Reluctant Dragon Mate Read online

  Grunting in frustration she exited the app and threw the phone down on the bed next to her. She wasn't going to be goaded into a mistake like that just because the dragon shifter had been good in bed.

  Chirping came from next to her, as Rhi nudged at her with her sparkly head.

  Despite her dark mood, Dakota let out a soft laugh. "Yes, I know, it's silly of me to be so worked up over a guy," she told her familiar. "I just can't help it."

  Nor could she help the sneaking thought that Rhi had to be a dragon for a reason. No one had ever confirmed it to her, but she suspected the shape and form of a witch's familiar held some kind of meaning. It had to, or what would be the point in having them in the first place.

  The dragon cocked its head to the side, before glancing at the window.

  "You're free to go flying whenever you want," Dakota pointed out. "You have the advantage of being invisible when you want to be."

  Rhi crossed her wings, and gave Dakota a surprisingly stern look considering she was made out of sparks and had no way of communicating beyond a few soft whines and some head nudges. It must be strange to be a familiar.

  Her phone chimed again, this time playing an upbeat song by one of her favourite bands. A frown spread over her face. Who could be calling at this time on a Saturday? It was barely even nine, and no one she knew would be up and about.

  Feeling brave, she grabbed it, sighing in relief the moment she saw her best friend's smiling face looking up at her. Hitting the green button, she held it to her ear.

  "Dakota, finally," Rosie exclaimed.

  "What do you mean finally, you only just called?" Amusement coloured Dakota's voice, as it was sure to do. She loved Rosie to bits, but exaggeration was part of who her best friend was.

  "I've been messaging you for hours," she whined.

  "I doubt it."

  "Alright, fine. I text you last night and you didn't reply."

  "Ah."

  "Ah? Dak? Is there something you need to tell me about last night's date?" If her friend had been in the room, her eyebrows would have been wagging.

  "Nothing much. I got stood up."

  "And yet you didn't text me back?" She sounded outraged, even down the phone.

  "I had other things on my mind," Dakota muttered.

  "Like..."

  "I went back on the app and got someone to come over," she blurted out. "But that's all there is to it. Great sex and no strings."

  "Are you going to do it again?"

  "You know I can't."

  "You sound disappointed, Dak."

  She sighed loudly. "I am. It was fun, and good, and..."

  "And you feel as if you could get feelings for him despite the way our world works. I've been there, yes."

  "Exactly. And now I need to move past it and focus on actually finding my mate."

  "On that note..."

  Dakota rolled her eyes. "Please don't try and set me up with your brother again."

  "Please. Jax refuses to go out with any of my friends anyway."

  "Then why do you keep forcing the issue?"

  "The hope I'll get to keep one of you around forever," Rosie admitted.

  "We're here for life no matter what."

  Silence fell over the line and Dakota's attention began to wonder, causing her to pull at a lone thread on the duvet.

  "That wasn't why I called. Nina got dumped again, we're going out tonight, and unless you have another hot date with last night's booty call, you're coming with us."

  Dakota groaned. "Dumped again?"

  "You know how it is, she thinks she's cursed to only ever go on dates with guys who are about to find their mates. Well, it happened again. So we're going out to party."

  "I don't think I can..."

  "Save it. This is non-negotiable. You, Nina, me, and a lot of tequila. We're coming to yours at eight to get ready."

  Dakota didn't even have time to respond before her friend hung up, leaving only the dial tone for company.

  "I guess it's better than spending the night alone and moping," she announced to no one in particular. This time, she wouldn't be letting the alcohol into her system though. She'd learned that lesson last night.

  Though she couldn't complain too much, the night before had ended in a more than pleasurable way, after all.

  4

  Achilles

  The chatter of dozens of patients and their families assaulted Achilles ears as he sat by his grandmother's side. He had no idea why she put up with this place. It was dreary at best, and positively depressing at worst, and yet she insisted on living here among the ageing humans and not at home with the rest of the dragons. And nothing he'd ever said had managed to change her mind.

  "You look distracted, Achilles, is there something you need to tell me?" she asked, a twinkle in her eye that would be hard to argue with. But he knew he needed to.

  "I just didn't get much sleep last night," he responded. "Are they treating you well? Do you have enough to eat..."

  "Yes, yes, you know I'm fine or else you'd be in the other room scaring the nurses and not just sat here with me. Why didn't you sleep?"

  "Too much on my mind." It was almost the truth. He'd certainly felt like his mind had been over occupied since he'd left Dakota's home in the middle of the night, that was for certain.

  "You can share with your Granny, Achilles. I don't bite."

  "I've heard enough stories from Grandfather to dispute that," he joked.

  A knowing smirk crossed her lips. "Ah yes, he always did like that. How is the old bugger?"

  "Missing you." It hurt Achilles to see how his grandparents pined for one another. The perfect example of why mates shouldn't be parted once they'd found one another. They were also the perfect example of why two stubborn people shouldn't be together unless they had to be.

  "I miss him too," she admitted.

  "Then why don't you go home to him? To the rest of our family?"

  "I need to be near you, dear boy." She leaned over and placed a hand over his, probably to stop him pulling away at the latest revelation.

  "Me? You can't stay here because of me." A lump formed in his throat at the mere thought of her doing something like that. "I'm a grown man, Granny. You can leave me to life and I'll survive just the same."

  She shook her head, the tight grey curls bouncing around as she did so. "And leave you to the mercy of the prediction?"

  "It's just something a witch said to you two hundred years ago, there's no truth in it." At least, he hoped there wasn't. If the supposed precog had been right, then Achilles life could end up changed forever, and not in a way he wanted.

  "You and I both know that precogs have powers beyond what the normal paranormal can predict," she reminded him, wagging a frail finger in his direction. "Just because you don't want it to be true..."

  "I don't want to give up everything for a woman," Achilles argued. "I want to have my own life and my own interests, not be nothing more than a piece of arm candy."

  His grandmother chuckled. "You know that's not true. Words can have many different meanings. Just because the precog said she thought you would be willing to give up everything for your mate, doesn't mean it will leave you with nothing." She nodded along with her own advice, clearly believing the wisdom there.

  In some ways, he did too. He just didn't want to take the risk.

  "Now, you said you were thinking last night. Was it about your mate?" The knowing look returned to her eye. Clearly, she knew something about the previous night, even if he hadn't told her.

  "It was no one important."

  "The look on your face says differently, but I'll let you believe that if you want."

  "Granny..."

  "Achilles..." she mocked. "Just accept that I know more than you. I've seen more life than you, and I've seen your mother and your uncles mated. The signs are obvious. You can keep fighting them if you want, but I promise that will only end in tears, no matter what the precog witch might have told me all that time
ago. The best thing to do is give in and let nature take its course. You won't regret it."

  "That's not what you told me when I was younger," he muttered.

  "Don't make me clip you around the earhole, young man. I'm your older and better, trust that I know what I'm talking about."

  "It's not you that I doubt, Granny, I promise."

  "Then start listening to what your body is telling you. There's only so much ignoring you can do before it will start causing you problems. Don't be that man, Achilles. I'm sure you've heard tales of shifters gone mad."

  "We all have." Though he'd never seen it in person, and he sort of expected to have by now. Everyone talked about what would happen when shifters ignored their mates, and it was never pretty. "I heard that there was a panther shifter who denied his mate for a year recently." He tried to make it sound like an offhand comment, but his grandmother wasn't buying it and they both knew it.

  "And what is his mated status now?" She raised an eyebrow.

  "Mated," Achilles muttered, wondering why he'd bothered trying to argue against her. In this, his grandmother was never going to take his side. She'd always been the romantic sort.

  "Tell me, what is it that has you so worried about all this mating business? And don't tell me it's the prediction, because I know you better than that." Her stern expression was one to be reckoned with. His grandmother knew exactly what she was doing when it came to keeping her family in line, and this was no different.

  He warred with the decision of whether to tell her or not. On the one hand, he knew she'd understand, even if she thought his reasoning wasn't sound. On the other, she'd try and talk him out of it, and he wasn't convinced he was fully prepared for that.

  "I'm not ready to tell you."

  She shook her head. "You'd better get ready. I can sense that your time is upon you."

  "How can you even tell that?" he demanded.

  "Smell. The look on your face. The way you're reacting to my questions. There are many ways a grandmother knows these things."

  "How very cryptic."

  Her laugh tinkled through the air. "But most of all, I can tell because you're a truly terrible liar. I'm just glad you were born in this age and not the one your grandfather and I belonged to. Oh, how they'd have eaten you up alive."

  He wanted to press her for more information about their past, but knew better. She'd never told any of the family anything from before Achilles' eldest uncle was born, and he doubted that was going to change. The only thing he did know was that both his grandparents were somewhere around the six-hundred-years-old mark and had finally reached what dragons considered to be old age.

  "I'll tell you in time," she promised, accurately guessing the direction of his thoughts.

  "You don't have much time left," he pointed out, knowing she wouldn't be insulted by him suggesting she was old. In their culture, it was a sign of respect rather than an insult. Something he imagined a lot of families in this room would wish to be true of their human elderly.

  "I have plenty of time to tell my story. And I will. In time. Maybe I'll tell it to you and your mate together."

  "Don't blackmail me, Granny."

  "Why not? It's fun." She grinned, revealing a full set of teeth. It was a wonder none of the nursing staff had started to question her seemingly amazing health. They were lucky that was the case, but it didn't change the fact that she stood out here.

  His phone buzzed in his pocket. He wished he didn't have to answer it, but he couldn't miss a potential business call. Not even for his grandmother.

  "I have to go," he said, already getting to his feet and leaning in to kiss her on the cheek.

  "Of course you do. The youth of today. Always impatient to get on to the next thing." Even through her chide, it was easy to hear the affection in her voice.

  "I love you, Granny. Keep yourself out of trouble."

  "And you," she returned. "Though I'm sure you'll be back here soon telling me you have."

  "Over my dead body," he muttered to himself as he walked away, trying to keep the picture of Dakota's smiling face out of his mind.

  Normally, he wouldn't even be able to remember her name already, but something about this was different.

  And he didn't want to dwell on what.

  5

  Dakota

  Her phone lay on the kitchen counter, beckoning her. Taunting her. She pushed the desire to the side, knowing she couldn't do the one thing that completely consumed her. Messaging Achilles was out of the question. It would seem needy and weird, especially considering they couldn't possibly be mates or he wouldn't have been able to leave so easily.

  Though if that was her only argument for why they weren't mates, maybe she needed to take a better look at the situation.

  She shook her head, ridding herself of that train of thought. She didn't need him. Just like she didn't need any of the other men who'd not been the right fit. It didn't matter what her gut said, that was just wishful thinking and being a little tired of the mate race.

  "Dak, why are you looking so glum?" Rosie demanded, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder and pouting.

  "Sorry," Dakota muttered, hoping it would stop her friend from acting like a moody teenager.

  "Here, have some more wine." Rosie filled her glass before she could even say yes or no.

  "I thought you were bringing tequila," she muttered.

  "Tequila is for people who want to drown their sorrows. Wine is for girls who just wanna have fu-un..." she sang the last bit and wiggled her hips.

  "Careful, you're letting your siren out," Dakota warned.

  "So? You're the only one here and you're immune."

  "I don't think immune is the word I'd use." Though it was as close to it as made sense. Dakota wasn't as affected by Rosie's singing, but that was only because of the siren's affection for her. It was an odd way for it to work, but she wasn't about to start questioning it. Some things about the paranormal world just didn't make sense, and all they could do about it was get used to the fact. "When did you say Nina would be here?" she asked, distracting Rosie from the conversation.

  "She'll be here any minute, but you know what she's like. If she isn't late, then the world is probably ending."

  "One day she's going to prove you wrong." But Dakota couldn't stop the smile that twisted at her lips. They both knew that it was the truth about Nina. She had terrible time keeping skills.

  As if to prove the point, the doorbell pinged. Dakota slipped off her chair and padded out of the room. There was no doubt in her mind that it would be her red-headed friend on the other side of the door. Just like she'd known when it was Rosie stood outside. It wasn't that she was a precog, far from it. But she did have some kind of intuitive power. It was a weird one, but she didn't like to question it too much.

  The woman plastered a smile on the moment the door swung open.

  "Oh, Nina. You don't need to be like that..."

  "It's fine, it’s just the curse again." She grimaced.

  "The curse isn't real," Dakota countered.

  "Isn't it? That's the fifth guy who dated me and then found his mate the very next day. If that's not a curse, then I don't know what is."

  Dakota opened her mouth to argue but decided better of it. Maybe they needed some tequila after all. She didn't think she'd ever seen her friend quite this despondent. Sure, after the first few times the mating thing had happened, she'd been sad, but not like this.

  "Come in, Rosie has wine at the ready and we'll do what we do best. Drink, dance, and relax."

  "That sounds good."

  Dakota rubbed her friends back as she passed. She didn't like the contact herself, but knew Nina would find some comfort in it, and that was the main thing in this situation. The three of them had known each other for years, and they always had one another's backs. No matter what.

  "Thank you for doing this," Nina whispered. "I know it's not really your thing..."

  "Making sure you feel good is definite
ly my thing," she responded instantly. The last thing she wanted was for her already fragile friend to start blaming herself for something as simple as a night on the town.

  "I know, but you don't like going out."

  "Trust me, this is exactly what I need tonight," Dakota admitted, trying not to think too much about the touch of Achilles skin against hers.

  "What..."

  "She was with a guy last night," Rosie put in, handing a full wine glass to Nina the moment she walked in the room. "She hasn't thought about anything but the man since."

  "That's not true." She picked up her own wine glass and took a sip, hoping her friends would move on to a safer topic of conversation.

  "Is it not?" A knowing grin spread over Rosie's face.

  "It's not true," Dakota tried again.

  "What colour are his eyes?" Nina asked as she sat down on one of the kitchen chairs.

  "Green."

  "What kind of green?" Nina asked.

  "Turquoise, like the sea off the coast of some Greek Island..."

  "Oh she's totally in love with him," she announced to the room.

  "Without a doubt," Rosie agreed with a giggle.

  "I am not in love with him. We're paranormal. Love is a luxury we don't need." She took another sip of wine, deciding to let the alcohol affect her after all. There was no going back once that was the decision she'd made, but it seemed like the only way.

  "So you say..."

  "He's nothing to me, Rosie. Just a little bit of fun on a night I was lonely. Now, let's drop it and go have some fun." Without thinking twice about it, she downed the glass of wine, before holding it out to Rosie. "More, please."

  Her two friends exchanged worried glances.

  "You pushed me to this. More wine please?" She grinned broadly at the two of them.

  "Alright then, but if this turns out like that night in Ghent..."