by Crystal Dawn
Winged Beast Series
Book 4
Dragon Lord
By Crystal Dawn
2017 Copyright by Crystal Dawn, all rights reserved.
Edited by Eagle Editors
Cover by Januel Escuelo
This book is a work of fiction. All contents, including names, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to persons, living or deceased, businesses, locations or events are completely coincidental.
None of this work may be used, reproduced, exchanged or transmitted by anyone but the person the book was purchased for. Any reproductions of this book in any part or any form must be done with the express written permission of the author or not at all.
Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
Sergeant at Arms
Winged Beasts
Book 0
The males of the planet Draconis lose the planet that supplied their mates to a natural disaster. The females survive, but they have left and spread to the far reaches of the universe. Their eyes turn to Earth. Jarel is sent with five other males to find mates and test the compatibility of Earth females. Their results will determine if their Empire looks to Earth or elsewhere.
Davy is trouble or at least she has trouble and danger following her. It's not her fault, it's all because of her ex-boyfriend who is a criminal and has sent killers after her. She meets Jarel who offers to protect her but she's a little suspicious where men are concerned. Should she trust him, or should she rely only on herself?
Captain of the Guard
Winged Beasts
Book 1
Romo is sent to Earth for a successful mating since Earth is a potential source of female mates for their mostly male race. Things are very different than he expected there but he believes he has found his one and he intends to woo her to his side.
Bree is looking for her cousin Davy who disappeared at this very casino she's visiting. Sure, they all say she's in an isolated country, married and happy but how gullible does everyone think she is? It's a sweet dream but she doesn't believe it for a moment.
Neither do the bad guys searching for Davy and they plan to attack their family to get Davy back. Romo will not allow Bree to be harmed, but can he really prevent it?
Major of Special Forces
Winged Beasts
Book 2
Betty brought her daughter Selia to Draconis with most of her family. They were escaping an existence made miserable by her ex-husband. She was attracted to the dragon Niku, but she feared her own judgement and preferred not to take on a man anymore.
Niku knew how Betty felt, but he’d grown to care about her and her little girl. He would chase her to the ends of the world if necessary and when it was all over and the smoke cleared, they would be his family. A quick prayer to the gods and he would begin.
General of Draconis
Winged Beasts
Book 3
Garulto didn’t know what to do. Dori was his everything, but his career, the one he’d always put first before, was interfering with their relationship and he feared she would leave him.
Dori loved Garulto. He was her soul mate and she knew it, but her first husband had put his career first and been killed in action. She couldn’t deal with that kind of loss again.
Will fate step in and give them both what they need or will they call it a day and go their separate ways? Love can be magical, but it can also hurt.
Winged Beast series
Book 4
Dragon Lord
Toreen looked for Cretia everywhere, but she wasn’t to be found. That reminded him of the advice he’d been given over and over. He knew he’d been pushing her away, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Now she was gone and his dragon was going crazy. It was time to find her and there weren’t many places she could go. She would be brought back kicking and screaming over his shoulder if necessary. That female was his!
She’d had enough and she’d finally hit her limit. Her bag was packed and it held more than she’d ever had. The hut she’d lived in before was still hers to use and her pride wouldn’t allow her to stay here where she wasn’t truly wanted. All her life she’d dreamed of her fated mate only to find he was more flawed than she was. As she walked out of this life and back to her old one, she refused to look back. From now on it was all about the future.
Prologue
Cretia had been through a lot and it looked like her trials would continue. While she was living at Toreen’s manor house, she wasn’t really living with him. She’d thought they were fated mates and that over time, they would grow closer together. That hadn’t happened and it seemed if anything, they grew further apart.
She lived here like a servant, doing what she was good at and getting paid a fair salary with room and board. It was something she could do anywhere. The lord, Toreen, avoided her like the plague sending messages to her by other employees. If she ran into him, it was by accident and he quickly made his escape.
Time was running down, she couldn’t live like this, not for long. It didn’t seem to bother him. If anything, he seemed happier according to the other employees. Many of them wondered what had brought about the change in his attitude. They all praised her finding her cooking to be amazing. That was only because they’d not had Dori’s dishes. Still, Cretia got better day by day.
There was hope someday she might rival Dori’s cooking especially since Dori was training her with new dishes every time she visited her. Cretia would admit her relationship with Dori and the girls had brought her some level of happiness. She finally felt like she had a true family. Maybe that would help make up for the lack of a mate.
Chapter 1
Moving On
Cretia woke covered with sweat. In her nightmare, Dannia had come back trying to kill her and take Toreen as her own. It was hard to say which part bothered her the most. She didn’t want to die, especially now when her life was the best it had been, ever. The only part lacking was her love life or rather the lack of it. It would kill her inside if Toreen built a relationship with Dannia, especially since no man survived her sister.
It was dawn, she could see the first fingers of light in the sky and hear the animals outside beginning to move around. The last scent of the hayweed’s sweet perfume still lingered in the air. It only bloomed at night, closing up to secure its fragrance and nectar during the day. Cretia used the sweet perfume adding it to her soaps and even making perfume from it.
The nectar was sweet and could be used like honey, but the amounts she could get from the plants was calculated in drops. That made it less than worthwhile. She’d found a hive of the creatures Dori called bees and it was easier to gather the sweet stuff they produced.
She was sure Toreen appreciated the things she did to improve life at his estate. Making an effort, she’d learned much from Dori and her daughters, especially Betty who knew so much about farming and herbs. Cretia dressed, it was too late to try to get more sleep this day. Her schedule was full and she’d get an early start on it.
Coffee had become a favorite in the household since she’d bought some and introduced it to the others. They were growing some of their own and hopefully it would take. “Good morning.” Cretia greeted those up before her.
They rented the extra rooms to make some money for Toreen’s devastated estate. Another idea she’d gotten from Dori. Everyone living here contributed to food and everyday needs and they all ate well. Better than the average person since she’d learned much about cooking from Dori.
A chorus of good mornings greeted her. “What will you cook for us today?” Fredden asked. His life was ruled by his stomach.
He was one of the few that actually worked here. She’d managed to ease Toreen’s work load a little by finding some cash crops that grew well here. That allowed some workers to be hired.
“I thought a scramble might be well received.” Cretia replied. Today was first day, the start of most Draconian’s work week. Trying new foods today gave them something to look forward to. The group they had was a good one, no trouble makers here, thank the goddess.
She got to work and a few of her tenants watched with interest. Once the first large scramble was done, she added toast to each plate and handed it to the nearest person. All watched as the first taste was taken.
“This is delicious.” Barret informed.
Now she plated up all that was left and began on the next skillet of food. Breakfast and cleaning up after it took about an hour. The manor house was large and they had anywhere from twenty-five to thirty people staying there at any given time. That didn’t count his manager who stayed in the small hut nearby or the workers that lived elsewhere with their families. Cretia fed whoever showed up and that was usually whoever was close by.
The meal went well and she sent a plate of food to Toreen, because he never showed up for meals. She was sure it was his way of avoiding her. Cretia was saving money and soon, it would be her avoiding him, completely. Not that she intended to spend her money wastefully. She would be sure to keep a large amount saved back for emergencies. The hut was fine for just her and would do for a while. The money she received from her attackers went into an account and she had no intention of touching that for any but the most dreadful reason.
It was her theory Toreen only took her in because for some odd reason he felt responsible for her. If so, she’d paid him back by organizing his household and helping him and his people to a higher level of success. He might not even notice when she was gone.
Janeen was learning to cook and she also worked for Toreen’s household. Once she was just a bit better, Cretia would be gone. She still intended to keep her ties to Dori and the girls. They had turned out to be closer to her than her own family. Finally, she put away the last dish. Leftovers weren’t a problem, she never had any.
Now she went to the small office Toreen had assigned to her. She kept his books, but she had been training Tofar, a young relative Toreen had taken in and he was able to do the work that was necessary. Taking a page out of Dori’s book, as the Earth saying was, everything was set up automatically. All that had to be done was the amounts in his accounts put in and program did the rest.
Once she was done with her office work, she had an hour where she could do whatever she needed to. Today she went to the kitchen to set on a huge kettle of chicken and dumplings, Draconian style. She also got meatloaf started and in the oven, bread and biscuits baking, and several other sides and dishes started.
Dori was incredible and she could run a household better than anyone Cretia knew. By following Dori’s personal plan, she froze some meals ahead and refrigerated others. Tomorrow, she would serve the pancakes and sausage meal everyone loved, but Janeen would pull out the frozen meal and just heat it up.
That would give Cretia time to go to the woods and harvest all morning long. Lunch would be the chicken and dumplings with biscuits. If she wasn’t back in time to fix supper, one of the refrigerated meals would suffice. Now that Dori had told her what to harvest to make the most money, her earnings were incredible. Shallow root prices had gone up too because no one bothered with it anymore.
Cretia still harvested some, but only for use in their household. It was filling and made soups, stews, and other foods stretch farther. The roots when fried in butter were also good and a favorite. They were bland, but they took on the flavor of whatever they were added to or what was added to them. The rest of the day she spent cooking. It would have been enough for a month had she not had such a large group to cook for.
She’d asked Toreen to repair the second fireplace so she could have a second kettle to cook with, but he never seemed to get to it. Tired of waiting, she called Dori to have her bricklayer come to work for them for a day. Even though she didn’t plan to stay here, the place and many of the people had grown on her. The extra kettle would make things much easier for Janeen.
“Dori?”
“Yes, is this Cretia?” Dori asked and the pleasure at hearing from her was obvious. Why couldn’t she have had a mother like Dori?
“Yes, I wanted to ask if your stone mason was available.”
“You’re needing him? How soon?”
“Whenever he’s available. One of the fireplaces needs repairs and Toreen keeps putting it off.”
“Males are like that. I can send him in the morning. He prefers to do that kind of work anyway. How are you doing?”
“As good as always.”
“In other words, nothing’s changed?”
“There is nothing to change.” Cretia declared. No point in hoping for something that would never be. ”Thank you for sending him.”
“You know I’d try to help you any way I could?” Dori asked.
“I suppose nothing’s changed with you either?” Cretia asked feeling uncomfortable with the feelings Dori’s concern stirred.
“Betty will probably deliver first. She’s so big it’s scary. Bree and I will compete for second place. I’ll admit I’m ready to get the delivery over with, but once Garulto and I mated, things have been easier than my other pregnancies were. Having a handsome male to rub your back and feet makes all the difference in the world. He cooks for me too. The male is a keeper.”
“I’m happy for you.” Cretia said and she meant it. Even though she wished for some of that happiness for herself, she’d never begrudge Dori or her daughters what they had found.
They said their goodbyes and Cretia looked around to see what she could do now. It was close to lunch time so she prepared sandwiches and soup. Only part of the boarders were around for lunch. Mostly those that worked here or worked nights. That’s why she had breakfast for lunch twice a week. It was for those that wouldn’t have breakfast most of the time otherwise.
Today wasn’t one of those days, but in two days it would be. It would be odd for her to go back to the small hut after being here for weeks, actually a few months, among people she liked. These people liked her too, all but the one that mattered most. Life wasn’t fair and she’d given it her best shot. Cretia was practical. After trying this long it was clear Toreen had no interest in her.
Even though he knew she was his one, he resented her. Cretia had a schedule to keep. In a month she would be gone. Right now she trained others to do what she normally did. Once they took over, Toreen wouldn’t even know she was gone. By the end of a month or hopefully less, she planned to set things up to be easier for Janeen and Tofar so she could leave.
She’d also save up whatever funds she could to make things easier on herself. There was no reason for life to be as rough as it had been before. Dori had helped her to learn how to get the most out of her gathering. Bree, who had the heart of a warrior, had taught her how to make and use a sling shot. That ensured she could hunt the small birds that were always present in the woods near the hut she would soon live in again.
Now she would finish out today, then tomorrow she would gather herbs. The small coin sack she kept under the bed grew heavier each time she gathered. Her cooking grew more skillful every day and she had learned how to make belts from the tall grasses which paid well right now. It wouldn’t hurt to learn to make a few more items to keep the prices up.
Cretia had also met some males that went on the ship to Earth monthly. She traded with them for items like coffee and chocolate. She used those items for the household sometimes as a special treat.
Chapter 2
A Bitter Pill
Toreen struggled to come to terms with his feelings for Cretia. His dragon had no such trouble, he wanted her. It was the first time he ever remembered a disagreement between him and his dragon and this one was not easy to resolve. If only he could e
xplain what held him back from claiming her.
The first time he’d seen her she’d been the victim of a despicable attack where two males had beaten her unconscious. He’d been horrified especially when he felt an instant bond to the small badly injured female. Holding back then had made sense, what if she died? But why did he not want to get close to her now? Was it her ties to the rebels? They were a group he was completely opposed to.
It had been hard to learn she was part of their movement even if it was unwillingly. Maybe it was what he’d heard about her sister? Dannia was evil incarnate. Yet he’d seen enough of Cretia to realize she was not like that. This whole thing confused him and he had no idea how to sort it out in his head.
His solution? Ignore it and hope time dealt with it. In time, maybe things would just work out for the best. At least it was his hope it would. Cretia was pretty, he wouldn’t deny that. The woman was a hard worker and he’d seen signs that she was intelligent and learned quickly.
Her confidence was lacking, but that could be caused by Dannia and the fact that everyone overlooked the evil and favored her.
“Toreen?” Niku said.
“Yes?”
“Where is your head at?”
“Somewhere it shouldn’t be.” He admitted.
“You’ve done well on the crops and turning the manor into a boarding house for now was genius.” Niku praised.
“None of it is my doing. Cretia is responsible for the changes. She even helps my people and many of them are doing the best they ever have. Much of what she’s applied are things she’s learned from Betty. Other things she’s learned from Bree and Dori. Her mind is open and willing to accept new ways. Her cooking is better than any except Dori and the girls. Others sing her praises.” He admitted.