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Dragons – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com Thu, 26 Feb 2026 08:20:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.1 http://www.ilovenovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Dragons – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com 32 32 Their Human Pet Read Online Loki Renard http://www.ilovenovels.com/their-human-pet-read-online-loki-renard Thu, 26 Feb 2026 08:20:47 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/their-human-pet-read-online-loki-renard Genre: Alien, Alpha Male, BDSM, Dark, Dragons, Erotic, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Loki Renard Advertisement

Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)

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First she'll be punished. Then she'll be bred.

If she hadn't been such a disobedient pet so many times since we rescued and claimed her, we might have believed our little human when she insisted she didn't run away from us this time.

But defiant or not, she was soaking wet even before we stripped her bare and spanked her ass, and no matter how hard she fights she'll still take each of us in turn and then all of us at once.

Because tame or not, we're going to breed her.

Publisher's Their Human Pet is a standalone romance. It includes spankings and rough, intense sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don't buy this book

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CHAPTER 1

“You know you are owned, don’t you. There is no escape.”

I have the sense of being small. But not young. The figures surrounding me make me seem diminutive in comparison because they are impossibly large. I don’t know where I am. I don’t know who they are. But I know that they want me. Every bit of me. I can feel their possessive energy focused on me.

Someone grabs a thick handful of my hair and holds me in place. I feel a harsh slap across my ass.

“Naughty pet,” a deep voice intones. “Such a naughty little human mate. What are we going to do with you?”

This is a dream. I know it is because real life couldn’t possibly be this hot. Real life is straws you have to drink from quickly before they go soggy in a soy protein shake, and letters from the building manager about the hours you’re keeping, and an itch on the bottom of your foot that never seems to have any reason to be there. Real life is a series of tasks that stay the same day after day. What’s happening to me now is un-fucking-real in every way.

A massive, scaled hand wraps lightly around my throat, and holds me firmly while another big red hand slides down my stomach, making for the apex of my thighs. My legs spread instinctively. In this dream, I know I am supposed to give myself to them.

“Filthy little animal…”

“Good girl…”

Two strange voices mesh with one another.

I catch little flashes of alien masters… there are scales… a horn… a battleax. Nothing is entirely clear because my brain won’t render the whole scene at once. It’s putting all its effort into the way my hips are grinding against the hand between my legs, the thick finger pushing into my molten interior.

“So wet for us,” the voice comes again. “Such a hungry, desperate little pet.”

I try to move, try to grind my hips down. I want satisfaction. I am so desperately aroused I know the only way out of this is to find release.

A face swims into view. The alien beast has the appearance and bearing of a wild god. Golden hair flows from his head in a brilliant mane. He has bright stellar blue eyes, and the hard, symmetrical features of a creature chiseled from stone. He is hard… in every way.

My eyes run down the length of his body.

“Down, girl,” he says, pressing me down on my knees. The hands help him put me where he wants me. I am not given a choice. Between the three big alien entities, I am as helpless as the animal they call me. I am like a rabbit in a snare, caught so completely all I can do is stare wide-eyed as a collar is latched closed around my throat and the wildness is stolen from me in that universal act of domination and domestication.

“She’s waking up, I think. Her pulse just spiked.”

A voice that doesn’t belong to this place or these creatures breaks through the dream. A shaft of light pierces the sacred darkness we have been trysting in.

“No!” I whine, feeling as though I am about to lose something I will never be able to get back. The sexy fear of being kidnapped by aliens is replaced by a very raw fear of something much worse, of being cut off…

But the light is getting brighter, and the dream is fading, and no amount of holding onto it can stop the rising of my consciousness.

“We’re coming for you.”

That’s the last thing I hear before I wake up.

I open my eyes.

I have the warm, cozy feeling of emerging from a long sleep and a very satisfying dream. It is gone instantly, the way the best dreams are, but I feel the chemical remnants of it.

There’s a bird singing out the window. White curtains flutter in the wind. A kindly man wearing a white coat and stethoscope is looking down at me with an air of gentle expectation. He has wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and salt-and-pepper hair, and a vibe of being very dependable, reliable, and safe.

“You’re awake,” he says.

I forgive the obvious statement, because he seems nice, and because I feel so good. Sometimes it feels like I can never get enough sleep, like the long, restorative rests of childhood were also some dream I’ll never get back. But this feels amazing, like I’ve been asleep for a very long time. Or like I’ve had the best nap ever and woken up without being groggy. I’m so rested.

This must be what people mean when they say women are supposed to get ten hours of sleep a night. I feel like I’ve slept a decade. Or a century. I feel like Sleeping Beauty. I want to burrow back into the pillow, close my eyes, and find the dream again. It was good, I think.

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Mistress of the Red Dragon – Shifter Romantasy Read Online Evangeline Anderson http://www.ilovenovels.com/mistress-of-the-red-dragon-shifter-romantasy-read-online-evangeline-anderson Thu, 26 Feb 2026 08:20:36 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/mistress-of-the-red-dragon-shifter-romantasy-read-online-evangeline-anderson Genre: Alpha Male, Dragons, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Evangeline Anderson Advertisement

Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 120974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >125

I was her prisoner...she was my enemy. Now I'd burn kingdoms to keep her. (plus-sized novel, over 100K long)

Valen
I’ve been chained like a beast for a year.
Collared. Muzzled. Left to rot in a dungeon beneath the palace of my enemy.
But when his sister, a curvy little princess, offers me freedom in exchange for a favor, I listen.
She needs a dragon to fly her across the Poison Desert to save her dying mother.
And I need her blood to Shift.
But not just any bite will do.

I have to sink my fangs into her inner thigh—right next to her untouched, forbidden heat.
And when I do… she moans.
She tastes like magic…feels like destiny…and smells like MINE.
Now we’re bound together on a dangerous quest full of cursed forests, wicked witches, and ancient trials that force us closer with every step.
She was supposed to be a means to an end...
But now I’d burn down kingdoms to keep her.

Irena
They said the beast in the dungeon was dangerous.
They were right.
But I’m desperate—and the only way to save my mother is to make a deal with the terrifying man in chains.
He’s not just a man—he’s a Drake Shifter with claws, fangs, and eyes that glow like embers in the dark.
He says he can fly me across the desert…
But first, he demands my blood—and not from anywhere innocent.
He bites me on my thigh, and the pleasure is like fire licking across my skin.
Now I can feel him inside me… even when he’s not touching me.

I thought I was just using the beast to save my family.
But the longer we travel, the more I realize—he’s not the monster in this story.
And I’m not sure I want to be saved.

What to expect from Mistress of the Red
‣ Possessive dragon shifter hero
‣ Virgin princess heroine
‣ Magical blood-bond & biting (in very sensitive areas)
‣ Forced proximity quest fantasy (only 1 bed)
‣ Fated mates, enemies-to-lovers (he hates her...but he wants her)
‣ Monster romance with spice (because his Drake gets involved)
‣ Fairytale with heat (you won't believe what the wicked witch makes them do together)
*Doing it in Dragon form ; )

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE

IRENA

We have a beast chained in our basement.

I say “basement” but it’s really more of a dungeon—a dank, dark space with stone walls so ancient and damp they have moss growing on them. The only light filters in from a gap in the stones high above, so narrow it can hardly be called a window. It smells of rot and the squeaking of rats can be heard along with the steady drip-drip-drip of water in a corner somewhere.

It’s cold down here—so cold it makes me shiver in my court gown, which is low cut—the better to show my shoulders and bosom to any possible suitors.

Not that I have any.

I am “too plump to be fashionable and not pretty enough to make up for it”—at least according to the other ladies of the Court, who like to smirk behind their fans at me. But none of them are with me now—none of those delicate, bird-boned Nobles with their pale skin and stick-thin figures would dare come down into the dungeon and see what I am seeing.

For standing in the middle of this grim place is the beast—the one I must tame.

I stand in the shadows and watch him…trying to work up the nerve to do what I must do. But my heart is pounding and the silver ring I wear on my right forefinger feels heavy and cold—filled with ominous promise.

He is huge—almost seven feet tall with muscular arms and a broad chest. Well, really all of him is muscular—a fact I can see well enough since he’s completely naked.

I am a gently bred lady—a princess, in fact. It’s wrong for me to look upon a naked man—and well I know it. My chaperone, Miss Mistral, would swallow her tongue if she knew what I am doing.

So, for propriety’s sake, I do my best not to look between the beast’s muscular thighs, where a long shadow hangs nearly to his knees. Instead, I try to concentrate on the top part of him.

He’s tall and broad shouldered, as I said, and he has long, tangled black hair that hangs down, covering part of his face. But I can still see his angry eyes through the strands—glowing red like living coals and filled with fury.

It’s no wonder the beast is angry—around his neck is a thick silver collar inscribed with runes which glow faintly blue with magic. It’s the same magic that imbues the chains which hold him prisoner. Joined to thick silver manacles around his wrists and ankles, the chains glow with runes as well…and so does the silver key I have clutched in my hand.

The key that can free him.

I can’t believe I’m contemplating this—that I’m actually thinking of freeing the beast and trying to tame him to my will. I must be mad.

You probably shouldn’t do this Irena, I lecture myself. It’s not safe—you don’t have the strength.

The silver ring on my finger throbs, as though in agreement with my thoughts.

But what choice do I have?

None.

As I stare at the bound and chained beast, my mind replays the conversation I overheard before dinner tonight, the conversation that convinced me this is my only course of action…

1

IRENA

“I am sorry, Your Highness, but I fear your Royal mother has not long to live.” The Head Healer’s voice sounds mournful—he loves my mother, as do all the people of our kingdom.

Good Queen Lorraina has ruled our land with a steady, even hand ever since the death of my father, King Ferrand, two years before. Her kindness and good judgment have earned her such sobriquets as “The Queen of Wisdom” and “Queen Lorraina the Just.” Truly, when she fell ill with the mysterious wasting sickness—the same one that carried my father off—the whole country knelt in prayer for her.

My older brother shakes his head sadly when he hears the Head Healer’s words.

“Ahh, why does death stalk those we love so dearly?” he asks, his voice laced with melancholy.

My brother is a fine figure of a man—he’s nearly ten years older than me and wisdom already sits upon his shoulders. He has silver-green eyes—as do all those of our Royal bloodline—and though he is not yet middle-aged, his sable hair is thinning at the temples. But that doesn’t lessen his attraction to the ladies at Court—all of whom hope to be his bride. Whoever wins that honor will instantly become a princess—or soon, if the healer’s words are true—the queen of all our lands.

But surely he must be wrong—I can’t lose both my father and my mother in the space of only two years, can I?

I choke back tears as I listen to them talk, well hidden in the shadow of the decorative statue of an angel, servant of the One True Goddess. It guards my mother’s rooms, white marble wings outspread, and makes an excellent hiding place for someone like me who wants to know the truth.

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Her Cougar (Shifted Love #13) Read Online Fiona Davenport http://www.ilovenovels.com/her-cougar-shifted-love-13-read-online-fiona-davenport Wed, 07 Jan 2026 10:41:14 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/her-cougar-shifted-love-13-read-online-fiona-davenport Genre: Alpha Male, Chick Lit, Dragons, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Magic, Paranormal, Virgin Authors: Fiona Davenport Series: Shifted Love Series by Fiona Davenport
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Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22227 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >24

After aging out of foster care, Elodie Chase survived a year on her own. When a storm forced her to park near a remote construction site, she expected nothing more than another night of keeping her head down. Instead, she found Garner Wilder—a man who made her feel safe before she understood why.

Garner knew Elodie was his mate the moment he scented her. The human woman with tired eyes called to his cougar like nothing ever had. And when sabotage threatened his project—and her safety—he refused to let her out of his sight.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE

ELODIE

Icouldn’t remember a single birthday that had felt special, but this was the worst of the bunch.

Everything I owned was stuffed into the backpack I’d used throughout high school, a cheap duffel, and a black garbage bag. At eighteen years old, I officially aged out of the foster system. Which meant no more payments from the state to my foster parent. And since I graduated a semester early, she didn’t see any reason to let me stay.

The screen door creaked behind me before closing with a soft click. Mrs. Jarvis hovered just inside the frame. “You’ve got all your stuff?”

I hefted the duffel over my shoulder. “Yeah.”

“Okay then.” She gave a stiff nod. “Good luck out there.”

I didn’t know why I expected more from her. I wasn’t even sure what exactly. Maybe reassurance of some kind that I’d be okay…or even a hug. Which was silly since she’d always been more about checking boxes to make sure she got paid than showing actual concern for my well-being. Now there was no more money to be had from housing me, so even that minimal level of worry was apparently a thing of the past.

I stepped off the porch without bothering to reply, my boots crunching against the gravel. There wasn’t a single person waiting for me. No safety net. Just me.

My throat tightened, but I squared my shoulders and reminded myself that I’d gotten this far without the kind of support most teenagers took for granted. I just had to keep going. There wasn’t really any other choice.

I’d just reached the mailbox when a familiar thump sounded behind me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I took a deep breath. I’d almost escaped without crying, but here came the one creature capable of breaking me.

Knowing exactly what I’d find, I turned around. Mr. Pickles waddled toward me, his round belly swaying side to side. The cantankerous tabby head-butted my shin and let out a gravelly yowl that I assumed was a complaint about me leaving without saying goodbye.

I set my bags on the ground and crouched to stroke his back. “Hey, buddy.”

He pushed his face into my palm, purring so loudly it rattled his ribs.

“I know,” I whispered, scratching under his chin the way he liked. “I don’t want to go either.”

He meowed, then pawed at my bag as if he wanted to come with me.

A laugh bubbled up, thick with emotion. “Pretty pathetic that the only one I’ll miss is a cat named Mr. Pickles.”

It made sense, though. He was the only one in that house who ever sought me out on purpose. The closest thing I’d ever had to family was a fat, grumpy cat. And I had to walk away from him because I had no idea how I was going to take care of myself, let alone a pet.

“Thanks for making this place bearable.” I gave him one last scratch before picking up my bags and straightening. “Give the next foster kid she takes in a chance. They’re going to need all the help they can get.”

I would too, but there was nothing Mr. Pickles could do about that. So I forced myself to turn around. Then I adjusted the straps of my backpack and started walking. The bus station was a mile away, and I’d already mapped out the route in my head. From there, I’d go wherever the cheapest fare would take me. Somewhere that wasn’t quite as hot, just in case I couldn’t find an inexpensive hostel. I needed my money to stretch as far as it could.

I had two hundred and forty-three dollars tucked into my wallet. A backpack with a couple of changes of clothes, toiletries, a few books, and a folder with my important documents—birth certificate, social security card, diploma, and immunization records. The trash bag and duffel held the rest of my meager belongings.

That was it.

As soon as I arrived wherever I ended up, I needed to get a job. Any job. I couldn’t afford to be picky.

Maybe even two jobs since I was willing to work long hours.

I’d save every extra dollar until I could afford a car. Something that meant I had a place to crash if I outstayed my welcome anywhere—with the added bonus of being transportation too.

Needing help wasn’t an option because there was no one left to ask.

The plan was simple enough to be comforting.

It was also terrifying with how easily it could fall apart.

But it was all I had for now.

1

ELODIE

Over the past year, I’d gotten farther from my hometown than I ever expected. I had stayed in a couple of big cities, where I enjoyed the anonymity, but it hadn’t taken long for me to realize they weren’t what I wanted long term. I felt less lonely surrounded by people who liked to get into each other’s business, so I stuck with smaller towns as I made my way west.

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His Little Cinnabar – Eleadian Mates Read Online Paige Michaels http://www.ilovenovels.com/his-little-cinnabar-eleadian-mates-read-online-paige-michaels Sat, 30 Aug 2025 08:42:02 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/his-little-cinnabar-eleadian-mates-read-online-paige-michaels Genre: Alpha Male, BDSM, Dragons, Erotic, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Insta-Love, Paranormal Authors: Paige Michaels Advertisement

Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >48

It’s Janelle’s turn to find out what it means to have a Papi of her own.

Janelle has been unhoused for several years. She’s tired, hungry, and malnourished. But more importantly, she’s cold. Her only goal when she enters Club Zoom is to warm up. She’s unprepared for the huge crowd and the loud music.

Tekfan has been on Earth waiting for his mate to make an appearance for two weeks. Relief floods him when he finally spots her standing against the wall next to the dance floor, but as soon as he approaches her, she passes out.

Janelle’s mother warned her never to let men lure her into their webs. They’re only after one thing. But five minutes with Tekfan has Janelle doubting everything her mother ever said. She’ll gladly break all the rules if he’ll continue to smile at her. Leaving Earth is no hardship. Good riddance.

Prepare to travel through the stars only if you’re brave enough to learn about oversized Papis and survive their very intimate care

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

Janelle

I’ve never felt so out of place in my life. I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe how long I’ve stood in this line. I can’t believe I’m actually going to enter this stupid club.

Club Zoom.

The other women in this line are fancy. They have money, nice clothes, friends. Not me. I’m homeless. It’s been years since I had a girlfriend I could giggle with, and the clothes I’m wearing are from a thrift store. I’ve had them longer than most of these women have been busty enough to own a bra.

Sure, I’m curious. Who isn’t curious about Club Zoom? Everyone on the planet is curious. And since only women are permitted to enter, most men only know about the inside from second-hand knowledge.

As I stand in this godforsaken line, my arms wrapped around myself to keep from shivering, I wonder about the women-only policy. I mean what if someone is trans or dressed as a woman? Wouldn’t they be able to get in?

Fuck, it’s cold. It’s not below freezing or anything. The temperature in the day has probably been as high as sixty lately, but it gets so fucking cold at night, and I feel like I’ve been cold for a month without ever fully thawing out.

The main reason I’m in this damn line, waiting to get into the club is so that I can warm up. Two birds with one stone. I’ll get to see what all the hype is about, and I’ll get to spend one fucking evening not shivering.

I don’t have money, so I can’t buy anything, but it’s not required. There is no entrance fee or drink minimum. All that’s needed to get in is a driver’s license, and I have one of those.

It’s a joke. I haven’t owned a car in two years. I haven’t driven a car in longer than that because even when I still had my car, I couldn’t afford gas. Eventually I sold it so I could use the money to stay in hotels on cold nights.

My stomach rumbles, and I wrap my arms around myself tighter, trying to ignore the hunger. The last time I ate was yesterday when I went to a soup kitchen. I usually do that once a day, but the particular place that feeds the homeless in my area is outside. There’s no place to get warmed up. Tonight I’ve chosen heat over food.

“Ma’am?”

I jerk my gaze up, realizing it’s finally my turn.

“ID?” the bouncer asks.

I pull it out of my pocket and hand it to him. My hands are shaking.

The man looks at it closely, his gaze switching back and forth between my ID and my face. Finally he must decide it’s definitely me. He steps to the side. “You’ll need to fill out a waiver. There are copies on the table. Be sure to read everything before you sign.”

I nod and pass him, instantly warmer. The room has several tables where women are seated, reading and signing. I move to the far side of the room to a table no one is occupying, partly because I don’t want to interact with anyone and partly because the farther away from the door I get the warmer I am.

I pick up one of the waivers and read through it. Sheesh. It’s so formal. They really take this shit seriously. I feel like I’m holding an important legal document.

I don’t live in a complete vacuum. I’m well-aware that the Eleadian men are here on Earth to find wives. Everyone knows if a woman gets selected, she has no choice but to go with the man back to his planet.

What a joke. As if anyone would choose me. I was never even chosen for dodgeball in the first grade. How could I be so lucky as to get chosen to leave this shitty planet?

I’m Plain Jane. Most people don’t even glance at me. If they do, it’s to make fun of me for my mousy hair and childlike looks. I’m twenty-four, and I barely look old enough to drive. I’m surprised the bouncer didn’t question my ID.

I focus on the waiver, trying not to laugh. Ha. Whatever. I sign at the bottom and look around.

The bouncer spots me and heads my direction. He sets his palms on the table across from me. His brows are furrowed. “Did you read everything?”

“Yes.” I can’t keep from trembling. I don’t want him to think I’m nervous. I am nervous, but that’s not what’s causing the trembling. I’m cold and hungry.

“What happens if one of the Eleadian males chooses you tonight?”

I smirk and roll my eyes. “I finally get to leave this fucking planet and go try my luck on another one.”

The man laughs as he pushes off the table and takes my waiver. “That about sums it up.” He meets my gaze again. “The majority of women who come here do so out of curiosity, and that’s fine, but it’s important to understand that every few nights one of them is chosen. There’s no going back. If you’re chosen, you will be on a spaceship bound for Eleadia before you can even blink.”

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Dragon’s Mate – A Dark Dragon Shifter Read Online Loki Renard http://www.ilovenovels.com/dragons-mate-a-dark-dragon-shifter-read-online-loki-renard Wed, 09 Jul 2025 19:15:26 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/dragons-mate-a-dark-dragon-shifter-read-online-loki-renard Genre: Alpha Male, Dragons, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Loki Renard Advertisement

Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88010 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >95

She's my mate whether she likes it or not.

She's so beautiful this way.

Bent over, ass spanked red, soaking wet and thinking she's ready for me to claim her virgin body. But my little mate has no idea what's coming once I yank her cute thong aside.

Because I'm not just going to ravage her more completely than any mortal man ever could.

I'm going to breed her.

Then I'm going carry her off to my world and do it over and over again.

Publisher's Dragon's Mate is a standalone romance. It includes spankings and rough, intense sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don't buy this book

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CHAPTER 1

Melissa

I am in trouble.

Real trouble this time. Not the kind where they issue a fine and send you a snotty letter all dressed up in fancy language that hides their ire. I am in the kind of trouble that has immediate physical consequences, the kind that makes my heart beat faster, my pupils dilate, my breath come shorter.

It’s exciting.

And it’s wrong.

So damn wrong.

I’m not dressed for this. I’m dressed for a day by the pool, a skimpy little bikini that dares tan lines to exist.

I could have gotten changed before I came. I should have, but I wasn’t thinking about it. I assumed there’d be time when I got here. The sun was still warm then, and the sky was bright and it felt like the day would go on forever.

But night has come, and my new boss is flicking cufflinks onto the smooth polished table and rolling up his sleeves, one, then the other. Fuck. Me. Does he know what he’s doing? He’s got to know what he’s doing. This is a real-life thirst trap, and I cannot look away.

Tall. Dark. Handsome. The kind of thick, dark hair that men half his age would die for, hanging below his shoulders. In this moment he seems like a man, not a creature out of time. Flickering light from a dancing candle makes his eyes glow golden and for a brief moment I almost think I see a slitted pupil.

My imagination always did have a habit of running away with me. I’m just freaking out because I am in the house of a man twice my age and many, many times my power, and he is looking at me like I am a particularly juicy cut of meat.

My new boss prowls toward me, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his forearms flexing in ways and with muscles defined so intensely that I didn’t know they could look like that. How is he that well defined? What the hell does he lift? I have to get my brain working again, but right now it feels like trying to think through mush.

He places his hands on the table in front of me, and I feel excitement rush through me again as those forearms of his ripple. He moves one hand, extends an elegant forefinger, and slides it under my chin, directing my attention to his eyes.

Heat flushes across the bridge of my nose and cheeks as he makes me look at him.

“You are trouble, but I intend to tame you. Break you of the bad habits you’ve gained in your short lifetime. With me, you will be punished. Taken. Claimed. You will know what your place is.”

I tremble. This is my first job, but I am certain this is not usually how these things go. The kind of trouble I am in is the deeper, hotter kind. I am trembling in my very core as the most handsome, unearthly man I have ever been in the presence of wraps his hand around the back of my neck and I feel the roughness of his… scales? No. His hand doesn’t have scales. He must do hard labor. That’s it. And the sharp points that dig but don’t sink into my soft skin, they’re not claws. Because he is a man.

Isn’t he?

“Are you listening, Melissa?” He purrs my name and I feel it rumble through me. The floor itself seems to shake, though I know that has to be a function of my perception. I am shaking, that’s what it is. Not from fear, but from an intense reaction to his presence.

“I am,” I say.

A wisp of hair is brushed back from my face.

“Are you ready to become more than a spoiled little girl getting into trouble for the sheer enjoyment of it?”

I want to say I’m not spoiled, that he’s mistaking me for the rich kids I got to hang out with, but never really belonged among, but this does not feel like the moment for making clarifying statements.

“Yes,” I practically whisper.

I’m getting wet. I look up at him under my lashes and feel a shameful jolt of recognition. Oh, god. He knows.

Everything was so different just a few hours ago…

In the back of a car neither one of us is driving, my best friend and I are plotting the rest of our lives together. She slides her phone under my nose, where a guy with washboard abs is emerging from surf with the caption: You’ve just got to seize the day.

“Him?”

“No. Too old,” I say.

“He’s like twenty-two, Melissa.”

“He looks thirty.”

She rolls her eyes. “Age doesn’t matter. You’ve got to ask the questions that I do. Like, is he rich? Does he have rich friends? Does he have a yacht? Does he know where his yacht is? You want a guy who doesn’t know where his yacht is.”

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Keres (Fated Dragon Daddies #6) Read Online Pepper North http://www.ilovenovels.com/keres-fated-dragon-daddies-6-read-online-pepper-north Wed, 09 Jul 2025 19:15:19 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/keres-fated-dragon-daddies-6-read-online-pepper-north Genre: Alpha Male, Dragons, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Pepper North Series: Fated Dragon Daddies Series by Pepper North
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Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >47

When all hope has evaporated, his search will focus on replacing himself.

Rimi has existed in the haze of a mountain shielded by clouds. Always dreaming of the sun, she’s never risked basking in its warmth. As the last hope for desperate dragons, being cherished as a fated mate is not this female’s destiny.

Keres has lived without a mate for too long. His battle to cling to sanity is coming to an end. Only one choice remains—abandon his need for a Wyvern mate to hunt something more elusive. The clock is ticking as blackness consumes his mind and soul.

Change has come to Wyvern. A centuries-old pact between the founders and their powerful allies could save the inhabitants of the city once again, but only a dragon Daddy can truly guard his mate from harm

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Nestled in the center of a ring of imposing mountains, the village of Wyvern has existed for hundreds of years. Its quaint town center wraps around a square featuring a commanding dragon statue elevated on a block-wide platform for all to admire. The words chiseled into the risers of the stone steps are a mystery to most. Almost all the ninety-plus commemorative etchings feature the last names of the founding families of the town without explanation. During the prosperity of technological tools, most forgot the old ways.

One female descendant of each founding family has traditionally served as the keeper of knowledge. Passing a huge tome from generation to generation, that woman ensures the pact the original settlers made with the first inhabitants of this land can’t be forgotten. The agreement between the huge, lethal creatures living in the mountaintops and the struggling, besieged humans sealed the duties for both sides. Promising protection for the people and fated mates for the dragons, this pact has evaporated from the minds of most of the citizens of Wyvern. But the dragons have not forgotten.

When all things powered by technology suddenly ceased to function, the worst features of humanity erupted as people struggled to survive. Once again, the strength and power of the massive beasts who have guarded the city is needed. Revealing themselves to the current-day citizens, the dragon horde fulfills their promise.

As descendants of those original families are found, mate bonds are forged between dragons and humans. The old ways are essential to the survival of all, and the ancient pact will soar in importance once again. For there are dragons, and they hunt for more than prey.

Five dragons of the horde have recently discovered their mates in the growing population of Wyvern. Others still search, hoping that each day brings their mate back to their ancestors’ home. The stakes are dire for the shifters. Mates create a balance between their human and dragon identities. One teeters on the brink of madness without the companionship of a mate.

Chapter 1

Flames heated the sky in front of Keres. He snapped back into his own mind mid-plummet. Ahead of him, a young amethyst dragon frantically flapped his wings in a desperate attempt to stay in front of Keres. A few more minutes and the last of the smaller dragon’s energy would run out. Keres could end him with one snap of his powerful jaw.

Keres shook off the blood lust that sizzled through his veins. Seizing control, Keres diverted from his target and flew in the opposite direction without another look at his prey. The black dragon wanted to end the usurper for daring to appear on the horizon. Even though Keres was miles from his territory, he’d reacted as if the other dragon had trespassed. His lack of control both angered and frightened him.

And I had no idea what was happening.

The animal side of him had taken complete control, pushing Keres’s logic and reasoning out of his skull. A roar burst from his throat as a final warning to his victim, who had disappeared from view as his dragon refused to back down completely. His jumbled thoughts continued to untangle until Keres could think rationally.

Still pissed off, he headed toward his mountain. Keres could isolate himself there until he was totally back in control. A movement to his left made him wheel around to face the incoming threat. Claws ready to attack, Keres readied his fire.

Keres! Stand down. Two mates are here. Drake’s voice echoed in his head.

The alert didn’t process. Battle lust raged inside Keres. How dare the dragons approach his territory? He would teach them a lesson they’d never forget.

Rising into the sky, he loomed over the bronze, blue, and gold dragons. While he recognized them as those of his horde, Keres didn’t think past them trespassing on his land. He screeched with anger, not to warn the invaders, but to make sure his voice was the last thing they remembered.

Keres! Please don’t hurt my Daddies!

The quiet voice sounded both scared and brave. That made him hesitate and allowed Keres a moment to think. He couldn’t attack horde members. They were the only ones he trusted. Shame filled his heart.

Skye. Tell your Daddies to leave my mountain!

Keres? You’re over Ardon’s lair. We’re going to visit for a tea party with Aurora. Come join us. You must be hangry.

Her sweet logic rocked him out of the blood rage filling his thoughts. He looked around and discovered Skye was correct. He wasn’t on his land.

Wheeling, Keres headed for his lair. Drake, Oldrik, and Ardon sent him messages he didn’t bother to hear. It would be the same old Keres, you have a problem, panicked message they’d sent repeatedly the last few weeks.

Keres, I’m worried about you. Skye’s voice registered on him. He could feel the concern in her thought.

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Realm of Thieves (Thieves of Dragemor #1) Read Online Karina Halle http://www.ilovenovels.com/realm-of-thieves-thieves-of-dragemor-1-read-online-karina-halle Mon, 30 Jun 2025 19:07:59 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/realm-of-thieves-thieves-of-dragemor-1-read-online-karina-halle Genre: Alpha Male, Dragons, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Karina Halle Series: Thieves of Dragemor Series by Karina Halle
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Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >146

Two thieves vie for dominance in the illegal dragon egg trade, putting both their lives and their hearts on the line in this scorching romantasy from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle.

For Brynla Aihr, crime and survival have always gone hand in hand. Ever since she escaped the fanatical dragon-worshipping cult that controls her homeland, she’s had to carve out a life doing the stealing dragon eggs. Egg theft is illegal and, in most cases, fatal. To breach a dragon's nest means a harrowing journey through the ancient wards spelled to keep the monstrous beasts confined. Dragons can’t get out and only those with a death wish can get in.

Despite the risks, dragon eggs are highly coveted for their magic. A black market flourishes under competing criminal empires, and Brynla’s loyalty has always been to the highest bidder. Until she finds herself kidnapped and blackmailed by Lord Andor, a formidable lieutenant of House Kolbeck, and thrust into the dangerous political games of rivaling dynasties.

Brynla and Andor clash at every turn, sparking heat in ways Brynla’s never felt before. But in a world that’s prophesized to return to the dragons, and rife with betrayal and secrets at every turn…how close to the flames is she willing to stand?

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

They gave the girl a new name when they first brought her into the convent, discarding her old one like an oily rag that dirties more than it cleans. “Daughter of Pain,” the ancient woman had christened her with a quick sweep of cataracted eyes. “I see it deep within you, even the pain you haven’t yet faced.”

The girl didn’t give a damn what the woman saw. Pain? She felt only rage at that point, a living and breathing vessel of anger that had been simmering to toxic levels ever since her parents died. But that wasn’t what the Harbringer saw as the girl was brought into the Great Hall of Zoreth on the first day of her initiation. She saw the physical pain in the girl’s body. Not just the fury and the grief and frustration at a life being shattered to fragments—every Daughter of Silence was suffering, after all—but the pain that was deeper inside yet, waiting to come out when she became a woman. A pain that would debilitate the girl and lead her on a desperate quest for relief, a quest that would combine with vengeance.

But at that moment, as the girl was stripped of her old name and her clothes and put into the black cloak that covered every inch of her skin, her eyebrows and her head shaved, her lavender hair discarded in spools on the marble floor, the last proof of what she was, a girl born under the lavender moon, there was only that slithering, seething rage.

All the girl’s life her parents had fought against this very institution. They fought against the cruelty of the convent, the hypocrisy of the religion itself, the dictatorship that ruled over the Saints of Fire and those who followed it. Indeed the people of Esland had no choice but to follow it. They told the girl that she could not help being born in Esland but that they would spend every living minute trying to change it for the better.

Her parents did their best to change it. But their best was not enough.

They should have known this would happen to me, the girl thought as the old woman took her roughly by the elbow and led her out of the cleansing room and back into the quiet halls. They should have known that all their risks for a better tomorrow would land me here one day.

The towering obsidian walls and ceilings around her gleamed from frequent polishing, making it look like the girl was being led into the dark belly of a dragon, which was no accident. The convent wanted to instill fear into these girls. They were here to be punished, not to be pious. Punishment was always the point of the Daughters of Silence, no matter how their public façade spun it.

The girl shut her eyes as the image of her father’s last moments slammed into her head, as if that would prevent her from seeing it. Him standing on the gallows block. The defiant look in his emerald eyes, his long dark purple-streaked braid captured by the wind that held the decay of low tide that stretched outside the city walls of the capital. He was so proud even in those last moments, except for that very last moment when he looked to the girl and her mother, who had been captured by the Black Guard and forced to watch at the foot of the gallows. In that split second the girl didn’t see defiance or anger or even fear. Just sorrow. Like he was cloaked in the grief he knew would befall his two most beloved people after he took his last breath.

And she watched him take his last breath. Watched as the bottom dropped out from under his feet, as it dropped from beneath everything she held dear, and as that rope winched up and sliced into his throat and chin. Her father didn’t cry out, didn’t thrash, like he was willing his body to go as silently as possible. And while her mother wailed and buried her head in her hands, the girl kept watching, knowing that the twelve years she had with him in her life wouldn’t be enough and to take every last glimpse of him, no matter how gruesome, even if the image would be burned in her head for years to come.

“You should be afraid,” the Harbringer had whispered in her ear, her breath smelling foul, like the fermented herbs that the cloisters burned at all hours of the day. “You must fear the gods or you will live and die in vain.”

The girl opened her eyes at that, feeling just a thread of the defiance that her father wore so well. She saw the statues of the dragons before her, their so-called gods. There were two carved of the smaller varieties, the sycledrages that were known to be as smart as a dune fox, with sickle claws on their monstrous feet. The woman thought her eyes were closed because of them, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. The girl didn’t fear dragons, not in the ways the Saints of Fire followers did. Her fear was healthy; their fear was not. Their fear would ruin all Esland one day, if not the world.

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Better as It (Hellions Ride Out #10) Read Online Chelsea Camaron http://www.ilovenovels.com/better-as-it-hellions-ride-out-10-read-online-chelsea-camaron Thu, 12 Jun 2025 17:28:55 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/better-as-it-hellions-ride-out-10-read-online-chelsea-camaron Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Dragons, Insta-Love, Magic, MC Authors: Chelsea Camaron Series: Hellions Ride Out Series by Chelsea Camaron
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Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 52357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 262(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >53

Toon
I’ve seen too much.
I’ve done unspeakable things.
My cut is my saving grace.
I am Justin “Toon” Miller.
I’m everything bad while she’s everything good.

Dia
Born to be a Hellion … that’s what I’ve always told myself.
Except the only way for that to happen is to be an ol’ lady.
I live for the ride, the club, the life.
As the daughter to Hellions MC President Talon “Tripp” Crews, no brother will come near me and a normal guy just doesn’t excite me.
I am Dia Nicole Crews
I live a life waiting … always waiting.

A devastation within the club puts her in his care. The pull is too much for either of them to deny.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE

JUSTIN

I flip down the kickstand and relax into my seat, legs extended out on each side of my Harley-Davidson Dyna Glide Sport. The glowing light of the night club gives a blue hue to the parking lot as the bass inside thumps low. The allure of the night, getting lost in a stranger under the darkness of the club or the evening sky, it used to be a way to let loose after a long week. The life of a punk kid, doing just enough to get by, and letting loose every chance I can without a second thought to anyone else or anything.

That was before, though.

Now, I’m changing.

This place doesn’t call to me like before. My focus is shifted. I’m no longer Justin William Miller, the youngster trying to figure out where I fit in this world. The boy who left a small town to chase the dream of seeing the whole fucking world is long gone. I’m not the Marine whose knee was busted up from shrapnel after an ambush and lost my career. While I can’t exactly say who I am, I know who I’m not anymore. At twenty-three, I’m in this in between space.

Some say go home.

What is there for me, back there?

Newton, North Carolina is nothing more than a dot on a map.

The Marines gave me purpose and an escape. My future was supposed to be traveling the world and serving my country. First time in combat and boom, the shrapnel hit and shattered my knee leaving me with a new one made of screws, metal, and God knows what else. The occasional limp now and scar are the only way for anyone to know. Don’t ask me to carry a ruck sack and do miles because my bum knee can’t do it and that’s what got me the discharge. How many times did I try? How many times did I put that sack on and attempt to put in the work? I don’t remember, I lost count. The way I pushed until my leg literally gave out from under me will always be a defining moment. Willpower doesn’t always win. That day was nothing more than leaving me eating a face full of gravel, grass, and humble pie. Some things can’t be fixed with sheer willpower.

That is how Tripp and the Hellions found me. In a bar down the street drowning myself in pity. As a prospect now, I go where I’m told, do as instructed, and I don’t ask questions. They don’t care if I can carry the weight of another man physically as long as mentally I can keep my mind on the club. I can do this. I can put my brothers before all others including myself. I can follow orders as directed even if it’s not the best job in the club.

Even if it means picking up the President’s underage daughter who has been drinking a little too much with a fake ID. A girl that is too beautiful for this world.

Dia Nicole Crews.

I don’t know her, not really. I know of her, seen her around, from a distance sort of thing. She is BW’s baby sister. Eighteen years old, maybe nineteen now, but there is no way she’s legal to drink. She graduated high school last fucking month. I have no business even looking at her twice, but I’ll be damned if she doesn’t get everyone’s attention, including mine.

The instruction came from Tripp through BW. Pick her up and make sure she is safe at home. I won’t be leaving even if it means staying with her until she’s passed out. Is this job ridiculous? To some probably. But the thing about prospecting is: respect. Following an order, a directive without question is about trusting and respecting a brother. I have to prove myself and this is just another step in that process.

Here I am, leaning against my bike, black hoodie pulled up, doing everything to keep my face neutral as a group of girls stumble out of the club front door. Laughter spills out amongst them, drunken giggles as my eyes lock to hers.

She pauses as if time stops for her too.

She stands in black leather shorts, a red lace body suit, and black leather jacket casually draped over her shoulders, with little half boots on her feet. Her blond hair is wild from dancing. It’s her eyes, though, the curious look as she’s locked to my gaze. She grabs a girl to her right by the arm, saying something before leaving the group making her way directly to me. Her boots click against the pavement before she comes to a stop with just inches between us.

“You’re my ride?” she sort of asks and states at the same time. She smells like vanilla and rum. A fragrance that any man could be drunk on.

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Oldrik & Ardon (Fated Dragon Daddies #4) Read Online Pepper North http://www.ilovenovels.com/oldrik-ardon-fated-dragon-daddies-4-read-online-pepper-north Thu, 17 Apr 2025 13:13:04 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/oldrik-ardon-fated-dragon-daddies-4-read-online-pepper-north Genre: Alpha Male, Dragons, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Pepper North Series: Fated Dragon Daddies Series by Pepper North
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Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >49

Skye has long dreamed of fanciful creatures. A bone-deep urge to capture the dragons she sees in her dreams has consumed her on the trek back to Wyvern. In a world turned topsy-turvy, could these magnificent beasts be important to someone many deem inconsequential?

As the eldest dragon in the horde of dragons protecting Wyvern, Oldrik has seen more than any other beast. The scent of a new mate has always been undeniable. One woman tantalizes him, but the full power of a potential mate bond is not there.

Ardon is a youngster compared to the longevity of the others. Confused by the allure of an artist he can’t pinpoint as his mate, he seeks the advice of the eldest. When they approach Skye together a passion unlike any other he’s experienced flames inside him. He hears Oldrik’s guttural reaction and realizes the same response has also ensnarled him.

Change has come to Wyvern. A centuries-old pact between the founders and their powerful allies could save the inhabitants of the city once again, but only a dragon Daddy can truly guard his mate from harm. Or should that be dragon Daddies?

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Nestled in the center of a ring of imposing mountains, the village of Wyvern has existed for hundreds of years. Its quaint town center wraps around a square featuring a commanding dragon statue elevated on a block-wide platform for all to admire. The words chiseled into the risers of the stone steps are a mystery to most. Almost all the ninety-plus commemorative etchings feature the last names of the founding families of the town without explanation. During the prosperity of technological tools, most forgot the old ways.

One female descendant of each founding family has traditionally served as the keeper of knowledge. Passing a huge tome from generation to generation, that woman ensures the pact the original settlers made with the first inhabitants of this land can’t be forgotten. The agreement between the huge, lethal creatures living in the mountaintops and the struggling, besieged humans sealed the duties for both sides. Promising protection for the people and fated mates for the dragons, this pact has evaporated from the minds of most of the citizens of Wyvern. But the dragons have not forgotten.

When all things powered by technology suddenly ceased to function, the worst features of humanity erupted as people struggled to survive. Once again, the strength and power of the massive beasts who have guarded the city is needed. Revealing themselves once again to the masses, the dragon horde fulfills their promise.

As descendants of those original families are found, mate bonds are forged between dragons and humans. The old ways are essential to the survival of all, and the ancient pact will soar in importance once again. For there are dragons, and they hunt for more than just prey.

Three dragons of the horde have recently discovered their mates in the growing population of Wyvern. Others still search, hoping that each day brings their mate back to their ancestors’ home. The stakes are dire for the shifters. Mates create a balance between their human and dragon identities. One teeters on the brink of madness without the companionship of a mate.

Chapter 1

“You’re coming with us, beautiful.”

Skye battled the terror that froze her in place. The expressions of the five grungy men surrounding her reflected their steely determination and lust. Skye didn’t detect a sliver of compassion or sympathy.

Vultures.

“Nothing to say, blue eyes?” a voice from behind her asked.

Skye glanced over her shoulder. A bulky man walked forward. She turned slightly but froze as the first man who’d greeted her took several steps forward as well. The circle around her was solid without gaps. At least not at torso level. Her fingers tightened on the straps of her light backpack.

“Hey! What’s going on?” a male voice called from a few feet away.

Everyone turned to see two men approaching. One carried a bottle of amber liquid in his left hand.

“Beat it. She’s ours,” the thug closest to the newcomers growled.

“Now, that’s not very neighborly. We thought you might wish to join us in some whiskey,” the man holding the bottle suggested, waving it around. His voice was slurred and slow.

“We capture her and dispatch them.” This recommendation coming from one of the men Skye now thought of as vultures didn’t surprise her.

While they considered that, their attention wavered from Skye. Without a second’s hesitation, Skye threw herself to her knees and scrabbled through the opening between the men’s legs. The stench of their bodies assaulted her nose, but it only lasted a breath. She raced for the men who’d risked interrupting and darted behind them without a word.

“Seems like this young woman wants to go with us,” the second man said. “We’ll just take her off your hands.”

Her first savior turned and gave Skye the bottle. “Hold on to this for me. I don’t think they’re smart enough to walk away.”

She shook her head, agreeing. Whatever the group of thugs were, it wasn’t intelligent. Vultures. She definitely didn’t give away that he had slipped her a knife as well.

With a wild yell, one of those vultures raced forward. His weak approach was nothing like the swooping forays of the dragons who raced in Skye’s dreams at night. She stepped slightly back from the men who’d come to her defense to give them room and lifted her two weapons.

Gone were the days when she rode the bus to the park to draw or sat in a class, trying to capture the feminine beauty of a model. Skye had gotten this far on her trek back home by being alert and hiding from threats. Lost in thought, she’d missed the warning signs of this attack. She had to survive to reach her hometown. Wyvern.

While the men in front dealt with the first attacker, the others raced forward to join the fray. One of the lowlifes sidestepped the others to target her. When he grabbed for her upper arm. Skye whacked him over the head with the bottle, stunning him. That vulture staggered back, weaving uncertainly. Another took his place. Skye held on to the neck of the shattered bottle.

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Whispers of the Dragon Read Online Sarah Brianne http://www.ilovenovels.com/whispers-of-the-dragon-read-online-sarah-brianne Wed, 12 Feb 2025 07:22:10 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/whispers-of-the-dragon-read-online-sarah-brianne Genre: Alpha Male, Dragons, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Young Adult Authors: Sarah Brianne Advertisement

Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >59

There's only one dragon born every generation to protect their people. In reward for their protection, they are given a fated mate. But she must be found and mated before the last cherry blossom falls, or Ryu may just be the last of his kind.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

The flame that burns twice as bright, burns half as long.

— LAO TZU

1

Invisible String

Ayoung Ryu sat under the Sakura tree that had stood in this same spot since the dawn of time.

He looked up at the towering ancient being. The cherry blossoms stayed the perfect shade of pink, regardless of time. And, even though he was seven years of age, he had never seen so much as a single leaf fall.

“Son,” his father announced his presence before taking a seat beside him, “I heard you were late to your training.”

No longer looking up toward the sky, Ryu’s eyes went to his fiddling feet as he grumbled, “It’s not fair.”

His father’s voice turned stern. “You’re a Tei; speak up when you have something important to say.”

“It’s. Not. Fair.” His voice matched his father’s strong tone as best as he could at his age. “It’s not fair that I can’t play and go to school with the other kids.”

“That’s because you are not like the other kids,” his father, Tatsu, answered honestly. “You never will be.”

Going back to kicking his feet, Ryu lifted up a patch of grass as he mumbled under his breath again, “Then why do I look like them?”

Playfully, Tatsu hit his son’s shoulder with laughter. “You won’t for long.”

Great, he thought, knowing what was coming in a few years. “By then, everyone my age will really think I’m weird, and I’ll never have any friends.”

“We’re meant to protect them, not befriend them, Ryu,” His father told him the harsh truth of being a firstborn Tei son.

Their lineage had quickly found out it was best to keep a distance and professional demeanor with their people, all except for one.

“But, in return, you’ll get something far greater than a friend.”

“What’s that?” Ryu finally stopped kicking the ground to look at his father.

Tatsu took a deep breath during which you could see him contemplating something on his son’s features before he released it, figuring it was time to tell him. “Do you know why this tree’s blossoms never fall, but all the other ones in the village do?” He looked up at its beauty like his son had just moments before he sat beside him.

“Mom told me it’s a magical tree, just like you and me.”

“It is.” Tatsu nodded in agreement with glossy eyes shining only for a second before it passed. “And just like us, this tree is tied to you, me, every firstborn son who came before us, and every firstborn son who shall come after us …”

Ryu’s brows furrowed up at the beautiful, vast Sakura tree that sat in a secluded part of their family’s property. Looking around, he finally made the connection of just how protected the sapling was when his father continued.

“Until its time and the Tei’s time … runs out.”

“What?” He snapped his face to the older version of him. Fear for his family shone in his young eyes. “What do you mean? When will tha—”

“It’s all right, son.” Tatsu placed a calming hand on his son’s shoulder. “This tree is like a timer,” he began to explain the magical powers between the living beast and them. “When a Tei son is born, the Sakura tree connects to that generation’s son, setting the timer, and it isn’t until his son is born does the tree make its new connection as the clock resets.”

Now when Ryu’s eyes met the magical tree, he could almost feel what was like a string between them. He watched the pink blossoms floating lightly in the breeze, silently wondering how he had missed it all the times he had sat under its shade, which was at least once a day.

“However”—he cleared his throat before his father’s wondrous tone turned serious as he continued explaining the connection—“soon, the first cherry blossom will fall, and they’ll continue to do so until you find your fated mate.”

“My fated mate?” Ryu asked, scrunching up his face in childlike disgust.

“Your future wife,” Tatsu said, laughing at his son’s expression. “One day, when you’re older, you won’t think it so odd.”

Yuck, Ryu thought doubtfully.

“And look at the bright side. You’ll no longer feel lonely.”

Ryu’s expression slightly softened, supposing that was true. “Was Mom yours?”

Solemnly, his father nodded his head. “She was.”

“Does that mean you’re lonely now?” Ryu asked another question, like all children do when learning something for the first time.

“From time to time,” his father admitted before bringing his son closer to him. “But you keep me plenty company these days.”

Ryu chuckled, even though his heart began to feel heavy for his father. He had only felt sadness for himself for losing his mother, but now he understood the gravity of his father’s own sadness.

“How did you know she was your fated mate?”

“Oh, you’ll know,” his father said, giving his own chuckle. “Unlike everyone else in this village, and even on this earth, you’ll have the ability to know. It will be like”—a soft smile touched his lips in remembrance—“magic.”

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