Wounded Wings: Dragon Shifter Romance (In Dragn Protection Book 3)
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Wounded Wings
In Dragn Protection Book 3
Ariana Hawkes
Copyright ©2018 by Ariana Hawkes
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events 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 and businesses is purely coincidental.
This is a standalone romance of 38,200 words. HEA and no cheating.
Contents
Also by Ariana Hawkes
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Have you read the other books in the series?
A Thank You from Ariana Hawkes
Excerpt from Bear In The Rough
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Also by Ariana Hawkes
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About the Author
ALSO BY ARIANA HAWKES
In Dragn Protection
Ethereal King (In Dragn Protection Book 1)
Boreas Reborn (In Dragn Protection Book 2)
Wounded Wings (In Dragn Protection Book 3)
Shiftr: Hope Valley Dating App Romances
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 1 (Dina)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 2 (Kristin)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 3 (Melissa)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 4 (Andrea)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 5 (Lori)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 6 (Adaira)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 7 (Timo)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 8 (Jessica)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 9 (Ryzard)
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 10 (Nash)
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 11 (Olsen)
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 12 (Connor & Lauren)
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 13 (Frankie)
Broken Hill Bears
Bear In The Rough (Broken Hill Bears Book 1)
Bare Knuckle Bear (Broken Hill Bears Book 2)
Bear Cuffs (Broken Hill Bears Book 3)
Christmas Bear Shifter Romances
Ultimate Bear Christmas Magic Box Set
Bear All I Want For Christmas Boxed Set
Bear Home For Christmas
Bear Christmas Magic
Bear My Perfect Gift
Polar Bears’ Christmas
Lost To The Bear
Ravished by the Ice Palace Pack
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A 4.5-star rated, comedy romance featuring one kickass roller derby chick, two scorching-hot Alphas, and the naughty nip that changed their lives forever.
The only thing missing from Aspen Richardson’s life is a man who will love her just the way she is. In the small town she calls home, bullies from the past remain, making her wonder if it's ever going to happen. But, things are about to change in a major way, as the secret Aspen’s parents have been keeping from her comes out…
“This book definitely needs to be added to your MUST read list – you will quickly fall in love with this steamy and fast paced story.”
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(If your device doesn’t support links, go to www.arianahawkes.com/freebook)
Chapter 1
Notus
Notus stomped up the stairs of the shooting range and trudged along the gallery until he reached his usual cubicle at the far end. The only other customer in the draughty concrete building was a gray-haired guy in a ball cap, with a swollen belly, meaty shoulders, and bushy dark eyebrows. Notus had exchanged a few words with him during previous visits, and as he passed, the guy caught sight of him and waved, pulling his earmuffs off with his other hand.
“Hey, Don,” Notus said gruffly, “catch you later.” And he kept going. It was rude, he knew that, but he wasn’t in the mood for talking. His life had been hard lately, and he had no time for doing things he didn’t feel like doing, unless he absolutely had to.
He took his place at the end lane, laid his gear on the small side table, and inserted his earplugs, one at a time. It had taken him a long time to master putting them in, his big, thick fingers clumsy at rolling the damn things and shoving them in at the right angle. But the range master had recommended double ear protection in the indoor range, and Notus had followed his advice. He already had a ruined wing. He wasn’t going to lose his hearing, too.
He took the Glock, ejected the magazine, filled it with bullets, and slid it back in. Then he released the safety catch, took aim, relaxed his shoulders, exhaled, placed his finger on the trigger, held his breath, and fired. The bullet landed dead center of the target. He repeated the sequence again and again, on autopilot, until the magazine was empty, then he reloaded the gun and started to empty the second magazine.
He was furious that his Alpha, Xephyr, was making him do this. Beyond furious.
He’d broken his wing when he and his clan fell to earth from their domain in the skies, Ethereum. His injuries usually healed fast since he had royal blood running in his veins, so he hadn’t been worried about it at first, despite the excruciating pain. But it’d been a year now and he still couldn’t fly and had very little control over his wing.
And this made him feel like he was barely a dragon at all. Without the ability to fly, he was near useless to the Dragn Protection Agency, which Xephyr had established to protect humans, as their Oracle had decreed. While the other dragons were soaring through the sky, searching for humans who needed their help, he spent his days cooped up at the agency office. It was bad enough being trapped in a room, as lowly as a snake or a lizard, and now this. Firing bullets! Guns were for humans, weaklings who lacked courage and strength, and needed to rely on molten slugs of metal to incapacitate their enemies.
Notus knew what this training meant—that Xephyr believed his wing was never going to get better—and the thought of that sickened him with despair, his scales turning a pale yellowy green beneath his skin. His dragon couldn’t live without flight. One day it’d curl up and die, taking him with it. He knew that as surely as he understood the clan would never return to Ethereum.
His last bullet went wide as anger, horror, and misery converged into a knot in his gut. It was one-sixteenth of an inch left of the target. Not good enough.
He ground his teeth and loaded the magazine a third time. But as he raised the gun and took aim, there was some movement in his peripheral vision. Someone was entering the range. His nostrils twitched. A female. That was a first. He slanted his head toward her, and his laser sharp eyesight took her in as clearly as if she’d been standing right in front of him. She was around average height for a human female, which was to say she’d barely come up to his chest. She was well put together, her tight black pants and shirt encasing a body that was just the right combination of curve and muscl
e, and she moved confidently with a little sway in her hips. Her hair was long, wavy, and the color of walnuts, which he’d found he had a taste for, and the front section was clipped back, revealing a high forehead. Her eyes were two shades darker than her hair, and she had pink, slightly puffy lips, and a heart-shaped face. Her skin was pale, and her cheeks and slightly upturned nose were scattered with freckles.
She turned into the fourth lane, which had just been vacated by Don. A popular spot. She smelled good, some type of manufactured perfume, but he liked it. It was a little spicy and kind of mysterious, like the scent that always hung in the air a moment before the Oracle appeared.
Anyway, he wasn’t here to get distracted by attractive humans. Back to the task in hand. He shook his shoulders loose and tipped his head from side to side, easing out the tension in his neck. He picked up the gun again, refocused his attention, aimed, and… just as he was about to fire, small pieces of concrete exploded from the wall on the right, less than three feet in front of him. He spun and stared for a long moment, uncomprehending. Then he laid his gun down and charged toward the fourth lane, tugging his earmuffs down and ripping the earplugs out of his ears on the way. For Ethereum’s sake! This was exactly why he hated guns.
The chestnut-haired woman turned around as he approached. She was still holding the gun, and it was pointed at his heart. Her brown eyes were wide with shock, and her mouth was slightly open as if she’d been about to say something, but the words had dried on her lips.
“Put the gun down!” Notus roared, his heart hammering in his chest. She stood stock still, staring at him, deaf to his voice, which was blocked by her earmuffs.
In a fast move, Notus grabbed the barrel, pushing it upward, and snatched the gun from the woman’s hands at the same time. She gave a little yelp and his fury dropped several notches. Judging by the expression on her face, she was as shocked as he was by what had just happened. He took a long breath in and out as his heartbeat slowed, he knew he needed to avoid unleashing the full force of his pent up anger on her.
He stuffed the gun into the back of his belt and then indicated her earmuffs, encouraging her to remove them. Robotically, she took hold of them with both hands and tugged them down to her neck.
“What on earth were you doing?” Notus said. When she didn’t reply, he laid his hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. At the contact, his skin prickled and rippled, his scales rising to the surface, as his dragon stirred inside him.
“Don’t touch me,” she snapped and stepped away, her eyes flashing, jolting back to life. “And give me my gun back.”
“This?” Notus pulled it out of his belt and weighed it in his hand. “You don’t have the right to call this weapon yours.”
She stared at it, her curved eyebrows shooting up with surprise, and her pink lips slightly parted. They made a nice contrast with her pale skin. She went to grab it, but he held it high, out of her reach.
“Give it back!” she snarled.
“You could have killed me!” Notus persisted, a pulse beating in his temples. She might have a body that could turn a dragon to a pile of molten lust, but that didn’t mean she was going to get away with almost blasting a bullet into his skull.
“Oh, please!” She waved her hand. “Don’t be such a drama queen.”
A drama queen! What? Did she really have no idea how dangerous her actions had been? He ground his teeth. His dragon was yearning to shoot a little jet of flame at her to wipe that sass off her face, but very reluctantly he forced it under control. Was she just a crazy woman?
“Lady, your bullet went into the wall less than three feet away from my face.”
“These things happen,” she said, hands planted on her hips, foot tapping on the ground.
Notus raised an eyebrow. Yep, definitely crazy. “They don’t just happen,” he said. “They happen when people like you are not being careful.”
“Whatever.” She turned her back to him.
“Right. Apology accepted then,” he said, walking away. You couldn’t argue with a crazy person. “I’m taking your gun to the front office. I’ll recommend they don’t allow you to shoot here again,” he called over his shoulder.
“I’m sorry if my bullet ruffled your perfect hair,” she shouted after him.
He gave her a dismissive wave over his shoulder without looking at her again. What on earth did his hair have to do with anything? And why was his dragon swelling and slithering beneath his skin, his firebox throbbing in his chest?
He went back to his lane and stuffed his gear into his bag. He was done. He hadn’t fired all fifty of his rounds, but he didn’t want to be here in the first place, and the crazy lady was excuse enough for him to make an early exit. Today was supposed to be his last day, and Xephyr wanted to see the result from all fifty of his bullets, but he’d just have to do without it.
He wound the wheel and pulled the paper target toward him, then he unclipped it from its holder, folded it, and stuffed it in his pocket. He grabbed his bag and headed toward the exit. Lane number four was empty; she’d left already. Good. Pity, his dragon hissed, but he chose to ignore it.
He approached the counter and saw the range master’s greeted him with a good-natured smile, which quickly wilted at Notus’s words.
“That lady with the chestnut hair who was just upstairs shouldn’t be allowed to use the range. She almost shot me,” he said as he laid her gun on the desk. “Here’s her gun. I confiscated it before she had the chance to hurt anyone else.” He stormed out while the man was still opening his mouth to reply.
Outside, the sight of his brand-new orange Aston Martin lifted his mood a little. It was just after nine thirty in the morning but the early summer sun was already strong and the humidity relatively high. A light breeze blew, barely moving the moist air.
He slid behind the wheel of the car and set the air conditioning to the lowest temperature. He turned his favorite rock radio station up high and took off for the Dragn Protection office. Driving was his escape these days. He used to be a very fast and agile flyer, and nowadays the only way he could experience a sliver of the adrenaline that he used to get from swooping through the sky was by racing fast cars. He contemplated going on a longer drive to take the edge off his temper, but he had a lot of work and a client meeting in an hour and a half that he had to prepare for.
Fifteen minutes later, he parked in the small lot behind the office building and, ignoring the elevator, took the stairs to the third floor.
“There you are,” Xephyr said, looking up as Notus stepped through the door of the office. His Alpha was looking smarter than usual in dark chinos and a carefully pressed blue shirt. His hair was freshly cut and the beard, which he’d grown after returning from his honeymoon, was neatly trimmed.
“Notus, I’d like you to meet Mr. Blackwood.” Xephyr indicated a pale man sitting on the sofa on the opposite side of the coffee table from Xephyr. Notus extended a hand as both men stood up.
“I’m Notus Colburn. It’s a pleasure,” he said..
The man’s handshake was firm and strong. “Call me Todd,” he said in a deep voice. He was in his late fifties with graying dark hair, combed back from his forehead, and intelligent black eyes. He was wearing an expensive navy suit and a crisp white shirt. They sat down, Notus taking a place next to Xephyr.
“Todd does classified work for the government, which is sometimes risky. He’s currently experiencing a high level of threat from unknown agencies, who intend to force him to abandon his current assignment. He believes his life and the life of his daughter could be in danger, so he’s hiring us to provide a twenty-four-hour security detail to them both,” Xephyr explained. “He was referred to us by our client, Megan Gartner, whose father is a good friend of his.”
Notus nodded, rapidly absorbing the information. “I’m sorry to hear of your experience, but we’ll be very glad to provide security to you and your daughter,” he said. “I’ll go over all the details with you and we will assign peop
le to look after your daughter and you.”
“I’ve already done that,” Xephyr cut in. “Zane will be Todd’s security detail. And you will be Miss Blackwood’s.”
Notus frowned and flashed Xephyr a significant look. “You’ve already assigned this case?”
“Todd is a research scientist,” Xephyr said, as if that answered Notus’s question.
“Since my job is classified, there’s very little that I’m allowed to tell you about it, I’m afraid,” Todd said in his deep baritone. “But I came home a few days ago to find out that someone had broken into my high-security apartment, and left a note threatening the safety of my daughter unless I cease all work on one of my projects. Xephyr has a copy of the note. The project is in its very final stages of completion, and I’m under immense pressure from my bosses to finish it within the next four weeks. My failure to do so would be a risk to national security.
“I have no choice but to ignore the demands, so I need you and Dragn Protection to ensure that both my daughter and I are safe, while I try to rush the project to completion.”
“We’ll have a team working on catching whoever is behind the threats while you and Zane keep Miss Blackwood and Mr. Blackwood safe,” Xephyr said. “The only other thing that Todd has told us about the project is that it’s very high-level, requiring the highest degree of clearance, and a very limited number of people know about it.”