A Dragon for December (Wiccan-Were-Bear Book 11) (3 page)

Deci wasn’t trying to be quiet anymore. She
moved swiftly through the trees, following the bloody trail left
behind. She wasn’t about to let her prize go. Bounding after the
buck, she flashed her fangs and snarled a warning to any other
creatures that might be in the woods: hands off!

Chapter 4

Tosh threw open the French doors of his
bedroom and walked out onto the balcony. The new moon was high in
the sky, the air crisp and scenting of fresh snow. His dragon
roared and rolled under his skin, prickling at his spine to allow
it to shift. Tosh had tried to rest, but once more had found
himself unable to sleep for any length of time. An anxiety he
couldn’t explain filled him. At first he wondered if he were just
subconsciously worried about his uncle, but he didn’t actually
think anything would come from his uncle’s meddling. Tosh had no
plans to give up the throne, which had been in his family for
generations, or to disrespect his father’s legacy.

He scanned the woods surrounding his home and
his beast snarled. Something was in the woods that didn’t belong
there. An intruder.

After stripping off his shorts, Tosh shifted
into his dragon form and perched on the stone railing of the
balcony. He breathed a sigh of relief as he took his form,
stretching out his wings and letting out a deep, satisfied bellow.
Lifting into the air, he circled his home and then flew toward the
woods. As he entered the woods, he let his beast lead, following
the feeling that something wasn’t quite right in the woods.

He knew he could call for his guards and they
would join him and hunt whatever the disturbance was, but he felt
certain he needed to handle this himself. Perhaps it was nothing
sinister, a stray natural predator coming to hunt. But perhaps it
wasn’t as simple as that.

A herd of deer raced by, the scent of their
fear heavy on the air. He scented blood and heard the crashing
sound of an animal moving hastily through the woods. An injured
buck, bleeding from thick claw marks on its hindquarters rushed
toward him, and Tosh grabbed it, snapping its neck by closing his
jaws around its throat. He landed on the ground, the snow fluffing
up around him, and laid the buck on the ground.

An angry roar shook the trees behind him, and
he turned slowly, fangs bared. A polar bear snarled at him. Tosh
couldn’t have been more surprised to see a polar bear in his
woods.

The bear moved to its hind legs and snapped
its jaws at Tosh. It was really angry, gesturing with its big paws
to the buck lying dead at Tosh’s feet. He snorted, a billow of
steam rising from his nostrils.

The bear slowly transformed – fur receding,
claws and fangs disappearing, until Tosh found himself staring at a
curvy goddess worthy of worship. White-blonde hair fell past her
shoulders, and her eyes were blazing with indignation.

“Hey, asshole! That’s my buck!” She planted
her hands on her hips and glared at him, not seeming to mind that
she was nude.

He took the opportunity of her indignation to
get a good look at her.
Gorgeous
wasn’t a strong enough word
to describe how amazing she looked.

He scented the air, moving closer to her. His
claws dug into the snow as he walked and folded his wings against
his body. He pressed his nose into her stomach, and she shrieked
and pushed at his head.

“Your nose is cold. Stop that!”

He let his shift recede as an awareness
settled over him. He was standing in the presence of his
truemate.

And she was a poacher.

She exhaled in surprise as he regained his
human form and stood before her.

She was shorter than him by several inches,
and her pale skin was luminous in the moonlight. “You’re in my
territory,” Tosh said, clenching his hands to stop himself from
grabbing her and finding out how soft her skin was.

“Oh? Just who are you, anyway?”

“I’m Tosh Okida. You can start by telling me
who you are, since you’re the trespasser and the poacher.”

Her cheeks flushed and her mouth fell open.
She stared at him, seemingly unable to speak for a full minute. She
straightened fully, her breasts tipped with tight nipples jutting
out and begging to be touched. “My name is December Merricks. I’m
not poaching. I’m hunting.”

“Illegally.”

She huffed. “I didn’t know it was your
territory.”

“You didn’t scent that the territory is quite
clearly marked? I find that hard to believe.”

Her eyes blazed, and she stepped close, her
nipples brushing against his chest as she leaned into him. She
grabbed him by the neck and drew him down to her, pressing her nose
to his throat and inhaling deeply. She growled softly, and Tosh
slipped his arms around her and aligned their bodies more
closely.

“Is it possible?” she whispered against his
throat.

“What?” He buried his face in her neck, and
his beast purred in recognition. His mate smelled like sugar and
snow.

“I woke up out of my mind with the need to
shift. I thought she wanted to go hunting.” Leaning back, December
looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with desire. “I didn’t know
I’d be hunting you.”

“Technically,” Tosh said, his hands smoothing
up her bare back, “you almost ran into me.”

“Semantics. And you stole my buck.”

He liked how feisty and fearless she was. He
didn’t know many who would face off against a dragon the way she
had.

“Tell me, sweet bear, do you know what I
am?”

“A thief?” she asked, smiling sweetly.

“And?”

“Mine.”

Their lips met, and everything inside Tosh
quieted for a profound moment. He was holding his mate in his arms.
She was a stranger, but at the same time he felt like he’d known
her his entire life. Suddenly, a hundred years didn’t seem like all
that much time to wait for his delicious smelling mate, who fit
perfectly against him.

Their tongues slid together, and he couldn’t
stop the trilling purr that rumbled in his chest as his dragon
pranced in his mind. She slid her hands up into his hair with a
soft growl and tilted her hips. He picked her up, and she wrapped
her legs around him. As she settled against him, his dick was
trapped between their bodies, and he could feel the wet heat of her
pussy as she ground against him.

“I want to take you home,” Tosh said in
between kisses across her jaw. He nibbled on the space under her
ear, and she shivered.

“Hell yes.”

He chuckled and lifted from her, looking into
her eyes and finding the connection between them – that ancient,
truemate bond – strengthening.

He glanced around the woods and set off in
the direction of his home.

“This can’t be comfortable for you,” she
said, pressing her face into his throat and licking at his
pulse.

“It’s cold and snowy and you’re naked. I
don’t want you walking right now.”

“I’m a polar bear. Cold and snow are my best
friends.”

He chuckled. “Are you afraid of anything,
December?”

“Not really.” She rested her cheek on his
shoulder; her fingers played in his hair. “I guess right now, I’m
afraid I’m dreaming.”

He glanced at her as he maneuvered his way
through the woods. “You’re not. That would be a hell too cruel to
contemplate.”

“Oh?”

He nodded. “To have you right now and wake up
and find out you were just my imagination? I think I’d level the
city.”

“I feel the same way.”

His curvy goddess settled in his arms as he
walked. He could have walked for hours and never grown tired of the
way she fit against him, with her legs around his waist and her
hands buried in his hair. She licked his throat and nibbled on his
pulse, making soft growling noises in her throat that were very
slowly driving him insane. Several times he considered dropping to
the ground and mating her right then, but his need to treat her
right, especially their first time together, rode him harder than
the mating-need that stoked deep within him.

The house came into view, and soon he swiftly
climbed the steps leading to the back door. Deci lifted her head as
he pushed open the sliding door and stepped into the warmth of the
kitchen.

“Holy shit, this place is freaking huge.”

“It’s yours now.”

She glanced at him, her brows drawn. “Are
you…special to your people?”

He set her down on the plush rug in the
kitchen and rubbed her chilled arms. “I’m the prince of the nest,
the leader. I took over fifteen years ago when my father was killed
during a hunt. When you and I mate officially, I’ll become king and
you’ll become queen.”

Her eyes widened. “Even though I’m a
bear?”

“It doesn’t matter to me what you shift into.
It only matters to me that you and I are truemates. My dragon
started to go crazy last night. Why didn’t I ever feel you
before?”

“I just came into town two days ago. The
school where I work closed for repairs, and my friend Alli invited
me to stay with her. I slept terrible the first night here, and
when I woke up tonight, my claws and fangs were out, and I could
hardly control my shift.” Her hands tightened on his shoulders.
“How weird is this?”

“Pretty weird. But it also feels right, too,”
he said, chuckling.

“I should call Alli. I tore up the bed when I
got up, and I don’t want her to worry.”

He pointed to the wall phone, and while she
called her friend, he used the intercom to alert Gen that he had
found his mate and was not to be disturbed. He knew that Gen
wouldn’t mind being woken up in the middle of the night for such
joyous news.

“Cancel my appointments for the day,” Tosh
said.

“Of course, sire. And the ceremony?”

He drummed his fingers on the counter in
thought. “Check with the archives, but I believe that the ceremony
is supposed to be performed within two days of the mating. We can
schedule it for Monday at sunset.”

“Of course, sire. Congratulations.”

Tosh smiled as he released the button.
December cleared her throat, and he turned to face her.

“What’s Monday at sunset?”

“The ceremony that makes you my queen.”

“Does that come with a tiara?” Her brow
quirked.

He fell in love with her a little bit right
then.

“Of course,” he said, making a mental note to
have Gen get one made especially for her. He’d seen pictures of his
parents at their crowning ceremony, and his mother had worn a crown
made of golden ivy leaves. When she’d passed away, the crown had
been buried with her.

“We’re naked in the kitchen,” she said. “Were
you planning to christen this room with our awesomeness or
what?”

Chuckling, he crooked his finger and said,
“Come here, my feisty polar bear. First, we have to christen the
most important room in the house.”

She smiled, and the motion elevated her from
gorgeous to stunning. A hidden dimple graced one cheek, and her
eyes brightened with excitement. She drew close to him, stopping
just shy of being able to take his offered hand.

“I have a few considerations first.”

“Oh?” She could ask for the moon and he’d
give it to her. His dragon was just
that
happy.

“I want to invite my sister and her mate. I
don’t think they’ll come since its winter and bears like to
hibernate, but if I don’t invite her, then I’ll never hear the end
of it.”

“Of course. I’ll have Gen send a special
invitation to her and anyone else on your behalf.”

“Just Alli. I’m not super close with anyone
where I live.”

“Anything else?”

“You have to call me Deci.”

He smiled. “I like it.”

“We’ve got a couple of months before my
spring heat, so you don’t need to use protection. How do dragons
mate?”

“Fiercely.”

She snorted. “Seriously.”

“We can talk about the ceremony later. For
now, sweetheart,” he said, closing the distance between them and
drawing her close, “I want you to mark me however your bear wants
to.”

She stared up at him, humor and heat dancing
in her eyes. “And you and your dragon?”

“Will mark you with our teeth. A permanent
tattoo, created from the venom on my teeth, will appear on your
skin.”

She arched a brow. “What kind of tattoo?”

“It’s a mating tattoo. It’s different for
each mated pair, but it should have the image of a dragon and a
scroll-like pattern. I’m told it stings for only a brief
moment.”

She hummed. “That’s pretty damn cool.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

“Where’s the master bedroom?” she asked, her
nails digging into his back.

“Third floor, last door on the right.”

Her eyes darkened, and when she opened her
mouth, he could see fangs. He’d never been more turned on in his
life.

“First one on the bed gets the most orgasms,”
she said, darting from his arms and racing for the stairs.

He chuckled as he watched his gorgeous, naked
mate shoot up the stairs as if her cute ass was on fire. As if he’d
be selfish enough to want to come more than her. Her pleasure was
the most important thing in his world now, along with her safety
and their future.

As he climbed the stairs, hearing her
laughter echo through the house, he thought that fate couldn’t have
chosen a better mate for him. Beautiful, feisty, and fun – their
life together was going to be amazing, and he couldn’t wait to see
what the night would bring.

To think he’d started off hunting an intruder
in the woods and wound up with his truemate. He couldn’t have been
happier.

Chapter 5

Deci pushed open the bedroom door and walked
inside. There was no mistaking that the room belonged to Tosh. It
smelled like him, a masculine mix of sunshine and spice. Her bear
wanted to shift and roll around on the bed until she was saturated
with his scent, but she reminded her bear there was a better way to
get covered – by the man himself.