ROMANCE: SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE: Dragon Baller's Bride (Dragon Shifter Alpha Male Romance) (Paranormal Romantic Suspense) (32 page)

E
mily was
nervous when it was time for Justin to get there that evening. After having a full day to think it over, she knew it all had to be too good to be true and there had to be something seriously wrong with him to not only want her but to be that amazing. When Justin finally showed up, she was a bundle of nerves and it must have shown as he immediately pulled her into a hug to comfort her. “Hey, it’s not that bad.”

Justin led her over to the couch and they both sat down, with Justin never letting go of her hand as they did. “What I’m going to tell you is just hard for me to talk about so I wanted to make sure we had the time. If you still choose to be with me after this I will take you to get some food. Mark said to come back home for dinner if we want, he is making steaks. When I was younger I was kidnapped from my hometown. The people I lived with were awful and my family never found me. They appeared to have a mission in this world, and that was to make me and the two other kids just like them. Emily, they were aliens. I know it sounds unbelievable but I will show you in a minute. Once we turned eighteen they allowed us to leave and I went as far as I could, but this is something I will always have to live with. It does not affect my normal life, but it does mean I can’t have biological kids. Mark knows and Josh knows, but nobody else does. I don’t want to be what I am but it’s part of me. I will show you, but I’d rather not do it again.”

Emily just nodded, not believing what she was hearing. How could someone possibly be an alien and look like a normal person on the outside, and even act normally? That was soon answered as he changed right in front of her eyes and she stared at him wide eyed, shocked by what she was seeing and suddenly realizing that everything she had ever believed was apparently not true. When Justin changed back and sat down next to her again she was still staring at him with wide eyes while he patiently waited for her to say something. She shook her head as if to shake off something and then smiled softly. “That is the weirdest thing I have ever seen or heard. I’d rather not see it again or at least not often but it’s not a deal breaker. You mentioned steaks?”

“Yes. I’ll let Mark know we are coming. He knew I was telling you. You are taking this very easily.”

“I’m a bit in shock but I’m sure when I’m alone I’ll think on it more. It messes with everything I ever knew, or thought I knew. It’s clear you aren’t too happy about it, and I haven’t noticed anything different about you so it’s something you can hide which is fine by me. Let’s go eat, I’m really hungry.”

Justin helped her stand and soon they were back in the same kitchen they had been in the night before, talking to Mark as he cooked. Josh walked in and ruffled Justin’s hair, before doing the same to Emily and sitting down across from Justin. Emily smacked him upside the head, which caused Justin and Mark to laugh. “Don’t touch my hair.”

“Oh that’s only reserved for Justin?”

“Exactly right,” Emily said firmly, before sending a sweet smile to Justin. She loved this banter and she loved how easily she had fit in. She never wanted to let that go and she knew that coming to LA had been the best decision she had ever made. She had several cities to choose from, and LA had not been high on the list but now she was glad she had just gone for it and stuck it out. She had never expected that something as simple as getting lost could lead to this.

“And don’t you go forgetting it,” Justin replied firmly, squeezing Emily’s thigh under the table.

“Good luck with those two,” Mark said as he put something on the table, motioning towards Justin and Josh. “They are a handful but I think you can handle them. Welcome to the group.”

“We’ll have to initiate her properly,” Josh said with a glint in his eye that Emily couldn’t quite place. Looking at Justin she saw him looking thoughtful.

“We do need to do that, but I’ll think of how. The normal initiation won’t work, Mark actually likes her.”

“True, we’ll have to get creative.”

“I’m sorry, what is your normal initiation?” Emily asked, not sure if she wanted to know.

“Ahh now that is something we can’t tell you. I’m thinking maybe she needs to create some of her own art under that overpass,” Justin said with a grin.

“Don’t get caught,” Mark warned sternly, giving all three of them stern looks.

“I think that’s fitting,” Josh nodded. “It has been decided. You are to create your own art. Make your official mark on this city.”

“Easy enough,” Emily said with a smile.

“Young lady, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Mark said, now putting the steaks on the table and sitting down as well.

“Oh come on,” Justin said easily. “You never interfere.”

“Like you said, I like her.”

“I’ll be fine Mark,” Emily smiled, before squeezing Justin’s thigh under the table. As soon as dinner was over she stood up confidently. “Josh, you got the dishes, right? Justin is going with me so I can go make my mark on the city.”

As they walked out of the kitchen with grins on their face they heard Josh sputtering behind them, while Mark outright laughed. Justin grabbed a backpack, which she knew held the spray paint, and together they walked to the overpass. “Well done. I rarely get to see Josh so shocked. He will get you back, you know that right?”

“I’d like to see him try. Alright, I think I know what I’m going to make,” Emily said as she took two cans of spray paint and started drawing something. She knew Justin was keeping a look out for cops while also watching what she created. It turned out to be an outline of California, and on the inside she wrote ‘when two worlds collide’.

“Nicely used song lyric. I like it,” Justin said with a smile. “We need to go, I see people coming and I can’t tell if they are cops.”

They quickly started walking and when they did they saw a shimmer in the street light that indicated that they weren’t cops but they definitely had guns. They took off at a run, hearing running behind them. Emily felt her heart beating faster as she let Justin pull her down alleys and up streets. Through some back way they made it back to the shop, and when they walked in completely out of breath, Mark sighed while Josh looked up as well. “No cops, but some guys with guns,” Justin grumbled as he grabbed two bottles of water and handed one to Emily.

“This is why we don’t like you walking alone Emily,” Mark said easily.

“I know. I have never felt so scared, and that is saying a lot. Thank you for knowing where to run to Justin.”

“You’re welcome. And welcome to the group.”

“She succeeded?” Josh asked, looking impressed.

“Yes, just in time. She’s good,” Justin said with a proud smile. “We’ll make a troublemaker out of her yet.”

“Hmm. You still owe me a bike ride. I expect that soon,” Emily said, though her eyes were shining in happiness.

“I will make it happen,” Justin nodded with a grin.

That night as she was lying in her bed, Emily thought back to Justin’s revelation earlier that night. She still couldn’t quite wrap her head around it but he had also proven that it didn’t change anything. She wasn’t upset that they couldn’t have children, as reproducing had never really been something she had wanted, and she would rather do something like what Mark had done and take in those who needed a place to go. She knew if she told anyone she had seen an alien they wouldn’t believe her, just like she had never believed others. Thinking back she started wondering how many of those people had truly seen an alien and nobody believed them and simply thought they were crazy, when they really weren’t. She was glad that he wouldn’t be changing often as she wasn’t sure if she could handle that, but it was fascinating either way and some part of her wanted to find out more about how that really worked on the inside. Did he have normal human organs and all that?

It didn’t matter in the end as she was happy and she had smiled and laughed more than she ever had before. She knew they would cause plenty of trouble together, and she somehow knew that no matter what she did, Mark would never treat her like he did Justin and Josh when they got in serious trouble. She had already seen that she was special in his eyes, and she was going to work hard to keep his approval. He meant a lot to Justin and he had taken her in without any questions asked. Justin was still a bad boy who loved pushing the limits, and soon she would get to see him as the biker he really was. She was looking forward to it, and hoped that he would teach her how to ride one at some point. It seemed fun, and it was clearly a big part of his life if the bikes towards the back of the shop were any indication. They would have fun, and together they would no longer be two lost souls. They would have found happiness again, and they would have found a purpose in life again. They were surrounded by people who cared, and they could make it through just about anything even if it wasn’t in the conventional way.

For now, she had to get some sleep so she could get to work the next day. She wanted to do something for Justin at some point, and give him back something for the way he had already helped her. With thoughts swimming through her mind, she finally fell asleep, ready to continue life with Justin and whatever would come their way.

A
na seems
to have a perfectly normal life. Normal family, normal school, normal friends and a normal job. However, after witnessing a murder, her life becomes anything but normal. She is thrown into a world of the unknown. It is only with the help of a beautiful angel that she is able to make sense of anything.

Remi is your typical bad boy, except he is hiding one thing. Remi is a fallen angel who is trapped on Earth. He fills his time with women and booze and doesn't apologize for anything. He chooses to harden himself against the goodness inside of him. That is until he comes across Ana. Now he can't seem to get the girl out of his head.

With Remi as her guide, Ana delves deeper into the new world she has become a part of. All of a sudden, things that she thought were impossible now seem more like a reality. Can the new Ana come to terms with her new life or will she fall behind and fade away?

T
oday was
Ana’s twentieth birthday. You would think that she would be happy and excited to spend the day with family and friends, but spending time with the people she loved seemed to be the last thing on Ana’s mind. Instead, her mind was focused on the tightest ass she had ever seen.

She worked at a local coffee shop; the customers all indie and hip. Like most of the working population, she was forced to work on her birthday, but she didn’t really mind, especially right now. The guy was faced away from Ana and the girl in front of him was on her knees with her hands kneading into his perfect ass, her fingernails leaving little red lines in their wake. Ana knew that she was just standing there in the back room doorway, frozen like an idiot, but she couldn’t seem to move.

The guy lifted his hand and ran it through the girl’s hair and she moaned in return. Ana couldn’t see the girl, but she could hear her just fine. The guy must have sensed her presence because he turned his head and looked right at Ana. He didn’t stop what he was doing, but instead he let his gaze run up and down Ana’s body. His eyes came up to meet hers and it was then that he started to pump harder into the girl’s mouth. Her sounds became muffled and her fingernails dug in deeper.

Ana felt hot under his stare, but she became an inferno when he winked at her right before he turned around again and finished. Ana stepped back into the hallway and leaned her back against the wall. She couldn’t seem to get enough oxygen to fill her lungs and slow her rapidly beating heart.

Quickly realizing that she didn’t want to run into whoever was in the store room, Ana made a beeline for the front counter. Rachel was just finishing up with a customer and asked if Ana would take over the register while she made the drinks. Still a little flushed from a few minutes ago, Ana was making progress in the never-ending line when Mr. Perfect Ass was right in front of her, again. Even though he was fully clothed this time, it didn’t stop Ana’s cheeks from getting any redder.

“What can I get for you today?” she asked.

He smiled while looking up at the menu. “I’ll just take a regular coffee.”

“Would you like cream or sugar with it?” This was a mandatory question, but with him it seemed to be a loaded one.

“Lots of cream please,” he answered as he winked at her, yet again.

Ana thought she was going to melt into a puddle of goo right there on the floor. The memory of him winking at her earlier was almost too much for her to handle. She took his money and hoped she counted his change correctly, because her brain couldn’t seem to function. All that was left to do was get his name for the order.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Tell me yours first. I think it’s only fair after what happened earlier.”

Ana debated giving her name, but couldn’t see the harm in it: he did have a good point about earlier. “My name is Ana.”

“Ana,” he said, trying out the sound. “I’m Remi.”

Ana wrote his name on the coffee sleeve and passed it to Rachel. Her name on his lips had been pure bliss and she knew she was blushing again. Rachel was quick with the order and as he started to walk away he turned around and said, “Until next time.” And damn if he didn’t wink again.

“Who was that?” Rachel asked.

“Just some guy.”

“Yeah right. Just some guy my ass. Tell me!”

Ana rolled her eyes because it was pointless to deny Rachel. They had been friends since the beginning of freshman year, and Ana knew there was no escaping her questions. “I walked in on some girl going down on him in the back room earlier.”

Rachel’s eyes got as wide as saucers. “Are you serious?”

“Yep.”

“Was it hot? Did you see any of the goods? Who was the girl?”

“Way hot. Just his ass. And I have no clue.”

“I bet his ass was made of steel. He was a hottie for sure.”

“It was perfect,” Ana laughed.

“Are we still on for later?” Rachel asked.

The two had plans to go to a club called Incognito that night, with a handful of friends. Rachel loved the place because a mask of some sort was required, costumes encouraged and they could always score free drinks even though they were underage.

“Yeah. Tiffany and Lilly said that they would meet us there,” Ana confirmed.

“I can’t freaking wait! I’m so pumped for my mask tonight. What does yours look like?” Rachel asked.

“It’s white with little pearls, some ribbon and a white feather. Very innocent looking.” Ana had picked up the mask at a local thrift store and knew it was perfect for tonight.

“Ooh yay!” Rachel giggled. “Now let’s hurry it up and finish up so we can bust out of here.”

And with that, the countdown was on.