Hidden Dragons 2: Dragon Mates (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Hidden Dragons 2: Dragon Mates
Nikita Stravinsky has been having erotic dreams for over a month and when she meets Randy Holmes, Rex Humphries, and Russ Charge it doesn't take her long to realize they are the men she's been dreaming about.
Niki is a deputy for the Rock Springs Sheriff's department and when she finds out who and what Randy, Rex, and Russ are she has a hard time believing them. That is until they show her their dragons.
But when she finds out the three men were in involved in the death of the missing Rock Springs mayor, she's in a quandary.
However that issue ends up being the least of her problems. The hunters have found out that she is a dragon shifter mate and they're intent on kidnapping her.
How is she supposed to stay safe when one of the hunters is her boss?
But her boss isn't the only hunter out to get her...
Genre: Fantasy, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 51,889 words
HIDDEN DRAGONS 2:
DRAGON MATES
Becca Van
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
HIDDEN DRAGONS 2: DRAGON MATES
Copyright © 2015 by Becca Van
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63259-586-7
First E-book Publication: August 2015
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
About the Author
HIDDEN DRAGONS 2:
DRAGON MATES
BECCA VAN
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
Nikita Stravinsky moaned in her sleep and rolled to her side. The beautiful woman who had invaded her dreams over the last month wouldn’t leave her alone. At first she tried to ignore her but she was damn persistent and she’d listened to her tale about King Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table who had been changed into dragon shifters by Merlin and his magical staff. If that wasn’t enough, three men began invading her dreams, too, and she awoke each morning horny as hell from erotic dreams that never reached their conclusion. Plus the Mayor of their small rural town had been missing for three months and she was part of the investigation into his disappearance.
The stress had gotten to her, and the fact her asshole boss of a sheriff had been riding her ass and still was, was getting to her, and pissing her off. There was something about him that set her nerves on edge and if she had been able to afford to move she would have applied for a position as a deputy sheriff in another county. However, she knew from past experiences that life wasn’t fair and nothing ever came her way with ease.
She sighed with relief as the Lady Guinevere faded away and she sank deeper into sleep. Yet her mind never seemed to totally let go, and she was still able to think even while she was dreaming, and didn’t that just suck. She was totally exhausted from long days at work and broken sleep from crazy dreams.
Another sigh escaped as she rolled onto her back and as she settled into her soft yet very supportive mattress she felt the bed move on either side of her and near her feet. She didn’t need to look to know it was her three dream men. What bothered her was that she never could see their faces.
She moaned as hands cupped and kneaded her breasts and sighed as another two caressed up her naked legs. She knew none of this was real. It was cold and she’d gone to bed in flannelette pj’s to ward off the chill. She’d tried girding her mind with walls before she went to bed but nothing she did stopped them from visiting her when asleep.
Their deep voices made goose bumps rise up all over her body but she couldn't work out what they were saying. She groaned and arched her hips up when fingers stroked up through her wet folds and sobbed with frustration when they withdrew. A cry of need escaped from her lips when her nipples were enveloped in warm wet mouths and she sobbed with pleasure as those mouths suckled firmly, before two tongues rasped over the engorged sensitive peaks.
Niki was brought to the edge again and again and no matter how hard she reached for completion it never came. The touch was ephemeral, they were there, yet they weren’t. She’d tried to control her thoughts and bring them to a reality of more substance but nothing worked. Night after night she was left aching and unfulfilled. Even the Lady Guinevere had been transient and yet she’d felt the ring of truth to every word the beautiful woman spoke into her mind.
Just
as she rose to the edge of release again she caught glimpses of blond, brown, and red hair but as she peered through the darkness of her dream world, trying to see their faces, the shadows seemed to deepen and their light touches began to fade.
“No!” she screamed in frustration, her voice loud enough to echo in her own ears. “Don’t leave me like this! I need you!”
Tears welled and flowed down her face. She was so weary and yet every time they were with her she felt energized.
Their touch became insubstantial and they began to fade away. Just before they were completely gone she heard them in her head. “Soon.”
The blaring of the alarm joined her scream of fury. Niki bolted upright and scrubbed a hand over her face. She stared down at the moisture on her palm and drew in a deep ragged breath. This shit was going to send her around the twist. She reached out and slammed her hand down on her alarm and willed her tired, heavy body to move. When she gained her feet she stumbled into the bathroom, flicking the light switch as she went. Keeping her eyes away from the mirror above the sink, she turned the shower on stripped off her pj’s and stepped in. The water wasn’t very warm yet but she needed the bracing, cooler water to shock her back to reality. When the water finally warmed she washed her hair and body, and even though she wanted to stand under the stream for at least another ten minutes to let the heat seep into her aching muscles, she forced herself to turn it off and step out.
After drying off and dressing, she braided her long auburn hair to keep it out of the way. Normally she took time to dry it with the hairdryer but she just didn’t have the energy today. Niki was so tired she was feeling sick and she was thinking about asking for some time off. She had plenty of vacation time up her sleeve but cringed at the thought of asking her boss Darrien Westly.
Darrien was an arrogant aggressive asshole and they clashed constantly but she always made sure to remain calm and polite even when she was calling him a prick to his face. He wasn’t a stupid man but her sarcasm seemed to go right over his head, or maybe he just chose to ignore it.
She’d seen the way Darrien had baulked when she finished her training and entered the Rock Springs Sheriff Department building. Although he and the Mayor Wally Core seemed to be in each other’s pockets, Wally had hired her on the spot after her interview. The fact that the mayor hadn’t even consulted the sheriff when he’d approved her application had stuck in Darrien’s craw. She’d seen the way the muscles in his jaw flexed and twitched as he ground his teeth down in anger, and from that moment on the bastard had treated her like she was a simple-minded airhead.
She had a feeling there was way more to Darrien Westly than he let on, but his disparaging comments about women were from the dark ages. He was a slimy prick and only ever made digs at her to Reece Haas and never directly to her face. The asshole never made direct eye contact when he was dishing out his vilifying comments and only ever about his latest conquest. Niki hoped that one day soon he’d be overheard and whoever he was dating gave him the biggest dressing down, but she’d never seen any of his women. She wondered if the fucker had told his dates they were to never visit him at the office. Probably. He was such a controlling dick. Lucky for her Reece was a good guy and often stood up to Darrien, and for women.
Niki sighed as she finished her coffee before glancing at the clock. She’d been so lost in thought the time had gotten away from her. She hurried back to the bathroom and as she brushed her teeth stared into her average hazel eyes. They looked haunted even to her and the bags underneath were getting bigger and darker. She was only twenty-six fucking years old but right now she felt like she was a hundred and twenty-six.
She grabbed her gun belt, secured it to her hips, and donned her hat before heading out. She really wasn’t looking forward to the ritual morning meeting or listening to Darrien drone on but she loved her job and she wasn’t about to let some asshole chase her away. Not even to the next county. Maybe with the new election coming up Darrien would be voted Mayor and she wouldn’t have to deal with him on a daily basis. She winced as she flicked her indicator on and turned onto the main street of Rock Springs. If he was elected Mayor she may just end up being fired. She suspected that Darrien would get an even bigger head and he would be down on the sheriff’s department harder than ever. Her only hope was that he got offered a position as sheriff in a larger county, but she couldn’t see that happening any time soon.
She got out of her car and hurried inside, sighing in relief when she saw Darrien wasn’t in his office as yet.
“Hi, Reece.”
“Hey, Niki.” Reece looked up from the pot of coffee he was making and frowned at her. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, just tired.”
“Aren’t you sleeping?” Reece poured coffee into a mug and handed it to her.
“Not really but I’ll deal.”
“Darrien was in about fifteen minutes ago but got a call from City Hall. He’s on the warpath so watch out.”
“Just what I fucking need.” Niki sighed before taking a sip from her cup. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“No problem.” Reece smiled and lifted his cup toward her before he took a sip.
“Have there been any new leads on the dead guy?”
Reece nodded. “The prints that were lost have been found and were run through the system.”
“Forensics found a match?” Niki straightened from leaning against the small kitchen counter in anticipation of finally getting somewhere in the case of the missing mayor.
“Yeah, but you’ll never guess in a million years who they belonged to.”
The hair on her nape stood on end as Wally Core’s face slammed into her brain. She had no idea why she thought of the missing mayor but it just seemed to fit. “The mayor.”
Reece’s mouth opened in shock and then snapped closed again. “How’d you know?”
“I didn’t, not really. It was just a lucky guess.”
“You must be psychic or somethin’.” Reece smirked.
“Yeah, something.” Niki had no idea what was wrong with her but there was no way she was letting on about her going nutty.
“It's going to be even harder to deal with Darrien if we have to arrest the mayor for murder.” He sipped from his mug.
“Don’t I know it! So, where did you search yesterday?” she asked as they walked back to the office and the map on the wall. There were red tacks all over the county map indicating the areas she and Reece had been looking for the missing mayor and his car. She’d even contacted the next county’s sheriff asking him and his deputies to keep an eye out, but nothing had been found so far.
She, Reece, and Darrien had searched the mayor’s house but had found nothing except photos of the mayor’s missing assistant. There was something really bad going on in this town and she was determined to find out what it was.
Had Belinda Starling been involved in the mayor’s disappearance or was the mayor responsible for her vanishing?
There were so many unanswered questions and as time marched on she began to wonder if they would ever find the answers. There was also the mystery surrounding the dead guy the mayor had allegedly killed. Luke Humphries’s residential address was in Rawlins just over three hours away but had no political connection as far as she knew. She and Reece couldn’t find any connection to Luke Humphries and Wally Core, but maybe if they could find the mayor and his cell phone that would change. Until then they were searching blind and there was nothing she or Reece could do about it.
Her internal alarm had started blaring when Belinda Starling’s house had been cleaned by a local cleaning company, but when questioned, the owner of the company said the job application had come through from a property broker. When she’d visited the broker and seen the paperwork for the one-off contract, she’d asked the man for a copy and although she’d received one, she couldn’t find where the order had come from other than a lawyer. The lawyer of course had no idea what was going on but apparently there were no orders to sell Star
ling’s place. Did that mean that Belinda Starling was an accessory to murder or was she on the run hiding from the missing mayor?
Just thinking about it all was enough to give her a blinding headache. Well that and the lack of sleep and she still had to deal with Darrien. Her day was just looking better and better. Not.
She turned her head when the front doors slid open and held in her groan of frustration when she saw Darrien storming in. He looked angry enough to kill and from the way his gaze pinned her she was the victim.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Darrien’s voice was at a low roar and full of ire.
“Good morning, Sheriff.” She tried to hide her sneer as she met him glare for glare but her top lip twitched and his eyes moved down to her mouth before meeting her gaze again.
Shit! Is that lust in his eyes as well as rage? Fuck no! There is no way in hell.
“Why were you late?” Darrien stopped when he was a few feet from her and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I wasn’t late and you have no right to—ˮ
“Niki was here five minutes early.” Reece moved to her side and met the sheriff’s stare head-on as he, too, crossed his arms over his chest.
She wanted to thank Reece for standing up for her but figured keeping her mouth shut was more prudent right now. Darrien would no doubt give her all the shitty jobs if she met him head-on. He’d done it before, the asshole.
Reece moved closer to her so that his arm brushed against her shoulder then he cleared his throat and then pressed more firmly against her side.
This is getting out of hand. Please don’t tell me Reece is attracted to me. He’s a nice guy but I think of him as a brother figure. And he supposedly has a girlfriend.