Tate James - The Dragon’s Wing

T hank you to my son, for at least having the grace to be cute when he interrupted mummys writing, and my husband for his unique brand of supportiveness .

As always, a huge thank you to my incredibly talented editors Heather and Jax, and to my critique partners Rebecca and Lucy for encouraging the crap out of me along the way .

To Goldie, the goldest goldfish in the bowl yeah, you know youre awesome. Thanks for keeping things interesting! xxx

M y stomach flipped somersaults like a Cirque du Soleil performer as I reached with shaking fingers for the gun River offered .

Ive got this. I can do this. Deep breaths .

You okay, love? he murmured in his sexy British accent, tilting my face up with a cold finger to meet his heart stopping golden gaze. For a man I was used to seeing so incredibly controlled and stern, the excitement dancing in his eyes was enough to make me forget what I was so nervous about. River was the leader of our team and took his job very seriously, which was unbelievably hot. He was also a major control freak, and I loved to push his buttons .

Of course. I smiled, laughing off my reaction as though my hands werent shaking so hard I could actually hear the ammo in my gun rattling. River just smirked and placed one of his hands over mine .

Youll be fine. Cole and I have your back, and your marksmanship is impeccable. Even Austin has admitted as much. Rivers comment must have been overheard because a scoff came from the boys waiting behind me. He shot them a sharp look then turned his intense attention back on me, cupping my face with his free hand .

Trust me, Kitten, this will be fun. He punctuated his statement by pulling me closer and pressing a lingering kiss on my mouth. His rough stubble brushed my skin and made my heart race, eager for more. The heat of his lips threw a stark contrast to his icy hand on my face, and a rogue whimper of protest slipped from my throat when he pulled away all too soon .

Right, if you two are done over there? Id like to actually do this today, Austin interrupted in a bored voice, and I bit my lip to hold back a bitchy response. I was really in no hurry to start this mission, but they all seemed so excited I couldnt back out .

Fine, I muttered. Lets get this over with. But just remember, if I fail, its on you as my teacher .

Austin snorted and rolled his emerald eyes, but I could see a tiny smile pulling at the edges of his mouth as he expertly disconnected his ammunition magazine and flicked out one of the bullets. Every now and then I was struck by just how identical he and Caleb really were, and each of the rare times Austin smiled brought his sweeter twin instantly to mind. Without his signature scowl on his face, the only way to tell them apart would be to see Austins abundance of tattoos, and given it was snowing outside, they were all covered by clothes .

You see that, princess? he asked, shaking a stray lock of dark hair out of his eyes and holding the little ball up to my face .

See what? I frowned, unsure what new line of insult he was heading down .

Its red, he informed me helpfully, as if I was colorblind and couldnt clearly see the red ball six inches from my face. Just making sure you know whos responsible when you start getting pelted with these bad boys. He smirked at me, and I got a bad feeling about how the day was going to go .

Guys, I dont know if paintball is really the best test for my skills. Youve all had way more training than I have, not to mention youve all played this before. I tried one last ditch effort to get out of the training exercise, but it was a lost cause. The grins on the boys faces said it all. There wasnt a chance in hell I was getting out of this baggy white jumpsuit unless it was covered in paint .

It was the week before Christmas, and the boys had dragged me out of bed at this ungodly hour of the morning to go paintballing as a reward for having just graduated early. So far I was failing to see where the reward was for me, though. Despite having spent almost every spare minute of the past two months in training, I still knew I was going to get my ass handed to me. The best I could hope for was that my superhuman speed would help me dodge the worst of the paint pellets fired my way .

My temper was already running a bit short as it was, with my mounting frustration at our lack of progress with anything related to the bombshell Dupree had dropped before committing suicide by cyanide. The lack of real answers still devastated me .

Her wild story of magic and supernatural creatures and the subsequent encounter with Mr. Gregoric had all, in my opinion, fizzled out to nothing, which was depressing to say the least. The address Mr. Gregoric had provided should have led us to one of those surviving supernaturals Dupree had mentioned. When wed investigated, however, we hit a dead endor, rather, a closed for winter roadblock. The address was located in a tiny village in Alaska, but the owner was apparently taking a vacation on a Caribbean island and wouldnt return until late January. Despite Wesleys best efforts, he had been unsuccessful in tracking this mysterious lead down, and the lack of progress was driving me insane .

Come on, Kitty Kat. Caleb interrupted my melancholy musing, draping a well-toned arm around my shoulders and pulling me into him for a hug. Youve totally got this. Ive seen you in target practice; youre pretty good !

Hey! Quit fraternizing with the enemy, Cal, Austin snapped, punching his twin in the arm. For this game, we had separated into two teams. The twins and Wesley versus Cole, River, and myself. Lucy was still stuck in a rehab facility, much to her disgust, working on regaining movement in her left hand, where she had undergone several surgeries to try and reattach the nerves and set the bones straight. The beating she had taken at the hands of Duprees men had very nearly killed her, so I was secretly glad she was stuck in rehab and out of danger for a while .

It cant be helped, Caleb replied to his brother, tightening his arm around me. The enemy looks so damn good in her jumpsuit. With his free hand, he tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ear, then trailed a fingertip down my face, lighting up all my nerves in its path .

Damn if these boys arent getting to me today .

Despite the fact it was lightly snowing outside, I needed a cold shower because all of these casual touches were lighting me on fire .

Ever since my brief, horror-filled stay at Blood Moon Laboratories, when Simon had used my worst childhood memories against me, I had been a bit standoffish from any sort of sexual contact with the guys. Not intentionally, but the first time one of them initiated something more than just a kiss, Id had some sort of panic attack, so I had been careful to keep my distance. They had understood, too, never pushing me until I was ready--which made me see just how decent they really were. But from the way my skin lit on fire at every touch, I would say I might be ready again .