Page 45

We make out between washing each other. He slides soap down my back and grabs a handful of my ass on the way. His muscles jump under my hands when I lather his chest and stomach. He tips my chin up to rinse my hair and rubs his fingers into my scalp. I close my eyes with the water running over my face.

He handles me like I’m precious. If this is what forever feels like, I don’t want to go back home to my parents. I want this. I want all of it.

After another round of soap, I’m done pretending I can wait. I turn around with my hands flat on the shower wall and wiggle my ass against his dick.

He groans low. When I peek over my shoulder, he’s fighting for control with his eyes rolled back. The hot musk of his arousal fills my nose, and my pussy clenches. I love that I’m the one doing this to him. My wolf wants to breed. She paces and shoves at the bond. Every morning like this brings her closer to getting her way. She knows I’m running out of reasons to tell her no.

Ezra moans and bends over me with the water pouring down on us. He reaches around to squeeze my breasts and tugs at my nipples. He nips at my neck and nudges himself between my thighs until he’s sliding through where I’m already wet for him. My knees almost give out.

I brace against the tile and bite my lip to keep from begging. I need him to stretch me.

“Fuck it,” he growls. He notches his dick at my pussy and digs his fingers into my hip. I push back to meet him.

Then the sirens start. The shriek cuts through the steam. Ezra jerks back from me to cover his ears. I clamp my hands over mine, but it doesn’t help much.

We know this sound from the Academy, where they run a drill every year and nothing ever comes of it. This isn’t a drill.

Ezra ducks under the spray to rinse off. I crowd in after him while the alarm screams through the cabin walls. He shuts off the water and hands me a towel.

He knots his own at his waist. “Wintermoon is in trouble.”

“No shit.” I cut my eyes at him and wrap mine tight.

He frowns at me and heads into the bedroom to dig through his side of the dresser. He steps into boxer briefs and jeans. The fitted shirt he drags on stretches across his shoulders. I wrestle underwear and leggings up my damp legs. After I yank a workout tee over my head, I swipe on some deodorant. We don’t bother with shoes. My wolf is itching to go see what’s wrong out there.

Ezra quits buttoning his jeans and watches me from across the room. “Where do you think you’re going?”

I look up from shoving my drawer shut with my hip. “Huh?”

He comes around the bed and plants himself in front of me. “Oh no. You aren’t going out in that. It’s dangerous.”

I stare up at him. Has this dragon lost his mind? “You have no idea if it’s dangerous or not, Ezra. You’re being ridiculous.”

He jabs a finger at me. “Aya⁠—”

I lift my chin. “The least I can do is run to my pack village to see if they need anything.”

The growl that rips out of him makes me yelp and stumble backward into the bed frame. He’s never aimed a sound like that at me before. That’s his dragon talking, and he wants me to stay put.

I scramble onto the covers. My wolf whimpers and submits to the bigger predator in the room. Thin gray wisps of smoke curl from his nose and ears. His scent turns sharp and scorched. He’s way past mad. He’s pissed the fuck off.

I put my hands up where he can see them. “All right, Ezra. Calm down. I’m right here in bed.”

I pat the mattress and do my best to seem harmless. He stalks up to the edge of the bed with his eyes blazing. The sirens are still going, but I hardly hear them. My wolf can’t focus on anything but the dragon standing over me.

He braces his fists by my hips and leans down until his smoke is warm on my face. “You wanted a feral dragon,” he snarls. “Now you’ve got him. You mean more to me than anything in this world. I will not have you go out in danger just because you want to be a savior.”

“But you can.” I meet his eyes. “I have to sit here and wait for you to come home. Hope you come home?”

More smoke puffs out of his nose. I shut my mouth. Arguing with him while his dragon is this close to the surface gets me nowhere. I’ll go out the window after he leaves. My mother warned me about men like him, shifters most of all. Let them think they’ve won, then go do what you want.

Ezra steps back from the bed and glances at the window. I keep my face blank. Can he smell what I’m up to? Outside, people pour out of their cabins and shout to each other over the noise.

He calms down a notch. “I’m just going to the border to see what’s going on,” he says. “I won’t be gone long.”

I lower my eyes like a good, obedient mate. When he leans in, I tip my face up and kiss him. His mouth is hot and tastes of smoke.

“Hurry up,” I murmur.