Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
About the Authors
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Well, that hadn’t gone well. Correction, it’d gone south faster than a hooker giving a blowjob. Joseph Kenton—Joey to the few friends who dared to shorten the black dragon’s name—winced and rolled his massive shoulders to catch an updraft. His fucking fault for assuming the rogue dragon didn’t know how to fight in shifted form.
It was a skill that took years to master, years the young rogue simply hadn’t had behind him. Fucker still got lucky and almost managed to get a foot-long talon through Joey’s armor and into his heart.
The three vicious wounds still trailed along his ribcage, open to the wind as he flew. The flesh was ripped, and from the feel of it, he was missing a good handful of scales to boot.
The pain was inconsequential. The fact he was leaking blood with each powerful wing beat was a little more concerning. Not because of predators—he’d yet to see a beast willingly take on a dragon, never mind one on the fabled Council of Twelve. His real issue was the fact he was meeting not one, but two, shifter leaders in less than half an hour. The last thing he needed was to show up and then pass out due to blood loss. He was a big, mean dragon. Rawr. Predator of predators and all that crap. Eating dirt was not an option.
He rode the updraft to its zenith, then spread his wings for a glide. Far beneath him, the houses and roads of a small town spread out like a child’s toy town. Ridgeville. Movement tugged at the corner of his eye and he rolled slightly to view the area with draconian sight. Just cars moving along the roads, some smaller movement in the gardens and on the sidewalks.
If he’d wanted to, he could have brought it further into focus, but he didn’t bother. He knew Ridgeville of old. He’d spent long summers raising hell while staying with his grandfather on the family ranch between it and the next town, Stratton. With the first home to a lion pride and the second a wolf pack, the local area was well used to rebellious shifter-teens, if not to dragons specifically.
The local authorities never had any reason to complain about Joey though. Not because he was a straight-laced goody two-shoes—he was too much of a black for that—but because he’d known if the sheriff had a reason to have a “word” with his grandfather, Joey was screwed. A quiet man, Grandpa Kenton had been as human as they came, but he didn’t need a shifter’s strength or natural weaponry. Just one look from him cut the teenaged Joey down to size.
Sadness welled from Joey’s heart, massive in this form, and spread through his huge body before he could lock it down. A tear formed in the corner of one eye, snatched away by the wind as he changed his flight path and angled for the meeting place between the two towns. He knew better than to dwell on things in dragon form. Bigger body meant bigger emotions. Everything seemed rawer and more visceral when he was shifted. Happiness became euphoria, irritation…rage. Sadness…unbearable agony.
He bottled the feelings, sealing them off with ease from long practice and began his descent. One wing tip dipped, and he circled a small, flattened parking lot just off the main road. Two vehicles were there—one truck and a massive black SUV. Joey took a breath, scenting wolf and lion on the air. Both the Alpha and Prime were already here. Good.
He swung around one more time, tightening the circle until his claws almost brushed the dirt. At the last moment he pulled up, snapping his wings sharply out to the side to halt his momentum. The resulting jerk pulled his serpentine body upright and his back claws touched down. As they did, he folded his wings in and let them absorb back into his body.
His shift was fast and seamless, the magic within his soul overflowing and wrapping him in a rippling blanket. Between one heartbeat and the next, he went from a winged serpent the size of a bus to a neatly dressed human who looked in his late thirties. Adjusting his jacket across his shoulders, he walked over to the waiting men.
“Whoa, neat trick. I’d give a small fortune to come out of a shift fully clothed.” The guy on the left pushed away from his truck, an easy smile on his lips as he offered a hand.
Wolf, Joey’s sense of smell informed him. The closer the man came, the larger he appeared. Make that big wolf. “I’m Max. Stratton Alpha.”
“Joseph Kenton. Dragon.” Joey left off the rest of his title, hoping his true identity wasn’t known.
“Black dragon and member of the Council of Twelve.” The other countered.
The other male strode forward and stopped a few feet from him. His legs were braced shoulder width apart and he crossed his arms over his chest. A roll of pure aggression hit Joey square in the chest.
That one didn’t trust him. Though, Joey couldn’t blame the man. Not really. Dragons lived outside the shifter realm, not forced to adhere to the laws that ruled non-dragons. It hadn’t taken the shifters long to realize dragons couldn’t be controlled by their council. Dragons followed only the leadership of their White Queen and were policed by the Council of Twelve. Black dragons trained from birth to control their own kind. They were deadly fighters and possessed a dominance no one other than their own kind could rival.
Other than that, shifters didn’t know squat about dragon-kind and the dragons preferred it that way.
“Quite.” He tilted his head in acknowledgment. There was no denying his coloration, which naturally placed him on the council. There were no rogue blacks—the world simply couldn’t take it.
“This is Alex. Ridgeville Prime.” Max nodded to the lion.
Silence ensued. Joey wasn’t sure what information the two men needed about his visit. If he’d been in the area on assignment, they would’ve kissed the ground he walked on. A rogue dragon was nothing anyone, human or shifter, wanted in their territory. Apparently a dragon attending to personal business was less than welcome.
Max coughed, sliding a glare at Alex, and the Prime finally relented. “Fine. We were sad to hear about your grandfather.”
“Thank you.”
“How long will you be in the area?” Alex was almost polite.
“I plan to have my grandfather’s estate wrapped within the week. I’ll have my realtor coordinate any repairs to the farm and facilitate the property’s sale.”
The wolf nodded. “That’s fine. We don’t want to rush you through the process.” Alex snorted his objection and Max continued. “And we understand if you need additional time to get things in order.”
Joey quirked a brow, not believing a word. Oh, Max might mean what he said, but Alex wasn’t in agreement. “Prime?”
“I’ll be blunt. Your kind does whatever the hell they want when they want and black dragons are the most dangerous of you all. Don’t bother us and we won’t bother you. But as soon as you’re done—” The ringing of his cell phone silenced his tirade. “Excuse me.” Alex held up his finger and stepped away, turning his back on Joey. Trusting man. The lion’s soft, annoyed sigh reached him. “Yes, Maya.”
Max groaned and rolled his eyes. Joey got the feeling this was a common occurrence, a guess borne out by the big wolf’s next words. “His mate. Again.”
He smirked when Alex dropped his head forward and pinched his nose. The man hadn’t moved far enough away, so it was easy for Joey’s enhanced hearing to pick up the conversation.
“Can I come to the bar, now?” The lyrical feminine voice held a tint of annoyance.
“No, you can’t.”
“But I wanna meet the dragon.”
“No.”
“What if he promises not to eat me?”
“No.”
“What if he promises not to eat me in a good or bad way?” Maya whined and then perked up. “Oh! We could blindfold him. Then he wouldn’t eat me or see me.” Joey could hear the woman’s grin and suppressed one of his own. He’d like to see anyone try to blindfold a dragon. But he liked her.
“Maya…” Alex followed her name with a growl.
“You really shouldn’t growl at the Holder of the Vagina.”
Joey’s grin escaped, quirking his lips. Easy to see who wore the pants in that relationship.
“Dammit, Maya.”
“Still growling,” she sing-songed.
Joey relented, stepped forward, and touched Alex’s shoulder. “If it helps, I promise not to harm you and yours. Including not eating Maya in a good, or bad, way.”
That earned him a glare from the lion Prime. It probably wasn’t a good idea to poke one of the area leaders, but he didn’t want them viewing him as a deadly black dragon and one of the Council of Twelve. He was merely a man who laughed at the same jokes and enjoyed a good beer.
Well, he also occasionally killed people. In his defense, they deserved it.
Joey sighed, his tone turning serious. “Look man, I’m not here to cause problems. I lost my grandfather, which is a shitty situation, and I missed the funeral because of council business, which is even shittier. I just want to sort out his affairs and pack the place up. Other than that, all I’ll be doing is having a beer and thinking about old times.”
“See? He’s harmless.” Maya crowed on the other end of the line. “He sounds real nice. Hey, dragon!” Joey could practically see her waving at the phone on the other end.
He leaned in a little, careful to watch for any hostile movement from the lion Prime. “Hey, Maya, nice to meet you. You’re lookin’ mighty snazzy today. Black plastic really suits you.”
“Wha…” Puzzlement was evident in her voice. “Oh, the cell.” She laughed, a melodious feminine sound Joey realized had been absent from his life for far too long. Dragons as a whole tended to be serious, and none were as serious as those on the council. “You’re funny. I like you.”
“Pushing your luck, dragon,” Alex growled. The warning was enough to make Joey back off a couple of steps, his hands out to the side to show he meant no harm.
“Leave it, Alex.” The wolf put himself between the two men, gaze locked with the Prime for long moments. Joey shook his head, a snort escaping unbidden.
Max looked back over his shoulder, eyebrow arched. “I’m glad we’re amusing you. Care to share?”
Joey lifted a hand to motion at Max’s back.
“Kinda trusting there, turning your backs. Both of you.”
Max shrugged. “You’re a dragon. Would it matter what direction we faced? Or do you only flame-grill on one side?”
Joey grinned. Not many people picked that up, that when dealing with a predator like a dragon there really wasn't much of a defense that would work. Max, although he appeared as rough-and-tumble as most wolves, was more intelligent than Joey anticipated. He liked the guy. It seemed his time in the area would be more interesting than he’d thought.
“Nah, you’re okay. I don't feel like barbecue today.” He smoothed down his jacket as Alex spoke into the cell, obviously dealing with his spirited mate. “And I think I've caused enough trouble for today.”
Joey grinned at Max again, hoping he hadn’t just ruined any chance of sensible dialogue with his light flirtation with Maya.
“Oh, don't worry about it. They’re like that all the time, it’s normal.” The Alpha smiled back, a hint of amusement in his eyes as he leaned in. “Let's just say we know who wears the pants in that relationship.”
Joey chuckled, but then his smile disappeared as he remembered his reasons for being in the area. At any other time, he and the Alpha could have been friends, but right now he had things to do. Like a grandfather to say goodbye to and a house full of memories to pack up.
“Yeah, sounds like it. Listen, man, when he gets off the phone, tell him I didn't mean any harm. I honestly just want to pack stuff and get back to the big city.” Joey shrugged wryly. “No offense, but being around this much nature makes me break out in hives.”
Max laughed outright at that. The deep sound was rough with the edge of his wolf, another reminder that the big male was not as human as he looked. “None taken. Not everybody can hack country life.”
“Careful, wolf-boy, that sounds almost like a challenge.” Joey lifted his eyebrow as he backed up a couple of steps, gathering the change deep within his core, his dragon ready to burst free from his confining humanoid form. “And you know what they say about dragons and challenges.”
Max tilted his head, curiosity flaring in his amber eyes. “No, what do they say about dragons and challenges? Is it like the actress and the bishop?”
Joey smiled baring all his teeth in a very nonhuman expression. He let go of the energy gathered within, feeling it burst through all his cells as it began the change. Scales started to spread over his skin and his voice was deeper than normal when he answered, the timbre rough with his dragon and far below the range of human hearing. It was only the fact that the other two men were shifters that allowed them to hear his words.
“Never challenge a dragon,” he said as he leapt into the air, beating huge wings. His voice deepened to a roar. “You’ll always lose."
Chapter Two
Katie wondered if murdering a pregnant woman was two counts of homicide or one. Honey—said pregnant woman, her boss, BFF, and mate to Katie’s werehedgehog Alpha—was driving her to drink. Between her random cravings, scattered thoughts, and continuous whining, Katie was ready to end the woman.
Her tiny four-door car bounced and shook over the aged dirt road, dust billowing in her wake. She kept the windows shut, air condition on recirculate to keep the country lane’s dirt from invading her vehicle. It was a long drive between Honey’s Bar & Grill and Old Man Kenton’s farm. But it was one she’d been making for a few years now. Unfortunately, this could be her last visit. Unless she could convince Honey that Katie was right and she was wrong. With a capital “W.” Lowercase letters did not work with Honey.
“But the house has got two floors…” Honey whined.
Katie put her cell phone back to her ear when the annoying sound ended. “And we’ll get baby gates to keep the kidlets from falling.” Then she remembered that her friend was mated to a werehedgehog. “With itty bitty slats. Super-small even.”
“And then there’s all that land.”
“We’ll get a lawn mower for Blake. Just think of it, a half-naked man dripping with sweat that you can safely ogle all day.” Safely being the operative word. Katie’s Alpha was a bit possessive when it came to Honey.
“That house is huge.”
Well, yeah, the main house was a smidge on the big side. Katie’s plan was to split the cost of purchasing the farm with Honey and Blake. Since they were mated with a hedgehog-shaped bun in the oven, they’d live in the main house while Katie took over the converted barn. Clean and easy.
Katie repositioned her cell phone and looked at the house in the distance. “Okay, it is big, but I’ll split a cleaning lady with you. Fifty-fifty.” Even if her place was tiny compared to Honey’s.
“And it’s in the boonies.”
Katie knew that, too. It’d taken her thirty minutes to get from Honey’s to Old Man Kenton’s, and she was just now pulling into the farm’s driveway. “I know, but that means it’s quiet.” She sighed. “Look, I really, really wanna buy this place. Old Man Kenton…” He’d been like the loving grandfather she’d never had. “If you don’t want to buy, we won’t. Simple as that.” Her heart stuttered at the thought.
She popped the car into park and cut the engine. Phone now plastered to the other ear, she stared at the rambling farmhouse, admiring the hundred-year-old building with a mix of heart-wrenching grie
f and envy.
More than one Sunday had been spent on that rickety porch, drinking iced tea with Old Man Kenton. He’d go on and on about his family, telling stories of his relatives long dead and then those who lived but never visited. He’d been forgotten by his family on this plot of land, the house too big for him, yet he’d been unwilling to sell out.
“They’ll take it from my cold, dead fingers, Katie-girl.”
He was cold and dead now and everything in her told her that the farm was hers. She didn’t care about the man’s absent family. Where had his grandson been when the old man was declining? Where had he been when Katie delivered meals every day or read to him every night?
Nowhere.
“Look, I’m here. I gotta get a move on the cleaning and packing. The attorney told me that I have permission to box things up. He said he couldn’t reveal the terms of the will just yet, but he could safely allow me access and he’d look the other way if a few mementos went missing.” A lump in her throat formed with the last few words. Mementos. How did someone pack up years of memories?
“Katie,” Honey sighed and she sensed a softening of her friend’s opinion. “I’ll come look at it with Blake tonight.”
“Really?” Katie hated to get her hopes up, but that couldn’t be helped.
“Really. From what you said, it’s a good place to raise kids. Lots of space, a big house, and we’ll have you next door.” Everything Honey said was true. “And the barn house has enough room for you, your future mate, and your adorable hoglets. Though I want to call them piglets since that’s cuter, but Blake…”
Katie tuned out Honey’s ramblings, instead thinking of the future, a possible mate and—gah—kids. Of course, the mate had to come first. Well, ideally the mate would come first. For a while she’d thought her Alpha, Blake, was that guy, but then she’d seen him fall head over quills for Honey. That had been that.
A glance at her watch revealed she needed to get a move on. She planned on spending a few hours packing and her mobile chat with Honey was eating into her time.
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