To Love A Dragon: Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (Weredragon Warriors Book 3) Read online

  TO LOVE A DRAGON

  By

  Natalie Kristen

  WEREDRAGON WARRIORS

  To Date A Dragon (Book 1)

  To Wed A Dragon (Book 2)

  To Love A Dragon (Book 3)

  Copyright © 2016 by Natalie Kristen

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are used fictitiously or are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual locales, events, establishments or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  About this Book

  Kate Donovan is trying to pick up the pieces of her life and forget the hurt and betrayal she suffered. Walking into a Blazing Beans cafe one night, she meets a handsome, sexy barista with a wicked sense of humor. He makes a perfect latte art dragon for her and smugly tells her it's a self-portrait. What's a girl to make of that?

  When Zul Taerran sees Kate in his cafe, he recognizes at once the wounded, broken look in her eyes. He gives himself a mission. To make her smile.

  But his dragon has other ideas. His fiery, red-blooded beast wants to make her his.

  Zul wants Kate more than his next breath, but there are things she needs to know about him. First, he isn't just a barista, he is the Managing Director of Blazing Beans. Secondly and more importantly, he is a weredragon warrior, royal guard to the last dragon king of Draca.

  Fatally wounded during a vicious attack, Zul realizes that time is running out for him. He has sworn to protect his king, his people and...his mate, and he is determined not to let them down.

  Zul will fight to the end, but can he win this final fight?

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER ONE

  Zul Taerran whipped his mobile phone out of his pocket and answered it on the first ring. “Hello, Princess!” he said cheerfully, a goofy smile spreading across his face.

  “Uncle Zul! Are you coming home early today?” Tessa asked breathlessly.

  Zul grinned. He knew what the impish six-year-old was asking.

  “I've got to go down to one of the outlets today,” Zul said. “I won't be back for dinner this evening, Princess.”

  “Aww, Uncle Zul,” Tessa sighed. “We have one last match to go.”

  Zul chuckled. He and Tessa were in the midst of a very ruthless, aggressive thumb war. So far they had each won one battle. It was the best two out of three, so the third and final match was crucial.

  It was going to be epic, the fight of the century, the clash of the thumb titans.

  “I know,” Zul answered. “But I thought we're having the match this weekend. So we'll both have more time to train. I've been doing thumb push-ups, you know.”

  Tessa giggled. “Yeah, but I'm ready! I wanted to spring the match on you tonight. It's good to catch the enemy unawares.”

  “That's a good strategy,” Zul said approvingly. His little princess was really smart. Tessa was the daughter of Rohan Draek, the last dragon king of Draca and Zul had no doubt that Tessa would one day make a fine leader for their people.

  “Mrs Vomae, Mom and Aunt Nora have prepared the popcorn,” Tessa went on and Zul could hear the disappointment in her voice.

  His brows shot up. “Popcorn?”

  “Yeah, and Uncle Edriq made some posters and banners!” Tessa crowed. “You should see the drawings on his posters.”

  “Edriq can't draw,” Zul grumbled. “He has no artistic talent whatsoever!”

  “He can, and he did,” Tessa said happily. “He drew your thumb getting battered and crushed by me!”

  “Did he now?” Zul growled. Under his breath, he muttered, “I'm going to kick his fat ass.”

  “You really can't come home for dinner tonight, Uncle Zul?” Tessa asked again. “We can have our match right after dinner!”

  “I'm sorry, Princess, but I've got to work tonight. If you'd told me earlier that you were planning to have our final battle tonight...”

  “Obviously I can't tell you beforehand,” Tessa huffed. “I'm supposed to spring it on you. Uncle Edriq says this is how stealth attacks work.”

  “What else has Uncle Edriq been teaching you?” Zul demanded.

  Tessa giggled. “Nothing.”

  “I'm going to train that much harder now,” Zul warned. “I suggest you do the same, Princess.”

  “Nah. I'm ready,” Tessa answered confidently. “I think I'll put all the posters up in the living room. And maybe watch a movie with Mom and Aunt Nora after dinner. We can finish all the popcorn tonight.”

  “Have fun, Princess,” Zul said, grinning. Tessa was a lovely girl, always optimistic and bubbly. He simply adored the little girl.

  “Okay. Bye, Uncle Zul!”

  Still smiling, Zul put his phone back in his pocket and pushed away from his desk. His Princess Tessa was the light of his life, the apple of his eye. Tessa was only six, but she totally ruled the three men in her family. Mrs Vomae, their housekeeper, often clucked her tongue at Rohan, Edriq and Zul. The three of them were fearsome weredragon warriors but they were putty in the little girl's hands. Rohan was a good, loving father, but Zul and Edriq just loved spoiling their precious little princess rotten.

  Edriq and Zul had been Rohan's royal guards in Draca. Rohan was their king, their boss, their friend, their brother-in-arms. It was at Rohan's insistence that Edriq and Zul finally moved into Rohan's majestic, sprawling mansion. It made sense. If they were to protect their king, they needed to be by his side twenty-four seven. But Rohan made it clear that he didn't need to be protected. He was a weredragon warrior, just like them.

  Their duty, Rohan told them, was to protect their people. They had to defend and protect the Dracan civilians who were living on Earth. They were the last survivors of a brutal war that had destroyed their home country, Draca, and forced them to flee from their planet Korra.

  In the human world, Rohan was the chairman of Draek Holdings, a large investment company. His company owned the Blazing Beans coffee chain and the FabFit fitness chain. Edriq was in charge of the fitness chain while Zul took care of the Blazing Beans outlets. Zul took his day job very seriously. As the Managing Director of Blazing Beans, he was innovative, forward-thinking and flexible. He kept up with the latest coffee trends and he always knew what was happening on the ground.

  Zul strode to a side cupboard at the corner of his spacious office and shed his jacket and shirt. He'd noticed that humans in senior management positions all seemed to wear tailored suits and designer shoes in the office, so Zul dressed accordingly. He didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb. It was better and safer to blend in than to stand out.

  Zul whistled a merry little tune as he pulled a t-shirt out of the cupboard. Whenever he went down to one of the outlets for a visit, he always dressed like one of the crew. In a Blazing Beans t-shirt and a pair of black jeans, he was just one of the staff to the customers. It made it much easier for him to move around the cafe unnoticed and gather genuine feedback from the customers.

  Blazing Beans was one of the largest coffee chains in the city, but Zul knew that everything could change in a heartbeat. There were new cafes and coffee shops sprouting up all over the city, and he had to stay one step ahead of the competition.

  Pulling a Blazing Beans t-shirt over his broad
, muscular body, Zul glanced at his watch and estimated that he had a few hours to spare at the outlet before it was time to hunt again.

  It was hunt or be hunted. The Slayors wouldn't stop until they had wiped out all the surviving Dracans on Earth.

  As the last three weredragon warriors, Zul and his brothers were all that stood between their people and the cold-blooded, savage Slayors. The Dracans had been hiding on Earth, living quietly and peacefully on this hospitable, alien planet for more than half a century. But the Slayors had found them and had come to finish what they had started on Korra.

  Zul longed for peace but the warrior in him craved vengeance. The Slayors had destroyed his home and slaughtered his comrades and his family. Every night, Zul, Rohan and Edriq took to the skies and looked out for their people. They had to hunt the Slayors and kill those snakes before the Slayors killed another Dracan civilian. And the Slayors killed the human mates and families of the Dracans as well. No one was spared.

  Zul was a soldier, a protector and defender, not a killer. But he had no qualms killing all those cold, cruel Slayors. It was his job, his duty as a warrior but he would be lying if he said he didn't relish the hunt and the kill.

  Spilling the black blood of the Slayors was almost as satisfying as a good cup of Blazing Beans coffee. Almost but not quite.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Kate Donovan stuffed her hands into her pockets to warm them as she walked past a Blazing Beans outlet. The aroma of strong, freshly brewed coffee made her stop and take a deep, appreciative whiff. This was the real stuff, not the watered-down version she served at the small diner down the road.

  But she wouldn't be serving coffee at that small diner any more. The owner was closing the diner and moving out of the city. He had just given Kate an envelope containing a week's wages and told her that this was her last day.

  Kate let out a long sigh when she caught her reflection in the glass window. She realized she was staring at a jobless, loveless, cheerless woman. Her blond hair was pulled back in a simple, no-fuss ponytail. Her lipstick was slightly smudged and her eyes looked too old and tired. She was only twenty-seven, but those sad, weary eyes gazing back at her looked like they belonged to someone much older. Where was the bright-eyed, bubbly, smiling young woman who had once believed in love? Once upon a time, she had been in love, or so she thought.

  “What happened to you, Kate?” she whispered to her reflection.

  She knew the answer, of course. Brian happened to her.

  She had been so happy on her wedding day. She thought she was marrying the love of her life. How wrong she was!

  Kate closed her eyes and turned away. She had been young, foolish and blind. How could she not have known? Love truly was blind. She had given her whole heart, only to have it cut up and handed back to her in pieces.

  No more. She would never do it again.

  Kate balled her fists and snapped her eyes open. She looked at the people sitting inside the warm, cozy coffee shop, chatting, relaxing, enjoying the coffee and the company.

  She could be like them. She could be carefree and happy again. And she damn well deserved a good cup of coffee like everyone else. She had been on her feet for hours, serving the customers in the little diner, not knowing that it was to be her last day there. The owner hadn't given her any notice at all. She had been blindsided once again.

  Kate blew out a rough breath and glanced at her watch. She didn't want to go home. The small, empty, rented apartment wasn't home. She pressed her nose to the window and peered in. The cafe looked so warm and inviting. She could only imagine how wonderful it would feel to sit down and relax with a cup of Blazing Beans coffee.

  So do it! Sit down and order a nice cup of coffee!

  Yes, she deserved a good coffee. Giving her reflection a determined, defiant nod, Kate marched to the door and pushed into the crowded Blazing Beans cafe. There were Blazing Beans outlets all over the city, and busy executives clutching a Blazing Beans cup in one hand and tapping frenziedly on their smartphones with the other hand was a common sight.

  The moment Kate stepped into the Blazing Beans cafe, she was welcomed by the hum of conversation, easy laughter and the wonderful, enticing aroma of coffee and cookies.

  She stood at the door for a moment, swallowing and blinking rapidly. She could feel herself swaying on her feet. She looked around at the happy, glowing faces, at the people talking enthusiastically to one another and the smiling, chatty baristas and waitresses. She had once been like them, full of hopes and dreams and vitality. She wasn't always like...this.

  Now she was a mere shell of regrets and sorrow.

  The sounds and smells of the cafe filled her with longing and wonder. The place was full of life and vigor. It was bustling, lively, and all these happy people looked like they had love and direction in their lives. They knew where they were going.

  Kate let her eyes flit across the blur of faces. She thought about her own life, and how she had been living in limbo after her failed marriage.

  She realized that while her ex-husband, Brian had his life back on track after the divorce, she was going nowhere fast. She had moved to a new city to get a fresh start, but she had been here for about four months and all she had was a part-time waitressing job. Well, she had lost even that now. She hadn't made any new friends or made any improvement to her life. The only person who could be considered a friend was her kindly old neighbor, Mr Jaerok.

  “Can I help you, M'am? Are you all right?”

  Kate started at the deep, male voice at her side. A hand was holding her gently by the elbow.

  “I...” She gulped. “Y-yes, I'm fine. Thank you.” She tried to smile but failed.

  The man canted his head and regarded her for a beat. Kate tilted her head up to look into his eyes. She hadn't realized how tall he was. The man was at least six foot five, with streaked brown hair and boyishly handsome features. His amber eyes seemed to be glowing with a backlit flame and his Blazing Beans t-shirt filled his broad, tanned frame perfectly.

  Kate blinked again. No wonder their outlets were always packed. This was one hot Blazing Beans barista.

  “It's obvious you haven't had your Blazing Beans fix.” The man gave her a grin and steered her towards the counter. “All the tables are occupied,” he said. “If you don't mind sitting at the counter...”

  “I don't mind,” she blurted out.

  He smiled and led her to a corner stool at the counter. “What can I get you?” he asked, leaning casually against the counter.

  “I don't know,” she stammered, “I haven't been here before, so...”

  “You have never had a Blazing Beans coffee?” The man looked mildly insulted.

  “No.”

  “So this is your first time.” With a wink, the man leaned in and whispered, “Well, they say you never forget your first time.”

  Kate gasped and blushed but the man continued smoothly, “My name is Zul, and I'll be your waiter, barista and lover tonight.”

  Kate fell off her stool.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Zul caught the woman before she crashed to the floor. “Whoa, steady now,” he said, easing her back on her stool. Zul bit down a groan. The feel of her soft, curvy body brushing against his made him hard as a rock.

  She stared at him with her wide, blue eyes and shook her head. “I'm sorry, I think I misheard you...” she mumbled.

  “I don't think you misheard me at all,” he said in a low voice.

  The woman blushed and stuttered incoherently. She was very pretty, with a delicate heart-shaped face and full, plump lips. She looked to be in her twenties, but her eyes looked tired and sad.

  “What is your name?” Zul asked softly.

  She looked up at him in surprise. “I'm Kate.”

  Before he could reply, she gave him a small, shy smile and said, “I know your name is Zul, and you promised to be my waiter, barista and lover tonight.” There was a playful glint in her eye
.

  Zul forgot to breathe at the sight of Kate's smile. The smile that she'd just given him was mischievous and flirtatious. He caught a glimpse of the fun-loving, spirited and vibrant girl that she once was, and he vowed to himself that he would bring that girl back. The real Kate.

  This wasn't who she was. This lost, weary, heart-broken woman wasn't who Kate really was. He had seen that playful light in her blue eyes and glimpsed the vivacious, joyful young girl who had loved to laugh and dared to love.

  He wanted to meet that girl, the girl who had stolen his heart with just a smile and a playful comeback.

  “I'll make you the best cup of coffee in the universe,” Zul told her firmly.

  Kate smiled again. “I'd like that very much. Thank you, Zul.”

  Zul went back behind the counter and grabbed a cup. One of his staff hurried to him and said breathlessly, “I'll do it, boss. Sorry I was busy with...”

  Zul waved a hand. “Don't worry, Johnny, I got this.”

  “B-but...” Johnny fidgeted, stumbling over his words. “You're the Managing Director! I can't let you make coffee…!”

  “Shh!” Zul shushed the man urgently. “I'm part of the Blazing Beans crew, aren't I?”

  “Yes, but...”

  “I can make coffee,” Zul huffed. “And I can make a damn good cup of coffee. Go take care of the other customers. Tonight's a busy night.”

  Johnny still looked uncertain, but when Zul glowered at him, he nodded quickly and hurried off.

  Zul glanced at Kate, but she didn't seem to have heard the conversation. The shop was getting noisier as more people came in, calling out greetings to their friends and making their way to their favorite spots. This was a popular hang-out for the young, hip and trendy crowd, but many young families frequented the cafe as well. Their Blazing Babyccinos were all the rage right now.