Protected by the Dragon

by Kayla Wolf

  “—and Stephen said he was going to check in the deeper archives and see if there was anything that got overlooked! Can you believe it?”

  ”I can,” she said patiently. The older dragon had taken quite a shine to Angela. From what Samuel had said, he’d been lost in grief for quite some time—having an eager young protege to share all his old records and histories with seemed to have given him a new lease on life. He’d been much more energetic when Jessica saw him in the hallways—and she could even swear that he looked younger. Perhaps that made sense. Unlike wolves, dragons were born in their dragon forms—the human shape was something that came later, and often reflected a lot about the dragon’s state of mind. It was good to see Stephen looking so well.

  ”I’ll shut up about history now,” Angela said, with a long—suffering sigh. “As my special wedding gift to you.”

  Helena laughed, a musical sound. The dragoness was lounging on the bed in the corner of the quarters Jessica and Samuel had shared since she moved into the caves—she was already immaculately dressed, her sleek black hair falling with effortless perfection around her gorgeous face and framing those golden eyes she shared with her family. Her dress was a burnished bronze that reminded Jessica of the shade of dragon scales—she’d made it herself, she’d told Jessica earlier.

  And she’d also made Jessica her wedding dress. The gown was almost too beautiful to look at—Jessica had circled it for what felt like hours, just staring. Intricate lace patterns along the bodice—a scooped neck that was almost surgically tailored to her exact measurements—a long, flowing skirt that, even though it looked cumbersome, was surprisingly light and swishy.

  ”I should go into business, Lisa says,” was all Helena would say when Jessica exclaimed about how perfect it was. “But I don’t like making dresses for people I don’t love.”

  ”Make one for me?” Angela had asked, gazing at her sister as she twirled happily in the gown.

  ”And who are you marrying?”

  ”I’ll figure that out once I’ve tried the dress on.”

  “Now, where’s the ceremony again?”

  ”There’s a huge cavern, down underneath the palace. Big hollowed out area, can’t miss out. Very ceremonial and spiritual and whatnot,” Helena said casually—but Jessica could tell the place was special to her. Special to all of dragonkind, in fact. It had been a rather fraught question, whether or not the wedding would be allowed to take place there—a lot of the Elders bore wolves a great deal of ill will. But Samuel had been tireless. He’d visited with what seemed like every single dragon in the village, talked to each one for hours, patiently heard out their concerns. It had been exhausting, and Jessica had watched him drag himself home after meeting after meeting.

  “I’m more than happy to do it,” he’d said patiently when she expressed her concern. “I’ll keep asking for a thousand years if I have to, Jess. You’re my soulmate. They’re going to wear down.”

  And wear down they had. Jessica had attended a number of gatherings on Samuel’s arm, endured the suspicious glances and muttered comments from the older dragons—he’d been a great support, but so had Lisa, who had been through this exact thing when Alexander had brought her home from the human city of New York.

  ”They’ll run out of energy eventually, darl,” she’d breathed into Jessica’s ear after the fifth stiff introduction to a dragon who’d then turned and walked rudely away. “They’ll give in before you do. Promise.”

  And slowly but surely, they had. At this point, Jessica was on polite talking terms with almost every dragon in the village. Even Amara, who seemed to have some kind of romantic history with Samuel (he always got embarrassed and refused to talk about it when she brought it up) had finally accepted her as a friend and even taken some interest in her life in Fallhurst. She was grateful. That had been a condition of hers for marrying Samuel—she wanted his family, his kind, to accept her first. She wasn’t interested in any dramatic scenes at her wedding. She’d had more than enough of that kind of thing for one lifetime. She had to admit—she liked the side of Samuel she’d seen as he confronted his family over their relationship. He wasn’t hostile, but he also didn’t take any nonsense—there was a steely determination in his eyes as he cut short every attempted slight against her, against wolves, against the love they shared.

  And today was the day. Her hair was done—the wild, dark mass pulled up into an elegant bun by Helena, who’d tugged and adjusted it just-so until a few pieces fell out, framing her face more beautifully than it ever had. She almost looked like a different person in the mirror—but her silver eyes kept her grounded, kept her focused. The eyes of a wolf. The eyes she shared with her sister, and with her kind.

  Would she ever go home again? It didn’t seem likely—not any time soon, at any rate. There was no kind of diplomacy open between the village and the dragon valley—she had no idea how her father and mother were doing, though she hoped against hope that her mother would find a way out of there somehow. She deserved better than a life of imprisonment. Maybe someday, she’d go back and take the village over. She was the Alpha’s daughter now, after all—that gave her the right to try for the position. She’d thought about it, late at night after Samuel had fallen asleep. Fallhurst was such a big part of her life—she couldn’t just pretend it had never been her home.

  Jessica shook her head now, focusing back in on the present. This was a big day. Her wedding day. The planning had been easy—Helena and Angela had been thrilled to be her bridesmaids, and when she’d asked Lisa—with whom she’d struck up a fast friendship—to be her maid of honor, the woman had squealed so loudly that Alexander had stuck his head in from the other room, concerned that something was wrong. Lisa was born to plan and organize things. The whole experience had been gloriously stress-free.

  And she’d needed a bit of stress-free time, she reflected as she put the finishing touches on her makeup, listening to Angela chatter on about dragon history (her ‘wedding gift’ already forgotten) to Helena’s quiet amusement. Moving up here to the valley had felt like taking a deep breath of clean air after a lifetime spent drowning in smog. Nobody was angry with her all the time—there was no elaborate unspoken network of rules to break, no duties to uphold, no vague but ominous and oppressive sense of responsibility to an abstract concept. When people needed help, they asked for it. When people wanted you to do something, they told you. It was a revelation. No wonder Angela was thriving so much. She supposed she herself was thriving, too. She certainly never remembered smiling so much.

  “Alright, bride-to-be, you look gorgeous. Time to get going.”

  Jessica took a deep breath, straightened the veil that was nestled perfectly in her hair, and rose to her feet. The gown fell to the floor, hiding her shoes completely from view—which meant she was wearing her running shoes. Helena had laughed uproariously when she’d asked if that was okay.

  ”Of course, babe. It’s your day. You wear what gives you joy.”

  They padded along the now-familiar hallways of the caves—to discover Lisa, standing by a door that Jessica had never seen open. She was wearing the same pale gray dress that Angela and Helena were wearing, and she was holding a gorgeous bouquet of lilies, Jessica’s favorite flower, which she pressed into her hands.

  ”You look gorgeous, Jessica,” she smiled, tears standing in her eyes. “Truly. Come this way.”

  ”I thought this was a closet,” Jessica exclaimed as the door opened, revealing a series of stairs that descended deep into the caverns. Lisa led the way, and Jessica followed, Angela and Helena bringing up the rear and making sure her dress didn’t get snagged on the rock.

  She couldn’t help but gasp as they emerged into a huge cavern. Every single surface in the place seemed to sparkle like the inside of a geode. She stood, stock still, staring around her—forgetting for the moment even why she was there, so captivated was she. No wonder this place was sacred—no wonder dragons thought it was holy. Just standing here was a religious expe
rience. And as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she realized that the space was full of dragons. Dozens of them, perhaps, huge shapes in the gloom, with their eyes glowing all the various colors that Samuel had explained corresponded somehow to their family line. She saw Amara, her blue eyes gleaming—the dragoness stretched out her neck in something like a wave, and a smile split across her face. This was incredible.

  And there, a few dozen feet ahead of her, was a line of candles—and at the end of it stood Samuel. In his human form, thankfully—as much as she liked his dragon form, she wasn’t sure how the ‘you may kiss the bride’ part of the ceremony would go. At his side was Alexander, his best man—they both looked impeccable in sharp suits. Helena, the resident fashion designer, had outdone herself. And Stephen stood at the front of the cave before a huge, symmetrical rock formation. Lisa gently nudged her, and Jessica drew herself up, Angela falling into place beside her. Without her mother or father to give her away—for obvious reasons—she’d chosen her sister to walk her down the aisle.

  Samuel was gazing at her like she was the moon and stars all in one, and she met those golden eyes with an enormous smile, feeling tears standing in her eyes. Every single day she’d spent with him had been better than the one before it. It had seemed impulsive, yes, to agree to marry him so early into their relationship—but he’d never stopped showing her what a fantastic decision it had been. Dragons believed well and truly in soulmates—and the more time she spent with Samuel, the more she believed it herself. There was no flicker of hesitation, or fear, or regret in her—she’d never been surer of anything in her life as she stood before Samuel and his whole clan to declare their love and commitment to one another.

  “I can’t believe I found you,” she whispered to him as his father addressed the gathered crowd of dragons, and he grinned, squeezing her hands in his. The ceremony was simple but beautiful—they exchanged their promises to one another, declared everyone present to be a witness to the commitment, then walked out of the cavern together, hand in hand. As they went, she heard a curious humming and felt the gentle brush of mental presences—dragons, so careful and distant in their communications, each one expressing some kind of well wishes with genuine feeling. It was beautiful, and she felt a tear roll down her cheek as they headed out of the cave, through a different passageway than the one they’d come through.

  ”One more surprise,” Lisa informed them—she and Alexander were walking behind them in the procession. And Jessica gasped as they stepped through a doorway at the end of the passage—onto a rocky outcropping, decorated exquisitely with flowers. Her eyes widened as she approached the edge of the outcrop, feeling the cool mountain air toying with her hair and fluttering the skirt around her ankles. The rest of the wedding party were emerging—and behind them, more people. It seemed the dragons had changed back to human form for the reception. She took it as a compliment—from what Samuel had told her, most dragons didn’t much care for their human shapes, seeing them as unfortunate vessels to be trapped in occasionally.

  ”This is beautiful, Lisa,” Jessica said sincerely, taking her new sister-in-law by the hands.

  ”Samuel’s idea,” Lisa said. “He said you loved the outdoors, so we figured…”

  Jessica flicked a glance at Samuel, who made his very best impression of an innocent look—but she could see the sly grin twitching at the corner of his lips. Hoping very much that he hadn’t shared any of the details of the picnic they’d shared in that first week she’d spent with him, she hugged Lisa, trying to convey with that embrace what it meant to her to be accepted by the family.

  ”I did the decorations,” Helena pointed out, and Jessica laughed and hugged the tall woman too, deliriously happy with everything that life had brought her.

  ”I’m your sister,” Angela said finally, and Jessica grabbed her too, resisting the urge to wrestle her to the ground like she’d used to when they were kids.

  ”C’mon. Let’s join the party.”

  It was a beautiful afternoon, and Jessica had never felt happier—giggling with Angela about how stiff the other dragons looked in their human bodies, teasing Helena about her somewhat extravagant decoration of the outdoor space, joking with Lisa about how on earth a human and a wolf had managed to integrate themselves into this strange but rather beautiful little community of dragons. But finally, when the food had all been eaten, and the sun was setting over the mountains, she found herself alone with her husband. Samuel was standing at the edge of the outcropping, staring out over the hills.

  ”Penny for your thoughts?” she asked, slipping her hand into his—he smiled and put his arm around her shoulders, automatically gathering her to his side to protect her against the cold night air.

  ”Just that I’m probably the luckiest person ever to live. All the different directions you could’ve run away from home in, and you chose the one that brought you to me.”

  ”Luck, really? I thought it was fate.”

  ”Same thing, in hindsight.” He smiled down at her.

  ”Well, if I had a vote, I wouldn’t have minded not breaking my leg,” she mused thoughtfully—then laughed as he elbowed her in the ribs. “But it was worth it. I’d break a hundred legs to be with you.”

  ”And I’d break a thousand ancient wolf-dragon truces,” he said solemnly.

  “And I’d rip a thousand throats out—”

  ”Woah. Let’s not get too romantic, shall we?”

  She laughed, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss him—and he swept her into his arms, spinning them both around under the broad sky that reached out above them. The stars were coming out, and the chill of the night was beginning to creep into the air, and Jessica thought that her heart might just about burst with happiness.

  Finally, she was somewhere she wanted to stay forever.

  *****

  THE END

  About the Author

  Kayla Wolf is a mom of two, an obsessive reader and a total sucker for paranormal romance. Sexy shifters, sassy women, steamy encounters, and dangerous enemies are the things that make her lay awake at night. Whenever she thinks about these things, she just has to get up and write about them immediately... Come on in, and spoil the beast in you.

  Check out her author page on Amazon and be sure to click “Follow” to get new release updates.

  Books by The Wolf Sisters

  (All books are FREE with Kindle Unlimited)

  Books by Kayla Wolf:

  Dragon Valley Series

  Dragon Valley keeps a secret that noone knows about: Dangerously sexy and muscled dragons have made the valley their home. But their existence is at risk. They need to find a mate or else their time might be up. Will the dragons find their mates?

  Dragon Valley is a paranormal romance series that consists of standalone stories that each have a satisfying HEA. The books are connected through the dragons that live in the valley.

  Mated to the Dragon (Dragon Valley Book 1)

  It’s not easy to find yourself in close quarters with an absurdly well-muscled dragon who looks like the most successful underwear model in history…

  Lisa thinks being single is just brilliant. Her defenses against men are ironclad. Known among her friends as the Single One, Lisa has enough on her plate, what with trying to get the clients of her dating agency suitable partners.

  But her defenses start coming down when a certain gold-eyed hunk of mystery with a huge chest and dark, luscious curls, walks into her life, bleeding and wounded.

  When he kisses her, it feels like the tide coming in. And somehow, even though she is a Professional Handler of Feelings she knows that if she doesn't get his shirt off immediately she is going to die...

  Alexander is the King of dragons. But his dragons are dying. There’s a prophecy he has to fulfill to break the curse – and that prophecy means finding his human mate. Which proves more difficult than he thought when he runs into a pack of wolves who try to destroy him.

  When he finds himself in close quarters wit
h a gorgeous dating coach who can help him find his mate, he doesn’t refuse.

  But close quarters can get very … hot.

  Very steamy...

  And very dangerous…

  Read it now (free with KU)!

  * * *

  Books by Mia Wolf:

  Bear Caves Series

  Come visit the Bear Caves, a mysterious village where bear shifters live far removed from humans. This village, with its caves and its festivals houses not just any bears. No, it houses Very Sexy bears, who are not easy to please, but who will protect their mates with their lives without question.

  The Bear Caves series consists of stand-alone stories that are connected through the bears who live in the village. Each story has a guaranteed satisfying HEA.

  Mated to the Bear (Bear Caves Book 1)

  The animal in him wants to claim her and devour her curves. How much longer can he deny his primal instinct?

  Jessica has hit rock bottom. With no home and no job, she has no idea what to do. So when a guy from a dating website offers her to come and stay at his place to think things over, she does something insane: she accepts.

  But how on earth is she going to think things over while being shut up with a guy who has a rock solid chest, a lethal look, and a disheveled mess of brown hair? She’s ready to obey any of his orders.

  Alpha Joshua is facing pressure from his bear clan: he needs to take a mate. But his tortured soul doesn’t want one. When his clan signs him up for a dating website that matches him with Jessica, his bear suddenly rages protectively and invites her to his home.