Dragon's Challenge Read online

  Maura tugged on his hand, nodding at the others to let them get to work on their tasks. She and her mate—she grinned as she called him that in her mind, letting the word roll over and over until it shone with the warmth in her chest—went to the room they shared with Fiona and Patrick. Not a lot of privacy, but she did have something else to say to him.

  Once they were alone, she knelt down and pulled him with her. They faced each other, holding hands. Maura licked her lips, suddenly nervous even though she had been planning this for days. “I love you,” she said.

  “I love you, too.”

  “You are my mate. You’ve been more of a support than I ever thought I’d have, and I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you.”

  Stephen nodded in return, a small smile on his face. “I feel the same way. And I love to hear you call me your mate. You’re my mate, too.”

  Maura laughed softly, giddy with anticipation. “That’s why I wanted to give you this.” She produced a golden ring. “It was my grandfather’s. Don’t ask which one, just know that he was the person I could actually rely on throughout my life. He’s the one who got me through all the crap, and he’s the one that made me the person I am today. And,” she took his left hand and slid it onto his ring finger; it was a perfect fit, “I want you to know that my love for you will last forever and is eternal just like this ring, without beginning or end.”

  Stephen smiled, blinking at the tears in his eyes. “Wow. If I’d known you were planning this, I’d have gotten you a ring… oh but…” He jumped to his belongings and started rifling through them. With a cry of delight, he yanked a small box out of the side pocket of his duffle bag. He opened it, revealing a cheap-looking ring with a glass-cut stone in it. “I have this. I bought it years ago as a joke, always kept it in that bag. I’d forgotten about it. Ten dollars from Walmart, but it’s something to give you.”

  “Oh, Stephen!” Her eyes flooded with tears as he slipped it onto her finger. “It’s beautiful.”

  She threw herself at him, kissing him soundly. His arms wrapped around her and the small weight of the ring on her finger made everything feel that much better. Maybe things weren’t as resolved as she would have liked, but they got the Blaze Ops out of jail. They were gathered together, safe and able to recover from their traumas. They had a plan going forward.

  It wasn’t going to be long before they could exchange rings for real. She knew that in the pit of her stomach. As the passion overcame both of them and they fell back onto their air mattress, Maura was certain about one thing.

  Nothing could stop them now.

  Epilogue

  Since they were going to the Academy anyway, Stephen and Maura agreed to bring Evan along, so he could try to convince Erica to join their little band. Stephen wasn’t sure it was a good idea, but he also knew that Evan was getting more and more antsy. Until he had his answer, one way or another, he wasn’t going to be much good to them.

  Stephen was also certain that Evan was five minutes from charging out here without their permission anyway.

  Erica jumped to her feet when they entered her office. Her eyes went wide, and she immediately grabbed the phone on her desk but didn’t lift the receiver. Instead, her gaze flickered from first one, then the other. Finally, she slumped back in her chair.

  “Are you here to kidnap me again?”

  Stephen took up his spot at the door, watching for anybody coming while Evan moved closer. His voice was low, pitched with urgency as he spoke, “No. We want you to come with us voluntarily. If you say no, we’re going to leave and that will be it.”

  Erica was silent a moment. “What if I say I don’t believe you?”

  Stephen flexed his fingers. Maura was going to talk with Derek and the other vampires. He hated the idea of letting her go alone like this, but what other choice did he have? She had worn him down, saying that the vampires wouldn’t come to her while he was there. And if they were going to get more recruits, then it was necessary to take risks.

  Didn’t mean he liked it any better. If they attacked her, could she really fight them off?

  “Erica, please. You know that what’s happening isn’t right.”

  “I don’t know any of that,” Erica snarled. “What I do know is that you’ve been arrested twice and broke out of jail twice. And that I spent four hours taking care of Cooper when Stephen burned him.”

  Stephen glanced over his shoulder. “Did Cooper tell you that I only burned him because he was trying to kill Maura?”

  Erica glared back at him coldly. “If you think I am interested in anything you have to say, you can guess again. Just go away, both of you. I don’t need you here. I don’t want you here. I will call the cops if you don’t leave right now.” She turned her gaze to Evan. “I told you already, I am not interested in you. Stop trying to wear me down. This is sexual harassment, and I won’t stand for it!”

  “That’s not what this is about at all,” Evan snapped back at her.

  The slight scent of smoke in the air made Stephen tense. He didn’t want to leave his post, but if Evan was losing his cool, he might need to pull him out of here and get Maura before she had a chance to talk to Derek. So, Stephen stepped away from the door and put a hand on Evan’s shoulder. Evan glanced at him, and Stephen gave him a warning look.

  Evan sucked in a deep breath, grimaced when he tasted his own smoke, and took a step back from the desk. “It’s not about that, Erica. It’s because you always worked closely with us, and we’re certain that Cooper is going to target you as well.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Erica pulled the phone closer to herself. “But I do know that Cooper was acquitted of everything he was accused of. Unlike both of you, who have warrants out for your arrest.”

  “Cooper betrayed us,” Evan said, his voice lowering once more. “He’s been working for the Pack this whole time. He’s the one who turned against us, who put out that information to get us all arrested. If we don’t get you to safety, he’ll come after you, too.”

  A voice came from the door. “Oh, will I?”

  Both dragons whirled. Cooper stood in the doorway, a gun in his hand that he pointed at Evan. Stephen growled, pushing the smaller dragon behind himself.

  Erica jumped to her feet. “Cooper, don’t. Just let them leave. I don’t care why they’re here, it’s not worth killing over.”

  “I think you’re well worth killing over.” Cooper edged into the room, his expression so protective and angry that Stephen understood exactly how they’d been blinded by him for so long. He planted himself in front of Erica, still trying to aim at Evan over Stephen’s shoulder. Only once Erica could no longer see his face did Cooper smirk. “Did you really think I would leave my fiancé unprotected?”

  “Cooper, please,” Erica murmured, sounding desperate. “Both of you, just leave. I don’t want this to escalate.”

  “Fiancé?” Evan snarled and Stephen grabbed him to stop him from attacking. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “Didn’t you notice the ring?”

  Erica closed her eyes briefly. She lifted her hand, revealing a diamond sparkling from her third finger. “Cooper and I are going to be married. I’m pregnant with his children. So whatever you thought, Evan, you’re wrong. Maybe someone is lying to you—”

  “Or they know that I’m the only one who can bring them down,” Cooper said swiftly.

  Erica did not respond to that.

  Stephen considered them for a moment before he took a step back. He grabbed Evan’s arm, shoving him toward the door. Cooper growled as he took aim at Stephen’s head, but Erica grabbed his arm and he stilled his hand.

  “Fine. For Erica’s sake, I’ll let you leave. But the next time I see any of you filthy lizards—”

  Stephen didn’t wait for the threat to be continued. He shoved Evan from the office and rushed out the nearest window, smashing the glass. He shifted halfway down and glided to where they were meant to be meeting
Maura. She was already there, looking tense as he landed. He gave the signal, so she’d know it was him, and she raced forward.

  They were already in the air when the alarms started wailing. Evan flew a few meters above him, the drift from his flight pushing Stephen downward. Stephen growled low in his throat as he considered what he had just witnessed. This was about more than just a failed attempt to get Erica on their side. Cooper knew they’d come. Somehow.

  They had their work cut out for them, to bring him down. Someone as wily and clever as he was… but at least they knew he had a weakness now. Erica. She was pregnant with his children and so he had to care about her. He was a good liar, that was for sure, but if they could find a way to get Erica to see what he really was…

  Maybe she already does, he thought grimly as he shifted slightly to the left, allowing Maura a better grip on him. And maybe that’s why she looked so frightened.

  ***

  The night had faded to dawn by the time they landed back at their camp. Stephen whistled and got a reply from Sly. Everybody else must be sleeping still. Maura dragged her hands through her hair. From the fact that Erica wasn’t with them, not to mention that look on Evan’s face, it was all too easy to see that Erica had refused to come to help them.

  “I hope you had better luck than us,” Evan snapped, pacing in agitation.

  “Unfortunately, no. Derek isn’t going to risk helping us. Not that I expected differently. They’re in a tricky situation, those people. I can’t blame them for taking care of themselves first.” Her shoulders slumped all the same. While they were coming up with plans and ideas of just how to bring Cooper down, it would be easier with allies.

  But no matter. The Blaze Ops had done some truly remarkable things. They’d been in tight situations before, and they would be able to get out of this one, too. It was only a matter of time. Cooper wasn’t indestructible, and they had more people than he did.

  Both dragons looked stressed, neither of them as optimistic as she was feeling. She smiled at them, reaching out to stop Evan’s pacing. “I know it doesn’t look good. I know it’s scary. But we are going to—”

  “Erica’s pregnant with Cooper’s babies,” Evan interrupted her. “She’s going to marry him. I didn’t think she even liked him! And now… God, I’ve been so stupid!” He shook his head, clearly disgusted with himself. Letting out a heavy sigh, he ran his hands through his hair so it stood up on end. “All this time I’ve been so worried about her. But he knew how I felt about her, didn’t he? Was this him saying he knows us too well for us to ever get the heads up on him?”

  Maura’s eyes widened as she realized what he meant. Cooper had been there? Her hands clenched as she turned to Stephen. So that was why they had left in such a hurry. She asked him with her eyes if he was hurt and he shook his head minutely—thank god for that, at least.

  “Even if it was, it doesn’t matter. He just told us that he can guess at our actions, so we have to be more clever. Act in ways that aren’t our normal patterns.” Stephen put a hand on Evan’s shoulder. “We are going to figure this out, Evan. He’s going to end up where he belongs.”

  Evan kicked at the dirt. “And what about Erica?”

  Maura floundered for a moment. She remembered how it felt when Stephen was gone from them. She glanced at Stephen and saw in his eyes that he was remembering when he thought that she and Evan had slept together. It had been almost laughable that he’d believed that—she thought fondly of Evan, like he was her little brother. But she understood how he had come to that conclusion and how much it hurt him.

  Now, Evan had someone he cared a great deal for who was not only sleeping with someone else, but it was their enemy. Maura didn’t believe that Erica had no feelings for Evan like she proclaimed, but it wasn’t her place to say that, either. If she’d told Evan no, then the answer was no.

  All the same, she didn’t want him to just wallow in this agony. So, she put an arm around his shoulders and gave him a little squeeze. “Erica is smart. Feelings can cloud your judgment, but I’m sure that she’ll figure it out in the end. But we can’t worry about her. As hard as it is to say it, we can’t protect someone who doesn’t want to listen.”

  At least, she guessed that was what had happened. She hoped that was what had happened. She hoped that Cooper hadn’t interrupted them before they’d had a chance to explain.

  To her relief, Evan nodded weakly. “She wasn’t very interested in hearing what was really going on.”

  Stephen patted his back. “She’s pregnant and engaged. If it was you, would you want to listen? But it might be better this way, Evan. She might be safer where she is. If she tried to leave Cooper while she’s pregnant with his children, he might take it as a personal insult.”

  Evan glanced up, shivered and nodded. “I hadn’t thought of that… But you’re right. She is smart. She knows how to protect herself.”

  “Exactly.” Maura gave him another squeeze before releasing him. “So, we have to concentrate on doing what we have to do. Time will tell what Erica really believes. But the Blaze Ops has a mission to complete. We are going to bring Cooper down. We are going to make things right. And we are going to make sure that nobody else gets hurt in this fight.”

  “You know,” Evan murmured, looking up at her, “when you say it, I can actually believe it. Thanks, Maura. I should go get some sleep. I’ll be useless like this.”

  Maura nodded. She watched him go, then let out a heavy sigh as he disappeared into the rock. “I wish I could do more,” she murmured.

  Stephen slipped his hand into hers, pulling her away from her own doubts. The warmth of his hand made her leopard settle cozily in her chest, purring at their close contact. Somehow, even without saying a word, he was able to make her feel better. A smile slowly worked over her face, and she squeezed his hand.

  “What?” she asked him, noting the glint in his eye.

  “I was just thinking… after these disappointments we might need something for stress relief.” He pulled on her, taking her away from the stone sanctuary. “I can assure you that Cooper’s not going to find us tonight. We made sure to take a lot of back ways and keep ourselves hidden.”

  “I noticed.”

  “So… how about it? Want to visit the Love Shack?” He winked at her, and Maura let out a laugh. It was exactly what she needed.

  Even though they hadn’t been here long, they had quickly discovered the need for couples to have private spaces. Or rather, Adam angrily declared that they had to have it, after he walked in on each and every one of them in the midst of making love because there weren’t enough warnings out for him to know what was going on. The poor guy had seen more than he cared to.

  Since there was no room in the carved-out rooms, they each chose a spot of the nearby forest and set up something to give them privacy. Everybody knew where each ‘love shack’ was, and they were strictly forbidden from visiting each other’s shacks. It was the only way they got privacy.

  Maura and Stephen rushed to their shack. By the time they got there, Maura was already putting aside thoughts of what was happening in favor of what she hoped would happen right now. The future, she knew, would not be easy, but she also knew nothing would be able to stop them. Certainly not Cooper. She wasn’t going to give up her now in exchange for worrying about what she couldn’t change.

  They crawled into their love shack, and she pushed Stephen onto his back, straddling him. “Alright. We need a distraction, so what sort of distraction shall we have? You said last time that you’d like to try it with me in charge.”

  Stephen gripped her hips, his eyes burning with passion. “I would. I want you on top, I want to see your breasts bounce as you ride me. I want—"

  “If I’m in charge, doesn’t it mean we do what I want?” Maura giggled as she ran her hands down his chest. “This sounds like you want to be in charge while I’m on top. Which is fine with me. I love it when you tell me what to do.”

  “Only when we make love, yo
u mean.”

  Maura shrugged. “Maybe.”

  Stephen settled back down. “Okay, then. Take off your clothes.”

  Maura heated from the inside out as she hastened to obey him. His hands roamed over her body, making it more difficult for her to complete the simple task of taking off her own clothes. Her fingers trembled with desire, so much pent-up emotion and energy inside of her that she found herself leaning against him, moaning, instead of doing as he asked.

  “You know exactly what you’re doing to me,” she gasped breathlessly as he smirked up at her.

  “Of course. That’s half the fun.” He winked at her as he cupped her breasts in his hands, roving his thumbs over her nipples, which stood erect under his touch. She rolled her hips, grinning when she felt that her nipples weren’t the only things standing erect.

  Soon enough, she had removed every article of clothing and tossed them aside. She leaned into him, squashing her breasts against his huge hands. He ground up against her, and her eyes slid shut. Her hair tumbled about her, and she shivered as his hands moved slowly down her form, cupping every curve.

  When she opened her eyes again and met his gaze, the look in his eyes nearly drove her over the edge.

  He let his hands fall to his sides. “Now undress me.”

  Maura took in a huge breath and held it as she undid the buttons on his shirt. Even though by this time they had made love dozens of times, she still grew breathless and eager every time she saw his skin being exposed to her. His muscles were so strong, so smooth, so perfect. His warmth seeped through her, pooling at her core. She wanted nothing more than for him to wrap himself around her, to take her places where nobody else could.

  Once she had obeyed that command, Stephen had her hold herself up so he could stroke her and himself at the same time; she wasn’t allowed to touch him and it drove her crazy, wanting to give him the same pleasure he was giving her. Her head fell back, and she was trembling as she braced herself against his chest.