Alexa's Dragon (Dragon mates Book 1) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Alexa’s Dragon

  Acknowledgements

  Copyright

  Other books by Serena Simpson

  Reviews and where to find me

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Back Matter

  Connect with me

  Alexa’s Dragon

  By

  Serena Simpson

  Dragon Mates Book One

  Acknowledgements

  I told my editor I want to write a dragon story. I love dragons and have been read any I can get my hands on. Her reply was you can do it. Those simple words helped me to go from wanting to doing. I want to thank Keriann for how she always encourages me. I also want to thank my daughter for being there and for her saying, “Mom did you write today?” A special thanks to all my readers those who send me e-mails and those who simply purchase the books letting me know how much you like the stories.

  A big thank you to all of you.

  Copyright

  Alexa’s Dragon – Dragon Mates, Book One - Copyright © April 2016, Serena Simpson

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

  Cover Art by OriginalSyn

  Edited by Keriann Mckenna

  Published by Serena Simpson

  Rough edit/Beta read Anaiya

  Other books by Serena Simpson

  Love Me Harder Series

  Aran Book 1

  Niko Book 2

  Sergey Book 3

  Nicolas Book 4

  Hale Book 5

  Alexei Book 6

  Ash Book 7

  Alien Mates Series

  Soul-Bonded to the alien Book 1

  Rylan’s Heart Book 2

  Dragon Mates Series

  Alexa’s Dragon

  Nadia’s Dragon – Coming Soon

  Other books

  Tau’s Miracle

  Hope

  Thea’s Homecoming

  Reviews and where to find me

  Once you’ve read Alexa’s, I hope you will take a few minutes to leave me a review. I’d appreciate it!

  I can be found at my website.

  I’m also available on Twitter @serena789books

  I can also be found on face book

  Look for me I’m happy to connect with all.

  Chapter One

  Alexa twisted in her bed as she ran in her dreams, she was being pursued. ‘Wake up,’ she screamed silently to herself, the words beating around her brain, but still she ran.

  There was no escape. Her pursuer was nameless, faceless, all she knew for sure was that it wanted her dead. She was the last hope. Its last hope, she could hear the words floating around the air. It wouldn’t let him find her. It wouldn’t let him have peace. She pondered who the ‘him’ was briefly but there wasn’t enough time to dwell on the mysterious male while she was being chased.

  Running, she was running to something. Someone? The air from her lungs came out in deep pants. She wouldn’t make it. It would catch her. She saw it, finally it was emerging. She stumbled as the shadow grew and grew; her hands came up to protect herself as a large knife…

  *~*~*~*

  There was a loud ringing noise in Alexa’s ear. She rolled over in bed waking up. Her alarm clock. She picked it up and kissed it. Fear of sleeping was becoming real. Lately she never knew when she would have one of these awful dreams. What’s worse, she firmly believed that if she died in the dream she would die in reality.

  Silly, she knew. When she was younger she never believed that stuff, but now at the grand old age of thirty, she believed it. Throwing the covers back, she rose from the bed. No use trying to go back to sleep. Smothering a large yawn, her feet touched the floor. On automatic, she made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Glancing into the mirror she frowned no longer believing or hoping the monstrosity she called hair would ever change, simply living with it.

  Ignoring everything else, her hand to reached out to turn the shower on hot and entered. With a little luck, today would be better than yesterday.

  Showering and dressing were the easy part of the day, finding a new job was a lot harder. Her company went under. She built it with blood, sweat, and tears—all of it hers, then one day it folded like a house of cards. That was probably why she dreamed of being chased. The collapse of her company happened so smoothly, she never realized she was under attack. Her people were lured away until she held nothing except a pile of debts. In the end, she felt blessed she could pay them off. It didn’t leave her much but at least she wasn’t starving.

  She glanced at herself in the mirror once more before leaving the house. Breakfast, with a nice big cup of coffee, was what she needed and she knew exactly where to go.

  *~*~*~*

  “Alexa,” her friend greeted her as she walked through the door.

  Nadia owned this cozy restaurant. They had been friends since they were little and she loved to come here.

  “Nadia, I needed breakfast out and couldn’t think of any other place I’d rather eat. Good food, good company.”

  “You’re flattering me because you want extra French toast.”

  “Who me?” Alexa placed her hand on her heart and tried to keep the smile off her lips.

  “Yes, you. Have a seat. It’s a slow morning; I think I will eat with you.”

  “Do you want some help?”

  “No,” her breath caught in her throat before she threw Alexa a quick smile.

  Nadia disappeared into the kitchen. When she emerged, she was carrying plates of French toast and sausage.

  Alexa jumped up and took the plates while Nadia went to get coffee and syrup. Finally, the table was set and they started to eat.

  “So tell me what really brought you here today?”

  Alexa sighed. Leave it to Nadia to get to the heart of the matter right away.”

  “I had another dream last night.”

  “Which one? The one where you’re being chased or the one where you’re having the best sex of your life?”

  Alexa squirmed in her chair. The male in her dream made her feel like a goddess even though she never saw his face. He would touch her body as if she was precious and give her slow, drugging kisses. No matter how she tried, his face would not come into view. All she could do was enjoy his hands on her body.

  “If only it had been the second one. I think I would still be in bed reliving every detail.” She gave a weak smile and shoved more food in her mouth.

  “You look exhausted.”

  “Thanks, that’s what good friends are for.”

  “Hey, I am your best friend. Don’t forget that.”

  Alexa laughed. Nadia was her best friend. She couldn’t imagine her life without her, and she was the only one who didn’t look at her like she was a freak.

  Nervously she pushed at her hair.

  “Alexa, leave your hair alone, it’s beautiful and I don’t understand why you don’t like it.”

  “I’m walking around with a head full of white hair and I have since my sixteenth birthday. Believe me, if it was your hair you would hate it.

  Alexa was born with a head full of dark hair. She loved it, it made her face stand out in all of its angles. On the last night of her fifteenth year, she went to bed thinking how great the next day would be. That was the first night she ever dreamed. She was being bathed in fire. It burned her but each breath of it made her stronger, able to endure the fire until she knew she would never succumb. It was also the first time she felt that dark presence hunting her.

  When she woke up, she felt weak. Getting out of bed was a trial, but she managed, because it was her birthday. She was sixteen now. She stumbled to the mirror and that’s when she realized she was changed. Her hair was completely white. Not the white hair of an eighty-year-old, but young vibrant don’t you wish you were me white hair. No longer would she blend in with the woodwork. Everyone would notice her. Her sky blue eyes were now electric blue. She looked like a cool anime character and she hated it.

  Her mom screamed when she walked into her room. Her dad ran to see what was happening
and almost fainted at the look of her. The sadness in her mother’s eyes was her undoing.

  “You always say that, Alexa, but you’re hot. I don’t know why you deny it.”

  Nadia didn’t have to live with the double takes or the ‘hey, what convention did you escape from.’ She didn’t have to look into employer’s faces when she was interviewed. But the absolute worse was she didn’t have to be hit on by every man who thought her looks were an invitation for him to hit on her.

  She went to every doctor who said they could help but there was never any change; in the end she simply stopped going and started dealing with who she was.

  “That’s why I love you, Nadia. You see the best in everything. Now back to my creepy dream.”

  “What do you think it means?”

  “I think something is hunting me. Don’t laugh, I know it sounds weird. It’s just now that I’m thirty all the warnings my Mom gave me are haunting me.”

  “I love your mom you know that, but she was just superstitious.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  Her mom and dad disappeared two years ago. They just up and left, taking nothing with them. The police couldn’t find a trace of them. Nothing on the security camera, no one saw them, they just disappeared. She was still holding out hope they were alive, somewhere.

  “Sorry, Alexa I didn’t mean it like that. I meant she is superstitious and she was trying to get you to believe like her.”

  “So you don’t think a large dragon is going to fly down, pick me up, and carry me away in his talons?”

  They both laughed. Her mom was a little wild when she started talking about dragons.

  With a sigh, she focused on last night’s dream. “At first it wasn’t too bad. I was somewhere hot. Not like ‘I’m sweating to death hot.’ More like I am finally warm hot.” She had been cold since she turned sixteen. Even in the midst of summer, she wanted to wear a jacket but most days forced herself not to.

  “It felt so good, I wanted to stay. I was walking towards something or maybe it was someone. I can never really be sure. All I know is the time was almost right.” She could still picture that place now. It smelled delicious, made her mouth water thinking about it. The smell invaded her taking over her senses; she looked for it desperately—that place of peace, but could never find it outside her dreams. The beauty of the place was a feast for her eyes, high mountain peaks and valleys filled with lush green foliage and a river that ran through it.

  “That’s when it happened. A feeling crawled up my spine, taking any pleasure I found in that place away. I started running. Screaming, but I couldn’t find my voice. I had to find what I was looking for because my time was running out. It crept out behind me, I knew it was going to kill me, and then the alarm clock rang.”

  Alexa gave a shaky laugh. The same fear from her dream invaded her. The need to get up and run pulsed through her limbs. It took everything she had to sit still.

  “Are you ok?” Nadia reached over and touched her arm.

  ‘Yeah,” her voice came out even shakier. “Guess I freaked myself out talking about the dream. I feel the same feeling of being pursued as I felt last night. Crazy?”

  “Of course not. You can never be too safe. Always follow your instincts.”

  Alexa nodded. “Nadia, I have to go. I promise I will stay and help you clean up another day.”

  “Go. I don’t know what you’re looking for Alexa, but I hope you find it.”

  “I love you. You’re such a good friend.”

  “I keep telling you, I’m your best friend.”

  Alexa smiled, it was their running joke since they were in grade school together. Some things never changed and she took comfort in that fact. She walked around and hugged Nadia before high tailing out the door. She couldn’t sit there another minute the feeling of danger was growing.

  Nadia watched her flee with a sad smile on her face.

  “Did you do it?”

  Nadia nodded her head refusing to turn around; she knew what she would see. A large black shadow would be in her doorway threatening death, if she dared to defy it.

  She stayed still not daring to breathe; eventually the warmth returned to the room and she knew it, whatever it was, had left. She opened her hand to see the small black device she was supposed to plant on her friend. Dropping it on the floor she crushed it with the heel of her boot.

  She was Alexa’s best friend, what part of that was confusing? She stood and started clearing the table wondering if her act of rebellion would mark her for death.

  *~*~*~*

  Alexa made it two blocks away before she stopped to breathe. The feeling of being hunted wasn’t as keen anymore. She needed to move, to leave, but where would she go? One thing she was certain of, finding a job was no longer a high priority. Staying in front of whatever was tracking her was her main concern now.

  Not knowing where to go, she let her feet lead her. She walked even though her car sat at home unused. Being boxed up at the moment wasn’t a good idea. She watched as the sun moved across the sky and still she walked. She left the city some time ago, now she was deeply entrenched in the suburbs. At least she knew where her feet were taking her. She was going to her parents’ house. She hadn’t been there in over a year, but like a beacon it called to her.

  She passed through a beautiful niche of suburbia to find herself surrounded by acres of land and neighbors with houses far enough away to be out of view. She kept walking until her feet hit her parents’ soil. A feeling of safety wrapped around her like a warm embrace. Maybe she would be able to get a decent night’s sleep before she was forced to move on.

  She rejoiced when she finally stood on the porch. She pulled out a large set of keys and fumbled with them until she found the one to her parents’ house. Opening the door, she fell over the threshold with exhaustion.

  Chapter Two

  Syneca Drew stood on his balcony overlooking the hillside. Something woke him. He could still feel the presence, her. He caught glimpses of her, dreamed of touching her, but he could never find her. Soon it would be too late. He let a deep roar leave his throat.

  He jumped onto the thick wide banister and looked around at his domain. The mountain peaks, three of them, four if you included his, were the homes of his brothers. The low valleys were overripe with foliage, the river running through it kept it all alive. Without a thought, he dove off the balcony.

  The change ripped through him. His human body fell away as his new body took over. The wings he loved so much beat against the air causing him to rise high into the sky. He soared in the warmth of the sun. Home. One he would soon lose. His dragon snarled at the thought of what was to come, beating at him for not finding their mate. He pushed the thought aside as he glided on the air allowing the current to soothe him.

  He looked over to see his brother, Maceo, staring at him. Maceo wouldn’t bother him because he knew flying was the only relief Syn enjoyed now-a-days. He rolled over on his back briefly giving him an incredible view of the sun as it rode the sky as a lover. Turning over he swooped down, scaring the wild animals before ascending once again. He laughed to himself, having fun. Soon all of this would be over because he couldn’t find her. He took one last casual tour of the land and turned towards his balcony.

  His dragon fought him. He wanted to go off in search of their mate. Syn fought back knowing it was useless. They searched the world over more than once, never finding her. Why would they suddenly find her at the end of their life? His dragon became more insistent as the days went on and he became more apathetic. He forced his dragon to land.

  His dragon form retreated before he touched down on the balcony. His human form dropped several feet not even feeling the jar as he landed. He walked into his massive bedroom. His bed took up the whole wall on the far side of the room. It was custom made for him hundreds if not thousands of years ago. The dressers and even the desk where he liked to work were also all custom made to go with the bed.