Her Halloween Treat (Dragon Force - A Holiday Mini Series - Book One - Nature Dragon)

“Shit Andrew! What if someone sees him!?” Daniel shouted.

Andrew chuckled, “it’s not like humans don’t know about us. And it has been ages since they hunted us.”

Lyra looked at the other two large men and almost smacked her forehead with her palm. Of course, the three of them are Dragons. She should have guessed with the size of them. But shit, who would have guessed Dragon? Most believed them to be a myth or extinct. She looked at Emerald and smiled. Nope, definitely not extinct.

“Maverick?” she asked, taking a step closer to the dragon. “Are you still in there?”

The Dragon’s head tilted down to her and turned, so one large eye stared at her.

“He is here, and he is not happy with me,” Emerald said, then he grinned and showed off his sharp white teeth.

Lyra took a step back, then another. Emerald let out a puff of smoke.

“Don’t fear us, beautiful. We would never harm you,” Emerald said, eyeing her as she stopped moving back.

“I can’t help it,” she whispered. “You are a Dragon….”

“We are not evil creatures,” Emerald said, his eye squinting at her. “Are you afraid of Maverick?”

She quickly shook her head. How could she be afraid of Maverick?

“Then don’t fear me, for we are the same. If I hurt you, Maverick would…,” Emerald stopped talking, and his eyes glossed over as if he was having a conversation in his head.

Lyra’s eyes opened wide. He is—he’s talking to Maverick.

Emerald’s eyes focused on her, and he grinned again.

“Are you talking to Maverick?” she whispered.

“I am. He is not happy with me.”

Lyra took a step forward and reached out to touch the Dragon’s face, but stopped and pulled her hand back

Emerald moved his head closer to her. “You can touch me.”

Lyra took a deep breath and reached out again. The scales of his face were smooth, and she felt a strange sensation zip through her body.

Emerald shivered from her touch and growled.

Lyra took a step back again.

Andrew and Daniel chuckled.

“Don’t worry, Lyra. He wasn’t growling at you; he was growling because of you,” Andrew assured her.

“Because of me?” Lyra asked, confused.

“You affect his Dragon,” Daniel said, watching them with curiosity.

There hasn’t been a Dragon who has come awake for a woman, let alone a human woman, in a long time.

“Let’s get this shit can moving,” Andrew said, a grin spreading across his face. “Unless you want everyone to see you.”

Emerald turned to Andrew and blew smoke at him.

Lyra watched the large green Dragon—he was beautiful. His green scales sparkled in the light. There were several different shades of green throughout his body; his chest was the lightest, almost an almond color, with specks of light green. His wings were the darkest green she had ever seen.

Even his smoke had a hint of green.

“What about Maverick’s bike?” Daniel asked.

“We’ll leave it here. Maybe if they see his bike here, they will think Maverick and Lyra are here and not come looking for us for a while,” Andrew said, throwing his leg over his bike.

“Good idea,” Daniel said with a nod.

“Come along, beautiful,” Emerald said, holding his large, clawed hand out to her.

Lyra looked at the hand, then shrugged and pulled herself up into his palm. The Dragon was gentle as he placed her on his back.

“Hold on,” he told her, flapping his wings.

Lyra held onto one of his spikes and squealed as they lifted off into the air.

Daniel grabbed Lyra’s bag and strapped it to his bike, then looked up and grinned as he watched the Dragon fly away with his possible mate.

“I like her,” Andrew said with a grin.

Daniel nodded. “So, do I. She’s going to be good for them.”

~🎃~

“Emerald?” Lyra whispered.

“Yes, beautiful?”

“Uhm, is Maverick mad at me?”

Emerald snorted, “no, he’s not mad at you. He’s upset that I listened to his friends, but he’s not angry with you.”

“What about his friends?”

“Yes. He is very upset with his friends.”

Lyra frowned. “Because of me,” she whispered.

“No,” Emeralds growled. “None of this is on you. Maverick wants you to know that.”

Lyra nodded, but she still felt guilty.

“We will be at the safe house soon.”

Lyra sighed and held onto the Dragon. She is flying a fucking Dragon!

It didn’t take long for them to reach their destination. Emerald was fast, and it was a smooth ride. Her body didn’t hurt from the flight, but she ached all over. Which her doctor had said would happen for the next week or so.

“That’s the safe house?” Lyra asked when she saw the hidden cabin in the middle of the woods.

Emerald laughed, “yes. It is a place we go to relax and let out our wings.”

Lyra smiled and squealed when he descended face first. She held on tight and laughed when pulled up and landed on his legs.

“It’s true.”

Lyra looked up and saw her parents standing in the backyard, her mother’s mouth hanging open, her father watching them with awe and wonder.

“Who are they?” Emerald asked, keeping back from the others.

“Those are my parents. Don’t you recognize them?”

Emerald snorted, “I sleep most of the time. I didn’t notice you until tonight.”

Lyra giggled, then squealed when he lifted her off his back. He gently set her on the ground beside her parents, then sat back and watched the humans.

“Lyra!” her mother yelped when she saw her daughter.

“Hey Mom, hi Dad,” Lyra said with a chuckle.

Janessa pulled her daughter into her arms and stared up at the giant Dragon.

“Did he hurt you?” Janessa whispered into Lyra’s ear.

Lyra shook her head and turned to the Dragon.

“Emerald!” she called up to the Dragon.

Emerald leaned his head down—so he was at eye level with the humans.

“These are my parents, Albert and Janessa Williams.”

“Nice to meet you,” Emerald said, blowing out a puff of green smoke.

Lyra giggled, and her mother pulled her back from the smoke.

“He won’t hurt me, Mom.”

“Where is your bodyguard?” Janessa asked.

“You’re looking at him,” Lyra said with a wide grin.

Janessa’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she snapped it shut.

“Emerald,” Albert said, still staring at the giant beast.

Emerald’s head swept to Albert Williams.

“I would like to speak with your human half.”

Emerald looked to Lyra, then back to Albert, and let out a sigh.

Lyra watched in awe as Emerald shifted back into Maverick.

“Damn it!” Maverick said, out of breath.

Lyra watched her “protector” as he shook his body and groaned.

Maverick looked at Lyra and smiled. “That’s not how I wanted you to find out about Emerald.”

Lyra giggled, “and the other night wasn’t how I wanted you to find out about my stuffing.”

Maverick grinned, then looked at her father. “You wanted me, sir?”

Albert snapped his mouth shut and nodded. “I am going to pull out.”

“Daddy?!” Lyra sucked in a shocked breath as she stared at her father.

“Albert,” Janessa said with a deep frown.

Albert turned to his wife and daughter. “This isn’t worth Lyra’s life. I can’t be mayor and father. I need to choose one, and I choose father.”

“This is bullshit, and you know it!” Lyra squealed at her father. “There are a lot of mayors who do both!”

“I won’t risk your life anymore,” Albert growled.

“Daddy,” Lyra whispered. “Please don’t let me be the reason you don’t follow your dreams,” she cried.

Albert pulled his daughter into his arms and held her. Lyra cried against her father’s broad chest.

“Please, Daddy. I could never forgive myself.”

“Hush, baby girl. It is not your fault, and I would never blame you.”

“But I will blame me.”

Albert closed his eyes and sighed. “I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t, Daddy. Maverick is a fucking Dragon!”

Albert chuckled, “so he is.”

“Albert, maybe we should take this inside,” Janessa said, touching her husband’s shoulder.

Albert nodded as he pulled from his daughter and looked down into her beautiful blue eyes, which she got from her mother.

“You are more important to me than any of this. You are my dream.”

Lyra smiled up at her father. “Please, think more about it before you do anything.”

Albert took in a deep breath and nodded. “Okay,” he agreed.

They turned and headed for the cabin.

When they reached the porch, Andrew walked outside, grinning from ear to ear.

Maverick growled, and before anyone knew what was happening, balled up his fist and punched Andrew in the nose.

“Fuck!” Andrew hollered, his hands going straight for his face. “What the hell, man?”

“I think we should get inside,” Janessa said, taking hold of her husband’s arm and pulling him through the door.

Lyra stared at Maverick, her mouth hanging open.

“Come along, you too,” Janessa said, taking hold of Lyra and pulling her inside.

“But…but….”

“Looks like your bodyguards have some issues to work out,” Janessa said, shutting the door behind them.

“You should never have called out to Emerald like that!” Maverick snarled.

Andrew stared at his bloody hands then up at his friend.

“Seriously? He was ready and raring to go….”

“I had him calm and in the background watching. Now he won’t shut the fuck up about fucking Lyra to see if she is our mate!”

“Maybe you should listen to your inner Dragon,” Andrew said with a chuckle.

Maverick reared back to hit him again, and Andrew held up his hands.

“Okay, man, okay. But I don’t understand why you won’t do what your Dragon says. I mean, it is obvious there is something there.”

Maverick snorted, “she’s too innocent to get caught up in my life.”

Andrew laughed. “Hello? Have you not seen the life she lives? I think she can handle you. Hell, she can handle Emerald. You saw them….”

Maverick grunted. “Yeah, I saw them.”

“And?”

“And she doesn’t deserve this kind of life!” Maverick shouted, then stormed into the cabin and slammed the door.

Andrew stared at the door and shook his head. The man and beast both adore the woman. Why was it so hard for his friend to see that she just may be the one?

~🎃~

“Everything okay?” Lyra asked as she tapped on the door that led to what looked like a small office.

Maverick looked up at her and smiled. “Everything is fine.”

Lyra shook her head and entered the room. “Everything isn’t okay if you’re hitting your friend in the face.”

Maverick sighed, “he shouldn’t have encouraged Emerald to show himself. It wasn’t time.”

Lyra frowned. “Because I may not be your mate?”

Maverick set the book he was looking through down, pulled himself up out of the chair, rounded the desk, and stood in front of her.

“Do you want to be my mate?”

Lyra blinked up at him. That was not something she had anticipated him asking. She took a deep breath and let it out. Does she want to be his mate?

“How do we know if I am or not?”

Maverick grinned and moved closer to her. “Well, there are several different tells that say someone is a Shifter’s mate.”

“Like what?” she whispered.

“Well, like I told you. Things we would have in common, like things we both like—or things we both do.”

She nodded. “I understand that, but a lot of people have a lot of things in common.”

He nodded. “They do.”

“Then how do you know for sure someone is your mate?”

He leaned in closer and whispered into her ear. “You have sex, and the bond will be there. You can’t feel it until you have had sex and opened the bond.”

Lyra swallowed past a lump in her throat. Sex. Of course, it had to be sex. It couldn’t be something like—oh, I don’t know—look into her eyes and know she’s yours.

“Isn’t there an easier way to do it?” she whispered.

Maverick chuckled. “Are you scared?”

“Terrified,” she whispered.

Maverick pulled her against his chest, making her squeal. He chuckled as he looked into her blue eyes.

“I would never hurt you, Lyra. And I would never do anything you don’t want me to do.”

Lyra swallowed. She trusts him with her life—she always has. But could she trust him with her heart?

“You smell so good,” Maverick mumbled into her hair.

“Mav,” she moaned.

“God, Lyra. Don’t moan like that.”

“I can’t help it; you make me feel like no one has ever….”

His lips claimed hers, silencing her.

‘Take her now,’ Emerald growled in Maverick’s head.

‘Not now, with her parents in the same house.’

‘Take her to our cave.’

‘What? Since when are you okay with showing a stranger our cave?’

‘Do you trust her?’

‘Yeah, I trust her. But what if she isn’t our mate?’

‘Show her the cave,’ Emerald growled.

“Maverick?” Lyra whispered.

He had stopped kissing her and got that glossed-over look in his eyes again.

Maverick shook his head and smiled down at her.

“Emerald wants me to show you something.”

Lyra smiled. “What?”

“I can’t tell you….”

She frowned. “But….”

“We will show you,” he said, taking her arm and pulling her from the room.

Lyra didn’t know what Maverick’s Dragon wanted her to see. Still, from the look in Maverick’s eyes, it was something important to both of them.

She wondered what could be so important that he was sneaking her out the back door while no one was looking.