Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
One minute, I felt myself dying, unable to properly breathe, every nerve ending in my body on fire, my shoulder throbbing—because that prick Malone shot me. The next, my little dragon was there, pleading with me to not croak. He even cried!
Shocking, I know, but of more surprise, the moment his hot tears hit me, I began to feel better. And I don’t just mean my lungs could expand and the burning sensation disappeared. Better as in the aching in my shoulder disappeared too, and was it me or did something smell really good?
Oops, apparently, I mentioned that out loud because, next thing I knew, a flurry of questions came at me.
“Iolana, speak to me, promise you won’t leave me alone!” my grandfather exclaimed in a full-blown panic.
“Iolana, thank fuck,” Apollo huffed.
“You’re welcome,” came from my smug dragon.
“For what? I’m pretty sure your fart almost killed me,” I grumbled as I tried to sit up.
“It would have.” His snout scrunched. “Apparently, my ability is of a poisonous and acidic nature.”
“And healing.” Apollo removed his hands from my shoulder. “The bleeding’s stopped, and the hole’s closed.
“How marvelous, Tigger.” I reached out to stroke his snout. “My special baby.”
“That is a pretty cool power,” stated a deep voice, who then added, “Hey, folks, name is Maddox, and before you panic, I know about dragons because I work for one named Abaddon.”
“Abaddon?” Apollo asked as he helped me to my feet.
“Yup. He’s a dragon who started out just as small and arrogant as your little guy.”
“Abaddon grew, though, right?” Tigger asked, wringing his paws.
“Yeah, although he’s still pretty demanding. They all are.”
“Wait, are you saying there’s more dragons?” Keanu’s mouth rounded.
“Yup. Once we get somewhere more private, I’ll tell you all about them, and you can tell me what happened with Malone.”
The mention of his name chilled. The man would have killed me and only Tigger’s intervention saved my life.
We piled into the SUV, me, Tigger and Apollo in the back, Tutu behind the wheel, with Maddox in the passenger seat.
My grandfather might not have been the best choice to drive, given he almost killed me a second time.
My grandfather thought speed limits and road rules were for tourists.
On the trip back to Apollo’s place, we peppered Maddox with questions and found out Malone had been behind the eruption of several volcanoes resulting in the births of at least three dragons.
Abaddon, Persephone, and Pollita. A tracker Malone didn’t know about led Maddox to Big Island to find out what the scientist was up to.
“I kind of figured I’d find another dragon, given how quickly Malone made his way to Hawaii,” Maddox stated. “Sorry if I didn’t arrive at the airport quick enough to intervene. Someone pulled the fire alarm at the hotel I was at, and the chaos made it hard to catch a ride to the airport.”
“Where is Malone now?” I asked.
“I don’t know, actually.” Maddox held up his phone. “His tracker went offline.”
“Maybe he’s dead,” Tigger stated from his snuggled spot on my lap. “I spat at him, and it turns out my drool is like acid. It burned through the flesh of his cheek and the fingers that tried to wipe it.”
Maddox grimaced. “Guess the acid on his face explains the tracker going offline. We gassed him one night and had it embedded in a tooth. It must have been damaged.”
“Meaning he could be anywhere.” Tigger shivered, and I smoothed my hand down his back, rubbing between his wings.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt you,” I whispered.
As if my words were an insult, Tigger stiffened. “More like I shall protect you since you didn’t listen to me about getting a gun. And what happened?”
“I got shot.” Said on a sigh.
“And scared the shit out of me,” Apollo murmured. “What happened to hang tight?”
I glanced down at my orange menace and smiled. “Sometimes a girl’s gotta be brave and save her dragon.”
Our arrival at the house was met with food, as Francine had remained cooking, figuring we’d need something whether we succeeded or not.
Tigger gorged himself in between asking Maddox questions about Abaddon until Maddox laughed and said, “You know what, it’s still early back home, but I’m sure he’d love to meet you. ”
Meet all of us, as it turned out. With Apollo casting Maddox’s phone screen onto the living room television, we all got to see as the call got answered by—
“Now that’s a big black brute!” Tutu exclaimed.
Rather than take offense, the large dragon, with sleek black scales and curling horns, stated in a deep voice, “Thank you. My servants feed me well. Maddox, I assume you’re calling to tell me you found Malone and handled him, seeing as how his tracker isn’t functioning any longer.”
“Lost him, actually, but I did find someone else.” Maddox half turned and beckoned to a suddenly bashful Tigger. “Come say hi, little guy.”
Tigger appeared reluctant, and I could see why. It must be daunting to meet someone who could open their mouth and swallow you whole.
“Hello.” Abaddon leaned closer to the screen. “You needn’t be afraid. While our goal might be to rule the world, given how things have changed since we last roamed the Earth, it wouldn’t be wise yet for us to turn on each other.”
“Are you proposing an alliance?” Tigger sauntered forward. “Dragons don’t usually indulge in such a thing.”
“Perhaps it’s time we changed. After all, our previous methods led to our annihilation. My humans have been yammering about the need for me to make friends.” Abaddon’s snout wrinkled. “While I have begun courting two females, it might be interesting to have a male to converse with.”
“I guess that wouldn’t be horrible. I hear you can roast with fire.”
“Indeed, I can,” huffed Abaddon, blowing smoke from his nostrils. “And you?”
“Poisonous gas, acidic spit, and healing.”
“A triple blessing. Congratulations. No wonder Malone wanted to get his hands on you.”
As Tigger and Abaddon traded arrogant statements, with Keanu chiming in with the occasional sarcastic remark and Maddox rolling his eyes, I leaned against Apollo’s shoulder.
“What a day,” I murmured.
“Tired?”
“Yes and no. What I really want is a shower.”
Apollo made it happen by interrupting Tigger saying, “Iolana needs her rest. Keanu, you’re in charge of Tigger, and you will show Maddox to the guest room beside yours. Mr. Abaddon, pleasure to meet you. Perhaps the next time we can do so in person.”
“Really?” Both Abaddon and Tigger exclaimed.
“Just let me know what the closest airstrip is to your ranch and I’ll get the pilot for my jet to file a flight path.”
Apollo grabbed me by the hand, and we left, heading up to his bedroom and right into the bathroom.
While he ran the shower, I stripped and stared in the mirror.
“What’s wrong?” Apollo asked, standing beside me.
“The bullet wound…” I traced my fingers over the smooth skin. “You can barely tell I was shot.” Only a red spot the size of a nickel remained.
“Amazing,” he replied.
“And terrifying. Can you imagine the people who will want to use Tigger if they find out he can heal?”
“Guess we’ll have to make sure we keep his secret.”
“We?”
“We’re in this together,” he stated.
“Speaking of in this together, you could use a shower too…” I teased as I headed for the glass enclosure, hips rolling.
Apollo joined me under the hot spray but didn’t immediately touch me. “Are you sure about this? Shouldn’t you be resting?”
Some women might have still been having hysterics over what happened, but me? I’d looked death in the eye and survived—plus I felt great. Only one thing could make me feel better.
I draped my arms around his neck. “What I need is you. Touching me. Kissing me. Inside me…” I leaned against the tile shower and smiled.
He reached out to drag a finger down the valley between my breasts.
“Your wish is my command.” He snared the bar of soap from the cubby inset within the tile.
A coconut scent filled the air as he lathered it before rubbing his soapy palms over all over me.
Shoulders down my arms to hands. Neck, which then led to a glide over my breasts and over my belly.
My nipples puckered in expectation, but he knelt instead of sucking on my ready berries, soaping my legs, dragging a hand between them, making me suck in a breath.
He then turned me to face the spray, rinsing the suds.
He stood behind me and kissed between my shoulder and neck, sending a shiver through me.
He spun me around and layered more embraces, teasing my moist skin with his lips, cupping my breasts, his thumbs brushing over the tips.
He pushed them together and flicked my nipples with his tongue before circling each tip and then giving it a suck.
Each tug of his mouth sent a jolt through me, and I gasped at the pleasurable sensation.
When he stopped to kiss me, I pressed myself against him, slick flesh rubbing, titillating. His hand slid between our bodies to get between my legs. He stroked me, making me gasp into his mouth. My whole body hummed, energized and alive. Needy and wanting.
I reached for him, my fingers wrapping around his hard shaft. He sucked in a breath, and his hips moved in time with my strokes.
Since I wanted him to come inside me, I draped a leg around his waist, spreading me wide for him. He only had to lift me a little, bracing my back on the wall. My second leg wrapped around to ease some of my weight as the tip of him spread my nether lips.
I clung to his shoulders as his cock pushed against my sex, sliding in slowly, the stretching sensation exactly what I wanted. Needed. Craved.
He pushed himself deep, and I couldn’t help but squeeze around his shaft, loving how it pulsed in reply. He began to pull out slightly and slam back in. His hips pumped, and I held on, loving how each stroke brought a gasp of pleasure. How each thrust made me tighten.
And when my orgasm hit, he came, too, the two of us locked in a maelstrom of bliss, clinging to each other, sated and yet still wanting.
He wrapped me in a towel and carried me to bed, where we lay entwined.
“I’m so happy you’re okay,” he whispered, his hands stroking my arm.
“Me too.” I turned in his grip to see his face. “But I have to ask, with all this talk of we, does this mean we’re officially a couple?”
“Hell, yeah we are. Is it too soon to say I think I’m in love?”
“Yes, but also…” I paused before shyly adding, “Pretty sure I’m in love with you, too.”
Would it last? Time would tell, but in that moment, I’d never been more attuned to someone, felt so comfortable, sated, and happy.
Even happier when he went down on me.