Her Detective Dragon_A Paranormal Mystery Romance

by Alice Summerfield

  HER DETECTIVE DRAGON

  Lone Dragons (Book 1)

  By ALICE SUMMERFIELD

  Books in this Series

  Her Detective Dragon

  Her Photographer Phoenix (Coming July 2018)

  Her Chef Bear (Coming July 2018)

  Her Deluxe Dragon Detective (Coming Soon)

  Her Deluxe Dragon Defender (Coming Soon)

  Her Detective Dragon

  Copyright © 2018 by Alice Summerfield

  Her Detective Dragon

  Copyright 2018, Alice Summerfield

  First electronic publication: June 2018

  Published in the United States of America.

  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. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission.

  License Statement

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Note from the Author

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.

  Cover Design by Melody Simmons

  (https://bookcoverscre8tive.com)

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  Summary

  Everyone knows that lone dragons don’t have perfect mates. Storm dragon Grissom Hale had long ago resigned himself to a lonely life. But when he stops to rescue a beautiful woman from a long walk down a lonely stretch of road during a terrible storm, he finds the woman that he was made for: his soul mate.

  She’s the treasure that he wants most to protect, but can a human even feel a dragon’s mating bond?

  Ana Alves meets Grissom on the worst day of her life, while walking home from the worst date of her life. Detective Grissom Hale is handsome, kind, and shockingly rich. He might be too good to be true. But when Ana’s luck turns from bad to worse, Grissom Hale is the only thing standing between her and an unfortunate end…

  Her Detective Dragon is a complete, standalone novel containing the steamy romance between a Latina barista, who finds herself in over her head, and the storm dragon turned police detective that would do anything to protect her.

  If you like paranormal romance with a dash of mystery, don’t miss this exciting read! Scroll up and one click today!

  Table of Contents

  Books in this Series

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  Chapter 01 – Ana

  Chapter 02 – Grissom

  Chapter 03 – Ana

  Chapter 04 – Grissom

  Chapter 05 – Ana

  Chapter 06 – Grissom

  Chapter 07 – Ana

  Chapter 08 – Grissom

  Chapter 09 – Ana

  Chapter 10 – Grissom

  Chapter 11 – Ana

  Chapter 12 – Grissom

  Chapter 13 - Ana

  Chapter 14 – Grissom

  Chapter 15 – Ana

  Chapter 16 – Grissom

  Chapter 17 – Ana

  Chapter 18 – Grissom

  Chapter 19 – Ana

  Chapter 20 – Ana

  Chapter 21 – Ana

  Other Books in the Lone Dragons Series

  Similar Books by Alice Summerfield

  Chapter 01 – Ana

  “I think I need to sit down,” said Ana, and plopped into the nearest chair without waiting for an invitation. There wasn’t any point.

  She had known that this was coming, of course. There had been a dozen other people clearing out their desks when her boss, Mr. Hutchinson, had asked for a private word with her. So far, it wasn’t going very well.

  “I will, of course, write you a reference,” said Mr. Hutchinson, “and there’s a severance check waiting for you on Mrs. Boudreault’s desk. In that figure, we’ve taken into account your remaining sick days and vacation days, as well as all the time that you’ve worked for the company.”

  Ana nodded numbly. Even her hair felt numb.

  She had never been fired before – not that she was being fired now. Her position had just been made redundant, effective immediately. That happened to a lot of people during a merger.

  “You do good work,” said Mr. Hutchinson bracingly. “I’m sure you’ll have an easy time finding another job.”

  Ana nodded again, mostly because that seemed the thing to do.

  She hadn’t even wanted this job. She was an artist with a real degree from a respected art school and everything. It was just that there wasn’t a lot of call for artists in the workforce, not unless they were brave enough to go into business for themselves. Office drone had seemed like good choice; a safe choice. It was a way to pay her bills until she hit it rich – if she ever hit it rich. Ana figured that she probably had about as much chance of hitting the lottery as she had of getting paid to do what she loved. That was why she had taken this job in the first place.

  And now she was getting fired from it!

  What was she going to do for money? How was she going to pay her bills? Make her rent? Buy her art supplies? What was she going to tell her parents?

  “Cheer up,” said Mr. Hutchinson. “You’re going to be fine. This isn’t going to be the end of your world.”

  Leaning forward, he dared to pat her hand where it rested on the edge of the desk. Ana stared at it; she didn’t even know how her hand had ended up there.

  “What about you?” croaked Ana. “Are they firing you too?”

  Mr. Hutchinson stared at her.

  Belatedly, Ana added, “So that I know where to send my references.”

  Mr. Hutchinson relaxed again.

  “Yes, I’ll be here, if you need me,” said Mr. Hutchinson.

  He was probably trying for comforting, Ana decided, but mostly he sounded relieved. That was fair enough. If their positions were reversed, she would have been relieved too.

  Gently but firmly, Mr. Hutchinson herded Ana out of his office and back to her cubicle. In her absence, someone had thoughtfully left an empty brown box in the center of her desk.

  “Please clear out your desk,” said Mr. Hutchinson, his clipboard tucked under one arm, “and security will escort you from the building.”

  It should have been embarrassing to have to clear out her desk, but there were so many other people clearing out their desks too that Ana couldn’t manage to scrape up any embarrassment. She only felt stunned… and, strangely enough, sad. She hadn’t even wanted this job! It had just been an ugly necessity. And now she was sad that she had lost it.

  Consulting his clipboard, Mr. Hutchinson said, “Davida Martin? A quick word, if you please.”

  Across the way, a pretty African American woman
shuddered. Ana sympathized; her own quick word had started exactly the same way.

  Closing her eyes, Davida Martin took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Then she pushed back her chair, squared her shoulders, and stood. Bravely, Davida Martin strode over to Mr. Hutchinson’s side.

  Ana watched them disappear into Mr. Hutchinson’s office, Davida Martin quietly shutting the door behind them. As soon as they were gone, Ana began tossing things into her purse.

  Ana hadn’t put much of herself into her cubicle so packing her things was actually very simple. Everything that she owned – a few office supplies, a small notebook, and a couple of framed photographs – fit in her shoulder bag. In a matter of minutes, Ana had claimed her lunch from the break room’s refrigerator, her severance check from Mrs. Boudreault’s desk, and her freedom from her life as a steadily employed office drone.

  That last – her freedom – was terrifying.

  She was probably going to have to apply for unemployment. She was going to have to fill out so many applications. Again. And she needed to deposit her check.

  That last, at least, seemed manageable.

  At the branch of her bank down the street from her office – or rather, from her former place of employment – Ana discovered how much she had gotten in severance. It was enough to float her for a month, maybe six weeks if she tightened her belt.

  Looking down at the check in her hands, Ana nearly despaired. It had taken her months to get that office job, her first real one. She had been a barista before that and before that a full-time art student on scholarship.

  If I got one job, surely I can get another, thought Ana, trying to cheer herself up. I know the trick of it now.

  As comfort went, it wasn’t particularly good.

  Despite her very recent vow to cut her expenses to the bone, Ana still had to take the bus home. It was simply too far to walk. Ana spent the entire ride, glumly staring out the window and prioritizing her monthly expenses.

  Ana arrived home only a few hours after she had left it. Looking around, she felt some of the tightness in her chest ease.

  Her apartment was small, only about four hundred square feet, but it was cozy and bright. The rent wasn’t very expensive, and it included water, cable, and internet services. She could cut back on her electrical use a bit, though, and maybe invest in a few candles. And how many people could say that they had made that much money in less than an hour?

  Not many, I’ll bet, thought Ana, as she put her lunch in the refrigerator. Then she went to fetch her laptop from its place in the top drawer of her bedside table, the paperwork tucked underneath it briefly catching her eye.

  Ana had printed out the fellowship paperwork weeks ago, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to actually fill it out. To do that, she would have to talk up herself and her work, and she just… couldn’t. Every time that Ana tried to think what she might write about herself or her themes or even her artistic tenets, her mind went completely blank.

  And now was no different. Just looking at the papers, Ana felt all her thoughts dribble out of her ears. Sighing, she closed the drawer on her blank fellowship paperwork.

  Time to see what’s available locally, Ana thought, as she settled on her bed with her laptop. Please let it be something that I can do.

  Ana managed to get four applications done, before she called it quits and started getting ready for her date. That, at least, seemed to be on track. Rodney hadn’t called to have a quick word with her, at least.

  In an excess of hope, perhaps, Ana pulled on her little black dress and her three inch fuck me pumps. She had never been fucked, much less made love to, by any man, but she continued to live in hope.

  And as terrible as today was, this date has got to be better, Ana thought. I’m probably due.

  She hoped that she was, at any rate.

  Worst. Date. Ever. Ana fumed, each word punctuated by the clack of a high heel against the pavement. She would have been stomping, maybe even storming, but she had run out of that sort of energy a few miles back. At least, she hoped that it was a few miles back. In the dark it was kind of hard to tell, and she had never mastered the art of walking great distances in high heels. Crossing a room in them sometimes felt like walking a mile to her.

  Please let me have walked at least a couple of miles, prayed Ana, suddenly worried, although more would be better.

  Ana didn’t know how far out in the boonies she was, but every step was a step closer to civilization, a long hot shower, and a good long sit. Once she got her poor feet up, she might never put them down again.

  Assuming that I’m walking in the right direction, that is, Ana thought for the umpteenth time. Please, let me be walking in the right direction.

  Every step could be one deeper into the middle of nowhere.

  Ana really hoped that she had picked the right way at that last fork in the road – at all the forks in all the roads, really. Her feet were throbbing.

  Work is going to be fun tomorrow, Ana thought morosely.

  It hadn’t seemed like such a big deal when she had made the date, but then she hadn’t exactly been planning on having to walk herself home from the middle of nowhere through the sticky evening heat while wearing three inch heels.

  Except no, I don’t have work tomorrow, remembered Ana suddenly. Fired, remember? At least I won’t have to be up early tomorrow… or walk anywhere very fast, I guess.

  Something rustled in the bushes – something big, probably, with sharp teeth and giant claws; something hungry for fresh human flesh – and Ana yelped. She stumbled further away from the side of the road. That, unfortunately, brought her nearer the lanes of traffic – not that she had seen any cars zooming down them in awhile.

  It was both a blessing and a curse.

  When there had been cars on the road, she had gotten some truly appalling offers from the drivers of the various cars that had pulled over to offer her a ride.

  But that was hours ago, when she still felt strong and her feet hurt less. With the way that her everything was hurting now, Ana had the horrible suspicion that she might be sorely tempted to accept a ride from any nice stranger that faithfully promised to take her home.

  Under the circumstances, it would be better for her ongoing good health if she avoided temptation.

  On the other hand, though, that left her alone in the dark with whatever was rustling in the bushes.

  Whatever it is, please don’t let it maul or eat me, prayed Ana.

  As if in answer, the bushes rustled again… and thunder rumbled overhead. As far as answers to prayers went, it wasn’t the most promising.

  A flash of lightening forked across the sky, chased by a deafening crack of thunder, and Ana felt a sprinkling of raindrops across her sweaty face and bare shoulders.

  Perfect, just perfect, Ana thought unhappily. She normally tried to look on the bright side of things, but as far as she could see, there was no bright side to this – except the lightening, that is. That was pretty eye-searing – and worrisomely close.

  It began to rain harder.

  Never again will I leave home without sneakers, a purse, my cell phone… and an umbrella, vowed Ana. An imprudent step sloshed watery mud into one of her pumps, and Ana grimaced. Ana valiantly crushed down her desire to give up and cry.

  Normally, she loved it when it rained.

  But then, normally she wasn’t stranded in the middle of nowhere without a cell phone or umbrella while it rained.

  Never again, vowed Ana again, her eyes aching with unshed tears.

  She had even considered bringing her purse and cell phone on her date, but she had decided against it at the very last second. Even her littlest, cutest purse had seemed to mess up the lines of her new dress, and without a purse, she hadn’t had anywhere to put her cell phone. And she had so wanted to look smoking hot for her date with Rodney.

  What a mistake that was!

  I am the world’s biggest idiot, thought Ana miserably. And Rodney Blankenship is the w
orld’s biggest jerk.

  Rodney had seemed like a good guy. He had been nice and fun and attentive… right up until he had Ana in his car and his car’s nose pointed toward the city limits. Even then, Ana hadn’t realized how he thought the date was going to go. She hadn’t realized that until the choices were going along with him or a long hike home in the dark.

  Ana had chosen the hike.

  Now, hours later, it was all she could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Ana didn’t regret choosing the way that she had, but she dearly wished that she had better luck – with men, with the weather, with her accessory choices, with life.

  It’s probably not that bad, Ana thought, trying to cheer herself up. It just feels that way right now because you’re tired and your feet hurt and you feel like a fool for trusting someone like Rodney Blankenship. But… you have not yet been killed and eaten by a wild animal – or a ‘gator. That’s… probably the best thing that’s happened to you all day.

  Just thinking it sapped Ana of some of her fire. It made her want to cry again.

  A fun date with a good guy was supposed to have been the highlight of her crappy day. Ana hadn’t been expecting him to propose or anything. It had only been a first day. She had just expected to have a good time with a fun guy who respected her and treated her nice.

  Ana had never imagined this.

  This has to be rock bottom, thought Ana, trying to rally her flagging spirits. It cannot possibly get any worse than this.

  From behind her, there came the rumble of a vehicle approaching at speed, and Ana quickly stepped off of the asphalt and onto the grassy shoulder, her heels sinking deep into the mud.

  The truck barreled past Ana, splashing muddy water all over her. From her breasts down, Ana was absolutely soaked in filthy puddle water.

  It was the perfect end to the perfect day.

  Ana gave up. She threw back her head and screamed, wordless frustration pouring out of her open mouth – and then promptly burst into tears.