Supernatural Enforcement Bureau, Book 1, The Dragon and The Vampire: Book 1 (9 page)

He had only taken two steps down the hall towards the elevator when he heard the lock and chain being engaged on the door.

*****

Starr was just about to react to Ronan’s words, when she realized he no longer stood in the doorway. He had moved so fast that she had no time to tell him ‘No, don’t leave me alone’ her words dying on her lips as fear gnawed at her belly.

She knew that Esther had placed spells and wards, but she felt very vulnerable indoors, always had. Starr stayed outside more often than not, or at least in a building that had easy exits in case of emergency. She couldn’t transform while in the apartment–it would destroy it if she did. So, her heart hammered, her breathing increased, and she ran and locked and chained the door.

Futile, she knew, if a Vampire wanted through the door, they would do so easily. She knew that, her brain just wouldn’t let her to leave the door unlocked though. Starr leaned against the wood, trying to get her breathing back under control. What the hell was wrong with him? Hot and cold, that’s the way he had been since they met. She had no idea what was going on with him...or herself.

She did know that she had the stirrings of feelings for him deep down inside her. Shoot! She would need to stop all this nonsense and get a grip. She had no time to indulge in stupid fantasies. She had to just forget about him and try and survive...as usual.

Her nose alerted her to a pungent odor–her omelet was burning! She darted towards the kitchen, hoping to save it, but the omlet was beyond salvation. Starr had to throw it out and start again. She managed to cook this one without any mishaps and sat at the counter eating slowly. Her appetite now gone, but knowing she had to eat.

Starr knew she had been neglecting her health, not eating properly. Determined to change that now, she would eat, get stronger, take out any hunters that threatened her and maybe, possibly, be able to lead some kind of a normal life.

That’s what she hoped, prayed, wished for as she ate her omelet.

Chapter 9

The next few days ran into a week, then two. Every single day torture for Ronan. Being in such close proximity to Starr was starting to take its toll! He was cranky, bad tempered and downright rude at times. Starr seemed to mirror his mood as she now only referred to him as bloodsucker. On occasion, when she seemed to be in a better mood, she would use Fang. Whenever she did his reaction was instant and he would have to leave the room, sometimes the apartment, before he acted on his feelings. He was strung so tight he didn’t know how long it would be before he snapped.

She had called him Fang less than half an hour ago and he immediately left the apartment, coming down to try and check in that everything was running as it should. His friend, Sam, now stood in his usual place in his office as Ronan all but glared at him.

Sam was looking at him with a half smile on his face, his arms crossed in front of him as he lounged against the wall. Ronan scowled at him and finally snapped, “What? What do you want, Sam?”

Sam uncrossed his arms and stood up, coming closer, then sitting on the edge of the desk. “What the hell is wrong with you? Since you brought Starr back, you’ve been in the worst mood I’ve ever seen you in. You’re being downright nasty to some folks, and I’m sorry, Ronan, but that’s just not cool. What’s wrong? I’m your friend, you know you can talk to me about anything, so please, tell me, what the fuck is the matter?”

Ronan ran a hand through his hair as he sighed heavily. “It’s nothing,” was all he managed.

Sam scowled at him. “Don’t tell me it’s nothing, I know you, probably better than anyone else, so spill. I’m not leaving this office until you tell me what the hell is going on.”

Ronan’s eyes snapped to Sam’s, the tone not one his friend usually used, sharp and hard. ‘What the hell’, he thought. He may as well get some of this off his chest. Ronan rolled his chair back a little, crossing his long legs out in front of him, he took a deep breath in, and started to talk to his friend.

“I have no idea what’s going on between me and Starr. One minute I want to carry her to my bed and the next I want to run a mile from her. Esther told me that Starr is my mate...”

Sam cut him off quickly, his tone incredulous. “What? What the hell? Just when were you gonna tell me that? And why have you done nothing about it? You know how rare it is for us to find a true mate, Ronan. What the fuck are you playing at?”

Sam stood up and paced back and forth as he spat questions at him. Ronan let him rant before going on, “Esther told me almost immediately, and yes, I do know how rare it is! You definitely do not have to tell me that! It’s not that simple, Sam, she’s lost everyone, no family left. She deserves to be with someone who can give her that...a family. I can’t, so I’m not acting on this. The feelings I have are driving me nuts, but I just can’t do that to her...”

Sam once more butted in, his arm waving around in the air. “Have you spoken to her? Can she even have kids? Maybe she can only have kids with another Dragon shifter? Have you thought of that? Do you know anything about Dragons and how they mate? Have families? No! I bet you don’t! You are one stubborn son of a bitch at times and you need to talk to the girl. You better do it...or I will...and I won’t be subtle either!”

Ronan’s eyes half closed, in a scowl at his friend. How dare he talk to him like that!

Sam saw the look and scowled right back. “Don’t look at me like that! Stop and think, Ronan! Use your brain! Answer me, have you spoken to her about Dragons having kids? Or even just general stuff about them? Can she spit fire for instance? I don’t know if that’s true or a myth...do you? What’s their lifespan? How strong are they in human form? Jeez, there’s a million questions you could be asking her, but instead you’re going around making everyone that’s anywhere near you either miserable or scared. You tell me I need to be more responsible all the time. Well right back at ya!”

Ronan stared at his friend as his words assaulted him. He was pretty sure he had never seen his friend so riled up. Ronan processed Sam’s words and realized everything he said was true. He hadn’t sat down and spoke with Starr about anything Dragon related. Maybe she couldn’t have kids with anyone but another Dragon? If that was the case then there may just be a future for him with her.

His stomach clenched tightly as he realized he had indeed been acting like an ass. He stood up quickly. “You’re right,” he said quietly to Sam as he left his office–making his way to the elevator.

He pulled his phone out and rang the land-line in his apartment, let it ring twice, then hung up. It was something he and Starr had come to an arrangement on whenever he left. It let her know he was on his way and for her to unlock and unchain the door so he could get in. His feet picked up speed as he left the offices behind, there were several people standing at the elevators so he switched direction and headed for the stairs.

Ronan took them two and three at a time, heading upwards, towards his apartment...and Starr. He was going to discuss quite a few things with her, before he made his decision on the mind blowing news of her being his mate.

He slowed his pace as he neared his door, for the first time nervous about entering his home. What kind of mood would she be in? Bloodsucker or Fang?

The door opened without any problem, as he entered and closed it behind him, he stopped dead in his tracks. Starr was standing at the large floor to ceiling window, her back to him, his mind flashed back to seeing her like this in his home.

Her long black hair hung down past her waist, like a black veil, she wore a pair of black lounge pants that hung low on her hips, a purple tank top not quite meeting them. Her soft skin peeking through between the two items of clothing and he had to fight the urge to grab her to him and feel that soft skin under his fingertips.

He only just managed to speak. “Hey,” was all he succeeded in getting out, as he watched Starr turn her head and look at him over her shoulder.

“Hey yourself,” she said with a slight smile.

Ronan moved further into the room, towards his chair. He needed to sit down and try and focus on the conversation and not Starr’s body. He practically threw himself into the recliner, the leather creaking as he did so. Starr’s eyes never left his and she now cocked her head to the side, a question in her eyes.

“You okay?” she asked him, still watching him but not moving an inch.

Was he? Okay? No, hell no, he was anything
but
okay. He tried not to show it though, as he answered, “Yeah, I was just thinking, we’ve never had a proper conversation about you or Dragons and I was kinda hoping we could talk.”

He watched her closely for her reaction, only seeing her eyes widen slightly as she nodded her head.

Starr’s face was impassive as she answered, “What do you want to know?”

Ronan realized this was it, the moment his future could be decided. His heart stuttered in his chest as he tried to form questions he needed answered. “First, are there any more of you?”

Starr only shook her head, a pained look crossing her face.

“
Okay, sorry, that was insensitive of me. I’m curious about all things Dragon. Could you tell me about them…just whatever you feel comfortable with. If I think of anything more specific, I’ll ask, okay?”

Ronan watched as Starr turned all the way around, sank to the floor, her back against the glass, legs out in front of her, her eyes still never leaving his. She seemed to settle herself before she started to talk.

“I never knew my mother, she was taken when I was only weeks old. My father I have glimpses of, but again he was taken when I was young. I had three brothers, all older than me and one of them had a mate. We were attacked while we slept one night and only my eldest brother and I escaped. Talon, that’s my brother, and I were on the run for a long time.”

Starr stopped to take a steadying breath and Ronan saw his chance to get the information he craved. “Your brother that had a mate, how does it work with Dragons, mating I mean?”

Starr lifted her eyes to meet his. “It’s quite magical, literally. Female Dragons can’t become pregnant unless they are mated. The actual ceremony has to be carried out by the head of the woman’s family, her grandfather, father, or if they’re gone then the eldest male left in the family. However, if the woman isn’t a Dragon then the oldest male of the man’s family performs the ceremony. Talon did it for them, it’s like a spell, but not any that a Witch could do. It’s, well, it’s just magic–that’s all I can tell you. The words and language are ancient. It’s the only time I’ve ever heard them. It was over quickly and afterward the couple are mated and can have children.”

Starr’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Ronan ached to have been the cause of them, but this information put things in an entirely different light. His mind whirled as he digested her words.

He gave her a moment to collect herself before continuing. “So, because all of your family is gone, you can’t have kids? Not even if you found another Dragon?”

Starr’s head whipped up, staring intently at him, shaking her head. “No, I’ll never be able to have children and hey, thanks for reminding me of that!”

Ronan winced at the hurt tone. “Sorry, I’m just trying to get all the information I can. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”

A shudder ran through Starr’s body, as if she was desperately holding back from crying. “I know, it just hurts is all.”

Ronan’s hands held the arms of the chair tightly, trying to stop himself from going over to Starr and lifting her up into his arms. He really didn’t want to scare her though, so he stayed where he was. Another thought came to him. “What about the empath abilities, do you use them a lot? Oh yeah, and can you breathe fire?”

Starr’s face lit up, a wide smile washing away the sadness. “The emphathic abilities take a lot out of me so I don’t use them very often, if at all. Only in a situation where I really need to. Like meeting new people and trying to gauge if they’re a threat, ya know?” Starr cocked her eyebrow and he nodded, wanting her to continue. “Regarding breathing fire–hell yeah! Not every Dragon can, but I’ve been able to do it since I was very young. I’ve fried a few bloodsuckers in my time!”

As she finished her hand flew to her mouth, covering it as if trying to stop the words that had spilled out. Her eyes wide and a blush on her cheeks.

Ronan raised an eyebrow at her shocked expression. “There you go with the bloodsuckers thing again. Guess I’ll just have to call you Puff!”

Starr jumped up, laughter bubbling from her throat. “Puff? You did
not
just call me Puff!”

Ronan sat forward, his elbows on his knees, trying hard not to laugh himself, “Of course I did, you are a magical creature than can breathe fire–Puff the Magic Dragon!”

Ronan jumped up as Starr stalked towards him. “Hey, truth hurt?”

Starr flew at him, her hands finding his sides and she started to...tickle him? Jeez, Ronan was pretty darn sure nobody had
ever
tried to tickle him. The next second had him finding out something about himself–he was actually ticklish!

He tried hard to stifle the laughter as Starr’s warm fingers worked their way under his t-shirt, mercilessly tickling his body. Her own laughter filling the apartment, and he finally let go, joining her, grabbing her hands to free himself of the punishment.

Ronan held her in front of him for a second as he caught his breath, smiling down into her upturned face. Her lips still held the smile, as she too, caught her breath. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and Ronan groaned, then lowered his head, letting his lips brush gently over her glistening ones.

He kept his eyes open and saw Starr’s pupils dilate as he remained there, his tongue gently licking along her bottom lip. A soft, low sound rumbled in Starr’s throat as Ronan’s lips once more took hers, this time strong and demanding. His eyes staying fixed on hers, as Starr’s slid closed, her hands wrapping around his neck, one holding his head firmly in place.

Ronan’s response was immediate. His hardness pressing against Starr’s belly, one hand now clenched her hair tightly, as the other dipped inside her pants at her ass. A growl erupted from his throat as his fingers finally touched her soft, supple, bare skin, especially as her response was to press her body firmly against his hard physique–and his arousal.

Starr was making small noises, which he was sure sounded like a kitten calling for its mother. He wasn’t even shocked at his response, which was to move quickly, scooping her up into his arms and move towards his bedroom...keeping his lips against hers. She felt light as a feather in his arms, and he tightened their hold on her as he entered his room.

Ronan placed Starr onto her feet, in front of his bed, then forced himself to pull his lips from hers. “
Tá tú go h-álainn,” Ronan breathed out, as one hand ran down Starr’s back while the other cupped the side of her face. He noted she moved her head into his touch, and his cock jumped at the realization she wanted his hands on her skin as much as he did.

“
What was that? What you just said?” Starr’s voice was low, like a soft purr, as those violet eyes stared up into his.

“
It means ‘you’re beautiful’.” Ronan smiled down at this woman, who was so very clearly, his mate and he wondered why he fought it for so long. His need for her was great and he was barely holding himself in check. All he wanted to do was rip her clothes off her, so that she was naked in front of him, as he feasted his eyes on her perfection.