Authors: Cassandra Cole
Riley wasn’t completely innocent. There were a few one night stands in her past, but no lover ever left her feeling like this. Stars exploded behind her eyes and her body gave a violent shudder as she wrapped herself around him, letting out a choked sob and rocking with him.
He filled her until she couldn’t take anymore and the pearly liquid spilled out onto the fine silk sheets. She felt almost guilty for soiling them but as she started to come down from her orgasm she found that she could do nothing but let out a laugh. Relief rushed over her as all the fear was purged from her body in that one glorious orgasm.
Charles didn’t take offense to the laughter and instead, joined her in her giggle fit, stroking her hair and holding her close as they let the relief wash over them. Riley felt safe and Charles knew that she would accept him, despite his secret. They both lived with these fears for so long that the happiness that flooded through them was something neither of them expected.
And they certainly never expected to find it in each other.
*****
That night was just the beginning of their happily ever after. Charles not only brought Riley into his life, but he made her a more integral part of his business. Over the next few decades, they would single-handedly change the status quo for big banks. They would make them more ethical, transparent and successful. Charles always jokingly called it their kingdom, though it truly did feel like one.
Riley asked plenty of questions about Charles’ strange ability to transform into a lion and while he did his best to explain it to her, she seemed a bit overwhelmed at first. What he was telling her was that all the things that go bump in the night were real. Vampires, shapeshifters and Incubuses were just a few. This news frightened and startled Riley at first, but the more time she spent around them (Many of Charles’ friends fell into one of these categories) the more she realized they were just like humans. They lived their lives and fell in love just like anyone else. She adjusted to it soon enough and became a great friend to many of these outcasts.
She learned that Charles came from a very long line of shapeshifters. They’d made a promise long ago to always help humans and only harm them if it was necessary. It was a comforting mission statement and Riley didn’t doubt for one second that Charles wanted to help all of mankind. He was a kind soul despite his gruff exterior.
They eventually welcomed two children into the world and they found out early on that both retained their father’s shapeshifting ability. It made Riley nervous in terms of dealing with two rowdy teenagers, but she learned to take it day by day. It was something Riley wasn’t able to do until she and Charles fell in love.
Riley’s desperate need for power came from her desire to plan every single aspect of her life out. She wanted to know exactly how everything would happen and she never let things just happen. Once she relaxed and allowed fate to take its course she found true happiness. Looking back on it, she couldn’t even begin to fathom how she lived like that.
Being with Charles set her free from her own fear and anxieties. She was happy, carefree and when she locked the door, she only checked it once.
The End
THE BILLIONAIRE DRAGON’S CHILD
by Ella Hart
Kitty’s life was always a little difficult. Even as a small child, Kitty’s size seemed to define her. She’d never been a small girl and was often the target of vicious bullying because of her round figure. People called her horrible names and she all but retreated into herself, staying quiet and accepting the fact that she was always going to be the butt of the joke.
Despite her parent’s loving reassurance that she was a beautiful girl, Kitty grew up being much harder on herself than any child should. She spent hours, staring in the mirror at every single lump and curve that seemed out of place. She would pinch the fat around her hips and thighs, pulling it away and pretending that she was like every other girl in her class.
She did this every day, and even as she started to grow into her shape as she got older she still pinched at her fat and cried over her soft belly. She spent hours staring at the pictures in magazines and praying that one day she would look like the beautiful models whose photo-shopped bodies were splattered over the front of every magazine.
Kitty entered high school and everything seemed to change. Instead of laughing at her and whispering about how ugly she was, people started whispering about how nicely she ‘filled out’. That particular term was never seen as a compliment by Kitty. When someone told her she’d ‘filled out’ she just assumed that they were telling her she was fat in a nicer way.
She didn’t notice the way the boys ogled after her perfectly shaped behind or ample breasts. It never occurred to her that when they saw her tuck a piece of her honey blonde hair behind her ear, they thought about how nice it would be to run their fingers through it.
The sound of Kitty’s soft, breathy voice always seemed to drive her male classmates wild and when she stood to give a presentation all eyes were on her. Kitty always assumed that they stared because they were surprised by her size. Her sapphire gaze always strayed from eye contact and she wouldn’t believe anyone if they voiced to her how disappointed they were that they never got a chance to get lost in her enchanting eyes.
Kitty never believed any compliment that was offered to her. She chalked it up to people feeling guilty for how cruel they’d been to her as children. She went through high school the same way she’d went through the entirety of her life; head down, eyes to the floor and mouth shut. It was a good way to survive, in her opinion.
Even though she was a quiet girl she still had hopes and dreams like the rest of her classmates. When she turned on the news there would occasionally be a story about a monster who killed some poor club kid that was out past curfew. When the news anchor said monster, they weren’t using a euphemism.
Kitty learned in history class that shifters, vampires and werewolves decided to come out of the shadows around the late 16th century. They roamed the world freely, though there was a certain silent understanding between the creatures and humans. The humans avoided their world and so the monsters stayed in the dark, preying on the poor unfortunate souls who wandered too far into ‘hot zones’ or were out after curfew.
The curfew was put in place to protect humans from the creatures of the night but that didn’t mean they were entirely safe. People still got snatched off the streets or tricked into going into some club where vampires would suck them dry. That’s where the hunters came in. If a creature over stepped their boundaries the hunt would begin and it almost always ended with the capture and execution of whatever creature decided to test the limits.
Kitty’s dream was to become a hunter. Even though her physical appearance wouldn’t suggest it, she worked out constantly in order to keep up her physical stamina. As soon as she graduated high school she was going to go to apply to the rigorous training it took to become a hunter.
Any time she told her parents about this dream they would cast each other worried glances and not say anything about their daughter’s eventual career path. Kitty always assumed that they were worried that she wouldn’t pass the physical exam and have her dreams crushed. They would tell her that there were many obstacles involved in becoming a hunter and leave it at that, hoping that it was just a phase and that she would eventually drop the subject.
As graduation rolled around she was still just as determined to be a hunter as she was the first day of her freshman year. When she came home with the paperwork for recruitment her parents sat her down and told her the awful truth.
Kitty would never pass the physical to become a hunter because shifter blood ran in her veins. She was a creature and the government would never be able to overlook that. She’d stared at her hands, eyes wide as her father told her that he was a dragon shifter. He didn’t want her to learn the truth from the people at the recruitment office. If she was going to find out he was a shifter he wanted her to hear it from him.
She loved her parents dearly and they’d always been so close but their entire relationship suddenly seemed like a lie. They knew how badly she wanted this and how much time and effort she’d put into it all these years and they lied to her. They lied to her about who she was and even convinced her doctors to lie to her. It was a secret she felt everyone but her knew and the weight of it crushed her.
Kitty vaguely remembered her father wrapping his arms around her and stroking her hair to try and comfort her, whispering apologies in her ear. It was all a bit fuzzy, though since she was trying to reconcile the fact that her dream would never come true and that she was half dragon.
*****
Chad looked around casually as he strolled down the street, his hand stuck in the pockets of his expensive Italian suit. He glanced around the crowded street as he pulled a picture out of his wallet. The woman in the picture was quite beautiful with hair the color of honey and eyes as bright as the ocean on a clear day. It was ironic that she was the one who sought him out and not the other way around since she was just his type.
He tucked the picture away safely and wandered over to the little café they were supposed to be meeting at. The smell of fresh baked bread wafted out onto the sidewalk and he sighed. He could smell everything from dough rising to the smell of fresh jam being spread on a pastry. It was a shame that his body didn’t tolerate anything that wasn’t meat very well.
The wind blew through his auburn hair and it carried with it a very peculiar smell. It was the scent of a female dragon, though it was diluted. Chad hadn’t smelled a female of his kind in so long that it was entirely possible that he was just unaccustomed to the scent.
The species was dying out and that was exactly why he was here. With only a handful of females left and the monogamous nature of dragons, it meant that there was a high price on women who were able to bear dragon children. Chad was the last remaining member of his bloodline and with no females available he was becoming desperate to produce an heir.
In the human population there were women who were able to reproduce with dragons, though they were very rare. Even rarer still were women who could bear dragon offspring because they were the result of a human and a dragon mating. Many males in Chad’s species believed that mating with either of these kinds of women would result in unclean heirs. Children who were a mistake of nature. If anyone were to find out that he was resulting to mating with a half human, half dragon woman, then his children would be shunned.
It wasn’t the most ideal situation but Chad didn’t really have any options left. There were no dragon females left and he needed an heir. He was already nearly three-hundred years old and didn’t expect the hunters to let him lay low for much longer.
Dragons didn’t die of old age. Nowadays they often died at the hands of the hunters. Humans thought of hunters as saviors. As authority figures who kept them safe, but the truth was far more sinister. They were slowly eradicating all of the creatures who dared to show their faces to the world. Chad needed an heir before they finally set their sights on him.
He followed the strange scent to a wrought iron table that was situated on the edge of the little patio where a woman in a beautiful flowing sundress was eating a pastry with one hand and holding a book in the other. Chad stopped just short of the table and cocked his head to one side to see what book the woman was reading.
“The complete works of Ray Bradbury.” He said aloud.
He assumed that his sudden appearance would have startled the woman but she just looked up at him, her eyelashes brushing her rosy cheeks every time she blinked. She seemed to take him in for a moment before returning her gaze to her book, humming softly.
“I like horror. Are you a fan?”
He disliked horror, for the most part, but could make an exception for Mr. Bradbury.
“I always enjoyed the story Dark They Were, and Golden Eyed.” He said after a thoughtful pause. “Is this seat taken?”
She looked back up at him, her bright eyes calculating and full of a certain weary intelligence.
“It is unless you are Mr. Madison.” She hummed, clearly not disturbed by his presence in the least.
After she’d found out the truth she’d grown a rather thick skin. She was still reserved but when she spoke it was with a bit of bitterness and apprehension. She was a suspicious woman, though still rather hopeful.
She turned the page on her book and folded the corner as Chad settled in the seat across from her. He looked her up and down, deciding that he’d made a good decision when he picked her response to his add on the strange website that helped shifters find mates. He didn’t even realize that such a thing existed and was more than a little shocked when he actually got a response, though he probably shouldn’t have been too surprised since he offered a rather large sum of money in exchange for the surrogate services.
Kitty glanced up at him and set her book down, crossing her legs one over the other. She caught him staring at her wide hips that fit snuggly in the metal seat she was seated in and immediately started to grow nervous. Why was he staring? Was he considering recanting his offer? Was he disgusted by her? She hoped with every fiber of her being that he would decide to go through with this. She needed the $50,000 he was offering. She’d found a man based out of California who could fake a blood sample and background in order to help her clear the physical for being a hunter. It didn’t strike her as ironic that she was going to be getting the money from a creature she would most likely eventually hunt down.
She cocked a brow and leaned back, her perfect porcelain face stoic as she took him in. He was handsome enough and she liked the way his stormy gray eyes seemed to swirl gray and blue with emotion. He seemed like he was a very worried man.
“Is it safe to assume that you are Kathrine Richards?”
She smiled and reached across the table.
“It is never safe to assume, Mr. Madison. Call me Kitty.”
*****
He chuckled a little as he settled into the rather uncomfortable metal seat and shifted around for a bit before he was finally comfortable. A waitress in a cute blue apron scampered up to the table, her ponytail bouncing as she strode over, pen and pad in hand.
“What can I get for you, darling?” She asked, the thick Southern drawl moving through his ears like honey.
“Ah. Can I just have a cup of black coffee?”
“Black coffee. Got it.” She said, tapping her pen on the pad with a certain amount of finality before turning and walking away.
Chad turned his attention back to Kitty, smiling a little as he took her in. She was perfect for bearing children, though her lovely face was just as appealing. He cleared his throat and then leaned back, twisting his hands almost nervously. He was normally a confident man but this woman filled him with a nervous energy and a desperate need to impress her.
“Are you just going to stare or are you going to talk? If you don’t like what you see it’s fine, but don’t waste my time.” She said, taking a defensive stance almost immediately.
Kitty was used to being cast aside, but that didn’t mean it got any easier. She was beginning to feel foolish for even meeting up with this man until he finally spoke.
“Oh…I am very pleased with what I see.” He said, a slow grin spreading across his face. “I didn’t expect a response from someone so perfect.”
She set her lips in a straight line before letting out a soft sigh.
“Well…I’m glad you’re happy.”
An awkward silence passed before Chad turned and pulled out a manila folder from his messenger bag, setting it on the table and sliding it over to her.
“These are the medical records your doctor sent over. I’d just like you to flip through them and verify that everything that is written there is correct.”
She sighed and did a quick once-over before handing them back.
“I already checked it before he sent them over.”
Chad seemed satisfied with her answer and then pulled out a second packet of documents that wasn’t quite as thick as the last.
“This is our contract. It details my terms as well as the ones that you laid out previously.” He said, offering it to her.
Kitty took the paper and began flipping through it, a frown coming to her face.
“It says here that you expect me to live with you.” She said, glancing up at him. “I specifically said that there was to be nothing about this that suggested a relationship or romance.”