Wicked After Dark: 20 Steamy Paranormal Tales of Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More Read online

  As they walked hand in hand back to the other Guardsmen, he thought about their future together. He couldn’t wait until they were officially mated and he could hear her thoughts. Being in the dark was not something Rayne was used to.

  As they approached, his men had the good sense to give no indication they knew what had taken place between them. Not even Lance smirked in their direction. They’d all heard the stories from the elder couples about the mating call’s effect on a dragon shifter. His brethren knew how increasingly possessive Rayne would become until the mating ceremony was completed.

  Drakes were extremely protective of their mates, even after the completion of the mating ceremony. The constant need to be near and touch their vibria would never go away, but the jealousy would lessen once the bond was complete. The ability to mindspeak was another byproduct of the mating ceremony and gave both mates comfort when they could touch one another’s mind.

  It was time to begin the hike. They needed to reach the highest point outside the city by nightfall. Tucking Kyndel close to his side, Rayne called to his men, “Everyone, get something to eat. Smells like Royce has been busy. We need to move out in thirty minutes.”

  “I didn’t see the campfire,” Kyndel commented as he led her to the food. Rayne almost laughed aloud when she mumbled, “Wow, that’s enough food for an army.” Then snorted, “Well, they are an army.”

  Rayne knew the second she’d seen Royce, the oldest of his Force. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked up at him with huge eyes. She whispered, “That’s the biggest guy I’ve ever seen in my life. He could be the Cowboys’ whole defensive line. Does he fit through doorways?”

  Holding back his laughter, he pushed her forward, wanting her to meet the gentle giant of their Force before forming an opinion based solely on his size. People were always freaked out when they met Royce. Not only was he almost six-foot-ten inches tall, but he had hair the color of carrots and freckles that covered him from head to toe. To say he was a sight was an understatement. But true to form, his old friend met Kyndel with a big smile and a warm welcome.

  “Sorry, I didn’t get to meet you before. I was busy rounding up enough food to feed these ruffians. Name’s Royce. I’m very pleased to meet the woman that has turned our Commander inside out.”

  Rayne stiffened as she took her hand from around his waist to shake hands with his brethren. She looked up at him with her patented one eyebrow up “what in the hell is the matter with you” look and scoffed. His mate took shit from no one, most of all him.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Royce. I’m not sure if I’ve turned your Commander inside out or not, but I can assure you if that iron skillet was empty, I would bring him down a peg or two.”

  The entire group of men stopped dead in their tracks. Rayne knew they’d never heard anyone but his mother dare talk to him or about him in that tone of voice. It took exactly two seconds until they all burst out laughing. Rayne shook his head and watched Kyndel try to hold back her laughter. It didn’t last. She laughed so hard her eyes began to water.

  Rayne did the only thing he could think to restore order, he growled, “Mate…”

  “Don’t you ‘Mate’ me, Rayne MacLendon. I can shake hands with anyone I want. I will not be rude. And by the way, you’re pissing me off.”

  Shocked and not sure what to say, Rayne thanked the Heavens when Royce got his laughing under control.

  His oldest brethren chuckled. “You have quite the woman on your hands there, Commander. Perfect match, I’d say. Couldn’t be happier for you… both of you. Now, let me get you guys something to eat.”

  “Thank you, Royce. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I smelled the food.” She paused just a second before adding, “I just realized I haven’t eaten in almost twenty-four hours.” Kyndel smiled at Royce as Rayne took the plate his oldest friend had piled high with food for both of them.

  His annoyance with Kyndel faded. Rayne felt horrible. He had forgotten all about feeding his mate. He’d been so preoccupied with getting between her thighs that she had gone hungry. What a shitty mate he was turning out to be. Hadn’t even thought about making sure the single most important person in his life was nourished.

  It would never happen again. He would see to all her needs, and she would want for nothing. He would be the best mate ever. Steering her to another fallen log the parks department had made into a makeshift bench, he waited for her to be seated before sitting right next to her.

  Lifting a piece of meat to her lips, making sure she would get her fill before even a piece of meat passed his lips, he was shocked when she tried to take the meat from his fingers. He quickly moved his hand between hers and her mouth, bumping her lips with the meat. She moved her head to the side and scowled. “Rayne, I am capable of feeding myself.”

  “I’m sure you are, but I’ll feed you to make sure you get your fill.”

  “Rayne,” the emphasis and pause telling him she was irritated. “That is not necessary.” She narrowed her eyes at him and asked, “What is really going on here?”

  He hung his head, placed the piece of meat back on the plate, looked back up at her, and finally answered. “Mo chroí’, it is my responsibility to take care of you… to make sure you have everything you need. I was so focused on making love to you, I neglected to realize you were hungry. I can command leagues of men, fight hordes of hunters, stop evil wizards, but the first time I’m supposed to care for my mate, I let her go hungry.”

  “Rayne, I’m quite capable of taking care of myself.” She placed her hands on either side of his face, care and concern flowing from her fingertips. “You heard me tell Royce I hadn’t even realized I was hungry until I smelled the food cooking.”

  She placed her fingertips over his lips, stopping him from speaking, and continued, “And as far as I’m aware, we were both quite concerned with making love. I don’t recall asking you to stop and feed me at any time.”

  He couldn’t help but smile when she added, “I’m a very independent woman, Rayne. I’ve been taking care of myself for quite a while now. I love everything we’ve done together. I wouldn’t trade one second of being with you for the best cheeseburger in the world. Besides, I could stand to shed at least twenty pounds.”

  Rayne’s smile fell from his face. He removed her finger from his lips and held it in his lap while her other still cupped his cheek. He leaned into her hand and looked directly in her eyes so there was no mistaking his intent. “You will not lose one ounce. You are absolutely stunning just as you are. Your curves are beautiful. You are soft in all the places a woman should be soft. Your body makes me think of long days and nights spent exploring every erotic curve. You provide a haven for me… mind, body, and soul.” He took the hand he was holding, placing it flat over his heart and covering it with his.

  “You have an inner strength that staggers me. It is one of the hundreds of reasons I cannot stop thanking the Universe for making you just for me.” He closed his eyes when the emotions threatened to overwhelm him, opening them quickly so she could see his heartfelt honesty. “You, m’anamchara, have captured me completely, and I never want to leave your side.”

  A single tear slid down her cheek. He turned, needing to get her as close to him as possible but not wanting to cover her in their dinner. Setting their plate on the log beside him, he lifted her into his lap and tucked her head under his chin. “Why are you crying, mo chroi’?”

  She answered with a question of her own. “What are you calling me now? I don’t remember that from before.”

  His mate was inquisitive. She would keep him on his toes. “M’anamchara means my soul mate.”

  “You have quite a way with words, Commander. You make me very happy. And… they are happy tears, Rayne, only ever happy tears.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief, kissed her on top of the head, and returned her to her seat. Picking up a piece of meat, he once again placed it against her lips. This time she opened without hesitation. Pride almost c
onsumed him. His mate trusted him to care for her. There was no denying she was independent and used to caring for herself. He loved that about her, but her care was now his responsibility, whether she wanted to accept that fact or not. He was sure the longer they were together the more accepting of his care she would become. He looked forward to it.

  Rayne was so lost in his thoughts, enjoying the simple pleasure of feeding his mate, he missed her picking up a piece of meat until she placed it against his lips. He glanced at the meat, then at his mate. She raised her eyebrow at him… again. Was there anything cuter than her trying to intimidate him?

  “If you can feed me, then I can feed you. Fair is fair, Rayne.”

  “You are so right, mo chroi’.”

  He parted his lips and took the meat from her fingers, sucking her forefinger into his mouth and teasing just the tip with his tongue. She gasped and pulled her finger from his lips, but not before he saw fire in those beautiful emerald eyes of hers.

  He winked and smirked, “Oh, my beautiful mate, the fun we are going to have.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Kyndel knew they’d been walking for over an hour, even though she’d forgotten her watch. It wasn’t as bad as she’d originally thought it might be, but it still wasn’t as fun as some of the things they’d done together. In her effort to get into better shape, she’d taken up hiking with a group from her office about six months earlier. Sometimes, she just needed to get outside and breathe the fresh air, get away from all the testosterone of the gym.

  Aidan and Aaron, twins she’d been told as they were packing up the few supplies Royce had used to cook their delicious meal, were leading their merry band of warriors. Rayne walked right alongside her, constantly touching her in one way or another. Royce was on her left and Lance and Devon were bringing up the rear. Well cocooned in between all of Rayne’s men, Kyndel had never felt safer.

  She’d hung out with Royce while Rayne and the others made plans to get them all to The Pointe without attracting any attention.

  As if!

  That part of their conversation made her laugh. How crazy was it that those behemoths thought they could do anything without attracting attention. Not only were they all HUGE, each was drop-dead gorgeous. The longer she listened in and chuckled, the more predominant the vein in Rayne’s head became. When it looked as is if it might pop, she shrugged her shoulders and went back to helping Royce.

  She could feel Rayne looking at her every five minutes or so. It was the weirdest sensation, like he was actually touching her. Goose bumps rose all over her body, making her tingly and causing an almost undeniable ache between her legs. Tamping down on her unruly thoughts, she tried to think of anything but Rayne, not wanting to embarrass herself after just meeting all these men.

  Thankfully, Royce distracted her by talking about anything and everything. He was by far the most laid back of the bunch. She asked if his dragon was golden red like Rayne’s and was surprised to find out it wasn’t. He explained that each man’s dragon was colored from their original clan. Royce’s was a royal blue with green scales woven throughout. If it was anything like she imagined from his description, he was a beautiful dragon. She told him as much and was immediately embarrassed when he laughed and said, “Beautiful? We of the Dragon Guard are not beautiful. We are fierce and unstoppable.”

  “I’m sorry. I meant no offense.”

  “Don’t fret, Miss Kyndel, I’m only joking. Our dragons are a sight to behold. There was a time when we took to the sky no matter day or night, never fearing anything or anyone. The sun shone off our scales like glitter. It was a truly spectacular sight. As with all good things, people find a way to destroy the beautiful. Overpopulation and enemies have forced us into hiding. We fly at night, unless there is grave danger to one of our own.”

  Kyndel noticed the longer the big man spoke, the more predominant his accent became. His speech became more formal, like from an older time.

  “Can I ask how old you are, Royce?”

  “Physically, I was one hundred and fifty-six my last birthday. My dragon is over eighteen hundred years old.”

  She almost swallowed her tongue, then asked the next thing that popped into her mind. “How old is Rayne?” She braced herself for his answer.

  “Oh, he is a young one. He just turned one hundred and nineteen his last birthday. His dragon is one of the younger ones as well, only a little over fourteen hundred years.”

  What the…

  Kyndel worked hard not to freak out. She had sex, wild… crazy… once in a lifetime sex with a hundred and nineteen year old man and she was actually thinking about doing it again, probably more than once.

  “How long do y’all expect to live, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “We can live to be at least as old as a thousand years, unless our physical body or that of our dragon is mortally wounded. The soul of the man will return to the Universe and the essence of the dragon will pass to the next male in the family bloodline that does not already share his soul with one of the beasts. If the man does not have a successor, the dragon’s essence will pass to the next eligible bloodline. That is why from the time we undergo our transformation, we are looking for our mate. She completes the man and the beast in every way possible. This one special woman, created by the Universe for one Guardsman, is essential to the continuation of our way of life… our species as a whole. She holds the seed of life. For you see, a Guardsman can only reproduce with his chosen mate.

  “So, Miss Kyndel, you are absolutely essential to Rayne’s survival. There will be no other for him… ever. If he was to lose you or you were to not accept him as a mate, he would live a solitary existence and never know love. It is said that his lifespan would be greatly shortened.”

  WOW! No pressure. Thanks, Royce.

  “But what will he do when I die years before him?” Her voice was barely a whisper as she tried to absorb the information Royce had shared with her.

  “Once you and he have completed the official mating ceremony, your lifespan will match his. You will live as many years as he does.”

  “Well, I guess that’s a good thing.”

  “Yes, it’s a very good thing,” Royce laughed. “Don’t look so worried. Rayne is the best man I know. He will protect you with everything in his power and that is truly saying something. Now let’s get this stuff packed up. It looks like they’re ready to head out.”

  Now, she was marching along with six of the most elite of the Dragon Guard, on her way to only God knew where. Thinking about everything she had learned in the last twenty-four hours. All the ways her world had changed. And most importantly, about the incredibly sexy man the Universe had decided to make her mate.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  From the way Kyndel’s brow furrowed and her teeth worried her bottom lip, Rayne knew she was deep in thought. He’d heard parts of her conversation with Royce and knew it had been shocking. They weren’t officially mated, but he was quickly learning her body language and the different tones of her voice. He’d even felt little nudges in his mind. Their souls were reaching out to one another. The ceremonial words of his people may have not been spoken, but they were quickly bonding, regardless.

  After two hours of walking, they reached the incline to The Pointe. Rayne called to his men to stop. He needed to get Kyndel some water and see what was troubling her. It was torture to know she was lamenting over things he could help her understand. Bringing her to his side calmed him.

  “Come with me, mo ghra’. Let’s get a drink before we trudge up this hillside.”

  They sat on a large rock, out of earshot of the others. “Now, what is causing all this stress?”

  He held her face between his massive hands, rubbing the tension from her brow. His pride soared as she leaned into his touch.

  “Royce told me how old you are and how long you’ll live. He told me how important your mate is to you. Rayne, I just met you a little over twenty-four hours ago. How can all this be happeni
ng? It’s so overwhelming. I told you I’m not someone that trusts easily. I mean, I never even kiss on the first date, and we did a whole lot more than kiss.” She paused for a breath and raised that one brow at him again. He would never get tired of her mannerisms.

  She rushed on. “I mean, seriously, Rayne, this is nuts. I’m traipsing off with you as if I’ve known you forever. Trusting all that you’re telling me, and let’s be real here… everything you’ve told me is something out of a sci-fi/fantasy movie.

  “Oh, and don’t let me forget… Royce says when we’re mated, I’ll live as long as you and that could be at least a thousand years.” She paused again, but he knew she wasn’t finished, so he sat patiently waiting.

  “And… and… the thing that makes all of this even harder is if I don’t become your mate, you’ll spend all those years, almost nine hundred of them, alone… without love. But how can this be love? How can this be anything? I just met you!”

  She was breathing deeply. He watched her try to get her emotions under control. The look of pleading and utter confusion in her eyes was more than he could stand. He leaned closer, pressing his lips to hers. He slowly kissed from one corner of her mouth to the other. Reassuring, committing, showing her love can happen in less than a day. The tension left her body. He slowly pulled back, opened his eyes, and marveled at Kyndel’s beauty.

  Her face in his hands, eyes closed, lips parted ever so slightly, trusting him, whether she realized it or not, to give her answers to all her questions. In that moment, Rayne saw all the reasons why the Universe made her for him. Together, they would move heaven and earth.

  Slowly, she opened her eyes. The love and complete devotion he saw there was humbling to say the least. She doubted they could already be falling in love, but he could see it there. “Mo ghra’, I know everything is happening so fast. If I’d had my way, I would have courted you slowly, giving you time to come to terms with each revelation before dumping something else on you, but it didn’t happen that way for us.