REICHARDT Read online

  “I didn’t know such…beings even existed in real life.”

  “My people actually came from another planet.”

  “Holy shit! You’re an alien dragon shifter?”

  “Yes. My planet, Drakonia, was brutally attacked, and to save the Drakonians, our mages designed portals that would transport our people to safety.”

  “So all your people came to Earth?”

  “We were sent to two different planets. Earth was where I and my people ended up.”

  “Will the portal open up again so you can return?”

  “No, it was a one-way trip and there isn’t anything left of Drakonia.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It happened hundreds of years ago.”

  “Hundreds?”

  “Yes, our mages sent us to a very primitive Earth.”

  “Is that where the stories of dragons came from, from your people arriving?”

  “Yes. Our first contact with humans was not a good one. It’s taken a long time for us to assimilate the way we have and still we try to keep our clan isolated and protected.”

  “Why do you keep your distance from humans?”

  “In the beginning, geographically we didn’t even live near humans to be able to interact with them. We preferred higher terrain like the mountains and volcanoes, private islands. It kept us hidden and safe. My father used to say that your enemy can’t attack you if they can’t find you. It was good advice. As the human race multiplied and spread out, it became harder and harder to hide our existence so we had a few of our people work on integrating a bit, just enough to be able to get along with the humans while maintaining our safe distance.”

  “May I ask where you live now?”

  “Arizona.”

  “That’s not that far from the Mexican border. Why were you traveling this far?”

  “I needed a break from the meeting with the other kings over human and Drakonian matings. It’s quite controversial and the discussion got overheated.”

  “Why is crossbreeding so controversial? I mean, you look like humans, right?”

  “Yes, but we’re not human. There’s a difference between the species that makes it dangerous to breed.”

  “What makes us so different?” she asked. He kind of sounded like he didn’t approve of humans, and it made her curious as to why. Maybe they weren’t physically compatible.

  “In addition to being able to shift into a full dragon, we are stronger, faster, and more aggressive. We don’t like to lie and can tell when others lie to us. We’re fiercely loyal to our friends and family. One of the biggest differences is that we mate for life. There is no such thing as divorce for shifters. Only death can part us from our mates.”

  Sounded pretty good to her. There was one more thing she really wanted to know and she felt heat rise to her cheeks as she asked it. “What about the…sex?”

  He chuckled. “Are you asking me if we are sexually compatible with humans?”

  She shuffled around the room, not sure what to say, until he answered her question.

  “We are very compatible with humans. A fully mated pair can even breed.”

  A dragon shifter baby? No words came to her.

  Chapter 8

  The sound of footsteps approaching her door had her moving toward the corner. Please don’t let them come in…please don’t let them come in. The door opened and two large men entered.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  “You are to come with us,” the shaven-headed man said.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “Yes, you are,” the other man growled. He reached for her arm but she wasn’t going to let them take her without a fight.

  “Get away from me!” She stomped on his foot, making him wince and loosen his grip. She jerked away then dashed for the door but the bald guy captured her in his arms, nearly crushing her bones. She tried to kick free but he was too strong.

  “Bring her,” the other guy said as he walked out of the cell.

  “No! Release me!” she yelled out. A loud growl caught her attention.

  “Release the girl!” Reichardt demanded.

  The man holding her paused to turn and face the other cell’s window. “She’s not your concern.”

  “Where are you taking her?”

  “King Dyson wants to see her.”

  “He’s no king. He has no honor!”

  “He’s more of a king than you will ever be.”

  Reichardt growled again. “If you harm her, I will make each and every one of you pay—painfully.”

  “We’ll bring her back when he’s done with her.” With that said, the bald-headed guy lifted her higher in his arms and carried her down the hallway.

  She knew struggling was pointless so she took the opportunity to glance around. They were in some kind of castle. The man carried her like she was a bag of sugar up the spiral staircase. At the top of the stairs was another large wooden door. Locks were undone and the door opened.

  Sunlight filtered in and she had to close her eyes for a moment to adjust to the brightness. It was daylight, which meant she must have been there overnight because when she was taken the sun was setting. Her grandmother must be extremely worried. She’d probably called the policia already.

  The men took her to a bedroom and tossed her on the floor carelessly.

  “Watch it, assholes!”

  The bald man growled at her and his eyes glowed. They fucking glowed! His words came out as a threat. “You will shower and change into the clothes provided for you.” He motioned toward the bed.

  She glanced over and saw a silky looking robe lying on the end of the bed. “I’m not doing anything you say.”

  The other man came over and jerked her to her feet. He did something with his right hand because his nails seemed to grow longer like claws. He reached for her but she jumped back. Unfortunately the bald guy moved behind her and grabbed her arms, holding her still. The man with the claws swiped at her, catching the front of her dress. It was ripped right down the middle and left to hang open. Thankfully she had her bra and panties on. She tried to pull the edges of the dress closed.

  “Get in the shower!” the bald-headed man yelled.

  “No!” She couldn’t help but refuse. It was a stupid thing to do, and the moment she said it she wished she could have taken it back. If she had agreed they might have left her alone, giving her a chance to find an escape. Her impulsive nature was her downfall.

  The bald guy dragged her into the bathroom and forced her into the shower stall. When she tried to shove her way out, he came in with her part of the way and turned on the cold water.

  “Let me go!”

  “If you won’t cooperate I will make you,” he growled.

  The other man was standing in the doorway of the bathroom. “Roz, I don’t think you being in there with her is a good idea. King Dyson won’t like the idea of you seeing his future mate naked.”

  “She’s still got her underwear on,” Roz told him. “She left me no choice.”

  The man named Roz gripped her by the back of her head and roughly shoved her under the icy cold stream of water. He used his other hand to pour the bottle of shampoo on top of her head. She had to close her eyes to keep the stinging solution from burning her eyes.

  “Let go!”

  “You won’t wash so I will do it for you,” Roz growled.

  To her humiliation, he used his hands to spread the shampoo over her body. When he got to her breasts, he seemed to linger and his breathing grew raspy. She knew she had to get him out of there or she would be raped right there in the shower stall.

  “I’ll do it. Just leave.”

  “Come on, Roz. She said she would shower and get dressed in the robe.”

  “She might be lying.” Roz didn’t look like he trusted her. His eyes were glazed over with desire.

  “I will.”

  Roz was jerked away from her by the other man. “Dyson wants her untouched. He
will kill you if he smells you on her.”

  They paused at the door of the bathroom and glared at her. Roz spoke. “You will finish showering then put on the robe. We will be outside the bedroom door. If you try to escape, we will kill you.” Then they left her alone.

  She rinsed the shampoo off her body and waited until she heard the door close. She left the shower running while she snuck out into the bedroom. Carefully opening the closet door, she looked for real clothes she could put on but the closet was empty. Her dress lay on the floor in pieces, leaving her forced to put on the robe.

  Walking around the room, she looked for any other doorways or escape routes. There was a window on the side and she tried it but it was nailed shut. Then she went back to the bathroom. There was a small window she could possibly fit through, but was it nailed shut, too?

  She walked over to the window, glad that the sound of the water was drowning out her movements. The window was not nailed shut, thank God. She pushed the window up and leaned to look out. There had to be at least a fifteen- or twenty-foot drop. No wonder they didn’t bother to nail the window shut. Even if she managed to pull herself up to the ledge of the window, she would seriously injure herself or possibly die if she tried to jump down. There was, however, a ledge right underneath. She could get on it, make her way to the roof, and look for a way down, but that was crazy. She was afraid of heights. Did she have a choice? Not really.

  Chapter 9

  “Where is the girl?” Dyson demanded of his warriors.

  Roz glared at his partner, Toad. “He made us leave her alone. I knew she couldn’t be trusted.”

  “I was trying to keep you from fucking her, asshole!” Toad responded.

  Dyson paced the empty bedroom. “How did she escape? The windows are nailed shut.”

  Roz cleared his throat nervously. “The bathroom has a small window. That side is much higher and we assumed no one could escape that way.”

  “Well, clearly someone has escaped that way!” Dyson roared at the other male.

  He couldn’t believe the incompetence that he had to deal with. It was unacceptable. He was forced from his region, stripped of his title of king, and currently being hunted by his enemies.

  He wanted revenge against the other kings, especially the asshole Reichardt sitting in his dungeon. That had taken some effort, waiting on his spies to report the comings and goings. As soon as they heard that Reichardt had flown off on his own yesterday afternoon, he sent his people to track him. Then he used his human colleagues to shoot him down. It was better that he wasn’t dead right away—it gave him time to torture him for a little while. The girl was an added bonus.

  Dyson had been flying in the distance and caught sight of the girl on the beach. His dragon was curious about her, and evidently so was Reichardt’s dragon. The great King Reichardt was brought down by his own stupidity, letting a slip of a girl distract him. If only the rest of their people could see how far the king had fallen, they would be disgusted.

  His reason for grabbing the girl was to torture Reichardt with her. Once his claws wrapped around her waist his dragon’s desire stirred. That hadn’t happened in so long. Why now? Why with this girl?

  He had tried mating humans, but none of them could handle the dragon fire. Of course, none of the females had stirred his dragon. There was something about this girl that made her special and he was determined to find out what that was.

  “Find her!”

  The two men started to shuffle out of the room but were stopped when another male warrior came bursting in.

  “King Dyson! We’re under attack. I think it’s King Reichardt’s men but the other kings’ men are also here. We’re severely outnumbered.” Just at that moment the old building shook and a male outside shrieked in pain.

  “Retreat to our main stronghold. Do not get caught,” he ordered as he pushed his way out of the room. He was disappointed that they couldn’t look for the girl. His plans were going to have to be put on hold but he would find this girl and figure out what made her special.

  He followed his men to the back door of the house that sat on top of the cliffs. The dungeon had been built underneath the house and the location had been one he used quite often. He hated having to abandon it but there was no other choice at the moment.

  His men shoved the door open and he got his first look at the attack. Dragons from the different regions flew by, raining down fire. The ground shook beneath them. They were so close to the cliffs that the foundations were starting to slide. It would be perfect if Reichardt’s death was caused by his own men’s carelessness.

  There was nothing they could do against so many so he shifted into his dragon form. His men followed suit and they leaped into the air and started to fly away. He let loose a sonar call that would signal his other men to retreat. There would be losses but that was acceptable for him to be able to get what he wanted in the end. He would kill off the other kings and reunite all the dragons to live under his rule.

  Chapter 10

  Rei paced back and forth, worried about Gema and what she must be going through. If those males or Dyson touched her, he would cut off their hands and kill them slowly. He yelled out for them to let her go but no one listened to him. It seemed to have been hours since Gema was dragged away. He suddenly stilled as a sound rent through the air, a dragon’s sonar.

  His men were here. Thank God. He heard footfalls coming down the stairs. Sniffing the air, he immediately recognized Drake, his second-in-command.

  “It took you long enough to get here,” Rei growled as the door was unlocked and opened.

  Drake snorted. “I had to cancel my plans just to come save your sorry ass.”

  Rei walked over to his old friend and clasped a hand to his shoulder. He felt weak and almost collapsed. Drake had to catch him before he fell.

  “You’re injured?” Drake asked in concern.

  “I’ll be fine, but I will need a ride back to the ranch. I can’t shift.”

  “What did they do to you?” Drake helped him walk out of the cell.

  “We’ll talk about it later. I don’t want to pass out in front of everyone…”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll fly you out while the others are handling the other prisoners.”

  “The girl—there’s a beautiful brunette that was captured and dragged upstairs. I have to find her.”

  “Easy there, My King. We’ll look for the girl. If we find her we’ll make sure she is taken back to her home.”

  “No! She has to come to the ranch with me!”

  A loud female scream pierced the air, which called his dragon forward despite the fact he couldn’t shift. His dragon was putting him into motion, giving him an added boost and strength to run up the stairs of the dungeon. He sniffed the air and followed Gema’s scent to a bedroom. Her dress was lying on the floor in shreds.

  “Easy, Rei. I don’t smell sex in here so that’s a good sign,” Drake reassured him.

  Rei went to the bathroom and noted the disarray of the shower. She had definitely been in here and there was a lingering scent of fear.

  “The window is open. Perhaps she escaped,” Drake offered. “Though, it is kind of small.”

  Rei walked over to the small window and stuck his head out. “She’s a small female.” He heard another scream and knew it was Gema.

  “Gema!”

  “Reichardt?”

  “Gema, where are you?” He tried to push farther out of the window but he was too large. “Gema?”

  “I’m here!” Gema said.

  He could barely see her face from above him. “How did you get up there?”

  “Is that important? I got up here, though I wanted to throw up, and now I can’t get down. There are dragons out here! Fire-breathing dragons!”

  “Can you come back the same way you used earlier? Get back to the ledge and I’ll pull you back through the window.”

  “I can try.”

  Rei looked back at Drake. “Get men down below to catc
h her in case she falls.”

  “Right away.” Drake left the bathroom.

  “Reichardt, I’m scared.”

  He turned his attention back to Gema. “Wait until my men are in place. They will catch you if something happens.”

  “Oh God…this is bad. Worse than when I was a little girl on the Ferris wheel at a traveling fair.”

  “Tell me about it.” He wanted to keep her talking, hoping to distract her from her fear.

  “It was before my parents died. I wanted to ride the Ferris wheel but my mom kept saying I was too little. I begged my father and he finally agreed to take me up, despite my mother’s protests. When we got to the top, there was a problem with the motor and the whole thing stopped. We were on the top for nearly two hours until someone fixed the motor.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Five. I freaked out and cried. My father was great, though. He had me sing a song to distract me.”

  “What was the song?”

  “‘Joy to the World’ but not the version by Three Dog Night; the version adapted for children. My father and I loved that song.”

  “I think we’re ready for you to start making your way back.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Sing.”

  “What?”

  “Sing that song while you’re coming back this way.”

  “Singing won’t help.”

  “I don’t recall the kids’ version. How does it go?”

  “Reichardt…”

  “Call me Rei.”

  “Ray?”

  “Rei, like sky but with an R,” he corrected her.

  “I know you’re trying to distract me.”

  He smiled. “I can’t kiss you as a distraction so I’ll settle for singing. Teach me the words and I’ll sing it with you.”

  “Fine, but you better sing with me.”

  “I promise I will.”

  “Jeremiah was a bullfrog…”