Chapter Eighteen
One day later…
Tessa blinked in the noon light. She stayed very, very still on the soft expanse of Kai’s huge bed in case it had all been a dream. But no, the man spooned around her body really was Kai, and the swaying palms outside were the genuine thing. Sunlight glinted off the Pacific, and the silk sheets felt cool on her skin.
Maui. Koa Point Estate. Kai.
His arm was curled around her body, and their fingers intertwined. Slowly, so as not to wake him, Tessa lifted Kai’s hand and smoothed the skin. Had her gentle lover really transformed into a ferocious winged beast the previous night? Was Morgan truly dead?
Kai’s fingers twitched and stroked hers as he murmured over her shoulder. “Morning.”
His voice was so deep, so hushed, she could feel it in her bones.
“Morning,” she whispered, turning in his arms to come face-to-face.
It wasn’t quite morning, but it sure felt like it. A new day. A new life.
The moment she spotted his glowing blue eyes, her breath caught. Dragon. Lover. Mate.
It really had happened. It really was true.
He tugged her without a word and held her tight, making her soul sing. So much had happened in such a short time, but it felt as though years had gone by. Years to get to know what a good man Kai was. How faithful and utterly devoted to her, his mate.
She sighed and stroked his broad back carefully, mindful of the wounds he’d sustained.
“Told you,” he murmured, reading her mind. “Shifters heal fast.”
“Tell me you don’t at least feel sore,” she said, pulling back.
Kai smiled, stretched an arm high, and immediately winced. “Okay, maybe a little sore.”
“A little.” She snorted.
“I forget about it when I’m with you.”
She smiled. Yes, he certainly had pushed the pain aside when they’d finally returned to Koa Point in the wee hours of the night when he’d taken her to bed — but not to sleep. They’d made love for a long, needy hour — partly for human comfort, partly out of sheer animal need, bonding in a way that meant forever, even though they hadn’t uttered the word at the time.
“So, you call that explaining, huh?” she’d joked afterward as they held each other tight.
“I call that proposing to my mate,” he said, gazing deep into her eyes.
“Mate,” she whispered as joy pulsed through her veins.
“It’s forever, Tessa.”
“I want forever.”
“With me.” He stuck a thumb at his own chest as if he wasn’t convinced.
“Forever,” she assured him.
“Still so much to explain…”
She’d kissed him, turned in his arms, and settled against his chest. “Tomorrow. Right now, we really, really need to sleep.”
In spite of everything, she’d slept like a log, and when she woke, her body ached in the most pleasant way possible. Her skin was scraped all over from the rough Molokini soil, but the afterglow of intense sex won out, so the overwhelming sensation was that of warmth and satisfaction. Soul-deep satisfaction.
“Knock, knock,” someone called from the veranda doors.
Tessa ducked and buried her face against Kai’s chest, and he pulled the sheet over her naked body before growling back.
“Damn it, Boone…”
“Hey, don’t kill the messenger,” the wolf shifter called back. “Silas wants you two down in the next hour.”
Boone spoke as if he came to Kai’s every day expecting to see Tessa, which made her grin. The men were a tightly knit band of brothers, and yet she felt accepted. Well, at least as far as Boone was concerned. The question was, what would the others think?
She hugged Kai tighter. Whatever her reception was, one thing was nonnegotiable. Kai was hers, and she was his.
Kai sighed. “A whole hour, huh?”
“He’s feeling generous,” Boone said. “If we were still in Special Forces, it would have been thirty seconds. I think he likes your mate.”
Kai growled a warning, and Tessa heard the wolf’s light footsteps retreat.
“I get it, I get it,” Boone called. “Your mate. Nobody else’s. See you in an hour.”
Kai flopped on his back, and Tessa rolled to her side, squeezing nice and close.
“So now what?”
Kai ran a hand along her thigh, making her blood heat once again. “Two options. We either tackle the big questions…”
He didn’t sound too enthusiastic, and frankly, neither was she.
“Or?”
“Or you let me show you how a dragon loves his mate all over again.”
“Option two,” she whispered, rolling on top of him, “Definitely option two.”
He grinned and slid his hands lower, and the fun started all over again. In bed, in the shower, on the floor, making Tessa lose track of time and place until she was right back where she started — namely, deeply satisfied, curled up with her man, and wondering if she’d dreamt the whole thing.
But then Kai checked the clock and groaned. “Time to get moving.”
He rose and offered her a hand, pulling her into his arms when she reached her feet.
“Hey,” he whispered, smoothing her hair. “What’s wrong?”
She kept her chin tucked over his shoulder. “You mean, other than facing a dragon, a wolf, a tiger, and a bear all over again?” She thought back to her very first evening on the estate. “Of course, I have my own dragon on my side this time.”
He tipped her chin up to meet his eyes. “You always did, Tessa. From the very first night.”
She gulped. What had she done to deserve this man?
Kai nodded firmly. “To the end of my days. I swear I’ll always be there for you.”
She ran a hand along his cheek, then sighed. “What about the guys? What will they think?”
The corner of Kai’s mouth twisted upward. “Don’t tell me my tough mate is intimidated by those puppies.”
Now it was her turn to groan. “Rottweiler is more like it. Well, Hunter and Boone are fine, but Silas still scares me. And Cruz…”
Kai shook his head. “Cruz is all bark and no bite. Well, maybe not literally…”
She smacked him on the arm. “Thanks. I feel much better now.”
She dressed slowly, suddenly aware of all her aches and pains — not to mention a deep reluctance to face the outside world. But their hour was nearly up — and her stomach was grumbling, too. When she followed Kai out of the house, she paused on the huge, open veranda and looked out. So many questions. So many things to work her mind around.
“You ready?” he murmured, clasping her hand in his.
With him close, yes, she was ready. Still, her step grew shaky as Kai led her down the winding flagstone stairs and across the estate to the akule hale. It wasn’t quite as nerve-racking as her first time meeting the others, but still close. Would they accept her as Kai’s mate? She fingered the emerald hanging around her neck as she stepped into the shade of the open-walled space.
“Hey,” Boone greeted her as if it was just another day on the beach.
Hunter smiled, too, and Tessa had never been so grateful to see two friendly faces. Because Silas looked grim, and Cruz paced the perimeter of the structure with his face drawn into a scowl.
Kai tightened his fingers around hers as she murmured a shy greeting to the others. “Hi.”
Hunter nodded, but no one said anything. Cruz’s nostrils flared, and Silas’s gaze darted knowingly between Tessa and Kai. Tessa looked at her feet. Yes, she’d spent most of the past hour wildly shagging Kai. She hadn’t been able to help herself. It was all instinct, all overwhelming need. It felt damn good, too, and had given her peace. So she wasn’t ashamed. But she’d much rather keep private matters — well, private.
“You wanted to see me and my mate?” Kai growled, tilting his head toward Silas.
The two dragon shifters locked eyes, and Tessa sensed the tension in the room jump up a notch. She’d witnessed firsthand just how powerful Kai was, but there was a clear pecking order among the men, and Silas was the head of their tight-lipped gang.
“I did,” Silas nodded, taking half a step back.
Tessa exhaled, and Boone gave her an encouraging wink as if to say, See? All bark and no bite.
Silas motioned to the chairs, and everyone sat down. Well, Tessa, Kai, Boone, and Silas did. Hunter stood leaning against a nearby pillar as if to hold up the roof — a feat she had no doubt he could pull off — and Cruz continued to pace silently back and forth.
While Silas poured everyone tea in that cultured, old-world way of his, Boone slid a newspaper over to Tessa and Kai.
“You made the news, partner.”
Kai scowled and held the paper up so Tessa could see the front-page photo of the charred helicopter and the headline: Fiery Crash on Molokini.
Tessa skimmed the story. Kai had offered to fly her back to Maui on his back after Morgan was killed, but Silas had come up with a quick cover story and made them both stay on Molokini long enough to meet the emergency responders streaming out from Maui in response to multiple bursts of fire.
“‘Pilot unable to regain control,’ my ass,” Kai scowled.
“I hope that chopper was insured,” Boone said.
Silas sighed. “The explosion was good, in a way. Everyone bought the story that the flames came from the helicopter.”
Boone grinned. “Next time, I suggest you dragons duke it out someplace with live volcanoes. That would be an even better cover-up.”
“Won’t be a next time,” Kai snarled. “Morgan is dead.”
Tessa squeezed his hand. She’d never wished anyone harm in her life. But Morgan, she wouldn’t miss.
“Amen.” Boone nodded.
Still, Kai remained stiff as if still on high alert, and Silas stroked his chin. Neither looked all too convinced that the danger was past. Kai had mentioned something about Damien Morgan being involved with an even more sinister enemy the previous night, but he hadn’t gotten far before the Coast Guard helicopter arrived on the scene.
Tessa looked at Silas’s weary face. All the men looked tired, actually, and she wondered how many hours they’d spent searching for her the previous day or how much of the night they’d spent worrying for her and Kai. Even Cruz looked like he hadn’t slept well. She’d been so wrong to believe Morgan’s lie about a traitor. From the very start, this band of men had taken her in — her, a perfect stranger — and given her so much. What could she possibly do in return?
Slowly, she took the emerald off and held it out, looking from one face to the next. These men were allies. Friends. She tipped the gem out of her palm and onto the table, then pulled her hand away. It was safe here. She was safe here. And what was hers was theirs.
Everyone leaned in, holding their breath. Even Cruz, who stood as still as a cat seconds away from a deadly pounce. Silas’s eyes shone so brightly, Tessa feared he might shift into dragon form and fly away with the precious stone. But a moment later, they dimmed, and he gulped.
“The Lifestone,” he murmured, pushing back from the table a tiny bit.
Tessa relaxed a little. Kai hadn’t been overcome by the call of the gem, and neither had Silas. There really were good and bad dragons, just as Kai had said.
Boone whistled, breaking the silence. “The Lifestone. So the legends are true,” he murmured.
“Tell us who gave it to you. Where. When. How?” Silas demanded.
Tessa explained the little she knew, and Silas sent Hunter to the guesthouse to retrieve the note it had come with, which they inspected closely. Still, that did little to resolve the mystery.
“I still don’t get it,” Boone said. “How does one of the five Spirit Stones wind up in a human’s hands?”
“Not entirely human,” Kai murmured, putting his arm around Tessa’s shoulders. “Part dragon.”
She met his eyes, eager to have another of her countless questions answered at last.
“Silas did a little research and discovered how you’re related to the Baird Clan — it’s on your grandmother’s side.”
Baird? Tessa searched her memory. In eighth grade, she’d done a family tree exercise, and she vaguely remembered the name. But what did it have to do with dragons?
Apparently, the name meant something in the dragon world, because Silas and Kai nodded thoughtfully while all of the others looked blank. Just how Tessa felt.
“Baird, as in Aderyn Baird, of the house of Cluew,” Silas said as if everyone knew what that meant.
“The last descendants of a mighty dragon clan,” Kai explained. “A clan that interbred with humans until the shifter blood was recessive.”
“Recessive, but still pulsing in your veins,” Silas said, nodding at Tessa.
She concentrated on her teacup, telling herself she would not let her hand shake. Suddenly, it all made sense. How comfortable she’d felt around Kai from the start. The fact that she didn’t burn. The dreams of flying she’d had as a kid. Her grandmother said she’d had dreams like that, too. Had she known all along what their family roots meant?
Tessa sighed and looked toward the ocean. More than ever, she wished she could call her grandmother for a good, long chat.
“What do you know about the emerald?” she asked, fingering it.
“It’s one of the legendary Spirit Stones,” Silas said.
“One?” She set her teacup down with a clatter. Morgan had said something about that, too.
The others had gone silent, too, and even Hunter, the burly bear, shifted his weight from one foot to another.
“One of five gemstones with magical powers,” Silas said. “Or so the legends say.”
The candle on the table seemed to flare brighter, and a zephyr of wind whispered through the room.
“What kind of powers?” Boone asked, serious for the first time.
Silas looked at the emerald. “The Lifestone can multiply the powers innate in its bearer, I believe.”
Tessa rubbed her fingers together, then reached cautiously toward the candle until her index finger split the flame.
“Whoa,” Boone said.
“She doesn’t burn.” Kai’s voice filled with pride.
Tessa nodded slowly. All she felt was a tickle. Her skin didn’t burn, and there was no pain. “I always thought I just had thick skin.”
“Not thick skin. Dragon skin,” Kai said, pushing his finger in beside hers. “In human form, it only protects against tiny flames, like this. When we’re in dragon form, it protects us against enemy dragon fire.”
When we’re in dragon form… The words tugged on something deep in her soul. A longing, a yearning she hadn’t felt — or allowed herself to feel — for a long, long time.
“The Lifestone multiplied your ability so that you could repel dragon fire,” Silas said.
Boone nodded. “The Lifestone and a hell of a lot of willpower, I’d say.”
Kai grinned from ear to ear. “Another word for stubborn.” He was joking, but the love in his eyes filled her with pride.
Silas caught Tessa’s gaze and nodded to her. “Courage. Real courage. The Lifestone would not have been sufficient without your inner strength.”
Tessa squirmed a little in her chair as the others looked at her with a new measure of respect. She’d never felt so proud — or so self-conscious.
“And the other stones?” she asked, changing the subject.
“There’s a Waterstone, too. A Windstone. An Earthstone…” Kai counted them off on his fingers, then trailed off.
“And a Firestone,” Silas added. “Precious stones lost in an era long past. So long ago, we only know the faintest legends.”
“And Morgan knew about it?” Boone asked.
Tessa pursed her lips. “How could he know?”
Kai looked pensive. “I’m not sure. Was it a coincidence that he hired you? Or had he done his own research and tracked you down somehow?”
Tessa’s mind spun. “Ella. Did Ella know?”
Silas shook his head. “I finally made contact with Ella. She had to lie low after helping you escape from Morgan. She works for a powerful wolf pack in Arizona — Twin Moon pack.”
Boone grinned and patted himself on the chest. “I got her the job, thank you very much.”
Tessa tilted her head at him.
“Twin Moon pack,” Boone said, then paused. “You’ve never heard of Twin Moon pack? Most powerful wolf pack in the Southwest.” His voice rose incredulously, but then he flapped his hand. “Oh, right. You’re human. You wouldn’t know.”
Tessa made a face. Someday, she’d get a handle on the secret world of shifters.
“Anyway,” Boone continued. “They’re cousins of mine. They hired Ella to keep an eye on Morgan because they didn’t like the idea of a dragon so close to their home turf.”
“So what does Ella know?”
“Nothing. Not about you or the stone, anyway.”
“Stones,” Kai corrected, frowning.
“Stones scattered over time, long thought lost,” Silas said pensively. “The question is, did Morgan know? Was he hunting down the stones as well as a mate?”
Kai growled under his breath and tugged Tessa closer before she could so much as think of how much that possibility disgusted her.
“Well, we have it now,” Boone said, leaning back with a grin.
“Tessa has it now,” Kai muttered.
She looked around the room. Kai was her mate. She felt it in her heart and deep in her soul. And these men were as close to him as brothers.
“We have it now,” she said, making eye contact with each man. Silas first, then Boone, then Hunter, who nodded quietly. She stared at Cruz until his gaze met hers, and his eyes flickered with what she hoped was acceptance. Even grudging acceptance would do. Then she turned to Kai and found his eyes glowing a deep, radiant blue.
She felt the heat of his gaze, but she felt something else, too — the warmth of the others, reaching out for her. Buffering, protecting her. Accepting her as one of their own.
Silas nodded slowly. “We have it now.”
“What about the other stones?” Kai murmured. Tessa turned at the hint of worry in his voice.
Boone shrugged. “Who cares about the others?”
Silas caught him with a piercing stare. “When one of the stones wakes, it calls to the rest.”
The room went silent. So silent, she could hear the sea whisper over the shore, somewhere out of sight. A soothing sound or a sound of warning?
“Um, is that a good thing?” Tessa ventured, looking from one concerned face to another.
Judging by the way Cruz went back to pacing, she guessed no.
Kai took her hand and squeezed.
Silas frowned. “Frankly, I’m not sure.”
Kai’s jaw was clenched tight — a bad sign. Silas wasn’t much older than the others, but he was the one they all looked up to, and clearly the one most versed in dragon lore. If he didn’t know…
Boone clapped his hands, breaking the pensive silence that ensued. “Well, I think that’s enough for tonight, don’t you?” He stood quickly. “And I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving,” Kai sighed.
“Wolf metabolism. What can I say?” He grinned. “Now, who’s cooking?”
Everyone’s eyes landed squarely on Tessa, but Kai stood quickly. “No way. Not my mate. She’s had a long night.”
“Whose fault is that?” Boone winked.
“I don’t mind cooking,” Tessa said quickly, trying to hide the blush spreading across her face.
“No, you don’t.” Kai shook his head.
She stuck a hand on her hip. “Are you telling me what to do?”
Kai threw his hands up. “Never. But seriously, do you really want to cook?”
Tessa bit her lip. She loved cooking, but somehow, tonight… “Well, no. Not really. Not right now.”
“No problem,” Kai said, taking her hand. “Dinner is on Boone.”
Boone groaned, but Hunter slapped him on the back, and even Silas smiled. “Takeout menus are on the fridge.”
“Order something for us, will you?” Kai said, pulling Tessa to her feet. “We won’t be long.”
Tessa’s heart thumped as he led her to the beach not far from the guesthouse. They stood on the shore, and she took a deep breath. So much had happened in such a short time.
“So now what?” she asked as the big questions pressed down on her once again.
Kai slipped his arm over her shoulder. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…” She gestured vaguely. “I mean with us. The others. Everything.”
“Easy,” he shrugged. “You stay here with me. We live together as mates.” He pointed to his house up on the hill.
She looked up. That house was something out of her dreams — a lot like the man.
“I mean, if you’re okay with that,” he added with a gulp.
She smiled and hugged him fiercely. “I’d love that. Will the others be okay with it?”
Kai nodded. “You’re not just welcome here, Tessa. You’ve earned your place.”
She smiled in spite of herself, then thought it over. Was she really up to living among to a group of male shifters? A wolf, a bear, a tiger…
She forced herself to slow down. Someday, she’d figure the others out. Starting with Boone — who was so easygoing, she knew he had to be hiding some ugly memories. Like the others, she guessed.
“Well, then, I just need to figure out a job. I guess I could probably build up a new clientele here.”
“And go to stranger’s houses to cook?” Kai didn’t actually say no, but he sure didn’t look happy. “I have a better idea.”
“Let me guess. Something that involves cooking for five bachelors, maybe?”
“Four bachelors and one happily mated dragon,” he corrected. “But seriously — you could try out new recipes on us while you write your book.”
She stared. She’d mentioned wanting to write a cookbook the first time they’d talked, before any of the ensuing craziness had occurred. And yet, Kai remembered. He’d been listening that closely?
“That would be…nice,” she said while her heart pounded and her mind spun. She got to live in Hawaii with the man of her dreams, the job of her dreams, and someday, maybe even have the family of her dreams. A dragon family?
She gulped a little and decided not to think that far ahead.
“Just nice?” Kai arched an eyebrow.
“It would be great. A dream come true,” she admitted, flinging her arms around him.
Kai laughed. “Just remember me when you’re famous.”
“What do you mean, remember you?” She smacked his arm lightly. “Mates are forever, right?”
“Just checking,” Kai chuckled, then pulled her in for a long, lingering kiss. “Like being married, but better.”
“I like the sound of that,” she said, snuggling closer. “Not so sure about the mating bite part, though.”
“No?” he murmured, kissing his way down her cheek to her neck. “Then we wait. We’ll wait until you’re ready, no matter how long that takes.”
She tilted her head back with a sigh as he kissed the remaining tension out of her and chased it over the horizon.
“So good,” she murmured.
“Good?” His next kiss went to the hollow of her neck and ended with a light scrape of teeth that turned every nerve in her body on.
She groaned, it felt that good. So good, the sound of the sea amplified in her ears as she wiggled her body against Kai’s.
“Really good. More. Please.”
When he nipped her lightly, her blood surged. Dragon blood, maybe, assuring her how good a mating bite would feel. Even giving her ideas about how to plant her own bite on Kai’s neck.
“So how exactly does this mating thing go?” she murmured as he kissed her collarbone.
“First, I take you to my lair and show you how a dragon loves his mate.”
She giggled. “You already showed me that, I think.”
“It gets better.”
“Even better?” She snaked a leg up his thigh.
“And just when we think we can’t keep it up — that’s when I deliver the mating bite.”
She arched her shoulders back to give him better access to her neck. Somehow, he made it all sound so good. So good, her body was already begging for it, there and then.
“There’s a puff of fire, too,” he added quietly. Carefully.
Somehow, that didn’t scare her. If anything, it turned her on.
“And then, when you’re ready,” Kai said, “you do the same.”
She ran her hand over his neck, feeling his pulse. Instinctively knowing exactly where she’d plant her bite — right there, where instinct told her she wouldn’t do any harm. Her mouth heated up as her dragon side thought about the branding part of the mating ritual, and she had a vision of her big, powerful man coming totally undone.
“I think I like the sound of that,” she murmured, already mixing up the present and future. Her body was already on fire, begging to claim and be claimed right there and then.
“You think you like the sound of that?” he asked, not quite satisfied.
“I love it. And I love you, Kai.”
He pulled her close, sniffing deeply, possessively. “Forever, my mate.”
“Forever.” She nodded, tickling his ear, then slowly lowered her leg to the ground. “Now take me home and show me your stuff, dragon.”
“Are you telling me what to do?”
She laughed. “What if I ask nicely?”
He grinned and kissed her, hard. “I like the sound of that.” Then he took her hand and led her uphill.
* * *
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