The Dragon Keeper

By Jessie Pinkham

Sometimes it takes a crisis to appreciate a good man...

When Aldric first meets Lito, he considers the man a nuisance. As a dragon keeper for the kingdom of Corancia, he has more important tasks than answering an artist’s numerous questions about dragons.

Lito travelled to Corancia so he could observe dragons firsthand for his paintings, and he’s full of questions about the magnificent creatures. His questions aren’t merely for his art, however, they arise from his deep love of dragons. When he overhears a plot by his own kingdom to eliminate the animals, he has to choose between his loyalty and his beloved dragons.

Working to prevent the extermination of dragons throws Aldric and Lito together. Lust is in the air, and if they’re lucky, they could end up with a happily ever after.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing
• Release date: Sep 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781773394305

Jessie Pinkham

Some kids have imaginary friends. Jessie grew up in rural Maine where she needed to entertain herself, so she created an imaginary village and she has been dreaming up stories ever since. These days she writes romances which reflect her love of hot guys and a good happy ending. Married to her own Mr. Right, Jessie gratefully acknowledges his support and encouragement. She enjoys exploring the diversity of the universe and therefore cannot commit to a single subgenre of male/male romance. She’s also a chocoholic, avid reader, and travel enthusiast. Too often she rushes out at the last minute because she lost track of time while writing. For more information, please visit jessiepinkhambooks.com.

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Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2017 Jessie Pinkham

ISBN: 978-1-77339-430-5

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Karyn White

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To brave exiles of all kinds.

THE DRAGON KEEPER

Romance on the Go ®

Jessie Pinkham

Copyright © 2017

Chapter One

The first time Aldric met Lito he thought the man was a nuisance.

He’d been expecting his visit for two days, ever since he found out that there was a southerner in the city asking about dragons. It happened now and again that a southerner would take an interest in dragons and decide he must see them for himself. This would have been easier several generations ago, before the southern kingdoms had hunted their dragons to extinction. Ever since that time, when a southerner wanted to see a dragon he made himself a nuisance to dragon keepers in the north.

The southerner wasn’t immediately distinguishable from a local. Up close, Aldric noticed the other man had the darker eyes common throughout the south, an exotic and, if he was being honest, very appealing look.

Excuse me, began the southerner. Do you know where I might find the dragon keeper? I’m told he’s in this general vicinity.

When he spoke, it was obvious that he wasn’t local. His voice had the lilt of a native Marnachin. The Marnachins were the first to kill their dragon population, so Aldric was not inclined to sympathy for their lack of native dragons, though he supposed it was unfair to blame a man for the actions of his great-great-great-grandfathers.

You’ve found him.

The southerner made a peculiar little nod, pointing his head down and to the side in greeting. I am Lito, of Marnachi.

Aldric, His Majesty’s Dragon Keeper for the capital region. He had only recently been made Dragon Keeper, after fifteen years’ service as an assistant to his grandfather. The title still felt odd coming from his mouth.

I have traveled a long way that I might see your majestic creatures, Lito said. I am an artist, and I cannot hope to portray dragons with any accuracy without seeing them personally.

You won’t see them until the sun dips below the top of the tallest trees. At this hour, they sleep.

Lito frowned slightly, as though he expected dragons to conform to his plans. Might I trouble you with a few inquiries, then?

It was indeed a trouble. Aldric did not earn his post by sitting idly, though of course in the beginning there was a good bit of that. It took time to gain the trust of the dragon clan, and the best way to do so was unobtrusive presence. That, however, was years before Lito arrived, and the clan was long accustomed to Aldric, allowing him to go about his duties unbothered.

Nevertheless, a dragon keeper was supposed to serve as a kind of ambassador on behalf of dragons. Most often this meant calming the fears of His Majesty’s subjects who wrongly believed that dragons ate humans. They did not, for reasons Aldric could not state with certainty. Perhaps humans simply did not taste good.

A few questions, he agreed. Whatever reluctance he felt, Aldric was keenly conscious of his duties.

Lito cheered and pulled a sheaf of paper from his coat pocket along with some kind of charcoal wrapped in fabric scraps, clearly designed for writing, though unfamiliar to Aldric. First, what precisely does a dragon keeper do?

I facilitate the mutually beneficial relationship between the dragons and His Majesty’s royal interests.

Yes, the entire purpose of keeping dragons is for protection, is it not?

It is, agreed Aldric. Dragons are territorial. They’re a strong defense for the entire royal compound, the royal woods, and the city.

How do they defend the city? I’ve heard that dragons do not, in fact, breathe fire.

"No, but the females spit acid, which feels