Page 39 of Dragon's Unwanted Love
“Oh, Jackson,” she cried and started to rush over to him, but a pair of hands clamped down on her arms and hauled her back.
“I don’t think so,” Diego said. “You’re not going anywhere. We’re just going to stand here until your boyfriend wakes up, then I’m going to kill you while he watches. You made this much too easy for me. I really thought this was going to be more of a challenge.”
“Jackson will never let that happen,” she said, struggling to get free. “He’s going to wake up any second, and this timehe’s going to kill you. If you’re smart, you’ll let me go and get out of here.”
Diego reached up and slapped her. “Shut your mouth, you little bitch,” he roared at her, the madness in his eyes making them glow. “You’re going to die and then he’s next. No one humiliates me and gets away with it.”
The stench of Diego’s evil was beginning to fill the air around them, and she tried not to gag as it filled her nostrils. “You’ll never get away with it,” she choked out. “They’ll know who did this and come after you.”
“The clan will protect me,” Diego growled at her. “No one can touch me, not even the police. I’m just doing what they sent me here to do. I’ll be a hero when this is over; it's too bad you won’t be here to see it.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Abby had been watching Jackson slowly get to his feet as Diego ranted, his eyes cloudy and his body swaying. Then his vision cleared when he saw Diego holding her. Rage slowly built in Jackson’s eyes, and she felt the power of his magic even with the distance between them. It surged through her, making her entire body tingle and she soaked it up, knowing that she was going to have to fight her way to freedom.
When Diego finally turned and saw Jackson on his feet, his grip on her arm loosened for a second, and she took full advantage. She twisted out of his grip in a move she’d learned in a self-defense class and without even looking back, she took off toward the trees behind Jackson. Her feet slipped on the icy ground even with her boots on, and she only made it a few yards before she heard a growl of anger behind her, then felt the wave of magic as Diego shifted.
Refusing to look behind her, she focused on reaching Jackson, who was already gathering his magic to shift, but she was suddenly lifted off her feet and screamed when she realized she was being held in one of Diego’s scaley talons.The stench of his evil nearly gagged her as she started to fight, twisting and turning, kicking out her feet, determined to get free any way she could. When it was clear that nothing was helping, she took a deep breath, turned her head, and bit down as hard as she could on the nasty toe wrapped around her shoulder.
Diego screamed in shock and pain and opened his talon to shake her loose, but she held on until the taste of blood began to fill her mouth, then began to burn its way down her throat. The fall to the ground when gravity finally won was farther than she thought it would be. She landed on her back with a thud, unable to breathe for several long seconds when the impact knocked the air out of her lungs, then lay in the snow, unable to move as pain swept through her. It wasn’t long before her vision began to darken, but she managed to lift her head just as Jackson took Diego out with one powerful swipe of his wings, and then everything went black.
CHAPTER 23
***JACKSON***
Jackson’s vision was filled with red as he bore down on Diego. The dragon was almost completely in control and demanding vengeance for what the other dragon had done to his soul mate. He couldn’t be sure that Abby was even alive, she was so still, but he couldn’t stop to check on her until Diego was lying dead at his feet. The human in him disliked the idea of killing, but he understood that Diego had gone too far, that the dragon in him wouldn’t be happy until the other shifter was no longer a threat to the woman he loved.
There wasn’t much fight left in the other dragon, and it only took a few swipes of his powerful wings to get him back on the ground. A quick swipe of his talons across Diego’s neck ended him for good, and then he rushed over to Abby. Shutting down his magic, he took his human form and began running his hands over her body, checking for broken bones and cursing Diego under his breath. When he realized that Abby’s injuries were much worse than broken bones, he wanted to howl with grief, but he could still feel her life forcein the connection between them and forced himself to calm down.
“You’ve been preparing for this moment all your life,” he said, looking up into the sky, hoping he didn’t screw up. “You know what you have to do, you know what it will take. Don’t be afraid now, she’s your entire world. Do it for Abby.”
Looking back down at Abby, he pulled his pocketknife out, flicked open the blade, then with only a hiss at the pain, sliced open his palm. “Abby, honey, I need you to listen to me,” he crooned, leaning closer. “I can heal you, but you’ll have to drink some of my blood. I know it will be strange, but you have to trust me, it’s the only way.”
Abby’s eyes fluttered open. She managed to nod her head, then opened her mouth. He gasped when he saw the burns on the inside of her cheeks and all over her tongue. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. This never should have happened,” he said, holding his bleeding palm over her mouth. “I promise this will help. Just let it drip into your mouth, but don’t rush it. You’ll feel better soon. Just hang in there for me, I’m not ready to lose you yet.”
Abby made a face when the first drops of blood hit her tongue, then relaxed with a sigh after a couple of swallows. The connection between them became stronger, and he let himself begin to hope that everything would be okay. He let her suck on his palm for a few more minutes, then pulled it away, relieved to see that the color had come back to her cheeks. But only a second later, Abby began to whimper, her face scrunched up with pain, and he could only watch helplessly as her body healed itself.
“I know it hurts, but it won’t last long, I promise,” he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “Just try to take deep breaths, and it will be over before you know it.”
When the pain became too much, Abby passed out again, and he waited anxiously for what felt like a lifetime beforeshe opened her eyes again. “Wow, that’s better than any medicine I’ve ever taken,” she said, smiling at him. “I think I’m going to be okay.”
“Of course you are, I need you too much for you to be anything else,” he said, not bothering to stop the tears that spilled down his cheeks. “I love you, Abby. I don’t know why I haven’t said it before, but you’d better get used to hearing it all the time now.”
“I love you too, Jackson, more than I ever thought possible,” she said, reaching up to pull him down for a kiss. “We really are bonded now. A part of you will always live inside of me.”
He kissed her until the snow around them began to melt, then climbed to his feet and carried her inside the cabin. After depositing her on the bed, he started to walk away, but Abby grabbed his hand and pulled him in with her, then climbed on top of him, a mischievous look on her face.
“I want you, Jackson,” she said, tearing off her sweatshirt to reveal her plump breasts. “I want you right now while your blood is still pumping through my body. I want us to become one in every way possible.”
Unable to resist touching her, he reached up and cupped her breasts, then teased the nipples with his thumb and finger. “Are you sure? You almost died, Abby. You might need to rest,” he said, groaning when she began to wiggle her hips, grinding herself against his quickly swelling manhood. “I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”
“I don’t need to rest, I need you to make love to me,” she said, then pulled his shirt over his head. “I need you deep inside me, Jackson. I need you to take me like you love me.”
Wanting her more than he ever had, he flipped her onto her back, stripped off her sweats, then his own clothes. He crawled between her legs and then spread them wider, his entire body throbbing with need. He felt Abby brace herself,but he didn’t bury himself deep inside her. Instead, he dropped his head between her legs, and, ignoring her protests, slid his tongue over her swollen nib, rewarded with a cry of pleasure as her hips came up to meet his exploring mouth.
He drove her up and over the edge, then drew out her pleasure until she was limp in his arms and his control was down to its last fragile threads. Grabbing her by the hips, he flipped Abby onto her stomach, then pulled her up onto her hands and knees. He slipped behind her, his manhood throbbing with need, used his knees to nudge her legs open, then grabbed her by the hips and with one powerful thrust of his hips, drove himself into her.
Their cries of pleasure filled the little cabin, and driven by a need deep inside him, he buried himself deep inside Abby over and over until they were both spinning out of control. Waves of sensation washed over him, each echoed by Abby’s, and he let himself be consumed by the feeling, then gasped when he felt the bond between them grow to its full potential just as he emptied himself inside her and sent her soaring as well.
It was several minutes before either could take a normal breath. “Well, I guess that’s it then,” Abby said, smiling up at him. “We’re stuck with each other now.”
