by Rinelle Grey
© 2018 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
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
About the Author
Blurb
Calrian’s clan is missing, his lair empty. Any hopes he had of being able to break the bond with Rylee early are dashed. He’s going to have to wait out the week until he recovers, and then hope he can find his clan. If they’re still alive.
Rylee is torn between being glad she gets to spend more time with the hot dragon shifter, and worried that her dad is going to find out about him and her son is going to grow too attached. Deep down, she's the one she's worried about. Can she resist him?
Or should she just sleep with him and get it out of the way so they can all move on?
Resisting the Dragon is Part 2 in the new Dragon Shores Serial.
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Chapter 1
Calrian stared out the window as Rylee drove away from the lair, not even seeing the scenery passing by. He wasn’t sure where they were going, and he didn’t care. He felt numb. Empty.
Even the desire the Mesmer bond drove him to feel for her was only a dull ache, a shadow of the intensity it had been earlier.
All of it, everything, was overshadowed by the fact that his clan was gone. His lair was empty.
Or so all evidence indicated, anyway. The fact that he hadn’t been able to actually see inside the lair still niggled at him. He knew that if his clan had been there, they would have responded to his telepathic call, but he still couldn’t shake the fact that maybe he might have missed something. If only he’d been able to fly up there to see for himself and search for clues as to where they had gone.
Surely they must have left clues?
They wouldn’t have just abandoned him, would they? No, of course they wouldn’t. The trouble was, the only reason he could think of why they hadn’t returned for him was that they were all dead.
Rylee glanced over at him. “Are you okay?”
He had no idea how to answer her. Did she really want to know the truth?
When he didn’t respond, she asked again. “Calrian?”
He heaved a sigh. “They must all be dead.”
The car swerved slightly on the road, and she was staring at him again. “You can’t know that,” she said firmly. “Maybe… maybe they thought you were dead, and that’s why they didn’t come find you.”
Calrian shook his head. “No. That’s highly unlikely. They’d know that I was safe inside the Mesmer chamber. No enemy dragon can enter. The life magic protecting the chamber prevents it, and it was still intact. The fact that there was an enemy dragon waiting outside indicated I was still inside. Besides, even if they thought I was dead, that doesn’t explain why they aren’t at the lair. No, there’s no other explanation. They must all be dead.”
The idea that they could be gone seemed impossible. Unbelievable. To Calrian, it felt like it had been mere days since he’d last seen them all.
But it was becoming clearer that it had been far longer than the typical Mesmer sleep. Even the area around the lair had changed drastically. The trees were different, taller, bushier, and the ground had been worn away into different patterns.
He should have realised it earlier. The clues had all been right in front of him.
In his world, before he’d entered the Mesmer, Rylee wouldn’t have even been here. Dragons had moved to this continent to get away from humans, and in all his life, Calrian had only ever seen them as far away dots as he flew over them. The dragons left them alone, and they left the dragons alone, giving their lair a wide berth.
He knew very little about humans, true, but he was sure that none of them, not even those back in England, could have attained this level of technology in the short amount of time of a Mesmer sleep. The dark pathways she drove along must have taken months to build, and dragons surely would have noticed, no matter how much they’d kept to themselves.
That should have tipped him off.
Then again, he’d had a few other things to worry about… Like not dying.
He’d been so weak that he hadn’t even noticed all the differences. He’d been so focused on the Mesmer bond and convincing Rylee to believe him that he’d just ignored the strangeness of his surroundings.
That was the most damning evidence of all—Rylee’s inability to believe he was a dragon. That meant no humans had seen one for a long time. Surely his clan could not have been in hiding for so long without someone seeing them? Sure, dragons kept to themselves, but to this extent?
It occurred to him, with a sickening thud, that maybe that was why his clan was gone. Maybe they had moved to get away from humans again. But surely they wouldn’t have gone without waking him first?
The Trima dragon guarding his chamber’s entrance must have prevented them. But didn’t its presence indicate that his clan must still be somewhere close by as well? Otherwise, what was it guarding against?
No, his clan must still be around here somewhere. He just had to find them, even if he didn’t have any idea where to start.
What he needed was more information. Without that, he had no hope of figuring out what had happened.
Calrian took a deep breath and turned to Rylee. “How long have your people been here? In this area,” he clarified.
Rylee frowned, glancing over at him for a moment before turning back to the road. “The English started colonising Australia nearly two hundred years ago. Mungaloo, the nearby town, has been here for nearly a hundred years.”
A hundred years! Calrian stared at her in shock. He knew it must have been a long time just from how much things had changed, but hearing a number somehow rammed home how long it had been.
How could his clan have survived this long, especially if they were still at war with the Trima clan?
Even if he could find his clan, the reality was that every dragon he’d ever known would be dead. Dragons lived longer than humans, but not that much longer. It was a miracle that he was even here. How had he survived? He’d had no idea someone could remain in the Mesmer for that long.
“And your people have never seen a dragon before?” he clarified.
Rylee gave a half laugh, half snort. “Never,” she said with certainty. “We were completely certain dragons never existed and that all the stories about them were made-up fairy tales.”
Calrian’s shoulders slumped. That did not bode well for the continued existence of his clan.
“I’m sorry,” Rylee said softly. She reached over and put a hand on his leg, and even the tingle he felt at her touch didn’t alleviate any of his pain. In fact, it made it worse. He’d not only failed his clan, he’d failed her too.
He’d been hoping to be able to release her from the Mesmer bond, let her get back on with her life, as she so clearly desired. When he’d found his clan gone, she’d said that he could stay as long as he liked, but her offer didn’t make him feel much better.
The reality was, she knew she didn’t have a choice. Neither of them did. After last night, when she’d told him to get out and both of them had weakened almost to the point of dying, they both knew that b
eing apart wasn’t possible. They were stuck with each other. For now at least.
He needed to remember that it would not take that long for the Mesmer ritual to be complete. Then Rylee would be free, and he would be alone.
That thought sent a cold chill through him.
Rylee patted his leg again, then put her hand back on the wheel.
Distantly, Calrian recognised the area. They were nearing her home, turning from the dark, smooth road, onto the dirt one leading up to her house. The sun was high in the sky. It was nearly midday. They’d been gone for some time.
She stopped the car in the shade of a tree, and the rumbling ceased. His ears had grown used to the sound, and without it, the silence was deafening. Calrian couldn’t think of how to break it. He felt like he should say something reassuring, offer her some hope that this wouldn’t be so bad.
But he just wasn’t feeling it.
Everything felt like a disaster right now, and the uncomfortable silence seemed appropriate.
Rylee opened the door and stepped out, glancing around as though searching for something. Rowan? Calrian wasn’t sure when the boy would be back, he wasn’t even sure where he’d gone. Rylee had mentioned somewhere, but the word had been unfamiliar. All he knew was that Rylee had wanted to avoid her son knowing Calrian was still there, hadn’t she?
How could he hide for a week or more? He wasn’t sure he could hang out in her bedroom for that long. Not without going insane.
Unless she was inside the room with him, naked. His body responded instantly to that idea.
Huh? Some of the numbness of discovering his clan had disappeared must be wearing off if thinking of her naked could stir his desire again.
With some of the detachment wearing off, he could once again think a little. He could find reasons to believe that his clan was still out there. If the Trima dragons were still here, if they were vigilantly guarding the Mesmer chambers after all these years, then it must be because they were afraid someone would try to get in to wake the occupants. And the only ones who knew of the chambers’ existence, and their precious contents, was his clan.
Meaning, they had to still be out there, right?
The pain of losing his clan wasn’t going to go away, but he could deal with it… until the Mesmer ritual was complete anyway.
There was nothing he could do to help his clan, or find out what had happened to them, until the ritual was completed and he was fully healed. If they were still out there, and he refused to accept that they weren’t, then he had no idea what he’d be walking into when he found them. He needed to be at full strength, which meant completing the ritual had to be his first priority.
He followed Rylee into the house. Neither of them said anything. Rylee stared around the kitchen, then heaved a sigh. “I’ll get some lunch and we can talk.”
Her words were comforting. A promise he could hang on to. One certainty in a very unstable world.
Rylee began to pull plates out of the cupboard. “Can you get some watermelon out of the fridge for me?” she asked, her back to Calrian.
Calrian was more than happy to oblige, except for one thing. “What’s a fridge? For that matter, what’s a watermelon?”
Rylee turned and stared at him in confusion for a few moments before realising. She gave a small laugh. “Sorry. The fridge is that big white thing. Pull the handle to open the door. The watermelon is a fruit. It’s large and red with black seeds. It’s near the bottom.”
Calrian nodded and pulled the handle on the big white box. It came open with a hiss, and when he reached inside for the watermelon, he realised it was cold. Very cold. He stared at it for a few moments, not quite game to touch it.
But Rylee had asked him for help, so he reached inside and lifted the cold slice of fruit out and brought it across to the bench for her. The door to the fridge hissed closed behind him. Calrian wanted to ask a dozen questions about the strange device, but right now, he had more pressing matters. He put his curiosity aside to deal with later.
Instead he watched her cut up some food and put it neatly on a plate. He was temporarily mesmerised by watching her hands as she arranged the food into patterns. Something about it, her movement and the shapes, was soothing.
They sat in comfortable chairs, the plate on a low table in front of them. Calrian didn’t feel hungry, but he ate anyway, so that he didn’t make things any more awkward.
“So, where do we go from here?” Rylee asked with a sigh.
Calrian echoed her sigh. “I hate to impose on you, but… if I leave, we both know that isn’t going to go well.”
Rylee gave a shudder, and it took all Calrian’s willpower not to do the same. He’d almost died. And if he had, then she would have too. Leaving wasn’t an option.
She took a deep breath, then said quickly, “Look, I know… well, if we slept together, that would solve all this. But… I’m just not ready to do that.”
Something about the tone to her words, a nervousness, or maybe a sadness, triggered his memory. She’d said earlier that Rowan had lost his father recently. Did that mean Rylee had lost her lifemate? Calrian couldn’t even begin to understand the devastation that would cause. Dragons mated for life, and the magical bond they formed with their partners meant they would not survive the death of a mate.
He knew humans didn’t bond with each other the way dragons did, but many of them did mate for life. Or they had last he’d heard.
He wasn’t sure which would be worse—dying with one’s mate or having to survive without them.
He wanted to ask Rylee about it, to understand what she was going through, but it wasn’t his place.
“I understand,” he said instead. “And I wouldn’t dream of asking it of you.” He hesitated, then added. “My being here, that’s going to cause problems for you, isn’t it? With Rowan and your father?”
She heaved a sigh. “My father won’t understand. I’d prefer it if he didn’t know you were here. He… disapproves of everything I do. And since it hasn’t been that long since I left Eric…” she let the words hang.
Who had she left, and why? And why did her father object to it?
It took Calrian a moment to connect the dots.
“Eric was…” He hesitated to use the word lifemate. Obviously, if she had left him, they were not lifemates. Not anymore, anyway. “Rowan’s father?”
Rylee heaved a sigh and nodded.
Calrian’s curiosity was aroused even further. Dragons leaving their lifemates was unheard of. Once the mating bond formed, their feelings for each other never dimmed.
But there were some cases where dragons who had intended to mate had changed their minds. Very occasionally, there were children involved. Perhaps, for humans, it was like that too?
Either way, it was none of his business. It would not affect her ability to help him complete the Mesmer ritual, though it did add an extra layer of complexity. But not a significant one. He’d already decided that mating with her was not an option, so it made no difference if she still had issues with her son’s father.
“I understand,” Calrian said. “Just let me know what I can do to make this easier for you, and I’ll do my best to make it so.”
Rylee sighed again and ran a hand through her hair. Her fingers pulled it back from her forehead for a moment, then as soon as she released it, it flopped down to frame her face again. Calrian’s fingers ached to comb through it, to see if it was as silky as it’s suppleness promised. But he kept his hands firmly in his lap.
“That’s the problem,” Rylee said, completely unaware of his thoughts. “I’m not sure how that’s going to be possible. I might be able to hide you from my father, he visits infrequently, but there’s going to be no way to avoid Rowan knowing you’re here. And he’s going to wonder why you’re sleeping in my room.”
Calrian winced. He could see how it would look to her son. And the inferences he would draw.
He just didn’t know what else to do.
“We’ll just h
ave to tell him the truth,” he told Rylee softly. “He seems to be a caring and loyal young man. I’m sure he will understand it.”
Rylee smiled at his compliment, but shook her head and heaved a sigh. “I’m not sure how we can even begin to explain this to him. Although he’ll probably at least believe you’re a dragon more readily than I did.” She gave a soft laugh at that.
Calrian was glad she could laugh about it, that it hadn’t scarred her as much as it had affected him. He couldn’t even think of how close they’d both come to dying without shuddering. Better not to think about it, but to focus instead on what to tell Rowan.
“We just explain that I need close physical contact to regain my energy after my regenerative sleep,” he said matter of factly. “I can’t see how he’ll misunderstand that.”
Rylee raised an eyebrow. “Close physical contact? Combined with you sleeping in my room. Sure, he’s not going to misinterpret that at all.”
She had a point. Calrian sighed. “Well, does it do any harm if he does think that we’re mating?”
Rylee heaved a sigh. “I suppose we’re not going to have any choice. I’m just worried about him getting hurt again.”
Calrian echoed her sigh. The last thing he wanted was for the boy to get hurt. He’d been nothing but kind and understanding, and had helped him out when he hadn’t needed to.
But he just didn’t see any way around telling him the truth.
Chapter 2
Rylee bit back a sigh. She knew they had no choice about telling Rowan, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.
She was just about to admit that when she heard footsteps outside.
She recognised her father’s step instantly and, not for the first time, regretted the fact that she’d told him he didn’t need to knock before coming in. She’d been feeling so grateful when he’d offered to let her and Rowan stay in the house rent free, that it hadn’t even occurred to her that it might get awkward.
She certainly hadn’t even considered the fact that she might have a reason to want some privacy.
