Dragon Isle Book Bundle 1-3: My Lord and Dragon, The Dragon Fighter, and A Dragon's Bite

by Stern, Sophie

  When she pulled into the docks, she knew immediately that she was going to be in for a long day. For one thing, the docks were completely packed. At least two dozen people stood milling about, obviously waiting for rides. Most of the people had suitcases or duffel bags with them. A few held packages.

  The few other boats that docked in the harbor were gone, leaving Janae as the only available captain.

  She climbed gingerly out of the boat, painfully aware of the length of her dress, and made her way over to Willie’s little shack. She was careful to avoid eye contact with any of the people, lest they try to get her to give them rides first.

  “What’s going on Willie?” She asked when the man opened his tiny door.

  “Ah, Miss Rose! Pleasure to have you back! How was your time on Dragon Isle?” Willie’s voice was pleasant, but strained.

  “Cut the bull, old man,” she glowered at him.

  Willie sighed.

  “Two of my boatmen got stuck in the storm and their boats are in desperate need of repairs. Another just didn’t show up today. No word. So I have a gathering of people who need rides to Dragon Isle and packages delivered and I have no boats available.”

  “And you want me to take them.”

  She glanced over at the group of eagerly waiting people.

  “Are you available?”

  “It’s going to take me about four trips.”

  “I’ll make it worth your while.”

  She nodded. Janae headed back outside and figured out which people needed boxes or packages delivered. She left those at Willie’s shack. She would bring those last. First, she would transport the parents who had little kids, then the old people, and finally, the college-aged dragons who had been out partying too late. They could wait. She had all night.

  Janae glanced at her phone and saw she had about five missed phone calls, undoubtedly all from Liam.

  She dialed him and he answered on the first ring.

  “Hey,” she said. “I’m going to need you to order yourself a pizza tonight. I won’t be back for awhile.”

  11

  The bell on the door jingled when Emerson entered Dragon’s Inn: Restaurant and Tavern. Ashley, the main hostess, greeted him nervously.

  “Hello,” she said. “Table for one?” He nodded, smiling, wondering what it would take to get her to stop being so afraid of him.

  While a clan leader wanted respect, he didn’t want fear.

  Ashley had been the one to tell him that another dragon, Melissa, had stolen a human and left her for dead. While Emerson had been angry beyond belief, he hadn’t taken it out on Ashley.

  Why was she so afraid of him?

  There was one way to find out.

  She led him to a quiet corner in the restaurant and he sat down.

  “What can I get you to drink?” She asked him quietly, but to her obvious surprise, he motioned for her to sit down.

  “Can you spare a moment?” He asked kindly.

  Ashley hesitated, bit her lip, and looked around nervously. She didn’t see Victoria, the human who owned the restaurant. Victoria was probably in the kitchen, making out with her mate. Seemingly satisfied that the coast was clear, Ashley took a seat across from Emerson.

  “How can I help you, Sir?” She asked. Her voice wavered. Ashley was a human. Emerson knew that much. She couldn’t be more than 24 or 25, though. He knew she’d been on the island for a couple of years, but he didn’t know why. He probably should, given that he was clan leader.

  “Why are you afraid of me?” He had never been one for pleasantries.

  Ashley looked at her hands, then at the table, then at the ceiling. Finally, she looked back at Emerson and simply said, “because you’re a scary son-of-a-bitch.”

  He laughed, and she smiled.

  “I don’t mean to be impolite,” Ashley told him. “But I was here when you flamed Arthur. All he did was stand up to you! You barred his flying privileges, and you breathed fire on his wings!”

  Emerson tried to maintain a serious expression, but it was tough when Ashley was so obviously horrified at the idea.

  “Did Arthur tell you why I barred his flying privileges?” He ignored the other accusation, at least for the time being.

  Ashley shook her head, then spoke quietly.

  “He didn’t tell me the whole story. He just said that you were treating his family unfairly and he stood up to you. He said you breathed fire at him and said he wasn’t allowed to fly for a month.”

  “And?” Emerson took a sip of the drink that had quietly appeared in front of him. Apparently Victoria was around, after all.

  “And if you caught him flying while he was on probation, you would have his wings removed.”

  “Interesting tale,” Emerson said, “although a bit exaggerated, even for my tastes.”

  Ashley looked confused.

  “It’s not true?” She asked. “But he said-“

  “I’m sure Arthur told you his version of the truth, though saying I punished him for standing up to me is a bit rich. He charged into my office demanding that I give his mother full run of the castle because she feels like renovating it. I refused. He responded by attacking my secretary.”

  Ashley gasped. She loved Penny. Though Penny was a dragon and Ashley was all human, the two spent their weekends drinking together and enjoying movie marathons.

  “And I told him,” Emerson continued. His drink was gone at this point. “That if I caught him within two hundred yards of my secretary, that I would bite off his wings with my teeth.”

  Ashley cringed.

  “So yes, I did flame him, but only for being a huge douche and putting Penny’s life at risk.”

  “She never told me,” Ashley said. “I wonder why not.”

  Emerson shrugged.

  “Not everyone feels comfortable sharing their life story on a regular basis, dear.”

  Ashley nodded.

  “I get it. Thanks for explaining that to me, Sir.” The front door jingled as a group of rowdy kids came in, and Ashley grimaced. “I’d better go. Good talk.”

  She stood up and headed to the front of the restaurant. She pasted a smile on her face as she spoke with the young men. Then, to Emerson’s displeasure, she seated them only three tables away from him. To be fair, there weren’t that many empty tables, but still.

  Emerson didn’t want to have to think about them, much less see them. They began talking about Ashley’s hair, which was brown again. The young female typically had blue or pink hair, though sometimes she mixed it up and went “normal” for awhile.

  Then the conversation changed.

  Emerson’s hair stood up on end.

  “She was H-O-T,” one male said, as if the others wouldn’t be able to keep up.

  “Yeah, she was. When did she start doing transport, anyway?” Another agreed.

  “She’s Liam’s sister, you dorks. Once he’s better, she’ll be gone.”

  “Who thinks we can tap that before she leaves?”

  The group erupted in laughter.

  One of the men began imitating sex by holding his hand out, as if he had Jane’s hair in a firm grip, and was thrusting into her from behind.

  Big mistake.

  Emerson growled and jumped to his feet, marched to the table, and pushed it over. One of the man fell off his chair. Another growled right back at Emerson. The third looked as if he was fighting back a shift.

  “Is there a problem, gentlemen?” Victoria, ever the calm one, appeared. Her body was relaxed, but her eyes were piercing. She didn’t handle disruptions in her restaurant very well.

  “Mr. All-And-Mighty just threw the table!” One man explained.

  “And why do you suppose he did that?” Victoria asked.

  “We don’t know! We weren’t doing nothin’!”

  “Oh, weren’t you, now?” Victoria crossed her arms, not even giving Emerson a chance to speak.

  The men blushed.

  “They’re all yours, Emerson,” Victoria
said, “but I expect them to clean this mess up before they go.” She waved to the now-broken dishes that lined her restaurant floor, then headed back to the bar and began mixing drinks.

  Emerson wouldn’t be fooled. Victoria may have been filling orders, but her eyes never left the scene before her.

  He took a deep breath before he spoke to the three young dragons. They couldn’t have been older than 21. They were just babies, really, yet here they were: talking smack about his woman.

  Yes, he thought of Janae as his. It wasn’t logical or appropriate, but he did. Even if she wasn’t officially his mate or even his girlfriend, he would do anything to protect her, including flaming these young bastards.

  “You are part of my clan,” he said simply. It wasn’t a question. He knew their parents, but didn’t spend as much time getting to know individual youngsters in his clan. Maybe it was time for that to change. “And you represent Lostfallen.”

  Immediately, the statures of the men changed. One looked away, ashamed. Another began speaking quickly.

  “Please don’t tell my dad,” he said. “He’ll kill me if he knows.”

  Emerson rolled his eyes.

  “This isn’t about your reputation as a jackass. This is about our reputation as dragons. Do you really think it’s a good idea to go talking about human girls as if they’re pieces of meat?”

  The men shook their heads.

  “Dragon-human relations are already tense. If you were overheard by the wrong person, this could quickly escalate.”

  “I didn’t think about that,” one man said bashfully.

  Shit, was this a group of pussbaby ninnies or what?

  “I know you didn’t think, dumbass,” Emerson frowned. “So watch what you say. Go apologize to Victoria and clean up this mess. And the next time you see Janae, you’re going to apologize to her, too.”

  “But we never said anything to her face! She doesn’t have to know.”

  “You’ll apologize to her or you can apologize to your father and then to her. Your choice.”

  Emerson stormed out of the restaurant without paying for his drink, but he didn’t care. He had suddenly lost his appetite for anything but a sweet little human.

  He hurried down the lane to the docks, noted that it was well past dark, and shifted.

  He would fly to her tonight.

  **

  Janae sat in the shower and let the water pour over her. Dirt washed down the drain, but she barely noticed. Every part of her body hurt. She had spent the entire day in the boat and she knew she smelled like fish and seaweed and salt.

  Her neck was sore, her arms were sore, and her back was sore.

  Her nails hurt from trying to undo knots she’d tied wrong and her skin was raw.

  Was she really cut out for this? She was just a little librarian who had been forced to grow up at a young age. She really felt much older than her 29 years when she was around other people her age.

  She felt like an old woman.

  Until she was around Emerson.

  Then she felt as if she would explode and melt at the same time.

  He made her feel like she was fire and ice and everything in between.

  He lit her up and calmed her down.

  He was intense.

  He was dark.

  He was everything.

  Janae found her hands wandering over her body as she sat in the shower. It had only been a few hours since their heated make out session in his office. She hadn’t been kissed like that in, well, probably since before her parents died.

  She hadn’t been kissed like that since she got caught fooling around with her boyfriend on prom night.

  And, Janae thought, as her hands slid over her breasts and pinched her nipples, she hadn’t wanted to fool around like that since.

  Now, though, her body had been awakened. Emerson had brought to the surface feelings she had buried deep. She had sworn she wouldn’t bother dating, instead using her life to work for the good of her community.

  But what had that gotten her?

  A respected position as a librarian?

  A group of girlfriends who would just as soon bury their noses in books as help her with her problems?

  She wanted more.

  She hadn’t for so long, and now it was all she wanted to think about. Emerson was sexy, he was confident, and he was blunt. He wouldn’t lie to her about anything. She could already tell. Emerson didn’t care about sparing anyone’s feelings.

  Not when it came to saying what he wanted.

  The water poured down on her. Janae spread her legs and leaned her head back, allowing the water from the showerhead to center on the space between her thighs. It wasn’t enough to get off, but it felt good.

  It made her wonder what Emerson would feel like kneeling between her legs, licking her.

  The thought surprised Janae, but she didn’t fight it, instead focusing on the way his tongue might start at her knees and work up slowly, biting and nipping at her skin.

  Would he grip her ass when he buried his mouth between her legs?

  Would he draw his claws down the backs of her thighs as he lapped at her soft lips?

  Would he look into her eyes when he sucked on her clit, pushing her into oblivion?

  Janae realized she was close to coming, right there in the shower. She didn’t even have her trusty vibrator handy, but she didn’t need it. Just the thought of what she might do with Emerson was enough to get her there.

  And then she came.

  Her body exploded and her mind went blank as waves of pleasure poured over her. She was high and she was low and she was everywhere in between as she bit her lip to keep from screaming.

  She knew she moaned louder than she should have, despite trying to control herself. Hopefully Liam wouldn’t hear, wouldn’t think she was hurt.

  But oh, the thought of Emerson taking her was too much.

  Now she didn’t just want it: she needed it.

  “Having fun?” A quiet voice broke into her thoughts and she gasped as she turned and saw him standing in the doorway of the bathroom.

  Emerson was standing there, watching her with darkness in his eyes.

  How long had he been watching her? Had he seen the whole show?

  A quick glance at the front of his pants told her everything she needed to know: Emerson had seen her orgasm in the shower.

  And he wanted more.

  “I think you’ve had enough fun playing on your own, don’t you?” He came over and switched off the shower, then lifted her effortlessly from the tub. She was completely naked, but she didn’t care. She didn’t even try to cover herself.

  Her body was wet against his clothes and she worried for just a moment he would be angry that she was drenching him, but she was too turned on to care.

  Janae wrapped her arms around Emerson’s neck and began kissing him. He growled as he held her tighter against himself.

  “Come on, little human,” he told her as he headed for the bedroom. “It’s time to play.”

  12

  Emerson set Janae down in the middle of the bed. It wasn’t a bed made for a dragon. It was barely a bed made for two people, but it was a bed, and it would suffice.

  He hoped.

  Emerson had already kicked a limping Liam out of the house, sending him to a late showing of a popular movie. When Emerson had shoved $40 in Liam’s hand and told him to get lost, the human had glared at Emerson.

  “You better not hurt her,” he said. Though there was no chance of Liam ever being able to take Emerson in a fight, the dragon respected the man’s loyalty. Courage was hard to find in humans these days, especially when it came to dealing with dragons.

  Now they were alone and there was nothing between them but Emerson’s clothes, and those were about to disappear.

  Janae was sprawled out on the bed, staring at him. She looked completely relaxed, completely at ease in her own skin. She looked exactly like she had in the shower: perfect.

  Emerson
hadn’t meant to be a voyeur, but when he came upstairs and heard the shower running, he couldn’t help but peek inside.

  Janae had looked like an angel. She was on her bank in the claw-foot tub with the water pouring over her body as she moaned and pinched her nipples.

  What was she thinking about?

  What had gotten her so horny?

  Did she know how amazingly sexy she looked?

  Emerson quietly watched Janae through the thin, clear shower curtain. He had almost a perfect view of her body as she climaxed and damn, she was amazing.

  He briefly wondered how it was possible she was single. How had anyone ever let this woman go? She was funny, sweet, and cute. She was giving. She was caring. She demonstrated through her willingness to help Liam that she was dedicated.

  She was just about everything the perfect woman ought to be.

  Mine.

  The thought flashed through Emerson’s head before he could catch it, but he didn’t care. He wanted her. He wanted to keep her. He wanted her to stay.

  And now, he would show her exactly what he thought of her.

  He strode toward her with the gait of a man who knew exactly what he was, who knew exactly what was about to happen.

  He climbed on the bed over her, pushed her back, and kissed her. His body covered hers completely as he licked and sucked and played with her ears, her neck, her lips. She was moaning and writhing against instantly.

  Then Emerson pulled back, “I want you, little human.”

  She nodded, but a bit of confusion wafted from her.

  “I need to tell you something,” she whispered.

  Emerson’s heart jumped into his throat. What could Janae possibly have to tell him now, here, that he didn’t already know?

  Obviously, it was something bad: bad enough that she was nervous about talking with him. Bad enough that she didn’t want him to know.

  “Okay,” he managed to get out. Her skin flushed, but he wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or arousal. She was radiating both.

  She bit her lip and looked away. Emerson thought he might grab her and shake her if she didn’t start talking soon. Fortunately, it didn’t turn to that.