The Alpha Dragon's Mate (Dragon Shifters of Kahului Book 2) Read online

  "I think you might like everything," Ella said quietly. There had not been a plate put down in front of him that he didn't devour. She wasn't sure if the soup and sandwich would fill him up, but she had a surprise in store for him with it.

  "Dragons are not terribly picky, but we do like some things more than others. I love everything you make."

  Ella colored at that. She stirred the veggies and let them simmer for a few more moments before she tossed both cans of tomatoes in and opened the container of vegetable broth sitting by the stove. After pouring the contents in, she gave it a stir and turned the heat up to bring it to a boil.

  "I've run out of books," Gregor announced as Ella wiped her hands on a dishtowel. "Do you have any I could borrow?"

  Ella blinked, feeling like Christmas came early. "You want to borrow a book?" she asked.

  When he nodded, a wide grin spread over her face. "Wait here," she said.

  Gregor ate four bowls of soup, three sandwiches, and read the first few chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone while sitting at the table. Ella watched him with rapt fascination.

  "This boy wizard," he marveled. "He will have many adventures?"

  Ella laughed. "So many," she assured him.

  Gregor eyed the rest of the books she'd brought out for him. "I should hope so. I will return these to you when I am finished. I hope Hermione is as formidable as she seems."

  She snorted with laughter. "I'll let you find that out on your own."

  Gregor shut the book. "I thank you for dinner. Let me take these to my room, and I will wash the dishes."

  She tamped down the disappointment that filled her after he walked back to his room. When he came back out, he loaded the dishwasher, turned it on, and wished her goodnight.

  Ella watched as he walked back to his room. He was being the perfect gentleman.

  So why was she so annoyed by it?

  An unseasonable cool front moved through the area over the last couple of days, bringing the temperature down to the mid-sixties. Ella rarely got the opportunity to wear sweaters unless she cranked the air conditioning down. Tonight, though, she was able to throw on a long-sleeved pullover and get her fuzzy socks out. She wore a pair of soft leggings and left her hair down.

  Tonight, Gregor was practicing late. She watched him for a little while before an idea struck her.

  Ella went into the kitchen and rummaged through the pantry, bringing out unsweetened cocoa powder, raw sugar, vanilla, milk, and heavy cream. She pulled out a medium-sized saucepan, added a couple of tablespoons of water and four tablespoons of the cocoa. She turned the heat on low and stirred the water into the chocolate making a paste. Ella continued to stir until the mixture bubbled just slightly, then added in the sugar and milk, stirring all the while. She allowed it to heat for a few minutes, then added in a touch of cream and the vanilla.

  She poured the mixture into two large cups and carried one outside to Gregor.

  He was just wiping his face off when she stepped onto the balcony. Ella sucked in a surprised breath and almost stumbled. Gregor caught her elbow.

  "Careful there."

  She shoved a mug at him. "I brought you this." Super eloquent. That was her.

  Gregor took the mug from her and winced at the heat of it. He shuffled it to his other hand and wrapped his fingers around the handle.

  "What is it?" he asked. He lifted the mug to smell its contents.

  Ella watched as a variety of pleased emotions flickered over his face.

  "It's called cocoa," she said. Ella sat down at the small bistro table pushed over to the side of the balcony.

  Gregor sat beside her. "It smells like chocolate. We had this back home, but never in drink form."

  "It is chocolate. Other ingredients, too, but chocolate powder is the main one."

  Gregor took a sip. He shut his eyes for a moment. "This is wonderful."

  Ella smiled before she turned to watch the waves crash against the shore.

  "It's terribly cold tonight, but I haven't gone to the sea in a while. It calls me, Ella."

  She wrapped her hands around the mug trying to keep warm. It wasn't too cold, but it was a lot chillier than Hawaii usually was. "Are you going tonight?" she asked.

  Gregor nodded and took another sip. "I am." He turned to her, his gray eyes searching. "I would like you to join me." He paused. "If you would."

  Ella blinked in surprise. She wanted to, but she was going to freeze.

  "If you are worried about the temperature, please don't. We have ... magic that allows us to regulate our temperature. We can share it amongst others if we need to."

  "Do we have to touch?" Ella asked, the memory of being in his arms coming to the forefront of her thoughts.

  A smile curved his lips upward. "Not if you don't want to."

  Ella could say no, and he would respect it. She knew this. But tonight felt like a fragile moment. She'd been running from Gregor for too long, even in close quarters. "Alright," she said. "I'll go."

  His eyes lit, sparking his gaze silver. "Truly?"

  She nodded. "Truly. Let me finish my cocoa and I'll change."

  "Deal," Gregor said.

  They sat in companionable silence for a while, sipping their cocoa. When she finished, she excused herself and went into her bedroom to change.

  The air between them felt charged. Ella knew something, for better or worse, would happen tonight.

  She pulled her wet suit from the closet, the one that covered her from neck to ankle. But as she laid it on the bed, she frowned.

  Shaking her head, she rummaged through her dresser and pulled out a teal blue bikini. It was madness. Hopefully, Gregor was telling the truth about temperature control, because if she got in the water in this thing and he couldn't, she was going to freeze her ass off.

  Making the decision, she stripped down and put the bikini on. Then she got dressed again, slid her feet into a pair of comfortable slip-ons and met Gregor back on the patio.

  He'd finished his cocoa and had put his shirt back on. "Ready?" he asked as he stood.

  Ella nodded and turned to go inside.

  He stopped her by pulling her toward him. "Would you like to take a shortcut?" he asked.

  She gave him a dubious stare. "It's just down there. What shortcut?"

  Wings burst from Gregor's back, shimmering with threads of blue and green, they were glorious. Ella gasped in surprise.

  "Put those away!" she said. "Someone will see."

  "I can't sense any humans around right now." He took a step toward her. "Ever flown with a dragon before?"

  Ella's mouth went dry. She allowed him to scoop her up. At first, she was rigid, but he was so warm and inviting that it didn't take her long to relax. Moments later, she felt warmth slowly rise from her head to her feet.

  "Oh," she said. "Is that the magic?"

  His eyes glowed silver. "It is."

  Was it her imagination or was his voice huskier than usual?

  "Nice."

  Gregor took two steps, lunged, and leaped off the balcony, Ella secure in his arms.

  A long scream overtook her, but it was quickly overruled by laughter. She was flying. Her hair whipped around her face and her eyes stung with tears.

  Gregor swooped low and vaulted up, causing her to cry out with alarm.

  "Do not worry. You are safe."

  No one had ever said those words to her. She relaxed fully into his arms. Gregor flew a little while longer before he touched the ground. He set her down and steadied her while she got her bearings about her. The moon was full and shimmering on top of the surface of the ocean.

  Gregor's look was one of pure longing. He took two steps into the sea and glanced back at her.

  That look. Ella stripped her clothes off, pleasure filling her as Gregor's gaze went feral. He held a hand out to her and she took it.

  There was no cold, only the warmth Gregor gave her. They walked together until the water was waist-deep, and soon enough, they we
re both treading water.

  Neither one of them spoke for a while.

  Gregor was the one to break the silence. "You look beautiful tonight, Ella. You always look beautiful."

  She moved a touch closer to him. "Thank you."

  Gregor's chest was bare and she couldn't remember him losing his shirt. She itched to touch the planes of his chest, his lips, his hair. Everywhere. She just wanted to touch him, no matter where it was.

  He reached out to her first. A small touch on her chin.

  Time froze between them.

  It stopped, then stuttered, then seemed to speed up in a frenzy of hands, and lips, and tongues.

  Gregor kissed her like he'd been a starving man. Ella returned the ferocity of it, her legs treading water while her hands roamed over Gregor's chest.

  It didn't take too long for Ella to grow tired and as she dipped in the water, Gregor snagged her around the waist and pulled her to him.

  "Let me," he whispered.

  And she did.

  He tilted her neck back and planted kisses along the nape of her neck, whispering her name like a prayer. When his fingers went to the bikini tie, she didn't protest. It fell away and Gregor's hand cupped the bottom of one of her breasts.

  "So beautiful," he whispered.

  He went underwater and took the nipple into his mouth, suckling it. Ella gasped, her fingers roaming through Gregor's dark hair. He went to the other breast, his fingers urging her bikini bottoms off. Ella was trapped by his arms and couldn't squirm enough to get them off.

  Impatient, Gregor tore the fabric, only surfacing to look Ella in the eye.

  He still held her by the waist. Water dripped from her hair. They stared at each other like they were both drowning.

  "How I've waited for you," Gregor murmured as he claimed her mouth again. One of his hands went to the back of her head and dipped it back so he could deepen the kiss.

  Ella moaned and wrapped her legs around Gregor's waist. He hissed against her open lips.

  She moved down and felt the heat of him against her core. Ella gasped.

  "Aye, milady. Dragons wear nothing in the water."

  Amusement softened her face. "Are we really doing this?"

  Gregor sobered. His hands stilled. "I've waited forever, Ella, but we will go no further unless you want to."

  Ella nodded. She touched Gregor's lips with her fingertips. "I want all of you," she whispered.

  Gregor shuddered in her arms. A shimmer appeared around her and suddenly, the only water they had was at the very bottom of their feet. Ella reached out and touched the edges of the shimmer and gasped as it flexed against her fingers.

  Stunned, she looked at Gregor.

  He grinned at her, pleased. "It's a secure pod. We use it to communicate without anyone hearing us." His eyes heated. "And for other things." He still held her in his arms. "I want to hear you scream, Ella."

  Heat burned within her.

  "I want to hear you scream for me."

  They floated across the surface of the ocean, Ella secure in Gregor's arms and warmed by the heat of his body and his magic. She wiggled out of his embrace, surprised when her feet felt the solid surface of the magic underneath her feet.

  "Only if you scream first," she said. She crooked a finger at Gregor.

  A grin of male satisfaction lit his face, and he stalked over to her. The magic wavered at the force of his steps but didn't give. Before he reached for her, Ella placed a hand against his chest. She had not yet looked down.

  She wasn't sure she could. Ella was a small person. Gregor was massive. She swallowed in trepidation, even as she eagerly anticipated it.

  Ella stood on her tiptoes. "Kiss me," she demanded.

  "Gladly," Gregor said.

  He claimed her lips in a desperate rush. Heat pooled through her veins. Gregor pulled her against him, then swept her up into his arms and laid her down, on top of the water. He covered her body partially with his. He lay against her and brushed her hair from her face. With a soft touch, her hair dried.

  "Neat trick," she whispered.

  "I'm full of them." A second later, Gregor's fingers lazily drifted over one breast and then the other. Ella squirmed beneath his touch. His fingers drifted down until he reached her core.

  Ella's knees fell open.

  "I want to look at you," he said.

  She blinked at him. Gregor shifted and moved until his face was in between her knees. She shifted up on her elbows. "Gregor..."

  He bent his head and his warm tongue touched her sex. Ella screeched in surprise and pleasure and tried to lift Gregor's head up, but he was having none of it. He lapped at her until Ella was crazy with need. When his mouth was at her clitoris, Ella's breath began to come in harsh gasps.

  "Gregor. Please. Gregor," she begged.

  He lifted his head, his mouth wet with her and shifted to loom over her. His cock touched her entrance.

  "Yes," she whispered.

  Gregor settled and slowly entered her.

  Stars burst within her head as she stretched to accommodate him. Gregor was up on two elbows, his face a rictus of concentration and need.

  She moved her hips slightly.

  "Gods," Gregor whispered. "Don't do that. Yet. Give me a second."

  Ella stilled, her eyes wide as he pushed further inside. She was deliciously stretched and wasn't sure how much longer she could hold on.

  "Gregor," she whispered.

  When he was settled to the hilt, he brushed a strand of hair from her face. They lay like that for a moment, their gazes locked.

  When he moved, a long, sure stroke inside of her, Ella lost control.

  Gregor was delicious torture, a beast of a man locked inside a gentleman. But tonight?

  He was pure beast.

  Gregor roared his pleasure as he stroked within her. Ella moaned and called his name as the pleasure built up inside of her.

  Only moments later, she felt herself teetering on the edge.

  "God," she whispered.

  Ella fell over the edge, screaming her pleasure. A scant second later, Gregor roared as his release shook him to his core.

  They lay on the surface of the ocean, an astounding magical feat that had Ella beaming with delight as she lay in the circle of Gregor’s arms. The moon cast shadows upon them, lighting his body up with silvery magic.

  She’d never seen a more beautiful man. Ella never wanted this moment to end.

  Gregor’s fingers lazily played with a strand of her hair.

  She nestled closer against his chest. "It’s a beautiful night," she murmured.

  "Never has there been a more glorious night," Gregor declared.

  She peered up at him, enjoying the way the moonlight highlighted the harsh angles of his face. His eyes matched the color of the moon.

  "Where do we go from here?" Ella pondered aloud. Gregor stiffened against her, and she had the first stirrings of regret.

  "Ludovic is still out there," he warned. "You are not safe until he is dealt with."

  She could have gone at least one night without hearing of the Ludovic threat. Ella sighed and sat up. Gregor’s arms fell away.

  "I guess we should head back," she said, frowning as she realized she had exactly zero clothing.

  "We can stay awhile more," Gregor said, though his tone was tentative. He’d sensed her mood.

  "No, I’m tired," she said. Ella wasn’t really tired, but she was feeling insecure out here with him now. She shouldn’t have asked the question. Men weren’t ready to commit after sex.

  It was asinine of her to assume Gregor would be different.

  8

  Gregor

  Gregor was before his prince, on one knee. The sword he so rarely wielded was in front of him, held out in supplication.

  "Stand," Daegal growled. He loomed over Gregor, not pleased with his friend’s presence. Gregor knew Daegal was aware of the mating bond. There wasn’t much his friend and prince did not know about.

  Greg
or got to his feet. The two men faced each other. Gregor was slightly taller, but Daegal was not a man to be cowed. They locked eyes before Daegal shut his for a moment. His nostrils flared and a sigh of defeat rang from him.

  "Ella does not know she is mated?"

  Gregor frowned. "No. I wanted to be careful. She has a fragile heart."

  "I believe you underestimate the fierceness of humans, brother." Daegal stood on the balcony. He turned from Gregor, giving his back to him. It was the ultimate gesture of trust to a dragon. Gregor could strike him down at any time in such a state of vulnerability.

  "Is the bond completed?" Daegal asked.

  "No," Gregor said. "It is almost there, but Ella … she holds herself back from me."

  "And have you mated?"

  Gregor was a man who was good with words, but this frank conversation was enough to make him squirm. "Yes." The word was short and clipped.

  "If the mating bond did not snap into place after that, then something is wrong."

  This was the reason Gregor was here, discussing his personal business too early in the morning.

  "About that," he began.

  Daegal turned to him. "You have doubts." It was not a question.

  "Who am I to have such profound good fortune? To find two mates in one lifetime is unheard of." Gregor shifted on his feet. "I am no hero, brother. I am merely a man sworn to follow his prince. I have made mistakes in my lifetime. Many mistakes. I do not think I am more deserving than others."

  The prince studied him for a moment. "Perhaps that is exactly why the fates have given you such a chance. A man who thought he did deserve it would be selfish indeed." Daegal gestured for him to take a seat.

  Gregor settled himself at the too-small patio table. His legs were so long he couldn’t fit them under the table, so he scooted the chair over to accommodate his bulk.

  Daegal sat across from him. He was about to speak when Sara stepped out holding two steaming mugs. She set them down in front of the two men, dropped a quick kiss on Daegal’s cheek and squeezed Gregor’s arm.

  Daegal did not speak until she was gone. "Sara knows my heart," he said. "Does Ella know yours?"