Dressing the Dragon Read online

  © 2015 by Rinelle Grey

  www.rinellegrey.com

  All rights reserved.

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  Table of Contents

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  About the Author

  Blurb

  Karla’s completely out of her depth, and has no idea how to handle Taurian. Getting clothes to cover his half-naked body is suppose to make her more comfortable—but how comfortable can you really be with an attractive dragon shifter? Especially when you’re both being pursued through the city by his ancient, and deadly, rival.

  Taurian could handle his enemy easily—if only his healing sleep hadn’t left him weak and dependent on the human woman. To regain his strength quickly he needs to mate with her, but she resists him at every turn. Convincing her to heal him with her body is vital... and irresistible.

  Keeping their hands to themselves is a challenge equal to the ancient one they face, especially since it could solve everything.

  Or complicate everything in ways neither could have predicted.

  Dressing the Dragon is part 2 (18,000 words) in a new paranormal romance serial set in a small outback town in modern day Australia. Part 3 is available now, and Part 4 is coming soon!

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  Chapter 1

  Karla walked downstairs, trying to ignore the irritating itch that had crawled over her skin ever since she had woken up to find her room empty and all sign of Taurian’s occupation removed.

  She should have felt relieved that he had woken before her, giving her a few moments to collect her thoughts. His constant presence and those smouldering eyes following her everywhere were disconcerting. Despite him keeping his promise to stay on his side of the bed, she felt it every time he moved, and if his skin happened to touch hers as he rolled over, fire had shot through her. Needless to say, she’d barely slept. She knew he didn’t want anything more from her than to complete the Mesmer ritual that would heal him fully, but telling herself that didn’t stop her from being flattered by his obsession.

  She had a plan for getting her life back on track. And the keys to that plan were back in England where her job and home was. She and Bruce had been together for three years, and living together for most of that time. They’d committed to each other long ago. A wedding was really just a formality. A formality she had no need to be scared of.

  And that was the only reason she hadn’t been able to say yes when he’d asked her to marry him. She’d gotten cold feet, that was all. But as soon as she could talk to him, they’d sort that out.

  He still hadn’t called her back. He should be home from work by now. Surely he’d received her message? She’d give him another call after breakfast. She’d feel a lot better once she could talk to him in person and be sure he still wanted to get married.

  “Morning, K,” her dad said cheerfully over the sound of sizzling bacon. “Ready for some breakfast?”

  “Sure.” Karla looked around the room. “Where’s Taurian?”

  “He’s outside. Said something about checking the perimeter.” Her dad crossed to the table and heaped some bacon and eggs onto the plate in front of her. “He’s a strange lad, that one.”

  That was the understatement of the year. Karla gave a nervous laugh. “You’re telling me.”

  Her dad put the frying pan in the sink and ran some water on it, causing a cloud of steam to fill the kitchen. Then he came and sat down opposite her.

  Karla scooped up some egg and put it in her mouth, then realised her dad wasn’t eating, he was just watching her.

  She chewed and swallowed, then asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Is there something you want to tell me?”

  Lots of things, but nothing she could really voice. “No, why?”

  “I was up early this morning, and I noticed that your guest didn't sleep on the couch.”

  “Oh.” How was she ever going to explain this to her dad? If she tried, it would sound like she was being fooled by the craziest of stories into sleeping with a man she barely knew. Well, a dragon actually, which strangely enough made it seem less crazy. And she had no intention of actually having sex with him, just sleeping in the same bed.

  Yeah, that didn’t sound bad at all, she thought sarcastically. How could she convince her dad that it wasn't like that when she couldn't even completely convince herself? He’d think she was crazy.

  “Look, it's none of my business. You’re a big girl and I’ll support you whatever you choose to do. If you like this bloke, then I’m happy for you, but you might want to make sure that chap back in England doesn't get hurt.”

  Karla felt a flash of guilt at the thought of Bruce getting hurt. But that wasn’t going to happen. She’d made the decision that she was going back to him.

  But it was nice to know she could count on her dad to support her, no matter what. He always had. Why had she thought this time would be any different? Her heart warmed. “It's not like that at all. I'm just helping Taurian, and… never mind, you wouldn't believe it. But it's completely platonic, I promise. And as soon as this is over, I'm heading back to England and to Bruce. He asked me to marry him, Dad.”

  She’d expected to feel good saying it, but to her surprise, she had to force the words out. Uncertainty sunk in her stomach. For some reason, she felt like she was lying, like she was making up a story to appease her father’s concerns. Was she making a mistake?

  No, of course not. It just felt weird telling her father before she told Bruce, that was all.

  Her father stared at her, then gave a low whistle. “That is serious. What did you say?”

  Ignoring her doubts, Karla pushed on. Maybe if she clarified things, it would feel better. “I said I'd give him an answer when I got back to England. I just needed to come home first, but my mind is made up now.”

  Her dad came around the table and gave her a hug. “Congratulations. I guess this means I'm going to have to finally buy a ticket over there.”

  Karla's eyes filled with emotional tears. She didn’t have to doubt her father’s feelings at least. Could anyone wish for a more perfect dad? “And a suit,” she joked.

  “Now, let's not get carried away.”

  Chapter 2

  Taurian walked around the corner and surveyed the street outside. It felt strange, standing here out in the open in a human settlement. A man pushing a loud little machine in the fenced in yard next door stared at him, and Taurian stared back until the man looked away.

  He felt exposed, open, vulnerable. He stared up at the sky, but the vast blue expanse was empty. The cloudless day offered no protection from the sun, which was already starting to burn. Taurian glanced back at the man, but he had his back to Taurian now, and was moving away. The machine seemed to eat the grass, but far faster than any animal Taurian had ever seen.

  He looked as human as any of them. He could easily pass for one of them. If he knew how to fit in to their society. Thank heavens, Karla was here to help him. This world had changed too much.

  His shoulders twitched, the constant low level itch reminded him that he had spent too long away from her. Surely she was awake now? Taurian turned and retraced his steps back to the door he had exited through.

  As he was about to step inside, he heard an almost distant whirring noise. He glanced up, and something moved in the sky above him. His heart leapt in his chest before slowly returning to its normal beat. The shape wasn’t a drago
n. They would never show themselves this openly during the day. Besides, it was far too small, too high in the sky.

  The object traced a straight line across the sky, the whirring following its path. This must be the plane Karla had spoken of. Amazing that humans could fly, and so high as well. Taurian shook his head, struggling to take the idea in.

  The itch intensified, reminding him of his mission—find Karla. Being in her presence was the only thing that would help him feel better. And not just because of the itch. Being near her helped him feel a little less uncertain in this confusing world.

  He headed inside, wondering what he would do if she was still asleep. He couldn’t stand being apart from her much longer, but her father would think him strange if he went up to her bedchamber and watched her sleep.

  Luckily, he could hear voices as he entered the house.

  Something about tickets and suits. Karla sounded happy. Taurian picked up his pace, needing to see her, rounding the corner into the kitchen, just as her dad was making a joke about not getting carried away.

  Taurian felt left out. He’d missed something. “Who’s carrying who away?” he asked.

  Her father smiled at Taurian. “This getting dressed up for weddings, it seems a little excessive. I'm sure you’ll agree with me, won't you?”

  Taurian’s heart skipped a beat. He and Karla were not getting married. Were they? Had he missed some custom about her people? Did her dad know he’d spent the night in her room?

  No, they weren’t talking about him. Karla had a lifemate. Taurian frowned. Did they not understand that he wouldn't be happy about this? Her lifemate was the one thing keeping them apart, he was sure of it.

  Karla realised he wasn’t impressed. Taurian could sense the uncertainty from her. For some reason, it eased his frustration a little that she wasn’t completely happy and excited.

  Her father appeared to be waiting for a response, some sort of support apparently. Taurian wasn’t in the mood. “Being dressed for the occasion is especially important for some events,” Taurian said flatly. “In my clan, a wedding is a week-long event, requiring many different costumes.”

  Her dad looked taken aback for a moment, then he shrugged. “I guess I can't count on you to back me up then. Better rent a suit after all. What are you planning to do for the day?”

  “We need to get some proper clothes for Taurian,” Karla said firmly. “Can I borrow the ute?”

  They were back to that again. Clothes. So he could be like a human.

  Taurian squashed his urge to refuse. He needed to blend in, and to learn more about humans. Clothes were an important part of that. Hopefully, he could find something suitable.

  “So long as you bring back some bread and milk. Saves me the trip into town,” her father said.

  Karla quickly finished eating while Taurian watched her silently. The itch still scraped at his shoulders, but it had eased a little now. It was bearable, just.

  He followed her out to the ute, still not saying anything, and copied her as she stretched a belt around her, holding her into the chair. These might have been useful yesterday when they were thrown around with the dragon chasing them.

  “Let me do the talking,” she told him as she started the ute. “We’re going to have enough people wondering what is up without you sounding strange as well.”

  He sounded strange? Taurian bristled. “I suppose you would not have that problem if I was Bruce?”

  Karla gave him a sideways glance. “No, I wouldn't,” she said bluntly. “He would have brought clothes with him.”

  “And they would be more suitable than my clothes.” Of course they would. Bruce was a human, like her. He would know the right thing to do in any situation. Unlike Taurian.

  Karla tried to look serious, but it only lasted a few moments. She gave a small laugh. “Probably not. Bruce’s clothes would be a bit too fancy for an outback town. And way too hot. But at least I could explain them away by saying he was from England. If I excuse your strange clothes by telling them you're a dragon, no one is going to believe me.”

  Taurian felt just a little bit better. But not quite enough. This whole trip was a mistake. “You would have no reason to explain my clothes to anyone if we just stayed at your father’s place.”

  “I don't think I can handle you walking around in those leather pants all week.”

  The tone to her voice, low and desperate, improved Taurian’s mood no end. So it wasn’t that his clothes were inappropriate, it was that they stirred inappropriate thoughts in her.

  “You find them unpleasant to look at?” he couldn’t help teasing.

  Karla looked over at him for a few moments, evaluating. Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and her cheeks flushed. The strong scent of desire tested Taurian’s resolve to give her some distance.

  “Look, you’re going to need to wash your clothes at some point, and you have nothing else to wear. Let’s just make this quick. We can get in and out in under half an hour,” she said finally, looking away.

  He could think of a whole lot of other things they could be doing in half an hour, if that was all they had. But he bit his tongue. No need to antagonise her. “Of course. I won’t cause you any problems.”

  Chapter 3

  Several heads turned as they walked the short distance to the clothing aisle. Karla wasn’t sure whether it was because of Taurian’s strange clothes, or because they found him attractive. She didn’t like either option.

  “Here, try these.” She shoved a pair of cargo shorts and a plain green t-shirt at Taurian.

  He took them absently, but he was staring around the racks of clothing with a gleam in his eye. “Are all these clothes for people to take?”

  Karla glanced around, but though a few giggling girls were staring at them, no one was within earshot. “No, you have to pay for them. But I’ll take care of that. Just try these on to see if they’re the right size and we can get out of here.”

  “I think I prefer those over there.”

  Following where he was pointing, Karla almost groaned when she saw that his eye had fallen on a silver dress shirt next to a rack of formal suits. Of course he would.

  “I don’t think those kind of clothes are what we’re looking for. We want you to blend in, remember?”

  “But if we’re not leaving your house for the next few days, then what does it matter what I’m wearing?”

  They were starting to get a few strange looks, so it wasn’t the time to argue. “Fine, but take the shorts and shirt as well,” she said. “And this.”

  If she’d thought she could hurry Taurian into the dressing room, she was sadly mistaken. He had to pick some trousers to go with the dress shirt, and he found several more things to try on on the way.

  “Look, you can only take six things into the change rooms at a time, so that will have to do,” she said finally.

  “I can always try more later,” Taurian agreed.

  Karla barely suppressed a sigh as she ushered him towards the change rooms. “The lady behind the desk will ask how many clothes, then tell you which room to use,” she explained. “Just nod and say thanks, okay?”

  “You’re just trying on those?” The dressing room attendant sounded bored until she looked up to see Taurian in his full glory. Then her eyes widened. “Do you need a hand with anything?” she asked hopefully.

  Jealousy tightened Karla’s stomach muscles, and she deliberately ignored it. She didn’t care that the attendant obviously thought Taurian was hot. Her change in behaviour was distinctly unprofessional though.

  Taurian had the cheek to smile at her and open his mouth to reply.

  “We have it all under control, thanks,” Karla said coolly. She slid her arm into Taurian’s elbow. “Can we go through?”

  The attendant focused on Karla as though noticing her for the first time. Her face fell. “Sure, third door on the right.”

  Karla pushed Taurian in that direction, following behind him. It was only as they neared the doo
r, she realised her predicament. She did not want to be squeezed into a small changing room with Taurian. She didn’t even know if he had any underwear on under those leather pants.

  Making a mental note to make sure they bought some before leaving the store, she opened the door and ushered him in. “Try on the shorts first. I’ll wait here. Show me when you’re dressed.”

  Taurian nodded and took the clothes from her before stepping inside, closing the door behind him. Being spring loaded, it opened again immediately.

  He had no idea how the lock worked. And he probably wouldn’t be able to manage buttons or zippers either.

  Karla glanced back at the attendant, who was staring at them, and swore under her breath. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the changing room, closing and locking the door behind them.

  She stood with her back against the door, trying not to look at the mirrors that reflected every bit of Taurian. The room was barely big enough for both of them, and there was no escaping from his scent. In the small room, it was inescapable—sharp and spicy and hot. Like him. Karla swallowed.

  She could do this. Sure, he looked divine, but she could admire him in a completely objective way, just like she might glance at the models in a swimsuit calendar.

  Of course, they weren’t quite this close.

  Clearing her throat, she said firmly, “Right, shorts first.”

  Taurian moved for the leather tie at his waist that held his pants up.

  “No, leave them on. They won’t stop us checking the fit,” Karla said quickly.

  They were certainly tight enough not to affect anything.

  Taurian smirked at her. “Are you sure?”

  Damn him. Cocky dragon. “Quite sure.” Hopefully her voice was as cool, calm and collected as she intended it to be.

  Luckily, Taurian didn’t push the issue. He just took the pants on their hanger, and tried to tug them free. One side slipped free easily, but the other stuck on the clip. Taurian pulled again, and before he could tear it, Karla held out her hand. “Here, let me.”