Luc had been completely lost when he realized they couldn’t go back to the Territory. He’d been prepared to hit the road and drive until he thought his Anya would be safe again. His body sang with tension, his nerves fraying at the ends as he was on constant alert, waiting for GOE to materialize out of nowhere and cuff him for stealing an agent’s daughter, mate or not. Attacking Beauchamp might not have been the best idea, but it had to be done. There was no way he would allow that man to hurt anyone, let alone his mate.

When Anya suggested that she knew where they could lay low, Luc felt relief flood his tense limbs. They would be able to let their guard down if only for a little while. Not only would Anya be safe, but maybe he could start learning more about this woman the universe bound him to.

She seemed young, at least that’s what the smooth planes of her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes told him. He knew nothing about her other than she was a brave soul that didn’t immediately see dragons as monsters.

When she slipped out of the Jeep and headed for the sign posted in the house’s yard, he wanted nothing more than to sweep her off her feet and carry her inside. He could tell that exhaustion, physical and emotional, was riding her hard. Her feet shuffled beneath her and the end of the sign dragged along the unkempt grass.

His heart broke when they went inside and she collapsed onto the couch. He couldn’t pull her into his arms like he wanted to. He couldn’t tell her that the world was going to be alright or that he could take it from her shoulders. She was his mate, yet he could do nothing to help her.

The best Luc could do for her this night was feed his mate. He’d been the primary cook for Marc and Isaac for as long as they’d lived together. Maybe, it was because Luc was the adventurous one. He was more than happy to play with fire and knives. He enjoyed experimenting in mixing flavors. Over time, the fascination became a skill.

So, he was able to set a hearty bowl of chili in front of his mate. His heart had nearly stopped when she fell over. He’d thought maybe she was leaning into him because she wanted the feel of him as much as he wanted the feel of her, but then her body kept going until it almost hit the floor. Luc had caught her and watched her eyes move in and out of focus.

It terrified him. Was there something wrong that he didn’t know about? Was there something he didn’t know how to fix? There was no way to pressure his mate into consummating the bond between them and igniting the long life that mates were blessed with. She barely let him touch her since they left the Territory, side stepping his very proximity if she could avoid it.

Now, he sat across from her and watched her devour the bowl of tomatoes and beans. It would give her back the strength she’d shown this morning. Luc was surprised when her feet touched his leg. He reached down and pulled them into his lap, eating his own meal with one hand.

He rubbed her feet with one hand, his hand caressing the sensitive flesh of her arch before trailing up the smooth skin of her leg. His touch was scrambling her brain, he could tell from the way she seemed to pause every now and then. It pleased his beast. “Tell me why you wanted to intern at the Embassy.”

Anya paused, slowly lowering her spoon. Her lips twisted to the side as she thought. “At first, I wanted to save everyone. I had this bold notion that dragons were actually people. Strange idea, huh?” She looked up with humor in her eyes that made Luc smile.

“How odd of you,” Luc said as he laughed.

Anya smiled. It warmed his heart to see the expression lighten her face and move the constellations of freckles across her nose and cheeks after the day they’d had. There was more color to those cheeks now that she’d had something to eat. He was still kicking himself for not noticing the lack of color in her face earlier.

Luc could think of something he’d like to eat. His beast seconded the notion with a greedy voice.

“I’m working on a degree in public relations so that, when I get to DC, I can start changing the US’s view of dragons. I wonder now, if they’ll think I’m biased if they know I’m a dragon’s mate.”

“You don’t think that would be a good thing to show the world? A human and a dragon in love?”

Her head shot up. Luc knew he’d used the wrong word and immediately regretted it. Anya shut down, her eyes darkening as she looked away and tugged her feet from his lap. He didn’t linger, didn’t stretch the awkward moment. He shot out of his seat, gathering the empty bowls and silverware and turning his back on the table.

He would give her the space she wanted, but it hurt every time. His beast circled inside of him, ready to strike. It urged him to go back to the woman and show her just what she was missing out on. The beast urged him to kneel in front of her and pull her thighs around him, to take possession of her mouth, of her womanhood. Luc bit down on his cheek and forced the beast back. It could not have what it wanted at that moment. Its way of doing things wouldn’t solve the problem his Anya wrapped herself in.

After a long, silent moment, Anya appeared beside him. She turned on the water and pulled out a fresh sponge to help him clean the dishes. They did this in a silence that maddened Luc. The smell of cinnamon that rose from her golden-brown curls was driving him wild. His beast thrashed and pushed him closer to her. It didn’t help when her hip would bump his or her arm would graze his shin. It didn’t help when she paused to look up at him and her lips parted.

Luc could remember the taste of her, the daring kiss she’d stolen on the Territory. He’d thought it was the beginning of something, not the end. Not long after, her refusal after had been a sharp knife through his heart. Luc would do as she wanted, but only when she stopped sending him such mixed signals.

Now, Anya turned toward him as if she couldn’t resist the pull any longer. Her eyes travelled over his body, her hand grazing his skin not long after. He held his breath, afraid to scare her away. His hands trembled with the effort to keep from grabbing her and pinning her against the counter.

“I want…” Anya’s words trailed off and he heard her swallow.

His hands betrayed him. They slithered out and grabbed Anya’s waist. It was so small beneath his grip, widening as they dropped lower over her hips. He pulled her into him so that their bodies lined up. Cinnamon filled his nose and made his stomach tight. Luc knew what he wanted. His eyes devoured the lines of her soft lips, a mouth he would take if only she said yes.

Her hand snaked up his chest and wound behind his neck to pull him lower. Luc’s chest tightened. Hope was a light feeling as his beast pressed forward in joy. Luc’s grip on her tightened. She was his.

Anya was finally his.

She pulled his face down to meet hers, her lips soft on his at first. Then, her lips parted and her teeth met flesh. He moaned into her mouth and lifted her from the floor. She was tiny in his arms. It was nothing to lift her to his height and pin her against the counter.

Anya’s legs wrapped around his waist. His cock grew against her core, a presence she had to have been able to feel. He thrust his hips a few times, grinding against her sensitive places just to make sure she knew how he felt, knew what she did to him. He needed her more than anything he’d ever needed.

 

***

 

Anya’s lips broke away from Luc’s. What was she doing? Why was she in this man’s arms when she knew she had to keep him at an arm’s length? Yet, when his lips met the sensitive skin of her neck, her head feel back and she lost all thought. His lips danced across her skin, movement punctuated by small nibbles.

Luc’s desire met her groin in rhythmic thrusts. She thought she might combust from that alone. Pleasure arched through her, electric jolts that spread through her body like pure heat.  Her body would burst into pure light and she’d fall to the floor in a pile of ash.

Luc’s hand rose to cover her cheek, his rough thumb grazing her lips. She pulled it into her mouth and let her teeth close over the rough skin. Luc moaned, a sound that turned her inside out. She wanted to hear him make that sound again, louder, for her.

What was she doing?

Anya pressed her hands against Luc’s chest and pushed him back. Feverish eyes met hers as his brows sank into confusion. His breathing came fast. Her body still burned. Her legs were still wrapped around him, holding her to his cock.

This was her mate. That was the only reason she felt the way she did, Anya told herself. It was fate and pheromones that had made her stupid.

“Do I need to remind you that this means nothing?” Anya was able to say through her own ragged breaths. “This is only to get it out of our systems. Once it is all over, nothing will change.”

Luc’s brows rose, slowly. He backed away from the counter and pulled her small frame away from his body to set her on her own two feet. She could tell he didn’t want to do it. Truthfully, she didn’t want him to. Anya looked up at him, expecting this to go further, expecting layers of clothing to start disappearing.

Instead, Luc stepped back. The warmth of his body left her and a rush of cold air hit her in the chest. Her lips parted, a small cry of indignation swallowed by pride.

“What happened?”

Luc shook his head, his eyes pressed closed as though he was fighting for control. Anya stepped closer, missing his warmth, his presence. She reached out to place a hand on his chest. He caught her wrist before she could touch him.

“If this means nothing,” he said, his voice tight, “then I want nothing to do with it.”

Luc turned and left the room. Anya was left standing, her back against the wet sink and the heavy, wet feeling of need pulsing through her. What was so wrong with what she wanted? Her arms moved to wrap around her now cold body. She’d thought men were up to that sort of thing all the time. She’d thought they would take sex whenever it was offered.

Perhaps, she hadn’t understood men at all. It couldn’t just be a dragon thing, right? The dragon males didn’t seem all that different from human men. Luc was intense, his presence one that offered intimidation freely, but he still had that lovable smirk and deep well of humor. The only difference between him and a guy she could have met at college was the dragon inside of him.

Luc was a dragon.

Anya pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes. She had to remember these things. She needed to remember she was dealing with not just a dragon, but one that was supposed to be her mate. She was playing with fire each time she did this.

Was that the theme of the day?

Pulling herself together, she followed the path Luc had taken out of the kitchen. She found him sitting in the living room, one bronze hand slapped over his eyes. His nose flared, and his fingers parted so that he could peek through them.

Anya’s eyes dipped lower. She couldn’t help glancing at the bulge she’d been grinding on only moments ago. His own desire still gripped him if the shape in his pants was any indication. Noticing that she was watching, he moved to hook his ankle over his other knee and hid the bulge. Her cheeks warmed.

Yet, even as he hid the evidence of his physical desire, his eyes raked over her body. They lingered on her taut nipples, on the line of her throat, until she saw his nostrils flare and he swallowed.

Anya made sure they sat on two different couches. Anya laid across the one she’d collapsed on earlier and stared out at the dark waters. Luc sat stiffly on the loveseat beside the couch. She could tell that he wanted nothing more than to crawl over her body. She wanted it, too, if she was going to be honest. But, she couldn’t keep giving in to the urges of her body.

They would only get her into trouble.

“How long do you think we can hide?” she whispered, her voice barely louder than the rustle of cloth on cloth.

Luc’s head fell back. “Not forever, if that’s what you’re thinking. We barely have enough food for another day.”

“Not forever,” she said, her voice a little louder. “Just long enough for this all to blow over.”

She was lying to herself. She knew it. This wasn’t something that would blow over. Beauchamp knew that she’d uncovered GOE secrets. He knew she’d told the American dragons. It didn’t help that she’d up and left with a dragon after shots had been fired.

Anya huffed and forced herself upright. “On the Territory, I said I wanted to help you in your investigation.”

Luc perked up, raising his head. His eyes slid to her, wary and tired.

“I’m being a big brat about all of this,” she confessed. “I said I would help and I will. But first, I have to tell you what I saw.”

“You already told us.”

“Not all of it. At least, not what I think I saw.” She went on to tell him about LA-257. The woman looked so much like him that it was impossible to think they weren’t related.

The look on Luc’s face was hard to read. It was nearly blank, but he’d grown completely still. Her words hung in the air around them like a ghost that invited itself inside.

“We need those files,” he said after a long while. “The files should tell us where the dragons were taken.”

Anya’s thumb rose to her lips, her nail was already chewed off after a day like this, but the nervous habit was hard to break. ‘There’s a chance no one at the facility knows what happened at the Embassy. Dad and Beauchamp might have slid it under the rug to avoid the wrath of their superiors. I could… I could go back in and copy the files.”

Luc’s brows knit together. He shook his head and lurched to his feet. She could tell he didn’t like the idea, but they needed those files. They needed the secrets they hid so they knew where to start looking for his family.

Anya stood and approached him. She took his hands in hers, the connection like a shock through her system. She shoved it back and looked up.

“No,” Luc said with a firm voice. He wasn’t going to be moved on the subject.

Anya shook her head. “You don’t have a choice in the matter. I said I would help and I meant it. If that means sneaking into the facility to get those files, then that is what I’m going to do.”

Luc growled, but threw his hands in the air and turned away from her. He knew he couldn’t stop her. Maybe, even, he knew that he wouldn’t stop her. Luc was the kind of man to let Anya run in any damned direction she wanted. He would be there, at her side, to pick her up if she fell into the flames.

It was a shame he had to be a dragon, she thought. It was a horrible thought. One that she wanted to keep other people from thinking, yet here she was using that to keep herself at an arm’s distance from Luc. Mating a dragon would destroy her family, it would ruin her career. She couldn’t let it go on.

Anya stepped back from the pacing dragon. Luc finally sighed, his broad shoulders falling as he turned to look back at her. She knew he didn’t want to do it, but he would. Not just because he couldn’t stop her, but because he needed the truth. He needed to know what happened to his family.

“What were they like?” she asked to change the mood. The ghosts of her confession still swam in the room around them. She hoped, with her question, they would change into memories.

Luc knew what she was asking. He stared out the dark window, probably seeing his reflection more than anything. “It’s been so long that I can barely remember them. Marc and I have lived with Dane longer than we’ve known our own parents at this point.”

“Is Marc your brother?”

Luc laughed and sank to sit on the couch. Anya slowly sat beside him, keeping a good distance between them.

“He’s my twin. Not a common thing among dragons seeing as they don’t usually like being surrounded by too many people. Even Dane gets sick of the crowd on the Territory. Marc and I… we’re like one person that had been split in half. He got all the common sense and I got the sense of adventure.”

“I wouldn’t say Marc got all the common sense.”

Luc gave her a look that said think again. “I threw a GOE agent across a parking lot today. I think that’s just one example of my lack of common sense. If that doesn’t convince you, think of the masked dummy in Liana’s closet.”

“Alright, I’ll admit the dummy prank was really dumb. No pun intended there. But, saving me from dickhead wasn’t dumb.” Remembering how she cowered before Beauchamp made her angry. She’d stood up to the leader of the American dragons the very same day.

Maybe it had something to do with the inevitable truth that ran through Beauchamp’s words. He was going to stop at nothing in his crusade to own her, body and soul. It was just a matter of time. After she helped Luc, Anya would try to go back to the life she’d had before. She’d finish her internship if she could, go back to school, but Beauchamp would always be there. He would always be her future in that life.

Not if she claimed the bond between her and Luc.

But, she’d only be trading a life being owned for a life being shunned by her own family. Which was worse? Which was better? Would she get to make the decision or would fate continue to muck up her plans?

“If anything,” Luc went on, “Dane was more like a father than any other figure in our life. Marc and I always hoped that we would find our parents living somewhere, spending their time searching for us, too. It was a nice dream, but there was always the little voice in the back of our minds that whispered the truth.

“Our parents are probably dead. If the file you found meant anything, then that voice is probably right.”

Anya felt herself moving to close the space between them. She laid her head on his shoulder and a heavy arms fell over her like a blanket. He didn’t pull her closer, just accepted what they had. Anya spent much of her life with the knowledge that she could lose her father at any time. It was like having a cop or a soldier for a father. There was always that chance he wouldn’t come home. But, he had.

Luc spent most of his life without knowing what had happened to his parents. Had it kept him up at night? Had the worry gnawed on his mind while he tried to sleep? Anya was starting to understand why the dragon man played so many pranks. He invited laughter and chaos into his life in order to chase the shadows away.

“I’m going to call my family tomorrow,” Luc told her. “You’re not doing this alone.”

“Then we should probably be getting some sleep.” Her own words tightened something in her core as images of their limbs tangled on a bed flashed through her mind. She shoved it away, like she’d been trying to do with all of her urges. “You can take the bedroom at the end of the hall. I have my own room.”

She extracted herself from his arm and disappeared down the hall. If she’d stayed much longer, she might not have left. His presence was warm and protective. She wanted to linger, to kiss away the sorrow that still lingered behind his iridescent eyes.

Damn this bond, she thought as she threw herself onto her old bed.