Dragon Down Under: Her Dragon Hero Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  DRAGON DOWN UNDER BOOK 3:

  HER DRAGON HERO

  by

  Angela Castle

  TORRID BOOKS

  www.torridbooks.com

  Published by

  TORRID BOOKS

  www.torridbooks.com

  An Imprint of Whiskey Creek Press LLC

  Whiskey Creek Press

  PO Box 51052

  Casper, WY 82605-1052

  Copyright Ó 2014 by Angela Castle

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  ISBN 978-1-61160-752-9

  Credits

  Cover Artist: Gemini Judson

  Editor: Dennis Hays

  Printed in the United States of America

  WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT

  ABDUCTING ALICE by Angela Castle

  Rating: 4

  “ The beginning of a series this fast little romp teased as well as delivered. The Kelon males are highly sexual. The Kelon females almost asexual in that they derive no pleasure from the act. When Alice, and her libido, make itself known to Kerr and eventually the entire male population, all hell breaks loose. An entertaining read that promises more to come, as well as an interesting premise as far as the mismatched sexual appetites of the Kelon.”

  ~Chris

  Night Owl Reviews

  “Abducting Alice is a fun read full of unusual characters, and the unlikeliest of events, like a wife getting along with her mother-in-law. Ms. Castle has provided a great remedy to a rainy afternoon.”

  ~Buttercup

  Whipped Cream

  SAVING SARA by Angela Castle

  A must read if you are involved in the series, and a good read if you are not.

  Happy Reading

  ~ Tammie King

  Director of Marketing, Night Owl Reviews

  Other Books by Author Available at Torrid Books:

  www.torridbooks.com

  Warriors of Kelon Series

  Abducting Alice

  Tempting Tara

  Resisting Rachel

  Claiming Claire

  Saving Sara

  Possessing Providence

  Blue Bloods of Archalon Series

  Blood Rich

  Moon Shadows Series

  Moonlight Captivation

  Sin’s City

  Dragon Down Under Series

  Dragon Down Under

  Dragon Down Under: Two Plus One

  Dedication

  Tegan, you rock girl! Thanks for looking after us while in Darwin.

  Prologue

  It was once widely assumed among dragon-kind, living in the Dragon Realm, that humans were an ignorant species. Therefore, they were extremely dangerous and to be avoided at all cost.

  Dragon criminals were often punished with exile and tossed into the Human Realm, where they were never heard from again.

  Until now…

  Chapter 1

  Brimstone the Crusher leaned his large frame against the ancient pillars at the very back of the Dragon King’s throne room. His ruby gaze moved from the Elders to the King as they argued.

  “The fact remains humans are dangerous. To send more of us out there is going to invite trouble,” Council member and Elder Javir yelled above the muttering.

  The old grey dragon stood on the left side of the King near the new Commander of the King's Guard.

  Not too long ago, the old Commander, Kaden De-Kerr, had been accused by the Dragon Queen of attempted rape, but her deception and false accusation was brought to light when she ran off with the new captain, Merloc.

  The King travelled to the Human Realm to seek Kaden’s forgiveness and bring him home, only to find the old Commander had found his true, dragon mate and didn’t wish to return. The news of human females being not only possible mates, but true mates spread through the whole Dragon Realm.

  It looked as if a dragon could live like royalty among humans. Many dragons came to the King to petition access to the Human Realm to search for mates.

  However, there were still so many uncertainties about it, hence the current debate. Brimstone, a gruff, red dragon, hatched to be a fighter, was dragged to this argument by his friend, Slade, who was interested in finding some pretty humans to impress and fuck. Judging from the massed crowd of dragon males pressing in on this debate, Slade wasn’t the only one.

  “We can no longer pretend ignorance,” the King snapped at Javir. “Breeding of our kind is rapidly decreasing; the rarity of hatching a female dragon is ever more apparent. Do you want us to become an extinct race?”

  “It’s better to become extinct, than have our bloodline polluted by humans!” Javir spat back at the King, disgust evident in his tone.

  “I’ve seen human females and I don’t see the issue,” Slade muttered under his breath.

  Brimstone snorted, knowing his long-time friend’s pickings of potential females to seduce were extremely thin.

  Brim, on the other hand, didn’t care for females, only for battle; it’s better than sex. The heart-pounding thrill of getting to kill something was well…almost better than sex, but the King's point of having fewer dragons meant fewer enemies to fight. Currently, his only action was killing demons who dared cross over into the Dragon Realm.

  Brim frowned, wondering why they have been catching more demons sneaking into their realm of late.

  “Javir does have a point. Humans are a weak, non-magical species,” said Brim, his voice low, glancing down at his friend. Slade was a golden dragon. While also fighters, many of them were also suave diplomats.

  “Those poor, weak, helpless females...” Slade’s smile morphed up into a calculating grin. “They need a good, strong dragon to protect them, and hold them.”

  Brim rolled his eyes and grunted. His gaze returned to the elders, watching the King pinch the bridge of his nose in clear frustration.

  Slade moved suddenly, shoving his way through the crowd, much to the surprise of Brim and several other dragons.

  “My King, if I may suggest something?” His voice rang clear and everyone fell silent while angry gazes turned his way.

  “Slade the Sly, is it not?” The King eyed him with suspicion. “Speak wisely and fast, or I will have your tongue removed and spikes driven under your scales.”

  Apparently unfazed by the king’s threat, Slade smiled. “I propose a fact-finding mission. After Commander De-Kerr’s exile, it’s clear we now know less about humans than we thought. If a few dragons were to go and learn, gather current facts on human societies, and bring them back, I believe Your Majesty and the Elders will be more informed and better able to make clear decisions. Is it not wise to know your enemy before you engage in battle?”

  Brim grunted at Slade’s speech. His friend was either the smartest dragon he knew, or the dumbest.

  “And who do you propose should go on this fact-finding mission?” The King took several steps towards Slade.

 
; “Two dragons, Your Majesty; a fighter for protection and one who is smart and quick to learn. I propose my friend Brimstone and I go for you.”

  Dragon crap! Brimstone straightened and all eyes turned to him. He didn’t want to go to the Human Realm. He was going to kill Slade for this.

  “Brimstone, come forth,” the King called.

  Oh yeah, I am going to pound his fucking, smug, dragon head into the dust.

  The crowd parted and Brim moved through the path to stand by his friend.

  The King glanced between Brim’s seven foot human height to Slade’s six foot four.

  “I like this idea. I suppose I will postpone driving spikes under your scales for now, Slade.”

  Slade chuckled. “It is appreciated, Your Majesty.”

  “You will both go. Consult with Kaden De-Kerr when you reach the Human Realm. I will give you one lunar cycle to bring back all the information you can.”

  Javir pushed forward. “But, Your Majesty! You can’t just —”

  “Enough!” The king bellowed at the Elder, who shrank back. “These two have brought the only helpful argument to this debate. It is done. I will hear no more of your long-winded arguments, Javir. We will reconvene at the end of the lunar cycle.”

  The King turned back to Brim and Slade while the crowd slowly filed out of the King’s throne room. Brim glanced down at the smug smile on Slade’s handsome face. Brim’s fists clenched; rearranging Slade’s features suddenly sounded like a really good idea.

  “Your Majesty, I don’t think I should…” Brim let his protest falter as the King glared at him.

  “You don’t wish to serve your king?”

  “Yes, of course. I always do my duty.”

  “Good. Don’t let me down, you two, there is a lot at stake here. Before you leave, come to the archive room with the list of what we need to know, especially concerning human females.”

  “Of course, Your Majesty.” Slade dipped his head in a respectful bow. “We won’t let you down.”

  Fucking, demon balls! There was no getting out of it now.

  * * * *

  Four Days Later…

  The blue dragon, Kaden De-Kerr, and his little pregnant mate, Terrie, gave both Brimstone and Slade a crash course in living in the Human Realm, along with all the funds they needed to stay at places of lodging and to explore. Now, they sat at a human bar, not far from the oceanfront of Darwin City. The place was situated in the country of Australia, a dry, arid and comfortable climate for a dragon. Slade was in his element, but Brimstone felt out of place. While his height was nothing out of the ordinary in his own realm, here among humans, he stood out. Along with his hardened face, it made the humans stare at him in fear.

  He didn’t really give a fuck what anyone thought anyway.

  “How can you not be interested in this?”

  Brimstone’s cold, amber liquid with its frothy top sloshed all over the bar when Slade elbowed Brim’s arm.

  He growled at his friend, but as usual, Slade took no notice. He was used to Brim’s temper. Brim lifted his gaze to follow where Slade stared. No – he grinned at them like a damn fool. His perfect, white teeth flashing at the human females sitting at the other end of the bar.

  All—from the sleek, slim redhead with hazel eyes to her friend, an attractive blonde in a short red dress, showing her long, slender legs—held seductive, 'come hither' smiles aimed at Slade. Brim grunted. They were short, too skinny and looked like they couldn’t take a hard round of fucking without being broken in half.

  Humans are frail and weak. He wondered how they were ever considered a threat to his kind. Mentally, he shook his head, because he knew in great numbers, they were capable of doing great harm, even to a warrior dragon such as himself.

  Brimstone did a scan of the rest of the humans in the room. More than just the females at the bar glanced in their direction, fluttering their eyes at Slade.

  Poor fools. They had no idea of the allure a dragon male had on the unsuspecting human females.

  Brim went back to his beer, lifting and draining the glass. Humans made good drinks, if nothing else. As attractive as all these human women were, his mission in the Human Realm was not to indulge his cock.

  “We’re here to learn about the humans, not spend time fucking their females.”

  “I see no better way to talk to them than when they are writhing in pleasure under you.” Slade smile widened, lust gleaming in his amber gold eyes. “Besides, it’s me they want. You, my friend, how many have run from you screaming in fear?”

  Brim scowled at his friend. “They were not screaming.”

  Rather they scampered away from him like frightened rodents whenever he towered above someone and glared at them. The scars he earned in battle and his short-cropped hair didn’t add to his allure, but it was beside the point.

  “Maybe not," Slade shrugged, "but you’ve got to stop acting like you want to break their necks every time you meet a human. And, stop the damn growling. Fear is not an impression we need to be leaving in our wake, nor do we want them catching on to what we really are.”

  Brim waved his glass at the little human behind the bar and the thin man scurried over, his eyes wide as while he stared at Brim. The dragon smelled the fear wafting off the elfish appearing barkeep.

  “I wouldn’t be here if you kept your mouth shut.”

  Slade’s handsome, angular features and golden hair with glowing, golden eyes never failed to attract the attention of the opposite sex. He knew how to handle himself in battle. Brimstone and Slade fought side by side long enough to respect each other’s unique battle skills. They always watched each other’s backs, since they were young hatchlings entering into the King’s Army.

  “Another beer?” The bar-keep’s voice trembled, eyeing Brim as if he would pounce on the skittish human at any moment. Damn, he hated when Slade was right.

  Maybe he did growl, snap, and glare a little too much. He tried not to glare at the barkeep, but couldn’t help grunting out a 'yes.'

  The barkeeper was quick to replace his drink and scurry off to attend to another customer, not even bothering with the paper currency Brim tossed onto the bar next to the spilled beer.

  “I think I’ve got my ass covered for tonight, don’t wait up for me.”

  Slade moved in on the women, who were still batting their eyelashes and preening their hair. A shrill of feminine laughter rose over the low pounding of the music, coming through some kind of equipment placed around the establishment. It grated on Brim’s nerves. He grabbed his drink, exited the bar and headed down by the gentle, lapping water of Darwin Harbour. Drawing in a deep breath, he looked up at a waning moon and chose a seat in the shadows, watching the little boats bob on the ocean waters. At least they were sent to a warm climate to do their spying. Simple fact: dragons don’t like the cold.

  The sound of voices drew Brim’s attention as a couple wandered past where he was seated. They took no notice of him, but a sweet honeysuckle scent caught his attention.

  The busty, little brunette with abundant curves drew his eye while she hurried to keep pace with the stocky built man, who was only slightly taller than the woman, walking next to him. A loose, floral black and red dress fluttered round her knees. The dress showed a hint of cleavage and enhanced the round lushness of her body.

  Even in the shadows, Brim’s sharp, dragon eyesight caught the details of her rounded face, with her large, blue eyes, soft, pink mouth and pert, little chin. It was difficult for Brim to pick what caught his favour most, and then his gaze dropped to her chest. No, it wasn’t too difficult. He always was a sucker for large breasts, and he was, after all, a large man in human form with larger than average needs.

  Now, there was a woman who wouldn’t break in half when he gripped her full hips and plunged his… Demon balls! Where, by the gods did that thought come from?

  She’s already got a man—not that Brim would call the puny, human male a man. Then, he saw the male’s expression of disgus
t when he glanced at the woman.

  “What did you spend all day doing? Eating desserts and lazing by the pool like a beached whale?” Brim didn’t miss the venom in the human males tone.

  The woman flushed, her skin an alluring shade of red, but Brim saw the tears making her blue eyes bright while the man continued to insult her.

  “You’ve been out all day on the fishing boat doing nothing, but drinking beer. I’ve been productive.”

  “Don’t get snippy with me, girl. Lazing around, getting fatter isn’t being productive.”

  Anger roared through Brim’s body. His drink forgotten, he rose to his feet, but forced himself to a stop barely under one of the waterfront park’s trees, his large hand curling around the trunk.

  This is none of your business, the woman does not belong to you. Turn around and walk away. Still, Brim, couldn’t force his feet to move.

  “No!” she hissed indignantly. “I…I worked on a new story.”

  “We’re on fucking holiday! I told you to leave that shit at home. I’ve tolerated this nonsense because it’s actually paid off for once. I’ve earned this holiday by putting up with your hobby for so long.”

  She stopped walking, her little fists clenched and her mouth drawn in a tight line as she glared back at the man. “This nonsense paid for this trip.”

  “You owe me, Amber! Who else is going to put up with your wandering mind and fat body? You don’t try hard enough to lose weight; you should have dropped twenty kilos three times over by now.”

  “So, why ask me to marry you? You don’t like what I do, you don’t like my body, or who I am.”

  The man softened his tone, but it dripped with condescension. “Amber, Amber, Amber. Can’t you see, I’m trying to help you here? You’ve got to start listening to me and changing for the better. You need to try harder if we’re going to make our life together work.”

  It took everything Brimstone had to stop from jumping from the shadows and wringing the human’s neck. The son of a dung pile was only insulting her further by trying to make it look like it’s her fault.