Elin
It took about an hour after she was escorted back to her quarters, but eventually the tears came. They didn’t stop either.
Failure.
The single word kept repeating in her head over and over again, pounding its nails deep into her skull, embedding it there for all time, a branding that she would never be able to escape. No matter how hard she tried, despite her constant doubts, it seemed the world always came back to kick her ass one more time. For so long she’d bent, tilting over like a tree in the wind, but eventually she’d always come back, never breaking. Until now.
Now, when there wasn’t a hope left, when everything had finally been ripped from her without permission, she allowed herself to feel the despair that she’d kept at bay for so long. There was no point in continuing. She’d been so close to giving in this morning, and yet she’d rallied herself to come back stronger, only to have this dumped in her lap.
It was bad enough that they were stripping her of command after she’d done such a good job. It was bad enough that they were taking Kallore away from her just when she was starting to realize she needed him most. It was bad enough that everyone wanted her to fail. But on top of that, they’d gone and sent Colonel Cutprice to deliver the bad news. That was like ripping the scab off a wound that had never really healed.
Colonel Cutprice, once Sergeant Cutprice, had been the other aide of one Colonel Moore. It was Cutprice who had started the rumors of her having tried to blackmail Moore. And now he was back, this time to take away something she’d worked hard to build, ending her career in shambles. They couldn’t have found a worse option unless they sent Moore himself.
Flopping back onto her bed, she stared at the gray ceiling, trying to figure out what to do next. First thing she would do is submit her resignation papers. They would drum her out immediately rather than waiting, so in a few days she would be free to pursue whatever job she wished. Maybe she would take a vacation. Go to one of those all-inclusive resorts down south, get really drunk and do something stupid.
Even as the idea came to her mind she dismissed it. That wasn’t her. Besides, the only person she would be willing to do something stupid with was Kallore. And he was probably being held in his quarters too, until the general taking over for her arrived, at which point he would be sent God knows where. For all she knew they might declare him ready and send him to the mountains in case something went horribly wrong.
The point was, she was never going to see him again. The two guards outside her quarters, despite being members of the base, were loyal to the chain of command. Cutprice had perfectly legal orders superseding her as base commander. While they may not enjoy the fact that she was now under de facto house arrest, none of them were going to argue it either.
It would probably be easier that way. Elin would never be able to say goodbye without losing control of herself. Part of her feared the action Kallore might take if he felt she was hurt. His protective instincts toward her bordered on the extreme, and he had strength that none of the men could match. If he arrived at her quarters and found the men there were keeping her in, instead of keeping others out, he would probably knock them unconscious at best. She closed her eyes, picturing the sounds of it. The dull thwack of fists hitting flesh, the groan as one of them keeled over, followed by a thud as the second hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, out cold.
Her eyes flew open as something hit her door. Rolling over, she stared at it, wondering if she’d been imagining the sounds or if they’d really been—
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Something thundered against her door.
“ELIN!”
She blinked.
“Kallore?” she asked in disbelief, her voice far too low for even his hearing to pick up.
“ELIN! OPEN THE DOOR!”
“Kallore what the hell are you doing here?” This time he heard her.
“I’m here to see you.”
She shook her head, a gesture invisible to him. “No. Go away.”
“No. I’m coming in. We need to talk.”
Elin could sense the mixed emotions in his voice. There was anger, of that she was certain. Directed at various parties for sure, but likely her as well. After all, she’d just capitulated to Cutprice without attempting to protest the decision. Kallore wouldn’t know that it was pointless, that there was no use in trying. But she did. He would be mad over that, and over her refusing to open the door.
“Leave me alone. It’s easier this way.”
The wall shuddered under another thunderous blow. “I will break the door down if I must,” he said tensely, “but I would really rather do this peacefully.” Pause. “Mostly peacefully at least.”
She could just imagine him looking down around at the unconscious guards as he added that last bit. The laugh caught her off guard, a small bit of amusement working its way through the shadows that surrounded her.
“Fine.” She let him in.
“Thank you.” He walked inside, eyebrows furrowing as he took in her partially packed bags. “What are you doing?”
“Packing?”
He ignored the bags and walked through her quarters, searching her closet, washroom, and study thoroughly.
“What are you doing?”
“Ensuring that there’s nobody here. Did they hurt you?”
Elin shook her head. “What? No. Why would they hurt me?”
“I was told you were forced here,” he explained. “If they so much as touched one hair on you, I will—”
“Kallore. I’m fine. They just escorted me here. Like, walked on either side of me and one step back. Nothing crazy happened.” She sagged. “Nothing had to. They know they won. I’m beat, Kal.”
He appeared ready to fly into another rage, but she waved him down. There was no use in more anger just now. It wouldn’t get anyone anywhere. She just wanted to say her goodbye and then have him go so that she could cry. Again.
“Why are you here?”
“Because I’m not letting them reassign my mate,” he growled determinedly. “If they want me to fight for them, then you are staying.”
Elin rocked back at his words. “What did you just say?” she gasped.
He frowned. “That they will keep you as base commander if they wish my assistance against these Outsiders?”
“No, before that.”
She watched Kallore’s eyes go unfocused as he replayed his conversation in his head, trying to figure out what she was talking about. The obvious regret on his face made it clear when he figured it out.
“You called me your mate,” she said softly, staring up into his face, mesmerized as always by the striking electric blue of his eyes.
“Uh-oh.”
“What? Was it supposed to be some kind of big, super-duper secret?”
“Sort of.”
Elin walked to the middle of the room, folding her arms across her chest defensively. “Explain.”
“I meant not to tell you until you were ready to hear it.” Kallore looked down at the space between them, and Elin caught the idea that he was thinking of crossing it.
“So like, your mate. The one you told me you would fight for?”
There was no hesitation. “Yes.”
“The only woman you would love for the rest of your life.”
“Yes.”
“And you think that’s me?” She tried not to laugh at the idea that someone so strong and good as he could love a broken, discarded toy like herself. It was insane. It was all insane! He was a dragon shifter. A beast out of myth and legend, and he was now telling her that she was his eternal soulmate?
“No.”
Okay, that caught her off guard. “But I thought you just said?”
“I did. But you’re wrong about one thing, Elin Mara.”
The way he said her name had shivers running up and down her spine. There was a…permanence to it, though how the hell he could do that with words was unexplainable.
“What’s that?”
“I don’t think, anything. I know it.”
She scoffed. “Right. So then why didn’t you respect me back in the city? You kissed me when I’d made it clear I was trying to keep a distance between us, a space.”
“I was weak.” He admitted his fault with ease. “My joy of everything overwhelmed me and I thought the moment right. I, obviously, was completely wrong. I am sorry for that. I will wait as long as it takes me until you are mine. But make no mistake Elin; you are my mate.”
“I see.” It was inadequate as far as statements went, but it was all she had.
“Like I said, I had hoped to wait until you were ready to hear it before I spoke of it. I didn’t want to complicate things even further.”
“I understand. Sort of.” She turned and paced across the room.
All her mind could do just then was dredge up memories of the kiss they had shared in the city streets. Her skin burned as it remembered the way he’d touched her. This was a different sort of branding, one that she found herself craving. She was facing away from him, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t picture what his hands looked like, or how they held her smaller frame with a tenderness that a giant of his stature shouldn’t possess. Of the heat that had infused her body, drawn inward everywhere his skin touched hers.
Elin had fought against the attraction for nearly as long as she’d known him. Once she’d gotten past the rough, cocky exterior and seen the truth of the man inside she’d known that he would be trouble. His face had haunted more than one of her dreams, leaving her awakened and breathing deeply, blood flushing through her body as it reacted to his imaginary actions.
Now she had a chance to find out just how close her dreams were to reality. After all, where was the harm now? She was being relieved, and she was going to hand in her resignation as well. In a day, two at most, she would be a civilian again for the first time in fourteen years. It was remarkable how little she suddenly cared about what some blind old men with far too many rank insignia and not nearly enough medals thought of her.
Whether he was her mate or not, she didn’t know. That still sort of struck her as nonsensical, but right then, who cared?
Fuck it, she decided. It was time she did something for herself. Past time. The army was kicking her out anyway, so she had precisely nothing to lose anymore. It had already been lost.
Walking back across the room, she stopped in front of him. Her hands were cold and clammy, shaking slightly while she worked up the courage to say the words. The pit of her stomach sucked in on itself, twisting and turning as nerves tightened their grasp. Elin opened her mouth to start speaking and wondered if her heart was going to explode from the pressure before she got the words out.
“You started something in the city, something I stopped.”
The dragon nodded once. “Yes.”
“Now is the time to finish it,” she told him.
Kallore just stared at her.
Elin’s head tilted sideways quizzically when he didn’t move. “If you don’t lock that door and get over here, I’m going to change my mind before you do.”
There was a blur and suddenly she was flying backward. No, not flying, but held in his arms. She gasped as her shoulders hit the far wall roughly, but it didn’t matter—she was thoroughly distracted by the flames that erupted between her legs as Kallore covered her mouth with his.
She gasped with a desperate need born of years of denial. All of it was meaningless now as Kallore’s hands moved over her body with a surging, pulsing hunger. He was both gentle and rough at the same time. Making her feel sexy and wanted with his power, yet managing to never hurt her at the same time.
“Kal,” she moaned as he slid his hands up her sides, encountering skin.
Goosebumps rose in his path, the heat of his passing mixing with her chilled flesh. It was exquisite agony, a blissful solace that was but the first drug he would feed her. His teeth bit down on her lower lip, tugging on it with an urgency surpassed only by her own.
Clothing flew everywhere as he set her back on her feet, the pair taking turns disrobing each other and themselves at the same time. This wasn’t about slow, passionate lovemaking. It was a frenzied lust as the dam separating them finally broke and their hormones and pheromones warred with each other to see who could be the most carnal, most animalistic.
She nearly tore his clothing as she ripped his pants and underwear off in one motion, tugging it right down to his ankles. At some point his boots had gone missing, and with several sharp pulls he was finally naked. Elin was still wearing a bra and her underwear, though it was doubtful either would last much longer.
Sliding her way up his leg and body, she left one hand behind to wrap around his solidness. Unable to contain her delight at the feeling, she found herself biting her lower lip. Kal saw this and she swore that flames began to dance across his eyes. Not passion, but true, literal fire. It had to be a dragon thing, but wow was it intoxicating. She got drunk off it, watching as they grew and brightened as her hand moved slowly back and forth. Elin slid her fingers down and underneath to cup him, and this time Kal hissed in pleasure.
Grinning from ear to ear so hard it hurt, she let go, bringing both hands up and playing it across his chest and arms. His biceps were so big she couldn’t fit both hands around one. His stomach was filled with rippled muscles that flexed and twisted with him in a dance that made her want to do anything he said. Ugh, he even had the V-lines that would disappear into his boxers…if he was wearing any.
“Kallore.” Her voice was throaty and lustful.
“Yes?”
“Take me to bed. Now.”