Soldier Dragon's Second Chance Read online

  He had not truly been living. He had just been surviving day to day. If he had not had the Macedonian military to give him purpose. He wasn't sure what would have happened to him.

  But Garrett. He had felt shifters here, and he’d done absolutely nothing about it. “How did Brynne not feel that you were here?” Davi muttered to himself.

  “A friend of yours? When was she here?”

  “Last month. In early June.”

  Garrett leaned back in his lounge chair again and crossed his arms. “I felt a shifter in town about a month ago, but I was about to leave on tour. I must have just missed her.”

  “And you had no impulse to find her?’

  “Nah. I didn’t need any more complications.”

  “How can you refer to another shifter as a complication?”

  “Whoa. You’re kinda heavy on the judgment. man. I’m trying to relax before my show tonight.”

  Davi squeezed the back of his neck. His time here was pointless. This shifter wasn’t interested in his own kind, and it would do Davi no good to grow frustrated and lose his temper. “I apologize again. I will see myself out. I will come back and repair the damage to your penthouse doors.”

  “Don’t worry about it. As we both know, I don’t need protecting, and I don’t need any fire safety.” He grinned. “If they only knew, huh?”

  Davi wasn’t particularly amused. Maybe he had been spoiled by Nora and Niall. Nora had suffered at the hands of her coven, and she knew what it was like to fight for every moment of peace. Niall’s life had been equally difficult. His dragon clan had been destroyed while he was away, and he’d never gotten over the guilt. Then he’d been brainwashed by witches and made to serve them.

  They were both kind and generous, but they were also serious.They carried their pain in their eyes and were quick with empathy for others.

  Then he’d met the rest of their family, whom they called the Texas dragons. The four brothers, Kellan, Quinn, Liam, and Brennan, who lived in Cedar Lake, Texas, had all been from Niall’s clan. They’d been there and fought, and watched their family be murdered in front of their eyes. Brynne had suffered the same, and then lived in isolation with only the vampires for company, for years on end.

  Fallon, their Fae sister-in-law, had also suffered years of torment at the hands of her own tribe.

  And even the two humans, Clara and Juliana had been through trying times. Clara had escaped a physically abusive boyfriend, then been kidnapped by witches, and Juliana had escaped from her family, who ran an organized crime ring in Boston. They had all been tortured on and off by the Irish witch coven.

  He hated that his friends had endured such trauma. But it had made them thoughtful. Garrett was not. He came across as a spoiled, immature playboy.

  “How do you stay here, and leave your clan to fend for themselves?” The words escaped his mouth before he could reign himself in.

  Garrett’s eyebrows drew together. “Fend for themselves?”

  “Yes. Do you not want to help protect them?”

  “From what? They're indestructible. We can't be killed by fire, or by cancer, or by car wrecks. Bullets don't kill them. Humans pose zero threat.” Garrett took another sip of his drink.”What’s there to worry about?”

  “Your clan has not been attacked?”

  “By what?” Finally finished with his drink, he sat his glass on the floor with a clink. “Vampires? They come around every so often. Creepy bastards.”

  “By witches.”

  “We know some witches. They’re fun. They like to party.” Garrett raised his eyebrows. “If you know what I mean.”

  They liked to party? That was all he had to offer? Davi stared at Garrett, aghast. Davi didn’t have the full story about what had happened to his clan, or his home, but Niall was pretty sure Davi’s own clan had been destroyed by witches too. Nora thought maybe they’d been coordinating with the ones from Ireland.

  That was one thing Brynne wanted to do, create a network of dragon shifters that could all communicate. Not to regulate or try to control, but to have international connections.

  So that was why Garrett could joke and take this lightly. Because his clan was intact. His family had not been murdered. His clan mates were not scattered across the globe, isolated and alone. The witches he knew were friendly and sane.

  And that was okay. It wasn’t his fault that he’d led a charmed life. In fact, Davi was happy for him. Or he would be, eventually.

  But Garrett needed to understand that wasn’t every shifter’s experience. “No. I don’t know what you mean.” Davi went and stood by the railing. He looked out at the tangle of concrete and metal. “That hasn’t been my experience.” He was horrified to hear his voice crack.

  Pull yourself together. If you fall apart, he won’t take you seriously.

  Davi didn’t care if Garrett thought he was weak. But he did want him to understand what being a shifter meant in parts of Europe. Davi called on his training and spoke with authority. “Nor has it been the experience of the shifters closest to me,” he said.

  Garrett joined him by the railing. “Man, what happened to you?”

  Davi faced him. “I don’t know. My memories were wiped.” He turned back to the cityscape. “But I do know what happened to my friends’ clan. A little over fifteen years ago, a coven of witches attacked them. They murdered almost everyone. A few of the older teens survived. But that was it.” He took a deep breath and described the rest of what had happened to the Texas shifters and to Niall and Nora. He told him how the witches had gone after Kellan, and how they’d threatened to kill Brynne and her baby.

  By the end, Garrett’s eyes were wide and his mouth was set in a flat line. All traces of amusement were gone from his face. “I’m sorry. Why don’t you know what happened to you?” he asked.

  “Five years ago, I woke up in Austria. I had an ID card that said my name was Davi Santos and that I was twenty years old. I knew that I spoke Portuguese, English, and French.” He gripped the railing until it creaked from his strength. “That was it.”

  “You lost your memories?”

  “All of them.”

  A strong hand landed on his shoulder. “That sucks. I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Did you know you were a shifter?” Garrett asked.

  “No. I did not have any idea.”

  “How did you survive?”

  “I knew I was strong. I learned I was nearly invincible.. I backpacked through Eastern Europe. I spent a few weeks in Hungary and in Slovenia, and then I heard Macedonia was recruiting soldiers. So I went, and I joined. And I served their country for nearly five years.

  “Until now,” Garrett said.

  Davi nodded. “Until now. I’ve gotten pieces of my past, thanks to Nora’s help. But I need more. I am looking for answers.”

  “I don’t know that anyone’s ever come to Vegas to find answers. But I’ll be happy to help.”

  “You will?”

  Garrett clasped Davi’s shoulder. “Yes. However I can.”

  Davi was touched. Just moments ago, he’d assumed Garrett was shallow and uncaring. Now he was offering to help him. David had misjudged him, unfairly.

  “Thank you.”

  “I have a show tonight. But tomorrow? We’ll spend all day looking.”

  That was more than Davi could have asked for.

  5

  Carolina

  On a warm July evening, Carolina sang to herself as she rode her bike into the city. Riding was as close to flying as she got these days. Being on her powerful bike, speeding down the open road eliminated the itch under her skin and made her feel content, if just for a while.

  As long as she was on her Harley, with the wind in her hair, she could forget about everything she’d lost.

  One month ago, she’d felt the presence of a dragon shifter, only for one night.

  Then it passed.

  Now, the same feeling was back.

  There was a dragon shift
er. Here in Vegas.

  Once again, it wasn’t Garrett.

  She’d felt him when she first moved to Vegas, and at first, his presence had alarmed her. That was an understatement. She’d freaked the fuck out. But he had never sought her out, and she hadn’t bothered with him. It was clear that he wasn’t interested in living with other shifters. He was fully immersed in the human world. She understood that. She had chosen the same path, although perhaps for different reasons.

  He seemed to crave the human spotlight. He wanted to be around human crowds.

  But if it were up to her, she would have her clan back in a heartbeat. She couldn’t fathom ever willingly leaving her clan behind if they were still alive and well.

  From his accent when he spoke in interviews, he was clearly American. She had no idea if he had ever tried to find her. She assumed he hadn’t, since she stayed in one place most of the time unless she was on a motorcycle ride.

  She revved her engine and took off.

  Her heart began to race. For five years, and she and Garrett had been the only shifters in Vegas. Ever. And now, in two months’ time, she’d felt two other shifters come through.

  What if this new shifter was after her? What if he was in league with Lioslaith? It had been five years. Her former aunt could still be searching for her.

  If this new shifter was looking for her, he could probably catch up to her if he shifted and flew. But there was no way for him to do that inside the city. If she left and went out to the desert, there were plenty of roads where there were no buildings in sight for miles. She would be easy to catch. Her best bet was trying to hide in the city. Maybe if she could get close to the MGM hotel, she would be able to camouflage herself, especially since Garrett was there too.

  No. She needed to leave. Leave the city, and leave the state. Maybe the country. That was the only way to really evade another shifter, or a Fae or a wizard.

  But first, she would have to give her boyfriend an excuse. If she didn’t, Jim would send all of the Red Canyon riders out to search for her. The last thing she needed was a hundred guys to come blazing into Las Vegas looking for her. Jim would probably blast her face all over social media, which was the last thing she needed. He couldn’t understand why she refused to post her picture all over the place.

  She could never tell him the truth.

  Sometimes she woke up at night, gasping for air, wondering if history would repeat itself. She’d gotten out. Her mate had not.

  Maybe it wasn’t right that she was alive.

  Maybe it wasn’t right that she was pretending to be an American woman, when she was a Portuguese dragon shifter. And maybe, she should face the threat head on, instead of running.

  She’d once dreamed of having a family, and being a mother to several young hatchlings. But she had no desire to raise a family without her mate. He was the only one she’d consider having a child with.

  And if she did conceive a child with a human, then the baby would probably be a shifter. Like her. How the hell would she explain that?

  That’s what had drawn her to the motorcycle club. Her boyfriend Jim didn’t want marriage. He didn’t ask for long-term commitment. And he certainly didn’t expect a child.

  The club gave her companions, and conversation, but otherwise, she was free to live her life on her own terms, as much as she could.

  One day, she’d leave this vigilante life behind and go back home to the coast. She’d walk on Portuguese soil again. She’d walk along the Ponta da Piedade cliffs again, the place where she and her mate Davi had played as children.

  She just wasn’t ready yet.

  The faster her heart raced, the faster the memories came rushing back in.

  When she was a young girl, a female Fae from Ireland had shown up on their shore. Her name was Lioslaith, and she had been desperate for help. The Ponta da Piedade clan was kind and accepting of all creatures, so they always offered food and shelter. But they were reluctant to accept a new member into their midst. In their clan, shifters were the only permanent residents. Occasionally a vampire came through, but that was about it.

  But Lioslaith had been exiled from her tribe in Ireland. She was never to return. She and Carolina’s mother had an instant connection, and they had become best friends. Carolina’s mother had insisted that the clan accept her friend, and over the years, they had done just that. Lioslaith had become an aunt to Carolina.

  But the story did not have a happy ending. When Carolina was nineteen, her family went on a holiday to the Amalfi Coast in Italy. While they were there, her aunt fell in love with a wizard from France named Henri-Augustin. He charmed them all.

  For a year, he fooled them. And then he put his plan into action.

  He had wanted to control them all, the way he’d begun to control Lioslaith.

  But her clan objected, and they fought back. Except the Fae member, Lioslaith—she turned on the dragon shifters, choosing the witch over the clan who’d accepted her.

  Horrified at her betrayal, the dragons pulled together. But it had not been enough. With the help of her Aunt Lioslaith, Henri-Augustin killed every member of her clan. Except Carolina. She had gotten away.

  Her sweet Davi, who had always been her hero, had really become one that day. He had joined the fight, and finally, just as the wizard set off the final explosion, Davi shoved a sword right through his heart.

  Because of Davi, the wizard gained no captives, and he had no minds to control. He did not go on to torment other villages, tribes or clans.

  He was dead.

  But so was her mate. She had seen Davi for one last second before the world exploded around her. And then afterward, all that was left of their home was a pile of debris.

  And ashes, where her beloved mate had been.

  She had fallen to her knees.

  But she couldn't stay and mourn him properly. Her mother had still been alive, just barely. Carolina had crawled toward her. She’d been able to hug her one last time. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “It is. I let her in. I convinced everyone she was safe.”

  “No. It could have happened to any of us. The wizards are powerful. Their magic corrupted her. I know it.”

  Her mother patted her cheek. “You’ve always been wise. Go. Get yourself away from here.”

  So at twenty years old, Carolina had become an orphan. She lost her clan, her family, and her mate. And her Aunt Lioslaith escaped. Carolina never saw her again.

  She shuddered at the memories, and she hopped back on her bike and flew back to her home.

  Her path was clear now. She couldn’t hide in the city for a day or two. That wouldn't be enough.

  She had to break up with her boyfriend. There was a shifter after her, probably two. He was eventually going to find her. And when he did, there’d be a fight.

  Jim couldn’t see that. He’d probably want to jump in the fray and help, and then he’d be killed. And if these shifters were working for her aunt, they’d kill Jim without a second thought.

  He might not be her mate, and she might not love him, but he didn’t deserve to die.

  Inside their home, the air was warm, but she didn’t bother to remove her leather jacket while she packed. She stuffed her clothing into her bag, along with her passport. She took only the cash that was hers.

  Jim wasn’t home. That meant he was at the bar. She sighed. She’d prefer not to have an audience for their breakup, but there was nothing she could do about that now.

  She walked down the rocky path, memorizing every boulder and every scrubby bush. This was probably the last time she’d see her home, or her biker family.

  She stepped into the bar. It was mostly the guys tonight. They had no business to discuss in the back room they used for meetings, so they were playing pool.

  She watched Jim take his turn, and then she went to him.

  He greeted her with a kiss. “I’m kicking their asses,” he said, pointing to the vice president of
the club.

  “Sure you are,” she said. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  The guys made whooping sounds. Sometimes she was surprised at the overall lack of maturity displayed by a big group of tough bikers.

  “I’m leaving,” she said.

  “Okay. Grocery store? Will you get some steaks? I haven’t had a rib eye in weeks.”

  This was more difficult than she’d expected. “No. I’m not going to the grocery store. I am leaving Las Vegas. Permanently.”

  “What do you mean, you’re leaving? Where is there to go?”

  That was typical Jim. He thought the world started and ended with Nevada. “I’m leaving Nevada. For good.”

  “What about the bar? What about the club?”

  Damn. Was the bar really his first thought? Maybe she didn’t need to feel bad about leaving him.

  “I’m going to pass the club to you. I’ll do it legally.” She didn’t need money. Her parents had kept money in human banks, and she’d had access by the time they were killed. Once she was long gone, she’d find a lawyer who could make sure Jim had all the correct papers to run the bar. She didn’t want him to lose the space they used for their clubhouse.

  His jaw tightened. “I don’t want you to leave.”

  “I’m sorry. I have to go. My past is catching up with me.”

  “Carrie. Are you on the run? From the cops?” He grabbed her shoulders. “We can protect you. Hide you. I won’t let them take you in.”

  That might have been the sweetest thing he’d ever said to her. “I appreciate that, Jim. But I’m leaving.”

  “Stay. We’re riding to New Mexico tomorrow. We can stay there. The guys will follow us, I know they will.”

  She shook her head. It was tempting, but New Mexico was too close if a shifter or a Fae was on her tail. She would be heading to an airport, and leaving the country. She’d be starting all over again.