by Milly Taiden
Hot Piece of Ash
Milly Taiden
Contents
Hot Piece of Ash
About the Book
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
The Daeria World
The Crystal Kingdom Series
About the Author
Also by Milly Taiden
Also by Milly Taiden
Also by Milly Taiden
Also by Milly Taiden
Also by Milly Taiden
Also by Milly Taiden
Also by Milly Taiden
Also by Milly Taiden
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Hot Piece of Ash
Paranormal Dating Agency
NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
MILLY TAIDEN
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Published By
Latin Goddess Press
Winter Springs, FL 32708
http://millytaiden.com
Hot Piece of Ash
Copyright © 2020 by Milly Taiden
Edited by: Tina Winograd
Edited by: Sheri Lyn
Proofed: Jane D.
Cover: Willsin Rowe
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Property of Milly Taiden
August 2020
Created with Vellum
About the Book
When Valentina Lombardi jokingly asks Gerri Wilder to hook her up with a sexy man or two, she doesn’t expect for Gerri to make it happen. Boy, does she deliver. In the warm beaches of Costa Bonita, Valentina is romanced by two gorgeous men. She can’t possibly date them both at the same time, can she? It’s wrong. It’s dirty. It’s what’s gonna happen.
Ash Jonz and Smoke Price need a mate to complete their triad and renew their island’s magic or their clan could be wiped out. When curvy, shy Valentina shows up, they know she’s the one. They want to keep her, mate her, and cement their marks on her. But how will she react to knowing they’re planning on sharing her. At the same time.
Fire Mountain’s in trouble. The volcano’s spewing steam that scares the islanders, and if Ash and Smoke don’t finalize their triad, the whole island could blow. That’s the least of their worries when one of their own decides they don’t want Valentina getting in their way.
Alpha and beta need to find their mate before she’s sacrificed for a pirate’s treasure.
—For my girl Valentina,
Your amazing personality and professionalism during our trip made our stay unforgettable and gave us a new friend. I hope that you can also find your true mate to give you your happily ever alpha.
Chapter One
Gerri leaned against a tree outside the local animal shelter observing families and listening to the happy screams of children as overzealous puppies licked ice cream from their messy young faces.
This was one of her favorite charity events every year. Watching the kids’ eyes light up when they see the pet, they’ve been dreaming of their whole lives brought a tear to her eye and joy to her heart.
This year’s adoption outing would be just as emotional. Times like this had her wanting to adopt every animal in the shelter, but her lifestyle wouldn’t allow for that. Not with her zipping back and forth between planets and her apartment, which she had just remodeled in all-white.
A microphone screech from closer to the building grabbed her attention. A young woman tapped the mic head making a loud thud, thud. After an adjustment, the woman stood in front of the crowd and smiled. Gerri’s eyes narrowed, zeroing in on the familiar face.
She was the same person who coordinated the event last year. Gerri would never forget such a big-hearted human. The young woman had to be late twenties or early thirties. Perfect age. She was just growing into her career and knew where she wanted to go in life. Gerri wondered if this was the path the girl truly desired.
“Welcome everyone to our annual adoption charity.” Her voice rang out crisp and clear. She was confident and sure even though the way she covered up her curvy body said she might be self-conscious about how others saw her. If she wasn’t already comfortable in her skin, she would soon learn to be. “I’m Valentina Lombardi, and I would like to thank you for coming out to find your new family member.”
A small white flash zipped in front of Gerri’s feet. Following that blur was a running teenager bent over with arms extended. She heard him whisper, “Get back here, you furry butt.” Yes, he needed to catch the rabbit before it reached the dogs’ section. What a riot that would be to see twenty dogs chase a scared-shitless bunny around the parking lot. And then all the handlers chasing after the dogs.
Gerri shook her head with a smile and turned her attention back to Valentina. The hostess had stepped to a large wire cage that had a log and foliage inside. Valentina put her hand on the wire cage. “I would like to introduce everyone to our most recent addition. Larry.”
The girl opened the top hatch and stuck her hand inside. Immediately a dark critter with a slender body and long tail raced up her arm to her shoulder, poked its nose around the back of her neck through her thick brown hair to peek out on her other shoulder. She leaned forward a bit.
“This is Larry the Lizard.” She rubbed a finger over its head. “Larry, say hi to the audience.” The lizard whipped out its serpentine tongue and sucked it back in. “Larry, that wasn’t very nice. You’re not supposed to stick your tongue out at people.” The group chuckled.
Gerri was shocked by how comfortable the woman was with a three-foot-long reptile hanging on her shoulders. Not a typical scene by any means. She wondered…
After the short presentation, the animal meet and greet continued. Gerri made a beeline for Valentina. She had to know more about this woman.
“Excuse me,” Gerri said, standing behind Valentina as she put Larry back into his cage.
Valentina turned and gasped, putting a hand on her chest. “Ms. Wilder, oh my gosh, it’s so nice to meet you.” She grabbed Gerri’s hand and shook it. Gerri was almost as shocked as the girl at being identified by the stranger.
“I’m sorry,” Valentina replied. “I know you from our newsletters that have the photos of our larger donors. You are our biggest, and I can’t thank you enough for how you’ve helped so many animals.”
Gerri smiled. “Beasts of all kinds share a space in my heart.” And she did mean “beasts”—shifters, of course. She smiled to herself.
“I agree,” Valentina said. “There’s just something about them that allows them to see through the physical image and straight into your soul.” She rubbed her skin. “None of that matters. It’s what’s in here.” She tapped a fist over her
heart. “Unconditional love.” She sighed.
Hmm. “Hard-core romantic?” Gerri asked.
“Till the end. All I read are romance stories where love always wins, no matter what was thrown at them.” Valentina slipped her hands into her pockets and looked down. “It would be so nice to experience that kind of love.”
“No significant other?” Always PC and all that shit, that was Gerri.
Valentina shook her head. “Most men don’t take the time, or even want to get past the first glance. I’m not exactly a size two. Plus, what you see isn’t always what you get.”
Gerri frowned. This was not the same woman with the microphone who’d humored a crowd and was so sure of herself. What had changed?
“You’re good in the spotlight,” Gerri said. “You looked great, and your smile’s beautiful.”
Valentina dipped her head, embarrassment floating from her. “Uh, thank you.” She poked at a piece of grass with her sandal. Gerri wondered if she was dealing with a split personality. Night and day with this woman. “But it’s all an act,” she continued quietly.
“An act?”
Valentina shrugged, keeping eyes lowered. “When I have to do things like this, which is often, I pretend to be somebody else. Somebody outgoing and fun. Somebody who looks confident and comfortable.”
Gerri was shocked. She scooped up Valentina’s hands and leaned in close. “You listen to me,” Gerri said in a whisper, “you are not pretending on that stage. That confident woman is you. You just have to convince yourself of that.”
Valentina nodded, her eyes turning shiny. “Well, you know…” She let out a big breath.
Gerri had to help this woman see who she was. But what could she do?
“What was your college degree in?” Gerri asked. Maybe there would be an opportunity there.
Valentina laughed. “Believe it or not, public relations and advertising.”
“Well,” Gerri replied, “you certainly chose a profession that requires lots of exposure and networking.”
“Don’t I know it,” Valentina mumbled.
“Do you not want to do PR or advertising?”
“No, I do. I love the creativeness and using my brain to be more inventive and fun. It’s just the people part of it I can do without. If I could work behind a desk with just a computer, I’d be happy.”
“How do you expect to find the love of your life from behind a desk?” Gerri asked.
Valentina shrugged. “I really don’t expect to find Mr. Right. It would be ideal to find a man that tells me he loves me. I don’t know that I’ll ever hear those words. I’ve had poor luck with getting a man to say them. People stay telling me that beggars can’t be choosers. But if you can find me a good man or two, I would be more than willing to go on a blind date.” She gave a short nervous laugh while wringing her hands together. “I’m kidding.”
Gerri was flabbergasted at the woman’s poor outlook on her life. How beaten down did someone have to be, to believe such negativity?, That just wouldn’t do. Gerri now had her own adoption case to take charge of.
Gerri glanced at her watch. She had a meeting with a new client in half an hour. “Well, darling, I need to hurry along.” She pulled an envelope from her purse. “Since I’m not able to adopt, I’m donating to the society to use however they want.”
Valentina took the packet and stared at it. “Thank you so much, Ms. Wilder. People like you remind me that there is still good in the world.”
Gerri squeezed her arm with a smile. “I’ll be in touch. Good luck with placing all the animals.”
When Gerri stepped away, she saw a ragged young man with his shirt halfway out of his pants, hair a wild mess, grass stain on his knees, and scrapes on both elbows. But he wore a massive smile as he carried a white bunny in his arms.
Chapter Two
From the resort’s white sugar beach, Ash picked up a dead frond from the tropical palm tree. It was limp in his hand, draping down like a broken wing. Several more leaves were showing signs of a slow death. Never in the years that he had lived on the island—as a whelp, then again as a mature dragon—had he seen one of their palm trees die that way. They had gone through hurricanes and severe storms which had destroyed plant life, but this was different.
Nothing died on Costa Bonita. The forest had always been lush with plant life. Now the trees had dropped their leaves as if winter had arrived. Even the white beaches had begun to look dingy.
A slight vibration rattled through his shoes and up through his legs. A rumble that he instinctively knew was deep underground shook him. He craned his neck around to check on the inactive volcano.
Steam rolled over the top of the crater, like vapor from a witch’s cauldron. He wasn’t too concerned. It had happened before they hired his sister to work on the island. After she’d arrived, the steam had stopped, no rhyme or reason. Why was it doing it again? Why was their tropical paradise going to shit?
Even though the sun had been up for several hours, only a few tourists had made their way to the beach. Now, they all stood pointing at the resurrected mountain on the island. Dammit, that was the last thing they needed. For some reason, the number of visitors had been down the previous month. Neither he nor his beta had a clue why.
He stomped his way over the brown patches of grass to the resort’s office. Smoke had better be there, or this alpha was going to go batshit crazy on his beta. The man had never grown out of his childish stage of life. How he managed to do his duties so well was beyond him.
“Morning, Isa,” he managed to grumble, passing the human who had worked there longer than he and Smoke. The first time he walked by her without saying good morning was the last. Isadora had followed him into his office and proceeded to chew him another hole. She was like a mother to them so she had no qualms telling either of them off. This resort was known for its happy employees, including the alpha and beta.
“Wonderful morning to you, Ash,” she called out. He stormed through the doorway and past her desk. His mood lifted a bit from her aura of positivity.
Surprisingly, Smoke was at his desk and working on the computer with his keyboard pulled out from under the desktop.
Ash plopped into the upholstered chair across from Smoke and sighed. The view out the picture window behind the desk was beautiful. The forest filled the sight with the mountain in the far background. The steam he had seen earlier was no longer there.
When Smoke didn’t even look at him, he grumbled in his chest.
“Just a minute,” Smoke said, “I’ve never made it past this level, and I’m close to dying.”
What the hell? Ash reached out, spinning the monitor around to see an animated computer game.
“Hey,” Smoke growled, “I can’t see it.” His hands came from under the desk to reveal a game controller in his hand. And Ash thought he was actually working. He wanted to throttle the dragon. “Dammit,” Smoke said, jerking the computer back. “If I die—” After punching a button several times, he dropped the controller with a clunk. “I could’ve made it if you hadn’t interfered.”
“Smoke, we have a problem we need to figure out.”
“What problem could there possibly be on an enchanted paradise island?” Smoke sat back in his chair, his brows raised.
“Haven’t you noticed any changes?” Ash asked, trying not to grind his teeth. If his beta was clueless, then he would…
“I have,” Smoke replied, shocking him. “The coral in the cove is dying. The colors used to be vibrant but are dull and ashen now. And the variety of fish aren’t there. Plus, fewer females are coming to the island.”
Ash rolled his eyes. He hated being antsy over everything that had to do with the island. His beta always talked about females, but when it came down to it, he barely talked to the opposite gender. He wondered if Smoke was hiding a shy side. He almost laughed. Smoke and shy didn’t go in the same sentence.
Smoke continued. “I think we need to hire a new PR person. Someone to drum up busine
ss and let others know there’s a place other than the Virgin Islands to visit. And we’re ten times better.”
Maybe his beta did know what was going on.
“A new PR person is a good idea. Ever since Noelle moved we haven’t really addressed that position,” Ash stood and paced, unable to sit still. “We could use a new brochure. Maybe increase our online presence.”
“Great,” Smoke said, “how do we go about finding this guy? Headhunter?”
“Whoa,” Ash held up his hands. “Not so fast. Other things are more important right now.”
Smoke’s brows pinched. “Like what?”
A vibration ran through Ash’s body.
“What the hell is that?” Smoke jumped to his feet. “This is the second time.”
“Turn around,” Ash told Smoke.
“Why?” Smoke slowly faced the window. “Fuck. Do we need to evacuate the island?” He whipped his head back to Ash. “Wait. Stuff like this doesn’t happen here. Why is the island suddenly falling apart?”
“Excuse me.” Both men turned to see Isadora at the doorway. “I couldn’t help but overhear what you are talking about, with the door open and all.”
Ash smiled. “It’s fine, Isa. Please, come in.” The older woman took the second chair, and Ash sat beside her.
