by KD Jones
Quickly closing the door, she locked it. She knew there was no way it would keep a dragon shifter out, but hopefully, it would slow them down long enough for her to escape.
She had to find a phone and a weapon. She found a large knife in the kitchen then she opened every drawer and cabinet looking for something.
In the bedroom, she lucked out and found a cell phone on the floor. It was at fifteen percent. Picking it up, she froze, trying to think who to call. All the numbers of her friends were programmed into her lost phone. She couldn’t call 911 because they wouldn’t believe her situation at all. If she called 411, they could assist her.
Ten percent of battery life left. She dialed 411.
“State the city and state, please.”
“Dragoon, Arizona.”
“State business or name of the individual.”
“King R Ranch.”
“Connecting.”
She listened as the percentage went down to seven percent.
“King R Ranch,” a woman with a slight Hispanic accent said.
“Gemma?
“Yes.”
“Oh God, Gemma. This is Callie.”
“Callie? It’s Callie on the phone!”
A few seconds later she heard her friend Valorie. “Where are you, Callie?”
“We need help. The rogue dragon shifters found us and ran our RV off the road. Viper is trying to fight them off, but he’s all by himself. He needs help! We need help!”
“Are you still in New Mexico?”
“Yes, we were heading down Route 47 and missed exit 177.”
Five percent of power left on her phone. “The phone I’m using will die!”
“Easy, Callie. We have a caller ID. I know a shifter who likes tech and can track that phone even if it’s dead.”
“I don’t care if the phone dies. I just want to keep Viper alive! I love him.”
“Glad to hear that, my friend. Is there a charger you can plug it up to?”
She looked around, but everything had been knocked out of its place when the RV was pushed off the road. “I don’t see it!”
“Don’t worry about it. My IT dragon has already found you. He’s notifying the other enforcers already in New Mexico searching for you. Stay calm and stay safe.”
“Hurry!”
Powering down. She threw the phone back on the floor. What should she do now? Hide? She ran a hand through her hair. It felt like she had been hiding her entire life. It was time to fight.
Chapter 25
Viper shifted into his dragon form and lifted into the air. There was no way he would let either of these males touch his mate. He tilted his side to avoid a stream of fire aimed at his head. He returned the fire.
While his attention was diverted, another dragon came at him with his claws. He took a swipe on his left shoulder blade. Most times his scales protected him from fire and claws, but he always had a tender spot on his left shoulder that was vulnerable.
The fire-breather liked to do his fighting from a distance. When he flew over Viper, he reached out and clawed the underbelly. The dragon struggled to keep himself in the air. Finally, he flew to the ground and shifted to his human form. If a shifter shifted multiple times, they would heal almost any injury.
The other dragon began flying toward the RV. Viper’s dragon flew to block his path. Both of them reached out with their claws and found themselves locked as they spiraled toward the ground. They would have to release each other if either of them hoped to live.
The dragons thrashed apart and landed hard. They shifted into human form to help with the healing. Circling each other, Viper sized up his opponent. Six five, a little on the lean side. He wasn’t a true physical match. It was the dead look in the male’s eyes that made him dangerous.
“Give me the female.”
“Why?” Viper growled.
“She’s my mate.”
“Impossible. She’s my mate.”
“I found her first.”
“That doesn’t make her your true mate.”
“I say she is. That’s all that matters. I’ll take her and if I get her with a dragonlet, all the better.” The male growled, lunging for Viper.
He dodged and used his elongated claws to rake against the male. “She’s not yours, not now or ever!”
“Our mate is unprotected!” His inner dragon told him.
“I know!” Viper responded. He needed to end this male and get Callie. She must be terrified if that other rogue went after her, she would not know what to do.
The two of them exchanged punches and sliced one another with their claws. One right after another injury. Viper kicked out at the male’s knees and sent him to the ground. They were both breathing heavily and their movements were slowing.
“I need the female! My dragon is dying!” the male yelled out.
Viper felt a moment of regret for the male and the dragon. If not for finding Callie, this could have been him, eventually. No, he hoped that he would have fought the decline. He also had a deal with the king. If either of them were on the verge of going rogue, the other would help end them before they could hurt anyone in their clan. Thank the gods for Callie. It wasn’t too late for Viper, but the time had come for this rogue to meet his end.
The male made a sloppy move, leaping forward. He sank his claws into Viper’s side. Viper grabbed hold of the male and used his claws to cut his throat. He didn’t let go of him, keeping him from shifting and healing himself.
The rogue made gurgling sounds and his body shook. Finally, the glow in his eyes dulled and Viper knew his life force was gone. He dropped the body to the ground. Then he sank to his knees with exhaustion. He knew he should shift to heal himself, but he needed a minute to catch his breath, then he would check on Callie. Thunder roared in the distance just as rain came down.
“You killed him!”
Viper looked up at the sound of the other rogue. He had almost forgotten about the male. Standing was a struggle, and he wobbled. Despite all the blood that he had lost from his still bleeding wound, he pushed back the weakness filling him and stood with feet planted firmly, ready to take on the next opponent.
“You will die!” the other male yelled as he charged Viper.
Thunder roared closer off to the side, but he didn’t take his eyes off the other male as he came closer. Then in a blink, a large blue flashed in front of him, hitting the rogue and taking him out. What the hell?
He turned toward the blur as sounds of breaks screeched, pulling the RV to a stop. Callie opened the door and yelled out.
“Did I get him?”
He half choked and half laughed as he scanned where the male was lying under the RV, but his head was in a different location. “Yes, I believe you took him out with your transportation.”
*****
Callie watched the fighting from the safety of the RV and felt absolutely helplessly. Blow after blow, kick after kick, he gave as good as he got. Her man was amazing, but the rogue didn’t fight fair.
It freaked her out to see claws come out of human fingers. There was no way she could take on one of these guys one on one. When Viper took claws to his side, her heart nearly stopped. How could he keep going when he was bleeding terribly? They clasped tightly to each other, and she had a hard time seeing what was happening. Then Spider’s body fell to the ground.
Just when she thought it was all over and it was safe to leave, the second rogue turned up. She knew that Viper was exhausted and injured, not in the best fighting condition. She had to help him. Throwing the knife to the floor, she climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Her only thought was to save Viper.
She put the gear in drive and punched the gas. At first, the wheels spun a little due to the mud. Finally, it moved, and she kept the gas pedal pressed down. It was raining, and the wipers were moving slowly back and forth.
Callie aimed the RV toward the now running rogue. It happened fast, the jolt of the impact, then she had to stop the hea
vy machinery. Pressing the breaks down with both feet, she heard the screech, and the RV slid to the side a little before it came to a stop.
She opened the door to the RV and called out.
“Did I get him?”
“Yes, I believe you took him out with your transportation.”
She ran toward Viper as he sank back to his knees. “Please God, let him be alive,” she prayed.
“Are you okay?” she asked as she reached his side.
“Been better,” he croaked out.
“You need a doctor!” her hands tried to cover the wound to stop it from bleeding.
“No doctor. Shift and heal.”
“Then fucking shift!” What was he waiting for?
“Step back,” he told her.
Callie stumbled back a few steps. She watched as he struggled to shift, worried he wouldn’t be able to do it. But then he did. It didn’t scare her this time. Walking up to the large scaley creature, she rubbed her hands up and down his scales.
“Heal, baby.”
The dragon nudged her shoulder with his head.
She wiped the tears from her cheeks and leaned her head against him. “I love you, you big lizard, and I’m not about to lose you so easily now that I’ve found you. So you need to get better now.”
A few minutes passed, then she was engulfed in a pair of strong male arms against a very naked body. “Thank God.”
“I love you too, mate. I’ll never let you go.”
Epilogue
“Are you sure about this?”
Callie hugged her best friend. “Val, I’ve never been more sure.”
It had been a long three months since her kidnapping. The other Drakonian enforcers showed up five minutes after the battle ended and helped them clean up the mess. The RV was toast, but Reichardt made sure they reimbursed the couple it belonged for their loss.
“I am almost afraid to let you out of my sight,” her friend said.
Callie smiled. “Thanks for worrying over me, mom, but we’ll be fine. The rogues have been dealt with. I have hired a part-time librarian to give me free time to take that long-needed vacation.”
“There are more rogues out there.”
“And we’ll be careful and who the hell would be stupid enough to take on Viper. Besides, I know how to take them out—just give me an RV.”
Val laughed. “Everyone on the ranch is talking about you and that RV. You are a badass librarian. How long will this road trip take?”
“We will visit five states this go around. I’m hoping we’ll be able to do this right in about two or three months. The new librarian has already moved into my old apartment and will handle things while we’re gone.”
“That’s right, you’ve moved all your stuff into Viper’s cabin. He cleaned up first, right?”
“God no. For someone so particular about his job, he doesn’t think twice about where to put his dirty laundry. I took one step inside, saw all the mess and walked back out. I gave him two hours to clean it up, or I would burn down the entire cabin.”
“Since I didn’t see any fires on the ranch, I assume he cleaned like a mad dragon.”
“He did and some enforcers even helped him. When I came back, it was a different place. The floors were shiny and there was a kitchen table where there had been a card table with three chairs. The best part was the bedroom. A canopy bed was set up with clean white sheets and red rose petals were tossed on top. It was so romantic.”
“Aw, I didn’t think he had it in him. Good for Viper.”
“Well, he got lucky that night—three times.”
“Good for you,” Val said, giving her a high five.
A horn blasted, making both of the women jump. Callie glared at Viper, who sat in his truck waiting for her.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Please be careful,” Val said, giving her a hug.
“I will.”
“And bring back a souvenir from each state!”
“Shot glasses?”
“You know me so well.”
Callie waved one last time as she climbed into the passenger side of the truck and slammed the door closed. She turned to look at Viper. He put the truck into gear.
“Why are you in such a hurry to get on the road?”
He shrugged. “I am in a hurry to start our vacation. I’ve never had one.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Well, I have it all planned.” Callie waited until he stopped at the end of the long road exiting the ranch. She pulled out her notes for the trip to show him. “We’ll stop at Sonoran Desert National Monument. We’ll drive another two hours before we stop for the night.”
He looked at her pages of notes. “How many notes did you make?”
“Just a few. I mapped out the fastest routes, best restaurants and hotels with the highest reviews.”
“Wow. That’s... great.”
“I know it’s an overkill, but it was fun planning and I’m just so excited.”
“I’m excited too. I can’t imagine taking a trip like this with anyone else.”
“I feel the same way. Oh, there’s one more note I made.” Callie held up a piece of paper. Viper squinted as he sounded out the words. She waited patiently. They had been working on his dyslexia and he was making progress.
“I. L…love. You,” he finished reading.
His eyes gleamed with tears as he leaned over to whisper against her lips. “I love you too, mate.”
Callie couldn’t imagine living her life with anyone other than Viper. He was her living adventure.
About the Author
KD Jones has published over thirty books in five different series. She has been a huge fan of both romance novels and science fiction novels since she was sixteen years old. Her favorite television shows growing up were Star Trek and Doctor Who. When not writing, she is curled up on the couch with a good book, working on her hobby of photography, or spending time with her family. As a single working mom, she wants to show her son that anyone can follow their dreams no matter how old they are, and where they are in life. Dreams can come true if you work hard and believe in yourself.
KD Jones Book Series, Book List
Katieran Prime Series
Katieran Prime (Book 1)
Prime Commander (Book 2)
Prime Medic (Book 3)
Kiljorn Prime (Book 4)
Prime Deliverance (Book 5)
Prime Salvation (Book 6)
Colonial Prime (Book 7)
Katieran Prime Celebration (Book 7.5)
Kiljorn Commander (Book 8)
Katieran Prime Miracle (Book 9)
Colonial Commander (Book 10)
Katieran Prime Infiltration (Book 11)
Katieran Prime Discovery (Book 12)
Katieran Prime Reckoning (Book 13)
Katieran Prime Justice (Book 14)
Katieran Prime Hunted (Book 15)
Katieran Prime Resurgence (Book 16)
Galactic Cage Fighter Series
Rage (Book 1)
Talon (Book 2)
Taurus (Book 3)
Zara (Book 4)
Hammer (Book 5)
Zen (Book 6)
Torch (Book 7)
Maxim (Book 8)
Ronin (Book 9)
Nigel (Book 10)
Dom (Book 11)
Phoenix (Book 12)
Esan (Book 13)
Battle Royal (Book 14)
7even Circles Series
Moon Is Calling (Book 1)
Mercury Rising (Book 2)
Fallen Venus (Book 3)
Shattered Sun (Book 4)
Earth Evolution Series
Desolation (Book 1)
Resistance (Book 2)
Atonement (Book 3)
Awakening (Book 4)
Defiance (Book 5)
Redemption (Book 6)
Strange Lake Falls Series
Strange Lake Falls Vampire (Book 1)
Strange Lake Fa
lls Werewolf (Book 2)
Strange Lake Falls Vampire Mistress (Book 3)
Strange Lake Falls Panther (Book 4)
Strange Lake Falls Gypsy Wolf (Book 5)
Strange Lake Falls Forbidden Wolf (Book 6)
Strange Lake Falls Witch (Book 7)
Inter-Galactic Bounty Hunter Series
Inter-Galactic Bounty Hunter (Book 1)
Tempting Bounty (Book 2)
Rising Bounty (Book 3)
Accidental Bounty (Book 4)
Deep Bounty (Book 5)
Polar Bear Express Series
Her Big Bad Polar Bear (Book 1)
Bad News Polar Bear (Book 2)
Mackenzie Chronicles series
Fae Beginnings (Book 1)
Fae Protector (Book 2)
Fae Relic (Book 3)
Dragon Warrior series
Markus (Book 1)
Reichardt (Book 2)
Drake (Book 3)
Blaze (Book 4)