Fury of a Highland Dragon (11 page)

Ivy mumbled something.

The fast click of computer keys jolted through the quiet.

Tydrin snapped back to the present. His focus narrowed on his female. Blue eyes on the center screen, Ivy leaned forward in her office chair. Fingers flying and expression fierce, she opened window after window, hacking databases, slipping through what she liked to call trapdoors, to find the file she wanted. Minutes passed. Tydrin counted off each second, afraid to breath, daring to hope, his chest so tight pain spiraled around his torso.

With a hum, Ivy brought a document forward on her screen. She pushed to her feet, turned to face him, then pointed to her chair. “Sit down and read that.”

Her tone brooked no argument.

Despite his nervousness, Tydrin’s mouth curved. Fierce wee sprite, wasn’t she? Bossy bit of goods too. Even so, he refused to argue. He sat down in the leather chair instead. Springs groaned. Wheels squawked as he rolled forward, planted his elbows on the marble desktop, and started reading. Seventeen paragraphs and nearly five pages later, he read the fire inspector’s summery. Incredulity slid like a dagger between his ribs. Tydrin sucked in a quick breath. The words on the page blurred as his eyes teared and…bloody hell. That couldn’t be right—could it? He scanned the last paragraph again, slower this time. Astonishment warred with acceptance. Pushing away from the desk, he sat unmoving, his attention glued to the document.

Ivy’s hand slid over the nape of his neck.

The soft caress made his heart tremble. “I donnae understand. I was so sure. So—”

“Wrong, baby,” she whispered, pushing her fingers into his hair. Freedom lived in her touch. In the gentle stroke of her hand and the love he sensed in her. “I’ve read that report over and over. Probably a hundred times, Tydrin. An explosion didn’t kill them. My parents both died of smoke inhalation. An electrical fire started in the kitchen and…” Her voice hitched. His heart broke for her. “Mom and Dad died in their sleep, long before the fire reached them.”

“Christ,” he said, starting at the fire inspector’s signature at the bottom of the last page. “He even noted the crater of scorched earth in the backyard.”

“Where your fireball hit.”

“Aye.”

“I always wondered about that spot—and what caused it.” Moving to his shoulders, she massaged taut muscle, attacking his tension with her wee hands. “The burnt patch was too far from the house to have impacted the investigation. The inspector noted it anyway.”

“Thorough bugger.”

“Thank God. Because of him, you know the truth now.”

“That I do, lass. That I do,” he said, voice soft with wonder. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes. Reaching out without looking, he shackled Ivy’s wrist. A gentle tug. A quick twist of the chair, and she landed in his lap. She settled like a gift, tucking in, bringing him comfort, warming him as the past uncurled its ragged claws and finally let him go. Light invaded, cleansing his soul, chasing the darkness away, leaving him bright and shinny new. Dipping his head, he brushed his mouth against hers. “Thank you, Ivy.”

“You’re welcome,” she whispered, accepting him without hesitation. “You’ve tortured yourself for years haven’t you, Tydrin?” The question hung between them. Throat gone tight, not knowing what to say, he kissed her again. She took it deeper, tangling their tongues, feeding him joy with each stroke. Drawing away, she rubbed her cheek against his and shifted in his lap. He leaned back in the chair. She threw her leg over his hips and settled astride him, making his body jump. “That stops right now. I won’t have it.”

His hands found her hips. “Will you not?”

“No,” she said, warning him with a no-nonsense look “I love you, Tydrin. I won’t see you hurting.”

The words hit him chest level. His fingers flexed on her hips. God help him. Three little words. The ones he’d wanted to hear for what seemed like an eternity. “You love me?”

“I do. More than is sensible, I’m afraid.”

“’Tis the first time you’ve said it.”

“I was waiting for the right time. Today…here, right now, I think…qualifies.”

“So it does,” he said, his heart so full of her it threatened to overflow. “I love you, Ivy-mine. You are a gift I dinnae expect and donnae deserve, but I’m a greedy bastard. I’m taking you anyway. Marry me?”

“I should probably warn you.” Excitement sparked in her eyes, then turned to mischief. “I want the fairytale—a princess dress, bouquets of wild roses, a midnight carriage ride through town and—”

“A thousand year old church with a grumpy priest and a choir of alter boys?”

Her mouth curved. “Perfect.”

“Aye, lovely, it is,” he murmured, smiling back. “Perfect in every way.”

The
perfect
Dragonkind wedding.

Lavish. Beautiful. An event without equal.

Everything his female wanted and he needed to make her his.

Crazy, maybe, considering his kind, but he didn’t care. Ivy had set her heart in his hands. He would hold it high and protect her always. And as she kissed him again and he saw to her needs, he thanked his lucky stars. His female surpassed all others. She was glory and light, spectacular in every way. And as he stripped her down and tasted her deep, he knew their union would be the stuff of legends, a fairytale in the making, a love without end.

Thank you for reading Fury of a Highland Dragon. If you enjoyed this novella, I’d appreciate it if you’d help others find it so they can enjoy it too.

• Recommend it: Please share Fury of a Highland Dragon with friends, readers’ groups, and discussion boards.

• Review it: Let other readers know what you liked or didn’t like about Fury of a Highland Dragon.

• Lend it: This e-book is lending-enabled, so feel free to share it with your friends.

If you’d like to sign up for Coreene’s newsletter to receive new release information, please visit:
http:///bit.ly/1fnnskF

You can follow Coreene Callahan on Facebook or on Twitter under @coreenecallahan.

Book updates can be found at
www.coreenecallahan.com

Photo by Julie Daniluk

After growing up as the only girl on an all-male hockey team, Coreene Callahan knows a thing or two about tough guys, and loves to write characters inspired by them. After graduating with honors in psychology, and taking a detour to work in interior design, Coreene finally gave in and returned to her first love: writing. Her debut novel, Fury of Fire, was a finalist in the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest in two categories: Best First Book and Best Paranormal. She combines her love of romance, adventure and writing with her passion for history in her novels Fury of Fire, Fury of Ice, Fury of Seduction, Knight Awakened and Warrior’s Revenge. She lives in Canada with her family, a spirited golden retriever, and her wild imaginary world.

Fun Facts

- Favorite food – Breakfast for dinner…I love a good omelet!

- Favorite dessert – anything chocolate

- Favorite vacation spot – Family cottage on the lake

- Favorite movie – The Shawshank Redemption & The Bourne Identity

- Favorite snack – chocolate covered almonds

- Favorite time to write – Early morning…think 5 AM!

- Guilty pleasure – Alone time on the lake…kayaking or canoeing is one of my favorite things to do.

- Dream job – I’m doing it…writing stories for a living.

- Something no one knows about you – I’ve been a tomboy all my life, but also have an impressive collection of high heel shoes!

- Favorite book of all time (and how many times you’ve read it) – Defy Not the Heart by Johanna Lindsey. I’ve read it so many times the spine is broken and pages are falling out.

- Least favorite chore – cooking

The Dragonfury Novels
:

Fury of Fire

Fury of Ice

Fury of Seduction

Fury of Desire

Fury of Fate (a Dragonfury Short Story)

Fury of Obsession

Fury of Surrender (
Coming in 2016!
)

The Circle of Seven Series
:

Knight Awakened

Knight Avenged

Warriors of the Realm Series
:

Warrior’s Revenge

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

For more information, please direct your correspondence to:

The Story Vault

c/o Marketing Department

364 Patteson Drive, #228

Morgantown, WV 26505-3202

FURY OF A HIGHLAND DRAGON

Copyright © 2015 by Coreene Callahan

All rights reserved.

www.coreenecallahan.com/

Cover Design by Kelly Crimi

Interior Book Design by Bob Houston eBook Formatting

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

Published by The Story Vault

Website: www.thestoryvault.com