To Wed a Dragon

by Natalie Kristen

  TO WED A DRAGON

  By

  Natalie Kristen

  WEREDRAGON WARRIORS

  To Date A Dragon (Book 1)

  To Wed A Dragon (Book 2)

  Copyright © 2016 by Natalie Kristen

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are used fictitiously or are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual locales, events, establishments or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  About this Book

  Curvy paramedic Nora Garcia isn't one to run away from danger and difficult, hopeless situations. So when she hears a cry for help one night, she rushes headlong into the alley with her pepper spray at the ready.

  But what she encounters isn't just a pair of common thugs. In fact, there is nothing common about them at all. Too late she realizes she has run into monsters who are not just brutal and deadly but who aren't even human…

  Edriq Haeken is a warrior, a defender and protector. He will do everything within his power and beyond to protect the innocent from cold-blooded, savage killers.

  Duty comes before everything else, but when he saves a gutsy, feisty human woman one night, his dragon realizes that it has found its mate.

  Can a fragile human female accept the claiming fire of his dragon?

  Can he trust her with his secrets and let her into his dark, dangerous world?

  Will two independent, headstrong people finally admit that they have found their perfect match?

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER ONE

  Edriq Haeken stood at the front door of the mansion and checked his weapons again. His guns, knives and other weapons designed to cause irreparable and irreversible damage to a body were holstered and carefully hidden under his leather jacket. He would never use any of these deadly weapons on innocent civilians of course. These sharp and shiny objects that were designed for death and destruction were reserved for those pieces of shit, a.k.a. Slayors, who hunted and targeted innocent civilians.

  Edriq stepped out onto the porch and frowned up at the night sky. It was full dark outside, and a lone star was twinkling like a diamond in the sky.

  Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

  How I wonder what you are…

  Edriq tried to shake the catchy tune out of his head but it stuck fast to his brain like gum to the bottom of your shoe. The more you fought it, the harder it stuck. Resistance truly was futile in this case.

  Edriq knew all the cutesy nursery rhymes and songs by heart. He used to sing them to Tessa when she was a wee babe. He wasn't a great singer, but the little girl didn't seem to mind his gruff, out-of-tune crooning. In fact, she seemed to find her Uncle Edriq's deep voice soothing and she would fall right asleep in his arms. He still played patty-cake with Tessa sometimes, even though she had informed them all in a very important voice that she was a big girl now. Only big kids go to school, she said, and since she attended kindergarten, she was a big kid.

  Tessa was five, going on fifty.

  Tessa was their princess. Yep, the little girl ruled the three big men in the house, but it was also her royal title. She was the daughter of their leader and king, Rohan Draek. Mrs Vomae, their housekeeper, often remarked that the little girl had Rohan, Zul and Edriq neatly wrapped around her little finger.

  Edriq came back into the house and zipped up his leather jacket to conceal his weapons. Beside him, Zul popped his gum and tapped one combat boot impatiently against the gleaming marble floor.

  “Stop knocking your big, dirty boot against the tiles. Mrs Vomae is going to throw a fit if she notices even one scratch on the floor,” Edriq warned.

  Zul made a face but he ceased his rapid-fire tapping and straightened up. He definitely didn't want to get in Mrs Vomae's bad books. The housekeeper was a stickler for cleanliness and she kept the mansion in tip-top, spanking new, picture perfect condition. She was also an excellent cook, and she always made sure their stomachs were filled with wholesome, nutritious, protein-rich foods. No mean feat in itself, since Zul's stomach seemed to be a bottomless pit.

  Of the three of them, Zul was the youngest warrior. The guy was built like a mountain, with thick shoulders and bulging biceps. He had a smart mouth and a cheeky, risque sense of humor and was sometimes mistaken for an overgrown teenager. But Zul was no awkward, inexperienced teenager. Far from it. He was one of the bravest solders and fiercest warriors of Draca. And when it came to killing Slayors, the guy was a lean, mean, killing machine.

  Edriq and Zul had been Rohan's royal guards in Draca. Rohan was their king, their boss, their friend, their brother-in-arms. It was at Rohan's insistence that Edriq and Zul finally moved into the sprawling mansion. Despite Rohan's denial, Edriq shouldn't shake the nagging suspicion that Rohan had purchased the majestic, humongous residence with the intention that the mansion serve as a command center or a shelter for their people if the war with the Slayors escalated.

  They thought they had left the war on their home planet, but the war had pursued them to Earth.

  For more than half a century, the surviving Dracans lived quietly on Earth and did their best to rebuild their lives. They acquired new skills, found jobs and some even set up shops and businesses.

  Like Rohan. With his sharp analytical mind and business acumen, Rohan had set up a very successful company, or rather companies. In the human world, Rohan was the chairman of Draek Holdings, a large investment company. His company owned the Blazing Beans coffee chain and the FabFit fitness chain. Edriq was in charge of the fitness chain while Zul took care of the Blazing Beans outlets. Their staff included Dracan as well as human employees, and for a time, it was a productive, peaceful existence.

  But now everything they had worked so hard for was at risk. Their hard-won peace and security, their lives and families.

  The Slayors had found them. The Slayors had come to Earth to wipe out all the surviving Dracans.

  Not gonna happen.

  Not on my watch, Edriq swore.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Edriq looked up when he saw Rohan coming down the stairs with Amelia. Rohan and Amelia had just tucked Tessa into bed.

  They'd had a lovely dinner with the family. Everyone sat around the kitchen table and ate, chatted and laughed. They looked like any other happy, normal family.

  But normal families relaxed in the living room after dinner and went to bed after dark.

  Not them.

  Once their little princess was safely cocooned under her fluffy, pink covers, Rohan would leave the house with Edriq and Zul.

  The night was just beginning for them. The three of them would hunt the Slayors and destroy as many of these cold-blooded, ruthless creatures as possible. They had no choice. It was kill or be killed, hunt or be hunted.

  Edriq, Zul and Rohan were all that stood between their people and their enemies, the Slayors. The rest of the Dracans who were living on Earth were civilians. The Dracans had been a dragon-shifting people, but as the Dracans adapted to the confusing and fast-changing landscape on Earth, many of them stopped shifting and simply let their dragons lie dormant. Most of the civilian Dracans could no longer shift into their dragon forms. They forgot how to call up their dragons, how to fly and breathe fire. They just wanted to live quietly and peacefully on Earth with the humans.

  But the Slayors would hurt the humans as they hunted the Dracans. They would cut a swathe through the defenseless humans to reach their targets.

 
The Slayors had pursued the surviving Dracans to Earth and now these brutal, savage killers hunted the Dracans by night. The Slayors' sensitivity to light meant they could only move around comfortably when darkness fell.

  Unlike the Dracans, the Slayors had retained their ability to shift even in the Earth's atmosphere. They were after all the hardened, pitiless and soulless soldiers of the Syndor army. The Slayors would slither among the shadows and creep into the homes of innocent Dracans. And they would slaughter not just the Dracans, but their human mates, family and children.

  For many years, they had been safe on this strange, fascinating, endlessly changing planet. Edriq had always thought of Earth as an alien planet and the humans as amusing and hospitable aliens.

  But all that changed after the princess was born.

  After Tessa came into their lives, Edriq began to think of Earth as more than just a temporary hiding place.

  For better or worse, this was their home now. Their future was here. Tessa, their little princess, was born here, of a Dracan father and a human mother. Her birth mother passed away when Tessa was born but Tessa now had a wonderful, loving stepmom, Amelia.

  But before Amelia came along, Tessa had her Daddy, Uncle Zul and Uncle Edriq. What a family they were.

  Three Men and a Baby.

  Yup. That was them, all right. Rohan, Zul and Edriq had watched that movie together and identified completely with the three helpless male leads in the movie.

  Three clueless males, check. One brawling baby, check. Juggling milk bottles, check. Diaper accidents, check. Singing lullabies to the infant every night in barbershop style, check.

  They sure had fun, didn't they?

  How time flies when you're having fun.

  Now they were Three Men and a Little Lady. And another Awesome Lady.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Is the princess asleep?” Edriq asked as Rohan joined them.

  Despite being tough, rough warriors, Edriq and Zul could never help the soft, goofy smiles on their faces whenever they mentioned the little princess. They adored the little girl, and she adored them right back. They were her favorite Uncle Edriq and Uncle Zul.

  Rohan and Amelia nodded together. Rohan and Amelia had gotten married in a simple ceremony. Tessa was so excited when she learned that her beloved kindergarten teacher, Miss Amelia, was going to be her mom. Amelia had been Tessa's hero even before she fearlessly faced off against a vicious Slayor General and saved Tessa's life.

  Zul and Edriq respected and loved Amelia. As the mate of Rohan, Amelia was their queen, the queen of the Dracans.

  “She's exhausted from the excursion. She had a long day today. The kids were so excited to visit the zoo and see all the animals we'd learned about in class,” Amelia answered.

  Edriq and Zul grinned. Now that Tessa's kindergarten teacher was also her mom, the learning never stopped. Amelia was always teaching Tessa something new in a fun, interactive way. Edriq found himself paying close attention whenever Amelia explained something to Tessa. He might be a battle-hardened warrior, but he still had lots to learn about the fascinating and baffling human world.

  “But when we saw the Komodo dragons—” Amelia went on with a chuckle. “Tessa shook her head and said: 'Those are not dragons! My Daddy, Uncle Edriq and Uncle Zul are real dragons!'”

  Edriq and Zul beamed with pride. “That's our girl!”

  Amelia laughed. “The three of you are her heroes.”

  Rohan pulled his mate to him and kissed her hair. “No,” he corrected. “You, Amelia—you are Tessa's hero. We three are just her slaves.”

  “Touche,” Zul answered.

  Edriq and Zul stepped back discreetly as Amelia and Rohan shared a tender kiss and embrace.

  “Come home to me,” Amelia whispered to her mate.

  “Always,” Rohan promised his mate solemnly.

  As Edriq, Zul and Rohan stepped out of the mansion together, Amelia went up to Edriq and Zul. “Be safe,” Amelia told them.

  Edriq and Zul turned and nodded once to their queen. If their queen gave them a command, they would obey her.

  Rohan and Amelia didn't want to acknowledge their royal status, but in the hearts of all the Dracans, Rohan and Amelia were their king and queen.

  There was a whoosh followed by the fierce beating of wings. Three dragons took off from the sprawling lawn in front of the mansion and soared towards the clouds.

  In dragon form, they were invisible to human eyes. Edriq and Zul flew behind Rohan until they reached the city. Then Rohan and Zul banked sharply and flew off in opposite directions.

  Each of them had different routes and areas to patrol. They had to cover as wide an area as possible, keeping their eye out for trouble and danger.

  Edriq stared at the blinking city lights and scanned the maze of streets below him. The Slayors always hid in the dark and moved about in the shadows.

  Making a quick descent, Edriq shifted to human form and dropped to the ground. He landed in front of a row of darkened shop windows.

  Straightening up, he glanced around. A couple was just rounding the corner, whispering and giggling. They hadn't seen him materialize suddenly and just drop out of the air.

  Edriq slid a hand under his jacket and grasped one of his throwing knives as he started down the street.

  The Slayors could look and act like humans. But they were snakes, cold-blooded, venomous, vicious killers.

  It was time to hunt.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Nora Garcia rolled her shoulders to ease the strain and tension from her body as she walked home. Her job was stressful and exhausting, physically and emotionally, but she loved every minute of it.

  The stress, the urgency, the unpredictability of every call they received kept her on her toes. As a paramedic, every second counted and every decision mattered. It was a high-octane, action-packed, adrenaline-driven job. It was her dream job.

  Nora knew very early on that she wasn't cut out for a nine-to-five job in an air-conditioned office. The mere thought of stuffing herself into pencil skirts and tottering to work on killer heels every day made her break out in hives. She didn't want to be chained to a desk, answering calls and typing memos day in, day out.

  She wanted to roll up her sleeves and be on her feet. She needed to be running around, plunging straight into the thick of things. She felt that she was making a difference every single day in her job. She helped saved lives, and every life mattered.

  It felt good. Every night, she went home thoroughly exhausted but feeling happy and fulfilled. Of course there were days which weren't so happy, days when she did everything she could yet felt she should have done more. It was never easy to work frantically in the ambulance, fighting against time, against death, against the inevitable. You just wanted, needed to win this fight. Yet, despite everything you did, you lost. The patient was dead on arrival.

  Her fellow paramedic and partner, Mario, was a cheerful, affable guy and he never let anything get to him. “If you let the job get to you, you can't do the job,” Mario always told her. “Take care of yourself first. You are numero uno, kid.”

  It was good advice. But she'd never been good at taking advice.

  There were some nights she was just too tired, too drained, to even eat a proper meal. She'd just take a quick shower, force down whatever leftovers she found in the fridge and flop into bed.

  This was her life. Her job was her life.

  And it was just the way she liked it.

  No dramas, tears and heartache.

  She didn't want to come home after a long, stressful day to find her boyfriend rooting through her things, hoping to grab some cash and valuables before he took off with his new girl. Or face an insecure partner who yelled and railed at her for coming home late, accusing her of putting her career first, prioritizing her job over her relationship, her partner, her life.

  Her last two boyfriends had accused her of that, and Nora didn't bother deny
ing the accusations. She believed that a woman shouldn't have to choose between a career and a relationship. Definitely not in this day and age.

  Dramas and heartaches were just so...pointless. Nora just wanted to do what she loved and she would support her partner in his chosen profession as well. She would never demand that he drop everything and be at her beck and call. That was simply ridiculous.

  Nora smirked. Well, she'd definitely experienced her fair share of ridiculous men. She was taking a break from shitty, stifling relationships. Permanently.

  Nora adjusted her bag on her shoulder and blew into her hands to warm them up. It was a cold night, and the wind was picking up. Tightening her hold on her bag, she turned the corner and hurried past the narrow, dark alleys. She lived within walking distance of the hospital, and it was a relatively safe part of the city but still, she always felt uneasy when she walked past those dark, secluded alleys.

  There were nights when she thought she heard footsteps and saw strange, slitted eyes glowing from the shadowy depths of an alley. She told herself they were probably just rats or stray cats wandering around the dumpsters. But—those eyes didn't look like cat eyes.

  Nora was hurrying past a small alley when she heard a soft whimper. She stopped in her tracks and tensed.

  Did she imagine the sound?

  She was about to walk away when she heard it again. This time it was louder and clearer.

  It was unmistakably a woman's cry.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Nora gasped and took a step towards the dark alley.

  God, was someone hurt in there?

  Maybe the woman had come out to the back to throw out the trash and slipped. She could have had a very nasty fall. The poor woman could have broken something, her wrist, her hip, her head…