“I would hope you would trust me more than that,” Aegis said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Well, you were quite a villain at one time,” Opal reminded him.
“That was before these guys knew me,” Aegis grumbled. “Besides, I think I’ve more than redeemed myself. Would I be running a crew if I hadn’t?”
“No,” Liam said. “It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you personally, it’s that things are complicated with these dragons in particular. They aren’t…well, they weren’t always our enemies in the past. And even when we were fighting, when we did have a rivalry, they weren’t the type to sneak in the dark or trick mates.”
“I see,” Aegis said.
“Is there another emerald dragon?” Liam asked.
“Why?” Aegis asked.
“Because Kate’s boss denies calling her into work, even though it was definitely his voice. Could he have been mind-controlled?”
Aegis thought about it, green eyes narrowing. “I don’t think so. I don’t know of any others of my clan surviving. They are dead as far as I know, and deserved it.”
Liam focused intently as Kate bit her lower lip. “The other thing that doesn’t make sense is the break-in with Gold.”
Kate lit up. “That’s right. I called him out on the break-in when I was captured, and he was almost offended by the implication that he could commit something as vulgar as burglary.”
“Though apparently he is fine with kidnapping,” Aegis said.
“That makes sense with him,” Liam said. “He would have considered it an open challenge to me, and an opportunity to win her. I never said he was a great person. I just don’t see him as that kind of a sneaky bastard.”
“That’s right,” Kate said. “The first time he came, he came with flowers and knocked right on my front door.”
“Hm,” Aegis said. “You’re right.”
“I don’t know of any other dragons that can control minds,” Opal said hesitantly. “But there are many types of dragons out there, and with the world changing, there are a lot of mysteries yet to be solved.”
“I guess you’re right,” Liam said, putting an arm around Kate. “Are you sure you’re okay staying here for a little while?”
Kate nodded. “I’ll miss the hot tub, but otherwise, I’ll be fine.” Her arm crept around his waist. “I’ll have you.”
He blinked. “That’s right. Aegis, I had something I wanted to discuss with you. Something we really should put in the back yard.”
Aegis sighed and walked toward the dining room, motioning for them to follow. “We can discuss it during dinner. Along with which of your crew you think should be sent out to find a mate next.”
“So we’re going to continue with Rent-a-Dragon, even with the other dragons out there?” Opal asked.
Citrine joined them at the door to the kitchen and dining area, golden eyes flashing. He flipped his dark, silky brown hair over one shoulder and nodded. “We still need to get Magnus and Titus out in the world and out of the castle. Once everyone finds mates, we can figure out what to do next.”
“And what if the other dragons strike while someone isn’t here?”
Citrine thought about it. “I suppose we will just have to keep an eye on things, won’t we? Regardless, I think Gold, Silver and Platinum will think twice before messing with a metal dragon mate, and if there is someone else out there, all we can do is wait for them to reveal themselves.”
Citrine, Opal and Aegis went ahead, and Liam stayed back with Kate, turning her to face him and stroking a hand through her hair.
“You know I’m always going to protect you, right?”
“I’m not worried,” she said. “You beat them all basically single-handedly, and we’ll be here with friends. I do worry a bit about Magnus and Titus though.”
As if summoned by her thoughts, both dragons appeared from behind them. Liam hadn’t even heard them come down the stairs.
Magnus’s dark, red-brown hair was loose around his face and shoulders, and he wore a casual blue tee with tight, stonewashed jeans. Titus was similarly attired, but his wheat-blond hair was tied in a braid as usual.
“Don’t worry about us,” Magnus said cheerfully, walking behind them. “If I get out in the world, it’s the other dragons who have to be afraid. Not me.”
“Agreed,” Titus said confidently. “I’d be happy to take them on. Nothing is going to stop me from finding my woman. Not a storm, not a sinking ship, not Aegis, and definitely not a stupid, betraying, precious-metal dragon.
Liam nodded. “I guess we’ll be okay.”
She patted his arm. “One thing I can say, it’s never going to be boring.”
He threw back his head and laughed.
I hope you enjoyed this first book in the Rent-A-Dragon series! If you enjoyed Liam and Kate’s story, I hope you’ll leave a review to help other readers find it. I really appreciate all your support.
I plan to release really quickly, but while you’re waiting for the next book in the series, you may want to grab my limited edition Awakened Dragons Boxed Set, at .99 for a short time for all SIX BOOKS.
I never do boxed sets that extreme, and I usually wait about a year after release to put books in a boxed set, so get it while you can.
Awakened Dragons Boxed Set
Thanks again so much, and make sure you are signed up for my newsletter here so you can be first to hear about the next dragon’s shenanigans: http://eepurl.com/bgG7Kf
Sincerely,
Terry
Sample of Awakened Dragons Boxed Set
Zach, Isaac Morningstar III, touched the chunky iron chain around his neck as he caught his reflection in one of the dingy shop windows he passed. Anger contorted his expression as he withdrew his fingers and started again down the street of the bad neighborhood he’d been dropped in.
He was still getting used to the modern world since he’d been woken up some months ago, but even he knew this wasn’t the type of place he would ever have chosen to go back to when he had full access to his dragon powers and a massive treasure trove that allowed him to live in comfort whenever he felt like being in human form.
And yet here he was, leveled, humbled, shackled by this collar until the oracle who watched over shifters was sure he could be “trusted”, barely able to partially shift, with no money and nothing but the clothes on his back.
Despicable state of events.
Not that he blamed the oracle. In his day, hundreds of years ago, dragons had been more akin to powerful, despotic demigods who terrorized humans when it pleased them and roamed the countryside freely. In human form, they were often dukes or lords with power to match, able to hide in the countryside in a massive estate if they so chose. To hell with caves.
Here, dragons had been remodeled to become something much more civilized. Now they worked in pairs, enforcing the laws of the shifter community and protecting shifters and humans in their area.