Dead Sexy Dragon(2)

Stig had to get away from her. His questions could wait until the morning and the safety of the sun.

“I’m sorry I was so short with you just now. I have a horrible headache. I…I need to lie down.” Stig gestured around him. “The guest bedroom is the first room on the left at the top of the stairs. The bathroom is the room on the right. Make yourself at home. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Oh.” Cora was clearly confused by his abruptness. “All right.”

Stig nodded and headed out of the living room. He paused in the doorway and glanced over his shoulder. “Cora?”

“Yes?”

“There’s a door in the kitchen. It leads down to the cellar. I’d appreciate it if you’d leave it alone. I’m having an issue with infestation.”

Cora’s eyes widened. “Infestation?”

He shrugged. “The house is so close to the woods. It was bound to happen sooner or later.” He held her gaze. “You’ll keep out?”

Cora nodded dutifully. “Of course.”

“Thank you.” A painful quiver of blazing heat pierced his abdomen. He needed to get downstairs—fast.

“I’ll go ahead and get the rest of my things.” She started toward the front door. “Go get some sleep. I’ll be fine tonight. We can talk in the morning.”

Stig sensed the shift in her emotions. She’d arrived distraught and afraid and now seemed calmed. That the simple act of stepping into his home gave her such a sense of security tugged at his heart. Suddenly, he remembered why he’d made that offer to her at Hector’s funeral. Even then he’d been drawn to her, had wanted to gather her close to his chest and caress her silky black hair.

But those feelings were wrong then and were still wrong now. There was an unspoken code among friends. As Hector’s baby sister, Cora was off-limits.

“Good night, Cora.”

“Night, Stig.”

He didn’t linger but took advantage of her short trip outside to rush into the kitchen. He made sure to lock the basement door behind him before running down the stairs. His bones ached and muscles burned as his inner beast struggled for freedom.

Slowly his eyes adjusted to the darkness. His night vision allowed him to move swiftly and safely down the corridor. With each descending footstep, the temperature dropped and the musty dankness grew stronger. The stairs ended on a wet slab of stone blocked by a heavy steel door. He punched in the code and yanked open the door that led into a stunningly beautiful cavern.

Decades earlier, he’d discovered the secluded cave during a solo spelunking trip. Building a house over what he intended as his subterranean lair only made sense. The layers of rock and dirt filtered his enhanced scent, cloaking him from those who would do him harm. It provided a secure place for him to hide out during these episodes of uncontrollable animalistic lust and blood thirst that plagued him every three years. Until he found a mate, a proper non-human mate, Stig wouldn’t be able to shake his mating heat.

He ducked beneath a tricky little stalactite he hadn’t had the heart to rip down while outfitting the cavern for his needs. There was no time to dally tonight. Stig quickly undressed. He walked over to the far wall and grabbed the titanium chains. They rattled in his trembling hands as he secured them around his ankles and wrists. The time-activated lock beeped and began the countdown to sunrise and safety.

Secure in his bonds, Stig relaxed his shoulders and welcomed the change. Scaly green patches transformed his tanned skin. The bones of his face elongated into a kind of snout. His short nails lengthened and sharpened into acid-green talons. Stig groaned in pain as his back snapped and realigned itself into a curved shape. With a rending of skin and a scream from his throat, pterodactyl-like wings sprouted from his back, the black reptilian membrane wet and stretched thin between the joints.

And just like that, his inner dragon was free. The primal urges of his beast suppressed Stig’s humanity. For now, he could only think with the primitive parts of his brain. Hunt. Food. Sex. Sleep. Those were his strongest desires.

He jerked at his bonds, desperate for freedom and yearning for a taste of the young woman whose tantalizing smell still teased him despite the depths he’d descended. His mouth watered and his erection twitched at the vision of parting her thighs and lapping at her honeyed sex. He could just imagine the sensation of tight, wet heat that would envelope his cock if he thrust deep inside her.

Burning up with lust, Stig shuddered and pressed back against the cool stone. He didn’t dare look at the blinking hours and seconds on the locks. Thankful for the strength of his chains, he closed his eyes and tried unsuccessfully to subjugate his dragon’s needs.