Eddy

Ice Age Dragon Brotherhood, #2.5

Milana Jacks

Eddy © 2018, Milana Jacks

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Unless you’ve seen dragons (you must tell me!), any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Storm for Her

About the Author

1

Eddy

Riding my Harley through a quiet neighborhood of Audubon, New Orleans gives me perverse pleasure.

Once upon another age, I lived here with the other rich folk. Last month, after I sorted out some turf issues with my buddy Jonatan—Nentres, the dragon lord—I started moving some things into my old home. I’ll settle down here with a woman. Not that I got a woman, but the moment I find one that suits me, I’m gonna put a ring on her finger. I’m ready.

I park on the side of my old home and grin ear to ear. I get to live here without paying any mortgage. Nice. When I was in my early teens, Dad divorced my mom and left us. She worked two jobs to pay for this house and a private school for me, but it wasn’t enough. The bank foreclosed, and we moved into the slums. I learned how to survive on the streets, enlisted in the Navy, and fuck if I didn’t feel well prepared for the apocalypse. Street life and military will teach a person more about survival than a fancy private school.

From the back of the bike, I get my backpack, then head up my driveway, making sure I walk all the way to the left. The steep driveway is frozen. You could ice-skate on it. I don’t mind the ice, for it serves a purpose. Anyone trying to get into my house will land on their asses at least a few times before making it to the front door. Since I don’t want visitors, I keep the ice and pour some water over it from time to time.

I unlock the front door and walk inside. The nice vanilla scent from the candle above the fireplace makes me feel at home right away. My mother made candles and dreamed of opening a shop. It wasn’t in the cards for her. She worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant by night, and as a housekeeper for the Helsons—a few blocks away—by day.

I shoulder off my backpack and drop it near my recliner, by the fireplace. There will be fire tonight if I fix it the way the fire-breathing dragon said I should. He’s got some magic fire, and apparently, I can use it while staying next door to his mansion. Two pieces of wood lie next to the fireplace. I throw them inside then add in a small white ball. It ignites and starts a fire.

Magic is fantastic. Wish I could’ve used this during all the winters I huddled downtown, praying I’d make it through. Nentres said this fire would burn until I separated the pieces of wood from one another or until the white ball depletes. I check my watch. Gonna be warm until about midnight. I wipe my hands on my worn leathers and walk into the kitchen to drop off Mary’s gumbo and turkey leftovers.

“Fuck.” I jump back and pull out my gun.

A gray dog, maybe a Husky or something, with clear blue eyes as wide as cyborg pods is standing on my kitchen counter. We lock gazes in a stare-down, neither of us moving. Nowadays, most dogs live on the streets, in packs. They’re wild and unfriendly, some even infected with rabies. I’m pretty sure this one doesn’t have rabies, but I keep my 9mm aimed at it anyway.

This dog sports a deer-in-the-headlights look and cookie crumbs all over its muzzle. I take a step closer. The dog tries to bail, but the marble on the counter is slippery, and the poor thing lands on the floor, front legs folded under its belly.

I wince. That must’ve hurt, but dogs are tough motherfuckers. It gets right up and tries running. Again, polished hardwood floors. Its legs are doing everything but running away. I block the kitchen door and laugh, putting away my gun in the holster behind my back. The dog stops dancing on the spot and makes it to the other corner of the kitchen. Its heart is beating against its ribcage, and the poor thing is panting.

Now that the initial surprise wore off, I can take a better look. Hm. I crouch and tilt my head. “Are you a wolf?”

Its wide eyes are wary.

“I think you are.” I glance between its legs. “A girl. Aww. Come here.” I make kissing sounds and tap my knee. “Come here, girl. Daddy Eddy not gonna hurt you. Are you hungry?”

Its ears twitch.

“Yeah, I think you are. I got a mighty fine gumbo, which I don’t share, but I also got a turkey leg.”

I open the leftovers and fish out a greasy-ass turkey leg. “Mmm… Yummy for the tummy.” I lick my lips then place the leg slowly on the floor. I sniff. “Smells good.”

Nothing.

The wolf isn’t moving.

I take my bag of food and leave for the living room, so it’s not too scared to eat the leg.

See, I’m nice to animals. People? It depends.

* * *

Holly

I’m so hungry, I wanna eat the big guy who walked in on me eating his cookies. Though the house looked abandoned when I squeezed in through the hole in the boarded up back window, apparently I left my common sense outside. The interior of the house is clean, and I ate fresh cookies—both clear indications someone actually lives here or visits.

When Mother Nature found me dying from gunshot wounds on an empty street in Nashville, Tennessee, she took mercy on me and gifted me with a wolf creature. My wounds healed, and I lived though I swore I’d walked into the light. At first, I loved the experience of running on all fours, smelling food from a mile away, and having fur to keep me warmer then my skin and clothes did, but before I knew it, I found myself in New Orleans, without remembering the journey. How the hell did I cross the states? Hell, I don’t know what day it is anymore. I’ve been an animal far too long.

This morning, I spotted a large mansion, where people seemed to have everything. Food, water, and fire for warmth. I needed to scoop it out and decide how I’d go inside—as an animal or a human. Probably an animal. So I parked inside this house next door. A mistake.

The piece of turkey on the floor calls me like a Siren. I sniff. Ooh. There’s some gravy on it, and it reminds me of Thanksgiving at the shelter, up in Nashville. My claws click the floor, as I make my way to the food. I sniff again and drool. I lick off the gravy, keeping my gaze on the kitchen entrance and praying Big Man doesn’t lock something around my neck and drag me into a cage.

A door creaks open. Cold wind blows up my legs.

I whine, protesting both the cold and the need to fill my belly. I wolf down the turkey, nearly chocking on the meat, then peek around the corner. The front door stands open. Big Man’s lounging on the recliner near the fireplace, with his boots off and his feet up on the ottoman. “Go on. Get out of here,” he says.

I glance at the heat near his feet and hesitate. Big Man is over six feet of muscle, with a shaved head, a beard and tribal tattoos on the left side of his face and scull. He’s a scary dude, but I’m an animal now, so the rules are different. Humans treat animals way better than they treat other people. Karina, the girl who shot me in the back, fed stray cats but wouldn't spare food for me. I’d begged for days, then tried to steal from her and ran off when she caught me. She shot me three times and left me to die.

Big Man doesn’t seem to want to shoot me in my wolf form. He may even give me water and warmth. Outside’s nothing but the Ice Age, and I’d freeze or starve to death, neither of which is appealing. I lower my head and drop to my belly.

Big Man raises an eyebrow but says nothing as I crawl to his feet, my right side near the fireplace. It’s warm. I wanna sleep here.

“Okay,” he says and stands to close the front door.

Trapped with him in the room, I whine, unable to articulate my feelings. I want to stay, but I also want to leave because he’s scary.

He rests his hands on his hips. “You must be from next door. My buddy keeps a zoo.”

Or I could’ve come from Nashville.

“I’ve never had a pet before.”

Or a woman who turns into a wolf.

He sits back down and scratches behind my ear. Ooh, nice. I tilt my head.

“You like that, hmm?”

His hand travels down my fur and scratches my belly. Immediately, I roll onto my back. He keeps scratching, and my left leg kicks reflexively. Ooh, but he knows how to pet me. Just as I’m getting a great rub, Big Man grabs the skin at the back of my neck and lifts me onto his lap. I yelp and stare into his brown eyes, much darker than mine.

The back of the chair flies back. I yelp again, but he taps his chest. “Lie down, girl. We’re gonna snuggle for the night. It’ll keep us warm.”

Oh. Okay.

I crawl on top of him and put my muzzle on my paws. Under my paws, his pecs flex as he reaches for a bottle of whiskey. “Wanna sip?” he asks.

Yes.

“Nah. Probably not.”

More muscle flexing as he sips. Damn. This guy’s packing some serious muscle. It’s all hard under my paws, and for an outlaw, he smells good. I sniff his beard, and he chuckles. Homemade soap with a floral scent. I picture him using a pink, girly soap. Big Man isn’t girly, —not even a little bit. He’s the guy who appears not to give a shit, keeps his long beard trimmed, hair out of his way, and drives a Harley. You’d think I’d have run when that bike roared up the driveway. Eh, I thought it parked next door, at the zoo.

We lock gazes, and he smiles. “You’re a sweet girl.” He scratches behind my ear again. “I’m gonna keep you. What should I name you? Cookie?”

Holly.

“Yeah. I’m gonna call you Cookie.” He extends his hand and fiddles with something I recognize. A remote control. No. A digital clock, still operating on batteries. Where in God’s name did he find one of those? Nobody even makes batteries anymore. Even before the Ice Age, the Cy aliens orbiting our planet showed us some tricks and improved out tech. Batteries were outdated. He sets the timer for two hours. “I can’t sleep with the fire on. Isn’t safe, you know.”

We’d snuggle indeed, because after a couple of hours, this house would freeze again. I sigh. I’ll stick with Big Guy for a while, until I figure out how to join the zoo next door. At least in my wolf form, they’ll feed me, though in my experience, humans are as cold as the Ice Age.

2

Holly

Big Man gets up bright and early in the morning. I follow him through the house. The new scents are assaulting my brain—mold somewhere high up in the air, detergent from the laundry room, humans who’ve passed through the house recently. My nose is working full time. I’m sniffing the floors. I have no idea where I’m going, until the door closes behind me. I jerk my head up.

He unzips his pants and assumes man-about-to-urinate position.

I close my eyes, but my hearing and smell are excellent. I want to die.

Thump. Thump.

I snap my eyes open. Boots on the floor in front of me. Clothes pile on the boots, and Big Man is naked. And hard, because… morning wood. He strokes the big thing a few times and smiles in the mirror, then reaches over and flips a switch. I hear a soft explosion, and then smell… not sure what. I recognize the smell the minute he gets in the shower and hot water assaults his body. Fake wood, burning. He’s got a water heater!

I’m salivating over hot water and my impending shower, when I notice Big Man is stroking his hard wood. He glances at me, then closes the shower curtain. The curtain is one of those shower liners, so it’s transparent. It apparently gives him a sense of privacy. Humans are weird.

Big Man throws his head back. He’s glorious. Like a mountain man or something, all wild and crazy looking.

Still, I shouldn’t watch him jerk off. I whine, slump on the floor, and cover my eyes with my paws. But again, my hearing is great. Big Man’s breathing heavy, and I know he’s getting all worked up. A slap on the tile, and I imagine he’s rested his palm on it, and watches how he strokes his cock. I wonder what he’s thinking about. His girlfriend or wife? Or maybe he’s got a partner.

I chuckle. It’s been too long since I masturbated.

“Fuuuuck,” comes from behind the curtain, and I wait a minute to open my eyes. Good. Big Man is lathering up with foam from the bottle that holds pink liquid soap and smells like roses. I laugh, and it comes out as a snort. He rinses off, dries, and steps out, then wraps a towel low around his hips. His muscles make dimples, and butterflies play in my belly. Down, girl.

Okay. I need to refocus. I pat to the shower and stand here, dreaming of warm water hitting my human body. I haven’t bathed in days, and it’s been months since I did so with hot water.

Big Man dresses fast and says, “Gonna see about some food for us.” He bends and turns his cheek. “Give me a kiss, Cookie.”

I press my nose to his cheek.

In turn, he smacks my flank.

Ouch.

“Good girl.”

I follow him out, as if I wanna go with him, because that’s what domesticated animals do. He bypasses the front door and heads toward the back of the house. He opens the back door and steps aside.

Damn, it’s cold. I look up at him, hoping my what-the-fuck expression is clear. Close the door, man, or go about your business.

He leans his shoulder against the wall and stares at me. “Go on.” He jerks his head, indicating the yard covered in snow. “Doggies piss outside.”

He’s taking me out for potty!

I glare at him.

Big Man shakes his head then reaches over, grabs the back of my neck and walks me out. “Can’t have you pissing on my floors. Gonna get you a nice collar, so we can go for walks but until then, gotta go in the back yard.”

I think about charging back into the house and kicking the door in his face. I’ve gone from wolf to domestic dog who goes potty in the back yard. Oh and he’ll get a collar so he can walk me. I want to nip his ankle.

Big Man steps back and blocks the house’s entrance. “If you don’t pee now, I gotta leave you out here till I come back, or take you to Nentres. He’s a dragon. Eats little wolves for breakfast. Nom nom.”

Is he serious?

He looks serious, and I’ve heard people speak of dragon sightings. Could they really exist? I exist.

Fine. I dig a hole in the snow and squat, looking anywhere but at him. But he’s doing great watching me. I can feel his gaze. Gah. Humans should stop staring at us while we do our business.

We walk back inside. I follow him to the front door, which he closes right in my face. I climb to the window and watch him round the ice-covered driveway to approach his bike, parked on the side of the house. My ears are working double time, listening to bike’s rumble. The moment I can’t hear shit, I charge back into the bathroom and change into my human shape.

My hands are stranger’s, pale and furless, my nails the longest I’ve seen them.

I paw at the faucet. My God—I must’ve spent a month as a wolf. I wiggle my fingers, to get the feeling back into them, and then start the hot water.

* * *

Eddy

My old Harley roaring down the fancy New Orleans neighborhood on this shitty, gray winter morning makes me smile. Besides my buddy Nentres, I’m the only man left standing. When my parents divorced, and my mom had to leave this neighborhood, she tried to keep me in the nearby private school. Since Dad left us with no money, it showed on my clothes. I didn’t wear the latest greatest or have my dad pick me up in a Lamborghini or some such. Most of my friends started avoiding me, if not straight-out calling me out on my lack of wealth. It was a fucking blessing when Mom put me into public school.

Look at them fancy fuckers now.

Not a single one defended their house or their belongings. My ol’ neighborhood was the very first one I cleared out, after they all left. Yeah, I looted the place. Took what I wanted. Raiding had nothing to do with wanting shit I couldn't have and everything to do with the need to survive. Most of the stuff I hauled out of their homes I traded for food and ammo. What I didn’t trade, I gave away to homeless folk, wondering the streets. One by one, they started coming to me, and before I knew it, I became The Man in town. I didn’t ask for leadership; I earned their loyalty.

Speaking of loyalty. Wolves are loyal. Seeing as Nentres keeps a pack of wolves at his house, I intent to ask him about her. I’m definitely keeping her, and he knows that everything I find I keep. Come to think of it, them wolves mix with people at his mansion just fine. A little unusual for wild animals. Hm.

I hook a right turn, heading toward the house I use for storage, where I may have stashed a collar and a leash, as well as some dog food. In its driveway, I pat my pockets. “Fuck.” I forgot the damned keys.

Annoyed, I drive home, park, and walk back into the house, expecting my wolf to greet me.

Nobody paws at my leg. I guess them wild things aren’t like dogs. Dogs greet owners at the door, as if they haven’t seen them in ten years, when in fact the owners have been gone for ten minutes. It’d be nice to have someone greet me and want nothing more from me than some food and a pat on the flank.

Wait a second.

I tilt my head. Damn. I forgot to turn off the shower. What the fuck is wrong with me this mornin’? I march down the hall. All my gas must be gone by now. Before I get to the bathroom door, I stop dead in my tracks. Someone’s singing. A woman. Damn-fine voice. A country song. The door is slightly ajar so I peek inside.

The water is washing away soap down her long black hair. She’s short and thin with small perky titties. I find her cute. Luck’s smiling at me lately.

Eat Mary’s gumbo for the first time in ten years—check.

Hold a proper Thanksgiving dinner for the first time since my mom passed away—check.

Get a woman in my house—check.

Casually, I stand at the doorway. “Hey there, sugar.”

The woman screams and starts speaking in tongues. Chinese? Japanese? Vietnamese? I served in the Middle East, speak a little Arabic, but this is a whole different language base. I raise my hands. “Ain’t gonna hurt you.”

Now, I expect her to rip the shower curtain and try to cover her fine-ass body.

But no. Not in the cards for me. Crazy shit’s in my cards. White light explodes around her, and in the tub stands Cookie. I blink, and gape.

Cookie leaps over the tub and zips past me, while I stand there stupefied. Now, my dad was diagnosed with schizophrenia, a mental disorder that causes people who have it to lose touch with reality. Cold sweat washes over me. Did I have a— Fuck, what’s it called? An episode. Damn it all to hell. I take out my 9mm and crack my neck. “What the fuck just happened?’

Cookie whines as she scampers around the house, clearly trying to escape. I march after her, lock the front door, and lean against it. Up the stairs, claws click the hardwood floors.

“Come see crazy Eddy, girl. You ain’t going nowhere.” Silence. There’s the click, click of claws, then soft footsteps. Drawers open and close. She’s looking for clothes. “There’s a box in the closet,” I shout.

Minutes later, a woman walks down the stairs. She wears jeans and a Christmas Santa sweater. She pauses at the last step and mumbles something in… I’m gonna say Chinese.

“You don’t understand me. Where. Are. You. From? Where do you come from?” I wave my hand indicating the world.

“Nashville.”

“Huh?”

“Nash-ville.”

“Damn it. I know Nashville. I thought you were Chinese and didn't understand what I’m saying.”

She tsked at me. “I’m Japanese.”

“Nah-ha, sugar. Ya’re a dog.” I brace for her to correct me and tell me I’m crazy. I contemplate takin’ a bullet to my head right here and now. I saw my poor Dad—couldn’t even hate him for leaving us. My mind is racing.

“A wolf,” she says.

The burden I never knew I carried leaves my chest. “I wanna see you change into Cookie.”

She signs. “I’ll shred my clothes.”

“Take them off.”

She puts a hand on her hip.

I aim the gun at her. “Girl, I ain’t playing around. I gotta confirm I’m sane. Do it now.”

Poor woman undresses and—boom—turns into a wolf.

I blink again. “Now go back.”

She turns into a woman.

“Okay, one more time.”

The woman puts on her clothes and looks around. “Nice place.”

Small talk? Is she for real? “Holy fuck. What the hell, girl? How can you do that?”

“Mother Nature gifted me a wolf animal.”

“Oh my Lord.” I cross my chest three times and put away my gun.

“Yeah. You got a coat?”

“What?” I’m processing.

“A coat?”

I point down the hall. “In my bedroom.”

“Can I have it? On a loan.”

“No.”

The woman heads for the front door.

I lock it. “Where’re you going?” I ask.

“I’m getting out of your hair. Thanks for the meal and the shower. I’ll be on my way.”

“You ain’t going nowhere. Sit down.” I crouch by the fireplace.

“You mean that?”

“What?” I search for the little white ball. Fucking losing my mind today.

“That I don’t have to leave?”

There’s the ball. I get it and start the fire. “You’ve got wet hair. Gonna catch a cold out there. The storm’s staying, and I gotta put my bike inside too. If the bike can’t stay out, people shouldn’t either. What’s your name?”

“Cookie.”

I laugh and motion for her to come over and warm up. She obeys and sits near the fireplace.

“Real name.” I hope it’s something I can pronounce.

“Holly.”

“Well, Holly, my name is Eddy.” I extend my hand, for her to shake. “I wanna hear about this wolf thing, so I know what I’m dealing with. Wanna tell me over gumbo?” I said I wouldn't share, but I can’t eat and let her stare at me.

* * *

Holly

Gumbo is delicious. I still don’t know exactly what goes in it, but it’s seafood and yummy. Also, it makes Big Man Eddy happy, and therefore willing to keep me here for a while. For Eddy, the Mother Nature story is hard to swallow, but it goes down more easily with gumbo, and before we know it, it’s nighttime.

We stand around the fireplace and the only chair in the room. Furniture is scarce around here. People who evacuated in the early days of the apocalypse are lucky to find light switches still inside the walls. Raiders take everything they can get their hands on, and most of them rob the houses they know hold valuables, which are the owners’ neighbors.

I wonder about Eddy, as he stands in front of the fire. He’s over six feet to my five one. With his beard, leathers, and tattoos he’s a poster boy for the outlaws. “Eddy?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Can I ask you something personal?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you an outlaw around here? Like a member of a group, I mean.”

“Yeah. Why?”

I bite my lip. He’s not offering to introduce me to the locals, and I can’t survive this winter alone. I have no money or food, and the guy I could’ve robbed next door is a dragon, so that’s out of the question.

Eddy mentioned wolves on the property. Would real wolves take me into their pack? Would they know the difference? Probably. Animals have instinct. But I gotta do something, and soon. I can’t mooch off Eddy anymore. This isn’t a homeless shelter.

“Nothing. Just asking,” I say. It stings he didn’t offer to introduce me. Outlaws aren’t like a biker group only men can apply for. They are people who banded together so they could survive. Some are horrible, but others aren’t. It depends on who’s leading them.

“You tired?” he asks.

“A little bit.”

He looks around the house, then outside. You can’t see across the street from the snowfall. Come morning, the snow will bury us.

“Got extra sheets in my storage,” he mumbles.

“Oh, it’s fine, Eddy. I sleep in fur.”

He smiles. Every time he does that, his eyes also lift in the corners. He’s cute and reminds me of a grizzly bear. Cute and totally lethal.

Eddy picks up his recliner as if it weighs nothing and drops it off in the corner of the large space. He takes the stairs three at a time and comes back with a rug, which he puts in front of the fireplace. Then he’s off down the hallway.

“Is there something I can help you with?” I ask.

“Nope,” he says and comes back with a comforter. He lies down, covers himself, and puts his hands behind his head.

I stand there.

Eddy chuckles and pats the comforter. “Go wolf and crawl on in here. Or don’t go wolf, if you’d like.” He winks.

He’s flirting with me. Heat creeps up my face, as I remove my sweater. I’m hoping Eddy will turn away, so I can get naked and change into wolf form, but he stares at me with heat in his gaze. I strip off my clothes, and I’m a statue, caught in his dark eyes as they roam over my body.

“You’re very beautiful,” he tells me.

I wriggle my hands. “Thank you.”

“Are you cold?”

My nipples can answer him, but I nod anyway.

Eddy lifts the corner of the comforter, and I stare at the Persian style rug. I know what he’s asking me—to crawl under the covers. I’m single, and he appears single so nothing’s holding me back.

I just met this guy though, so wolf it is. White light swallows me, and in the next second, I’m a gray wolf.

In wolf, everything with Eddy is easier. I find myself crawling under the rug without feeling awkward about sleeping next to the man I met only yesterday. I lick his cheek to thank him for all he’s doing for me, then rest my muzzle on his bicep. It’s a really hard pillow but I don’t mind.

Eddy stares at the ceiling. “Have you ever met anyone like you?”

I can’t answer him, so I lift my head and shake it.

He scratches behind my ear. “I gotta wonder if any of those wolves over at Nentres’ are like you.”

My ears twitch. Even if they are, it matters very little. Just because they may be wolf changelings, it doesn’t mean they’d take me into their pack. Eddy here is different from anyone I’ve met since the Ice Age began. He’s kind to me, and I won’t leave him until he asks me to go. I know what’s good for me, and I know surviving on my own is hard. Twice I’ve brushed with death. The first time, I starved nearly to my end. The second, I got shot. I’m not keen on repeating either experience.

Eddy doesn’t ask more questions. We drift off.

3

Eddy

I awake with a raging hard-on. The flames dance slowly in the fireplace. Before I slept, I set the timer longer than usual, because I didn’t want Holly to be cold.

I glance at the wolf and find a woman staring at me with her wolf’s eyes. It’s creepy to wake up in the middle of the night to someone watching you.

Holly whines. It’s a noise between a human whine and a dog whine. It sounds painful.

“What’s the matter?” I ask.

She swallows and rubs her nose, blinks, as if trying to show me her dark-brown eyes, but they stay the blue of her wolf. “I think I have a fever,” she says.

Remembering what my friend does with her daughter, I press my lips to Holly’s forehead. She’s running hot but not burning, and I’ve no idea how to take her temperature this way. My mouth is pressed on her temple, and I’m about to tell her we should go see Darlene, our nurse, when her one small hand grips the back of my neck and her other grips my shirt and fists it.

I lock gazes with Holly. The wolf is watching me.

“Take me,” she says, and her voice echoes through the room.

I stare at her, unsure what I’m dealing with here. But not to worry—my dick knows exactly what to do. He’s gonna rip through my leathers and pound this pussy. She’s only five-one, with small tits and hips, while I pack a nine-inch thick dick, made to tear up little, wet pussies. I meant what I said to her. I find her beautiful. She’s sweet and lost, and it makes me want to protect her from everything and everyone. She’s definitely calling to my Daddy side.

I ain’t never made a kid, so I got no qualms about this kink. Besides, I’m too old to be apologetic about myself and what I want. Still, I hesitate, mainly because I’m weary of those eyes.

Holly licks her lips and tugs my head down. She can’t force me to do anything I don’t wanna do, so I brush my lips with hers. “Little one, when I start with you, I ain’t stopping.” I really like her. I could see myself with this girl for years to come. It’s not just that she’s pretty on the outside; she’s damaged on the inside, and I wanna repair her, fill her with hope that the world isn’t such a bad place when you got someone to hold your hand. I know what it’s like to have someone hold my hand. Everyone should have one person who holds theirs.

Holly has nobody.

Well, she can have me.

Her body arches when I kiss her. We’re not even making out yet, and she’s wriggling and whining under me. I like that. She’s responsive. I kiss her some more. Her lips are soft, and I open my mouth so she’ll follow.

Holly lifts her head, and I cup the back of it with my palm. She’s fucking invading my mouth. Her tongue dances with mine, her body bends like it wants something, and when she moans into my mouth, I grab her leg and sling it over my hip. Her bare pussy is on my erection. I press into her, so she can feel my length and how hard she makes me. I palm her ass and squeeze, then trail my fingers to her slit. Little one’s pussy is sopping wet. I ain’t never felt anything like it. Her pussy lips are already swollen. I pinch them, and Holly nearly leaps off the rug.

But I fucking got her now.

I manage to extract my head from her grip. “You want Daddy Eddy to lick you? Hmm?”

Holly pauses, eyes wide. She’s a little shocked but then nods, because in the end, Daddy doms can spot littles from miles away. We got instinct, and Holly is my homecoming beacon. I ain’t letting her go.

“Okay then,” I say and lick the pussy juice off my fingers. Holy shit. I keep licking as if my life depends on it. “Hot damn, sugar. You taste good.” What the fuck is this? Magic pussy made in Japan? Praise the Lord.

But I don’t lick her pussy right away. I make her wait, so she’ll drench herself a bit more. I palm her breast, then slap it.

She hitches a breath.

“I’m gonna slap you anywhere I want and however many times I want. This includes your face. Say yes or no,” I tell her.

Her eyes are saucers.

“Yes or no, little one.”

“Yes, Daddy Eddy.”

And here we are. I smile. “You will say stop when you can’t handle it.”

“Okay.”

I suck her tit. The entire thing fits into my mouth like she grew them for me. Holly arches her back, trying to get more of her breast inside but it’s inside already. She wants more. I slap her other tit. It bounces back, and I slap it again and again, until Holly’s whining and wriggling, scraping my scalp with her nails.

Her body needs me inside. I can tell by the way she keeps pressing against me, so I tuck the hem of my pants under my blue balls. My dick springs up like a boy with binoculars. I stroke it a few times, then let her slide her wet pussy along the length, while I slap and suck on her titties. Her pussy is soft, warm, and so fucking wet. I gotta pay attention to my dick, so he doesn’t accidentally slip into her hole and ejaculate. I want Holly drenched and aching, her pussy pulsing, so when I enter her, she comes on command.

Holly tries to tug off my pants, but she barely moves them. I chuckle and stand. While I strip my pants off, she lies on her back, spreads her legs and fingers her pussy. It’s ready— been ready for my dick for a while.

“Move those fingers away.” My voice is harsh.

Holly jerks her hand back and puts it over her belly.

“Whose cunt is this?” I kneel between her legs and slap said cunt. It’s bright red now. Because her skin is so pale compared to my dark one, every sting of my palm shows, and I bet she’ll bruise tomorrow. My dick twitches, and I reward it with a few strokes, while I slap her pussy some more. Fuck. It’s swollen but I can’t lick it just yet. “On your knees,” I say.

I like how I don’t gotta repeat myself.

Holly spins around, ready for me to mount her.

Nah. That’s not gonna do. I slap her ass, twist her around, and feed her my cock. One hand in her hair, the other holding her jaw, I pump inside her warm mouth, eyes locked with her wolf ones. The fact that I got a wild-animal-woman on her knees, sucking my dick makes my heart race. I want to ravage her and reward her for her submission. Fuck, I love this girl. No other would do.

I tap her cheek a few times, so she understands what’s coming. I slap her, a soft sound in the room. I’m testing my little one. Her cheek reddens instantly, and I watch her reaction.

Holly groans and rolls her eyes.

Okay, then. I press her into my groin, so she’s choking on my dick, and slap her cheek her a few more times for good measure. Then I look down at her fine, arched back. Three healed bullet wounds stare back at me.

I stare down at her as she takes my dick into her hand and strokes it, licks it, kisses it. She’s fucking worshiping my dick. I won’t ruin the moment, but I sure as fuck ain’t gonna forget about them scars. It’s been a while since I hunted—only a month or so since we marched on the habitat. I’m due to hunt down those who harmed my little one.

I pet her silky, long, black hair, then grip it and twist, so her body follows and her ass is facing me.

Holly turns back and says, “Take me.” Again there’s that weird echo and those weird eyes.

I wink, spread her ass cheeks, and lick from her clit to her asshole. I stay at the asshole and tickle the tiny pucker with my tongue, before moving on to her pussy. There, I stab and get half of my tongue inside. My eyes roll back at the taste of her. How can a pussy taste addictive, or ever sweet for that matter? It’s like honey. I lap at it like a dog, mumbling curses about how I can’t hold the need to fuck her anymore.

Holly pushes back, rubbing against my face. My beard scrapes her sensitive place. She’s moaning so loud, I bet Nentres with his special hearing can hear her. The more I lick her, the wetter she is, and I back off to watch her drip on the floor. I smile. I love dirty fucking. Nothing like a girl who lets go of inhibitions and lets me do my job. Which is to fuck her brains out.

I slap her ass. “Come here.”

Holly spins around, and I open my arms. She climbs my body like a cat, kneels on my thighs and hooks both hands behind my neck. I thumb between her legs, my gaze locked with hers. Her wolf eyes are hooded but sharp. I flick her clit faster. Holly’s breathing hard, her chest moving up and down rapidly. She’s gonna come. Spill all over my hand.

I hear a noise. Growling.

She’s fucking growling at me.

I grip her throat and her ass and lift my hips, pushing my dick inside her.

And that does it. Something snaps inside me, and I snarl and bite her shoulder. She screams, and her pussy flutters all over my dick. It’s so fucking tight. I barely fit, so I plunder into her like a starving man. I move my hips up and down, pistoning into her. I’m squeezing her throat, holding her breath in my hand, I got my finger up her ass, and my teeth are clamped on her shoulder.

Holly can’t move. She’s mumbling, but I can barely hear her past the pounding in my ears.

All I feel is her.

All I smell is her.

All I want is her.

Everything is about her.

After we come, I hardly have enough strength to tuck her back in bed.

I collapse next to her and sleep like a log.

4

Holly

Eddy’s inside me before I even open my eyes. It’s different this morning. He’s lazy and slow, his strokes measured and on target with my special spot. I lift my hips, so he hits it every time. He makes me come and shoots his load inside me. There’s something different about this man. Eddy is mine, my brain supplies. I don’t know why I feel this way about him, but the level of my connection with him is terrifying. No matter how nice he is to me, it’s too soon to feel this way about a man.

“Hungry?” Eddy asks and slips on his leathers. His dick is still hard, and he’s gotta push the thing inside, to put it away.

My stomach growls. “Coffee. Do you have any coffee?”

I drank a cup of coffee once, when I snatched it from atop the Cy-mobile of a cyborg, who left to check out something inside a hardware shop in the habitat and left it on the roof. Since then I’ve tried to find more but with no luck.

Eddy scrubs his beard, his gaze outside. “Stopped snowing.”

No coffee. Bummer. I glance out. “Damn.” Snow is blocking half the window. “We’ll be stuck here for a while.”

Eddy throws a hand over my shoulder and kisses the top of my head. “Baby, listen. Any time you want to talk about last night, let me know. Okay?”

Or not. “Thank you.”

“Now I gotta go get rid of the snow.”

“You got an extra shovel?”

“Little one, I got more shovels than I know what to do with.”

Odd, but okay.

Eddy gets two. This is a large home on a large property, and it takes us a few hours to clear the front lawn. My stomach wants to eat itself, and when I catch a whiff of something baked down the street, I walk to the end of a driveway. A girl is heading my way, carrying a basket. My jerk response is to snatch it and run, hole up somewhere, and store the food—however much it is—for the winter. But I’m in Eddy’s neighborhood, and I gotta behave.

I lift my nose as she gets closer. Oh God. It smells like fried dough and eggs. I salivate, and I’m barely able to contain myself from going after her basket.

“Cindy,” Eddy says, and I jump, startled. He walks past me to greet the girl. A growl is building in my throat.

She’s all smiles and cheer as she hands him the basket. “Welcome back, big man,” she says. Big Man? I growl. That’s my big man. I fist my hands. The girl rises on her toes and turns her cheek, so Eddy can kiss it.

He does and says, “Thank you for the breakfast.”

I see red. My vision sharpens, my growl intensifies, and in a flash, I’m a wolf.

* * *

Eddy

Cindy wiggles her nose. She lifts on her toes and sniffs near my neck, then locks her gaze with mine. She opens her mouth to say something, then gasps. Taking a few steps back, she shows her hands palms up and says, “Easy girl. I ain’t taking your man.”

I spin around, to see my little wolf is stalking, her lip peeled back, her big teeth showing. Her growls are fuckin’ scary. She actually looks like a feral wolf.

I’m ready to play referee, when white light flashes, and Cindy leaps ahead. This one is a wolf too? The female wolves clash. There are teeth, claws, yelps. Fuck me. I throw the shovel and jump in. The girls are fast. Their bodies twist, jaws snapping, trying to find meat to bite. One of them gets my arm, the other one gets my shoulder. I’m fucking pissed. I can’t even feel the pain, but the blood trickling down tells me they got me good.

I catch the fur behind their necks and pick them up. They snap and snarl at each other. My hands are outstretched as far as they go, and I’m marching toward my house, when I see Jason, one of Nentres’ guys, jogging down the street.

He meets me on the side of the lawn, not on my driveway. It’s iced again, as I poured water over it as soon as we cleared the snow.

I lift up the two wolves. “Tell me now, motherfucker. I’ve done lost my mind.”

“Let Cindy go,” he says.

She’s calm now, so I put her on the ground. She sits by Jason’s feet, and he pets her head.

“Are you hurt?” he asks.

She whines.

“What the fuck does that mean?” I ask. “Is she hurt?”

“Not too bad.” He eyes Holly, and I watch as his eyes change into those of an animal.

I can’t tell what animal but I’m gonna take a guess that it’s a wolf. I reach for my gun.

Jason steps back. “I’ll take care of this, Eddy. No need for the weapons. Remain calm.”

Sure thing. Mm-hm. Nothing’s fucking crazy around here. Just a bunch of people who turn into animals. “Yeah, I’m cool. Cucumber, really.” I put Holly down, and she sits by my feet.

Jason stares at her, and then crouches. They’re at eye level.

She’s wary, peeling back her lips again.

“My man,” I say, “this isn’t working. She’s getting all pissy again.”

“Shhhh,” Jason says then coos, “Hey girl. I’m Jason. Go on and change, so we can talk about this.”

Holly snarls.

Jason pinches his lips, approaches her on all fours, and glares. I’m curious if she’ll bite his face off. I would. Holly scoots back and lies on her belly, her head on her paws. Cindy does the same and crawls toward Holly, then nudges her flank. Holly doesn’t bite her, so we’re all good.

I scratch my head. “I need a drink.”

Jason stands, his gaze on the girls. “How long have you had her?”

“A few days.”

“Did you know?”

“I found out yesterday. How many of you are there?”

“Many.” Finally, he looks at me with normal, human eyes. “We were gifted wolves, and we serve our dragon lords. There are four packs, one for each dragon. I’m the alpha of the south pack.”

I’m trying to process. I believed dragons were the only freaks of nature, and there were so few of them, it seemed unreal. Weird shit has been going on for a while, and I had no idea. I hate not knowing what’s happening around me.

* * *

Holly

We move inside the house. Cindy patches up Eddy and promises to return with some salve, to prevent bite-wound infections. In my shredded clothes, I sit next to Eddy on the floor with a coppery taste in my mouth and a heavy weight on my chest. The weight is the pressure of my wolf creature, and I feel it for the first time.

A basket in front of us is open, and Cindy offers me a donut.

I shake my head.

The corners of her lips turn up. “Don’t feel bad. It happens.”

I lock my gaze on her blue eyes, and I want to cry. “I attacked you for no good reason. I’m terribly sorry.”

Cindy smiles and nudges a donut toward me. “Of course there’s a reason. Eddy’s your mate. I can smell you all over him.”

“What do you mean?” Eddy asks.

My heart speeds up. It’s beating in my ears. Cindy eats the donut while I can barely breathe as I await her answer.

“She marked her human mate.”

“Females don’t mark,” Jason says.

“Well, wolf females don’t mark wolf males. But we don’t know what wolf females do with human males. Do we?”

Jason’s brow furrows. “Are you sure you can scent her marking? It could be another scent. How can you be sure?”

“I’m sure. It’s something you can’t misinterpret. I scented it, but it was too late.”

“Excuse me. Do I smell like a girl?” Eddy asks.

Cindy laughs. “No. You smell like your mate. So as a wolf, I know you’re taken. That’s all.”

Eddy’s face is unreadable. “And how long does the smell last?”

“For life. It’s a mating.”

“No shit.” Eddy’s eyes widen.

Mortified, I hang my head. I’ve marked a man for life, and he had no say in it. “For what it’s worth, I didn’t know.”

“Hey now.” Eddy pulls me closer as Jason and Cindy stand to leave.

From the door, Jason says, “I expect you at the mansion, so you can meet the pack. Bring your belongings. You will stay with Cindy until you are trained.” He glances at Eddy, who stands and moves to the door.

Intent on following them, I get up.

Eddy blocks the door. “Nope. She ain’t going nowhere.”

What?

Jason looks up at the ceiling, then back at Eddy. “She is a wolf.”

“I recon she’s my wolf. Rubbed herself all over me.” He sniffs his arm.

Jason’s lips twitch. “I get it. Still, she’s in my territory and a submissive wolf with no control over her animal. She must learn from us. Get proper training.”

“Nope.”

Jason sighs, then turns up his nose.

I sniff too.

If I were in fur, it would stand on end. I want to bolt. Some kind of predator approaches, and I nudge Eddy, trying to get him to come inside.

Jason watches me. “Nentres is on his way.”

Nentres is a dragon lord. I chant a calming mantra, expecting a huge winged creature with a head the size of a house.

The dragon emerges and climbs the driveway in a red-checkered robe, boots untied. He has messy blond hair and looks like he’s crawled out of bed. It’s noon. He marches up the driveway, loses his footing on the ice, tries to regain his balance. Slides. Slips. Catches himself. Slips again. His hands are flying about him, his legs dancing.

Eddy bursts in laughter, Cindy is bent over already, and I slap a hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh. I glance at Eddy. His laughter is ringing down the street.

The poor man makes it up the driveway, and Eddy slings the door open wider. “Come on in, neighbor.”

Nentres pushes past him. “Fuck you, too.”

Jason and Cindy leave, and we’re alone with Dragon Man. He’s handsome and a poster boy for a… boy next door. When he smiles, he shows dimples. I can’t believe this man is a dragon.

“Are you really a dragon?” I ask as he leans against the fireplace.

A flame leaves the fireplace and lands on his palm. He winks at me. “Eddy, I need you to keep her shape shifting nature a secret.”

“And I need a ring,” Eddy says.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“I got it.”

“I need coffee,” Nentres sighs. “Then we can talk about you stealing my wolf.”

“We don’t have any coffee,” I say. I should’ve said he instead of we. I’m vulnerable about the mating—unsure what Eddy thinks about it. I’m past apologizing. It won’t help. Mating is for life, and I’m guilty of mating him. I have many questions and no answers. Should’ve left with Cindy. I glance at the door.

Eddy throws a hand over my shoulder and squeezes. “A nice big ring. What would you like, girl?”

My eyes are on the door. I want to bolt. I want to stay. It’s a mess in my head. “I’m sorry—what?”

“Diamonds? Rubies? Sapphires?”

I gape at him.

“Diamonds,” Nentres says. “Got a nice one. Gonna cost you.”

“How much?”

This is manland. I don’t understand what Eddy is doing. My palms sweat, and I wipe them on my clothes.

“How much?” Eddy asks again.

“Two-three hundred.”

The most I’ve ever carried is ten roges.

“We talkin’ my special coins?” Eddy asks.

“Of course.” Nentres brushes his palm, and the flame returns to the fireplace.

Eddy leaves me with the dragon man. I’m glued in place, but I gotta speak up. “They say I mated Eddy for life.”

Nentres wags his eyebrows. “Your wolf mated him. Your animal is never wrong. Trust it.”

Eddy’s back with a sack that jingles. He tosses it to Nentres, and he’s beside me, arm around my waist.

Nentres peeks inside the bag and gets a golden coin? I’ve never seen anything like it. Before I can ask, he puts it back inside the bag. “What’s your name?” he asks me.

“Holly,” Eddy answers. “I found her on my property, therefore she’s mine,” he adds.

Nentres walks to the door and opens it. He steps outside, then glances back and winks at me. “I have coffee down the street, and will have a ring by the time you stop by. Welcome to the pack.” With that he closes the door.

Eddy and I are alone. I expect the most awkward moment of my life, when I’ll apologize profusely for mating him though I didn’t know I did that. But it doesn’t happen.

Eddy kisses the top of my head. “I can’t smell your marking, but I recon it’s released when I fuck you. It bugs me that I can’t smell it, so I’m gonna fuck you until I can. Then we can get you some clothes, so I can introduce you to everyone.”

* * *

It’s well past sunset when we leave the house. Eddy doesn’t take me to Nentres’ home, as I expected. We ride into a huge property in town, and enter a place where hundreds of people are having dinner. A shelter? Eddy strides inside like he owns the place. I keep up, and he pulls out a chair for me. The next thing I know, people are calling him boss. It clicks—Eddy’s the New Orleans outlaws’ leader. He’s got an entire city of people with him.

Mother Nature didn’t gift me only with a wolf. She also gifted me with a good man that will change my life forever. We’re gonna make it through the Ice Age.

Plus, I smell coffee.

* * *

Eddy

Find a woman and settle down—check.

***

Milana

Thank you for reading Eddy. If this is your introduction to Ice Age Dragon Brotherhood, you should read Rise for Her next - the dragon tales are connected by an overreaching plot which gets resolved in book 4 while all couples in the individual stories get an HEA. If you are looking to get into book 3, in book 2 (Burn for Her) we left off with Clementine sneaking out of Knight’s house. What does the dragon do about that? Flip the page.

Storm for Her

uncorrected proof pending release

Knight

This fledgling was insane. Certifiably so. She flew against the wind in below-zero weather and in the middle of the night. She’d said she had a flower shop to tend, but that didn’t explain her risking her life. She barely flew during the daylight.

With Clementine in the house and in my bed, I couldn’t get any shut-eye. When I realized she’d snuck out, I followed her. From afar, of course, because stalking someone in my dragon form was pretty hard, even when stalking the most uncoordinated, least aware creature Mother Nature had ever made.

The dove descended, or tried to descend. The wind picked her back up and threw her away from her path. She flew around the habitat for a bit, trying to find a way to land, but the wind wasn’t gonna let her.

Once I found my spirit, I would be able to manipulate the wind. But first, I had more immediate issues, such as dealing with my brother Arthur, whom I have know since he was a twelve-year-old boy. We’d met on the streets of New York, both runaways, both scared. I was older, so I took care of him, and I’d take care of him now as soon as I found him and figured out what exactly he planned to do with my growing cyborg problem.

Arthur had always gone with whatever I decided we’d do, so his disobedience bugged the crap out of me. It wasn’t only about the cyborgs or him not listening to me. Arthur was also encroaching on my territory. Dragons knew their boundaries, and we respected them. My dragon didn’t handle the company of another dragon well. He was competitive and violent, which suited me, so we made a fine beast-to-man match. All three of my brothers always announced their visits into my territory instead of just landing in my backyard. Back in October, Arthur had sent Clementine on her first mission all the way to Louisiana so he could gain permission for a two-week stay in Pittsburg. I’d granted it and forbidden the fledgling bird to fly back alone. She’d listened at that time, and we’d flown back home together.

Now, Clementine kept circling the habitat, but she couldn’t descend. The winds blew her away with ease since she weighed maybe a few pounds in her dove form. She changed her flight path and flew away from the habitat. I followed her and closed the distance, mad as hell that she hadn’t noticed me. Untrained and at the mercy of the wind, she didn’t even think to look behind her or around her while flying. A lesson I would enjoy teaching her. The hard way. But she belonged to Arthur, and he should have trained her better.

Clementine escaped the gust of wind and plummeted down. I glanced at her path, stunned at what I was seeing. I batted my wings in order to stay in place and fight the gravity that drew me down after her into a meadow. A green grass meadow with spring flowers and a foot-long orchid tree in bloom right outside of Pittsburg in the middle of winter. I hadn’t seen flowers growing out in the open in…fuck, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen a…a garden. The ground should be frozen. What the fuck?

Clementine descended, deciding it was a grand idea to shift into her human form for a touchdown, and landed on her ass. I shook my head as she rubbed her ass, then her arms. Yeah, standing naked outside in below zero would freeze even a Creature of Earth. Gah, what was wrong with this bird?

A growl ripped from my chest. I snapped my mouth closed so I didn’t roar.

Clementine walked across the meadow and rounded a bench. She bent and got a backpack from under it, threw on clothes and boots, then sat down. She waited for something or someone, probably Arthur. So I waited too, a smirk on my face. This must be their secret meeting place.

The longer I hovered in wait, the more time I had to admire her human form, something I’d actively avoided from the moment I met her. Though I’d seen her twin million times, Clementine was no Clare, the girls as different in character as they were the same in appearance, with Clementine being less concerned with following the rules. Her twin would have slept in my bed and done what I asked her to do.

Against the greenery and the colorful flowers, Clementine looked like someone out of a fairy tale. She had white hair, white brows, blue-gray eyes, reminding me of a porcelain doll. Fragile and lovable. Probably why Arthur spoiled her and her late twin. He allowed Clementine to live out here in my territory instead of taking her with him into Ohio. Wait a second.

I froze, my wings not flapping, wind keeping me in the air, moving my body away.

A meadow.

Flowers in winter.

Nature against nature. The only way flowers could grow out of frozen ground was if someone nurtured the ground. The ground was earth, Arthur’s element. This meant Arthur had found his spirit. Right?

Lilies spurted out of the ground.

I recovered from my shock and batted my wings against the wind and back up. It was like hitting a wall as gust after gust hit my body, leaving my skin battered and raw.

Clementine clapped her hands, picked up the flowers, and left. Right before my eyes, the grass wilted, the orchid tree died, and everything went dead as if nothing had happened. I stared at the bench and questioned my sanity. Click!

About the Author

Milana Jacks grew up with tales of water fairies that seduced men, vampires that seduced women, and Babaroga who’d come to take her away if she didn’t eat her bean soup. She specializes in dark, fun & steamy science fiction and paranormal romance where sexy alpha males are unapologetic and supportive at the same time. Her home is on Earth with her mate and their three little monsters.

• Before publication, she releases stories for the readers on her mailing list as they await for books in the series. If you want in, join other readers HERE. •

Meet me at

www.milanajacks.com