

"And, Jasmine?"

She paused and turned back to him.

"You"ll sleep in that room tonight." He gestured to other door.

"I can take the couch," she said. "I don"t want to—"

"That isn"t an option," he said. The quiet authority in his voice told her he wasn"t going to change his mind.

"Fine," she said.

After she washed up, she returned to the main room to find it empty. Kylan was gone. Worry ate at her stomach. She hadn"t really been concerned when Kylan was with her. He"d said she was safe and she believed him… believed he would keep her safe. Without him here, new fears poked at her again.

Would he abandon her in the heart of dragon country? Was he off to get some official and turn her in? He said he wouldn"t, but…

She dropped her bag inside the room and crossed to the window without turning on the light. Nothing moved in the darkness. No eyes flashed at her from the shadows.

Then she heard a murmur.

She strained to listen to the sound, but there was a pause. A moment later there was another murmur.

Kylan was talking on the phone to someone.

She cracked open the window and leaned out.

"This is a problem," he said with a growl in his voice. "The humans broke their promise."

Jasmine held her breath. He was telling someone about her.

"The women are supposed to have a choice."

Another pause.

"I haven"t forgotten my responsibilities." He punctuated his words with a low rumbling sound. "I know how desperate the situation is, but this is not the right way."

What was desperate? What responsibilities? Jasmine wanted to know.

"Damn it," he muttered after a moment of quiet. "She"s safe here until my isolation ends, but after that I have to go to the council and figure out what the hell happened and how to make this right. We need a woman who wants to be here. It is the only way."

Then there was another gap in his side of the conversation.

"Agreed," he said.

Then the crunch of footsteps through the dry underbrush of the woods told her Kylan was walking away from the cabin. She closed the window. She was safe for now, but it didn"t sound as if it would last.

She turned on a floor lamp. The lamp and a massive bed were the only things in the room. How big was that bed? Did stores sell a size up from king? She didn"t know they made linens that big. It was spectacular. She wanted to flop right in the middle.

After she changed into a nightshirt from her bag, she climbed onto the bed. Her knees sank into the feather mattress and layers of fleece blankets. This was going to be just like sleeping on a cloud.

She reached up and turned off the light, casting the room in darkness. The large windows gaped at her like giant yawning mouths. She searched the shadows for movement and big glowing yellow eyes, but nothing was there. At least nothing that she could see.

She jumped out of bed and tugged on the curtains. Dust billowed out of the thick fabric. Evidently no one else had touched those for years.

She crawled between the blankets again.

That was better.

The pillow cradled her head. A woodsy-earthy aroma with a hint of sage floated over her. It was his scent. Kylan"s. She hadn"t thought about it earlier, but now in the dark, as she sank into the bed that was obviously his, she could identify it.

his It was almost as if he was there with her, enveloping her in an embrace while he watched over her. Protected her. Tension seeped from her. Right now he was her best bet for returning to her normal life. He sounded as though he had sway in both the human world and the dragon one.

Maybe she didn"t have to live on the run or fight this alone.

She stared into the darkness and waited for him to return so she could thank him.

KYLAN

Kylan watched the cabin from a distance long after Jasmine had turned out the light in the bedroom. He didn"t trust himself to return too early in case he saw her traipsing through his cabin in something even more tempting than the clothing she had been wearing before.

Dragons didn"t usually hold themselves back, but with her it seemed the right thing to do. She was going back to the humans as soon as he could make it right. She didn"t want to be with dragons. Hell, she was scared of them. Scared of him…

He needed to remember that—especially when he scented a faint hint of her arousal on the air when she looked at him. She was attracted to his human form, but that wouldn"t extend to the other half of him.

He"d been with women who"d never even known he was a dragon, let alone accepted his dragon form. He was well past that point with Jasmine. She would hate herself and him if she fell into bed with him. And he didn"t want to see the panic and fear in her eyes if he ever revealed his dragon half to her.

No, she wasn"t the one for him.

When he entered the cabin, he kept his movements quiet so he didn"t wake her. He listened at the door to the bedroom until he was satisfied she was settled. It"d been a long day for her. She was probably exhausted.

He was still trying to digest what she"d told him. He"d had to take another walk after she"d finished her story. If he"d had his wings, he would have flown straight to the damned human"s office and made his anger very clear.

He was still pacing in the forest when Dillon had called. That talk hadn"t gone well.

At least his primary was going to retrieve Jasmine"s van from the road and hide it until they knew how to proceed. Either way, nothing could happen until his isolation was over.

Although, with Jasmine here and Dillon on his way, Kylan really wasn"t isolated any longer.

They"d figure it out in the morning. He rolled his shoulders. Tension had crept over him and he wasn"t sure what to do about it. He spread a spare flannel sheet over his makeshift bed, then stripped. He tossed his clothes over the back of the couch where he could grab them quickly if he needed.

The late autumn night had cooled the air outside, but his blood still ran hot. It didn"t help that he was imagining Jasmine in his bed right now. He didn"t usually get affected by women so easily. He didn"t interact with many pure, mate-worthy women on a daily basis, but even the ones in the negotiations hadn"t interested him. So what made the woman in the next room so different? What was it about her that brought out his protective instincts?

He could guard her better if they were in the same room…

No.

He shook his head, but the idea wouldn"t leave. He could easily imagine what her red hair would look like cast across his pillow or better yet, wrapped around his fingers. Her flawless white skin under his tanned hands... She"d be so soft, so smooth…

His breathing was coming faster now.

They were going to be trapped in this cabin for damned near two weeks and he wanted her. He wanted her spread for him, wet, waiting, eager for his touch… How the hell was he going to deal with that?

A rush of heat surged over him. His body tightened.

He cursed and turned away from the bedroom door. He lay back on the sofa and wished for sleep, but it didn"t come. Closing his eyes didn"t help. Every image flashing over his mind was of her. The woman beckoned his dragon senses on a primitive level. This wasn"t supposed to happen unless both partnered dragons had found their mate.

Hell, Dillon hadn"t even caught more than a glimpse of her.

But then again, his primary had liked what he"d seen. Would he like her more once he spent time with her? Jasmine"s spirit called to Kylan, so he suspected it would be the same for Dillon.

And it didn"t hurt that she was gorgeous too.

It didn"t matter how long he lay here, his want for her badgered him. He was hard with desire for the curvy redhead. He needed to do something…

Anticipation thrummed through his blood as his hand settled on his length. He stroked slowly as he imagined Jasmine there with him in the darkness.

Her long auburn hair would dangle over him as she climbed over him and settled her hot core against his lower belly. She would lean and brush her mouth over his in a sweet, demure kiss.

He grunted as he envisioned her hard n*****s skimming his chest. So beautiful. He would take one in his mouth, curl his tongue over the pebbled peak and suck. She would squeal and a fresh wave of wet heat would spill from her.

A sound behind him made him freeze. He drew in a deep breath and scented her on the air. She was spying on him from the threshold.

Would she come to him?

He jerked his hand up and down his c**k. He murmured her name. He wanted her to know what he was doing and who he was fantasizing about.

At her soft gasp, his grip tightened. The fragrant mouth-watering notes of her arousal hit him next. She was turned on. His hips bucked as heat surged through him. He wished she would come closer, settle her sweet heat over his hardness, let him show her just how much pleasure he could give her…

Her aroma teased him. Would she allow him to spread her legs wide and put his tongue on her? Then he would lick her until she screamed.

He moaned her name again as he found his release. When he sat up to look at her, she was gone. The bedroom door was closed tight.

Had he imagined her there? He scented the air again. No. She had definitely been watching him… and she had definitely been excited by it.

He smiled. Maybe she didn"t hate dragons as much as she thought she did.