Dragonfury 02 - Fury of Ice

drew him tight, and muscles coiled, preparing for…what exactly? He frowned, revolving around the mystery, trying to unravel it, but his thoughts tangled, leaving his mind blank and his heart empty. Something was coming. He could feel it rumbling toward him, gaining speed by the second and—
    A heavy hand curled around the nape of his neck.
    Mac twitched. That wasn’t right. He never invited other guys into his dreams. And imaginary dream woman or not, he didn’t want the bozo anywhere near Tania. With a quick twist, he shielded her with his body and tried to shrug out of the touch.
    “Easy, big guy,” a deep voice said, tone soothing. “B…we good to go?”
    “Furniture’s cleared.” Footfalls came from far away, the soft thuds throwing red flags inside Mac’s head as a second voice joined the first. “Is he ready?”
    “Any second now. She fed him well. His energy levels are good…stable.”
    “Calm before the storm.”
    Jesus Christ. A third guy? This was the strangest dream he’d ever had, but weirder than that? He heard the sheets rustle, felt the mattress dip as someone climbed on beside him.
    The third guy murmured, “I’ll grab him. Get the female out of here.”
    Aggression rolled through him, pumping him full of “oh, no, you don’t.” If one of them tried to touch Tania, he’d rip him a new asshole. Imaginary or not, she was his, and right now? Way too vulnerable, so relaxed Mac knew she was fast asleep.
    The mattress shifted. A second set of hands touched his shoulder. Mac let loose.
    Punching his fists into the sheets on either side of Tania, he thrust up, back and…oh, yeah. Instant liftoff. The 180-degree spin put him on the balls of his feet, face-to-face with Dickhead at the end of the bed. Surprise flared in shimmering red eyes an instant before Mac hammered him with a right cross. The guy’s head snapped back, throwing the idiot off balance and over the side of the mattress. As he hit the floor, the other two cursed.
    Keeping himself between Tania and them, Mac swiveled, fists raised, teeth bared, desperate to do damage. To ignore the onslaught of returning pain and keep her safe…away from the bastards tag-teaming him. He set his stance and—
    Motherfuck, too late.
    Brutal and quick, the frosty-eyed SOB moved in, nailing him with a quick jab. As his head cranked sideways, hard hands dragged him off the bed and into a full nelson chokehold.
    “You touch her and I’ll kill you.” Muscles straining, pain gnawed on his bones as he reared, fighting the lockdown. “I’ll rip your fucking—”
    “Settle down, MacCord.” Breathing hard, the bastard hauled him into the center of the open-plan loft. Upended furniture lined the walls beneath blacked-out windows. Alive with movement, the glass seethed, rolling from frame to steel frame. As his “holy shit” meter went red zone, the guy forced him to his knees. “No one’s gonna touch the female. We just want her safe and out of the way.”
    The assurance struck a chord, and he stilled, relief warring with a boatload of “really?” But something in Full Nelson’s voice—the undercurrent in his tone, the absolute confidence—told him not to worry. They weren’t interested in Tania. Crazy conclusion? Maybe, but Mac didn’t think so. His spidey senses were on overload, tingling, picking up a strange vibe. One that said trust this guy .
    “Mac,” he rasped, testing the waters, giving a little to see what came back at him.
    “What?”
    “It’s Mac. No one ever calls me MacCord .”
    “More with the attitude.” Full Nelson huffed, the laughter underneath the exasperation unmistakable. He eased his grip without letting go, giving Mac enough slack to lift his head. “You know what, Ven? Give me some time, and I might actually like the big dummy.”
    “Not me.” Dickhead—Ven…whatever—wiped the blood from his mouth and rolled to his feet. “The blockhead rattled my cage.”
    “You deserved it,” Mac said, grinding out each word as agony closed the gap, gluing his knees to the floor. His gag reflex kicked in. He fought the dry heaves, breathing with lungs that felt like they’d been poured full of cement. “Goddamn…what’s wrong with me?”
    “The change.” Full Nelson released him. As his hands slid away, he moved around front and crouched, nailing Mac with pale peepers. “You go head-to-head with a dragon lately, Mac?”
    He nodded.
    “Not sure why the magic in your blood was dormant…” The