Taken By the Dragon King: A Dragon Shifter Romance (Dragon Mother Book 1) Read online

  TAKEN BY THE DRAGON KING

  DRAGON MOTHER BOOK 1

  MAC FLYNN

  Copyright © 2022 by M. Flynn

  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.

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  CONTENTS

  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

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Continue the adventure

  Other series by M. Flynn

  1

  Fate has a funny way of walking into everyone’s lives. For me, fate strode into the town’s pub wearing a dark cloak and a sexy smile.

  I wasn’t at the pub to down a few drinks and wallow in my sorrows, though if there was anywhere in my hometown to do that it would be there. The ancient building was rumored to have been the first structure built in the region, and had been filled with more laughter, brawls, and bawdy behavior than all the university frat houses combined. It was a place where everybody could go to learn the latest news around town and rest their weary feet before another doldrum day at work.

  I couldn’t do that. The pub was where I worked.

  That night was like any other. Well, other than it being Friday and the end of a month. That meant the paycheck money flowed more freely and more people crowded the dimly lit, open-rafter room. The heady walls of solid oak smelled of cigars long smoked and drinks long spilled as I swung around the tables with my hands full of beer mugs.

  “Hey, Diana! When you gonna serve us?”

  I dodged a scooted out chair and almost spilled the contents of one hand over another patron. “When I’m done with this dance, I’ll go join yours.”

  A young woman at one of the more crowded tables turned her nose up at me and scoffed. “If that’s dancing then the sky is green.”

  That was Victoria Pierce, the richest brat in town. Her usual entourage of yes-men surrounded her like moths to an expensive flame. They were attracted not only to her money, but her raven-haired beauty and beautiful body, courtesy of strong genetics and a penchant for hiking in designer boots up the many hills and mountains that surrounded our tourist-focused town.

  The crowd at her table crowed with laughter and some pounded the top with their palms. Their glasses danced their own dance and some of the mugs tipped over, spilling the contents into their laps. Cries rang up from the table and laughter from the other patrons of the pub as the wet people leapt up and glared at their friends.

  “Stop wasting the drinks!” the bartender shouted.

  I couldn’t hide my smile as I swooped through the tables and delivered the mugs to some thirsty customers near the front door. The man and woman had the look of wide-eyed tourists, and the whiff of a romance in more than the budding stage. A map of the area lay on the table in front of them, haphazardly opened to the foothills of the nearby mountains.

  The man smiled at me as I set the beers down. “Do you happen to know the area?”

  I wiped my hands on my apron and grinned at him. “Born and raised. What do you want to know?”

  He turned to his lovely companion and his smile softened. “My fiancé was wanting to know the location of Lover’s Pool.”

  I tapped the map in front of them over the spot. Even the topographic showed the obvious shape of a heart in the features. “That’s not an easy hike.”

  The man wrapped his arm around his beloved and grinned. “We like a challenge.”

  “Don’t bother asking her about the places,” a voice spoke up, and the woman from the table appeared in my view. Her aim was the coke machine set against the wall near the front door, but she leaned her side against the box to face us and folded her arms over her chest. A wicked smile played across her lips and her eyes danced with malice. “She hasn’t been to any of them.”

  The visiting woman frowned at Victoria. “Well, neither have we, but if anyone can show us the trail we’d appreciate it.”

  “Oh, I know all the trails because I’ve hiked them,” Victoria bragged as she looked over the map. “Now let’s see here…” She scanned the topographic features as though they were runes to be deciphered. After a strenuously long time she wrinkled her nose and pushed the map back at them. “Get another map. This one doesn’t have any of the trails.”

  The man smiled at his lovely companion. “We were hoping to go off-trail and get there by the path less traveled.”

  Victoria shrugged. “Then I can’t help you.” She left, having not retrieved a pop from the machine. I suspected her saunter over here was a ruse to show off.

  I turned back to the couple and nodded at their map. “I could show you an old glacier trail. Not many people use it, though, so you won’t find any beaten path, but the forest service has marked some parts of it for experienced hikers to use.”

  The woman grinned. “That sounds perfect for us.”

  I was at the end of explaining the route, an ancient one which followed the scarred edge left by a retreating glacier, when the door unexpectedly and quickly opened right beside me. The portal bumped into my rear and knocked me a little off my balance. I stumbled forward, but a strong arm caught me.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  The voice was deep, but melodious. I turned around and my jaw hit the floor. An incredibly handsome man stood behind me. He was about a head taller than me, with short sandy hair and bright blue eyes. His features were muscular, but there was a tenderness about the jaw line that showed he wasn’t as hard as a rock. He wore a cloak over a black turtle-neck sweater and thick jeans, and hiking boots adorned his feet.

  “Are you alright?”

  I had to shake off my stupor but managed a smile. “I-I’m fine.”

  He grinned and released me. “I’m glad to hear that. If you’ll excuse me.”

  For once in my long bar-hopping career I was disappointed when the customer strode up to the bar and took a seat on one of the stools. More than one pair of eyes watched his movements, and Victoria had an obvious case of curiosity.

  The bartender strode over and nodded at him. “What’ll ya have?”

  “A glass of red wine, or white, if you have that.”

  “Sure thing. A glass of white.”

  Victoria slid out of her seat, but her boyfriend caught her hand. I couldn’t overhear what he said, but his look was one of annoyance. She glared back at him and shrugged off his hold before she strolled over to the handsome man. A cat-like smile curled onto her lips as she took up the seat beside him.

  “I don’t remember seeing you before.”

  The stranger smiled at her. “Because you haven’t.”

  “I think we can find our way.” The woman’s voice shook me from my rude staring. Her eyes glistened with mischief as she jerked her head toward the bar. “I’m sure you have other things to do.”

  I winced. “That obvious?”

  The man laughed. “That every woman in here is looking at him? Yeah.”

  His own companion nudged him in the elbows. “I’m not, now hush. And you-” She gave my hip a push in the direction of the bar. “Go on before that shark eats him.”

  I snorted. “I’m not really looking for a guy.”

  She gave me a wink. “Then maybe a guy’s looking for you, now shoo before I order something.”

  I laughed and gave a lazy salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I strolled over to the table that had earlier asked for attention, picking up a few empty mugs along the way. The table was as close to the bar as any other, and I was able to keep one ear on the stranger while the other ear took the orders.

  “Come for the hiking?” the bartender, a large, friendly-faced man of fifty by the name of Bill, asked the stranger as he set the wine glass in front of him.

  The newcomer took hold of the glass and smiled. “Something like that. I’m a… an historian of sorts.”

  “Really?” Victoria cooed as she batted her eyelashes at him. It was her signature ‘cute’ move. “I love history!”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Then you know about Dragon’s Hill?”

  She
shrugged. “Sure, who doesn’t? It’s not much of a challenge to get up the path, but it’s a good start for some of the tourists.”

  The stranger cast a curious look at the bartender. “I believe your town has a rather old tradition of running up Dragon’s Hill on a moonlit night.”

  Bill shrugged. “Never heard of it.”

  I finished my ordering and scooted around the bar to fetch the drinks. Most bartenders wouldn’t tolerate a waitress behind the wood, but Bill didn’t mind when there was an interesting conversation to be had. “I think he’s talking about the hill climb, Bill. The one that happens during a blood moon and ends at the rock shaped like a dragon.”

  The stranger nodded. “Just that.”

  Bill’s eyes widened. “That one? I’m surprised somebody like you’d know about it. Not many locals have even heard of it.”

  Victoria shrugged. “Probably because it hasn’t been done in, like, forever.”

  “One hundred years.”

  The stranger and I had spoken at the same time. I grinned and he smiled. “You know your history, Miss-?”

  “Just Diana,” I assured him as I filled a few mugs.

  “And I’m Victoria,” the aforementioned woman spoke up as she scooted closer to the stranger. Their arms touched, and she looked into his eyes with a promise of a bed and a long night. “What’s yours?”

  “Luca.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth. “Luca! What a beautiful name!”

  Her boyfriend’s grumblings floated over to us as the entire pub listened in on our conversation. “For a dog…” A roar of laughter rose up from the crowd.

  Victoria shot him a look of death. “Shut up, Doug!”

  The stranger himself chuckled. “I suppose it is. Would anyone be interested in resuming that tradition, at least this once?”

  “Why would anyone want to be running up there during a full moon?” someone spoke up.

  Luca turned to face the room and leaned his back against the bar. “For the sheer joy of it, though I’ll wager none will succeed.”

  Doug pointed his thumb at himself. “I’ve gone up there a bunch of times. There’s nothing tough about that trail.”

  “There’s supposed to be, at least during the blood moon,” I spoke up as everyone listened. “Nobody’s supposed to be able to reach the top unless they’re-”

  “-strong of heart and free from fear,” Luca finished for me with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. He swept those eyes over the rapt audience. “Who is willing to join me on that excursion tonight?”

  A few mumblings arose from the crowd, but nobody jumped up. Victoria wrinkled her nose. “That doesn’t sound very exciting.”

  Luca bowed his head and chuckled. “Perhaps it isn’t, so I’ll make a wager. The first person to reach the dragon statue receives this.”

  He reached into his cloak and drew out a sparkling golden crown.

  2

  This wasn’t some off-the-shelf-at-a-dollar-store crown. It was the real, glistening deal. The crown was more of a circlet with a thick band of gold holding the glittering jewels in their place at the front. The half dozen gemstones, some white in color like diamonds and others of a deep green emerald, were arranged in an ovular shape that crested above the band. The jewels sparkled in the dim light and the rich, pure gold flashed like a lighthouse beacon over the gawking faces of everyone present.

  Shouts rang up and everyone crowded around him.

  “Beautiful!”

  “Oh my god, I want that!”

  “Holy cow!”

  A question inevitably arose. “Is it real?”

  The stranger smiled and inclined his head. “It is.”

  The second-favorite question arose. “How much is it worth?”

  “Priceless,” Luca revealed as he held it out to Victoria who had pushed her way to the head of the crowd. “But don’t take my word for it. Look for yourself.”

  Victoria took the crown in both hands, and everyone gathered eagerly around her. Most gawked. Some eyes shone with a green glint. People pawed at the jewels, but they were all firmly wedged into their little cubby holes.

  Victoria turned the crown over in her hands and a mischievous light appeared in her eyes. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this looks like a woman’s crown.”

  Luca nodded. “That’s because it is.”

  One of the men wrinkled his nose. “So, what are we supposed to do with it?”

  His girlfriend jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. “You could give it to me!” Laughter erupted from the crowd.

  Luca opened his palm, and the crown was reluctantly returned to his hand. He tucked the tiara back into his coat. “What do you say to the event now?”

  One of the men leapt to his feet and raised his mug to Luca. “I say happy trails!”

  A great roar of approval arose from all present and many mugs were lifted, and many mugs were spilled. “Be careful with that stuff!” Bill shouted at his patrons. “It ain’t easy to clean off these old wood floors!”

  Scarcely anyone paid attention to him as they all jabbered away, each boasting or bemoaning their chances at the priceless gift.

  Luca stood and raised his hands above his head. The room quieted so he could speak. “I’m glad to hear so many wish to participate. I know this is a local tradition, but others may join if they wish. We will meet at the base of the hill by eleven-thirty and set off at that time.”

  Victoria wrinkled her nose. “Why that time? It takes half that time to get up the hill.”

  A strange smile slipped onto Luca’s lips. “You may find the going more difficult than you imagined.”

  Her boyfriend scoffed. “Because of the dark?”

  Luca shrugged. “Among other things, but I’ll leave everyone to decide if they want an adventure.” He inclined his head in a most gallant way and strode from the room.

  He was gone but not forgotten as the pub lit up with conversation. The majority of the people discussed the best speed to walk up the easy hill. Others bragged about running the whole way to the Dragon’s Prize, the statue located on a flat plane at the top of the small hill. I’d seen pictures of the spot. It was beautiful, with a gorgeous view of the whole valley.

  “Diana!” It was Bill calling to me.

  I shook myself out of my reverie and turned to him. “Yeah?”

  He jerked his head over his shoulder in the direction of the large clock that hung on the wall. The time read half-past ten. “We’ll be closing early tonight.”

  I couldn’t help but smile as I looked over his chubby form. “Are you going to try at the crown?”

  He snorted. “Hell no. I’m going to stand at the bottom and laugh my ass off at all the idiots who try to run up the thing.” He looked out on all the customers and raised his voice to a bellow. “We close at eleven, so get your drinks drunk and your asses out!”

  The crowd dutifully obeyed and in fifteen minutes there was only a few patrons remaining to finish their large mugs. I was pleased to see the two visitors still seated at their table with a map open before them.

  I sauntered over to them and picked up their empty glasses. “Will you be trying the Dragon Run tonight?”

  The wife nodded. “We’ll give it our best shot. What about you?”

  I smiled and shook my head. “I’m out, but I’ll be there to root you on.”

  The man draped his arm over his wife’s shoulders and grinned at me. “You should join us. If Sarah here drops you can help me heft her up the rest of the way.”

  Sarah poked his stomach with her finger. “And the same goes for you, Tom!”

  He patted his stomach and laughed. “I do need to lose a few pounds. Maybe this will help. There’s certainly enough incentive.”