Dragons Don't Forgive (10 page)

Her fingers skim over my abs. She’s
fascinated with them and proved it more than once during the night.
“I’m not going back. Dmitri knows…” Her fingers stop moving and she
gives me a look that says she doesn’t want to finish the
sentence.

“
Go ahead,” I tell her as I
tap her chin with my fingertip.

She appears so worried, but she tells
me anyway. “He has banned you from his club and every other club in
the city.”

This bothers me not at all and I offer
a smile. “I deserve it. Don’t fret. The craving for alcohol creeps
up on me every so often and it’s better I stay away.”

“
Is it bad?” She places
peppered kisses over my chest where her fingers were
before.

I tug a few strands of her hair. “With
you here, it’s not bad at all.”

She peers from beneath her incredible
lashes. I lift her up and bring her higher onto my chest so I can
reach her lips. “I’ll drink you instead.”

It’s another hour before we leave the
bed and only because we are wasting away to nothing without food. A
basket waits on the doorstep that apparently Sierra expected. “They
will restock the fridge and cupboards today while we’re out,” she
tells me. “They honor you with gifts of food.”

“
I pay for the food,” I
tell her because it’s true.

She smiles as she shakes her head.
“No, silly dragon, you pay Dmitri. The bears couldn’t care less
about money. They take care of me when I’m here. Nikka, Dmitri’s
mate, says it’s because I spread happiness. Bears are different
from other beastkind. Their way’s older. Small changes occurred for
a while, but with peace within the beastkind world, most have gone
back to caring for their men and enjoying it. The only difference
is now their females have the option to do more. The help they’ve
given me proves it isn’t just the men they care for. I think the
bears are special and often misunderstood.”

I can only give her a slight grunt. I
don’t explain that being waited on is normal for me. It’s a dragon
thing. We have loyal servants who take care of us from before
sunrise to long after the sun goes down. They make a dragon’s life
easy when it comes to food and clothing. Anything they cannot
provide, we steal from other realms. It’s the way of dragons. I
have enough to feel guilty about without worrying why the bears
choose to help me.

I help Sierra fix breakfast. Not by
actually preparing anything but by stealing kisses and tickling her
so her laughter fills the kitchen. She slaps my hands away but
never tells me to stop. We eat at the small table and the food is
much more delicious than I cooked the previous morning for her
brother.

I can’t believe this is only the
beginning of day two with Sierra in my bed. I feel as if she’s been
part of my life for years. Much more satisfying than the first
years with a bride. Sierra doesn’t hide from me or shake in fright
whenever I’m near. She’s the combination of every bride once
they’ve settled in. She represents the perfect years—sex and
companionship. What is it about her that attracts me so? I’ve been
aware of her for a year. Secretly longed for everything she offered
when she thought I wasn’t looking. She wears her heart on her
sleeve and it’s never been hard to decipher the hot need in her
eyes. I never took her up on the silent offer of her body and
that’s very strange for me.

Another thought takes hold and the
happiness of a moment ago disappears. We’re lying in tall grass
resting after making love yet again. Thinking about her lack of
virginity is what changes my mood.

“
Who was he?” I ask as the
air around us heats with my ire. I use everything I have to tamp it
down.

“
Who was who?” she replies
in a dreamy voice that only causes my anger to rise against my
will.

“
The man who stole your
virginity. The men who came after him,” I spit out as I take a deep
breath and suck the hot air back down my throat.

She rolls my way and places her small
hand on my upper arm. “You’re not serious.”

I grumble low under my breath. I
cannot look at her. “I wish to know about this man and the
others.”

She sits up so she’s gazing directly
into my eyes. “Okay… but first you will remove that tone from your
voice. You are not a dictator and you will respect the rules of
this realm that allow women to have the same sexual freedom as men.
If you can do that, I will tell you of him.”

I’m so angry I want to burn something.
I can feel my control disintegrating. “You need to leave now,” I
shout as I roll over and dislodge her hand while going to my knees.
The fire builds inside me with hot wrath and the need to
destroy.

“
Sarn,” her voice whispers
past the roaring in my ears. “Do not do this. You are stronger than
you think. You do not want to hurt me. You hurt Roxanne because of
grief. You love me.” Her hands soothe my back and her voice breaks
into my thoughts. The fire dies down a bit as she continues
speaking. “I love you. The man I gave my virginity to was a friend.
We were together intimately for a while as he taught me the ways of
my body. Only friends and I haven’t seen him in a long time. I
didn’t care enough to keep up with where he went or who he went
with. No man has come after him but you.” Her hands drift over me
as I listen. “I never loved him. I have only loved once and that
man is you. Now calm down and take me in your arms. I need them
about me.”

I collapse facedown into the grass. My
little wolf covers me with her body and spreads herself along my
hot flesh. Her heart thuds against my back as her soft, naked
breasts push against me. Everything. All the pain. The heartache.
The misery. The shame. It bursts from me in a torrent of tears that
no man should ever release.

And my brave wolf takes it all. She
speaks of her love. And of mine. She describes her loneliness while
she waited for me. I hear every word—need it to survive my wretched
memories. I think of Roxanne’s charred flesh. The pain I caused to
so many because I let my anger unleash. Ashrac’s fear of me, his
Uncle Sarn whom he loved. My last kiss with Calista and Beth before
her. All my brides—their sweetness and giving natures. The years of
loneliness after each left me. The loneliness of my brother dragons
while they suffered too. How glad I was at those times that it was
not me and I still had a bride to hold onto. My life has been
thousands of years of heartache that I’ve tried to bury. It’s
stripped from me now. Stripped from my heart, my flesh, my soul. I
cry for it all and my wolf takes my shame and weaves her magic and
separates it from the memories.

Long after the tears subside, she
holds and comforts me. I’ve never needed anyone as badly as I need
her. I turn and bring her into my chest. My fingers thread through
her hair as I inhale her scent.

I cast another prayer
silently out into the wind. “
Please,
Goddess, I only ask that you give me as much time as possible. I
will do your bidding and abide by the curse. But I need this woman
for as long as possible.
”

Chapter Ten

Sierra

It’s been two months since the day in
the meadow. The day I fell even more in love with my dragon. I know
he’s ashamed that I watched him break down. I also know it’s the
best thing he could ever do for himself. He holds so much pain
inside.

And speaking of inside. My wolf
remains silent. She hasn’t poked her wild impulses into me once
during the past two months. I can shift, but it takes an extra bit
of concentration and it no longer feels as natural. I’m beyond
worried and it’s the reason I’m making this trip today.

Veda and Tyboll’s cabin is far from
the bear clan. They choose to live way out here and have for more
than twenty years. The bears whisper of them when they think I’m
not paying attention. They love these two and respect them greatly.
They’re bear shifting witches. Something I’ve never heard of
before.

Nikka told me more about them with the
help of a she-bear to speak for her. She said the witches are
expecting me. When I asked why, her reply was that they contacted
her and said I had need of them. I didn’t quite believe the
whispers among the clan, but I trust Nikka. Bears are so strange
and to learn a pair of witch shifters is part of their clan is
astonishing. But as I think on it, so are dragons.

I’ve spent each day and night with
Sarn. We are practically inseparable, which is how we prefer it. I
asked Nikka if Sarn was expected too and she told me no. This
information caused a dilemma. I didn’t want Sarn to know about the
absence of my wolf. He could take something quite simple and find a
way to blame himself. The emptiness I feel inside because my wolf
refuses to show herself is not simple. I can’t hurt my dragon with
this knowledge yet and I’m praying to the Goddess that the witches
will help.

I went back to our cabin to try to
decide how to handle my absence the following day. Soon after
returning to the cabin, Roland sent me a telepathic message that
the nightclub was shut down for a day because of a water leak. Most
of the bears of the clan decided to take a fishing trip high into
the mountains and they wanted Sarn to go with them. Sarn grumped
around making excuses not to go until I promised to love him late
into the night after his return and fix him a chocolate cake. He
knows I would have made love with him anyway, so the cake proved
the deciding factor. Silly dragon.

I know why the witches want to see me.
The disappearance of my wolf is a problem and one I’ve never heard
of before. I’m ready to have some answers, and I run through the
forest on four legs following a well-used trail. Nikka told me that
Veda and Tyboll’s guidance in matters of shifter magic is
revered.

My stomach flutters with my worry and
answers I may not wish to have. Their cabin finally comes into
view. It’s large and beautifully tucked into a copse of giant
trees. I take a deep breath, drop the small pack I carry between my
teeth and shift to human. The pack contains clothing which I
quickly put on. The front door is open and I make my way to the
cabin. A great room with comfortable furniture and beautiful accent
pieces greets me. Beyond this room, there’s a large table with
eight chairs but only three place settings.

“
Hello,” I say from the
door. I don’t want to enter without permission. A loud bang comes
from the back of the house followed by feminine giggles. The
female, Veda, walks out first smoothing down her skirt and looking
flustered. Tyboll follows with a smirk on his face. I have no
problem figuring out what they’ve been up to.

Mates. I smelled it on both of them
along with sex. I can’t help but smile indulgently. It’s not like I
haven’t scented it on every mated pair I meet; I just wasn’t
expecting it today for some reason.

Veda, her long red hair flowing freely
around her shoulders, speaks first. “Welcome, Sierra, daughter of
Ivan and Alba, stepdaughter to Talya, and precious daughter to
Marcus and Amy, the liege vampires of the Southwest
Clan.”

I’m stunned by her use of my proper
extensive name and not quite sure how to answer.

Tyboll, also with long hair and a
decided spark in his eyes, steps around Veda and places his hand
out. “Forgive my mate, she loves full titles.” The she-bear
playfully slaps his arm. “Please call us Tyboll and Veda and we
shall call you simply Sierra,” he says.

I feel the magic of their shifter
blood but also something more. It’s not at all like Sarn’s magic. I
like it, though, and feel it flow softly around me. It’s soothing
and slightly wilder than my own magic. I can’t stop my lips from
spreading into a wider grin. I was so apprehensive about coming
today, but now feel at ease. “Thank you,” I reply happily. I’m also
relieved that I don’t need to ask for each of their full
titles.

Veda moves forward again. “I’ve
prepared a light meal and we wish you to join us. Let me make tea
and we shall eat.”

I’m suddenly quite hungry. “Thank you,
I would love that.”

Veda bustles around the large kitchen
and Tyboll pulls out a chair and bids me to sit. Then he helps Veda
in a well-practiced way that shows they work together often. Very
unlike most bear couples I’ve been around. Nikka had explained that
Tyboll is Mandy’s adopted father. I hadn’t seen much of Mandy and
her mate, Honey, this past year because they’re on an extended stay
with the Eastern Clan, which is Mandy’s original clan
family.

The bears, or maybe I should say
witches, carry over a meal that is far from light. I am suddenly
hungrier than I thought. I barely touched my food the night before
because of my nerves. Sarn gave me a few probing looks, but I
sidetracked him with sex.

Now, I’m starving.

“
Dig in,” Veda says. “I
know you’re hungry.”

I don’t bother waiting for additional
prompting. The food smells wonderful and tastes delicious. I’m
almost finished with my meal when I speak again, “I need this
recipe before I leave. Sarn will love it.” I look up and realize
they’ve both stopped eating. “Sarn is the dragon shifter, I’m
living with him,” I say even though they must know this. I just
don’t know if they are aware he’s dragon.