Legion: Alpha Dragon Shifter Romance (Dragon Rules Series Book 1) by Tia Didmon (books to read for self improvement .txt) 📕

He was relentless. She lost count of how many times she came. His face was still buried between her legs when her mind shut down and exhaustion snatched her from the endless stream of orgasms. Before her consciousness evaporated, she heard the low growl. A whisper of retribution. “You are mine.”

Chapter 9

Mara stretched out in the warm bed, taking a deep breath. Her body hummed as her hands stretched out, bumping a small vase with a single red rose. She yawned, despite the power coursing through her blood, taking a second look at the clock beside the vase, before her eyes went wide.

She sat up, pushing the thick blanket off her. “Oh god.” She grabbed her cell phone and hit Natalie’s contact number. Her friend picked up on the first ring.

“Mara, where are you? I was worried sick. I have Jake calling everyone looking for you.”

Mara squeezed her eyes shut. “I am so sorry. I have no excuse. We had... an unexpected evening and fell asleep at Legion’s house.”

Static on the line emphasized the elongated pause. “Unexpected, huh? Are you saying that you had sex with him?”

Mara bit her lip. “Not exactly.”

Natalie took a deep breath. “Mara Krane, you tell me what is going on. You told me Legion was akin to a stalker. Now you’re in bed with him.”

How did she explain what Legion was? What she was? How did you approach that conversation? “Legion is a dragon,” she blurted.

“Is that a motorcycle gang?” Natalie asked.

“It’s more a gold scales with wings sort of thing.”

Natalie cleared her throat. “You had sex with a dragon?”

“No! He was human at the time and I didn’t have sex with him, he just gave me like fifty orgasms.” She slapped her temple with her hand.

Natalie sighed. “Uh, huh. I might have believed the dragon thing, but the fifty orgasms are a stretch. What did you eat for dinner?”

Mara frowned. “Steak, pasta and mushrooms. Why?”

Natalie snorted. “I don’t think those mushrooms were of the shitake variety.”

“I’m not high! Legion is a dragon... hold on Natalie. I have to call you back. A wolf just came into the bedroom.” She hung up, kneeling down to pet the fur of the beautiful creature. “Where did you come from, buddy?”

The memories of her youth bubbled up. The dreams that had comforted her as a child. She put her head against his neck, hoping the gentle creature could tame the turmoil that her life had become. “I used to dream of a wolf as a child. He had the same eyes as you.”

Legion walked into the bedroom with a glass of orange juice. “His name is Thorn. He’s a dragon, but he was cursed years ago and has forgotten what he is.”

Mara petted the soft gray fur, avoiding Legion’s gaze. “He’s gorgeous. He looks just like the wolf from my dreams as a child, only my wolf was white.”

Thorn turned his head. The blue crystalline eyes pierced her soul, dredging up childhood memories. She watched in fascination as his coat turned snow white, making his blue eyes appear deeper.

Legion knelt, touching Thorn. “We thought his magic was dormant. He has never used it since his transmutation.”

Mara felt the sadness of the creature in front of her. His soul wounded. Proud. “He is in pain. I see...”

Her eyes clouded over. Opaque. Oppressive. Images flashed like a movie. A setting from in another time. The past. The future. She wasn’t sure. The wolf before her shifted into a man. The same blue eyes hunted for his mate. His salvation. She clutched the wolf’s fur as the bedroom floor returned. “Shit.”

Legion gripped her arm. “What did you see, Mara?”

She sifted through the pictures in her mind, looking for clues. “I saw Thorn. He was searching for his mate.”

His eyes flickered. “He was in dragon form?”

“No, he was human.”

Legion ran a hand over the wolf’s fur. “Someday, my friend.” The reverence in his voice made her heart ache.

“How did he become a wolf?”

“He went against a powerful Mage who was siphoning my magic. I was young... unaccustomed to the burden of leadership. He killed the mage and saved me, but was cursed by a powerful spell before the Mage died. Until a druid ascends to equivalent power or we discover the exact spell, he is stuck in his current form.”

Mara pet the wolf who closed his eyes. His leg twitched, like he was about to ride a bike. “I wonder why he changed the color of his coat.”

Legion focused on the wolf for a moment, then huffed as he stood. “The bastard wanted to impress you.”

Mara laughed. Her smile mirrored by Legion’s. Her heart clicked. A combination lock, with one tumbler falling into place. The sound echoed in her soul.

Mara tried not to let Legion’s smile affect her. It was a rare look into the dragon’s soul. One where sadness and responsibility were replaced with joy. The brief reprieve didn’t last. He glanced away, concentrating on something unseen. “Everything okay?”

He nodded. “Yes, Ash and Robin are returning soon. I want you to meet her. She is a druid and like you she is learning about her power. I had planned a training session with her next week. Would you like to join us?”

Mara blew out a breath as she continued to pet Thorn. “I have no idea where to start. I mean, this thing just comes and goes.”

“Your magic is settling. Tonight, at midnight, it will integrate with your soul, for all time. You will need to control it.”

Mara placed her hands in her lap as she sat on the floor. “How?”

Legion knelt down. “I can try to teach you some things now, if you like. How to connect with it, hold it inside you, calm it when the world around you is turbulent and your first instinct is to lash out.”

Mara frowned. “It sounds dangerous. Will I hurt anyone?”

Legion shook his head. “Only if someone threatened you, but I would not allow