Viper: Dragon Warrior Series (Alien Dragon Shifter Romance) Book 5 Read online

  Viper

  Book 5 in the Dragon Warriors Series

  KD Jones

  Copyright 2020 KD Jones

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Table of 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:

  About the Author

  Blurb

  Viper is good at two things—protecting his people and keeping to himself. As an enforcer for the West Fire Dragons, his job is to hunt down rogue dragon shifters that pose a risk to the Drakonians living on Earth. He’s not scared of many things in this world, but the tiny blond-haired librarian of Dragoon, Arizona, is the most frightening creature he has ever encountered. His inner dragon wants to claim her, but would she be able to fully accept him? Danger brings them together and both must face their attraction for one another. Will they be able to see through the walls each has put up, or will they let fear keep them apart?

  Chapter 1

  Drakonia Pre-Evacuation

  “Why are you standing there like a statue?”

  A young Viper glanced over his shoulder to find his father glaring at him. He felt his cheeks heat from staring up at the trees blocking the view of the castle. This was the closest he had come to reaching the gates of the royal homestead.

  Until now, he would sell produce with his mother on the pathway to the cooks from the castle. His mother was too shy to go through the gates and some of that hesitation filled him. He tried to think of an excuse to stop or turn back but had taken too long. His father growled and took hold of his arm, shaking him. His ten-year-old body wasn’t able to withstand the force and fell to the ground easily. His father pointed to the building to the right.

  “That is the palace registration for warriors in training. Did you not see the lettering?”

  “I... must have missed it, Father.”

  “Why did the gods stick me with such a stupid child? You’re just like your mother, always staring off into the sky as if the gods wrote the answers in the clouds. She was only good for cooking and birthing a son. Well, she failed me at the latter since she gave me an idiot.”

  Viper heard this from his father many times. Viper did not have patience or sympathy for anyone he believed to be weak. His mother and father were not true mates, and she withstood his abuse for years to protect Viper.

  Eventually, she couldn’t take anymore and her spirit went to the great beyond. Losing her broke Viper’s heart, but he was glad she was safe from the tyrant they both had lived with. He swore that once fully trained as a warrior, he would show his father the true meaning of fear. It didn’t stop the anger building inside him of the hateful way his father spoke of his mother. Viper wanted to lash out, hurt the male that should have been there for them.

  “Boy, are you listening to me?” His father was about to grasp his hair when another voice interrupted.

  “Is there a problem here?”

  Viper looked up to find Prince Reichardt standing a few feet from them. He was ten years older than Viper, but in his adolescent mind, the prince was a formidable warrior. Evidently his father thought the same. He released Viper and bowed his head slightly in respect.

  “No problem, Prince Reichardt. I was bringing my son here to begin his warrior training. He’s worthless for anything else except to serve in the army for Drakonians.”

  The prince didn’t smile but gave an assessing look from his father to him. Viper didn’t shift, despite how uncomfortable he felt under that heavy stare.

  “I’ll take him from here,” Reichardt said. “He should be home for the evening meal.”

  “No need. I spoke earlier to a trainer about having him work for a room and for his training supplies.”

  “We provide all of our warriors with training supplies at no cost to their families,” Reichardt told him.

  “Well, he’s at your service now. I relinquish all responsibility for him.”

  “I will see to his training and whatever else he may need,” Reichardt reassured him.

  Viper’s father was already turning and walking away. Viper stared after him for a moment. Pain and regret filled him. Why couldn’t his father have been a different male? Maybe a male that was caring and gentle, one that would have loved and protected him and his mother. He just wasn’t capable of it. Viper was grateful that his mother had shown him love.

  “What’s your name?” Reichardt asked him.

  “Viper, Your Highness.”

  Reichardt waved that off. “I’m Reichardt or if you prefer Warrior Reichardt. I’m still in training myself. I’ve not seen you around these parts before.”

  “We live on the border further south.”

  “You and your family?”

  “My father, me and my mother. My mother passed on a few months ago.”

  “You didn’t attend educating classes with the other villagers?”

  “No, Your Highness... Warrior Reichardt. We couldn’t afford it, and my father said that it was a waste to teach someone as stupid as me.” Why had he said that? His father had already made a horrible impression. What must the prince think of him?

  Reichardt placed a comforting hand on his thin shoulder. “I will see if an educator can assist with your education.”

  “Oh no, I just want to train and serve you and the king as a warrior.”

  “I will pay for the educator.”

  “I can’t learn, sire, the letters make little sense to me. So it would be useless to pay for an educator.”

  “I will relent for now on the educator. Let’s see what you have, Warrior Viper.”

  Chapter 2

  Present day, King R Ranch, Dragoon, Arizona - EARTH

  “Is that all you’ve got, Viper?” King Reichardt yelled out as he walked around in a training circle.

  Viper took a moment to glance around the field the warriors used for training. A small crowd was gathering, some standing on the other side of the wooden fencing, younger warriors on the lower beam of the tied planks. Elders had brought out lawn chairs and took a seat like it was a grand show. He was so distracted that he didn’t duck in time and Reichardt landed a kick in his stomach, knocking him onto his ass.

  “Damn it!” Viper grumbled as he sprung back up to his feet.

  “Pay attention to the warrior in front of you, not to those gawking.”

  “Kick his ass, baby!”

  Reichardt smiled at his very pregnant mate, Gema. This time, Viper caught him off guard by rushing and tackling Rei to the ground.

  Humph! Reichardt lost the air from his lungs. “You hit like a Mack truck. Have you gained some weight?”

  “I’m all muscle, my friend.”

  Viper stood, then reached a hand out to help his friend to his feet. “We could call this match a tie,
” he offered.

  Reichardt snorted. “I’m not that old—yet.”

  He shrugged. “Just trying to help you save face in front of your mate.”

  The male couldn’t stop himself from glancing at Gema. He frowned. “Gema! Get off the fence. You’re carrying my heir.”

  Gema waved his worries away. “This one is too stubborn like her father to get hurt. Hurry and take Viper down. I’m getting hungry.”

  Reichardt swore, and then turned to Viper with a smirk. “You know how she gets when she’s hangry.”

  Viper groaned, as did the rest of the crowd. They all knew that a hungry Gema was not a pleasant thing. “I can fake a knockout.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Reichardt said as he rushed Viper. The king was one of the strongest of their people and one of the most experienced warriors—for a good reason.

  The hit lifted Viper into the air before he slammed him to the ground. Then the king straddled him and punched him over and over. He gave an effort, moving his legs up and trying to wrap around Reichardt’s waist, dragging him off. They both struggled to get the upper hand; Viper took most of the blows. He would never let Reichardt know that he did that on purpose.

  “I call it! It’s a tie! Now, come on. I need food!” Gema yelled at them.

  Viper and Reichardt were panting. They turned and watched as the crowd dispersed. One warrior helped Gema down from the fencing.

  “Pick back up tomorrow?” Viper asked.

  “Yep, sounds good.”

  “Are you coming in for lunch? Gema’s grandmother has probably fixed a feast.”

  Viper shook his head while looking up at the sky. “It’s cloudy enough that I can take a quick flight. My dragon is feeling restless.”

  “I might do one later tonight. Don’t forget to take the box of donated books Valorie put aside to the library.”

  Crap! He had forgotten about the books. He had promised Val he would do it for her. “I’ll do it as soon as I am done with my flight.”

  “I’ll move the box to the cab so it doesn’t get rained on.”

  “Appreciate it.”

  Viper walked toward the big barn. He entered the empty building and straight toward the back exit. They set up the last stall like a changing room. The Drakonians could strip out of their clothes, and then exit the back of the barn and shift with full privacy.

  The air was cool, and the wind was a little strong. Perfect weather for flying. He closed his eyes and let his dragon form take shape. His sleek, deep burgundy scales glistened as few raindrops fell. His clawed paws shuffled forward. He raised his large wings and pumped them up and down. He caught the air and leaped.

  There was nothing like flying in his dragon form. How long had it been? A week? That was too long. The cool air against his fiery dragon was refreshing. Drakonians always had a much warmer body temperature than humans. That was one of the many differences between the two species.

  Hundreds of Earth years ago, a warring alien species had attacked his home world Drakonia. His planet fell apart, but their mage opened a portal to a strange underdeveloped planet. It was like stepping back in time. No scientists, no medicine, no weapons, or warships. The new planet offered clean air and plenty of plant and animal life despite its primitiveness.

  The kings and queen separated and claimed different regions for their clans to prosper. Mostly, they kept their distance from the humans, which kept the peace, but at risk to their own survival. Fewer and fewer Drakonians found bond mates, and there were hardly any dragonlings born. Many of his people had given up hope and turned rogue, murdering and killing, risking exposure of their existence. Then a few of his kind found their true bond mate with human females.

  Humans. Just the thought of the weaker species had his dragon snorting. It was just so strange. King Reichardt mated one. The few on the ranch were beautiful, but tiny and soft. Sure, he could see the appeal; it made a warrior want to protect them. One dragonlet so far has been born strong and healthy. But was unclear if it would shift into dragon form. Their elders believe that Drakonian genes were stronger and therefore believe the dragonlets would have the same abilities as a pureblood.

  Some of their kind didn’t believe they should dilute the bloodlines. Whispers spread from clan to clan. A sense of unrest was building with the discovery of mates found with humans. Before, their biggest concern had been with the rogues and the rogue ex-king Dyson. Somehow, Dyson impregnated human females against their wills without there being a full mating bond. They discarded the human females without a care. Rogues were the scum on the world and needed to be stopped.

  That’s what Viper should do; hunt down Dyson and his followers. Instead, he was running errands that any human could do. A waste of his abilities.

  Sighing, he turned to head back to the ranch. He might as well get this over with. Maybe the library would be closed and he could just drop the box off on the porch. It wasn’t the library itself he had a problem with, but the librarian.

  Chapter 3

  “So I shall die,” said the little mermaid, “and as the foam of the sea, I shall be driven about never again to hear the music of the waves, or to see the pretty flowers nor the red sun. Is there anything I can do to win an immortal soul?”

  “She needs to find her prince!” a little girl with red curls called out.

  “No, no! Kill the evil old woman. She’s the sea witch Ursula!” Little Benjamin yelled.

  Shy Shannon Cooper shook her head. “Killing the witch before Ariel breaks the spell will do no good. Don’t you know anything?”

  Callie smiled at the group of six-year-olds who sat in a half-circle listening to her read the Little Mermaid, one of her favorite fairy tales. The local school reserved story time on Wednesday afternoons. The first-grade teachers would bring the students to her small-town library, and then the parents would pick them up from there once it was over.

  The library was something Callie inherited from her great-uncle Wayne a few years ago. She had moved back to the small town to help take care of him when he started chemo treatments for his cancer. Unfortunately, the cancer was in the late stages and he didn’t win the battle. She loved her uncle Wayne. She remembered coming every summer to help him and her aunt with the local library, which was the first floor of their Victorian home.

  The bottom half of the home with a banquet room and kitchen was occasionally rented for group gatherings like senior church brunches. Her aunt and uncle had turned the back half of the second level into a private apartment years ago.

  The apartment had a cozy living room open to the kitchen and dining area. Two small bedrooms shared an enormous bathroom. Callie could access the apartment two ways; using the stairs in the downstairs kitchen and the backside balcony staircase from the backyard. There was a locked gate around the back of the property for security. Overall, the house needed work, but it was home.

  She glanced up to notice that all the parents were waiting patiently on the other side of the room. “Okay, kids, time to go.”

  “Aw, do we have to?”

  “You didn’t finish the story.”

  “I don’t want to go yet.”

  Callie cleared her throat. “We will finish the story next Wednesday. If any of you can’t wait until then, you can always check out a copy to take home.”

  Hearing the complaints about leaving pleased Callie. She felt the same way every time she had to go home to her fighting parents at the end of the summer. Mark and Dawn Sinclair were not the best parents or role models; they divorced when Callie was ten.

  But her aunt Mabel and uncle Wayne were the best people she had ever known. Her aunt died a few months before her uncle. Her aunt and uncle’s friends said that he couldn’t go on without his Mabel. It was a sweet thought, and it made sense if anyone ever met her aunt and uncle. They shared a genuine love. Unfortunately, Callie had met no one that touched her heart and soul like that. She wasn’t sure it existed outside of fairy tales.

  She placed the book
on the seat she had been sitting in and walked over to talk to a few of the parents. Callie helped find books that the parents were looking for and checked them out. She was so busy that she didn’t notice the sudden tension fill the room until Mrs. Potter leaned over to ask her in a low tone.

  “What is he doing here?”

  He? Callie looked to the front entryway, and her breath caught in her throat. Holy smokes!

  *****

  Viper should have just placed the box on the floor and left. But he couldn’t move, the sound of the woman’s voice was so entrancing. He moved closer to get a better look. Viper knew who it was. He had seen her around town a few times. Caroline Aline Sinclair, Callie to her friends, the human librarian.

  The woman was a mix of contradictions. Her voice was curious, strong, sure, and sexy, but her outer appearance gave off the impression that she was timid and shy. Gorgeous was what she was, and nothing she did could hide it. Her waist length dark blond hair hung over one shoulder in a thick braid. Her brown-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, partially hiding a pair of baby blue eyes that no painter could replicate. She smiled at something one kid said, and it was like staring into the sun too long. She enraptured him.

  Whispers from the other humans in the room brought him slamming back to reality. He wasn’t human, and he didn’t belong there. He knew it, and so did everyone there.

  *****

  “It’s one of the King R Ranch guys. The one with all those tattoos,” Mrs. Potter added in a whisper.

  “Yes, I see that.” Callie finished, helping the parents and students, ushering them out of the library. Then she turned her attention to the sexiest man she had ever seen. She usually saw him from afar, dropping off Valor and Gema so they could spend time at the library.

  His name was weird—Viper. No last name. He wore a black T-shirt exposing his full sleeve of tattoos up his arms. He had dark brown hair shaved on the sides of his head and the top swooped back over the top. Chiseled features, dark, almost black eyes with an intense stare. He towered over her five feet four inches by at least a foot and a half. He was built like a quarterback, and every inch of him was delicious. But even more delicious was his deep baritone voice.