A Dragon for December (Wiccan-Were-Bear Book 11) (10 page)

He could hear the sound of booted footsteps
running toward him and knew he had little time to get free of the
elevator bay so he could shift into his full dragon form. With a
roar, Tosh wedged himself between the doors and pushed, forcing
them open enough for him to escape, and then he shifted, his beast
springing forward. Deci’s life was at stake; he could feel it in
his bones.

Bullets began to fly, but Tosh ignored the
sting of them as they struck but were unable to penetrate his
scales. With an earth-shattering roar, he let loose with another
stream of fire. Pained screams and the scent of burning flesh
filled the air as Tosh moved forward, searching for his mate.

Chapter 10

Deci’s skin was on fire. Her body felt
twisted from the inside out as painful tremors wracked her. The two
males in the room with her had long since given up trying to
convince her to mate with them. She’d made it clear she would fight
to the death before she let them take her. Their suffering mattered
little to her, and even her own pain was not enough for her to
betray her mate. She and Tosh had only been together a short while,
but he was the most important person in the world to her.

Rubbing at her tear-streaked cheeks with her
palms, she tried to stand but found herself unable to. After the
last batch of breeding drugs had misted over them, the males had
scurried to separate corners, leaving her alone in the center of
the room. Her wrists were bloody from the cuffs, and her fingers
were cut and bruised from the many times she’d tried to break the
cuffs and the chain that bolted her to the floor.

Slipping back to the floor with a groan, she
reached into herself for what felt like the millionth time,
searching for her connection to her beast and to Tosh. She felt
entirely empty inside, as if the essence of what she was had been
erased. She had no idea what the breeding drugs were doing to her
aside from the way they pushed her into a painful breeding heat,
but she suspected that the drugs were also suppressing her natural
abilities and any ties she had to anyone else.

Looking up, she heard what had become an
all-too-familiar sound of the breeding drug as it pushed through
the tubes. Each time it seemed stronger, as if those behind her
kidnapping were increasing the strength of the drug.

The males groaned, and Deci’s pain-filled cry
joined theirs. She wasn’t sure if it were possible to die from
going into heat, but she was beginning to think that death was a
more favorable option than the continued abuse of her body.

The males growled. She lifted her head and
blinked through watery eyes as they rolled to their knees and
cracked their necks in unison.

“No more,” the dark-haired one said. “No.
More.”

“Don’t do this,” Deci pleaded, covering her
bare breasts with one arm and holding out her other hand. She
didn’t have the luxury of claws to fend off the males. She only had
her wits, and with her mind muddled from the drug, she barely even
had that. Her body tightened as the mist settled into her skin, and
her arousal spiked.

The light-haired male, who had been more
willing to stay back, snapped his teeth at her. “It’s time. Give
in.”

“Never,” Deci said as her stomach tightened
and sweat dripped down her neck. “I’ll kill you if you touch
me.”

They glanced at each other for a long moment,
and then turned their attention back to her. Stalking forward,
their eyes dark with intent, she knew the drug had weakened her
enough that she had lost what little strength she’d had. They would
overpower and rape her. She had no hope left.

She closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her
cheeks as the males drew near, the heat of their bodies and the
scents of their arousal filled the air around her. She slashed out
with her free hand in another attempt to keep them away.

The floor shook, and the sound of something
roaring made her open her eyes. The males stopped moving and looked
over their shoulders as shouts of alarm and the scent of burning
flesh filled the air.

There was a loud thud that caused the room to
tremble. Turning toward the door with snarls, the males growled,
and Deci scooted back as far as the chain would allow. Something
heavy struck the door. It burst open, and smoke billowed into the
room. It took only a heartbeat for Deci to recognize the dragon who
reached a clawed hand into the room and screeched in anger.
Tosh!

Sagging in relief, she shouted as loudly as
she could, “I’m chained! Help!”

“Are you insane?” the blond-haired male said
over his shoulder. “Listen to the screams of people dying out
there.”

“He’s my mate,” she said, grasping the chain
and rattling it, her strength renewed as hope filled her.

The clawed hand slipped away, and a moment
later, Tosh raced into the room. She was so relieved that she
started to cry, great, heaving sobs that made it hard to breathe.
The males wasted no time in rushing out the open door. Tosh moved
to her, kneeling at her side and cupping her face.

“Sweetheart,” he said, his voice tipping to a
growl. His nostrils flared, and his eyes flashed to the bright
green of his beast. She knew he could scent her arousal from the
breeding drug.

“Hurts,” she whispered.

The green in his eyes disappeared as quickly
as it had appeared. He inspected the chain and shackles.

“How did you find me?”

“A phone tracking app for my uncle,” he said.
He looked at her for a long moment and then said, “Don’t be
afraid.”

Before she could respond, his body morphed.
Glossy green translucent scales appeared on his skin, and his eyes
turned that same bright green. Wings sprouted from his back, and
claws and fangs emerged. He looked like a scaly angel. With a
simple tug, he broke the chain, scattering links on the
concrete.

Returning to his fully human form, he lifted
her into his arms as he stood. His skin was cool to the touch and
felt good against her overheated flesh. Carrying her through the
broken door, he said, “Close your eyes, Deci. I don’t want you to
see this.”

Following his direction, she closed her eyes
and rested her head on his shoulder. He moved swiftly, and the
motion rocked her soothingly. She might have been able to sleep if
she weren’t aroused to the point of pain and desperate for her
mate.

“Why don’t I feel you?” she asked, curling
her fingers into his hair.

“I think it’s whatever they did to you. I can
smell the chemicals on you. You smell turned on, but it’s not
natural.”

“What?”

“When you’re turned on, you smell extra
sweet, like your natural sugar and snow scent is enhanced. Right
now, you smell turned on, but the sweetness isn’t quite the same.
It’s like fake sugar.”

“I want to go home,” she whispered.

“I’ll get you there, sweetheart,” he
said.

She lifted her head when Tosh growled and she
felt his skin change. She watched as his skin took on the
appearance of scales and dark green wings emerged from his back.
Tightening his hold on her, Tosh flew them up to the ground floor
through the elevator shaft. He hurried out of the building as a
cool breeze stroked her skin.

Tosh set her gently on the ground. “I’m going
to shift completely and fly us back to the nest.”

He snarled suddenly and pushed her behind his
back as he spun to face the sound of running feet. She peeked
around him and saw his guards. Tosh straightened but kept her
behind him.

Zixin removed his shirt. “The princess can
wear my shirt.”

Tosh snagged the dark shirt out of the air
when Zixin tossed it to them. He handed it to her, and she slipped
it on, grateful to be clothed.

“I need to get Deci to our healer. I trapped
her abductors in a room in the basement. My uncle is among them.
Bring them to the sacred grove, and I’ll meet you there. I’m not
sure if there are others being held captive here. Set them free
first, grab whatever information you can from any computers, and
then set this fucking building on fire.”

“Will do,” Wei said.

As Deci forced her aching fingers to work to
button the shirt, she looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was
setting.

She gasped. “Oh no! We’ll be too late for the
ceremony, and you won’t be crowned.”

Tosh shook his head, turning to face her.
“The timing doesn’t matter. First, you’ll see a healer, and then
when you’re ready, we’ll have our mating and crowning
ceremonies.”

“But the laws,” she said.

“Am I the leader of the nest or what?” he
asked, his lip curving up into an almost smile.

She felt tears sting her eyes again, followed
by a wave of arousal that made her groan and double over. Tosh
snarled and she felt the air move. She looked up to see him shift
into his dragon form. In mere moments, a large dragon stood before
her with wings stretched out as he shook himself from snout to
tail. He snorted and smoke billowed from his nostrils.

Deci’s whole body ached. She didn’t think
she’d be able to climb onto his back and hold on. To her surprise,
Tosh lifted her into his arms and cradled her against his scaly
chest.

Zixin chuckled. “You didn’t think he wanted
you to ride on his back did you? That’s for little ones when
they’re playing, not for treasured mates. We always hold our mates
close to our hearts.”

With a flap of his wings, Tosh lifted from
the ground. The air whooshed around them, but she was protected in
his arms. Closing her eyes, she tried not to think about how much
her body hurt and how turned on she was. She knew it was
artificial, but that didn’t change the need that coursed through
her veins. A growl rumbled in Tosh’s chest, and it sounded a lot
like a purr.

Settling into his hold, she pushed aside her
growing arousal as much as she could, and concentrated on the
calming presence of her mate. Even though she couldn’t feel her
connection to Tosh or to her beast, she knew it was just a matter
of time before everything would be back to normal.

Or at least…she hoped.

Chapter 11

Tosh cut through the air as swiftly as he
could, cradling Deci close to his chest and shielding her from the
cool air. He knew the way home without looking down. His beast was
attuned to the nest, and he could get there with his eyes closed if
the need arose.

He’d found it hard to concentrate at first
when he saw Deci in the room, chained to the floor. Her skin was
flushed dark pink, and the scent of her arousal was like a pulsing
thing, demanding his attention. He knew it was from whatever
chemical had been forced on her, but it didn’t stop his base
reaction. His mate was in heat, and the feral part of him was
consumed with tending to her needs.

Forcing away the thoughts of her heat, he
concentrated on what would come later that evening when he sought
vengeance for Deci’s kidnapping and abuse. He trusted his guards to
secure the prisoners and bring them to the nest’s hunting grounds.
His uncle must have been instrumental in Deci’s kidnapping;
otherwise he wouldn’t have been in the warehouse in the first
place. Although he couldn’t quote the laws verbatim, arranging for
the kidnapping of the future queen on the day of her coronation was
worthy of the most severe punishment.

As the nest’s territory, where he’d met his
mate only days earlier, came into view, resolve slid through him.
Regardless of the emotional toll of what would come later, he would
see justice for his mate and ensure that whoever was behind the
warehouse would be punished and see that the drug used on her was
never used on another person again.

Circling over their home, Tosh lowered slowly
until he hovered just in front of the balcony off the master
bedroom. He set Deci on her feet on the balcony and ensured she was
holding onto the rail before he gripped the rail with one clawed
hand and shifted, hauling himself onto the balcony. She swayed on
her feet, and he picked her up again. She groaned softly, arching
against him, and the sweet scent of her surrounded him.

He opened the door and carried her inside,
leaving it open to help cool the room since she was so feverish. He
laid her on the bed, and she curled into a ball, her eyes glowing
as her lips parted.

“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” she
whispered.

He climbed next to her, trying not to jostle
her too much. She seemed to be in tremendous pain. She shivered and
her hands clenched into tight fists.

“I know, love. It will be okay. We’ll get
through this together.”

“Your uncle,” she protested.

“Is being handled until you’re safe.”

There was a knock at the door, and Tosh knew
it was the healer. One of the guards had called Gen to make sure
the healer was waiting for them to return.

After pulling a blanket over her bare legs,
he kissed her forehead and then called, “Enter.”

The healer, Donal, had been part of the nest
for as long as Tosh could remember. He’d helped deliver countless
babies, cured illnesses, and healed injuries.

“Sire?” Donal said.

“She was dosed with something, more than
once. She smells like she’s in heat, but there’s an artificial odor
to it.”

Donal put a satchel on the bed and opened it.
“Are you still connected to her?”

“I can’t feel our connection. It just
disappeared suddenly.”

He leaned over, clicking a penlight and
shining it in her eyes. “Do you feel your beast, my lady?”

“No,” she rasped.

He straightened. “I’ve heard rumblings in the
healing community about doctors attempting to replicate the heat
cycle of some shifters.”

Tosh frowned. “Why?”

“A variety of reasons. For one, if there was
a drug that could artificially bring a heat cycle, then a female’s
ability to be impregnated could occur at any time, not only during
their natural cycles. That would allow someone to control a cycle,
to force a female to become pregnant. The drugs can also be used to
make a female who is infertile feel as if she’s in heat, or in the
case of a female who could become pregnant at any time – such as a
Wiccan – to force her to become so aroused she wouldn’t care who
she had sex with.”