Iron (Rent-A-Dragon Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Sample of Awakened Dragons

  Also by Terry Bolryder

  Iron

  Terry Bolryder

  Contents

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  Sample of Awakened Dragons

  Also by Terry Bolryder

  Copyright © 2017 by Terry Bolryder

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or 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.

  Author’s Note

  Hi,

  This series is a follow-up to my Awakened Dragons series. You don’t have to read that series first, but there are characters appearing in those books that will appear here and play major roles.

  I have a boxed set of those stories on sale for those who want to catch up here: Awakened Dragons Boxed Set

  Also, this is the second book in the series, so please make sure you’ve read the first book, Steel Dragon, for the best experience.

  I hope you enjoy these new dragons and thanks for always giving me a chance.

  Sincerely,

  Terry

  1

  Magnus stared out the window at the abandoned road around him as he sped down the highway late at night.

  These rides were becoming a habit, a way to fend off the nightmares that had been recurring ever since he and his crew had been found at the bottom of the ocean and awakened.

  If they hadn’t been found, they’d be dead.

  He could still remember the storm, the icy water lashing his cheek as he held on to the ropes, pulling the sail, wondering how on earth any storm could sink a ship he’d built to be unsinkable, seeing the knowing terror in his shipmate’s eyes, and knowing if they all died, it would be his fault.

  Building things, making them work, had always been his talent. If he couldn’t even keep his crew’s ship from sinking, what was he good for?

  It hadn’t taken him long to figure out cars were the new ships of this world, and he’d been interested (some would say obsessed) from the first time he’d seen one.

  Even odder was no one built their cars from scratch, unlike boats back in the day. People could just buy these magnificent machines and drive them wherever they wanted.

  So he’d enjoyed playing with vehicles and escaping in them late at night, but there was always a doubt in the back of his mind, a feeling he might not be enough or he wouldn’t spot a fatal flaw.

  He knew his crew mates wouldn’t understand, though, so he kept it close to the chest.

  Magnus, we’re going down. Should we swim for it?

  We’re too far from shore. We won’t make it.

  What do we do?

  He closed his eyes momentarily against the sight of a huge wave rising behind Titus and Liam, one that would certainly bury them, knowing he was the only one who would see it happen.

  But the sight was still there in his mind.

  His jerked his eyes wide open, just in time to see lights flashing on the side of the road up ahead. Someone was pulled over.

  Magnus had a funny feeling he should stop, and he liked to follow his instincts, so he slowly pulled off onto the shoulder of the highway and parked a little ways behind the car.

  There was a figure outside of it, crouching down with a flashlight and looking at the rear right wheel.

  Magnus got out of the car and jogged toward them.

  The figure stood, startled, and adopted a defensive stance as Magnus’s eyes adjusted to the darkness.

  It was a woman.

  Her short, curvy form was visible even in work overalls, and her blond hair was in a ponytail that stuck out from under a worn baseball cap.

  She glared at him as she shut off the flashlight. “Who are you and why did you stop?”

  “Maybe I’m a sucker for a damsel in distress,” he quipped.

  Her nose wrinkled. Wrong answer. “I’m fine,” she said sharply.

  He walked forward and crouched by the tire, looking it over. “Just a flat?”

  She nodded. “I can handle it.”

  He stood and looked around them. No one seemed to be driving out here this late at night. “You sure?”

  She sighed in frustration. “I promise.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Go ahead.”

  “What?”

  “Fix it,” he said. “I’ll wait here to make sure.”

  “That’s really not necessary,” she said, walking around him to her trunk, which she popped. She rummaged inside and then swore.

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t have my jack,” she said.

  “That could be a problem,” he said. “You have a block?”

  She nodded. “You know cars?”

  “I know how to change a tire,” he said. And what was needed to put a car up so he could play around underneath it. He cocked his head, wondering how to get around the fact that he could easily take the place of a jack with his dragon strength, but she was unlikely not to notice it.

  “I do, too,” she said. “That isn’t the problem.”

  “Sure,” he said. “That’s why you left home without a jack.”

  She snorted. “Whatever. I don’t need you to scold me. I’ll call someone. It’s fine. You can leave.”

  “Nonsense,” he said. “I could never leave a lady in distress.”

  “You talk weird, you know that?” she asked, her mouth pressed into a frown. “Anyway, what do you suggest we do, then?”

  He crouched. It didn’t really matter what he showed this woman. He wasn’t going to see her again anyway. Might as well help her and get on his way since she didn’t seem to want him around.

  He grabbed the bottom of the car with both hands and lifted it easily, then let out a grunt as he remembered he was supposed to make this look difficult. “Here you go. Get the block under.”

  She looked shocked, but didn’t question him, doing as he asked. She placed the block, and when he was sure it was in the right place, he set the car down. Then he stepped back, making sure it looked safe.

  “Thanks,” she said. “How did you—”

  But before she could say more, he was digging in her trunk, looking through tools and pulling out what he needed.

  “Wait,” she said. “I can do that—”

  “Pshh,” Magnus said, sitting down to change the tire. This would be over in a moment, and for some reason, he wasn’t eager to run off.

  He hadn’t really made a connection with any human women, and maybe he was just enjoying being useful, but he kind of liked being here with her.

  And it was better than driving and fighting off memories or being at home, fighting off nightmares.

  “I can’t thank you enough for stopping,” she said. “But I really can change my own tire.”

  He ignored her and continued to work. It was nice to
have something to do. Nice to be useful. And nice to smell her scent, like flowers in sunshine, faint mixed with the smell of engine grease and other things but still clearly there.

  “Men,” she muttered, stalking off to stand on the other side of the car.

  “What about men?” he asked, startled by the irritation in her tone.

  “Just always taking over.”

  He looked over, and despite the semi-darkness that his eyes had adjusted to, he couldn’t tell if she was blushing or not. But based on her hunched shoulders, he knew she was definitely embarrassed. “I thought you needed help.”

  “I’ve told you I didn’t.”

  “Eh.” He finished putting on the spare and set the other tire in her trunk, quickly closing it. She walked over to him, hands stuffed in her pockets, eyes avoiding his.

  “Anyway, thanks. I guess I’ll be on my way, then.”

  A little shudder went through him, and he didn’t know what to label it. Panic? His mind was still foggy from the adrenaline of remembering the wave that had ended everything. At least temporarily.

  There was something odd going on here, but he couldn’t make sense of it.

  He just knew he didn’t want her to get in that car and drive away. He didn’t want to be alone on this road again.

  And why wasn’t she more grateful for his help?

  “What’s your name?” he asked.

  She grimaced. “I appreciate your help, but I didn’t come here to be hit on. I’m just trying to make my way home.”

  So she didn’t want anything to do with him. Disappointment sank like a rock in his stomach. She gave him an apologetic look, and he noticed she had a little grease stain on her cheek.

  “I’m sorry if that came off rude,” she said. “But you know. You’re a stranger and it’s late at night, and for all I know, you could be planning to follow me.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Why would I do that?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know you at all.”

  Nor did it seem she wanted to.

  He took a step forward, watching her eyes, which were blue. They widened slightly, and he saw her bite her lip as she looked him over.

  Well, she wasn’t totally unaware of him. That was comforting somehow.

  But she didn’t like that he’d changed her tire, and she seemed to want the whole experience to just be over.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve gotta go. Maybe if we’d met in another place, rather than the middle of the night at the side of the road… but I’ve seen too many horror movies. I need to go now.”

  Horror movies? What did she mean?

  She gave him a little wave and hurried back to the car. She jumped in the driver’s side, slammed the door, and started the car in a hurry.

  Then she was pulling away, and Magnus could feel the panic in him escalating, his heartbeat sounding in his ears.

  Was it just the memory coming back?

  She was driving away in the distance, her taillights slowly disappearing around the corner, when he heard a small, urgent voice break through the static in his mind.

  Mate, it said insistently. Mate.

  Shit.

  He ran back to his car to start it and remembered her saying not to follow her. But he couldn’t help it. He pulled onto the freeway, desperately racing after her.

  He’d been waiting and waiting all his life to find his mate, and being awakened in this world had given him another chance. It would be just like him to squander it by not listening to his dragon.

  Dammit, Magnus.

  He drove and drove but didn’t see any lights. Had she taken an exit? Had she been driving extra fast to get away so he couldn’t follow her? He pulled to the side of the road again and put his hands through his hair, trying to figure out what to do. He got out of his car, slammed the door, and paced in the cold night, trying to see if he could scent her.

  But no, her scent had been faint, and now there was no hope of finding her. He had no name. He hadn’t paid attention to the plates on her car.

  He was an idiot.

  Once again, a fatal error had cost him everything.

  2

  “Magnus, I have to say you’re not looking like yourself lately,” Titus said, sitting in a chair next to the bed where Magnus was lying.

  Magnus pulled the covers over his head, knowing he was being juvenile, but not wanting to hear anything from Titus.

  “You know I’m right,” Titus said in that calm, stupidly condescending, big-brother voice. In truth, though, they were crew mates and grew up together. Titus had no right to criticize him, and Magnus let out a small snort at the audacity of it.

  “I’m fine,” he said, not coming out.

  “You’re sleeping during the day, you always look disheveled, and you just creep about this place, looking depressed. So what the fuck is going on?”

  Magnus threw the blanket off and sat up. “You know damn well what’s going on. I let my mate slip out of my fingers, and even though I go out driving every fucking night, I can’t find her. What am I supposed to do? Go on with life as if nothing happened? She’s out there right now.”

  Titus sighed, leaning forward and rubbing his huge hands together. “How can you be sure? Don’t you think you would have known in time not to let her run out on you?”

  “I just know,” Magnus said. “It hit me like a wrench to the head, just a little too late.”

  “Then hopefully fate will bring her back to you,” Titus said easily. “But in the meantime, you’re creeping everyone out.”

  Magnus ignored him with a huff.

  “Does Aegis know you’re sneaking out at night? That’s not safe.”

  Magnus shrugged. “What’s going to get me? Another dragon?”

  “Maybe,” Titus said. “They’re out there.”

  Magnus snorted. “Please, Titus. You don’t have to worry about me. Just have fun with the whole Rent-A-Dragon thing and find your own mate out there.”

  “You know we haven’t had a customer in weeks,” Titus muttered. “Not since Liam found his mate. Not that you give a shit lately.”

  “You’re right,” Magnus said. “I don’t give a shit. I haven’t given a shit since my stupidity landed us on the ocean floor.”

  “It wasn’t you,” Titus said quietly. “You know that.”

  “Do I?” Magnus said, getting up and pacing. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I met my mate. I lost her. Nothing is meant to work out for me, and—”

  “I’m doing this for your own good,” Titus said firmly. “As your brother.” Then, before Magnus could catch on or stop him, Titus grabbed him by the collar, dragged him across the room, and punched him across the face, sending him flying through his bedroom door and into the hallway and foyer.

  When Magnus stopped skidding, he stood, touching his jaw gingerly, and shook his head at the instant anger he felt. “What the fuck do you mean brothers? We’re not brothers. We’re not even a crew anymore. We’re just a bunch of shipwrecked losers that happened to be found at the bottom of the sea.”

  “Take that back,” Titus grated out, stepping out into the foyer with him, huge hands clenched into fists, wheat-blond braid swinging behind him, icy eyes burning.

  “No,” Magnus said, stepping up to Titus and getting in his face. “I’m tired of this. You’re so preachy, buying into this whole thing about finding mates. Maybe fate doesn’t want us to find them. Maybe that’s why she sank us. Maybe that’s why my mate drove away before I could stop her.”

  Titus raised his fist, but Magnus blocked it and struck back instead, catching Titus in the eye, forcing him to stagger back. Titus scowled.

  “Whatever is bothering you, this isn’t the way to solve it.”

  “What? Fighting?” Magnus asked, bouncing lightly on his feet. “You started it.”

  “No,” Titus said, lunging forward with a right hook again. Magnus ducked, swinging out of the way. Titus spun and caught him in the shoulder. It still felt like being hi
t by a sledgehammer. “The fighting is fine,” Titus growled. “It’s the lying around in bed, the moping, the negative thoughts that aren’t the right way of dealing with this.”

  “Then tell me, oh wise Titus, what I should do,” Magnus snapped as he and Titus faced off with one another, circling. This wasn’t the first disagreement to devolve into a fist fight, and it wouldn’t be the last.

  Titus cracked his knuckles. “Have some faith. That we’re where we’re supposed to be. That fate knows what it’s doing. That maybe we were supposed to sink so we could be here at this moment.”

  “Yeah, right,” Magnus said, rushing toward Titus with a left cross as Titus lunged to meet him with a powerful punch of his own.

  “Stop that this instant!” a cold voice shouted.

  Magnus and Titus both froze, fists in the air aimed at each other, as Aegis, the emerald dragon, came into the room.

  Aegis put a hand over his face and shook his head, making his blond hair shimmer. “Barbarians. You’re all barbarians.” He waved his hand, releasing his hold on them, and they both stumbled forward, passing each other before stepping back.

  Titus frowned at Aegis. “Sometimes fists are the best way for men to work things out.”

  “Bullshit,” Aegis said. “We are dragons. Surely we have more elegant ways to resolve things.”

  Magnus shook his head. “You prissy gemstone dragons wouldn’t understand.”

  Aegis’s emerald eyes flashed. “Oh, I wouldn’t?”

  “Nope,” Titus said, giving Magnus a smile of agreement.

  “Don’t forget I could make you play a literal game of ‘stop hitting yourself,’” Aegis said.

  “Uh…” Titus looked at Magnus. “Right. No more fighting. Anyway…”

  “Yes, anyway,” Aegis said. “We have a client coming. I was coming down here to tell you when I saw you engaged in your pointless round of fisticuffs. What the hell is going on?”

  “I was just telling him to stop moping,” Titus said, pointing at Magnus, who just folded his arms and shrugged.

  Aegis cocked his head. “You have a point. But Magnus is about to be much busier. We have a job for him.”