[Dragon's Destiny: Fated Mates 01.0] Heat Read online

  Heat

  Dragon’s Destiny: Fated Mates

  Wolf Specter

  Angel Knots

  Heat

  Dragon’s Destiny: Fated Mates

  Wolf Specter

  Copyright © 2015 WOLF SPECTER

  All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without express written permission of the copyright holder. This book contains sexually explicit content which is suitable only for mature adults.

  Cover design by ResplendentMedia.com

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  Contents

  Sexy Sneak Peek

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Other titles by Wolf Specter

  Other titles by Angel Knots

  Preview: His Secret Omega by Wolf Specter

  Preview: Scorch (Dragon’s Destiny, Fated Mates Book2)

  About the Author: Wolf Specter

  About the Author: Angel Knots

  Sexy Sneak Peek

  Heat

  Dragon’s Destiny: Fated Mates

  “Come to me, Wesley,” Dane said softly when I hesitated. His deep voice rolled over me, gentle but commanding — and because I wanted to, that’s all it took to wipe out my token resistance.

  His eyes were smoldering again, the heat licking at me like flames. As I got closer to him it almost looked like a real phenomenon rather than a trick of the light as I’d thought the night before. His hot gaze traveled down my almost-naked body and I sucked in a breath, feeling it like a physical touch. It had the same effect as when I’d seen him in the bar, instantly making my cock stiffen and tenting my underwear in an unmistakable response.

  “Come,” Dane repeated, and for a second I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to move even closer or if he wanted to see me climax on demand. I would have readily done either — filled with an unreasonable need to please him — but then he crooked a finger and beckoned, and I obediently crossed the short distance that remained between us.

  1

  ~ Wesley ~

  My brother was at the door. I groaned, not particularly wanting to be cheered up at the moment. Tyler had a key, though, and I knew if I ignored his knock he’d just come in anyway.

  “It’s Friday night, Wes. What are you doing just sitting around?” he asked by way of greeting when I finally let him in. He bumped my shoulder in something that passed for affection, then brushed past me to root around in my fridge.

  I wasn’t fooled.

  Ty knew I was moping the same way I’d known it was him at the door. My twin had always denied that we had any sort of “mystical connection,” as he called it. It didn’t matter how many times he showed up just when I needed him, or I felt it when something important happened to him. “Coincidence” — he always claimed — or, no matter how many times we’d found each other without benefit of GPS or phones, “luck.”

  “Life isn’t one of those wizard, warlock, and dragon fantasies you like, bro. Shit like that doesn’t exist in the real world,” he’d tease me, rolling his eyes.

  We may have looked alike — unless you counted the fact that spending four years in the army had given him a good twenty pounds of muscle on me — but our argument about whether or not there was really such a thing as the twin-bond was just one of the many ways that we were opposites.

  Ty came back into the living room with my last two beers in his hand. He flopped on the couch, twisting off the tops one-handed and passing me one of the bottles.

  “Fuck, Dub, is there a point to all these little pillows?” he asked, shoving a few onto the floor. Ty smirked as he made the familiar complaint, arching an eyebrow and daring me to make a fuss. When I didn’t, he frowned.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m fine, Tee,” I answered, automatically following his lead and slipping into our childhood nicknames. I knew it was useless to try to avoid his concern, but I gave it a shot anyway. The truth was just too fucking humiliating.

  “Don’t be a dick, bro. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, I…” I left the sentence unfinished, lowering myself into the armchair on the other side of the living room with a sigh. God, I already knew I’d end up telling him. Tyler was relentless, and I just didn’t have the energy to come up with a lie.

  He’d always taken his role as my “big” brother — by virtue of eight minutes — ridiculously seriously. Looking out for people was kind of his thing. Apparently he’d never gotten the memo that brothers were supposed to fight, because I was number one on his list of people he thought he had to take care of. It could be as annoying as shit at times… but, even though I’d never admit it, it was kind of nice having someone who was always in my corner.

  “Fine,” I rolled my eyes at the look he was giving me. “It’s Brent. I broke up with him.”

  “Why?” Ty asked, his eyes softening.

  God. There was no way to tell him without making myself look pathetic.

  Ty leaned forward, furrowing his brow. “What, Wes? That fucking asshole. What did he do?”

  That made me grin in spite of myself. I knew Ty had never had a problem with Brent while we were dating, but the minute he saw me unhappy, my ex was automatically reclassified as “that fucking asshole.”

  My twin was nothing if not loyal.

  Still. God, embarrassing “He… said your name,” I mumbled, not quite meeting his eyes.

  “What?” Ty cocked his head. He didn’t get it.

  “He said your name, Ty, when we were, you know…”

  “Oh. Oh!” Ty actually blushed. “Uh… he knows I’m straight, right?”

  “Yeah. I guess that’s why he settled for me.” And hadn’t that felt good to find out. Brent had all but told me as much, after I’d hopped off his dick and slapped him, mid-fuck. I didn’t mind some role-playing, but not… that.

  “Well, fuck him. His fucking loss.” Ty drained his beer and stood up, not pressing me for any more details as soon as he realized that it involved my sex life. “Come on, let’s go get a drink.”

  I held up my still half-full bottle, shaking my head in a vain attempt to stave off his enthusiasm. Tyler thrived in large crowds, energized by being around other people. He was a pure extrovert, whereas I was most definitely not. At least, not around strangers. Ty knew it, too, but as usual he wouldn’t let it go once he’d convinced himself that he knew what was best for me.

  “Come on, Dub. I know what you’re thinking, but you will have a good time. You can’t just sit here and brood about that little prick. He’s not worth it.”

  That was true.

  “Remember Bennett?” Ty continued, ignoring the fact that I shook my head. “We enlisted around the same time. He’s getting out this week, though, and moving back to wherever the fuck he’s from. I was on my way up to DuPont when I decided to swing by and check on your sorry ass. We’re all meeting at McNamara’s to send him off tonight. Come with me.”

  “I don’t really feel up to hitting
a bar, Ty, but thanks—”

  “You’re going, Wesley Byrne,” Tyler said obstinately. “You don’t have to stay long, but you’ve gotta get out of this apartment. You’ve been in this funk for days, and fuck if I’m going to let you just sit here and mope around all night about that asshole. Besides,” he swallowed, suddenly looking awkward. “I’m sure you’ll think some of the guys from the unit are hot.”

  He mumbled the last bit, blushing furiously. I had to laugh, and yeah, fine, laughing felt good. He was cheering me up after all. “Are you trying to set me up, Tee?”

  “Nah, man. I’m just saying… I know what you like. I may not get it, but a guy’s got eyes.”

  “Are any of them gay? Because if not, you know, it doesn’t really matter how hot they are.”

  “What? Can’t you just enjoy looking? Anyway, I don’t know if they are, bro. Maybe. It’s not really something that comes up in casual conversation.”

  “Fine,” I said, still grinning despite myself. “But I probably won’t stay long.”

  “Whatever. Go put something decent on, Wes. And shave, for fuck’s sake. You’re gonna have a good time. I promise.”

  It was Friday night, and the little pub just outside the base was packed. Tyler had introduced me to a dozen of his fellow soldiers before getting pulled away into the crowd. I didn’t mind being left alone, though. I was much more comfortable as a spectator, and I was perfectly content to settle in at a table and nurse a drink after my half-assed attempt at small talk with some of Ty’s friends fizzled.

  I liked people watching… and my brother had been right. Even if none of them were gay, there was some serious eye candy here.

  I was on my second drink when I started to feel off.

  At first I thought that something must be wrong with Ty, because the sudden pressure in my head felt similar to the constant, subtle awareness of my twin that was always with me. I scanned the bar, trying to find him, and finally saw him laughing with some guys by the bar. He looked perfectly fine… but one of the soldiers next to him was staring at me.

  The man looked dangerously tempting.

  He was big, at least a head taller than my twin — which meant, of course, that he’d tower over me, too. He had dark hair, cropped close the way all the soldiers wore it, and the kind of five o’clock shadow that looked like it would be there whether he shaved or not.

  I couldn’t look away.

  For a minute, I had the crazy sense that I recognized him, even though I knew for sure that I’d never seen him before. He wasn’t one of the soldiers that Ty had introduced me to, though he was clearly part of the group my brother was with.

  At first glance he looked just like the rest of them — buzzed hair, bulging muscles, that particular way that soldiers had of holding themselves, as if even when they were completely relaxed, they were ready to react to any threat at a moment’s notice — but in some undefinable way, he was also completely different. He was standing right in the middle of the group, but he still managed to look isolated. Remote.

  And, God, definitely hot.

  His eyes flashed, and my whole body suddenly flushed — as if just thinking the word “hot” had made it into a physical sensation. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the kind of “hot” I’d been thinking of. I suddenly felt feverish, and the pressure in my head spiked into a searing heat that made my eyes water.

  “Hey man, you okay?” someone next to me asked.

  I opened my mouth, getting ready to reply with an automatic “fine,” but then the heat spiked again — and this time it shot straight down to my cock. Something that sounded like “nnnnghhhh” forced its way out of my mouth, but I couldn’t worry about how embarrassing that should have been, because it suddenly took all my attention just to avoid coming in my pants.

  What was wrong with me?

  My drink slipped out of my suddenly-sweating hand, but even the cold splash as it hit my lap didn’t take away the urgency of my abrupt hard-on.

  I was mortified. My eyes were still locked with the soldier’s across the room, and between my feverish vision and the dim lights of the bar, his seemed to glow with a burning light of their own. And as if spilling my drink weren’t embarrassing enough, I was sure that he’d been able to see every bit of my sudden arousal on my face.

  “Wes, hey, what’s wrong, bro?” Tyler was suddenly standing right in front of me. His body broke my eye contact with the tall soldier and he practically lifted me out of my seat as he took me by the arm. “Fuck, man, you look like shit. I’m gonna take you home.”

  I should have been embarrassed and grateful to go, but, God, I didn’t want to.

  I didn’t want to leave him.

  The rational part of me knew that there was no way I could stay when I was feeling like this — hot and trembling and suddenly horny as hell for no good reason — but even as my brother hustled me out the door, the heat licked at me, calling me back. The soldier hadn’t moved from his place by the bar, but he was still watching me with those burning eyes. The heat from his gaze was so intense that my body couldn’t tell if it was pleasure or pain.

  I had no idea what was happening to me.

  I only knew that whatever it was, I desperately wanted more of it.

  2

  ~ Dane ~

  It had been years since my dragon had gotten the best of me.

  The modern world wasn’t a place for the beast inside me, and after centuries of practice I’d thought I’d finally learned to use his power without letting him rule me.

  Last night he’d proven me wrong.

  I sat in the cab of my truck, holding the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip as I tried in vain to resist what my other self was pushing me to do. I’d already compelled one of the other soldiers to give me Byrne’s address. Now I was parked in front of his duplex, and despite my continued resistance I knew that getting this far meant I’d already lost the battle.

  My senses were still full of the human from the bar last night. Our mate, my dragon corrected me impatiently. I shook my head, trying to deny what my other self had already decided. What I’d felt the moment I’d seen him.

  That Byrne’s brother was mine.

  One minute I’d been listening to the drunken stories of the men around me, letting my gaze roam idly over the crowded bar, and the next I’d seen him — and my dragon had woken with a vengeance. I’d already taken a step toward his table before I regained control, but even when I stopped moving my other self had reached for him, insisting that we stake a claim.

  I could tell the moment that Byrne’s brother felt my dragon’s contact. His body had tensed, and he’d searched the darkness until he’d found me. The human didn’t smell like dragon, but his mind was receptive in a way that, before now, I’d only felt with my own kind.

  And I wanted him.

  Even if my dragon hadn’t chosen him, I would have wanted him — and I couldn’t even have said exactly why. He was captivating in a way that went beyond his good looks. Hell, he looked like Byrne, a soldier I’d served with for years but never thought twice about — not in that way.

  But the brother was different.

  Mine, the traitorous voice inside me insisted again.

  My dragon had raged when Byrne had left with his twin, insisting that we go after him immediately. I knew what the beast intended, though, and I’d fought it for as long as I could. I knew what mating meant, and I knew that if I let it happen, I would be breaking the vow I’d made the day I discovered my true nature.

  I’d dedicated my long life to conquering the dragon inside me. I hated everything my other self stood for, and from the day I’d found out what I was I’d been driven to atone for the sins of my kind against the humans that were, for the most part, oblivious to our presence among them.

  As my dragon pushed me, restless and impatient, I realized to my shame that I’d been fooling myself to think that I’d tamed him. Now that the beast had found something he wanted, I was helpless to resist.

 
; “Don’t fight it, son. Kill them and be done with it. This is your true nature.”

  I ran my hand through my military-short hair, letting my head fall back against the headrest as the memory overtook me, still as painfully vivid now as it had been four hundred years ago. At the moment, though, I welcomed it. Maybe if I focused on the past I’d be able to change the future. I’d be able to fight the overwhelming need to claim my mate.

  “I’m not your son,” I’d snarled angrily at the old dragon. “These are my parents.” I’d thrust my scaled chin at my mother and father. They looked so small from the vantage point of this new body I’d suddenly found myself wearing. This dragon body that had burst forth with no warning just moments earlier.

  Before that day, I hadn’t known what I really was, or even that such things existed.

  The beast who claimed to be my sire was the color of charcoal. He’d flown in from the north as I’d thrashed about in front of what remained of my home, my uncontrolled flailing inadvertently destroying so many things that were dear to me.

  After a lifetime of having just two arms and two legs and the world making sense, I was suddenly all wings and claws and spurts of fire that erupted out of me without warning. My new self hummed with shock and heat and an onslaught of input from unfamiliar senses that threatened to overwhelm me.