One Week Later

Flick stared out her window at seven p.m. the following Saturday, a glass of white wine in hand. She was aware of the mad cab driver who was speeding down the street outside, honking occasionally at a slow motorist or an even slower pedestrian. But her mind wasn’t focused on them, or on anything in front of her. Her thoughts had wandered off once again to a faraway place, a fantasy land where a certain gorgeous Dragon shifter lived.

She hadn’t seen him in days, and despite the fact that they’d spent little time together, she missed him more than she’d ever missed anyone in her life. Each night she’d looked forward to sleep, because sleep brought dreams of him, of them. Erotic tapestries of touch, scent, taste that sustained her until morning.

Still, the visions didn’t come close to making up for his absence. Dex was out there somewhere, a living, walking dream of flesh and blood. Something unreal yet wholly real at the same time. He aroused emotions and desires that unfurled inside her in streams of sensual delight, yet she had no idea where he was, or if she’d see him again.

All she knew was that her attraction to him wasn’t fading with the passage of time. If anything, it seemed to increase with each day that passed. In the short time since they’d met, she’d learned to crave him like food or water.

She told herself again and again that the desire would eventually fade if they remained apart. Letting go was for the best, her mind insisted. Best to loosen the thoughts and shake them off, releasing them into the air. Surely it wasn’t healthy to have grown so attached to a man so quickly.

But for each argument that raged inside her mind, a counter-argument presented itself. Yes, damn it, her attachment to him was healthy. It was the most healthy feeling in the world, and to be robbed of it seemed criminal. How could she ever be expected to let go of something that had become a part of her? The thought of it was like considering losing a vital organ. Dex was inside her now, integral to her very being. He was everything. The past, the future and the present. He’d moved into her mind and taken up residence.

More than anything, she wished to keep him there.

She’d let out a long sigh and turned back to face her living room when a hard series of knocks sounded at the door. No one ever dropped in for visits, certainly not on Friday evenings. Her heart leapt with excitement, just as it had the first time she’d found herself face to face with Dex.

Please tell me he’s come back. He’s come to ask if I still want him, and the answer is yes.

The faint aroma of hot embers met her nose as she approached the door, confirming her suspicions that a Dragon shifter had come to call. She skipped forward, an enormous smile lighting up her features.

She was already speaking as she pulled the door open. “I was hoping you’d come ba…”

As if a hand had grabbed her by the throat, her voice cut itself off, the smile on her lips dying a quick death.

“Hello there,” said the enormous man who stood framed in her doorway. “Did you miss me?”

Eldrich, the aggressive bastard from the Underground Club, was standing in front of her. He wore a dark suit and a fedora pulled low over his brow, giving him the appearance of a Chicago mobster. He stepped inside uninvited, all but pushing Flick to the side, and slid over to her couch before throwing himself down, his arms outstretched along its back.

“What are you doing here?” Flick asked, positioning herself between her uninvited guest and the open door, ready to run. Only fear and stubbornness held her in place.

“I thought it was obvious. I’ve come to get what’s rightfully mine,” he said, staring at her blankly as though he’d just uttered the simplest statement in the history of the English language.

“I’m sorry,” Flick replied, letting out a nervous laugh. “What’s yours, you say? Did I accidentally steal your pencil last week, before you threatened to kidnap me in front of hundreds of witnesses?”

A deep laugh rose up from Eldrich’s chest, sending the hairs on the back of Flick’s neck standing on end. “If only it were that simple.” He smacked the couch cushion next to him with his palm. “Come, sit,” he said. “Let’s get to know one another. If we’re to be mates, then we should spend some time together.”

“We’re not mates. We’ll never be mates,” she told him, stepping backwards, wondering if she should sprint down the hall. He’d catch her, but at least she could scream her way out of her flat loudly enough to grab a neighbour’s attention. But then, what could a neighbour do in the face of a man such as this? If he shifted, he could kill everyone in the building.

“Oh, I beg to differ,” Eldrich replied, examining his cuticles for a moment before locking his gaze on hers once again. “I realize that human custom is a little different, but my Dragon has chosen you, you see,” he said. “That makes it official for us, whether you’ve come to realize it or not.”

“I don’t suppose I have a say in any of this,” Flick snarled. “It is my life, after all.”

“Of course you have a say,” he replied, his voice softening only a little. A wicked smile had set itself on his lips, warning her that she wouldn’t like his next words. “I have a proposition for you.”

“A proposition. Oh, jolly good. I can’t wait to hear it.” Flick crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m sure it’ll change everything.”

“Let’s put it this way,” Eldrich said. “If you agree to be my mate, I will look after you as only a Dragon shifter can. You will be provided for, protected, and fucked long and hard, whenever and wherever you desire.” With that, his eyes moved up and down her body possessively. Somehow his use of the f-word seemed beyond vulgar, whereas Dex managed to sound sensual when he used such direct language. “If you don’t agree to be my mate, however,” added Eldrich, “I can and will let the entire human population of London know about the existence of my kind, not to mention the existence of the Wolves and Grizzlies among their ranks. I will see to it that the likes of Dexter and his Kindred ilk are hunted until the bitter end, at which point I will assume my position at the top of the shifter hierarchy, and make life generally miserable for many, many people.”

“If you tried that, you would fail. You’d be hunted, just like everyone else,” said Flick, whose insides were twisting into painful knots as she contemplated his threat. This was blackmail, pure and simple, and either choice was horrific. Either way she would lose Dex forever—not that she’d ever really had him.

Eldrich shook his head. “I’d be fine. I would simply make a deal with the powers that be for immunity, you see. I strongly urge you to accept offer number one. Things are about to turn difficult in London, but don’t worry; I plan to take you far away for a time, to somewhere you’ll be safe,” he said. “I’ll look after you, and we’ll return only when things have settled down a little.”

“You have a funny idea of what it is to look after someone. It sounds very much like you’d make me your prisoner.”

“I understand your reluctance,” he sighed. “If you could just see our destiny, you’d understand that this is how things are meant to be.”

Destiny. The same word that wound its way through her dreams each night as visions of a life with Dex swam through her mind. Eldrich had no idea what he was talking about. Destiny was guiding Flick to another Dragon shifter, not to the beast who now occupied her couch.

“What exactly will you do if I say no?” she asked.

“I will go to the newspaper where you work. Oh, I can see that you’re surprised to learn that I know about your work, Flicka Jones. But I know everything about you by now.” His voice was menacing. There was no charm in this man, not even an attempt at kindness. He thought he could seduce her with sheer brute force and devious underhanded tactics. “I will show them what I am. Word will spread like wildfire, and even your big, strong Dexter won’t be able to stop the rumours. I will tell your fellow reporters about the Kindred, about the threat they pose to London’s human inhabitants. The British are not particularly tolerant of threats to their national security, as you well know. I suspect that once the story is out, they’ll make quick work of your dark-haired friend and his ilk.”

“You would really do all this to blackmail me,” she replied. “Put all shifters, including yourself, in danger. Betray your own kind, just to be with me.” She knew, of course, that it wasn’t his only motivation. He wanted to punish Dex, too, for making an arse of him in the club. This was Eldrich’s ridiculous male pride at work. He’d been emasculated when Dex had shown his strength, and Flick had become little more than a pawn in his twisted game.

“Blackmail is such an ugly word. How about ‘persuade?’” Eldrich rose to his feet and strode towards her, extending a hand to touch her face. Flick flinched away, unable to prevent the disgusted expression that tightened her features. “I’ll give you a little while to think about it,” the bastard said, his mouth turning down in a frown as he realized that she was less than excited at his proposition. “Tomorrow, come and find me in Kensington Gardens at two p.m. If I don’t see you there, I will assume that you want me to go public with my information. I’ll see to it that the Monday headlines are very interesting indeed. Oh, and I suspect you’ll be out a job for failing to disclose vital information to your boss, but then again, if you choose a life with me, you won’t need a job ever again. You’ll have all the wealth any woman could possibly desire.”

Without another word, the man strode to the door and walked out, leaving Flick stunned and nauseated.

She had a choice to make.

But it would be an awful one.