Ethereal King
In Dragn Protection Book 1
Ariana Hawkes
Copyright ©2017 by Ariana Hawkes
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
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 and businesses is purely coincidental.
This is a standalone, full-length romance of 44,000 words. HEA and no cheating.
Contents
Note from the author
Also by Ariana Hawkes
Get your free book!
Prologue
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
Chapter 19
Epilogue
A Thank You from Ariana Hawkes
Have you read my previous release?
Bonus story: Bear My Perfect Gift
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
Also by Ariana Hawkes
Your free book is waiting!
About the Author
Note from the author
Hi there! I hope you’ll enjoy reading the first book of my In Dragn Protection series as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I’ve also included a free bonus Christmas story for you.
Please note: The main story finishes at about 60% because the free bonus story follows. So don’t be confused - the main book is a full-length novel of 44,000 words.
Happy reading!
Yours,
Ariana
ALSO BY ARIANA HAWKES
Shiftr: Hope Valley Dating App Romances
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 1 (Dina)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 2 (Kristin)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 3 (Melissa)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 4 (Andrea)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 5 (Lori)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 6 (Adaira)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 7 (Timo)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 8 (Jessica)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 9 (Ryzard)
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 10 (Nash)
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 11 (Olsen)
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 12 (Connor & Lauren)
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 13 (Frankie)
Broken Hill Bears
Bear In The Rough (Broken Hill Bears Book 1)
Bare Knuckle Bear (Broken Hill Bears Book 2)
Bear Cuffs (Broken Hill Bears Book 3)
Christmas Bear Shifter Romances
Ultimate Bear Christmas Magic Box Set
Bear All I Want For Christmas Boxed Set
Bear Home For Christmas
Bear Christmas Magic
Bear My Perfect Gift
Polar Bears’ Christmas
Lost To The Bear
Ravished by the Ice Palace Pack
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A 4.5-star rated, comedy romance featuring one kickass roller derby chick, two scorching-hot Alphas, and the naughty nip that changed their lives forever.
The only thing missing from Aspen Richardson’s life is a man who will love her just the way she is. In the small town she calls home, bullies from the past remain, making her wonder if it's ever going to happen. But, things are about to change in a major way, as the secret Aspen’s parents have been keeping from her comes out…
“This book definitely needs to be added to your MUST read list – you will quickly fall in love with this steamy and fast paced story.”
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(If your device doesn’t support links, go to www.arianahawkes.com/freebook)
Prologue
A pair of huge wings beat overhead, cutting through the smoggy air with a steady whoosh-snap, whoosh-snap. Like a wet towel being shaken out. Josie could just make out the dark leathery tips on the powerful down-beat. They were traveling fast, she had no doubt, but the wings seemed to glide on the air currents, almost lazily. Swooping and rising; swooping and rising. A pair of enormous, claw-tipped arms were wrapped tight around her body, one around her waist and another around her chest, crushing her breasts against her rib cage.
Her legs were supported too, but she couldn’t see by what without adjusting her position, and there was no way on earth she was going to do that.
In fact, she couldn’t see much of anything apart from the scaly muscular forearm she gripped with all her might and the city far below darkening to a blur. A constant keening came from between her lips. She was beyond terrified, almost too scared to breathe. She prayed for this thing to release her. But not yet. For now, she prayed for it to hold her tight so she didn’t plummet hundreds, even thousands, of feet.
A few minutes ago, she’d been at work, stealing a few precious moments of peace and quiet around the back of the building, when her workmates, Cletus and Bruce, had appeared, giving her a hard time, wanting to know why she wouldn’t date them. Nothing new, at all, but their voices were louder than usual, and their eyes full of fury. When Cletus grabbed her arm, she’d been scared enough to drop her coffee mug. And then this thing appeared. Dragon was the only way she could think of describing it. It was huge, at least eight feet tall, with a black, scaly body, four muscle-bound limbs, and an enormous pair of bat-like wings. Its eyes were glowing yellow slits, and its huge jaws were parted to reveal two rows of sharp teeth. It had stood in front of them and snorted jets of fire from flaring nostrils. Then it took a swipe at Cletus, who fell to the ground with a loud scream, blood spurting from a wound on his neck.
Before Josie had time to think of moving, it pounced, snatching her up in its arms, and then lifted her right off the ground and up into the air.
Is it possible to die from fear? If so, she wasn’t far off. She was breathing fast and shallow, unable to draw enough oxygen. Adrenaline surged through her. Keep still, she kept telling herself. Don’t do anything that might make it drop you.
The beast flew her beyond the city limits, over the dark-green forest bordering the northern edge of town. They were climbing too, everything getting smaller and smaller, then one wing dipped, wheeling them around to face the orange-red sky, so they seemed to be flying right into the setting sun. It was too bright to look at, and Josie screwed her eyes tight shut.
It was quieter now, and all she could hear were the slow, deep breaths of the beast, and her own whimpers of fear. Where the hell is it taking me?
“Shush, you’re safe now,” a deep, sibilant voice said from directly above her.
Josie’s breath caught. “What?” she whimpered. “Are you speaking?”
&
nbsp; “Just relax. We’ll arrive soon.”
“What are you and where are you taking me?” she demanded, her voice shrill and panicked.
“Shhh,” it hissed, but didn’t say anything more.
She pressed her lips together, terrified of angering it. When she risked opening her eyes, she was staring down at a rippling, sparkling blue ocean. Oh, god, we’re going over the sea. She closed her eyes again.
Minutes passed; she didn’t know how many. At last she felt them dropping. Her ears popped and the air felt thicker. They were heading toward a reddish-brown mountainside, descending fast. We’re going to crash, smash right into that rockface. At least it’ll be quick. Her heart thudded heavily against her sternum, and she tensed every muscle in her body, bracing herself for impact. She squeezed her eyes tight and dipped her chin.
The descent became sharper until, with a mighty whoosh of its wings, they came to a jolting stop. Her eyes opened wide. She was staring at a patch of dark gray sand. Solid ground. I’m not dead. With a wild scream, she lashed out, kicking with her legs and tugging at the arms that still held her firmly. But she might as well have been attacking steel bars.
“Get the hell off me!” she yelled. When that didn’t work either, she dipped her head and sank her teeth into the dragon’s thick, corded wrist. That worked. The beast instantly released her and she fell face first into the sand.
It made a sound—a little like a human chuckle. She flipped onto her back and found herself looking right into two saffron-colored eyes. But it was no longer the face of a beast. It was a human face, and so handsome that her breath hitched in her throat.
Its eyes softened and glowed with an incredible luster. “Mine,” it said.
“What are you?” she whispered, scrabbling backward at the same time.
The man-beast allowed her to move away before it sat back on its haunches. She dragged her gaze over its body. It was now a man’s form, built like a Greek god, his magnificent physique entirely naked but covered in scales, which changed color like a chameleon’s, flickering from soft blue to yellow, and back again. Her gaze returned to his—its—face, and she gasped. “Wait—I know you!”
He smiled, revealing straight, white, human teeth, and nodded. “I’m a dragon. And you’re my mate.”
1
Josie Stanton clung to the ferry boat’s rail with both hands, watching eagerly as Fire Island came into view. This excursion was going to be the highlight of her vacation—a guided tour around a chain of uninhabited islands in the Pacific Ocean—and she could hardly wait to explore. There was not only rumored to be a komodo-like species of giant lizard there, but a meteoroid had also hit the island several months earlier, and it was supposed to be incredibly beautiful. She tipped her head back, enjoying the feel of her long, blond hair blowing in the wind and the kiss of the sun on her face. It had been a fantastic week so far, and exactly what she’d needed to lift her spirits, and take her away from her hum-drum life.
As they approached the dark, rocky mass of the island, she took her phone out of her purse and snapped some photos. The trip was a twenty-fifth birthday present from her father, who’d obviously been scraping the money together for a long time, and she wished he was here to enjoy it, too. But taking plenty of photos for him was the next best thing.
“Quite something, isn’t it?” a woman’s voice trilled from right behind her. Josie turned her head and grinned at Tamika, her new friend. She’d wondered if she’d get lonely traveling by herself, but she’d met Tamika and her equally lively husband, Kyle, on day one, and they’d been hanging out ever since. Tamika was an English lady, a few years older than Josie, and equally curvy. She had a great sense of style, always wearing simple, elegant clothes that flattered her voluptuous physique, and her hair hung in immaculate, caramel-brown waves.
“It sure is!” Josie replied, bouncing on her tiptoes as she gazed at some unusual reddish crags that almost glowed in the sunlight. “I can’t wait to get off the boat and see it all up close.”
“I have an idea!” Kyle announced, appearing on Josie’s other side, hands clasped and his pale blue eyes sparkling with mischief. He was American, tall and rangy, with messy, slightly curling black hair, deeply tanned skin, and an angular face with prominent cheekbones.
“What?” both Josie and Tamika demanded.
“How about we give the guide the slip and explore by ourselves?”
“Yes, let’s! The last stop was such a drag, everyone traipsing around like a herd of sheep,” Tamika said with a melodramatic sigh.
Josie drew her lower lip between her teeth. “I like this idea. But are you sure those lizards aren’t going to have us for lunch?”
“Absolutely. If these lizards exist at all, they’re pretty elusive. I don’t think we’re in any danger of being eaten alive.” Kyle flashed a wolfish grin that showed a lot of white teeth. His enthusiasm was infectious.
“Let’s do it!” Josie found herself saying. She liked Kyle a lot too, and he and Tamika made a great couple. They were full of fun and obviously very much in love.
The boat pulled in at the jetty, and they jumped off. Josie sighed with pleasure as her toes sunk into the black, volcanic sand. She’d thought black sand would be ugly, but it was cool and different, and it made the sea look clear and inviting.
Kyle slipped in between Josie and Tamika and laid an arm across their shoulders. “Okay, we’ll follow at a distance, and as soon as there’s an opportunity, we’ll head in the opposite direction,” he muttered.
Josie saluted him. “I’ll take your lead, captain.”
The three of them lagged behind, reading an information board about the lizards. Estimates of their size varied from three to twelve feet long. There were no photos, only drawings, because no one had yet managed to photograph them.
“Unlike komodo dragons, they’ve never been known to attack humans,” Josie read from the tourist pamphlet, her throat tightening. “This really happens?”
“It has been known. Usually when the humans have been harassing the dragons,” Kyle replied. “But like all animals, if you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone.”
“If they come after us, we’ll throw Kyle at them,” Tamika said, draping her arm around Josie’s waist.
Josie’s tension eased off, and she leaned into her friend. Usually, she was too self-conscious about her body shape to enjoy being touched so familiarly, but Tamika was so comfortable in her own skin it kind of rubbed off on Josie, too.
The guide called the group together, and sure enough, all the visitors started traipsing along behind him. Kyle slowed their pace even more, so the three of them could no longer hear what he was saying. They passed over the beach area and followed a path around the edge of the rocky crags.
“Come on, let’s go find these mysterious lizards!” Kyle grabbed each woman’s hand and led them off the path and onto a narrow track between two stone monoliths.
“You’re so naughty, Kyle!” Tamika stage-whispered in between giggles.
Josie shivered as they moved into the shadow of the rock. There was no way she would’ve come here without Kyle, but she trusted him to protect them. He was broad-shouldered with big, muscly forearms. Plenty tough enough to fight off a big old lizard.
They went through a tight canyon into a kind of clearing, edged by narrow, twisted cave mouths. “This is amazing!” Josie said. “I feel like we’re on Mars or something.”
“These formations were created by volcanic activity,” Kyle explained. “Over many centuries.”
“It’s crazy to think there’s an active volcano here,” Josie said.
“Yup. But it hasn’t erupted since 1937.”
“There goes my husband. A fount of information, as always.” Tamika kissed his cheek.
Kyle shrugged. “I’m kind of fascinated by these islands. They were just here, but uninhabitable and pretty much ignored. And then the meteoroid hit, and since then, they’ve been big news.”
“There is somethin
g forbidding about them.” Josie gazed up to the summit of the nearest peak.
“That’s probably why people aren’t clamoring to build luxury hotels here,” Tamika said.
“And thank the gods for that.” Kyle pulled a flashlight from his back pocket and headed in the direction of the caves.
Josie and Tamika followed at a distance while he shone the light into each one, probing the cracks and gullies. But after half an hour or so, they hadn’t seen anything more exciting than some small bats.
“Dammit. I guess they’re scared of us, too,” Kyle said. “Maybe we should catch up with the others. They’re probably clambering all over the meteor as we speak.”
Despite his navigation skills, they got lost among the rocks, and it was some time before they relocated the path just beyond a white sand beach.
“Wow, this is unexpected,” Josie said, slipping her sandals off again and digging her toes into the silky-soft sand. The waves lapped the shore, and the water appeared turquoise here. She gave a happy sigh. “Idyllic,” she breathed.
Just then, something appeared in her peripheral vision. A huge bat, flying in big, uneven circles like a damaged helicopter. “Oh, my god! Look!” She threw a glance at the others to check they were seeing the same thing. Kyle’s eyes were wide with excitement. The bat—but wait, she wasn’t so sure it was a bat. It was more like a…like a man with a hang glider. It began to plummet toward the earth at the far end of the beach.
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