Forever Rowan Read online

  A throat cleared from somewhere near the door and another man walked in. He was slighter than the three guards and carried a medical bag. He walked to Rowan and helped her into a sitting position.

  “Are you all right?” His voice was gentle as he ran his hands along her face and neck, then down her ribs. A deep rumble sounded in Aidan’s throat.

  The doctor turned. “I’m only checking to make sure nothing is broken.”

  Aidan rested against the headboard. The doctor retrieved a plastic cup and what Aidan recognized as a pregnancy test. He pulled Rowan to her feet.

  The doctor cast a glance at Aidan, and the dragon panicked. Fear, fuckin’ terror choked the air from him. The doc knew she was pregnant. Some how, some way, and now she’d be ripped from his arms.

  He shook his head ever so slightly, pleading without words, without facial expression. Don’t. Don’t tell Stone or her.

  The other man ushered Rowan into the bathroom.

  *

  Jordan handed Rowan the cup. “You know what to do.” He wanted to comfort her, tell her everything was going to be okay. Goddamn fucking wire. She gave him the cup with her sample. He turned from her, dumping in the chemicals that would tell him if she was indeed pregnant.

  The liquid turned light purple and Jordan’s heart sank. Quickly he pulled out a tiny vial and poured it in the cup. The purple disappeared and returned to the normal color.

  “Your father will not be pleased by this, Rowan.” He smiled softly at her. Pulling her up to him he grabbed her head. His mouth clamped down on her lips. She fought him until he opened his mouth.

  He pulled back abruptly and she slapped him. “Don’t ever touch me again, Jordan.” Her wink made the sting hurt less. He put a lid on the plastic cup, William would insist on another test. It would show the same results. Jordan had successfully eliminated the pregnancy hormone from the sample. He hated the bastard more than anything but stayed here for the girls.

  The moment he refused to do his job Stone would kill him, so he stayed. At least when he was called in to help the victims of William’s experiments he was able to give them a peaceful end. He’d hidden the medicine that would end the suffering of the many victims from Stone. If he ever discovered Jordan’s interference, it would be the end, an end he would happily take.

  He never imagined one mistake so many years ago would come at a cost. The price was too much to pay at this point in his life. He touched Rowan’s cheek gently and retrieved his equipment.

  *

  Rowan followed the doctor out of the bathroom. Bastard had touched her, Aidan could smell a human on her. He began growling. Rowan quickly sat next to him on the bed and laid a quieting hand on his arm.

  Jordan walked out of the room as the guard tossed Rowan the key to unlock Aidan's cuffs. “Toss the key back, you can keep the cuffs.” The guard nearest the bed ordered. She made a quick job of freeing his arms and throwing the key back to the guard. All the men backed out, guns still drawn until the door was closed and locked from the outside.

  “I’ll kill him for touching you.” Aidan growled as he cupped her face. He’d never been so territorial over a female before. He imagined she may have a problem with the protection he would offer her. She was independent and stubborn--of that he was sure.

  *

  Opening her mouth slightly, she pulled him close. He stopped as she showed him the object between her teeth.

  “I think it’s time for a shower, baby.” She grabbed his hand and bounded off the bed.

  Inside the bathroom they turned on the water. She carefully pulled the razor blade from her mouth.

  “Jordan’s kiss?” he asked.

  She nodded. “He is as much a prisoner here as we are. He’s a good man. I’m going to remove the chip from your neck. I’ve seen my father’s people put more than one inside his pets.”

  He studied her face. Nothing had changed in her expression, Jordan had honored his unspoken request. She didn’t know his seed had taken root. That as small as it was, their child was growing inside her belly.

  He knew he had to get her to safety--protecting her and the child were all that mattered now.

  “Aidan, you might need to bite down on a t-shirt. I have to cut you pretty deep. Even then I’m not sure the exact spot where the chip will be. It’s going to hurt like hell. Even though there’s no microphone in the room, I don’t want to take the chance they might hear you.” Her pretty face became marred with concern.

  He kissed her fingers. “I’m going to be fine. Don’t worry yourself about me, love. Just get the fuckin’ thing out of me.” He reached down and kissed her hard on the lips, whispering, “Ta mo chroi istigh ionat.” My heart is within you.

  He could only tell her how he felt in his own language, but she inhaled at his words and kissed him back so sweetly.

  “I’ll be fine, Rowan. Do what you have to.” He entered the shower and knelt on his knees, then pulled his hair around his neck to expose the skin she needed to cut.

  He felt her approach and hesitate. “Rowan, now...what if Stone decides to come back, like he did yesterday?”

  He hissed as he felt the first cut. Rowan was neat and quick about it, but the pain was fuckin’ torture. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. He reached for every trick in his heritage to help stave off the pain.

  Her finger slid into the wound, rooting around for the chip. He felt as though his head was about to pop off. Great Father Dragon, let her find the damn thing and soon. He pushed his fist into his mouth as he began to moan, teeth sinking into his flesh. The pain in his hand was helping the worst of the pain in his neck and head.

  She touched something and he did cry out. “I found it.” She ran her hand down his back, he was shaking like a leaf. His vision was blurry and his breathing shallow.

  “Hold on Aidan, this is going to hurt badly. I’m sorry.”

  He felt the blade slide deeper into his neck. Tears of pure terror filled his eyes, spilling out. This is how it feels to die! Was the last coherent thought he had before falling to the shower floor.

  *

  “Oh shit.” Rowan lost the chip as Aidan fell. She checked his pulse, he was still breathing. The pain must have shocked his body into passing out again. Thank God, she thought. The idea of causing him to hurt so badly was almost more than she could bear.

  Opening up the wound in his neck a little more, she was able to move around and find the small chip imbedded in muscle. Carefully she pulled on the chip, aware of the fact that if she went too fast she could kill him. The chip was close to the spinal cord and she wasn’t going to risk him being paralyzed or worse.

  She’d seen Jordan implant and remove the many chips Stone had experimented with over the years. Poor Jordan. At first he did it with a gun jammed to his temple. After her father systematically destroyed his family, his career and any hope, the doctor became little more than a robot.

  He abhorred hurting anyone; many times he’d demanded death, refusing to help William Stone with anymore of his dirty work. Then in front of him, William would torture someone to the point that Jordan begged to end their suffering. It was a hellish existence, worse than hers by a far. She only prayed that Jordan wasn’t ruined.

  Rowan breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the small pop, and she slowly brought out the tiny device. She tossed it in the toilet and flushed. The chip’s relay went straight to Jordan’s computer, so her father would be clueless--hopefully long enough for them to escape. Then she pushed Aidan underneath the spray and cleaned the wound, pressing her hand against the wound to stem the flow of blood. She wasn’t sure how long it would take to heal with his accelerated metabolism.

  She stripped the t-shirt from her body, using it to wipe the floor clean. Aidan’s wound was only oozing traces of blood now. She turned off the taps. Kneeling beside him, she shook him gently. “Aidan, wake up.” Nothing. She had to get him up and out of here before the guards returned. And they would. Just as Aidan had said, her father wouldn�
��t take her negative pregnancy test well.

  “Aidan, wake up.” She pushed him harder, flipping him over onto his back. Bending low she opened one of his eyes, and cried out. His brilliant blue eyes weren’t looking at her; they were the eyes of a reptile and they were a yellow/green color. Real fear penetrated Rowan’s skin. Aidan’s eyes popped open. He trained those strange eyes on her. Going to his knees he sniffed the air, then her. Rowan began to back up, crawling slowly away from him. He was more animal than man at the moment.

  “MINE!” He growled and landed on top of her. He managed to turn her over onto her back, his mouth capturing hers in a kiss of ownership. He branded her with his lips and tongue. His mouth slid roughly down her jaw, kissing her neck and finding his bite mark. He raised his head and clamped down on the mark. His much sharper teeth slid easily through her pliant skin. He pushed her legs apart. He was wild, not himself, acting on pure instinct.

  Her thighs flooded when his teeth clamped on her shoulder. He maneuvered between her legs. “Mine, Rowan. Mine.” Rowan was transfixed by his reptilian gaze. The iridescent green regarded her with something akin to wonder as he plunged into her.

  His chest rumbled against hers as his pushed forward. His cock was thicker, longer as he ground into her. He was marking her with his body, taking her harder than he ever had before. Rowan’s body took what he gave and asked for more. She found herself just as hungry to be filled up by him. She bit his neck, his chest. The veins in his neck bulged as he slammed into her over and over again.

  He rumbling got louder, so loud Rowan was afraid he would be heard through their concrete cage. She pulled his braid hard, bringing his head down to hers and kissed him. Her pussy tightened and exploded as she sent her own cries into his mouth. He bucked so hard into her that they moved across the floor as he roared his orgasm. It tumbled through her body, stamping every nerve ending and muscle with Aidan’s ownership. In that moment she understood that she would belong to him and he to her for however long they lived.

  His eyes hadn’t cleared yet and she became concerned. They needed Aidan to be in control now that he had his dragon back.

  She shouted his name, over and over. “Aidan, please Aidan, come back to me.”

  Aidan looked at her through dragon eyes.

  “Please Aidan, please.” She cried softly and ran her hand along his strong jaw. His eyes cleared for a moment and his expression filled with pain. “Oh God! Rowan, baby. Did I hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “No, you didn’t hurt me, just scared the shit out of me.” She tried to laugh it off without much success.

  *

  Aidan felt his eyes change back and forth between reptile and human. He was trying to control himself but was losing the battle.

  Fuck. His dragon wanted to claim her again.

  “Rowan, my dragon wants his mate again,” he said through clenched teeth as he kissed her chin. “I don’t know how long I can hold him off. He knows your taste and smell and wants to rut inside of you until you can’t move.”

  “Oh God.” Her beautiful eyes stared up at him in terror. Goddammit, he was a fuckin’ animal and she finally saw the reality of what he was. Fear--the one thing he never wanted to see in her eyes when she looked at him--it was there now.

  He jumped off of her, going to the corner of the shower stall. He turned on the cold water, driving away the heated need his dragon was trying to push out of him. With his face to the wall he said nothing. What could he say? That he normally didn’t act like this. That the fact that his dragon had been suppressed turned him into a raving beast.

  That he had just fucked her like a madman and was ready to go again and again until they passed out from exhaustion. His dragon spirit was gnashing its pointy teeth for him to pull her into the shower. It was the first time in the were’s life that his beast scared him.

  *

  Rowan rose on shaky legs. He looked so alone, so hurt, and she realized he was barely hanging on to his control. She hadn’t been scared so much as startled by the change in his eyes, the hardening of his flesh and the slight blue cast to his skin. He was beautiful. When she looked upon him her only thought was that he was the most magnificent male in the world. When he’d lain within her, she felt so safe, so cherished. Now he was in the shower stall, trying to climb the walls to get away from her.

  She knew how he thought of himself. She’d seen it with that incredible exchange during sex. His self hatred was not so different than her own. They shared a unique bond, blaming themselves for their own shortcomings, for circumstances they couldn’t change.

  She cautiously approached his trembling form. Allowing her hand to touch his strong back, she ran circles around the stiff muscles housed there. She ignored him when he flinched and just continued to stroke him. She hummed to him, just as he had to soothe her. Of course she didn’t know any Irish lullabies and instead hummed whatever came to mind. His skin loosened a bit, his breathing regulated.

  He turned to her with reptilian yellow-green eyes. She kissed him in the middle of his chest. Scooping her up, he stormed from the bathroom and plopped her on the bed.

  “Aidan, Aidan the camera.” She cried as he started to descend over her. Grabbing the blanket, he chucked it up and over the camera, obscuring them from view.

  He jumped into the bed; it sank from his sudden invasion. Rowan opened her thighs and he placed himself between them.

  “I don’t ever want you to be frightened of me.” He whispered as he ran butterfly kisses along her shoulders.

  “I was shocked, not scared. Never scared. I know you’ll never harm me.”

  “This I swear. I will never let harm befall you.” He kissed her lips. He went slowly, driving her crazy with every touch of his fingertips along her skin.

  *

  Aidan slipped down the long length of her body, kissing and nibbling as he went, blocking as much of his dragon as possible so he could take his time and ready Rowan to take him again. He licked the inner curve of her knee, along the slope of her calf and back up to her full thigh, worshipping every inch of his mate’s skin. He repeated it on her other leg, going as slowly with this one as the first. Dipping his tongue into her belly button, he circled it fully.

  He turned her over onto her tummy. She tried to protest but he wouldn’t allow it. He set about tracing each and every scar on her. From calf to neck he slowly loved all the parts of her, from the smooth to the roughened edges.

  His hands massaged her roughly, and caressed her lightly along her pale body. He loved his warrior woman, and was proud of every scar she’d borne for her sisters. He idly wondered if they were as appreciative as he was. Jenna adored Rowan, her pain when she discovered Rowan hadn’t escaped with her had been devastating.

  She’d begged Aidan and the others to help get her away from this hellish place. He understood Jenna’s reasons now. A sharp pang of guilt stabbed him as he loved her body. He’d refused to help Jenna, didn’t understand the need to help yet another human. He’d been so fuckin’ blinded, by his hate, by his own prejudices. The woman lying underneath him was the epitome of strength and love. She put him to shame. All of his regrets and pain seemed so small compared to the abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her sadistic father. He would spend the rest of his life worshipping his female, the way a woman should be.

  Moving slowly up her body, he again nestled tightly between her thighs. He felt her readiness as she raised her hips and pressed against his legs.

  “Ta gra agam ort.” I love you he boldly told her as his lips touched hers and he slid home into her warm, waiting body. He’d never said those words to another outside of his family. He never thought he would ever feel this way. It had brought him to his knees, in such a short period of time. He knew without a doubt that the Great Dragon knew he needed this woman. He’d never realized how lost he was until the moment he’d lay with her, until he witnessed her strength, her determination and her awesome will. This was a day of revelation, the day of his rebirth. Th
e spirit of his wife cleansed him.

  She closed her eyes as he pushed into her. One thing about freeing his dragon, it increased his already large organ, stretching her further than before. He took it slow and easy, though, kissing her and whispering in Gaelic. His accent was so pronounced as spoke his native tongue. He knew she didn’t understand a word he was saying, but he hoped she felt it in the way he touched her, in the way his body shook with each stroke into her.

  She finally opened her eyes to him. He knew his were still the reptilian yellow-green color; it always took a while for them to return to normal. She didn’t look away, just the opposite--she held his gaze with her own. He swallowed the emotion clogging his throat. This was how it felt to be in love. He had no doubt this woman owned his heart. He refused to look past the moment. With her father he didn’t know how much time they really had.

  She took a deep breath and wrapped her fingers around his braid.

  “I love you Aidan.” He stilled inside of her, cupping her cheek

  “I love you Rowan, my wife.” He kissed her gently again and drove into her even harder. She urged him forward, rising to meet each and every deep-seated thrust. Their bodies were surrounded by their combined auras, the deep amethyst darkening their view from the lights. He was cocooned in the cleansing purple. The world only held Rowan and him.

  He found her clit and rubbed it as she exploded around him. He continued to pump while she rode it out. Just as her body settled down, he picked up the pace, going even faster than before. Impossibly his cock seemed to expand and lengthen even further, drawing a harsh cry from her at the pleasure-pain of being filled so completely by him.

  He opened his mouth, his teeth had grown along with his cock, and he latched onto her shoulder. Her own mouth found her the bite in his shoulder. He waited in anticipation of feeling her little teeth teasing back and forth over his mark. She broke his skin, making him scream her name and ejaculate a second time deep inside of her.