Captive Heart (DragonKin 5)

Captive Heart (DragonKin)
Anne Kane
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2018 Anne Kane

Haydn laughed and draped his arm around Jackson's shoulders. "I don't think your fire companion is going to be too happy when you tell her about the dent you put in her new car!"

Jackson grinned, unrepentant. "Not to worry. I'll just give her a little of my special brand of loving and she'll forget to be mad at me." He pointed to a table at the far side of the packed barroom. "Looks like we're late. The guys already have a table."

They shouldered their way through the Friday night crowd at the Pagan's Corner, jostling good-naturedly with the other residents of Utopia Bay. Shifters, paranormals and humans all came to the local pub to have a good time, and the bouncers made sure racial tensions didn't get out of hand.

Haydn grabbed a chair and straddled it backward, resting his chin on his crossed arms. "So what's the plan for the night? It's been a bitch of a week at work and I'm raring for some action."

"May I take your orders, sirs?"

Haydn turned at the sound of that soft voice, and stared right into the prettiest pair of brown eyes he'd ever seen. Framed by soft brown skin and close clipped dark curls, those eyes bored a hole right to his heart. Unprecedented need exploded in his gut. His mated friends had always told him it would happen one day when he least expected it. He realized he was looking at his souler.

He let his gaze roam the rest of her ample charms while an appreciative smile crossed his lips. The quip rose to his tongue with the ease of years spent pursuing every female he could find. "Darling, I'd love to have you take my orders."

She didn't even blink, just raised one of those perfectly sculpted eyebrows and stared at him. He swore the temperature in the bar dropped ten degrees.

A couple of the guys whistled, and Jackson had the nerve to laugh out loud. "That one's not going to fall for any of your pat lines, Haydn, so you might as well order a drink. Cassie doesn't do dragons."

"A mug of whatever's on tap." Haydn kept his eyes lowered, struggling to keep the redness from creeping up his neck. He had a reputation as a player, and it had been a long time since a woman had stonewalled him quite that thoroughly.

"Same for me." Jackson tossed some money on the table.

Haydn watched her scribble the order down before she turned back to the bar. She held herself straight and proud, her wide hips sashaying beneath a calf-length denim skirt. He felt his cock jerk to attention at the thought of all that soft, warm flesh beneath him. Damn! He turned to Jackson. "What do you mean, she doesn't do dragons?"

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger." Jackson held his hand up in mock fear. "She's one of the humans that Egan's group, Bound for Freedom, managed to save. To say she's terrified of dragons would be putting it mildly. Can't say I blame her, those rogues are a mean bunch."

"Damn, that sucks." Haydn watched her load drinks onto the tray and head back toward their table. "I'll have to be real gentle with her."

Jackson stared at him as if he'd just grown a second head. "Are you crazy? That girl is never going to go out with you. What part of 'terrified of dragons' did you not get?"

Haydn smiled gently. "She's my fire companion. Of course she'll go out with me. She just needs to get used to the idea."

Across the table, another of his other friends shook his head in sympathy. "You think Cassandra is your fire companion? You've got your work cut out for you, man. I've heard some of Egan's stories, and they aren't pretty. You'll be lucky if she lets you get within ten feet of her front door."

Haydn watched the woman's ample bosoms sway enticingly while she wound her way back to their table. "You said her name is Cassie, Jackson. What else do you know about her?"

Jackson shook his head. "Not much. Her full name is Cassandra, but everyone calls her Cassie. Egan's group, Bound for Freedom, rescued her and she decided to stay here instead of returning to her home, wherever that was. She got this job right after her rescue, and cleaned out one of the cabins at the edge of town to live in." He paused, his brow furrowing with concentration. "I don't think she's dated anyone since Egan freed her, certainly not a dragon."

Haydn felt a knot he didn't even know he had relax in his gut. She didn't date. That was a good sign. It meant she was waiting for him, whether she knew it or not.

He smiled up at her when she reached their table. "Sorry for my rudeness earlier. You're just so pretty my brain didn't kick into gear." So far so good. She hadn't dumped the beer over his head yet. "Maybe when you get off shift, we could go grab a bite to eat?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jackson roll his eyes. He obviously thought Haydn was nuts, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was his fire companion. She hesitated for a split second, and his heart leapt with hope.

"I don't think that would be wise, sir." Her voice had a musical lilt to it that resonated to the very center of his being. Her dark lashes swept down over her eyes, hiding her expression. She set the drinks down and turned to leave. He lifted his hand, intending to stop her, but let it fall.

She had the look of a rabbit just before his dragon snatched it from the ground, and he didn't want her to think of him as a monster. He'd find another way to approach her.