by Rinelle Grey
© 2017 by Rinelle Grey
www.rinellegrey.com
All rights reserved.
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Table of Contents
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
About the Author
Blurb
Lisa knows she can't just abandon dragon shifter Verrian when he's been separated from the rest of his clan by a nosy reporter, but why did they have to end up at her parent's place? They always make her feel less than nothing, and now they're embarrassing her in front of the hot dragon shifter prince. When a blurry picture of Verrian ends up in the newspaper and the locals come knocking, it seems like the perfect excuse to run for the hills.
Lisa has a lot of experience with running away from problems, but could Verrian be worth facing up to her fears and fighting for?
Verrian feels bad for putting Lisa in such an uncomfortable position, but the truth is he is out of his depth when dealing with the problems faced in the human's world. After failing miserably in the last dragon battle, he doesn't feel capable of dealing with the threat of his ancient enemy either. Verrian needs a new tactic.
Lisa might not have dragon strength or magic, but she seems to hold her own in spite of that. Maybe she can teach Verrian about more than just human technology.
Cunning Dragon is part 2 in the six part, Dragon Echoes serial.
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Chapter 1
Lisa hesitated at the kitchen door, straining her ears. The faint sound of laughter came from somewhere beyond the room, causing Lisa to smirk. Her family were having breakfast on the veranda. Showing off for Vera, Paul’s fiancée, no doubt, because her parents didn’t normally eat there.
Normally they ate in front of the TV.
She couldn’t be too annoyed at their sham though. It left the kitchen clear so she could grab some breakfast for her and Verrian. Her stomach growled at the thought. They’d skipped dinner last night because she was sick of the barrage of questions that her parents and brother levelled at her since they’d arrived yesterday.
Questions she couldn’t answer, even if she wanted to.
Her family were causing her more trouble than the reporter or Ultrima were.
When they’d first come out of the Mesmer chamber to discover everyone gone and Lisa had realised she would have to take Verrian with her, she’d been more than willing. After their amazing experience, she was eager to spend more time with him.
Being here, at her parents’ house, ruined everything.
Now she just wanted everything to be finished and over so she could go home. She hated spending time with her parents. It reminded her too much of her miserable childhood.
Lisa bit back a sigh and stared at the kitchen. The smell of bacon hung in the air and was evident in the dirty frying pan in the sink. She would have loved some, but didn’t want to risk the time spent cooking it. Cereal would have to do.
She picked up a bowl, just as her phone rang in her pocket. Her nerves were so strained, she jumped and dropped the bowl, which hit the lino, bouncing once before smashing into the table leg and shattering.
She heard the clatter of chairs out on the veranda. Any minute now the kitchen would be full of her family, who would no doubt be more than happy to jeer at her mistake.
Lisa swore and fumbled for her phone. “Yes?”
“Lisa? Are you okay?” Karla’s voice was concerned.
Lisa was pretty sure the broken bowl wasn’t going to be a concern in Karla’s world. She didn’t think her issues with her parents would rate much higher. “Yeah. What’s up?”
Lisa’s heart was already lifting a little. Hopefully Karla was calling to tell her they’d figured out a way to get Rita the reporter off her back, and that she and Verrian could return to the Rian clan lair. Once Verrian was safe with his family, her responsibility would be over. It would be Bruce’s turn to wake one of the princesses.
She’d be able to go home again, and forget any of this had ever happened.
Lisa almost laughed at that. Somehow, she suspected she wasn’t going to forget any of this in a hurry.
A quick glance between the drawn curtains showed her that Rita’s little yellow hatchback was still parked in the shade of a tree across the street, and her hopes sank as quickly as they had risen.
Sure enough, Karla’s question was entirely unrelated to Rita. Or any of Lisa’s problems for that matter.
“Can I ask you about Chase?”
Lisa’s nose wrinkled. “Chase? Sure?”
She glanced towards the door, but there was no sign of her parents yet. Maybe something had distracted them.
Since Karla’s question didn’t seem to be important, she crouched down to pick up the largest pieces of the broken bowl. Maybe if she cleaned up before anyone arrived, she could pretend nothing had happened.
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, then Karla asked, “You’ve known him for a while I take it? Do you… do you think he would harass someone?”
The suggestion was so unexpected, Lisa forgot about the broken bowl. She rocked back on her heels. “Harass someone? What do you mean?”
Karla’s sigh echoed through the phone. “Ostrian and Wayrian were in the car with him when Rita showed up and he took them home with him. Now I have a phone call from Ostrian saying they need to return to the lair immediately because Chase is making improper advances towards his granddaughter.”
Lisa’s jaw dropped. Ostrian’s accusation was so surprising, it wiped out the slight annoyance she felt that someone else might get to return to the lair before she did. “Chase? Chase is making improper advances…” She couldn’t help a laugh. She couldn’t imagine anything more ludicrous than the idea of quiet, reserved, Chase making any sort of advance, let alone one that was improper.
“I take it you think that’s unlikely?” Karla asked, her voice amused.
“Very,” Lisa agreed, feeling protective towards Chase. “He’s the last person I’d expect to harass anyone. I couldn’t even get him to kiss me, despite quite a few improper advances on my part.”
Karla laughed. “Good to know. Sounds like Ostrian is causing trouble, which is what we suspected. We’re going to have to go check it out though, just in case. Everything all right there?”
Depends on your definition of all right.
Lisa didn’t say that though. There was no point. No matter how much she wanted to get out of here, Karla wasn’t going to think her problems trumped the risk to Rian clan. She was as determined to protect the clan as her mate, Prince Taurian was.
Lisa’s issues would sound minor by comparison. Karla, with her perfect father who was always on her side, would never understand. Ignoring the twinge of jealousy, Lisa said, “Sounds like Chase is having more problems than we are. Let me know what happens, will you?”
She was rather surprised to find that her jealousy was all focused on Karla and her family. No feelings at all for the idea of Chase with another woman. Then again, she’d never really felt that way about him. The only reason she’d come on to him was to see how strong his resolve to keep their friendship purely platonic was.
But even if she wasn’t attracted to him, Chase was like a brother to her. If someone was giving him trouble, she wanted to know about it.
She’d really like to be there doing something about it, that would be so much better than being here.
But given the reporter outside, she’d only bring more trouble if she tried.
“Of course,” Karla agreed. “I take it you have Chase’s number? We’ll be heading off soon, but going a very roundabout route. I’m not sure if my mobile will have reception.”
“Yeah,” Lisa agreed. “But I’m sure I won’t need it. Nothing’s happening here.” Nothing at all to relieve the boredom. Or to get her any closer to escaping her parents. “How much longer are we going to wait before we can make a move?”
Karla sighed. “I don’t know, Lisa. We keep coming up with plans to distract Rita and get you out of there, but they’re all too risky. If she manages to get proof of the dragon’s existence…” her voice trailed off.
Of course. It was always about the dragons and the risk to them. Not once did anyone seemed concerned about Lisa and what she was dealing with. Sure, Karla had asked if she was okay, but she didn’t really want to hear about Lisa’s problems. What she wanted to know was if Verrian was okay.
Lisa didn’t know why they couldn’t all drive back to the lair and wait Rita out there. If the dragons stayed in human form, she wouldn’t see anything more than she’d already seen.
But Karla wasn’t going to listen to that idea.
Lisa bit back a sigh. “Right. Well, good luck with Ostrian.”
She had to admit, dealing with Ostrian wasn’t going to be any more fun than dealing with her parents. In fact, the ornery elder reminded her of her dad. He’d been a thorn in Karla and Taurian’s side since they’d arrived at the lair.
Lisa hung up the phone and stared at the pieces of the broken bowl, not really seeing them.
Karla and Taurian weren’t going to do anything until Rita gave up. Who knew how long that was going to take. It could be weeks. Months. She didn’t have that long. She only had one more week of leave before she had to return to work.
Maybe it was time for her and Verrian to take matters into their own hands?
“What happened in here?”
Lisa winced at her mother’s reproving voice, instantly feeling far worse than she should about a mere broken plate.
“I dropped a bowl.” She wished her voice didn’t automatically sound so defensive. “I’ll buy you a new one.”
She bent to pick up the rest of the pieces.
“Out of the way, I’ll get that. You’ll cut yourself.” Her mother almost pushed her away, sweeping up the pieces with a dustpan and brush.
There was no point in arguing with her. She was convinced Lisa was incapable of anything. She always had been.
Lisa stood up and caught sight of her dad, standing in the doorway watching, his face equally disapproving. “If you’d come down in time for breakfast, this wouldn’t have happened. Fancy city folk who think they can sleep all day and waltz in and eat whenever they feel like.”
“I wasn’t bothering anyone.” This time, there was no hiding the defensiveness in her voice. “And I’m perfectly capable of cleaning this up by myself. You can go back to breakfast.”
She hoped they would go back outside and leave her alone.
“What do you want to eat?” her mother asked. “I’ll get it for you. That way nothing else will get broken.”
Did they think she was three? “I can feed myself, you know. I do it every day.”
“Yes, but I don’t want my kitchen to end up looking like your room.”
Even now, ten years after she’d left home, she still felt the sting of those words. Her mother was never going to forget that her room had been a mess as a kid.
Seriously?
All kids had messy rooms. It didn’t mean she was still like that. But her mum couldn’t grasp that possibility. She apparently thought Lisa’s apartment was a pigsty with broken bowls everywhere. It wasn’t like they’d ever come to visit her.
Not that she’d invited them. Or ever planned to.
“I can do it,” Lisa insisted. “Just go finish your breakfast.”
Ignoring her, her mother said, “I’ll cook bacon and eggs. It won’t take more than a minute. My breakfast will barely have time to get cold. Does your boyfriend want some? If I’m going to cook extra, I don’t want to have to do it twice.”
For a moment, Lisa was distracted by the thought of Verrian as her boyfriend.
The thought filled her up with so many good feelings that she was almost tempted to overlook her mum’s passive aggressive comment about her breakfast getting cold.
“Well I’m not going to stand here and watch,” her father grumped. “I’m not letting my food get cold because Lisa couldn’t wake up on time.”
“Of course not, dear,” her mother soothed. “No need for both of us to eat cold breakfast.”
“There’s no need for anyone to eat cold breakfast,” Lisa said heatedly. “I can get my own.”
What she really wanted to say was that she’d go out and get her own, but the lack of a car made that impossible. She was just calculating how long it would take to walk to the local café instead, when a voice behind her said, “Is there a problem?”
Verrian’s words were cool and calm and collected. The opposite of her parents.
And her own.
Lisa’s turned to him. Looking at his strong, bare chest always made her feel better. Remembering how it had felt to run her hands over it made her feel even better.
Her body heated instantly, but she pushed it away. That feeling was too out of sync with everything else going on around her.
“No, no problem,” her mother said instantly. Her voice was calmer too, and when Lisa glanced over, she was staring at Verrian with wide eyes. “I was just making Lisa breakfast. Would you like some?”
Verrian glanced over at Lisa, one eyebrow raised, and she couldn’t help scowling. On the surface, her mother’s offer seemed kind—if you weren’t aware of all the passive aggressive crap that had lead up to it.
But she couldn’t explain that in front of her parents, it would just sound rude.
“There’s no need to bother,” she told her mum, making her voice overly sweet. “I was just thinking Verrian and I could walk to the café and get something there.”
“That’s a long walk,” her mother said doubtfully.
“And I don’t think anyone is going to serve him without a shirt.” Her father added mockingly. “What’s with the no clothes thing anyway?” He stared at Verrian’s chest, and not in a good way.
“Lisa has already explained that her friends stole my clothes,” Verrian said calmly.
Lisa was glad he remembered her story, keeping it consistent was important. But she suspected this conversation was going to get out of hand. Fast.
Somehow, she suspected he wasn’t any better at lying than she was.
“So why haven’t you gone home and got some more? Come to think of it, why haven’t you gone home full stop, instead of imposing on my hospitality?”
“I think I know why.”
Lisa stared at Paul, who stepped into the doorway and thrust a newspaper at her father. “Here, check this out.”
Vera stood behind him, smirking.
Lisa’s heart sank.
This couldn’t be good.
Chapter 2
Verrian didn’t see how the folded up pieces of paper that Lisa’s brother was showing her father could be an issue, but the way Lisa’s body stiffened and her face went blank suggested they were.
He had no idea why. Just like he had no idea why Lisa had been upset by her mother offering to cook them breakfast.
The entire human world was confusing.
Lisa had done her best to help him since he’d arrived, bringing him home to her family, even though she obviously didn’t want to be here. He couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t her fault he didn’t fit in here. There was nothing more she could have done to make this situation more tolerable.
What he really wanted was to be back at the lair with his brother.
Lisa’s father glanced up from the paper he held and stared at Verrian, his forehead furrow
ing. Then he looked at Paul and shook his head. “That’s not possible. Rita must have lost it. Too long in the sun.”
Rita. Oh dear. Verrian’s heart sank. That’s what Lisa was worried about.
“What’s not possible?” Lisa demanded. She strode across to her father and pulled the paper out of his hand and stared at it.
Vera held up something that looked a little like Lisa’s phone, except it was purple with strange nobs on top. The clicking sound it made as she snapped a picture was unmistakable though.
The sound didn’t make him feel any better.
In fact, he felt like he was swimming through thick honey, and didn’t even know which way it was to the shore.
Lisa ignored Vera completely. She glanced over at Verrian, her face even more pale. But her voice was even when she said lightly, “Looks like Rita is chasing the Loch Ness Monster, huh?”
Verrian’s heart skipped a beat. She’d mentioned the Loch Ness Monster earlier—when Rita had shown them her photo. He couldn’t mistake her comment for anything but a thinly veiled hint. That paper must contain the photo Rita had taken.
Needing to see for himself, he strode forwards to look over Lisa’s shoulder. A blurry, black and white photo of him in dragon form next to another, not blurry, black and white picture of him in human form standing next to Lisa, filled most of the page.
The words underneath the images asked, “Dragons in the Australian Outback?”
Verrian only managed to prevent a visible wince because he’d already guessed what he was going to see. Even so, his expression was interesting enough for Vera to take another photo, a bright light flashing in his eyes.
“Can you hold the paper up for me to get a photo?” Vera asked. “That’d be cool.”
Verrian couldn’t believe she could be so brazen about it. His fingers clenched, and it was with a great effort that he restrained himself from snapping at her.
She was annoying, but right now, he had bigger things to worry about. From the concern on Lisa’s face, he guessed that the photo hadn’t been sent only to Lisa’s family. The news was out in the open.
