Haunted By Her Dragon (The Dragon Guard Series) (3 page)

She
thought back to that dreadful night, and where most people would have relived
the fear, she remembered what it felt like to be lifted into
his
arms.
If she concentrated hard enough, she could actually
feel
his arms around
her. The way he had moved the huge pile of rubble that had fallen on top of her
after the explosion, as if it weighed nothing, would be permanently carved into
her memory. The douche bags that had grabbed her in the parking lot had
obviously cut and run when the bombs went off. If it hadn’t been for the two
beams that crisscrossed over her, she would have been crushed when the ceiling
collapsed. She remembered struggling and cursing like a sailor on shore leave,
trying to get out from under the heap, when suddenly there was daylight, and she
was caught in the most unladylike position imaginable. There, lying on her
back, feet in the air, looking at the sexiest man to walk the earth. Her first
glimpse had been of those amazing eyes, the color of the forget-me-nots that
grew behind the house she grew up in. So light a blue that in the sunlight they
almost seemed colorless but, when they looked at her, they seemed to
glow.  It had felt as if he reached inside her heart and soothed her
fears.

Despite
his size, he had been incredibly gentle. She had been able to feel a contained
aggression emanating from the amazingly muscular arms that wrapped around her,
like his main focus was rescuing her, but he would seek vengeance on her
behalf. She had been unable to speak, only feel, as he lifted her out of the
prison the explosion had created. Then he had spoken, and the little bit of
brain function she had left
evaporated into
thin air. The low rumbling of his voice wove its way under her skin and made
her tingle. Since that day, she had spent many lonely nights letting his
whispered words of reassurance fuel the most erotic dreams she had ever
experienced, only to wake up wondering why he watched her, but never approached
her.

She
couldn’t explain, no matter how long she thought about it, how she knew without
a doubt that he was a good guy. The word
hero
had flashed in her mind
like a neon sign and returned every time she thought of him, which happened to
be
too damned much
. Her body and soul knew immediately that he was safe,
specifically,
safe for her
. The adrenaline that had kept her going
throughout the entire ordeal bled from her body at the touch of his hand on her
skin.
All of her
recognized him as someone she could trust, someone she
could lean on for strength, and that was not something Samantha Malone
ever
did
. Her eyes slid shut as she remembered how her head had laid against his
chest of its own volition, and she had taken her first deep breath since the
black bag had gone over her head and her back had hit the floor of the dark
windowless van she was thrown into. He had continually asked if she was okay,
if she was hurt, had told her that the cut on her leg didn’t look that deep,
and reassured her that he was taking her to a ‘healer’.  By the time he
had laid her on a blanket under a tree far from the rubble, the vibrations of
his rich baritone voice had reached deep inside, relaxing her until she felt
warm and calm. Her body ached from the loss of his warmth, just another of the
weird things she’d had to work through since that night. How could she feel
anything after just a few minutes in his arms? Not to mention the shit that she
had been through in those few horrible hours. She’d chalked it up to trauma and
shock, but now, seven months later, she still thought way too much about him,
heard his strong, steady heartbeat echoing in her mind, imagined him walking
through the halls of the hospital, and dreamt about him night after night.

Completely
on autopilot, Sam unlocked the doors on her old blue
Jetta
and slid into the driver’s seat. She’d thought about getting a new car a few
times, but this one fit her like a glove; and besides that, she hated being in
debt. Her house was enough for her to keep up with, at least while she was
still in her residency. All she had to do was keep ‘Bonnie Blue’ going for a
couple more years. Leaning her head back against the headrest, she took a deep
breath and let the stress of the day wash away. Not surprisingly, as soon as
her eyes slid shut there were crystal blue eyes gazing back at her. Even in her
imagination, she could feel him all the way to the deepest corner of her soul.
He was…she searched for the right description…just so much
more
than
anyone she had ever met before. ‘Larger than life’…that was it! That described
him to a tee. Her mother had said the same thing about her father. She had
always wondered what that meant, but since meeting
him
, it had all
become clear. Sam could hardly remember her dad. She knew he had been a brave
soldier and died in battle, defending the country he loved, from the stories
her mom had always told. He was a hero, medals and all, something she
definitely associated with the sexy man that lifted her from her nightmares
that day seven months ago. 

‘Lance’
whispered through her mind. She had been embarrassed when she’d had to ask the
elderly woman who had cleaned and bandaged her wounds the name of the man that
had carried her to safety. The Healer had said his name, and it was as if a
breath of fresh air had washed over her. It was like nothing she’d ever
experienced before. Searching for answers, she decided it was a byproduct of
all the adrenaline that had flooded her system. Of course, that did not explain
why she was sitting in her car after working
an incredibly
long shift thinking about
him
and smiling.
Damn that man!
What
had he done to her? She laughed out loud at her own paranoia. Like he had any
control over her whatsoever. It was all in her mind.
Hell
, she’d even
looked up ‘Rescuer Syndrome’ in all of her psychology textbooks and found she
didn’t have the symptoms or the personality for it. Figuring it might be her
completely neglected libido crying out for help, she’d even entertained the
thought of dating that cute new pharmacist that continued to ask her out, even
though she barely looked his direction and only grunted a few words here or
there when he spoke. The problem was, she just didn’t
feel anything
for
him, even when he turned his hundred watt smile and what others called
incredible charm on her. It was hopeless. She was in lust with a man she had
seen for all of ten minutes, seven damn months ago. Haunted by the idea of who
she thought he was and unwilling to stop it.

Turning
the key in the ignition and hoping that the grinding sound she heard was not
anything serious, she blasted Lady
Gaga’s
Applause,
praying it would keep her awake on the thirty minute drive home. Trying to
decide whether she was more hungry or tired, she remembered there was nothing
in her refrigerator even remotely edible and thought about stopping at the grocery
store, but the longer she drove the more the exhaustion won out. Even a
drive-thru sounded like too much work. Hopefully, the pop-tarts she had gotten
a few weeks ago hadn’t turned to rocks in the cabinet, and with any luck, she
would be able to locate the single packets of Crystal Light in her junk drawer.
With the dilemma of food settled, she backed out of her parking spot,
completely ignoring the extra little shake and shimmy Bonnie Blue made, and
headed towards the winding roads that would take her to her little haven in the
woods.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He followed the tail
lights of Samantha’s car from such a distance that they appeared to be little
rubies floating in the sky. Constantly scanning the area for anything or anyone
that may threaten the beautiful woman that monopolized his thoughts both day
and night proved boring, and for the hundredth time that day his mind began to
wander. He remembered the feel of her in his arms and the gentle slope of her
nose that led to her perfectly bowed mouth that begged to be ravished. Her eyes
were the deep brown of the mountains behind his childhood home, so deep and
dark that when he looked into them, he could feel himself falling into the
wonderful, amazing world that was his mate. His training had taught him to
always be prepared, to never let his guard down, but looking into those dark
pools of fathomless emotion all those months ago, he had known he could let go
of everything and drift in the splendor of finding the one the Universe had
made for him forever.

Watching
over her had shown him that Samantha was a strong-willed, independent woman,
with nerves of steel and a determination that rivaled his own warrior spirit.
He knew the Universe did not make mistakes, but he had to wonder about
Her
timing. With everything that was going on, the search
for Andrew, the harm the traitor had been able to inflict on
Kyndel
and Grace, coupled with ‘The Auctioneer’ that seemed
to always be on the fringes, Lance just could not justify bringing Samantha
into the clan. Yes, she had been kidnapped, but that had been by the human
criminal, and he was almost a hundred percent sure she wasn’t on the traitor’s
radar…
yet
. But that could all change if Andrew found out she was his
mate. Heavens knew the little fucker liked to mess with the mates of the Guard.
He knew that the longer he went without at least introducing himself and trying
to forge some kind of relationship with the one meant to be his, the harder he
made it on himself. Because they had touched, the mating bond was growing and
searching for completion.

There
were days he thought he might die if he didn’t touch her, inhale her scent,
look into her eyes, but it was something he
had
to deal with. Drawing on
all his years of training helped, as well as dreaming of the day he would claim
her and they would never be separated again. What did not help, however, was
the constant prodding of his dragon to go to Samantha. His beast simply could
not or would not understand why the man was choosing to wait. No matter how
many times he explained the situation, the centuries old beast thought he knew
better. Every day was a new battle between man and dragon, and today had been
especially hard. The entire time he had been with his brethren, his dragon had
pushed. It had been incredibly distracting, and the conversation he’d had with
Royce hadn’t helped the situation at all. The older Guardsman was too wise for
his own good and too damn perceptive. He knew he had almost slipped up, but
smiled as he thought back over all they had said.

“What’s
up there, loud mouth? Why so quiet today?” Royce had teased.

“Nothing,
just thinking about the search for the traitor,” Lance answered almost too
quickly.

Royce
looked at him with a wisdom that only came from a hundred and fifty-six years
of living. “If you say so, but it seems like there’s something else.”

“Nope,
nothing at all,” Lance tried not to squirm as he felt the disbelief rolling off
his long-time friend and mentor.

“I
know shit has been coming at us hard and fast, but if there’s something you
need help with, don’t be a hero and come to one of us. I’d hate to have to kick
your ass for hot dogging again.” He paused and rubbed his jaw. Then he smiled,
“Well actually I’d enjoy kicking your ass.” He laughed, “You truly are a burr
in my butt, but you’re family and I’m here, even if it’s to beat you back in
line.” Lance knew he was trying to ease the tension and get him to open up, but
there was no way that shit was going to happen.

“Bring
it on, Old Man,” he winked and smiled, using one of the many nicknames he knew
drove Royce crazy.

“That
is WISE Old Man to you, ‘Pain in the Ass’.”

They
were both laughing when Rayne had walked over carrying Baby Jay, essentially
ending the conversation, something Lance would be eternally grateful to his
commander for. It was only a matter of time until Royce figured out what he was
hiding, and he would deal with it when he did, but no discussions would take
place until he was ready.

Bringing
himself back to the present, but still lost in thought, he almost missed Sam
sitting on the side of the road. As it was, he had to drive ahead almost a half
mile to find a place to turn around. He slowed as he came close to where she
and her car sat. Since he had first spotted her, she had gotten out of the car,
had the hood up, and was leaning in to inspect the engine of her car. The way
her pants drew tight against her well rounded ass caused his blood to race and
his cock to harden. He tried to think of anything but what it would feel like
to cover her body with his, kiss the sensual column of her neck, hold her
generous breast in his hands, feeling the nipples lengthen and harden against
his palms, and finally sink into the woman that haunted him day and
night. 
Yeah, that was so not working
. The sound of his tires on
the gravel pulled her from her inspection of the engine. When she spotted him,
her eyes opened wide, and her mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ which did
absolutely
nothing
to decrease the growing pressure in his jeans. “You?” she said on a
whisper, still staring in shock.

“Yep,
it’s me.” He hoped quickly changing the subject would stop any further
questions, so he rushed on, “What seems to be the problem with your car?” he
pointed, hoping she would stop looking at him like he had three heads. She
continued to stare as he approached, but at least closed her oh-so-very
delectable mouth. Not that it mattered one damn bit; she was still the sexiest
thing on earth and standing right in front of him.