Page 11 of Her Enemy Dragon Captor (Dream Team Shifters #5)

CHAPTER 11

J ane awoke to the barest hint of dawn filtering through the cabin windows. Another night had passed, and Alex hadn't returned. Though he'd left plenty of food, his absence had disturbed her more than she cared to admit. She'd caught herself glancing at the door repeatedly throughout the previous evening, listening for footsteps that never came. Finally, she laid her head down on her ever-so-soft pillow and gone to sleep.

Now, having not seen him since yesterday, she wouldn't let herself even think the words... she had not "missed" him.

That’s was ridiculous. Sick.

Stockholm syndrome was a real thing, and she was not about to become another textbook case.

But the feeling only got worse as the day progressed and morning became afternoon, and he still he did not come.

What a thoughtless kidnapper.

As the sky outside began to darken again, she was beginning to worry that maybe something had happened to him. What if he never returns?

I’d starve!

Then finally, when the sound of a key turning in the lock finally broke the silence, she felt a weird thrill race through her body. Jane quickly sat up, forcing her expression into what she hoped was a mask of cool indifference, determined not to reveal that she had even noticed his absence, let alone been bothered by it.

He should be so lucky.

When he stepped inside though, all those thoughts went out the window. As soon as he entered, she was struck by something different in his demeanor. His movements still had purpose, but there was a nervous energy to him she hadn't seen before. An apprehension. Almost a vulnerability? Which was ridiculous. There was nothing vulnerable about the man. But still, his amber eyes darted around before settling on her face, and beneath his usual intensity, she caught something weirdly out of place but oddly disarming.

Hope?

But hope for what?

Oh right...of course...he thinks he is going to make me his mate, doesn’t he...

This guy is persistent.

Persistently delusional.

But she couldn’t stop her heart from beating a little faster. And she couldn’t stop the little flush that she knew had come over her features since he’d arrived.

"You're back," Jane said flatly, crossing her arms, and trying – probably in vain – to maintain her affected disdain for him. "I had a chat with your friend Cindy. And to think I actually liked her from first impressions. That sure has changed. She wasn't much help."

"I know," Alex replied, his voice oddly gentle. "She told me."

Jane scoffed. "Of course she did. I see you're not the only one drinking the Kool-Aid around here. Cindy’s quite the nut job herself." She eyed the small bag he carried suspiciously. "What's in the bag? You should know I will never buy into your twisted fantasies or whatever you have in mind. You’re wasting your time..."

Alex set the bag down carefully. "Relax. Wait, what?” Realization seemed to dawn on his face. “No. It's nothing like that. You must be twisted."

" Me twisted? Oh please! More soft pillows then? Maybe some chocolates? Or have you come to let me go?" She couldn't keep the bitterness from her voice.

She was doing her very best to resist the odd buzzy warmth his mere presence had created in her belly.

Stop that!

She realized there was a reason she had never talked to her lady parts before.

They don’t listen.

Alex set the bag down carefully. "Jane, there's something I need to tell you about who we really are... about who I am... what I am."

He seemed so earnest. It almost derailed her.

Don’t fall for it, Donavan.

“Oh, trying a new angle, are we?” Didn’t he realize that agents like her were trained for situations just like this?

“Yes, the truth.” He was looking her dead in the eye. But his eyes weren’t those of a fanatic. They were soft... almost vulnerable.

This time the sincerity in his voice temporarily short-circuited her defenses. "Fine, I'm listening."

Can’t hurt to listen, right?

"The Alliance isn't what you think it is," he began, his gaze unwavering. "We're not a cult. We're... shapeshifters. Beings who can transform into animal forms. I'm a dragon shifter... "

Jane stared at him, waiting for the punchline. When it didn't come, she let out a humorless laugh. "Right. And I'm the Queen of England."

"I'm serious," Alex insisted, then hesitated.

“Wow.” She was stunned. “And I mean wow. I have heard of delusions of grandeur, or maybe it’s just plain delusions? ...but this is like another level...”

“Tell me you don’t feel it - our connection.”

“Gosh your eyes are pretty...” She sputtered, much to her inner horror. His gaze had become almost hypnotic.

Almost.

“What?” He shook his head, as if he thought he had misheard her, which was fine with her. She was happy to confuse him if only to buy time – before she completely lost the upper hand.

And maybe your grip on reality.

“Oh, you just stop whatever you are doing mister. I am not crazy, and I will not entertain your crack-smoking-batshit-crazy story...”

Only problem was that she was entertaining it.

And she did feel their connection.

Boy, do I feel it...

Her lady parts were freaking SCREAMING...

Or maybe just buzzing profusely.

No. This is screaming, or singing...

But she had to hold on.

Or was it hold out?

I will not have sexual relations with this man. I will not have...

"Let me guess," Jane prompted, before he could even respond to her initial protests. "This is where you tell me about being special mates, again? Oh, I know? I have to fuck you to save the universe? Is that it?" Despite her mocking tone, something fluttered in her chest at the words.

Alex's face registered surprise, as a hint of color rose to his cheeks. "Not exactly, but you are getting warmer..." he said, and for a moment, Jane thought she caught a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

"Look," he said, setting down his bag and pulling out a few cushions as well as some candles and matches. "I want to propose something."

"If you're about to get down on one knee, save it," Jane shot back, but her heart wasn't in the sarcasm anymore. Something about his intensity was making it hard to maintain her defenses.

Alex set the cushions down and arranged the candles around the room, taking a little care it seemed with the placement. "I want to do an exercise with you. Something that might help you understand."

"An exercise?" Jane crossed her arms. "What, like cult orientation 101?"

"If nothing happens," Alex said, his voice steady, "I'll let you go."

Jane's head snapped up. "What?"

"You heard me. If this doesn't work, you're free to leave. Report back to your FBI, tell them whatever you want."

Now what’s he up to?

Who cares.

That was her lady parts again.

You, stay out of this.

She narrowed her eyes. "You swear?"

"I swear," he said without hesitation.

"On your mother’s grave?"

"Oh, that’s dark. But, sure. I swear."

“That’s what we do here...it’s just a thing we say.” Jane studied him, trying to detect any signs of deception. Her FBI training screamed this was a trap, but something deeper—that strange buzzing warmth that seemed to grow whenever he was near—whispered that she could trust him.

He had worn her down. This time she decided to listen.

Still...trust but verify. She would be ready for any funny business.

"And what exactly is supposed to happen?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm not entirely sure," Alex admitted, lighting the candles one by one. The warm glow softened the cabin's harsh lines. "But I think you'll know it when you feel it."

Jane fought the urge to roll her eyes. "That's conveniently vague."

"Just trust me on this," he said, settling onto one of the cushions and gesturing for her to take the one opposite him. "What do you have to lose?"

"Besides my dignity?" But she sat down anyway, mirroring his cross-legged position. Their knees touched, and that now-familiar electric jolt shot through her.

“Um...I don’t know about this...”

The heat that was building in her sex was already making it hard to concentrate... surely this is not what he meant...

"Shhh... Now place your palms against mine," he instructed.

Great, I am being seduced by the cult leader....

Sounds like some trashy romance novel.

But she was past caring. Her lady parts had taken the wheel.

Jane hesitated one last time, then slowly raised her hands. When their palms connected, warmth spread up her arms and into her chest.

Oh my god. So, this is how my career ends... Agent throws away promising career after falling for Mr. woo-woo pretty eyes.

"Now close your eyes and breathe with me."

She gave him one last skeptical look, but complied. She officially gave herself over to the experience.

He was right. She could feel their connection. She had been denying it before, but there was no denying it now.

It was red hot.

"Focus on the center of your chest," Alex's voice guided her, deeper and more melodic than usual. "Feel the energy there, like a flame. With each breath, let it grow."

Red. Hot... the words flashed in her mind again. Then his eyes... his dragon eyes...

What the freak...

She almost broke contact, but instead leaned into it. Feeling his hot, strong powerful hands against hers...

That was just more nerves...

They had barely started it seemed, and already she felt she was in danger of being swept away. But by what?

Your hormones... what else.

All your training... and here you are... putty in his hands...

“Feel the energy building...focus your energy... right at that spot... right at your perinium... between your sex and your...”

“Yeah, my butthole, thanks. I know where that is, thank you...”

“Feel the energy swell...”

Something is swelling alright... and a whole bunch of other things are happening too...

Suddenly the warmth that was spreading from her core wasn’t just sexual...

It began radiating up her spine. It was a power she had never felt...

Holy shit, she felt like lightning was surging through her. Behind her closed eyelids, flashes of images appeared—wings stretched wide against a sunset sky, fire dancing along scales, soaring through clouds.

Her breath caught. The dream. This was exactly like her dream.

"What's happening?" she whispered, eyes still closed.

"You're feeling it," Alex murmured. "Your true self."

Jane wanted to deny it, to laugh it off as suggestion or delusion, but the sensations were too real, too powerful. The warmth intensified, becoming a blaze that didn't burn but transformed. Something inside her unfurled, ancient and powerful.

Her gecko.

Gecko?

For a split second an image of a cute little gecko did appear, then it exploded up and out until it took its true form...

A dragon. A beautiful red, and orange and yellow dragon...

It was almost like a butterfly in its beauty. She was like a butterfly...

But this was no mere butterfly. It was far more. She was far more.

Her eyes flew open, and she gasped. She looked down and her arms had erupted... beautiful iridescent scales coated a few patches on her forearms...

But she wasn’t afraid. She was elated.

How can this be?

Yet it was. And nothing had ever felt so right.

Alex was staring at her in wonder, and for a moment—just a heartbeat—she could have sworn his eyes glowed.

And why shouldn’t they? Scales just popped out on my arms!

The connection between them pulsed, visible now, like a golden thread binding them together.

"I see you," he breathed.

And Jane saw him too—not just the man, but the dragon within. His true self. Her true mate.

"It's real," she whispered, as understanding washed over her. "You're real."

The mate bond snapped even further into place with startling clarity, and Jane's resistance crumbled. The dream hadn't been a dream at all. It had been a glimpse of truth. But she could still feel the bond was not complete... not yet. But she wanted it to be. She wanted it more than anything she had ever wanted before. She wanted him like she had never wanted anyone before.

"Yes," Alex said, his voice rough with emotion as he drew her closer. "Now you know."

As their lips met, Jane surrendered to the fire that had been building between them since the moment they'd collided on that street corner. Dragon recognized dragon, mate recognized mate, and nothing would ever be the same.

His mouth claimed hers with a hunger that matched her own, his tongue sweeping inside to taste her as his hands tangled in her hair. The kiss was nothing like the dream—it was better, deeper, even more consuming. Jane moaned against his lips, her body arching toward his as if drawn by a force beyond her control. They still sat across from one another but were quickly up on their knees, all roaming, exploring hands and kissing lips...

"I've wanted this since I first saw you," Alex growled against her mouth, his hands sliding down to grip her hips. "I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but I have been able to think of little else but you since that moment. Fighting against it has been torture."

"Then stop fighting," Jane gasped, pulling at his shirt with desperate fingers. "I need to feel you. All of you."

In one fluid motion, Alex was on his feet, lifting her as he stood to his impressive full height. She wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling the hard length of him pressing against her core through their clothes already. It was just like in the dream, minus the four poster bed of course. He carried her to the bed, laying her down with a gentleness that belied the wild hunger in his eyes. At least they did have the ever so soft pillows though.

Stop thinking about pillows Janie.

This is happening.

It’s really happening.

"I have to know that you want this too." he said, his voice strained with the effort of restraint.

Jane answered by pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it aside. "Now you’re asking permission? Of course I want this. I want you. I want it all."

The tiniest annoying voice of doubt tried to speak up.

Oh, give it a rest...

Alex's eyes darkened as he gazed down at her. She glanced at her arms, watching as the last patches of iridescent scales shimmered briefly then disappeared completely, leaving only her normal skin behind. "You're magnificent," he breathed, shrugging out of his own shirt.

Jane's breath caught at the sight of him—broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist, muscles rippling beneath golden skin. The last traces of his own scales were vanishing as she watched, leaving behind nothing but perfect human flesh. She reached up to trace where they had been, marveling at the smooth warmth beneath her touch.

"You're not so bad yourself," she whispered, a smile curving her lips as she ran her hands over his chest. “That was some meditation,” she added. Was this your plan all along?” She eyed him seductively as she continued to stroke his hard muscular flesh.

“I’m not completely sure what my plan was.... but it seems to be working...”

“It sure is, she replied... and maybe this was my plan? Did you think of that?”

He laughed, the sound rich and warm. “I don’t care who’s plan it was.” With that he moved to lay beside her and claim her mouth again. His hands roamed her body, cupping her breasts through her bra, thumbs circling her nipples until they ached with need. When he unhooked the garment and tossed it aside, his mouth followed the path his hands had blazed, tongue laving one peaked nipple while his fingers teased the other.

Jane arched beneath him, a cry escaping her lips as pleasure shot through her. "Alex," she gasped, her nails raking down his back as he sucked harder, teeth grazing the sensitive peak. Her hips bucked against his, seeking friction, seeking more.

As if reading her thoughts, his hand slid down her stomach to the waistband of her jeans, fingers deftly unbuttoning them before sliding beneath the fabric. When his fingertips brushed against the slick heat between her thighs, they both groaned.

"So wet for me," he murmured against her breast, sliding one finger, then two inside her. "So ready."

Jane couldn't form words, could only moan as his skilled fingers worked their magic, thumb circling her clit as his fingers curled inside her, finding that spot that made her see stars. Her hips lifted to meet each thrust of his hand, pressure building within her core with each passing second.

This is definitely better than any dream...

"Please," she begged, reaching between them to palm the hard length of him through his jeans. "I need you inside me."

She heard him growl, felt the sound vibrate through his chest as he withdrew his hand to help her shed the rest of her clothes. His own followed quickly, and then he was poised above her, the broad head of his cock nudging at her entrance.

"Mine," he rasped, amber eyes burning into hers as he pushed slowly inside, stretching her deliciously with his considerable girth. "My mate."

"Yours," Jane agreed, her body welcoming him as she wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him deeper. "And you're mine."

Slowly at first, and then with more power he drove his thick cock into her willing pussy.

“Oh my god, yes...Alex...”

He filled her completely, stretching her to her limit. She didn’t think she could handle more and then he drove his thickness in deeper still. She responded with a cry of pleasure as she clung to him, grasping at his back all the tighter. For a moment they stayed almost motionless, savoring the connection, the rightness of their joining. She pulsed her hips against him, feeling his hardness inside her. Then Alex began to move, long, deep strokes that had Jane digging her nails into his shoulders and crying out his name again in between almost guttural moans.

The pleasure was unlike anything she'd ever experienced, each thrust sending tendrils of sensation shooting through her body. She felt their skin grow slick with sweat, the smell of their mating—earthy and primal—filling her nostrils. Heat built in her core, spreading outward with each movement.

She met his eyes as they both allowed their carnal drives to take over as they let go. They were two bodies, rubbing, driving, grinding against one another. All control seemed to slip away. His eyes darkened as he drove into her, his gaze burning with primal intensity. The sight of him losing himself to their shared passion pushed Jane higher, igniting her own desire to take control.

She pressed her hands against his chest, and he responded as her gentlest touch seemed to convey more than any words could.

Following her lead, Alex rolled onto his back, taking her with him without breaking their connection. She found herself straddling him, his thick length still buried deep inside her.

"Let me do the work," she whispered, her confidence surging as she began to rock her hips experimentally.

Alex's hands gripped her thighs, his expression a mixture of surprise and raw desire. "You are incredible," he practically moaned, his voice husky with pleasure and desire.

Jane braced her hands on his chest and began to move, lifting herself up until just the tip of him remained inside her before sinking back down. She reveled in the feel of his thick shaft piercing her anew with each gyration of her hips. The new angle sent shocks of pleasure through her core as she controlled the depth and pace.

"Let go," he encouraged, his voice deeper, rougher. "Take what you need, Jane."

“I don’t think my FBI training properly prepared me for this eventuality,” she managed to moan as she brought her feet underneath her, now squatting over his massive shaft.

“Good thing you’re a quick study,” he moaned as she began to bounce up and down, feeling him driving impossibly deep with each new thrust.

She set a rhythm, rolling her hips forward with each downward motion, returning to her knees, wanting their bodies close again. She bent over him, letting her nipples rub against his chest as she felt him hit that perfect spot inside her. Alex's hands roamed from her thighs to her waist, then up to cup her breasts as they bounced with her movements. His thumbs circled her nipples, adding to the building pressure within her.

She was so close, teetering on the edge of something enormous. Alex slipped a hand between them, thumb finding her clit and circling firmly as she rode him. The added sensation was all it took—Jane shattered, her orgasm crashing through her in waves of intense pleasure. Her back arched, a cry tearing from her throat as her inner walls clenched around him. Her pussy released a flood as her muscles spasmed around his shaft.

She felt him follow her over the edge as he gripped her ass with his powerful hands. With a final upward thrust to meet her downward motion, he buried himself to the hilt, his release pulsing hot and deep inside her. She could feel his hot cum shoot into her core as his head fell back, a groan of completion echoing around the cabin.

For a moment it was so otherworldly, the pleasure so complete, it was like she was dreaming after all. But, no, this was so much more real. Jane felt their connection ignite. It was like lightning shot through them both, binding them together in ways that transcended the physical.

As the aftershocks rippled through her body, Jane collapsed forward onto his chest completely. Alex wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as they both caught their breath. Their breathing gradually slowed, and she felt their heartbeats finding a synchronized rhythm as they lay tangled together.

"Now, why have we been fighting that again?" she began, “And how is it possible I never made that connection with my dragon?” She didn’t even know where to start to articulate the magnitude of what had just happened.

"I don’t know," Alex said softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "My brain is off-line." He kissed her again. “And my dragon is pretty much out for the count too, probably for the first time ever.” He pulled her close once more, and she practically melted into him as he kissed her yet again.

Jane laughed, “Yeah mine too...though I’m not super sure about the dragon part... this is all kinda new...”

Alex laughed with her, ”And you thought you would just be investigating some crazy cult, right?”

“Yeah, definitely didn’t think any of this , would happen... or that I would find out I am a...”

She couldn’t even say it. It just sounded too crazy.

"A dragon shifter?" Alex supplied, a smile in his voice.

“Yeah, that,” she breathed.

“Or my mate,” he said in a more heartfelt profound tone.

"Or your mate," she echoed, the reality of it settling over her like a warm blanket. She should be terrified, should be questioning her sanity, but instead, she felt only a profound sense of rightness. Of coming home.

He pulled her closer, his arms strong and secure around her. "Well, that’s what we are mates... and I have to say, now I get what all the fuss is about."

Fuss?

“What fuss?”

Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little head about that. Just know that you are mine, and nothing is going to ever come between us again.

With that she began to let herself go... to drift off...

But then that brain of hers had to poke its little head in...

Why would anything come between us?

But thankfully she barely registered it, content as she was, safe in the arms of her dragon shifter mate...

The warm buzzy feeling slowly turned into a hazy warm feeling... and this time she really did drift off to sleep.