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Page 2 of Wild for the Wyvern (Mated to the Monster: Season 3)

One

Kori

“ W hy me?” Why is it always me who gets lost? I mean, I set out on this silly hiking trail with my three best friends. I can guarantee they are still walking through the wooded property surrounding the Greentree Resort in the Catskill Mountains. Meanwhile, I’m lost in the middle of nowhere with no path and no clue which way the hotel is.

I’m not outdoorsy. I’m a put me up in a nice hotel with a good book. I’m a stay home with a cozy blanket and a book. Just give me a book and leave me alone. I love my friends and I know they mean well when they bully me into venturing out of my comfort zone, but it’s called a comfort zone for a reason. What’s wrong with wanting to be content and not adventurous?

Every tree looks the same. The sun is mostly shaded by the late-spring leaves of the canopy far above my head. That stump seems familiar. Oh lord, I’m going in circles.

Stopping, I try to figure out which way is east. We set out from the hotel, walking away from the sun, and it was early. My stomach is growling, which probably means it’s afternoon. The sun is pretty high, but maybe that way is east.

I turn right at the stump and hope it takes me out of these woods and onto a road where I can find someone to take me back to the resort. It would be my luck to be picked up by a serial killer and no one will ever hear from me again.

Trudging farther, I sniff the air. Maybe I smell wood burning. That could be the big fireplace in the lobby. I break into a jog and follow my nose.

Something under the old leaves catches my toe. I hit the ground hard and let out a yelp. Keeping still, I assess whether or not I’m injured while the damp seeps into my clothes at the knees and elbows. I push my hands against the ground and a stick pokes my palm. “Ouch.”

There’s a loud crack and snap. The world turns upside down. Something grabs me from every direction. I’m screaming, but I don’t even know what’s happening. Everything is moving. I’m whipping away from the ground at lightning speed. My stomach lurches.

I’m bouncing in the air. After a second, everything slows. The rope net that I’m trapped in is like something for a bear and the stiff material cuts into my arms and legs. Fresh leaves fall from the trees.

Slowly, my bouncing stops and now all I see is the ground, and the creaking of the branches makes my panic button go into full alert. I’m going to fall thirty feet to my death in this godforsaken woods and no one will ever see me again. Maybe I’ll just hang here and die of dehydration or starvation. I would have been better off with my fictional serial killer.

“Help!” Don’t look down, Kori. Hold yourself together and don’t look down. “Help!” I feel as if someone is watching me. “Is anyone out there!”

There’s movement below me and a loud rustling.

“Help me!” My scream echoes through the woods.

A shadow passes over the sun.

Turning forces the ropes into my ribs. I stifle a grunt and stretch my neck to look toward whatever is blocking out the daylight. Shades of turquoise and green, mixed with gold beautifully shining iridescent. I scan the scaly surface, my gaze rising until I find a large gold-and-garnet eye staring back at me. “What?”

The eye narrows and its owner’s huge nostrils flare.

My scream is trapped in my throat. I’m going to be eaten by a dragon in Upstate New York and that is why no one will ever hear from me again.

Its elongated nose shifts to view me with its other eye as its spiked tail wraps around the bottom of the rope trap. It opens its mouth revealing razor-sharp teeth.

My scream finally finds a voice as the creature snaps its jaw shut on the thick snare above my head.

Cradled in its cool wings, it jumps with me to the ground.

“Dragons don’t exiiiist!” I scream as I fall through the tree’s limbs. I land so softly that it takes me a moment to realize I’m on land. I’m on my back and the trap falls away. I can’t catch my breath as I scramble backward and try to get away.

It cocks its head and bares its teeth.

Had it understood me? I stand on wobbly legs. “I’ll just go and you can go back to not being real.”

A low rumble echoes from its throat and it blinks at me.

Taking a step away, I stumble and a beautiful wing whips out to keep me from falling. Palms flat on the scaled surface, I sense the blood rushing through the appendage. “This is the most realistic dream I’ve ever had. I’m sure that any moment now I’m going to wake up safe and sound in my bed at the resort. None of this is real. Either that or I’ve had a psychotic break and I’m going to die in these woods.”

I’m back to the fact that no one will ever find my body or hear from me again.

The dragon lowers its nose and inhales long before letting out a low rumble. It steps closer. The claws dragging through the forest’s underbrush are at least four inches long and razor sharp.

“Time to go.” Even as I say it, my feet won’t move. I’m mesmerized by the beast’s magnificence. “I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for why you’re here. It probably makes perfectly good sense. You probably don’t get out much and that’s why no one has ever reported seeing a dragon–ever–anywhere.” Finally, my legs listen to my brain’s command and I step away. When I look back, the dragon is watching me.

The problem is that I still need to figure out how to get back to the Greentree. There’s no path and I have not gained a sense of direction in the last hour. I keep walking away, but it’s like the world is going faster and I’m going slower. My brain won’t process what I’ve seen and touched. The feel of its scales against my fingers and his warm scent. Yes, I’m sure the dragon is male. I don’t know how I know, but I do.

Just keep walking, Kori. Don’t look back. Don’t think about anything but getting away.

Thirty minutes later, I’m standing in front of a giant rock formation jutting out of the side of the mountain. “Now what?” I’m tired and dirty. There’s no doubt I’ve lost my mind. And I’m no closer to the resort. I’m sure I’m farther away.

The wind whips up and the leaves crash down like rain as the dragon lands on top of the boulder.

I stumble backward and fall hard on my ass. A screech escapes and I moan when the pain of whatever is under the leaves and forest floor bruises my ass. Closing my eyes, I try to decide if I’m injured or just hurt.

The heat of his huge body forces my eyes open. As beautiful as when I first saw all the colors of his iridescent scales, he stands in front of me. His golden eyes are soulful and locked on me with the red irises narrowed to slits.

One clawed foot wraps around my middle.

I scream, but it’s stifled as he lifts me from the ground and maneuvers through the tall trees into the air. Certain he’s going to drop me, I keep my eyes closed.

His other talon wraps around my bottom half, and he cradles me more gently than any hammock or the softest bed. Somehow, before I’m about to be dropped to my death on the forest floor, I feel safer than I have in my entire life.

Then I look down. It’s a long way and my panic increases until I’m screaming and can’t catch my breath. My vision narrows and then… nothing.

Drayce

The woman’s scent is intoxicating. She’s scared of me, and I don’t like that. I should take her to the resort and leave her close enough that she’ll find her way back. Though, I’m skeptical that would work since she walked in the wrong direction. Now she’s lying limp in my claws and I’m starting to panic.

I speed through the air, just above the treetops, and make my way home. Any higher and the locals might see me. There’s safety in keeping low. Rarely do any tourists come this far up the mountain, but you never know.

Landing in my yard, I gently place her on the ground and let the change take me. My vision shifts from the sharpness and colors of a dragon’s eyes to the central focus of a man. Bones pop and rearrange, and my size shifts, as does my shape, until I’m human.

It might be a good thing she’s unconscious because I’m naked as I lift her from the ground and carry her to the house. Still, her scent is almost too much as I place her carefully on my couch. I brush her warm brown hair from her face.

Kneeling beside the couch, I study the line of her pert little nose and the way her jaw curves. Not only did my beast get lured in by her scent, but the man in me finds her stunning. Her hair is streaked with gold and bronze and cut to just below that jaw I so admire. Even covered in dirt with a leaf sticking out of from behind her ear, she’s beautiful. Her black tank top hides nothing and every inch of her fullness makes my mouth water.

The rise and fall of her chest assures me that she’s only passed out and not injured. Part of me wants to stay and watch her, but I have work to do. I can be back in ten minutes.

Stepping outside, I return to my beast form and fly back to reset my trap. Once that task is done, I return home at a dangerous speed. The pull toward this human woman is strange and overpowering.

Kneeling beside the couch where she rests, I try to pull myself together.

Her lips part on a short gasp, and she opens her bright blue eyes. They lock on mine. “Who are you?”

There’s no fear in her voice, only curiosity. She studies my face, scans my neck and bare chest. Her eyes widen. “Are you naked?”

The fact that I should be serious doesn’t seem to matter. She’s adorable. A short laugh escapes. “I’m afraid so.”

She blinks and her cheeks turn the most charming shade of pink. “And my other question?”

“I’m Drayce Webb. You were lost and then you passed out. I brought you to my house. I can get dressed and return you to your resort…” I trail off. If I could think of a way to keep this strange human here, I would.

She tugs the leaf out of her hair, then looks around for somewhere to dispose of it before keeping it in her hand. “Was there more to the offer?”

Even in my human form, the scent of her is intoxicating. I want her. My dragon wants her. How is that possible? I don’t know this person, and she’s human. Humans are weak and terrified of monsters like me. Taking the leaf, I put it on the coffee table. If I stand, she might run away since my cock is already thick and aching just from the sight and scent of her. “I could run you a bath and wash your clothes if you want. I would be happy to cook you dinner.”

“Is it dinner time?” She touches the ends of my hair. “Who are you?”

“It’s four o’clock. I told you. I’m Drayce Webb.” I swallow, my heart feeling as if it’s lodged in my throat.

“Your eyes look almost like the dragon. Of course, there’s no such thing as dragons and you probably think I’m insane.” She studies my face and lifts her hand. She pulls back before actually touching my cheek.

Wanting her touch is totally irrational. I want Astra. Even if she doesn’t return my feelings. I waited years for her.

“I wouldn’t mind a bath and some food. You don’t have to do my wash though.” Something in her tone makes me think she’s nervous I’d turn her away even after making the offer. She’s tentative and her eyes won’t meet mine.

Perfect joy fills me. It’s been so long since something truly made me happy, I press my hand to my chest. Maybe to keep from bursting with the feeling. Not sure what to say to put her at ease, I stumble and mutter, “I’ll go run the water for you.”