by Lia Davis
Dragon’s Web
Woodland Creek Series
By: Lia Davis
Published by After Glows
© 2015 Lia Davis
eBook ISBN: 978-0-9964303-8-8
Print ISBN: 978-0-9964303-9-5
Cover Art by: Jennifer Munswami
Formatting by: Jennifer Stevens
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.
www.AuthorLiaDavis.com
Table of Contents
Map
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Woodland Creek Series
About the Author
For more maps and information, please visit the
Woodland Creek Website
http://woodlandcreekseries.com/
Kara paced the cramped, windowless shoebox they’d stuck her in a little more than a week ago, right after she’d squeezed through the bars on the window of the last room they’d placed her in. When Henry Carter and his minions had brought her here—wherever the hell here was—they’d placed her in a cage only big enough for a small child. They’d also kept her under some kind of spell, or laced her food with something that interfered with her magic to shift into her black cat form. A few months ago, she’d shifted in her sleep, which led her to believe it was a potion they’d given her, and that her system had somehow built up immunity to it. Once she realized she could shift again, she didn’t think twice about escaping from the cage.
Did they really think they could keep a shapeshifting cat contained for long? They were idiots if they did. Cats were great escape artists. Kara was no exception.
She fisted her hands as she wore a track in the center of the burnt-orange carpet. Or was that blood-saturated carpet? She shuddered, not wanting to think about how many other people Henry had killed in his lifetime. Her capturer wouldn’t get away with murdering her best friend’s parents and then kidnapping Kara to keep her quiet. One way or another, she would get out of here, and Henry Carter would pay.
A sound from outside the door drew her attention. Coming to a stop in the middle of the room, she listened then growled. Anxiety and annoyance fueled her need to escape. Plus, the walls seemed like they were closing in on her.
She’d find another way out.
She had to. For Nyna. She’d do anything to protect her and give her the closure she deserved.
The sound of a door handle turning refocused her thoughts. When the door opened, she let out a low snarl as Dumbass One entered. That’s what she called her guards, Dumbass, with the number of the order she’d met them over the last eighteen months.
“Easy, kitty.”
“Get bent, asshole.” She tracked him with her eyes as he carried a tray to the small rectangular table against the far wall.
His brown hair fell over his face as he set the tray down. “I see I’ve been promoted.” He turned and smirked at her. She hissed at him, wanting to claw out his eyes. “Or is that a demotion?”
Smartass. “Bastard.” She eased to the table, lifted the cover from the plate, and sniffed. The aroma of garlic, butter, and red meat drifted up, filling her senses. Her mouth watered and her stomach grumbled. “Steak? Is this my last meal or something?”
Dumbass One laughed, bitter and all too fake. “Don’t we all wish. No, the boss wants you alive.”
For what, she didn’t know. Kara had a theory that Henry wanted to use her as insurance in case Nyna—his niece—found out that he’d killed her parents. His own brother and sister-in-law. The fear that rose with that thought fueled Kara’s rage even more. Nyna had a right to know, and to have closure so she could move on with her life. Kara had to be there to protect her from her bastard uncle.
Studying the guard, Kara stepped closer to him. He raised a brow but didn’t move. Brave man. Or, he really was an idiot. She batted her lashes and gave him her best attempt at a sensual smile. “I could make it worth your while if you just…I don’t know, forget to lock the door when you leave.”
His lips twitched as if amused. Desire flashed in his gaze briefly, telling her that he considered it for a moment. With a quickness she hadn’t expected from the human, he gripped her upper arms and yanked her into him, their clothed bodies meshing together. Holding down the bile that threatened to surface, Kara wrapped her arms around his waist and allowed her tiny fangs to lower. “What do you say?”
He shoved her away and shook his head. Without another word, he left the room, slamming the door behind him. The click of the lock was her answer.
She laughed. Never underestimate a desperate female. She opened her hand and grinned. A single key rested in her palm. Her dad was a thief, and Kara had grown up studying all his tricks of the trade. Stealing a key from a horny guard was child’s play.
After advancing to the door, she listened to the sounds outside the room. Hearing no one in the hallway, she unlocked the door and eased it open. Her senses worked overtime—listening, smelling, and seeing her surroundings as she stepped out of the room and slowly made her way down the hall.
Footsteps sounded from farther down the corridor. Her heart hammered, and she darted into the next room, hoping it was empty. She quietly closed the door behind her and scanned the space. It was a bedroom, and by the lack of personal items, it appeared to be vacated. Good. A satisfying smile lifted her lips as she noted the opened window across the way.
Calling to her inner cat, she padded across the carpet. A moment later, she shifted into a petite, black kitty. After a good stretch, she leaped onto the thin windowsill, slipped through the bars, and then jumped to a nearby tree.
As soon as her paws hit the ground, the alarms sounded. Fuck.
She ran across the yard as fast as her short legs would carry her. When she reached the dense brush surrounding the property, she darted into it. In the distance, dogs barked wildly. Her heart stopped briefly even while her small legs ran faster. Branches from the shrubs slapped against her fur as she pushed her way through them. She hadn’t a clue where she was or which way to go.
Exiting the brush, she skidded to a halt as the scent of dog and human reached her senses. Fuck. Turning in the opposite direction, she hauled ass, zigzagging through the trees. The barking canines closed in on her, raising her fear to lethal levels.
She had to survive this. She needed to return to Woodland Creek so she could tell her best friend since high school who killed her parents. Think, damn it. The smell of burning wood made her nose tingle. It also filled her with hope. It had to be from a fireplace, which meant there was a house nearby.
Following the scent, she rounded another tree and ran into two dogs with their handlers. Crap on a stick. Before she could dart off, one of the men grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. She hissed and growled. Just bring that ugly face a little closer, bastard. Sure enough, the dumbass held her up at face level to study her.
With efficient grace, she hooked a back leg around his wrist, digging her claws into his skin. Then she batted her front paws toward his face while twitching her body. It
was great to be small sometimes. She bit his hand and managed to claw the fuck out of his arm. He let out a string of curses and dropped her. She landed on her feet, then ran toward the smell of firewood.
The man she’d scratched cursed again and yelled for the other guard, “Get that bitch.”
She wasn’t going to make it. Spying a large maple, she climbed it and scrambled up as high as she felt was safe. The tree would be her safe haven for the night, or at least until they gave up searching for her and left the area.
Settling on a large, high branch, she let out a sigh. She couldn’t, no wouldn’t, be captured again. The asshat traitor who’d held her prisoner would regret not killing her. He was going to pay for all of his sins.
Just as soon as she reached Woodland Creek and found Nyna Carter.
***
Cayden stepped out the back door of his two-story home in Woodland Creek and breathed in the crisp, fall air. The smell of burning wood from his neighbors’ fireplaces mingled with the scent of falling leaves and clean mountain breeze. It was soothing to the man, but his dragon paced restlessly within, wanting to break free and stretch out his wings. It’d been too long since he’d shifted, and he would have to do it soon.
However, he couldn’t go far. At least not for long. Henry Carter had moved into town and played the concerned uncle with his niece, Nyna. Cayden had never trusted the man. There was something about him that set off all of Cayden’s warning bells.
The morning of the day Nyna’s father died, Cayden had made a promise to David to keep her safe. It was the last phone conversation he had with his friend. Cayden fisted his hands and let out a low growl. The police still didn’t have any leads on the whereabouts of the killer, nor had they located the gun that had killed both of Nyna’s parents. In fact, they’d stopped working the case six months ago, saying the trail had run cold.
Cayden didn’t agree. The weapon was out there. Somewhere. Plus, he didn’t believe they’d searched every possible lead. He wouldn’t rest until he found the bastard who took Nyna’s parents away from her.
Since meeting the small, blonde human, he’d developed feelings for her, and had started to believe that she could be the one to break his curse. Nyna had a pure, kind heart and a beautiful soul. She was always able to find the positive in everything around her. He found it hard to stay away from her and used any excuse to see her. Including going to her bookstore three days a week to write.
The click of a door drew his gaze to the small, brick house diagonally across the street from his own. The beautiful blonde who haunted his thoughts night and day exited her home, locking the door behind her. He smiled around his coffee cup as he watched her walk down the sidewalk toward Old High Street where her bookstore was located.
Her modest curves called to him like she was casting a spell over him with each swing of her hips.
Suddenly, an image flashed in his mind. Premonition. Like a thirty-second clip from a movie, the vision both alarmed him and pushed him into protective mode. The face of Kara Mitchell burned into his brain. The female had broken Nyna’s heart once. He’d be damned if he let her do it again.
He entered his living room and opened the top drawer to his desk. Inside lay a scrying mirror. Pulling it out, he rested it on the desk and placed his right hand on the top right corner. “Show me where Kara is.”
An image of a black cat prowling outside Nyna’s bookstore formed. Cayden growled. Why the hell hadn’t he scented her? He should have been able to pick up on her. Unless she’d just arrived in town and went straight to the store to wait for Nyna.
The female wasn’t going to come back after eighteen months and screw with Nyna’s emotions. She’d had enough to deal with since her parents’ deaths. Cayden wasn’t going to allow any more heartache to come to his chosen partner. Even if it meant he had to claim her to protect her.
With inhuman speed, he made it to the bookstore before Nyna and found the black cat. When she saw him, she hissed and pawed at him. He smiled but left the humor from his features, the grin more feral than anything. “You and I need to talk.”
He picked her up by the skin on the back of her neck, being sure to hold her at a distance. Not that she could hurt him, but he didn’t want to heal cat scratches if he could just avoid them. Kara fought for about half the distance of the two block walk back to his house before she gave up and pouted the rest of the way.
Once inside his house, he let her go by tossing her on the sofa. “Don’t even think about clawing up my furniture. Or anything else.”
Her green eyes glared back at him for several moments before she shifted into her human form, her clothes appearing at the same time. “What the hell is your problem?”
He leaned against the bar-style countertop that divided the kitchen from the living room and crossed his arms. “Why are you back?”
“That is between Nyna and me.” She looked away from him.
“Wrong. Nyna is mine.”
Kara jerked her head back and narrowed her eyes. “Have you started the web? Does she know that?”
He let out a growl in warning. “Why are you here?” he asked again.
“If you must know, I just escaped from my kidnapper.”
He raised a brow. “Kidnapper?”
Kara rolled her eyes. “Yes. Do you really think I’d just up and leave Nyna?”
Narrowing his gaze, he studied her and inhaled. Her scent held notes of sadness and fear. But no deceit. The rapid thump, thump, thump of her heart told him that she was anxious about something. However, it was the plea in her eyes that haunted him. She was telling the truth. His chest tightened and the dragon within snarled at him, snapping his teeth. Cayden had always been jealous of Kara’s relationship with Nyna. But he didn’t care what reason she had for leaving. The point was, she’d left. “I didn’t know what to think. You’ve always been a free spirit, and honestly, I believed it was only a matter of time before you broke her heart.”
She averted her gaze but not before he saw the hurt in the green depths. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less from you. You always hated me.”
When she moved toward the door, he stepped forward and gripped her upper arm. Visions of her pacing a small room flashed in his mind. She was a whirlwind of emotions and pain. It was dizzying, so he cut off the visual and closed his eyes.
Drawing her closer, he wrapped his arms around her. “Tell me everything.”
She pushed out of his hold, and with inhuman speed put distance between them, too fast for him to react. “Why should I? You were so quick to make me out to be the bad guy. I’m surprised you didn’t point a finger at me as the murderer.”
“You couldn’t have killed Nyna’s parents. You loved them as your own.”
A tear rolled down her cheek a moment before she turned her back to him. After a shaky breath, she settled on the couch and hugged a pillow to her. “I witnessed her parents’ murder. I never trusted the man and went to the office to see what he was up to.”
“Wait. Who and what office?” The female wasn’t making any sense.
“Henry, and HQ of Carter Enterprises. Anyway, I’d suspected something was odd about him and couldn’t shake the feeling that something awful was about to happen, so I went to do a little spying.” She hugged her waist. “I went in cat form. I heard Henry and David arguing about something. By the time I reached the office, David was dead, shot in the chest. Then Crystal showed up and threatened to call the cops. Henry shot her, too. No emotions. Just aimed and fired. I must have made a noise because he saw me and…I’m not sure how he knew I was a shifter, but he did.”
“What happened next?”
She shrugged. “I left and had every intention of going to the police, but I wasn’t sure what to tell them. I mean, I couldn’t go in and say, ‘Yeah, while I was in my black cat form I saw Henry Carter kill two people.’ I went home to think things over, develop a story to tell the authorities. When I arrived, two men were already waiting for me. I couldn�
�t fight them both, so I ran. They caught me.”
Cayden watched a single tear roll down her cheek. She wasn’t lying. Her story explained why she’d suddenly disappeared. However, Nyna believed that Kara left town with a guy she met on the Internet. It was most likely a story her uncle had fed her. “You’ve been held captive for the last year and a half?”
Kara nodded and glanced up at him. “I need to tell Nyna her uncle is not the nice, caring man she believes him to be.”
“Yet you can’t just show up and blurt that out. Nyna was crushed when you left…were kidnapped.” He silently cursed himself for revealing Nyna’s feelings to Kara. Yet he couldn’t lie to her. Not that he made a habit of being dishonest with anyone. It wasn’t his nature. However, Kara stirred an attraction that no one except Nyna had sparked in both the man and the dragon. It both confused and intrigued him. Pushing off the wall, he moved to stand in front of her. “Stand up.”
She reluctantly did as he commanded. He lifted her chin and locked gazes with her. The green in her eyes darkened slightly. “What are your intentions with Nyna?”
“I love her. She’s the only family I have, and thoughts of her are what kept me strong and alive for the last year and a half. I’ll fight you for her.” Her green eyes shone with unshed tears. Wild fear mixed with determination rolled off her.
So will I. He entertained the idea that he could include Kara in the web. It was tricky, but it had been done. His magic was strong. He could build a big enough web to bind the three of them together. However, he had to be sure Kara’s intentions were true to her heart. His curse could only be broken if the love within the union was strong and pure. In other words, he couldn’t cast a love spell. No, the only spell he was allowed to cast over his chosen female, or females in this case, was the dragon’s web; the enchantment to start the bonding that could hopefully break his curse.
In the end, only a true, solid love could break the spell. He also had to open his heart and take a chance. Staring into Kara’s suspicious gaze, he saw something he’d missed. Or maybe he hadn’t cared to see it before. Behind the attitude and the brave front was vulnerability. He guessed she didn’t show it often, and he may not have seen it then either if he hadn’t pushed her.
