Her Fated Dragon Protector (Lone Reach Shifters Book 2) Read online

  Her Fated Dragon Protector

  Lone Reach Shifters 2

  Samantha Leal

  Copyright ©2020 by Samantha Leal. 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.

  https://www.totallyromancebooks.com/samantha-leal

  Contents

  1.

  2.

  3.

  4.

  5.

  6.

  7.

  8.

  9.

  10.

  11.

  12.

  13.

  14.

  15.

  16.

  17.

  18.

  19.

  Return of the Wolf

  About the Author

  Other Series from Totally Romance

  1.

  The night was suddenly coming in fast for the workers who had been busy since the crack of dawn. Men of the town had been manning the production line and packaging areas at the latest hub of enterprise in Lone Reach. The Brewery was open for business.

  Martin Hall rubbed a hand down his face and across his chin, wiping away the sweat that clung to him after a hard grind at his new role. He saw the way some of his peers moaned and complained about not being able to split their shifts, but he would never be one of them. He was glad to have the work, and completely stoked to be one of the lucky people of Lone Reach to be given such an amazing opportunity at this thriving business. He didn’t understand how any of the others could even think about rolling their eyes. It didn’t matter if the hours were long; they were paid well, they got good breaks, and they even had a canteen on site which fed them several times a day.

  Some people just don’t know how good they have it, Martin thought. There’s always someone wanting to make an issue. Why can’t they be happy for the fact they are lucky enough to have a wage and can support themselves?

  Martin wasn’t a stranger to tough times, and he wasn’t just supporting himself; he also had a family. A doting wife and two strapping boys who were about to hit their teenage years. He would do anything for his tribe. And the fact that he had to work long hours to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head was more than worth it. It gave him a deep sense of satisfaction.

  “Good night,” he called as he slammed his locker closed and pulled his baseball cap down snugly onto his head.

  His co-workers all called goodbye to him and some of them clasped his hand as he walked past. It had been another good day at work for him; he was feeling upbeat and looking forward to getting home.

  As he exited the back entrance and walked into the crisp evening air, he noticed how dark it felt. He stopped and looked around, gazing up toward the inky sky, then toward the parking lot and the woodland beyond. There were thick clouds blocking out the light from the moon, and he couldn’t see any stars.

  He shivered. And as he picked up his pace toward the rows of cars all lined up and waiting for their owners, he noticed the streetlamps that usually lit the way were out.

  The darkness seemed unnatural, as if it were stalking him. And it made his breath catch in his throat as he continued forward. His feet crunched along the gravel, and he clutched his backpack to his shoulder, as a sense of dread began creeping up on him with each step he took.

  He wouldn’t turn around and look back toward the brewery, he just wanted to get to his car. It was so silent around him, and the air was so still, he should have felt as if he were alone… but deep inside, he had the terrible knowledge that he was not.

  Something was following him.

  He swallowed and stopped a moment, holding his breath, trying to hear as much as he could. And it was then that he heard the crack of a stick, as if someone had stepped on a branch, and it made him gasp as he turned around and raised his fists defensively.

  The parking lot was empty apart from the darkened vehicles, but he could feel eyes on him, and it made his spine tingle.

  He turned back toward his car and began to run. His breath was sharp and ragged, and as his own feet crunched across the ground, he could hear the footsteps of someone ‒ or something else ‒ gaining on him with each second. As he fumbled in his pockets to find his keys, it all happened so fast… He felt the ice-cold hand on his shoulder and then he was paralyzed: pressure was closing in on him, and something seemed to flatten his cheeks, gripping him from behind and squeezing his head.

  That was the last thing he felt before the world went dark and blank, and the images of his wife and boys began to fade to blackness, along with the rest of the life he held so dear…

  2.

  “Okay, I’m giving you ten minutes to get here or I’m leaving without you!” Aubrey laughed as she called across the room and into the cellphone lying on her bed. The speaker was enabled, and she heard Mia’s little huff coming from the other end.

  “You’re such a slave driver!” Mia teased.

  “And you’re always late!” Aubrey grinned as she smoothed on some blush and looked at her reflection in the mirror above her dressing table.

  “Well, you’re not wrong there,” Mia admitted. “Okay, I’m just finding an outfit, I’ll be as quick as I can.”

  “Ten minutes,” Aubrey said ominously and with a giggle as she walked over to the bed and ended the call.

  She smiled and put her hands on her hips, surveying the complete mess that was her bedroom.

  Her best friend, Mia, may be late for their night out, but she could certainly use the extra time to tidy the place before she arrived.

  Aubrey sighed as she reached down and began to sweep up the bundles of clothes she had strewn across the carpet. She dumped them all on the bed before sorting them onto hangers or into neat little folded piles.

  “What a Rock-and-Roll Saturday night,” she whispered to herself.

  She knew she would soon be hitting the town with her bestie, but she still had to laugh at how the night had begun. As usual, Mia had found herself involved in some kind of drama. This time, she had been fired from her job at one of the local restaurants on Main Street, and she was down in the dumps. Aubrey hated seeing her friend so lost and miserable, and because of this, they had decided it was time to paint the town red.

  The girls were in the prime of their youth, and loved being strong, independent women, but Aubrey had to admit, she was a little bit worried for Mia this time… She was beginning to get a name around Lone Reach as someone who was flighty and unable to hold down a job, and Aubrey just hoped that this latest incident of her slacking on her shifts wouldn’t somehow hamper her chances of finding anything new.

  “Small towns,” she said aloud, letting her thoughts escape from her lips.

  She turned around with the clothes and carried the folded pile over to her dresser. She set them down on the top and opened the drawers to slide the clothes inside. On the top of the dresser was her favorite framed photograph of her and her father, and she smiled and felt warm inside as she looked at it.

  Aubrey could never stand in front of the dresser and not be drawn to the photograph. She missed her father more and more each day, and as she looked back at herself in the image, the way she was so small and carefree, she wondered if she would ever feel so innocent and protected ever again. It was still hard for her most days. She had been without him since she was a kid, and she had grown up without a strong male role model around, but it still didn’t stop her pining for him and the memories she still had. She and her mother would regularly talk about him; her mom would tell her stories that happened before Aubrey was born, and she would love to imagine her father as a young man about town in Lone Reach, causing havoc and driving the girls wild, just like he had clearly done with her mother.

  Tears began to sting her eyes and she slammed the drawers shut and turned away.

  She may love looking at the picture of her and her dad from before he died and reminiscing, but it always made her tearful… And she had just spent way too long fixing her make-up to start crying and sobbing the way she wanted to. That would have to wait until another time. Maybe she could call see her mom to come over in the morning and they could have breakfast, and talk some more about the old ways of Lone Reach and how her dad had been right there in the thick of it.

  “Okay,” she breathed out as she dabbed her eyes and took a moment. “What else do you need to get together…?”

  She collected her lipstick and mascara, her cellphone and apartment keys, slipping them into her little clutch purse before she opened her closet and pulled out the jacket she wanted to wear. It was a lovely grey, fur-lined, leather aviator her mom had gotten her the Christmas before. It had quickly turned into one of her staple pieces. She pulled it on and then surveyed her reflection in the full-length mirror.

  It had been a good few weeks since she and Mia had gone out in Lone Reach properly, and she couldn’t remember the last time either of them had gone to The Dragon Pit… but tonight, they had decided it was time to change that. She looked back at herself, wearing tight, wet-look leggings, a low-cut silver camisole, a black choker and silver rings that made her look as bad ass as she felt. Her stilettos felt a mile high and her hair was perfection, even if it had taken her most of the evening to curl
it just right.

  She smiled and blew her reflection a kiss.

  She looked damned good. And she felt even better.

  The buzzer to her apartment sounded out, and she laughed and cocked her head to the side. She wandered over to the entry phone and picked up the receiver.

  “I thought you said ten minutes?” she mused.

  “I ran here like the wind, can’t you tell?” Mia’s voice was huffing and puffing from the other end; she sounded as if she had just done a ten-mile sprint.

  “Yikes,” Aubrey said through gritted teeth. “It’s a good thing I’m ready too. I’ll be right down.”

  She placed the phone back on its cradle but hit the button to open the door to the apartment block so Mia wouldn’t have to stand out in the cold. She double checked her bag and grabbed her keys, and then left her apartment and headed out into the night.

  The girls walked arm in arm as they made their way off the street Aubrey’s apartment was located on and down a couple of blocks to Main Street. With it being Saturday, there was a certain buzz in the air, and Aubrey’s stomach was electric inside with excitement. Mia and she laughed together as they trotted along, watching the cars flash by as they too made their way toward the hub of the action.

  They had both lived in Lone Reach their entire lives, but recently, both noticed how much busier the place was becoming. Since the brewery had opened, the town had been crawling with new faces. It had been exciting to see, and Aubrey loved the fact that her town seemed to be getting a little facelift in certain areas, like the refurbishment and expansion of their only hotel and the new stores that were popping up around Main Street. This was part of the reason they had decided to come out on this very night and reintroduce themselves to the nightlife. It had been a few weeks since they had been out at all, and months since it had been in the evening. The girls were used to spending their Saturday day times in the ale houses and pubs that were scattered around the place and were usually home by ten at the latest. But this was different, Mia had heard that The Dragon Pit, the only club in town, had also had a bit of a revamp, and according to the rumors, it was certainly the place to go for the young folk of Lone Reach.

  “Shall we grab a drink somewhere first?” Mia asked as they tottered along in their high heels.

  “Sure.” Aubrey smiled, feeling warm inside. “I’ll go wherever you would like; this is your night.”

  She gave Mia’s arm a reassuring squeeze, and they headed across another intersection and onto the block behind Main Street. The crowds were beginning to get bigger, and the music and noise level was increasing. Whenever Aubrey came into town like this, she was always glad she had leased an apartment that was more than a few streets away from the majority of the action. She may love being around people, but she wasn’t sure she could stand the noise when she was trying to sleep. She liked the quiet and her down time, just like anyone else.

  The streetlamps that were running all the way along to Main Street looked different than usual, and Aubrey slowed her pace, looking at what appeared to be a sign tethered to them. She stopped completely and started to read it, the title capturing her attention and sending a ripple of fear over her.

  MISSING….

  She swallowed and her eyes scanned down…

  MISSING MAN

  MARTIN HALL – LAST SEEN LEAVING THE BREWERY ON

  THURSDAY EVENING. ANY INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL

  LONE REACH POLICE DEPARTMENT at 555 - 0172

  Her breathing slowed and she felt an icy chill run up her spine as she looked into the eyes of the man staring back at her. She recognized Martin Hall; she was sure she had seen him around town.

  “What’s this?” she asked with a whisper.

  “Oh yeah, haven’t you heard?” Mia asked as she sidled up next to Aubrey and shook her head sadly. “No one has heard anything from him since Thursday when he walked out of work to go home. Isn’t that crazy?”

  Aubrey rubbed her hands up and down her arms as if she were trying to warm herself up.

  “Not even his wife?” she asked Mia.

  Mia shook her head.

  “My mom is close friends with her, and they are all worried sick. It’s so unlike him,” she sighed. “I said to Mom, I’m sure he’ll turn up… You know what some middle-aged men are like, some of them just disappear for a few days, to go find themselves or whatever… But I never pegged Martin for that kind of guy. I thought he was a devoted family man…” She lowered her voice and leaned in a little closer. “Between me and you, my mom says he must be having an affair. I mean, why else would he just disappear like that? Goes off to work one day like everything is fine and then never comes home?”

  She rolled her eyes and pouted.

  “His wife is probably better off without him,” Mia said.

  “You’re such a cynic!” Aubrey nudged her arm and scowled. “What if something awful happened to him?”

  Mia seemed to listen to what she was saying and nodded her head.

  “Well, then, I guess we shouldn’t be wandering around out here late at night like this, should we?” she said.

  Aubrey could sense there was some seriousness to her voice, but she just shook it off and smiled.

  “We’ve waited too long for this night out to head home. I won’t hear another word of it!”

  Mia laughed and the girls carried on walking, but as they passed each streetlamp and she saw the posters again, Aubrey couldn’t help but wonder if Mia was right.

  Two girls wandering the streets of Lone Reach when a man was missing… a local man that everyone seemed to know… suddenly, her little town didn’t feel so safe anymore.

  Before the thought could grow legs, Mia squealed with excitement and tugged on Aubrey’s jacket.

  “There it is,” she beamed. “The Dragon Pit.”

  The club loomed up ahead of them out of the uniformity of the other buildings ‒ all black and red, covered in flashing lights, and music coming booming from inside as crowds loitered and danced on the sidewalk. It looked hectic and fun, and it gave Aubrey a buzz just looking at it.

  “I guess it’s now or never,” Aubrey mused.

  “A drink first.” Mia grinned as she steered her out of the way and toward one of the ale houses. “I feel the need for a little Dutch courage.”

  Aubrey laughed and nodded in agreement.

  It was Mia’s night after all, and she was ready to party.

  3.

  The Dragon Pit was three floors of complete mischief and mayhem. It had been since the day it had opened, way before Carter was even truly aware of what his family business dealt with, and it had continued to grow and serve the youth of Lone Reach for what would hopefully be many more generations.

  Carter stood looking out from the balcony on the third floor where his office had a panoramic view of the entire club. There was nowhere like this place for miles around, and it was no wonder it continued to pull in crowds from the surrounding towns. Since the brewery had opened, he had seen an even bigger appearance in the nightclub industry, and it had made him feel proud of what he and his family had created. They may have stepped aside and left the majority of the work to him and his cousins, but it still felt good to have some connection to his ancestors, and this club had defined them all.

  He smiled as he thought of the first days of Lone Reach, and how it would have been oh so very different inside these walls. His parents and grandparents had passed on stories, and told him of the golden years, from the roaring 20’s right through to the 70’s. Tales of music nights, sold out dinner and show tables, actors and actresses that had flown in from Hollywood to see the kind of place that was redefining entertainment. He wasn’t sure how genuine the stories were, but for a small town, The Dragon Pit had certainly attracted its fair share of famous faces and had been a fixture since the town had come to be over a hundred years ago.

  Carter slid his hands into the pockets of his suit trousers. It wasn’t often he came down on a Saturday evening, but he had been promised that this night was going to be something extra special. His cousin, Victor, had marketed a big party night, and it had been targeted at all the local liberal and private colleges in the small towns surrounding Lone Reach. He had been informed of kids coming into town and booking into the hotel, of Main Street being busy all day, and of the new faces in town who had begun work at the brewery all having purchased tickets too. It felt exciting and promising, but it was also a tad nerve-wracking. For some reason, Carter always felt as if he had to prove himself. He tried to tell himself over and over that he was doing ridiculously well for a guy in his mid-twenties, but there was a part of him that always felt inferior.