Free Claiming His Prize (Bad Boy Alphas) (Feral Breed Followings Book 2) by Ellis Leigh

give her the softest kiss I knew how to give. She kissed me back, still desperate. Still clinging to me. Like a safety net of some sort.
    “What can I do?” I asked quietly, my heart breaking and my rage at whoever had her so afraid boiling over.
    She shook her head, a sad sort of look in her eyes. “Nothing. There’s nothing anyone can do.”
    “Jane, I—”
    “I should get cleaned up,” she said, looking to the ground as she pushed me away. I stepped back, giving her room, letting her drop her legs and put space between us. Hating every inch of it, though.
    “I… Okay,” I said uncertainly. Something had changed. She was shuttered off again, putting more than just physical space between us. “Jane, wait. What’s going on?”
    She moved to the counter, keeping her back to me. “I have to shower. Mick is going to need me to leave soon, and I can’t go like this.”
    I walked up behind her, not touching, just letting her know I was there. “Like what?”
    “Smelling like you.”
    My breath shot out of me as if I’d been punched, and I suppose I had. Jane had thrown a good blow, knocking me down with only a few words.
    “So you can’t let anyone know I was near you.”
    She spun, her eyes wide. “I can’t let anyone know we just did…that.”
    “That?” I asked, cocking my head.
    She leaned closer, whispering in my ear. “They’ll smell me. They’ll smell how aroused you made me.”
    “I like you aroused.”
    She snorted a sad little laugh before pushing off the counter. “I have to go. I’m sorry I can’t stay to—” She waved her hand in the direction of my crotch where my hard cock had tented my shorts.
    I shrugged one shoulder. “You needed me, so I gave of myself. There’s no reciprocity required.”
    She paused, rocking slightly as if she were deciding whether to run or fight. Then she hopped forward and hugged me.
    “I wish I could choose,” she murmured into my neck.
    “Choose what?”
    “Anything. Everything.” She shook her head and backed away. “I have to go.”
    I watched her leave, wishing I could understand what the hell had just happened. Desperate to protect her from whatever had scared her.
    How do you kill a shifter?
    “Jane.”
    She spun at my sharp tone, her eyes wide.
    “Wolf shifters can’t regenerate without blood. Other shifters will usually go for a punch to the chest because we’re strong enough to stop their hearts, but humans aren’t. Go for sharp things and arteries.”
    She nodded, her eyes wary. Cautious. “What about…other shifters?”
    Fuck . Other shifters meant she wasn’t dealing with what she was familiar with, which was probably why she was asking in the first place. “Each breed is a little different.”
    She paused, looking away, fidgeting with her coat. But then she took a deep breath, and she looked me dead in the eye.
    “What about dragons?”
    I took a step back, my brow coming down. “Are you… Is there another—”
    “How do you kill a dragon shifter, Piers?” The use of my real name didn’t escape me, nor did the haunted look in her eyes. Double fuck .
    I nodded once and swallowed hard, wishing more than ever that she’d just tell me. Knowing she needed my help. That I had to tell her the truth.
    “Fire.”
    She cocked her head, looking completely lost. “But…you can breathe fire.”
    “Some of us. But remember how I told you about seeing heat? When I’m in dragon form, I can see all the soft spots in a dragon’s scales. See where to direct my flames just as they can see mine.” I shrugged. “Fire is almost always our undoing.”
    For a moment, barely a second, she seemed excited. But then she practically collapsed in on herself. “Humans can’t breathe fire.”
    “No, but you have weapons. Flamethrowers, torches… Hell, a Zippo and some hair spray would work. Put flame in the air, and we’ll run.” I ached to touch her, inching closer without thinking about it, afraid for her. “Fire is what scares us. If