Paranormal Dating Agency: The Dragon with the Girl Tattoo (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Dragon Guard Book 21)

by Julia Mills

  Text copyright ©2017 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Latin Goddess Press, Inc.. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Paranormal Dating Agency remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Latin Goddess Press, Inc., or their affiliates or licensors.

  For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds

  The Dragon with the Girl Tattoo

  Dragon Guard Series #21

  by

  Julia Mills

  There Are No Coincidences.

  The Universe Does Not Make Mistakes.

  Fate Will Not Be Denied.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Cover by Linda Boulanger with Tell Tale Book Covers

  Edited and Proofread by Tammy Payne with Book Nook Nuts

  Formatted by Charlene Bauer with Wickedly Bold Creations

  Milly – THANK YOU SO MUCH! I had a blast writing in your PDA world!

  Cheers to many, many more!

  My Readers – YOU MAKE MY DAY! THANK YOU from the bottom of my big old southern heart! I simply could NOT do it without YOU!

  THANK YOU, Janice Clarke, for being the inspiration for Janice, the Leader of the Honey Badgers and owner of The Sundowner. You can bet this character, as well as a few of her kids, will be back!

  DEDICATION

  Dare to Dream! Find the Strength to Act! Never Look Back!

  Thank you, God.

  To my girls, Liz and Em, I Love You. Every day, every way, always.

  Index of the Original Language of the Dragon Kin

  The Dragon with the Girl Tattoo

  Mo chroi’………. My heart

  Mo ghra’………. My love

  Mo stór………. My darling

  Mo piscín beag milia………. My sweet little kitten

  Mo maité………. My mate

  Mo Dragon………. My dragon

  Is brae liom tú………. I love you

  A chuisle mo chroí………. Pulse of my Heart

  Mo cheann lómhara………. My precious one

  Beats mo chroí ach amháin do shon……….My heart beats only for you

  Mo dair dheirfiúr……….My dear sister

  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

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  About Julia

  Also by Julia Mills

  Chapter One

  “And, where exactly are you sneaking off to?”

  The sound of his long-time friend and brethren’s voice had Lennox spinning on his heels while attempting to act casual, which to date, had never worked. “Nowhere, just out for a quick run.”

  “In jeans and boots?” Pearce, the most laid back and intuitive of all the Guardsmen, asked with raised eyebrows.

  Looking down at his clothes. Lennox groaned internally, “Busted!” before smiling at his friend and asking, “Would you believe me if I said yes?”

  “Not if I was blind, deaf and mute.” Pearce folded his arms across his chest, leaned against the back door to the house they were sharing and shook his head. “Fess up. It’ll make this go a lot faster.”

  Debating a quick getaway, but knowing his fellow Guardsman could run just as fast and as far as he could, Lennox, affectionately known as the ‘mad bomber’, leaned his hip against the corner of the kitchen counter and sighed, “You’ll just laugh if I tell you.”

  “Try me.”

  “I’m going to that new Shifter bar, The Sundowner.”

  Nodding his head, Pearce grinned, “Isn’t it Ladies’ Night?”

  “Yes,” Lenn rolled his eyes. “But it’s not what you think.”

  “And how do you know what I’m thinking?” Pearce had ‘that’ look in his eye. The one that said he already knew what was going on, what would happen and how long it was all going to take.

  “Because this isn’t my first rodeo,” Lenn snorted sarcastically. “Hell, it’s not even my fiftieth where you and that damned ESP,” he wiggled his fingers in the air and made an eerie whistling sound before going on, “of yours is concerned. Just tell me what you know and I’ll go from there.”

  Holding his hands up in mock surrender, Pearce admitted, “I know nothing…seriously.” He stood up and took a step closer, patting Lenn on the shoulder. “I was just coming down for a cup of tea when I heard you sneaking around.” Dropping his hand, the light blue dragon shrugged, “Thought I’d try to catch you up to no good.”

  “Yeah, well, I wish I was up to no good.” Lennox spun around, grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and plopped down, sighing, “I wish I was up to anything but wondering why the hell I suck at love.”

  Barking out a laugh, Pearce filled the kettle and placed it on the stove before turning around and grinning, “All the rest of our boys are running for the hills and swearing off women to avoid being mated and you,” the laid-back Guardsman chuckled. “You are looking for love.”

  “Yeah, in all the wrong places,” Lennox exhaled.

  Getting out a cup and saucer then looking through the cupboard at his fifty or so brands of tea, Pearce finally sat down at the table with a box of Earl Grey and asked, “So, what really happened with Camille?”

  Deciding it was time to fess up, Lenn leaned back in his chair, crossed his feet at his ankles and his arms over his chest then sighed, “She wasn’t the one. It felt like we were forcing things.” He shook his head. “Like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.”

  Uncrossing his ankles and arms, the mad bomber sat up and leaned his elbows on the table. “We both knew from the first date, but just kept trying anyway.” He ran his hands through his hair. “My dragon didn’t make a peep. Heck, I think he was asleep the whole damn month we dated.”

  “Why did you go out so many times if you knew she wasn’t the One?”

  Jumping to his feet, Lennox began to pace from one corner of the kitchen to the other. “I have no clue.” He stopped and looked out the window over the sink. “Somewhere deep inside, I think we both thought we could somehow change Fate.” He turned towards his friend. “I liked her. She liked me. We thought we could make it work…”

  The silence became almost deafening as Lenn thought about Camille Danvers, one of the top brain surgeons in the world, and the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen, not to mention a werepanther, and most definitely, without a doubt, not his mate Their attraction had been immediate. They’d talked for hours, and the failure of their mating was most definitely not because they didn’t give a damn good try. She simply wasn’t the woman the Universe had made for Dragon Guardsman, Lennox O’Lachtnáin. Maybe the Almighty just forgot him. Maybe the mad bomber was going to be the only dragon ever in history to not have a mate.

  Way to throw yourself a pity party, butthead. Go blow something up. It always makes you feel better…

  Getting up when the tea kettle whistled, Pearce was pouring boiling water into hi
s cup when he finally asked, “But it didn’t, and now you are what? Trolling the bars in hopes of bumping into Miss Right?”

  “I’d settle for Miss Right Now at this point.”

  Leveling his gaze, his brethren scolded, “And then I’ll spend another three weeks listening to you walk the floors and sigh under your breath about ‘the One’ and the Universe and Heavens forbid, children that you aren’t going to have.” Sitting back down, Pearce added, “Getting laid has never been a problem for you, and you know it. Why not just relax and let nature take its course? You’ll find her when the time is right.”

  “If I wait any longer for nature to work, you’ll be calling me Father Time.” Lenn started pacing again. “I feel like a caged animal. Nothing smells right. Food doesn’t taste right. I’m irritable and jumpy.” He paused and looked at his friend. “I think I’m losing my mind.”

  “Well, that’s been happening for a long time,” Pearce snorted. “But what you’re feeling are all signs of the Mating Call.” He took a sip of his tea. “Have you bumped into anyone interesting in the last week or so?”

  Slamming his palms down on the table, Lennox growled, “Would I be gossiping with you if I had?” Then scowling he added just to get the attention off himself, “And why the hell do you drink that crap? Only old ladies and their sewing circles drink tea anymore.”

  Grinning like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland, Pearce explained, “I like it. It calms me down, relaxes me and clears my head.” Lifting his cup, he added, “You should really try a cup,’ then quickly murmured, “Or a gallon.”

  Pacing again to keep his temper from getting the best of him, Lenn grumbled, “Ha. Ha. Ha. You’re real funny. I don’t do tea unless it’s iced.” He turned when he was a step from the door and stalked back across the tile floor. “Besides, if you were any more relaxed and calm you’d be a cast member of the Walking Dead.”

  “Jest all you want. I like it.” Pearce took another sip of his tea. “Besides, I am originally from the United Kingdom. Drinking tea is my Queen-given right.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah, but then again, we’re pretty much from everywhere…we’re that damned old.”

  “Speak for yourself.” Pearce made a show out of sniffling and pretending to be hurt which made Lenn laugh out loud and for the first time in a long time, admit to himself it felt good.

  Shaking his head as he continued to chuckle, Lenn added, “Well, you are older than me.”

  Setting his cup down on the saucer, his brethren rolled his eyes, “By what, like a whole year? Doesn’t count when we’re ‘that damned old’.”

  “No fair throwing my own words back at me,” Lenn was once again laughing so hard his cheeks actually hurt as he watched his friend try not to laugh, instead still pretending to be hurt.

  Finally, Pearce lost the battle and began chuckling along. Together, they were so caught up in their revelry that both Guardsmen missed the appearance of Kayne, a golden dragon, one of the Enforcers and the son of Lugh, Celtic God of the Sun.

  “What the hell is so funny?” The demi-god was grinning from ear-to-ear as he added, “The fact that you left me waiting by the car for almost thirty minutes?”

  “Oh shit!” Lenn and Pearce laughed even harder at the put-out expression on the demi-god’s face.

  Patting Kayne on the shoulder, Lennox apologized, “I’m really sorry, man. Pearce came down and caught me sneaking out and then we got to talking.” He was still chuckling when he added, “I just lost all track of time.”

  “Yeah, I know how that goes,” the demi-god snickered. “You still want to go?” He looked at his watch. “The bar’s open for another couple of hours.” Then looking at Pearce who was holding his tea cup, the golden dragon added, “What about you, Grandma Moses, you wanna come along?”

  “As I told Lenn, jest all you like. I enjoy a good cuppa tea.”

  Lennox couldn’t hold back another round of laughter when the demi-god leaned forward, placed his hands on the table and teased, “Alright, but if you start knitting me a sweater, I’m having you committed to the Old Dragon’s Home.”

  Remaining the calm, cool, collected Guardsman Lenn had always known, Pearce merely scoffed, “Mock me all you like, I will live longer than all of you adrenaline junkies put together.”

  “If that’s not the damn truth,’ Kayne chuckled. Then swatting Lennox on the arm, the demi-god nodded towards the door, “If we’re going, let’s go. I hear those honey badgers are a cantankerous lot, but they pour a mean drink. I’d like to at least start my night on the owner’s good side.”

  Looking back at his best friend and roommate, the mad bomber asked Pearce, “You sure you don’t want to go?” He waggled his eyebrows, trying to get another rise out of his brethren. “Might be fun, ya’ old fuddy-duddy.”

  “You two go ahead. I’m fine right here.” He set his cup down. “Besides, I have some research to do.”

  “Does it happen to involve a certain female bear we all know?” Kayne knocked elbows with Lenn while continuing to pester Pearce. “I hear there might have been some sparks between you and the lovely Tabitha.”

  For the first time in all the years he’d known the Guardsman they all teased about being the Zen Master of their Clan, Lenn saw Pearce blush, and of course, he couldn’t let it go. “Holy crap on a cracker! You and Tabitha? Does she feel the same way? What the hell are you doing here? Go to her, ya big dope.”

  Holding up his hands and clearing his throat, Pearce sighed, “I have no idea how she feels, nor will I be running to her.” He speared Lenn with a look and continued, “And, you will do well to keep this information to yourself.” With that, the not-so-Zen-Master-at-the-moment got up, put his cup and saucer in the sink and without another world left the kitchen in what most would call a snit.

  “Well, I’ll be,” Kayne whistled in surprise. “I think we have finally seen what ruffles old Pearcey boy’s scales.”

  Looking at the empty doorway his friend had just exited, the mad bomber quietly agreed, “Yes sir, we did. I never thought I’d see the day. A female has Pearce all tied in knots.”

  “I am not tied in knots!” Came the Zen Master’s growled reply from the other room. “Now, get the hell out of here before I have to show you how not tied in knots I am.”

  “Okay, okay, we’re outta here,” Kayne snickered, grabbing Lenn by the arm and tugging him towards the back door. Once outside and heading towards his SUV, the demi-god asked, “You seriously didn’t know about Pearce and Tabitha?”

  “No, I didn’t. He didn’t say a word,” Lenn wondered why then continued, “But I have been pissy since all that crap with Camille. I think Pearce was just being nice.” Looking at the still shining light through the kitchen window, the mad bomber added, “But, he seemed a bit cranky about the subject, didn’t he?”

  “Yeah, he sure as hell did.” Kayne started his bright red Expedition as soon as Lenn shut his door and continued, “I would’ve thought he would’ve been overjoyed. It sure looked like she was into him.”

  “I’ll have to see what I can find out.”

  Backing out of the driveway and pulling onto the street, the demi-god chuckled, “I think you better focus on your own love life, pal. I have a feeling things are about to get really fun, really fast.”

  Narrowing his eyes and staring at the side of Kayne’s face as the demi-god exited their lair and turned onto the road into town, Lenn grumbled, “What do you know that you’re not saying?”

  Holding up both hands then slamming them back onto the steering wheel, Kayne grinned, “Nothing. Just a feeling.”

  “Why don’t I believe you?”

  Glancing to the side before looking back at the road, Kayne’s grin grew into a goofy smile as he chuckled, “I have no clue.” His chuckle became louder. “Because you know me?”

  “I really hate demi-gods.”

  Chapter Two

  “How was your trip?” The short, platinum-blonde owner of the Paranormal Dating Service asked as
she showed Tessa to her room.

  “It was okay. I think the flight attendant kinda freaked out when I asked for a glass of Shiraz then took out my flask and added a spot of blood.”

  Stopping mid-stride, Gerri spun around sporting a frown and asked, “Did she say anything? Was she rude? Please tell me if she was. I use that airline frequently and have no problem calling their owner to give her a piece of my mind. Goddess knows I’ve done right by her.” Her expression softened a bit. “Just ask her three tiger mates.”

  Quickly shaking her head, Tessa replied, “Oh no, I think I just shocked her.” Then Gerri’s comment registered and her mouth hung open for a second too long before she held up three fingers and asked, “Three? Oh wow! And here I am thinking one will be plenty.”

  Smiling as she turned and continued down the hall, Gerri chuckled, “Not into the whole multiple partners thing, huh?”

  Feeling a little embarrassed at her lack of experience, Tessa thought for a second before nervously chuckling, “Don’t know, never tried it.”

  “No worries. The Fates, Destiny, the Universe, they all decide for you. One, two, three, more - I just take what they give me and point you in the right direction,” Gerri called over her shoulder as she stopped in front of the last door on the right. Sliding the key into the lock, she held the door open, adding, “Go on in. Get comfortable. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Thank you, Tessa,” nodded, entering her room and looking around in awe.

  It was as if her dreams had come to life. There was a huge, antique four-poster bed, complete with canopy, in the center and decorated in her favorite color, red. Gorgeous Oriental rugs that looked to be randomly placed in just the perfect positions adorned the gleaming, antique, hardwood floor. Not to mention, the large windows that lined one entire wall where Tessa envisioned looking at the moon shining over the beautiful gardens of the estate.

  Moving her suitcases in front of the mahogany armoire she knew was at least seventeenth century, Tessa began to unpack while thinking about what her friend, Charlotte, who had suggested Gerri and her agency to the lovelorn Vaepanther. It had taken Tessa almost two weeks to get up the nerve to call the four-foot-eleven-inch firecracker of a woman and then was shocked at how quickly Gerri had made the whole vacation come about.