Enticing the Dragon

by Jane Godman

  A creature of fantasy...

  ...and the man of her dreams

  Musician Torque is known for his incendiary solos and smoking-hot looks. Hollie Brennan is a dedicated fan drawn to the sexy guitarist. But she’s also an FBI agent tracking a serial arsonist...and the evidence leads her to Torque, a dragon shifter in disguise. As the sparks fly, Torque and Hollie must fight fire with fire and track down the person endangering their love.

  Torque’s eyes locked on to hers with an intensity that took her breath away.

  His mouth on hers was harder this time, demanding everything she needed to give. A soft sound escaped him as he parted her lips with his tongue. A groan that came from somewhere deep in his chest. It sounded like he’d found forever.

  That noise was everything Hollie had ever wanted. Her whole body vibrated with pleasure as she slid a hand behind his head. Heat built in the pit of her stomach, radiating outward until the pressure became a sweet, unbearable pain. The air around them crackled with electricity as Torque’s tongue caressed hers.

  Hollie came alive in the storm that broke over her. Torque’s touch sent a lightning bolt straight to her heart. She gave herself up to the tempest, allowing it to consume her, emerging on the other side of a moment that changed her life.

  When she raised her head and looked into Torque’s eyes, she saw confirmation of her own thoughts. “I haven’t changed my mind, Torque. I still want you.”

  Jane Godman writes in a variety of romance genres, including paranormal, gothic and romantic suspense. Jane lives in England and loves to travel to European cities that are steeped in history and romance—Venice, Dubrovnik and Vienna are among her favorites. Jane is married to a lovely man and is mom to two grown-up children.

  Books by Jane Godman

  Harlequin Nocturne

  Otherworld Protector

  Otherworld Renegade

  Otherworld Challenger

  Immortal Billionaire

  The Unforgettable Wolf

  One Night with the Valkyrie

  Awakening the Shifter

  Enticing the Dragon

  Harlequin E Shivers

  Legacy of Darkness

  Echoes in the Darkness

  Valley of Nightmares

  Darkness Unchained

  Harlequin Romantic Suspense

  The Coltons of Red Ridge

  Colton and the Single Mom

  Sons of Stillwater

  Covert Kisses

  The Soldier’s Seduction

  Secret Baby, Second Chance

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  ENTICING THE DRAGON

  Jane Godman

  Dear Reader,

  Enticing the Dragon is the second book featuring one of the bad-boy stars from Beast, the rock band with a difference (spoiler: all of the members are shifters).

  Don’t worry if you haven’t read the first book, Awakening the Shifter, as it won’t affect your enjoyment of this story. Although, can I just take a moment to recommend that story, as well?

  In Enticing the Dragon, Torque is Beast’s fiery lead guitarist by day and a centuries-old dragon shifter by night. The last of one of Scotland’s ancient clans, he is resigned to a life of solitude.

  Everything changes when he meets Hollie Brennan, an undercover FBI fire investigator who has suspicions about his role in a series of arson attacks.

  When Hollie herself is in danger from the fire starter, everything changes. The dragon and the agent join forces. Science and magic come together to defeat evil, but there is more at stake than they believe and the attraction between them is more sizzling than any fire Torque’s breath can ignite.

  I loved writing this story. Dragons are such magical creatures, and creating a character who combined those mystical elements together with the bad-boy persona of a rock star was a joy. Hollie needed to be a strong character to tame her dragon!

  I’d love to hear from you. You can contact me at:

  Website: JaneGodmanAuthor.com

  Twitter: @JaneGodman

  Facebook: Jane Godman Author

  Happy reading,

  Jane

  This book is dedicated to my new grandson, Harry. Welcome to the world, little one.

  Contents

  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

  Excerpt from The Black Wolf by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom

  Chapter 1

  It didn’t matter how many ways Hollie Brennan looked at the information on her laptop screen—the same pattern emerged every time. Only too aware of the problems the evidence posed, she had reviewed it over and over. Her faith in the computer program should have been absolute. She had been the person to devise it, and she had done it with just this sort of scenario in mind. It was used by fire investigators all over the country. Now she was doubting the information it was giving her. Instead of trusting it, she had gone back to basics. As she drank her early-morning coffee, the table in her small apartment was littered with maps, scribbled notes and scrawled diagrams.

  She had even woken with a start at three in the morning, tearing herself away from her dreams of enchantment and mystery, before jumping out of bed to double-check one of the locations. But no. She had been right all along...which meant, no matter how crazy it sounded, she had to take this to her boss.

  You have to listen to what the data is telling you, even if it appears bizarre. It was part of her introductory talk to trainee fire investigators. On this occasion, she was finding it increasingly difficult to take her own advice.

  The streets were clear as she drove toward the office. This was one advantage of being up and about so early. She was half listening to the radio, her mind tuning in and out of the news stories, when the first bars of a rock ballad caught her full attention. It was the latest release from Beast, one of the biggest bands in the world. It was also, on this particular morning, the ultimate irony. After listening for a few moments, Hollie switched the radio off.

  On arriving at the office, she was pleased to see her boss’s car was already in its designated parking space. There was a joke among the agents at the Newark Division of the FBI that, since no one ever saw her come or go, Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Melissa McLain might actually spend the night there.

  Hollie didn’t subscribe to the same view as her colleagues. ASAC McLain was a professional, but she wasn’t an automaton. Maybe it was because of Hollie’s unique role within the Bureau, but she had been granted occasional glances beneath the steely mask. They had even, now and then, gone out and gotten mildly tipsy together. No, McLain was human, and she was mightily pissed about their inability to catch one of the most prolific and deadly arsonists to come the Bureau’s way.

  On reaching the third floor, Hollie knocked on McLain’s office door and waited for the abrupt inst
ruction to enter.

  “I come bearing caffeine.” She held up the carton from her boss’s favorite coffee shop. She knew from experience that stopping on the way into work to purchase the strongest, largest espresso worked well in two ways. It softened McLain’s mood slightly, and it meant she was forced to look up from her desk and focus on Hollie while they talked.

  “It’s never good if you have to bribe me.” McLain removed the lid from the carton and closed her eyes as she inhaled.

  “Not only is it not good—” Hollie sighed as she sipped her peppermint tea; the coffee had been tempting, but she needed a clear head for this conversation “—it’s so weird I don’t know where to start.”

  “How about the beginning?” McLain’s direct gaze didn’t allow for hesitation.

  Okay. Deep breath. “You know I like rock music?”

  A corner of McLain’s mouth lifted. “I’m more of a classical fan myself, but I won’t hold your musical preferences against you. Is this going anywhere?”

  “Bear with me. About a week ago, I was looking at dates, hoping to get a ticket for Beast’s next tour. They’re like gold dust.” The facts. Stick with the facts. “Anyway, there was a sidebar on the webpage, showing all the places they’d toured in the last few years. And it got my attention.”

  “Because?”

  Hollie reached for her file of paperwork. “Because, in the last four years, the places Beast has toured are the towns the Incinerator has targeted. Our random arsonist is not so random, after all.”

  McLain’s brows snapped together. “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You’re saying our arsonist set his fires in the same towns that this rock band tours? Does he do it at the same time?”

  “Typically, the fires take place the day after a Beast concert. Sometimes two days,” Hollie said. “But there’s more. Once I found the link, I did some checking into Beast’s international tours. Guess what?”

  McLain took a gulp of her coffee, some of her customary poise deserting her. “Our guy has a passport?”

  “It looks that way. In the four years we have been hunting the Incinerator, Beast has traveled to Europe, Australia and Asia. I checked with the police in each of those countries, and during each Beast tour, there were classic Incinerator fires in every location. Generally, the intervals between the international concerts and the fires were longer. Often they were weeks apart. But they always happened.”

  “Damn.”

  Hollie took her maps out of her file and placed them on the desk. “There’s a problem.”

  “No, don’t give me problems.” McLain groaned. “Not when you’ve just given me the closest thing we’ve ever had to a breakthrough in this damn case.”

  Hollie pointed to the two maps. “This is a map showing the location of every Incinerator fire. This one shows every place Beast has toured. The two match up every time...except for recently.” She pulled in a breath. Now for the hard part. “The last three Incinerator fires were set in towns that were not the location of a Beast tour.”

  McLain muttered a curse under her breath. “Why have you brought me this if you’ve already disproved your own theory?”

  “Because there is another link.” Hollie drew her electronic tablet from its case. “I reasoned that the Beast link was too strong to be overlooked.” She brought an image of the band up on the screen. “This guy is the lead singer, Khan. He got married recently and the birth of his baby daughter twelve months ago coincided with the band’s decision to take a break from touring. During that time, the other members of the group have done some solo projects.”

  Sensing McLain’s impatience, she played a brief recording of the group. On the screen, dense smoke rolled like fog from the stage. Within it, colored strobe lights danced in time with the drumbeat. Giant LED screens at the rear of the stage projected alternating images of roaring fire, close-ups of snarling animals and Beast’s logo, a stylized symbol resembling three entwined number sixes. At the side of the stage, explosions went off at random intervals, shooting orange flames high into the night sky.

  Beast was a fire-storming force of nature, but McLain appeared unimpressed. “Why do I need to see this?”

  “I want you to look at this guy.” Hollie zoomed in on the front of the stage. Tall and muscular with his dark red hair drawn back into a ponytail, the man she indicated was all burning drama and flickering movement. Even on a screen, it was clear that the air around him sizzled into life as he timed the sweeping arc of his hand on the guitar to the explosions at the side of the stage. As they watched, he gestured in the manner of a conjurer, igniting a flickering blue blaze along the front of the stage.

  “Looks like he enjoys playing with fire. Who is he?”

  Hollie ended the recording. “Torque. Lead guitar.”

  The reason I wanted that Beast ticket. It was hard to explain her feelings about a man she had never met. Luckily, she didn’t think McLain would require the additional information.

  “You can match him to the other three Incinerator locations?”

  Hollie nodded, withdrawing a third map from her file. “I tracked each individual member of Beast to find out what they have been doing during the past twelve months. Torque did a solo tour of small venues around the Midwest. We wondered why the Incinerator had changed his targets from big cities to small towns? It’s because Torque did.”

  McLain leaned back in her chair, gazing at the ceiling for a moment or two. “You know what this means?”

  Hollie nodded miserably. She was one step ahead of McLain. She’d already made the connection her boss was about to voice.

  “We either have a crazed fan who is setting these fires as a tribute to his favorite, fiery rock star...”

  “Or Torque is the Incinerator.”

  * * *

  There were things Torque missed about touring with Beast. He enjoyed traveling. Since distance was meaningless to him, he particularly relished journeying across continents and oceans, although he found conventional means of reaching his destination restrictive. After twelve months of seeing his bandmates only occasionally, he could honestly say he was missing them. Even though they could collectively, and individually, bring him to a point where it felt like his head was about to explode, they were his friends. Too much alpha-maleness in one place was usually the problem. On their tour bus Beast was a cocktail of testosterone and shifter genes that meant one wrong look, or a word out of place, and the vehicle was in a constant state of near combustion.

  Strangely, it was Torque, the fieriest member of the group when performing, who often acted as the peacemaker offstage. Alongside Ged Taverner, their manager, Torque could defuse a situation with his calm manner and quiet good humor. When Khan, the lead singer, and Diablo, the drummer, were engaged in one of their snarling exchanges, most people stood back. Torque was the one who got between them and made them back down. That was probably something to do with shifter hierarchy.

  There were plenty of things he didn’t miss about being on the road. Torque hated being at the mercy of someone else’s schedule, and touring felt like the ultimate restriction on his freedom. Food was always a problem when the band was on tour, both in terms of quality and quantity. Torque ate meat, and plenty of it. Well-done red meat. Everywhere he went, it was the same story. It didn’t matter what country he was in, or what the establishment was. There was always an assumption that he would want salad, or bread, or some other trimming. The only accompaniment he wanted with his meat was more meat. Flame-grilled until it was black. No one ever understood that.

  The other disadvantage to touring was the lack of privacy. There had been a time in the past when confidentiality wasn’t an issue, when finding wide-open spaces away from prying eyes was easier. Now, of course, technology presented its own set of problems, taking surveillance to a whole new level. It meant he had to constantly stay one step ahead. But Torque was an expert at kee
ping secrets. He had been doing it for a very long time.

  Unlike some of his bandmates, Torque had no problem with the rock-star lifestyle. Late nights? Parties? Groupies? He could handle anything fame threw his way. Yes, there were aspects of his life he didn’t care to share with his fans, but he had learned how to strike a balance. And having billions of dollars at his disposal...well, that helped him maintain the life he wanted. It helped a lot.

  He thought about that as he stood at the edge of his private beach, looking out across Pleasant Bay. When they weren’t touring, the other members of Beast were based in New York, close to their recording studio. Torque owned an apartment in Manhattan, but this was his home. It had nothing to do with the celebrity lifestyle and everything to do with his personal needs. He didn’t want glamour. This tucked-away, luxury Maine property had a perfect addition for anyone seeking the sort of isolation Torque needed. From where he was standing now, he could just about see the outline of his own secluded island.

  Maybe it was thinking about his bandmates that had done it, but he was feeling restless. Having his own retreat was all very well. It was here when he needed it, but on this particular evening, his need for company was stronger than the desire for solitude. It was a short walk into the town of Addison, and the regulars in the Pleasant Bay Bar didn’t get starstruck by the presence of one of the world’s most famous men. A few were fans and asked about tours and forthcoming albums. Others clearly had no idea who he was...and didn’t care. Torque found this as refreshing as the beer.

  The route from his house into town was one of his favorite walks. The dramatic coastline, with its craggy rocks and wild waves, was on one side and soaring pine forests on the other. It was a landscape from another time, making Torque think of days gone by. Of knights and maidens and heroic deeds. When humans looked beyond the veil of possibility and believed in magic.

  It was still early and the Pleasant Bay Bar was quiet. The contrast as he walked from sunlight into shade made him blink. His eyes were extraordinarily sensitive, but they took a moment to adjust. The background music was a country ballad—definitely not one of ours—that suited his mood. Yes, this had been a good idea.