Claimed by Fire (Dragonkeepers Book 4) Read online

  Will cocked his head to the side. “You kidding me with this? Jesus, Ash. I know what I saw. You were two seconds from straddling that guy when I walked in. For fuck’s sake, I could sense it about a mile away before I even got there.”

  I wanted to murder him. I wanted to take a rock and smash in his smug face right then and there. I also wanted to crawl under said rock and deny everything he’d just said.

  “Well, you’re overreacting,” I said.

  “You think so? Look.” He let out a hard breath. I suppose if I could look at it objectively, Will was trying to be a good big brother. Still, the rock fantasy felt good.

  “He’s different,” Will said. “I don’t know what it is. And I know you don’t have to be a shifter to sense it too. But, you’re right. I can admit that. Of all the shit guys have said, nobody says he’s not working his ass off for you. It’s just...you have to watch your back, Sis. Twice as much as I ever did. You can’t bang this guy and think the rest of the crew won’t notice. It’s bad for business. Not now. Not this year.”

  I fumed. “I’m not banging anyone, Will. Not that it’s any of your business.”

  “It’s our business. That’s my whole damn point. Look, you got your way. And you’re right about the cleanup. It’s just...I’d feel a whole lot better if you let me pull this Branson guy over to Big Brother. Let me give you Ed Porter or Chet Laskey. Hell, how about the pair of them for Branson?”

  I should have said yes. It was the rational choice. Take two of Will’s best crewmen for one green one of mine. But, the idea of not having Loch on site turned something inside of me. That should have been my first clue there was a problem.

  “I’m just saying maybe this guy isn’t the best fit for Little Sister. That’s all. I’m thinking of the whole crew. I swear.”

  “Let’s just stick to the plan,” I said. “The proof will be in the cleanup.”

  Will was right. The rational side of my brain knew it. There was something different about Loch, and I was lying to say I wasn’t drawn to it. And yet, some other side of me took over. Loch belonged at Little Sister. He belonged on my crew. Damn it to hell, I wanted to fight for him. The need for it blazed within me. I just hoped I hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of my life.

  Chapter Seven

  Loch

  We were back to business as usual the next morning. If Rick Morgan still had a beef with me, he didn’t show it. I kept my head down and stayed in the truck for most of the day. I had let myself get way too close to shifting yesterday. I couldn’t let that happen. Ever.

  The rest of the crew steered clear of me, and that suited me fine. Only Stinky waited near the trailer smoking a cigarette when it was time to break for lunch. He was waiting for me. I couldn’t get past him without at least a pleasant hello.

  “You know,” he said. I’d noticed Stinky had a way of starting a conversation in the middle of it. “Rumor is there’s a lot riding on this week’s cleanup.”

  I stopped. Behind me, the rest of the crew busied themselves with other things, but I still felt eyes on me.

  “Oh, yeah? Isn’t that always the way? I mean, we’re here to dig gold out of the ground, aren’t we?”

  Stinky flicked his cigarette butt and stamped it out. “I like you, Loch. I don’t much give a shit where you came from or what your pack affiliations are.”

  So Stinky had pegged me as a pack shifter. Interesting.

  “Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence. I’m just gonna grab a quick sandwich, then I’m going to get a head start for the afternoon.” I tried to walk past him. Stinky grabbed my arm. Fire went up my spine. I ground my teeth to keep from letting him see the blaze in my eyes. I was half a second from shoving him all the way to the other side of the claim boundary.

  “They won’t let up,” he said. “The crew is laying low out of respect for Ash. She went to bat for you with her family.”

  My ears perked up. “I didn’t ask for that.”

  “Well, it’s not supposed to be common knowledge. But, you can’t really keep secrets on the claim. Do you understand me?”

  Was this another threat? Stinky’s eyes were black as tar. He had to know I was capable of shredding him to pieces. It didn’t matter he didn’t know exactly what I was. He knew enough. He sensed it. They all did. And that was the problem.

  “Nobody’s keeping secrets. How many times do I have to tell you people I’m here to do a job? There’s only trouble if you want to make it.”

  “Well,” Stinky let go of me. The lunch break was nearly over. “I’m rooting for Ash. I like working for her. It’s taken her some time to come into her own, but she’s got good instincts. She’s fair with the crew. I just don’t want to see anybody get in her way.”

  “Noted,” I said. “How about you worry about your shit, I’ll worry about mine. Was there anything else?”

  Stinky cocked his head. “No. I guess not.”

  He was going to say something else. A shout from down the hill stopped him. It was Rick, swearing up a storm. Stinky and I ran toward the sound.

  At the edge of the cut, one of the dozers had thrown its track. Its engine sent up a cloud of smoke and a whiff of diesel and burning oil hit my nose.

  “Complete fucking disaster!” Rick said. He’d already begun diagnosing the problem. “Dammit, Kincaid. That’s solid permafrost. You blew out my goddamn engine.”

  This was bad. A fucking disaster, just like Ricky assessed. Gold mining in the Yukon was a race against time as colder weather always loomed. Ash pulled up in the four-wheeler. The second I saw her, my heart flipped. She wore a cowboy hat and ripped jeans. She jumped down and came to Rick’s side. She bent over like she might actually throw up as Rick filled her in.

  Ash tore her hat off and threw it on the ground. “How long?” she asked.

  “Hard to say,” Rick answered. “It’s not like I can just run into town for parts.”

  “Every second that dozer is down costs us money,” she said. “We’re at half production.”

  “I know that,” Rick said. “We all know that.”

  Ash stood with her hands on her head, eyes hard with fury. Her cheeks were flushed and the sight of it sent a spear of heat straight through me. Though she wasn’t looking at me, I knew she sensed me. I could hear her pulse beating. Hell, I could almost feel it.

  “We’re freezing up, Ash,” Danny said. “That’s the other problem. I can’t dig through solid ice.”

  “Do what you can,” she said. “I’ll see if I can work some magic and get spare equipment up here by tomorrow. Christ. What the hell else can go wrong?”

  “Don’t say it!” Three of the guys spoke in unison. I’d learned quickly that they were all superstitious. Ash’s words were the ultimate jinx. She rolled her eyes and picked up her hat. As she straightened, her gaze caught mine.

  That little flush came back into her cheeks. “You,” she said, pointing to me. “Walk with me.”

  Her words got a few more stares from the rest of the guys. I couldn’t help but smile as I followed her to the four-wheeler. Ash fired it up and drove out of earshot.

  “Can you operate a dozer?” she asked, getting right to her point.

  “What? Uh. Yeah.” I didn’t see the point in mentioning I hadn’t done that in over thirty years. It would make no sense to her. She had no reason to guess how old I really was.

  “I’m going to pull Kincaid. Put him in your rock truck. This is the second time this season he’s tried to bust through ground he shouldn’t have.”

  “It’s not Kincaid’s fault you’ve got ice.”

  I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Every second I spent with this woman, it got harder and harder to deny what she might be.

  Ash crashed her head to the steering wheel. “Look, I need a good cleanup this week. I don’t know what to do about the ground. I know there’s big gold under that permafrost. We just have to figure out a way to get to it.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll run the dozer for
you. You’re the boss. Wherever you need me. It’s just, it’s not going to endear me to any of them.”

  Ash turned in her seat. “You worried about their hurt feelings?” I swear, the woman had just as much fire in her eyes as I did. They were mesmerizing, one cold blue, the other warm amber. Her scent intoxicated me. We were twenty yards away from the rest of the crew, but at that moment, I felt my heat rising. A tremor went through my hands as I itched to touch her. To bring her to me.

  “No,” I said, my voice low, almost a growl. Her blood rose. God, I could feel it.

  Want.

  No.

  Need.

  I had to get away from her or take her in all the way. My head spun. There could be no middle ground with this woman. Ash. Even her name was perfect. I felt reduced to ash every time she looked at me. It had to be a mistake. A cruel joke. As her blood thrummed, it carried with it the lineage I’d come here to destroy.

  “I’m not worried about their hurt feelings,” I said. “I can handle it. And you’re right. Kincaid’s making too many mistakes in that machine.”

  “Good. Because I can’t afford to have you let me down.” She gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white. It took every ounce of dragon strength I had to keep from gently prying her away from it.

  “I won’t.”

  “Loch, I mean it. My family is worried about the effect you’re having on...on the crew. My brother made a pretty good case for swapping you out for two of his guys. If I can’t make the gold this week, it’ll be out of my hands.”

  “Right,” I said, nodding. “You’re worried about the effect I’m having on the crew?”

  We were dancing around what almost happened between us in my trailer. I was going to kiss her. She was going to let me. I’d only said a few words to Will Yeager, but as an Alpha tiger, he was shrewd enough to pick up on the heat between us. In his place, I probably would have tried to rip my head off.

  I didn’t give Ash a chance to answer. I flat-out couldn’t be this close to her without losing some balance. “Anyway,” I said. “We’re on the same page. You go tell the crew however you want. You know where to find me when you need me.”

  I hopped out of the ATV before Ash could turn it around. I needed the few moments it would take to walk back to the trucks to cool my heat. I needed to roar. I needed to soar. Tonight, when the crew went to sleep, I would take to the sky.

  I went back to my rock truck and dumped my last load. By the time I got back, Ash had already broken her news to the crew. She was switching Kincaid out for me. I took a ready stance, expecting Rick or one of the others to make an issue of it. Miraculously, they didn’t. Turned out, Kincaid had been a problem for a while.

  With the personnel issue settled, Ash climbed back into her ATV and drove away. God, I wanted to go with her. I damn near melted my steering wheel as need coursed through me. Oh, yeah, I needed to shift and soar tonight. I’d lose my damn mind if I didn’t.

  As we broke for the evening, Rick left the site and headed back to town. Just like Ash had said, he liked to bunk with his girlfriend, Shana. Stinky invited me for drinks with the crew at the local bar, a place called the Dead End. It was a Friday night tradition. If I truly wanted to fit in with this crew, I should have said yes. I didn’t. Stinky gave me a wary look and a shrug, but left the trailer to head out into the night.

  I stood in the doorway watching them all leave. There was a single light coming from Ash’s trailer. She didn’t join the others, and I was glad for it. The thought of her surrounded by all those shifters made my blood boil. Never mind she’d probably done it her whole life. My dragon made no sense.

  Mine.

  I pulled away from the screen door. I’d squeezed it so hard I bent the frame. Fuck. I needed air.

  I waited another hour until Ash’s light went out. She was alone in her trailer. The pull to her was so damn strong. I could sense her steady breathing all the way from here.

  I went out the back of the trailer and walked down to the other side of the hill. No one could see me here. I threw out a cloaking spell anyway. Then, I let my dragon out slowly. It had gotten so much harder to control. But, the Yukon air worked a kind of magic. My toes turned to talons. I took a deep breath and let my wings unfurl.

  My scales shimmered gold, green, blue, and silver in the moonlight. I wanted to let out a roar, but I couldn’t cloak that. I flapped my wings, causing a little cyclone as I lifted off the ground.

  As I circled the claim, Ash’s heartbeat acted on me like a homing beacon. Her presence kept me rooted to the earth even as I flew higher and higher.

  It felt good. It felt right. I dove toward the ground with dizzying speed then pulled up at the last, shooting straight into the air. Through the clouds, I felt like I could touch the stars.

  Finally, I coasted down and landed just beside the cut. I hadn’t planned it, but the second the thought came into my mind, I knew it was right. I tucked my wings back and arched my neck. I drew in a single, great breath of air.

  The ground was frozen. Much of Ash’s gold was locked beneath inches of permafrost here. A sharp, unseasonal burst of winter had taken hold.

  I let my fire out. Just one breath. A sigh, really. Flames danced over the earth. The ice melted around my feet. It was just enough. Feeling strong and in control again, I inhaled, and shifted back, sending my dragon to sleep.

  I should have sensed it. Something was off. But, her voice cut through me like the sharpest blade.

  “What the hell was that? How...how did you do that?”

  I turned. Ash was standing at the top of the hill. My fire reflected and sparked in her eyes.

  Chapter Eight

  Ash

  I don’t know what woke me. I barely remember getting out of bed and walking toward the intense heat.

  The heat.

  This was the heart of the Yukon. In June. The place where winter could keep its grip twelve months out of the year. But, I’d walked out of my trailer in bare feet wearing nothing more than a tank top and pajama pants. Still, sweat poured down my back.

  Loch’s magic drew me. It pulled a chord in my heart, propelling me forward.

  I was dreaming. Or hallucinating.

  He was there above me. A colored shadow. His wings unfurled, sending the wind over me. My hair blew back. I couldn’t catch my breath. My pulse pounded like a bass drum. Then, he landed, standing on the edge of the cut, away from the trucks and equipment.

  He was mighty. Lethal. Tall as maybe a three or even four-story building. My eyes went up and up. He had two great eyes, shimmering like jewels as he drew in his breath.

  Then, the fire came. In one controlled column, it poured out of him and scorched the earth. I felt the dirt warm beneath my feet. Inches of permafrost melted away. It was impossible. Incredible. I knew what he was, but it was as if my mind wouldn’t allow me to say the word, not even to myself.

  He brought the fire back into himself. His massive wings tucked back. He stretched his neck and shifted back into himself.

  “What are you?” I don’t remember saying it. I just remember hearing the words come out of me as Loch turned and caught my eye.

  We were frozen. His eyes locked with mine. I was afraid to move. Afraid not to.

  “Ash,” he said, his voice hoarse. His wings were gone. The fire quieted to just a few fallen embers against the ground. He came toward me. God, he was so beautiful. Sculpted marble and regal. His dark hair looked like honey in the moonlight. His skin had an iridescent shimmer as the beast inside of him melded with the man standing before me.

  “I don’t...I don’t understand. You’re not a shifter. You’re not...You can’t be.”

  It was there, hovering just out of the reaches of my mind. Say it. I had to say it.

  “I can explain,” he said.

  I sputtered out a nervous laugh.

  “You’re not...I know you’re not a mage,” I said. Loch was standing no more than two feet in front of me. His breath warmed me
. Every nerve in my body tingled. I craved him. I wanted to touch him. I wanted to bathe in his magic.

  “I’m no mage,” he said, the deep timbre of his voice giving me even more goosebumps.

  I lifted my hand. It didn’t feel connected to my body. It felt...other. I watched my fingers splay, shaking in the air just an inch from Loch’s chest. A thin sheen of sweat covered his pecs, making him glow.

  “Ash.” He whispered my name. “I need you to…”

  “Shh.” Words weren’t adequate to answer my questions. I needed to feel.

  I laid my palm flat against his chest. I closed my eyes. I saw Loch again, soaring above my trailer. Fierce. Strong. Magical.

  My eyes snapped open. That same swirling, red fire lit his pupils. No, he was no ordinary shifter.

  “You’re a dragon,” I said. I felt Loch’s thunderous heart beneath my fingers. I felt my own heart beat in synchrony. No. I knew what that meant. But, it was impossible.

  “Yes,” he said, closing his fingers around mine. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t mean for you to see any of that.”

  As soon as he got his words out, something changed in his eyes. It was as if doubt crept in. Like I was the thing too impossible to believe.

  “You’re a dragon,” I said again. It didn’t seem incredible at all. Not anymore. A new realization thrummed through me along with my pulse. Of course he was. I knew it all along. I dreamt him. It felt familiar. Like some hidden secret I was finally able to reveal.

  “I’m a dragon,” he said. “And I’ve put you at risk by letting you know it. God. I have to...we can’t…”

  I took my hand away. “Loch,” I said, turning toward the cut. “You...what did you do?”

  Loch tore a hand through his hair. “Oh. Yeah. I don’t...I just...I just thawed the ground. We shouldn’t have any problems digging from now on.”

  I shook my head as if I could clear the cobwebs from it. “You just...I mean...just like that?”

  “It’s not rocket science,” he said. “It’s heat versus ice. Heat wins.”