Dragon Lost Page 11
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THE BISHOP by Skye Warren
A Tanglewood Novella
TAKEN WITH YOU by Carrie Ann Ryan
A Fractured Connections Novella
DRAGON LOST by Donna Grant
A Dark Kings Novella
SEXY LOVE by Carly Phillips
A Sexy Series Novella
PROVOKE by Rachel Van Dyken
A Seaside Pictures Novella
RAFE by Sawyer Bennett
An Arizona Vengeance Novella
THE NAUGHTY PRINCESS by Claire Contreras
A Sexy Royals Novella
THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT by Darynda Jones
A Charley Davidson Novella
CHARMED by Lexi Blake
A Masters and Mercenaries Novella
SACRIFICE OF DARKNESS by Alexandra Ivy
A Guardians of Eternity Novella
THE QUEEN by Jen Armentrout
A Wicked Novella
BEGIN AGAIN by Jennifer Probst
A Stay Novella
VIXEN by Rebecca Zanetti
A Dark Protectors/Rebels Novella
SLASH by Laurelin Paige
A Slay Series Novella
THE DEAD HEAT OF SUMMER by Heather Graham
A Krewe of Hunters Novella
WILD FIRE by Kristen Ashley
A Chaos Novella
MORE THAN PROTECT YOU by Shayla Black
A More Than Words Novella
LOVE SONG by Kylie Scott
A Stage Dive Novella
CHERISH ME by J. Kenner
A Stark Ever After Novella
SHINE WITH ME by Kristen Proby
A With Me in Seattle Novella
From Blue Box Press
TEASE ME by J. Kenner
A Stark International Novel
FROM BLOOD AND ASH by Jennifer L. Armentrout
A Blood and Ash Novel
QUEEN MOVE by Kennedy Ryan
THE HOUSE OF LONG AGO by Steve Berry and MJ Rose
A Cassiopeia Vitt Adventure
THE BUTTERFLY ROOM by Lucinda Riley
Discover More Donna Grant
Dragon Claimed
A Dark Kings Novella
Click here to purchase.
Born to rule the skies as a Dragon King with power and magic, Cináed hides his true identity in the mountains of Scotland with the rest of his brethren. But there is no respite for them as they protect the planet and the human occupants from threats. However, a new, more dangerous enemy has targeted the Kings. One that will stop at nothing until dragons are gone forever. But Cináed discovers a woman from a powerful, ancient Druid bloodline who might have a connection to this new foe.
Solitude is sanctuary for Gemma. Her young life was upended one stormy night when her family disappears, leaving her utterly alone. She learned to depend solely on herself from then on. But no matter where she goes she feels…lost. As if she missed the path she was supposed to take. Everything changes when she backs into the most dangerously seductive man she’s ever laid eyes. Gemma surrenders to the all-consuming attraction and the wild, impossible love that could destroy them both – and finds her path amid magic and dragons.
* * * *
Dragon Night
A Dark Kings Novella
Click here to purchase.
Governed by honor and ruled by desire
There has never been a hunt that Dorian has lost. With his sights sent on a relic the Dragon Kings need to battle an ancient foe, he won’t let anything stand in his way – especially not the beautiful owner. Alexandra is smart and cautious. Yet the attraction between them is impossible to deny – or ignore. But is it a road Dorian dares to travel down again?
With her vast family fortune, Alexandra Sheridan is never without suitors. No one is more surprised than she when the charming, devilish Scotsman snags her attention. But the secrets Dorian holds is like a wall between them until one fateful night when he shares everything. In his arms she finds passion like no other – and a love that will transcend time. But can she give her heart to a dragon??
* * * *
Dragon Burn
A Dark Kings Novella
Click here to purchase.
In this scorching Dark Kings novella, New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant brings together a determined Dragon King used to getting what he wants and an Ice Queen who thaws for no one.
Marked by passion
A promise made eons ago sends Sebastian to Italy on the hunt to find an enemy. His quarry proves difficult to locate, but there is someone who can point him in the right direction – a woman as frigid as the north. Using every seductive skill he’s acquired over his immortal life, his seduction begins. Until he discovers that the passion he stirs within her makes him burn for more…
Gianna Santini has one love in her life – work. A disastrous failed marriage was evidence enough to realize she was better off on her own. That is until a handsome Scot strolled into her life and literally swept her off her feet. She is unprepared for the blazing passion between them or the truth he exposes. But as her world begins to unravel, she realizes the only one she can depend on is the very one destroying everything - a Dragon King.
* * * *
Dragon Fever
A Dark Kings Novella
Click here to purchase.
A yearning that won’t be denied
Rachel Marek is a journalist with a plan. She intends to expose the truth about dragons to the world – and her target is within sight. Nothing matters but getting the truth, especially not the ruggedly handsome, roguishly thrilling Highlander who oozes danger and charm. And when she finds the truth that shatters her faith, she’ll have to trust her heart to the very man who can crush it…
A legend in the flesh
Suave, dashing Asher is more than just a man. He’s a Dragon King – a being who has roamed this planet since the beginning of time. With everything on the line, Asher must choose to trust an enemy in the form of an all too alluring woman whose tenacity and passion captivate him. Together, Asher and Rachel must fight for their lives – and their love – before an old enemy destroys them both…
* * * *
Dragon King
A Dark Kings Novella
Click here to purchase.
A Woman On A Mission
Grace Clark has always done things safe. She's never colored outside of the law, but she has a book due and has found the perfect spot to break through her writer's block. Or so she thinks. Right up until Arian suddenly appears and tries to force her away from the mountain. Unaware of the war she just stumbled into, Grace doesn't just discover the perfect place to write, she finds Arian - the most gorgeous, enticing, mysterious man she's ever met.
A King With a Purpose
Arian is a Dragon King who has slept away centuries in his cave. Recently woken, he's about to leave his mountain to join his brethren in a war when he's alerted that someone has crossed onto Dreagan. He's ready to fight...until he sees the woman. She's innocent and mortal - and she sets his blood aflame. He recognizes the danger approaching her just as the dragon within him demands he claim her for his own...
Dragon Claimed
By Donna Grant
A Dark Kings Novella
Click here to purchase.
Born to rule the skies as a Dragon King with power and magic, Cináed hides his true identity in the mountains of Scotland with the rest of his brethren. But there is no respite for them as they protect the planet and the human occupants from threats. However, a new, more dangerous enemy has targeted the Kings. One that will stop at nothing until dragons are gone forever. But Cináed discovers a woman from a powerful, ancient Druid bloodline who might have a co
nnection to this new foe.
Solitude is sanctuary for Gemma. Her young life was upended one stormy night when her family disappears, leaving her utterly alone. She learned to depend solely on herself from then on. But no matter where she goes she feels…lost. As if she missed the path she was supposed to take. Everything changes when she backs into the most dangerously seductive man she’s ever laid eyes. Gemma surrenders to the all-consuming attraction and the wild, impossible love that could destroy them both – and finds her path amid magic and dragons.
* * * *
Present Day
Dreagan
Cináed rubbed his eyes and sat back in the chair. He should have known better than to tell Ryder he was willing to help out. Cináed thought he might get to use his skills on the computer.
Instead, Ryder had him looking through old newspapers from all over Scotland in search of anything out of the ordinary. It began three weeks ago, and Cináed made his way through one huge stack only to be told that was from Glasgow. Then he was shown other stacks.
It would help if Ryder had some idea what he wanted him to look for, but all Cináed got in reply was that if it sounded odd, put it aside.
Humans reported on every little thing. Cináed actually thought he wouldn’t find many odd things in the newspaper, but he’d been wrong. More often than not, he was setting aside a paper to show Ryder.
Cináed popped the last raspberry biscuit in his mouth and reached for the next paper. He was now on the newspapers from Inverness, and finding quite a bit that was ‘odd.’
He propped his foot up on the stool before him while reading about a reporter’s take on the queen’s recent visit to Balmoral Castle. Cináed fought to stay awake. He kept yawning as he moved from story to story with nothing catching his eye.
It was on the third page of the newspaper on the bottom right-hand side that he spotted the headline: Young Girl Found Alone on Isle.
Below it was a close-up picture of a pretty child with her head turned staring into the camera. The black and white photo didn’t show the color of the lass’s long hair that had tendrils flying across her face from the wind.
There was something in the girl’s eyes that wouldn’t let him look away. Misery, despair, and acceptance stared back at him from the picture.
It was several minutes before Cináed read the article about how the girl—a Gemma Atherton—was found alone. The isle had been purchased by a Mr. Ben Sinclair ten years prior. With three houses and a tiny post office, the isle only held a family of four. Presumably the girl’s family.
Cináed was surprised to read that Gemma had no idea where her family had gone. The article went on to say that there was a search for the mother, father, and son across the United Kingdom, the surrounding isles, as well as the seas.
A family going missing certainly constituted something odd. Cináed put the paper aside to show Ryder later, but he soon picked it back up again. He read the article three more times. And each instance he wondered what had become of the girl and if her family had been found.
Cináed folded the newspaper so that the article was on top and picked up the rest of the oddities he’d found that day before he stood and made his way to the computer room, which was Ryder’s domain.
He met Kinsey on the stairs. Ryder’s mate had a box of donuts in hand as she smiled at him. He didn’t need to ask if every pastry in there was jelly-filled, because those were Ryder’s favorites.
“You found something,” Kinsey said.
He looked into her violet eyes and shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Anything you want me to look into?”
“Actually, I’d like to look myself.”
Her dark brows shot up on her forehead. “I see.”
They reached the door to the computer room. Cináed opened it and waited for Kinsey to enter before he followed. Ryder didn’t glance away from the multiple rows of screens he watched. Instead, he held out his hand, waiting for Kinsey to take it when she walked to him. After they shared a quick kiss, she sat in the chair next to him and set the box of donuts down.
“More things for me to look into?” Ryder asked him.
Cináed set the papers on Ryder’s desk but kept the top one. That got Ryder’s attention. He pulled his hands away from the keyboard and focused on Cináed.
“What did you find?” Ryder asked.
Every Dragon King had their own special magic. Guy could take away someone’s memories. Constantine could heal anything but death. Ulrik could bring someone back from the dead—or obliterate their soul. Kiril could freeze anything.
And the list went on and on.
For Ryder, he could make and operate anything electronic. Computers were his specialty. There wasn’t a hacker in the world who could get through his firewalls. And there was no security system in operation that could keep him out.
If anyone needed anything looked for at Dreagan, they went to Ryder. With his facial recognition software, and the ability to search the entire world for a needle, he got the job done quickly.
Cináed’s ability wasn’t so cut and dry. When he wanted to learn something, he was able to do it. Whatever that might be. For a while he’d helped Vaughn with his legal practice, but Cináed was ready to move on to something else. He’d now turned to computers, which Ryder had been happy to show him.
Ryder slowly smiled. “Something caught your attention.”
“Aye,” Cináed said.
Ryder then pointed to one of the other keyboards. “Get on it.”
Cináed walked to the chair. Before he reached it, Ryder had turned control of the screen to him. He sat and popped his knuckles as he glanced at the photo of the girl once more. Gemma Atherton.
What was it about that name that caused him to frown? He should know that name. Maybe he’d find out when he discovered what had happened to the child.
Cináed opened up a search page. He then typed in the girl’s name and “missing family” before he hit enter. Instantly the screen was filled with links. One by one he went through them reading what was said. He highlighted anything he found important before moving onto the next.
It wasn’t long before he was utterly absorbed in his search. Gemma had dominated the headlines across the UK for several months. There were many pictures of her, but in every one she had the same expression from the first photo.
Then, suddenly, there were no new pictures. The papers re-used photos. As odd as Cináed found that, what was more puzzling was that the authorities had found nothing of her parents or brother.
After a few months, Gemma’s name stopped being printed as the talk centered on the missing parents and son. There was a search of the isle for bodies, which made him roll his eyes. As if Gemma had murdered her family. Anyone in their right mind could look at her and know a seven-year-old didn’t do it.
Cináed frowned. This happened years ago, but he still was sure of her innocence. He finished the article and went on to the next, but there was nothing. Everything about Gemma Atherton and her family ceased.
Another search to find what had happened to Gemma netted him nothing. But Cináed had been taught by Ryder, so he wasn’t deterred. His next search gave him exactly what he wanted.
Gemma had become a ward of the state and gone into foster care. He was able to bypass the security from the government and get into the files. There he discovered that Gemma’s foster parents had put her into therapy to talk about what had happened, but after seven different therapists over a three-year period, everyone came to realize that she wasn’t going to discuss it.
Gemma kept to herself, shying away from others. She made decent grades and finished school. As soon as she came of age, she left her foster parents’ home. The documents from the government ended as well.
But Cináed knew there was more. It took some digging, and a couple of tries remembering what Ryder had taught him, but he found what he was looking for on social media using the facial recognition software.
The one final picture of Ge
mma in the files when she came of age made it easy to pop that into the software and search the entire Internet for her. Unfortunately, it was a search that would take hours.
Cináed pushed back the chair and ran a hand down his face. He didn’t understand the connection he felt to Gemma, but it was there. Maybe he just felt sorry for her that her family disappeared.
He spun the office chair as he was about to stand, but he spotted Ryder leaned back in his own chair, legs stretched out and ankles crossed as he watched Cináed.
“You’ve been glued to the screen for twelve hours,” Ryder said.
Cináed frowned and looked at the time. It had been twelve hours. He shrugged and swung his gaze back to Ryder. “There was a lot to look through.”
“Who is Gemma Atherton?”
“I don’t know.”
Ryder quirked a blond brow. “She obviously intrigued you.”
“I found this,” Cináed said and tossed him the article. “That seven-year-old’s parents and older brother disappeared one night. She wouldn’t say how long she was on that isle by herself with her dog, but my guess is awhile.”
“Maybe her family meant to leave her.”
“Hmm. I think it’s more than that. Something isna adding up.”
“If I know the authorities, they took pictures of everything. Did you look at those?”