Sanctuary

Once again I am tied up and bouncing around in the back of an SUV but this time I am smushed between two men. Both of their scents are familiar and there a tingling feeling whenever the one behind me touches my bare skin. I know these two men. Behind me is Greyson my best friend, lover and mate. There is only one problem with him, he thinks I am human.

At first is was necessary to maintain my cover with my foster family. My parents sent me to live with Alpha Mason and he told his pack I was human. My parents went off to war to make sure we won. Then I saw Greyson for the first time and the Curse of the Black Dragon took effect. Then Greyson left me because I was human and the curse added more strings to my heart. Even if he were to stay with me for the rest of his life I don’t know if the curse would ever be broken.

The man pressed against my front is Jake a hybrid who was very understanding of my lineage and lets me feed on him when I need to and whenever it just pleases me. After these eight months of suppressing my abilities to seem even more human than I already do in this world and how broken and abused my body is I am going to need to feed.

As I am wrapped up in my thoughts the car comes to a stop. The brute that smells like cigars, the one who broke my bones repeatedly gets out of the car and gravel crunches under boots. The female steps out but waits in the shadows. The brute opens the rear hatch and throws Greyson out. Next he grabs me and says while taking off my hood so he can touch my face one last time, “I wish I could keep you. I have a feeling were making great progress.” He throws me to the ground and I roll into Greyson. I watch as he drags Jake to the edge and cuts his hand on a piece of unfinished metal. Drops of blood splash to the ground as he tosses Jake at my feet and I want desperately to attack him and to feel the warm blood drip splash down my throat.

I snap out of my trance as Jake groans. The brute smiles at me with his yellowed teeth and tosses a pocket knife at my feet. “If you value your life I suggest you cut yourself loose and get out of here before the two hybrids wake up.” Two hybrids? Brute gives me once last once over before getting back into the car. As his last show of force he showers us in gravel while peeling out of the parking lot.

I fall on my side and reach for the pocket knife, getting in my grasp I feel for the notch on the side that extends the blade. Once I have found it I use the knife to cut the rope at my wrists and ankles. Once that is done I turn and cut Jake and Greyson loose. While Greyson is still asleep I take a moment to gaze a my mate and wonder for just a moment what my life would be like if he hadn’t rejected me.

Moments over. I need to get back to sanctuary, Jake is coming with me but I don’t know if Greyson will. If he makes it all the way to Sanctuary maybe I will be able to tell him my true heritage. For now he can suffer knowing I’ve moved on. Who needs a mate when you live forever, I already have dozens of consorts at Sanctuary who love me, including Jake.

I push the thoughts away and draw the pocket knife across my wrist as I slide over to Jake. I press my wrist to his lips. It doesn’t take long for the blood to awaken him. Jake grips my hand and the other side of my wrist and laps greedily at the blood trickling from my wrist. Jake groans and sucks harder, making me moan. This small inconspicuous noise awakes Greyson and suddenly I am being pulled away from Jake and into the arms of one angry wolf.

“How dare you feed off her? She is obviously weak from whatever ex…” Greyson screams at Jake.

“Be quite.” I say as I force him away from me. “You do not get to decide who feeds off me and who doesn’t.” I walk back over to Jake. “For your information you stupid wolf I cut my own wrist and made him feed off me so he would wake up and we could leave.”

“What.. how.. did you know?” he stumbles his sentence.

“I lived with a pack of werewolves. Alpha Mason was friends with my parents. I know all about your world.” I concoct a lie. “My parents are allies to your side in the war. They sent me to live with Alpha Mason when they went off to fight.” Okay, this isn’t exactly a lie. Its true I'm just leaving out the part where I am not human and that I know that we are mates.

“If you knew all along, why didn’t you tell me?” Greyson looks defeated if only he knew the real truth.

“I wasn’t supposed to. Maintaining that I knew nothing of your world was imperative.” I half lie again. I was allowed to tell my mate and Alpha Mason knew. “Why would I risk telling you anyway, you made your desires about me very clear.”

“You don’t know the whole truth behind my actions.” Greyson practically growls.

“Whole truth or not. I don’t care anymore.” I lie. My heart beats for him. “You can come with us to a safe place or you can go.”

“I’m not leaving you until I know your safe with your own people.” Greyson says.

“Well I will be safe with my own people real soon and once you’ve seen this place you won’t be able to leave. I suggest you go your own way if living in the same area as me is too much for your fragile ego.” I taunt him.

“I’ll manage.”

“Great lets get things started then. You boys take off your shirts I need to look for subcutaneous trackers.” I look Greyson in the eye while I tell them to disrobe. Jake takes off his shirt swiftly and quickly. I turn to him and examine his skin. As I run my hands down his chest and across his arms time stops and it allows me time to gather myself for a moment before Greyson's growling brings me back to reality.

“Quit your fucking growling right now. I am not yours anymore.” I walk around Jake and my hands tremble as I move out of view of my mate. I take a deep breath and continue running my hands over Jakes skin.

It’s okay Scales. You are just not used to his presence. Jake projects his thoughts into my mind and I’m surprised that I don’t immediately fall to the ground while holding my head.

I’m not strong enough to maintain this connection for long.

There’s an inn up the road. We will settle in and I’ll make sure you get what you need.

Jake’s assurances make me shiver as I think of the last time he made sure I got what I needed. I let those memories wash over me and strengthen my resolve. I turn to Greyson and don’t let the sight of him shirtless get to me by thinking of what Jake does to me and for me. I touch Greyson as little as possible which doesn’t make him happy. Greyson keep leaning into me trying to get me to touch him more.

“Okay Greyson go wait down the road. Jake needs to check me.” I say.

“No, I’ll check you.” he says sternly.

“No you won’t. Jake knows what to look for. You can wait here and we will go to the woods.” I storm off across the parking lot and head toward the woods.

***

I watch as my little mate storms off, I watch her until she disappears into the tree line. I would have been content to stare at the trees until she remerged but to my disdain Jake decides speak about things he know nothing of.

“Look Greyson. Just because you are her mate doesn’t mean she wants you. You left her and now she needs time. So indulge her whims and leave her alone. I’ll take care of her.” Jake says before turning to go examine my mate.

I can’t stand to think about his hands on her or the fact that the screams I’ve been hearing for the past two months were hers. I knew that she was hurting and that's why I fought so hard against them but I never imagined that she was close. It makes sense I got captured while looking for her because I could feel her pain. I could feel that she was scared. Just as now I can feel that deep down she does want me to go after her. I may have broken up with her but I never truly rejected her.

At that thought I I succumb to the beast. I feel my bones shift under my skin. I grunt as my claws extend from my fingers and I drop to the ground. I can feel my skin stretching and my bones breaking. Fur sprouts from my skin and after a few more moments the transition is complete. Digging my claws into the ground I take off running into the woods to find my mate.

****

After reaching the woods I inhale deeply searching for her sent. Found her. I follow her scent to a little creek. This reminds of the first time I met her. Little Scales was swimming in an abandon private lake. Her scales were glimmering in the water and when her horns broke the surface it freaked out and I fell in.

“Hey Scales. Why aren’t your scales showing while your in the water?” I rush to her.

“Jake I’m fine. I was suppressing my gifts and my dragon blood to ensure that the scientists didn’t figure out what I was.” she says as she steps deeper into the water. “I’m too weak and my body is to broken and abused to even try.” she looks so defeat and as I really look at her I can see it now. She’s thin and bruised. Poor little Kayda she really suffered.

“Come here and feed a little.” I hold out my hand for her and she steps into my embrace. As our lips connect I lift her up and cradle her fragile body against my strong one. It takes her a minute to be able to feed but as she draws my chi into her fire burns between us. Her mouth closes and she kisses me again more fiercely. She grabs a fist full of my shirt as she opens her mouth again and draws in more of my chi. She starts getting her strength back and lock her legs around my waist. She bites my lip and moan escapes my lips and brings her back to reality.

Kayda looks at me with her wide pale blue eyes. I miss the vibrant colors her eyes once had. I hold her close and let her draw out the rest of my sexual chi by holding her hand to my neck. After a few minutes she unlocks her legs from my waist and I set her down gently letting her find her feet on her time.

Kayda looks me up and down licking her lips before she pulls off her shirt. I try very hard to not be shocked at the obvious broken ribs, her hollowed out frame, she is covered in nasty bruises. Kayda sees the sadness in my eyes and hold her shirt up to cover herself. “Please take my blood, let me heal you.” I say and I pull her flush against me. Blood in general would heal a dragon but my vampire-elven blood has an extra kick.

“There's so much damage its going to take a while to heal even with your blood.” Kayda says quietly.

“Shh.” I turn her around and bit my wrist so she doesn’t have to. Greyson would notice. I hold my bleeding wrist in front of her and she doesn’t hesitate. Her sweet pouty lips wrap around my wrist and she falls back into my chest. She moans quietly and sucks at my wrist harder. My skins glows where she is holding on to my wrist as she feeds off my sexual pleasure of her feeding off me.

She moans again louder and her fangs start dropping so I pull away from her and she pouts. “He’ll notice a dragon bite if you are not able to close the wound.” I look at her ribs and it looks like the breaks are starting to heal.

“Okay, look for tracking chips.” she pickles up her shirt from the ground.

I ran my hands over her skin and feel for tiny microchips in her skin. I don’t feel any but I know she is going to want to get full body x-rays and MRI’s before we head through the mountains. “I don’t feel or see anything.”

“We should get scans at the hospital before we go.” she affirms.

“Greyson is headed this way.” I inform her and she quickly puts her shirt on and cleans her mouth. She takes her time licking her lips savoring the last drops of blood.

Greyson comes trotting through the forest. Its getting dark we should move. Greyson projects his thought into my mind and he doesn’t sound happy. I’m not sure how much he saw but he definitely saw enough.

I relay his message to Kayda and she agrees.