A Tiger's Destiny (Tiger Protectors Book 3) (20 page)

It stopped her in her tracks for a moment, making her hesitate in following them to the elevator.

But there was no turning back now. They’d been on an unstoppable collision course ever since the night she’d met them by plunging impetuously into their job. All that was left was to go the end of the line and see where it took them.

They rode the elevator to the top of the building, just a couple floors up, and then walked out on a wide cement roof that overlooked the city. The wind blew blustery and cool, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Draven slipped his jacket off and onto her shoulders. It hung on her, far too huge, and she turned to him with wide eyes.

“Don’t you need it?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “I’m going to be in my dragon form.”

Her heart sped up. She’d been waiting to see it.

“Ran, you’ll need to help her. She won’t be able to see it until we get out of the city.”

Ran nodded and put an arm around her as the wind picked up, gusting even harder.

The next second, Draven was gone, and Melissa shuddered deeply at the impression she was at the foot of something enormous and powerful. Something she couldn’t see, but could sense as the hairs on the back of her neck and arms stood on end.

Ran kept his arm around her and guided her slowly forward, though she could feel herself resisting.

“It’s okay,” he said. “There’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of when it comes to Dray’s dragon.” He muttered something under his breath that sounded like
unlike mine
.

Melissa reached in front of her and gasped when she felt something so smooth, so cool, it was like touching solid water or liquid metal. Her hands felt along it, touching what had to be scales. But it was a more wonderful feeling than she’d ever imagined.

“Dragon,” she said quietly.

There was no sound, just a change in the air, like Draven had been moving his head. She looked in front of her at the lightly shimmering air and wondered how huge he was. She could sense something invisible there, almost like it was something perfectly camouflaged with the air in front of her.

It made it hard to breathe.

“So do I get on top of him?” she asked.

She heard a loud snort that seemed to thunder through her, shaking the air around them, and took a startled step back. As usual, though, Ran was there to support her and keep her moving forward.

Ran let out a laugh. “No. Not on him.”

She gave him a wary look. They were two opposite forces—Ran always pushing everything forward and Draven always pushing back with everything he had.

And her in the middle, just wondering how she could fit into all of this and somehow make their lives better.

Because the last few days had been better than the rest of her life. She couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to live this way forever.

“What do I do, then?” she asked.

“Put your hands up,” Ran said. “Straight up.”

“Wait,” she said, looking at him. “What about you?”

His expression turned thoughtful, somewhat sad. “I’ll be following right behind. In my dragon form.” He folded his arms, looking pensive. “Dray’s right. It’s time to show you everything.”

She felt her heart beat one painfully hard thump in her chest. She put a hand to it, not knowing why.

Then Ran reached for her and put both her hands above her head.

“Wait, I’m not—”

“Dray, she’s ready.”

Before she could protest, a huge force wrapped her waist, sweeping her off her feet and into the air. She nearly shrieked as she saw the ground below her and looked down as she flailed to see her entire torso had disappeared and she was hanging suspended in something hard and cold that felt suspiciously like giant talons.

She looked back down and saw Ran standing on the top of the building, looking out.

She blinked and he was gone.

Then she heard a swooshing in the air and could feel he was behind them. Something huge, maybe even bigger than Draven.

A part of her had always wondered if perhaps he was weaker than Draven and that’s why Draven seemed overprotective and worried.

But the presence behind her sent chills down her spine. Something ominous. Something dangerous. Nothing like the calm she’d felt with Quill or the safety she’d felt from Draven.

No, what she felt from Ran seemed like pure, utter destruction.

But she forced herself to take a deep breath and look around her, enjoying the sheer magic of the moment. She was flying, something she’d always dreamed of as a kid. The ground looked tiny below, the clouds were getting closer, and as they went up and up, she found herself engulfed in misty white.

She blinked and looked forward. It was hard to keep her eyes open, but it was exhilarating. Just as it had been the first night she’d been with them.

Exciting. Dangerous. Something few people in the world would ever get to experience. Her heart soared within her.

Then she heard a roar from behind her. Followed by a screech that sent chills through her body. The talons around her tightened, and they dipped in height.

After another few horrible noises, she realized the dragons were talking to one other. She reached for her ears, wondering why they didn’t just use their minds.

Maybe there were some downsides to dragons after all. Then again, she’d known some men who made pretty annoying noises as well.

And they didn’t come with multiple orgasms and unbelievably beautiful bodies.

As they dropped, the clouds passed, and Melissa could see beautiful green farmland and rolling hills stretching out in front of them.

As the ground grew closer, she realized just how fast they were going. Suddenly, she felt like a plane about to land without wheels. She tucked into a ball but felt air swoosh around her in a puff as she felt the world stop moving. Then she was dropped unceremoniously to the ground, just a few inches away, and then she felt a massive thumping just ahead of her. The sound of something huge landing.

And then another thump. Something else on the ground. Something even bigger.

She crawled back on her hands, looking up in the direction of the noises, and she saw the air shimmer in front of her.

Then, in a matter of seconds, scale by shimmering scale, she saw a golden dragon appear. As tall as a house, long and lean and standing on all fours, long neck arched regally up to peer down at her. The whole thing looked dipped in the finest gold, gleaming in the light, and she caught her breath at it’s beauty.

The eyes in the intelligent, reptilian face were a blazing red, like the center of a fire.

The expression as it peered down at her was haughty and reserved. Very much Draven.

She let out a huge breath as she watched him and then felt a chill wave over her as she saw something else changing out of the corner of her eye.

She looked over, almost against something in her that was begging her not to, and saw a dark shape materializing against the sky.

Much taller than Draven. Much more terrifying. Its body was black but shone with the colors of an oil slick. Its feet had disproportionately large claws, and the twisted monster looked terrifying rather than regal. The reptilian eyes flashed at her, a noxious shade of green. And the sound it made as it breathed, slightly raspy, set her on edge.

The air seemed changed, almost as if breathing it made her slightly nauseated. And she almost felt like she could see something green leaking out from the scales.

The whole picture just looked evil.

The longer she stared, the more she couldn’t see anything of Ran inside that creature.

But then he changed, and where the dragon had been, there was nothing. No, as the smoke cleared, there was a man, jerking on the ground in what appeared to be a seizure.

S
he ran forward
and heard a poof beside her and then footsteps. Draven was running too. Somehow, he was still clothed, as was Ran. When he saw her shock, he shook his head.

“Our change isn’t purely physical. It’s hard to explain. I don’t have time.”

He knelt over Ran, and she put a hand over her mouth as she watched Ran’s beautiful features twist in agony.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, heart beating hard against her ribcage.

“Stay back,” Draven said. “It’s not safe.”

“I want to help,” she said, her heart pounding in her chest.

As Ran shook on the ground, a thought shot through her with expert clarity. She loved him.

She loved both of them. As she saw Draven kneel over Ran, a glowing shield came up around them. It was transparent gold, like gold dust sprinkled liberally over a glass dome, and she could see Ran start to calm.

What had happened? She could see little green particles in the air around him, slowly dispersing as his body calmed. His face was pale, his body limp. As Draven’s shield fell, Ran’s eyes slowly opened. His mouth was ajar, and he looked at her with slightly lost eyes.

She wanted to go to him.

If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t be here. He’d saved her life that night, he and Draven.

She didn’t care that his dragon was frightening or made the air hard to breathe. She just wanted to know what she could do to help.

He beckoned her forward and she came, ignoring the dark look on Draven’s face.

“Did you see?” Ran asked, reaching a hand limply toward her and then resting it on his own knee.

“I did,” she said, kneeling in front of him and putting a hand to his face. It felt burning hot, like a particularly bad fever. “What happened?”

He shook his head. “My dragon. Poison fire. Poison blood. Hard to contain. The longer I stay in the form…”

She frowned, drawing her brows together. “You shouldn’t have done it for me, then…”

“I needed you to understand. Needed you to see the
un-
beautiful side of me.”

Draven snorted, shaking his head, but she could sense he was disturbed as well.

“It’s been happening more often,” Draven said. “When Ran goes on a mission, especially if he uses his dragon fire, which is laced with a poison that prevents shifter healing, he’s been having seizures.”

She stroked his soft hair as Ran closed his eyes and rested on Dray’s leg. “But he barely was in form today, and he didn’t use his fire.”

“Ran’s been tired lately and stressed I’m sure about having to tell you and having to show his form to you. The last time we showed a mate, it didn’t go so well.”

Ran winced but didn’t look at her.

“What happened?”

Draven sighed and sat back on his butt, letting Ran rest on him. “Fine, I’ll tell you everything. I told you I would tell you this last, so here it is. When dragons take a mate, it’s as I told you. If it’s successful, you’re immortal; that’s what you get. A life with us. Not that dragons can’t be killed, but it’s hard. We live a long, long time, barring exceptional circumstances. Except the black dragon.” He frowned. “The toll controlling the dragon takes on the human form causes the human form to deteriorate at a more rapid rate. That’s why black dragons have been historically paired with blue dragons.”

Ran sighed. “And Draven’s never forgiven me for choosing him instead.”

Draven ignored him and continued. “As you’ve probably noticed, we all have different powers. Blue dragons can heal, and their fire is an even more powerful version of that. My dragon fire creates a potent, individual shield from even something as devastating as Ran’s dragon fire. Ran picked me because he was more worried about losing control and needing to protect innocents from his fire than he was about having someone to heal him when he was finished.”

“What’s the point of being healed when I can’t use my powers safely?” Ran murmured. “I wanted to make a difference. I couldn’t do that if I didn’t know others in the area were safe. Do you know what a weight that fire is? It destroys everything. Frankly, I don’t know why other black dragons haven’t thought of it.”

“Because other black dragons didn’t care about unleashing the destructiveness inside them,” Draven said. “And as long as the bad were killed, if there was collateral damage, they didn’t care.”

Ran harrumphed and went back to resting.

“Anyway, shhh,” Draven said to him before turning back to Melissa with serious blue eyes. “Anyway, the dragon-hearted thing. Dragons are cautious about picking mates because when we mate, we mix blood. When you share the blood of two dragons, several things can happen. One is you become immortal. The other, much more rare, is if you are dragon-hearted, considered worthy, then you will inherit one of the six dragon powers to enhance our triad.”

“Oh,” she said. She looked at Ran. “So could I get healing?”

Draven’s eyes were somber. “Yes.”

Her heart sank slightly. “So you’re hoping I’d get blue power and be able to save Ran?”

“It’d be nice, but neither of us would ask you to do that because of the next part.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What?”

“There’s an extra risk when you mix blood with a black dragon. There’s a chance the poison can kill you.”

She sat very still as shock flooded her. She’d been promised immortality. Now she was being told she had a chance at death. Her eyes widened as she stared at Ran. Did she really understand them at all?

Draven looked at her apologetically. “Now you know why I was so hesitant. Why I didn’t want Ran to rush in.” He held his partner, gently moving his hand over Ran’s hair. “Now you’ve heard everything. You can decide on your own. Obviously, we’d love to have you. And not just for what you can do. Everything has been different since you’ve been in our lives. I was wrong to keep you out. But yeah, it’s your decision now.”

“You haven’t told her everything,” Ran said. “With the last mate, when she realized what I looked like, what my dragon was, she was disgusted. When she realized she would have to risk death, she left us. It was devastating, but I realized my mistake. Back then, I was so desperate to stay with Draven that I would have tried everything. But I was going about it all wrong.”

“Ran,” Draven warned in a low, angry voice.

Ran waved a hand and turned to Melissa. “I know you probably think I’m a monster. For bringing you here and not telling you about the risks. But the truth is I never planned to give you the option of taking my blood. I just wanted someone to share Draven’s immortality. Someone he can protect. It’s in his nature.” Ran sighed deeply, pushing hair off his sweat-sheened forehead. “You don’t have to share blood with both dragons.”

Her mouth gaped open. “What?”

Draven shook his head, looking at Ran. “I knew that’s what you were thinking all along. But it’s not fair.”

“It’s not fair all around,” Ran said. “I was selfish. I know that now. And I’ve lived the way I want. And this is what I want.” He grinned. “I like her. Maybe even love her. It works.”

Draven stood abruptly, pushing Ran off. He paced angrily and then pinned his gaze on Melissa. “I can’t tell you what to do. If I were you, I’d probably just run away. I probably wouldn’t want to spend an eternity with me without Ran either.”

She grinned, but her heart was sore inside. She didn’t know what to do. She was relieved to see Ran was sitting up, getting some of his strength back.

He sat forward, rubbing his head. Just as he opened his mouth to say something to her, they heard a loud flapping noise, and in the distance, she saw a large red object landing just outside the tree line.

She raised a hand to shield her eyes. The red dragon was easy to make out against the rich, verdant green all around her. It was peaceful here, the sky overcast, nothing around for miles.

The dragon shifted to a tall blond man with an extremely red face as he ran toward them. As he approached, he seemed to be nearly erupting with anger. It was Drake.

He looked at them, opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, and then let out a harsh breath and turned back as if he was going to leave. Then he seemed to think better of it and strode over to them. He was wearing a red jacket with a zipper over casual jeans. Once again, she was impressed by his height and breadth, as Draven stood to meet him and they stood shoulder to shoulder.

They started to talk in low voices, and then he caught sight of her.

“Damn, she looks freaked out…” He put a hand to his chin and his eyes widened, an astonishing blue-green. “You told her.” His gaze flicked to Ran. “Damn. She’s gonna run.”

She let out a growl as she strode to face him. “I’m not going to run. And what are you doing here?”

He raised a surprised eyebrow and stared down at her angrily, and then Draven turned him to face him. “Drake, what’s going on?”

Drake threw a hand through his hair, pulling it and dropping his hand down to his side in exasperation. She could feel the frustration in waves.

“Is it Quill?” Ran asked, brushing off his knees and standing unsteadily. His face still hadn’t returned to normal color, but at least he was up. She walked over to him and put her arm around his waist, earning a surprised glance from Drake.

Then Drake’s expression darkened again. “The wolves have him. The relatives of the ones you killed in that trafficking case. They knew stupid Quill couldn’t resist a disaster, so they hurt a bunch of humans, knowing he’d show up with his healing fire. He loves going invisible for that shit. But…” Drake pulled at his hair again. “He’s not supposed to go out alone.” He looked at Ran. “I’m worried I need you for this one. There are a lot of them.” He looked apologetic. “I’m sorry. I know you’ve had a lot lately, but I had to ask. He’s my partner. Stupid as he is.”

Ran nodded. “Let’s go.”

Draven growled and caught his arm. “You’ve got to be joking. You can’t.”

Ran shrugged. “I can’t let them hurt Quill. He’s important right now. We don’t have time for him to be reborn. And besides, he’s my friend. What’s the point to this life if I can’t protect my friends?” He gave Draven a hard glare, and Draven released his arm.

Drake looked back at Melissa. “What about her?”

“She comes with,” Draven said. “I’ll keep her in my dragon shield. Quill too, when we find him.”

Drake nodded. “I’ll fight alongside Ran. His dragon fire can’t hurt me.” He winked at Melissa. “Basically nothing can.”

Her jaw dropped. “What?”

“The red dragon,” Draven said. “Never-ending cockiness and huge durability.”

“And strength,” Drake added smugly.

“Why does he need us, then?” she asked, wiping the smirk off his face as he turned to glare at her.

“It’s Ran,” Draven said. “If there are enough shifters, if they’re healing too quickly, even a dragon can’t take them down. When it’s a large group, it’s always us. If it’s one really extreme opponent, that’s more his area.” He jerked his head at Drake.

“All right,” Ran said. “Let’s hurry before they hurt Quill.”

Drake’s face took on a strained expression again, and Ran put an arm around his shoulders, laughing as Drake growled and shook it off.

“Fine,” Draven said, putting his arm out for her to take as he followed the others. “But if something happens to Ran during this, I’m holding you all responsible.”

Drake let out a bitter laugh, and Ran said nothing.

Melissa didn’t know if she should be grateful she’d been granted a reprieve while figuring out what to do about Ran and Draven and the mating, or if she was worried about the danger they were walking into.

Regardless, she knew Draven would protect her. But who would protect Ran?

M
elissa rode
in Draven’s dragon claws again as they went to the location where was being held. As usual, wolves preferred somewhat remote, abandoned settings, and Draven was grateful they could use their dragon fire without assuming full dragon form if needed.

He landed quietly in a field outside a giant, abandoned warehouse, and Drake and Ran followed. Ran’s breathing was slightly labored, and Draven hated the sound of it.

Draven hated every bit of Ran’s plan. Just like Ran to do something like that, find a mate just for him because he was the one who chased away the other mate.

Why couldn’t Ran have been born with the regular ruthlessness the black dragon usually possessed? Draven shifted back and helped Melissa up, noting she still seemed slightly shaken by everything that’d happened.

This whole time, she’d accepted everything with an almost unearthly calm, but the news about Ran and about her having to risk death to be with both of them seemed to hit her limit of accepting things calmly.

Still, she hadn’t run yet, and that had to mean something.

Maybe they had a shot at this after all. Maybe they could just spend a little more time figuring out whether she was dragon-hearted, and whether that helped her chances with Ran’s poisonous blood.

Ran looked up at the warehouse, rolling back the sleeves of his black sweater. Ran always looked good in black, with his tanned skin and golden hair.

Draven never had more respect for Ran than when they were on a mission. His easy, lighthearted friend quickly became a badass of the first order.

“We’ll have to go in our human forms,” Ran said. I can’t sense Quill, so he’s probably unconscious.”

“Do you think they want dragon blood?” Drake asked, and Melissa looked over curiously.

“It’s part of why dragons travel in pairs,” Draven said. “Our blood has odd qualities and is considered valuable.” He turned to Drake. “I don’t know.”

Drake cracked his knuckles. “If they’ve touched him, they’re dead.”

“They’re dead either way,” Ran said. “Kidnapping is a Forbidden.”

Draven nodded. “All right. Let’s head in. Drake will take the lead, in case of a sneak attack, since he’s the toughest.”

Drake grinned.

Draven continued. “Ran will be next, and I’ll take up the back with Melissa. I’ll resist putting up a shield until the last minute, because the glowing could give us away. And when I see Quill, I’ll try to get to him with a shield as well. When I’m ready, I’ll give the signal, and you can fire on the rest.”