Dragon’s Secret Baby (Dragon Secrets of Parkhurst College #5)

Prologue

The slap of his feet on the pavement and the whoosh of air moving in and out of his lungs were all that Steven was aware of as he pushed through the last half a mile of his morning jog.

The sun had just come up behind him, instantly warming his shoulders, but his breath still came out in white puffs of air, and he knew it would still be hours before the temperature got above freezing.

The campus was still beautiful even in the winter, and when he rounded the bend and saw the lake shimmering in the sunlight, he slowed his pace just a little to give himself a second to enjoy the moment.

He'd never been much of a runner, but since he’d taken the position as Dean of the college, his stress level had been through the roof, and exercise seemed to help.

It was the one time of the day no one could call, message, email or otherwise bother him, and he used every second of it to recharge.

Spotting the bench where he always took a short rest, he slowed his pace even more, then realized with a pang of disappointment that someone was sitting right where he usually sat.

Annoyed that he’d have to find another place to watch the water, he kept running, then became curious about who would be out this early in the morning.

Normally, he had the campus to himself, especially since the weather had gotten colder, but it was impossible to tell who might be sitting in his spot, other than that it was a man.

He briefly considered changing his route since there were lots of other benches around the lake.

However, curiosity won out in the end, and he kept going.

Regret slammed into him only a few minutes later when the man looked up at him, then reached up and pulled off his hat, but it was too late to go the other way. “You look like a rabbit caught in a trap,” Marcus Reynolds called, laughing. “That was way more fun than I thought it would be.”

“You couldn’t have just made an appointment?” he asked, stopping in front of the bench. “I get this one hour a day to myself, it’s a small thing, but I need this.”

Marcus waved his complaint away. “I’m not here on college business,” he said, pointing to the seat next to him. “We can’t have this discussion in your office.”

He sighed, but sat down next to Marcus, then took the cup of coffee the other man offered him.

“Okay, but make it quick, it’s freezing out here,” he said, wrapping his hands around the cup.

“I’m assuming this is about Chet Carmichael.

He was blowing up my phone all day yesterday trying to convince me that Malcolm was some kind of a criminal for marrying Rose.

I guess the cops wouldn’t listen to him.

I’m not sure what he thought I was going to do. ”

“He overplayed his hand and paid the price; he’s lost just about everything, including his reputation with the clan,” Marcus said, shrugging his shoulders.

“He was in contention for the alpha spot after old man Marbury dies, but after Rose and Walker humiliated him, he’s barely holding onto his place on the elders’ council. ”

“Good, maybe they’ll leave us alone now. This is getting exhausting,” he said. “I’d really love to go back to teaching, that’s what I’m good at, not babysitting fraternity boys.”

Marcus snorted, “That much is clear,” he said. “But you seem to get lucky every time.”

“You know this would be a lot easier if they knew who I really am,” he said, then held up his hand. “Never mind, I know what you’re going to say. The council wants it kept secret for some stupid reason.”

“Look, Steven, we only have a few more months to go before they graduate, then you’ll be free to live your life however you please,” Marcus said.

“The Marbury clan is falling apart, their numbers have dropped significantly. Before too long they won’t be a threat to us anymore, but until then it’s your job to keep those boys safe. ”

“And I take it very seriously, even if you don’t think it looks that way,” he said, getting to his feet. “They’ll all graduate on time. I won’t be the reason that your plan is going to fail.”