by Olivia Arran
Her Dragon Protector
Olivia Arran
Arran Publishing
Contents
1. Chapter One
2. Chapter Two
3. Chapter Three
4. Chapter Four
5. Chapter Five
6. Chapter Six
7. Chapter Seven
8. Chapter Eight
9. Chapter Nine
10. Chapter Ten
11. Chapter Eleven
12. Chapter Twelve
13. Chapter Thirteen
14. Chapter Fourteen
15. Chapter Fifteen
16. Chapter Sixteen
17. Chapter Seventeen
18. Chapter Eighteen
19. Chapter Nineteen
20. Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Sneak Peak: Guardian (Alpha Protectors)
About Olivia Arran
Chapter One
Trent
This is it.
I stare at the door, sizing it up as if it were a living beast ready to challenge me to a duel. All I have to do is push open the door and confirm my suspicions.
I hesitate, my hand wavering in the air.
What if I’m wrong? What if she isn’t here; if it isn’t her?
Two years I’ve been looking. Two long fucking years I’ve been living out of a bag, traveling across states, crossing oceans, always tired, always searching. Never able to go home.
It has to be her.
Still my hand didn’t move. My feet stayed glued to the sidewalk as the monotonous drizzle of rain continued to plaster my hair to my skull, seeping into my clothes and chilling my bones.
So what if it isn’t her? I’ll keep looking. I’d agreed to this task, vowing to find her. So, man the hell up!
Gritting my teeth, I eased the door open and slipped inside, grabbing the small bell above my head before it had a chance to ring.
Warmth wrapped around me, melting the chill of London in late October. The sweet smell of incense and fragrant tea filled my lungs. The store was lit with an intimate glow, small lamps dotting a multitude of shelves, heroically trying to do their job of pushing the shadows back. With my head down, I made my way across the back of the store, blending into the shadows as I pretended to browse the gaudy knickknacks and baubles, the riot of colors stinging my eyes after the bleak gray of the city outside.
But I wasn’t really looking; my whole attention was riveted on the woman holding court at the front of the store.
She was tiny, with long dark strands of hair hanging loose from a messy knot on her head, and adding a good four inches in height. Her hands flew in the air, punctuating her speech with jabs of elegant fingers, her arms a golden brown in the flickering light. Her whole body swayed with animation as she argued her point with a passion I could feel from my position across the room.
“…So, of course you have to go after her.” Her accent was barely there, just a slight trace remaining, a soft blur to the odd word, but not enough to notice. Unless you were really listening.
Like I was.
Exultation filled me, the roar of satisfaction crashing through me. It was her. But her picture hadn’t done her justice, hadn’t captured the … I paused, trying to put my finger on exactly what had been missing. Life. That was it—she sang with life, her beauty truly coming alive when she moved. Her exuberance was a vibrating, tangible thing that I could almost reach out and touch.
The man she was with wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug.
My dragon uncoiled within me, his tail lashing as a snarl spilled from his lips. Remove the human … he whispered inside my head, his anger washing through me in a trickle of red-hot heat. She is not for him.
No, and she’s not for us either. I knew what he was thinking, I could hear his thoughts clearly in my mind. The woman interested him; he wanted to taste her.
I shoved him back, until he had faded to a mere afterthought. It had been too long, that was all. I grunted, trying to remember the last time I’d kissed a woman, let alone fucked one. Too fucking long.
“Can I help you?”
I blinked. The man had gone. The woman stood alone in the shop and she was staring at me. This is what happens when you allow yourself to get distracted. I stepped forward into the light.
She smiled at me, the practiced smile of a store owner greeting a potential customer.
At her smile, the warmth intensified, sliding against my skin, nudging at the weariness that consumed me and pushing it away. The shadows in my mind lifted, my despair and loneliness melting away along with the shackles of the responsibility that tied me.
Without thinking, I grinned back at her.
Her smile widened, then faltered, slipping at the corners as panic filled her gaze.
The darkness came crashing back, tugging me back down and sucking the breath from my lungs. What the—?
“Who are you?” It was almost a whisper.
Steeling myself, I took another step forward. “Trent. A dragon shifter, like you.”
She stiffened. “I’m not a dragon, and you should leave.” She turned away, her back rigid.
I had to give it to her, her voice didn’t waver or break, even though she looked ready to bolt. “Astrid?”
She sucked in a breath, her hands trembling as she scooped up a small dish.
I stepped closer, dragging air into my lungs. She might deny it, but there was no denying— Almost stumbling, I ground to a stop. Nostrils flaring, I sucked in another breath, filtering away the incense and tea that masked her scent.
Nothing.
I couldn’t smell her.
My dragon screamed with rage, metaphorical flames spilling from his mouth at being denied this woman’s scent.
She glanced over her shoulder, offering me a small shrug of apology. “See? I’m not a dragon. You have the wrong person.” Her emerald green eyes flashed with something that looked like regret, but it was gone in an instant.
They had neglected to tell me that she wouldn’t smell like one of us. They’d had somehow failed to pass on that vital piece of information. What else had they forgotten to tell me? “Your brother sent me—”
“Brother? I don’t—”
“Bastian needs you.”
The dish fell from her hands, smashing onto the floor and shattering into shards.
Chapter Two
Astrid
I couldn’t move. I should run, but my feet won’t obey me. They were rooted to the floor as if encased in cement. I’d known this day might come, that I hadn’t run far enough, but I’d wanted to believe that I had found a safe place. Somewhere I could live my life without the shame and disgrace that clung to me tainting every conversation and friendship.
I heard him move and I flung out a hand, begging him to give me time.
When he’d first arrived, I had welcomed the distraction; it wasn’t often men as good looking as him stumbled into my store, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to turn away the eye candy. Or the chance for a little flirting, though I was rusty as hell. But more than anything I was curious. What did he want? Why was he here? People didn’t find my store by accident, only those who needed help or guidance found their way to my door. It was just how it was—I helped people, giving them advice or a glimpse of their future. I might be broken but that I could do.
And then he’d spoken, his voice a deep rumble that had vibrated though me, stirring a fire inside of me that I’d long thought dead.
My heart had stuttered, a glimpse of a dragon flitting through my mind like a ghost. And then she was gone again, as if I had dreamed it all.
And now my broth
er’s name was on his lips. What use would Bastian have for me? Why would he want me by his side? There’s only one way to find out.… I lifted the iron tight hold on my mind, opening myself up to his thoughts. Bracing myself for the avalanche, the nausea that always overwhelmed me when I heard another shifter’s thoughts, I listened.
Nothing.
A second surge of panic coursed through me. Of all the times for my strange power to fail me.… I pushed harder, for the first time ever trying to read another’s mind.
Nothing.
The man was blank. I couldn’t feel him, couldn’t hear him. He was silent to me. I rocked back on my heels in shock.
“Astrid…”
I stifled a shiver as his voice wrapped around me, sparking dancing flames. “You’re lying, my brother wants nothing to do with me.” Not after what I’d done to the clan. I spun around to meet his eyes, shoving out with my special power. Still nothing! Letting out the breath I’d been holding, I resisted the urge to stamp my foot with frustration. I was flying blind for the first time in what felt like forever, and I didn’t like it. Maybe if I get closer…
Lines formed between his eyebrows. “What are you doing?”
I took another step forward, the crunch of pottery beneath my feet loud in the quiet room. “Nothing.”
The lines deepened, his lips thinning and broad shoulders tensing.
Need to get closer. The whisper inside my mind made me pause. This man was obviously dangerous. He was a dragon shifter in his prime; excessively tall—as all male dragon shifters tended to be—with bulging hard muscles in all the right places, and he had the dark, brooding look down to a tee. I mean, the guy was dressed all in black, from his jeans to his T-shirt to his clunky black boots. He looked like he’d stepped out of the pages of GQ for bikers, his dark hair a little too long and messy and oh-so-touchable.
And I wanted to get closer? I needed my head examined.
He opened his mouth to speak, but those weren’t the words I needed to hear. Holding up a hand for silence, I took another step, closing the gap between us. “Do you always frown so much?”
His brows lifted a touch. “What—?”
“Are you not happy?”
“I think we’re getting slightly off—”
“Because, that’s what I do, you know. Make people happy.” As soon as the words were out, I wished I could suck them back in. Way to go, Astrid! “Not that kind of happy!” I blurted out.
A startled snort of laughter erupted from him as he considered me. “I didn’t think that for one minute.”
I took another step, putting us nearly chest to chest. Or more like, my chest to his stomach. I peered up at him. “Maybe just for one second?”
He shook his head, then the corner of his mouth curled up in a half-grin. “Okay. I imagined it for one second.”
I couldn’t help myself. “Was I good?”
He closed his eyes briefly, as if pondering the question. Then his eyes flashed open, flames flickering within the brown. “Very good.”
Heat radiated from him, rolling over me in a physical wave that had the hairs on my arms standing on end and goosebumps chasing down my arms. It had been a long time since I’d stood this close to a dragon and I’d forgotten how hot they got.
Read him. I rocked forward, my lips pursing with concentration as I tried to penetrate his shield.
Nothing.
“Are you okay?”
“Hmmm?” I murmured, poking at his mind with mine. Nada. Nothing. Dammit!
He cleared his throat, a muscle jumping in his jaw. “Bastian sent me to—”
“And I still think you’re lying,” I answered, cutting him off. “Now, be quiet and let me read you.”
“Read me?”
I closed the now minuscule gap, laying my hand on his chest. The steady thump of his heart thudded beneath my fingers, the soft cotton of his T-shirt bunching as my hand flexed of it’s own accord. Heat burned up my arm, tingling and dancing along my skin.
“This isn’t a good idea.…” His voice was a distant rumble.
I could hear him but I wasn’t listening, my mind caught in a whirl of images, colliding and crashing in glorious Technicolor detail. Naked limbs thrashing, glistening skin sliding, and muffled moans as the man in front of me holds me tight and thrusts deep inside. And I’m welcoming him, my body open and willing and hot and burning with an intensity that—
Black eclipses everything, the world spinning away.
“Shit!” The word was carried on a breeze, too far away for me to respond.
I sank into a blissful blackness.
Chapter Three
Trent
My arms shot out, catching her before she could hit the floor. Scooping her up, I studiously ignored the soft warmth of her body, how plump and luscious her ass felt through her voluminous skirts, snuggled in the crook of my arm. How her breath caressed my neck like invisible fingers stroking and caressing with light, teasing glances. And I definitely ignored the way my cock hardened with each brush of her breast against my chest.
I glanced around, looking for somewhere to lay her down. I couldn’t exactly deposit her on the counter; for one, it didn’t look sturdy enough, and two, it would be just plain weird. Spying a door at the back, I headed for it like a man on a mission. Shouldering the swaying curtain of beads out of the way, I squeezed through the narrow opening, emerging into a tiny kitchen, complete with arm chairs and a coffee table. Even back here Astrid’s sense of style dominated the room, the bright colors and sparkly accents everywhere the eye could see. I didn’t hold back the snort of laughter. And she denies she’s a dragon shifter?
Laying her gently in a chair, I resisted the urge to tug at her stray strands of hair to undo the messy pile, instead letting them slip through my fingers like fine silk. Snatching my hand away, I strode the two short steps into the kitchen area and started banging around looking for the coffee pot. This wasn’t going anything like how I’d planned it—first, I’d scared the woman, and then I had somehow managed to make her pass out. Nice job, asshole.
“What are you looking for?” Her voice was a throaty whisper, designed to tug at my rapidly unraveling control.
“Coffee,” I ground out, not turning around.
“I prefer tea.”
This time I did glance over my shoulder, letting my eyebrows do the talking.
At my look of utter disgust, she chuckled. “You’re not the first fellow American to turn their nose up at my exquisite taste buds. Let me fix you some, and then you can give me your honest opinion.” She rolled up off the chair in a sinuous glide, raising her arms above her head and arching her back in a languorous stretch that nearly had my eyes popping out of my head.
She shot me a smirk, letting me know that my ogling hadn’t gone unnoticed, and proceeded to eject me out of the small kitchenette with a pointed finger.
“Are you feeling okay?” I eyed her dubiously as she dragged a teapot out of a cupboard and proceeded to measure what looked like black mulch into it. This was the weirdest first meeting I could ever remember having.
She hummed under her breath for a moment, turned to the stove and flicked the top of the kettle open. Taking her time, she peered inside, closed it again, and flicked the burner on. “Better than I’ve felt in a long time,” she eventually said, spinning around to lean back against the counter. She was eyeing me the way a cat might eye a mouse, her eyes narrowed as she scanned my face.
Forcing myself to relax under her scrutiny, I melted back into the chair she had recently vacated, pulling a leg up over one knee. “Care to share why the sudden change of heart?”
She titled her head, her emerald eyes daring me. “You first.”
“Like I said, your brother sent me to bring you home.”
“Why?”
I paused, choosing my next words carefully. “Because he misses you.”
She let out an undignified snort, folding her arms across her chest. “Uh, nope. That doesn’t sound like
Bastian.”
She was right. Even in the short while I had known Bastian I’d figured out he wasn’t the type to admit to a weakness, and I was pretty sure love was included in that list.
“Now, if you’d said he needed me for some sort of scheme he’s hatching, then I might have believed you.”
I dodged the implied question. “Can’t a brother miss his sister? From what I’ve been told, you ran off without a single word of goodbye.”
The kettle shrieked, cutting off any reply. Flicking off the gas, she splashed water into the pot, the sweet scent of tea curling out on a cloud of steam.
“Why did you run?” I’d always wondered. Bastian had only told me the basics; what I needed to know to start my search and nothing more. The facts that I’d been provided with: his sister was a dragon shifter, she was beautiful, and ditzy, and she’d left the Jewelcrest clan without a word. As the alpha’s sister, she would have had to ask for nothing, enjoying a life of leisure and luxury. Her clan was one of the richest in America—something I tried really hard not to despise.
She set a small china cup down in front of me, settling herself into the opposite chair. Kicking off her shoes, she curled her legs up underneath her gorgeously plump ass and cradled her own cup to her chest, as though basking in its warmth. A bleakness stole over her face, her eyes filling with a deep sorrow that darkened the brilliant emerald to a murky moss-green. Blowing a puff of air over the steaming cup, her eyes met mine. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
The anticipation that had gripped me evaporated with a pop. Did it really matter? All I had to do was convince—
“I’ll come with you.”
My mouth fell open.
“If … you try the tea.” She motioned to the untouched cup, mischief tugging at her lips.
I forced my mouth closed, trying to keep up. What is she playing at?
She jabbed a finger toward the tea, her lips set in a determined line.
