Conquered Destiny (Great Plains Dragon Feud Book 1)

by Emilia Hartley

She wasn’t in the mood for this. Every time she made an effort to be her own person, someone had to come in and thwart her. It was no wonder why she’d failed at finding herself. She could do nothing without someone breathing down her neck.

  Teagan didn’t get the same treatment. Her cousin wasn’t a valued dragon shifter who could supply more little dragon babies. Everyone around Baylee acted as though that was all she should want for herself. Couldn’t she want that and more? Didn’t her own wellbeing come first?

  Jensen shouted her name when she jumped from the passenger seat. Her beast brushed against her skin, but she didn’t unleash it here on the side of the road. Instead, she rolled down the ditch and used the momentum to vault back onto her feet. There were dried leaves and branches in her hair—and a few up her skirt—but she didn’t care.

  She couldn’t spend another moment in the presence of those who refused to listen to her. Jensen should have understood. He was her brother. He’d been her best friend, once upon a time.

  Wrapping her arms around her middle, she mourned the loss of that closeness. They would never have the relationship they once had if he kept this up.

  “I hope you fall in love with a Montoya woman,” Baylee muttered under her breath. She stomped through the woods, uncaring if anyone heard her until she realized the sound of Jensen’s truck lingered nearby.

  Jensen plowed over dead undergrowth with a look of wrath twisting his face. Baylee lifted her middle finger to tell him just how she felt.

  “Don’t you dare come over here just to lecture me!”

  Jensen threw his hands into the air. “I don’t get what’s wrong! I’ve always been able to stop you from doing dumb shit. What’s so different about this? You know you’re courting disaster. This isn’t like when we were kids, and I talked you out of exploring the abandoned factories outside town. What you’re doing is even more dangerous.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Baylee wanted to be whisked away. She wished someone would fly by and take her anywhere other than here. Yet, no dragon fell from the sky to be her savior. Gale wasn’t here. He couldn’t stand in front of her and save her the trouble of trying to defend herself from someone who was determined to misunderstand everything.

  “If you keep harassing me, I’m going to paint a big pink dick on your precious truck,” she threatened.

  Jensen growled. “You wouldn’t dare touch my baby.”

  Baylee cackled and looked her brother dead in the eye. “You’d be surprised what I’m willing to do. You think you can stop me? You think you can catch me?”

  “You bet your ass, I will!”

  She scoffed. “You’ve never been able to catch me.”

  “That’s because you always run off into the dark. It’s not fair. Your dragon is dark blue.”

  Their argument felt more like old times. Baylee sighed, relieved that the argument had changed subjects. If she could exhaust Jensen by taunting him, then he wouldn’t feel the need to bring up Gale again.

  “Neon orange penis on the tailgate,” she said. “I need to work on lettering. What do you think about save a bull, ride a dick?”

  “That doesn’t even make any sense!”

  “Well, it wouldn’t if you were dumber than a rock.” Baylee grinned.

  “Fuck yourself,” Jensen turned his back on her, raised a middle finger above his head, and stormed away. “Walk home by yourself.”

  That’s fine by me, she thought. Jensen climbed back into his truck. She listened to the engine as it tore down the road and disappeared. A sigh of relief spilled out of her.

  Now that she was alone, she didn’t know what to do with herself. She made her way back to the road and pulled out her phone to check to see if she had any missed calls or emails from online applications. Getting out of that house was the first step to freedom. She knew it deep in her bones.

  She wouldn’t have to worry about who her mother had invited over for the weekend or whether or not there was a new marriage license on the kitchen table. Baylee would be able to do whatever she wanted without the threat of someone telling her what to do with her life.

  A car pulled up beside her. She gave it the side-eye when the window rolled down. Her heart leapt for a moment in the hopes that Gale would be on the other side. Instead, Charlie gave her a hopeful grin. Her stomach dropped.

  “Have you thought about my offer?”

  Baylee looked up and down the road for any chance of escape.

  “We could make everything official today. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get a big wedding when we get home. We can do whatever theme you want.” Charlie winked.

  What was the wink for? What was that even supposed to mean?

  She heard another truck coming their way. Moving her weight from one foot to another, she wondered if it would be a human, driving by. Luck was never on her side. It wouldn’t be Callum or Ember.

  But the face she saw behind the windshield made her heart do backflips. Gale locked eyes with her. His truck slowed. Or was it that time had slowed? Either way, Baylee quickly said goodbye to Charlie and ran to hop onto the back of Gale’s truck. Gale rounded a corner, tipping her to one side, but her relief that Charlie’s car was out of sight overrode any annoyance she might have felt.

  She moved to the rear windshield and slid the window open. “Thanks for the quick rescue.”

  “Would you believe me if I said I wasn’t following you?” He laughed.

  Baylee reveled in the sound. Tension slipped out of her muscles. She nearly fell over with giddy laughter.

  Gale took the back roads away from town and away from Baylee’s home. That was fine. She wasn’t ready to go back yet. She wanted a little more time to believe that she could be the master of her own life. Gale allowed her to be anyone she wanted.

  Why couldn’t her family?

  Ten minutes later, he slowed and put the truck in park. Baylee took in their surroundings before jumping from the truck. Her boots hit the ground and a puff of dust swirled around her calves.

  The rusted and crumbling facility ahead had to belong to the Montoya family. Their mines had been shut down when Logan decided to take a nap. She couldn’t believe the state of disrepair the location had fallen into, though.

  “Why here?” she asked.

  Gale, upon joining her, shrugged. “I don’t know. I wanted to go somewhere no one would be able to find us. No one in the family comes up here anymore. The Old Lizard and my Mom would when I was a kid, but I don’t think they’ve bothered in recent years.”

  She searched for his hand, found it, and squeezed tight. While the Barnes legacy had thrived, the Montoya family struggled to keep what was left of theirs. She’d heard her aunts and uncles say that they deserved it, but no one deserved to watch their livelihood crumble.

  “You know,” Gale said. “I was thinking. If I can challenge the Old Lizard and become head of the family, then no one can tell me what’s right or wrong.”

  Baylee did a double take. “What are you saying?”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed before he turned toward her. He gently cupped her cheek, his warmth cascading over her skin and sinking into her core. “If I become the leader of my clan, then I can tell them to forget the grudge. I can order them to be kind and forgiving…maybe that way, you and I would have a proper chance at being happy.”

  Her breath trembled, held tight in case this was a joke. Fear and hope mingled until they became one ugly creature. She stepped back and shook her head.

  “I’m all for stupid plans. You’ll never hear me turn down something stupid and fun, but this is too risky. You can’t risk your life over me. I don’t…I-I-I won’t allow it!” She couldn’t allow him to talk nonsense like this.

  Gale took her hands and pulled her close until she found herself against his chest. This close, she could hear the growl of his beast, barely contained. The creature wanted to fight; she could feel it.

  But she couldn’t condone it.

 
; “I don’t want this to end in bloodshed,” she whispered.

  “Is there any other way this can end?”

  She didn’t have an answer for him. Naively, she’d believed that this would crumble, and they would go their own ways. Her beast laughed at her. Heat spread from his hands in hers. It coursed down her arms and over her chest. No one else could make her feel like this.

  But Gale had stopped listening.

  She bit her cheek, pulled her hands out of his grasp, and stepped back. “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

  His jaw tightened. The beast obscured his eyes, turning them a pale gold. Her heart thumped nervously. He closed the space between them and cupped her jaw.

  Leaning in close as he tilted her chin up, he whispered, “Tell me you don’t mean that. Tell me you don’t feel something when I touch you like this.”

  Her beast purred while her heart thundered. She held her tongue to keep from telling the truth, that she wanted more. Aching need overcame her senses. Her core tightened and offered a single demand.

  She couldn’t give in, though. If she did, then Gale would risk his life for her. Couldn’t he see what losing him would do to her? How could he be so selfish? She didn’t care if they had to keep this secret for the rest of their lives. If she had to take it to the grave, then so be it. She wasn’t going to turn this into another Logan and Elliana situation.

  If he died and her beast’s heart broke, she wouldn’t be able to move on. The sickness would claim her just like it did with Elliana.

  Gale spun her. He shoved her up against his truck. Pressed between Gale and a hard place, there was no where else she’d rather be. A small moan climbed up her throat. Gale laughed upon hearing it. He lowered his face to her shoulder and bit a slice of exposed skin.

  Her body moved without her consent. She grabbed him and held on. Gale lifted his mouth to hers. Would this be the day they finally gave in? Would he take her here?

  Oh, yes. She hoped he would. She hoped he could offer release from the need that had been haunting her for days. Only Gale could fulfill her.

  She opened for him, letting him devour her. He lifted her from the ground so she could wrap her legs around him. Her core grew hot, intensely hot. There was a furnace inside her, waiting to incinerate her doubts so long as he could give her what she wanted.

  Gale broke the kiss and pinned her arms over her head. “I’m strong enough to win.”

  She didn’t want to doubt him, but she knew they weren’t regular shifters. They were dragons. Fights were more dire. Immolation awaited any fool who dared to challenge a clan leader before they were ready.

  Baylee wanted to believe the best of Gale, but her fear refused to be shaken. She couldn’t lose him.

  “Shut up and fuck me,” she whispered.

  Gale snarled. He bit her ear, hard enough to draw blood. Baylee cried out. The pain became pleasure inside her. The distant sound of a zipper reached her ears, but she was lost in the sensations already swirling through her. Gale ran a hand up her thigh, pushing her skirt higher.

  When dead leaves fell out, he paused.

  “I might have jumped out of a moving truck earlier,” she managed to say.

  Gale only shook his head before capturing her mouth again. He shoved his tongue past her lips while shoving aside her underwear and positioning his cock between her folds. Baylee nearly moaned. She wanted to demand that he slam himself inside her, but she couldn’t speak with his lips on hers.

  Taking his time, Gale stroked between her folds. His patient rhythm made the pressure inside her build and build. She never knew that being with someone could feel like this before penetration.

  When he leaned back, she realized he couldn’t wait any longer. Neither could she.

  Gale belonged to her. No one could take him away from her. Her mother could draft up however many marriage licenses she wanted, but none of them would replace the bond she felt with this man.

  This wasn’t just about rebellion anymore. While it had started that way, Baylee couldn’t help but acknowledge the warmth in her chest when he cupped her behind and took his time entering her. Gale was careful not to hurt her.

  “I’m not a virgin, you know.”

  Gale’s growl shook her to her bones. He slammed into her, pinning her to the truck. When he leaned over her, he ground out a single word.

  “Mine.”

  Oh, yes. She belonged to him. Heart and soul.

  For now, it was the most beautiful thing she could imagine. Later, she would think about how much trouble this would cause. Later could wait, though. She wanted to revel in what she had found.

  She pulsed around his cock. Gale took his time, slowly pulling out of her before easing his way back in. Though she knew he didn’t want to hurt her, she couldn’t handle this slow creeping pace. She wanted fast. She wanted him to take control and lead her to climax.

  Funny, how she didn’t want anyone else to do that for her. Sometimes, the right person made all the difference. Gale’s thrust picked up pace. He didn’t shove her over the edge, but brought her close so she could peer over and see just how great the drop would be. Anticipation sat on the tip of her tongue, just as sweet as the end would be.

  Though she let him lead, she knew that this was a decision she made for herself. She’d chosen Gale. She’d chosen to hand over the reins to him. There was no doubt in where he would lead her. She didn’t have to rush. She didn’t have to frantically find herself so that she could take it with her when she was forced to leave.

  He cupped the back of her neck. “Faster? Slower?”

  His breath was as ragged as hers, but he took the time to check in with her. She appreciated it.

  “Faster,” she growled.

  The sound Gale made could have only been described as coming undone. “My pleasure.”

  He slammed into her, over and over. The truck rocked behind her. He reached the spot inside her that sparked like steel on flint. Her breath, ragged, caught with each stroke. Gale refused to let her head fall back. He held her in place and forced her to look him in the eye.

  “I can’t hold it back any longer.” Baylee stood on the edge of the dam about to burst. One more stroke and she would be the one coming undone.

  Gale laughed, his voice gravelly. “Don’t you dare hold back.”

  She let go of everything. Every small fear that had been plaguing her. Every uncertainty. Every expectation.

  Baylee floated on a cloud of euphoria right before a wave of pleasure careened over her head and dragged her under. She didn’t bother swallowing her scream. Here, no one could hear her. Her pleasure could be screamed to the skies without shame.

  “That’s my girl,” Gale whispered, his strokes becoming more intense.

  She held onto him. The shocks of pleasure conjured with every new thrust made her toes curl against his rock-hard thighs.

  My girl? Her dragon purred with delight. It had been claimed the same way it had claimed him.

  Baylee should have feared her dragon’s affections, but she didn’t have the space to process what that meant yet. Gale’s touch scrambled her thoughts. She didn’t want to think beyond the here and now. In this moment, they had everything they could have ever wanted.

  Gale bucked hard. The side of the truck groaned and gave way beneath her. Gale didn’t care. She felt his throbbing cock slide out. The heat of his climax slid along her thigh and marked her with his scent.

  10

  Gale had lied. He hadn’t thought about his decision. He’d made it in the moment.

  Still, even now after his beast’s fury had been sated with Baylee’s touch, he knew that he wasn’t going to go back on his word. Baylee might not agree with him, but their lives would change for the better after he challenged the Old Lizard.

  He only needed to get his cousins on his side. They wouldn’t understand Gale’s feelings for Baylee, but they hated the old man. If Gale told them that he was tired of watching Quincy squander what was left of their inherit
ance, then they would rally behind him. Maybe he could even get Bryce’s support.

  Bryce wasn’t a dragon shifter, but she was the daughter of the local fae royalty and legally a Montoya by name. Having her support would take Gale far.

  Every bit of help counted, because as confident as Gale was in his own strength, he knew that Quincy wouldn’t fight fair. The Old Lizard would lie and cheat to keep his position at the top. The moment Gale slipped, he would find himself six feet under. His cousins could be the eyes and ears that he needed to win.

  He was lost in thought, trying to formulate how he would overthrow his family. Baylee tugged on his shirt and yanked him from his thoughts. At first, his dragon surged to the surface, fearing the worst. Then, he followed Baylee’s gaze toward the nearest entrance into the mines.

  Nothing, not the wind nor the animals, dared make a noise as a man exited the mines. They watched the man reach up and run a hand through his hair. He took in his surroundings before noticing Gale and Baylee.

  “I thought the mines were closed,” Baylee whispered.

  “They are.” Gale’s chest was so tight that he struggled to breathe.

  Could it be? Could the answer he’d needed all along be standing right in front of him? It wasn’t possible. When dragons burrowed, they became a part of the earth, never to wake. He had heard rumors of a dragon that had woken from slumber to save his mate from a car wreck in New York, but he’d brushed it off as a rumor that had changed drastically as it made its way to the heart of the states.

  The man who approached was more familiar than Gale had expected. Blonde hair curled around the nape of his neck. Bright green eyes winked in the light of the sun. Scars crisscrossed his chest, as if someone had tried to rip open his ribcage and tear out his heart. He seemed completely unbothered by his nudity.

  Those green eyes flicked between Gale and Baylee. His nose twitched as he scented them. Then, to Gale’s surprise, his brows rose, and a smile reached his lips.

  He hadn’t expected Logan Montoya to grin at the sight of a Montoya dragon with a Barnes woman.

  “I see that some things just can’t be helped,” Logan said with a chuckle.