by Naomi Sparks
Fire Magic
MC Dragon Shifter Warriors
Naomi Sparks
Angel Ward
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2019 by Naomi Sparks and Angel Ward
All rights reserved.
Second Edition
This book was originally published under the pen name Sharon Spell in the “Nomad Dragon” series. If you want to learn more, visit Naomi’s website: https://naomisparks.com
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Published in the United States
Cover design by Sekhmetrics
Contents
Blurb
1. Faris
2. Kyra
3. Faris
4. Kyra
5. Faris
6. Kyra
7. Faris
8. Kyra
9. Faris
10. Kyra
11. Faris
12. Kyra
13. Faris
14. Kyra
15. Faris
16. Amasis
MC Dragon Shifter Warriors
Also by Angel Ward
Also by Naomi Sparks
About Naomi and Angel
Blurb
Small Town. Big Secrets. We don’t get many visitors in Juniper, and the locals like to keep it that way. I’ve learned to keep my distance, too. The only thing outsiders find if they look too close is a cold and lonely grave.
Then he arrives in town like my darkest, dirtiest dream: all muscle, tattoos, and a rough accent. They don’t make men like that around here. Hell, they don’t make men like that anymore. When he looks at me, it’s like I’ve known him all my life. When he says my name, it’s like he’s already made me his.
I can’t stay away, even though I know I should. The lust between us is as elemental and all-consuming as a wildfire. He says he wants to protect me, but I can tell he’s running from something too. You can’t outrun the past, and no secret can stay buried forever.
I’ve learned to keep my problems close to home. It’s easier that way, because the only person you’ll ever hurt is yourself. But he doesn’t just want my body, he wants my heart. My trust. And I want to give in so badly, but what if the danger I’m hiding destroys us both?
1
Faris
The town of Juniper, Oregon doesn’t exactly hum with energy from our vantage point just a few miles outside of town. If anything, my dragon senses tell me the place is barely touched with energy, moving like a slug and with less life than one. And like much of South-Eastern Oregon, it’s mostly dry and spotted with low, green and brown scrublands which surround the town. But, a sleepy place like this might be just the place for our motorcycle club to settle down until it is time to ride again.
“Watch your back, Faris,” Lex tells me as I swing a leg over my bike.
“Yep,” I say, then kick on the motor and cruise away from the club.
It’s hard to imagine needing to watch my back too hard in a small town like this, but the last small town we’d been in—where Lex had incidentally found his mate—had proven that idea wrong. Besides, The Clutch was always out there. We may not be first on the list of things the old dragon council wanted to deal with, but one never knew.
Besides, humans could be trouble, too.
When I hit the town outskirts, I see exactly one gas station—Juniper Gas & Co. The street leading in has a sleepy feel to it, but my dragon instincts kick into high gear the second I cross the town line. Lex plans on staying here a few days after I grab supplies to give Hannah’s morning sickness—something I have learned lasts all damn day long—a chance to subside. But this place feels off. And I think we’re better off moving on. Even if it means making Lex’s mate a little uncomfortable for a few more days.
But, supplies first.
The Juniper Gas & Co. looks like the only option, so I get off my bike and head inside. The bell over the door dings when I enter, but I don’t see anyone up front. It appears to be a well-stocked, if small, grocery store as well as a gas station. I even see a couple shelves devoted to hardware. No doubt the little place has no competition in the area, and the residents face a long drive if they want more selection. But they have the necessities, and that’s all that matters to me.
A few other people mill around the store, but I ignore them. I pick up the supplies we need for a few days on the road, then wander through the aisles. My eyes are drawn to the pickle display on one of the shelves, and I hesitate. Didn’t pregnant women love pickles? Lex’s mate might appreciate them.
I grab a jar, then head for the checkout counter. As I approach, four youngish men surround me. They all look to be in their late twenties or early thirties.
“Fucking terrorist,” one of them says, disdain dripping from his tone. “Go back to your own country.”
The others continue to taunt me, as well. But I ignore the insults—I’m practically immune to them now. Living eighteen hundred years has provided me plenty of time to get used to verbal jabs, even if they have picked up in frequency recently, and these four are not particularly good at it. And the terrorist insult has become sadly common for me as an Arab in America. But what does catch my attention is their pheromones.
They all smell wrong.
That matters far more than any of the ugly words they are spouting. I’d show them just a peek of my dragon, and that would settle that. But I hesitate. Showing anyone even a glimpse of my dragon is dangerous.
“Leave!” a woman’s voice cuts in. “Get out of my store, Dez. Take your puppets with you.”
Her voice draws my immediate attention, and despite the threat of the men around me, my gaze shifts to the petite woman approaching us. She wears a red shirt with a tag on her chest that proclaims her name—Kyra—and her affiliation with this store. She’s raven-haired with hazel eyes, probably in her mid-twenties, and petite. But I can already tell that she is fierce.
The man she’s speaking to seems to be the leader of the group. But he ignores her. “We don’t like outsiders, especially not terrorists,” Dez says, then spits out an expletive that I have, unfortunately, gotten used to hearing. “Get out of town, while you still can.”
I arch an eyebrow at him. Fascinated with the level of vitriol my mere presence has caused. And even more fascinated at what my dragon senses are telling me. Something is off here, very off.
“Take your friends and go, Dez,” the woman says, getting closer to the man than I care for, given the violence I can sense coming from him. “You’re banned from the store. Take your idiot friends and leave.”
Still acting like he can’t hear the woman, Dez turns and strolls out of the store, his friends following. One of them turns to give me a rude gesture as he leaves. I just smile.
The woman lets out a frustrated growl that would do a dragon proud.
Once the door closes behind the men, Kyra turns to face me. Her pheromones hit me like a brick to the face, almost stunning me. Lust curls in my belly. And when she smiles at me, it takes all of my self-control not to close and take in her scent more deeply. Maybe throw her over the back of my bike and drag her off somewhere in the dark.
“I’m sorry about those guys. They’re morons, in case you couldn’t tell alrea
dy.”
Her embarrassment intrigues me. Is it because it happened in her town, her store? Or perhaps just witnessing their behavior has caused color to touch her cheeks.
“Thank you for your assistance,” I say. I don’t add that I didn’t need her help, because she likely prevented a death or four with her intervention. I don’t like to kill when I don’t have to, but the men didn’t seem likely to back down. And these days, showing my dragon to someone in that kind of situation is a death sentence for the ones who see my true form. No one can know the truth about us- it’s too dangerous.
“No problem. Are you ready to check out?” she asks.
“I suppose I am,” I say, smiling back at her. “So long as you’re doing the checking.”
A spark of interest touches her gaze, I can see it and smell it in the shift of her pheromones. “Guess I’ll have to since I’m the only one working.” Her words are pert, but her tone teasing. And she is unafraid to meet my eyes. I like that.
“Such a hardship, with terrorists like myself wandering your streets.”
Many women would have been aghast at my comment, or at least have felt the need to act like they were, but Kyra merely chuckles. “It’s a rough life, but someone has to do it.”
We flirt a bit, and I find myself enjoying the back and forth play more than I can ever recall. She finishes checking out my purchases and bagging them, and I pay her in cash. “Where can I find a decent place to stay in town?”
She grimaces. “Since Dez has taken a dislike to you, there isn’t one. In fact, it probably isn’t safe for you to stay here now. It would be dangerous for you to stick around.”
My gut had told me we should move on the second I crossed the town line. But a compulsion inside of me now refuses to entertain the idea, and I am certain that is because of Kyra. “I’ll be sticking around for a few days,” I say, firmly. No way is a small group of small-minded guys going to scare us away, anyway. “Is there a hotel in town?”
She frowns, and her brows scrunch together in the most adorable way. “There’s one down the road. But the owner probably won’t rent to you if he hears that Dez doesn’t want you in town. Not even for a night.”
“That’s… Interesting.” To say the least.
She shrugs. “That’s Juniper. People around here don’t tend to go against Dez’s wishes—especially not the business owners. Bad things happen to those who do.”
She is fascinating, and I tilt my head to watch her. Like she is a puzzle I might be able to figure out if I just examine her from the correct angle. If this man is so dangerous, how could this tiny woman have stood up to him so bravely? I hadn’t sensed any fear in her when she spoke to the men in her store. “But you stood up to him. And you don’t seem afraid to me.”
“Dez is my brother,” she admits, cheeks reddening as she looks down at the counter. Shame rolls off of her in waves. “He isn’t likely to hurt me.”
That explains her lack of fear, but something tells me that this woman would face down a bully even in less favorable circumstances. I’m not sure she’d be able to help herself.
“In spite of that, my crew and I might just stick around for a while on the outskirts of town until we decide to move on. Since it sounds like an attempt at getting a hotel is unlikely to be successful.” And I’m not moving on without Kyra—the truth hits me even as I speak. An obstacle, that’s what Dez is. An obstacle between this fascinating woman and me. “Would you like to get a drink after work?”
Her eyes widen in surprise, but she hesitates. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Do you need Dez’s permission?”
I didn’t mean for the words to be a challenge, but Kyra’s eyes narrow. “I’m a grown woman. I can do whatever I want to. I certainly don’t need my brother’s permission.”
I might not have intended to goad her, but I won’t hesitate to use her annoyance to get her to agree to a date. “Do you want to get that drink after work, then?”
“I do,” she says, with an air of defiance.
“Good.” I smile at her, knowing I probably look like a predator when I do, but I feel like I’m already on a hunt. Kyra doesn’t seem intimidated—I’m not sure much intimidates the small, feisty woman—and we exchange details and arrange a time for me to come back to meet her in the parking lot.
I grab the groceries and head out, strangely unhappy to be leaving her behind. I load up my bike and drive the short distance back to my crew. When I get there, I approach Lex.
He’s sitting on a camping chair. The tents have already been set up, and a fire burns in the pit. We’ve settled in a local campground, but not a busy one, at least not on a Thursday night. It’s pretty far off the beaten path, and there aren’t any tourist attractions nearby, so it may very well stay private.
“How’d it go in town?” Lex asks as I hand off the bags of supplies to Ezra.
“Some trouble, but nothing we can’t handle.”
Lex’s gaze is steady on mine. “Tell me.”
“Some assholes in town tried to throw their weight around. But it’s just a few humans. Punks,” I say. “But it looks like they’ve got influence over the only hotel in town. So we’re stuck with camping. Won’t be the first time.”
“Might be easier if we move on.”
“My dragon is nagging me to stay for the time being. I don’t know why yet.” The lie tastes wrong on my tongue, but I can’t tell Lex—or anyone—about Kyra yet. The whole thing is still too new, too fresh. And possessiveness makes the dragon inside of me rage at the idea of sharing her—even the knowledge of her—just yet.
Lex nods. “All right, then. We stay.”
2
Kyra
I finish tidying up the store, my belly a mess of nervous energy about my forthcoming date. It’s crazy, really the only thing I know about Faris is his name, and that my brother disapproves of him rather strongly. Since I’m not particularly fond of anything my brother approves of, that’s a huge point in his favor.
That, and the fact that he’s incredibly hot.
Strangely, it isn’t just that he is Arabic, and therefore to a small-towner like myself, a little exotic. Although his dark, wild hair and deep brown eyes didn’t detract from his attractiveness one bit. Nor did his tall, muscular frame. But it is more than that. Something about him draws me, like a moth to a flame. But hopefully with less disastrous results.
I count out my cash drawer quickly, finding that I balance to the penny, and get everything locked away securely in the safe. Juniper is such a small town that our little store hadn’t even had a safe until I’d suggested it to my boss—they’d just locked any cash not going to the bank in a drawer. It hadn’t taken me long to move up in the ranks at work—just showing up every day got me full time, and a year of actual effort had gotten me an assistant manager promotion. But I got satisfaction out of my work. Out of making honest money.
Unlike my brother.
After a quick glance at the clock, I run a mop through the bathrooms. Then I’m set to go get ready for my date.
I step out into the chilly night and pull my jacket closer. Winter isn’t here yet, but the nights are already cool. And if I’m honest, I’m a wimp when it comes to anything nearing cold.
I’ll bet Faris isn’t a wimp when it comes to much of anything.
Maybe I find it him so attractive because I haven’t dated anyone in so long. It’s a sad thing to admit to myself, but something I need to consider. My last boyfriend was AJ. I’d half convinced myself I was falling for him when he fell in with my brother’s crowd. I’d had to break up with him then. I didn’t approve of anything my brother did — especially how he acted like a tyrant to everyone in town — which is something AJ had known. Yet he’d still chosen to group up with my crazy brother. That more than anything else had shown his true priorities. Breaking up with him hadn’t been easy, but I hadn’t had any other choice. He obviously hadn’t cared about me.
Once I get the door locked,
I run across the street. I slow in my apartment parking lot and glance up at the stars. That’s one thing I’ll say for Juniper, there isn’t much light pollution, which makes the sky breathtaking at night.
I make my way to my small apartment. Studio-sized, but really all the space that I need. Most importantly, it is my space. No one else’s.
And it didn’t carry the memories of Grandpa like the home we’d shared since I was a kid.
A shower will have to wait, but standing around the store all day surely hasn’t made me that stinky, anyway. I study my closet for a long moment before choosing a cute shirt I’d recently purchased but hadn’t had the chance to wear yet. I stick with jeans, but refresh my makeup and add a little curl to my hair. Then I give the mirror a quick check before I go.
As good as it’s going to get.
I’m cute—I’m not a girl who lacks self-esteem, most of the time. But Faris… He has the bearing of a man who has seen far more of the world than I can even imagine. I know I’m cute. I like to think I’m smart. I’m definitely tenacious. But I’m not sophisticated or worldly. And I think that Faris may be used to a different kind of woman.
But who knows? Maybe he liked that I was different. Maybe that’s why he asked me out.
I head back to the store and arrive before Faris. As I walk into the parking lot, I can hear his bike roaring down the road in our otherwise too quiet town. When he pulls into the parking lot, the bad boy vibe he has going on practically makes my panties melt.
The bike doesn’t hurt—all dark metal and loud engine. But it’s the man that has my attention. He turns the bike off and pulls off his helmet, revealing those dark eyes and full lips that were made to sin, and an air of confidence that seems unshakable.