Claimed by Fire (Dragonkeepers Book 4) Read online

  “I love you,” I said. It burst out of me with the same force as my fire. It was true. “I mean...I love you. It’s not just about fate. Ash, you’re not like any woman I’ve ever known. Your heart is stronger than any shifter’s. God. In that, you remind me of my mother. You’re fearless. You know what you want. And you don’t seem to care who stands in your way when you go after it.”

  She cocked her head to the side. She brought her hand up and touched my face. “And your timing is lousy. I’m mad at you. And I’m so sick of shifters flying off half-cocked. We have to fix this. And you have to help me. Give me a second to get my land legs back. And I have to figure out what I’m going to say when I call. But, we need to set up a meeting. Neutral territory if you want, but you’ve got to make my parents understand what you are and why you’ve been acting this way.”

  I wished like hell it was that simple. “Ash,” I said. “There are some things I have left to tell you.”

  She raised a brow. “No kidding. I did a fair amount of research. You might have told me you’re a billionaire, Loch. It explains a few things. But, it raises a thousand other questions...why…”

  I gathered her hands in mine. “Let me try to get through this,” I said. “Can you promise to just hear me out before you judge me?”

  Her lips parted. I worked to steady my pulse. Ash could sense my moods now. I hoped it meant she would know I was telling the absolute truth. And I hoped she wouldn’t end up hating me for it.

  “My mother sent me to Blackfoot,” I said. “It’s to do with my father.”

  “Your father? You think he’s in Blackfoot? Baby, I swear, there’s been no one like you in the Yukon before.”

  I shook my head. “No. Just listen. God. I don’t even know where to start. Let’s just...let’s go with what you already know. You know my kind was hunted to extinction. You know the shifters had the most to do with that.”

  She nodded. “Witches too. Yes. I know my shifter history, Loch.”

  “My father was murdered. He was betrayed by some shifters he thought he could trust. They turned on him. They sold his blood to a coven of dark witches.”

  “My God. That’s awful.”

  Her face was trusting, her heart open. I hated myself a little for what I had to say.

  “The shifters who turned on him were led by a powerful group of tigers. Their Alpha was a man named Christoph Jeger. He promised the coven he could bring them even more dragon blood in exchange for protection for him and his family. He went after my mother next. She was carrying my brothers and me. They hunted her for decades, never allowing her a moment’s peace or rest. Each time she thought she’d found it, someone would betray her yet again. She watched as the great dragon houses were decimated. Until she was the only one left. She went into hiding, thinking her only hope was to outlive Christoph Jeger and those loyal to him.”

  There were tears in Ash’s eyes. I could see myself reflected in them. “Jeger’s family didn’t stop. They’d heard my father’s dying words. He asked my mother to avenge him. Jeger knew she had the means. As long as his children lived, my mother wasn’t safe. They came after for generations. All the while, she kept us safe, afraid to use her fire to bring us to life.”

  “Her fire? I’m sorry...how long does it take a she-dragon to give birth?”

  I held her hand in mine. “That’s up to her. You know pure dragons come from eggs. Dragonstone comes from the fossilized shell that’s left behind. And you know it’s the only substance powerful enough to cut through dragon scales and kill me. In my mother’s case, she waited over four hundred years before she breathed her fire and set us free. Then, she destroyed our eggs so they couldn’t be used to hurt us. But, enough of the stuff from other dragons has gotten into the hands of shifters over the years. Those who practice dark magic can find it readily enough on the black market.”

  “She’s so brave,” Ash said. “She must have been so lonely all those years. I’ve seen what happens to a shifter when he loses his mate. I can’t imagine what it would do to either of my parents. I’d like to meet her, Loch. I think your mother is amazing.”

  I closed my eyes, bracing for what I had to say next. “Ash, my mother has never forgotten. She witnessed my father’s torture and murder. He died in her arms. Jeger’s men would have killed her too, but my mother had allies. She got away. But she’s fought the descendants of Christoph Jeger time and again. I’ve been raised to always look out for them.”

  “Loch, what are you telling me?” Ash’s color drained. I think her heart had caught up, but her thoughts had not.

  “A little over thirty years ago, my mother tracked Christoph’s last descendant to the South American jungle. She paid a hefty price for that information from a pride of jaguars living there. But, he got away and she lost track. A few months ago, she got another lead. She sent me to follow up on it.”

  Ash slid her hands from mine. She rose, staggering backward as she shook her head. “No. What are you saying?”

  “Jeger,” I said. “The family name has evolved a bit. But, the bloodline hasn’t. Baby, I didn’t know. When I met you, everything changed for me.”

  “My father,” she said, raising a trembling hand to her mouth. “You had his picture in your footlocker. Jeger. Yeager? You think my father is out to kill you and your brothers?”

  I rose. “Ash...I asked you to hear me out.”

  She shook her head. “This is nuts. Christ. Loch? You came here to kill my father? My brother? Me?”

  My shoulders dropped. How could I make her understand?

  “No!” She backed away, horror etched in her face. Her heartbeat became erratic. It stirred my dragon. I had vowed to protect her. Only now, she believed she needed protection from me.

  “I told you. I swear to you. When I met you, everything changed.”

  “No. God. You...we...how could you do it? How could you let me love you? How could you let me give myself to you when all you were doing was lying?”

  “I have never lied with my heart. Look at me. Listen to me. Listen for me. You know what’s true. You know what we are to each other. You’re mine. Mine. And I belong to you. Nothing else matters. It’s finished. It’s over. I’ll make my mother understand.”

  Ash tripped backward over an ottoman. She caught her hand on the kitchen island then stepped around it, putting it between us. “I have to get out of here. I have to get away from you. I need to think.”

  “Your father wants me dead,” I said. “You saw it.”

  “My father thinks you stole gold from his claim!”

  “And you know I didn’t. You were right about that. Someone’s trying to set me up. I can’t be sure, but the most likely candidate is Kincaid or one of the men you fired. Just like you said. But I couldn’t care less. That’s meaningless.”

  “Your mother and brother, they came here to help you finish the job the other day, didn’t they?” Ash gripped the counter for support.

  I wanted to sugarcoat it. I owed her the unvarnished truth. “They came here to make sure I was still on my mission. I should have told them the truth about us then. I will now. I’ll make them understand. My mother has to lay down her arms. There’s no more price to pay. But Ash, I can’t regret what brought me here for a second. Because it led me to you. I’ve told you the truth. I love you. You’re my mate. If I have to take on my entire family for you, I’ll do it. The oath I made to you was real. I’ll never let any harm come to you.”

  “What if they won’t listen?” she said. “I’ve never even heard about this Christoph Jeger. Jesus. Loch, I don’t think my father has either. You’re talking about some thousand-year history of his something like what, thirty times great-grandfather? I can’t...this isn’t real.”

  “Baby…” I tried to go to her. Still, she pulled away. She turned. “I need to get out of here.”

  “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

  “No. I need to think. Alone, Loch.”

  “Ash, we’re two thousand
miles away from Blackfoot. You need…”

  “Just give me a few minutes,” she said. “God, this is all so crazy. I just want some time to think.”

  She was so beautiful. So sad. I’d hurt her. Lied to her. I would do anything to take away her pain, but I knew whatever happened next had to be Ash’s choice alone.

  “You can take all the time you need,” I said. “We own this stretch of beach. We’re alone here.”

  “I’m going for a walk,” she said. “I want to clear my head.”

  She paused. I felt her anguish. She felt as I did, torn between her family and what her heart told her.

  “I’ll wait for you,” I said. “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll take you home.”

  A tear fell from her eye as she stepped past me, grabbed an afghan off the couch, and let herself out the back porch toward the beach.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ash

  It was beautiful here. White sand stretched as far as I could see. The tide crashed in. Driftwood dotted the beach as I walked along it. I pulled the ends of the blanket I’d taken around me. It wasn’t cold here. Even here, Loch’s presence drove the chill away.

  He loved me.

  I let my toes sink into the sand as I faced the ocean. The skies were gray today. I could barely make out the edge of the horizon. In the distance, a dolphin broke the surface and jumped high. I wondered if he was a shifter. I’d only met a marine shifter once in my life as a child.

  Loch did as I asked and didn’t follow me. I don’t know how far I walked. Two miles, three. Just as he said, there were no other signs of civilization here. It was quiet. Peaceful.

  He loved me.

  I sat on a flat piece of driftwood. Though Loch hadn’t followed, I could still feel the distant pull of his heart. My fated mate.

  I didn’t know what to believe. Loch was here to murder my father. Except, I knew everything changed for him. Loch might be able to withhold the truth, but he couldn’t lie to me. I understood the difference. His heart was open to me. And mine to him. But, how could we ever get past the baggage our families brought?

  He loved me, but did I love him back? Even the thought of Loch leaving hollowed me. He was in the air I breathed. I craved his fire. No matter what else ever happened to me, I knew I could never be with another man. I burned for him.

  Fate. Stupid, cruel, ridiculous fate.

  Then, there was the man himself. I could tell myself I knew so little about Loch. Up until a day ago, I didn’t even know his real name. And yet, as I sat on that fallen log, my heart burned with the things I knew were true. Loch had suffered. One by one, he and his brothers felt the effects of mating sickness until each of them found their fate. And Loch found me.

  He was right. If it weren’t for his mother’s mission, he might not ever have found me. What then? I shuddered, thinking how close I’d seen Loch to losing control. The moment I kissed him, the first time he made love to me, I knew I’d saved him. But, I saved a part of me too. It was as if he gave me back a missing piece of my heart I never knew was gone.

  I loved him. God help me, I loved him. He’d risked everything to be with me. He faced my father and brother and all the Blackfoot shifters. Even as they falsely accused him, he bore their judgment. It was only when he sensed me in harm’s way that he acted. If he’d wanted to carry out his mother’s wishes and incinerate my entire family, he could have done it in the storage shed. He didn’t.

  I believed him. I just didn’t know how the hell we were going to move forward now. I couldn’t lie to my family. And what if his family refused to let go of this vendetta that had nothing to do with us?

  I don’t know how much time passed. The sun set and the sea turned black. I couldn’t even see Loch’s beach house anymore. I wasn’t worried though. If I were lost, Loch would find me.

  I slid my phone out of my back pocket. The battery was almost dead. I had three voice messages from Rick. None from my family. But, there was no cell service out here, so they probably tried to call. They had to be mad with worry. What the hell could I even tell them? I just knew I had to tell them something. I was okay. I would come home.

  Dusting my jeans off, I stood up and turned back toward the house. The tide had washed away my footprints. The sky was pitch black, a moonless, starless night. It felt like oblivion. The crashing waves were the only sound.

  There, in the still, inky blackness, I found my heart. I didn’t know what would happen next. My parents might not understand. My brother might hate me for it. I couldn’t even begin to know what hurdles the Brandharts would throw in front of us. But, I knew one thing. Loch was worth the risk to find out.

  I took the first few steps back to him. I didn’t get far. He knew me. My fate. My mate. My love.

  Loch’s dragon emerged from the darkness. Two shining silver and blue eyes glimmered like jewels above me. He let out a screech that cut the air and made my heart trip. Loch arched his neck and let out a column of flame so high it seemed to stretch to the heavens and light the world on fire.

  It was time.

  Loch landed a few yards in front of me. Sand swirled as he flapped his great wings. I went to him.

  He dipped his head. I reached up and ran my fingers along his hard scales. He stomped the ground and dug his talons into the sand. He was so massive, I could only reach the top of his leg. He curved his body, protecting me from the wind.

  “Come to me,” I whispered.

  The slits of his eyes widened. He shook his head and stepped back. Loch shifted. His seamless magic left me breathless. Then, he stood before me, his body glistening as the glow of his fire lit him from the inside out. I couldn’t decide if I thought he was more magnificent as dragon or man. The man stepped forward. He had a flawless form like a Renaissance sculpture. Hard-cut muscles and deeply tanned skin. The breeze lifted his dark hair. His eyes flashed their dazzling fire.

  My breath left me. Loch became the air and space around me. My heart thundered as I came to him.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice a rich timbre that moved through me. “Ash...whatever it takes. I’ll find a way to make all of this right. If it means I have to leave my family…”

  “Shh.” I lifted a finger to his lips. He closed his eyes, his body shivering with the pleasure of my touch.

  “I don’t have the answers,” I said. “Not a single thing has made sense since you walked into my life. No. That’s not true. You have made sense. The way I feel when I’m with you. I want you. I can’t run away from it. I can’t pretend you aren’t mine. I’m willing to take the leap.”

  Loch’s eyes snapped open and turned brilliant gold. “Ash…”

  I stepped into his arms. He was so warm, so good. I went on my tiptoes and my lips found him. “Shut up,” I whispered. “I need the thing that makes sense. It will give me the strength to face the things that don’t.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  My heart fluttered in response. He felt it. Liquid heat poured through me, setting my sex on fire. Every cell in my body became a chorus, singing out a single word. Yes. Yes. Yes! Loch heard it loud and clear.

  He lifted me off the ground, carrying me gently up the beach.

  “No,” I said. “Here. I don’t know why, but, I want it to happen here out in the open.”

  This was a wild thing we would do. Primal. It seemed fitting that we do it as the ocean and sky bore witness. The only thing that might make it that much more perfect is if he were to take me to the place where his fire burned brightest. I’d seen it in my dreams. The volcano. He called it Knoydart. But that was the Brandharts’ place. Blackfoot was the Yeagers’. This felt...uniquely ours, and that’s what I was looking for.

  Loch kissed me, smiling. “You’re right,” he said, reading my thoughts for the first time, “this is our place now.”

  “Oh!”

  The waves swelled, matching my desires. Loch set me down. Fumbling, I tore off my shirt and slid out of my jeans. He was already naked, fresh from his
shift. Later, I knew we would soar. I wanted that. I wanted to ride him as he dipped and glided high above the ocean, his fire our only light.

  I knew what to do.

  Loch stroked himself. He was so thick, so hard, so ready. I was ready too.

  “Are you sure?” he said again. This time, I answered with my body. I turned, going on all fours. The other night, instinct had guided me the same way. Then, it was too soon. Now, it was perfect.

  Loch let out a growl. Sparks danced in the sand as he let just enough of his dragon out. I wanted it. I wanted his fire. I wanted it in me, through me, part of me. He would give me all of that and more.

  I was so wet, so ready. I spread my legs and presented myself to him. My hair fell forward and I arched my back, giving him ready access.

  A spark of electricity went through me as Loch surprised me, kissing me, running a quick tongue over my folds. He tested me with a finger and found me ready. New heat poured through me. I gasped in anticipation.

  Digging my fingers deep in the sand, I braced for him. Loch primed me well. I spread for him, every inch of my body welcoming Loch’s. He slid inside of me, holding me in position with one arm around my waist. God. We fit so well.

  He moved slowly at first, letting me feel the full measure of him. I ached. I thrust backward, spurring him on. As Loch picked up the pace, he stroked me with his other hand, bringing me to pleasure almost immediately. I cried out. We could be as loud as we wanted. There was no one here. It felt like we owned the world.

  I came again and again as Loch willed it. He owned me. My body was tuned to his. His thrusts grew wilder, more erratic as his animal side came out. So did mine. Fire poured from him. I felt it shooting up my spine. The world was golden flame. So much heat. So much pleasure. The more he gave, the more I wanted.

  Finally, I felt Loch let go. His fire, his magic consumed me. I felt his seed. I felt his heat. I took it all. He reared back, letting out a guttural roar that seemed powerful enough to split the world in two. It remade me, made me whole. Loch’s fire seared the back of my neck. His brand. His mark. He claimed me.