Draconia Princess: Draconia Outcasts, #1

By Renee Hewett and Mandy Rosko

Claire Shimmerscale is a dragon shifter and treasure hunter for Draconia's elder council. She has a bit more freedom than her island sisters, but that's put in jeopardy when she finds her mate and becomes captured in his net. Their union isn't allowed, but they can't help but give in to passion, even knowing a future together is impossible.

 

After he's sent packing, Dustin Springs returns home to lick his wounds. There, he learns the truth about her kind: the dragonesses are known to use men up and then toss them aside. But when Claire shows up carrying his child, can Dustin trust she's telling the truth and forgive her before it's too late?

 

This book was previously published by Renee Hewett in February 2020 as "Dragon Princess: Treasured Love." It has been re-edited, expanded, and re-released as a co-written novel with Mandy Rosko!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eighth Ripple Press
• Release date: May 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223282464

Book preview

Chapter

One

In her dragon form, wings outstretched and holding her weight, Claire soared through the sky over the ocean. The wind hit her face and snout, cooling her skin beneath protective scales from the hot, bright sun directly overhead. The occasional jump of a dolphin or pec slap of a whale below eased her lonely heart.

A few cawing seagulls veered close, curious about her, but they didn’t bother her, and Claire didn’t mind.

It was almost like flying with friends.

They were also a sign that she was nearing her destination. Her last stop on this round of discovery.

She spotted the shoreline and angled towards the beach, searching for a spot that didn’t have much driftwood for a comfortable landing.

And one that would also shelter her from curious eyes.

Claire banked, and her saddlebag shifted below her where it was strapped to the smooth scales of her belly. Although it was tightly secured so it wouldn’t fall, her heart still lunged as she held it. Every time it jostled, in the sky or on land, she checked it.

A good thing, as returning home empty-handed wasn’t an option. Not if she wanted to be allowed to continue her monthly adventures away from the island. Being trusted to leave was difficult enough to achieve, let alone maintain.

Claire Shimmerscale was one of the best treasure hunters for Draconia, Isla de Fuego Reina. The secret dragoness island in the Bermuda Triangle, hidden from the general public by use of magnetics, was home to a royal line of dragon shifter women.

And was strictly no boys allowed.

As a lower-ranking princess, her royal lineage designated her as one of the few who qualified for a position that permitted a dragoness to leave the island regularly. Treasure hunting being one of them.

Claire’s duty was unique. It meant the elder council sent her off the island with a single mission—to bring more glittering treasures into their hoard. Claire happily went off, retrieving gems, jewelry, artifacts, and other treasures, so long as it meant she could continue to explore the human world—the land outside Draconia.

The exploration wasn’t the only benefit. There was also the freedom of flight. Claire loved being in dragon form and soaring far and wide. While her home island was big enough to fly around, she found it entirely more liberating to be able to travel untethered wherever she wanted. Spreading her wings, catching a gust of wind, and gliding along for hours on end would forever be one of her favorite experiences.

Claire found a spot to land, using her unique shimmery scales ability to hide her presence from any onlookers. She touched down on the beach and curled her toes in the sand, glancing back just briefly toward the blue skies and sighing.

She unhooked her bag, letting it fall to the ground, and then shifted from her dragon form to her human one. She hid behind the bushes, knowing she was out of sight, but at least if someone saw her they’d think she was a skinny dipper and not have any idea that she was actually a dragon shifter.

She pulled her clothes out of her bag and dressed quickly. Then, she hoisted her bag over her shoulder and secured it in place. As this was her last stop on this trip, it was bittersweet. She was proud to be a member of Draconia, but she couldn’t help but be a little sad each time she inevitably had to go home and leave the human world behind.

Claire took a breath and forced a smile. No sad thoughts. She was here now. There was much to do.

Someone to see.

Claire started moving, heading off the beach toward what she really wanted to see.

Civilization.

When she was out in the world, she could do so much. Meet people, learn about their customs and traditions, embrace technology and pop culture, and altogether enjoy a world much more lively than home.

There, some of the more ancient dragons didn’t even bother to turn into their human forms anymore. They slept on top of their cache piles and woke only to eat or appraise any new treasures that had been delivered.

Claire couldn’t imagine that kind of existence. She was still a young dragon who wanted to see the world, but the elders assured her that with time and aging she would eventually outgrow it.

It’s just a phase, the elders had said. In time, you’ll be just like everyone else. Your wanderlust will vanish and be replaced by a hunger for shimmering treasures, cold jewels, and the shine of gold in the sunlight—all of which our island provides.

Claire doubted it. Having seen all kinds of treasures, none had given her a hint that she’d want it over her current life.

Her heart skipped a beat as she approached the market. She happily entered it, gliding past the different stalls of humans selling food they’d prepared—which smelled warm and delicious in the air—along with clothing and jewelry they had created themselves or gathered to re-sell.

Now began the hunt.

Claire had an eye for treasures. The elder council said it was her royal lineage that enabled her to spot desirable items, but whatever the reason, it brought a thrill of its own.

Some stuff she passed was plastic or cheap metal, and many pieces were fool’s gold, but it was all just as lovely as the real stuff the elders sat on. Some even more beautiful, though she would never tell any of the elders something so blasphemous.

Buy one set of earrings and the other is half off, said a woman behind one of the stalls. Moving sale.

Really?

Claire normally tried not to get caught up in the sales pitches, but she was so curious, and it was always fun to look.

Do you make them yourself?

Yup, the woman said proudly. She had curly orange hair that Claire was instantly jealous of, and freckles dusted across her cheeks, neck, and even shoulders. These have real crystals inside them, and everything is silver-plated for allergies.

They looked like clay flowers with a few sparkling crystals added for effect. None of the elders would approve of such junk jewelry, but the clay daisies were pretty, and there were even dragon earrings that were designed to curl around the earlobe, with crystals for eyes.

Fuck it.

She bought the daisies and the dragons. No one back home would like them, but she could wear these on her own time.

After that, she made a trip to the food stalls for corn dogs, because of all the human cuisine in the world, corn dogs were in her top five favorites. Popcorn, pizza, and fried chicken next. Ice cream was such a delicacy that even the island imported it—the dragons only reluctantly thought humans were good for something other than sex.

Claire couldn’t fathom a time in her life when she would ever tire of the human world.

Recently, more of the dragons decided to eschew traditions to leave their island. Claire couldn’t fault them. She understood the appeal of this place, but she also couldn’t imagine leaving her family behind forever.

As pretty as the wares here were, the idea of being in a world that she only casually knew was incomprehensible. And that was if they knew it at all. Some of them left without having seen anything of the world outside of their island. They just said goodbye to everyone and everything they’d grown up with and started over completely.

Claire wasn’t that brave.

She finished her food and completed perusing the market, finishing early. The sun was still warm in the sky when she arrived back at the beach, which meant she had plenty of time to shift, secure her treasure bag, and fly off to enjoy the last bit of daylight.

It also gave her a chance to see if he would appear again.

Claire’s heart gave a soft flutter beneath her scales at the thought.

Her sightings of him weren’t allowed. If the council elders found out that she had taken an interest in a man—a commoner not approved for breeding—and that she was actively seeking him out again and again…

That would be bad enough. But if they found out she was sneaking closer and closer to the same boat… growing bolder and bolder as she circled it from overhead… well, she’d be in more than a little trouble.

She couldn’t ignore her need to search him out, though. He did something to her she’d never known before. When she saw him, electricity sizzled through her body, charging her from talon to tail—a feeling better than she imagined any drug might be.

Claire was not usually a troublemaker. Receiving a disapproving stare was one of her nightmares. But in this case, she struggled to remember her fears when there was a chance to glimpse his face once more.

She was breaking the rules, but it felt good. Worth it.

Claire angled her wings. She circled, scanning the area. Being spotted wasn’t a worry. Her shimmery scales provided an adaptive camouflage, both reflecting the water as well as taking on the color of the sky. She was practically invisible, so long as she maintained a good distance.

She didn’t need to be close as she’d sense him before she even laid eyes on his boat. He called to her like one magnet to another, drawing her in.

But where was the boat? Why was it not in its usual place? He moved from time to time, but there was a location he seemed to favor for fishing. The regular humans didn’t know an