The Dragon Shifter’s Desire by Harmony Raines

Chapter Eleven – Larisa

They flew back at a more leisurely pace, taking a direct route to town and Ivan’s apartment. No longer worried about her reaction, Ivan didn’t seem worried about who saw the dragon flying across the sky.

When he landed in the street in front of his apartment building, Larisa expected people to look out of their windows and stare. No one did, save for a small boy across the street who yanked open his drapes and waved like crazy at Ivan as he shifted from dragon to human.

“A fan of yours?” Larisa’s heart melted when Ivan waved back enthusiastically.

“Yeah. His name is Henry. His mom works at the hotel, so I see him around. His dream is to be big enough to ride on my back.” Ivan waved again and then turned toward his apartment building. “He’s big enough now, if he held on tight, but his mom is scared he’ll fall.”

“I can see her point, Henry isn’t very tall.” She hooked her arm through his. “What about our kids? Will they grow up on the back of a dragon?”

He chuckled. “That would be up to their mom.”

“Why me?” Larisa asked.

“I’m told that the maternal instinct to protect children is strong and while I am confident I would never let them fall, I wouldn’t go against your wishes if you wanted them to be bigger before they ride on my back.”

“I was thinking I could carry our children in a papoose while I ride on your back. Then later we could perhaps fashion some kind of saddle,” she mused.

“You have it all worked out.” He opened the door, and they went inside.

“Not everything. But I don’t ever want to give up dragon-riding. So our kids will have to come along, too.” She followed him upstairs, her legs ached from riding on the dragon, but she wasn’t about to complain, even if each step zapped her of her strength.

“Are you okay? I can carry you if you want.” Ivan glanced back at her with concern as she lagged behind him.

“I’m okay. I’m just tired. It’s been an exciting day and I’m exhausted.”

“Let’s get you into bed.” He let go of her hand and scooped her up in his arms. Larisa tensed, she wasn’t used to being carried, she was a strong independent woman who could look after herself. Yet Ivan’s strong arms comforted her, and she rested against his chest, giving in to the urge to be cared for.

Larisa had spent most of her life being the caregiver rather than the caretaker. She smiled to herself, her brain was as tired as her legs and seemed to be spouting nonsense. But it wasn’t nonsense. Even as a child, she’d known she had to be strong, she had to be there for her brother and often for her dad. The older she’d grown, the more she understood their weaknesses. Her father and his depression, his fear of being caught, and his intense sadness at losing his wife. And her brother, Simon, who was too sensitive, and often got picked on because of it.

Larisa had become the protector. So it was nice to have a pair of strong arms around her. It was nice to nestle against Ivan’s chest and know that he was her protector. That she could have a night off from fighting battles that she could never win.

Her eyes drooped and sleep welcomed her as she rocked against his chest. She was vaguely aware of him stopping and the jingle of keys as he opened the door to his apartment.

She was aware of him rocking his body forward as he placed her on the bed and then the touch of his hands as he removed her shoes.

Then nothing. Until she opened her eyes to darkness.

For a moment, she lay still staring up at a strange ceiling, not knowing where she was. Larisa put her hand to her head and tried to remember the events of yesterday. Was it yesterday? How long had she slept?

She slowly turned onto her side, there was a crack of light shining underneath the door and she swung her legs out of bed and padded toward the light. There was a murmur of voices from beyond the door. One she recognized as Ivan’s, the other was a female she didn’t know.

Larisa leaned back against the wall. Should she go out there? What if she was interrupting something? Something Ivan didn’t want her to see. He probably had secrets he wanted to keep to himself.

“You can come out, Larisa.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Shifters. Those senses of theirs were both a blessing and a curse.

“I’m sorry if we woke you.” Ivan’s voice was closer now and the door opened before she had a chance to move.

“I was thirsty,” she croaked. Which wasn’t a lie.

“I can get you a glass of water if you want to go straight back to bed. Or you can come and say hello to Elise.” The broad-shouldered dragon shifter blocked most of the light from the hallway, but she was still half-blind as she stepped forward.

“I’d like to meet Elise.” Larisa stumbled after Ivan, rubbing her eyes as she tried to clear the fog in her brain.

“Elise, this is Larisa. Larisa, this is Elise.” Ivan made the introductions as he led Larisa to the kitchen.

“Hi.” Elise studied Larisa closely, but her body language remained relaxed.

“Hi, Elise. Good to meet you.” Larisa covered her mouth as she yawned again.

“I’m sorry if I woke you. I wanted to bring this to Ivan.” She handed him a small vial. “It’s the spell you need to conceal your dragon. My Grandma Hannah made it for you.”

“You went to see her tonight?” Ivan asked.

Elise checked her watch. “Technically, it was last night. I left as soon as the restaurant closed. I was going to bring back the ingredients for a location spell for the pendant. But my grandma said she’ll cast it since it’ll be more potent and last longer. She’s been working on the spell lately and thinks she can cross the realms.”

“Thanks, Elise. For everything. You must be exhausted.” Ivan eyed Elise with concern. “You should go home to bed, and I’ll do the breakfast shift tomorrow...this morning.”

“No, you should go. My grandma is expecting you.” Elise pressed her mouth into a thin line. “She said something about there being no time to lose.”

“No time to lose?” Ivan asked cautiously.

“Something is stirring. My people can feel it.” Elise reached out and took Ivan’s hand. “Be careful.”

“I will.” He nodded, his eyes dark as he looked at Elise. “Thank you.”

“Karros and Zara will meet you at the hotel first thing tomorrow. They’ll take you to my grandma’s house.” She tapped the vial. “This should keep you hidden from most of my people. But it’s not foolproof so be careful.”

“We can go alone,” Ivan insisted.

Elise shook her head. “No, you go with Karros. He can protect you if anything goes wrong.”

“Can he?” Ivan asked and a sense of dread filled Larisa.

“You have a better chance of going unnoticed if a fae is with you.” She let go of Ivan’s hand and turned to face Larisa. “Make sure he doesn’t run off and try to be a hero on his own.”

“I will.” Larisa nodded. “I promise.”

“I’ll see you in a couple of hours. Try to get some rest.” With that, Elise turned on her heel and hurried out of the apartment, closing the door behind her.

“Is it safe?” Larisa pointed at the vial in Ivan’s hand.

“I trust Elise,” he replied.

“But it didn’t come from Elise, did it? She got it from her grandma who is a fae, I presume...”

“And you are worried that because the fae don’t like dragons that they might be trying to poison me?” Ivan took the words right out of her mouth.

“You’re not worried?”

Ivan held the vial up to the light, it was a deep crimson color with what looked like gold dust swirling around at its center. “You heard what Elise said, her grandma wants us to hurry. I doubt she’d go to the trouble of poisoning me if she needs my help.”

“The other dragon shifter?” Larisa shivered and wrapped her arms around herself but still, she was chilled to the bone despite the warm temperature in the kitchen.

“Hey. It’s okay.” He placed the vial down on the counter and went to her, wrapping her in his warm arms and holding her close.

“You’re like a furnace on full.” She snuggled closer to him, absorbing his warmth.

“I’m hot-blooded.” He turned her toward the door leading from the kitchen. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed. You should get as much rest as possible.”

“Only if you get some rest, too. Have you slept at all?” She glanced up at him. “I’m guessing that’s a no.”

“Do I look that bad?” He ran his hand over his face.

“Not bad. But not good.” She pulled away from him as they reached his bedroom. Taking his hand, she guided him toward the bed. “Sleep. Please.”

“Are you ordering me around?” He sat down wearily but tried to hide it with a bright smile. “I’m a mighty dragon, you know.”

“And I am your mate, and you have to do what I say.” She pouted. “To keep me happy, remember?”

“How could I forget?” He pulled her with him as he rolled over on the bed. “Will you sleep by my side? Please?”

“Sure.” She hesitated for a moment but then snuggled close to him. This was where she was meant to be. She’d accepted her fate as soon as he told her they were mates. That didn’t mean she was ready to actually sleep with him. They might be fated mates, but she still needed to get to know him first. She needed to know what kind of man he was.

Didn’t she already know? He’d shown her so much of himself in the few hours since they’d met. Ivan was open and honest with her, which was more than most men were capable of until they let their guard down.

But there was no pretense with Ivan. She’d expected him to be arrogant. After all, he was a dragon shifter.

“Close your eyes and sleep.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

“How do you know I am not sleeping?” She turned in his arms and placed her hand on his chest.

“I can tell by the sound of your breathing. And the beat of your heart.” He rubbed her shoulder as if trying to soothe her. “And you’re tense.”

“I have a lot on my mind,” she murmured but his touch and his voice soothed her, and her eyes were heavy with sleep.

“Let it go. For now, it’s just us. There’s nothing you can do until the morning.” He kissed her again, his hands gentle on her skin as she fell asleep.

Tomorrow was a new day. A new start. Her life as she knew it was over. A new life with Ivan was about to begin.