The Dragon Hunters' Temptation Read online

  He made himself stay still.

  Jord put a hand up. “I know that this is difficult for you, but for the sake of good relations between humans and dragons—”

  “Fuck you and fuck your relations!” Carl screamed.

  He moved so quickly that Vindr had only launched himself at the human before a gun was in his hand, pressed to Jord’s chest. Vindr let out a strangled shout. A burst of fire seared the air to his right. Several cracks rang through the air, each one seeming to echo and ripple and bury themselves in Vindr’s chest. Pain spread through his body, tightly wound to him but distant.

  His fist connected with Carl’s face even as Bruce let out a strangled shout. The man went flying, impacting hard enough with the car that it was lifted off two of its wheels. Vindr heard the snap of bone, but he didn’t care. He turned on Bruce, whose gun was in his hand but not pointed at anybody. Some burning part of Vindr’s mind told him to snap the man’s neck. Hyrr caught Jord as he fell.

  “Vin,” Jord panted, blood bubbling from his lips.

  Wings burst from Hyrr’s back and he leapt into the air, Jord cradled in his arms. Bruce gave a startled shout and raised the gun. Vindr snatched it away from him, not caring that he snapped Bruce’s arm in the process. He shoved him back so he fell to the ground. The man stared up at him with terror written all over his pale face.

  There were few times when Vindr wanted to kill as badly as he did right now. When his parents had been killed. When he was betrayed by the people he thought he could trust. Now as he stared down at the puny being that thought he had the right to kill a dragon? His hands itched to be covered in blood.

  But Bruce hadn’t been the one to pull the trigger. Even if he had, he was now helpless before the dragon’s wrath. And there were the relations between Earth and Byrelmore to think about.

  Vindr wheeled about, pulling his dragon to the surface. Before the need for vengeance could rise any stronger in him, he beat his wings hard and flew off after the twin forms of Hyrr and Watn. Pain burned in his chest, echoes of Jord’s condition. His heart started to pound, accelerated from exertion and anxiety. Worries flowed through his mind and he clung to that bond to ensure he could feel Jord still alive as they flew hard.

  He caught up with the others quickly and took point as he led them to the site they had picked out previously in case of danger. The cave was protection against the elements, and they had stocked it with plenty of non-perishable foods and medical supplies, along with comforts like sleeping bags and air mattresses.

  Hyrr lowered Jord to the cave floor and grabbed a medical bag. Vindr crouched beside him, assessing the damage. Blood soaked his chest, and his face was pale. His eyes were open, though, and that was a good sign.

  “Watn,” Vindr ordered without looking up, “get a fire started and boil some water. Hyrr, I’m going to need bandages, scalpel, and tweezers to get the bullets out.”

  A choked sob made him look up. Hazel knelt on the ground, her hands pressed to her mouth. Jord opened his mouth, but Vindr shook his head.

  “Stay still. Damn bullets. He’s going to be fine,” he assured Hazel as he started to rip open Jord’s chest. The damage was bad, but they’d had worse. “I need you to help Watn, okay?”

  A moment’s silence, then Hazel let out another sob. But when Vindr glanced at her again, she was already gathering together wood for the fire. A surge of gratitude ran through him, then he focused on his job again. He had to get the bullets out so Jord could heal. That was the first thing to do… and right now, it was his only mission.

  Chapter Six

  Hazel

  There was so much blood. Hazel had seen violence before. She had seen bloody situations before. But the sheer amount of blood here, and watching Vindr perform surgery on Jord with only the basics of sterilization? It was too much for her. Watn, after the water was boiling, took her away from the cave and talked her through the dry heaves and sobs that threatened to asphyxiate her.

  When they returned to the cave, the surgery was done and Jord was resting. Hyrr, Vindr, and Watn cleaned up the blood and themselves, then blew up a few air mattresses and moved Jord to one, covering him with warm blankets. Hazel insisted on helping make supper, to make up for her embarrassing meltdown earlier. She thought that she was going to end up awake all night, but as soon as Vindr insisted that she lie down and rest, she was out.

  When she woke the next morning, she was feeling a little better. The murmur of voices reminded her why she was out here in the middle of nowhere rather than in the cabin… Whether Bruce and Carl had been planning something against her or if it had ended up just being some terrible mistake, she didn’t know.

  What she did know, though, was that she felt far safer with these four than she did with the humans assigned to her guard.

  Hazel rolled over on her air mattress, her gaze going to where Jord had been sleeping. To her surprise, the bed was empty. She sprang up, stumbling a little as the sleeping bag clung to her legs. “Jord!”

  “Here!”

  Her head whipped around. There he was, still looking pale, bandages swathed over his chest, but very much there. Relief poured through her as she raced to him. She threw her arms around his neck and without even thinking, kissed him soundly.

  Jord’s hands moved to her hips and he pulled her closer to him, his lips teasing hers open at once. Heat sparked through her body. Fire seemed to simmer under her skin as she pressed herself tighter to him. He grunted and Hazel remembered his wounds. She pulled away, eyes wide. Before she could ask, though, there came a series of cheers and whoops from around them.

  Heat rushed to her face. Hazel peeked over her shoulder to see the other three watching with grins on their faces, although Vindr’s wasn’t quite as large as either Hyrr or Watn’s.

  “Excited to see him alive, are you?” Hyrr teased. He gave something over the fire a stir before coming to kneel beside them. “We dragons are hardy.”

  Jord nodded. His hands were still clutching her hips, his fingers kneading her skin. There was a bright look in his eyes, a slight flush to his face. Hazel stared at him. She could almost taste the desire coming off of him, but she couldn’t help but think there was a bit of hesitancy there, too. Hyrr’s hand ran up her back and she shivered. She opened her mouth, intending to ask Jord if this was okay with him.

  He didn’t give her the chance. His mouth captured hers again with a slight moan. She wrapped herself tighter in his arms, trying to be careful of his wounds. The strength of his arms banded around her. His muscles tensed under her touch as she ran her hands lightly over his form. Hyrr started to kiss the back of her neck, making tingles run down her spine and she moaned.

  Then a third set of hands joined the first two. Watn traced the curve of her hips, then made his way around her stomach and to her breasts. Both of them seemed to swell under his attention as he ground himself against her ass. He was thick and hard and Hazel had to moan, imaging that length inside of her. Vindr was the last to join them, but he was no less passionate than the other three. He tilted her head his way and kissed her hard while Hyrr moved slightly to let Jord have access to her throat. Four sets of hands caressed her. Four sets of lips kissed her.

  She moved from one mouth to the next, hardly getting a breath in between them but she didn’t care. Heat seared through her body, a full-bodied desire that had her rocking her hips, grinding against Jord in time with Watn grinding against her. Hyrr rubbed himself against one of her legs. Vindr took her hand and guided it to his own sizable bulge in his trousers.

  And then a single word.

  “Wait.”

  Everything froze. They all looked to Jord, who had spoken. Hazel trembled, desire flooding her so thoroughly that she could hardly think. “Am I hurting you?”

  Jord let out a strangled laugh. “Quite the opposite. But we have to plan how to continue from here.”

  “Continue?” Did they have to choreograph who went where and did what?

  “The FBI is only going
to have Carl’s and Bruce’s word for what happened at the safe house,” Jord continued, and Hazel realized he wasn’t talking about their impending lovemaking at all. “We have to deal with what happened as well as move forward.”

  Vindr pulled slightly away. That seemed to be a trigger for the others. The warmth of their bodies pulled away, their hands left her body, and Hazel nearly groaned in disappointment and frustration. She nodded as she shakily climbed out of Jord’s lap, though—if they didn’t want this, or if even one of them would rather do something else, then they couldn’t do this. They had to all be not just willing but excited for it.

  That didn’t mean that she wasn’t disappointed, but she wasn’t going to press. Besides, it was important that they figure out their next plan of action. After all, they couldn’t just sit around and twiddle their thumbs… this incident could prove to have long-lasting, negative effects for Byrelmore.

  “First things first,” Jord said, “we need to get a report to Indulf. He has to know what happened. Whether or not it was a threat to Hazel, they were the ones who took the first shot.”

  Hazel shivered but nodded. “I have to contact my superiors, too. With my disappearance like that… We don’t know what Bruce and Carl are going to say.”

  Vindr flinched and looked away. “Or if Carl is even going to survive.”

  They all tensed and stared at him. Shame was written in his expression as he let out a shaky breath. At first, he didn’t look at any of them, but he did square his shoulders and meet Jord’s gaze. There was self-disgust and anger in his gaze. “After Carl shot you, I… I shoved him away. Harder than I intended. He hit the car really hard and I heard bones break. It’s entirely possible that the impact alone killed him. If it didn’t, then the internal injuries… spinal damage…”

  Watn grasped Vindr’s shoulder and squeezed it. “Any of us would have done the same.”

  “I am Jord’s second, I am supposed to have better control of myself than that.”

  Jord stared hard at him, but when he spoke, his voice was extremely gentle. “Any of us would have done the same thing. If Carl had shot you like that, I think I would have done more than just push him. You can’t blame yourself for that reaction. You said that you left Bruce intact?”

  “Broken arm.”

  “Very fixable. But regardless, we have to get to Indulf and Hazel’s superiors, so they know what really happened.” He started to shift position, meaning to stand. When he fell back, his expression pained, Hazel reached out to help him.

  “You’re in no shape to fly,” she told him.

  “We can—” he started.

  Vindr put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back. “No. You’re in no shape to be transported anywhere, either. You need rest. Lots of it. Those bullets did a lot of damage, and I probably made things worse by digging them out the way I did. For all we know, you might get an infection.”

  Jord gave him a disgusted look. “I haven’t gotten an infection since I was a child.”

  “But with all this time travel, the rules are different now. At least, we don’t know if they’re the same.” Vindr gave him a severe look. “You are staying here and resting.”

  Some tight worry in Hazel’s chest eased. She was certain that Jord was going to keep arguing. And he did, but the others ignored his protests. It was almost funny. She hadn’t thought that these men, with their hierarchy, would talk over their leader and yet they were. They were more like brothers than a military unit. They followed Jord because he was naturally the one they looked to, but they weren’t afraid to disregard him if the rest of them agreed on some other way of doing things.

  In the end, though, they kept squabbling about what their next course of action was going to be until Hazel put her hands up and called attention to herself.

  “The solution is simple,” she said. “One of you stays here with Jord to ensure that he rests and recovers. The other two fly me back to Byrelmore so we can tell Indulf what has happened and so I can contact my superiors.”

  The dragons glanced at each other. Eventually, they all started to nod.

  “I’ll stay with Jord,” Hyrr volunteered. “I’m strong enough to fly him out if it comes to that.”

  Vindr and Watn frowned, but apparently decided not to argue the implication that they weren’t strong enough. Jord scowled as he leaned back against the rock wall of the cave, but gave a tense nod. Hazel let out a soft sigh. Good. She didn’t want to have to worry about Jord’s condition along with everything else. The cave was well-stocked, and they should have no troubles keeping fed and warm while they waited for his recovery.

  “When we get to Byrelmore, we can send a mage back to heal you,” she added.

  Jord nodded, capturing her eyes. “And just so you know… I’m okay with you enjoying Watn and Vindr while we’re separated. Or rather, I’m okay with them enjoying you.”

  “Me, too,” Hyrr added, then winked. “So long as Jord and I have our own private audience once we’re back together.”

  Hazel bit her lip as heat swept through her body. The thought of tangling together with Vindr and Watn left her breathless, but there was something she didn’t like—the thought of leaving Jord and Hyrr behind. She wasn’t going to say no, afraid that they might think she was saying no to Vindr and Watn. But there had to be a way where half of them weren’t being left out…

  “So we’re decided?” she said, keeping her gaze on Jord. “That’s our next step? Is there anything else that needs to be done?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  She took a deep breath and scooted a little closer. Heat climbed up into her cheeks, but she straddled him again. It had been quite a while since she had taken initiative like this. “Then how about we pick up where we left off? Carl and Bruce would have gotten back already by now and we’re going to have to deal with their version of events anyway… I don’t like the idea of leaving you and Hyrr without…”

  She chewed on her lip uncertainly as she put her arms around Jord’s neck. She didn’t look at him, afraid she might see something she didn’t want to. Jord’s hands moved up her thighs. The other three remained where they were, still and watching. Waiting for her or him? Or both of them?

  “Well…” Jord’s voice was low and husky. “I suppose there is something to be said about taking a moment to enjoy ourselves before the shit hits the fan again…”

  Hazel took that as enough. She kissed him, her gaze flickering to his eyes. The desire she saw in them took her breath away. All doubts were swept away as she deepened the kiss.

  Chapter Seven

  Jord

  The sense of her body against his was maddening. She molded herself to him perfectly, a sense of rightness swelling between them. It wasn’t the only thing that swelled… Jord shuddered as she ground herself slowly against him. She sighed between their kisses, her breasts pressed against his chest. The others were slower to join them, though he could feel their desire burning through their bond. Waiting to find out if he was going to stop it again?

  As though he could. As though now that he had her in his arms he could ever let go of her again. Hazel’s sweet strawberry scent wrapped around him, pulling him deeper and deeper into her. He didn’t want this to end. He didn’t want the feel of her heat against him to ever go away. His arms tightened around her waist.

  When he thought of what might have happened, had they not been there? When he thought of Carl and Bruce coming after her, alone, or any of the FBI deciding that he wasn’t going to risk his life for a human who worked with dragons? It left his fires running cold.

  He couldn’t ever risk that again. And so, he pulled her closer, held her tighter. Hyrr started to kiss her again while Vindr’s hands roamed between Hazel and Jord’s bodies, finding the buttons on Hazel’s blouse to undo. Soon the shirt was removed entirely, and she was lifted off him a little so the others could remove her pants. She was left in her underwear, bared to them. She wore a pink, lacy bra and a pair of plain white panti
es that covered her whole ass. Jord traced the edges of the cotton and smiled at her.

  She smiled back, giggling. “Okay, but there is something else we have to talk about.”

  He arched a brow at her.

  “How it goes from here. I’ve never done this before…”

  Hyrr kissed her shoulders while Watn undid her bra. Her gaze remained locked on Jord, though. Deferring to him as the leader? Or just because their bodies were so pressed together?

  But she did have a good point.

  “We’ll take it easy,” he decided. “First Watn, then Hyrr, then Vindr. Would you like them to finish inside of you or pull out?”

  Hazel’s cheeks matched her red hair as she tangled her fingers in the curls at the base of her neck. “Um… well, pulling out isn’t exactly effective birth control. I’ve just finished my period, though, so chances of getting pregnant are pretty low… so inside. That will be better for all of us.”

  She peeked shyly at the others, who all nodded and grinned.

  Jord hardened at the thought of finishing inside of her. “Good. Then I will have the pleasure of getting you ready. Given my wounds, though, I don’t think it’s a good idea to do much more than that. I’ll have to be satisfied watching.”

  Hazel’s face fell. “But I want you to enjoy yourself, too.”

  He winked at her, though his body ached for more. “Don’t worry, I will. I just don’t want to reopen these wounds. Now. For the rest of it… you want them to ready themselves or would you like to suck them off too?”

  A shiver ran through Hazel’s body and the sweet scent of arousal began to fill the air. She started to grind herself against him again. “Um… I don’t know how to handle three guys at once.”

  “You won’t,” Hyrr put in. “At least not until we’ve built to that part. The most you’ll have is two at a time. One of us can be inside of you, while you help the second get ready. Would that be acceptable?”

  Hazel hid her face. For a moment Jord’s heart seized. They’d moved too fast. She wasn’t ready for this and it was going to scare her off. She wasn’t going to want anything to do with any of them—and it was his fault for not insisting that they go a little slower, that they give her time to get used to the idea.