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

  “Where do you want these?”

  “What?” Her eyes had been admiring the bulging biceps and overlooked the fact that he was holding an enormous box.

  “The books that Valorie is donating.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m discombobulated.”

  “The box?” he asked, holding it up.

  “Right. Could you take it to the banquet room at the back?” She walked in that direction and he followed her. She felt his eyes on her and she smoothed out the dress she was wearing. She must look like a mess, having moved books around all day. She didn’t even brush her hair before the students showed up. As they walked, she rambled nervously.

  “I don’t believe that we have been formally introduced. I’m Caroline Aline Sinclair, but everyone around here calls me Callie. What’s your name?”

  “Viper.”

  That was all he said. “Is there a last name?”

  “No.”

  Okay, so he wasn’t a talker. “Have you been at the King R Ranch very long?”

  “Yes.”

  Frowning, Callie motioned toward the dining table and watched as he easily carried and placed the box down. The bending motion made his jeans tighten across his mighty fine ass. She felt heat travel up and down her entire body. When he turned around, she got a look at his front and wondered if he wore boxers or briefs.

  “I prefer boxers,” he said.

  Oh shit! “Did I say that out loud?”

  He chuckled. “Yes, you did. Would it be inappropriate to ask the same of you?”

  It took her a moment to realize that this serious-looking, dark and dangerous man was making a joke. She opened her mouth, and then closed it, only to open it again.

  “Sorry, I was just kidding.”

  She smiled up at him and teased him a little. “I didn’t think you knew how. You are always so serious.”

  “I mean you no harm.”

  “I didn’t say that I feared you. I feel safe with you here. That sounds so strange, but it’s true. I was about to close up the library. I have dinner in my Crock-Pot, which should be ready. Would you like to stay for dinner... as a thank you for bringing the books?”

  “I should get back to the ranch.”

  “Oh. Well then…” she felt so stupid. He was only running an errand for Valorie, not here to see her.

  Boom! A loud crashing sound from above had them both looking at the ceiling.

  “Is there someone upstairs?” Viper asked. His voice took on a sharp, dangerous tone.

  She shook her head. “That’s my personal living space and I keep it locked during the day when I’m working. No one should be up there.”

  “Any pets?”

  “No, I’m allergic to pet dander ever since I was a child. I used to have a goldfish, but it died.” Stop rambling, Callie! He will think I’m a pathetic spinster!

  “I will check it out.”

  “Wait, the backstairs by the kitchen is the only way up to my apartment. I’ve got the only key.” Callie moved past him toward the kitchen, and then opened a door that led to a stairway. She could feel his warm body right behind her, so close. She tripped over a step. Instantly, his hands were on her hips, steadying her. Then he let her go and she had to grip the railing for balance. Her breathing was fast, just like her the pounding of her heart. They reached the top of the stairs at the small platform. She unlocked the door and was about to open it, but he stopped her.

  “You remain here while I check it out.”

  “Okay,” she agreed breathlessly. The way he took charge and protected her made her heart race and her imagination kick into overdrive. It was just the thing a prince would do to save a fair maiden. Callie snorted to herself. Right, this was no fairy tale, and she was no princess. This was real life, not a fantasy. Men like Viper never looked twice at shy librarians.

  Chapter 4

  Viper’s dragon was pushing his way to the surface, wanting to get out and protect their mate. Mate? What the hell was he thinking? Callie was not their mate, she was human. He barely knew her, and she definitely wouldn’t have anything to do with him if she knew what he really was.

  To humans, he and his kind were nothing more than monsters. He had plenty of experience over the centuries with mobs of humans with pitchforks wanting to eradicate the world of demons breathing fire. Many of those humans died from the very demons they were hunting. He shook away those awful memories. Not all humans were his enemy. Some were mates to Drakonians. Callie was a friend of Valorie’s. He focused on finding out who dared to invade the apartment.

  Stepping through the door silently, he made Callie stay back and closed the door. As soon as he was inside the apartment, he smelled a Drakonian male. The male’s emotions were powerful, lingering behind each room. The living room had a fluffy couch and matching chair with a coffee table and two end tables. There was a TV and stand. Lot’s of pictures on the walls, some in black and white of a young couple, then as color pictures showed, the couple aging together through the years. A picture of a young girl with blond pigtails and familiar blue eyes—Callie. The couple must be the uncle and aunt who she inherited the library from. There were a lot of pictures of Callie as she grew into the beautiful female she was now.

  He continued to inspect the kitchen rather than the bathroom. Last he inspected what must have been a guest room and then the master bedroom. A breeze showed him that someone had broken a window. Glass lay scattered on the floor.

  The scent changed in the bedroom. Drawers had been pulled open exposing bras and panties dangling out of it. Viper knew how organized Callie was with her library. She was immaculate and orderly. There was no way she would have kept her personal space like this. The shocked and disgusted expression on her face confirmed it.

  Anger filled Viper. This male dared to touch her things and violate her personal space. The Drakonian experienced lust while lying on Callie’s bed. His seed was there, staining the sheets. A growl emitted from deep inside, from not only his inner dragon but from himself. He gripped the sheets, yanking them off just as Callie came inside.

  “Hey! What are you doing?”

  “There was an intruder, male, and he touched your things.”

  She glanced over and noticed the broken window. “Touched? What did he touch?”

  “Your personal things and he…used your sheets.”

  He watched as the color drained from her beautiful face as what he said sank in. “Oh my God, I feel sick.” She covered her mouth with her hand and rushed for the bathroom connected to her bedroom.

  “I’ll throw these away,” he called out.

  “No! I have to call the sheriff. He might want to take it as evidence along with fingerprints. Make sure not to touch anything else.”

  Viper frowned. Drakonians didn’t have fingerprints, but he couldn’t tell her that. He also didn’t want to involve the human sheriff, but there wasn’t anything he could do. Callie was already on the phone reporting the incident. He dropped the sheets on the floor and pulled out his own cell phone, texting Reichardt, letting him know what was happening. Reichardt responded.

  We will send enforcers out to hunt the rogue. Cooperate with the sheriff.

  He growled at the thought of another human he had to deal with. His mood did not improve as he realized not one, but two, males from the human authorities arrived. Callie made the introductions.

  “Thank you for coming, Sheriff. Do you know Viper from the King R Ranch?”

  The older male shook his head. “I don’t believe we have met before. I’m Sheriff Marv Jenkins, this is Deputy Sheriff Dawson.”

  “I’m Viper from the King R Ranch.” He shook Sheriff Jenkins’s hand then stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring the deputy’s outstretched arm. Dawson snapped his arm back, glaring at him. Viper held back from laughing in his face. Next time the deputy will know to not be such an ass to Valorie, Markus’s mate.

  “What are you doing here?” Dawson asked suspiciously.

  �
��I brought a box of donated books.”

  “Where are these books?”

  “Downstairs banquet room.”

  “When did you arrive? Did anyone else see you?” Dawson asked question after question. Callie narrowed her eyes at the deputy. Viper needed to keep an eye on her so she wouldn’t pummel the shit out of the ass.

  “Viper was with me the entire time. He didn’t do this.”

  “He could have a friend helping him.”

  Callie looked at the older male. “Sheriff, the guy broke the window in my bedroom and touched my things. Viper didn’t do this.”

  “Let us look around, then we’ll get your official statement.”

  Viper glared down at Dawson, pitiful looking male. What did Valorie ever see in him? Thankfully, she came to her senses and mated Markus, a worthy warrior.

  “I’m so sorry about that, Viper. Deputy Dawson can be a bit of an ass. He’s only gotten worse after things went bad with Val.”

  “Valorie has a better male now.”

  “I tell her that whenever I talk to her. I envy her sometimes.”

  He frowned and felt immediately jealous. “You wish to have Markus as your male?”

  “No. I just meant that I envy how in love she is and how she has someone who truly got her.”

  “You do not have a male,” he stated, not asking. He didn’t scent another male in the apartment.

  “No, not for a while now.”

  “Why not?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve been busy trying to keep the library open. I had a fiancé once, but when I came back to help my uncle after my aunt died, that relationship ended.”

  “The male let you go?”

  “Yep.”

  “Stupid male.”

  The sheriff and his deputy came back into the living room. “We’re ready to take both your statements.”

  Chapter 5

  “Stupid male.”

  Viper’s words kept playing in Callie’s mind over and over. Did he mean it? Did he think her ex was an idiot for letting her go? It filled her with giddiness that he might feel that way. She would have asked him, but the sheriff and his deputy questioned them for what seemed like hours. When Sheriff Dawson finished, the man would start all over asking the same things. It was ridiculous. By now the perpetrator was long gone. Sometimes it didn’t pay to live in a small hometown.

  To Viper’s credit, he answered every question patiently but in short, crisp answers. That was just his style, she realized. A curious thing though, when the sheriff asked him to come by the station to sign his statement, Viper said he would have to have his employer with him before doing so. It was just so odd. Dawson tried to argue over it, but Sheriff Jenkins seemed okay.

  “Aren’t you going to check for fingerprints or something?” Callie asked when the men stood to leave.

  “We don’t have the tech here to do that. Normally things like this don’t happen in our town,” Dawson said, glaring suspiciously at Viper. The meaning was clear. The deputy believed Viper was behind this.

  “What about the sheet that he... used?”

  Sheriff Dawson nodded. “We’ll take that with us. We have to send it to a lab two counties over and we won’t have the results back for at least a week. Do you have a trash bag we can put it in?”

  “Yes, let me get one.”

  Callie walked to the kitchen and opened the cabinet under the sink. A minute later, she returned to find the men with their arms crossed over their chests, trying to appear taller than the next man, and eyeing each other with squinting eyes. She had to fight the laugh bubbling up from their male posturing.

  “Your broken window is a safety issue. I wouldn’t recommend you stay here until you have replaced it. You should stay with a family member or a friend.”

  “You know I don’t have any family here,” Callie reminded him softly.

  “You could stay with me,” Dawson offered, reaching out to her.

  Viper growled. Callie startled. He heard her heartbeat double. Dammit, not a smart move on his part.

  He cleared his throat. “That won’t be necessary. I’ve called my people at the ranch and they are bringing supplies to board up the window. We also have a security system we are no longer using that we can have installed tomorrow.”

  “Will it alert us?” Sheriff Dawson asked.

  “Yes,” Viper responded with his one-word etiquette.

  “Good, good. We will look at your back balcony and yard. If I remember correctly, there used to be stairs that led down to the back.”

  Callie walked them to the balcony doors. “Yes, but we fenced the entire backyard in years ago. It’s eight feet high.”

  “We’ll see if there are any gaps in the fencing,” the sheriff told her.

  The sheriff pulled on the handle of the balcony French doors and it opened too easily. “I think he got in this way. He broke the handle.”

  Dawson scratched his head. “Then why did he break the window?”

  “Good question. He had to know by breaking the window someone would hear it.”

  Callie frowned. “So he wanted us to know he was here?”

  “Maybe he was jealous of you spending time with this guy. Do you have any angry ex-lovers we should know about?” Dawson asked.

  “My ex-fiancé is in Dallas and he wouldn’t do this. He’s never even been to Arizona.”

  “What’s his name? We’ll verify his whereabouts,” the sheriff asked.

  “Jonathan Deets. He works for the Anderson Oil Company in Dallas, Texas. It can’t be him, though.”

  The sheriff looked pointedly at his deputy before answering, “Ex-boyfriends can do stupid things.”

  “But he’s happily married to someone else,” Callie insisted.

  “We’ll still verify his whereabouts. Now, Mr. Viper, I want to make sure you don’t leave town in case we have more questions for you.”

  “I understand,” Viper responded.

  Callie could feel his gaze on her the entire time she spoke about her ex. It was humiliating to admit that her ex-fiancé had married someone new in less than a year after their breakup. It should have devastated her, but after a few days of feeling sorry for herself, she felt relief.

  Jonathan was not her Mister Right. Maybe she didn’t have a Mister Right. Her parents weren’t the best example of domestic bliss. But her aunt and uncle were the epitome of genuine love. Caught up in her thoughts, she missed something the sheriff said.

  “I’m sorry, what was that?”

  “I asked if you were feeling all right. I could call the paramedics to check you over or drive you to the emergency room.”

  “I’m fine, just confused why someone would bother with me. I mean, I’m just a librarian.”

  Dawson snorted and mumbled in a low voice. “You’re a hot librarian. Stuff of wet dreams.”

  Viper growled next to her and looked like he would rip the deputy’s head off. He didn’t need to bother.

  The sheriff slapped the back of his man’s head—hard. “Watch how you talk to people. No wonder you’re still single.”

  Dawson looked embarrassed. “My apologies.”

  Callie was so stunned, she just nodded, not sure what to say. Did men think she was hot? Well, she didn’t care about JJ Dawson but the idea that Viper might think so made her heart skip a beat.. She glanced up at his handsome but stern face. He didn’t show any emotion at all. Why was he so hard to read?

  Viper stiffened before reaching for his cell phone from his back pocket. “My people are in the library's foyer with the supplies.”

  “Damn it, I didn’t even lock up the library.”

  “I’ll bring them up. We’ll board the window and the balcony doors. We’ll do a perimeter check and when we’re done, I’ll make sure everything is secure downstairs before we leave.”

  The sheriff looked concerned. “Callie, are you sure you feel okay staying here tonight? The security system won’t be installed until tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be fine.
We will board up everything and I have my uncle’s shotgun in the closet. I’ll pull it out and make sure it’s loaded with the safety on.”

  “Do you know how to use the weapon?” Viper asked with concern.

  “Yeah, my uncle taught me. I’m not a crack shot, but if the target is within fifteen feet, I’ll hit it.”

  “She’s right. I helped her uncle train on the proper way to use a shotgun. Just make sure you see what you’re shooting and not hit the neighbor or their dog. Now, we’ll go out the back balcony and check over the back fencing before we leave.”

  “Do you remember where the key to the gate is?” Callie asked.

  “I do, under the big fern.”

  “Yes.”

  “You probably need to find a fresh hiding place for it.”

  “I will. Thank you for coming out, Sheriff.”

  “Call my home number if you get scared and I’ll come out.”

  “I could stay here with her,” JJ offered.

  Another growl came from Viper. Was he okay? She didn’t want to ask in front of the others, but she noticed he made that sound a lot. Maybe he had a sore throat.

  “I’ll be fine. If anything happens, I’ll call the sheriff’s office.”

  “Good night, Callie, and make sure these men board everything up right.” With that, the sheriff and JJ left out of the balcony doors.

  “I’ll bring my men up.”

  “Thanks, Viper. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here.”

  Chapter 6

  Viper was furious. A rogue Drakonian had come into Callie’s apartment touched her personal things and tried to mark his territory. Oh, he knew that was exactly what the asshole was doing. Evidently, the rogue did not know whose territory he was in, but he was about to find out.