Dragon Mate’s Secret
Guardian Dragons of Prospect Falls
Serena Meadows
Copyright ©2020 by Serena Meadows - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Contents
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
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Chapter One
***Michael***
Michael pushed through the wood doors and out into the cool night air, relieved to be done with the tribunal finally. Adam and Molly were right behind him, their heads pressed together, whispering to one another, but when the crowd milling around in the courtyard caught sight of them, a cheer went up, and they parted.
They both looked a little stunned at first; it had been a long two weeks convincing the rest of the guardians that a human and shifter could bond, but tonight had clearly tipped the scales in their favor. He was relieved for so many reasons, and he didn’t bother tracing the source of relief that washed over him as he watched Adam and Molly circulating through the crowd.
He was happy for his friend, who had come so dangerously close to losing his powers that he’d already begun worrying about himself, although he still had years before he’d be in the predicament Adam had found himself in. Unlike Adam, he wasn’t going to be picky about his mate; love would always take second place to his sworn duty to protect Prospect Falls. When the time was right, he’d find an appropriate mate: a woman who would understand the considerable weight he carried and work with him to achieve his goals.
Long ago, he’d come to terms with the fact that his life was not entirely his own, that the magic in his blood made him different than other people and not to expect things out of life that other people had. It was a lesson he’d had to remind himself of several times over the last few months as he watched the love between Adam and Molly grow. Theirs was a special gift—the kind of gift that he’d never get.
Depressed by his thoughts, he pushed them away and waited for Adam and Molly to rejoin him, thinking of home and his bed instead. They were both full of smiles when they finally found him. “Sorry, Michael, I didn’t expect that kind of response,” Adam said, looking back at the crowd that was breaking up.
“That little stunt of yours certainly had them all speechless,” Michael said, grinning at Adam. “I don’t know how you manage it, but you always seem to pull things off.”
Adam reached down and rubbed Molly’s belly. “This little guy is all I needed to get my point across,” he said.
“Or girl,” Molly interjected.
“Either way, congratulations,” Michael said, tipping an imaginary hat to him. “Now, can we go home and live happily ever after?”
Adam got a funny look on his face and glanced over at Molly, who was looking equally uncomfortable. “Umm, about going home,” Adam said hesitantly. “Molly and I were thinking about staying behind and doing a little sightseeing before we head back.”
Michael could only stare at him, his mouth hanging open, but finally managed to ask, “And what about the demons back home? Have you forgotten that they’ve gotten stronger and smarter?”
Adam sighed. “Of course, I haven’t forgotten, Michael, but this might be our only chance to have some time alone,” he said, taking Molly’s hand.
“What about Vincent and Gabriel? They’ve already been handling things on their own while we’ve been gone,” he pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest, his annoyance growing.
“I’ve already spoken to both of them, and they’re fine with it,” Adam said triumphantly. “I haven’t had a vacation since I took over for my grandfather, Michael, and that’s almost fifteen years. I don’t think it’s too much to ask.”
Michael sighed. Adam always had a way of getting what he wanted, and a small part of him understood his desire to have time alone with Molly, which was precisely why he’d never let himself fall in love the way Adam had. But they did have a big problem at home, and that couldn’t be ignored, even for love.
“I know what you’re thinking, and I haven’t forgotten about the demons,” Adam said. “In fact, I think I’ve found someone who might be able to help us.”
The grin on Adam’s face made Michael want to groan because he knew that he’d been beaten. “Okay, I’ll bite; who is this mysterious person?” he asked.
“He’s headed our way right now,” Adam said.
Michael turned to see a short, older balding man walking toward them. “Wonderful job in there tonight, Adam,” the man said when he reached them. Then he turned to Molly and said, “It’s a pleasure to see you, again too, Molly.”
“Thank you for coming tonight,” Molly said.
“I wouldn’t have missed that for the world; it’s about time someone put Sebastian in his place,” the man said.
“Professor Miller,” Adam said. “I’d like you to meet Michael Anderson; he’s the shifter I told you about.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Adam has spoken highly of you,” Professor Miller said. “And please, call me Arthur.”
Michael shook the man’s hand, wondering what Adam had up his sleeve. “It’s nice to meet you, too,” he said, then looked over at his friend for an explanation.
“Arthur is a demonologist—among other things—and he’s agreed to help us with our problem,” Adam said, a grin on his face.
“Yes, I’d like to accompany you back to Prospect Falls and do some research, look into what’s happening,” Arthur said. “I have a few theories about what the problem is, but I need more information.”
He could only stare at Adam in amazement. “How do you always manage to do it? Now I don’t have much choice but to let you go, do I?” Michael asked. Then waved his hand in the air. “Never mind. I should know by now that you never drop the ball.”
Adam grinned at him. “Have I ever let you down?” he asked.
Michael shook his head. “Go have fun on your honeymoon, but when you get back, you’re taking double watch shifts.”
***Amy***
Amy kept her eyes on the road, trying to see through the driving rain that made the windshield wipers obsolete, wishing she’d stopped earlier. She’d seen the storm brewing on the horizon all afternoon but didn’t understand that it was going to turn into a torrential downpour until it was too late. Now, she was crawling along the two-lane road counting the miles until she got to the next town and hoping that there would be a decent motel.
When the twinkling lights of the town appeared through the water droplets, she sighed with relief and relaxed her hands on the wheel. The little town looked deserted as she drove in, but there were lights burning merrily in most of the windows, and she decided that the storm had driven everyone inside. When she spotted a bright
blinking sign for a motel, she pulled off the road and under the awning by the front door.
She turned off the car and just sat listening to the rain fall, happy to be out of the storm. After a few minutes, her racing heart began to calm, but the rain showed no sign of slowing, so she got out of the car and ran for the office door. When she pushed through the glass doors, she was surprised to find herself in a comfortable room, the smell of fresh-brewed coffee filling the air.
Behind a tall desk, an older woman stood smiling. “Terrible night out there,” she said.
Amy shivered. “I’ve never seen it rain like this,” she said. “I’m hoping you have a room for the night; it’s not safe out there.”
“Of course, my dear,” the woman said, turning to a rack of keys behind her. “How about room twelve? It has a nice big bathtub and a king-sized bed.”
Both sounded wonderful to her. “Yes, thank you,” Amy said, already thinking about a hot bath.
After she’d filled out an old-fashioned registration card and handed it back, the clerk ran her card, then handed her the receipt and the key for the room. “The diner across the street will only be open for a few more hours so if you want something to eat, I’d do it soon.”
Half an hour later, she made a dash from her car into the hotel room, her arms full of hot food and her luggage. Only slightly drenched when she shut the door, she dropped everything but the food to the floor and flipped on the lights. The room, like the rest of the hotel, showed its age, but it was clean and warm—definitely good enough for one night.
The smell of food drove any thoughts of a hot bath out of her head, and without even picking her luggage off the floor, she dug into the delightfully greasy cheeseburger and fries she’d ordered. Rain was still pouring down when she finished, and with a full stomach, there was no fighting the exhaustion that soon weighed her down.
Crawling into the big bed, she decided that the night could have been worse; she was safe and warm, unharmed by the violent storm, and just a little closer to finding Molly. Thinking about her quest to find her friend, she again wondered what had made her make such a wild decision to look for her on her own.
After weeks of talking to one police department after another and paying a private detective to find out what she could have done on her own, she’d done the only thing she could think of and packed a bag. She’d been long overdue for a sabbatical from the college and more than ready for some excitement. She had a pretty good idea where Molly had gone before she disappeared, so it hadn’t seemed that crazy to try to find her by herself.
Alone now, the storm still hammering away outside, she wasn’t so sure, but she pushed her doubts aside and listened to the little voice that kept telling her that Molly needed her help. Sleep finally came as the storm played itself out, but her dreams were haunted by images of Molly alone somewhere in the storm, frightened and hurt.
She woke slightly off-center, the dreams still flashing through her mind, and stumbled out of bed. Throwing open the curtains, she slammed her eyes shut against the bright sunlight, then slowly opened them, relieved to see that it was a beautiful day. Feeling her mood brighten and her stomach growling, she headed for the shower, deciding that breakfast was just what she needed.
When she walked through the doors of the diner, the place was nearly empty, but the remains of the breakfast rush were evident everywhere. “Good morning,” a man called from behind the counter. “Sorry about the mess but the busboy called out this morning and I’m short a waitress. Find yourself a clean spot and I’ll be right with you.”
Amy looked around at the dirty tables, then headed for the counter and climbed up on one of the stools. “Looks like you’ve had a busy morning,” she said, turning the cup in front of her over.
The man nodded, poured her a cup of coffee, then asked, “Do you want to see a menu?”
“Why don’t you surprise me?” she said, feeling daring.
“You got it,” the man said, grinning at her. “Be right back.”
When he came back a few minutes later, a plate in each hand, Amy’s stomach began to growl loudly. “This is the house special,” he said, setting the plates down in front of her. “Good luck.”
Amy laughed and rubbed her hands together. “This looks great,” she said, taking a deep breath of the fragrant steam floating above the stack of golden-brown pancakes. “And it smells just as good.”
“I’d start with the ham, raised and cured locally,” the man said. “hate for you to fill up on those pancakes before you try it.”
“Oh, don’t worry, that won’t be a problem,” she said, grinning at him. “I may be little, but I have quite an appetite.”
The man laughed. “If you can eat all of that, it’s on the house,” he said.
Chapter Two
***Michael***
Michael opened the door of the SUV, expecting to find one of his deputies, but instead, it was his mother’s smiling face that greeted him. “Welcome home,” she called, crawling across the seat and kissing him on both cheeks.
He was so surprised to see her; it took him a second to respond—just about as long as it took his annoyance to spring to life. “Mother, you know you’re not supposed to be driving the patrol vehicles,” he said, slamming the door again.
Going around to the back, he opened the hatch, threw in the luggage, then opened the back door for Arthur, who was staring at his mother with his mouth hanging slightly open. Arthur climbed in, still staring at his mother, who was quietly watching Michael in the mirror. When he pulled open the driver’s door, she got out and pecked him on the cheek again, then walked around to the passenger side.
Arthur had already jumped back out of the car and quickly opened the door and helped her in, a stunned look on his face. “Thank you, sir,” his mother said, flashing him a smile. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced.”
Michael wanted to groan. “Mother, this is Professor Arthur Miller; he’s a demonologist,” he said. “Now, can we get going? I’m tired.”
His mother was silent as he navigated them away from the airport, but as soon as he was on the highway, she said, “I’m sorry, Michael, I was just too excited to wait for you to get home. I tricked Brian into letting me drive instead of him.”
“Did you just miss me or was there something else on your mind?” he asked, knowing his mother all too well.
“Funny you should ask,” she said, turning to face him. “I met the new teacher last week, and I think she’d be perfect for you. She comes from a good family, has an education, and best of all, she has plenty to keep her busy.”
The groan that had been building since he first saw his mother came out before he could stop it. “Now, Michael, don’t act like that; you know I’m only looking out after you,” his mother scolded. “You aren’t getting any younger.”
“Mother,” he said, looking in the rearview mirror at Arthur, who was smiling and staring at his mother. “Could we discuss this some other time?”
“Only if you agree to take Mary Beth out to dinner,” his mother said stubbornly. “She’s perfect for you.”
“Okay, fine,” he said. “If you just drop it.”
“Good,” his mother said, beaming at him. “Now that we’ve settled that, tell me more about yourself, Professor Miller.”
By the time he dropped his mother off at her car, she’d invited Arthur to dinner and promised him one of her famous apple pies. Michael had a strange feeling that something was happening between them and wasn’t sure how that made him feel, especially since his father had only been gone a year and a half. But he was too tired to worry about it and pushed the feeling away, storing it in his memory for another time.
After dropping Arthur off at the only hotel in town and making sure he was comfortable, he called Vincent and Gabriel to check in. Tired and cranky, the conversation was short, and before long, he was home and fast asleep in his bed. He slept through the night and woke with the morning sun, the familiar sounds of Prospect Falls co
ming in through his window.
Grabbing his phone, he checked the time, then sent out a quick message, including an apology to Vincent and Gabriel. After a quick shower, he was on his way down the street, dressed in his uniform for the first time in two weeks and feeling more like his old self. By the time he walked into the diner and sat down at his usual table, he was smiling with relief to be back home, and even happier when his friends walked in.
Vincent sat down first. “Looks like you’ve gotten a good night’s sleep,” he said. “Wish I could say the same.”
Gabriel came over with three cups of coffee in his hands, handed them out, then sat down. “Are we talking about all the sleep we haven’t gotten in the last few weeks?” he asked.
“I’ll take the night watch for the next few nights,” Michael said, holding his hands up in the air. “But don’t forget, you both agreed to let Adam go.”
“We all know he deserves a break,” Gabriel said.
Vincent nodded, then asked, “Where’s this professor he promised would figure out our problem?”
“He’s at the hotel. I wanted to meet with you both first,” Michael said. “How have things been?”
Gabriel shrugged. “Actually, it’s been pretty quiet the last few days; neither of us has seen any demons on our patrols. It’s like they just quit coming,” he said.
“Well, that’s good news, but we can’t afford to let our guard down, at least not yet,” he said, relieved to hear good news for a change. “The professor says that he has some ideas but needs to do more research, whatever that means.”
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