Alpha's Fire (Shifter Ops 4)

Wings of fire blast from my back. Gabriel is under me, grounding my body when I’d float off the bed.

The light disappears, and I’m left blinking. Red sunspots dance in front of my eyes.

“It is done,” Gabriel growls.

The flames around the bed are gone. So are the wings I saw with my psychic gifts.

There’s a fading heat on my back. I twist, but I can’t see, and I don’t dare touch. If that was a vision, why is my skin so warm?

Gabriel sits up, steadying me. Keeping me in his lap, he swings us off the bed and lifts me with his palms under my ass. He carries me to the gilt-framed mirror in the corner of the room.

Something glimmers on my back. I blink, but it’s not an illusion. At the base of my spine, three interlocking circles shimmer red. Borromean rings. When the light hits them, they shine gold.

I’m marked with a mystical tattoo. My flesh will forever bear the same symbol as the dragon’s scales.

“The firebrand,” Gabriel murmurs. His aura is a soft sunset around his head.

“I'm yours,” I breathe.

“Yes.” He bows his head, resting his forehead against mine. We’re pressed together, heart to heart, our bodies joined and our spirits entwined. “We are one.”

“I think we should have a wedding,” I say, only because his castle is the perfect place for a destination wedding. “Invite my mom and all my friends from Taos. And the villagers. Like the Christmas ball.”

“No,” Gabriel says. “It will be far grander than the Christmas ball. I will spare no expense for my bride.”

I smile. “You know I’d be just as happy with a barefoot backyard wedding, right?”

He looks confused. “Is that what you want?”

“No, I’m a dragon’s bride. I should have a grand castle wedding.”

He kisses my nose. “The grandest of all weddings.”

“I love you, dragon-man,” I murmur.

“I never knew love before you,” he confesses. “I am a changed man.”

EPILOGUE

THREE MONTHS LATER

Tabitha

The snow has mostly melted in Taos ski valley by late March. There are a few white patches in the shadows of the pine trees, on the edge of the Black Wolf pack’s lawn.

Gabriel opens my door and offers me his hand. I swing out of the Aston Martin, not bothering with my coat.

“Are you warm enough, my treasure?” Gabriel asks, examining my bare arms.

“All good.” I’ve always had a high cold tolerance, but since the firebrand, I might as well be impervious to the winter chill. Which is good because all of Gabriel’s houses seem to be in remote, snowy places. You’d think the dragon would prefer the heat, but no.

I tuck my hair behind my ear. It’s been a month since I’ve seen my friends and their mates, and I’m strangely nervous.

“You look lovely,” Gabriel assures me, offering his arm.

“You know, you don’t have to wear a suit to dinner. It’s probably going to be a cookout.”

“I will eat with the wolves. I will not dress like them.”

I roll my eyes. Stuffy old dragon.

“I heard that,” he growls in a tone that promises delicious retribution.

I take his arm and let him lead me up the driveway. He places a hand over mine.

“If at any point you want to leave, speak into my mind, and I will ensure you get your wish.”

I love how open I can be about my psychic gifts. My abilities are growing stronger, thanks to practice with my mate. “And if I want to say I love you, I’ll tug my ear.”

Gabriel looks at me blankly, even though I know he gets the reference.

“Thank you,” I say. “But these are my friends, Gabriel. It’ll be fine.”

He nods, but I hear his unspoken grunt. It better be.

I hide my smile. He takes his protection duties very seriously.

As we walk up to the front door of the lodge, Gabriel’s fingers find the thick gold band I wear on my ring finger. I wasn’t a huge fan of wedding rings or weddings, but my mother insisted. She also hired lawyers to review our prenup and was mollified when it merely stated that all Gabriel’s wealth belonged to me.

We had a big ole wedding at the castle, as traditional as it could be. My friends were bridesmaids, and the whole village was invited. Giampi made six wedding cakes.

The wedding rings we wear are made of the same material Gabriel designed for the cuffs. Two small cuffs—one for him, one for me.

I still wear the cuffs, of course. During sexy times.

The front door to the lodge opens before I can ring the doorbell. Rafe stands there, and for a tense few seconds, he and Gabriel stare at each other.

“Dragon,” Rafe jerks his chin up.

“Wolf,” Gabriel replies. I squeeze his arm.

“Human,” I put in my own imitation of a manly growl. “Mate.”

Both Rafe and Gabriel look at me.

“Meat,” I grunt. “Booze. Now.”