Once Upon a Dragon (Dragon Isle Book 9)
Page 1
Table of Contents
Prologue
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Prologue
Once Upon a Dragon
Mailing List
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
About the Author
Alien Dragon
The Saucy Devil
Once Upon a Dragon
Sophie Stern
Copyright © 2017 by Sophie Stern
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Liam has managed the harbor for nearly 10 years.
He's seen dragons come and go and fall in love and die.
He's seen it all, but he's never been in love.
Until now.
To the dreamers
Mailing List
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Contents
Once Upon a Dragon
Mailing List
1
2
3
4
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Epilogue
About the Author
Alien Dragon
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
The Saucy Devil
Prologue
1
Prologue
Ten Years Ago
Liam looked at his friend’s grave.
Willie wasn’t supposed to die yet. He wasn’t old enough. He still had so much living to do, still had so much life left in him. He wasn’t supposed to die. Tears streamed down Liam’s face as he realized he’d lost his friend because of anger. One bad man and Willie’s life was over.
It wasn’t fair.
None of it was.
“Hey,” Janae, Liam’s sister, placed her hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay, Liam?”
He wanted to scream that he wasn’t okay. How could he be? Willie had been everything to him. After their little brother died, Janae had thrown herself into studying and books, but Liam had turned to the ocean. He’d turned to Willie, and Willie had shown him that sometimes, beauty can come from pain.
Without that pain, Liam never would have had the courage to learn how to boat, or how to live on the water, or how to take care of the dragons. He never would have learned how valuable one man’s job could really be. He never would have learned what it meant to be a man.
“Not really,” was all he said, and Janae nodded.
“If you need anything,” she said slowly, but Liam just shook his head.
“It’s okay,” he said, taking her hand. “I’ll be all right. He left me everything, you know.”
“I know. Emerson told me,” Janae said quietly. Janae was mated to the clan leader. Emerson was a big-ass dragon, but Liam wasn’t scared of him. Liam wasn’t scared of any of the dragons. Willie had taught him that, too. It was important not to let shifters intimidate you just because you were a human.
“It’s a lot of responsibility.”
“You’ll be fine,” Janae said firmly. “You were made for this Liam. Not everyone could do what you do, you know? But Willie trusted you. He knew this was perfect for you: this life.”
“I don’t want to screw it up.” He wasn’t sure why he was admitting all of this to his sister. They were close, but not so close he’d tell her his deepest, darkest secrets.
Janae just smiled and wrapped her arms around her brother.
“You aren’t going to screw this up,” she said. “You’re way too smart to mess this up. Besides, you’re incredible. You know that? All of the dragons think so.”
She motioned to the crowd gathered in the cemetery. They had all come to see Willie laid to rest. That in and of itself made Liam happy. Willie had dedicated his life to keeping the dragons safe, and now it was Liam’s turn.
“I’m going to do a good job,” he said firmly.
“I know.”
He nodded, and Janae went back to Emerson. Liam kept staring at the fresh mound of dirt that covered his friend’s grave. Life was going to be different without the old man to teach him things and keep him in line. He was going to have to be a real grown-up now, a real adult. It was up to Liam to make sure the boats were all in good shape and that the dragons all had the transport they needed to and from Dragon Isle.
“I won’t let you down, Willie,” Liam said.
Then he turned and walked away.
1
Present day
Liam sat on the bench at the harbor and stared at the water. The waves were the same, the view of the ocean was the same, and the boats were the same. Everything was the same, and that was the problem. He was ready for something different, something better, something new.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like minding the harbor.
He did.
When old Willie died ten years ago, he had left the care of the island to him. Liam wasn’t exactly sure why the old man trusted him.
That wasn’t true.
He knew exactly why.
Liam had been like a son to Willie.
He’d been there for him when Willie’s daughter went away.
He’d been there for him when he’d gotten sick and when his health started to fail.
He’d been there for him every day, every storm, every sunny afternoon.
Liam had been there.
And now he was alone.
That was the trouble with secrets, really: they isolated you. Even if Liam wanted to date someone, how could he? How could he find someone who would understand his need for secrecy? Really, it wasn’t even his need. It was the dragons. It was their need.
Dragon Isle was a quiet place. It was away from the outside world and for the dragon shifters who lived there, it was a haven. It was their safe space where nothing else mattered.
Liam didn’t know what it was like to be a shifter. He was human through-and-through, but he understood the dragons. He’d been taking care of them, quietly guarding them and their island, for years. He’d been watching over the creatures for over a decade and he had learned.
He knew their quirks, and what made them tick. He knew what made them happy. He knew what dragons were afraid of and he understood why, for a dragon, fear was an unimaginable danger.
The dragons had to be calm, controlled. They had to be constantly aware of their surroundings, constantly on alert, and constantly ready for a fight.
Fear was not an option.
If a dragon shifter became scared, shifting was impossible. It was one of those weird quirks Liam had never fully understood. They’d had visitors from Honeypot and Wolfe City and plenty of other shifter cities, but none of them had struggled to shift while scared. That seemed to be a dragon thing.
He shook his head. Liam felt sorry for his friends, and he was tired. They had struggled for years to create this perfect safe haven for themselves, and still, the problems kept coming. They had fought renegade dragons, poachers, and even themselves. He was ready for a break, and he knew they were, too.
He was tired.
So very, very tired.
Liam stood and went to the houseboat he lived on. Cadence had been his home for years. Willie had left the docks, the boat, and everythi
ng else he owned to Liam. Willie hadn’t been in contact with his daughter for years before his death, but Liam kept everything Willie had left. If she ever came back, he would be ready for her.
He would take care of her.
He would protect her, just as Willie had protected him.
Liam climbed onto the boat and went inside. He locked the door and sat on his bed. Mischief, his little black kitten, hopped onto the blanket next to him.
“Come here, buddy,” Liam picked up the kitten and plopped him down in his lap. Mischief had been a recent gift from his sister, Janae, and her mate, Emerson. The two of them were worried about him, he knew. Even though Liam had hired someone to help him manage the docks and the boat transfers to Dragon Isle, he still did the majority of the work. Kelsey was fantastic, but she was still young. She was still new to the world of shifters, and the less she knew, the better off she would be.
No one needed this burden.
That’s what it had become to Liam: a burden.
He hated that he had begun his life in Nellenston with such hope, with such big dreams, but now he felt so alone. He visited his sister and her family often. He had two nephews and two nieces now. Those kids made his heart happy. Janae was an incredible mom and Emerson, despite being a huge dragon, was a very gentle father.
And Liam wanted that.
He wanted it for himself.
He wanted to find someone who could make him feel like the world wasn’t so dark, like the planet wasn’t so very big. He wanted to feel like he had someone. Anyone.
He just didn’t want to be so sad.
Liam closed his eyes, and he wished for something different.
***
Cadence stood on the docks and looked out over the water.
So this was it.
Nellenston Harbor: gateway to Dragon Isle.
She hadn’t been here since she was a kid. She could barely even remember it. She blinked several times, feeling like she ought to recognize something: anything. She didn’t. She pushed her dark hair back over her shoulder and shook her head as she tried to search for memories.
She hated this not-knowing.
She hated this ever-present section of emptiness when it came to her own personal history.
Her mother should have explained things to her, should have told her the truth. Mom should have brought her back sooner so she could be around the people who could help her discover who she was and what she was capable of.
Now the only thing she had was Willie.
He had to be able to help her.
She remembered him, at least a little. He was an incredible man: funny, smart, interesting. She remembered playing basketball with him in the yard. She remembered swimming at the pool.
What she didn’t remember was the harbor, and that felt wrong.
Shouldn’t she have remembered the place where her mother’s journal said he spent most of his time?
Shouldn’t she have remembered him guarding such a huge secret?
Shouldn’t she have remembered anything at all about this place?
It’s like her memories were split into two time periods: before and after the divorce. Her memories from before were scattered and random. She remembered things like having a sleepover with her friends. She remembered eating blueberry pie at Thanksgiving. She remembered shopping for a backpack before school.
She remembered Willie.
She remembered the way he had picked her up and tossed her into the air like she didn’t weight a damn thing. He was an older dad. His hair had been graying long before she was 10, but that never seemed to matter. Despite the fact that both he and her mom were in their late 40s when she was born, they were still active. They still played with her. They still gave her a good, solid childhood.
And then the divorce came.
Rain began to fall, but Cadence barely noticed as she looked out over the water. She needed this. She needed to be here, to find out what had really happened all those years ago between Willie and Mom. She needed to know the truth about who she was, about where she came from.
She shook her head, closed her eyes, and lifted her face, and Cadence let the water rush over her.
2
The knocking woke Liam from a dream.
At first, he thought the houseboat was banging against the side of the dock, but then he heard the sound again. Mischief mewed loudly and Liam hopped out of bed. He glanced at his phone. It was nearly midnight: much too late for visitors, and much too late to take anyone to the island.
“Probably just some dragon wanting late transport, buddy,” he said quietly to Mischief, who had already curled back into bed. Liam pulled his pants on, but didn’t bother with a shirt. He would have to tell whoever it was to come back tomorrow. He didn’t do late night transfers. Everyone knew that.
There were plenty of hotels in Nellenston where dragons could get lodging for the night. They didn’t have to rush back to the island in the darkness. Liam certainly wasn’t taking a boat out this late unless there was a serious emergency, and in that case, the dragon could just fly.
The problem with flying was that it put you at risk, and it drew attention to the little island. Dragon Isle was no secret in shifter communities, but the rest of the world barely noticed its existence because the residents were so good at keeping to themselves.
A dragon flying over open waters, even at night, was a recipe for disaster. There were some dragons who could become invisible, but they were few and far between. The rest of them relied on Liam to get them to and from the island discreetly, and he prided himself on doing just that.
Still, he needed to answer the door. There was a chance it was someone coming to report a problem with one of his boats or an issue at the harbor, so he’d get up and talk to them. He shook his head, trying to wake himself up, and headed upstairs.
The houseboat was small, but cozy. It had been badly damaged after Willie’s death, but Liam had fixed it up and remodeled. It looked like a home now. It looked like his home. He had his entire bedroom decorated with superhero and anime gear. His sister made fun of him constantly, but Liam liked it.
He loved living on the water, loved his boat.
He was just ready for change.
The knock sounded again.
“Coming!” He called out, and strode across the living room space. He reached the door and opened it. Then he stopped. It was pouring rain, and the woman standing in front of him looked like she’d been outside for the entire storm.
She was beautiful: like an angel, like a vision. She was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen in his damn life, and she was completely drenched. Liam didn’t speak, and neither did she. He just reached for her and pulled her inside before closing the door behind her. Then he grabbed a blanket off a chair, wrapped it around her, and guided her to the couch.
“I don’t want to get your couch wet,” she said slowly.
“It’s fine,” he said. “Do you want something to change into?”
“You don’t even know who I am,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“You don’t know why I’ve come,” she tried again.
“Do you want clothes or do you not want clothes?” Liam raised an eyebrow. “Because as far as I’m concerned, it’s the middle of the damn night and you seem to have some sort of death wish.”
“Is Willie here?” She asked, looking around. “Can I talk to him?”
The whole world seemed to stop when she said those words.
There was only one person who didn’t know about Willie’s passing, and it wasn’t for lack of trying on Liam’s part. He’d reached out to both the woman’s adoptive mother and her birth mother. He’d contacted lawyers and even hired a private investigator, but he’d never been able to locate the woman Willie had adored with his entire heart.
“Sit down, Cadence,” he said quietly. His voice was low. This was going to be hard for her to hear, and it was going to be hard for him to say. It had been ten years s
ince the old man died, and it had been a violent, gruesome death. This wasn’t something Liam could play off. He couldn’t promise that Willie had died quietly, that his death had been peaceful or sweet.
It hadn’t been.
“How do you know my name?” Her eyes widened as she looked Liam up and down.
“Sit,” he repeated.
“No!” She dropped the blanket and took a step forward, suddenly looking fierce and determined. “I am not going to be bossed around, sir! I am not going to sit down just because you, a stranger, told me to! Now tell me who the fuck you are, how you know my name, and where the hell my father is!”
“He’s dead.”
The words were flat and empty. He said them as plainly as he could, and he was happy his voice didn’t crack. It didn’t matter, though. He might as well have screamed them out because Cadence turned white and dropped to the floor in a heap. She started bawling immediately, and Liam dropped beside her and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m too late,” she whispered. “How did this happen? What happened? Why is he dead?” She cried, and Liam held her tightly. Soon he was just as wet as she was, but it didn’t matter. This was Cadence.
This was the girl he’d been waiting for.
“It’s going to be okay,” he promised, and then he started to cry, too. Liam knew there was nothing wrong with a man crying. Willie had taught him that long ago. Liam had been just a kid when he showed up on the docks, just a young punk who had lost his little brother in a car crash. He’d been a child, and then he’d been forced to grow up faster than any boy should have.
“Please,” Cadence whispered, pulling away. She reached for Liam’s face and touched it. Her hands were cold, and damp. “Please, tell me what happened.”
“It was a decade ago,” Liam said. “He was killed. I tried to find you to tell you, Cadence. I told Maryanne, but she didn’t know how to get in touch with you.”