Romance: Sold To The Alpha Dragon: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (BBW Romance, Paranormal, BBW Shifter Romance) (4 page)

Chapter 9

Maria ran into the garden and looked around frantically, unaware of where to go. She could run into the woods in search for the closest village, but she figured the dragon would see her and break free from the cage to follow her.

She thought dragons were a myth and couldn’t make sense of what she saw. Maria partly believed that it was a nightmare and she was still asleep. Without much thinking, her instincts took her into the mansion.

She found a small closet down the hall from the dining room and locked herself inside. Luckily, there were piles of extra blankets inside for her to cover herself with.

Among Maria’s heavy panting, she heard the door creak open. Mrs. Gilbert stood there, staring down at her. Maria threw the blankets off and stared at the maid, waiting for her to say something.

“So you saw him, then,” Mrs. Gilbert said matter-of-factly.

Maria nodded.

“You know about him?”

“Consider yourself lucky,” Mrs. Gilbert began.

“Out of all the people he’s met, you’re the only one he’s trusted to show.”

“How is it possible?”

“Shape-shifters are real,” the maid answered. She bent down to Maria’s level and held out her hand.

“I had to clean up a lot of messes when he was younger. That’s why his parents built that cage. William can control when he becomes a monster, but he can’t control the monster when it comes out.”

“Has he ever hurt anyone?” Maria asked, taking Mrs. Gilbert’s hand and walking out of the closet.

“Never.” Mrs. Gilbert pointed upstairs.

“Go up and wait for him. He’ll calm down by tonight. If you want to leave, he deserves to know what you want to do. Don’t run off. And don’t tell
anyone
. Understand?”

Mrs. Gilbert stared so deeply in Maria’s eye, she felt that the maid could see through her soul. Maria nodded and headed upstairs.

Maria stared out her bedroom window after pacing the floor for hours. So many thoughts ran through her head.

It took several hours for Maria to accept that everything she believed of the world wasn’t what she thought or expected. The sun was setting when she spotted Will walking up the garden path to the mansion with just his long white button-down covering his body.

He entered Maria’s room and put both his palms up as if he was in defense. Maria sat on the bed and patted the mattress next to her.

“I want answers,” she said.

“I’ll tell you everything,” Will said.

He paced the floor as he told the story of how he first realized he could change into a dragon. He didn’t know how it was possible but believed his grandfather had the ability and passed it on to him.

Will admitted that he once went into his grandfather’s basement to find a large lizard creature. A few hours passed and Maria’s growling stomach didn’t even bother her. She was enthralled in the day.

“But you can control it?” Maria said.

“So why change into that at all?”

“If I don’t, the dragon inside will want to come out,” Will replied.

“I have to turn into him a couple of times a month or the anger in me will come out, and then… maybe I would be capable of hurting someone. As long as I’m in that cage, I’m fine.”

Maria nodded and walked to the door. She opened it and motioned for him to leave. She couldn’t take in any more information.

“If you want to leave, you can at any time,” he said.

“And I can’t promise I’ll never hurt you if you stay either.”

Maria nodded again and turned her cheek away when Will stroked it.

“But you’re the first person I’ve fallen in love with,” Will said.

It was the last thing he said before he left the room where Maria stayed awake all night in. She tossed and turned in bed.

She was scared that a dragon could breathe fire and burn down the mansion. But she also understood that Will’s large dragon self couldn’t fit into any of the rooms in the house.

Deep down, she loved him so much. He was so kind and if any man were to have anger issues, she would be lucky if her man locked himself in a cage while he got the anger out. Maria understood that the dragon represented Will’s anger and wondered what would happen if she upset him.

That morning, Maria met Will in his room. He was still in his bed but shot up when he saw her enter. She slowly made her way to his window and opened the blinds.

“Maria, I wasn’t expecting...”

Maria laughed as he pulled his sheets up to cover his bare chest.

“I couldn’t sleep and turned this over in my head a thousand times,” Maria began.

“At first I was scared but then Mrs. Gilbert talked to me. And, after hearing you both explain what you are… I love you, but…”

She stopped and looked away. Her plan was to tell him the truth.

She stared back in his eyes, which filled with one tear. He looked up to keep the water in his eyes even when he blinked.

“I know,” he said, nodding.

“If you want to leave…”

“I was scared of what you are, but I’m not afraid of it now,” Maria said.

“I’m afraid of what will happen if I stay and make you angry.”

Will let out a chuckle.

“No one makes me angry. If I was so easily provoked, I would’ve shape-shifted in the bar when you were being auctioned.”

Maria played with his fluffy hair and rested her palm along his face. She smiled and kissed him for a long time. It was passionate, as she knew it would be. He leaned his weight on her and grabbed her closer.

“I’ll stay because I’m in love with you too,” Maria whispered.

She thought she heard Will say “thank God” under his breath in between kisses.

Finally was the time she knew she had to let go of worrying. Night after night, she had dreamed about wrapping herself around Will’s body.

She pulled down his sheet and climbed on top of him. She then understood why he was so warm and chuckled to herself for being thankful for Will’s dragon side.

“I’ve waited for this for a long time,” Will said.

Maria nodded in agreement and slid her blouse off, exposing her breasts that flopped onto Will’s chest. His hands explored up her skirt until he found her underwear and pulled it down. Maria helped pull down her skirt.

She untied Will’s pajama pants and pulled them down far enough so she could feel him against her thighs.

He kissed her neck and turned her on her side before propping her against his front. He lifted her left leg and made Maria moan with desire.

She panted with him and moved his hand towards her breast, forcing him to play with her nipple.

He whispered, “I love you” a few times in her ear and then placed himself on top of her. Maria lifted her arms above her head and grabbed on to the brass bars of the headboard.

Will licked her all over. He went down on her, making Maria impulsively spread her legs wider.

“I want to be with you forever,” Maria said between heavy breaths.

She looked down and grabbed his fluffy brown hair, feeling overwhelmed with excitement and love. Maria easily saw herself living possibly a tough life with a shape-shifter but knew she wouldn’t find anyone else she could care about more.

PREVIEW OF ‘THE SHEIKH BEAR’ BY ASHLEY HUNTER

Chapter 1

Elle Roberts wasn’t what you’d call a supremely confident woman. Granted, she was comfortable with her looks, she was comfortable with herself—but she wasn’t exactly the type to put herself
out
there.

She lived her life in a small town growing up. The same people during elementary school became the people she knew throughout high school. She had one boyfriend, a sweet guy who loved art more than anything; it just took her some time to realize that the list that included ‘anything’ also included her. So when he told her he was going to a college far off to pursue his dream as an artist, she was broken hearted when he said he’d be going alone.

Still, she didn’t want to appear pushy or clingy and so when he broke it off, Elle smiled, gave him a warm hug, and wished him luck. Not long after he left did she finally decide to leave that small town herself.

There were too many eyes that knew about her relationship, too many people who talked about how it was ‘such a shame’ and ‘they looked so cute together.’ So when her Uncle offered her a place to stay in the city, Elle sort of made a mad-dash decision and left.

If one could die from culture shock, Elle would have been six feet under after her first couple of weeks within that concrete jungle. People went about their business without caring about her, cars and taxis zoomed back and forth in an endless chase of clients and destinations and the only thing that Elle could truly register after a few nights of restless sleep; the city was
loud.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to come home?”

Her mother had asked her one late night after Elle had called, eyes clogged with tears and nose raw from wiping with tissues.

“I was talking to Maria, she said that Alex would be visiting in the fall.”

Alex…
The name alone made Elle’s chest ache but she was already shaking her head at the idea.

“I’m staying, mom. I don’t want to see him.”

“I don’t like the idea of you being out there on your own, even if your Uncle said you’d be taken care of in that penthouse. It’s dangerous.”

“Yeah, but…” Elle had said before she peered out the window of her new bedroom.

The lights below were astounding, as if she had been launched into space to live among a galaxy of stars.

“I like it here. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be fine…”

The words sounded somewhat droll now that Elle found herself in a large and very expensive looking lobby. Everything about the place looked immaculate, down to the marble tile, the rugs, and the furniture placed exquisitely all around. Elle had never felt so out of place in all her life.

Her cousin, one of her Uncle’s daughters, had recommended her to work there after they helped her update her resume.

Carla had pursed her lips at the document, blue eyes skimming Elle’s life work before smiling and giving her a nod.

“You’ve got quite a lot of experience, cousin.” Carla had said and Elle had beamed up at her happily.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to fit in nicely.”

Sure enough, just a week later (after a month in the city), Elle found herself in her best interview attire in one of the most high-class places she had ever seen.

The woman sitting in the reception desk had eyed her up and down once before directing her to a seat and with a professional smile that consisted of nearly blinding white teeth, told Elle to wait to be called on.

She had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes and could feel her nerves continue to bite and chew and gnaw at her stomach. Glancing down at herself, Elle frowned. This was the best skirt she had, but it was old and it had a couple of stains on it that had been hard to remove.

Even her shirt and jacket, while she had believed were stylish, looked drab compared to the outfit worn by the woman in reception—and to her growing mortification—the other women and men that walked in and out of the lobby.

They all looked like models. Fresh off the cover of some fashion magazine!

And yet there she was, sitting in ill-fitted clothing, several sizes bigger than the toothpick-slim women walking around, and with her mess of wild brown curls pinned down to a half-knot in the back of her head.

Fifteen minutes became twenty and Elle snuck a glance at the nearest clock.

What was taking so long? Was she being tested? Was she being watched right now?

“Just be yourself, okay?”
Carla had informed her earlier that week.

“It’s a secretary position and so you’ll be expected to behave naturally. Your employer is actually one of our biggest clients, but don’t feel pressured, he’s really not that bad.”

“He sounds like a big deal…”
Elle had laughed nervously.

“He’s a Sheikh from Dubai, and the guy is really well off. His family’s business has been in liaison with ours for a long time, so I have no doubt that you’ll do well.”

“Elle Roberts?”

Elle shot off from her seat, more out of alarm than intention and when she searched for the source of the voice she was suddenly under the sharp scrutiny of an extremely well dressed silver-blonde woman.

This woman was all angles and impressionable colors. A blouse of deep vermilion swathed over her pale skin and shimmered beneath the light of the chandeliers above. Black pencil skirt hugged her legs and enhanced her features and no doubt those were ‘chimmy choos’ (or whatever they were called) gracing her feet. Elle felt so ridiculously underdressed.

The woman noticed. With a pointed look at her skirt, the woman fixed her an unimpressed glare before turning with her chin.

“This way.”

Elle followed quickly, nearly stumbling over her heels as she struggled to catch up to the woman’s strut.

“We’ve looked over your resume,” the woman spoke without warning.

“Oh! Uh…”

“Impressive work, considering. Of course, we did expect someone… different. Your credentials are more than enough to get you hired.” The woman said, never slowing down her pace as she led Elle down a hallway that was just crawling with unbelievably good-looking people.

“Now, the Sheikh will be waiting for you to assist in a few small errands, more to gauge how much you can take at once. He’ll be expecting his coffee as well as his first ‘rules’ of the day. You’ll be speaking with Avani—the Sheikh’s first secretary and she’ll be giving you a rundown as well as your training of what you need to do, so save your questions for her.”

“You should know that while you are here, you need to maintain a certain standard of appearance,” she said this as she shot Elle a look of thinly veiled disdain.

“The Sheikh is a very important figure in business and his secretary should look the part.”

“Oh, of course…” Elle muttered, cheeks burning.

“I’ll have you know that you’re not the first woman who’s walked in here expecting a simple job. The Sheikh’s already fired his five previous secretaries, after Avani, of course.”

Elle blinked curiously as they took another turn down a hallway.

“Wait… what happened to Avani?”

“Ugh, she went and got herself married and now she’s pregnant.” The woman sighed as though the whole situation was a huge inconvenience.

Elle was nearly baffled at the reaction.

“Which was a huge deal considering since the Sheikh has been giving all other women a hard time. But he’s absolutely gorgeous so you should count your lucky stars or something.”

“Uh…” Elle was at a loss for words.

“Sorry, I never got your name?”

“Alliana.” The woman said, “But you won’t need to remember it, since we’ll probably never see each other again. Here we are.”

She paused for a moment after they arrived to a long set of double doors of a deep mahogany.

“Avani is inside and waiting for you, so do as your told and maybe you’ll be lucky. Ta’.”

And just like that Alliana was sauntering off, expensive heels clacking away. Elle watched her disappear down a hallway before glancing back at the door.

With a sigh, she leaned over and lifted a hand to knock before she changed her mind and grasped the fine sterling handle.

With a turn and push, Elle made her way inside the room and nearly gasped when she beheld her surroundings. The office was beautifully done and since it was near the top of the building, immense glass windows became the walls near the far end.

The view outside was spectacular, and the light of the day glanced off from the surrounding buildings made it look all the more enchanting. Before Elle could find herself entranced, her green eyes managed to fall over the only person sitting in the suite.

Elle had been told she would meet Avani, but the figure lying on the white couch adjacent to the windows was certainly not Avani, but a very well dressed man.

He was covered in a fine suit of a beautiful shade of cream and burgundy trim. He had an arm over his eyes so Elle couldn’t see his face clearly, but he looked to be at ease. Long legs resting over the white cushions, and his broad chest was moving gently, he looked like he was napping.

Elle took in a cautionary breath, uncertain on what to do. Her first instinct was to turn around and leave, cursing herself for not having knocked earlier.

To her surprise, Elle wasn’t given an opportunity.

“Are you going to just stand there all day or are you going to come here?” The man spoke, not moving an inch aside from speaking. His voice was an attractive baritone with a lilt to his words that reminded Elle of a British accent, yet he rolled his tongue over some of the words pleasantly.

Elle was spurred forward, taking a few steps deeper into the suite before she was standing a respectful distance from the couch.

Finally, he lifted his arm from his eyes, thick brows arching as he beheld her.

“And you are?”

“Elle Roberts…?” Elle began, trying not to squirm visibly.

“I’m starting as the new secretary for the Sheikh Zayn Ab…Ab…”

“Zayn Abd al Malik,” he replied, his tongue rolling over the name with almost lazy precision.

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