Dragon Ugly (Dragon New Year) (11 page)

What the fuck was going on? What kind of mojo was this? He tried to shake his head, pull his gaze away, and yet nothing worked. Brent stared in wonder—and
he
was supposed to be the bigger predator here! A dragon being entranced by a snake was like an elephant being scared of a mouse. It seemed ridiculous, and yet it was happening to him right now. Frustration ate him up as he tried to move. He tried to shake his head, to scream—anything—but he couldn’t move a muscle.

The space in his head was becoming smaller and smaller as the world narrowed down to Tiberio. Panic broke out, as sweat slipped over his brow and down his temples, soaked through the back of his shirt. Fear that he would never move again sent a wave of chills through him as his dragon began to scream, a horrible high-pitched keening sound that filled his ears.
“I’m going out of my mind. Someone help me!”

Brent’s breath was no longer smooth and relaxed. It came out in choppy huffs as his heart began to pound out a rapid beat against his ribcage, almost as if it was trying to escape its cage. He wanted to escape too. He wanted to run away, far away from this man. He had to get away and yet he couldn’t move. No matter how many commands he sent to his feet, his fingers, or even his eyes, he just stood, transfixed, staring at The Snake. Was he going to die there? What about Carissa?

A light, warm weight settled on his forearm, and for the first time in what seemed like forever he managed to draw in a deep breath, filling his lungs until they were so full he couldn’t take in any more air. His heart continued to race but he felt a bit better. He slowly looked down to see Louisa in front of him. She gave him a small smile. “I felt it too. We all do. Don’t worry. I’ll tell Tiberio to turn off the mojo, okay?”

Brent nodded, as relief whooshed through him. His shoulders sagged as he slumped over. His knees bent, his body close to collapse, like a puppet cut from its strings. The spell was broken and he could move again.

With effort, he went about his tables, all the while aware of Tiberio on the stage, now strumming the guitar and singing “Riders on the Storm.” Brent looked around to see that Tor, Fletch and a few of the new waiters were coming out of the same trance.

Louisa climbed onto the stage and said something in Tiberio’s ear. All he did was nod. The hypnotic power began to recede, like the tide pulling back out to sea. Brent could breathe again. He felt suddenly freer, and his dragon stopped screaming, but he felt they could both use a bit of relaxation. He knew he’d have to change dinner plans with Carissa. His head just wasn’t in a space for seduction.

Chapter Ten

Carissa was in hell. She was sure she’d walked into another dimension and this wasn’t Scentify. Anna and Jez were running around restocking the shop, but the products were being bought as fast as they could get them on the shelves. There was security stationed around the store for some sort of celebrity who was apparently in the store, but neither Anna nor Jez had even a second to tell her who it was.

Carissa rushed up to the counter to start helping out with checkout. Within fifteen minutes, she was sure her arm was going to fall off from all the ringing up and bagging she was doing. When the phone rang, she tucked the receiver in the cradle of her neck, pinning it between her ear and her shoulder.

“Hello, Scentify, this is Carissa speaking. How may I help you?” She tried not to sound harried, but pleasant, light, like the world was a beautiful, rainbow-sparkle-filled place with unicorns and clouds made of cupcakes that rained chocolate, but only managed to sound a little off of her rocker.

“Honey, I’m gonna have to cancel dinner tonight. I’m off my center and feeling kind of like shit. I need to realign. Is that okay? I really hate to do this but—” Brent’s voice was breathy, filled with tension. Something was very wrong.

Carissa latched onto his voice like a lifeboat. “Brent! Forget dinner. Come over to my place. I’ll give you that massage you wanted.” She didn’t know where that suggestion came from but out it came. The strain she heard in his worried her, and she felt an overwhelming need to look after him, to make him feel better. She didn’t know what was wrong, but she knew just how to make it right. “I have some massage oil that would help rebalance your chakras. Let me take care of you. I can cook.”

Carissa blinked. Now where the hell did that come from? She didn’t cook for men. She barely cooked for herself.
“Why the hell not?”
her wolf asked.

“Well, okay, if you wouldn’t mind.” The tension in Brent’s voice lessened, and she could feel him relax a little.

“I don’t mind at all, if you don’t mind being a guinea pig.” She couldn’t help but grin at that. Normally she, Jez and Anna tested out the products. It would be nice to get a male perspective on the scents they were considering. Plus, it would allow her to get her hands on his body.

Her palms tingled at the thought. She wanted to see if that golden skin went all the way down. Was he darker or paler underneath his clothes? Or was he just as beautifully tanned? Was he hairy, or were his crisp curls trimmed? Or maybe he was completely bare. Were his legs dense with hair or lightly furred?

She reminded herself that she was in public, and that it wouldn’t do to daydream with the store so busy, but her mind didn’t heed that warning. Instead, her head filled with images of Brent slowly stripping out of his clothes, revealing himself inch-by-inch, until he was completely naked. He would be unashamed by his nudity. He’d be the type of man who wouldn’t be shy to show her how he liked to be touched, how he liked to masturbate when he was alone.

She sucked in a shaky breath as she tried to picture him on her bed, his thick cock with the flared crest ruddy, a pearl of cum already at the slit. Carissa licked her lips, wanting to taste that salty essence of him. She wanted to wrap her lips around that thick stalk and suck him down until he hit the back of her throat, and once there, she’d swallow him down, teasing him with the clench and hold of her throat muscles. A buzz of excitement rushed through her body as her hand shook with the effort of keeping calm. She tried to ignore the steady pulse of her clit as her arousal began to grow and her heartbeat sped.

As she rang up a gift box of scented oils, the image in her mind changed to Brent tied down to her bedposts and blindfolded. She’d always wanted to trail a bit of ice down a man’s body and tease him with the cold before using her mouth to heat him up. Would Brent enjoy that? Maybe she would use that chill on his dick. The throb of her clit increased. He’d be so beautiful, naked and at her mercy.

“Carissa, honey, did you hear me?” This time he sounded breathy, his tone laced with desire. “Babe, where’d you go? What were you thinking of? My dick is so hard right now, I want to strip off my pants and jerk off. What are you doing to me, sweetheart?”

Carissa managed to ring everything up, bag it and send the customers on their way before she responded. “I want to tie you to my bed, tease you with ice, and suck you off.” She didn’t know where the courage to say those words had come from—in public no less—but she let them go. Her reward was a ragged groan from Brent.

“Gods damn it, I need to get back to work, but I swear, when I get you alone tonight I’m going to spank your ass and fuck you blind.”

Carissa’s knees almost gave out at that promise. “I’ll be looking forward to it. I’m getting wet just thinking of it.” She tried to ignore her tightened nipples and the cream that dampened her panties.

“Oh, gods, honey, I want to lift your skirt, take off your panties and eat you out until you come all over my mouth. You are so in trouble,” he mumbled.

She grinned. “And I may let you do that, if you behave. I’ll see you later and you can explain why you weren’t up to dinner.”

Carissa hung up before she said anything else inappropriate.

As she dealt with the customers, her mind drifted to her conversation with Brent. Never had she felt so comfortable with a man. She had flirted, and even engaged in a bit of dirty talk over the phone. And she barely knew him! It was a foreign, yet welcome, feeling.

Closing time finally came, and the last of the customers shuffled reluctantly out of the shop. Carissa’s mouth hurt from the smile that refused to leave her face. Brent’s desire for her bolstered her self-esteem to new heights. She couldn’t wait to see what else she was capable of doing. She’d always had a fantasy of fucking in her favorite bookstore while it was open. A smile curled on her lips as she felt a loss of breath. Would Brent be into that? What other little things could his wicked mind come up with besides spanking? And what could she convince him to do?

She felt a wicked thrill at the thought of finally being comfortable enough to tell someone her wishes, desires, and needs. She wanted to rush through the inventory and hurry home, but decided to take her time. Brent would probably be late, since the Dragon’s Lair was so busy. She knew Tiberio De Lorenzo was performing there tonight. She’d heard Jez and Anna gushing over him. Carissa had a few of his records. He sounded sexy, and some of his songs were quite suggestive. The para community considered The Snake to be a combination of Barry White and Jim Morrison.

Carissa replayed her conversation with Brent in her head. She wanted to explore her attraction to him, for her own sake, and not just for her wolf’s. Tonight would definitely be the start of something. She went through inventory, restocking the shelves and making note of what she needed to order. She also surreptitiously selected a few products to try out on Brent. She grabbed some of the items that would induce relaxation.

She decided that the first thing she’d have him do was take a soak in a bath. That would begin the winding-down process. Then she would move onto the massage—and it would be full body. She’d control the pace of his pleasure. Excitement shimmered along her spine. She couldn’t wipe the grin off of her face. After putting everything in bag, she did one more check to make sure the doors were locked and the security system was on. She locked up and headed out.

Her wolf paced, and nervous energy drowned out any arousal and anticipation she’d felt. She steered her wolf toward the thought of the full moon in a few days. A thought slammed into her mind: she hadn’t given him directions to her place. Once she got to her car and was safely inside, she dialed his number and left a message on how to get to her home, then started her car and took off.

Carissa wasn’t going to set up candles. She didn’t think he’d appreciate it. Instead, it would be simple, with food and beer and some music that would help him relax. Enigma, maybe. Once she got home she started an easy meal of a skirt steak and baked potato, with a side of broccoli. Carissa took a quick shower and cleaned up while things were cooking. Thankfully there wasn’t much of a mess. Once the potatoes were in the oven, there was nothing to do but wait.

As the minutes ticked by, butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. A few times she got up and sat back down. Doubts began to form, but she refused to entertain them. It wouldn’t do to back out now. And besides, she wasn’t sure her wolf would let her.

Every time she heard a car drive near her house she got up and checked to see if it was him. She tried to squash her disappointment when it wasn’t. She even checked her phone a few times to see if he’d called and she’d missed it or if the battery had died. Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment at her actions. If Jez and Anna were here, they would be teasing her mercilessly.

She checked on the status of the dinner. The potatoes were done, so she set the table and then went back to the sofa to wait. She tapped her foot in impatience. When the phone rang, she jumped into the air and almost fell off her seat.

Carissa juggled the phone and answered. “Hello?”

“Carissa, I’m on my way. Should be at your place in ten minutes. Although, judging by the traffic, it’ll be fifteen. Can’t wait to see you, love.” Brent hung up before she could respond. Annoyance filtered through her anticipation. Not even a good-bye. She gritted her teeth. That was rude! He was going to pay for that.

At last, she heard a car pull into her driveway, and her heart picked up the pace. With a deep breath, she smoothed down her shirt and the front of her pants before she went to the door and waited for him to walk up the walkway. When the doorbell rang, the sound ricocheted up her spine. She grabbed the doorknob and flung open the door.

One look at Brent told her what his night had been like. His tan seemed to have seeped from his skin, leaving behind a bluish hue. Even his eyes had dulled to the color of watered-down blue paint. There was no spark or life in him, which worried her. She almost forgot about him not saying good-bye to her—almost.

“You look awful,” she said. “Come on in. Let’s see if I can help you.” She held out her hand to him.

A look of relief fell across his face. He walked toward her in a stutter-step and grabbed her outstretched palm. His energy seeped into her in a wash of heavy emotion that threatened to pull her under. She sucked in a breath; it tasted like frost slipping down her throat. When she exhaled it came out in a glimmering milk-white cloud. Her tongue felt cold and her mouth felt like it had just been filled with ice water. She shuddered as her wolf whimpered in worry and fear. Her body was the next to feel the chill, as it seeped all the way down to her toes.

Brent’s emotions kept rushing into her, overwhelming her own feelings until all she knew was him. Memories flashed in front of her eyes. She could see a beautiful blond woman with sky blue eyes, a man with black hair and teal tips with sea green eyes. They both smiled at her, pure pride in their gaze. The next image was of a young man with onyx eyes that flashed red as he shifted into the form of a black dragon with red veins lining its wings and black and silver scales along its skin.

Fear shot through her veins, pushing its way into her blood cells, chilling her to the core of her being. Sweat beaded on her brow. Pearls of moisture slid down her temple and traced her jaw. Pressure lay on her chest, making it hard to breathe. Brent stepped through the haze of memories like he was appearing out of a mist. His eyes glowed with a blue light. The atmosphere was heavy and humidity swirled around them. Strands of Carissa’s hair flew this way and that as cold sweat bathed her face.