Dragon Heat by Charlene Hartnady

Chapter 1

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Azure roared as blood spattered across her flank. Hooves thudded on the earth as the small herd of bulls scattered in the opposite direction. Their terrified snorts filled the air as the scent of iron hit her snout.

No!

What a dick!

Growling low, she watched as the elk crumpled onto the forest floor, dead before it hit the ground.

She shifted quickly, breathing hard. “You bastard!” Azure yelled. Her voice was thick; her vocal cords still remembering her dragon form.

A cracking noise filled the clearing as Ice’s bones and tendons reformed themselves. His scales pulled back into his flesh, as did his wings and tail. Within a second, he was in his human form as well. “You’re getting slow.” The male grinned.

“Slow?” She snorted. “You wish!” She knocked him hard with her shoulder. “You’re an asshole!” she yelled, feeling slightly better when Ice staggered back from the blow. He was laughing hard, crunching slightly over his middle.

Deep rumbles behind them had her turning towards the others on the team, where they hovered just above the ground. The earth shuddered as elk carcasses dropped, brought down by the others earlier that day. Three more dragons landed in the clearing. They shifted as well. “Who brought the elk down?” Fog asked.

“Who do you think?” Ice lifted his chin, a smirk on his handsome face.

Azure made a noise of irritation. She rolled her eyes and snorted again.

“Really?” Fog frowned. “You missed?” He spoke to her. “I can’t believe you missed. You’re the fastest—”

“Azure is not the fastest!” Ice folded his arms.

“She is!” Fog shot back. “You’re stronger, but she’s just that little bit faster.” He sniggered.

“I am the fastest person in this team, and you know it!” she told Ice, keeping her voice even. “And no, I didn’t miss.” She looked at Fog, shaking her head.

“Azure is getting slow,” Ice chided, still grinning. “How old are you now? You refused to say at your birthday last week,” Ice teased, his blue eyes dancing in the late morning sun. They were glacial, like his name suggested.

She put her hands on her hips and leveled him with a stare. “My age has nothing to do with it.” She sounded shocked because she couldn’t quite believe what she was damn well hearing. The nerve of this male! He was supposed to be her friend. As if!

Fog laughed. Avalanche and Sun joined in as well. They were all laughing at her.

“Ice wing-cuffed me just as I was about to dive in for the kill,” she told the group. “I almost flew straight into that outcrop of trees.” She pointed in the general direction of the small pine forest. “I was ahead of him. That’s cheating!” she told Ice. “You cheated, you dick!”

His grin widened, and a whole lot of dimples popped out on his cheeks. Two on the left and one on the right. He was too darned cute for his own good. “It was an accident. You flew too close to me,” Ice smirked. He had done it on purpose, and they both knew it. “It’s you who should be more careful,” he jibed.

The nerve!“You’re an ass!” Azure was smiling, too. She couldn’t help it. This was great. It had almost been six months since she’d joined the hunting team. Months of hard work and determination. Months of being treated…differently, just because she was a female. Not badly, just different. The guys weren’t rude or obnoxious. In fact, the opposite was true; they were too careful. Too nice. Too well mannered. It had made her work that much harder. Six months of trying to prove herself, and it was finally working. Ice had wing-cuffed her, just like he would have done one of the others.

Yes!

“Yeah, you’re a dick, Ice!” Fog added. “You could’ve hurt Azure.”

She rolled her eyes, getting ready to retaliate.

Ice didn’t give her the chance. “I am a dick,” he retorted. “I also happen to have one, and I know how to use it.” He laughed, cupping his junk in one hand.

Azure shook her head. “Whatever, Ice.” She laughed as well. “Then again, you’ve told us countless times that you want a big family, so a dick is important.”

“In that case, your balls are more important.” Avalanche rubbed his chin.

“Enough about my junk.” Ice choked out a laugh.

“I think you owe Azure. You stole that kill out from under her.” Sun folded his arms, looking serious.

Here we go again!

“Bullshit!” Ice put his hands on his hips. “I won fair and square. With that in mind, it’s payback time.” He looked her in the eyes. “You need to carry the carcass back, and I believe you’ll need to gut and skin it as well.” He jerked a thumb at the fallen elk. “Not just that one…all of them.” He glanced at where the other four elk lay.

Azure tried not to show her surprise. Ice would normally expect this of one of the males, but never of her. “I should make you do it, since you cheated, but…you’re right, I need to be more careful. Know that I won’t be making that particular mistake again.” She narrowed her eyes on him to show she meant business. It looked like there would be no more going easy on her. She was finally one of the team, and it felt good.

Fog looked down at the fallen elk and then at her. For a moment, it looked like he might offer to help her by carrying it.

Don’t!

Don’t you dare!

Azure willed him to shift. The other three were talking about the upcoming weekend away. Their team was off duty for a change. Just when she thought he was going to offer to help her, he licked his lips. “I’ll help you if you agree to have dinner with me.” Dinner was code for sex. They all knew it.

So much for thinking things were finally improving. Azure sighed. “For the last time. No! Not happening. Not ever.” She shook her head.

“It’s only dinner.” Fog made puppy dog eyes.

“That’s it!” Ice growled. “The next person who propositions Azure during shift will gut and skin all of the game for the rest of the goddamned year. Am I clear? Do this kind of shit on your own time.”

“Yes, Ice.” Fog looked down at his feet. “I apologize, Azure. It’s just that I’ve never had such a sexy teammate before.” He smiled at her. Fog was a big old teddy bear. She wished he would drop it already.

Ice rolled his eyes. Azure could see that he was trying not to laugh. “On your own time,” he told Fog.

Azure had to bite back a smile, even though she was a little annoyed at Ice. She could fight her own battles. She knew he meant well, so she left it alone.

“I’m sorry!” Fog put up a hand. “Really sorry.” He directed it at her.

She nodded once.

“It won’t happen again,” Sun said.

“Ever,” Avalanche added.

Fog looked down at her carcass. This time it definitely looked like he was planning on offering to carry it. It was sweet, but maddening.

“See you back at the lair,” he finally said. Then he shifted, and she felt like she could breathe again. She watched him pick up one of the other carcasses.

Yes!

Azure smiled as she shifted. Six whole months and she was finally going to be one of the males. Plucking the elk from the ground in one of her claws, she rushed to catch up.

Just over half an hour later, they landed on the top of the mountain. Their lair was beneath them, carved into the side of the sheer cliff face. She dropped the elk and shifted.

“Here.” Ice handed her a hunting knife and chuckled. “Have fun.” He winked at her.

As much as Azure loved her job, she hated this part of the process. They all did, although hate was a strong word. It wasn’t as much fun as the hunt. Her dragon loved the thrill of the chase. She was wired that way. They all were.

Azure sucked it up and smiled. “It’ll be your turn tomorrow if you’re not careful.” The rule was whoever didn’t make a kill had to skin and gut all the game themselves. Ice’s wing-clip had ensured that she was that person today. Thankfully, all of them were successful on most days.

Ice snort-laughed. “Not a chance. I plan on making a kill or two again tomorrow.”

“Let’s wait and see,” she retaliated.

“Sun is due for a no-kill day. It’s been a while since your last one,” Ice said.

“I’m bringing down a prime bull, don’t you worry. I’m excellent at my job and know all of your tricks,” Sun threw at Ice. “I’m not gutting and skinning multiple animals, since I’m saving these hands for the weekend.” He held them up, opening and closing them several times. “Thank the gods tomorrow is Friday!”

They all cheered. Everyone except Azure.

“If you need your hands, you’re doing it wrong,” Ice jibed.

Sun tilted his chin up. “I use everything. My mouth, my hands, my cock, my—”

“Spare us!” Fog grunted.

“For the love of all things scaly, please spare us. I’m with Fog on this one.” Ice shook his head. “I definitely don’t want any kind of visual that involves you rutting.” He pointed at Sun.

“Not cool, dude. Not cool!” Avalanche chipped in; he was grimacing.

“What about you?” Ice asked, turning to her.

Azure moved the hunting knife from her left hand to her right one, feeling the weight of it in her palm. She frowned. “What about me?”

“Are you coming with us?” Ice hung his carcass on a nearby hook, turning to look at her once he was done.

What?

They were inviting her to town on their stag run? Couldn’t be. She snort-laughed because she was so shocked. “To do what exactly?”

“To rut like the rest of us.” Ice shrugged.

“Who or what exactly am I rutting?” She knew it wouldn’t be one of them because when human females were around, she-dragons disappeared. At least it felt that way. Particularly if a female was infertile…as she was. Besides, she didn’t want to rut with anyone on her team. It didn’t feel right. Too close to home. There would be other dragon males at the stag run, but back to her first point. It had been an age since she last rutted, and yet she couldn’t think of anyone she wanted. Okay, perhaps there was one male, but he was off limits.

“A human,” Ice said. “There are plenty of males in the bars and clubs we frequent.” He shrugged again.

“The hunting grounds.” Sun bobbed his brows.

She choked out a laugh, moving the knife back to her left hand. Azure was eager to start skinning and gutting the elk. The kitchen would be waiting for fresh meat. They also imported food items nowadays, but still, the bulk of the food offering this evening would be elk. She shook her head. “Why would I want a human male? Where the females of the species are soft and delicate…you males seem to find those qualities attractive, which is great. Those same qualities are not all that attractive in the males.”

“Yeah.” Sun nodded, making a groaning noise. “Humans are very soft and so fucking tight.”

Fog clouted Sun on the back of the head. The male bellowed, clutching his scalp, his face contorted in pain. “What was that for?”

“We told you that we don’t want to hear about it,” Fog admonished the male. “You were saying?” he said to Azure.

She shrugged. “I’m not looking for soft and weak. I hear human males have tiny cocks and that they don’t know how to use them. Not eager for that either, thanks.”

All of them broke out into fits of laughter. “It’s true.” Ice nodded, still chuckling. “Human females are always complaining about the males of the species.”

“Yeah.” Sun nodded. “They actually look shocked when they come— Hey!” He ducked, just missing another slap from Fog. “Stop that, dickhead!”

“Why the hell would I want a human male, then?” she deadpanned.

“Good point,” Ice said.

“Totally understandable.” Fog nodded.

“You should come anyway.” Ice shrugged. “It’s fun. Have a couple of beers with us.”

“For five minutes?” She raised her brows. “Then you’ll all disappear to go and rut your humans for the night?”

“Jealous?” Ice smirked.

“No!” she snorted. “I could have rutted with all of you at least ten times by now.”

“All of us?” Ice cocked his head.

“Ten times?” Fog gave her a similar look.

Ice was right. Out of all the males on the team, Ice had never tried to get her under him. Not once. Then again, he was technically her superior, and they’d become friends over the last couple of months. As for the rest of the team, they’d offered on plenty of occasions, but none of them would have rutted her more than once or twice. That was the way of things. Fun with no strings attached. Any more than once or twice, and she might become emotionally attached. Heaven forbid. “What I meant to say…” she gave Ice a dirty look, “is that although I’ve had plenty of opportunities to rut with most of you, I’m not interested in your sorry asses. I’m not jealous.” She narrowed her eyes on Ice’s. “I have better things to do with my time than watch you pick up human females…thanks for the offer. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a job to do.” She picked up the carcass at her feet, hanging it on a nearby hook. Azure made the first incision.

The guys started moving. They shouted their goodbyes.

“I’m sure you have something better to do than watch me work.” Azure turned to Ice, who was still standing there.

He pushed out a breath through his nostrils. “Not really. I like watching you work.”

“Really now?” She’d just pulled the entrails out of the animal when he picked up an elk, hanging it on the hook next to hers. Ice grabbed himself a knife and started on the carcass. Azure turned to him. “What are you doing? I didn’t make a kill today, which means that I am responsible for processing all of these elk.”

“It’ll take you hours, Azure. The kitchen needs the meat within the next three, or there won’t be dinner tonight. I’m doing two. I did wing-clip you, after all.”

“No, you didn’t. I was clumsy,” she countered.

His eyes flared with something that looked like admiration. He nodded once. “That may be so, but I’m still cleaning two…for the kitchen. This isn’t me helping you. I want steak for dinner.” He gave her a half-smile that made her look away for a moment.

“Right, the kitchen.” She smiled at him. That meant that she had three to do. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

“Don’t thank me.” He shook his head. He cut through the ribcage, using upward strokes with the knife. “I mean it. These elk won’t be ready on time, and that would reflect badly on my team. I can’t have that.”

“No, I mean thank you for today.” Her cheeks heated. She realized that she had stopped working and got started on cutting through the ribcage of her own elk.

“It’s been long overdue,” Ice said. “I should’ve set them straight a long time ago.”

“That would’ve been special treatment. You were right to wait.”

He nodded. “You’ve more than proven yourself, Azure. You’re an asset to my team. Your only flaw is that you can’t see a wing-clip coming.” He laughed.

“Fair enough, but you need to know that I’m a fast learner.” She grinned at Ice.

“We’ll see about that.” He chuckled, then quickly sobered up. “You should reconsider coming with us on the stag run. It would be good for the team morale. We could have some fun.”

She shook her head, turning back to the job at hand and getting busy. “Nah! I appreciate the offer, but for all the reasons I already listed, I’m going to have to decline. Besides, I know you’re on the list to find a mate, and I wouldn’t want to mess with that.”

Ice frowned. “How would you mess with that?”

She made a face. “I’m a female. Not sure you noticed, but I am.” She grinned. “I might scare them off…if I’m there with all of you males.” She quickly added the last. “I’m tall, and I know how to give a scathing look. Human females do tend to irritate me.”

“I noticed that you’re a female.” Ice chuckled. “It might be fun watching you intimidate the humans. If you’re trying to give me reasons why you shouldn’t come along with us, you’re doing a bad job.” He had made all of the required incisions and was preparing to start skinning the carcass.

“Back to the part about you being on the mates’ list. I was at your birthday party just last month, and you’re not getting any younger either, buddy.” That wasn’t true at all. It was females who had a shelf-life. “Is your mom still bugging you about starting a family?”

Ice rolled his eyes and groaned. “Only every week when I visit. It’s worse after a stag run, especially now that I’m on the list.”

“She wants her grandbabies.” Azure laughed.

“Don’t you know it.” His eyes flared, and he turned serious in an instant. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know how you meant it.” She waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it.” Her own mother had died giving birth to her. Sure, there had been plenty of times growing up that she wished she had a mom, but that was what fate had dealt her. It was how it was. “My father has always said that it’s a blessing I can’t have children.” She didn’t see him very often since he lived and worked at one of the mines on the outskirts of dragon territory.

“I don’t know about that.” Ice frowned. “Although I understand why he would feel that way.”

“For sure,” she mumbled. “Who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone perfect this weekend, and you won’t have to worry about your mom giving you a hard time.” She decided to steer the conversation away from her dormant womb.

“You never know.” Ice started skinning his elk. “We’ll have beers when I get back. I’ll invite the team. We’ll need to set up a wager as to who’s buying.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Azure should be happy that Ice had invited her to join them on the run. Perhaps she was wrong to turn down the offer. Then again, it didn’t feel wrong. It was one thing wanting to be treated the same when it came to work; it was another being treated like one of the males after hours. She wasn’t one of the males. Azure was very much a female. It was normal that she didn’t want to sit there and watch… No, she wasn’t going to dwell on it. She’d stay home this weekend. The others could all go on their stag run. It would be business as usual on Monday. Thankfully Ice didn’t push it.