The Sapphire Dragon Read online

  Daisy is one of the strongest of the Flowers sisters. So why does she wish to shun her magic?

  Daisy hates magic and would do anything to shun her latent powers. She wants nothing more than to live a normal life. However, with her unorthodox upbringing, she isn’t certain what normal is. All she knows is that she doesn’t want to marry a dragon who would inevitably make her powers stronger.

  The Sapphire Dragon knows Daisy doesn’t want to live a magical life, but pursues her anyway. Posing as a human, he’s surprised when she refuses to associate with him at her sister’s party one moment and then decides to have dinner with him in another. How long before she figures out the human male she’s falling in love with is really the dragon she’s trying to escape?

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  The Sapphire Dragon

  Copyright © 2014 Tianna Xander

  ISBN: 978-1-77111-984-9

  Cover art by Latrisha Waters

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

  Look for us online at:

  www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com

  The Sapphire Dragon

  Dragon Bound 7

  By

  Tianna Xander

  Dedication

  To my readers: I love writing these stories for you.

  Chapter One

  Daisy’s heart skipped a beat as the man looked toward her. He smiled, probably at no one in particular, and began to cross the room. He was handsome in a geeky-bookish sort of way and just her type.

  Thick black-framed glasses hid a portion of his face along with a lock of thick, black hair that fell carelessly over his right eye. He almost looked like a comic book super hero come to life. Though, thinking him the superhero type was probably a little ambitious, the man was the epitome of the handsome English lord from all of the romance novels she had ever read. Tall and on the thin side of muscular, he was quite handsome.

  Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him approach. Normal seemed written all over him. If there was anything Daisy wanted from her life, it was normal. She hated witchcraft and she hated the fact that she could screw up something—or someone—at any time, with just a look. However, what she hated the most was the fact that she couldn’t control any of her powers.

  The scent of something burning in one of the chafing dishes had her closing her eyes with frustration. She wasn’t sure which one it was, but one of these dragons brought out her powers. She had to get out of here before he found her.

  She didn’t want to use her powers, they were dangerous. If she didn’t burn something down, she would freeze it, or worse.

  That was the main reason why she kept her wand buried in the back of her underwear drawer, only taking it out and dusting it off when her sisters insisted she must.

  She slowly shook her head when she thought of her sisters. She had twelve of them. Every one of them were adopted, just as she had been and every one of them were just as crappy with their spell casting as she was, with the exception of those who had found their mates.

  Turning away from handsome Mr. Normal, who still headed her way, Daisy made a face. She didn’t want a mate, not like that. She wanted normal—like the man walking in her direction, with a smile he aimed right at her.

  “Hello. I don’t think we’ve met.” The man held out his hand. “I’m Jarrod. I live across the way.” He crooked his thumb behind him and extended his arm again. He clearly wanted to shake her hand.

  Around here, across the way, translated into the estate next door.

  “Oh. I didn’t think—” She placed her hand in his and blushed when he bent over and kissed the back of it.

  Straightening, he laughed. “I’m sure you wouldn’t.” He indicated his worn slacks and button down shirt. He didn’t seem to notice her blush, thank goodness.

  She didn’t want to look like some sort of a bumpkin.

  “No one thinks I could live in this neighborhood.” He made a face. “Let’s just say it’s old money and leave it at that, shall we? I’ve never really wanted it, but my father thrust it upon me quite against my will.”

  His father had probably died and left it to him. Parents had a way of inconveniencing one in that manner. Daisy’s parents had died quite suddenly, leaving her with a condo at the beach. She would rather have had her mother and father than the condo, but there was nothing she could do about it.

  None of them had known what would happen when her sister, Rose, had cast that spell. They certainly hadn’t expected her to blow up their parents. They also hadn’t expected to find out that their parents had been quite well off. They left each of their seven sons with a small nest egg and each of their thirteen daughters with a piece of property that suited their personalities and personal needs.

  Daisy loved the beach. She always had. It was away from everyone during the off season and the beach season only lasted four months out of the year. It was perfect. She loved the alone time. If she were truthful, she would say she lived for it.

  “I can relate.” Daisy gave him a wry smile. If she could understand anything, it was having things thrust upon her—witchcraft, unwanted magical powers, the possibility of harming someone every time she got near a particular dragon. Though, she’d been lucky so far. So far, she hadn’t had a bout of uncontrollable magic like her sisters had…until tonight. “I’ve had a lot of things forced upon me.”

  Reaching out, she took his proffered hand. “I’m Daisy, by the way.” She glanced around, trying to find one of her sisters. Usually, one couldn’t swing a cat without hitting one of them. She did have twelve sisters, after all. It was a given that one of them would go tattle to her brother-in-law, Drake, that she was talking with a human.

  “So what are you doing here?” She so wanted to reach out, push his sliding glasses back up his nose and brush that lock of hair out of his eyes.

  “Oh, the lady of the house invited me when she found out that I had unexpectedly returned from Greece.” He smiled, stuck his hands in the pockets of his expensive-looking, but worn, black slacks and tilted his head toward the door. “Dancing’s not really my thing, but it would be wonderful if we could take a walk in the garden together. The music in here is kind of loud, don’t you think?”

  So, he isn’t perfect after all. Daisy glanced toward the door, a little disappointed. She loved dancing. She sighed as she took his offered arm and let him lead her toward the patio door. “That’s too bad,” she said as they headed out on to the veranda. “I love to dance.”

  “Well,” he said with a wink, “no one’s perfect. Everyone has some sort of flaw. It’s best we learn to get used to them and move on. Don’t you think?” He grinned, flashing an adorable dimple that made her go weak in the knees.

  “Are you ok
ay?” He caught her as she stumbled.

  “Um…y-yes.” Good grief! She was stammering now. How adolescent.

  Taking a deep breath, she looked up into eyes so blue they appeared to be the same color as the sapphires in the earrings her mother had left to her.

  “I’m sorry. I seem to be clumsy today. I don’t know why…” She glanced around as the music changed to a slow dance, and she couldn’t help but wish the man knew how to waltz at least.

  “Is there something wrong?” he asked as he pulled her toward a wrought iron bench surrounded by roses. He waited until she sat before seating himself. So…he was a gentleman. That was another tic on the plus side on the list of his attributes—that and his yummy English accent.

  Daisy took a deep breath. “I love the smell of roses. Don’t you?” She adored her sister’s gardens here in England and in America. If there was one thing she could say about April’s husband, Drake, it was that he had taste and it wasn’t all in his mouth.

  “Yes, I do.” He nodded, his gaze burning over her face. “I think they’re absolutely beautiful.”

  Laughing, she asked, “Are we even talking about the same thing?” She had to admit that his attention made her feel good—feminine even. It was nice to have the attention of a man because he wanted to get to know her for her, not just because she was a witch and he a dragon and twain the two shall mate.

  He covered her left hand as it rested on her knee. “I would love to get to know you better.”

  “Well, um…I don’t know. My sister and her husband are quite protective of us girls. There’s some nut out trying to harm our reputations.” That wasn’t the whole truth. Their reputations were the least of their worries.

  The nude photos that someone faxed to her brother-in-law Drake’s business weren’t at all about their reputations. They were about proving that someone had bypassed their security, gotten into their homes and taken photos in their most private of places—their bathrooms.

  Drake and his dragon buddies had taken it as a threat. She supposed she and her sisters would have done the same, but heck, they didn’t need dragons always telling them what to do. It was annoying having someone treat her like a child all of the time. Even their parents hadn’t done that.

  “How so?” he asked in that cultured English accent of his that gave her goose bumps and made her tingle in all of her secret places.

  “Well, they managed to get into our homes.” She left out the part about them taking nude photos. She wasn’t sure how much she should tell him. After all, if he were some staid Englishman, he might get up and leave without so much as a goodbye if he found out someone out there had photos of her nude. It might not matter that she hadn’t consented to the shots.

  Chapter Two

  Jarrod wondered how long it would take her to admit that the intruders had taken nude shots. He knew that she might never admit it. He wouldn’t blame her if she found it a source of shame.

  He wouldn’t agree, of course. She and her sisters certainly never consented to the photos sent to Drake’s office. They were more than a threat to the sisters’ reputation, as well. They were a blatant threat, whether the girls recognized that fact, or not.

  Whoever took the photos pointed out that they could have easily taken a different kind of shot at the sisters.

  Inhaling deeply, he took in the scent of the woman next to him and the beautiful roses she loved so much. It was all he could do to keep from pulling her into his arms and kissing her senseless. Instead, he sat next to her his hand still covering hers. He couldn’t kiss her. Not yet. If he did and she was his mate as he greatly suspected, she would realize he was a dragon immediately and refuse to see him again. As much as he hated lying to her, he knew he had to wait until she’d come to care for him at least a little bit.

  He looked down at their joined hands. Hers looked so tiny beneath his, her fingers so slender. Every protective instinct he possessed reared its ugly head, demanding he grab her and drag her to his lair where he could keep her safe.

  As the woman destined to be his mate, Daisy Flowers was his greatest treasure. Jarrod found it increasingly difficult to keep himself from declaring his intentions toward her, snatching her up and carrying her off.

  However, his brain had always been stronger than his instincts. It was one of the reasons he was still alive and his enemies dead. He used his head much more often than he used his dragon instincts.

  That same intelligence would help him win this woman as his mate. She hated her magic. In fact, she refused to use it, even for emergencies. It mattered little to her that she needed that same power to be a whole woman. Power was what made the witch, whether she realized it yet, or not. It was a part of her. It was time she realized that. Well…it was almost time she came to her senses. He needed a few days to convince her that he was the man for her. After that, he would break the news that he wasn’t a man after all, but the dragon she feared would imprison her.

  He only hoped she would forgive his deception. She must. It was every dragon’s dream to find a witch with whom he could mate. Daisy was that woman for him. She was his. She belonged with him. Their mating would make them both complete. He only needed enough time to convince her of that fact.

  “You’re being awfully quiet.” She pulled her hand from beneath his and stood. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for us to be out here alone. My sister will have a cow if she notices I’m missing.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you know these parties are for her unmarried sisters to find husbands? It’s archaic.”

  Her sister April probably would have been upset if she didn’t know that Daisy was with him. April had suggested he bring Daisy out here and talk. She was also the one who came up with the idea for him to dress this way and lie about who he was and about knowing how to dance.

  Jarrod danced very well. He’d been dancing for quite some time. At least two hundred years. One could perfect anything in that amount of time.

  “Stay just a little while longer.” He held out his hand. “Please.”

  “I’ll stay for the length of the next song on one condition,” she replied. “If the next song is a slow song, you have to dance with me.”

  “I already told you, I don’t dance.”

  “Boloney. Slow dancing is nothing more than standing in place and rocking back and forth.”

  “So what you’re saying is that if I hold you in my arms and rock back and forth you’ll stay with me for a few more minutes?”

  “At least for the length of the song.” She shrugged. “What do you have to lose?”

  Jarrod stared at her for a few moments before he answered. It couldn’t look too easy. It would raise her suspicions. “Okay,” he said after a moment. “But don’t blame me if you go away with sore toes.”

  His heart pounded at the thought of holding her close, their bodies swaying back and forth, their auras mingling as they got to know each other better. He couldn’t have planned anything better than this.

  The last strains of the song finished playing and immediately another song began. It was a fast song.

  “Too bad,” Daisy said with a grin. “It’s a fast song. I’ve got to run. It was nice talking to you.” She sprinted toward the door to the ballroom. “Thanks for the conversation,” Daisy added waving behind her. “Have a good night!”

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” Jarrod said with a smile as he watched her bound into the large country home that belonged to his best friend.

  “She played you nicely, didn’t she, old man?” Drake asked with a grin as he and his mate, April, rounded the corner. “If she’s anything like her sister, she’ll lead you a merry chase.” He shook his head and laughed when his mate slapped his arm. “But you’re going to love every minute of it.”

  “I hope so,” Jarrod replied as he stared after the one woman he wanted to call mate. “I just hope lying to her is the right thing to do.”

  “Lying is almost never the right thing to do, Jarr
od,” April said as she wrapped her arm around her husband’s waist. “But with Daisy, it’s the only thing to do. She’ll never accept you as a dragon male. At least not right now. She’s got to fall for you first. Then you can tell her. As long as you don’t actually lie about what you are, you’ll have her on a technicality.” She pursed her lips. “While lying by omission is still lying, it’s not as bad as a deliberate untruth.”

  Thinning her lips, she narrowed her eyes and glared up at Drake. “And this had better not give you any ideas. I won’t tolerate any lies from you, mister. You already have me as your mate. There’s no other reason to tell me an untruth. Understand?”

  “Yes, dear,” Drake agreed with a sigh. He laughed when she elbowed him in the ribs. “Do you see what fun having a mate can be?”

  Jarrod did see and he wanted that for himself more than anything.

  Chapter Three

  Daisy moved through the crowded ballroom, avoiding every dragon male who seemed interested or walked her way. She couldn’t possibly put on an act now. Not now since she’d met the man of her dreams.

  Jarrod was perfect. Well, maybe except for those thick, ugly-framed birth control glasses he wore. The first thing on the agenda if they became more than friends was getting him contact lenses. While she didn’t mind a man who wore glasses, something less prominent and chunky would be nice.

  Hurrying through the ballroom, she made her way to the kitchen. That was where most of her married sisters hung out. Their mates didn’t want them associating with the other dragon males. As if they had anything to worry about, Daisy thought with a snort.

  Her sisters were just as devoted to them as they were to her sisters. There was a part of Daisy that envied them. She wanted a man who would protect her no matter what. One who cared enough, not only to keep her safe, but to know where she was and what she did every minute of every day.