The Alpha Dragon's Secret (Dragon Shifters of Kahului Book 1) Read online

  "Earth to Sara," Jillian said. Her friend was waving a hand at her.

  Sara blinked. "Sorry. I was lost in my own little world for a moment."

  "Are you worried?" she asked. Her eyes were sympathetic.

  "A little," Sara admitted. She rested her dinner plate on her belly and smiled at Jillian. There are just too many unknowns right now."

  "No word from any of them?" Jillian scraped up the last of her chicken with a fork and popped it into her mouth. Carrie had taken over dinner duty in the last few weeks because Sara was exhausted. It turned out, their friend was more than a passable cook.

  Sara shook her head. She had not told anyone about the dreams she was having throughout her entire pregnancy. It was too strange to fathom. Plus, she wasn't a hundred percent convinced they were just dreams. Every time she woke up, she felt like Daegal was in the room with her.

  "He will come back," Jillian said. Her faith never wavered. It was strange. Whether she had some kind of sixth sense or was just eternally optimistic, she'd never thought Daegal and the others would stay away. It was kind of her to think so, but almost a year had passed and none of them had heard even a peep from any of them.

  Sara gave Jillian a pained smile. "Maybe you're right."

  A sharp pain made Sara wince. Her plate wobbled. Sara caught it and bent forward to place it on the table. When she sat back up, there was wetness between her thighs.

  "Oh," she said. Her eyes widened. "Did I just pee myself?"

  Jillian's face slackened with horror. "Shit! Shit!" she yelled and jumped up from her seat. "Carrie! Ella!"

  She rushed down the hall and started banging on doors. In less than a minute, it was complete chaos.

  "Oh my God," Sara whispered as she tried to stand.

  "Don't stand yet!" Carrie screeched at her.

  Sara froze in her seat. A great wave of pain came over her, and she hunched over moaning.

  "Jillian, get her bag! We need to get the hell out of here!" Ella yelled as she rushed into the living room. She stared at me wide-eyed. "You're about to be a mom," she said breathlessly.

  "Holy shit," I said.

  "Exactly," Ella said. "You ready?" She grabbed her keys from the counter.

  "No," Sara said.

  "Good. Remember that every time you feel helpless. No one is ever ready for a kid."

  "That is not helping."

  Ella reached over to help Sara stand. Another contraction hit her, and she doubled over, her hand on her massive stomach.

  "Let's go!" Carrie screamed as she opened the door and ushered everyone out.

  The day was here. Sara was going to meet her baby whether she was ready or not.

  9

  Daegal

  * * *

  ”This is useless," Daegal said in disgust for about the thousandth time since he'd left his mate asleep in the bed where they'd sealed their bond.

  The trail for Ludovic went cold almost as soon as they'd started to track him. It was like the fiend had suddenly up and disappeared without a trace. As soon as he thought the danger was passed and he could return to Sara, a rumor would turn up and the chase would begin anew.

  They were all exhausted. Going from town to town, from hotel room to hotel room, had yielded nothing. Three months had passed since their last lead.

  "It feels that way," Gregor said. He'd been the one to keep them going when all the others, including Daegal, had wanted to stop. "But he cannot be trusted. If we stop now, he will rise." But even Gregor was frustrated. They'd never lost a lead and been unable to find it again. It wasn't in their nature to lose.

  "When we were at Sara's house, I saw a huge tub in the main bathroom. It was so big I could sink in up to my shoulders, I think." Sebastian shut his eyes and smiled. "The thought of soaking in a tub like that is the only thing keeping me going these days."

  "I'll buy your bubble bath if you shut up about it," Edvard growled.

  "You should try a bath," Sebastian said, the smile not slipping. "It might balance your chakras."

  Edvard snorted. "You've spent too much time around the humans. Chakras are a charlatan's game."

  "Says you," Sebastian said. "But just look at me. Totally zen."

  Gregor shook his head in disgust. "One can only assume you're zen because you spent the night buried between the thighs of that gypsy fortune teller downtown."

  Sebastian's smile widened into a satisfied grin. "She did a wonderful job balancing my chakras too."

  Daegal threw an apple at Sebastian's head, but even with his eyes closed, the man's hand went up and caught it before it struck him. That was the infuriating thing about their team. They knew when a well-placed blow was coming. It was awesome for battle, not so awesome when you wanted to smack one of them for being an idiot.

  "Have you seen her?" Gregor asked quietly.

  "Every night in the dreamscape," said Daegal.

  "Does she know it's you?" he asked.

  "Nay." Daegal crossed his arms and looked out from his vantage point on a massive mountain somewhere in the Carolinas. This was the last lead they'd found. Ludovic had taken to the Blue Ridge Mountains to escape notice. But when they arrived, the trail, once again, had gone cold.

  It was maddening. Part of him wondered if this was Ludovic's trickery and as soon as they'd grown complacent, he would strike. This was the only thing keeping him away from his mate.

  He couldn't stay away too much longer. The mating bond had gone...odd.

  A couple of months ago, he'd felt her in extreme pain. Pain so extreme it brought him to his knees. It went on for hours and just when Daegal was about to scrap their mission, it had abruptly stopped.

  Whatever it was, Sara was injured. It was at that exact moment there came a tug on the bond. A third party.

  Daegal was so disturbed he didn't speak for two days. For the life of him, he could not figure out what had happened. The third party had not faded away. It was a constant humming on the bond, not unpleasant, but very strange.

  He found himself incapable of staying away too much longer. As it was, he was going out of his skin with want for her. Dragons were not meant to be away from their mates. It was unnatural.

  The dream link between them was his only saving grace. It was a way to see and talk to her, but he couldn't touch her or hold her.

  He needed to get to her.

  "Gregor?"

  His most stoic warrior turned to him, a questioning arch on his brow. "Aye?"

  "Ella. Did you feel something when you were at the house?"

  Gregor frowned and said nothing at first. The silence went on so long that Daegal thought he would refuse to answer the question. "Aye," he said finally. Nothing more.

  "Sebastian?"

  "I feel something when any lass is around," he said.

  Daegal wanted to wallop him. "Nothing with Jillian?"

  Sebastian opened his eyes. They were dark with an unnamed emotion. "She's a pox upon my hide," he muttered and shut his eyes once more.

  So...his answer was yes.

  "Edvard?"

  The man swallowed hard. "There is more to Carrie than meets the eye. She is more than the vapid woman people see on the surface."

  In Edvard speak, that was a yes too.

  "Do you believe in coincidence?" Daegal asked no one in particular.

  Sebastian and Gregor grunted. Edvard sighed.

  "Me neither," he said. "There is a reason we were drawn to them when we woke up." His gaze scanned their sparse campsite. "Pack. We return at sunrise."

  Gregor squeezed his eyes shut. Relief warred with worry on his face. "This could be a mistake."

  Daegal nodded. "We will deal with it if it is."

  They spent their last night drinking hard Scotch and reminiscing over their glory days. Daegal was the first up the next morning, packed and ready to go. There was a large body of water beneath them. He could sense it fed into a larger lake and eventually to the sea. They could take that route home.

  They should ma
ke it in two days time if they stayed in their dragon forms and took little rest.

  He smiled.

  Sara would be ecstatic to see him.

  Sara was not ecstatic to see him. This was evident by the thunderous glare she wore on her face when she opened the door. Daegal frowned at her even as he drank in the sight of her. There was a bundle in her arms. His glance bumped over it at first in his excitement to see her. His brow wrinkled as he finally realized what it was.

  Daegal's breath caught as he took a step forward. He blinked once, turning on the inner lid in his eye that allowed him to see magic, and peered down at the child. The child bore the mark of royalty all heirs of the Kingsford line wore.

  He sucked in a breath and turned wide eyes to Sara. She was still glaring at him.

  "I did not know," he whispered fervently. "I swear to you."

  Her arctic eyes thawed a touch, but she still didn't say anything. "I have much to tell you," he said. "Might we come in?" His brethren loomed behind him. Even with the shock of the baby, none of them moved from his back.

  When she gave a slight nod and stepped away, Daegal let out a soft breath. He was worried she'd turn him away. A dragon pregnancy was no easy thing to overcome. He stepped over the threshold and allowed the others to come in before he spoke again.

  Gregor touched the forehead of the child and bowed before it. Edvard did the same. Sebastian stared at the baby like it was a worm for a moment, then gave a shallow bow. They pledged loyalty to his child, though he'd have to lecture Sebastian on the proper way to acknowledge a future king. As a matter of fact, Sebastian needed a lot of lessons.

  She shut the door behind them, still holding his child. "You have five minutes," she said, her mouth a thin slash against her face. Sara walked over to the living room and sat in a new, plush rocking chair that hadn't been there the last time he'd been there.

  The roommates heard the commotion and piled out of their rooms. All three of them stood there staring in shock at Daegal and the rest of them.

  Ella finally stepped forward and punched a finger in the air. "YOU! You have a lot of explaining to do!"

  In his younger days, Daegal would have struck someone down for talking to him like that. But she was Sara's friend, and he strongly suspected, Gregor's mate.

  "I know," was all he said. He gave Gregor a long look.

  His long-time companion gave a short nod and stood. "Perhaps we should give them some time." He looked at Ella hopefully. Perhaps you can show us how you operate those boards?" He pointed to the brightly painted surfboards sitting in a corner of the room.

  Ella frowned. "You want to learn to surf?"

  Gregor shrugged. "We are constantly looking for ways to improve the physiques of our human form. We may swim with abandon in our dragon forms, but our human forms are still fallible. Learning to surf would perhaps grant us the chance to boost our agility and strength."

  Ella's frown faded and her eyes cleared. What Gregor didn't tell many people was that he also spent much of his time buried in books. His vocabulary was the only thing to give him away sometimes.

  She looked like she was going to refuse, but when she looked at Sara, she relented with a sharp nod. "Fine." She eyed his companions up and down. "But you can't go out looking like medieval rejects."

  Sebastian's mouth opened. "Did she just call us rejects?"

  Edvard nodded. "I think she just means you, though."

  "All of you. We're going down to the surf shop." She walked over to Gregor and opened her hand. "Drop some of that gold here."

  Gregor pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. "We've learned much in the days we've been gone. Including exactly how much gold our liege gave your Sara."

  Ella raised one eyebrow. "Yes, and then your liege left Sara alone and pregnant, so all of that gold went to her prenatal care and nursery furniture." She stepped into his personal space. "Do you have an issue with that?"

  Gregor's nostrils flared. Daegal could see the dragon roll over his form. Slowly, so slowly, a golden glow was cast from the bottom of Ella's feet. It was happening. Not yet. Not all at once. But the mating bond was beginning to form.

  Daegal stifled a smile. She would be difficult, that one. He looked forward to watching.

  "Nay," Gregor said, his voice a lot more formal now that the woman had dressed him down. "Our liege's heir shall want for nothing."

  "Good," Ella snapped. Her cool gaze turned to his other companions. "Do any of you have a problem?"

  Edvard and Sebastian simultaneously said, "No."

  She opened the door and jerked a thumb at it. "Then everyone get out."

  Sara snorted softly as Daegal's men did the tiny woman's bidding.

  Carrie and Jillian followed them out and soon they were left alone. Daegal sat on a chair across from his mate, even though he wanted to hold her forever. He didn't think she would allow him to right now.

  "I need to explain," he said.

  Sara stared at him with those strange multicolored eyes. "You do." She rocked the tiny bundle in her arms. The soft sounds of contentment came from within the blue blanket.

  Daegal swallowed hard. "Is it—" he began. "A boy?"

  "Yes," Sara said. "His name is Keanu."

  Warmth beat in his chest. "I approve."

  Her eyes flashed with anger. "I can't say your approval matters much to me."

  A sigh escaped him. He rubbed a hand over his chin and studied his mate. "You are angry. You have every right to be angry. Why didn't you tell me, Sara?"

  Her eyes went wide with outrage. "How?" she demanded. "Dragon Mail Express? You didn't leave as much as a phone number!"

  He had no idea what Dragon Mail Express was, but it sounded interesting. He'd ask later because his mate was furiously angry at that moment. "You do not know?" He'd thought all this time Sara was aware of the dreamlink.

  "Know what?" Her voice was a snarl in the quiet air. His son shifted restlessly. She visibly calmed herself and cooed to him.

  "I spoke with you every night I was gone."

  Her gaze snapped up to him. "Excuse me?"

  His lip curled in a soft smile. "I was the dragon who came to you every night."

  Shock made her mouth drop open. "So I had all these chances to murder you and failed to take them? Of course, I did."

  Daegal couldn't help it. He laughed.

  A small smile peeked out from her mouth. "You left me alone, Daegal. Pregnant. I had no idea if I'd ever see you again."

  He dropped his head into his hands. "I know. You were in danger. All of you." Daegal slowly began to explain Ludovic and his minions. As the story began, Sara's face cleared. He told her about how many humans perished the last time, and how he had to prevent it again. When he told her of his banishment, she reached out and took his hand. "I woke up all these years later only to see you, my mate. We are meant to be together, Sara. I know you feel it too."

  "I'm sorry. I didn't understand. Why didn't you tell me?"

  Daegal shook his head. "You didn't want to believe I was a dragon, and it was such a long story. I'm sorry. I should have told you before I left you like that."

  "It would have made it easier."

  He hesitated before he spoke next. Daegal held his arms out. "May I?"

  A smile broke out on her face, and it was like the sun had come out. "Of course." She handed the bundle over to Daegal and adjusted the blanket so he could see his face.

  He looked like the most wonderful combination of himself and his mate. When the baby opened his eyes, Daegal inhaled in shock. He had the most wonderful combination of ice blue and gold in them. "He's perfect," Daegal whispered.

  Sara touched their son's head. "He is."

  Within seconds, the child fell asleep leaving Daegal and Sara together, both enraptured by their son.

  "I've missed you," Daegal says softly.

  "I thought about you every day," Sara admitted. "Although most of those times those thoughts weren't charitable."

  A
fleeting smile crossed his mouth. "I deserve it. I hope to never leave you again." Daegal bowed his head. "But if the rumors are to be believed, Ludovic is still here. The trail keeps going cold. We've been behind him by at least a week each time."

  "Do you believe he's here?" Sara asked. She stroked their son's forehead.

  He nodded. "I do. There was a reason we were woken up." He explained the voice that came to him when he was still underneath the sea.

  "What do you think he wants?"

  Daegal blew out a frustrated breath. "Human slavery. Power. He does not have the same sense of honor most dragons do. He was corrupted, possibly at birth. Ludovic has never seen the promise the humans have or how successfully we can work together in society."

  Sara reached over and put her hand on top of his. "You will find him."

  "I hope," he said as he gripped her fingers tightly. "If I do not, everyone is in danger."

  Sara reached her arms out, and he handed the baby back. She motioned for him to follow her. He watched her back as she walked. She still had some of the soft curves pregnancy gave her. His mouth went dry as he watched her backside until she turned into the guest room.

  Sara laid their son down in a white crib. She reached over and turned on some kind of machine and then motioned him out. "It allows me to hear him cry if I leave the room."

  Humans had come a long way since he'd been asleep. Sara reached over and curled her fingers within his. He allowed himself to be led back to her room.

  His breath picked up as she shut the door behind him.

  As soon as the door clicked shut, Sara turned and drew her fingers through his hair.

  "How I have missed you," she said.

  Daegal shut his eyes for a brief moment in relief. Seconds later, he bent and swept his lips across hers. She gasped greedily and deepened the kiss.

  Moments later, they were lost in each other.

  Sara was once again where she belonged—in Daegal's arms. She was plastered against his side, beautifully naked, her hair spun wanton against his chest. He stroked her curls and kissed her on top of her head. She sighed and wriggled against him. His mate was exhausted, both physically and mentally.