Heartsridge Shifters: Owen (The Protectors Book 1) Read online

  A large hand covered mine, and I knew it was Michael’s without even looking up. “We want you to stay with us, Bree.”

  “I can’t.” I covered the crack in my voice with another swig of coffee. “How long have I got?” Please give me a little more time… I’d always known that I’d have to go back out there, but it had been nice while it lasted. Having a home, somewhere safe to lay my head, not looking behind me every goddamned second. I was so fucking tired of running.

  “Dammit, Bree!”

  I blinked up at Nita, who had jumped from her chair and looked like she was about to launch herself over the table at me. “How long?” I repeated through gritted teeth.

  Michael was the one to reply. “We’ve been given forty-eight hours to make our decision.”

  I sighed, already feeling the dream begin to slip away from me. “Because of these humans that are coming?”

  “Because it’s our law,” he corrected.

  I wrinkled my upper lip. “Their law, you mean.”

  “If you want to stay here, it’s our law.” With us, the silent words floated on the air.

  “I’ll think about it.” No point in burning bridges, not without giving this screwed up situation the benefit of my whole brain, which was—right now—running around screaming fire, fire! Get out of the building! Which was fucked up in itself, what with me being immune to fire and all.

  This time, Nita did launch herself over the table, scooping me up in her arms and pulling me into some kind of weird jig. Letting out a whoop that nearly deafened me, she gave me one last squeeze, then set me back down, backing away carefully and affecting an air of nonchalance. “I might miss you if you leave, that’s all.”

  Moving past her, I bumped her hip with mine. “Right back atcha, bitch,” I said with a smile that almost reached my eyes. Almost. First, I had to think of a way to keep my name off that register without having to go on the run.

  A gust of air slid beneath my wings, coaxing me higher until I drifted into the clouds, the moisture buffeting my scales and sliding down my tail in a wet caress. Flicking my tongue out, I gave myself up to the moment, reveling in the freedom that came from flying, the utter weightlessness that lifted my thoughts and sang through my heart every single time I soared through the skies.

  I couldn’t imagine being forever landlocked, resigned to race along the ground, cut off from the freedom of being able to swoop and dive, able to travel huge distances in the blink of an eye. My dragon shuddered at the thought, my scales rippling and dancing through the stream of air.

  Never again, she whined inside my head.

  Never, I vowed. Freedom was everything, especially to those of us who’d fought for it.

  Not that I was actually free to do all of those things right now, but at least here in Heartsridge, I could fly over the town and enjoy the illusion of a cage without bars. My sigh came out with a side order of flames, scorching the air and buffeting my hide with glorious heat.

  Angling my wings through the air currents, I glided lower, circling over the forest, a glimpse of fur weaving its way through the majestic trees catching my eye. Stalking my prey silently, I watched as the huge black wolf raced across the forest floor, powerful hind legs driving him faster and faster, until he broke free of the trees and into the waiting meadow.

  Does he know that you watch him? a masculine voice rumbled through my mind.

  Silently cursing my inattention, I glanced up at the silver scaled behemoth gliding along above me, his huge wings reaching almost twice as far as my own, scooping up the air in an almost effortless gesture that I envied. Not that I’d ever let the notion leave my lips; Dante already had the overinflated ego of a dragon down to a tee. I ignored the jibe, knowing it would piss him off faster than any witty comeback I could think of. What do you want, Old Man?

  He huffed, the crackling sound one of mild amusement. We need to talk, little dragonette.

  I shook my head, gliding away to the side so I could watch him without straining my neck. Nope.

  Hot breath once again heated my face, violet eyes glowing with some kind of emotion that I couldn’t put a name to. Insolent and rude, he muttered, the words obviously meant for my ears since they rang in my head.

  I knew what he was trying to do, crowding me with his body and forcing the air to churn beneath my wings, but I’d sparred with better dragons than him. Older. Bigger. More devious. Back the fuck off, Old Man. Arching my tail, I lashed out, connecting with his wing joint.

  He roared, talons curling and back arching.

  Rolling to the side, I dodged his wing, the clawed edge whistling through the space I’d just evacuated. What’s your problem? I hissed, slamming on the brakes and beating my wings, hovering in place. Sure, Dante was a pain in my ass, always hanging around and being a general busybody, but he’d never once tried to push me around. A jolt of shock ran through me as I realized that somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten that I wasn’t dealing with just any old dragon, but an alpha. Oh, fuck a bucket. When had I let down my guard?

  Gliding around me, he huffed, but didn’t come any closer. I said we need to talk.

  I could feel the tendrils of his power trying to wind their way around me, sliding off my scales and dissipating into the air as they failed to find a hold. I am not of your clan, dragon. Luckily, I managed to keep the trace of fear from my voice, locking it up and pushing it deep down inside. Rule number one: never show a predator fear. Multiply that by ten when facing a dragon, then by a million when facing an alpha.

  No, you’re not. His words were clipped. Pissed.

  But why? Is that what’s got your balls in a twist? Because I won’t cower before you?

  His jaws snapped out, teeth grazing the side of my neck. Not trying to hurt me; this was the equivalent of when a momma dragon reminded her young who was in charge. I don’t want you to cower.

  Oh. My mind whirled, then… Ewwwww! No way was I making dragon babies with him!

  His bark of laughter sounded like thunder in my ears, rumbling and never-ending.

  Oops. I winced. I hadn’t meant to send that thought over to him. Heat flushed my skin, darkening my turquoise scales to a mottled emerald green.

  A howl broke through my mortification.

  Your wolf has finally noticed us. Dante sounded mildly amused.

  He’s not my wolf, I shot back, risking a glance down. Yep, Owen had definitely noticed us, and if the look on his wolfy face was anything to go by, he wasn’t a happy camper.

  He wants to be…

  I snorted, sending a cloud of smoke spiraling through the air. Way to state the obvious. Yeah, the alpha wolf wanted a little taste of me, but that didn’t make him mine. Or make me his. You need to get laid.

  And you need to open your eyes.

  The smirk on his dragon face had me rolling my eyes, until they snagged on the place where the wolf had once been. In his place stood the man; tall and broad, his face tilted to the sky and hands on his hips. All at once, I both cursed and gave thanks for my dragon’s excellent eyesight, unable to stop myself from tracing every inch of muscled perfection, completely naked and laid out like a bounty waiting to be plucked. Yeah, everything was laid out for me to peruse.

  You’re drooling…

  Dante’s snark broke through the thrall, but not before I’d memorized every inch of Owen’s body, and I meant every inch.

  And? I tilted my wings up and down, the equivalent of a dragon shrug. He’s pretty to look at.

  A rude noise echoed inside my head. If you like that sort of thing.

  What? Attractive?

  His lip curled, and I couldn’t help myself.

  Devastatingly handsome?

  His lip curled higher, flashing a fang.

  I couldn’t resist; snark was written in my DNA. The kind of guy I’d like to take out for a ride and put away wet and wild?

  He made a strangled noise. I don’t think that’s quite how the saying goes.

  Whatever.

&nb
sp; Youngling, I think you’re the one who needs to get laid. His mental voice was filled with amusement, his southern drawl thickening and softening the abrupt formality he tended to stick with.

  For a brief moment I considered fibbing, but there was no point in denying it. I risked another glance at the hunk of naked male that was—yep—still making like a statue in the middle of the meadow. I could almost hear the growl from here, could certainly see it on his face, his expression like thunder. Wolf boy definitely wasn’t happy, but his displeasure wasn’t with me. His thunderous expression was firmly fixed on the Neanderthal of a dragon next to me. You might want to keep out of Owen’s way for a while, I suggested, barely keeping the smugness out of my voice. Okay, I failed, but, then again, I wasn’t really trying. This time the flush of heat that flooded me wasn’t from mortification, it was the kind that sank into my bones and warmed me from the inside out. The kind of feeling that enveloped you like a blanket, hugging you tight. Owen, for whatever reason, was in my corner. Even though I was a pain in his ass.

  And, weirdly, I kinda liked it.

  I find it amusing. Condescension dripped from Dante’s words.

  I’d find it amusing to watch him whoop your scaly ass. I scooted away from him, catching the air and letting it tug me far from the meadow. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Owen turned to watch my retreat, his eyes locking with mine for the briefest moment. Gold glinted at the edges, his wolf rising to the surface once more, then he turned away.

  Shame Dante didn’t get the same memo. Yep, still there. Like toilet paper stuck to your shoe.

  Tomorrow, you will come to me.

  Ah, crap. He was still harping on about that?

  If you want to continue hiding, you will be there. Sunset. Don’t keep me waiting.

  Before I could reply, he shot off, his huge wings beating the air into submission and tail flicking me the metaphorical finger.

  Asshole. He either didn’t hear me, or didn’t deign to answer. Heart thundering in my chest, I coasted down to land, shifting from dragon back to human in a shimmer of air that felt like working out a kink with a really good stretch. I’d seen other shifters change forms and, truthfully, it looked painful. Yet another reason to give thanks I was a dragon. Rumor had it we were more magical than some, because we were creatures of legend and myth. Other shifters talked about their beasts riding them, about control and becoming one with their inner animal. Personally, I thought that sounded like a load of mumbo jumbo mystical new age shit, but what did I know? I’d never had that problem. My dragon and I coexisted peacefully, we were the same person. Split personality sometimes? Sure. But it had never really felt like there were two people inside my body, and when we took to the sky, I was still … me. Just a better version.

  And, inside my own head, I had secretly named my dragon side Gertie. Which she hated, but also loved, because I thought it was funny. Which meant she did too.

  See? Same person, split personality, same great scoop of awesomeness.

  Shoving all thoughts of Dante to the back of my head to deal with tomorrow, I gathered up my clothes from where I’d stashed them behind a rock, and, after giving it half a second’s consideration, started the trek to Nita’s house. She was closer; it only made sense. And, being a night owl—sorry, lion—she’d still be awake. I knew it would only take a gentle nudge to convince her to crack open a bottle and have a drink with me. I could get up early tomorrow and make it back in time to cook breakfast for the pack, no problem.

  Decision made, I picked up my pace, already able to taste the sharp bite of vodka on my tongue.

  Best decision all round, since I was pretty sure that back at the packhouse waited a very pissed off, sexy as all get out, alpha wolf, and the mood I was in—partially due to the peep show he’d given me earlier—I had half a mind to say screw it all and wrestle him to the ground. Naked. Finally have my wicked way with him.

  So, yeah, this was the best decision all around.

  Chapter Four

  Briana

  I bolted upright, clutching at my head. Fire hot pokers skewered my eyes, drilling into my skull, and something had crawled into my mouth and died. Peeling my tongue from where it was firmly attached to the corner of my mouth, glued there by a patch of dried drool, I blinked, waiting for my vision to come back online. “What time is it?” I managed, my voice bouncing around inside my head like a roar.

  “Too early. Go back to sleep,” the covered mound next to me mumbled, a hand snaking out of the sheets and slapping at me.

  Finally able to see, I squinted at the extreme amount of sunlight streaming into the room. Nita’s house. Copious amounts of vodka. Girl talk. Drunken singing. More girl talk. Dissecting the males of this town in vivid, descriptive detail. More vodka.

  Wait. Did I have a … hangover?

  I slapped out at Nita, who I was now certain was the person hiding beneath the covers. Thank God. “What the hell did you give me last night?”

  Inching the cover lower to reveal the top part of her face, she squinted at me, obviously resenting the light just as much as I was. “Shifter moonshine.” She huffed, then winked at me. “Good stuff, right?”

  Already, the hangover was starting to fade, though not as fast as I would like. Shifter metabolism for the win. “Hell, yeah. Who? Where?” I made gimme motions with my hands.

  “The cats have been experimenting and they decided to share.” Translation: Nita either flirted it out of them or went all alpha lion on their asses. “If you decide to stay then you can have all the moonshine you want.”

  My gaze landed on her alarm clock and I bolted out of bed, sifting through the pile of clothes on the floor and yanking mine on. “Now you’re talking. Bribery, I like your style.”

  Rolling over, she peered up at me, her corkscrew curls springing out all over her head with a mind of their own. “You late for something?” At my blank eyed stare, her lips curved into a grin. “Or late for … someone? Like a certain smoldering, green-eyed, hot for you wolf?”

  Internally, I groaned, managing to keep a straight face. Oh, yeah, we’d totally done the girl talk. “I’m back in control of my senses today.”

  She stretched, looking very much like the cat she was. “Honey, I’d like him to be in control of all of my senses.”

  My snarl was unexpected. I bit it off, eyes widening as Nita let out a peal of laughter.

  My—

  “Don’t,” I muttered, hopping into one boot, then tugging on the other. I was talking to Nita and my dragon, who were both too much for me to handle with the hangover that had suddenly roared back to life. “Just … don’t.”

  “Have fun with your wolf,” she called, rolling back over with a little wave.

  The kitchen was silent when I snuck through the door. Work surfaces polished and not a crumb or dirty pan in sight. The smell of bacon and eggs hung in the air, a faint tang of grease clinging to the edges. My stomach rumbled, my hangover demanding sustenance.

  “You missed breakfast.”

  I almost tripped over my feet and head-butted the pantry door. Swinging around, I spied Owen lounging once again in the doorway, his arms folded over his chest, causing his muscles to bulge and strain the tight t-shirt he wore, an eyebrow arched in my direction.

  I considered bricking that doorway up. That would teach him. Leaning a hip against the counter, I pushed a hand through my hair, wincing as my fingers snagged on more than a few tangles. “Looks like you managed fine without me.” No way was I saying sorry, especially not with the look he was giving me. It was all disappointed and dominant, all rolled up into one big bundle of not my problem.

  “It’s your job.”

  “I’d better get started on lunch, then.” Ignoring him, I yanked open the pantry, scanning the shelves but not really seeing them. Behind me, silence strained the air, but no footsteps indicating he was leaving. Couldn’t a girl catch a break around here? I’d taken one night to have a mini freak out, and now I was getting my ass reamed.
I took a deep breath, readying myself for even more censure, realizing my mistake immediately. The scent of wolf flooded my senses, carrying with it Owen’s particular brand of sensual torture. Leather with a zing of lime. Fresh with a hidden warmth, it always threatened to bring me to my knees.

  It also meant he was close. Really close.

  I heard him inhale, the ghostly fingertips of his breath teasing wisps of hair at my nape. Heat from his body seeped along my spine, sending tingles racing along my arms and up into my cheeks as my blood rushed and pooled beneath the surface.

  I could turn and face him, align my body with his, fit my curves to all his hard places. My fingers dug into the door. Steal a kiss. Then another. Learn his taste. Savor it. Damn, it had to be the dry spell I’d been having.

  “You were with Nita.” His words were a low rumble, adding to the sensations that washed over me, muddling my head.

  Then his words filtered through.

  Or, rather, what he wasn’t saying.

  “Who did you think I was with?”

  His silence told me everything I needed to know.

  Who did he think he was? Checking up on me! “You’re not my keeper, wolf.” Like he had any say in what I could or couldn’t do. Or who, for that matter.

  My elbow flew back without giving him a chance to try and talk his way out of things, bouncing off his firm stomach and earning a small grunt. Probably of surprise, because the man had steel for abs, that’s for sure.

  Resisting the urge to rub my poor elbow, I spun around and gave him my best glare. One that should have him withering in his boots. “You don’t own me.” No one does.

  At least he had the decency to wince, but he didn’t back away. Didn’t move an inch. Just continued to stare at me, as if trying to see inside my head.

  Yeah, good luck with that, sucker!

  I don’t know what warned me, if it was something in his eyes, a twitch of a muscle, or some kind of sixth sense, but my hand flew up stopping him in his tracks.