Lolita Lopez: Dead Sexy Dragon

She examined Griffin more closely. His size still made her nervous. She’d heard he was a big man but 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 Ian making his way to an arched doorway on the other side of the gym. The realization that 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 delicious scent curled around her. She eyed him warily as he walked to the desk and leaned back against it. Even in that slight sitting position, he towered over her. Refusing to sit or give him the upper hand, she lifted her chin.

“You realize that I’m about to go into heat. The risk you’ve taken—”

“It’s acceptable to me,” she interrupted. “In fact, our synced heat cycles are exactly why I need you.”

His jaw visibly clenching, he said, “If you’re suggesting what I think you’re suggesting, you are out of your damned mind. I’m not in the market for a mate and certainly not one whose great-aunt stabbed my great-uncle to death.” He pointed to the door. “You should leave. Now .”

“No.” She stood her ground. “And, for the record, my father’s family tells a slightly different version of the altercation that started this feud.”

He snorted. “I’m sure they did. Now why are you here?”

“You’re a member of the Brotherhood of the Green Hide. You’re charged with protecting our species from extinction. You know what the Knights of St. George did to my mother’s family?”

His harsh expression softened. “Yes.”

“Then you also know that after the massacre last fall, I’m the last of my mother’s line.” Her eyes prickled with bitter tears as the memories of the vicious and brutal battle flooded her mind. “My mother’s family had invited us home for reconciliation. It was supposed to be a beautiful family reunion but those bastards…”

She couldn’t finish the thought. Swallowing hard, she touched her chest. “I’m the last of the Naga. I’ve been combing the family trees of my people looking for someone, anyone, with the right genes, but the Knights have snuffed us out.”

Griffin exhaled slowly. “The Knights are frighteningly efficient when it comes to targeting specific bloodlines. Your mother’s line was one of the most fragile and unique of our kind.”

“Centuries of arranged marriages and a closed society didn’t help.” She thought of the horror her mother and father had caused with their scandalous love affair and elopement. Her Indian mother had chosen to marry a Western man from a little-known branch of a British dragon tribe. Both sets of parents had decried the match and ostracized the pair. Avani had grown up as an outcast, never quite belonging in the dragon commune that had accepted her parents as members.

“I don’t know why you think I can help you. My people are lightning makers and thunder clappers.”

“Not all of them,” she said. “Your archivist, Reynard, helped me identify dragons with suitable bloodlines. Your great-grandmother was a water serpent. Like me, she was the last of her kind but she came from a pure and uninterrupted bloodline.”

He let loose an annoyed grunt. “So what?”

Gathering her courage, she said, “It means that our baby would have a high chance of inheriting my Naga gifts.”

Taken aback, Griffin stared at her. “Are you insane ? Did you really just propose that we have a child? In case you’ve forgotten, our families are involved in a blood feud.”

Irritated, she snapped back at him. “No, I haven’t forgotten. If you’re not going to help me, you may as well go ahead and finish me off right here. Satisfy your family’s honor, Griffin. Who knows? Maybe the Knights will send you a thank-you card and a nice flower arrangement for tying up a loose end.”

He growled angrily and shot to his feet. “Comparing me to a Knight isn’t a very persuasive tactic, Avani.”

She rubbed her face and sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m on edge and I’m desperate.”

“Why are you in such a rush to have children? You’re only, what, thirty? You haven’t even hit your first centenary!”

“When you’re the last member of a nearly extinct race of dragon, you can stand there and lecture me on biological clocks!”

He studied her intently. “Do you have any idea what you’re asking? I’ve gone nearly one thousand years without taking a mate or fathering a child. There’s a reason for that. My work is very dangerous. My loyalty to the Brotherhood comes first.”

She understood his hesitancy and embraced it. She’d been relieved when she’d researched him and realized how unlikely he was to want a role as an active parent. “I’m not looking for a husband or even a partner in parenting. Don’t worry. I don’t want your money either. My jewelry business is quite successful. I can handle motherhood on my own.”

“Is that so?” An expression she couldn’t place filtered across his face. “It seems as if you have this all planned out. I suppose all you want from me is a sperm donation.”

She winced at how cold it sounded. “It wouldn’t be like that. You’re in heat. I’m in heat. I’m sure our time together will be pleasurable.”

“And when the phase ends?”

“You leave. I’ll contact you if we’re successful.”

“And that’s that?” He didn’t sound happy.

“Well, I mean, what more do you want?”

He made a disgusted noise. “What the hell kind of man do you think I am? You think I would make a child with a stranger and then walk away from him or her?”

His fury stunned her. Stammering, she said, “I…I thought—”

“No,” he interjected roughly. “You didn’t think. You assumed you could waltz in here smelling like heaven, ensnare me, and convince me to do whatever you wanted. Well I’ve got news for you, Avani. I’m not the kind of man who can be led around by his dick.”

His crass remark made her flinch. “You’re wrong, Griffin. I didn’t come here hoping to ensnare you with my mating scent.” Embarrassment burned her neck and cheeks. “Do you think it was easy for me to come in here and beg a stranger to sleep with me? And not just any stranger, Griffin! You’re my enemy.”

“I am not your enemy.” He spoke the words with such passion it set her back on her feet. “What happened centuries ago is of little consequence to me. No dragon is my enemy.” Looking pained, he rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re asking me to do the impossible.”

“No,” she replied insistently. “I’m asking you to uphold the oath you took when you joined the Brotherhood. I’m asking you to save my family line. I need you, Griffin. You’re the only one who can help me.”