Dragon Heat 2 - Red Hot Dragon (4 page)

“We may be forced into our primal states, but that

doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some creature comforts.” She

swept her hand along the plush upholstery of a reading

chair. “I don’t often endure the forced change. For me,

staying underground during my mating phase is more about

safety than the practicality of hiding my dragon state.”

“You don’t change?” His interest piqued, he studied

her. “How?”

“Fasting and meditation,” she replied. “The first few

nights, my body undergoes the shift, but by the third or

fourth night I’m weak enough that it’s impossible.”

Griffin didn’t look happy. “That’s dangerous.”

She shrugged. “I don’t enjoy being a serpent. I try to

avoid it at all costs.”

He frowned. “It’s who you are, Avani. Your Naga form

is simply another extension of you. You should embrace

her and learn to use her skills and instincts to your

advantage.”

“I’m not a member of the Brotherhood, Griffin. I have

no desire to hunt down or slay Knights. I just want to live

my quiet life and design jewelry. This thing inside me?”

She gestured to her chest. “It’s something I’d rather subdue

than encourage.”

“You may very well be a mother soon, Avani. You

can’t expect your child to understand how to control and

manage his or her Naga form if you can’t control yours.”

A quiver of embarrassment pierced her belly. “Maybe.”

“There’s no maybe to it. You know I’m right.”

She ignored his assertion and turned her attention to the

area she used as the bedroom. “There’s a locked cell

across the bunker, but from what I understand we won’t

actually shift tonight.” A blazing heat invaded her cheeks.

“If we’re touching, I mean.”

Griffin’s gaze fell on the big bed. “My friend, Stig,

recently took a mate. Cora’s dragon blood is very diluted,

but her touch affected Stig in the way you’ve described.

Actually, he seems to have drawn her dragon essence to

the surface, so to speak. She began to undergo the change.”

He reached back and touched his shoulder. “She grew

scales.”

Avani’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s amazing.”

He nodded. “Quite unexpected, I assure you. They both

freaked out when it happened.”

“Understandable,” she murmured. “They’re happy

now?”

“Very,” he said. “It turns out she’s a type of

chameleonlike dragon. We thought they were all but

extinct until she and Stig became mated. It’s another month

before Stig goes into heat again. We think she’ll probably

sync up with his cycle and complete her transformation to

a dragon. It will be interesting to see how it all works out

in the end.”

“I bet.” Starting to lose her nerve and questioning her

plan, Avani fidgeted with the cuff of her shirt. “So, um…”

“There’s no rush. We have nine nights of heat.” Griff

closed the distance between them. He put his hands on her

shoulders and then cupped her neck. His thumbs rubbed

slow circles on her skin. “We’ll take it nice and easy.”

Avani nodded in agreement but doubted that was

possible. Already, she felt her control slipping. His warm

hands made her insides quiver. Her body ached as fiery

lust consumed her.

Nice and easy? Hell, she’d be lucky if she made it to

midnight without begging him to rip her clothes off and

ravish her!

Chapter Three

Kicked back in a comfortable club chair, Griff watched

Avani with interest. Like him, she’d changed into

nightclothes. Where he’d thrown on only pajama bottoms,

she’d chosen to cover up a bit more. He liked the emerald

green top and matching shorts. They highlighted her

gorgeous skin and made her look sexy as hell.

Right now, she moved around the bunker, lighting a few

scented candles and adjusting throw pillows. Her home

looked like something out of a design magazine, all sleek

lines and muted tones of gray and white with pops of color

here and there. Upstairs, he’d marveled at her home’s

neatness. Everything in its place and a space for

everything…

His first impression of her started to fade. He’d pegged

her as cold and aloof, but now he realized he’d been dead

wrong. It was all a defense mechanism. She put on that

calm, controlled façade, but underneath she was uncertain

and wavering. He easily read the conflicting emotions

flashing across her face. She carried the heavy burden of

saving her species with such cool grace, but he sensed she

was struggling with it.

She came close enough that he was able to grasp her

wrist. The sizzling snap that accompanied their touch

burned through his chest. His inner beast snarled at the

chance to be set free to claim her. Griff muscled down

those baser urges and concentrated on her beautiful face.

He caught the shortest glimpse of her Naga as her dark

eyes shifted to a yellowish hue. Her pupil elongated to a

reptilian sliver before flattening back out to the typical

round human shape.

Avani rolled her neck and licked her lips. The

decidedly serpentlike movement enthralled him. There

was something darkly erotic about her. She exhaled

slowly. “I think it’s best we stay in contact from this point

forward. I’m losing control.”

“So am I.” He pulled her down on his lap. Her lips

parted in a shocked gasp. “What? This is contact.”

She tried to wiggle free, but he held her tight. “I was

thinking more along the lines of holding hands.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

She shot him a frown but stayed put. “Fine.”

Griff enjoyed the sensation of her small body curled on

his lap. Her pleasing scent and gentle heat soothed his

frayed nerves. Calmed by her presence, his mind cleared.

His dragon side heightened his body’s response to Avani

and inflamed his desires, but he didn’t act on them.

“I was thinking that maybe in the morning when we’re

more clear-headed we could discuss a contract.”

“No.”

Her gaze snapped to his. She searched his face. “Why

are you fighting me on this? I told you what I wanted.”

“And you’re not getting it,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“I’m not signing away my parental rights.” He tilted his

head to study her. “I don’t think that’s really what you

want.”

“How would you know? You don’t know anything about

me.”

“I know enough to know that your insistence on single

motherhood isn’t about protecting the baby. It’s about

protecting you. From what?” He shrugged. “I couldn’t

say.”

“Protecting me?” She glared at him. “You don’t have

any idea what it’s like to be the afterthought in a family.

My child will never know what it feels like to be a

mistake. My child will be cherished and loved by me.”

“
Our
child,” he corrected. Refusing to indulge her

desire for single parenthood even in the hypothetical he

added, “
Our
child will be cherished and loved by both of

us. Considering we’re attempting to save a species, he or

she will always know they were very much desired.”

“She,” Avani interjected. “She’ll know.”

His eyes narrowed at her certainty of the gender. “You

sound very sure.”

“When I was digging through Reynard’s archives, I

noticed my species tends to produce more females than

males. It’s just a feeling.”

He decided not to tell her that his line leaned heavily

toward male offspring. When he’d let himself daydream

about the possibility of fathering children, he’d always

imagined himself surrounded by sons, but his heart did a

funny little skip at the idea of a bright-eyed girl with her

mother’s dark hair and eyes smiling up at him.

Ignoring the strange pang invading his chest, he studied

Avani more closely. He began to form an idea of why she

was so dead set on single parenthood and cutting him out

of their child’s life. It wasn’t a cruel motivation but one of

self-preservation.

“Why are you so insistent on being the only source of

love and support for your child?”

She avoided his gaze. “I’ll never allow my child to

know what it’s like to compete for affection from her

mother or father.”

Suddenly, everything became clear. Griffin’s heart

ached at the pain written on Avani’s sweet face. He

placed his hand on her cheek and carefully turned her

toward him. “Your parents didn’t want you?”

She wiped at the tear that escaped her right eye. “I think

they wanted me eventually, but not at first. They were

alone together for nearly two hundred years before I was

conceived. That’s a long time for two people to get

comfortable with one another. Their love? It was like

something from a romance novel—all-powerful, all-

consuming. I couldn’t compete with that.”

His gut clenched and he stroked her soft skin. “I’m

sorry.”

She shook her head. “I didn’t tell you that so you’d feel

sorry for me. I need you to understand why it has to be

done my way.”

“I don’t see that at all. It’s not like I love you.”

Even though he hadn’t said it harshly, she still flinched.

Instantly, he hated himself for the stupid slip. “I’m so

sorry, Avani. I didn’t mean that—”

“It’s okay. I understood what you meant, even if it was

said rather inelegantly.”

“I really am sorry.” His face grew superhot as the

embarrassment of his vocal misstep played on a loop in

his head. “I’m not usually such an asshole.”

She touched his chest, her fingertips searing him through

the thin cotton of his shirt. “I don’t think you’re an

asshole.”

“Give me time. If I keep putting my foot in my mouth,

you might end up locking me in that cell after all.”

She smiled. “We’ll see.”

“Look, Avani, we’re already flirting with danger. Let’s

not make things more complicated by trying to hash out

custody agreements before we’ve even succeeded in

conceiving a child.”

The look on her face told him that she didn’t share his

outlook. Was she afraid that if their child became a reality

instead of a possibility, then he would be more difficult to

convince to walk away?

“I could pay you.”

He narrowed his eyes and steeled his jaw. “Don’t insult

me like that.”

“I’m not trying to insult you. I’m being practical.”

“The answer is no.”

Not ready to give up, she said, “What if I could give

you something priceless?”

Mad’s remark about the missing Knight sword came to

mind. “You mean like one of the swords used to kill your

family?”

She reeled back in shock. “You know about that?”

“Ignatius sends around reports after every confirmed

Knight attack. He mentioned that you behaved

suspiciously. He figured you’d taken the sword from the

Knight killed during the attack on your family.” He held

her gaze and dared her to lie to him. “I see he was right.”

She nodded reluctantly. “It was just lying there next to

my father’s body.”

“So you took it? Why didn’t you let Ignatius or one of

the other Brothers who responded to that massacre have

it? They would have seen it properly destroyed.”

“It wouldn’t have been much use to me destroyed. At

the time, I didn’t know who was my enemy or my friend. I

needed leverage.”

“And now you think I’ll just sign away the rights to my

child in exchange for that sword?”

“Why not? You Brothers hunt down those swords at all

costs. I’m willing to give you this one without the need for

bloodshed.”

He tried not to be angry with her. She wasn’t being

cruel or nasty, just pragmatic in her approach. Even though

he found her offer cold and insulting, he sensed she didn’t

mean it that way. She was bumbling but not mean.

“My answer is no.”

“But—”

“No, Avani.” He spoke firmly and let some of the

primitive snarl of his dragon edge into his voice. Her eyes

widened and she gulped. Not wanting her to be scared, he

caressed her bare arm. “I’m not angry with you.”

“You’re annoyed with me.”

“Very,” he agreed. Wanting her to feel some of that

annoyance, he said, “Now that you’ve confirmed the

sword is in your possession, it will only be a matter of

time before Ignatius or Reynard or one of the other

Brothers finds out where you’ve hidden it.”

Irritation flashed in her eyes. She realized she’d been

outmaneuvered by him and huffed with anger. “Why do

you have to be so damned complicated?”

“It’s in my nature.” He found her consternation rather

amusing. “Your skin turns the loveliest shade when you’re

angry.”

“Oh, please!” Avani rolled her eyes. “You’re not going

to try to seduce me now.”

“Why not?” He nuzzled her throat and felt the uptick in

her pulse as his lips brushed her skin. The vein there

throbbed wildly as her heart raced. “I can’t help but

wonder what it will be like to feel you shattering beneath

me.”

She inhaled a sharp breath. “Fat chance.”

He pulled back just enough to stare into her dark eyes.