Chapter 2

TWO

Samantha

I probably should have slept more and fucked less. Evander gives me a kiss at the door, and a lingering glance, before he heads down the hall to his room. I’m glad, because he’d certainly been pushing his luck, trying to stay as long as humanly possible.

Which is just like Evander.

I go back inside and collapse on my bed, looking up at the ceiling, exhausted but feeling so damn good. Images from the night before replay in my mind, and I realize I could probably go again if one of them was here.

There’s something wrong with me.

Checking the time, I groan, knowing we need to be going soon. I pull off my shirt and shimmy out of my underwear, dropping both on the floor. Then, I head for the shower.

The water is hot and the pressure is perfect. I hum a little tune and try to soothe my fiery tangled locks. I’m mostly successful. Washing the rest of my body, I notice the tender spots still healing, mostly on my back. The damn green dragon really clawed the hell out of me. Surprisingly though, after spending a night being pounded, my pussy is fine.

I guess I can take those big cocks more easily than I thought.

When I finish in the shower, I dry my body and hair, then wrap a towel around myself. I untangle my hair again and put on a little makeup. Staring at myself in the mirror, I can’t help but notice the marks covering my throat. Aydan and Evander really need to stop competing with that shit.

Suddenly, my phone rings. I hurry across the room and see Dahlia’s number, then pick up. “Hey, how are you doing?”

“Better, actually.” It’s so good to hear her voice. “The green dragon has been nowhere in sight, so I took that as my cue to leave. I managed to arrange a ride to Oceanview, so I should be there in three or four days tops.”

Thank goodness.

I’ll have to make sure I have Evander clear her with security.

“I’ll feel better when you’re here safe with me.”

“Me too, but you can’t imagine how hard it was to try to get a driver to get me here with the roads being a mess, and all the talk of the dragons coming back.” She releases a deep breath. “At least the conversations haven’t been boring, though everyone is trying to figure out where the dragons are coming from. The students have some wild theories.”

I smile. “Like what?”

“Some people think the dragons are actually a crossbred creature, where they used the genetic makeup of dinosaurs, mammoths, and elephants to create these ‘dragons.’ Others think the dragons are some kind of tool being used by the government.”

“All interesting theories,” I tell her, trying not to show just how amused I am by all of this. “When you get here though, I think I’ll be able to shine a light on all this dragon stuff.”

“You know something you’re not saying!” she exclaims.

I laugh. “Maybe. But I’ll tell you all about it when you get here.”

She’s quiet for a minute. “In times like these, I wish I had an actual family to go home to.”

Dahlia grew up in foster care, in some really rough situations. She bounced from home to home, and her saving grace was getting a scholarship at a university that covered living expenses. At eighteen, she was basically kicked out with the clothes on her back and went straight to university… where we met and became like sisters.

“You’ve got me,” I tell her. “And I’ll always be there for you.”

“Right. Found families are the best families,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.

“My ride is going to be here in just a minute.”

I clutch my phone a little harder. “Just be careful out there. The dragons are causing a bit of chaos. People are unpredictable when they’re scared.”

Again, I can tell she’s smiling. “I’ll be fine. I’ll call when I get to town. Got to go!”

“Bye.”

I close my phone and stare at it, feeling worried. Which is exactly the moment someone knocks at the door. I head for it, not knowing which of my men to expect, but it’s only Granger.

“Hey,” he says, his gaze sliding over my towel-clad form. “Is this a bad time?”

I shake my head. “Not at all. Come in.”

He’s fully dressed and ready to tackle his day. Probably because he didn’t spend his night fucking. I don’t know if I should envy him, or feel sorry for him.

“What’s up?”

I go to the closet and shift through the clothes Evander had his staff buy for me. Most of it is in line with what I already wear: tank tops and jeans. But some of it is pretty out there. Frilly dresses, even some skirts covered in feathers. I steer away from them and select a white tank top and jeans. All the bras and underwear are lacy, so I just select a matching pair of black ones.

“I just wanted to let you know that even though I can’t be there with you guys today, I’ll be with you in spirit.” He looks nervous, rubbing at his palm.

“Of course you will be,” I say, flashing him a smile as I lay my clothes out on the bed. Except, his nervous energy remains. “But I feel like there’s more than that. What’s up?”

His dark eyes find mine, and now I’m sure of it. He’s upset about what’s going on. “I just wish I could be there, Sam. You need me. You need the Dragon Pack.”

I go straight to him and grab his wrist and put it next to mine. Our matching tattoos with the little dragon and the words “Dragon Pack” stare back at us. “We’re a team. Just because you aren’t physically present doesn’t mean you aren’t with us. You’re a part of the team. You know I’d be completely lost without you, especially with the two alpha-idiots.”

Pulling him into a hug, I breathe deeply his scent of books and soap, then sigh. “I’ll never get over how good you smell.”

“You keep saying that,” he says, his voice deeper than usual.

I pull back a little and dig my hands into the back of his hair. When I start rubbing, he groans, and I smile. He always did love when I massaged his head and neck.

“You’re going to be here, back at base, working with the scientists and figuring out ways of helping us. That’s valuable.”

His eyes close, and his body relaxes. “I am. Dr. Abigail has been knee-deep in all the information they’ve gathered from testing your dragon and human forms. She thinks she’s close to some breakthroughs. I’m going to help her.”

“See,” I say. “You’ll be here helping. You don’t have to be a dragon to do that.”

As I stare at him, I have a memory of us in the ice. Of us kissing. I don’t know why the thought pops up in my mind, but it does, and then it lingers in the shadows of my mind. I try to shake it away. The kiss was just two frightened people trying to calm each other down. It was a kiss between friends. That’s all.

I pull away from him and his eyes flash open. Going to the bed, I look down at my clothes then give him the “turn around” motion.

“Me? Turn around?” he asks, looking surprised.

“Yes.” I tug at the top of my towel.

His gaze moves to the towel, and then he spins around in an almost panic. I want to laugh. Granger has seen me naked before. Yeah, we were little kids, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he saw me now.

I drop my towel and pull on the little lacy pair of black underwear. “Evander’s employees picked out all my clothes. For some reason, they seem to think I only wear porno underwear. I’m dying for a white cotton pair rather than these tiny lacy pairs. They don’t cover my ass at all, and I constantly feel like my pussy’s just going to fall out of them.”

“Sam…”

“No, seriously. The scrap of fabric for the front is like a drawstring. It’s almost like not wearing any underwear at all.”

He runs his hands through his hair, his back stiff.

I pull on the bra. “And the bras are insane. They’re completely see-through. This isn’t like a nip slip, it’s like you can see the whole damn thing. Seriously, does this look appropriate to you?”

He doesn’t turn. “Are you trying to get me killed?”

“Killed?”

“Do you know what Aydan and Evander would do if they knew you were getting my opinion on your lingerie?”

I snort. “Who cares what they think?”

Moving around so I’m standing in front of him, I wait until his gaze lands on me and his eyes widen. “Seriously, what do you think?”

He doesn’t say anything. Just stares. And stares.

“Okay, I know I was exaggerating a little bit. I wouldn’t have shown this to you if my pussy was really falling out of my underwear, but do you really think this is appropriate?”

To my surprise, he takes a stiff step away from me. Leaning down, he whispers, “Go put some clothes on.”

The tone in his voice makes me dart around him and hurry to my clothes. It wasn’t anger, but maybe a warning. A warning of what, I’m not sure, but I heed it anyway, dressing in a hurry.

When I just have to get my socks and boots on, I say, “Alright, I’m appropriate.”

He turns, back still rigid, a funny look on his face. “Sam, you do know I’m a man, right?”

Now, it’s my turn to give him a funny look right back. “Of course I do. I’ve seen your penis.”

His cheeks turn red. “I was little…”

I spring to my feet, eager to enjoy this moment to the fullest. Moving toward him, I say, “I remember the little worm. We had that little pool in our backyard, and we all just took off our clothes and got in. And there was Granger and Aydan, with their little naked penises.”

Poking his stomach, I laugh. We’d talked about our old days running around naked a hundred times before. Aydan and Granger hated it when I talked about how itty bitty their dicks were, but it was all in good fun.

Granger catches my hands as I poke him. “I was just a kid then. I’ve grown up.”

My smile falters at his seriousness. “I know. Granger, what’s wrong?”

He shakes his head and releases my hands, turning away. I follow and wrap my arms around him. “Talk to me.”

After a minute, he releases a deep breath and puts his arms around me. “I think I’m just feeling a little useless with you guys being dragons and me being a human. I mean, I might be even worse than useless, since the green dragon basically proved that I could be used to get to you. I want to be seen as someone who can help, as a man. Not as a liability.”

I laugh. He looks more upset, so I rush out, “Granger, everyone knows you’re a man. You don’t have to do anything to prove that to us. And, believe me, without you, me and Aydan and Evander would be completely lost. That green dragon is just a prick with a tiny dick and a tiny brain. Seriously, you’re the one who came up with the idea to talk to the blue dragon in the first place. Okay? You’re amazing.”

He gives a little smile. “Okay.”

I lean up and kiss him lightly on the lips, only I linger a second longer than I normally would. Pulling back, I try to ignore the racing of my heart. Something’s wrong with me. Probably all this dragon nonsense. I shouldn’t be feeling this way after a friendly kiss with Granger. Damn dragon hormones.

“Just promise me you’ll be safe out there,” Granger says, avoiding my gaze.

“I promise.”

His eyes lock onto mine. “No, really, those two challenge you, and you go all rebellious brat on them to make a point. Don’t do that. You’re too important.”

I sigh. “Alright. No rebellious brat for me.”

Hopefully, I can keep my promise. Evander and Aydan piss me off in a way no one else does. They make it so I stop thinking and just start doing, but I can’t with male dragons on the loose who might end up hunting me. It’s just too dangerous. I already know there are a green dragon and a brown dragon out there that want to take me for their own. This blue dragon is an unknown entity with unknown motivations, but he very well could be a problem too.

Granger is right. I have to be careful.