Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
I shrugged. “I guess we’ll see. My name’s Tate, by the way.”
The guy handed me three darts and reset the board with three fresh balloons. My first dart missed. The second managed to somehow hit two balloons at once. I aimed and flicked my wrist on the third and final throw. The dart just skimmed the outside of the balloon, but the friction of the fins on the back of the dart was enough to pop the balloon.
“Winner, winner, chicken dinner,” the attendant said with a smile, probably knowing he’d made a hefty profit regardless.
Jordyn put her arms in the air. “Yes!”
I sighed in relief. The last thing I’d wanted to do was look like an idiot in front of the kid. “Okay, your choice. Which one do you want?” I said, pointing to the giant stuffed animals on the wall.
“Jordyn?”
I froze. I knew that voice. I hadn’t been able to get out of here fast enough. Harley was here. Not only was she here, but she walked up on me having a conversation with her young daughter. Great.
Jordyn took a dalmation as her prize. It almost dwarfed her as she turned around. “Mom, look. Tate won me a dog.”
I glanced up and saw Harley standing with her older daughter. My heart jackhammered in my chest when I saw her, and something deep inside me roused from slumber. My dragon had been in a long, dormant sleep. Not being in a pack with other dragon shifters, I very rarely felt the need to shift or fly alone. Steffen, Blayne, Miles, and I formed a makeshift pack, but it wasn’t the same. It gave us camaraderie and prevented us from going feral, but it didn’t give our beasts the species-specific bonding they needed. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d shifted or felt my dragon stir, but for some reason, seeing Harley right then had awoken it.
The deep rumble in my chest meant the dragon saw something it wanted. Usually, this only happened when we spotted deer while flying, which made this… unusual. Being away from its kind made the dragon lonely, which bled over to me as well. The sight of Harley perked the beast up, and that scared me more than I could say. It had never reacted to a human like this. It hadn’t reacted all those months ago in New York when I first met her. What was different now? It had been years and years since the dragon had taken such interest in
anything.
Thinking back on it, maybe the dragon had stirred in that bar in New York. Something had made me look up and notice her.
This was an altogether different matter though. It filled me with want, need, and desire. It was almost physical in its power. I bit the inside of my lip to pull myself together as Harley continued toward us.
She stepped up and grabbed the girl’s hand. “Sorry about that. Jordyn’s never met a stranger she didn’t like. You didn’t have to do that for her.”
I nodded. “No problem. I was glad to help. She looked like she was about to burn through a month’s allowance.”
“Jordyn, did you say thanks?” Harley asked.
“Oh shoot.” Jordyn turned to me. “Thanks Tate.”
“You’re welcome,” I said smiling, and glancing back at Harley.
Unbidden, my dragon dragged out a memory. My hands sliding across Harley’s breasts, my tongue on her nipples, between her legs, her moist lips as she moaned beneath me. I blinked the memory away, my breath catching in my throat. Despite my best efforts, I caught myself staring again, and I had to shake the thoughts away, terrified I might pop a boner right there in front of the entire family. I’d be damned if I’d let my dragon do that to me in public, especially in front of children.
Thankfully, Harely broke the uncomfortable silence. “Um…well, we’ve got a spot picked out for the fireworks if you want to sit with anyone. We’d be happy to have you.”
I was a little surprised by that. Things hadn’t been that cordial between us. She was more than likely just being polite. I decided to give her an easy out, since she probably didn’t really want me to say yes.
I made a disappointed face. “Unfortunately, I’m working right now. On duty, you know? I won’t be able to make it.”
“Oh, that makes sense, I guess. Is your security company working for the town?” Harley asked.
“Something like that.”
Harley put an arm around her girls and turned them back toward the food festival. “Well, we need to get going. We don’t need to bother Mr. Mills anymore.”
I smiled. ” You guys weren’t a bother. We were having a very good conversation.”
Jordyn grinned at that as she and her sister turned to follow Harley. The three ladies gave me a wave and walked into the crowd. Watching Harley walk away made my stomach ache painfully. I winced as my dragon stirred and whined, literally whined, inside my head. It was going crazy. Nothing like this had ever happened in all my life.
I ducked behind a tent and knelt, trying to gather myself. I couldn’t actually talk to my dragon—it wasn’t like I had multiple personalities or anything. That being what it was, I was so confused I didn’t know what else to do.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked, focusing the question internally, toward the dragon.
What happened next sent a shockwave of fear through me. There seemed to be a massive struggle within me, and I nearly fell over as the will of the dragon desperately tried to claw to the forefront of my mind. I placed a hand on the grass to steady myself. Then my lips began to move, and a voice, deep and gravelly, whispered through me. “
Mate.”
My eyes bulged, and my head snapped up. I caught a glimpse of Harley through the crowd, buying a massive tower of cotton candy for the girls. The longer I looked at her, the more insistent the dragon became. It was desperate for me to approach her. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I fought the beast within.
Again that alien whisper escaped my lips. “
Mate.
“