Dragon's True Mate (Dragons of Mount Atrox Book 1) Read online

  Dragon’s True Mate

  Dragons of Mount Atrox (Book One)

  A Five Peaks Novel

  Riley Storm

  Dragon’s True Mate

  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

  Dragon’s True Mate

  Table of Contents

  Note from the Author

  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

  Other Books by Riley Storm

  About the Author

  Note from the Author

  Hi there!

  Thank you so much for picking up Dragon’s True Mate. While this book and series are self-contained and can be read alone, if you want to get the full experience of the Five Peaks world, you would be best off starting with the Dragons of Mount Aterna series and book one, A Mate to Treasure which is linked below.

  Either way, I hope you enjoy!

  -Riley Storm

  Dragons of Mount Aterna

  A Mate to Treasure

  A Mate to Believe In

  A Mate to Protect

  A Mate to Embrace

  Chapter One

  Lilly

  The first indication she had that she wasn’t alone on the dark mountain edge was the sound of a boot scuffing on rock.

  Of course. I can’t even come out to the middle of nowhere to have a good vent and relax session without being interrupted!

  It took several moments longer for her brain to clue in to the idea that perhaps the newcomer wasn’t friendly. Tensing nervously at that thought, Lilly rolled quietly onto her side. She was stretched out on a softly curved boulder, lying back on a blanket to watch the stars overhead. Her motion made no noise, but it enabled her to see the other person.

  The male—and there was no doubting that with the way the muscles on his bare torso all but gleamed in the brilliant moonlight—stood on the edge, looking out into the vast nothing that lay below. This high up on the northern edge of Mount Verdent, there was nothing but nature to be seen for miles. More mountains ran off to the north and northwest while the plains spread out to the east.

  It was beautiful, serene, and until a minute ago had been her secluded place.

  Now it was home to this shirtless specimen who had somehow decided that this precipice was the one he needed to come and get naked on while she was there and—

  Wait, what?

  Lilly stiffened as the man—moving in near silence—slipped off the loose-fitting pants he wore, revealing his bare ass to her. It too gleamed in the moonlight.

  It should, being that much whiter than the rest of him. It’s practically a second moon.

  Moon. Hah.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but the words were taken from her as the man did something even more unexpected than stripping down. His body changed.

  The transformation was so rapid, she had a hard time believing she’d seen it. Two, perhaps three seconds, no more than that, and the tall, buff man had become a huge, sleek dragon. Scales of azure blue covered its body, shot through with lines of brilliant white, a mesmerizing pattern that shifted and settled as the gargantuan beast folded its massive wings back along its sides.

  “You know, I’m not sure this place is big enough for the two of us if you insist on taking up that much space,” a voice said.

  The dragon head whipped around to stare at her, its yellow eyes wide with what she thought was surprise—How would I know what a dragon’s expressions are?—and it was then that Lilly realized she was the one who’d spoken.

  “I’m sorry.” Its mouth moved awkwardly, but the words that emerged were perfect English, though spoken in a deeper, more melodious tone than anything that would ever emerge from a human throat. “I wasn’t aware that you were there. I may be distracted, but you are very quiet for a human.”

  “Well, you’re very, um, blue, for a dragon,” she said back, feeling utterly at a loss for a witty reply.

  “Am I?” The dragon looked at himself. “What am I supposed to be?”

  She shrugged. “The one on the television wasn’t blue at all. He was much darker. Like copper and some black. Definitely not blue.”

  “Well, I’m blue. I hope that’s okay with you,” he said wryly.

  “Perhaps,” she said imperiously.

  “You have my apologies for intruding,” the dragon said with all the respect a servant would give their liege.

  Lilly was positive she saw his golden-yellow eyes sparkle with delight at the banter, but it was a dragon after all. She couldn’t be certain. This was her first time seeing one up close.

  “It’s fine. It’s a great lookout spot.” She considered the dragon for a moment. “Or a jump-off spot, I suppose, for someone with wings.”

  “One of my favorites, truth be told,” the dragon told her. “I came out here for some space. A bit of air. I did not mean to intrude.”

  Lilly sighed. “Yeah, I know the feeling.”

  The cobalt dragon head tilted to the side, yellowed eyes regarding her intensely as the head bobbed slightly at the end of the long, sinuous neck. Its flanks rose and fell with deep, mighty breaths at slow, regular intervals. It truly was a magnificent creature. Just beautiful to look at.

  “You’re not freaked out by me,” the dragon said at last. “You are very calm.”

  “I came out here for some zen,” she said. “Blame it on that. Or the fact that one of you was on the television two days ago. The whole world knows by now. Have you seen the tent cities going up outside of town with everyone clamoring to have a look at you? Thousands of people there. I’ve kind of adjusted to the idea a bit. Though I admit I never expected to see one so soon. Or so naked before the change.”

  The dragon made a sound that could have been cough
ing and ducked its head to the side for a moment in what she assumed was embarrassment.

  “Um, well, ta-da?” it said at last, lifting a paw from the ground in what might have been a helpless shrug on a human.

  Lilly laughed, the sound releasing some of the nervousness that she’d held inside. She sank back slightly into her blanket on the rock.

  “What brings you out here so far from town at this hour?” the dragon asked as her laughter faded.

  “Oh, man,” she said, sagging back harder into the rock. “Where to start on that one. It’s a long story. Um. Let’s just say that life has been really screwed up lately.”

  The dragon watched her levelly and then nodded. When it was a ten-foot long neck bobbing up and down, the effect of the nod was…different compared to that of a human.

  “Screwed up how?” it asked quietly. “Like having your secret revealed to the world unwillingly?”

  She winced. “Maybe not that, no. But have you ever had to move back in with your parents in your early 30s?”

  The dragon grimaced, revealing huge, long teeth. “Ouch. I’m sorry. That bad, is it?”

  “Painfully,” she sighed. “Lots of judgment. So much.”

  “That can be difficult,” the dragon rumbled sympathetically. “I’m sorry for that. Everyone, however, moves at their own pace. You should not feel rushed.”

  Lilly snorted, though she appreciated his attempt to ease her pain. “Thanks, but the only moving I want to do right now is out of their house.”

  “I wish I could help you,” the dragon said quietly. “But you are not alone in dealing with things.”

  “Oh?” she inquired, curious as to what sorts of dragon problems there could be.

  Lilly was met with silence, however, as the dragon turned his head to look out over the cliff. His wings shifted at his sides, as if impatient for him to take flight so they could stretch out and soar through the skies.

  “Well, enjoy your flight,” she said awkwardly once it became clear she wasn’t going to get an answer.

  “Thank you,” the dragon rumbled.

  Before Lilly could come up with anything else witty to say, the dragon stretched its wings, the huge membranes spreading dozens of feet to either side of its body, and then, with a powerful spring of its legs, leapt high into the air.

  She was buffeted with a powerful down-sweep of air, and then the dragon was gone, winging its way off into the night sky, a dark blot in front of the stars. Lilly watched it go, admiring the power and sleekness of the impressive creature.

  Half-man, half-human, and somehow more than both. It truly was an incredible sight to witness. She had hoped to see a dragon, like many people, both residents of Five Peaks and those who had swarmed the tiny little mountain community after the announcement. In time, she’d even expected she would.

  A private viewing and conversation with one deep in the mountains, however? That was unexpected. It was a memory she would treasure for sure.

  If only others could understand and appreciate the majesty of what I just witnessed here…

  Lilly bolted upright into a sitting position, eyes wide, as she stared out after the dragon, now invisible despite the moon and stars.

  A plan was coming together in her head. A plan on how she could finally move out of her parents’ place!

  Chapter Two

  Lilly

  Much to her dismay, the lights were still on when she arrived home. It was past midnight. What were her parents doing still up? Why couldn’t they be asleep like normal people in their sixties?

  “Did your fresh air calm you down?”

  Lilly twitched at her mother’s greeting as she walked in the door. The voice came from the door-sized opening on her right which led to the living room where her mom would be on the couch watching television.

  It did. Until I came inside.

  “As a matter of fact, it did,” she said, trying but not completely succeeding in keeping her voice clear of snark. “In fact, it did more than that. It gave me an idea.”

  “What idea is that?” That was her father.

  Watching television together? Odd.

  “You figure out what you’re going to go to school for?” her father added when she didn’t immediately reply.

  Lilly’s teeth ground together at the dismissive tone as she took her shoes and coat off, stowing them away in the closet.

  That was all her parents would talk about with her. Going back to school. Taking all the money she’d saved up from working at the restaurant and throwing it at a college education. To them, apparently, that was all that was holding her back from a well-paying job. Whatever the hell that meant.

  Her parents were out of touch. They didn’t realize that ‘pounding the pavement’ with resumes was no longer an accepted practice. That walking into a business and asking to ‘see the manager’ was far more likely to get her resume thrown in the trash than it was to get her a job. Companies did everything online now. Her parents refused to believe that it could ever be different than when they were young.

  It was the source of many arguments between them, and while Lilly did not want to immediately rekindle the same argument that had caused her to leave in the first place, she wasn’t about to let her father get the final word in like that.

  “Get over yourself,” she snapped. “I didn’t go to college in the first place. I’m not going back now. It’s not for me, it’s not the type of person I am, and you really need to learn to accept that.”

  She walked to the oversized doorway that led to the family room and glared at her parents, waiting for either of them to challenge her.

  “What is your idea?” her father asked, not turning his head, as if she’d not just called both of them out.

  Lilly hated how easy it was for them to get under her skin, and she had to bite back words that would likely see her living out on the street. They were her parents, after all, she should be nice to them, regardless of how out of touch they were becoming with the world around them.

  It wasn’t her fault that all they did was sit at home and get their news from wildly opinionated news shows. They had chosen that path, to become willfully ignorant of the rest of the world, of the changing times, and no matter how hard she kicked or dragged at them, they didn’t want to change.

  So she would just have to put up with them the way they were.

  For now. Until I move out. But while I’m under their roof, I need to keep my calm.

  “It’s a new business idea,” she said. “It’s time sensitive, but if I move fast, and if I make the right decisions, then I should be able to make it a success.”

  “Why would you have to move fast? Time sensitive business ideas are not smart,” her father said in his criticizing voice.

  “It’s not a limited time,” she said, countering his argument. “Simply a matter of being the first to market, that’s all. The faster I can be there, the faster I can make it work. I’ve already been looking online a bit, searching up locations, items that I’ll need, bulk order items, things like that. Going to be hard to sleep tonight. I’m sure I’ll be pulling a lot of late nights, gone a lot as well. Not sure how much you’ll see of me.”

  She tried not to let her own elation at the idea show. True, she’d only spent a few minutes looking while waiting in the car in hopes that her parents would go to bed before she went inside, but still.

  Her father finally turned to look at her, his flat, broad face hidden behind a pair of glasses that were twenty or more years out of date. He looked every inch the accountant that he was. Small, slump shouldered, glasses, bald head but refusing to shave the sides. He fit the stereotype almost to the letter.

  “Bulk order? Location? What sort of insanity are you planning this time?”

  Lilly counted to three before responding.

  I will not respond to that jab. I will not. I’m better than this.

  “I’m going to need a name for the store as well,” she said, ignoring her father’s question as be
st she could, continuing along her own tangent.

  “A store?” her father asked in disbelief. “You want to set up a retail store, Lilly? That’s a terrible idea in this economy. I can’t begin to tell you the number of clients I have that open stores, thinking they’re going to succeed, and then one or two years later, boom, they close up shop.”

  “This is different, Dad. It’s a brand new market. One that is literally in its infancy.”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. “I won’t let you. I forbid it.”

  Lilly’s jaw dropped open. Even when things had been at their worst the year before, she’d never been talked down to like this. Not since she was in her teens had her father treated her like she was a child. What was his problem?

  “Father,” she said, instead of calling him ‘Dad’, hoping to get through to him. “I am thirty-one years old. You cannot forbid me from doing anything anymore. Grow up.”

  “I won’t let you waste your money,” her father said.

  Lilly almost turned her gaze to her mother to plead with her, to get her to smack some sense into him, but it wasn’t worth it. Besides, she was capable of fighting her own battles.

  “Again, Father, it’s my money. I’ve been saving it, after…everything. You can’t tell me how to spend it.”

  Ever since her life had collapsed over a year before and she’d been forced to move back in with her parents, Lilly had been working her butt off and saving every penny she could. Her parents charged her minimal room and board, and she was more than happy to pay, though on nights like tonight she wondered if it was truly worth it.

  Yet without that, you wouldn’t have the money saved to make a go at this. To try and make it succeed.

  This was what she’d been saving for. The opportunity had come around. Nothing was going to hold her back from trying. She wouldn’t be who she was if she didn’t try.

  “All I want is your verbal support,” she said, quietly. “I’m not asking for anything else.”

  Her father shook his head. “I can’t in good conscience give it. Not to an idea like this.”