Red Hot Dragon

Book 2: Dragon Heat

by Lolita Lopez

Genres: Fantasy Romance; Paranormal Romance; Erotic & Steamy Romance

Synopsis

Griffin Cadogan is surprised when Avani Monroe, the sworn enemy of his dragon family, walks into his gym. With his mating phase approaching, the dragon shifter wonders why she risks coming into enemy territory. Yet the dark-eyed temptress shocks him even more with an outrageous demand: She wants him to help her have a baby. After her mother's dragon line was annihilated by the Knights, Avani vows to continue her unique dragon breed-and the registries indicate that Griffin is the best candidate. Determined to mate, Avani plans to use her seductive beauty and powerful scent to entice Griffin. The big, strong Welsh man will make for a fitting partner . . . if he doesn't kill her first. When they spar over the terms of her proposal, Griffin and Avani can't deny the intense, primal attraction they feel for each other. But as they become closer to creating a child, the lovers can hear danger encircle them as loud as the clapping of wings. The dragon slayers are coming . . .and they're gunning for Griffin, Avani, and the entire dragon race. 25,000 words.

Release date: October 1, 2013

Publisher: Forever Yours

Print pages: 106

Sample

Chapter One

Awash in adrenaline, Griffin Cadogan eyed his opponent across the sparring cage. He danced from foot to foot as he waited for Mad to make his move. The springy mat was cool beneath his bare soles. Though they’d been at this for nearly half an hour, it wasn’t the physical exertion making him so hot. No, tonight his mating phase would begin. Already his body was beginning to show the subtle signs as his forced shifting approached.


Like a raging bull, Mad charged him. Griff stepped into the oncoming assault but twisted his upper body just enough to escape the brunt of his cousin’s impact. Griff kneed him right in the stomach and slammed his elbow into the other man’s back. But it wasn’t enough to slow Mad down, and he wrapped his arms around Griffin’s waist. They fell to the mat with so much force they bounced.

Limbs entangled, they grappled and slapped. Anyone who caught a glimpse of them fighting would have assumed they were engaged in a death match. In fighting without gloves or protective head gear, they were breaking the rules of the mixed-martial-arts training facility they owned, but since they had the place to themselves for the afternoon no one would be the wiser.

Griff tried to get Mad in a headlock, but the other man twisted and arched his back to avoid being pinned in a bad position. Griff’s inner beast struggled to be set free. The primal urge to destroy threatened to overwhelm him, but he wasn’t worried about hurting Madoc. They’d been fighting this way for centuries. If anyone had the strength and skill to beat his ass when he was on the verge of going into heat and unleashing his dragon, it was Mad.

But today his cousin seemed off his game. Quite out of character, Mad let Griff get the upper hand. It was only a fractional slip, but it was enough for Griff to wrap his legs around Mad’s waist and clamp his arm around the other man’s neck. Though Mad kicked and smacked, he couldn’t break free. With a frustrated howl, Mad slapped Griff’s forearm three times and tapped out.

Griff let go immediately and rolled Mad onto his back. “You okay, man?’

Mad shot him the finger and dragged a long, shuddery breath into his lungs.

Laughing, Griff plopped down on his backside and stretched out his aching legs. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Leaning back on his hands, he studied his cousin. There was no mistaking the tiredness in him, and it wasn’t just from this fight. “Are you still having those dreams?”

Mad threw an arm over his eyes and breathed slow and deep. “Yes.”

For the last three weeks, Mad had been experiencing vivid dreams. At first, they had been fairly innocuous. He’d dreamed of beautiful beaches, tequila-fueled nights, and even a wild foam party in a warehouse-style nightclub. They’d both assumed Mad was tapping into the dream energy of a neighbor. It wasn’t uncommon for their dragonkind to trespass into dreams.

But then the dreams had taken a darker, worrying turn.

“What did you dream last night?”

Mad didn’t answer straight away. Finally, he said, “I was in a cage or a cell.”

“Like a prison?”

“Maybe,” he said uncertainly. “It was definitely underground. I could feel the dampness on my skin and smelled its musty wetness. And I was hungry, Griff. So damn hungry. I woke up, stumbled downstairs, and tore through all of the food in my refrigerator. I ate so much I got sick,” he admitted softly. “But I couldn’t shake that gnawing hunger clawing at my stomach.”

Concern rippled through him. “Have you talked to Ignatius?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“And he told me sometimes we have to slay the beast.”

Griff rolled his eyes at their leader’s cryptic reply. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I don’t know,” Mad said, his voice filled with resignation. “Maybe he means I’m literally supposed to go out and hunt down whoever is filling my head with all these crazy images.”

Griff grumbled softly. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. You could be walking into a trap. It wouldn’t be the first time the Knights used a seer or someone with empathic abilities to screw with a dragon’s head.”

“It doesn’t feel malicious.” He rubbed his chest. “It feels desperate.” Mad let his arm fall back to the mat. He met Griff’s gaze. “I can’t go on like this. I may not have a choice.”

Griff could see what these dreams were doing to Mad, and he agreed that they had to be stopped. Who would be powerful enough to project dreams as a call for help? The possibilities worried him, especially if Mad struck out on his own. “Will you at least wait until I’ve finished this mating phase? I’ll come with you.”

“Sure.”

He opened his mouth to ask him where they would start their search but the wild vibration of an approaching dragon gripped his gut. Every dragon of his acquaintance had a specific feeling, but this one he didn’t recognize. The vibrations filled him with a bright, trembling sensation of excitement. The alien sensation was unsettling.

Griff pushed off the mat and rose to his full height. Mad was a little slower getting off the floor. They climbed out of the ring and crossed the gym to the main entrance. The vibrations in Griff’s stomach pushed into his chest. A pulsing heat burned him. He rubbed the spot just over his heart and glanced at Mad. His cousin didn’t seem to be the least bit affected.

The double doors burst open and a woman appeared. Her scent hit him like a ton of bricks. Swaying on his feet, Griff backed up a step and tried to clear his hazy mind. Alluringly sweet and spicy, the smell invaded his lungs. His inner beast snapped with lust and need. This woman, whoever she was, had ignited his desire.

Griff let his hungry gaze roam her petite frame. He’d never seen a skirt look so good. The hip-hugging fabric outlined her body in all the right ways. A fitted blouse with the top buttons popped open displayed her curves. She wore her jet-black hair coiled at the back of her head. Emeralds dangled from her earlobes. The glimmering green jewels accentuated her silky brown skin. His fingertips buzzed as he wondered what it would be like to stroke her face.

She turned her dark eyes on him. Something about her was so familiar. When she waved her hand up and down, he spotted the white handkerchief. What in the hell?


“Griffin Cadogan?”

Her gentle voice spilled over him like sunshine. “Yes?”

“I’d like to request we put our family’s little blood feud aside for the duration of my visit.”

Blood feud? The shock of her identity smacked him right in the face. “Avani Monroe?”

Her lips curved in a teasing smile. “They told me you were the smart one.”

Trying to ignore the needful pull tugging at him, Griff narrowed his eyes. “You’re either very brave or very stupid to come into our gym.”

“I assure you I’m neither stupid nor brave.” She took a hesitant step closer. “No, it’s desperation that brought me to my enemy’s door.”

Her somber tone struck a chord with him. Against his better judgment, he asked, “What do you want?”

Her sexy, sinful grin knocked the air right out of his lungs. “You.”

*  *  *

Feeling anything but confident, Avani ignored the nervousness wobbling in her lower belly and tried to maintain the cool, controlled façade that had served her so well in business. Her gaze skipped to Ian Madoc. Griffin’s cousin stared at her with amusement and interest. She glanced back to the man she desperately needed to help her.

Surprise spread across Griffin’s face. She spotted the briefest flare of crimson in his pale blue irises as that beastly Welsh Red tried to surface. Like her, he was only hours away from going into heat. She figured that was the reason the two cousins had been knocking the crap out of one another. She preferred the more enlightened methods of fasting and meditation to ease her transition, but apparently these two dragons still clung to the older, more barbaric customs.

She examined Griffin more closely. His size made her nervous. She’d heard he was a big man, but she hadn’t been expecting this. Nearly seven feet tall, he sported the broadest shoulders she’d ever seen and muscular arms emblazoned with heavy tattoos. She didn’t recognize any of the symbols or markings, but they were probably significant to his old tribe or his Welsh homeland.

Griffin lifted one huge hand and crooked a finger. His deep, rumbling voice made her heart race. “Come with me.”

Gulping down the anxiety clogging her throat, Avani followed him across the gym to an office. She glanced over her shoulder and found Madoc making his way to an arched doorway on the other side of the gym. The realization she would have a few moments of privacy to plead her case with Griffin bolstered her courage.

He entered the office and kept one hand on the door for her. Fearful that inhaling his scent would make her brain fuzzy, she held her breath as she passed him. Soothing heat radiated from him in strong, penetrating waves. Her breasts ached and her core pulsed with need. Attraction and lust weren’t emotions she allowed herself to experience very often. Right now, she didn’t have a choice. Griffin’s nearness had inflamed her.

The door shut with a soft click. Hands trembling, she gripped the handkerchief tighter. Coming into a closed space with him had been a terrible idea. His deli. . .