Draven disappeared out of sight and there was silence for a moment. Then shouts rang out and the roar of fire filled the air. She could see it rising all around the library, more fire than she’d ever thought possible, and there was something off about it, something that seemed extra terrifying and took her breath away.
When the fire died down, she saw the men striding toward her.
Then the little wolf in her arms changed into a girl of four or five, looking up at her with curious eyes.
Melissa’s eye twitched as shock moved through her. Before the men could reach her, she fainted.
* * *
Draven watched Ran pace in agitation in front of the couch where they’d deposited their latest acquisition.
Apparently, despite their move to being quite civilized beasts, dragons were still all about the treasure.
And this woman was a treasure indeed. A beautiful, heart-shaped face. Warm brown skin with deep red lips. A short, generously proportioned body that begged to be warmed by two dragons. And so brave. And so stupid. Draven broke into a cold sweat just thinking about it.
But when Ran set his mind to something, he couldn’t be stopped. Having partnered with him for hundreds of years, he knew Ran almost better than he knew himself.
And when Ran got ideas about a female…
“We can’t keep her,” Draven said, threading a hand through his hair. “You know we can’t. You remember what happened last time.”
Ransom gave him an exasperated sigh, running his hand through his golden hair. “This is different. You saw her. She took on an entire pack of wolves!”
It was Draven’s turn to sigh. “Because she clearly didn’t know what she was getting herself into. She didn’t know they were shifters.”
“A pack of men, then,” Ran said softly, sitting beside her on the couch and reaching up with one hand to lightly stroke the hair off her face. “She’s a dragon-heart if I’ve ever seen one.”
Draven put a hand up to his face in frustration. “That’s just the point, Ransom,” he said, using his partner’s full name. “We don’t know if you’ve ever seen one.”
Ran just snorted and continued to stare at their new acquisition.
Draven put a hand on Ran’s shoulder, but he shrugged it off. Dragons rarely touched, but it was a surefire way to get a their attention. “I don’t want to see you hurt again,” he said to his friend. “I don’t want to see us get committed and…”
He trailed off as Ran growled and pushed off from the couch to pace the room again.
After they’d delivered the little wolf shifter girl back to her high-powered family, who was ecstatic she was unharmed, they’d sent a report to their commander and then come back here with the human female, keeping her out of sight the entire time.
The woman stirred slightly, murmuring something about cheese as she rolled and placed a hand over her head. She smacked her lips and made a slight chewing sound before grumbling and rolling onto her stomach with a little sigh.
He heard a small growl from her midsection and realized she was hungry.
Ran stepped forward. “She’s hungry. Ring for food.”
Draven nodded reluctantly and went to order takeout. They rarely left their huge New York loft located in one of the most expensive buildings in the city. After all, dragons didn’t collect treasure for nothing.
And with dragon blood being exceedingly valuable, they didn’t risk going out when they didn’t need to. Only the toughest jobs or the favors called in by the highest in command could bring them.
Though some of the lesser dragons could probably be summoned more easily.
But the black and gold dragon were a notoriously strong pair, known for taking care of some of the toughest cases and bringing down some of the most evil of rogue shifters and clans.
When the food was ordered, Draven sat on a chaise lounge and looked out over the cloudy, dreary city. He felt Ran’s presence behind him, though the other man’s approach was silent.
Despite being together for a long time, things had been silent between them. Ever since her.
What was there to say? They’d shared in that heartbreak, and Draven knew as much as he was protecting Ran, he was also protecting himself by distancing from the small woman sleeping fitfully on their couch.
“I want her,” Ran said simply, voice deep. “And you know I need your cooperation in this. It’s either we both take a mate or neither of us do.”
Draven knew that. Dragons had to work in partnerships to stay safe and to ensure no one came for their blood or struck in a vulnerable area. Dragons had powerful enemies, and even though one dragon could take on an entire pack of shifters, it was entirely possible even more could come at once. Thus, two dragons was widely considered the right number for no one to be able to trifle with.