by Milly Taiden
Bound in Darkness
Drachen Mates Book 2
Milly Taiden
Latin Goddess Press
Contents
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Nineeteen
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
About the Author
Find out more about Milly Taiden here:
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Drachen Mates
Black Meadow Pack
Raging Falls
FUR-ocious Lust - Tigers
Contemporary Works
BOUND IN DARKNESS
DRACHEN MATES
NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
MILLY TAIDEN
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Lexi Eden’s life has always revolved around helping others in need. So when all her romantic relationships end in disaster, she blames it on trying to fix men who don’t want to be fixed. Enter Clacher. He’s big, bad and tattooed all over. And he’s got a tongue piercing that’s making her biggest wet dreams come true.
Clacher Drachen has hope he will find love one day, even though the last time he loved a woman she disappeared. Or maybe she left him on purpose. Lexi’s sexy, funny and a genuinely kind soul. In his heart, she’s the one for him. Just one taste of her and he’s addicted. He knows exactly what he wants: a family and a lifetime of dirty loving with the curvy empath.
News that Lexi is a Drachen mate comes as a surprise to all, but Clacher is sure she’s still his. Keeping her might not be so difficult if he could just find a way to protect her from the never-ending evil determined to destroy her.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Published By
Latin Goddess Press
Winter Springs, FL 32708
http://millytaiden.com
Bound in Darkness
Copyright © 2016 by Milly Taiden
Cover by Jacqueline Sweet
Edited by: Tina Winograd
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Property of Milly Taiden
November 2016
—For my dragon lovers
I hope my Drachen men burn their way into your hearts!
1
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Lexi Eden held baby Noah and swore her ovaries were going to grab the next man to show up and demand she have his baby. Her best friend and former roommate, Morgan, had married a sexy dragon shifter and baby Noah was the product of their union. The little boy was so damn cute, she wanted to keep him even though she knew Morgan would have a lot to say about that. Not to mention Noah’s dad, Tor, would probably burn her to a crisp if she ran off with his baby.
“I’m in love. Just in love.” She sighed.
“So get married or have a baby or something.” Morgan giggled. She held out her hands for Lexi to give little Noah back and Lexi did so with a pout. “Oh, come on. You’re just like my mother. Whenever she visits, she won’t let me hold him. I do need to feed him.”
Lexi grinned. “I know, but that won’t stop me from complaining because I want to hold him longer.”
Lexi sat back and watched Morgan feed Noah. She’d never seen her friend so happy. She was literally glowing from joy. There was also the fact Morgan was now going to live a super long life courtesy of her new dragon mate status.
Like Morgan, Lexi was an empath, but her powers were different than her friend’s. Lexi was a physically receptive and medium empath. It was what allowed her to be so good at her work at a shelter for abused women.
Her ability pulled out physical pains obtained from an abusive parent or spouse to help start internal healing.
“When do I get to meet the rest of Tor’s brothers?”
Morgan raised her gaze from staring at her adoring baby breastfeeding to glance at Lexi. “They lead pretty busy lives. Besides, Jae is on the other side of the world, scouring countries, trying to find his own mate while Clacher is always at the tattoo shop. He just opened a new one and it’s sucking up all his time.”
She’d been dying to get new ink. The last time she got her shoulder done, she’d thought of a new one she wanted to get but hadn’t had the time to find a new tattoo artist. Her last guy, the only one she’d allowed to work on her body, had moved to a bigger city to open his own shop. Now she was stuck wanting a new tattoo and trying to figure out where to go. “Is his shop any good?”
Morgan’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding, right? Clacher owns Drachen’s Ink. The chain of tattoo shops.”
Holy fuck! Drachen’s Ink had the best tattoo artists in the state. Not only that, their work had been featured in Hot Ink, one of Lexi’s favorite tattoo art magazines. They had freaking commercials on TV and their ads were all over social media. People made appointments months in advance to get work done by one of their artists.
They were the best of the best and had even had a producer interested in making a show about their shops. Last she’d heard, the owner was still in negotiations but Lexi hadn’t thought at any point Clacher owned Drachen’s Ink.
“I should have known. The last name. Duh!” She felt like a moron.
“Don’t worry. You’ve had a lot on your mind. How’s things at the shelter? And with Mr. Cop?”
She groaned. “He’s just a friend. And I think the shelter is doing pretty good. Jessica’s divorce should be coming through soon. Her case worker is getting her training for jobs and her own place to live with the children.”
“Has her ex tried to contact her again?” Morgan asked, picking Noah up and patting his little back.
“Sort of.” She rubbed the knees of her stretchy jeans. She wasn’t a jeans kind of person, opting for a more relaxed material, but these were eighty percent Spandex so they felt more like leggings than jeans. “He came to the shelter and tried to force his way in. He cursed at me and offered to pound my face in. If Blake hadn’t shown up to bring me some coffee, I would’ve gone bat-shit crazy on the man.”
“Blake brought you coffee?” Morgan blinked. “But you’re not dating.”
“I told you, he’s my friend. He’s a really great guy but there’s no chemistry there.”
Morgan snorted and Noah started cooing. “Does he know that?”
“Yes. He’s asked me out and I told him I just wanted to be friends.” He�
��d taken it well. Said they could do things as friends.
“So what did he think of the new hair color?” Morgan giggled.
Lexi slid her fingers into her curls self-consciously. “He stared at it for a while but then said since I’m walking around with a rainbow on my head, that meant there had to be a pot of gold nearby.” She sighed. “So I said the pot of gold was the rest of me under the rainbow.”
Morgan laughed and put a yawning Noah in his crib. “You know, that’s really true. You’re a treasure.”
Lexi grinned. “You say the nicest things. Besides, I didn’t think of Blake at all when I colored my hair.”
“I think it’s beautiful. All those bright colors blending to create a rainbow of curls. I might do that one of these days,” Morgan said as she turned back to her. “Hopefully, it’ll look half as good on me as it does on you. You rock it and the tattoos and your clothes just give you that whole sexy badass look.”
Lexi rolled her eyes. “I sleep in Pokémon underwear and a Dragon Ball Z tank top.”
“I said you rocked the look, not that you were an actual badass. You’re nicer than anyone I’ve ever met.”
“I love you, Morgan. You’re my sister and I’m so happy you found Tor.”
Morgan’s eyes took on a soft glow. “Thanks. I have a feeling one of these days you’ll find the man meant for you, too!”
She wasn’t too worried. Though her urge to have a family had grown since watching Morgan with Noah, she’d always known she wanted what her parents had, a solid relationship and then all the babies in the world. In her parents’ case, they’d only been able to have Lexi, but they’d given her so much love. And the charities they volunteered for all over the world put them around children who needed someone to love them. They gave their love freely to all little ones. Lexi would love to give her parents grandchildren so they could share more of their unending love.
“It’s time to head back to the shelter. Taking the morning off to hang out here and see my baby Noah was awesome, but now I have to check on Jennifer and see about a new lady they are bringing me.”
Something told her today was going to be one of those unforgettable days and she couldn’t figure out why.
2
Lexi got back to the shelter past lunch time and headed straight for her office. There she found one of the counselors reading through Jennifer’s file.
“Hey, Julissa. What’s going on?”
Julissa was older with a stern air of command but was a sweetheart when it came to Lexi and anyone living at the shelter. “Hi, Lexi. I’m wondering if there is something in Jennifer’s file regarding the children’s paternal grandparents and their rights?”
Lexi frowned and switched the black leather flat boots for a pair of black UGG boots her mom had sent for her birthday. It matched her long sleeve top but were more comfortable than the previous shoes. “I don’t think there was anything in court about that. I know they can request visitation but I don’t believe they have.”
She nodded. “Okay. I didn’t think so. Today a couple showed up wanting to see Jennifer and the children. Obviously, I didn’t let them see her or the kids, but wondered what legal rights they had.”
“I’ll check with the court appointed mediator and the lawyer handling her abuse case. We’ll see what they say.”
“How’s Morgan and Noah?”
“Oh, Jules. He is so damn cute,” she groaned and sat back, pressing against her desk chair. “He’s got the cutest face and the most adorable eyes, and he smiles and drools and my uterus hurts from wanting my own kids.”
Julissa burst into laughter. She shook her head and stood. “You’ll have those babies soon, Lexi. You’ll make an amazing mother. I don’t know many women with your kindness.”
Her heart melted at the lovely words. “Thank you, Jules. That really means a lot.”
Julissa wrinkled her nose. “Just not with Blake. Please.”
Lexi frowned, shocked that those words had been uttered by Blake’s biggest fan. “Blake? But he’s a nice guy.”
“He’s a very nice guy. Just not the guy for you. You’d be bored within a week with him. Being in love is about the adventure, the romance. It’s about being whisked off your feet and feeling like you can’t understand where the feelings are coming from but knowing that this person is now the most important thing in your life. It’s about finding the one person you can’t live without and not understanding the depth of your emotions. But you still choose to take his hand and explore life because it wouldn’t be worth it with anyone else.” She sighed loudly. “Once you find someone who makes you crazy, excited, and happy all at the same time, then you know you’ve met the man who’s right for you.”
Lexi blinked. “Wow, Jules. I didn’t know you were such an advocate for love.”
Julissa shrugged. “I want to see you happy. Blake will give you whatever he thinks you want, but he won’t make your heart beat hard against your chest or take your breath away. He’s a good friend, but only that. A friend. And if you make the mistake of thinking it would change by having a relationship with him, then you’re in for a lifetime of unhappiness, baby.”
Lexi shook her head. “I’m not stupid. I did think about it for a while. I sort of felt guilty and wanted to try and give him a chance but instinct told me to just keep him a friend. That’s what I’m doing.”
Julissa nodded. “Good idea. He is a good friend. Anyway, I need to check on the children’s art class. I’ll leave you here to get caught up.”
Lexi sat at her desk, thinking of everything Julissa told her. If only she’d meet a man that made her feel just one of the things Jules mentioned.
A knock at her door made her glance up. It was Jennifer Santos. Since being at the shelter, Jennifer had changed significantly. She was currently in job training trying to get experience to go back into the work force. Things were looking up.
“Hey, Jennifer. Come on in. Sit,” she said, pointing to the seat in front of her desk. “What’s up?”
“Hi, Lexi, sorry to bother you, but I was hoping you might want to go somewhere with me.”
Lexi raised her brows and sat up on her chair. “Where do you want to go?”
“I hope you don’t get angry when I tell you,” Jennifer said, wringing her hands together.
“Jennifer!” Lexi admonished. “Since when have you known me to get angry over anything?”
Jennifer’s posture changed. She relaxed her shoulders and held her hands still on her lap. “You’re right. You’ve never been like that.”
Jennifer had been through horrible physical abuse at the hands of her ex-husband. It had killed a lot of her self-esteem and rooted fear in all her actions. It had been Lexi’s job to help remove the pain and replace it with strength and hope. Jennifer was a work in progress. She’d managed to grow a back bone, and when it came to her children, she was as tough as a mama bear. But if she was the one under scrutiny, she fell back into the insecurity Lexi tried daily to break her out of.
“So, where do you want to go?” she asked.
Jennifer slipped a wisp of dark red hair behind her ear. She was still too slim but she’d stopped involuntarily shaking whenever she spoke to others. “Drachen Ink. I recently connected with an old school classmate and she said they were looking for an assistant manager. Before I married Austin, I worked in a tattoo shop for seven years as a manager. I don’t presume to think I’ll get the job. I’ve been out of the working world for so long, but I’d like to apply. See how it goes. Have a real interview for once and maybe get over the fear of what they might ask.”
Lexi was already getting out of her chair before she finished telling her why she wanted to go. “I understand and I am happy to go with you to that shop. I’ve been wanting to get new ink myself, so this would be great. Besides, tattoo shops are like awesome little field trips for me.”
In fewer than twenty minutes, they were at the newest Drachen Ink location. Lexi loved the artistic design of the shop sign. Whe
n they walked inside, they saw the place was set up with a comfortable waiting area with books on each artist’s designs and framed artwork by the same artists.
She stood before a big, bold dragon painting, his wings spread and head facing down as if looking right at Lexi. She stood there, staring at the painting. It was one of the most beautiful pieces she’d ever seen. She couldn’t make out the name of the artist, but the dragon was so realistic, it evoked a sense of urgency and safety from her.
“Like it?”
She whirled around to face the owner of that rough voice that made her belly tingle. He was tall, so tall. He had two sleeves of tattoos and she’d bet under his T-shirt there would be many more. His piercing green eyes held her attention. And that voice, holy hot tamales. There was a sexy European accent. She wouldn’t mind listening to him talk all night long. The corner of his mouth lifted in a flirty grin.
“I think it’s beautiful. I almost feel like I want to hug the dragon.”
His brows raised and he took a step closer. “Really? Why?”
She glanced at the painting again, the dragon beckoning her to feel protected and safe. “I don’t know. I guess because he’s looking at me like everything is going to be all right.”
He raised a hand to rub his scruffy jaw. “Interesting. Most people feel he’s scary.”
She shook her head. “No. He’s a protector. Till death. Nobody will hurt those he loves.”
“Seems you know him a lot more than everyone else who’s seen the painting.” He met her gaze and offered his hand. “Clacher Drachen.”
“Oh! You’re Morgan’s brother-in-law!” She bounced on her heels excitedly. “I’m her best friend, Lexi. Lexi Eden. I keep missing you at all the dinners at the castle.”
He laughed, his stance growing more relaxed. “Ah, yes. I’ve heard about you from Ker. He thinks you make a better cheesecake than he does.”
