Patrima: A Dragon for Christmas (Return of the Dragons Book 5) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  © 2017 by Rinelle Grey

  Previously published in the Home for the Howlidays Box Set

  www.rinellegrey.com

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by

  Table of Contents

  Blurb

  Foreward

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  About the Author

  Blurb

  Bruce isn't an adventurer like his ex-girlfriend who mated a dragon prince. He's just an ordinary, English guy. Yet somehow he finds himself trekking across sand dunes in the middle of the night in search of a mysterious dragon princess, while being chased by an enemy dragon. This princess better be worth it.

  Dragon warrior Narrian is honoured to be chosen as Bruce's bodyguard. Even though the pitiful human obviously isn't worthy, she's prepared to risk her life to see that he makes it safely to the princess. It never occurred to her she might be risking her heart.

  Neither of them are prepared to find the princess's chamber to be empty once they reach it. Or to be trapped inside by an enemy dragon. Turns out, their adventure is only just beginning.

  Sign up to my mailing list for a free copy of Jayrian, the story that started it all!

  Foreward

  I know you’re probably all dying to know what’s happening with Rian clan, and what Bruce is up to with the princess, and we’ll be back to that in a minute. But before we get into that, I wanted to introduce you to a new character. What you learn about him is going to be important to the upcoming stories.

  Patrima’s story is a little different to the stories I’ve written so far. When we began this story, the Trima clan was the enemy. The end of Prince Verrian’s story indicates that might not be the case.

  This story gives you a chance to look inside the Trima clan and get to know them. In order to do so, we do jump back in time a little. Patrima’s story takes place around Christmas, when Jayrian’s story occurred.

  I hope you enjoy it.

  Rinelle.

  Chapter 1

  As Hailey drove across the red, sunbaked plains, the dust kicked up behind the police car made it hard to see much at all in the rear view mirror.

  Up ahead, the sunlight glinted off something on the side of the road. Hailey squinted, trying to work out what it was through the heat haze.

  As she drew closer, she made out the shape. A bike, dropped on the side of the road, it’s shiny chrome wheels reflecting the sunlight.

  Hailey sighed. The sun beat down overhead, and out here there wasn’t even any shade for miles. Her dark blue uniform really hadn’t been designed with this sort of heat in mind, it just absorbed all of it. She didn’t want to stop and get out.

  But the bike was new. It hadn’t been dumped here, and it was too far off the road to have fallen off the back of a ute. Someone had ridden it here.

  She couldn’t see any sign of the rider, and she knew there was a deep canyon somewhere around here, hidden by the scraggly bushes and tufts of grass.

  She pulled over to the side of the road, and radioed in her position.

  Then, reluctantly, she stepped out of the air-conditioned car.

  The heat hit her almost like a solid wall, making it hard to breathe for a few moments. But Hailey was used to it. She’d grown up out here.

  She walked over to the fallen bike, trying to ignore the sweat that was already breaking out and running down her back.

  She’d been right. Bike tracks led from the main road to here, and the dirt was churned up around the bike. Shoe prints could be seen moving away from it.

  Hailey glanced around, but she could see no sign of the bike’s owner, or of the canyon, but she was pretty sure the two were connected. Uneasiness crept over her, and for a moment, she considered radioing for backup. But she was the only one on duty, and so far she had no concrete evidence for needing assistance.

  She headed out across the plains, following the footsteps, looking around for any signs of the bike’s owner.

  She wasn’t at all surprised to see a long crack in the ground ahead of her. She took a few more cautious steps closer, to the edge of the canyon, half hidden by the tufts of grass and rocks. It was long, and thin, as though a crack had opened up in the ground.

  Hailey hovered back a few metres, not game to get any closer in case the edge crumbled. “Hello?” she called out. “Is anyone here?”

  Her voice echoed in the canyon, and she heard something move somewhere below her.

  “Help!” a voice called out, faint and weak.

  Hailey’s heart thumped. Someone was down there!

  She crouched down, and inched forwards until she could see over the edge.

  The thin canyon was dark and deep, and it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust.

  Below her, clinging to a ledge, was a young boy. Malcom Higgs, just turned thirteen.

  His pale, dirty face stared up out of the darkness at her. “Is that the police? Help. I can’t climb back up. And I don’t think I can hold on much longer.”

  His fingers slipped a little as he spoke.

  Hailey’s mind worked feverishly. She shouldn’t have ignored her instincts. She should have radioed for backup. It was too late now. He’d fall before help could arrive. She had to do something.

  But what? The edges of the canyon were almost a straight cliff. There was no way she could climb down to him, and she didn’t have a rope of any kind.

  “Hang on,” she said. “We’ll figure out a way to get you out of there.”

  Her words seemed to comfort the boy, but they just made Hailey feel bad for lying to him. She had no idea how to make good on her promise. She stared at the cliff. There were some small ledges, barely more than a handswidth. Someone better at climbing might be able to get down there, but she had no hope.

  She was just trying to figure out if she tied her clothes together, if they’d be long enough to reach him, when she heard a sound behind her.

  She swung around just in time to see a man coming towards her.

  Where had he come from? He certainly hadn’t been there a few minutes ago. Had he? Was he with the boy? Looking for him?

  His clothes certainly didn’t give any clue. He wore only a pair of jeans, no shirt and no shoes. His skin was tanned, muscles rippling in the sun, and had a slight sheen of sweat, but other than that he didn’t seem to be bothered by the scorching heat. His hair was pale, almost silver, perhaps bleached by the sun, because he certainly didn’t seem old enough to be going grey.

  “Is something wrong?” he asked. “I heard someone yell for help.”

  His voice was deep and throaty, and in any other situation might have distracted Hailey from the situation at hand.

  “Yes,” she said quickly. “A boy fell down into the canyon, and he can’t get out.”

  He came over to the edge, peering in, not seeming bothered by the height or the risk of
the edge crumbling.

  Malcom’s pale, frightened face stared back up.

  The man glanced over at Hailey, then back at the boy. “Stand back. I’ll get him.”

  Hailey wanted to ask how. He didn’t have a rope or anything. Even his jeans were skin tight. He certainly wasn’t hiding anything at all in there.

  He crouched down near the edge, then to Hailey’s surprise, he jumped down.

  She leaned forwards, her heart in her throat, sure she would see him plummeting to his death.

  But he wasn’t.

  It was hard to make out in the relative darkness of the canyon, but Hailey could see him climbing down, closer and closer to Malcom, his movements sure and certain.

  Relief flooded through her. She had no idea how on earth he was managing to hold onto the cliff face, but she was damn glad he was. She could never have done this, and she certainly couldn’t have brought help here in time.

  He climbed down to one side, then came up beside Malcom, reaching him just as the boy’s hold slipped.

  “Got you,” he said, grabbing the boy’s hand and somehow managing to hold both of them up with only one handhold on the rocky ledge. “Hang on now.”

  He hauled the boy up until they were both standing with their toes on the narrow ledge. Then he put a hand on either side of Malcom, and said, “Right, you’re going to have to climb out.”

  “I can’t,” Malcom said, his voice panicked.

  “Yes you can,” the man said calmly. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall. I’m right here.”

  “Come on, Malcom,” Hailey encouraged, hoping her own voice didn’t sound as panicked as she felt. She needed to keep the boy calm. “You just need to get up a few metres, then I can pull you out.”

  The boy looked up at her, his face white, and she nodded encouragement.

  He put his hand up and gripped a narrow ledge, then began to pull himself up.

  Bit by bit, the pair edged closer to Hailey, now lying on the edge of the canyon. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Malcom’s scared but determined face, but she was ever aware that the man kept pace with him, keeping his body around the boy, ready to catch him if he fell.

  As he neared the top of the canyon, Hailey stretched a hand down. “Grab hold.”

  Malcom’s fingers met hers, and she grabbed hold as tight as she could and pulled. The man must have been pushing from below, because Malcom came up and over the edge far more easily than Hailey had expected.

  Both of them fell over backwards in the dirt.

  By the time they were on their feet, the man was up out of the canyon too, dusting himself off. Hailey tried not to stare too much, but it was hard not to. He was gorgeous. And the fact that he’d just put his own life at risk to save Malcom’s life impressed her even more.

  “Thank you,” Hailey said gratefully. “I didn’t know what I was going to do to get him out of there.”

  The man stared at her, his eyes flashing as silver as his hair. Hailey had never seen anything like them. A scar ran across his face, right over his left eye, sending a shiver up Hailey’s spine. How did one get a scar like that?

  Now that she wasn’t panicking and worrying about Malcom, Hailey was acutely aware of the man standing in front of her. The half-naked man.

  His tanned muscles bulged in all the right places, and staring at them left Hailey feeling a little breathless. She couldn’t help noticing that his body had scars too, one across his chest, and another running up one arm.

  How had he gotten them? Somehow, she couldn’t help imagining him fighting off a dragon to save a damsel in distress or something.

  She bit back a laugh. Her imagination was certainly running overtime today.

  One thing was certain, he wasn’t a local. She would certainly have noticed him if he was.

  “It was no trouble,” he said, his voice warm and deep, making Hailey’s insides turn to mush. “Is he your child?”

  “Oh no,” Hailey said immediately. “I was just driving past when I saw his bike and came to see if everything was okay.”

  He smiled then, the expression somehow more intimate than any touch she’d ever had. “Lucky you were nearby.”

  “Lucky you were,” Hailey countered. She couldn’t help the completely unprofessional thought that it was lucky for her as well. She was certainly glad to have met him. She cleared her throat, and pushed that thought away. “You were the one who rescued him.” She hesitated for a moment, then held out her hand. “I’m Hailey, by the way.”

  He took her hand, his eyes not leaving hers, and Hailey felt something spark between them, seeming to light a flame in the middle of her belly.

  “I’m Patrima.”

  “Patrima.” She repeated the strange name. It suited him somehow.

  Behind her, Hailey could hear the car approaching even before she turned to look. She recognised the dusty old ute immediately. Malcom’s parents.

  Malcom did too. His face was nearly as white as when he was stuck down that canyon. “They’re going to kill me,” he muttered.

  “And you probably deserve it,” Hailey said sternly. “What were you doing near that canyon anyway?”

  “Bobby Brown said he saw a dragon out here last week,” Malcom said sullenly. “Everyone’s been begging him to tell the story over and over again. I wanted to see it too. Then maybe someone would listen to what I have to say.”

  Hailey gave a laugh. “A dragon?” She looked over at Patrima, expecting to share a laugh with him, but he was looking at Malcom with concern.

  When he saw her eyes on his he forced a smile and said calmly, “Perhaps the boy has spent too long in the sun?”

  “Perhaps,” Hailey agreed. “But then again, he wasn’t the one who saw the dragon.” She couldn’t help laughing. She was surprised any of the kids had fallen for a story like that.

  However, if it was leading kids out to a dangerous area like this, that made it a concern. She tried to make her expression as stern as Patrima’s. “There’s no dragon,” she told Malcom firmly. “And you nearly got yourself killed looking for something that doesn’t exist. Stay away from this area, and tell your friends to as well.”

  “I will,” Malcom said earnestly.

  “Malcom! What happened?” His mother ran up and pulled him into a hug, and the young teen didn’t even object. “Senior Constable Lyons, was there a problem?”

  Hailey looked down at Malcom, waiting to see what he said before saying anything. It would be better if he owned up to it himself.

  Malcom looked suitably guilty and confessed all. His parent’s anger was softened by their relief that their son wasn’t hurt. “Thank you so much for rescuing him,” his father said to Hailey.

  “It wasn’t me,” Hailey admitted readily, “Patrima…” She turned to wave at him…

  But he was gone.

  Hailey stared around, but the plains were as empty as when she’d first arrived.

  He’d come out of nowhere and he’d disappeared right back into it. What the hell?

  “He was here just a minute ago.” She looked at Malcom’s parents, hoping they’d seen the man.

  They looked around as well. “Where did he go?” Malcom’s mother asked.

  “We would have liked to have thanked him,” Malcom’s father added.

  Hailey would have liked to talk to the strange man further as well. And not just because he’d courageously risked his own life to save the young boy.

  He was the most fascinating man she’d ever met, and now he was gone.

  She bit back a sigh.

  Typical.

  Chapter 2

  “Here, hang these baubles on the tree.”

  “I want more tinsel.”

  “It’s a pity we have no electricity, otherwise we could have lights.”

  Dragon children dodged around Patrima as he stood in the entrance to the cave and scowled.

  He’d been in his room sleeping since his guard duty at the Rian prince’s Mesmer chamber yesterday, but i
t hadn’t helped. He was still rattled by his encounter with the strange human woman on his way home.

  The excited noise of children squealing had drawn him from his room, but this was the last thing he’d expected to find. His fists clenched involuntarily.

  Someone had brought in a pine tree from the bushland below and it was draped with tinsel and scattered with shiny baubles. It wasn’t even properly decorated, the pieces looked like they’d just been thrown on at random.

  The sight of it twisted his gut.

  Several children stared at it in awe, their hands clasped.

  It stirred up memories from long ago. Memories Patrima had long repressed. Memories he didn’t want to think about.

  “What’s going on here?” he demanded.

  A couple of the young women around the tree looked up. Barely old enough to call themselves adult, one simpered at him. “It’s a Christmas tree, Patrima. Ultrima said it was okay. We asked him first.”

  She looked half afraid he’d yell at her, half like she wished he would.

  “Dragon’s don’t celebrate Christmas.” Patrima’s voice was short and terse, having almost the same effect as if he had yelled.

  The young women drew away from him, her face half frightened, half excited, and the kids stopped dancing and stared at him in big eyes.

  Apparently his voice had been sharper than he’d thought.

  Well, so it should be.

  What was the clan coming to?

  “First it’s human mates, human food and clothes, then Ultrima insisting we learn how to drive and use human phones, and now Christmas.” This time he was well aware that his voice was raised, and he didn’t care. “When will this madness end? Are we dragons, or humans?”

  It wasn’t like he had anything against humans. His mother was one. And he’d stopped to help one yesterday without even a pause.

  But that didn’t mean their culture belonged here, elbowing out dragon culture.

  He looked around at the group, mostly women and children, at least half of which were human. But the other half were dragons, and there were dragon men too.