Dragon's Pride (Dragon Blaze Ops Book 3) Read online

  Eugene stepped forward. Clementine opened her mouth to scream at him some more, but to her surprise, he wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her tight against his chest and all the anger fled. She broke into sobs again, clinging to him the best she could with these chains binding her.

  She didn’t care if this was only going to be a brief moment. Right now, he was holding her and that was good enough.

  “I’m not going to let that happen,” Eugene whispered. “I don’t know if I believe you or not, but I am not going to let you die, Clementine. I promise. I am going to get to the bottom of this myself. It’s what I should have done from the start, instead of leaving it to others. Not that I don’t trust Patrick, but I need to see for myself.”

  Clementine buried her face in his shoulder. It wasn’t much, but a blossom of hope opened in his chest. Not much was good enough.

  “That’s all I wanted,” Clementine whispered back thickly.

  She breathed in his scent, leveling herself with the strength of his arms. It didn’t undo all the emotional turmoil she had been feeling but it at least helped some. It cleared her head enough that she felt the throbbing in her throat from crying so hard, the dryness of her eyes. She didn’t want to let go of him to retrieve the water bottle, though.

  All too soon, Eugene pulled himself free from her grasp. He withdrew the key from his pocket and unlocked her chains, tossing them to one side once she was free.

  Clementine rubbed her wrists, peering at him in confusion.

  “This doesn’t mean I believe you,” Eugene warned. “But I don’t think you’re going to try to run off. Besides, your mountain lion will be coming back soon enough. The blockers have to be close to wearing off entirely.”

  There was no point in lying, so Clementine nodded.

  “Well, then. Keeping you chained wouldn’t do much good anyway. Besides, the Blaze Ops are going to be here soon enough. And then we’ll figure out what to do from here. I’ll be able to talk to them about what happened and get some perspective.”

  Clementine flinched but nodded again. It was a good thing that the Blaze Ops was coming. She knew that Liam had gotten into a lot of trouble trying to deal with things on his own, and she didn’t want that for Eugene. Even though it meant there were more people she’d have to convince to give her a shot, it also meant that there would be more people on guard, too.

  “At least they’ll be able to tell me if I’m going crazy just because I still want you,” Eugene grumbled, then stiffened. The light flashed over his face, showing wide eyes, a slack jaw and panic everywhere.

  Clementine felt like the air had disappeared from around her. She didn’t even want to think as her heart leapt with joy. He wanted her still. After all this time, after everything that had come between them. Did he feel the same burning toward her as she felt toward him right now? She moved closer, wanting to wrap herself in his arms.

  But she couldn’t make herself do it. Because whether or not he meant to say what he said, there were still fifteen years between them.

  “If you still want me,” she breathed, “then why did you leave me fifteen years ago? All I said was I wasn’t ready to be a teenage bride and you left.”

  Right now, it didn’t matter what reasons he’d come up with. That wound was open in her chest once more, bleeding painfully, and she needed to hear it from his lips. Needed to know.

  “You didn’t want to marry because it would hold you back.”

  “I didn’t want to marry right then because I was fourteen. I wanted to marry you, Eugene, but at the right time. The right place. And you just left. You threw away everything that was between us because I said not yet.” She drew back from him again, shaking her head. “And then when you showed up at the Academy… it was like no time had passed. And you were asking me to dinner or saying that you wanted to spend time with me without an explanation or apology. You hurt me, Eugene. You hurt me terribly. Do you even understand that?”

  Eugene swallowed. “I… didn’t mean to hurt you. I know leaving like I did was wrong, but after I’d done it… it felt like I couldn’t take it back. I didn’t know what to do… didn’t think you could ever forgive me…”

  Clementine stared into the glittering of his eyes and knew. Without even thinking, she knew. She could forgive him. She just had to make that first leap.

  And so, she did, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pressed herself to her toes and captured his mouth with hers.

  Chapter Six

  It was a kiss that contained the promise of a thousand more kisses. Eugene drank in her taste, reveling in the half-forgotten memories that seemed from a lifetime ago, rather than fifteen years. Clementine's curvy body fit against him snugly, perfectly, the way he knew it would. Everything fled his mind as his fires burned hotter. All he knew was that she was in his arms and he wanted so much more.

  He broke the kiss only because he needed to taste the rest of her. She shivered as he buried his face into her neck, the way she always did. He nipped at her throat, smiling, pleased that he had remembered that detail about her. Clementine moaned, her hands running up and down his back.

  Here, in the darkness, in this stuffy basement, wasn’t the right place, though. Leaving the flashlight where it was, he lifted her. Her thick thighs wrapped around his waist, and Eugene adjusted his hold to make sure he wasn’t going to drop her. Clementine let out a gasp of protest.

  “I’m too heavy,” she said.

  Eugene chuckled as he carried her toward the stairs. “That’s what you always used to say, but it isn’t any truer now than it was fifteen years ago.”

  “I gained a lot of weight in the last fifteen years.”

  “And I gained a lot of muscle.”

  Clementine hummed but, seeing as his hold was secure, went back to kissing him. Eugene carried her up the stairs, into the slightly better lit ground floor. There, he’d already beaten the dust out of the air mattress and sleeping bag that was provided for emergencies. They smelled of mothballs, which wasn’t pleasant, but when he buried his face into Clementine’s neck again all he smelled was her.

  He laid her down and let his hands drift over her form as she tugged his sweater up. Her greedy hands explored his abdomen, and he hardened as they drifted lower.

  The orange of her jumpsuit reminded him of why they were here and what was happening. He pulled back, one hand on the top of the zipper as he looked down at her.

  His brows pinched together as Clementine froze as well. They stared at one another, both knowing what was going through the other’s mind. Could he really do this if he didn’t believe she was innocent?

  Did she even want him to, if he thought she was guilty?

  Would it change anything? Or just provide a little bit of distraction before everything went to hell?

  “Fifteen years ago,” Clementine murmured, “we said we weren’t going to have sex until we were older. Until we were both ready and the timing was right.”

  Eugene swallowed. “Yeah. We did.”

  She took a deep breath and tugged his sweater off, then reached for his belt. “This might be our only chance.”

  Eugene hesitated only a moment longer because what she said was true. If he didn’t take this opportunity to set aside his doubts, his fears, then he never would be able to hold her again. He fell back on her, kissing her fiercely as he gently undid the jumpsuit. He removed it, letting his hands roam over her soft, warm skin. Their kisses grew more feverish, more impassioned.

  Everything tightened in him as she took him in her hand. Her touch was light, careful, and Eugene moved her thigh up against his hip, ripping her underwear out of the way. He found her clit with his fingers, exploring lightly, to see how much pressure she could take. She gasped, her back arching, a cry bursting from her throat.

  Their tongues danced as they moaned into each other’s mouths. Eugene drank in her taste, her scent, memorizing everything he could in this moment. It was never going to be enough, he knew that as his fires we
nt wild. Forever would never be enough. But he needed this. Needed to have her, needed to feel their bodies merging.

  He made sure she was slick, open and ready, before he entered her. Both of them cried out together. Eugene rested his forehead on hers, his hands digging into her hair while her nails scraped down his back. He’d never felt anything so right, so perfect, as what he felt in this moment. He started to rock, double-checking that she was ready before he started to thrust.

  “Oh,” Clementine gasped, holding him. “Eugene… Eugene…”

  He couldn’t find his own voice to reply and so kissed her. He tried to pour all his lust and love into that kiss, wanting her to know what he felt, what he wanted. The mattress squeaked beneath them, the only noise besides their breathing, the sound of their bodies joining. Clementine’s grasp became tighter, scratching deeply into his flesh as she thrust her hips up, matching his rhythm.

  She couldn’t be guilty. Not when this felt so right. So perfect. This is what he’d been longing for… for too long to just give her up now. She was his mate. His mate could not be a traitor to everything they both held dear…

  He climaxed first, collapsing against her as everything tightened and exploded. Vaguely, only half-aware of what he was doing, he found her clit and finished her, too. They lay there, panting, coated in sweat and clinging to each other.

  Eugene combed his fingers through Clementine’s hair, letting out a heavy sigh. “Why couldn’t we just stay here forever? Pretend like this is the start of time and nothing came before it?”

  Clementine sighed as she touched his lips. “If you could just forget about the accusations against me and pretend like it doesn’t matter if you think I did it… then you aren’t the man that I… used to know.”

  The hesitation made Eugene pause. Had she been about to say something else?

  But she was right. It wasn’t like he could just pretend that she hadn’t been accused of treason. Even if, somehow, they managed to take off together somewhere and try for a new start, he knew it would haunt him. He couldn’t just forget about something like this. He had to get to the bottom of it, one way or the other.

  He sighed as he pulled back, exiting her with a heavy feeling in his heart. “Then I guess we need to—”

  There was a sound outside the door. Voices. The Blaze Ops. His eyes widened and he shared a panicked look with Clementine. Both of them dove for their clothes. He’d just managed to put on his pants when Clementine fell over, knocking him over as she shoved her leg into the jumpsuit. Eugene turned and helped her rapidly.

  They’d just covered her, her bra hanging out of one sleeve, when the door opened. Sergeant Major Adam Hoffman walked in. He stopped dead in his tracks as Eugene cursed and grabbed his sweater. Of course, the Blaze Ops were going to arrive right now—hadn’t he known they were going to get here soon?

  But the truth was, he’d forgotten there were any deadlines on anything. Forgotten that there was a time when it was just him and Clementine here, alone, was going to come to an end.

  Adam turned and stalked back out. “Oh, come on!” he shouted.

  Other voices asked him what was wrong, and he gave a noise of fury. Eugene tugged his sweater on and shared a worried look with Clementine. Her face was pale in the darkness, and she pressed both her hands to her mouth. Eugene flinched. He knew what the guys were going to say about his involvement in this, but after making love to Clementine, they were going to doubt her validity even more. At least, doubt his judgment in the situation.

  Was he going to be able to get them to listen now?

  Liam and Stephen entered the cabin. Even though Eugene couldn’t make out their expressions that well, the disappointment and anger radiating off of them was palpable.

  “I should go back downstairs,” Clementine murmured, snatching up her ripped underwear and balling it in her fist. “Unless you have another blocker to inject me with?”

  “Stephen,” Liam ordered. He had his Captain’s voice on and Eugene grimaced.

  Would the Captain go easy on him because it hadn’t been that long when he, too, had done some pretty stupid things for the sake of his mate? Eugene doubted it. The situation had been similar but too different to really compare. Reminding Liam of that would only serve to make him angrier. As Stephen herded Clementine down the stairs to give her the shot, the lights flickered on. Adam and Evan must have turned on the generator.

  “Is Colonel Sheen coming?” Eugene kept his voice even as he smoothed out his clothes and stood.

  “He thought we could handle this. Clearly, we didn’t take into consideration how stupid you were going to be.” Liam glared at him. “So what was the next step, Major? Letting her go?”

  “No. I wouldn’t do that.”

  “But you’ll sleep with a prisoner?”

  The tone brought Eugene’s hackles up. Despite himself, he spat out, “Utopia was technically a prisoner when you first slept with her and you didn’t even know that you were mates yet. Clementine is my mate, and this could very well be the only time I ever got to—”

  He cut off as the door opened and Adam and Evan came in. Adam glared at him, his cheeks pink, before shaking his head and stalking to the kitchen space. Evan ducked his head, not looking at any of them. Eugene took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Losing his temper wasn’t going to help anybody. He had to stay in control.

  “It was probably a mistake,” he owned up, though it grated to say it. So what if they were caught? This was perhaps their only chance to be together ever again. Any of them would have done the same thing. It wasn’t a mistake. It was what Liam wanted to hear, though. “But she is my mate, don’t I deserve some closure?”

  “Do you think that’s going to give you closure?” Liam spat.

  Stephen exited the stairs to the basement and locked the door. He leaned against it and chuckled. “What is it about having mates that make men go stupid, eh?”

  Eugene glared at him before turning back to Liam. “Look, I know that it’s against the rules, and I took a risk by letting her up here. But you weren’t there. I am more than mostly convinced that Clementine is innocent, and someone set her up.”

  Adam snorted, but Liam held up a hand, stopping him. “Mostly convinced? Not completely?”

  “No,” Eugene admitted. His shoulders slumped. He didn’t break eye contact, though. “Because I know that with our history, with her being my mate and with me being… me, I can’t completely trust my judgment in this matter. That’s why I wanted you guys to get here fast. What took you so long, anyway?”

  “Things,” Liam answered vaguely. His arms dropped to his sides, his muscular frame relaxing. “And I’m glad to know that you recognize that you can’t trust your judgment. Because of that, I’m going to give you the chance to present your doubts to the team. But you also have to remember the evidence against her, Eugene.”

  Evan cleared his throat. “I never actually believed she was the traitor. If there is any evidence that she isn’t, I want to know about it.”

  “Just because you don’t want something to be true doesn’t mean it’s a lie,” Stephen grumbled but gestured at Eugene. “Go ahead, though. Let’s hear what you’ve got to say.”

  Chapter Seven

  Losing her mountain lion for a second time was pure torture. She scrambled to hold onto it, even though she knew it was no use. With it gone, with Eugene out of her reach, all her fears came back and she huddled on the hard cot, wishing that she had been able to somehow convince Eugene to just take off. Living a life on the run with him would be better than a life without him.

  And any life would be better than no life at all.

  Clementine didn’t know how much time passed in the darkness before the door opened. The light flicked on, making her blink as her eyes watered. Five of the six members of the Blaze Ops came down the stairs. Since she hadn’t seen Patrick Sheen before, she was surprised to see him leading the way, Liam behind him and the others trailing after.

  She clenc
hed her hands on her knees. Patrick had been the one who found the evidence against her in the first place. It had crossed her mind, once, that he might have faked it but the only person more unbelievable than Colonel Sheen would be Eugene. Clementine would believe that she herself was the traitor before believing it of Patrick.

  With a sinking heart, she noted that Eugene wasn’t present. Which was understandable but staring into the faces that were once her friends and seeing only suspicion… well, she could have used a little backup right now.

  “Major Coleman tells us that the Pack was trying to kill you when he intervened,” the Colonel said, his expression carefully neutral. “It follows with what Cooper reported when he and his men returned to the Academy.”

  Relief washed over Clementine. “Did we lose anybody?”

  “We?” Patrick rose a brow as he folded his arms.

  Clementine flinched.

  “No. Cooper was pretty badly hurt, but nobody was killed, thank god. I must admit, the theatrics of the wolves sent to execute you gives me pause. The Major has brought forward the theory that it’s because you’re a patsy and the Pack wanted to stop any possibility of anybody believing you.”

  Here, Evan shuffled on the spot and let out a sigh. Clementine glanced at him but couldn’t figure out what the expression on his face was.

  Patrick cocked his head, his brow furrowing. “Do you have anybody else to offer up if you’re not the traitor?”

  Clementine shook her head. “I don’t know anybody who would do this. Certainly nobody in the hospital staff.”

  “So, you’re going to throw out the accusation with nothing to back it up?”

  “I don’t have anything to back it up.” Clementine’s heart sank even further. During the initial discussions over the events that would later get her arrested, Clementine hadn’t even considered she might be framed. It had taken so long to sink in that it wasn’t some terrible accident that was going to be smoothed over that she hadn’t brought up this possibility with Patrick before now. “I can’t point fingers at anybody because I honestly can’t think of anybody who would do this. But it has to be a frame job because I didn’t betray the Academy.”