Captive to the Dragon (Banished Dragons) Read online

  Captive to the Dragon

  Banished Dragons

  Leela Ash

  Copyright ©2018 by Leela Ash. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of 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.

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  … also check out these stories of mine!

  STONYBROOKE SHIFTERS

  DADDY SHIFTER’S VIRGIN

  A SECRET BABY FOR THE SHIFTER

  THE SHIFTER’S MAIL ORDER VIRGIN

  DADDY SHIFTER’S FAKE FIANCE

  THE SEAL SHIFTER’S SECRET BABY

  CLAIMED BY THE ALPHA DADDY

  NANNY TO THE SHIFTER

  THE SHIFTER PROTECTOR’S VIRGIN

  SECOND CHANCE WITH THE SHIFTER

  OAK MOUNTAIN SHIFTERS

  HER BILLIONAIRE SHIFTER BOSS

  HER SECRET PROTECTOR BEAR

  A SECRET BABY FOR DADDY BEAR

  THE ALPHA’S MAIL ORDER BRIDE

  THE ALPHA DADDY’S NANNY

  DRAGONS OF KALDERNON

  THE DRAGONS OF KALDERNON COMPLETE SERIES

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  …and if you are interested, here is another series from Totally Romance Publishing that I think you may enjoy!

  Like TOTALLY ROMANCE on Facebook!

  THE LOST CREEK SHIFTERS

  The Lost Creek Shifters series is a collection of novelette length standalone Bad boy romances that fit together to tell the longer story of the ancient tale of the bear and wolf shifters in a small mountain town. Enjoy!

  ARLO (Book 1)

  SCAR (Book 2)

  BLU (Book 3)

  BODHI (Book 4)

  KODHI (Book 5)

  ZEKE (Book 6)

  Table of Contents

  1.

  2.

  3.

  4.

  5.

  6.

  7.

  8.

  9.

  10.

  11.

  12.

  13.

  14.

  15.

  16.

  17.

  18.

  Collections

  Stonybrooke Shifters

  Oak Mountain Shifters

  Lost Creek Shifters

  Bear Shifter Romance

  Dystopian Romance

  Wolf Shifter Romance

  Highlander Time Travel Romance

  Dragon Shifter Romance

  1.

  “I heard they were going to be released today,” Mel said, looking conspiratorially at Andrea. Her eyes were sparkling as she stared into Andrea’s bright blue eyes, just like they always did when she got her hands on some juicy gossip.

  “I’m not surprised,” Andrea said, looking back down at her keyboard, and continuing to type. “It’s not like they did anything wrong. Not really.”

  “Tell that to Bobo,” Mel snorted. “He’s always looking for someone to make miserable.”

  “Bobo is a rent-a-cop,” Andrea said, glowering. She sighed. “Anyway, we all knew it was just a big misunderstanding. We know who the real culprits are, even if there isn’t any evidence.”

  “I know that’s right,” Mel agreed, sighing. She glanced up at the clock above Drea’s desk and sighed. “Lunch break is about over,” she observed. “Guess I should get back to my classroom.”

  “Yeah,” Drea agreed. “You don’t want to keep them waiting. Remember the time Jordan’s little social justice clique staged a fake protest? It was hilarious.”

  Mel shook her head and sighed. “I love these kids,” she said. “Even if half of them hate each other and innocent kids are arrested for things they had nothing to do with.”

  “They got out. Soon, they will be back in school and everything will get back to normal for them.”

  “Try telling their parents that,” Mel snorted. “Anyway, I’ll see you later, Drea. You enjoy your free period.”

  Andrea gestured down to her keyboard, where she was writing up the next assignment. “No such thing,” she said, shaking her head. “Thank God summer is coming up.”

  “Three more days!” Mel exclaimed, pumping the air with her fist in mock jubilation. She grinned and headed back out, leaving Drea to her work.

  A soft knock at the door disrupted her once again and she sighed, glancing up just in time to see the door open. Her chest tightened. “Eric.”

  Eric gazed at her, his cool grey eyes boring into hers.

  “Hey, Drea,” he said with a small sneer. “What are you up to?”

  His tweedy voice made Andrea’s skin prickle. She was sick and tired of Eric coming in and harassing her when she was trying to get work done. Even with summer just a few days away, it was crucial that she stay on track. A teacher’s work was never done, it seemed. You would think the principal of the school would understand that by now.

  “I’m just getting some work done, Eric,” Drea said evenly without looking up at him from the screen of her computer.

  “Is that all you ever do?” Eric asked, coming closer. “You still haven’t let me know whether or not you are going to RSVP.”

  Andrea pursed her lips. The last thing she wanted to do was go to some shoddy barbeque with this guy. He was so full of himself that she couldn’t stand it.

  And not only that, but he had been single-handedly responsible for the arrest of Greg, Anthony, and Carl; three of the sweetest, most harmless kids in the district. She, and several other people, had tried to vouch for their innocence, but Eric hadn’t cared. He was full of himself and his ignorant conviction and had sicced Bobo the rent-a-cop on the boys to scare the hell out of them and put them in jail until the whole stupid mess was cleaned up. Just looking at him made her angry, but he had always had a gross fixation on her that had bordered on inappropriate. He had always stopped just before he crossed the line too much, but she still dreaded seeing him, knowing he was going to say or do something that either irritated her, made her uncomfortable, pissed her off, or all three combined. He was the worst boss she had ever had.

  “You should be glad working is a large part of what I do…especially at work,” Andrea pointed out, finally glancing up at Eric. He seemed pleased by this turn in events and meandered over to her desk, leaning against it casually as if they were old friends. She marked “irritated” off her list.

  “I think it’s great that you take your job so seriously, but you should still let yourself relax and let loose a little bit. When is the last time you went out and just let yourself let loose? Have a good time?”

  The implications in Eric’s eyes made her deeply irate. Was he really trying to imply she needed to get out more? And from the leer in his eye, there was a clear but unspoken sexual undertone to his question that made her want to chase him out of her classroom with a heavy textbook.

  “I do what I have to do to maintain myself, Eric,” she said finally, avoiding his gaze. “I just prefer to have all my work done before I do it.”

  Eric grinned and gave her a small nod. “Make sure you RSVP. I want to know how much food and entertainment to have. It’s always a blast, you know. I fire up the grill to celebrate the first day of summer. Things can get a little crazy…”

  He looked meaningfully at Drea, who turned away in disg
ust. She still hadn’t quite found her footing with him and felt concerned about how to deal with him. He had a lot of power over her job, which was something he never failed to let her forget. She hated it. He was one of the pets of the superintendent and knew how to get under her skin. There was some definite nepotism going on there, and everybody had learned the hard way not to cross Eric. Andrea loved her job. The kids needed her. Maybe Eric was a pain in the ass, but she would deal with it, and gladly, if it meant she was able to take care of the ones who needed her most.

  “I’ll let you know about that,” Drea said begrudgingly. Like hell she was going to attend. But she couldn’t tell Eric that. It could cost her her job, and that was something she couldn’t afford to lose. Not with her mother sick. Thoughts of her mother creased her brow and Andrea tried to focus her attentions back on her work. The conversation lulled, and Eric finally cleared his throat loudly.

  “All right then,” he said, standing up straight and smiling jovially at her. “I will talk to you later. Have things to attend to.”

  So, go freaking attend to them, Drea thought bitterly. Instead of speaking her mind out loud though, she smiled falsely at Eric and watched him leave, relief flooding her once her door finally fell shut and she was left alone once again with her work.

  2.

  “We have another job,” Carter said, waving a piece of paper in the air. Max squinted at the chicken scratch on it and tried to read it, but Carter still looked like he had just graduated the first grade when it came to his writing skills.

  “Where is it?” he asked, giving up on being able to read the paper. Carter glanced from Max to the other men in the office, about six of them total.

  “It’s west of here. In an area we know well.”

  “I guess the neighborhood isn’t great,” Max said, his golden eyes flickering back to the paper. Ah, now he could see the street name. Maybe they should have someone else answering the phones, though just in case Carter’s handwriting remained illegible.

  “Yeah, they seem to have a lot of people unhappy with the place.”

  “A lot of crime,” Max replied sadly. It was something he had just never been able to wrap his head around; needless violence. It was bad enough when it was necessary. Why create more of it? This place was sometimes unfathomable to him.

  “Well, that’s good news for us,” TJ said, strutting forward, and snatching the paper out of Carter’s hand. “That means we get more jobs. That’s a good thing. We need the money.”

  “Who knew this place would be so expensive to live in,” Carter mumbled, shaking his head.

  It was true. None of them had anticipated how difficult it would be to keep their heads above water when they had first arrived in Brookside. It was a completely new environment, and it was taking quite a while for them to get used to it. They were all intelligent, strong men, which was why they had begun their moving company in the first place. Wyvern Movers had become a great success. Gavin had been the brains behind the operation, enlisting the help of one of the local people to get all the necessary paperwork filed and completed as they began to navigate their new terrain. The business world wasn’t exactly their forte, especially not considering the type of place they were raised. Everything was so different here. So fucking strange.

  And yet, there was also something comforting about it. There was a sort of simplicity in Brookside that hadn’t been present back home. And it was usually easy to understand the people here and their motivations. When they couldn’t, it was usually because of customs and social cues that were hard for Max and the others to pick up on.

  At least they had chosen good names for themselves and had managed to create a business that was thriving and well on its way toward becoming successful. They were able to keep themselves more or less concealed. They hadn’t roused any type of suspicion yet. Everybody was impressed by their strength, but that was because they were men who had started a moving company, and it rarely roused suspicion. There were many miraculous things the human body could do, especially if they were bodybuilding or using steroids. So the strength of Max and his crew rarely lifted an eyebrow. They would just have to remain careful.

  “When do we go?” Max asked Carter finally. He had completely given up on trying to read the man’s handwriting, though admittedly, Max’s wasn’t much better. Still, he had been practicing meticulously to make sure he didn’t stand out. He had a workbook and everything.

  “Two hours.”

  “That’s such short notice, man,” TJ said, shaking his head. “Are you sure we didn’t have another booking today?”

  “I’m sure,” Carter grumbled. “You’re just going to have to deal with it being short notice.”

  “It’s just that I kind of had a date,” TJ admitted. Max lifted an eyebrow. A date? With a woman from Brookside? That didn’t seem like a good idea. But he didn’t speak his concerns. Instead, he clapped loudly.

  “All right, boys. Two hours to prepare. Then let’s get ready to go.”

  Soon, they were all bustling to prepare for the job and on their way to a new environment, where they would surely learn even more about the rituals and habits of the humans of Brookside.

  3.

  “How are you feeling today, mom?” Drea asked, setting down the bouquet of flowers and reaching over her mom’s hospital bed to embrace her.

  “Same as just about every day,” her mother said, smiling weakly.

  The cancer had been spreading rapidly and it was a miracle her mother could even move, let alone hold a conversation. It seemed that every day she was a little bit closer to death, but there was hope. A doctor across the country had made great strides in developing a treatment that could at least give her mother a few more years as pain free as possible.

  “I missed you,” Drea said, smiling down at her mother. She always felt an extreme pressure to be the breath of fresh air when she visited and felt that it was nearly impossible to bring her mother any sad or difficult news in her condition. Instead, she had taken the illness as an opportunity to examine all the good things that happened throughout her day so she was able to bring her mother news of things that made her mother smile. There was nothing more rewarding than knowing she had eased some of her mother’s suffering, even if just for a little while.

  “I missed you too, sweetheart. How was work today?”

  Thoughts of Eric’s irritating visit flashed in Drea’s mind and she tried to hide the fact that her smile had faltered.

  “It was fine, mom. Same as always. Some of the kids in my class are brilliant. They really understand the subject matter we have been reading. It’s really refreshing.”

  Yes, that was it. Focus on the good. Andrea took in a deep, subtle breath and let it out slowly. Forget Eric and all the drama with the three boys he had created. Focus on the bright spots; the people who were creating a better future for themselves and the world at large. Students who truly cared about things even when it seemed like the rest of the world had given up hope.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Andrea’s mother said. She glanced at the open doorway and smiled, then gestured for Drea to close it. “Mr. Jansen came over to my room for another visit today.”

  Andrea couldn’t help but laugh as she closed the door so she and her mother could have more privacy to dish about the handsome bachelor who had taken an interest in her mother. Well, handsome for an older man anyway. Andrea’s taste in men was a little different than her mother’s.

  “Is that right?” Andrea asked, raising her brow with a small little smirk. Mr. Jansen’s visits had become a bright spot in her mother’s life, and Andrea couldn’t help but feel immense gratitude for the man, even if he was doing so out of selfish reasons. It was still too early to tell. However, it seemed unlikely that there was anything much in it for him, and she found herself feeling fond of the man who had given her mother so much joy.

  “Yeah. He brought me a coffee this time and we sat down and talked about his late wife. He has three kids. Three!
Can you imagine? I struggled so much just raising you on my own.”

  Andrea felt a pang of guilt, but her mother quickly smiled. “I was lucky that you were as kind and well-behaved as you were. A lot of people have an issue with it when you are a single parent, but you and I always managed to beat the odds together. I’m very proud of the woman you have become.”

  Andrea smiled and looked away, her eyes filling with tears. It was hard to hear her mom say things like that. They somehow felt so…final. But that was the way it had to be sometimes. Especially knowing that her mother was suffering with what was probably going to end up being a terminal illness. There was little hope that the treatment would work, and even if it did, she still wouldn’t survive. Her life would be cut short by her cancer. That was all there was to it.

  It was so strange, too. They had always been very hardy and had resisted most illness and disease. Her mother always joked about having good genes, and truth be told, that seemed to be the case. Both Andrea and her mother had always been able to easily resist germs and avoid illness. When half her class was out with the flu, Drea had always been able to avoid it. The same had always been true of her mother. In fact, Andrea had begun to believe that her mother was invincible, at least partially. And now this. Cancer. It seemed so unlikely. How could that be possible?

  “What are his kids like?” Andrea finally said, remembering suddenly that she and her mother were mid conversation. She couldn’t let herself get swept away in the negativity and sadness. She needed to try to keep things positive and talking about Mr. Jansen was something that definitely made her mother feel good. Thank God for that.

  “They seem like they’re very sweet and impressive adults. They’ve been to the hospital many times to visit him, just as you have me.”

  “He has a different type of cancer?” Andrea asked. She couldn’t quite remember, although her mother had mentioned it before in passing. She had been more focused on the fact that a random man at the hospital had taken an interest in her mother. It had brought out a strange, protective side of her she hadn’t seen surface in a long time.