A Mate to Protect (Dragons of Mount Aterna Book 3) Read online

  A Mate to Protect

  Dragons of Mount Aterna (Book 3)

  A Five Peaks Novel

  Riley Storm

  A Mate to Protect

  Copyright© 2020 Riley Storm

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic means, without written permission from the author. The sole exception is for the use of brief quotations in a book review. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real.

  All sexual activities depicted occur between consenting characters 18 years or older who are not blood-related.

  Edited by Trevor Mendham. thecaringeditor.com

  Cover Designs by Kasmit Covers

  Table of Contents

  A Mate to Protect

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Other Books by Riley Storm

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Kal

  Two Days Post Gate Breach.

  Kal hesitated, his hand raised to knock on the door. He didn’t want to go inside. How could he, when he knew exactly what was going to happen once he did? Years of hard work, washed away, all because of something nobody saw coming. It just so happened that he and his three comrades were the ones on duty at the time.

  Sheer bad luck.

  His fault or not, it didn’t matter one way or the other. The Gate Guard were like any institution. There was one golden constant about the way things were handled. Praise starts at the top, and stays there.

  And shit flows downhill.

  As the senior man on duty when the Gate was breached and a creature from the Otherworld escaped out among humanity, Kal was the one who would shoulder the blame, even if he had zero responsibility for it. Which couldn’t be said either.

  Stiffening his shoulders, Kal rapped his knuckles against the solid metal door twice in quick succession and waited. They were going to punish him dearly he was sure, but he would face this like any true member of the Gate Guard did with anything. Shoulders back, eyes up, and ready for whatever came his way.

  He would survive, and life would go on, of that much he was certain. In time he would be entrusted with command again, though it might take years. Kal would just have to prove himself again. That was something he was perfectly fine with.

  “Come in,” a taut voice barked from the other side.

  Kal pulled the door open and entered the office, stopping two steps short of the desk and snapping a crisp fist-to-chest salute to Commander Viko, the man in charge of the Gate Guard.

  “Captain Kal, reporting as ordered Sir,” he said sharply, then dropped his salute.

  This wasn’t the human military, there was no need for parade-ground actions. The salute was a sign of respect, but that was about it. Kal remained upright, his posture correct, but he wasn’t stiff and unmoving like a board.

  “You know why I’ve summoned you here?” Viko asked, looking him up and down, brown eyes glittering in the harsh white light of the overhead bulbs. Underground there was no natural light.

  “I assume you wish to discuss the incident at the Gate,” Kal replied, meeting his commander’s eye.

  “Correct. The incident, and appropriate punishment for the Captain who let a creature through. A Captain who did not follow correct protocol.”

  Kal frowned. “Sir I followed standard procedure. Yes, the creature got through, it surprised us, but everything I did was as we have done for years.”

  Viko shook his head. “Protocol states that all guards must be in dragon form while actively guarding the Gate. Is this correct?”

  A cold feeling settled over Kal. He knew the rules, knew the regulations set out for those on duty at the Gate. Viko was correct, that was how things were supposed to be done. It was written that way so that if something did come through the Gate, it would be greeted with a pair of dragons ready to send it back where it had come from.

  In reality, however, things were much, much different. This Gate hadn’t seen activity since the middle of the second world war, shortly after it was discovered. The other two Gates hadn’t been active in centuries or longer. Nobody obeyed the formal, written protocols anymore.

  “Well, Captain. Am I correct?”

  Kal gritted his teeth together. “Yes sir, that is correct.”

  “According to my sheet, you and Vlad were on duty, while Gunnar and Sache were at the mine entrance, correct?”

  Deep breath.

  “Yes sir. That is correct.”

  “Four of you were unable to stop this thing. I don’t understand, and I am very disappointed,” Viko said calmly.

  “I don’t understand either,” Kal admitted. It was something that had bothered him from the start. A sense of failure, that four powerful dragon shifters had been unable to stop this one creature from escaping the mine shaft that contained the Gate.

  He had failed, and he was ready for the repercussions. Viko’s comments about protocol were leading him to believe that they were going to be far worse than he’d originally feared. Kal steeled himself for what was to come next.

  “Your actions and lack of preparedness that day reflect poorly on the entire Guard,” Viko said suddenly, standing up, palms flat on the desk as leaned over it. “It is a disgrace!”

  “Sir, I take full responsibility for what happened that day and—”

  “Stow it,” the commander snapped. “I don’t give a damn who did what. You’re all to blame. Shameful, shameful display. How am I supposed to have any confidence going forward that this won’t happen again?”

  Kal took it all stoically. He knew that he deserved it, that this chewing out was all part of the process. Maybe Viko was being a bit more ruthless than he needed, but he also wasn’t screaming in Kal’s face.

  Though perhaps that was why it was hitting home even harder.

  “The answer is, I can’t. I don’t. You’ve failed yourselves, you’ve failed the Guard, and more importantly, you have failed humanity, Kal. You are a failure!”

  Viko’s voice started to rise at the end as his temper boiled over.

  So much for not screaming.

  “You disgraced
us all! Four of you couldn’t stop one tiny little Fae.”

  They didn’t in truth know it was one of the Fae that had come through, but given that they were the most numerous creatures of the Otherworld, it was a logical guess. The whole thing had happened so fast that Kal couldn’t even recall what it looked like.

  “Sir, I—”

  “Did I ask you to speak?” Viko raged, slapping the desk with both hands hard enough for the solid wood to crack.

  Kal wisely remained silent. His mouth remained closed and he kept to himself the hot words he wanted to say. They would do him no good right now, not with Viko in this sort of mood.

  “You disobeyed protocol. You failed to contain the outbreak. You put people in harm’s way, and made us look like fools. You made me look like a fool!”

  Seething in silence, Kal wanted to tell Viko that he made himself look like a fool, but it wouldn’t be helpful. Besides, Kal wanted to rise back to the rank of Captain again someday. Screaming at his boss wasn’t the best way to go about that.

  “You leave me no choice on the matter,” Viko said, drawing himself up straight and impaling Kal with a glare.

  Here it comes.

  “You are hereby stripped of your Captain command.”

  Kal had expected that. He was prepared for it.

  “In addition to that, because of your failure to contain the outbreak, I have decided that such actions are not in accordance with the mission and expected capabilities of the Gate Guard. As such, you will be removed from its ranks, effective immediately, and disbarred from further service in our ranks. Ever.”

  What?

  Kal’s jaw dropped open. “Sir…”

  “Get out of my sight Kal. You are a disgrace.”

  Chapter Two

  Anne

  Four Weeks Later.

  He came in as usual.

  Ten o’clock, on the dot. Not a minute late, not a minute early. Tall, with muscles that his baggy clothing couldn’t hide. Scruff covered his face, a medium shade of brown, perfectly complementing the shock of blond hair on his head. There was a rugged nature about him, as if he’d spent much of his childhood out in the wilderness.

  Maybe he was the son of a hunter, or a recluse. He didn’t have the tanned, weathered skin of a farmer, beaten by the sun and the winds out on the open fields of the plains to the east, so she ruled that out. Could be a miner from up north, she mused. Down on his luck, come to Five Peaks to escape his life in the city.

  He walked over to his normal table, pulling the chair out and sitting carefully. She knew that’s what he was doing, because his sheer size made the cheap wooden piece of furniture groan under his impact.

  “The usual,” he said gruffly after finally looking up and meeting her eyes.

  Anne nodded and his head immediately dropped back down. Not one for social interaction, this one. That was fine, she didn’t care. He came in, drank a lot, paid his tab and always left her a generous tip. That was the sort of attitude that always warranted exemplary service.

  Without people like him, regulars, Anne wouldn’t be able to keep Rocky’s open. Unfortunately, there weren’t all that many like that one. Most were more like—

  “Hey, bartender. Another round!” Mikey the Plumber shouted loudly, slamming his glass down on the table as he chortled mightily from behind his massively oversized waist.

  His companions, Jake and the brotherly duo of Ronnie and Donnie, raised their voices in assent before throwing back the remnants of their own drinks.

  “Sure thing Mikey,” she said in her best server voice.

  Another half dozen patrons dotted the tables in her bar. Rocky’s—formally known as Rocky’s Roadhouse and BBQ Grill—was not a popular establishment in town. Anne had been warned about that when she’d bought it from the previous owner, but she’d felt a calling to it anyway.

  It was a new chance for her, a place to start over, and something about it was just irresistible.

  That had been two weeks ago, and now she was beginning to doubt herself. The bills were already piling up, and the income wasn’t. It was a simple problem, but not one that was proving easily solvable.

  Which is why she had to keep putting up with people like Mikey and his gang of sycophants. They actually called him ‘Mikey the Plumber’ every time. It was pathetic. Not that she’d ever tell.

  With the four fresh glasses filled she grabbed them up by the handles and walked over to the table. Only the cheapest stuff for those four.

  “So, Anne, how’s business?” Jake asked, leering at her as she leaned over the table, making it obvious that he was looking down her shirt.

  “Same as it is every night Jake. You’re here, you can see it. Or you could if you’d get your eyes off my tits.” It wasn’t like she wore an overly low-cut top either. Only the barest of hints of skin were visible, but Jake was that guy. Anne could handle the cringeworthy pickup attempts though. She didn’t back down.

  “Aww come on Annie,” he drawled, leaning back in his chair. Unlike the other three at the table, Jake was slim. Very slim. It wasn’t an attractive look, but he thought it was, as if the fact that he didn’t have a beer gut should make her want to jump in bed with him.

  “Absolutely not,” she said, adding a dismissive laugh in at the end. “Drink your beer, pay your bill and get out. That’s the life for you.”

  Jake sighed and leaned forward to take up his glass while his buddies laughed at him.

  Anne walked away, wondering to herself why she put up with it. Was it because she needed the money that badly? She was down to her last little bit of savings, of the money she had squirreled away over the years before…before. But, if she was truly desperate, then her shirt would be lower cut, and she’d flirt with creeps like Jake to get them to leave bigger tips.

  So why did she put up with it?

  By that point Mister Mysterious was running low. She grabbed him a fresh glass, poured from the tap and wandered over to his table.

  “Here you are,” she said in a completely different tone.

  “Thank you.”

  That was all she got. Not even a look up. Just a switching of glasses in his hand and another sip. Still, he spoke politely, and formally, truly acknowledging her service. There was something about him, something that made Anne want to reach out, lay a hand on top of his, and ask him if he was okay. If he needed someone to talk to.

  You’re not a therapist. Why would he want to talk to you? He doesn’t talk to anyone. All he does is drink and stare into nothingness.

  The stare. That was what drew her to him. That long, thousand-yard gaze into the empty void. Anne could feel the pain in it, feel the hurt. Something had happened to him, and despite all her instincts saying it was none of her business, she wanted to reach out and help him.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Anne stumbled over her words. Why was she still standing at his table?

  “Nothing,” she said hurriedly, yanking the rag out from her waist and giving his table a quick wipe down, as if that had been her purpose all along. “I’ll have the next one ready when you are,” she promised, and left.

  She didn’t leave. She fled, quickly making her way back toward the bar by the most direct route possible. With its bulk between her and the customers, she felt safer, more at ease.

  Except she never got there. Halfway to her sanctuary, Anne yelped as something squeezed her right butt cheek. Turning violently, she swatted Jake’s hand away.

  “What are you doing?” she said, eyes blazing with anger, her tiny hands curling into fists.

  Never had she felt so violated by one of her patrons. They tried to flirt with her and make advances, but she could handle that. Those were just words. This though, this crossed the line. Anne was not a piece of meat to be touched whenever they wanted.

  “Aww come on Annie, it was just for fun,” Jake said, putting up his hands as if he were innocent. “We didn’t mean nothing by it. Just some harmless fun.”

  “Do not
ever put your hands on me again,” she snapped.

  “Why you gotta be like that?” Jake said, his tone changing a little. “Just a little fun with me, come on. It’ll be fun, I promise.”

  “The lady said no,” a voice rumbled through the bar, getting everyone’s attention with its power and timbre.

  Her hurting stranger was looking up now, eyes of ice focused on Jake. There was no other movement, but she could sense it in the air. The calm before the storm. A challenge had been thrown down, and Jake and his gang were not the type to take it well. She needed to do something, something that would dismiss the tension.

  “Plenty of beer to go around,” she said, clapping her hands together, drawing attention back to her. “Who’s in need of a round?”

  One of the other tables that had been watching raised their mugs with a cry of approval. Anne didn’t know them, they weren’t regulars, but she made a beeline over to the trio to collect their orders and then returned to the bar. This time she went around Jake.

  While she was filling the three mugs she happened to look up.

  Her eyes met with the stranger’s, and she froze. They were so bright and blue, she couldn’t help but stare, entranced by them.

  So much pain.

  Anne could see it now, even from this distance. It was so obvious. Something had happened to him. He was in pain, and she felt a longing to help.

  You can’t fix every broken, brooding male out there. So stop trying!

  Beer spilled over the top of the mug and splashed down over her hand. With a yelp she shook her hand, turning off the tap to stop the flow of golden liquid. Cursing, she grabbed another rag, wiped her hand and the mug down.

  Then she grabbed a fourth mug and filled it with a different beer. She didn’t know why, but it felt like the right thing to do. A quick trip to the other table had that group all refilled, and then she wandered over to his table.

  “Thank you,” she said quietly, sliding the beer onto the table. “This one’s on the house.”

  “No need,” the stranger said in that same deep rumbling bass. “I will pay for all my drinks, though I appreciate your generosity. The offer is taken in the spirit, but I will pay.”