Onyx Dragon (Awakened Dragons Book 1) Read online

  Onyx Dragon

  Terry Bolryder

  Contents

  Copyright

  Note from Author

  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

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Epilogue

  Sample of King of Rock

  Also by Terry Bolryder

  Copyright © 2016 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.

  Created with Vellum

  Note from Author

  If you are a fan of my other dragon series, great! But this series is totally different. There is no menage in this series, just one dragon per lady! Still, I think you’ll enjoy these larger than life dragons with their super powerful abilities, hilarious personalities, and hot as fire skills in the bedroom!

  Thanks for reading,

  Terry

  1

  Zach, Isaac Morningstar III, touched the chunky iron chain around his neck as he caught his reflection in one of the dingy shop windows he passed. Anger contorted his expression as he withdrew his fingers and started again down the street of the bad neighborhood he’d been dropped in.

  He was still getting used to the modern world since he’d been woken up some months ago, but even he knew this wasn’t the type of place he would ever have chosen to go back to when he had full access to his dragon powers and a massive treasure trove that allowed him to live in comfort whenever he felt like being in human form.

  And yet here he was, leveled, humbled, shackled by this collar until the oracle who watched over shifters was sure he could be “trusted”, barely able to partially shift, with no money and nothing but the clothes on his back.

  Despicable state of events.

  Not that he blamed the oracle. In his day, hundreds of years ago, dragons had been more akin to powerful, despotic demigods who terrorized humans when it pleased them and roamed the countryside freely. In human form, they were often dukes or lords with power to match, able to hide in the countryside in a massive estate if they so chose. To hell with caves.

  Here, dragons had been remodeled to become something much more civilized. Now they worked in pairs, enforcing the laws of the shifter community and protecting shifters and humans in their area.

  Protecting them.

  The thought was ludicrous. Zach had never in his life met someone he wanted to protect, and he doubted anyone here in the selfish, petty human world was going to change that for him.

  Thunder cracked overhead and he looked up with an annoyed scowl to see dark clouds overhead. A few more steps and he felt the patter of rain on his shoulders and shook his head in disgust. He looked around him to gain his bearings and saw a shop across the street that seemed friendly.

  A human woman stood in the front window, smiling as she chatted with a man in front of her in a low chair. She had long hair, a mix of dark brown and red that shimmered over her shoulders. Soft, pale skin with rosy cheeks. A sweet mouth.

  She was touching her male client’s hair, and Zach felt an odd rumble of jealousy at the sight of it.

  She was providing some kind of service. Zach would go over and see what, and get out of the rain at the same time.

  When he pulled open the heavy glass door, all eyes turned to him. Various men and women with striking colors of hair looked up at him in shock. Their clients, all arrayed in black cloaks, stared as well.

  He saw seats to the side of the door and sat in one, glaring at the humans to try and deter the stares he was receiving.

  He was a dragon, a powerful one. The world could rise or fall on the whims of him and his friends. They should show him respect, not this mixture of shock and disgust.

  The girl he’d seen from the window turned to him with soft blue eyes. Kindness. That was unexpected. “Did you want to make an appointment?”

  He pursed his lips and leaned back in the chair. “For what?”

  “A haircut, of course,” she said, a smile touching her full lips.

  Zach sat up a little straighter as a little bolt of warmth coursed through him. Most unexpected. He touched his shoulder length mop, tangled from the trip here and damp from the rain. “No. I do not need one.”

  She smiled and shrugged. “Okay.”

  Other customers sent nervous glances around and Zach ignored them. He picked up a magazine from beside him and pretended to hold it in front of him while he studied the people.

  He wasn’t wholly ignorant of the modern world. He’d been living on a shifter-only island, but they had all of the technology. Just none of the humans.

  As he assessed the people around him, he realized when this place closed, it would be evening, and time to find lodgings. He’d been walking all day, and would need somewhere to stay at night. If he could still take his full dragon form, he could go out into the woods and sleep there. His dragon form was impervious to cold. But his human form would probably freeze.

  Drat.

  He stared at the human again, narrowing his eyes. The man in the chair in front of her stood as she removed his cloak and took him to the counter where payment was taken. On the way there, he turned to Zach with a scowl.

  “You could stop staring, hobo,” he said, before turning his back on Zach.

  Zach gaped. Hobo? As in, a homeless beggar? For a moment he was speechless at the audacity of it. He was the furthest thing from that. Or was he? After all, he had incredible wealth but none of it was accessible. Incredible power but no way to use it.

  He was kind of a hobo, wasn’t he?

  “What is he smiling about, anyway?” the man muttered.

  “Shush, Gerry,” the woman said. “You know I welcome anyone here.”

  Negative one point for humanity for Gerry, Zach thought. Plus one for the girl with the kind eyes. He glanced around the shop. Probably not going to be any more positive points around here.

  The oracle had said she’d remove the collar when she felt she could trust him with humans. He had no idea what that meant, but probably it meant hating them a little less. Being less aghast at the thought of protecting them.

  When the man had left, the girl with kind eyes removed her black apron, revealing a soft, curvy body in a short pink dress with black leggings underneath. She sat next to him, just a chair away, and gave him a kind smile. It made him tingle slightly.

  Dragons did not tingle.

  He shifted uncomfortably.

  “My name is Erin,” she said, leaning forward with a smile.

  “Okay,” he said curtly. For some reason, this little human set him off balance. He was still considering what that meant.

  “Can I help you with something?” she asked. “I can call a shelter or maybe someone you know…”

  He pursed his lips. “How about you just let me stay here and continue my observation? Or is that too much trouble for you?” His tone was slightly sarcastic and she raised an eyebrow in amusement.

  “No, it’s no trouble at all,” she said sweetly. “You’re welcome to just stay in out of the rain as long as you like.” She looked at the clock. “Well, until we close. I was just making sure you didn’t need help.”
>
  “Well, I don’t,” he said flatly. He was frankly a little offended that she thought he was some kind of invalid seeking help. What about him was giving her that impression?

  He flinched back when she reached for a lock of his hair that was falling over his face. “At least let me give you a wash and a shave,” she said. “On the house.”

  He frowned. He didn’t want to accept this human’s pity, as in his other form he could eat her in one bite. But he’d seen her hands in the other man’s hair, and he wanted that. Wanted her touching him. Looking at him.

  “All right, human.” He bit his lip and ignored the way he’d referred to her as she let out a light, tinkling laugh and led him over to her chair.

  He sat down, sinking into the soft cushion with a sigh. She had to put the chair all the way down to work on him because he was extraordinarily tall compared to most humans. And good-looking, and muscled, if he said so himself.

  As he faced the mirror, he admitted he was a little the worse for wear after his travels. He had an overgrowth of black beard, but that was manly. And his hair was tangled from wind and the slight rain.

  He’d worn a long black trench over his clothing because it would provide shelter from the rain and elements and he didn’t know how long it would take to find lodgings.

  But he didn’t see anything wrong in the mirror. If anything, he just looked masculine. Strong.

  She leaned him back and helped rest his head on the sink. “I bet you’ll be a whole new person after this,” she said with a wink.

  His eyes skimmed her curvy body, so close and warm, and then came back to her eyes, a beautiful clear blue like wildflowers.

  Her hands worked through his hair, soaping and kneading, and he relaxed into her touch, her scent, the soft sound of her voice. The look of her kind face. The press of her body as she leaned over him. Even being a dragon, and very impervious to heat, he was on fire.

  He stared at her, feeling shock unlike anything he’d felt as she finished washing and wrung his hair dry. Then she reached for a razor and foam to start the shaving.

  As she carefully glided over his face, dipping in and out of a bowl, rinsing and wiping the razor so as not to cut him, he found there was a great deal of eye contact to be found in a shave.

  What was she doing to him, the minx? His body felt warm. His throat tight and dry. Every touch was hot agony.

  She was still humming happily as she grabbed a towel and dried his face, bringing him to a sitting position. He took the towel from her, keeping it over his face a little longer to hide his reaction until he calmed down.

  He was an immortal dragon. He did not fall for human hairdressers, no matter how kind they were. He set the towel down.

  The salon was instantly silent. Zach turned in his chair to see Erin standing a few feet away, a fresh towel in her hand hanging limp at her side, eyes wide, lips parted.

  The humans were looking at him differently now. Several of the women who’d been scorning him before were giving him looks of lust. Invitation.

  But he cared only for the reaction of one person. Erin, who was standing there frozen in pure shock. Maybe not even the good kind.

  “Good heavens, what is it?” he snapped, yanking the cape from around his neck and jerking it to the ground as he stood with folded arms. He brushed his wet, black hair behind his ears and stared them down.

  Another woman stepped forward, this one pale with blond hair, looking more like the wenches from his day in England. “Can I take your coat?”

  He shrugged and handed it to her. “I demand to know why you’re staring,” he said to the room.

  The woman who had taken his coat was gaping at him, her eyes wandering up and down his body.

  He smirked. That was the response from human women he was more used to. He turned back to Erin, and realized the fact that he cared so much about what she thought could only really mean one thing. Something he’d never considered before in either of his lives.

  Even as she marched up to him, irritation flooding her beautiful face, the possibility overwhelmed him.

  The oracle had sent him out here to find out if he could get along with humanity. She should be happy that he had possibly just found a human mate.

  2

  Erin couldn’t believe she’d read things so wrong from the minute the mysterious man had walked in the front door. She’d pitied him, easily moving into the position of caregiver as she did with anyone who came in needing help in this rather tough neighborhood.

  But this man didn’t need help from anyone. It was clear in his arrogant bearing, his fancy clothes, and his stunning, aristocratic features.

  He was handsome. No, that was like calling a lightning strike a bit of a shock. He was blindingly gorgeous. High cheekbones, full lips, hard jaw. Dark, glittering eyes with long lashes and delicately arched black brows. Rakish, pirate hair that was glossy and perfectly waved to his shoulders. Extremely tall body with beautiful muscles that were plain in the fashionable clothing he had on under that disastrous trench coat.

  Was he some famous model who liked to trick downtown hairstylists by showing up in a grungy disguise?

  Well, she’d fallen for it. Seeing him there, looking so lost, so unkempt, so guarded, she’d immediately wanted to help him.

  She liked helping people. That’s why it was irritating as hell to see this man staring at her, glaring, smirking even, as he looked literally down at her from his lofty height.

  At her own height of 5’5”, it felt like he was at least a foot taller.

  “Fraud,” she muttered, finally finding her voice.

  “A fraud, you say?” he asked, in that smooth, panty-melting voice with its slightly British accent. Like a lord or something. “Why would you say that?”

  She took a step back. “You know what I mean.”

  “I do?” he asked, looking amused.

  “You do,” she spat, still feeling embarrassed.

  “I’m unsure how I’ve upset you.” He extended a hand. “If you would come with me outside, we can discuss it.”

  “I don’t have anything to discuss with you.”

  “Don’t you want me to explain why I’m here?” he asked, raising a dark eyebrow.

  “Not really,” she said, lying. “I can guess.” She eyed him up and down. “I know your type.” Hot guys. Guys who thought they could play with people’s feelings. Guys who treated people like they were beneath them.

  She could see it in the disdainful way he looked at the others in the room. A disdain that had been hidden when hair had mostly covered his face.

  The corner of his lips twitched in a grin, but his eyes were still so cold and dark. “Come with me,” he said. It was more of a command than a request, and she looked around the salon and realized walking outside for a moment would probably lead to less disturbance of the clients and her stylists. As manager of the salon, it was her job to take care of this.

  “All right,” she said, opening the door and motioning outside for him to follow. He did, walking with a smooth gait and a lifted presence, like he literally thought he was some kind of gift to the world.

  Astoundingly good-looking. Astoundingly arrogant. Yup, she had him pegged all right.

  When they were on the sidewalk where the customers and stylists could still see her but not hear her, she folded her arms and cocked a hip. “Okay. We’re here. Out with it,” she said.

  “I’m a dragon. From medieval times. A fraud, as you say, trapped in human form.” He touched a chain around his neck, thick and matte and old-fashioned looking. “This keeps me bound until my alliance with humans is assured. I have decided that you are my fate. You shall help me learn to be kind to humans, to find my place in the world, and get my powers and treasure back.” He blinked slowly and then locked eyes with her in a way that made her shiver. “You are truly fortunate.”

  She took a step back, unsure whether to feel guilty or laugh hysterically.

  When he’d walked in and acted the way he
had, she’d assumed there was something odd about him or he needed help. Now that she found out he actually was one of the most delusional people she’d ever met, she had no idea how to react to him.

  The most beautiful man she’d ever met was also the craziest.

  She let out a startled laugh and then clapped her hands over her mouth as his brows lowered in consternation.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked. “I just offered you the chance of a lifetime.”

  She shook her head, holding back tears of hysteria. When she finally dropped her hand from her mouth, she had no idea what to do with him. What to say to him. Should she call someone to help him or send him to some kind of casting call?

  “Where are you from?” she asked.

  “I told you, the Middle Ages,” he said.

  She swallowed back a snort. “And where are you staying?”

  “I haven’t found lodgings yet,” he said.

  “Right. Lodgings,” she said, trying to keep her tone calm. To have such an arrogant man with these kinds of delusions was something she’d never thought to encounter. And the worst part was somehow he thought she played into them. Destiny or something. She sighed. “Is there anyone I can call for you?”

  He folded his arms, making the muscles there bunch and the leather crackle. “Only an ancient oracle who will immediately feel I’ve failed my test.” He raised an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t want to do that to me, would you?”

  Despite knowing he was clearly delusional, she couldn’t help feeling that magnetic attraction to him that probably every other female, maybe even every other human, experienced. She folded her arms, unsure what to do with him.

  “Perhaps you could help me find lodgings and we could talk again in the morning.”

  She sighed. She looked back at the salon. Her next appointment would be arriving soon. She needed to get back in there and didn’t have time to figure out what to do with him.

  He was saying crazy things, yet he didn’t seem crazy. And there was something curious about him. Something she couldn’t place a finger on.