But Kade’s sisters were more thoughtful in selecting their hiding spots. They chose one of the towers. Three of the towers were crumbling and falling, even when he was a child. The fourth, though, was the perfect place to hide when you didn’t want to be found. You could only access it by one tiny, narrow staircase.
And there was a locking door at the top of the stairs.
No one could get through it without you seeing them.
It was the perfect place to hide as a child, and it was the perfect place to hide a human woman.
Kade took off running.
Her eyes were tired when she heard the footsteps pounding up the stairs. Lindsey closed them and leaned back against the wall. This was it, she knew. Melissa had come back to finish the job. Kade wasn’t going to come for her, after all. There was no one to save her. Lindsey really was the epitome of a damsel in distress, but she had no prince.
It was sad, really.
She yanked once more against her chains, even knowing that it didn’t matter.
But then she heard the voice.
Lindsey.
It sounded like Kade, but the voice was so far away. Could he really have come for her? Could he really have found her?
Lindsey!
The voice was louder, begging, pleading.
Lindsey tried to open her eyes, but they were so heavy. Why was she so tired? How long had she been locked up? She knew Melissa had drugged her, but she wasn’t sure how long ago that was. It could have been hours. It could have been days.
A crashing sound broke through her thoughts. She was in the tower still. She was locked up, waiting to be saved.
And he had come for her.
Kade stood in the doorway, surrounded by broken pieces of wood. His full frame was shadowed, though beams of light streamed into the room behind him.
“You came,” she whispered, and then he was taking her from the chains, picking her up, and kissing her hair. Then his mouth was on hers and he was running his hands all over her body and bringing her back to life.
How could she have lived her whole life before this without Kade? How could she have been okay before fate brought them together?
“Of course I came,” he whispered against her lips, as if there had never been any doubt. His arms held Lindsey tight, anchoring her. She was so relieved he had come that she started to cry. Her tears turned to wretched sobs and Kade picked her up and carried her out of the castle tower. She was screaming by the time they got outside, by the time she feel the fresh air on her face, by the time she could see the sky.
She was broken and damaged and well on the way to insanity by the time Kade began to shift to take her home.
Then he showed her the most mercy anyone ever had and knocked her unconscious for the flight home.
22
Victoria pressed a warm, damp cloth to Lindsey’s head. Her friend had been stitched up and looked over by Alan, the Dragon Isle clinic physician. Though Kade had originally protested due to Alan’s prior relationship with Melissa, the doctor assured him there had not been any relationship to speak of.
In fact, Alan had only met Melissa a few times. They had never even been alone together. Of course, Melissa would have exaggerated a fake relationship, they all realized. How else would she have convinced Lindsey she was hanging around so much because she liked her?
Though Lindsey had been in shock when Kade found her and then knocked unconscious, the doctor expected she would make a full recovery. Victoria was thankful for that.
She hadn’t spent any time with Lindsey since her friend’s arrival on the island, but not a day went by where Victoria didn’t think about her best friend and roommate. They had been through so much together and now they were going through something else.
Did Lindsey know how loved she was?
Victoria silently held her friend’s hand and wished for her recovery. She thought about the fun times they’d had together: baking cookies and throwing parties, late night study sessions and early morning coffee runs.
Without Lindsey, Victoria never would have been able to come to Dragon Isle to face her mother’s death.
Without Lindsey, Victoria never would have become the woman she was now.
Victoria squeezed Lindsey’s hand as she thought about how much it hurt to see her friend in pain. Lindsey’s body was a mess. She had cuts and scrapes and bruises. She had stitches and wounds and looked like she’d been through a bar fight: not a kidnapping. Lindsey’s wrists glowed red from where she had pulled against her restraints in the tower.
Victoria was careful not to touch Lindsey’s injuries, but found herself wishing, not for the first time, that she could give Melissa a piece of her mind.
What had happened to Melissa? Kade hadn’t said. He just said, “She’s gone.” When Victoria first arrived at Dragon Isle, she would have thought that meant Melissa had been scared and left of her own accord. She might have even considered that “She’s gone” meant Melissa had been asked to leave because of her own rottenness.
But now Victoria had been living among dragons for well over a year.
And you didn’t fuck with dragons or they would fuck with you.
No, Victoria knew she would never see Melissa again. She didn’t feel bad about that. She didn’t even feel a hinge of remorse or regret. Melissa had likely been lonely and isolated, just as many dragons were. Unlike other dragons, though, Melissa had gone insane and centered her rage and insecurities on Lindsey.
And now Victoria’s sweet, fragile human friend was fighting just to wake up.
“Oh Lindz,” Victoria murmured, stroking Lindsey’s soft hair once again. “Come on, girl. Wake up. We all need you.”
Lindsey was silent, as Victoria knew she would be, but she didn’t get too upset. Not yet. Lindsey was a fighter, after all. Besides, maybe some sleep was just what she needed. Kade had said he knocked Lindsey unconscious because she was freaking out over being captured.
Would she have long-term damage from the hit to the head?
Would she be permanently traumatized from the kidnapping?
What would happen to Lindsey?
Victoria’s thoughts went crazy as she waited for her friend, but then the wait was over.
Lindsey squeezed Victoria’s hand and Victoria screamed and jumped up.
“Ah,” Lindsey tried to cover her ears. “Too loud,” she muttered. “Crazy bitch.”
But Victoria didn’t care.
“You’re awake! You’re awake, you’re awake, you’re awake!”
“Yeah, seriously.” Lindsey lowered her hands. “Please, please stop screaming at me. Too loud.”
“I’m sorry!” Victoria lowered her voice to a stage whisper. “It’s just that I’m so happy you aren’t dead!”
“Um, was that a risk?” Lindsey asked, looking at Victoria.
“Don’t you remember?”
“Remember what?”
“Lindsey, you were kidnapped. Melissa took you. Remember? Big giant dragon? She kidnapped you and locked you in a tower. Kade found you.”
Lindsey’s eyes focused then and a look of terror crossed her face. She didn’t scream as she whispered, “Holy dragons, she took me. She said she wanted to go fly around. She said she wanted to show me something, but she didn’t. She took me.”
Victoria nodded and stroked Lindsey’s cheek. “It’s okay now,” she said. “Kade found you. You’re safe now.”
Lindsey shook her head and started crying. “No, it’s not okay. Don’t you see? Kade told me to stay at the mansion and I didn’t. It’s my fault this happened. I should have stayed there. Melissa didn’t kidnap me. I went with her willingly, like a lamb to the slaughter.”
Victoria looked surprised, but said nothing. Lindsey kept talking, babbling through her tears.
“I’m so stupid! I can’t believe I went and got myself kidnapped. Kade must think I’m such an idiot. Oh shit, he’s going to be so pissed.”
Victoria opened her mouth, but before she could spe
ak, a deep voice sounded from the doorway.
“Kade,” He said, stepping into the room. “Is indeed pissed. And trust me, princess,” Kade gave her a hard stare. “You’re going to be thoroughly punished once you recover.”
Lindsey wished the floor would swallow her up and make her disappear. She hadn’t wished that since about the fifth grade.
Victoria, sensing it was time to give the couple some alone time, made herself scarce. As much as Lindsey liked having her around, she was thankful for the privacy while Kade chewed her out.
“I’m sorry,” Lindsey started, but before she could finish talking, Kade had climbed into the bed with her and was kissing her.
She cried as he showed her he loved her, needed her. He gave her warmth and comfort and compassion in that kiss.
He gave her forgiveness.
He gave her hope.
He gave her everything a dragon could give.
And then he gave a little more.
23
“I thought I was going to lose you,” Kade spoke quietly, hesitantly. He seemed afraid that his words would break the spell of silence that covered Lindsey. He stroked her hair and her face, allowing her to gently touch him in turn.
“I knew you would find me,” she whispered. “But I was afraid it would be too late to tell you.”
“To tell me what, pet?”
“To tell you that I love you.”
She closed her eyes and bit her lip as she said the words. She was nervous. She was frightened, but so brave. Did Lindsey think Kade would reject her? After all this? Did she think he would just send her back to the mainland without a second thought?
She was out of her mind if that’s what she truly believed.
“Oh, little one,” Kade swept her up in his arms and pulled her close. “I love you, too.”
Her eyes fluttered open and she gasped quietly. Then she grinned and pulled Kade even closer to her. He kissed her gently, then roughly, then gently again, trying to control himself around her. He couldn’t be too rough just now.
What Lindsey needed was a man who would care for her as she healed.
What Lindsey needed was a man who would never leave her side.
Kade could be that man.
“When I lost my wife, I thought I’d never love again. I certainly never thought I could fall in love with someone who came to me for money,” he whispered. “Yet here you are, and here I am, loving you.”
“Here we are,” Lindsey echoed.
“I wanted a slave because I thought it would fulfill me without requiring me to give anything of myself, yet you changed me, little human.”
He held her quietly, thinking about the man he was before she came. How had he ever managed to survive? Shit, how had he managed to even get out of bed each day? She was the first thing he thought about each day and the last. She was on his mind while he was working and while he was playing, while he was reading and while he was working out.
She was his everything.
“Stay with me,” he said. He wasn’t asking. He wouldn’t.
“As your submissive,” she said, understanding what he was asking.
“Yes.”
“You want me to give you everything.”
“Yes.”
“What about what I want, Kade?” Her voice was weak and quiet. “What if I don’t want to be your slave girl forever?”
“You love being my little slave girl, Lindsey.”
Lindsey just smiled. It was true. Though the idea of a Master/slave relationship had never crossed her mind before moving to Dragon Isle, she knew many couples found it to be a rewarding exchange of power.
And she knew from her time with Kade that he would not let her down.
If she stayed, continuing their relationship could meet both of their needs. Was she brave enough, though? Was she bold enough to move to the island permanently? Was she trusting enough to let Kade make her choices for her?
“I still want a career,” she said finally.
“I understand, pet, and you may have it.”
She cocked her head, surprised. “I thought you wanted 24/7,” she said. “I thought you wanted a full-time submissive little slave.”
“There will be times, on occasion, when that’s not possible,” he said sternly. “Especially once we have children, little pet. For now, however, as long as you’re willing to submit to me at home, as long as you’re willing to be my little slut when we’re not at work, then I’m fine with you pursuing a career. You just need to pick something that makes you happy.”
But all of that was lost on Lindsey as she stared at Kade.
“You want to have children with me?”
“Yes, Lindsey. I want it all with you.”
She smiled and nuzzled against him, reveling in the way she felt. She finally had what she’d been searching for all this time and there was nothing that could tear her away from him.
Nothing.
There was no reason she could find to leave the island.
There was nothing else that would ever be better than this.
She would never return to her old apartment or her old life. She would never speak with Heath again. She would never miss the lost chance to pursue a career as a counselor in her old town.
Instead, she would talk to Emerson. Maybe the dragon clinic needed a mental health counselor. Maybe Lindsey could bring a little bit of the peace she had found on Dragon Isle to dragons who needed it.
And as Lindsey looked up at Kade and saw the way he looked at her, she knew she would never regret her choice to stay. She was giving up on her past and she wouldn’t look back. Instead, she was going to fully embrace her future: dragon and all.
Lindsey wasn’t sure that going to Dragon Isle was a good idea, but staying there certainly was.
The Dragon Fighter
Sophie Stern
Copyright © 2015 by Sophie Stern
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Synopsis
He wanted to be clan leader to make a name for himself, to prove he was greater than his upbringing led him to believe.
Then Janae happened.
The little human brings nothing but trouble wherever she goes, but Emerson can't stop thinking about her. From her soft curves to her sweet personality, Emerson can’t get his mind off Janae. What would it be like to get to know her in and out of his bed? Would she be just as fiery between the sheets as she is on the docks?
When Liam, one of the dock workers, becomes injured, his sister, Janae, comes to help him. Only Janae's never been around dragons before, especially super toned, super fit ones. She doesn’t much care for the way they treat her brother or for the way they act like they’re better than everyone.
She especially doesn’t like the Lostfallen clan leader who seems intent on giving her as much trouble as he can muster.
Fortunately for her, Emerson loves a good fight.
For my reader:
I hope you find your dragon
1
Emerson stared at the old woman in front of him as she listed her complaints. She was upset about the cost of electricity and the price of milk and most of all, she didn’t like having to pay taxes to live on Dragon Isle.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Helsley,” Emerson finally said. “I’m not in charge of the prices. Importing things from the mainland costs money and the prices here reflect that.”
“But it’s not fair,” she whined.
Emerson gritted his teeth. He would not hit a woman. He would not hit this old woman. He wouldn’t yell at her, he wouldn’t raise his voice, he wouldn’t lash out. He was beyond that. He was better than that.
But he didn’t know how much more he could take before he snapped.
When Mrs. Helsley finally left his office, she was threatening to move away from the island. While he said,
“We’d hate to see you leave,” what he really meant was, “Okay, please go ahead.”
“I’m going out,” Emerson grunted to his tiny secretary, Penny. She nodded, but didn’t bother asking where he was going or how long he’d be gone.
“I’ll clear your schedule,” she said simply. For that, Emerson was grateful. He didn’t deserve Penny and made a mental note to get her something good for her birthday this year. She put up with all of his crap. It was the least he could do. Maybe he’d get her a gift certificate to a nice restaurant off the island. Hell, he should just give her an extra week’s paid vacation. That would do it.
Emerson walked outside and stripped, tossing his clothes in one of the many baskets that decorated the tiny village on Dragon Isle. The baskets each held robes that dragons could don if they accidentally shifted and ruined their clothes, but they also doubled as storage space for dragons who needed to fly somewhere for any length of time.
Today, Emerson wasn’t sure how far he was going to go.
Emerson wasn’t sure how long he was going to fly.
He shifted quickly and easily. It wasn’t hard for a dragon his age. The older a dragon got, the more difficult shifting was, but he was still fairly young. He was old enough to be able to control his shifts, yet youthful enough that it wasn’t challenging.
In other words, Emerson was the perfect age to find a mate.
Yet somehow, he hadn’t.
He knew when he took the position as clan leader that he would one day be pressured to find a mate. He just didn’t know that after a few years leading a group of dragonmen and women, he’d be wishing to find a mate.
Dragon Isle Book Bundle 1-3: My Lord and Dragon, The Dragon Fighter, and A Dragon's Bite Page 14
