Ember's Kiss by Deborah Cooke Read Free Book Online Page A

long time, he had no taste for it.
    He had to see Kay. He had to know for sure that she wanted no part of him.
    Even if she told him so all over again.
    Brandt paid for the drink, left it on the bar, and strode to his truck. He had a long drive ahead of him, one that probably would be a futile journey.
    But he had to know for sure.

    Brandon was raging. He’d never felt anything like the violence that filled his body. It was terrifying in its power. His dragon was screaming, demanding blood. He fought the shift with all his might, perspiration on his brow as he just barely kept his human form.
    How could the dragon command the shift?
    How could the dragon be in charge?
    The transformation should be a voluntary one, a choice that he made. But this urge came from the depths of his guts and it was almost impossible to fight back. He ignored Matt’s bragging and Dylan’s erratic driving as he huddled in the back of the Jeep and fought to remain in human form.
    He wasn’t sure what would happen if he let himself shift shape, but he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be good. Would he be able to change back? Or would the monster inside own him forever?
    It was going to ruin everything!
    What had changed? Was it the eclipse? The firestorm? The exposed spots on his skin, where he had removed scales to compensate Chen, burned as if they were on fire.
    What had happened to him? Why was his dragon so strong?
    Matt had flung the Dragon Bone Powder into the wind, making trouble in response to Brandon’s winning of Liz’s attention. He could be childish like that, but this time Matt hadn’t had any clue what he was doing. Brandon’s body had responded with unexpectedvehemence to Matt’s actions. It had taken everything he had to keep from shifting on the spot. He knew he hadn’t been able to stop his eye from changing.
    It was horrifying for his dragon to suddenly become so powerful and challenge him for control. He’d wanted to rip Matt’s head off for being so stupid. He’d wanted to slam his buddy hard against the Jeep and hurt him, maybe rip open his throat. He’d wanted to breathe fire, make the Jeep explode, and ensure that everyone fled the scene.
    Then he wanted to seize Liz and make love to her all night long.
    Independent of what she thought of the matter.
    That wasn’t like Brandon. It was completely at odds with his own character and he didn’t like the change one bit. His base desires had the upper hand. Brandon was glad he’d only had the one beer or he wouldn’t have had a chance at controlling himself. He already knew that alcohol or drugs only diminished his ability to keep the dragon contained.
    But if it remained this powerful, it was only a matter of time before he lost the battle—and the war. Even now, even as they drove away from Kane‘ohe, his grip on his human form was tenuous. He was angry, angrier than he’d been in a long while, but he knew the focus of his anger wasn’t really Matt.
    It was the burden of being a dragon shape shifter.
    It was the knowledge that he was a monster and that there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
    It was the legacy of his father, and he hated his father even more than usual as they drove back to the north shore of the island. The guys probably thought he was drunk as he writhed in the backseat. Brandon was content to let them think what they wanted. It was more important that he assert his control.
    But even as he fought, he resented this change. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair! He would have his chance this week to make his name in the surfing world. He didn’t need any distractions.
    The only distraction he’d accept was the firestorm. There had been a few moments with Liz when he’d thought there might be something good about this dragon-shifter shit. There had been that electric kiss, the caress of the firestorm, the sense of optimism and hope. He’d had that