Chapter 12

12

C reed

That was a close call. Too close.

One mistake, and we're doomed. One lapse in judgment, one moment of distraction, and all could be lost. Octavia is afraid, and rightly so. She is starting to doubt whether we will make it. It is a long shot, but we have to stay hopeful. At least now she knows that dragons do exist, since she saw them with her own eyes. She was petrified. What she doesn't know is exactly what they were…what I am, too.

I should have told her.

I sigh inwardly. I should have told her what I am…what we all are. I have no idea of knowing how she will react. After seeing how shaken she was when she saw the dragons, after feeling her trembling against me, I doubt she'd react well to the knowledge that we are dragon shifters, that I am a dragon shifter.

I'm part animal. A beast. A base creature she is right to fear.

I couldn't tell her. There was something holding me back. I'm telling myself that it was to keep her calm. I've only just started to gain her trust. I couldn't risk it. I keep telling myself this, but I'm not so sure there isn't more to it. Like the fact that I don't want to see horror in her eyes. I don't want her to view me differently. Although we can never act on it, I know that she is attracted to me. She doesn't want to be, but she is. It feels good to have a female's attention. I don't want her to look at me with revulsion. It will happen if she knows. I know it will. Am I being selfish by keeping her in the dark?

Perhaps I am. I can't be sure. One thing is for sure: she is going to find out. Whether it happens out here or when we reach the city. It will happen. I'm hoping to have a little more time. If she knows me better, she might be able to overlook the fact that I can turn myself into a fire-breathing beast.

I pick up on noises up ahead and stop, ducking behind a tree. I stand still, squeezing Octavia's thighs to warn her to be quiet.

Yep, I hear footfalls, alright.

Fuck!

I should have picked up on the noises sooner. I was distracted. Too far in my own thoughts. Fuck!

I could kick myself. If I try to change direction, whoever is there will hear me and follow. Once again, I am slower with the female in tow. This part of the jungle is sparse enough to shift. My only consolation is that there only seems to be one of them. I'm not foolish enough to think that there aren't others close by. I need to finish him as quickly and as quietly as possible. Then, we need to run hard and fast.

I gently put Octavia down. Her eyes are full of questions. She hasn't heard him approaching yet. She will soon.

I put a finger over my mouth to signal for her to keep quiet. Then I mouth, "Hide," and "Don't look." I put a hand over my eyes.

She narrows her eyes in question, her stare moving to where the footfalls are coming from. Octavia can hear them, too, now. Her eyes widen with fear.

"Hide," I mouth again, and she nods.

Moving swiftly and quietly, I hide, too, hoping against hope that whoever is coming doesn't hear me. I'll try to avoid them, and failing that, I'll have to fight.

I only hope that Octavia doesn't look. Perhaps I can still keep the fact that I am a dragon shifter a secret. I hope she doesn't find out. Not yet.

As the footsteps draw nearer, they stop when there is a noise from behind me. It's Octavia; she's trying to be as quiet as possible, but humans are naturally clumsy. The game is up. We won't be able to avoid a confrontation. My suspicions are confirmed when the footfalls start up again, quicker this time and growing louder by the second.

I can feel the tension in the air thickening. I start toward the approaching male, moving swiftly. As I draw closer, I close my eyes and allow the shift to overtake me. I hope that Octavia is hiding. That she can't see me. I don't think so. I get the familiar sensation of scales unfurling across my skin, of bones elongating and muscles reshaping. It fills me with a primal power that pulses through my veins.

Protect!

Mine!

Female, mine!

I allow the protective instincts to surge in my beast. They will fuel the coming bout. Through slitted eyes, I watch as a male approaches. He stops, sniffing the air. His gaze lands on me as I stalk toward him.

"Any sign of the female?" he asks me.

I shake my great head.

His eyes narrow, and he sniffs the air again, lines of confusion appearing on his brow. Can he smell her on me…in the air around us? The males who inhabit our jungles are far more in touch with their dragons and their baser instincts. This male is no exception. He growls low as he shifts. His scales pop out through his skin, gleaming in shades of emerald and sapphire. He sniffs the air yet again, and I know that my game is truly up. His gaze narrows on me with a sharp laser focus. He growls softly, baring his teeth in a challenge. He knows I have the human. He is going to fight me for her.

Octavia

Someone is approaching.

Shit!

It has to be one or more of those mountain men. We can't seem to catch a break. There are too many of them out here. This place is crawling…or, at least, that's how it feels.

"Hide," Creed mouths, followed by, "Don't look." He covers his eyes.

Then he is gone before I can say or do anything.

Don't look!

Don't look?

Why would he instruct me not to look? Maybe he wants me so well hidden that I can't see anything. Maybe he doesn't want me to be frightened because I'll have to watch him fight. That maybe he thinks I'm squeamish when it comes to blood. That's probably it. Only I'm not squeamish. I heard him fighting last night. I know it's vicious.

Don't look.

He seemed worried. Of course he's concerned. I need to stop overthinking everything.

I creep toward a fallen log. There is a bushy area to the side of it. I can squeeze myself in between them. It will make for a good hiding place, I think…I hope. There is a strange cracking noise in the direction Creed just took.

What is it?

I've heard such a noise before. I can't place it. Sticks breaking, maybe. It doesn't make sense, since Creed is normally so silent.

I can't help myself. I know that Creed told me not to do it, but I look back as I am positioning myself behind the log.

I can't see anything but trees and leaves and foliage.

There is a low growl. It doesn't sound human, but I've come to know that these mountain men are wild, so I don't allow it to worry me any more than I am already. It's going to be fine. Creed is big and strong.

Within a minute, there is the unmistakable sound of fighting. There are thuds and crashes: it sounds like a tree is uprooted.

A tree?

This is followed by a loud cracking noise, like branches being snapped. What the hell is going on? There are more growls, followed by another snarl. What's disconcerting is that the noises are steadily growing louder.

No, that isn't human. It sounds like a dragon. It has to be. I peek out from my hiding place, even though I shouldn't, but I have to know.

Sure enough, I see a flash of scales and a tail flicking. There is another snarl as another tree is uprooted, its roots cracking as it falls over with a crash. The dragons aren't holding back.

Crap! Crap! Crap!

There are two of them. A green one and a bronze one. They both have patches of red. The ones I saw earlier also had them.

Dragons.

No!

Where is Creed? Has he been hurt?

One of the beasts tears into the other. All I see are teeth, claws, and that wicked barbed tail. I realize with a start that they're getting closer and closer to me. The bronze one has its back to me.

I look around. Should I move? They might see me and forget each other, coming for me instead.

Where are you, Creed? Where are you?

I don't know what to do.

I don't want to move. It could also mean death if I stay.

The dragons keep fighting. The bronze one is stronger. He manages to pin the green dragon down with sheer brute force. The green dragon thrashes and roars, but the bronze dragon's grip is severe. I can't tear my eyes away from the brutal spectacle unfolding.

Just as I think the green dragon is about to break free, the bronze one grips it by the throat. There is a sickening crunch, blood sprays, and the green dragon slumps. I think it's dead. Surely it wouldn't survive its throat being ripped out? What now? I can't take my eyes off the bronze dragon. Does it know I'm here? Will it come for me next?

I'm about to duck down when the green dragon seems to shimmer before pulling in on itself. It seems to fold back. I sit up, peering across the space between me and them. The bronze dragon looms over the space where the other dragon lay, watching intently. Seconds later, the green dragon is gone. It's like it was never there. On the ground in its place is a man. A bloody, broken man.

A man.

How can that be?

I do something stupid. I rub my eyes because surely I am seeing things. This can't be real.

The bronze dragon turns its gigantic head to me. Its eyes landing squarely on me.

No!

No, please!

I expect it to run for me and to pounce, but it doesn't. It makes a rumbling noise that is almost soothing. Almost, because how can anything coming from a huge, killer reptile be soothing? It's freaking impossible. I look into its eyes. They're a familiar brown.

What?

The bronze dragon also shimmers and then starts to change. I stare in horror as its body contorts and shifts, bones cracking – there is that sound I heard earlier – and rearranging themselves as it transforms into a human shape. Its tail and wings pull back, as do its sharp teeth. There is skin where there were once scales. The once fearsome creature now stands before me as a man who turns his chocolate-brown eyes on me.

It's Creed.

It can't be.

What is this? How?

I make a sound of horror. Then I turn and run.

Creed calls my name, but I ignore him. I need to get away. I need to run. I need— He grabs my arm and turns me around.

I can't believe how quickly he caught up to me. He's fast…too fast. Strong…too strong. He has excellent healing. His senses are far better. All of the mountain men have great senses. He's called me a human several times, making it sound like he is not human. That's because…because…

"You're not human." I try to take a step back, but he grips my other arm. He's gentle but firm; his eyes are pleading. There are blood spatters on his chest and a smear on his cheek.

"I was going to tell you."

"Tell me what? What the hell are you? You're not mountain men, are you? You're not men at all."

He shakes his head.

How many dragons are there on the island?

As many as there are humans.

Of course there are.

"We're dragon shifters. We can shift between the two forms at will."

I shake my head. This can't be happening. How is it that it keeps getting worse? I know it's true. I saw it with my own eyes.

They want to mate you, to breed you.

Like animals. They're animals. Creed is…he's…

"I'm not going to hurt you. Please, Octavia," he says in a gentle tone. He's not gentle. He's not human. He's a killer. Moreover, he lied. He lied to me.

"No!" I yell, pulling my arms from his grip. "Leave me alone." I start running.

"Don't," Creed says in a choked voice.

I don't listen. I keep going. I have no idea where I am headed, only that I need to get away from him…from all of them.

I run blindly through the dense jungle, my heart pounding in my ears. The realization that the man I thought I knew, my rescuer, is actually a dragon shifter sends shivers down my spine. How could I have been so blind to the truth? Especially since it was staring me right in the face this whole time. How could I have been so damned stupid? I read those kinds of romance novels, too. The ones with paranormal elements. I've read all about shifters. Never once in my wildest dreams did I think they existed.

Dragon shifters. They're not men. They're so much more. It's so much worse.

Branches whip at my face as I push through the undergrowth, tears blurring my vision. I keep going until strong arms band around my waist, gripping me tight.

I start to scream, but a hand clamps over my mouth.

"You need to stop. You're sending me into hunt mode. My dragon wants to claim you."

Claim.

What does that mean? I feel his cock harden and lengthen between us.

"You need to calm down and to stop running. He's still high on bloodlust. He likes your scent. I like your scent, Octavia." He dips his face to my hair and sniffs. Then he groans softly. "I won't hurt you; I swear. Just don't run, please. I'm sorry. I…I'm so sorry."

Creed lets me go, and I turn. His eyes are blazing. His jaw is tight. There are deep frown lines on his forehead. He looks angry. His muscles are bunched, his abs ripped. His cock is fully erect and jutting from his body. It's long and thick. The head is shiny. I look away from him a moment before meeting his gaze. It's intense.

I can't seem to catch my breath. My chest is heaving. I should be completely disgusted or afraid or…something, but not this. Please, not this!

His nose twitches as he sniffs, making a soft, groaning noise. "You need to stop that and right now."

"I'm not running," I say in a tiny voice. "I have stopped."

"Maybe you should be running, little human." His eyes narrow in on mine and darken. "You're aroused. You're looking at me…again." His muscles bunch as he clenches his fists at his sides. "I told you not to look at me like that. I thought you were afraid, repulsed by me."

"I'm afraid, but I'm not repulsed. It's…it's still you. I mean, you are still you, right?" I say in a soft voice, even though I should be repulsed. He isn't even human. His muscles look bigger. He's taller, stronger. The blood on his skin should make me feel ill, but it doesn't. He fought for me. Rescued me. Save me.

My bra feels too tight. My breasts strain against the material. I feel a rush of heat between my legs and a zing of abstract need that consumes me.

I need therapy. I seem to move between panic and arousal within a heartbeat of each other, and it isn't the first time since landing on this island and meeting Creed. It must be the adrenaline that keeps flooding my system. All of these near-death experiences are doing something to me.

Creed's eyes darken. "We need to control our bodies better."

I frown. "What does that mean?"

"Your body is telling me that you want to be fucked, and my body is telling me to do it, and right now. It's taking every ounce of willpower to hold back…not to listen." His voice is strained. It should scare me, but it doesn't. It has the opposite effect, which annoys me.

"My body is not telling you to…to...do that," I finally settle on in a clipped tone. "It just isn't," I lie through my teeth. My whole body is on fire. I'm ignoring it.

He chuckles softly. "Oh yes, it is." He rubs the tip of his thumb over one of my tight nubs. It's the barest of touches but has me biting back a groan of pure need. "Your nipples are hard and begging to be sucked." His eyes dip down to the junction of my thighs. "Your pussy is wet and ready to be fucked…hard."

His words are crass. He's so rude. I should slap him, but I can't. My arousal goes up a notch or two. My face feels hot. My whole body is burning. My nipple is throbbing. The one he touched. I feel the pulsing between my legs in time with my heartbeat, which is fast. So fast.

"It doesn't matter," I whisper. "We can't have sex."

I expect him to argue, but he doesn't. He shakes his head. "No, we can't. We need to go, and right now."

Only neither of us makes a move to leave. We just stare at one another, his eyes darkening even further with desire. I know that he reads something similar in mine. My whole body feels hot. I can't catch my breath. I can't… I'm not sure who moves first, but I'm in his arms in the next moment. My feet leave the ground as his strong arms wrap around me. We kiss. It's frenzied. Our tongues duel, my hands are all over him. His arms, his back, his chest. I rub myself up against him like a cat in heat, making soft, desperate mewling sounds.

Half a minute later, Creed puts me down, turning me around. Then I'm on all fours, and my jeans are being peeled down to my knees, where they bunch. I widen my thighs as much as I can with my clothes still half on. I feel his heat behind me.

This is insane.

We shouldn't be doing this.

I want it.

I want him.

I'm vibrating with need. Something wet dribbles down my inner thigh as Creed puts a hand on my belly, pulling me against him. His member is at my opening. I feel him there, hard, thick, and throbbing.

Yes!

I need this.

"You need to be quiet," he whispers as he crouches over me.

I make a noise of both agreement and desperation. I've never felt this needy. Perhaps it's the danger. Being so close to death. Even right now. This is a risk. One we shouldn't be taking. I should shove him away. I should be appalled. I'm anything but.

Creed thrusts into me in one hard move, his hips hitting my ass as he bottoms out.

My eyes go wide, my mouth drops open, and I make a choked noise at the harsh, stinging sensation. It feels like he is splitting me in half. I'm full. Almost too full. Stretched to capacity. It hurts, but behind the pain is a hint of pleasure. I hold on to that as he starts moving. He's rough, shoving into me. I have to work to keep from being plowed into the dirt.

My breasts are jerking back and forth. My bra doesn't stand a chance against this onslaught. The pain quickly turns into something more. I groan as more wetness trickles down both thighs.

Creed makes a soft grunting noise that has my nipples tightening even more. Much to my shame, I come. It happens suddenly and quickly. We've only just started, and I'm there. My ex had to work hard, and even then, I didn't always make it, yet here I am, orgasming in under a minute flat. I'm on my knees in the dirt, being fucked like an animal. It's wrong. My body doesn't care. My pussy tightens to the point of pain. My mouth drops open in a silent scream. Then I am gritting my teeth, trying not to yell as everything lets go.

Creed puts his hand over my mouth, and I bite down on him. He growls, sounding like he likes it. Like it's turning him on. His cock seems to swell a little inside me. I can't think about it because pleasure is flooding my whole body. My orgasm is just as hard and rough as the man himself. It matches the sex. It rushes through me like a flood. Then I am coming down, but he isn't stopping. He lets go of my mouth, gripping my hips to hold me in place. He keeps going. His huge cock moving in and out of me. My body is making these slurping noises as he does. I'm that wet. My eyes widen as I start to get that coiling sensation again.

Again.

How?

It can't be, and yet it is happening. The build starts. It doesn't happen as quickly this time. It builds and builds and builds.

"Female," he growls under his breath. "So wet." He grunts. I think he's close. There is so much pleasure laced in his words. "You take me so well. So small." He keeps thrusting, his balls slapping my flesh. "Tight."

That one little word has me tightening inside. My skin. My whole body feels strung tight. My orgasm is slow this time. I feel myself fluttering around him. He groans softly, like he is working hard to keep his composure.

"Feels good," he groans. "So fucking good!"

I can't say anything. I can't breathe or blink or anything as I hit my peak. I stay there for a long time. I must be making noises because Creed clamps a hand over my mouth again. He crouches over me, his front against my back. He keeps thrusting…thrusting…thrusting. I keep coming…coming…coming. My eyes are wide. I'm noisy as I breathe through my nose. My breasts jerk hard with each punchy thrust, my fingers digging into the ground.

Finally, I'm coming down. Creed keeps going, drawing out my pleasure. He's still rock-hard. I don't think he's come yet. His stamina floors me.

Then he pulls out on a soft growl. He pushes me down on the ground, and I turn so that my back is on the dirt. I go up on my elbows, watching him as he watches me. I expect him to plow back into me, but he doesn't. Instead, he takes his cock in his hand, his eyes on me as he starts pumping his hand up and down his shaft. Then he is crunching over the middle, making small noises of pleasure as strings of come land on my belly and breasts. He grunts as more of his seed lands on me in sticky globs.

His eyes are blazing. He is gritting his teeth. He looks like an animal. His muscles are bulging. His teeth look a touch sharp. I even see a few bronze scales on his chest.

It freaks me out.

I just had the best sex of my life with someone who isn't even human. What the hell is wrong with me? I scoot away from him. My jeans and underwear are around one ankle.

What have I done?

"What was this?" I bite out, looking at the mess he made all over me. It's sticky, and there is plenty of it. I'm covered. My chest. My bra. My stomach.

"Since we were fucking anyway, I thought I would mark you with my scent. It will help mask yours and to keep the others away." He is a little out of breath. He gives a one-shouldered shrug like it is no biggie. Like the sex was no biggie.

Mark me?

Holy shit!

My mind is going a mile a minute. I'm struggling with this whole thing, with his attitude, but I shouldn't be. I mean, animals fuck all the time. Very few species mate for life. They mostly just fuck and move on. I'm feeling like that's what just happened to me. No biggie. Creed is part animal, after all.

He's part animal!

I'm reeling at my reaction to him. I've only ever had sex with one person before this. My ex. I'm not the type to sleep around. Not that there's anything wrong with going out and hooking up, in having a good time, but it's not me. I need an emotional connection. There was nothing emotional about this, and I liked it. No, I loved it. I loved every second. I don't love how I feel now, though.

His words hurt me, which both confuses and irritates me. Do I want Creed to have feelings for me? Do I want to stay in this terrible place? No, and no. So why am I feeling pissy after that comment?

I can't say.

I'm so confused. It's not like I have any kind of feelings for Creed, so why should I care?

"I'm sorry for the mess," he goes on, reading something in my expression. "My scent will help mask you. It will help keep you safe. I didn't want to accidentally make you pregnant."

Pregnant! Crap!

I feel sick. I completely forgot about a contraceptive. About diseases. Shit! Can Creed give me anything? Do these shifters even get sick? Do they get the same illnesses as we do? I forgot everything in that moment.

I pull up my underwear and jeans. This is completely insane.

"You're right." My voice hitches. "I'm not on anything. I can get pregnant." I cover my mouth because I make a sobbing noise. What if he had forgotten as well? Pulling out isn't a foolproof method. I could still get pregnant.

It's fine.

I won't!

I'm fine. He pulled out in time. Chances are good that I won't get pregnant. I need to calm down.

"That can't ever happen again," I tell him, my eyes stinging. "I'm not ready to be a mother, and I'm not looking for…for anything but to get home."

"I know. There won't be any more sex. That was a mistake." He sounds angry, although I don't know why. Then, his whole demeanor softens. "I'm sorry. I know I was too rough. I let things get out of hand. I hope I didn't hurt you."

"I'm fine," I bite out.

"Good. I'm glad." He gets to his feet and then pulls me to mine. I dust off and pull the backpack onto my shoulders.

Then Creed picks me up. "Hold on tight."

He starts running. I hold on tightly, wishing we could be in the city already. Wishing it was all behind me. I feel tender between my thighs; it reminds me of what we just did. What I just let him do. I practically threw myself at him.

My cheeks feel hot.

Nope. We can't do that again. Not ever.