Drake Fated Dragon Daddies Book 1
Chapter One
Aurora quickly walked by the old cemetery. It wasn’t that she was afraid of ghosts. She shied away from the activity happening there to give those visiting privacy. Today, a stream of people dressed in black occupied the place. With a glance, Aurora noted someone being buried in one of the old family plots. She shivered at the thought of being locked inside one of the stone mausoleums, even if her family had one.
All the founding families did. They’d established Wyvern centuries ago. The area was sheltered from marauders in a valley surrounded by mountains. Over the years, new settlers had added a ring of newer buildings around the oldest part of the city. It hadn’t grown quickly and still held that small, lost-in-time feel.
Cut off from other cities by sheer distance and tricky roads, it was an odd combination of modern living and old-fashioned practices. There was a lot of history in the stone buildings that still formed the center of the town for those who appreciated it—or even stopped to notice the cobbled streets and beastly gargoyles forming the rain spouts of many of the oldest homes and stores.
Just back from finishing her four-year business degree in Dallas, Aurora hadn’t been overjoyed to come home with her tail between her legs. She’d been so sure she’d get a job at the elite company she interned for during the summers that she hadn’t explored other options. Turned out, the company didn’t wish to offer her a position when she graduated, but preferred candidates with five or more years of experience.
She’d scrambled to apply elsewhere but everyone in her graduating class had gotten their applications in first. Aurora wished she had a hundred dollars for every interviewer who told her they wished she had applied earlier but all the positions were now filled. Then she would have been able to pay her rent for a few more months.
The whisper of a noise behind her made her turn. She jumped back at the sight of a stunningly handsome man standing right behind her. His hair was thick—jet black with streaks of silver. It looked slightly unkempt as if he had neglected to cut it for a while. She had the weirdest urge to reach forward and brush it from his eyes.
Clutching her skirt with her hands to avoid giving in to that temptation, Aurora couldn’t look away. She shivered slightly at the scar that ran along his cheek. Faded into a white line, it didn’t detract from his appeal but gave him a dangerous air, as did the scruffy beard from not shaving for several days. She did not want to mess with this man. Yet, she wondered how his beard would feel if they kissed.
He stretched out a hand and she automatically responded to his silent request. Letting go of the fabric, she placed her palm against his and watched her hand disappear as his powerful one closed around it. A fire flared in his blue eyes, turning them gold. She felt like he could see through her.
Disconcerted, Aurora tried to pull away. She panicked when a sharp heat built on the back of her hand. “You’re hurting me,” she cried as she tugged harder to free herself.
“I was not expecting to find you today,” he said harshly. His statement almost sounded like a curse.
Frightened by his tone, Aurora yanked her hand, trying to free it. He held her effortlessly, not even budging with the force of her movement.
“You will learn that all things happen on my time, Aurora. The pain should be gone now,” he commented in a deep voice that seemed to resonate within her.
To her surprise, he abruptly released her hand. She staggered back a few steps, looking at her hand for damage. It was fine. Not a single mark, bruise, or red spot marred her skin. Astonished, she looked up quickly and met his steely gaze.
Aurora was rattled to realize the sharp pain was not the only result of touching him. That reaction soon paled in comparison to a consuming arousal building deep inside her. She’d never felt an attraction like that to anyone. Frightened, Aurora turned and ran down the cobbled streets of the Old Town.
She looked back over her shoulder before turning the corner and found him still standing there watching her. Feeling as if she were physically dragging herself away, Aurora dashed to her car and threw herself inside. Driving away felt awful for a few blocks before the need to turn around ebbed slightly—still there, but less urgent.
The heat, however, didn’t abate. All she could think about was getting home to spend time with her vibrator. A picture of the room she shared with her sister once again popped into her mind. Aurora shook her head. There simply was no privacy in the home she shared with her family. There would be no relief for her there.
Gritting her teeth, she continued driving. Her family’s home was in the middle of the modernized section of Wyvern surrounding the oldest section of the city. Her grandparents still occupied the ancestral home in the Old Town. It was large and had many rooms for guests. They would welcome her to stay with them.
Making a decision quickly, Aurora pulled onto a side street and parked. She pulled her phone out of her purse and called her grandmother.
“Hi, Aurora. I’m so glad to hear from you. Have you changed your mind? Can I tempt you to come stay with us?”
“Hi, Grandma. Like always, you can read my mind. I think sometimes you know me better than I do.”
“There is a tie between all the women of our lineage,” her grandmother said knowingly.
Not knowing what to say to that, Aurora concentrated on her reason for calling. “I did call to see if I can live with you for a while. Just until I find a job. Then, I’m afraid I’ll have to move away from Wyvern.”
“There’s plenty of time to worry about the future. I’m going to focus on today. Believe it or not, Madelyn freshened up the pink room for you today. I had a feeling you might be coming soon.”
Aurora smiled. The crafty woman knew she loved the ruffles and lace in the beautiful room. “You are the best, Grandma. I’m going to go pack some things and I’ll be there in a couple hours.”
“We’ll be glad to see you, sweetheart.”
Smiling, Aurora disconnected the call and dropped her phone in her purse. She merged back into traffic. Her grandparents would hover and be interested in everything she did. Even as an adult, she’d need to be home by a reasonable hour. That wasn’t a problem. She’d gotten burned out on partying in college and she definitely didn’t have a boyfriend to spend the night with.
Just that thought of having sex made her hunch over slightly as the heat inside her flared. What in the hell is going on? She’d had sex before but didn’t really understand the allure.
Sex was okay, but she’d never seen rockets bursting in the air. The guys she’d been with seemed to think it was her fault she hadn’t orgasmed. Whatever they were doing seemed to work for other girls. Either she was weird in some way, or their previous partners had totally faked their orgasms. Aurora was betting the second one was the truth.
She pressed a hand low on her abdomen, trying to soothe the ache. Never had she felt anything like this, even at the beginning of a relationship when she’d been the most attracted to her boyfriend at the time. Maybe something was wrong.
Shaking her head at the mere thought of going to the doctor, she abandoned that plan. How in the world would she explain this feeling to a doctor? She’d go if it didn’t get better in a few days. Maybe she just ate something that was off.
When she pulled up in the drive, her sister rushed out to meet her.
“You can’t put your stuff on my side of the room,” Sheila informed her as Aurora got out of the car.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to invade.” Distracted by a thick tower of black smoke at the top of one of the mountains surrounding the city, she wondered if the fire would endanger Wyvern.
“And yet you always do,” Sheila sneered, drawing her back into the conversation. “Your laundry basket is one inch over in my space.”
“Yikes. I’ll move it,” Aurora promised. She knew her sister had thoroughly enjoyed having the room to herself when Aurora had gone to college. It was hard to lose that independence. “Grandma called and I’m going to stay with them for a while.”
“Really?” Sheila tried unsuccessfully to keep the excitement out of her voice.
“Really. Try not to miss me too bad,” Aurora urged, walking inside and holding the door open for her sister.
“Why should she miss you?” Aurora’s father, Carl, asked.
“She’s going to stay at Grandma’s,” Sheila rushed to tell him.
“That’s a great idea. They’ll love to have you there,” her father said with a smile. “You do know you’re always welcome here, despite what your kid sister might have said.”
“Hey! I didn’t say anything,” Sheila protested.
“Sheila’s been great. It seemed like a good idea to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa before I move away for a job. They’re not getting any younger,” Aurora pointed out.
“They’re going to be around for a while,” her dad said with a laugh. “But I think you’ll both enjoy having each other around.” He didn’t have to add, ‘unlike your sister who’s counting down the days until you leave.’
A flare of desire caught her by surprise, and she pressed a hand to her stomach.
“Ew! You’re not getting sick, are you?” Sheila asked with all the drama a sixteen-year-old could muster.
“Nope. I’m good. I’ll just go grab my stuff.”
In the shared bedroom, she quickly packed clothes she would need for the next couple of weeks. She could always come back for more if she got tired of wearing them. Even under the watchful eye of her sister, she was able to get the one thing she needed most into her suitcase. She crossed her fingers that the vibrator would ease the need growing inside her.
When she picked up her childhood stuffie, Sheila made fun of her. “Don’t you think it’s time you gave up your stuffed animal? How many college graduates still sleep with one every night?”
“Firefly will be with me forever. Some friends are for life.”
Aurora had known upon seeing the stuffie that he was hers. She’d always been a compliant child, not one who used tantrums to get her way. That day remained in her memory as clear as day. She could not leave without Firefly and had sat down in the middle of the aisle with the stuffie pressed to her heart. Finally, her father had given her an advance on her allowance to buy him. Aurora hadn’t cared a bit about losing her spending money. Firefly was worth that and more.
Pushing her sister’s teasing from her mind, Aurora checked her closet for anything else she needed to take with her. She ran through the things she knew she’d need. Jeans, check. Leggings, check. T-shirts, check. Underwear, check. Hmmm, I might need some fancier clothes.
Scrutinizing her choices, Aurora picked out a pair of slacks and a white button-down shirt. As a lark, she grabbed the short black cocktail dress she’d worn to bars. It was nice enough that if her grandparents had a dinner party she could dress for the event.
Walking out the front door, she lugged everything to her sensible sedan. All that remained was to hug everyone goodbye and make sure she had her charger.
“Hey, Dad. On my way out. Do you know where Mom is?” Aurora asked, bracing her hand on the leather recliner next to the twin that held her father.
“What’s that on your hand?” he asked.
Bemused, she held out her right hand, palm up. Maybe he was going to give her some money. To her surprise, he turned it over to look at the normally smooth skin on top of her hand. There were some raised bumps on it. He stroked a finger over one small section.
“Eccch!” She yanked her hand away and slapped it over her mouth as a wave of overwhelming nausea almost made her throw up.
“I thought you said you weren’t sick?” her sister taunted from the entrance to the hallway.
“Talk to my mom about your hand,” her father said quietly. Looking more serious than she’d seen him before, he pulled Aurora into his arms and hugged her tightly before releasing her. “Go on. You can call your mom later and explain.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Aurora fled through the front door and gulped fresh air desperately. The nausea abated quickly. Jumping into her car, she turned on the radio to distract herself and drove away. Maybe she was sick. Grandma would know what to do. She always knew.
Her eyes automatically went to the mountain in front of her. The smoke had lessened. Whatever it was, it looked like it would not be a threat now.