Page 5 of Dragon Blood (Dragon Island #3)

K ai peeled himself away from the myriad guests, overwhelmed by the variety of scents; not just of the other dragons, but shifters of all types. Having lived in cities for the last few decades, senses dulled, he’d grown accustomed to human life, the familiarity of other shifters faded.

Queen Regina honored the guests with bottles of her signature sapphire wine toward the end of the meal. Rich, made of flavorful Aeleftherian fruit, and more potent than anything he’d ever imbibed in his life.

His head swam as he considered the constant flow of conversations with unfamiliar faces and names.

He was quite intrigued with their host, Carson Perenga, and his team of agents, which included his mate—the legendary Lirikai of the Barra’kidai, all under the overarching command of Jolena Kane. Now she was one that he couldn’t decipher, with an unfamiliar scent and a power signature as strong as Queen Regina’s.

He recalled the few stories his cousin Aaron had told him about working for Kane and the impression she left on those that worked for her.

Kai needed some fresh air, despite the event being held on the terrace.

His thoughts kept slipping back to Red, his gaze finding her at any point in the vicinity.

Not good, Kai.

So, he decided to retreat before he made matters worse for himself. He’d managed to maintain control over his emotions during the entirety of the long, long dinner. He needed to keep it that way. Calm and neutral. And far, far away from Red.

Princess Astred, heir to the Aeleftherian throne. Explains a lot.

His tattooed, bar brawling. red-headed pirate captain with the biggest heart of anyone he knew.

Except where he was concerned.

Their last amazing weekend together had been so perfect, he’d asked her to bond with him.

Kai immediately shut down the rest of the memory, stepping away from the murmur of the party, heart heavy.

At least now he understood her rejection.

Royal heirs didn’t commit themselves to hybrids.

A male figure stood looking out at the ocean.

Slipping beyond the torch-lit terrace to the shadowy perimeter, Kai descended the stone steps toward the beach. Waves frothed toward him on a glittering onyx ocean, back-lit by webs of stars and scattered rainbow dust.

“It’s been an age, Uncle.”

Bayn Long turned at the sound of Kai’s voice, a wide smile stretched his lips. “That it has. You’re not a youngling anymore.”

Kai laughed. “Not for a while. Aaron tells me you’re living in Toronto now?”

Bayn nodded. “Your cousin gets himself into some binds now and then, especially with that lot.” He turned, jerking his head toward Carson and Joey, deep in conversation.

“You’re with the GPSA now, too? Aaron didn’t mention it.”

Bayn laughed. “Not officially, no, but fuck, who isn’t these days? Though for good reason.”

“That serious, huh?”

“Yeah, there was a tangle with the Aeleftherians not long ago that’s still unresolved. Regina’s got her hands full.”

“You were there?”

“I was. Not as a tribal rep. Just on my own, as a favor to some old friends.” He nodded his head toward the house.

“See, that’s why I stay the fuck away from dragon affairs.”

Bayn snorted. “Like tiger clans aren’t as complex.”

“I didn’t say that. But when we pull grudges, they’re not likely to wipe out whole cities ‘cause we’re so motherfucking big.”

“Kid, you’re just as big as the rest of us, no matter you identify as a tiger. You can pick and choose what suits you, until you can’t. I was there, remember? I know exactly who and what you are.”

Kai scratched his temple. “Yeah, well, I haven’t been back to the clan territories as much lately. I keep my head down and my business to myself.”

“Generally a good policy, but with the winds stirring as they are, none of us will have that luxury. This affects all of us.”

“Care to enlighten?”

“Bayn, you got a minute? Joey wants to discuss some things about that case she mentioned.” Carson called from the edge of the dining area.

“Up to them. I’ll catch up with you later.” Bayn clapped Kai’s shoulder before turning away. “It really is good to see you again.”

Kai watched Bayn go, his gaze sliding across the clusters of guests. All of them were important in their clans and societies in some way. Bayn was no exception. A Shǒuwàng Zhě prince of the eastern air dragon clan, the Watchmen, which had initiated Kai as a dragon youngling when no others would take on the responsibility. Certainly not a male Aeleftherian reject. But Kai’s paternal grandmother was Bayn’s sister, and due to this family connection, an exception had been made.

He watched Queen Regina talking animatedly with Heidi Brandt and Lirikai.

And then there’s me. An eternal outsider on all accounts.

Dragon shifter, but not pure enough for the tribes, or even the right gender for his mother’s clan. Tiger shifter, but not devoted enough to a tribe that didn’t fully accept him, either.

Both abided within him. Each a part of him, but also separate from each other.

The tiger and the dragon eternally circling within him.

At the threshold of the beach, primal musk, sounds of laughter, and dishes clanking fell away, buffered by the winds pushing them back toward the house.

Drawing a deep breath, Kai’s shoulders eased, allowing the overwhelming desire to feel the sand under his feet to take over.

I haven’t been on a beach since the last time Red and I were together.

In fact, he’d stayed firmly inland and as far from the sea as possible, until recently.

He swallowed the sudden rise of loss, shrugging out of his dinner jacket, laying it on the stone banister at the foot of the steps. His tie, shoes, and socks quickly followed. He then rolled up his pant legs and shirtsleeves as he stepped forward, unbuttoning the collar so that he could breathe better.

With a final glance toward the house, Kai strode along the beach, cool sand sprinkling the tops of his feet.

The house and terrace full of guests disappeared as he followed the beach around a bend of leaning trees, where the manicured green ended at the edge of island wilderness.

Within moments, surrounded by the darker shadows of the trees, Kai’s senses and body relaxed, his tiger more at ease with the primal surroundings, urging him to strip down, shift, and go for a long run.

Now probably isn’t the appropriate time for that, with an island full of political guests.

If he were to shift at all, they would be expecting another dragon, as the son of an Aeleftherian. Not an unfamiliar tiger. Though his mother wouldn’t be surprised.

Does Kymri also have the tiger?

Probably not.

Not in the ways that mattered, given the strict rules of Aeleftherian society, he doubted she’d have been so

accepted—and set to marry a dragon king, if she bore hybrid blood like Kai.

“Fuck it.”

Kai stripped down, leaving the rest of his clothing on an overhanging branch, and shifted.

Hands and feet elongated into powerful white paws. Muscle and bone bunched and slid into new positions as white fur with distinct striations sprouted from his pores. Tail swishing back and forth, Kai lifted his head, ears perked, nose scenting, as the wind tickled his whiskers. The ocean air carried with it as many stories as the stars did.

He stretched, extending his claws, feeling the sand between the pads of his toes as he released the tension from his back.

Ready, he sprang into a run.

Moonlight flashed off his pale forelegs, bright in the darkness. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, bringing with it a sense of inherent freedom from social expectation. He ran, observing the subtle changes in the winds and constellation positions as he made his way around the circumference of the island until the small harbor came into view and scents alerted him he was no longer alone.

Slowing to a trot, he analyzed the information. Pairs of guests broke away from the dinner, enjoying the night along the beach, as he was. Some disappeared into the dense inland greenery.

Distracted, and with the wind at his back, he was too late to notice Red sitting on a boulder nearby, watching him with a distinct blue bottle in hand. Her dress draped and pooled around her, looking like a goddess from ancient times.

Fuck.

“Didn’t expect to see you here.” Astred drew a long swallow from the bottle, turning her gaze back toward her ship at anchor in the distance. She waved a hand at him. “But here you are.”

Like any of this is my fault.

The wind changed direction, dragging Red’s scent across Kai’s sensitive nose, bombarding him with his most intimate and cherished memories of her.

She reminded him of the tropical wildflowers that grew around the beaches where they’d met and made love, and spent the happiest days of his life.

He turned to go.

“Want a drink?”

He paused, tail swishing, her scent swirling around him in an eddy, urged him closer.

Tread carefully, Kai.

But he couldn’t force himself to take that step away from her.

Run.

He swung his head around, body following, prowling toward her.

His gaze slid to the bottle and back to her face.

“Hell yeah, I’m drunk and I’m going to get drunker.” She took a swig for emphasis. “This stuff doesn’t leave the wine cellar often, so I’d take advantage if I were you.”

Kai eyed the rich sapphire blue bottle with its yellow-gold detailing.

Red stared up at him, challenge glittering in her eyes, body taut despite the relaxed position on the boulder.

Taut in the way that only ended in fighting or fucking. She never, ever, fell apart. There were no bars around here for her to brawl in, so that left her one option.

Faces of the other single guests filtered through his memory.

He huffed, shifting back into his human form.

Kai stood before Red, gaze locked on hers, accepted the bottle and drank.

The wine was spicy and sweet as it slid down his throat, pooling around his heart before settling in his stomach.

The corner of her mouth curled as her eyes slid down his naked body, which responded to her attention as though time and her abject rejection were nothing.

“Tiger or man, you’ll always be magnificent, Kai. I never deserved you.”

Kai’s heart jerked at the unexpected words. He handed the bottle back. “It was never about deserving. It was about taking what you wanted. We had some fun. You made it clear you didn’t want more than that.”

Closer now, Astred’s scent combined with the sound of her voice and the fierce look in her beautiful face blocked everything else out, snapping him right back to their shared past and his overwhelming desire to touch her. To claim her again. To remind her of what they were and could have been.

She was on her feet, blinking. Regret and anger warred in her eyes. “I can’t—,”

Within reach, heart pounding, Kai’s hand instinctively stretched out, cradled her nape, dragging her against him.

His lips closed over hers to shut her up.