Claiming His Prize (Bad Boy Alphas) (Feral Breed Followings Book 2) (3 page)

Without warning, Docket dropped his shorts, letting his very hard and very large dick spring forth like some kind of jack-in-the-box. “It hurts, Doc. How about you kiss it and make it better?”

I rolled my eyes and turned to leave, but another shifter blocked my way. He grabbed my arms and held me still, pressing himself against me.

“Let me go,” I hissed, keeping my voice low. I kept my eyes on Docket’s, staring him down. I couldn’t appear afraid, could never show an ounce of weakness around these guys. Especially not when I might actually be in danger. They’d eat my fear up with a spoon and come back for more.

Docket sauntered closer, a growl backing up his words. “Aw, can’t you fix it, Doc?”

The men chuckled and stepped closer as a pack, but then their heads whipped up and to the side almost in perfect, freaky unison. Tidal hopped over the ropes of the ring to my right, looking completely casual and at ease as he jumped between the pack and me. The shifter holding me let go and took a few steps back while growling at the new addition, but Tidal didn’t seem to care.

“Why don’t you have one of your buddies here take care of that for you?” Tidal blocked Docket without apology, something I was seriously grateful for.

“Aw, c’mon, man,” Docket said as he pulled his pants back up. “We were just having a little fun.”

Tidal huffed a laugh. “Little is the correct word, that’s for sure.”

All the men laughed, except Docket. The shifter scowled our way, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. He was angry, and angry wolf shifters were irrational and dangerous. But Tidal didn’t seem worried. In fact, he stood there facing the other shifters as if they were all just shooting the breeze or catching up on the latest water-cooler gossip. The only sign of his acknowledgment of the situation was the way his fingers flexed. He didn’t form fists, just kept his fingers slightly curved in. Whether that was to be ready to clench them and throw a punch or to hide his claws, I couldn’t be sure.

As Docket leaned forward, his growl growing louder, Tidal edged in just close enough for me to hear him as he whispered, “Consent to touch you, Doc?”

I nodded, a bit wary but way more comfortable with him than with the rest of these guys. Tidal took me by the elbow and gently tugged me back. Then he followed. Retreating. Bringing me with him. His hold on my arm was strong, the pressure welcoming. He wasn’t going to leave me behind.

But of course, he couldn’t leave without opening his mouth. “Next time you want to shake that thing in someone’s face, Docket, you might want to consider who you’re bothering.”

“Why’s that, snake?”

Tidal chuckled, a little darker than before. “Snake? That’s the best you got?” He pulled me farther back, putting himself between Docket and me. “You really need to think of who you’re bothering before you start harassing anyone around here because this lady happens to be the best doctor on site. Piss her off again, and she won’t be too happy to treat you when I set your ass on fire.”

“Ooooh, I’m scared.” Docket scoffed, laughing to all his friends. “The doctor’s single, which means she’s up for grabs. And I’m ready to do some grabbing.”

Tidal stopped, a hiss sounding from within as he cocked his head. “Not happening.”

Without warning, Tidal threw his arms back, roaring into the warehouse in a way that nearly shook the rafters. Smoke poured from his mouth, and sparks danced in the air on his breath. The wolf shifters dispersed, all running in different directions. Even Docket rushed off, practically falling as he turned the corner at the far end of the walkway.

When he finished, when Docket and his friends were off causing trouble somewhere else and the smoke was no longer rising, Tidal turned to me, looking slightly sheepish. His normally green eyes were still red, his pupils elongated in a reptilian way. The sight enthralled me, the fact that he did all that to protect me making me feel something for another person I hadn’t felt for years. Safe.

“You roared,” I said, my voice soft. Still unable to get the picture of him in that moment out of my head.

Tidal’s forked tongue slipped out to lick a piece of ash from his bottom lip, and he shrugged. “Sorry about that.”

He was apologizing? I was practically ready to bow down to him in thanks, and he was saying sorry? What was it about this man? And why did he have to come into my life at a time when it was not my own?

Giving in to temptation, I approached Tidal slowly, carefully raising my arm. He watched me, still and almost nervous, the prey to
my
predator. But he had no reason to be.

I touched a finger to his lip, brushing over a tiny burn where an ember must have fallen. Holding back the shiver as our flesh met. “Does it hurt?”

“Not anymore.” He took a deep breath, his fingers wrapping around my wrist. His body calling to me in ways no one else’s ever had. Making me want things I couldn’t have. I was lost…falling…and so very screwed.

T
he struggle to
contain my dragon was real and getting harder with every passing second. As was I. Fuck, I’d never been so close to Jane before. And I’d never wanted a woman as much as I did her in that moment.

“Tidal,” she whispered, her hand resting on my chest.

“I’m gonna need some consent here, Doc. Or do you want me to stop?” I leaned forward, letting my lips brush over her wild, dark hair. Closing my eyes as the taste of her passed over my mouth. So fucking perfect.

“We shouldn’t do…”

I waited, but she didn’t finish her sentence, so I leaned closer. Breathing her in and tasting her scent again. Wishing I could do more. Could touch and feel and explore. But this was it—this closeness, this hand on my chest, my fingers around her wrist. This might be all she gave me, and while I was beginning to think no amount of connection would ever be enough, it was still more than I probably deserved from her.

“Shouldn’t what, Doc?” I asked when I couldn’t wait any longer. “What are we doing here?”

Her eyes dropped to my mouth, and her lips followed. It was a kiss I hadn’t been expecting but welcomed nonetheless. Hell, I devoured it. Fiery and hot, her little tongue joined with mine as I plunged into her mouth. The taste, the feel, the heat of it all had me grasping her hips to pull her closer. Had me yowling low in my throat as my dragon drank her in. As my body lit up from within in response to her.

One kiss quickly became more. My hands grasped her ass and yanked her body closer. Every taut inch of her pressed against me, every inch of me craving more. And by the gods, the heat rolling off her was positively addictive. I reveled in it, sought more of it. My hands slid under her top without thought or direction from me, my body craving that warmth. When I had her wrapped in my arms, she groaned and yanked on my hair. My yowl grew, the burn of a smoky fire roiling in my chest. Yes, this was it. This was what I wanted. Her…this…fuck yes. The pain was good, the press of her skin better. I wanted more, wanted to feel again. Wanted her always.

But without warning, she broke away from me and stumbled back.

“Shit,” she hissed, bringing her hand to her mouth. She looked so shocked, as if she hadn’t expected to kiss me. I totally understood that. I hadn’t expected it, either. Loved it, wanted more of it, craved her body more than ever…but I hadn’t expected it. Still, I had enough sense not to tell her that.

“Wasn’t quite the reaction I was going for there, Doc.” I grabbed her hand gently and pulled it back to my chest, pressed it against the bare flesh that was now heated from her touch. “Feel how warm I am. That’s because of you. That’s your body and mine, together.”

She shook her head, looking panicked. “Tidal—”

“What’s all this?” Mick appeared over the ropes of the ring to our left, his glare firmly in place. “Jane, I thought we were working under a don’t-touch-the-merchandise policy?”

My dragon roared within me, furious that this lesser being interrupted our time with Jane. The man side of me was more worried than angry. Jane looked…afraid. She was hiding it well behind that bland, doctor expression, but there was fear in her eyes as they avoided mine. Something that didn’t sit well with me.

Jane didn’t pull away from me, though. She stood tall, fighting to hide that fear as she changed the position of her hand on my chest. “Your dragon was feeling a little overheated after a scuffle with a couple of other fighters. I thought it best to do an immediate exam before moving him.”

Mick turned his attention to me, his head cocked. “That so, Tidal? Well, we did turn the heat up yesterday. Perhaps he’s feeling the effects.”

Something in Jane’s expression cracked, her shoulders sagging. I had no idea what Mick was talking about, but whatever he meant by
heat
, my feeling the effects upset her. I wanted to calm her, to pull her into my arms and soothe her, but that bastard was still fucking there and Jane… Well, Jane let me go.

She dropped her hand from my chest, breaking what little connection we had, and nodded at the wolf shifter. “I believe that’s a likely possibility.”

Mick grunted. “Take him back to the medical ward and do a full work-up. I’ve got a new fighter coming in soon, and I want to make sure Tidal is in the best shape before they step in the ring together. A sick dragon does not make for a good fight.”

“Yes, sir. Of course.” She glanced at me, looking decidedly uninterested, her eyes flat and empty as they met mine. “It’ll be difficult, though. We don’t know enough about dragons to make a comparison.”

Mick laughed. “We know all we need to. They’re cold-blooded, they fight like hell, and they have no loyalty to the ones they take as their mates. What more do we need to know?”

“Just…physiology and immune system information. But we’ll get by without it.” Jane walked past me, avoiding touching me as she did. “Come with me, Tidal.”

The way she said my fighting name cut me as hard and sharp as claws could. I still had no idea what the hell just happened, but something Mick had said made Jane shut down. That wasn’t okay with me. I finally got a response from her, and I wasn’t about to go back to the doctor-patient relationship we had before.

I followed her through the warehouse and down the hall leading to the medical wing, my mind spinning with options. It was quiet back there with all the fighters either sleeping or training; quiet and cold. Too cold. In such a short amount of time, I’d gotten comfortable with Jane’s body pressed against mine. I’d absorbed that heat and my body had warmed in response. But not touching her led my skin to cool once more, something uncomfortable and oddly foreign now that I’d experienced Jane’s heat. I wanted more of that warmth. Immediately. But if the set of her shoulders was any indication, there would be no more touching today.

“We should do a blood panel,” she said as soon as we walked into her exam room. Her words were stiff, clipped almost. Doctor mode.
Shit.

“Something wrong, Doc?”

“I’m fine.” She ignored my look and headed for the cabinets. But as she pulled on a pair of gloves, my heart sank.

“Stop.”

She jumped at my demand, turning to finally—
finally
—look into my eyes. I hadn’t meant the word to come out so forceful, but seeing those plastic sheaths cover her hands made me almost panic. I wanted her touch. I needed her heat. And those gloves would deaden that for me.

“Can we…” I licked my lip, tasting her on the air. Recentering myself on her presence. “Your hands are so warm. Can you not use the gloves?”

Her eyes stayed locked with mine even as her eyebrows furrowed. “You’re cold?”

“Dragons are cold-blooded, like Mick said. We take on the temperature of the air around us.” I hesitated, a bit uncomfortable admitting the truth but willing to tell my secrets…to her. “I prefer hotter temperatures than what The Pack House is kept at, so I’m usually a bit chilly. Being so close to you in the training center warmed me through, so now the cold is extra cold.” I shrugged, unable to hold her eyes as I whispered, “Cold after warmth hurts. It makes my skin feel tight, and I don’t like it.”

Jane took a step toward me, looking quizzical and concerned. “The cold hurts?”

I shrugged. “Once I’ve been warmed, yes. After a fight, after a shower.” I met her eyes again, trying to put all my want into that look. “After absorbing the body heat of a beautiful woman.”

“Perhaps you need to find a beautiful woman to keep you warm,” she said, her voice soft, barely more than a whisper.

I kept my eyes on her, refusing to look away from such a moment. From such a truth. “I’m trying, but she keeps putting up roadblocks.”

Jane looked down, her lips twitching with the need to smile. I wanted her to smile, to be happy. I wanted a lot for Jane, things that didn’t even quite make sense.

“Please, Doc?”

With an exaggerated sigh, Jane pulled the gloves from her hands. “Okay. But I’m putting them on when I stick you.”

“Protect it before you inject it?” I grinned, especially when she looked at me with that exasperated expression. “Totally understood. I’m all for safety.”

“On the table, mister funny man.”

I hopped up on the exam table and lay back, completely comfortable being under her inspection once more. Jane hovered over me, running her hands over my bare chest and stomach. Pressing, palpating where organs would be for a regular human. Her brow furrowing when she didn’t find them in the so-called
right
spots. But when her hand slid down along my hip bone, it was I who reacted.

“Sorry.” I coughed as she ran both hands down my thigh, my cock responding to her in a way that had to be noticeable. “You do realize I’m perfectly healthy, right?”

Baseball, think of baseball. Pitches, strikes, outs, batters, balls… Yeah, I want her to touch my balls.

Shit.

“Of course. But Mick gave me carte blanche to run tests on you. I’m taking full advantage.”

I stared at the ceiling, willing my soldier to stand down. Sort of wishing Jane would show him a little attention at the same time. A thought that didn’t help the stand down request. “So you’re using my body for science? Such a disappointment.”

Jane moved to my feet, bending my ankles and pressing her fingers against my bones. “Perhaps we’ll be more prepared for the next dragon.”

“There won’t be a next dragon. My kind aren’t exactly fans of dogs.” My leg twitched as she moved back up my calf. Something that only made the problem in my groin worse. Jesus, I was hard as stone.

She hummed, her eyes unfocused as her hands ran over my knees, completely ignoring the tent in my shorts. “No dogs, no mates. Got it.”

“Oh, we mate.” I glanced down the length of my body, pulling up my lips into a half smile at her wide eyes. “We like to mate as much as possible. Multiple times a day, if possible. The heat from the friction of two bodies writhing together is delicious.”

“That sounds like sex, not mating. If there’s one thing working with wolves has taught me, it’s that mating is on a whole different level than dating, marriage, or…coupling.” Jane rolled her eyes, grabbing another pair of gloves from her pocket. “All right, Tidal. I’m going to take some blood just to check a few things.”

“Consent?”

She froze, her head cocked, an adorably confused expression on her face. “What about it?”

“Well, if I’m not allowed to touch you without consent, I feel it should be reciprocal.”

“But I’ve been touching you.”

I raised an eyebrow and waved a hand over my hips. “And I liked it, obviously. More than I think you want me to. But this is different. This is my blood. And when it comes to dragons, our blood is sacred. We don’t spill it for just anyone.”

She was quiet for a long moment before she finally gave me a nod. “May I have your consent to examine your blood, Tidal?”

“Piers.” I refused to look away even as her eyebrows winged up in surprise. “If you want to see the inside of me, you should at least use my given name. I’m Piers.”

Another pause, but her eyebrows had dropped back into place and her eyes were still on mine. All things I considered good signs of progress between us.

She raised her chin, looking so damned fierce as she asked, “May I have your consent, Piers?”

“Of course. For anything.”

Jane stared into my eyes for an extended moment, seeing something there that made her smile. “This won’t hurt.”

“Doc, I have a feeling anything you do to me is going to hurt. It just depends on if it’s the sort of pain I like or not.”

She smiled wider, looking far too pleased with herself. “Trust me. I’m a doctor.”

Her hands on my skin were no longer as warm with the plastic gloves in the way, though I understood her concerns. Humans were much more susceptible to diseases than shifters were.

The process of bloodletting took less time than I would have liked. As soon as Jane was finished, she tucked the tubes of thick, dark red liquid into a holder on the counter and spent a few minutes labeling each one. So precise in her movements, her attention to detail intrigued me. As I sat there waiting for her to finish, I took a good look around the exam room. The entire place was clean and organized, not a single thing out of place. Orderly…like Jane.

When she was done and the tubes were standing in a rack in perfect lines, Jane crossed her arms over her chest and leaned a hip against the cabinet. “You can go now.”

The dismissal hurt more than it should have, but I faked my way through it. “I was hoping for another kiss to make my boo-boo feel better, Doc.”

Jane’s smile fell, her eyes dropping from mine. “That can’t happen.”

I was on my feet and in front of her in a blink. Not touching. Assuming the consent I’d received earlier had expired. “Why not?”

“We just…can’t.”

My dragon rumbled within me, making my voice drop deeper. “I’m not really one to follow rules, Doc.”

“No, you’re not. But I am. I have to.” With that, she spun and walked out of the room, leaving me in the cold. Literally.