Bound to the Dragon: A Dragon Shifter Romance (Feral Dragon Book 2) E-Book

Mac Flynn

• Herausgeber: Crescent Moon Studios, Inc.
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Thanks to Emma and her new friends, Edmond is freed from his curse, but there remains two other dragon lords trapped inside their realms. Together the pair set off on a journey to free one of them, the dragon lord Balmore, ruler of the rocky land of the Pitted Mountains.

Trouble comes early as they travel across the stony hills to the southwest. Great is their surprise when they discover not a desolate realm, but a thriving community. The people have been lured to the capital of the realm by the promise of great riches. Unfortunately, danger lurks beneath the pact, and beneath the earth. The extensive mining has operation awakened an old secret, one which threatens more than just their livelihoods, but their very lives.

To make matters even more complicated, Emma’s unique aura attracts the attention of more than just her handsome companion. She soon learns that dragons aren’t the only ones lured in by her sensual scent, and her new suitors have some mischievous plans for her.

Leseprobe

BOUND TO THE DRAGON

Feral Dragon #2

MAC FLYNN

CONTENTS

Copyright

Author’s Note

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

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Sneak Peek: Mated to the Dragon

A Small Favor

When’s the Next Book?

Series by Mac Flynn

COPYRIGHT

Bound to the Dragon (Feral Dragon Book 2). Copyright © 2023 by Mac Flynn.

Published by Crescent Moon Studios, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, disseminated, or transmitted in any form or by any or for any use, including recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the author and/or artist. The only except ions shirt excerpts or the cover image in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel or on the cover are either products of the author’s or artist’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author or artist.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for joining me on a journey through my imagination. If you’re looking for romance and adventure with a guaranteed Happily Ever After, then you’ve come to the right place. My books contain paranormal plotting and fantastical action, and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.

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You can keep in touch with me by joining my newsletter or checking out my website for the latest updates.

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Thank you for giving my book a chance, and Happy Reading!

- Mac Flynn

CHAPTERONE

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

I stood in the grand entrance hall of the castle of Kinrick and gaped at its wondrous new beauty, hidden away beneath a century of dust and neglect. Gone were the cobwebs, dust, and stains of ancient mold. In their places were pristine walls, shimmering tapestries, and floors so shining that I could have eaten from it.

I wrinkled my nose. “Maybe not that clean…” I murmured as footsteps approached my position.

Edmond joined me, and his soft smile spoke volumes as he, too, admired the view. “It would seem a century of rest has granted her fingers a new strength.”

I snorted and cast a mischievous look up at him. “You think she’ll even be on the roof fixing the missing shingles?”

He grinned. “I wouldn’t mention it to her.”

“She’s gone and done it now!” a voice shouted, and our stony wisp friend Niks hopped through the doorway that led into the deeper depths of the castle.

I lifted an eyebrow as our strange companion leapt on top of the large dining table. “Done what?”

“She’s gone and made Tinia mad!”

Both Edmond and I blinked at our small friend, and it was Edmond who first found his voice. “How has she done that?”

“She took away all his favorite cobwebs, and then she threw some trash into the pit, and he ate it and now his stomach is upset!”

I smiled. “At least it’s not Elinor herself who’s making his stomach upset.”

Edmond, too, looked amused. “Hopefully Tinia will learn from Elinor’s minor infraction against his domain.”

“Hopefully it will keep him from having any more kids…” I murmured.

At that moment the cleaner herself appeared through the same doorway, and in her hands, she grasped a tray full of delicious food. “Would anyone be interested in an early dinner?”

I lifted an eyebrow as she set the platter on the table close beside Niks. “Why early?”

“We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” Edmond told me as he drew out a chair for me. “Without the feathers my kingdom is rather more difficult to traverse, not to say anything about Balmore’s lands.”

I took my seat, and he took up the chair at the head of the table. “How far is it to Balmore’s capital?”

A half day’s journey across my lands, and another day’s journey across his own,” he revealed as Elinor dished out the wonderful-smelling food onto plates in front of us. “That is providing the roads are of any use after such a long time.”

I noticed that Elinor’s deft hands fumbled with a piece of meat before she caught herself and resumed her work. I caught Elinor’s eye and smiled at her. “You’ve done a wonderful job on the castle. It looks like new.”

She managed a small smile of her own. “Thank you, Miss Emma-”

“Just Emma,” I lightly scolded her.

She bowed her head. “Thank you, Emma. I’m glad to be of some help.”

Edmond chuckled. “‘Some help’ doesn’t begin to describe the transformation that has come over the castle. You have done wonders to this old keep.”

She cast a slightly scolding look at him and wagged a fork at her lord. “There was a great deal left to the years while I was asleep, My Lord. I am surprised you allowed such deep rot to enter this fair place.”

He leaned back and clasped his hands together as his smile played across his lips. “After such a long absence, I will gladly take one of your scoldings, my dear Elinor. I should even be tempted to neglect more of the castle to hear your words.”

She put her hands on her hip and frowned at him. “I doubt much of the castle needs any further ‘help’ from you, My Lord.”

Edmond threw back his head and laughed. “That is the Elinor I missed so much! Always feisty and never afraid to tell me the truth!”

Her irritation softened and she smiled at him. “I am glad to see your humor has not been lost on you, My Lord. Being alone for such a long time must have been very difficult.”

He gathered himself and nodded. “It was, but” He picked up his fork with a bit of food and took in the nourishment with a smile, “the wait was worth just a taste of your famous roast beef.”

She chuckled before she bowed her head to him. “Thank you, My Lord.”

He nodded at me. “Elinor, if you will follow Emma’s lead. Besides, there are very few ears to hear your ‘transgression.’ I hope more will soon come and then you may resume the habit, if you wish.”

Elinor inclined her head again. “As you wish, Edmond. In the meantime, shall I begin packing your bags?”

He nodded. “That would be for the best. I have never known anyone as organized as you are with trips.”

Her face brightened. “Thank you, My-” A playful look of warning stopped her. “Thank you, Edmond. I’m glad I can be of some service on your journey to the other domains.”

Niks bounced up and down atop the table. “Don’t forget to pack me!”

Edmond shook his head. “You will not be joining us.”

The wisp lost the spring in his step and dropped with a hard thump onto the wood surface. “But why not?”

Edmond picked him up and lifted him a foot above the table. “Fly.”

Niks wormed around in Edmond’s grasp. “You know I can’t do that right now!”

Edmond set him back on the table. “That is exactly why you will remain here. The only use you would have on our adventure would be as a weapon to throw at a wild animal.”

Niks resumed his hopping. “I don’t mind doing that!”

“You’d make a better weapon for Elinor,” I spoke up as I gave a sly wink at our server.

She smiled and set a hand on top of Niks’ head. Or as near to one as he had. “I would be grateful for your protection.”

Niks wiggled beneath her gentle touch. “I-I suppose I could stick around here. I mean, I am a protector of the realm, right?”

Elinor nodded. “Of course, and I could use some assistance in cleaning the castle. The stables are particularly bleak.”

Niks leaned to one side. “How can I help with that?”

Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “You might roll over the bugs that have infested the stalls and crush them.”

The small stone bounced up and down. “A game of tag! I can do that!”

Elinor scooped up the eager wisp into her palms. “But first you will help me fold the clothes into the bags. If you will excuse us.” She inclined her head to Edmond and me and hurried off to begin her chore.

Edmond pushed away his empty plate and leaned back in his chair. He twined his fingers together and set his hands in his lap as he smiled at the clean room about us. “I find myself reluctant to leave.”

I studied the room myself and nodded. “Yeah. It’s really nice now, isn’t it? She even cleaned the fireplace.”

He cast his eyes at the warm fire that crackled in the pristine hearth. “She has always worked miracles.”

“Well, I’ll help her with the miracle of packing enough food for us to last my stomach,” I announced as I stood. A glance at Edmond made me step over to him where I set a hand on his arm. He looked up and I smiled down at him. “You’re not alone anymore.”

He set a hand atop mine and nodded. “I will forever be grateful for that.”

I slipped away and upstairs where I found Elinor and Niks deep in conversation.

“No, no, the other shirt,” Niks insisted as he hopped up and down on the bed where the two backpacks were wide open. “The one with the stripes!”

Elinor stood before the dresser and turned to him with her arms full of clothes and a frown on her lips. “Stripes are for spring. Solids are for traveling.”

It wasn’t exactly a deep conversation.

I cleared my throat and caught their attention. “Mind if I help?” A look from both of them answered my question, and I gave the pair a nervous smile. “Maybe I’ll just sit on the bed and watch.”

I plopped myself down near Niks, and the small stone bounced onto my lap. “You think you can convince Edmond to let me go.”

I shook my head. “No chance.”

“Will you be wanting this, Emma?” Elinor spoke up.

I looked up to find her holding the stone given to me by the strange little creatures in Bayloff’s hideout. The stone had lost its green shine, but the smooth surface still glistened in the strong light.

She dropped the stone in my palm, and I studied the enigmatic rock. There was a strange, gentle warmth in the rock that made me smile, and I tossed the stone into the bag. “I’ll take it. Maybe I’ll need a night light.”

How right I was to be, as I soon found out.

CHAPTERTWO

We stared at the stone. The stone stared back at us.

I looked up at the handsome dragon man at my side. “You know, it’s not going to bite you.”

Edmond grasped the straps of his backpack and sighed as he continued to study the marker. “Yes, but old habits are rather hard to break.”

We stood before the marker that lay beyond the gap, and at our back came the haunting melody of the roaring waters far below our feet. The noonday sun hung over our heads, and our backpacks were heavy with food for many miles of adventure.

I adjusted my own straps and winced. “Elinor sure knows how to pack these things tight, doesn’t she? It feels like she put the whole kitchen in my bag.”

He chuckled. “The time in her slumber hasn’t lessened her ability to organize.”

I paused and wrinkled my nose. “You sure we should have left Niks with her? She may file him away with the rest of the courtyard stones just to get some peace and quiet.”

Edmond nodded. “So long as he remains in his hardened form, he will be a hindrance on any journey. In the meantime, they will keep one another company until others learn about the lifted curse.”

I looked out on the empty landscape and a sigh escaped my lips. “It is kind of lonely, isn’t it?”

Edmond rallied his spirits and smiled down at me. “We shall venture southwestward.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Where will that take us?”

He nodded his head in that direction. “To the southern boundary of Balmore’s domain. A large road once ran along that section and just outside his realm. No doubt people still use it for travel, and we shall both see what the world has in store for us.”

I stretched myself to my full height and grinned. “Then what are we waiting for?”

Edmond returned his attention to the stone and a single whispered word passed over his lips. “Courage…”

He took a deep breath and marched past the stone. There was only a slight bit of hesitation at the border where he expected to crash into the curse barrier, but nothing happened. I smiled and hurried to catch up to him, and together we set off across the dusty landscape.

“So, you showed me this Balmore guy using that memory trick of yours,” I mused as we hurried through the pillars of stone, “but what’s he really like?”

Edmond lifted his gaze just slightly and furrowed his brow. “A rather secluded ruler. He among all of us suffered most from the habit of hoarding his wealth.”

I snorted. “So, dragons hoard their gold in this world, too?”

He nodded. “Yes, though what we considered ‘wealth’ differed from one another. Balmore coveted his metals and Sullivan his power.”

I tilted my head to one side to study him. “And you?”

His voice was soft and had that familiar melancholy in it. “I had my people.”

I nudged his arm with my elbow. “They’ll come back. I bet you’ll even get the descendants of a lot of your people.”

He managed a small smile. “That’s what I hope will happen. To continue the answer to your question, however, Balmore has a wealth of minerals beneath his kingdom. He invited humans to reside in his domain for the sole purpose of extracting the minerals from the earth, the best of which he kept for himself while the rest he allowed them to sell at their own price.”

“Sounds like a pretty good arrangement,” I mused.

He nodded. “His kingdom grew very wealthy, and Sullivan was always at his door asking for support in one of his campaigns against invaders brought on by some rash word of his.”

I frowned. “Was Sullivan always picking fights?”

Edmond pursed his lips. “Far more than he should have been, and unfortunately Balmore supported him in some of his endeavors.”

I winced. “Then the curse from the old man wasn’t really the first time with trouble?”

He shook his head. “Far from it, but we shall see what amends we might make in that regard if not other past transgressions. Once freed, I hope that all three of us will have been the wiser for being shut inside our domains while the world moved on without us.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “You really think that will happen?”

He shrugged. “I’m afraid I’m more optimistic in my words than my heart, but only time will tell which is in the right.”

As we talked, the rugged desert had begun to offer us some shade in the form of scraggly trees and pointed stone spires. The trees grew more plentiful, and I recognized them as something akin to the hardy pine, but with thicker needles than any I had ever seen. The tallest of them also stood no taller than thirty feet, but their boughs stretched outward some forty feet from the trunk in all directions. Their strange growth gave them the look of a scraggly umbrella. I noticed, too, that no birds sang in their branches much as what had occurred during Edmond’s own curse.

The air, however, was not without noise.

I stopped and strained my ears. “Do you hear something?”

Edmond had paused a few steps ahead of me, and he, too, had furrowed his brow. “I hear voices.”

I hurried up to him and nodded. “A lot of voices. We’re still in Balmore’s realm, right?”

“Very much so,” he confirmed as he scanned the trees and stones around us. His eyes zeroed in on a spot due west of our position. “The voices are coming from over there. They sound like a great host of men.”

He cast a furtive look at me, and I glared back at him. “I’m not staying.”

Edmond grasped my hand and pursed his lips. “Then stay close to me.”

We moved through the forest of trees and stones which blocked much of our view but also hid us from prying eyes. We rounded the bottom of one of the larger rock hills and found ourselves facing a clearing surrounded on all sides by more of the stone pillars.

A large fire pit had been placed in the center of the clearing, and a dozen men huddled around a small flame nestled in the stones. One of them was scraping burnt food off a pan while the others sat on logs with their heavy packs by their sides. Pickaxes and heavy rope hung from the sides of the bursting bags. Their attire, too, hinted at their occupation, weathered as it was by dust, soot, and grime. They wore heavy boots, leather pants and shirts, and some of them had simple caps atop their greasy heads.

I looked up at Edmond and lowered my voice to a whisper. “Should they be here?”

He shook his head and tightened his grip on my hand before he moved us out into the open. At our reveal, the alarm was raised, and the men leapt to their feet, including the cook who brandished his frying pan like a bat.

“Who are you?” one of them shouted.

Edmond raised his free hand in the air and offered them a bright smile. “Just travelers like yourselves.”

Another of the men eyed us with a sharp look. He was an older gentleman compared to the spry men around him, and on his hip, he carried a flat leather satchel with a flap cover. A few wisps of white hair covered his otherwise balding head, and his clothes were rumpled from long travel. “No travelers ever came from that direction.”

One of his companions, a burly fellow who stood a half head taller than the rest, clapped a hand on the suspicious man’s shoulder. “Then we should give them some praise for having ventured over that territory, Doyle.”

Doyle scowled up at his taller acquaintance. “We should give them the boot, more like it.”

His companion laughed and the sound rang out over the clearing like elegant chimes. “Always quick with the word!” The man returned his attention to us. We’re headed to the Pitted Mountains, much as I suspect you are. You’ve heard of the offer by the lord dragon there, haven’t you?”

Edmond shook his head. “We haven’t, but we do know about the curse.”

“That’s old business,” one of them spoke up with a toothy grin. “The curse has a nice little workaround now.”

The leader nodded. “Aye, and now that word’s gotten around, I suspect everybody’ll be headed in from all directions.”

“Would you care for some company?” Edmond wondered.

The sullen Doyle sneered at us, but the leader spread his arms wide. “The more the merrier, provided you have your own provisions. We’re a little short until we reach the city.”

Edmond smiled and patted the side of his pack. “We have our own food, and then some, if you need any.”

The man laughed. “Just what I like to hear at the end of my rations!” He strode over to us and stuck out his hand to Edmond. “A fine pleasure to meet you. The name’s Arthur, and I’m the leader of this group of filthy fellas.”

Edmond released me and accepted the hand which he shook. “Edmond, Lord of Kinrick.”

CHAPTERTHREE

A hush fell over the crowd, and even Arthur was at a loss for words. “The Lord of Kinrick? The dragon of old?”

Edmond grinned. “I look good for my age, do I not?”

“Prove it!” Doyle spoke up.

Edmond drew his hand out from the shake and held it up so all could see as the fingers transformed into talons. The men were all agape, and many still were as he tucked his hand behind his back. “Is that proof enough for you?”

Arthur shook himself from his stupor and leaned back to study us with newfound wonder. “By all the Gods, but you really are him, aren’t you?”

Edmond inclined his head. “I am, and I’d like to hear more about what my brother has been up to during my solitude.”

“Art,” the cook spoke up as he used his pan to point up the foothills of a mountain some five miles off. “If we’re going to make the trail before sundown then we’d better get going.”

Arthur nodded. “Aye, we’d better.” He cast a curious look at us. “Will you be joining us, yer, um-”

“Edmond, if you would,” Edmond told him.

Art grinned. “Good. I’d never remember to give you your dues, and on the trail, we’d be real interested in learning how you came out of your kingdom.” He paused and furrowed his brow before he cast a side glance at Edmond. “The legends were true about your kind being trapped in your lands, weren’t they?”

Edmond’s expression changed to solemn as he nodded. “Unfortunately, they were.”

One of the other men piped up. “Then that means the red dragon really couldn’t get a hold of us if we made off with some of his best jewels.”

Art glared at him. “Keep that forked tongue in your head, man, before you lose it to your own foolishness. That dragon can fly as the bird does, and a whisper of your treacherous words and you’ll be dropped from the highest mountain where you’ll be a warning to the others.” His companion shrank beneath his words of warning and slunk off to arrange his backpack.

Their brief conversation caught my curiosity. “Are there a lot of people headed up to the mountain?”

He nodded. “Heading to it and already up there. The mine’s been giving up her wealth for many centuries and she still hasn’t run dry. That tends to attract a lot of attention.”

Both of Edmond’s eyebrows shot up. “People are allowed to remain in Balmore’s domain?”

Art smiled and tapped the side of his nose. “In a way, but I’ll tell you on the way up. We’d best get moving, as Cook said, or we won’t make the Station, and a day’s delay is a day lost.”

The men packed up and we headed out with them. Art led the way with the others following behind him. Doyle was last, even behind Cook with his bulky bag of pots and pans, and I couldn’t help but notice that his eyes seemed to stare at us more often than on the trail ahead.

Art swept his eyes over the sides of the trail and grinned. “The way’s easier than last time. Somebody must have got a crew in to tame this slope.”

Edmond cast a curious look at our guide. “You’ve been here before?”

Art nodded. “Aye, about six months ago. I was part of the second wave into the mountains looking for all the jewels the hills hoard for themselves. The first was about a year ago.”

I looked him up and down. “And none of you have turned to stone?”

He shook his head. “Not a single one. The trick is not to stay too long in the kingdom, maybe two weeks, but not more than three, and the dragon lord makes it a point not to meet with anyone unless it’s absolutely necessary. He doesn’t get to know you and doesn’t get you into trouble for it.”

“A way around the loneliness…” Edmond murmured, and I couldn’t help but notice a touch of regret in his eyes. My heart ached for him. If he had known this trick, he wouldn’t have been alone for so long.

I slipped my hand into one of his and gave it a squeeze before I turned my attention to our guide. “So does anyone ever see Balmore?”