SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Eight: Emerald
Lyra sucked in a breath.
“Did that hurt?” Maverick asked, looking up at her from the bandage he was pulling from her sore skin.
She shook her head, her eyes looking at anything and everything but him. She didn’t want him to see the pink in her cheeks she knew was there.
Maverick smiled and went back to pulling the tape from the bandage around her wound. Her skin was soft. He wanted to explore every inch of her. She was right, she’s not skinny, but she’s not fat either. She had a bit of weight on her, but it was sexy as hell, and he wanted to sink his teeth into her flesh.
His Dragon stirred, and Maverick tried not to think of what that meant.
The only time a Dragon Shifter’s animal appeared was when they were about to change or found something they liked—like a mate.
He has been alive for more than six hundred years and has never seen anyone find their mate. Not even his parents were mates. They were chosen mates, meaning they chose each other, but they were not fated. What was the chance that this beautiful woman was his mate? That he has not felt anything for anyone as he feels for her just by looking into her beautiful blue eyes—because she was meant to be his.
“What are you thinking about?” Lyra whispered, finally looking at him.
Maverick smiled as he concentrated on her wound. It was red and puffy but healing nicely.
“Was just thinking about my life,” he said, looking up at her. “Before you.”
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, then left it closed.
He chuckled and went back to doctoring her wound.
“Was it as exciting as following me around?” she whispered.
Maverick looked up at her again and smiled. “Nothing has been as exciting as the past few days of following you around. Well, except for the parts where you got hurt,” he said the last part with a frown.
She smiled and lifted her hand. She moved it to his face to move hair from his forehead but stopped and lowered her hand.
Maverick sighed and went back to work. He rubbed medicine on the wound, making her suck in a breath. His body tingled, and his Dragon raised his head.
‘Go back to sleep,’ he told his Dragon.
‘I smell something,’ his Dragon said, sniffing the air around them.
‘It’s just medicine,’ Maverick grumbled to his Dragon.
‘No,’ Emerald said, standing to his four large legs. ‘It is more than that.’
“Can you hear me?” Lyra asked, looking into Maverick’s eyes.
Maverick looked at Lyra. Great, now his Dragon is going to distract him from everyone around him.
Maverick knew the moment Emerald looked at Lyra.
‘It’s her.’
Maverick closed his eyes. ‘Please just go back to sleep.’
‘We must fuck her. We must be sure,’ Emerald said, making Maverick groan.
“Are you okay?” Lyra asked, this time her hand not stopping from moving the hair from his forehead.
Maverick opened his eyes, and her breath caught in her throat.
“Your eyes,” she choked out.
“What?” Maverick asked.
“They…they’re green.”
Maverick took in a deep breath and let it out. His Dragon will take over if he doesn’t calm him.
‘We can’t just fuck her,’ Maverick growled at his Dragon.
‘Why not? I know you have fucked many women. This one is special….’
’Exactly. Look at her—she is innocent. She is not a woman who is used to being fucked, especially by a Dragon.’
Emerald looked into the deep blue eyes of the girl and growled softly. ‘Okay, I will give you rein. But if you don’t fuck….’
Maverick growled at his Dragon. He needed to stop using such words when he talked about Lyra. He has been asleep all this week. This is the first time he has seen Lyra—he doesn’t know her…
‘Have sex with her soon,’ Emerald corrected, rolling his large green eyes. ‘Or I will take over, and we will fuck her until we know if she is ours.’
Maverick grumbled. ‘You are a full-on dick.’
Emerald laughed and laid back down in the back of Maverick’s mind. He will stay awake and get to know this beautiful creature who may be the one they have been waiting for.
“Mav?” Lyra whispered.
Maverick looked at Lyra and smiled. “Sorry. I was having an argument with my animal.”
Lyra watched Maverick. He has never mentioned his animal before. She wondered not for the first time what his animal was. But—it’s none of her business.
“All done,” Maverick said once he placed the last piece of tape in place.
Lyra looked down at the bandage and sighed. “How bad is it?” she asked.
Maverick looked up at her and smiled. “It’s not that bad. Shouldn’t scar too bad.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “No problem.”
She reached out and took hold of his arm when he moved to stand.
“For everything.”
He smiled. “It’s my job.”
She frowned. “Right.”
He stopped and placed the items back on the bathroom counter, then pulled her close.
“My job is to protect you, Lyra. That is what your father is paying me to do. But no one has paid me to care for you,” he said, then kissed her.
Lyra moaned as she leaned into his kiss.
“I love your lips,” he growled against her mouth.
She smiled. “Yours isn’t too bad either.”
He chuckled and kissed her again.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, pulling back from the kiss.
She smiled up at him. “Now that you know my secret,” she said with a wink.
He growled, “I thought you were beautiful before you lost the padding. And your body, holy fuck,” he said, pulling back and looking down at her fantastic figure.
She pulled her shirt down and looked away from him.
Maverick turned her head to face him once again.
“You are perfect.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
‘Take her to bed,’ Emerald growled in Maverick’s head.
Maverick scowled at his Dragon. ‘You are supposed to stay in the background. Now stay….’
‘I’m not a fucking dog.’
“Mav? Where did you go again?”
Maverick shook his head to clear it. “Sorry, sweets. My beast is being a pain in my ass.”
She giggled. “Can I meet him?”
Maverick swallowed a lump in his throat. Only a mate can meet a Dragon. How can he tell her that without freaking her out?
“It’s okay if you don’t want me to meet him,” she said with a frown.
Maverick groaned and sat on the floor, then pulled her onto his lap. She squealed, and he grinned.
“Believe me, sweets. I would love for you to meet him. But I can’t just show anyone. Only special people can see our beasts….”
“But I have seen other Shifter’s animals before,” she said with a pout.
Maverick kissed her pout. She closed her eyes and moaned as his lips devoured hers again. When they separated, they were both out of breath.
“I know, babe. But our beasts are almost extinct. We, uh, aren’t allowed to show them to anyone but the person we mean to spend our life with. Unless they have a beast like ours, of course.”
She blinked up at him. What is his beast, and why is it extinct? The person they plan to spend their life with?
“Do you mean a mate?” she asked, watching his eyes roam over her face.
Maverick grinned. “You know about mates?”
She nodded. “I know a lot about Shifters. But I didn’t know that they can’t show their beast to anyone but their mate. And I also have no idea how they choose their mate.”
Maverick kissed the tip of her nose, making her giggle.
“Some choose their mate. Either by love or convenience. My parents were chosen mates. They fell in love and knew they would never find their true fated mate.”
“True fated mate?”
He nodded. “Yep. Shifters have one person in the universe they are meant to spend their life with. But not many have ever found theirs.”
“How…how do you find your mate? And how do you know they are truly yours? Is it in their eyes?”
Maverick chuckled, “no, sweets. It’s in everything. They share things not most share.”
“Like what?”
“Well, like the same hobbies, or they like the same things, like books, food, drinks…,” he stopped talking when he remembered the beer and book.
“Oh,” she said, wide-eyed. “Do we share any qualities?”
Maverick opened his mouth to answer when there was a bang on the bathroom door.
“Come on, you two, we’ve got to go. Lyra’s father just called her phone. Someone is staking out their house. We need to get the whole Williams family somewhere safe, and like now.”
Lyra squealed as Maverick got to his feet, pulling her up with him.
“Be out in a minute,” Maverick said, looking down at Lyra. “Pack some clothes and toiletries. We will be leaving in ten.”
She nodded and watched him leave the bathroom.
Andrew looked in the bathroom and grinned when he saw her swollen lips.
“Let’s get shit going,” Maverick said, pulling Andrew away from the bathroom door.
“Have you decided to see if she’s the one?” Andrew asked as they walked into the living room.
Maverick took in a deep breath and let it out. “Emerald woke and has taken an interest in her.”
Both of his friends froze and stared at him. Their Dragons rarely took an interest in anything. Especially girls. Unless she’s special.
“I’m ready,” Lyra said, walking into the living room.
All three men turned to her.
“Damn woman, you could get an Olympic medal for being the fastest woman to pack,” Andrew said with a laugh.
Lyra smiled at the large man with blond hair and sky-blue eyes. “I had a bag packed for something like this.”
The blond and the other man laughed.
Lyra looked over at the small table beside her chair and noticed her favorite book was lying on it. She looked over at Maverick and swallowed. Was he the one who was reading it? Do they like the same books?
“Andrew McCurney,” Andrew said, offering her his hand.
Lyra smiled as she turned to the blond and shook his hand.
“Daniel Ferrin,” the other man said, holding his hand out to her.
Lyra smiled at him too and shook his hand.
Maverick grumbled, “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“Don’t worry about him,” Andrew said with a wink when she looked at Maverick. “He’s just an overprotective ma…,” he didn’t get to finish what he was saying.
Maverick yanked him away from Lyra and shoved him toward the door.
Lyra couldn’t help it; she giggled.
“Let’s go,” Maverick said with a growl.
The four of them left the apartment and headed down to their bikes. Lyra paused and stared at the bikes.
“I can’t ride on one of those,” she said, placing a hand over her stitches.
Maverick looked at her and grumbled. He had forgotten that she couldn’t be jostled.
“No worries,” Andrew said, placing his hand on Maverick’s shoulder. “Maybe Emerald could give her a lift.”
Maverick scowled at his friend. “What the fuck?”
Andrew grinned. “What do you think, Emerald?”
Maverick let out the loudest growl Lyra had ever heard.
‘What was going on, and who is Emerald?’
“Don’t, not here,” Maverick said, backing away from Andrew.
“Emerald. Your sweetheart needs a lift,” Andrew said with a grin.
If there was any way of knowing that Lyra was something special to them, this was it. If they could get Emerald to come out in front of a human, then there was something special there, even if she isn’t their mate—Maverick cares for her deeper than they have ever seen the man care for anyone. And if Emerald is awake, then there is definitely something there.
“What’s going on?” Lyra asked, backing away from the three large men. “Who is Emerald?”
Andrew looked at Lyra.
“Don’t,” Maverick said with a growl.
Andrew grinned. “But your princess needs your help.”
At the word princess, Emerald came forward with a loud growl.
Lyra stared at Maverick’s green eyes. They were brown a moment ago. Now they’re green—again.
“Mav?” she whispered.
Maverick moved closer to her and leaned forward, sniffing around her.
“You smell good,” he whispered.
But it wasn’t Maverick’s voice. His beast had control, and she couldn’t help but shiver. Something about these men was different from any other Shifter she had ever seen or met.
“Maverick?” she whispered.
Maverick smirked. “No.”
Lyra swallowed. “Emerald?”
Maverick’s face lit up. “Yes.”
“Are…are you going to hurt me?”
Maverick sneered, and the other two men chuckled.
“Don’t worry, Lyra. Our beasts would never hurt you. They’re protectors of the innocent,” he said with a wink.
“I don’t even know what your beasts are,” she said, looking between the three men.
Andrew grinned. “Why don’t you show her, Emerald?”
Maverick-Emerald grinned and took several steps back away from Lyra. “Watch carefully, beautiful. It has been many years since I let a human see me,” he said, then closed his eyes and tipped his head back.
Lyra watched with bated breath as Maverick started to shift into Emerald. His face changed first—into a snout with large white teeth, then his body followed in a swirl of movement. She couldn’t take her eyes off the beast. Wings sprouted from his back, and a loud roar vibrated the buildings around them.
“Fuck,” she whispered.
Her “protector” is a fucking Dragon!