Page 82 of Anaki

Once he caught her, I thought it was over, that he would claim her, but he swore he wouldn’t when he caught her scent of fear. Her fear set him straight. Thank the goddess for that, because trying to force myself back in control of the body for so long exhausted me.

I passed out from screaming shortly after he caught her. When I awoke I found ourselves staring down at her in awe. She was covered in our scentfrom our fucking seed. I was ready to bang our head into the wall, for what all this could mean.

I sighed, and my dragon let out a deep, resonant chuckle that vibrated through the tent. With a gentle nudge of his massive snout, he prodded Elena, who responded with a groan, retreating further into our body.

“What did you do?”I asked in annoyance.

She was absolutely exhausted, that much was for sure. Her eyes appeared glued shut. Not even an earthquake could wake this woman.

“I cleaned and tucked her into bed. I don’t know what you mean.”

“She smells like our seed. Don’t tell me…” I rummaged through our mind. What he could see, I could see. Our memories were one and when I dug through them I saw how he fucked her with our tail, he jacked off our cocks and tongued her mouth like a damn animal.

If I had cheeks to flush with embarrassment, they would. The things he said to her, the vile things he did to her. And she liked it.

Elena's head was thrown back. She welcomed our tongue slurping down her body. Was she okay with all of it?

“She loved every minute of it. I suggest you stop coddling her like a tiny human and have your way with her before I claim her for myself. As you see, she wants us as much as we want her.”

She wanted to be claimed. Elena wanted us both.

I just needed to tell her—

Quiet footsteps echoed ominously from outside the cave, growing louder and more distinct with each passing moment. Our hearts shift from a quiet lull to racing with anticipation.

It wasn’t an animal, since the footsteps were too hard, and they wanted to be heard. The deliberate approach of two separate sets of footsteps steadily advanced towards our territory. Our heads snapped up, eyes wide with alertness, nostrils flared to catch any hint of their scent.

My dragon instantly went into defense mode, puffed up our neck, and made us appear larger.

Realization dawned on me who they could be. I hadn’t had my phone on me in nearly a day, and I should have updates by now.“It's the club,”I said quickly.“They mean no harm.”

My dragon emitted a fierce, guttural snarl and coiled even tighter around Elena, his scales pressed tightly around us with protective intensity. He had no intention of rising; his sole focus was on keeping Elena shielded and concealed from the impending threat of whoever dared to approach.

Seriously?!

He continued to take in the air. The steps came in, louder under the stones of the cave. “Anaki?” The voice was deeper, and immediately I knew who it was, but why was he here?

“Why is this idiot here?” my dragon mumbled, repeating my question. “A shifter should know to remain outside of another’s territory with an unclaimed female.”

“Bones’ is smart, and he wouldn’t come without a reason. He’s probably worried. You know the club keeps tabs on people. The way he worries, I’m sure he thought we went rabid and Elena was dead somewhere.”

My dragon hissed in annoyance, and his claws pierced the mattress.

Another scent assaulted my nose, soot and ash, and I cringed inwardly at what this could mean.

Sizzle.

Another dragon, another species of dragon entering our territory, was even worse. Sizzle isn’t one to care, and with him not having his dragon awakened, thought it would be a good idea to come.

It’s not. He wanted to die.

My dragon let out another snarl when both of the men pushed the flaps open without a word and came inside. “Holy fucking shit!” Bones steppedback, the flap hitting him in the face. “There is a damn dragon in here!”

Sizzle scoffed. “Duh, man.”

He dragged the cigarette from his lips, its glowing ember casting a faint red light. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent it spiraling to the ground, where it landed with a faint hiss. The sound of his boot scraping against the rough stone echoed softly as he ground the still-smoking stub beneath his heel, extinguishing it completely. “You knew Anaki was a dragon. Did you not think he would actually shift?”

Bones adjusted his cut, the leather jacket that bore the club's insignia, and ran his hand through his hair. Each time I saw him, the contrast of dark grays and stark whites threaded through his once jet-black locks seemed more pronounced. It was as if the weight of each day that passed pressed more heavily on him than on anyone else at the club. Though not the oldest among us, the lines etched into his face and the weariness in his eyes suggested a life of nothing but stress and heartache.