Chapter 4
Mack yawned as he waited for his suitcases. He would have personally vowed never to fly again if he didn’t need to fly back to New Jersey in a month. The whole day had been one nightmare after another, as his flight was delayed again and again due to bad weather. Which was what he got for trying to leave the state for warmer temperatures.
When his bags finally made their way around the carousel, he grabbed them and hailed a cab outside of the airport. The forty-five-minute drive to the resort was probably beautiful, but aside from the bright moon, Mack couldn’t see much past the window. It was so late by the time he arrived at the resort that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to undress fast enough before he passed out.
“Your room is on the fourth floor, Mr. Callahan. If you’re interested, the cocktail party is still going on. It’s in the grand ballroom,” the concierge said, smiling brightly.
“Thanks.”
He had no intention of going anywhere but straight to sleep. The room was nice as far as hotels went, with a kitchenette, a living room, and a big bed, which was currently his favorite thing about it. He decided he was too tired to do anything but fall face-first onto the mattress, so he did just that, quickly drifting off to sleep.
He woke suddenly sometime later, his wolf clamoring in his mind and his fingers tingling with the press of claws trying to break free. He was drenched in sweat and twisted up in the comforter. Jumping from the bed, he turned on the lamp on the nightstand, wondering if his wolf had reacted to an intruder. But the room was empty, and he didn’t smell anything out of the ordinary.
Mack couldn’t recall ever feeling like this before. His wolf was still riled up, and he seemed to be trying to get him to go somewhere. He picked up his phone and pressed the home button, seeing that he’d only been asleep for an hour. Still flushed, with his wolf banging in his skull, Mack walked into the living room and opened the sliding doors that led onto the screened balcony, overlooking the marina. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply several times, trying to settle his wolf. A growl rumbled in his chest as his beast urged him to go outside. Deciding that he wouldn’t let him get any sleep if he didn’t comply, he put his shoes on, stuffed the keycard into his back pocket, and left. The fourth floor was quiet. Mack suspected that most of the males were still at the cocktail party that the concierge had recommended he attend. He made his way to the end of the hall and down the stairs to the ground floor. Opening the security door leading outside, he found himself at the back of the hotel, facing the marina.
He faintly heard something that sounded like splashing in the distance, and he followed the sound away from the marina toward the beach. His wolf kept pushing him until he reached the beach and saw something sparkling in the water. Toeing off his shoes, he stepped onto the sand, which was still warm from the day’s sunshine, and walked toward the waves.
He stopped when his feet hit wet sand, certain that what he was seeing was a reflection of the moonlight. Staring intently at the place where he’d seen the sparkle, he saw nothing at all for long enough that he thought he’d been imagining things because of exhaustion.
Then someone rose from the water, splashing lightly. It was a female, and he could see her very clearly in the moonlight that danced on the water’s surface. She turned to face him and made a soft growling sound that carried over the surf to him. His wolf growled in answer. She was…his?
He felt her gaze lock on him and then she exploded into her shift, the water churning as an enormous dragon lifted above the surface, bellowing into the night sky. A stream of fire blew from her mouth, and Mack felt the answering tug of his wolf. This glorious female, whoever she was, belonged to him. She was the reason his wolf had woken him up and pushed him to go to the beach.
As quickly as the female had turned into a dragon, she shifted back mid-air. She screamed as she fell, her body smacking the water and slipping below the surface. Mack rushed into the water, tapping into the strength of his beast as he leaped into the surf, dove under a wave, and followed his wolf’s instincts to the place where the female had dropped. He couldn’t see anything in the darkness, but he could feel an inexplicable pull, and he kicked his legs and paddled downward as fast as he could. He was hampered by his clothes, but he wasn’t about to let her drown because he wasn’t wearing swim trunks. His lungs began to burn and pressure built in his ears. He wasn’t sure how far down he was, and he was reaching the limit of how long he could go without oxygen. His wolf refused to give up, though, and he pushed through the watery darkness until his hand struck something soft. As soon as he wrapped his fingers around the object, he knew it was her arm. His beast rejoiced, doing backflips in his head, as he drew her limp body close and kicked hard, propelling them to the surface.
They broke through the surface and he gasped loudly, drawing in breath after breath to his starved lungs. He squeezed her hard around her middle, holding her against him as he paddled with one arm toward the shore. When his feet hit the sand and he could stand up, he lifted her into his arms and hurried her to the beach, where he laid her down gently. Her heart was beating, but she wasn’t breathing. He placed his mouth over hers and breathed into her, his wolf howling for him to save her. As he breathed a second, and then a third time, her body jerked and she coughed, leaning to her side and clearing her lungs of water.
With a groan, she fell to her back, her body highlighted by the moonlight. She wore a sinfully tiny white bikini, which made his wolf practically purr, and he mentally snagged his beast by the scruff and ordered him to behave. She’d nearly died.
“I’m Mack,” he said, leaning over her. “You were drowning and I pulled you out. Do you want me to take you to a hospital?”
Her eyes flashed iridescent green, and a trilling purr came from her open mouth. She slapped her hand over her mouth and groaned. “That was weird. Sorry.”
She sat up, coughed several times, and shivered hard. He saw her towel a few feet away on the beach, and he leaned over and snagged it, wrapping it around her shoulders.
“Thank you. I’m Miracle.” She rubbed her face with the towel and secured it around her shoulders more firmly.
“I didn’t see you earlier. Are you a guest here?” She was still breathing hard, and her voice was rough.
“Yes. My flight was delayed, so I didn’t get in until about an hour ago.”
She didn’t say anything for a long moment, and then she leaned over and kissed him. It was the simplest of kisses, but it rocked him to the core. He knew exactly why his wolf had been so intent to go to the beach: this lovely dragon was his mate.
She shivered again, and he said, “Want to finish our chat inside?”
The silence stretched between them for so long that Mack worried he’d rushed her. He opened his mouth to tell her that he had no ulterior motives, that he simply wanted to get her somewhere she could get warm, but he knew he couldn’t say that without sounding like a pervert.
“Sorry for being quiet. My dragon is being really vocal in my head right now and she’s never acted like that before,” she said.
“It’s okay. Miracle, I want to tell you the truth of what I’m feeling, because I think it might set us both at ease. But whatever we say right now, it doesn’t have to mean anything as far as physical stuff goes. We’ve just met. We can take as much time to get to know each other as we like.”
She smiled. “Thanks. Can we stay out here for a little bit?”
“Of course.”
He sat next to her, shoulder to shoulder, and stared out at the water. The waves were capped with white, and the moonlight reflecting off them made them seem magical.
“I’ve never met a dragon shifter,” he said.
She inhaled softly and purred again. “You’re a wolf.”
“I’m from New Jersey.”
“My clan lives in the mountains of Northern Pennsylvania.”
“What happened with your dragon?”
“I couldn’t sleep, so I came out for a swim. I was bobbing around out there in the water when I saw you come onto the beach. My dragon went nuts and forced the shift. It happened so fast that I couldn’t hold my form, and the stress of shifting so swiftly again knocked me out.”
Guilt filled him. “You nearly drowned because I came out here.”
She shrugged. “How could you have known that would happen, if I didn’t?” She looked at him and pressed her fingers lightly to his cheek. “I feel really drawn to you, Mack. I didn’t know when I came out for a swim tonight that I’d meet you, but I know you’re my mate. It feels right to be with you.”
He laid his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “When our gazes locked, I knew why my wolf had been urging me to the beach. It’s because you’re mine, too.”
She leaned in to kiss him, and this time he met her halfway. Their lips met, hers soft against his, and when their tongues touched, Mack felt it all the way to the center of his being. He’d been alone for so long. Even though he’d come to the singles’ resort with an open mind, he’d still been a little skeptical. Now he knew that he’d been given a second chance at love, and he wasn’t going to waste it.