Desired by a Dragon: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Exiled Dragons Book 3) Read online

  Desired by a Dragon

  (Exiled Dragons Book 3)

  SARAH J. STONE

  Copyright © 2017 by Sarah J. Stone.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Published in the United States of America

  Other Books in this Series

  Saved by a Dragon (Book 1)

  Loved by a Dragon (Book 2)

  Want a free book? Sarah J. Stone is giving away a free copy of Exiled Dragons, the prequel to her Exiled Dragons Series (no strings attached). This book is exclusive to her newsletter subscribers.

  >>>Click Here<<<

  Table of Contents

  Desired by a Dragon

  Dragons of Umora (Bonus):

  1. Cole

  2. Alexander

  3. Peter

  Previews:

  Saved by Alpha Bear

  Saved by a Dragon

  About the Author

  CHAPTER 1

  “Wow, look at how big she is getting already!” Barb said as she stepped through the doors at the airport in Dublin and saw Amy waiting for her, baby Dawn in her hands.

  “I know! It seems like I just had her last week and already she’s almost a year old!” Amy replied.

  It was the first time Barb Chapman had seen her best friend since she had come over to see the new baby and attend the new dragon leader’s wedding reception almost eleven months ago. Time had seemed to fly past since they had ventured upon into the San Bernardino Mountains on what Barb had felt was a wild goose chase for dragons. Now, she knew it hadn’t been so far-fetched, after all.

  Now, Amy Webb had become Amy Donnelly, wife of the dragon shifter who had saved her after a freak avalanche had left her stranded on a mountain she and Barb had been climbing. Barb had been lucky in the fact that she had escaped with only a bum ankle and made it to safety while Amy was left to fend for herself. Then again, Amy had ended up with the love of her life, so perhaps she was the lucky one instead.

  “I can’t believe how cool it still is here. I’m not sure I brought enough warm clothes,” Barb told her as they made their way out to Amy’s car after retrieving her luggage from the baggage claim.

  “I’ve gotten used to it, I suppose. It’s not exactly like spring in Los Angeles, though - is it?” Amy laughed. “You can always borrow whatever you need from me.”

  “I might have to,” Barbara said, pulling her light sweater around her as the cool, moist air assaulted her.

  “Or we could go shopping,” Amy said with a knowing smile.

  “Oh, you know how I love to shop,” Barb laughed as they climbed into the car and made their way up to the small village near the Mourne Mountains where Amy and Owen lived.

  “Yes, I do. We’ll have to get Owen to babysit so that we can do it right!” Amy replied

  “I love that you have a husband that doesn’t mind babysitting his baby girl,” Barb replied.

  Behind them, Dawn cooed happily in her car seat as if to agree. Barb turned to look at her, scrutinizing her for any signs that revealed her true nature. She looked like any ordinary girl, but she was anything but that.

  “You can’t tell by looking at her, you know,” Amy teased, noting Barb’s study of Dawn, who laughed playfully at the attention she was getting from Barb.

  “I’m sorry. Is that rude?” Barb laughed.

  “Nah. I know it’s a curiosity. You aren’t alone in it. Loads of the people in Owen’s clan marvel at her whenever she is out and about,” Amy replied.

  “Is she the only one?” Barb asked.

  “In our clan, yes. There may be others somewhere else, but she’s the only half-human, half dragon shifter in the village. Most people are nice about it. They are just curious about her and what she will be capable of when she’s older, but some are very rude, disapproving. We get that quite a bit from the elders in the village, but the younger people seem to be okay with it,” Amy told her.

  “Do you have any idea what to expect?” Barb asked.

  “No, not really. Legend says that she will be more powerful than other dragons. I would have thought her human side would weaken her, but it, supposedly, only enhances her abilities. Plus, Owen’s father was an ice dragon rather than a fire breather, so she might inherit that gene,” Amy replied.

  “Wow. That just all sounds so foreign to me. I can’t imagine having a husband that can breathe fire,” Barb marveled.

  When Amy had first told her she was leaving the states to be with Owen, Barb had been opposed. It seemed so quick and she feared it might be for all the wrong reasons, but time had proven her wrong. In the end, it hadn’t been nearly as shocking as learning what Owen was, a fact that Barb had found completely unbelievable until she had come over for their wedding and born witness to Owen shifting and flying away in front of her eyes.

  As an anthropologist, it was quite a revelation to her, but one that she could never reveal. She had to admit that it was a bit maddening to know that such creatures existed and not be able to reveal it, introduce it to the scientific community for study and further education. As much as she would love to be the one to spearhead such a great discovery, she knew she never would. She knew what it would do to the shifters. The level of publicity and hate born of fear would be devastating to their quiet little village. That wasn’t something she was willing to be responsible for bringing to their doorstep, ever.

  “I can’t wait for you to see the new house!” Amy told her, breaking her away from her thoughts.

  “I’m looking forward to it. I take it that Connor and Emily are still in the old cabin?” Barb asked, referencing Owen’s brother and his wife. Owen and Connor had shared the cabin when they were single, so their wives had joined them once married.

  “Yes, it was a bit cramped there for a while with the four of us all piled in, especially once Dawn arrived. They are still there, but I think they’ve begun looking for a bigger place, as well.”

  “That’s good. I do remember it was pretty packed,” Barb replied, though she had been put up at the McCord family home with their mother, so that she would have more room than sleeping on the sofa in an already cramped cabin.

  “That’s an understatement! Luckily, the four of us got along well enough,” Amy laughed as they pulled up to a large stone and stucco two story house done in dark, gothic tradition. It was separated from most of the village by open land in the front, and by a bank of trees that separated it on the back.

  “Wow, it’s stunning!” Barb admired the house as she stepped out of the vehicle once it drew to a stop in the front driveway. “Aren’t you afraid of Dawn getting lost in those woods though?”

  “I’m more concerned about her falling off the cliffs on the other side before she learns to fly,” Amy admitted.

  “Oh, God!” Barb said, wide eyed.

  “Owen assures me she will be fine. He grew up here along these cliffs and woods and survi
ved it, just as the other shifters have, so I guess I will just have to hope he’s right,” Amy frowned.

  “I certainly hope he’s right then!” Barb said, making a face of mock horror at the alternative.

  “Tell me about it! Anyway, let’s get you inside and let you unpack. I know you have an early start tomorrow,” Amy told her.

  “That I do,” Barb replied. “How long will it take me to get to Mullaghbawn from here?”

  “Not long. About twenty minutes or so,” Amy told her.

  “Good. That will give me a little longer to sleep in. Why he wants me there at the crack of dawn is beyond me,” Barb groaned.

  “What is it that you are doing down there again?” Amy asked.

  “Albert Montrose called me in. He’s an archaeologist I’ve worked with before. He’s found something there he wants me to look at, but he wouldn’t go into details over the phone,” Barb shrugged.

  “Must be something good. How exciting!” Amy told her, unlocking the front door. “Come on and I’ll show you your room. You can put down your things and I’ll take you on a quick tour of the house. I had a key made for you so that you can come and go as you please in case we aren’t home,” Amy told her.

  “Sounds good,” Barb replied, following her down the hallway.

  They paused to put Dawn, who had fallen fast asleep on the ride home, down in her crib before making their way up a flight of stairs to the guest room that sat off to one side in a wing that was somewhat separated from the remainder of the house. It had been painted and decorated in fresh peach and green colors that contrasted with the more somber colors found on the exterior house.

  Barb sat down her bags and followed Amy back out for the grand tour of the house. It was just as beautiful inside as it was out, most of the other rooms done in more somber, classic colors than the guest room she was in. Even the other guest room was painted in a dark hunter green color that demanded bold patterns in the curtains and bed covers. It was like something you’d find in a castle bedroom with its rich, deep colors. Most of the house was done in the same bold fashion.

  “Why the one room that is all spring and light when the rest of the house is so exquisitely dark in nature?” Barb asked her.

  “Don’t be silly. It’s your room. I had it painted with your favorite colors,” Amy told her, seeming surprised she would even ask.

  “You’re kidding?” Barb laughed, overwhelmed that she would go so far to accommodate her periodic visits.

  “I’m not kidding. You know you’re my best girl,” Amy said with a wink.

  “Should I be worried about this conversation,” came a deep, male voice from nearby.

  Barb and Amy looked up to see Owen smiling at them from the doorway. His tall, muscular frame leaned provocatively against the wooden frame as he smiled at the two of them. Barb couldn’t help but notice that he looked even happier than the last time she had seen him. Something that was quite different for him, from Amy’s account of how he had been when they met, and Emily’s tales of how somber he was when she had first met him.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t think so. We can share,” Barb teased him as he stepped into the room and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  “I can live with that, I guess. Not like I have a choice, huh?” he laughed.

  “Not a chance,” Barb told him with a smile.

  “Well, I’m about to hedge my bets a little. I brought home one of those fantastic steak pies and a lemon meringue pie from Cassi Baker’s diner,” he said happily.

  “A double pie delight!” Amy laughed, crossing the room and kissing him. “I might just have to keep you.”

  “I see how this works. All I have to do is bring you pies to keep you enthralled with me,” Barb chuckled.

  “I think there might be a bit more to it, but feel free to give it a shot,” Amy teased her, motioning for her to follow them to the kitchen.

  The trio sat down to eat their dinner, accompanied by a couple glasses of wine. They were only about halfway into their meal when Dawn could be heard moving around in her crib over the monitor that sat nearby.

  “I’ll get her,” Owen said, finishing the last bite of his steak pie. “Save me some lemon meringue!”

  “We will do what we can,” Amy teased him as he left.

  “You have an amazing husband,” Barb told her after he was gone.

  “I do. It’s been a different sort of life leaving things behind and coming here, but I can’t say that I regret it. He’s so protective and loving. I never worry about him betraying me like I have with some guys that have been in my life. I don’t know if it comes from being Irish or being a shifter, but it’s wonderful,” Amy said wistfully.

  “Perhaps I should give one a try,” Barb laughed.

  “Perhaps you should. Anyone in particular in mind?” Amy pried.

  “No, not yet,” Barb told her.

  The truth was that she did have someone in mind. There had been a very attractive shifter she had met at the dragon leader’s wedding, and she hoped that she might run into him again while she was here, but she really didn’t know much about him other than he was gorgeous and a member of the Dragon Guard. Of course, it had been a while and he might not still be single. For that matter, she couldn’t even remember his name at this point, so it was probably hoping for too much.

  After dinner, the four of them settled into the large den beside the formal living room and got caught up with one another. It seemed like hardly any time had passed at all before it was getting late and it was time to get to bed. Barb dreaded the long day she was looking at tomorrow, but she was also excited about what she might find there. Hopefully, it was some fantastic new discovery that would peak her interest.

  CHAPTER 2

  “Mr. Montrose?” Barb called out to the slight, gray-haired man who sat poised on a rock with a cup in his hand.

  “Ah, you must be Barbara Chapman. Please, call me Albert,” the man replied, standing to shake her hand.

  “Good to meet you, Albert. Please call me Barb,” she replied.

  “Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?” he asked.

  “Oh, thanks, but I had a cup on the way. I’ll be fine for a while,” she replied.

  “Grand. Well, let’s not waste time. Let me show you around and then we will get over to where they are digging. This is going to blow your socks off!” he said, obviously excited about whatever he has found.

  “I can’t wait!” Barb replied, following him as he led her to a large tent situated on one side of the massive camp that had been set up.

  Whatever was going on here was big. This wasn’t just a small dig attended by a few archaeologists and support personnel. In addition to the biggest tent, which she now saw was the operations hub as they entered it, there were medical tents, several caravans and she had already noted at least a dozen men who seemed to be merely guarding the perimeter. As they made their rounds through the various facilities and headed off toward the actual dig site, she noted additional security standing watchful around the site.

  “Now, listen, Barb. If this turns out to be what I think it is, then it’s going to need to be kept as quiet as possible. Can I count on you to not reveal anything you see here today to anyone on the outside?”

  “Absolutely. I never discuss digs with people not involved in them.”

  “Good deal. Let’s get on with it then,” he said excitedly, increasing his pace as they made their way to a large open field situated on a slope behind a dilapidated old cabin that appeared to have seen better days.

  Barb looked around at the landscape. They were in the lower lying hills of the Mourne Mountains. She could see homes settled on slopes nearby, but none were near the one where they were situated. This one appeared abandoned, though she could see several pieces of farm equipment parked in a shed that looked equally as distressed as the cabin itself. As they walked past the cabin and toward the busy field behind it, she noted a horse standing in the back yard of it.

  “Betsy,” Alber
t noted, nodding his head toward the grazing animal.

  “Mascot?” she said light heartedly.

  “She’s come to be, in a way. This property is owned by the people in that house up there,” he said, pointing toward a large stone house on the side of one of the hills. “Their daughter brought home something very odd a couple of weeks ago and they allowed her to take it to school for show and tell. They thought it was just an old fossil, a bone fragment from a farm animal that had fallen at some point in the past and remained there. Her biology teacher knew better. He sent it to me for examination.”

  “I’m guessing it wasn’t a cow or sheep,” Barb encouraged, her curiosity growing.

  “You guess correctly. I’m not sure what it is, not yet, but I have a feeling about it. One that I will share after you’ve seen what additional remains we’ve uncovered,” he told her.

  Her interest peaked, Barb followed him quickly to the field. She couldn’t wait to see what it was that had him so excited. Albert Montrose was an expert in his field. He didn’t get excited over just anything. Whatever this is, it must be something spectacular. She could feel her own pulse racing at just the thought of a new find. There was nothing more intriguing than a mystery to be solved

  “Tell me, Barb. What do you see?” he asked her as they approached the edge of the dig.

  Barb looked down at the open area, being carefully cleared by hand tools and brushes by a team of diggers specially trained in the retrieval and preservation of delicate bones. There was a form taking shape in the dirt below them as they slowly cleared an area. The intricate looking fossil that was beginning to peer up through the dirt was massive, yet delicate in appearance. Even from this distance, it was unmistakable.

  “A wing,” Barbara said, as if she wasn’t sure.

  “Precisely. One of the biggest wings I’ve discovered in my time. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

  “What do you think it is?” she asked, afraid of the answer already.