Taming The Dragon (Book 5)

Kadin is a dragon shifter who carries emotional scars from his past. His siblings believe he's only interested in pure dragon bloodlines, which is why he's hesitant to take a human mate. However, they are unaware of the traumatic event from centuries ago that still haunts him, leaving him crippled with fear. When Kadin encounters Avery, his dragon recognizes her as his mate, regardless of her human heritage. Despite the dragon's determination, Kadin struggles to move beyond his painful past.

Avery has spent her life doubting herself, from body image issues to allowing her brothers to convince her to pursue a career as an EMT instead of a firefighter. When she meets Kadin, a powerful shifter, at her fire station, she's taken aback by his imposing presence and intense attraction. What starts as a friendly date quickly turns into a night she'll never forget, leaving her questioning why she can't let him go.

As their connection deepens, Kadin realizes he can't imagine his life without Avery. However, a series of tragedies threatens to tear them apart, challenging their love and commitment to one another.

Kadin rose from his seat and rounded the desk, only stopping to give a deep bow. “Majesty, what a pleasant surprise. I had no idea you were coming back here.”

Brooke, who had recently revealed she was the silver dragon and therefore their queen, offered him a huge smile. “Reese and I are here to take care of some business. One of which is to speak to you.” She took a seat in the overstuffed chair across from his desk and motioned for him to do the same. He quickly moved back around the massive oak piece and took his seat.

“What can I do for you?”

“As you know, I have abolished the no-shifting law.”

He nodded. For centuries, their elders held fast to the law. They were never to shift in front of human eyes. Even though for many years now they’ve lived side by side with them and humans knew of their existence. Male shifters had been mating with humans for centuries after an illness killed off most of their females over a thousand years ago. Kadin was happy that the rules regarding shifting were changing. It meant his firefighters would no longer be in danger. As a dragon, they were impervious to fire, but in their human form, they were just as susceptible to the flames as anyone else.

“Even though humans have known about us for many years, the fact that few have seen us as dragons will come as a shock when they do. That is why I am recruiting some of my elder dragons to assist me.”

“How can I help?”

Her smile widened. “I am so glad you asked. I would like you to take a leave from your job here as chief and spend some time in Duluth at Station 10.” She held up her hand the second he opened his mouth. “I’ve already cleared your temporary transfer so no need to worry.”

“Okay, but what am I going to be doing in Duluth that I can’t do here?”

“Get back into the thick of things. Spend time in the field and allow people to see how valuable a dragon can be. Take away their fears. Station 10 has no shifters working there and their captain has requested to be part of this pilot program.” She studied him, obviously waiting for some kind of reaction.

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed at the recent growth he’d allowed to cover his jaw. This was a sound idea the queen had. Finally bringing their species into the current century, and showing those who were unaware of what they were made of. It would change how they fought fires, and he liked it. “For how long?”

“Give it at least a month. Clear up whatever you need to take care of here, then you can head on down and report in.”

He leaned forward. “Let the captain know I’ll be there in three days.”

Brooke rose from her seat with all the grace and dignity of a queen. She had certainly taken to her new role, and he was happy to help her in whatever capacity he could. “Thank you. I am so happy to have you on board with this. It is past time for new beginnings for all of us.”

He stood and walked around his desk, escorting her to the door. “It is indeed. Where is that mate of yours, anyway?” When he opened his office door, he heard the familiar voice of Reese talking with the rest of the crew. They had all missed their former engine driver but were happy for him. Reese deserved his new life. His old one had been tough. As he walked Brooke into the kitchen, the crew whisked her into their fold.

“So, are you leaving us?” Halee, his younger sister, slid in next to him.

“For a little while.”

“I think it’s a great thing she’s doing.”

“Yeah, it is.”

His sister studied him like only a sibling could. “I sense you aren’t as happy as you let on. What gives?”

“I am excited to step into my old boots again. The timing is just bad. That’s all.”

Halee’s mouth dropped open as her eyes widened in realization. “Your kamirth. How long do you have?”

The kamirth was a mating cycle that only male dragons went through. It started when they turned three hundred, then happened every fifty years thereafter. The urge for sex would become so fierce that at some point the male could no longer ignore it. Anger, aggression and cold sweats were part of the fun-filled cycle and fucking was all the male could think of. Having sex with a human during a kamirth was a huge no-go because he might actually break her. However, if the male ignored his urges, he would eventually grow so violent that he could become a threat to all around him and there was nothing worse than a pissed off, sexually frustrated male dragon.

“I have a month before the cycle hits its peak, and considering my age, I can hold off longer than most.” He met his sister’s gaze. “It’s not like there are no halflings in Duluth.”

“True, but do you know any of them?”

“No, but I’m sure I can manage to scare up a willing participant.” The half dragon, half human females were the only ones who could handle a male’s sexual depravity during the kamirth since full-blooded females were rare. His sister, Halee, was one of those rare gems and he was grateful she had forgiven him for trying to force her into mating with a male dragon. Instead, she had chosen a human named Derrick, who worked at the station with them. He liked the guy, and his sister was happy, so that was all that mattered. Besides, there was still the youngest Murphy sibling, Isabella, and considering she was human, he would make certain his little sister had a dragon mate to protect her. There was no way he was going to watch his baby sister grow old and die. Mating with a dragon would provide her with her mate’s power and long lifespan. He often wished his father had followed the old ways of arranged matings when his daughters were born, but his mother had forbidden it. It was what it was and maybe Kadin would meet a potential mate for Bella while attending his extra duties.

“You have that wicked look in your eyes like you are plotting. I remember that look when you thought to force me into a mating.” Her mouth pressed into a line. “Leave Bella alone. She needs to choose her own fate and if it’s with a human, then that is her choice.”

His jaw twitched. “You want to watch your sister fade away?”

“Of course not, but I want to see her happy and you interfering will only push her away. Did you not learn anything from me?” Now she glared at him with her hands planted firmly on her hips. He hoped they stayed there because Halee wasn’t beyond throwing him a punch to the nose.

“I wouldn’t force Bella into anything, but I can certainly introduce her to a few dragons and maybe some sparks will fly.” He was a five-hundred-year-old dragon and not beyond intimidating some younger shifter into romancing his sister. 

Halee jacked up a brow. “Right.” Then she smiled. “Who knows, maybe you’ll finally meet the woman who will bring you to your knees.”

He just laughed. “Doubtful.”

Her smile widened further. “I’m even willing to bet money she will be human. Your time is coming, dear brother.”

“I will wager you a week’s pay that I never mate a human. I thought we’d had this conversation before.” He crossed his arms in a show of confidence. Not that he had anything against a human female. Many had warmed his bed, but he would spend his future with nothing less than a halfling, though he preferred a full-blooded female. 

“Why are you so stubborn?”

“You know the dynamics of our species’ relationships and breeding is fucked up.” He held up a hand. “Through no fault of our own.”

She huffed. “How well I know. After all, I am a rarity, especially considering mother was human before she mated our father.”

That his parents had birthed Halee, a full-blood, was a miracle and he hoped he carried the same genes that would allow him to have a full dragon daughter as well. Dragon DNA was complex and even more so when the males had to turn to humans for mates. All male babies were born full shifters. The girls on the other hand could be born human, halfling––and at least twenty percent of halflings would be sterile to dragon fertilization––and then there was the ever-elusive, full-shifter female like his sister Halee.

“I’m only trying to keep our species alive. More and more daughters born are human and I worry about our race.”

She touched his arm, her eyes filled with compassion. “I understand your motives, and they are gallant. But your dragon will choose its mate and there will be nothing you can do to change that.”

“My dragon, more than anyone, understands the peril our people are in if we don’t figure out how to bring more shifter females into this world.”

His sister let out a sigh. “Let the scientists and doctors figure it out. Now that we have Brooke as our queen, she already has people working on the problem.”

He simply nodded, done with this conversation. “I need to take care of some things. I’ll be sure to see you before I go.” He kissed her forehead, then walked away.

* * *

Avery stood in front of the mirror, cursing her uniform. Why did EMT’s have to tuck in their shirts? She hated her wide hips and less than flat stomach, and the black pants didn’t help hide the fact she wasn’t thin by any means. If she had become a firefighter like she had dreamed, at least she would have spent a good share of time in heavy gear that would hide her less than flattering figure. However, she’d allowed her family to talk her out of it. Her brothers, both of whom were firefighters in other states, had sat her down and explained it was no place for her. It was a tiring job and required a person to be physically fit. 

She was fit, damn it!

Avery just wasn’t stick-thin like her sister and mother. Or her father and brothers, for that matter. She was more like her grandmother. Tall and curvy. There was also no doubt in her mind––or, at least, there hadn’t been––that she could handle the rigors of fighting fires. It was in her family’s blood, at least the male side, and she had wanted desperately to be the first woman in her family to wear turnout gear. She had gone to the fire academy and passed, but when it came time to apply for a job, she had taken the EMT position her eldest brother had encouraged her to put in for.

“Why do I let them get to me?” She let out an exasperated sigh and turned away from her reflection. It was time to make the walk to the fire station. Luckily, she lived only four blocks away, and the walk was good for her. Maybe she could shed some pounds by winter. Grabbing her keys, she shoved them into her backpack and headed out the door. Avery tried to focus her excitement on the new guy coming in today. Captain Johnson had requested a real live shifter to come work with them for the next month. It was her understanding that dragon shifters had been in the fire business for many years and were experts at it. Something about a new law which now allowed them to shift into their dragon form in front of humans, and this Kadin Murphy was going to help ease everyone into working with dragons. She had to wonder what a shifter looked like. Had she ever unknowingly met one? Would it scare her shitless when she saw one shift? How big were they? Stepping into the station, she headed for the time clock and punched in. When she turned to go for the women’s quarters to put her stuff away, she nearly walked right into the sexiest chest she had ever seen in a T-shirt.

“Oh, uh, I’m so sorry.” She tipped her chin up since he was several inches taller than her and nearly fainted. His dark hair was cut short and tight on the sides, with a little more length on top. It reminded her of a longer version of a military cut. As she swallowed, she swore something dark and dangerous passed through his brilliant blue eyes, so she brought her gaze down to the well-kept whiskers that graced his handsome, chiseled face. When he opened his mouth to speak, she finally realized he had a firm grip on each of her shoulders. Probably to keep her from stumbling right into him like the idiot she was.

“Hello, I was looking for Captain Johnson.” He released her and took a step out of her personal space.

“S-sure. I can help with that. You are?” You are darkness, danger and sin rolled into one sexy man!

“I am Kadin Murphy.”

Oh, son of a bitch! He was the dragon shifter. He didn’t look like a dragon, but then what had she expected one to look like? Certainly not like sex standing in front of her in form-fitting dark jeans and a tight white tee. Jesus, help her keep her foot out of her mouth.

“The shifter?”

His grin melted her panties. “Yep, that’s me.” His dark brow jacked up over pools of blue. “Have you ever seen a dragon shift before?”

“No.”

“Well…” He searched her chest for her name tag.

“Avery. Avery Miller.” She tried hard not to blush under his stare.

“Well, Avery Miller. I hope not to frighten you. Now, if you could point me toward the captain.”

“This way.” She headed down the hall, shocked her legs still worked, and pointed him toward the captain’s office. Once he was inside, she continued to her quarters. It was only after he was gone she realized his scent still lingered. He smelled like the outdoors and reminded her of a hike in the boundary waters in the spring. The scent you get when the sun warms up the earth and mixes with cedar and pine. It soothed her, and she instantly missed it. Wanted to be near him again. Fortunately for her, the station’s alarm went off, and the call was for the ambulance. Time to pull her head from the clouds and get to work.