Bad Boy Romance: Bad Marine (Bad Boy Military Romance) (Alpha Bad Boy New Adult Contemporary Male Stories) (26 page)

"That was all her doing. She's quite the exhibitionist," said James. "Are you hungry? I think we've got some game left over."

"All right," said Julienne. After James cooked the meat, he handed it over to Julienne. As she ate, James watched her with interest. She asked, "Why are you doing that?"

"I hardly ever see a human do much of anything," said James. "It's fascinating."

Julienne felt put out by that. "Thank you?"

"No, thank you," said James, and she continued to watch her eat.

An hour later, Cecilia was walking through the town that had so recently run Julienne down. She was trying to find the least flattering clothes she could for James's little pet, but she was also after something much easier to obtain: information. She went to the pub and sat at the bar. Everyone was staring at her, and if she was in a different mood, she'd either fuck or kill them all. Perhaps both. Right now, she just needed to find a way to get Julienne out of her way. She knew full well that if she did anything to the girl, then James would lose his temper and then there'd be no saving Cecilia. If she could convince him to get rid of her, then it would make everything so much easier. She leaned over to the bartender.

"I heard that a woman was run out of town earlier," she said. "Why?"

"I can't rightly say," said the bartender. "I only know that she was accused."

"Accused of what?"

"A lot of things. Witchcraft. Adultery. Satanism. You name it, she was probably accused of it," said the man. "Shame about the lads that went after her. I heard they lost their heads and fell into that old ravine outside of town."

"In a matter of speaking," said Cecilia, and she went on her way with a spring in her step.

Julienne had finished the meal but James was still staring at her with a dumb look in his eyes. Occasionally, she would smile at him, and he would smile back, and she would desperately try to find a way not to look at him. He was frightening, filled with an ageless power that Julienne couldn't fathom. The fourth time she looked away, James asked, "What's wrong? Don't you like me?"

"I don't know," said Julienne. "You scare me. I know that much."

"I'm very scary," he agreed. "Except I'm not. I'm not the type of dragon to attack people or burn down villages. I’ve never even ravaged a kingdom to eat their princess. That was a joke, by the way."

"Oh. Ha ha. What do you want with me? I'm just a stupid woman who's probably a fraction of your age," said Julienne.

"There's something in you that draws me in," said James. "I just have the feeling that I need to keep you safe."

"Is that why you were in the chasm?"

"Maybe," said James, with a shrug.

After a long silence, Julienne asked, "Please don't take this the long way, but have you ever made love to a human?"

"Yes," said James. "Have you?"

"No," said Julienne. "Why?"

"I just get the urge sometimes," said James. "I usually don't reveal myself to them. They just think I'm human."

"I saw your manhood as a dragon and a human. Doesn't it feel different?"

"I don't know. I never asked," said James. "You could see."

Julienne shook her head. "I hardly know you. There's something frightening and terrible about you."

"I helped save you and fed you," said James. "No, no. That's the wrong way to think. I'm not going to guilt you into anything."

"Thank you," said Julienne. "You are a handsome man. You were a handsome dragon, as well."

"Thank you. You're a beautiful young human," said James.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I just touched it," said Julienne. "Not for any sex purposes. Just out of curiosity."

"Exactly," said James.

She placed her hand on his penis. As a human, it was smooth and went stiff when she touched it. She supposed it was a good size, but then James shifted into his true form. It was at least three times as large but still smooth. She wondered how it would feel inside of her, but put that thought out of her mind. She hardly knew this man and she refused to be that kind of woman. She let go of his manhood and he shifted back into a fully clothed young man.

"Nothing to it," he said.

"I wouldn't say that," quipped Julienne. "I want to know more about you, James. I want to know why a dragon would act like a man."

"Everyone gets bored sometimes," said James. "When I was a hatchling, I knew I never wanted to harm anyone who didn't deserve it. I fancied that I could be a hero's assistant, but then I met Cecilia and she convinced me that more fun could be had if went with her. That was over a century ago. We've been so many places and done so many things." He sighed, reflecting on his past. "I fear we're ending our cycle. We've been through fifty of them and it's never easy. I love her, but she refuses to carry my child. Enough about me. Why does a girl get chased out of town?"

"I was falsely accused," she said. "Tricked. I was an herbalist's assistant. That man you killed, he summoned me to his home with some herbs for his back. Instead, he tried to have his way with me. I ran, but he was angry, and he came after me with all the anger and hate he could muster. He said I was an adulterous witch."

James was frowning. "Did he have children?"

"I think one," said Julienne.

"When Cecilia comes back, I will make things right as much as I can," said James.

"You have a kind heart," said Julienne, and she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Well, what do we have here? I'm not even gone for an hour and you're already trying to have your way with my mate," said Cecilia, having entered the cave silently.

"It's not like that," said Julienne, once again blushing.

"Oh, stop that. You look like a twit," she said. "I know why you were run out of town. Would you like to know, James?"

"I already do," he replied. "She was chased out of town under false pretenses. We can surely relate to that."

"You might be able to," said Cecilia, clearly deflated.

"Now that you're back, I have to go make some things right in town," said James, and he shimmered and shifted into his true form and was out of the cave. Julienne quickly became aware of how vulnerable she was, and it didn't help when Cecilia tossed her a rough dress. It looked like the sort of thing a slave would wear, and it perfectly encapsulated how she knew Cecilia felt about her. She shrugged off the skins and tried to hurriedly put on the dress, but the dragon woman snatched it away from her.

"You think you're so special," she sneered. "This isn't the first time James has chosen some human to fawn over. He gets it into his mind to take care of your kind, and eventually, he'll tear you apart. He won't mean to, but you can't survive his love. Only I can. I'd leave now, while you still can."

"I don't understand either of you," said Julienne.

Cecilia tossed her the dress. "I don't understand you, either. Now get, before you get yourself into trouble."

Julienne hurriedly dressed and left, returning only to grab the sharp stone she had found earlier. She walked into the darkness of the chasm, which was filling with fog. She tried to ignore it, and tried to figure out her next move. Cecilia clearly didn't want her around, and she didn't want to be around James, either. There was something about him that she found very attractive, but there was also a barely hidden danger. She shivered at the thought of him with Cecilia, and she continued walking to distance herself from the cave. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the figure in the fog coming ever closer. She ran into it, surprised to see one of the men from earlier, the one whose face had been sliced open.

"I've been thinking about earlier," he said, the rage seeping into every word. "I don't like how things went down. You have one chance to redeem yourself, whore, and if you don't do as I say I'll kill you here and now."

Julienne became aware that the man had a knife and was pressing it against her belly, but she was also aware that she had the sharp tooth. She only had one chance, that was true, but she hoped that one chance was all she needed. She stabbed him in the arm, but he didn't drop the knife. Instead, he grabbed her by the hair and put her face directly in front of his.

"I don't like that much," he said. "How about a kiss to start things off?"

Instead, Julienne slammed her head forward as hard as she could. She was rewarded with the man's nose cracking and freedom. For a split second, she thought about running away, but had her weapon and was still in possession of her full strength. She lashed out with her stone and slashed at the man's face, opening a new cut. He screamed and tried to grab her. She stepped back but the chasm was treacherous, and once again, she fell and became keenly aware of how much she hurt. She must have been running on adrenaline since James had carried her away all those hours ago, and it was finally catching up to her. The scarred man lurched towards her, his hand going to his belt to undo the buckle, when a roar shook the ground and Julienne saw James running along the top of the chasm. He leaped into the air and transformed, diving towards the man. With a sickening crunch, James bit into the man and threw him against the wall. He shifted back into his human form, his stance belying his violent intentions, and said, "Leave here and never return. If I ever find out anything has happened to Julienne, I'm coming for you."

The scarred man got up slowly and stumbled away, clutching his injury. Julienne knew there was little chance of him making it back to the village. James looked to her and asked, "Are you injured?"

"A little," she said. "Did you know I was in danger?"

"I had a sense," he admitted, picking her up. "That dress isn't very flattering."

"Your mate picked it out," said Julienne. "She didn't want me to stay."

"The hell with that," said James, and their eyes met. Julienne had heard about this hoary old cliché before, but she couldn't help but feeling a connection with this dragon disguised as a man. She saw his life unfold in her mind, from his time as a hatchling to meeting Cecilia to the current day. He had been through hurt and heartbreak and suffered far more than any mortal man ever could. She knew, too, that he could see her life, as well, that each of them was now laid bare before the other. He leaned in for a kiss, and she didn't stop him. Before anything else could happen, he pulled back.

"I don't want it to happen like this," he said.

Julienne remembered what Cecilia had said, and realized with a shock that she had seen those memories. "You killed those women."

"I didn't mean to," said James. "I never wanted to hurt them. I think I'm able to control it now. It's been a long time since that happened."

"I don't know if that's a risk I'm willing to take," said Julienne.

"We'll wait until you're ready," said James.

"And if that day never comes?"

"I'm ready for that, too," said James, smiling, and he carried her back to the cave where he and Cecilia made love. Julienne watched, unwittingly allowing her hand to start massaging between her legs. Once she became aware of it, she stopped, found a safe corner to sleep in, and passed out from exhaustion.

The next morning, while James and Cecilia were out hunting, Julienne attempted to explore the cave. There wasn't much to it. Everything was separated into piles. There were some animal bones, a pile of shiny things, and some books and writing implements. She wondered whom those belonged to, but then Cecilia came back. She was in her dragon form and was carrying half a deer. She tossed it on the ground as James flew in after her, and they both shifted. Cecilia was laughing, seemingly in much better spirits than the night before.

"I told you I could catch him," she said. "I suppose you'll be wanting to feed your pet. I saw you last night, you know. Touching yourself."

Julienne fought the blush sand said, "For one, I am your guest. Two, so what if I was?"

"You're a little girl knowing nothing of anything like that," said Cecilia, grinning. "Though I daresay you know a lot more today than you did last night."

"She should," said James. "We synced."

Cecilia’s smile vanished and her features took on a distinctively draconian facade. She growled, "What did you just say?"

"We synched," said James. "I know all there is about her. She knows all about me."

"You and I haven't even synced," said Cecilia. "Why would you do it with her?"

"It was an accident," said James. "If you hadn't sent her away, it never would have happened. And I've wanted to sync with you, but you won't allow it."

"I don't need to sync with you. I already know all there is to know about you," said Cecilia, her features shifting between human and dragon. She screamed, and ran out of the cave, shifting fully into her dragon form and taking to the sky.

Julienne asked, "Are you going to go after her?"

"No," he said. "She needs some time to process this. She'll be back."

"All right," said Julienne. "What's a sync?"

"When a dragon and another creature are capable of establishing a deep connection, he and that creature can do what we did," he explained. "It requires a certain amount of eye contact and the right emotional state. I was half expecting it to happen with you, just not so soon."