To Match A Dragon’s Fire (Sulfur & Spice #1)

10

Kieran

Peeping Tom

I paced by the window, trying to gain control of my beast who was raging and thrashing within.

Go out there.

No.

This was madness.

She wasn’t going to listen to reason or facts. It’s not like I would’ve built this compound and moved my entire hoard here to live out the rest of my days if I didn’t legally own this land.

She needs help.

It’s not our problem. I dragged a hand over my face.

All day, my beast had been riding me hard as I watched her clean out the old cabin and start trying to turn the dried and hardened soil outside.

Not that I was watching all day.

She made so much noise it was hard to ignore the cursing and random bursts of laughter from the woman.

I’d been drawn to check it out—if only to make sure she didn’t get hurt on my land and start some kind of frivolous human lawsuit.

Not that it’d matter much .

Their government didn’t like the idea of the general population knowing certain things. The people who tried to raise public awareness of supernatural sightings had a way of disappearing.

Still, it would be a headache.

Another to add to the one she was causing now. My beast was splitting our brain in two, trying to force the shift so he could go outside to be near the woman, despite the fact that she’d probably run for the hills if she saw a dragon walking up to her.

Maybe that would be for the best.

No, you go and give her a hand.

I massaged my temples, wondering what had happened in just a single day.

For centuries, my dragon and I had been on the same page, and now we were at war because of some hot-headed human woman.

The sound of Fredrick’s wheelchair was a welcome relief from my thoughts.

“This is your fault.” I glared at my uncle as he pushed open the door to my office.

The old dragon chuckled, wheezing as he did. He and his cousin, Bemouth, were about the same age, but Fred didn’t have a mate to keep him as active and out of other people’s businesses.

I poured a glass of water and waited for him to finish it before scowling at him again.

“I’m not saying it’s going to fix our problems,” Fredrick said as he caught his breath. “But if I was in my prime and fate put a woman that looked half as good in my path, I’d welcome the distraction.”

My chest started to rumble as my beast reacted aggressively. I poured another glass of water for myself to try and temper his reaction .

Once he was settled, I took a seat at my desk with the piles of scrolls and books opened across it.

“The end is coming and you want me distracted,” I said, knowing there wasn’t anything left to do anyway.

Fredrick waved me off as he wheeled himself to the window. “Oh, hogwash. There’s a new doomsday every few centuries. We’ll survive it like we always do. One way or another.”

“And you were alive for the last Pangea event?” I asked. There was a reason many of the old species hadn’t survived the last major Earth shift.

“Was that an ageism joke?” Fred arched a gray eyebrow. “Watch it or I’ll tell the ladies on you.”

I smiled, thinking of the commotion that would cause downstairs. “All I’m saying is that this isn’t the time to form new connections.”

Not when I wasn’t sure I could keep what I had safe. Or if any of us could, for that matter.

“Let Bemouth work on those.” Fred motioned to the scrolls on my desk as he pulled back the heavy curtain. “And I’m not saying you have to fall for the woman, but we all could use a distraction from time to time.”

“She’s human. Fragile,” I said.

Lies, my dragon hissed.

“Seems to me like she can handle herself.” Fred had his face pressed to the glass like a nosy neighbor.

I realized too late why he’d come up here. The vantage point was better. My office window stared right into her yard.

“I’m assuming everyone else is interested in this situation too.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, pushing out my dragon senses to check the rest of the flock. The silence that greeted me was a solid answer.

My uncle shrugged. “You know how things go. It’s been a while since we had any action around here.”

“Is the end of the world not exciting enough for you?” I huffed.

Fred waved his hand again. “Everything dies.”

“Especially humans.” My gut tightened painfully as the unbidden image of Ember with her fiery red hair came to mind. But it wasn’t just her. The women she traveled with. The small child.

Nature was a cruel beast.

“You can always buy them a little extra time.” Fred was watching me closely now. The old dragon was testing my patience today. “They shouldn’t be here anyway. It isn’t safe.”

What he was saying was impossible.

I refused to even entertain the idea.

“Why are you so invested in these humans?” I pressed.

It wasn’t like dragons to meddle in their affairs. They weren’t beneath us, and they did outnumber our species ten thousand to one, but we had a rough history between us.

Particularly during the “slaying” years.

Not that I was judging the actions of my parents and uncles. The Middle Ages were one long and bad historical blip for our ancestors. There was a lot of fermented wine and issues with some giants.

But it was best if we kept our worlds separate. The human lifespan was so short—gone in the blink of a dragon’s eye—and favoring one could only lead to heartbreak .

Though with the impending apocalypse, maybe the timeline wouldn’t be as much of an issue.

Agreed.

I ignored his chuff as I poured myself a glass of scotch, needing the burn to get the taste of fear out of my mouth. I shouldn’t care about what would happen to the humans. There was enough to worry about here.

“If you want my advice,” Fred was still talking, “then at least be friendly with the woman. Beauty like that is classic and should be appreciated.”

I smiled at the rim of my glass. “You’re sounding like a creepy old man. Remind me why I keep you around.”

“My advice.” He blinked. “Are you feeling all right?”

“I know why you’re here. It was meant to be a joke.” I sighed.

“Oh, well, another piece of advice for free, brush up on your humor skills. I have a feeling you’ll need more than your brutish charm for that hellcat outside.” Fredrick helped himself to my bottle of scotch, taking it with him as he rolled back to the window. “This is quite the view.”

∞

I slept fitfully, plagued by dreams of magma and fast-moving tectonic plates where human screams and harmonic tremors synchronized like a symphony of destruction.

Groaning, I rolled to my side and pictured Ember’s face scowling at me.

Let’s go. My dragon was alert .

I’d managed to stay away for an entire day, but I did need to leave my house at some point.

The morning sun shone down brightly as I gathered eggs from the coop. Chickens gave me a wide berth, as they always did, and I felt guilty for interrupting their little chatter. But Agatha liked fresh eggs stocked in the kitchen before she started breakfast.

As I ran through my morning chores, my skin itched like my scales were flaking and my abnormally grouchy dragon kept pacing within my mind.

He wasn’t going to let this go until I at least spoke with the woman again.

What was I supposed to say?

The apocalypse is upon us. It’s not safe here. Your best bet is to head south for a while. Maybe Antarctica in a few years, if it still exists, because things are about to get hot.

The morning sun and heat in the greenhouse were a mockery of just how warm things would be without the balance of dragons to absorb Earth’s explosive rage.

But She made her choice, I reminded myself.

I wiped the sweat from my brow as I rounded the corner outside of the greenhouse and then stopped cold in my tracks.

Ember was bent over in jean shorts, giving me the most perfect view of milky white thighs and a rounded ass that I’d seen in… I couldn’t remember.

Her red hair was tied into a braid swinging low over her sun-kissed shoulders as she tugged the blade from the earth with a groan.

My fist found my mouth and I bit down on my knuckles, attempting to control the possessive roar of my beast. Need slammed into me harder than the hoe Ember dug into the dried dirt.

She let out a softly worded “Fuck” as her muscles flexed and I almost hit my knees.

Drips of sweat beaded on the back of her neck and the breeze shifted, sending her delicate musky vanilla scent in my direction.

Sunlight glinted off the hoe as she raised it, making it flash like a sword in battle. She hit the dirt again with a frustrated cry before tossing the tool aside.

Her hands found her lower back and she panted, out of breath and chest heaving, as she turned toward me.

I froze like a cobra poised and ready to strike, embarrassed at being caught red-handed like some prepubescent pervert, even though I was hundreds of years her senior.

The bulge in my jeans threatened to give all my dirty secrets away.

I wanted her.

I couldn’t have her.

Our position was unequal. It’d be taking advantage. She was human. I was a dragon.

It would never work.

I silently cursed Fredrick for putting these thoughts in my head. It was his fault I had to tear my gaze away from her breasts bouncing and the hint of skin showing above the waistband of her shorts as she marched over.

Everything about her was shapely and feminine and called to the primitive nature of my beast.

Succeeding in pulling my eyes up did nothing to cool my desire. Dirt streaked the side of her delicate face and strands of hair were plastered to it, escaping the confines of her braid.

She was wild and beautiful.

Any male could see that.

But I wasn’t foolish enough to make her mine.

I would be cordial though. “Good morning, Ember.”

She almost skipped a step as I said her name and I didn’t miss the way her scent heated with arousal. I knew I had that effect on most women, but it gave me pleasure to know it worked on her too.

Maybe I wouldn’t have to suffer alone.

“Good morning, Kieran,” she smirked as she replied and I had to admit my name sounded good on her lips.

Ember crossed her arms over her chest, pressing the tops of her breasts higher, and I had to focus extra hard on keeping my eyes at a decent level.

What is wrong with me?

“You’re up early.” There was a challenge in her tone.

I couldn’t help but rise to it. “I have chores to do. A homestead to keep running.”

Her eyes narrowed and I realized too late how that sounded. So much for being friendly.

“I’m surprised you don’t have hired help. A pretty boy like you doesn’t seem the type to get his hands dirty.” She turned her pert nose up higher.

I ignored her insult, trying to think over the sound of my beast preening that she thought I was attractive. “Do you need help?”

“Not from you,” Ember snapped.

“That’s not…” I blew out a heated breath. This was not going well. Humans didn’t normally get un der my skin this deep, but as Fred said, this one was a particularly good distraction. “Never mind. I have no intention of helping you tear up my backyard anyway.”

That was not a funny joke.

I knew it as soon as I tried to deliver it.

Fred was right. I was failing here. And I was forced to ask myself again just what the fuck was wrong with me.

Ember fumed as she stepped into my space. Her scent made me growl with a primal hunger. She didn’t heed the predator in that warning.

“It’s my backyard. Shouldn’t you be clearing your stuff out of here by now?” She looked pointedly at the greenhouse behind me. I’d been alive long enough to notice the hint of jealous desperation in her eyes.

“You’re welcome to whatever produce you need,” I said, trying to salvage the meager hope this conversation never had.

“I don’t want your pity.” Her eyes burned as she turned them up to me. “I want you to leave.”

I wanted to scoop her into my arms.

Wait… I…

“If you’re not out of here by tomorrow, I’ll personally bring the sheriff out here to escort you off my land.” Ember spun on her heel to leave.

“What? No.” I grabbed her arm, feeling that heat burn between us again.

She must’ve felt it too, because she looked shocked, instead of violent like I expected in response to being touched by a strange man that she apparently despised .

“You can’t go into town. It isn’t safe.” I licked my lips, watching her breath catch as she tracked the movement.

“Why isn’t it safe?” her voice came out on a breathy whisper that had my body tensing with need.

“Those people.” I shook my head, trying to clear the spell she was casting. “They’re not welcoming to outsiders.”

Ember’s laugh caught me off guard as she pushed away my hand. The hurt within the sound didn’t mirror the stoic set of her beautiful face.

“Lucky for me then.” Ember grabbed the hoe from the dirt and walked backward as if she was afraid to turn her back to me. “I’m from here. You aren’t. So maybe you should take this as your last warning and leave.”