Dragon's Treasure: Royal Bastards MC: Cedar Creek, Tx, #4

By Liberty Parker

Dragon fears no man, except for those who are dead set on taking away what's his. With them going underground, and with no trace of the Fundamentalist of the Communion anywhere in sight, his hands are virtually tied. But that won't keep him down. He doesn't believe in the word quit. Never has, and never will. He will pull out all the stops to keep his family, his treasure, safe.

Laney, she's his most valuable possession. His queen. He'll put his heart and soul into it, and keep her where she belongs—at his side where he can protect her.

 

Laney is still struggling with her past and moving forward. Nightmares still spring up from the darkness when she closes her eyes. But a new opportunity presents itself, and it's one she can't resist. She dives in headfirst. She'll do whatever it takes to be the woman and mother her man and kid can be proud of. She refuses to be another person's pawn. She will conquer her demons, even if that means making herself vulnerable by sharing her history with a stranger.

She will be brave. She will be strong—no matter what the stakes may be.

 

Can these two reign together, as a united couple, or will they crumble and fall?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Liberty Parker
• Release date: Dec 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223976530

Liberty Parker

I have been an avid reader for most of my life. When I was younger I use to sit and fill spiral notebooks full of stories for my grandmother. As I got older I took the jobs needed for raising my boys as a single mom until I met my now amazing husband. I have stopped working in the last three years and started promoting authors, then I blogged and reviewed for authors, which lead me down the path to writing and creating characters and stories. I love creating behind the scenes with my writing getting to use my imagination and write the story as it comes to me. My youngest is now a senior in High School leaving me with some spare time on my hands to be filled. I am loving the people I am meeting and the support system I have found. You can find me at my home Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/authorlibertypaker or you can like my Author page at: https://www.facebook.com/authorlibertyparker?ref=profile or join my Lady Outlaws at:https://www.facebook.com/groups/LibertysLadyOutlaws/

Book preview

FOUR MONTHS POST RESCUE

Laney

Reinventing oneself, after living such a traumatic life, is easier said than done. Harper is convinced that a complete makeover, like the one she did for herself not too long ago, is the key to making this transition easier for me. My once long blonde locks are now a deep, dark shade of midnight black. Even my eyebrows and lashes have been dyed to match the darker shade on my head.

Do you think Dragon’s going to hate it? It’s so different from the woman he rescued and brought home from the community, I ask, insecurity laced in my tone.

One thing Wrecker has pressed upon me is that they aren’t a community, Laney. They’re a cult. We have to think of them that way, Laney, because the true meaning of a community is friendship, brotherhood, and sisterhood. Let’s be real, that’s not what those lowlifes stood for. It’ll warp your way of thinking if you keep giving them that good standing and power. Second of all, he didn’t fall for your shade of hair. He fell for you, the woman. Harper is adamant, side-eyeing me to make sure that I’m understanding the difference in the two meanings.

You’re right. They weren’t good people, sis. Thank you for reminding me. But my hair color is part of what made me who I am. Isn’t it?

No, it isn’t, Laney. What makes you who you are is your heart and your good nature. Keep being you. That’s what shines bright, not the outside package.

Thanks, Harper, I say, expressing my gratitude by patting her hand that’s resting on my shoulder.

Laney, where are you? Dragon’s voice asks as it enters my mind. Thankfully, I’ve gotten used to the sudden appearance of his raspy sound invading my senses.

In my sister's room. Is everything alright? I counter back through our link.

It will be. Selah’s having a hard time today, which means Butcher’s a mess. Just needed to see my woman and check on my dragon’s greatest treasure. He acts as if the dragon is a separate part of him instead of his club moniker. But the very second he relays this, my stomach begins to curl and contort as our baby rolls in my uterus, looking for a more comfortable position. Makes one wonder if he or she can hear their dad’s voice the same way that I can. Something I suppose I’ll never know but will always wonder about.

Any leads on her other daughter, Hannah? I probe, hoping for the best, but always prepared for the worst.

For Selah, it’s been four months full of tears, anger, a complete upheaval of all the emotions. She’s loved on the two daughters, Faye and Amelia, who've come home, but is losing hope of ever being reunited with the one left behind.

Same day, different bullshit. We get one lead, follow it, and hit a dead end. But we won’t give up… ever, he swears.

I know you guys won’t. While you’re doing your thing, we’ll do everything we can to take care of her.

I need you, sunshine. Are you almost wrapped up with Harper?

Yeah. I’ll meet you in our room in a few minutes.

I’ll be there. The sooner the better. Yeah?

Yeah, Dragon.

Our link shuts down, and I sigh. Selah’s not doing so well today, I confide in my sister. Dragon says Butcher’s not handling it well.

I’ll take care of Selah and get Wrecker on Butcher duty. I’m assuming Dragon needs you? Harper asks.

So he says, I tell her.

Go. Knock him dead. Get you a little, and we’ll come up with a game plan on how to keep Selah occupied and out of their way while they track down her girl, she insists.

Maybe you and the twins can teach her to ride a motorcycle. I giggle, remembering the story she shared with me about the time she was taught. Things have been strenuous since I’ve arrived at the Royal Bastards clubhouse, and I’d love the opportunity to let loose a little, and simply breathe and laugh.

It’ll get easier, Laney. We’re having a rough patch, but soon, the ground will even out.

I hope so, Harper. I can’t imagine how hard this has been for Selah. I pat my belly, hoping that I never have to experience the trauma and loss as she has. I doubt that I could handle my baby being swooped out of my arms and whisked away by a demented society.

Dragon

My body is exhausted, and my mind is looped in a constant state of turmoil. I feel like we’re on borrowed time. Unless one of these leads pans out, I’m not sure where to go or which way to turn to rescue not only Selah’s daughters, but the other innocent people who were struggling to exist and unfortunately slipped through our fingertips.

I’m not a man who takes loss well. On the day of the planned rescue, we didn’t just win, we also flunked. Many were set free from their lives of servitude, but the ones who got away with the stragglers we weren’t able to get our hands on are the ones who haunt my soul.

With my forearm slung over my eyes, my heart rate spikes when I hear our bedroom door open. Instinctually, even with knowing that no one would dare enter our room without knocking and gaining permitted entrance, I know that it’s my woman who’s near.

We have an awareness between us, a radar that spikes, and my psyche recognizes it and is drawn to hers whenever she’s near.

Are you okay, my mighty dragon warrior? my old lady’s crooning voice asks.

I always am whenever you’re here, dragon slayer, I state, waving her my way with my unoccupied arm.

Talk to me, she demands, crawling up on the bed and settling into the crook of my neck.

I breathe her in and notice that her hair smells off. Not wrong, not unenticing, just different. I take my fingers and comb them through her strands. They’re more coarse than usual, which means Harper enacted her plan of helping Laney see a different side of herself every time she looks in the mirror. I decide that I’ll examine that later. For now, I want to confide in Laney and get her outlook on things. There are times when talking things out with her helps me see through the dark tunnels that swamp me, sometimes trapping me in on all sides.

The Fundamentalists of the Communion dickweeds have vanished without a trace, Laney. That should be next to impossible. It shouldn’t happen because everyone leaves some sort of a pinpoint that can be detected, no matter how far they’ve crawled into an obscure hole. But there’s nothing out there. No sightings. No money trail to follow… nothing.

But you won’t give up. She reminds me of our earlier mental communication through our link as she runs her pointer finger up and down my sternum, making me shiver in response to the featherlight touch. Our baby kicking me in my side reminds me that there’s a bright side after abuse and turns my frown into the first smile I’ve been able to execute today due to my somber thoughts.

Never. You don’t ever give up on family, no matter how long it takes to find them and bring them home. Especially in circumstances such as Hannah’s in. I can’t let those girls, or the other innocents, have this as their future. This won’t be their only path in life, I deny, shaking my head. They won’t grow up to be breeders. They won’t be devastated as the life they’ve created and carried is ripped out from their hands. I can’t live with myself if that becomes their destiny.

As long as they have you fighting for them, it won’t be, she vehemently vows. I know this is hard on you, on all of you. But you’re some of the strongest men I know, both physically and mentally. You will succeed, Dragon. I know you will.

Your faith in me is astounding, I rasp out. I have a few feelers out there that I’m waiting to hear back from. If they are successful, and are viable, I’ll be sending out some of the men to do some recon.

Thanksgiving is coming up. It’ll be hard on some to not be home during the holiday, she muses. Some of the men have shared their pasts with her to help her see that there is a heaping handful of good that can follow the bad.

Some of those men have issues being in the wind during festive times, but they won’t be alone. They’ll have brothers standing loud and proud at their backs that will help them get through those anxiety-loaded days. They’ve all learned coping mechanisms to help ease their brothers’ footpath as they drag their way through the murky waters.

It’s one of those silver linings that comes hand-in-hand with belonging to such a strong, and sometimes comical, brotherhood.

But it’s a miraculous time to bring strays home, I remind her. Even though strays is probably the wrong word to use, it’s the only one that comes to my mind. They’re lost, looking