Claimed by the Dragon King: The Continuum, #1

By Dawn Michelle and Jason Halstead

Claimed by the Dragon King is part 1 of The Continuum paranormal romance series by NY Times bestselling author, Dawn Michelle.

Selena wanted to do something with her life. Fresh out of college and fresh on a Los Vegas job search, she's ready for her next great adventure. Except she's afraid. Afraid of rejection, afraid of failing, and afraid of having the adventure she wants.

Selena's choices are stripped away by the grazing touch of a worldly blond woman. The tingle leads to a discovery of a world she never knew existed. In this world there exists a man with a gaze so commanding she can't bring herself to look away. Even when her life is in danger and trusting him means accepting the adventure she she's so afraid of.

Look for these other parts of The Continuum:

Part One: Claimed by the Dragon King

Part Two: Flight of the Dragon King

Part Three: Defending the Dragon King

Part Four: coming soon

• Language: English
• Publisher: Novel Concept Publishing LLC
• Release date: Aug 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536552003

Dawn Michelle

Dawn Michelle is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling paranormal romance author that started out as a girl next door turned mother of two and household champion. After years of watching her husband write novel after novel and not trying to write the stories she was interested in she decided it was time she showed him how it was done.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Selena's hand froze inches from the latch to the restroom stall door. Her breath caught in her throat and then slipped through parted lips. It was almost a sob and she knew it. It had not been a good day.

Selena transferred the balled up pantyhose to her left hand and tried the door again. She ignored the wall length mirror ahead of her, looking anywhere but at the reflection of herself. Her dress was too tight, her hair refused to stay put, and now she didn't have any pantyhose on. What's next, smudged makeup or a broken heel? At least she was the only one in the hotel's restroom.

Her heels clacked on the tile floor as she made her way to the built in trash receptacle on the counter. She dropped the ruined stockings in the white plastic lined bin and took another deep breath. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She'd graduated near the top of her class. Okay, maybe not the valedictorian...or even the dean's list. But she'd gotten her MBA and so far had nothing but looming student loan bills big enough to rival the national debt.

She needed a job. That's why she was here, the Las Vegas job fair. Well that, and there was no better time than December to get out of Ohio and into Las Vegas. Not only was the weather better, but she had no reason to celebrate the holidays. No family she knew of and she hated how her friends spent year after year trying to cheer her up and include her. They didn't get that she didn't need cheering up. She didn't need to be a third wheel at their family dinners.

There were more potential employers here than she could count, and that's why it was a three day affair. So far, she hadn't even made it in the conference hall before realizing her pantyhose had a run in them that no amount of fingernail polish would fix.

Selena pushed the thoughts away. Not now. Now she needed to put on a smile and convince somebody that she was perfect for their company. Anything would be better than flying back to her job as a Starbuck's barista in Columbus. She put her planner and her purse on the counter beside the sink and lifted her head.

Her eyes caught on her belly. She could see the dress was too tight. Her confidence started to crumble as she focused on the bulges. Were the seams stretching? She squeezed her eyes shut. No, she whispered. Stop it!

She opened her eyes and focused on her face. Somehow her lipstick was still good. With the exception of a lock of hair that fell beside her face, her brown hair was pulled back into a french twist, allowing the natural red highlights to shine. That damned lock of hair never obeyed, so she'd given up trying. It was her style now, but outside of her friends nobody understood that... and none of her friends were here.

Her eyes still looked halfway decent, at least. Blended blue and green eye liner made her natural green eyes stand out. Her customers told her that her eyes were one of her best features. Mesmerizing, one guy had said. She was pretty sure he just wanted to get in her pants though.

Selena took another deep breath to try and force the butterflies in her tummy to calm down. Instead it drew her attention to her boobs. The forest green dress had a high neckline, leaving them fully covered. The tight material left no doubt they were large though. Large enough she reached up and gave them a gave them a tug and a shimmy to make sure they were where they were supposed to be.

The restroom door opened, shocking her out of her moment of privacy. She reached for her things and turned to see two women walk in. They were older than her but not matronly. Maybe early thirties? They walked past her until one stopped and knelt down.

Is this yours? the woman asked as she held out her hand.

Selena started and then looked at her hand. Her palm was down, hiding whatever she held. Selena frowned and reached out, uncertain of what the other woman held. Had she dropped something? She didn't think so.

The woman's fingers brushed her palm, sending spark that leapt up he arm. Selena yelped as the bathroom flashed and disappeared around her. She blinked furiously to restore her vision but not before she was left with the impression of being in an open building surrounded by columns of marble.

When she focused on the blond woman in front of her, she jerked her hand back, but not before she clutched the object the woman handed her.

Sorry about that, the woman said.

Selena looked down at her palm. She held an earring without the back. It was small but glistened with tiny sapphires and diamonds. If they were real it was expensive. Definitely not hers! No, it's not.

Oh, keep it or leave it then, just trying to help.

Selena looked at it again before placing it on the counter. She smiled and studied the woman. Beneath her blond hair she had weathered skin that looked like she smoked too many cigarettes. Thanks anyhow.

The blond smiled at her. Are you hear for the job fair?

Selena hesitated, distracted by how dark her eyes were. Selena was pretty sure they were brown, but she couldn't stop wondering if they weren't a little red too. Yes, she managed when she realized how weird she was acting.

Any luck?

Selena blushed and shook her