by Caris Roane
FIRE DRAGON, Book #1, The Warrior Dragons of Dusane
FIRE DRAGON: Committed to his solitary life, dragon warrior Liam Holden avoids the woman he craves, Emma Brier, until Fate steps in and turns their world upside down…
Welcome to FIRE DRAGON and Caris Roane Paranormal Romance Featuring Passionate Warriors Often With Fangs…
Liam Holden regretted his one-nighter with Emma Brier. He’d thought the experience would rid him of the cravings he felt for the fledgling dragon-rider. Instead, the minute she’d walk into a room, he’d walk out. It was the only way to keep his head straight so he could continue to battle the evil Magi dragons that beset the world of Dusane.
Emma Brier fell hard for Liam the night they ended up together. The twelve long months in-between hadn’t dimmed her desire for the extraordinary dragon-shifter either. But eighteen years prior, Commander Holden, a first-tier dragon and famous for his exploits as a warrior, had lost his wife to a devastating birth. He was about as open to a relationship as a fire dragon wanting to fly through hail. Not gonna happen. Still, her heart skipped a beat every time the man entered a room.
FIRE DRAGON is the first book of a dragon warrior series set in the wind-besieged world of Dusane. The warrior dragons of the Arranfar Defense Force serve to keep their continent from falling to the terrible Magi dragons whose sole purpose is to dominate the entire planet. The famous dragon-riders, mostly female, give the dragons increased sight through a sandstorm and employ a variety of weapons in battle. Together ~ dragons and their riders ~ serve and protect, sacrificing their lives, if necessary, to keep Dusane safe.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Other series by Caris Roane as August 2019:
FIRE DRAGON
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
About the Author
Have You Read These Books by Caris Roane
Find Caris at…
Author of…
Copyright
Other series by Caris Roane as August 2019:
The Flame Series:
BLOOD FLAME – Book 1
AMETHYST FLAME – Book 2
DARK FLAME – Book 3
AMBER FLAME – Book 4
A TOUCH OF FLAME – Book 5
A WOLF’S LOVE, A Short Read – Book 5.1
EMERALD FLAME – Book 6
CHRISTMAS FLAME, A Holiday Novella
SAPPHIRE FLAME – Book 7
The Blood Rose Series…
EMBRACE THE DARK – Book 1
EMBRACE THE MAGIC – Book 2
EMBRACE THE MYSTERY – Book 3
EMBRACE THE PASSION – Book 4
EMBRACE THE NIGHT – Book 5
EMBRACE THE WILD – Book 6
EMBRACE THE WIND – Book 7
EMBRACE THE HUNT – Book 8
LOVE IN THE FORTRESS – Book 8.1
EMBRACE THE POWER – Book 9
Guardians of Ascension Series…
The Original Six Books Published by St. Martin’s Press
ASCENSION – Book 1
BURNING SKIES – Book 2
WINGS OF FIRE – Book 3
BORN OF ASHES – Book 4
OBSIDIAN FLAME – Book 5
GATES OF RAPTURE- Book 6
The Dawn of Ascension Novels, Self-Published by Caris Roane, as part of Guardians of Ascension
BRINK OF ETERNITY as part of VAMPIRE COLLECTION
THE DARKENING
The Rapture’s Edge Series as part of Guardians of Ascension
AWAKENING – Rapture’s Edge Book 1
VEILED – Rapture’s Edge Book 2
REVEALED – Rapture’s Edge Book 3
FIRE DRAGON
The Warrior Dragons of Dusane, Book 1
A Paranormal Romance
By
Caris Roane
To all the Dragon-Goddesses Divine
A life full of love and blessings…
Chapter One
“Oh my God. I look like a stripper.” Emma stared at herself in the mirror. Her new uniform had arrived, and it was as though the tailor had lost his marbles.
Jane, her weapons mistress, shook her head as she looked her up and down. “Well, I must say, you’ve been hiding some serious assets.” She then chuckled.
“Would you stop. This is serious.” She turned to scowl at her friend who was clearly biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing again. “How am I going to fix this? I’m on call and I want my first battle assignment to be completely professional.”
Jane’s lips twitched. “Well, you do look like a pro.”
“That is so not funny.”
Turning back to the mirror, she stared at an abundance of cleavage, more than she even thought she had. Whatever mishap had occurred at the tailor’s, the cut of the bodice area of her uniform pushed her already full bosom up and out. Jane was right: She looked like a hooker. Or a stripper. Or both. Or whatever.
She kept shaking her head. Which of the famous dragon warriors would ever take her seriously if they saw her in this uniform?
She tried to pull the front plackets together, but the stiff black leather and silver metal bindings of her dragon-rider uniform made it impossible.
The cut was all wrong, pure and simple. “I went to a dozen fittings. How is this kind of mistake even possible?”
“Maybe you’ve put on a few pounds,” Jane suggested, though she compressed her lips even more.
Emma pivoted once more to face Jane. She was a blond, elf-like creature with enormous blue eyes who was ridiculously short to be serving on the Arranfar Defense Force. “Are you kidding me? I run ten miles a day and work out for another two. There has to be a mix-up. This can’t be my uniform.” She drew in a sharp breath as another thought occurred. “Unless, of course, it’s some kind of first-run hazing thing.”
“Oh, well. There ya go. Mystery solved. I’ll bet Logan did this. Your best friend can be a real pain in the ass.”
Logan.
Of course.
He was dragon warrior, one of the famous magnificent seven. But he had a mischievous streak about a mile wide.
Jane grinned.
The show of all those teeth told another part of the tale. “Not you, too?”
“Couldn’t help myself, not when there was a good chance Liam would get an eye-full and finally lose his renowned self-control where you’re concerned.”
Emma clamped down on her rising temper. Thoughts of Liam Holden, a Commander of the First-Tier Dragons, seeing her like this brought heat to her cheeks. It was the last thing she wanted.
But the deed was done, and she couldn’t exactly do anything about it right now, at least not where the perpetrators were concerned. She was on deck for her virgin run as a full-fledged dragon-rider. The minute the enemy showed up it was her turn to prove her worth in battle.
Still, she was pissed as hell.
She didn’t want Liam or the other amazing dragon warriors to see her as anything but professional.
She breathed hard through her nose, planted her hands on her hips and lifted her gaze to the ceiling. She counted backward starting at a million.
“Oh, lighten up. You always made too much of Liam’s smash-and-dash. Besides, I’ve suspected the reason he didn’t ask for a second date was because he felt too much. Logan thinks so, too. The dragon wanted you bad. He still does.” She lifted her nose and sniffed in that superior manner of hers.
Emma tried not to think about it. She’d had one too many old-fashioneds that fateful night and had slept with a dragon she’d been craving for at least a decade. She’d given in to desire and had paid for it e
ver since.
But, Liam.
Oh, God, Liam.
She still wanted him, but he was not hers to have. He’d sworn off serious relationships for almost two decades. The man had a broken heart and he’d become the king of one-night stands.
She sighed. She’d trained for two years and had over a thousand hours in the air with training-dragons, all in preparation for this day. But this would be her first battle run serving as a dragon-rider to a seasoned warrior. “All I can say is thank God Liam’s on caravan duty. The last thing I want is for him to be my first.”
“Yeah, that would have been the banana’s turd. But isn’t his caravan due in? Won’t he be on call?”
“He shouldn’t be. It’s hard on even the best of the best to go into battle after caravan duty.” Because of the fierce winds of Dusane, the caravans were the main transport around the planet. Powerful dragons, like Liam and Logan, led the caravans and wrapped them in their extraordinary energy to protect them against the ravages of the winds.
“There’s one more thing,” Jane said. “I just heard there’s a wind coming from the northeast.”
Emma’s heart fired off a few quick beats. “Any sign of the Magi yet?” The terrible Magi dragons of the northeast Province of Magiffe were a scourge to the entire Continent of Arranfar. They never ceased battling for control of their world.
“Not yet.”
Emma didn’t know how this could get worse.
Jane looked her up and down then whistled. “Well, despite the front part, this uniform fits you like a glove.
Emma glanced around the small apartment that had been assigned to her. HQ made sure each of its warriors and dragon-riders had a place near the launch area to prepare for battle as needed. She didn’t use the apartment very much since her cave dwelling was just up the tall, lakeside cliff. “I can fix this myself if we’ve got any duct tape laying around.”
“Like hell you’ll do anything of the sort. I’ll get you a half-cape which you can lose the moment you mount. No one will notice your boobs once you’re in the air.”
That much would be true since the dragon was the real show. Even as a rider, and critical to help the dragon see through a sandstorm during battle, the dragon was what everyone watched, including herself.
A voice boomed over the loudspeaker. “Caravan landing in two minutes.”
The words were like magic. Emma’s heartrate shot into the stratosphere. There was nothing like watching a caravan of two-hundred massive dragons coming into port, brought in by one of the magnificent seven or those dragons close to their level of power and expertise. The four-mile long train was a thing of beauty.
She forgot about her exposed state, raced from her apartment, then took off on a dead run to the elevators. Jane was close on her heels. She ignored the stares from chance bystanders.
She supposed it would be all over the building before the sun dropped below the horizon that her rack had been on display. But right now she didn’t care.
A caravan was coming in.
The heavily reinforced glass-and-stone building could withstand winds at two-hundred miles an hour and offered the best view of the dragon caravans as they landed on the mesa above the lake and along the sloped path that led to the ground level of the administrative building. HQ was perched on the southern-most shores of Blue Lake and with fifty floors, towered above the plateau. HQ was a massive complex that served over two-thousand personnel.
The elevator soared and her heart pounded in her ears. She’d been on the planet eighty-three years, yet she never tired of watching the caravans land.
The lead caravan driver made transport across their planet possible since they kept the debilitating winds from doing damage. Liam was one of just a few dozen dragons who could make the long runs and carve the way forward through the continent of Arranfar.
With Jane on her heels, they reached the viewing deck at the top of HQ just in time. She planted her hands on the broad stone wall. As she watched Liam’s sleek black dragon form glide down and down, the next dragon and the next formed a seamless line behind him. That was the gift Liam and dragons like him had, to create a flow of energy that covered miles in his wake and protected the entire fleet.
Each dragon, except for several security units and the lead, was laden with goods. They were arriving from a distant port in the far south, the land of vampires and those dragons and humans who loved them.
Vampires were the largest group of specialty humans but not the only ones. Over the millennia, Dusane had become a gathering place for all kinds of creatures. There were several packs of wolf-shifters living on the northeastern continent of Emvo and a fae contingent on the great continental island of Doshthor. The unique blend of human and any of a variety of preternatural DNA, had also given each species the ability to move from Earth to Dusane though a long-established wormhole with relative ease. Better still, traveling to Earth was always accomplished in real-time. No lost or gained time had ever been reported.
The landing base was several miles long to accommodate the size of the caravan. On the north side of the strip, all kinds of transport, including carts, trucks imported from Earth, even braying donkeys with side baskets, queued up at assigned stations to collect their goods.
Bringing caravans safely through their land of winds was an astonishing achievement every time.
From where she stood, Liam was two hundred feet away. He touched down on the angled portion of the landing field, not far from the lake. Two walls of granite cliff protected him and the first few dragons.
He shook his massive head and roared. She knew why. Before a shift back to human form, he had to be free of as much stress as possible or the change could be painful.
Two attendants crossed in his direction ready to support him. Each carried towels, water, even fruit. The men who led the caravans were put through a tremendous use of energy with each flight. They were revered in Arranfar for their stamina and sheer physical power.
Above all, they kept the economy of the planet flowing by bringing the caravans safely through the winds.
In his dragon form, Liam was incredible with black scales that also showed a glimmer of red iridescence, an indication he was a fire dragon. He had rows of spiked silver horns jutting down the length of his tail and forming a double row along the upper part of his neck and the top of his head.
He roared into the heavens once more and released a spray of fire that spread out toward Blue Lake almost thirty feet into the air. Any boats on the water were well away from the landing area.
The nearby attendants backed up a few more yards.
“What a man,” Jane cooed.
“He is that.” Emma wouldn’t deny it. She just hated that she’d been a notch on his bedpost. She hated even more that her desire for him hadn’t dimmed even the smallest, freaking jot.
She straightened her shoulders. Well, too bad. She wasn’t the first woman to make a fool of herself for a handsome face and the body of a god.
As he shifted out of his dragon form, and landed on the pavement on two booted feet, he stumbled and almost fell. He wore his black flight uniform, something he was able to keep intact with most shifts. Sometimes, when exhausted, the suit got lost in the whirlwind of transforming from dragon to man. Not today.
The attendants went to him immediately.
One caught him under his right arm and lifted him from his kneeling position. Emma had heard the crosswinds had been a real bitch this time around. Liam had to be worn out.
When he could stand on his own, he took a towel and wiped his face and neck. She knew the smell he would carry right now, the carbon-burned odor that somehow had always pleased her. It was a cross between seawater-soaked driftwood and grilling charcoal. She loved it.
As he drank his water, Jane elbowed her. “I’ve always wanted to know…how was he, in bed I mean?”
Emma shook her head and chuckled. “Let’s see. That makes fifty-seven times you’ve asked and what do you think my answ
er will be?”
Jane sighed. “Take pity on me. I’ve never been with one of the magnificent seven.”
They were that, the seven great dragons that served out of Blue Lake South. Magnificent as hell.
As Liam and his team disappeared into the hangar on the ground floor, Emma took her friend by the shoulders and pivoted her in the direction of the elevators. “Just find me that cape and get me ready for my first run.”
~ ~ ~
Liam walked between the two support staff and tried to ignore the cheers of those staff that lined the hall off the hangar. He wished they wouldn’t applaud him like they did. He was just doing his job.
He was dead tired and only wanted three things. Four, really. A steak almost raw but charred just right. A bucket of beer. A woman. Then sleep for a week.
His bones rattled from the shift and from being in the air and forging a path through the crosswinds for hours on end. His eyes burned and his tailbone felt like it was seriously out of whack. He hurt.
He changed his mind. He wanted five things. The original four plus a massage, a deep gorgeous massage by the lovely and very strong Batya.
He kept his feet moving forward as he headed to the showers.
He was desperate for heat on the back of his shoulders as well as the top of his ass. The staffer on his right asked if he wanted a porterhouse rare.
“And beer.”
“Of course, sir. A bucket, as I recall from your last order.”
At that, Liam’s lips quirked. “Good man.”
They rounded a corner and more admins lined the halls, applauding another successful caravan run. He barely saw any of them, except two or three women who were wearing close to nothing. He slid his gaze over these few, then dismissed them. He knew exactly what they were offering, and it wasn’t just a roll in the hay. A woman at work wanted a husband and a family, things he couldn’t deliver. He preferred to hit the bars where the women weren’t thinking anything beyond a quick trip to heaven and back.
