Passion's Claim: Dragon Alliance, #4

By Delwyn Jenkins

Abigail Porter had been kidnapped from Earth, taken to another world, and kept as a slave to a sadist. She was free now, but the scars of her incarceration ran deep. She might be safe and cared for, living in the den with her dragon riders, but there was no way to move forward until she dealt with the traumas of her past.

She loved Behr and Finn, but in order to have a life with them, she had to leave them and learn to stand on her own two feet.

Finn and Behr knew Abby was their mate. They wanted to spend the rest of their lives with her, and they thought she felt the same way.

But she abandoned them. After the most amazing night of their lives, she packed her bags and walked out the door.

They loved her enough to fight for her, but the truth was, they might have to love her enough to let her go.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Delwyn Jenkins
• Release date: May 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386610632

Delwyn Jenkins

Delwyn Jenkins can’t remember a time when she didn’t have a book in her hand. The stories she read fired her imagination, and gave her a legitimate excuse to disappear for hours at a time into the endless realm of her imagination. She lives on the beautiful south east coast of Australia, not too far from the Great Ocean Road. When she’s not spending time with family and friends, she happily clacks away on her computer, stirring up trouble and ruling her imaginary world like a benevolent Queen. Well…perhaps not always benevolent – because where’s the fun in that?

Book preview

Chapter One

Abigail Porter sat on a dining chair, her corseted torso ruler straight and her silk skirts pooling at her feet. They’d all dressed up for Sorcha’s wedding, but Abby knew she was the only woman in the room who liked the Gemarran dress code. She’d spent almost an hour twisting her waist-length, wavy hair into a dark, elegant upsweep. Intricate, handcrafted earrings brushed against her neck and matching bracelets graced her wrists. Her rose-colored gown, complete with bustle and delicate lace, hugged her generous curves.

In her old life back on Earth, Abby earned her living as a lawyer for legal aid. Her business suits, heels, and chignons had been part of her professional armor. She felt the same way about the long-sleeved, full-length gowns worn by every woman in Sapphire township. The beautiful, Edwardian-esque designs gave her an image she could control.

A cool, confidant exterior that hid the rambling mess that lived inside her.

Although, that mess was understandable. She’d been kidnapped from her home in Portland, Oregon, and transported to a different galaxy—so far from home there was no way she’d ever get back. Even if she could point to Earth on a star map, all off-world travel was controlled by the Brightstar Corporation. The very people who had kidnapped her and hundreds of other women in the first place.

When Abby had arrived on Gemarra, she’d been set up in a luxurious apartment, trapped in a gilded cage on the other side of the planet from where she currently lived. The city of Allsgate was technologically advanced, but she’d only seen it out the window of her thirty-fourth-floor apartment. Owned by a sadistic ego-maniac, she’d spent months being abused and terrorized.

So when the chance for escape had arrived, she’d grabbed it with both hands.

Her rescue, and that of four other captive women, came in a form she never would have imagined. Black dragons, the size of small planes and born for battle. They were beautiful, but utterly intimidating. Abby hadn’t had a chance to balk though, she’d been lifted onto the back of one before she could mount a protest. Each dragon was partnered with an enforcer, a dragon rider who was part warrior, part solider, and part peacekeeper.

The two enforcers who had charge of Abby had taken turns carrying her, keeping her safe and warm as they’d flown over land and across oceans. Abby owed them her life. A debt which made her current situation more complicated.

Casting her eyes over the post-wedding party, she sipped the pale-blue, fizzy drink that passed for champagne on this alien world. When Brightstar had first taken them, all the women had been implanted with a sophisticated translator chip. If there was no direct word correlation between Gemarran and English, the chip defaulted to the next best word. Hence, the champagne that had bubbles but was neither golden nor crisp.

Everyone at the party seemed to be having a good time. The bride, Sorcha, was working the room like a society maven. Her exuberance reached out to touch everyone in the room.

Abby’s friendship with the Bostonian had been formed under intense conditions, yet Sorcha’s outgoing and forthright nature never wavered. And now that she’d mated with Jaxmyre and Kaelum, she was lit by a joy so pure it shone from her like a beacon. It was a level of happiness Abby had never witnessed firsthand.

There was a rustle of skirts beside her as Kate pulled a chair close and sat down, carefully arranging her bustle before her butt hit the chair. She looks amazing, doesn’t she?

Yep. Abby shifted her gaze from the glowing Sorcha and sized up her closest friend. You look pretty gorgeous yourself.

Kate stroked her hand over the silvery lace of her gown. It’s hard not to look good in these outfits. If I could actually manage to sit in the damn things without wheezing, I might actually like wearing them.

Abby grinned. I adore them, corsets and all.

Masochist.

Abby smiled but dropped her eyes. She didn’t want Kate to see the spike of hurt her teasing evoked. Abby was a lot of things, but a masochist would never, ever be one of them. She’d learned the hard way that pain was not her friend.

Thankfully, Kate took their conversation in a different direction. So, how are things going with your oversized lizards?

Abby laughed, no longer shocked by her New Zealand friend’s irreverence. Kate was tough to impress, and she treated everyone with the same level of casual friendliness. She wasn’t daunted by the powerful town councilors, nor was she intimidated by the military-like enforcers. She even managed to treat the arrogant black dragons as though they were slightly annoying house pets.

I love my dragons, Abby said, in what was an outrageous understatement. Tallentha and Kouryss are two of my favorite beings in the universe. The blacks were born to fight, and had a well-deserved reputation for ruthless viciousness. They were feared and admired in equal measure, and only someone with a death wish would approach a dragon they didn’t know.

But the blacks were also protective and insanely territorial when it came to those they claimed as their own. Abby was very grateful to be included in that elite group.

I’m not convinced being a dragon’s pet is all it’s cracked up to be. Kate tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. I think I liked them better before they could talk inside my head.

Over the last week, Sorcha had done the rounds, teaching Chelsea, Tansy, Kate, Sarah, and Abby how to connect with their dragons so they could speak mind to mind. Abby already felt bound to Tallentha and Kouryss. How could she not, when they’d saved her life and her sanity? But being able to talk to them whenever she wished gave her a layer of protection that she desperately craved. Her time as a captive to Maslow Edrick had stripped her raw. These days, there was nothing but a thin veneer of calm over the chaos that lived inside her.

Kate leaned closer and lowered her voice. So, you’re obviously doing good with the big, black and scalies. How are things progressing with your two-legged housemates?

It was a simple question but Abby had no simple answer. Her relationship with Behr and Finn should have been straightforward, nothing more than two decent men offering her shelter and protection. The enforcers were on high alert because some of the owners had come after their previous captives. It was deemed safer to keep the women at the den, surrounded by over three hundred dragons and their enforcers.

Abby had been staying with Behr and Finn and, as time wore on, her relationship with them had become difficult to define. The enforcers treated her with more care than they would a casual housemate. Yet they hadn’t given her a clear signal that they wanted more from her than friendship. Her situation with them was complicated, right down deep where she couldn’t quite get a handle on it.

She heaved a frustrated sigh as she answered Kate’s question. I don’t know how I’m doing. Finn and Behr are polite, kind and considerate…

Which sounded good, in theory.

And they watch you as if you’re about to explode or have a meltdown at a moment’s notice.

Yeah. Abby arched an eyebrow. You too?

Nash and Rowen are driving me crazy. Kate leaned in, her hazel eyes taking on a militant gleam. I feel as though all they see is the victim they rescued, as if that’s everything I am. Sometimes, I get so frustrated I feel like bashing them over the head with a cricket bat.

Abby knew that weapon-wise, a cricket bat was on par with a baseball bat. The image of petite Kate taking to the six-and-a-half-foot, muscle-bound enforcers with a hunk of wood was simply too much.

Abby snickered. You’d have to climb up on the table to make a headshot with a bat.

Bullshit. They have knees, and one decent whack would bring their heads low enough for a solid hit.

I admire your bloodthirstiness, my friend.

Kate grunted, screwing her nose up in disgust. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to get me naked and on my back.

That stopped Abby’s laughter in its tracks. You want to sleep with Nash and Rowen?

Kate shook her head. No. I want to not-sleep with them, as actively as possible and as often as I can.

Abby tried not to look shocked, but she could feel her eyes popping wide. She and Kate had talked in and around all kinds of topics, and the enforcers had often been at the top of the list. But neither of them had discussed the males as potential lovers.

What bought this on?

It’s been building for a while. I think Rowen is keen, but Nash is putting up walls. Kate shrugged and didn’t quite make eye contact. You know my experience in Allsgate was different from everybody else’s. I just want to put it behind me and move forward with my new life.

A sick feeling of dread crawled down Abby’s spine at the mere mention of Allsgate. She’d not only been held hostage there, it had been where her worst fears had burst to life in ugly, living color. Her body had repaired itself, but her heart and soul were still in tatters. Maslow Edrick, Brightstar army sergeant, had turned her into the woman she’d swore she’d never be, and Abby hadn’t yet found a way to get around that awful truth.

Kate reached out, linking their fingers together. Tansy said something that resonated with me, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

Oh?

She pointed out how much those bastards stole from us. They took something precious, something that’s only our right to give. She’s determined to steal it back. Kate’s mouth set in a determined line. That’s what I want, too. I want to take myself back.

Abby frowned, not quite following the logic. By fucking Nash and Rowen?

Yep. Kate grinned and her whole face lit up. That’s some strategy, right?

I’ll say. Abby squeezed Kate’s hands. Good luck with that, sister.

What about you? Are you going to jump those delicious bones?

Abby looked over to where the bones in question were standing, talking to the grooms. Even by enforcer standards, her protectors were something else. They were both pushing six feet six, which seemed fairly normal by dragon-rider standards. Their bodies were heavily muscled from years of battle training. Behr had night-black hair and the most extraordinary orange-amber eyes Abby had ever seen. He was as steady as a rock and just as unreadable. When she caught him looking at her, which was often, she never had a clue what he was thinking.

Finn was a little softer. By all accounts, he was a hard-ass around his men, which seemed standard for a den captain, but in his dealings with her, he was kind and patient. His moss-green hair was currently pulled back into a neat ponytail. When he glanced over at her, his silver gaze softened, just as it always did when she met his gaze. She was woman enough to admit that she liked the distinction. In fact, she liked both enforcers very much, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to do anything about it.

Yet.

Aweek after the wedding, Abby’s conversation with her best friend still lurked in her head. Which gave her yet another issue to obsess over as she lay awake in her tangled sheets. She’d been tossing and turning for hours, and she knew from hard experience only one thing would get her to sleep. Tossing back the bedclothes, Abby pulled on a robe and left her bedroom. She headed straight to the lair, the part of their living quarters that was the dragons’ exclusive domain.

She hadn’t slept a full night since her rescue, and she crept into the lair so often Finn and Behr left lights on for her through the dark hours. Small baskets were scattered about the den, each one filled with a moss that was inert until it came into contact with a special crystal. Once the two were combined, they gave off a clean, cool glow that could be soft or bright depending on how many crystals were used. For her, the night-lights were dim and the baskets laid out in a direct line from Abby’s room to the dragon’s sand pit.

The blacks were awake when she arrived. As soon as Abby was close enough, Kouryss scooped her up in his deadly claw and deposited her gently into Tallentha’s arms. As Abby settled and nestled close, the dragons snuggled together and brought their wings over their bodies to form a living canopy. Tallentha and Kouryss, like all the dragons in the den, were a mated pair.

Usually the smell of dragon, the rhythmic rise and fall of a massive chest, and the cocoon of leathery wings were enough to lull Abby to sleep. But tonight her mind was too busy for rest.

The dragons were highly attuned to her emotions, so she wasn’t surprised when Tallentha spoke. It’s not bad dreams that brought you to us tonight.

No. And how sad was that? The only time Abby didn’t have nightmares was when she didn’t sleep at all.

Can we help, pet? Kouryss asked.

Abby smiled at the dragon endearment. She loved it, and she felt privileged and adored every time they used it. It drove the other women crazy when their dragons claimed ownership in that way, but it always made Abby feel safe.

I don’t think you can help directly, she said. This is something I need to sort out on my own.

Then talk to us. Tallentha sent a wave of love and comfort down the link. Tells us what problems keep you awake.

Abby took a deep breath and tried to order her thoughts. My friend Tansy believes that our captors took something precious away from us. She has plans to take it back.

Tallentha rumbled a sound of approval. You speak of Fellescend and Zenbaylan’s pet. She is very brave and very sensible.

Is she? Because god knew, Abby could use some of that herself.

Yes. She had an experience that was very bad, and now she’s going to replace it with an experience that is very good.

Abby was well acquainted with dragon’s inflated sense of self. They thought they were infallible, and that belief extended to their two-legged partners. To a dragon’s way of thinking, an enforcer was nothing more than a reflection of the black he rode. So if the dragon had all the answers—and they never doubted themselves for a second—it followed that the enforcers couldn’t put a foot wrong either.

Confronted with that much ego, Abby couldn’t resist teasing her black. How do you know Tansy’s new experience will be good? For all you know, Rye and Dev might be terrible in bed.

They are enforcers. Kouryss was positively affronted and Abby smothered a laugh. Our riders are skilled in all things, including pleasuring their mates.

Another typical dragon-logic leap. To Abby’s knowledge, Tansy hadn’t even slept with her enforcers, but Kouryss and Tallentha had all three signed up and legally bound.

You believe Tansy is Dev and Rye’s mate?

Of course. Just as you are mate to Finn and Behr.

Abby’s whole body jerked in response to that pronouncement, and fear churned hot and molten in her stomach. Now, wait just a minute. She tried to sit up but Tallentha held her close and immobile. I’m not anybody’s mate.

Yes, you are. Tallentha said. You just won’t acknowledge it yet.

That’s crazy. You can’t just decree something and make it true.

Kouryss snorted, expelling enough smoke to make her cough. And you can’t make something untrue, simply by denying it. You belong to Tallentha and me, and you belong to our enforcers. The only person who doesn’t accept this is you.

Abby tried to ignore the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. Taking her time, she filtered out her emotions and focused on her intellect instead. What if Kouryss was right? Was she the only one blind to what was going on, or was everyone else only seeing what they wanted to see? She was a wreck inside and she wasn’t sure she trusted her judgment anymore.

But she did know one thing for certain. She still had a long way to go to get her head on straight.

Despite all the work she was doing, the emotional scars from her abduction were still raw. She had regular counseling sessions with the top healers in the den, and they had proved helpful to a point. The rescued women were a constant support to Abby and each other, sharing an experience that no-one else could truly understand. And Abby did plenty of work on her own, keeping her focus on getting better. But too often, she felt as though she were treading water and not moving forward at all.

Perhaps she did have to do something radical and different to give herself some momentum. Though, to Abby’s way of thinking, what Tansy and Kate had planned was insanely risky. As far as Abby was concerned, sex as a remedy was like adding fuel to a fire. A moment of temporary forgetfulness that would only add to her problems, not lessen them.

We have a plan to help you, pet.

Abby sighed and braced herself for whatever solutions her dragons had come up with. Okay, Tallentha, lay it on me.

And as she listened, Abby didn’t know whether to be amazed, appalled or enthused by the dragons’ strategy.

Chapter Two

Behr had known Finn most of his adult life. Being partnered to ride a pair of