Table of Contents
Willow’s Dragon
Acknowledgements
Copyright
Reviews and where to find me
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
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Other books by the author
Connect with me
Willow’s Dragon
By
Serena Simpson
Dragon Mate’s book four
Acknowledgements
I want to say thank you to my daughter and my family, who are always with me supporting me. I also want to give a shout out to those I listen to daily.
A big thank you to my fans who read me, review me or e-mail me or just leave messages on my Facebook. I want to thank you all. I read every review and message.
Copyright
Willow’s Dragon – Dragon Mate series, Book Four - Copyright © January 2017, Serena Simpson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
Cover Art by Melody Simmons
Published by Serena Simpson
Reviews and where to find me
Once you’ve read Willow’s Dragon, you can leave a review where you purchased this book. All reviews are appreciated.
You can find me on my website.
I’m also available on Twitter
You can also find me on Facebook
Join my mailing list
Look for me I’m happy to connect with all.
Chapter One
The view was incredible nothing but water for miles surrounding her. Willow stepped out onto the deck of the cruise ship she was on. She had been out to sea for three long beautiful boring days. Where was the fun she was promised, the hot men who would be so into her she’d have her pick of guys to bring to her room at night?
She took her drink and sat in one of the lounge chairs by the pool. That should have been her, she watched some dark skinned Nubian queen with several guys trailing behind her. It had become apparent quickly that the men on this ship didn’t appreciate curves. If she had known, she would have picked a different ship, a different cruise. On the bright side when she got to Jamaica there would be plenty of men who appreciated her curves.
Her eyes narrowed when a man sat down next to her. She didn’t like him, spooky should be his middle name. She got up and moved her chair just enough to get out of the sun. Why did people lay in the sun and bake? She’d never understand, but when your skin was brown, it seemed silly at least to her. Different strokes, her shoulders lifted in a silent shrug.
Mr. spooky dragged his chair over to hers. If she wanted crazy, she could have stayed on her job.
“Do you think that storms going to hit us?”
She looked down at his extremely pale hand on her rich brown skin before she lifted his hand and returned it. Her mouth opened to tell him off when she caught sight of the gray storm clouds on the horizon.
“There was supposed to be fine sailing all the way to the island.”
“Things don’t always go as planned. I think we’re going to have some rough water soon.”
“You might be right.”
“Would you join me for dinner tonight?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but he interrupted her.
“Are you eating with anyone?”
No, she wasn’t and that fact bothered her since she had a likable personality. There was always a friend wherever she went so why didn’t she seem to be able to connect with anyone on this trip?
She had talked to the woman in the room next to her at least five times and each time the woman didn’t seem to recall meeting her. It was like she was invisible unless she was directly in someone’s path. That bothered her but this was a vacation, and if the passengers wanted to play games, she would let them.
“Thanks, I would enjoy having dinner with you.”
She left to go back to her room. After dinner, she would go to one of the clubs on the ship and she was snagging herself a man. It had been a minute, no it had been way longer than that since she had a man in her bed. The dry spell was going to end tonight.
The afternoon went quickly as she wandered the ship and laughed at the antics going on. She even had a rousing good time with a game of shuffleboard. Please, someone, kill me now. Shuffleboard. It had been fun, and the people she played with were nice, but she was looking for more out of her vacation.
One look in the mirror told her she looked good. She was wearing a deep purple dress with a low neckline and a slit up the leg. What red blooded man could resist this? The knock at her door drew her out the mirror.
“Who is it?”
“John.”
Aww right, that was his name she had promptly forgotten it after he told her. Stop it, Willow, he’s a nice guy even if he isn’t your type of guy. That wasn’t it, she reassured herself. He felt off, and it made her weary. Hopefully tonight she would realize it was her and not him.
“Hi, John.” She opened the door and greeted him with a big smile. He still felt off, but she ignored her senses and took his arm when he offered it to her.
They walked until they came to the main dining room. A smile tilted her lips the food was good. It surprised her but delighted her also. They went to join the buffet line.
“What do you do, Willow?”
“I work as a waitress.” She used to have a high powered job until she started to feel trapped and stalked. She gave it all up to be able to move around the world freely.
“I wouldn’t have pegged you as a waitress, not that there’s anything wrong with it.”
She’d heard that before, it had something to with the way she looked at you. A small giggle came from her as she tried to ignore his words.
“Maybe one day I’ll do something else, but I love the freedom to be able to pick up and go.”
“You should be careful. The more you move, the less people tend to remember you.”
She shivered if she didn’t know better she would think he threatened her. He had no reason to do that. They sat and ate. She asked him some small questions and soon their plates were empty and the breath she was holding came out. It was time to escape his presence.
“John it was nice spending time with you, but I think I’m going to retreat to my room and wait the storm out.”
“Maybe we’ll meet again.” He reached over and gave her a hug that made her shiver.
Why had she let him touch her? Was she just being polite? She walked dow
n the hall feeling slightly dizzy. She really was going to go back to her room and out wait the storm. Leaning down she took off her heels and walked the rest of the way barefoot.
The bed looked amazing when she walked in, and with this headache all she wanted to do was sleep. A quick change of clothes and she crawled into the bed and passed out.
“Willow.” Someone called her name, but she couldn’t see him. She was surrounded by fog, her body shivered looking for the way out.
Her body rolled over on the bed as she fought the fog. Where was she? What was happening?
“Time to die, Willow.” That was a different voice it was perusing her making her fight harder
She rolled again hitting the floor. A groan came out as she woke up. She was in her cabin, she clung to the bed to help her stand. The sea was a little rough maybe they were in that storm.
Her hand went to the light switch while she waited for the reality she knew to come back. Whenever she dreamed it felt more real than the reality she lived. Her hand went through her hair taking the tangles out before she began to pace in front of the bed.
She was going to have to see someone. The dreams were getting out of control, there was always a warning for her to be careful that he was pursuing her. Who was he? Who was warning her and would they all just leave her alone?
With a sigh, she crawled back into bed. One look at the clock told her it as going on midnight. The brief thought of hitting one of the clubs on board or maybe dropping some money in the casino ran through her head before she discarded it. Tomorrow would be soon enough to do her I am woman routine. Tonight, she would sleep.
The minute she closed her eyes, she was pulled back into her dream world. Everything was cast in shadows, and she shivered from the cold she felt walking down her spine.
“Welcome back,” a voice whispered making her turn in circles as she tried to locate it.
Why did the voice sound familiar to her? Could it be someone she knew who was messing with her head?
“He wants you dead. You’re the last piece.” The laughter made her back up. It was the same laughter she heard at dinner tonight. There was no way Mr. Spooky could be in her dreams.
John, she chastised herself even though she was asleep.
She walked trying to outpace the shadows that kept everything hidden until she ran into a door. Not just a door but a wall of doors. There were ten doors, and each one said enter.
“Pick the right door you live, pick the wrong one you die.”
She could see his shadow now. He was gesturing to one of the doors encouraging her to go through it. Wake up she screamed to herself until finally her eyes opened.
I am so out of here. She stood and turned the lights on.
The boat was gently swaying back and forth, it felt like the wind had died down. She ditched her night clothes and reached for a pair of jeans and a sweater in case the temperature had gone down with the onset of the storm. She brought out her one pair of sensible shoes which were a pair of walking shoes. She loved the soles on them and walking was her one nod to exercising. She could do it with a good audiobook.
She peeped out the door to make sure Mr. Spooky wasn’t around before she left her room. That time she didn’t even feel guilty at her nickname for him. She was simply calling it like she saw it. She walked to a café that stayed open all night long and grabbed an ice cream cone. I deserve this. She licked her ice cream and walked around, one of the clubs had spilled out of its space and the guests were dancing along the corridors of the ship. She did a little bump and grind as she passed by but no seemed to notice her. The frown on her face deepened.
There was a problem here she just didn’t know what it was. She went on deck to look over the rails. The ocean was beautiful at night, so dark and mysterious. She could lose herself in it for hours.
“Willow.”
She stiffened when John called her name. How did he know she was out here?
“John, I wasn’t expecting you.” Why? Because this boat is big enough that we shouldn’t keep running into each other like it’s destiny. She plastered a smile on her face and tried to look like the surprise was pleasant.
Right now, all she wanted was to spend some time alone and sort out the mystery of what was happening on this cruise.
“I felt closed in and decided to come out and see what the ocean looked like after the storm.”
“I feel you. I was feeling closed in also and wanted some space.” She raised a hand and gestured around her. “You can’t get more spacious than this.
She laughed at her own joke and leaned against the railing again. Her head turned just a little as she tried to catch the sound on the water. Maybe she needed sleep desperately, but she was sure she heard her name being whispered. It was a call, one she wouldn’t be answering. A shiver ran down her back. It was time to run again.
“Do you like to swim?”
She jumped just a little. Her name being called had her undivided attention, and for a minute she forgot John was there. Casually she took three steps to her right to put some space between them. He was closer than she thought.
“I’m a decent swimmer, but usually I like to lounge around the pool looking hot and reel the men in.” Her mouth lifted in a brief smile. That’s how this trip should have been, but something was going wrong.
“Do you like to swim?”
“I hate the water. In fact, I would rather be anywhere but here.”
Then why was he taking this trip?
“Sorry to hear that something important must have made you get on this boat.”
“You’re right. Would you like to know what it was?”
Not really because your freaking me out.
“If you want to share and then I’ll have to get back to my cabin I’m feeling tired.”
“I understand.” He was by her side with her arm clutched in his hand.
“Let me go.” She fought to break his hold, but he was stronger than he looked.
“I’m here because of you.” He bent over and picked her up throwing her over the railing.
She screamed, but all she could hear was his insane laughter until she hit the water.
Chapter Two
She sank straight down. I’m going to die. I am going to F-ing die. Really Willow is this the time to watch your language, you’re dying? Her head popped up above the water as her body felt ice cold. How long would she last before her energy gave out and she died? How was she above the water?
“Wait! Help me! He threw me overboard!” She waved her arms hoping to catch the attention of the couple she could see looking over the rails.
“Help me!” They walked away never even looking at her. The ship was leaving her behind when would they notice she wasn’t on board? Never, they never noticed her when she was on board. Her body slumped, she was going to die.
“Willow.” She shook her head. Why? Because she was hearing voices again.
“Willow.” Okay, this wasn’t funny she didn’t want to die with imaginary voices in her head.
“Willow!”
“What!” She screamed not being able to take any more of what was happening.
“Look down.”
She looked down to see nothing but water under her, but she wasn’t in the water. She was kneeling on something she couldn’t see. What was happening?
“Where are you?” She looked around trying to find a boat or even another survivor who had been tossed over. Nothing but dark sea faced her. “I don’t see you.”
“I’m not there.”
“I really am crazy.”
“You’re sane, but I understand why you might think you’re crazy.”
“What am I floating on?”
“Your power saved your life.”
“I don’t have any power.”
“That’s a discussion for a different day. Right now all that matters is that you’re not dying.”
“The ship left me. I can’t even see it anymore. I’m going to die. What happens whe
n I don’t have water, or a wave crushes me or sharks knock me off and decide to have a tasty Willow snack?”
“Are you tasty?”
“Definitely.” She gave a smile because whoever her imaginary friend was had a deep voice that was slightly gravelly. He must be the male she was hoping to meet on the ship. At least she would die with hot lusty thoughts in her mind.
“Lie Down Willow and get some sleep, I’ll watch over you.”
“Thank you, imaginary voice.” She laid down surprised to see whatever was keeping her out of the water was large enough for her to lay on.
Her head nodded to affirm that she was really going to close her eyes and sleep. Her model was usually that she wanted to have her eyes open to see what was coming for her. Tonight, she would make an exception. The rocking of the waves lulled her to sleep.
She opened her eyes to a white fog it covered everything but still gave her the ability to see several feet in front of her.
“Hello? Is there anyone here? Where is here?”
“This is the plane between sleep and wakefulness. You’ve been here before; most people see their dreams here. The white fog you see would normally be your dreams.”
“Why aren’t I dreaming?”
“Who knows maybe you are.”
She could hear the smile in the voice, as well as the teasing and her stomach did a flip.
“What’s your name?” It just dawned on her that he knew her name.
“Javon.”
Mmm, Javon that sounded hot. Really Willow your about to die, and all you can think about is a hot man. Better than worrying about if I shut that darn window and is the gas turned off. I checked that stove a thousand times, and still I’m worried about it.
If I’m on the dream plane and you’re on the dream plane why can’t I see you?”
“Seeing me would seal your fate or at least it would seal mine.”
“How bad can your fate be, I’m dying.”
Willow's Dragon: Dragon Mates: A BBW Paranormal Romance Page 1
