Dragon Her Feet: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance

By Celia Kyle and Mina Carter

Sometimes a girl’s gotta flex her quills and lay down the law…

Katie Carmichael may not be a scary badass dragon capable of toasting her enemies to a crisp, but that doesn’t mean she’s a pushover. And sure, the roaring, fire-breathing hottie is, uh, hot, but she’s a chick with a plan. A plan that includes a secluded old farmhouse and doesn’t include a tall, heavily muscled, and totally delicious weredragon.

Joey Kenton, new owner of said old farmhouse, has plans of his own. They revolve around one, curvy, spitfire werehedgehog and whether their children will be hoglets or dragonlets—Joey would be happy with either. Until Katie’s life is threatened and he realizes that her life is more important than his love for her.

Of course, Katie realizes Joey is an idiot and when she revises her plans…   

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bryant Street Publishing
• Release date: Oct 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781094449623

Celia Kyle

Ex-dance teacher, former accountant and erstwhile collectible doll salesperson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Celia Kyle now writes paranormal romances for readers who: 1) Like super hunky heroes (they generally get furry) 2) Dig beautiful women (who have a few more curves than the average lady) 3) Love laughing in (and out of) bed. It goes without saying that there’s always a happily-ever-after for her characters, even if there are a few road bumps along the way. Today she lives in central Florida and writes full-time with the support of her loving husband and two finicky cats.

Book preview

1

Well, that hadn’t gone well. Correction, it’d gone south faster than a hooker giving a blowjob. Joseph Kenton—Joey to the few friends who dared to shorten the black dragon’s name—winced and rolled his massive shoulders to catch an updraft. His fucking fault for assuming the rogue dragon didn’t know how to fight in shifted form.

It was a skill that took years to master, years the young rogue simply hadn’t had behind him. Fucker still got lucky and almost managed to get a foot-long talon through Joey’s armor and into his heart.

The three vicious wounds still trailed along his ribcage, open to the wind as he flew. The flesh was ripped, and from the feel of it, he was missing a good handful of scales to boot.

The pain was inconsequential. The fact he was leaking blood with each powerful wing beat was a little more concerning. Not because of predators—he’d yet to see a beast willingly take on a dragon, never mind one on the fabled Council of Twelve. His real issue was the fact he was meeting not one, but two, shifter leaders in less than half an hour. The last thing he needed was to show up and then pass out due to blood loss. He was a big, mean dragon. Rawr. Predator of predators and all that crap. Eating dirt was not an option.

He rode the updraft to its zenith, then spread his wings for a glide. Far beneath him, the houses and roads of a small town spread out like a child’s toy town. Ridgeville. Movement tugged at the corner of his eye and he rolled slightly to view the area with draconian sight. Just cars moving along the roads, some smaller movement in the gardens and on the sidewalks.

If he’d wanted to, he could have brought it further into focus, but he didn’t bother. He knew Ridgeville of old. He’d spent long summers raising hell while staying with his grandfather on the family ranch between it and the next town, Stratton. With the first home to a lion pride and the second a wolf pack, the local area was well used to rebellious shifter-teens, if not to dragons specifically.

The local authorities never had any reason to complain about Joey though. Not because he was a straight-laced goody two-shoes—he was too much of a black for that—but because he’d known if the sheriff had a reason to have a word with his grandfather, Joey was screwed. A quiet man, Grandpa Kenton had been as human as they came, but he didn’t need a shifter’s strength or natural weaponry. Just one look from him cut the teenaged Joey down to size.

Sadness welled from Joey’s heart, massive in this form, and spread through his huge body before he could lock it down. A tear formed in the corner of one eye, snatched away by the wind as he changed his flight path and angled for the meeting place between the two towns. He knew better than to dwell on things in dragon form. Bigger body meant bigger emotions. Everything seemed rawer and more visceral when he was shifted. Happiness became euphoria, irritation…rage. Sadness…unbearable agony.

He bottled the feelings, sealing them off with ease from long practice and began his descent. One wing tip dipped, and he circled a small, flattened parking lot just off the main road. Two vehicles were there—one truck and a massive black SUV. Joey took a breath, scenting wolf and lion on the air. Both the Alpha and Prime were already here. Good.

He swung around one more time, tightening the circle until his claws almost brushed the dirt. At the last moment he pulled up, snapping his wings sharply out to the side to halt his momentum. The resulting jerk pulled his serpentine body upright and his back claws touched down. As they did, he folded his wings in and let them absorb back into his body.

His shift was fast and seamless, the magic within his soul overflowing and wrapping him in a rippling blanket. Between one heartbeat and the next, he went from a winged serpent the size of a bus to a neatly dressed human who looked to be in his late thirties. Adjusting his jacket across his shoulders, he walked over to the waiting men.

Whoa, neat trick. I’d give a small fortune to come out of a shift fully clothed. The guy on the left pushed away from his truck, an easy smile on his lips as he offered a hand.

Wolf, Joey’s sense of smell informed him. The closer the man came, the larger he appeared. Make that big wolf. I’m Max. Stratton Alpha.

Joseph Kenton. Dragon. Joey left off the rest of his title, hoping his true identity wasn’t known.

"Black dragon and member of the Council of Twelve." The other countered.

The other male strode forward and stopped a few feet from him. His legs were braced shoulder width apart and he crossed his arms over his chest. A roll of pure aggression hit Joey square in the chest.

That one didn’t trust him. Though, Joey couldn’t blame the man. Not really. Dragons lived outside the shifter realm, not forced to adhere to the laws that ruled non-dragons. It hadn’t taken the shifters long to realize dragons couldn’t be controlled by their council. Dragons followed only the leadership of their White Queen and were policed by the Council of Twelve. Black dragons trained from birth to control their own kind. They were deadly fighters and possessed a dominance no one other than their own kind could rival.

Other than that, shifters didn’t know squat about dragon-kind and the dragons preferred it that way.

Quite. He tilted his head in acknowledgment. There was no denying his coloration, which naturally placed him on the council. There were no rogue blacks—the world simply couldn’t take it.

This is Alex. Ridgeville Prime. Max nodded to the lion.

Silence ensued. Joey wasn’t sure what information the two men needed about his visit. If he’d been in the area on assignment, they would’ve kissed the ground he walked on. A rogue dragon was nothing anyone, human or shifter, wanted in their territory. Apparently a dragon attending to personal business was less than welcome.

Max coughed, sliding a glare at Alex, and the Prime finally relented. Fine. We were sad to hear about your grandfather.

Thank you.

How long will you be in the area? Alex was almost polite.

I plan to have my grandfather’s estate wrapped within the week. I’ll have my realtor coordinate any repairs to the farm and facilitate the property’s sale.

The wolf nodded. That’s fine. We don’t want to rush you through the process. Alex snorted his objection and Max continued. And we understand if you need additional time to get things in order.

Joey quirked a brow, not believing a word. Oh, Max might mean what he said, but Alex wasn’t in agreement. Prime?

I’ll be blunt. Your kind does whatever the hell they want when they want and black dragons are the most dangerous of you all. Don’t bother us and we won’t bother you. But as soon as you’re done— The ringing of his cell phone silenced his tirade. Excuse me. Alex held up his finger and stepped away, turning his back on Joey. Trusting man. The lion’s soft, annoyed sigh reached him. Yes, Maya.

Max groaned and rolled his eyes. Joey got the feeling this was a common occurrence, a guess borne out by the big wolf’s next words. His mate. Again.

He smirked when Alex dropped his head forward and pinched his nose. The man hadn’t moved far enough away, so it was easy for Joey’s enhanced hearing to pick up the conversation.

"Can I come to the bar, now?" The lyrical feminine voice held a tint of annoyance.

No, you can’t.

But I wanna meet the dragon.

No.

What if he promises not to eat me?

No.

What if he promises not to eat me in a good or bad way? Maya whined and then perked up. "Oh! We could blindfold him. Then he wouldn’t eat me or see me." Joey could hear the woman’s grin and suppressed one of his own. He’d like to see anyone try to blindfold a dragon. But he liked her.

Maya… Alex followed her name with a growl.

You really shouldn’t growl at the Holder of the Vagina.

Joey’s grin escaped, quirking his lips. Easy to see who wore the pants in that relationship.

Dammit, Maya.

Still growling, she sing-songed.

Joey relented, stepped forward, and touched Alex’s shoulder. If it helps, I promise not to harm you and yours. Including not eating Maya in a good, or bad, way.

That earned him a glare from the lion Prime. It probably wasn’t a good idea to poke one of the area leaders, but he didn’t want them viewing him as a deadly black dragon and one of the Council of Twelve. He was merely a man who laughed at the same jokes and enjoyed a good beer.

Well, he also occasionally killed people. In his defense, they deserved it.

Joey sighed, his tone turning serious. Look man, I’m not here to cause problems. I lost my grandfather, which is a shitty situation, and I missed the funeral because of council business, which is even shittier. I just want to sort out his affairs and pack the place up. Other than that, all I’ll be doing is having a beer and thinking about old times.

See? He’s harmless. Maya crowed on the other end of the line. He sounds real nice. Hey, dragon! Joey could practically see her waving at the phone on the other end.

He leaned in a little, careful to watch for any hostile movement from the lion Prime. Hey, Maya, nice to meet you. You’re lookin’ mighty snazzy today. Black plastic really suits you.

Wha… Puzzlement was evident in her voice. Oh, the cell. She laughed, a melodious feminine sound Joey realized had been absent from his life for far too long. Dragons as a whole tended to be serious, and none were as serious as those on the council. You’re funny. I like you.

Pushing your luck, dragon, Alex growled. The warning was enough to make Joey back off a couple of steps, his hands out to the side to show he meant no harm.

Leave it, Alex. The wolf put himself between the two men, gaze locked with the Prime for long moments. Joey shook his head, a snort escaping unbidden.

Max looked back over his shoulder, eyebrow arched. I’m glad we’re amusing you. Care to share?

Joey lifted a hand to motion at Max’s back.

Kinda trusting there, turning your backs. Both of you.

Max shrugged. You’re a dragon. Would it matter what direction we faced? Or do you only flame-grill on one side?

Joey grinned. Not many people picked that up, that when dealing with a predator like a dragon there really wasn't much of a defense that would