Dragon in the Rough (Elders Enterprises Book 1) (5 page)

              “Do you not think that I would know if I could change into some ugly serpent with wings?” Katie let go of the last bit of control she had on her anger. She was just about to get up and walk out when Paul replied.

              Paul lifted his head, jaw clenched as though he himself was having trouble controlling his anger. “No, I do not think you would know. You see, as a male, I came into my full power when I hit puberty. Meaning that was when I was first able to shift. Females are different. They do not come into their full power until they are mated!” He paused to take a breath and seemed to calm down a little bit. “If you were not raised by dragons then you would not know that you are one.”

              “Oh,” Katie sat back, her anger slowly dwindling. “What do you mean by mated? If you mean having sex, well then that ship sailed a long time ago.”

              Paul ran his fingers through his hair. A part of Katie ached to be able to run her own fingers through it herself but she pushed the urge aside as Paul started talking again. “Every dragon has one person they are meant to be with. They are known as fated mates. A dragon can only have children with their mate. It is only after a female has gone through the mating ceremony that she will come into her full powers. Think of it like a marriage.”

              Katie just stared at Paul. She did not know what to say. Before she knew what she was doing, Katie grabbed her purse and ran out of the dinner. She did not allow herself to look back. She was worried that if she looked into Paul’s eyes that she would stop. So instead, she made her way down the street as fast as she could, her mind racing.

              Katie did not want to believe Paul, but her gut told her that everything he had told her was the truth. All Katie ever wanted was to be normal, but that did not seem to be in the cards for her. The thought died as the honking of a car horn tore through her thoughts. Katie had been so wrapped up in herself that she had stepped out in front of a car. She was not sure what happened next. One moment she was standing there frozen like a deer in the head lights, the next she was standing on the sidewalk, her back pressed up against someone.

                     Chapter 6

              After Katie had stormed out, Paul had paid the check and raced out after her. He had barely caught up to her when she stepped out in front of oncoming traffic. Without thinking, Paul reached out and pulled her back to safety, bringing her against his chest. For a moment, everything in the world seemed to right itself. The Elders were not hunting him down, female dragons were not dying, and Katie never lived the horrible life that she had. It felt as if Paul was whole for the first time in his long life, but it was all washed away when Katie started weeping. Paul figured that after everything she just found out, she had hit her breaking point. He kicked himself for being the one that had to explain everything to Katie. For making her hurt in this way. He wanted to make everything better.

              Paul was not sure what to do. He did not think he could come up with anything clever to say that would make things better, so he went with his best option. He turned Katie around so that her head laid on his chest. He put one arm around her back and then stroked her hair with his free hand. They stood there silently, just holding each other on the busy New York street. But it did not matter to Paul, everything else just fell away.

              All the lights and noises faded away. It was just him and Katie. Nothing else mattered except the crying woman in his arms. He knew that he would do anything for her and the thought scared him. Was he really ready for what could possibly happen? Paul was not sure, but he wasn’t going anywhere. He could not leave Katie now. Even if she did not realize it, she needed Paul just as much as he needed her.

              When Katie’s sobs slowed down to sniffles, Paul bent down and scooped her up into his arms, turning and heading toward their apartment building. It didn’t take as long to get there as he had hoped. He wanted more time with her. No, he needed it. Paul knew that Katie probably needed some alone time to sort through everything, he just did not like the idea of leaving her alone. Not now. Paul shook his head as he bounded up the stairs to her apartment. This wasn’t normal. He shouldn’t have these kinds of feelings for her. That only happened when you found your mate.

              Paul’s heart began to race. Could she be his mate? If so then that would mean he was correct in assuming that she was a dragon, too. Oh god! The possibility gave Paul so much hope. Maybe everything would be okay, but how? He was a wanted man and Katie was supposed to be hunting him down. How could it even work between them?

              Paul stopped right outside Katie’s door. He let Katie slip down so that she was standing on her own feet, but he kept his hand on her arm to help keep her balance. At least that is what he was trying to tell himself. He was not ready to accept that he had other motivations, or that he craved her touch more and more with each passing minute.

              “Thank you,” Katie said, pulling Paul out of his thoughts. “I don’t know what came over me. I guess this is all just a lot to take in right now.” Katie looked down at her hands as if ashamed.

              Paul lifted her chin so that she was looking into his eyes. “There is no need to thank me, love. I shouldn’t have unloaded everything like I did. From now on, I promise I will not do so again. There is just so much that you do not know. Things that could help you.” Paul paused and took a deep breath. “Katie, I know I do not have the right to ask you, but do you think you could promise me something?”

              Katie looked a little confused. She licked her lips and Paul followed the movement. He had to fight himself not to bend down and trace its movements with his own tongue. “It depends on what you want.”

              Paul cleared his throat and took a long, slow breath to calm his nerves. “Please do not tell anyone that you could be one of us.”

              Katie looked to be in deep thought for a moment. “I can do that, on one condition. You owe me an explanation, just not tonight. I don’t think I can handle anymore right now. Especially since I have work in the morning.” She pulled her keys out of her purse but before she could push her key into the lock, Paul reached out and stopped her.

              “I thought you were fired this morning? I saw you pack up your desk.” Paul’s mind started to race and a knot started to form in his stomach. Something was wrong, and Paul had a feeling that the Elders were behind it.

              “I was not fired, so much as being transferred to work for Elder Enterprises.” Paul’s heart stopped beating before it started to pound in his chest.

              “Damn it!” Paul ran his fingers through his hair. “Katie, be careful,” he pleaded. “You really do not know what you are getting into. Please just keep your head down, and for the love of all that is holy, do not tell anyone that you are one of us.” Katie was about to walk into a lion’s den and there was not a thing he could do to stop her. He wanted to tell her that she was not allowed to go, but he did not have the right to do so. Even if he did, Paul knew that Katie would just ignore him. She was going to be his downfall.

              Katie looked annoyed. “I can take care of myself. Besides, if they are all dragons too then why can I not tell them that I may be one?” Paul wanted to tell her what would happen if the others found out about her, but knew that would not be a good idea right now.

              “Just trust me on this, Katie. I will explain everything tomorrow night, I promise. I will meet you here after you get off work.” With that, Paul turned and walked away. He wanted to stay with her, but he needed the time to clear his own thoughts now. He needed to figure out what he was going to do next. He could not just disappear now, he needed to protect Katie at all costs.

Chapter 7

Paul walked around aimlessly, confused as what to do. He did not want Katie walking into Elder Enterprises in the morning but what could he do? If she didn’t show up to work, they would just send someone out to look into the reasons why. Plus, it wasn’t like he had any right to ask her not to go. He had done everything he could by asking her to not reveal that she could be one of them. Maybe that would be enough right now to keep her safe. Paul knew the moment that he thought it, it was a lie. There was no way to protect her in that building.

              Paul stopped and sat down on an old worn bench. When had his life gotten so fucked up? He threw away everything when he had stolen that damn book. At the time he had thought that it was worth it, but now he was thinking that it was the stupidest thing he had done in his whole life. He had nothing to offer Katie right now. She deserved the world, yet he could not give it to her. He had to do something, anything that would make this whole mess seem better.

              Paul rubbed his eyes and finally looked around him. It took him a few minutes to realize where he was. He and his brother use to come here when they were training. The open field was good for running sprints and practicing their Martial arts. They would then have races to see who could climb the trees the fastest. Paul smiled as he remembered the grin Mark would get when he won. He missed his brother. He could really use his advice right now.

              Paul and Mark may be polar opposites, but it worked out well for them. When one did not have the answer, the other always did. They were like fire and ice. Each had their purpose but they were dynamite together and a force to be reckoned with.

              Paul thought about contacting his brother. Maybe if he could take the heat off of Katie, then she would be safe. Yes, that was what he needed to do - get his family to focus most of their energy on him instead of Katie’s first day of work. Now the question was, how was he going to do it? He had several options, but the best one would be through his mind. But it came with it’s own risks. Even though they could not trace it, if Paul and his brother stayed connected too long then his brother could read his thoughts. He would have to make sure that it was only a short conversation.

              Was it worth the risk? Yes, Paul thought it was. He may not truly be prepared to accept what was going on between him and Katie, but he did know that he was willing to lay down his life for hers. He would just have to keep the conversation brief. Get in, get out. Give them just enough so that Katie would be safe. Nothing else mattered anymore, not his life, not his past, and certainly not that stupid damn book. He would leverage it out to make sure she was safe.

              Paul shook his head. He knew that he had become quite lonely over the last few years. What he didn’t know was that it had gotten this bad where he would go bat shit crazy over the first woman that looked his way or thought he was sexy. He smiled at the thought of last night. He recalled how sexy Katie had been. The way she seemed too willing and welcoming to him. He was hard within seconds. He groaned as he readjusted himself. Now was not the time for those thoughts. He stood. Katie was ruining him bit by bit.

              It didn’t take him very long to make his way back to his apartment, his mind going in circles around Katie. As he stepped inside, a familiar sensation washed over him. This place may not be as nice as his condo on 5
th
Avenue, but he would give it all up to be this close to Katie. He stood there for a few moments until he heard Katie moving around above him. A smile touched his lips as he thought about all the things she could be doing up there. It took all of his strength to not go up there and knock on her door. Instead, he forced himself to kick off his worn boots, close his door, and head to his bedroom.

              Once Paul was laid down in his bed, he listened to Katie for a little while, working up his nerves to connect with his brother. He knew it was the right thing to do but he was not sure he was ready to answer for his crimes. Finally, he closed his eyes and reached out to his brother. It took him longer to connect with Mark than it did with Katie, which made Paul think that the connection with Katie was stronger than the one he had with his brother. Paul was just about to give up when his surroundings started to change. Everything went blurry before they started to become more focused again.

              Paul blinked as everything around him started to settle into place. He was now standing in a small room. He knew this room like the back of his hand, he and his brother had performed many interrogations here. The only difference was that he used to sit on the other side of the small table.

              “I see you have finally come to your senses, brother.” Paul lifted his head so that he was looking Mark in the eyes. It was like looking into a mirror, except where Paul wore jeans and a t-shirt, Mark wore a custom tailored suit.

              “Yes, in some ways I have. But let me assure you that none of them are what you are thinking. We have a problem.” Paul watched as his brother threw his head back and laughed. It made him wish that he was back home and they were sitting around letting off steam from a long week of work.

              “Paul, if you have not noticed, you have caused a lot of problems lately.” Mark waved his hands around. “But we will get to that later. What is this new problem? It has to be something big, you would not risk everything if it was just a minor thing.”

              “I think I may have found another female dragon.” Paul tried to keep any and all emotions out of his voice. Though he knew he was failing, he hoped that his twin would not pick up on it.

              Paul watched as shock ran across Mark’s face. Then just as soon as it arrived, it was gone. “Impossible,” was all he said.

              “Not impossible. Do you not remember the woman from a few months ago?” Paul hated to think that Katie could share the woman’s fate if they were not careful.

              Mark nodded. “All right, then who is she?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “If what you say is true then we need to get ahead of this.”

              “I am not going to tell you that. It has to be her decision to come out. Hell, she did not even know we existed until tonight.” Paul felt his hand tremble and knew he was losing control of his emotions, but that did not matter. All he could think of in that moment was the way Katie had looked tonight. When she ran out of the diner, she looked so lost and broken.

              “What are you not telling me, Paul?” Mark could always tell when Paul was holding back. As much as he wanted to hold everything in, he was losing the battle.

              All at once, Paul broke. His legs would no longer hold him and he fell to his knees. “Mark, I think I am falling for her.” Paul looked up at his brother, feeling tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. Mark looked at him with sympathy. “That’s not the worse part,” Paul croaked out, “I believe she is in danger and there is not a damn thing I can do to protect her. Hell, she has been alone her whole life, so I doubt she would even accept my help.”

              “Paul, tell me who she is. We can protect her. You do not have to do this on your own. Let me help you, brother.” Mark went silent as he stared at Paul’s forehead. “She was in foster care.” It was said more of a statement than a question.

              Paul’s heart started to race. He had let this conversation go on longer than he should have. He stood and started backing away. “No, I am sorry but I should not have come here.” Paul started to pull away back into his own mind.

              “You cannot run forever, Paul. We will find you and then we will find her,” Paul heard his brother promise as he severed the connection.

              Paul rolled out of bed, gasping for breath. What had he done? He hoped that his family never found out about Katie. He did not know why but he knew that he would not be able to live in a world that did not have her in it. She was like a fresh breath of air that he desperately needed. Even more so, he had a feeling that the dragon race itself needed her, which scared the shit out of him.

                    Chapter 8

              Laying on the end of Katie’s bed was a plain white envelope. If she wanted answers then she knew she had to open it, she just could not bring herself to do it yet. She just sat there looking at it, like if she watched it long enough it would just tear itself open. Her music played softly in the background. Maroon 5 always calmed her, but not tonight. The now empty wine bottle sat on her night stand as further proof of how long she had been sitting there. No matter what she did, Paul’s voice echoed through her head. And with his voice came images. At first it was of him sitting across from her, running his finger through his hair. Then of him standing in front of her without a shirt, his strong arms wrapped around her, his tender lips pressed against hers. Katie moaned. God, she was horny. She wished that she could just pick up her phone and call him. Tell him to get his ass back over here, but it was probably best that she could not do so. Mixing work with pleasure never ended well for anyone involved.

              Katie leaned back against her pillow and let out a long sigh. Then it hit her. If Paul could connect to her mind, then just maybe she could connect with him. But how? She cleared her head of all things except for Paul. What he looked like. Smelled like. Sounded like. The way he felt as he held her.

              A small rope appeared in front of her. Katie did not know how but it felt like Paul’s very essence was weaved through it. She reached up and wrapped her hands around it, feeling his warmth wrap around her. She smiled and savored the moment a few seconds before she tugged as hard as she could.

***

              Paul finally had his breathing under control when he felt a strong tug at his mind. At first he thought it was his brother, because no one else had a connection with his mind. He did not want to talk to his brother again. He was about to sever the connection but stopped. “Paul?” came the sweet voice that sang to his soul in a way no one else ever could. “Are you there?” For a moment, he did not move. Then in a split second he was in his bed, laying back against his pillows. He closed his eyes and pulled on the connection. He needed to see her, to make sure she was okay.

              Everything started to change around him. At first it was a big colorful blob, then finally everything fell into place. Paul was now standing in a room very similar to his own bedroom. The only difference was that this one had a homey feel to it. The walls were painted a dark red and the furniture was black. He turned around slowly, taking everything in. When his eyes came to a stop at the bed, his heart skipped a beat at the sight in front of him.

              Katie was lying across her bed, wearing something that could barely be described as a night gown. It was bright red and hugged her every curve. “It worked!” she said with a huge grin on her face. Paul could not form any words with the images of what he wanted to do to Katie right now going through his head. He shook his head and tried to push those thoughts aside.

              “You rang?” he asked, his voice noticeably lower than normal. Paul forced himself to stay right where he was until he found out what exactly Katie wanted.

              “I was lonely, I thought I would see if you wanted to keep me company for a little while,” Katie said with a look of innocence that played havoc on Paul.

              “Is that so?” he asked, taking a step forward. Paul had barely spoken those words before Katie was on her hands and knees, crawling toward him. “What would you like me to do about that?”

              “I want you to come over here and kiss me.” Katie sat up on her knees at the end of the bed, causing her boobs to threaten to pop out of her nightie. Paul wanted to moan at the sight. God, her nipples were already becoming little pebbles. She looked up at him while biting her lower lip.

              Paul’s cock jumped at the sight of her, threatening to explode out of his pants. He was not sure how he managed to just stand there. All he wanted to do was rush over and sweep Katie up into his arms, then make love to her all night long. Instead, he managed to say, “I made a promise earlier that I would not kiss you.” He watched as disappointment ran across her face. “I will, however, allow you to kiss me.”