Never Fall for a Dragon (Mate Mountain Book 1)

Chapter 1

My eyes werenarrow as I watched the couple argue through the coffee shop’s windows. My drink sat in front of me, but I hadn’t touched it since the pair started fighting.

They both had light hair and golden skin. She was tall for a woman, with killer curves, and he was clearly some kind of supernatural. He towered over her by at least eight inches, built thick and strong in a way human men just weren’t, and his arms were covered in black ink tattoos.

My friend Vi would’ve taken one look at the guy and told me to walk the other way.

Miranda, on the other hand, would’ve ogled the hell out of him.

My past experiences told me that supernatural guys were pieces of shit, and to be avoided at all costs.

But my conscience had me watching them closely. If he showed any sign of violence toward her, I would intervene, even if it would land me in the hospital.

It wouldn’t be the first time a supernatural asshole put me there.

The man shoved his hand through his hair. It was shaved on the sides and long and messy on top. Something about the motion was insanely sexy… and made every hair on my body raise.

I found myself standing abruptly.

He was going to hurt her. There was no possible way he wouldn’t. Not when he was so much bigger than her, so much stronger.

I had to intervene.

My hands shook as I strode out of the coffee shop, abandoning my drink and laptop without a thought.

I pushed the doors open, and finally heard their argument.

“You can’t let them do that, August,” the woman argued. “You have to fight back.”

The words didn’t register. Not when I was so worked up that I was shaking.

If they had, maybe I would’ve turned around. They didn’t sound like the words of a woman who was about to be attacked by her supernatural lover or mate.

But the words didn’t register.

And I didn’t walk the other way.

“I’m the one who screwed up. Now I have to play their game,” the man growled.

My footsteps grew shorter, and faster.

“You know I can protect you. Leave the thunder, and—” the woman cut herself off as I stepped up next to them, narrowing my eyes at the supernatural man.

He was even taller than my ex had been.

Bigger, too. Everywhere.

“Don’t touch her,” I said.

My voice only shook a little.

There was a moment of silence.

A long moment.

Long enough that I had a second to wonder if the woman had needed me to intervene at all.

“You’re trying to protect me?” Her voice was surprised, but not unpleasantly so. “That’s really, really sweet. Thank you. But August is my brother— he’s not a threat to me.”

My gaze jerked toward her, and followed her hand back to the man as she gestured to him.

They did look a lot alike. I hadn’t put that together when I watched them in the window.

He was staring at me, his eyes just as narrowed as mine had been. While mine were a soft hazel color that usually resembled a faded brown, his were bright blue. They were striking.

Gorgeous.

The word rolled through my mind before I could stop it.

“My mistake.” I started to take a step back, but the man caught my wrist before my foot found the ground again.

Where his skin touched mine, fire raced up my arm.

I shuddered.

Panic should’ve been rising in my throat, but all I felt was that burn sliding into my chest before blazing through the rest of me.

“What the hell, August? Let her go.” The woman tried to pull her brother’s hand off my wrist, but he didn’t budge.

My eyes collided with his again—and I gasped when I saw them.

The blue was gone.

In its place, was flames.

Literal fire.

“Holy shit,” I breathed.

Thatdefinitely hadn’t happened with my ex.

“What is this?” the woman demanded.

She must’ve seen his eyes too.

“Call your mate,” the man gritted out. “And Jas and Eli.”

I tried to pull my hand out of his grasp, but instead of letting me go, the man stepped closer.

His hands landed on my waist, and I sucked in a breath.

Holy hell, he smelled incredible.

Like campfire and trees.

And his grip felt way better than it had any right to.

“Listen closely, Fireball,” the man ground out. It didn’t take much for me to put together that I was the one he was calling Fireball. “You’ve ignited my heat. The flames in your veins will grow hotter, urging you to seek relief, and the beast in mine will push me to soothe them. If we give in, the potential bond between us will seal permanently.”

“Give in to what?”

“The lust.”

Holy shit.

What had I just gotten myself into?

“What do you want me to do?” August’s sister asked.

I still didn’t know her name.

“Take us to my house,” he said.

“What about Bash?”

I assumed Bash was her mate. Her mate was the only one they’d mentioned without giving a name yet.

“He’ll need to stay close until Jas and Eli get here.” August’s voice was low, and getting more gravelly by the moment. “We need to get out of the city now, Brynn. There are too many male eyes.”

Brynn must’ve been his sister’s name.

My gaze jerked away from his, and I looked around. I saw one guy in the coffee shop, watching us, but that was all. He looked too human to be Brynn’s mate.

“What’s going on?” a new, male voice asked. He sounded much more neutral than August.

The fire in my veins was getting hotter, though, making my mind cloudy and my face flush.

“Heat,” Brynn said. “Help me get them to your Hummer before someone starts recording this.”

“Don’t touch her.” August’s voice was savage, and a shiver rolled down my spine.

The flames running through me liked his violence.

“Don’t even look at the nice little human, okay, Bash?” Brynn was trying to force herself to stay cheerful. “Let’s not get in a demon and dragon fight in the middle of the city.

“Demons and dragons?” My voice rose.

Werewolves and vampires were common, as far as supernaturals went. I’d met werewolves and vampires before. I’d dated a vampire before.

But dragons and demons?

Not common.

Not at all.

“We can give you more information when we’re not standing in front of my coffee shop with a dragon who has literal fire in his eyes,” Brynn said.

She wrapped her hand around August’s arm, and tugged.

He used his grip on my waist to spin me around, then walked me forward. His front didn’t brush my back as we moved, but some twisted part of me wanted it to.

And at his touch, the warmth in my veins did fade a little.

I looked over at Brynn’s mate, Bash, while August walked me forward.

My eyes widened.

He was just as big, and gorgeous, as August.

He was tall and tan, with curly dark hair, and was wearing a pair of slacks with a white button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, and the top few buttons of his shirt were undone.

A low growl rumbled in my ear. “Eyes off the demon if you want to avoid a fight, Fireball.”

I jerked my gaze to the road in front of us, and almost apologized. When I realized I had nothing to apologize for, I stayed quiet.

“Where are we going?” Bash asked.

“August’s new place in the forest.”

Newplace in the forest.

Was I about to be murdered?

I really, really hoped not.

We made it to a gigantic Jeep that looked more like an armored vehicle than an actual car.

“This is us.” Brynn was still trying to be cheerful. “Take the back seat, August.”

He opened the back door, lifting me into the vehicle and setting me on the seat. I slid over to make space for him immediately, but he scooped me up and set me on his lap as soon as his ass met the leather. My back wasn’t against his chest, and my backside wasn’t close enough to find out whether or not his body was reacting to mine.

His arms did wrap around my middle, though.

Bash pulled out of the parking lot after August gave him an address.

Brynn looked back at us with a tight smile. “What’s your name?”

She was obviously talking to me, so I answered. There didn’t seem to be a point in lying, considering I’d somehow managed to waltz my way into some kind of weird… relationship?

I didn’t even know what to call the situation.

“Elodie.”

“Nice to meet you, Elodie. Sorry it’s not under better circumstances. It really was sweet of you to have my back when August and I were fighting.”

“You were fighting?” Bash flashed her a look.

“I’ll explain later.” She set her hand on his thigh, and he captured it in his, lacing his fingers through hers. I would’ve preferred it if he kept two hands on the wheel while he drove, but wasn’t about to start a demon and dragon fight.

“How long does heat last?” I asked her, my voice quiet. The fire was still burning in my veins, though it was more of a warm discomfort than anything else at the moment.

“I have no idea,” Brynn admitted. “I’m a demon, not a dragon.”

I didn’t know how a dragon’s sister could be a demon, but I didn’t know much else about dragons and demons, either.

The extent of my knowledge was that demons drank lust to survive. And dragons were shifters who could switch between their human and scaly monster forms.

Brynn looked at August. “How long does heat last?”

He was silent for too long, his arms still locked around me.

Apparently he didn’t want to answer.

Great.

“You can’t be secretive with the woman you’ve just sent into heat, August. This is not the time for being protective about dragon secrets,” Brynn snapped.

August’s chest rumbled unhappily. “Two weeks if you sate it to seal the bond. Four if you don’t.”

“Four weeks?” Brynn demanded. “Isn’t it painful?”

“Incredibly.”

It was painful?

Fantastic.

I was going to spend four weeks in pain.

“Will I be able to make it to my classes? I’m in my last semester at SRU.” Scale Ridge University was a fairly small college, but it was well-known.

I was enrolled in the software engineering program. While I enjoyed it for the most part, I was one of just a few women in most classes. It was awkward, and I was ready to be done.

“No.” August answered without hesitation. “I’ll deal with the school.”

“You can’t just deal with a university,” I said.

“You’d be surprised what supernatural guys can deal with, when they’ve lived long enough. If August can’t make the university work with you, Bash and his brothers will handle it,” Brynn said. I didn’t know how her voice was so upbeat.

Maybe because she wasn’t the one dealing with literal fire in her veins.

“I said I’ll take care of it,” August growled. His arms tightened again, pulling me closer to his chest.

Though the warmth faded a little with the touch, my stomach clenched when I felt his erection beneath my ass.

I fought not to show any sign that I’d noticed his desire.

“Can someone please explain to me exactly what’s going to happen with the heat thing?” I asked, my voice nowhere near as cheerful as Brynn’s

She looked pointedly at August.

He pulled me closer, until my back was pressed to his chest.

My body relaxed more with the contact, my discomfort fading almost completely.

“My fire ignited in your veins the first time I touched you. It’ll grow hotter and more painful over the next few days, and your pain will continue to increase as it does. The heat in your body will push you to me constantly, because no one else can sate it.”

“I’m going to need a clearer description of sating it.”

“Sex, Fireball. Sex will sate it. Nothing else.”

“I go by Elodie. And how will the heat effect you?”

“I think you’ve already realized that,” he drawled.

His erection throbbed beneath my ass, just for emphasis.

My cheeks warmed, and not because of the flames. “There’s got to be more to it than that.”

“My mind will devolve with distance between us. Unlike some kinds of shifters, dragons are not separate from our animals. My beastly instincts will grow stronger and harder to ignore, until I’ve claimed your body to seal our bond.”

My eyes widened more with every sentence.

He added, “I should be able to control myself, but if I can’t, my brothers will keep me from doing anything you don’t want me to.”

“You can barely handle having Bash in the vehicle with her, and he’s mated,” Brynn pointed out. “Jas and Eli are single, and they look just like you.”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“I don’t want to be your test subject while you figure it out,” I argued. “And I really don’t want to get hurt when you devolve.”

Brynn responded quickly. “Not physically hurt—he can’t physically hurt you. It’s not possible. He’s trying to say that he doesn’t want to take advantage of the situation. You’ll be in pain, desperate for… him to sate it, because of the fire. You won’t be yourself, and he won’t be himself, and that’s dangerous. Right?” she looked at August.

“Yes.”

“But not physically dangerous?” I checked.

“More like sexually dangerous,” she said.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Not sexually dangerous,” August nearly snarled. “If it gets to that point, which it won’t, your pleasure will be my priority. I’ll want you out of pain more than anything else. When dragons give in to heat, it always starts with the male using his mouth and fingers on the female, which doesn’t seal the bond. It just escalates from there.”

Okay, I was screwed.

Quite possibly in multiple ways.

“And this all happened because you touched me?” I asked.

“No. It happened because you intervened in a private conversation, putting your scent in my nose and triggering my heat. Touching you started yours, but that was unavoidable.”

Lovely.

“I thought you were going to hurt Brynn, so I was trying to protect her.” I gestured to the woman in the passenger seat.

“Why do you think I’m calling you Fireball?” he countered.

I scowled. “So what happens if we make it through all four of the weeks without giving in?”

“You’re free to return to your life, and you’ll never see me again.”

At least there was that.

I just needed to survive four weeks of theoretical pain, then I could go back to my normal life.

“What if you give in?” Brynn asked.

I didn’t want to know the answer to that question. In fact, I didn’t even want to discuss the possibility of it.

“We’ll cross that road if we get there,” August said. “And if we do, it’ll be between me and Elodie alone.”

“How many couples make it through heat without giving in?” I asked.

He was silent for a moment.

A few moments.

Way too many moments.

“Not many,” he finally said.

“We’re going to need a number, August,” Brynn countered.

“I don’t have a number. If any of my dragons have survived heat without giving in, they haven’t told me. Historically, I know of one.”

“And?” Brynn prodded.

“And the couple resisted heat, but fell in love in the process and ended up sealing their bond anyway,” he grumbled.

Great.

Just great.

We drove the last twenty minutes in silence. I forced myself to stare at the trees and mountains around us as we gained elevation, driving further and further from the main part of Scale Ridge.

When we finally pulled up in front of August’s house, my body was warmer.

And wetter.

My thighs were pressed tightly together, and I’d decided I couldn’t be annoyed about his erection. It was obviously the heat’s fault, because I was equally turned on.

August opened the Hummer’s door, then lifted us both out. His arm remained around my waist as he set me on my feet.

Bash stepped up next to Brynn, tucking her smoothly against his side. They moved together so naturally, I had a hard time looking away from them.

“I don’t want Bash’s scent in your house while you’re losing your mind,” Brynn said. “We’ll sit on the porch until Jasper and Elijah get here, as long as Elodie’s okay with that.”

I opened my mouth to tell her I wanted her inside with me. Before I could say anything, she added,

“But, I should probably mention, we can see the lust blazing off both of you. It’s a demon thing. We can’t drink your lust, because we’re mated, but you should know.”

I slowly closed my mouth.

I had questions.

So many questions.

But considering the uncertainty of the situation, I didn’t vocalize any of them.

August answered for me. “The porch works. We’ll leave the door open.”

With that, he walked me to the house’s entrance. It looked more like a cabin to me, but I didn’t say that out loud. It was one story and mid-sized, with dark green siding and large windows. The porch that wrapped around it held my attention—it would be an incredible place to work on my computer, given its undisturbed view of the forest.

When he typed the code into an electronic door lock, he didn’t try to hide it from me.

0316.

The door swung open, and I looked around the inside.

There were pretty, dark brown wood floors.

Grayish-white walls, without pictures on them.

No furniture that I could see.

Brynn remarked from behind us, “Do you even have a bed, August?”

“Yep. A mattress on the floor.”

She sighed.

“I’ll get someone out here to furnish it in the next hour,” Bash said.

Gratitude welled in my chest, and I started to look over my shoulder before August’s grip on my waist tightened. “Do you want me to kill him, Fireball?”

Brynn came to my rescue. “Oh, stop it. She’s not interested in Bash. He’s just being nicer than you are right now. And for the record, El, Bash isn’t usually the nice one. Can I call you El?”

“Um, sure.”

“Perfect. Did you have a bag at the coffee shop? I just realized you don’t have a purse or anything.”

I looked down at myself.

No bag.

I was still wearing the same faded jean shorts and old black tee I’d had on earlier, but I’d definitely forgotten my stuff. It was the middle of summer in Scale Ridge, so the weather was beautiful during the day, but a little cold at night.

“My backpack, yeah. My laptop and phone were on the table, too.” Panic rolled through me. I’d been working on a huge project all morning. If I didn’t get my computer back, I’d be screwed.

“No worries, I’ll take care of it,” Brynn promised. “I own that Coffee Toffee location. My employees probably picked your things up when you disappeared. If they didn’t, we have security cameras.”

I nodded, though my worry certainly wasn’t fading. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” She gave me a small smile before sitting down on her butt on the porch, right next to her gigantic mate.