Kytrima: Wrong Side of the Dragon (Return of the Dragons Book 8)
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© 2017 by Rinelle Grey
www.rinellegrey.com
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Table of Contents
Blurb
Bachelor Party Puppies
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
Chapter 20
More Bachelor Party Puppies
About the Author
Blurb
He's searching for his brother.
When his brother's phone call is cut off under suspicious circumstances, Nate travels over a thousand miles to find out what's wrong, only to find his brother has vanished. His only clue is a mysterious woman who claims his brother shot her. Nate's determined to find his brother, but can he trust this woman to help, especially when he feels strangely attracted to her?
She's hunting for the princess.
Dragon warrior Kytrima disgraced herself by leaving her post and losing the princess. Her only hope of redemption lies with the human who looks exactly like the man who shot her. She'll happily use him to find the princess.
But as the two begin their search, they discover a growing attraction developing between them. Will they become allies, or enemies?
Is there any place for love in the middle of a dragon war?
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Bachelor Party Puppies
Seven men celebrating a bachelor party in Kentucky each went home with a surprise; puppies!
This October Kenny Jacobson and his groomsmen got together at a cabin in southern Kentucky to celebrate his upcoming nuptials. On their third morning, they noticed a stray dog outside their rented cabin.
"She was scrawny and shaggy looking, but a sweetheart," said Will Perkins.
Swayed by her soulful eyes, the men gave her food and water. They were soon rewarded with her wagging tail.
Later that evening, Lucas Hewitt heard whining in the woods. He followed the sound where he found six hungry pups.
Their beer fund quickly turned to dog food money as the men worked to clean and care for the mother and her babies. They washed, fed, and prepared beds for them in the already-crowded cabin.
But the rescue didn't stop there. When the bachelor party was finished, the groom and groomsmen all took home a puppy. Seven dogs and seven men. "It felt like fate." Wesley Harris summed it up nicely, saying, "We were in the right place at the right time."
When asked how his wife-to-be felt about him bringing home a dog from his bachelor party. Kenny laughed and said, "We’ll see. It's a surprise."
You could say these men have a knack for coming to the rescue wherever they are. The groom and groomsmen who live in different parts of the world met last year after each assisted during an emergency on a flight to Tampa. They plan to maintain communication online and hope to one day reunite the puppies on another vacation.
Chapter 1
Nate stared at the phone for a few minutes, his heart pounding. His brother’s number was still clearly visible. The line was still open. They hadn’t been cut off.
He put it back to his hear and listened, his hand shaking.
The whole conversation had been surreal. He’d been shocked enough when his brother had told him he had a daughter. Before he’d even had a chance to truly take that in, Brad had mentioned something about the mother going off somewhere.
But all of that seemed normal and everyday compared to the moment when a woman in the background started screaming.
It had sounded like she was saying, “Get the shotgun.”
Surely not. Nate’s heart beat loudly, in sharp contrast to the silence on the other end of the line.
“Brad?” Nate said.
His tone of voice must have sounded urgent. His puppy, Lily, lifted her head and stared at him.
Brad didn’t respond. Something was wrong.
Maybe he should ring the police.
Still, Nate hesitated. For all he knew, Brad was busy making out with the girl whose rejection had stung him so much last year. The police were busy enough, they didn’t need to be checking up on his brother for him.
“Brad?” he tried again, louder this time.
No response.
That was when he heard it. The sharp crack of a shotgun.
Nate’s blood ran cold. His heart seemed to stop for a moment, and then it started hammering painfully hard.
What had Brad gotten himself into?
A few seconds later, it was followed by another one, and an unearthly screech that sent Nate’s heart racing.
He put the house phone on speakerphone while he pulled out his mobile and dialled 000 with shaky fingers.
“What is the nature of your emergency?” a female voice asked.
“I was on the phone to my brother, then he went silent, and a few moments later, I heard a gunshot,” Nate explained.
The woman took the address and promised to send someone out straight away.
But Nate wasn’t reassured. He stared at the phone that was still connected to his brother, not quite willing to cut the only link he had.
Was Brad okay?
What was going on out there in Mungaloo?
His brother had come over from America to deal with the house Uncle Henry had left him. Nate had offered to do it for him, but he was pretty sure the real reason Brad had come was to see the mysterious woman again.
Had his twin brother bitten off more than he could chew?
“What’s he up to, hey, Lily?”
He stared at the puppy he’d adopted, and she stared back, her head on one side. She had no idea what he was saying, but Nate needed to say the words anyway.
Worry for his twin brother ate away at him, even though he’d done everything he could. He was miles and miles away from Brad. It was lucky he was even in the same country.
He’d moved to Australia five years ago when his career had first begun to take off. He loved the freedom here, and the huge amount of beautiful scenery to photograph.
But Australia was a big place, and he wasn’t even in the same state as Brad. It would take him twelve hours of straight driving to get to the house where his brother was.
And he was seriously thinking about doing it.
His twin was clearly in trouble. Nate was never going to be able to sleep anyway, he’d just be lying awake worrying. Might as well go do something about it.
“What do you think, girl?” Nate asked, ruffling the pup’s fur. “Do you want to go on an all-night road trip with me?”
Lily whined softly.
Nate was pretty sure she was saying she was hungry, not agreeing with him, but he was going to take it anyway. “Okay, let’s go then.”
She looked up at him with mournful eyes.
“Don’t worry, I’ll feed you first,” Nate promised.
In the six weeks since he’d brought her home, the little pup had wormed her way into his heart. He hadn’t been too excited, when they’d found the pups at the bachelor party. The others had all been so keen to take one home.
He’d been travelling a little further than them. He’d been happy enough flying out to America for t
he wedding. He still had a soft spot for Kenny and his bride. It was kind of amazing, that he’d been there when they’d first met. The sweet story of Kenny falling in love with her after helping deliver her baby, always made him sentimental. He loved the fact that he’d taken photos of the baby, and then at their wedding.
He just hadn’t expected to come home with a dog.
It would make his next trip home to America a hassle too. He’d have to plan far enough in advance to find someone to take care of Lily while he was gone.
But he couldn’t regret it.
He hadn’t realised how nice it would be to have someone to chat to. Even though she didn’t answer back, Lily always listened intently, putting her head on one side and staring at him, just like she was doing now.
Nate patted her on the head, then went to throw some clothes in a bag. By the time the puppy had eaten, he was ready to go. He packed up her squeaky toys and a rug, and carried her down to the car.
The activity kept him distracted a little, but his heart wouldn’t settle at all. He kept hoping the phone would ring, and the police would tell him everything was okay. Or even better, that Brad would.
But the phone remained painfully silent.
Nate drove off into the darkness, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t arrive to find something disastrously wrong.
Chapter 2
Kytrima didn’t make it far. The bullets from the gun had been small, but there had been many of them. She’d thought the injuries were minor at first, but each beat of her wings tore the tiny holes in her wings larger. She’d had no choice but to land or risk serious injury.
She couldn’t make it back to the lair.
She needed to heal first.
She gave a growl under her breath. There was no one here. No one to perform the Mesmer ritual to help her heal. She’d heal eventually, of course, far faster than a human would. But by the time she was recovered enough to fly properly, the princess and the human who had dared to shoot at her would be long gone.
She howled in frustration, and a flock of birds rose from a nearby tree, flying away into the night squawking in fear. Damn that human. She’d been so close. If he hadn’t been there, then the princess would be hers by now.
She wouldn’t be limping through the bush, too wounded to fly.
How was she going to get back to the lair? No one would find her here.
Oh, someone would be looking for her soon enough. When a fellow Trima dragon showed up tomorrow morning to take over watching the Rian prince’s Mesmer chamber, they’d realise she was gone. But they had no idea where to look for her.
They wouldn’t know she’d been chasing a princess. No one would have expected one of them to show up unannounced like that. They were supposed to still be fast asleep.
They’d just think she abandoned her post for no reason. Kytrima’s heart sank. It had been a huge honour to be assigned to guard one of the prince’s Mesmer chambers. Kytrima had waited for years for this opportunity. She was sure she’d never get another chance again.
Now that she was injured and couldn’t fly, she had no way to make it right. The Mesmer chamber would be completely unguarded until tomorrow morning. That thought made her wince. She’d really messed up this time.
Then again, she’d had no idea one of the princesses was going to show up at the canyon. Any other Rian dragon she could have handled. If one of the princes had shown up with half his clan, she would have followed procedure. Retreat just far enough to inform the clan so that backup could be there as soon as possible.
The princesses though, they were all supposed to be asleep. And she would never have expected one to arrive on their own. She must be desperate. Separated from her clan, alone and defenceless, she should have been an easy target.
She would have brought Kytrima much glory when she returned with their first ever captive Rian royal.
Now there would be no glory. Not only was she injured and away from her post, but she hadn’t even managed to keep track of the princess. By the time she’d staggered back to her clan, they’d be miles away.
Kytrima heaved a sigh, her head drooping. The effort of sustaining her dragon form was too great, and she shifted back to human form. Blood stained her upper arms, the fleshy human limbs bleeding more than her tougher wings did.
Kytrima blocked out the irritating pain.
What was she going to do now? She was miles from anywhere.
Well, except the human’s house.
If she went back there, she could at least find some clothes. Maybe clean up some of this blood. Then if any of the humans saw her, they wouldn’t suspect a thing.
Since there was nothing better to do, she trudged back to the house. She watched it for several minutes, but all was quiet.
Well, not completely quiet. From time to time, a dog howled, as though it had been abandoned.
Which it probably had.
The humans and the Rian dragon had fled this house soon after they’d shot at her. She’d heard their car leaving in a frantic hurry. At the time, she’d been satisfied at their fear. Now she wished she’d pretended she’d lost the princess. She could have hidden in the bushes and watched them. Then she’d know where they were, and she wouldn’t be injured.
She walked up to the house, all her senses alert for any signs of movement.
As she neared the corner of the house, a dog ran at her, barking furiously.
Kytrima’s nerves were so on edge she actually jumped.
The dog pulled to a violent stop metres from her, held in place by a chain, continuing to bark furiously.
“There, there, I’m not going to hurt you,” she told it, trying to keep her voice calm.
It didn’t abate the barking.
Kytrima glanced towards the house. Surely if the human or the Rian dragon where still here, the noise would have alerted them to her presence.
They were either preparing to attack, or hiding.
But she could hear no sound of movement. And the car they’d left in hadn’t returned.
She advanced on the house, pausing to listen at the open door. It was hard to hear over the dog’s frantic barking. Those creatures were so loyal to the humans. One could almost admire it.
This one’s loyalty though, was misguided.
The humans had abandoned it. She was sure.
She walked into the house, more confident that it was empty now. A glance through the rooms confirmed it.
The Rian dragon had fled.
A scent made her pause.
Milk.
Sweeter than the cow’s milk that humans drank.
A lactating dragon.
The Rian princess had a baby?
This was indeed news.
Excitement fluttered in Kytrima’s chest. This was the sort of information that could help make the clan forget she’d abandoned her post. Enough that she could convince them it was worth it.
If only she had some way to relay that news to her clan.
She needed to find a way to get back there as soon as possible.
She rifled in the draws in the bedroom and pulled out some of the human clothes. They weren’t the kind of thing she usually wore. Many Trima dragons had adopted human clothes, especially those who went out in public. Kytrima had herself. But she still preferred to choose subtle, natural tones, not the bright ones that the princess’s clothes all seemed to be. But they would have to do. Just in case some random human came by.
A thought occurred to her. A daring one. The humans had only taken one car with them. The other was still out the front. Kytrima didn’t have much experience driving, but all Trima dragons were required to learn the basics. Ultrima had always insisted that the human technology was far more powerful than dragon magic, and that to overlook it spelled doom.
She just needed the keys.
She returned to the living room and searched. Where would the human’s keep them?
In a bowl on a shelf apparently. Kytrima grabbed them and headed out the fro
nt.
She had to try three keys before she found one that fitted.
When she turned it, the engine made a grinding, high pitched sound that hurt her ears. Kytrima tried again, but still the car didn’t make the sound that indicated it was working properly.
That was probably why the humans had left it here. Kytrima heaved a sigh. So much for that way of getting back to her lair.
That was when her keen dragon hearing heard it.
A siren, approaching rapidly.
Humans. Police.
Kytrima hadn’t had any contact with police before, not in an official capacity, but she knew the risks. They had far more powerful guns than the human who had shot at her earlier.
Hailey, one of the local police officers who was mated to a Trima dragon, had given them all lessons in avoiding the police. They were even more dangerous than a normal human. If Hailey were here though, Kytrima could send her a message…
She abandoned the car and retreated to the bushland and watched.
Unfortunately, the occupant of the car was one of the male police officers. Hailey had warned the dragons that neither of them would give them any leeway. Kytrima just couldn’t catch a break.
He searched the house, talking loudly into his radio, while the dog barked frantically.
Kytrima watched from the trees, hoping he’d leave.
Not that she was sure what she’d do once he did. There was nothing in the house that could help her.
He spent about half an hour searching the area, then left.
Leaving Kytrima no better off than she’d been before.
Chapter 3
By the time he was nearing his uncle’s house, Nate was struggling to stay awake. Adrenaline had kept him awake for the first couple of hours, but even though he was still just as worried, the adrenaline had faded. He’d been driving all night.
Lily had no such problems. She slept on the back seat, curled up on her rug, her ball between her paws.
Nate wished he could be so carefree.
He pulled up in front of the house, the light of the rising sun shining in his eyes, making it hard to see. A dog barked frantically, waking Lily. She put her front paws up on the window, and barked back, her puppy bark squeaky.