The Last Blackstone Dragon
A Blackstone Mountain Novella
Alicia Montgomery
Copyright © 2017 Alicia Montgomery
Cover design by Melody Simmons
Edited by Serena Clarke at Free Bird Editing
All rights reserved.
Contents
Also by Alicia Montgomery
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Preview: The Blackstone Dragon Heir
Other Books by Alicia Montgomery
Also by Alicia Montgomery
The True Mates Series
Fated Mates
Blood Moon
Romancing the Alpha
Witch’s Mate
Taming the Beast
Tempted by the Wolf
The Lone Wolf Defenders Series
Killian’s Secret
Loving Quinn
All for Connor
The Blackstone Mountain Series
The Blackstone Dragon Heir
The Blackstone Bad Dragon
The Blackstone Bear
Chapter 1
Fire. Heat. Flame.
The pitch-dark cave was suddenly bathed in light from the fire bursting from the creature’s mouth. The flame turned from bright orange to light blue, and the temperature went from cool to burning hot in seconds, then back to cool again. As soon as the temperature dropped, a dozen men scrambled forward, grabbing shiny black rocks scattered in the dirt. The cycle continued--heat and cold, light and darkness--until a whistle sounded.
“All right, we’re good for now,” a tall, burly man wearing a headlamp called out. “Bring those rocks to the processor. Good work everyone!” He turned to the creature and gave it a thumbs-up.
Large, silvery reptilian eyes blinked once. The dragon’s gold scales glinted as the overhead industrial lights began to flicker on. There was hardly any room in the cave to stretch its giant wings, so it kept them close to its body. With a snort and shake of its head, the creature began to shrink. Scales disappeared into skin and the long, elongated head pushed back into a more human form. Once the creature was gone, all that was left was a man. He was fully naked and bracing himself on the rocky floor on one knee.
The burly man tossed him some clothes, which he easily caught without looking up.
“Thanks,” he said as he got to his feet and began pulling on his jeans.
“You okay, Hank?” his foreman, James, asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” More lights overhead turned on and Henry ‘Hank’ Lennox looked over to the guys who were gathering the precious black chunks. Blackstone. The hardest material on Earth, found only in these mountains. Unfortunately, it was also embedded in the second-hardest material in the world, nitride londaleite. Fortunately, there was only one thing that could destroy it. Dragon fire.
It had made his great-great-great grandfather, Lucas Lennox, as rich as a king. And to think Lucas had won the mountain in a card game. It was pure luck that one of the few dragon shifters had come to own a mountain filled with a substance that could only be mined with dragon fire.
Hank turned back to the burly man. “What do you think, James? Good enough for the day?”
“Looks like a good yield. We might actually make the quota.”
“I hope so,” Hank replied.
“Let’s go to the office,” James said. “We have a couple of things to discuss.”
“Okay, but I need finish up here first.”
“Of course.”
Hank stopped by the group of guys who were loading the rocks onto the carts, to chat with them and check in to make sure they were okay. This particular part of the job was suitable for shifters, who could easily recover from the burns and injuries from handling the blazing hot rocks.
Since Lucas Lennox had begun mining the blackstone, his company employed the various shifters from around the area—bears, wolves, foxes, lions, and even a flight shifter or two—to work in the mines, as normal humans could never survive the working conditions. Of course, thanks to today’s technological advances, all the shifters who worked on-site now wore protective clothing and thus didn’t rely on their accelerated healing abilities as much. However, Lennox Corporation still employed shifters for this particular job, as few humans wanted to work next to a giant, fire-breathing dragon.
After Hank and James had finished checking up on everyone, they walked out of the cave, past the workers hauling out the chunks of blackstone, and down one of the smaller, muddy trails that led away from the main entrance to the mines. A few minutes later, they arrived at Hank’s ‘office’. It was more a large, worn trailer that had seen better days. Beside it were two other trailers, all roughly the same age and in the same state. Hank grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open, and James followed behind him.
The interior of the trailer wasn’t much of an improvement on the inside, though it was at least clean. There were filing cabinets in one corner, a table with a coffee maker in the other, and a large desk in the middle with a computer and various file folders.
Hank let out an unhappy mumble as he got a cup of stale coffee from the machine, then walked back to his desk. He sat down on the leather chair behind the desk, and slammed the cup down as a grim expression set on his face.
“So, what’s gotten your panties in a twist today?” James asked as he sat down on the chair in front of the massive desk. “Is it the board?”
Hank shook his head.
“Look, Hank,” James began. “I know you’re taking Harrison’s death hard, but your brother—”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I know, but—”
“I said I don’t want to talk about it.” The air in the small room grew cold and heavy, and Hank felt his dragon’s presence. He closed his eyes, trying to control the emotions. He shut them down, refusing to give in to them. The anger. The hate. But he had to let go.
Harrison had been the one his father was grooming to take over Lennox Corporation, not him. When his father had died of a brain disease that affected shifters, the board chose Harrison as president. But now, Harrison was dead too, and he was alive, and now he had to deal with all this shit.
“So is there another reason you’ve been on edge all day, cuz?”
Hank let out a huff. Cousins. It was a loose term the Lennoxes and Walkers still used, even though they were as different as night and day. Apparently, a few generations ago, a Lennox dragon and a Walker grizzly had got together and the two families had been linked ever since. In fact, Lucas’ first foreman in the blackstone mine was Eustace Walker (James’ great-great-great grandfather), and ever since then there had always been a Walker foreman overseeing the operations at the mines. Bears, after all, were loyal, especially to their clans and families. Of course, they could be annoying at times, but Hank was glad to have the support. Especially now that he had no other family.
And that was the problem on his mind. James was a family man, so maybe he’d understand.
“I need a wife.”
“You need to get laid?” James asked.
Hank sighed inwardly. James was loyal, dependable, and strong, but he wasn’t exactly refined. “No, a wife.”
“Oh.” James scratched his head. “Uhm, well, I’m sure I can ask Laura if she has any single friends…”
“I need a wife,” he reiterated. “Not a date. Someone to have children with and pass on the genes to. To secure t
he future of Lennox Corp and the mines. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not going to be around forever,” he snorted. Indeed, the lies that the anti-shifter groups spread around were ludicrous. When he was a teenager, he’d read that his father was actually still Lucas Lennox and had been faking his death for generations.
James chuckled. “Shit. You’ll find better luck getting a date. You know, with what those people are saying about dragons.” His expression turned dark. “Sorry. No offense.”
“None taken.” And that was the other lie those anti-shifter groups were spreading. Groups like SPHK and DARSA abhorred all shifters, but they seemed to have a special hatred for dragons. Not that anyone could blame them. After all, dragons were gigantic, flying creatures who could raze cities and towns in mere minutes.
So the anti-shifter groups had begun to spread rumors that human women who mated with dragons always died in childbirth. They said women who got pregnant by dragon shifters would give birth to eggs, or monsters that would rip them apart from the inside. It was an utter lie of course; human women gave birth to perfectly normal babies. His own mother had survived birthing two dragon shifters, though she had died of a heart attack when he was fifteen.
But still, the lies had been effective and now there were very few dragons left. It was hard enough for dragons to conceive, and those who mated with other shifters rarely produced dragons. So the only way to guarantee a dragon offspring was to mate with a human, and even that was rare.
“Why don’t you start with like, uh, a dating service? Or one of those websites or apps?”
Hank had to laugh. “Seriously? What am I supposed to put on my profile? Dragon looking to impregnate a human?”
James’ eyes narrowed. “Hank, we’ve known each other since we were kids playing out here in these mountains. When you say you want or need to do something, that usually means you’ve already been planning it. So who’s the lucky girl?”
Lucky indeed. “Do you know Thomas Sinclair?”
“Yeah, he owns that construction company in Verona Mills. We did some business with them a while back.” James scratched his heard. “Hmm…haven’t heard good things lately.”
“An understatement,” Hank said.
“Yeah. Too bad. He’s a widow and he has a…” James took a deep breath. “No. You can’t.”
“Yes.” And Hank told him his plan.
“Are you serious? Are you really going to go through with this?”
He nodded. “I don’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“Not this time.” When James opened his mouth to protest, Hank cut him off. “We can’t all have loving mates who would do anything for us and accept us for who we are. You and Laura are one in a million.”
“You can’t believe that.”
“I do.”
“Then you really are a cold-hearted bastard.” James stood up and kicked the chair back, sending it to the wall with a loud crash. He turned to the door and yanked it open. “Don’t do this, Hank. There’s another way.”
Hank said nothing, but instead swiveled his chair away, turning to the large window. There was a reason his father had put this trailer up here. It gave him the perfect view of the mountains. His legacy. His entire life, Harold Lennox had ingrained the importance of family in his sons. There used to be many dragons in the world, protecting what was theirs.
He gave a silent, bitter laugh. That was before the anti-shifter groups had spread their lies. Before profits began to dwindle. He loved his father and Harrison, but neither had a head for business. When he came back to take over, he hadn’t known how bad things had gotten. While he couldn’t do anything about the hole they had dug themselves into, he could do something about the future of the company and his family.
Since no woman would willingly have children with him, he was going to do the unthinkable with the last of their resources.
He was going to buy himself a wife.
Chapter 2
Riva Sinclair strode confidently into the offices of Sinclair Construction in the small town of Verona Mills. As soon as she stepped inside, she felt it. She felt at home. This was where she grew up, after all. Her earliest memory was of playing under her father’s desk in his office.
“Hey Virna,” she greeted her father’s longtime secretary.
“Riva!” the older woman greeted her as she jumped out of her chair. She quickly walked over and hugged Riva. “Oh, I’m so glad…”
The embrace was tight and lasted much longer than usual. Riva wasn’t unaccustomed to long hugs from her father’s assistant (who really was kind of like a mother to her, especially since her own had passed away when she was seven), and now that she lived out of state, she didn’t see her as often, but still…something about it didn’t feel right.
Riva pulled away. “Virna? Is everything okay?” She searched the other woman’s face. Virna looked the same—carefully applied makeup, graying hair in a tight bun, suit impeccably pressed. But her smile was tight and the bags under her eyes seemed deeper.
“What? Oh, yeah…uh, you should go see Thomas,” she said, her voice tight when she mentioned Riva’s father. “He’s been waiting for you.”
“Sure, thanks V.” Riva was anxious to see her dad after all these months. She’d been away for her first semester at one of the most prestigious (and brutal) MBA programs in the country. And she loved every minute of it, except being away from her dad. But her father had been supportive of her dreams and career.
Ever since she could remember, all she’d wanted to do was work alongside her dad at Sinclair Construction. While many of her friends played with dolls at home, she would spend hours in her dad’s office, listening to the calls he made or reading reports and project management timelines over his shoulder. As soon as she turned sixteen, she demanded her father give her a part-time job—any job—at Sinclair Construction so she could learn the business inside and out. Or more like from the bottom up, as she started by cleaning out the kitchen and refilling the coffee pots, and had made her way up to answering phones by the time she graduated high school and was accepted at NorthWestern University, not too far from her hometown.
She graduated top of her business management class, then worked two more years in an architectural firm in the city. Once she got her work experience under her belt, she applied for Rickard University’s MBA program, one of the top schools in the country. Of course, she was sad to leave her dad, as Rickard was two states over. She and her boyfriend Daniel had agreed to do the long-distance thing, and she had missed him as well.
Riva frowned. Where was Daniel? As Sinclair Construction’s VP of Operations, he was usually hanging around the office. But she hadn’t seen him nor had he offered to pick her up at the airport when she arrived that morning. In fact…his last text had been a few days ago. She chalked it up to the busy summer season.
“Dad!” she greeted him as soon as she entered.
Thomas Sinclair looked up at his daughter from behind his desk. “Riva!” He got up, then embraced her.
“I’ve missed you,” she said, wrapping her arms around him.
“Me too, princess, me too.”
They hugged for a long time, and Riva was the first to break away. Again, there was that strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Dad?” she asked when she looked at his face. Had she only been away four months? It was like he had aged ten years. His hair had more white and seemed thinner. The lines around his eyes were deeper, and his eyes…they seemed dull and his smile didn’t reach them. “Dad? Are you okay?”
Thomas shrugged. “I can’t hide anything from you, can I, princess?”
Her heart began to thud in her chest as she saw the different expressions flash across her father’s face. Guilt. Then…fear? “What happened, Dad?”
“Oh, Riva…” His face fell and he sank down on his chair, his head bowed. “I’m sorry…I’m sorry princess…I shouldn’t have trusted him.”
“Who?”
He slowly looked up at her. “Daniel.”
She didn’t think her heart could sink any lower. “Tell me. From the beginning.”
As he began to explain, she felt her entire body freeze. She tried to absorb the details of her father’s story, but only the important bits got to her brain. Bad deals…organized crime…bribery…corruption…Daniel. He’d gotten himself into some trouble. Correction: he’d gotten Sinclair Construction into deep trouble.
“So, where is Daniel?” She wanted to kick herself for asking that question first. But she wanted to know because she was going to wring his neck when she found out.
“Gone.” Thomas rubbed a palm down his face. “He just disappeared. I don’t know if those guys he did deals with got to him, or if he disappeared because he was going to be arrested for criminal charges.”
“But…I don’t understand!” Riva shot to her feet, her body now shaking. “You didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Yes,” Thomas nodded. “The FBI came and said that as long as we cooperated, they wouldn’t press criminal charges against us. But, Riva, all our contracts…they dried up. We’re finishing what we have on the schedule, but we have no new contracts to get us through the slow season.”
Blood drained from her face and she sank down on the chair again. “How long…how long will we last?”
“We’re overextended with our creditors. Daniel…he took out more credit to pay for this deal. He really thought it was going to go through. We all did,” he said with a defeated sigh. “I don’t know…a couple of weeks maybe? We’ll have to start layoffs next week.”
“No,” she said. “You’ve had this business for over thirty years! How about bank loans? Talking to the vendors?”
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