Dripping Fire

  Alita lives for her horses, but she is pursued by a dragon alpha seeking her specifically. She’s an omega, but she’s in rough shape. Can dragon fire turn her from broken to whole?

  Alita has been living in agony with damage from a crushing accident with her every minute of every day. She has found a sideline by working with other omegas as the equestrian in some music videos, but when she gets invited to a party for Lexa, she also falls into the arms of Lexa’s brother-in-law, the dragon alpha Nikolai.

  If Alita knew how close the dragon was to the surface, she would have run.

  He marks her with dragon fire, and she feels a relief from pain as scarred tissue knits and nerves are soothed.

  When he shows up the next day with his beta Alexi, her family is appalled, but she knows that she has one chance at a life with a mate, an alpha and his beta. She gets in the helicopter, and that new life starts.

  Her life becomes her, her alpha, their beta, and Nikolai’s dragon. Only one of them never says please.

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Dripping Fire

  Copyright © 2021 by Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-990635-02-1

  ©Cover art by Angela Waters

  All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.

  Published by Viola Grace

  Look for me online at violagrace.com.

  Dripping Fire

  The Omega Next Door Book 4

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Alita jolted up from her nightmare, her body soaked in sweat. It was always the same one. Trapped in the car. The weight of the truck on top of her crushing inward and her screaming. She got up, stepped into her boots, and took a quilt with her to the barn. She curled up in Lightning’s stall, and he snuffled her hair. The scent of horse took the memory of oil, gas, and fire from her senses. The memory of vinyl heating, smoking, and choking her was pushed away by the scents of hay and water.

  She was able to sleep.

  “Ali, wake up. We need to get loaded for the faire.”

  She looked up at her brother Ralph and her other brother Sanders, peering at her from outside the box. If she was in there, it was unwise to mess with Lightning. “Right. I will grab a shower and be right back.”

  “We leave in twenty.”

  “I will be down in twelve.” She stroked Lightning’s jaw, and he pushed her gently with his head. His job as night guardian was done.

  Alita ran to the main house with only a slight wobble in her gait. She was much more graceful on horseback where the damage from the accident couldn’t be seen in her motion.

  She took a hot shower to loosen muscles tensed by the uneven bedding and then got into her jeans, boots, and long-sleeved shirt. She grabbed a handful of breakfast bars and a travel mug of coffee and met her brothers as they loaded the trailer. All of her favourite horses and their tack were locked and loaded.

  John and Steve got into the first truck while Sanders and Ralph got into the second. With all the horses ready and costumes packed in with Alita, they headed to one of the local faires. It was a last-minute booking on a Saturday, which was odd as she was pretty sure all the faires were down for the season.

  She leaned forward. “I don’t recognize the route. Where are we going?”

  Sanders sighed. “We are going to that private party you turned down last month. They are paying us a ridiculous amount because the little lady of the house loves horses.”

  Alita’s stomach flipped. “You assholes.”

  Ralph looked back at her. “What is the problem? The money can keep us running until spring.”

  She swallowed. “Uh, I am only a week from my heat, and that is an entire gathering of about sixty-percent alphas. Someone is going to notice, and if they do, I am getting the hell out of dodge.”

  “What’s your plan for escape?” Ralph chuckled.

  “Ride a horse to Ford’s and steal a car. It would serve him right for pulling this on me.”

  “He wasn’t the one who made the booking. It was someone named Arthur Adders.”

  “Adders is Lexa’s last name.” She fished out her phone and sent a text.

  Lexa, are you expecting knights and horses?

  We are. Alita, are you coming, too?

  Yeah. In the truck and half an hour out. Do you have good coffee? My brother made ours, and it tastes like it was burned last week and resurrected.

  I can help with that. How are you doing?

  Things are going to get uncomfortable in about a week, but for now, holding steady.

  Are you okay to be here?

  Apparently, a certain little girl made a special request.

  Ah. Hailey is incorrigible, but well, the one who is sniffing for you is Nikolai. He has a beta named Alexi, who is a photographer. If he is near, keep an eye out for a guy with dark hair and black eyes.

  Why would he be after me?

  He has an intuition issue. He’s one of those alphas.

  Oh... well, can I get your scent on me? That might throw him off.

  Hugs coming your way. As many as I can manage before I puke. Morning sickness is kicking in hard.

  “Who are you texting?” Sanders asked.

  “Just a friend.”

  Ralph asked, “You have friends?”

  “One or two. Three in a pinch.”

  They laughed, and she realized they didn’t think she was serious.

  She smiled. Congrats on the pregnancy.

  Did you know that Ford has to reshoot the video because he stole all the footage and put it to a different song?

  I still got paid. Don’t care what he did with it, but jumping over the fire is not something I am going to get Lightning do twice.

  He’s going to be here, and he will discuss what he wants for the replacement footage.

  He’ll pay again?

  Yeah. And you can see what he did with our footage.

  He finished it?

  Yup. And he showed it to all my new relatives using a song that I thought I was sampling for him.

  Alita laughed. Lexa had a great voice, but she didn’t want to become a pro. She wanted to stay close to her daughter.

  Now, the new families want me to sing at every event. Tonight, there is even a special performance that Grigory promises I will like.

  How are you doing with them?

  There was silence for a moment, and then, a text came through.

  Lexa has to have breakfast, but she will be here when you arrive, Miss Wills. I have coffee waiting in the kitchen. Come on in.

  That was it. Someone had hijacked her chat, darn it. Texting was easier than talking. She was really bad at talking, and if alphas were around, she just hid. Her instincts were all kinds of stupid.

  She sighed and charged her phone. It was going to be a busy day, and this was her best chance of talking to Lexa without the threat of alphas around.

  The property was huge, and her brothers took care of the horses once she got Thunder and Lightning out of the trailers. She got her boys settled, and then, she went in search of coffee. She focused and asked one of the betas setting up sound equipment where the kitchen was, and he pointed her in the right direction.

  She knocked on the door, and Lexa looked up with a grin. “Alita, come in!”

  There was a shriek that Alita recognized, and she caught Hailey up and hugged her. “Alita! You are here.”

/>   “Yeah, sorry to ruin any surprises, but I came in for promised coffee.”

  A gorgeous, grinning blond poured her a cup and raised his brow.

  “Just black. No time for sugar.”

  Lexa laughed. “There is always time for sugar.”

  Hailey was just giggling in her arms as she sipped the coffee. “Thanks; you are a lifesaver.”

  Hailey whispered, “Are you going to be a plain princess or a frilly princess?”

  “Which one do you want to see, Hales?”

  Hailey frowned, “Um... frilly, please. You look so nice in your frilly clothing.”

  Alita laughed. “Of course, you do.”

  “Do you still have princess hair?”

  “Of course, I do. It’s under the hat, so the horses don’t nibble on it. My shampoo smells like apples, and they like apples.”

  Hailey’s eyes widened. “Can I feed them some apples?”

  “You remember the rules?”

  “Only pieces. No whole apples. Hand flat and fingers together.”

  “Have you eaten breakfast?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Hailey beamed.

  “Okay, well, I still have mine to get through, so my conversation may be mumbled around the granola bar. Don’t let the horses steal it, okay?”

  Hailey nodded.

  She turned to Lexa. “Can I steal your daughter for a bit?”

  Lexa laughed. “Go ahead. Take some apples. Did you want breakfast?”

  “If I can’t hang onto it, I don’t have time. My brothers are great riders, but their logistics leave something to be desired.”

  She slammed back the coffee, nodded her thanks to the guy behind the counter, and left with Hailey in her arms.

  * * * *

  When Alita was gone, Lexa looked at Alexi. “Nice cover.”

  He shrugged. “You mentioned she was coming in for coffee.” He stepped aside as Yorgi returned to the kitchen.

  Alexi asked, “Hey, Yorgi, can you make some breakfast sandwiches for the horse troupe?”

  Yorgi snorted. “I could, but why would I?”

  “Because the female rider is a friend of Lexa’s.”

  Lexa groaned. “You are going to ambush her, aren’t you, Alexi?”

  “Of course not. Nikolai and I are going to check on their location.”

  “Do not sic Nikolai on her this early in the morning.”

  Her mate’s brother appeared in the doorway behind her. “What am I hunting?” He sniffed. “Clover and honey?”

  Alexi wrapped an arm around his waist. “The omega that you locked onto in the video is here.”

  Lexa could feel Nikolai going tense as a bowstring. “Nikolai, if you frighten her or spook her into riding off, I will figure out something I can do to you.”

  He looked at her. “I am going to court her slowly.” He sniffed. “Quickly. She is nearly in heat.”

  Lexa groaned. “Aw fuck.”

  This day would be one big fucking challenge, and if Alita was approaching a heat, the challenge just quadrupled in complication. She had better find one of her mates and work up a thick wall of scent. She was going to try to hide the clover in the roses.

  * * * *

  Alita supervised Hailey as she fed a sliced apple to Thunder. The costumes were out, and the guys set up a tilting yard. The lances were lined up, and saddles were being polished. Her costumes were pinned to the outside of the truck, which meant that Ralph had unpacked. Each set of boots matched the outfit they were under.

  Hailey had already picked her favourite of the three dresses, so that is the one Alita would wear.

  It was blue and black with silver trim and dark-brown laces. It was a standard gown with a lot of skirt and three silk underdresses. She foamed and was frilly when it was all on.

  She had just reached for the underlayers when someone cleared their throat behind her.

  She turned, and the guy from the kitchen was there with a covered tray. She blinked. “Um, hello.”

  “You mentioned having a crappy breakfast. So, this is for you and your crew.”

  Her brothers arrived, summoned by the scent of food. She opened the lid with one hand and snagged a sandwich before her brothers swarmed over the rest.

  They all thanked the guy and then disappeared. Hailey bounded up. “Hiya, Uncle Alexi. Why are you out here?”

  “Your mom thought her friend would be hungry, and there had to be decoy food.”

  Alita bit into the sandwich and groaned happily, her knees twisting until she fell on her ass. “So good.”

  Hailey chuckled and sat in her lap. “Yorgi makes really good food.”

  “I thought you said his name was Alexi?”

  Hailey pointed. “That is Alexi. He is Uncle Nikolai’s partner. He makes pictures.”

  Alexi set the tray down and held out his hand. “We were not introduced earlier. I am Alexi Jenkins. My alpha is Nikolai Petrov.”

  She took another bite of the sandwich, put it in her left hand, and extended her right to him. She mumbled. “Alita Wills.”

  He smiled. “I am very happy to meet you, Alita. I will be coming by to take photos. Grigory’s and Delun’s families are insane for sharing images and making memories.”

  She swallowed. “Glad you showed up when you did; I was about to change.”

  He smiled. “Sorry I was early. Do you normally change in the open?”

  “I don’t travel with a change room, so it is either in the trailer or out in the open. The hard part comes when I need to use the restroom. That stuff is slippery.”

  She quickly stuffed her face again as he laughed. “I will be back in a few minutes to take shots for Hailey’s album. She loves the horses and keeps going on about princess hair.”

  Hailey beamed. “Are you going to put pearls in it again?”

  Alita blinked and looked around. “It looks like my brothers forgot to grab my bag of hair stuff.”

  “You can borrow some of mom’s; she has lots.”

  Alita looked at Hailey. “I can’t use her stuff. It has been given to her by her mates’ families. It would be like you getting a present from your mom or dads and then lending it to a friend while your family was watching. It isn’t polite. I will see if I can scavenge some ribbon or lace or something.”

  Hailey nodded. “I can help you look.”

  “That would be helpful.”

  Alexi smiled. “I will see if we can find something on our end. What colour is your hair? Blonde?”

  She laughed. “Uh, no. And I know you have seen the video. Would you like to see my hair?”

  It felt like such a weird question, but it was intensely personal.

  “Yes, please.” He grinned. “It will give me an idea of what kind of lighting you will need.”

  She snorted and set Hailey on her feet. She removed her ball cap, and her hair unravelled until it hung at her knees.

  Alexi exhaled. “Wow. That is...”

  “A lot? A pain in the ass? I have debated just chopping it off, but it works for a lot of the events we perform at, so I keep it and spend hours brushing it per night.”

  The wind grabbed it and lifted it up into the weird wind-born cobwebs she was used to. Hailey giggled and stared as her light hair lifted and turned into wings.

  She looked at Alexi. “So, you can see why I need to tie it up, and barring ties, I will start braiding it. Either one takes a while.”

  She felt a slight tug on her hair and turned to see what she was caught on. She shrank the moment that she saw him. There was no mistaking an alpha when she saw one, and he wasn’t just an alpha. His energy called to hers. Well, it didn’t call, it ordered her to come to him, and that order made her back up. His scent was dark coffee and a strange touch of sunlight.

  She met his gaze and stumbled backward. Fear radiated off her in waves, and Alexi frowned. “Niko, what are you doing?”

  She looked at the hand that held a fistful of
her hair, and she yanked herself free. She was getting ready to run when the thick scent of roses wrapped around her, and Lexa put herself between Niko and Alita, saying something to him in clipped tones as Alita shook in her friend’s embrace. There was a roaring in her ears and mind, and that roar was excited and happy. She got the feeling she was going to hear it a lot.

  Lexa stroked her hair. “You are okay, Alita. You can hide with me if you want to. We have plenty of room.”

  Alita frowned. “Why would I hide?”

  She looked around, and Alexi and Nikolai were gone. She exhaled in relief.

  “I know terror when I smell it.”

  “People don’t touch me. Men don’t touch me. And he looked like he wanted to do a lot of touching.”

  Lexa smiled. “Uh, yeah. He is convinced that you and he are a match, and that was based on the video.”

  “Did you tell him it was make-believe?”

  “He was looking at it with different eyes than we were. He was watching the way you moved and the expression on your face.” Lexa stroked her hair. “Has the Omega Centre been after you?”

  “No, they still think I am suffering extreme side effects of a shattered pelvis. All of the packs that were lined up before the accident have faded into the woodwork. My brothers tried to offer me to a few, but there were no takers.”

  She sighed. “My physio is pricey and taking on someone who’s been crushed isn’t great if you want kids. No one knows if everything works. They think it does, but toys don’t tell the tale.”

  She covered her mouth. She tended to blurt to Lexa and Olivia. They had no interest in having sex with her, so it was a safe subject with them.

  Lexa stroked her hair. “I can explain to Hailey if you need to leave or if just the guys perform. I can call you a cab.”

  Alita shook her head. “No, we are here to make the little princess happy, so I will put on my princess gear and screw a smile on my face. It is just a few hours, and then, I will be home again... no alphas, just dorky betas everywhere.”