Taming the Dragon (Loved by the Dragon, #3) Read online

  Taming the Dragon

  By Vivienne Savage

  All material contained herein is Copyright © Vivienne Savage 2015. All rights reserved.

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  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  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

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Marceline Vargas lay in the driver’s seat of her sporty little coupe with the back of her hand over her eyes. It was an evening ritual after a stressful day on the job in a career she’d come to loathe. Working as the regional finance manager of Burke Brothers Department Stores had become a demanding drain on her life.

  “Maybe Matt’s made dinner for me,” she mused.

  Hell, it wasn’t like he had work or anything, since he’d lost his job and spent most days at home on her computer. He assured her he was actively seeking new employment and submitting applications. It was only the middle of the second month of his unemployment, but she’d strangle him with her own stockings if things didn’t change.

  Groaning, Marcy stepped from the car and climbed the stairs to her upper level apartment. Bass pounded from inside, greeting her with the thump of hard rap. She tore down the printed sheet of paper taped to the door and scanned it before entering.

  Ms. Vargas,

  Under the stipulations of your rental agreement, you have agreed to refrain from excessive amounts of noise that will constitute a disruption to the peaceful environment expected by your fellow tenants.

  We are writing to inform you of numerous complaints received by this office since our second and last written warning on the date of March 14, in regards to your failure to adhere to the noise policy of your rental agreement. Further infractions may lead to disciplinary action, leading up to eviction.

  Remember that you are allowed to entertain guests on the property, but ultimately their noise is your responsibility.

  Numerous complaints and another written warning? Marcy spun on her heel and stormed down to the main office in time to find the clerk closing up for the day.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, hello, Ms. Vargas.”

  “Don’t ‘Ms. Vargas’ me, Julie. What is this about?”

  Julie averted her gaze. “Well... I wrote you two other notes, Marcy. Everyone is complaining about the noise during the day.”

  “Two other notes? This is the first note I’ve had,” Marcy gritted out.

  “Really?”

  “Uh, yeah. I wouldn’t be down here waving this about in your face if I received another, don’t you think? If there were problems, why didn’t you call me?”

  “We made calls to the apartment and Mr. Jones said he would pass the message on to you.”

  Molten red flashed before Marcy’s eyes and became a furious curtain over her vision. Her head pounded like the music thundering from her apartment. “This will be remedied post haste, Julie. Next time there’s a problem, you come to me.”

  “I’m sorry, I thought—”

  Marcy whirled and exited the office. Less than a minute later, she’d run in her heels up the stairs to her walkway and charged into her unit. Her boyfriend didn’t budge from the couch to greet her. He reclined with a bag of Doritos on his lap, her laptop on the table, and a bowl of hot cheese on the coffee table beside it. He was playing Candy Crush. She breezed by him and snatched the television plug out of the wall.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she demanded.

  “Relaxing? What’s up?”

  She shoved the paper in his face. “Third warning?”

  “Oh, yeah. About that...”

  “What about it?”

  “Hell, I forgot. It’s not like it’s loud anyway, baby. They’re trying to scare you.”

  “Well consider me scared and pissed off. Get off my computer and pack.”

  “You’re going to kick me out because they wrote you a little letter?”

  “No. I’m kicking you out because you’re a slob and I hate living with you. I’m kicking you out because my place looks like a cyclone hit it. I’ve seen accident scenes less messy than this living room,” she hissed. His clothes were usually left on the floor until she came home to tidy up. Enough was enough. “You aren’t even trying to find a job.”

  “I look for work all day when you’re gone.”

  “No, you don’t. I’ve looked at my internet history. You spend all day looking at porn GIFs on Tumblr!”

  Half an hour later, Marcy had finished bagging Matt’s stuff into trash bags and setting them on the walkway outside. He shuffled away to his van like she had betrayed him.

  “Time to retake my life. I don’t need him.” Or my damned stressful ass job, she thought. With Matt gone, she settled at the computer and wrote out her two weeks’ notice. She signed the printed resignation and placed it in her briefcase for the morning, then trudged into the kitchen to look at the pile of dishes overflowing from the sink. How had one man turned her kitchen into a disaster zone in a single day? Things had never looked this bad when Chloe lived with her.

  The phone rang as if on cue. She picked it up and saw the Caller ID: Saul Drakenstone. “Hi, Chloe.”

  “Hey, girl. I’m not calling too soon after work, am I?”

  “No, not at all.”

  Marcy returned to the kitchen and fetched dinner ingredients from the fridge. She balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder while she chopped them on the cutting board.

  “A little someone suggested now would be a great time to call you about an idea I had,” Chloe said.

  Marcy grunted. The “little someone” was probably Saul and Chloe’s genie friend Mahasti. “Yeah? I’m listening.”

  “You, me, and Astrid enjoying two weeks in the sun on a white sand beach at a resort on a private island. Blue waves crashing clean ocean water onto the shore. Hot guys in speedos. Bahama Mamas. Wild and casual sex. Uh, for you, not me. Saul, stop looking at me like I’m a naughty girl.” The dragon shifter chuckled in the background.

  “I don’t know... a visit to an island right now, Chloe?”

  “Saul is overworked and busy. Come on, Marcy. I’m begging you. Besides, Astrid misses her tía. She’s going to grow up behind your back. You’ll miss everything,” Chloe stressed. Her best friend knew how to lay it on thick.

  Marcy rolled her eyes. “Your daughter ages half as quickly as normal children, chica. Don’t give me that bullshit. She’ll look exactly the same in a month when I visit as she did a season ago.”

  “I know, but I really think you need some time away from your shithole job.”

  “It’s not a shithole,” she sniffled into the phone.

  “You’re not happy there. Are you crying?” Chloe demanded with worry.

  Marcy scooped the diced onions into a b
owl and discarded the knife into the dishwasher. “No, I’m cutting onions. My job isn’t worth tears. Yet. So anyway, tell me how Astrid’s doing.”

  “She’s doing great. We were going over colors together outside with the chalk today, and she spelled her name.”

  “No way. You helped her right?”

  “Nope. She spelled her name out all on her own.” Chloe’s enthusiasm made Marcy beam with pride, too.

  “That’s amazing. Man, I miss you guys.”

  “So... you’ll come?”

  “Maybe. Oh, who am I kidding. I planned to put in my two weeks’ notice tomorrow.”

  “What? You’re actually quitting?”

  “I’m tired of the BS, Chloe,” Marcy replied, sighing. “You’re right, I’m ready for a break.”

  “Then come. I’m supposed to represent some of Saul’s business interests since he can’t attend. I’d really love it if you attended these stupid functions with me.”

  “When is it?”

  “I have to be there Saturday.”

  “Count me in then. I can have Mahasti send me back to Houston for work by Monday if Howard won’t let me have the time off. Now tell me about this resort and where we’re going.”

  According to Chloe, the resort was owned by some billionaire friend of Saul’s, located off of the Yucatán Peninsula. They would be expected to attend a banquet to celebrate both the advancement of local conservation efforts and a giant merger between two organizations striving for environmental protection of the rainforest. Saul was a donor.

  “I dunno... sounds a little shady, doesn’t it? How can you own a mega resort and also claim to support the environment? They’re probably dumping tons of trash into the ocean every day, and can you even imagine the electricity usage going on there?”

  “Actually, no. 90% of the island is run by solar power. The rest is wind-generated. Eco-resorts are actually a thing now,” Chloe said. “Anyway, I can hear your belly grumbling through the line. Go eat, and I’ll talk to you again soon. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  After ending the call, Marcy tossed together the makings for fajitas then enjoyed a soak in the tub with her favorite book. The silence without Matt was bliss, and she knew without a doubt she’d made the right choice.

  Fixing her life began at home, and in the morning she’d have one more change to make.

  ***

  “Marcy, you can’t leave us. You’ve been with us since the beginning. Years,” her boss emphasized.

  Gee, thanks a lot. Way to rub it in, Marcy thought. She’d seen the company through its shaky, fragile start all the way through its booming success. “And now it’s time for me to step down.”

  Howard Burke frowned, concern etching his brow. The salt and pepper haired man rose from his seat behind the desk and moved to take the chair beside Marcy. Her boss was a robust, middle-aged man in his late fifties. The father she’d never had and an all-around sweetheart. Leaving the job had nothing to do with him and everything to do with the rigors of performing her duties.

  “How could we ever replace you? Do you want more money? Is that the problem? I’ll increase your annual pay by twenty-five grand. A bonus right away. Buy yourself a new car.”

  Marcy sighed and twisted a strand of her hair around one finger. He made a tempting offer. “It doesn’t have to do with the money. I’m ready to move on, Howard. I spend too much time working for this company in and out of the office. I need time to actually live my life and enjoy it.” What good was her massive savings if she rarely had time off to spend it?

  “A vacation then. How long do you need? A week—”

  “Would not be enough,” she cut in gently, laying a hand on his arm.

  “Two weeks paid beginning Monday, and if at the end you’re not rested, I will allow you to go with no more questions asked and a glowing recommendation letter for any future employers.”

  “Howard... Are you sure?” She considered the upcoming vacation with Chloe and chuckled.

  “I am,” he assured her. “Go on. Go home, and enjoy your vacation with Chloe. Take as long as you need, and when you return we’ll speak about it again.”

  “Howard, I need a time frame, or you may not get me back until winter.”

  Her boss waved at her and returned to his desk chair. “Katie is your assistant, and she’s eager to show some responsibility by taking more duties. Take a month. At the very least, it’ll give her time to prove herself without relying on you. We’ll survive.”

  The remaining two days of the week passed with relative peace. By the time Saturday arrived, she’d packed her clothes and informed the apartment office staff she’d be away for at least two weeks of fun in the sun.

  Chloe phoned at half past noon. “We’re coming.”

  “O—” Kay, she intended to say as her blonde friend appeared in the center of the living room. Marcy laughed and ended the call. “Hi, guys.”

  Chloe looked as youthful as ever, forever frozen at the age of 29. In her arms, she held a squirming toddler who immediately began to kick and fight for freedom.

  “¡Tía, tía!” Astrid squealed until Chloe lowered her to the floor. Her child had the appearance of a kid half her age, but the mental awareness of a four year old.

  “Ah, come here, mi corazón. I’ve missed you so much.” The child made a beeline for Marcy and raised her arms to be picked up. She acquiesced and swept Astrid into her arms for exaggerated kisses to her face and golden-haired head.

  “She speaks more Spanish than I do because of you,” Chloe grumbled. “Why don’t I get hugs and kisses like your auntie? Huh?”

  “You want hugs and kisses?”

  “Maybe I do. I want to feel some love, too.”

  “Well I am so sorry you were left out.” Marcy leaned in a placed an exaggerated smooch against Chloe’s cheek.

  They had a laugh together then finished gathering the rest of Marcy’s vacation belongings, running off a mental checklist that included her makeup kit, favorite beach cover-up, camera, and art supplies.

  “Got everything?” Chloe asked.

  “I think so.”

  “Okay, Mahasti, we’re ready,” Chloe spoke aloud to the air.

  The world around Marcy shimmered and spun, whirling out of control until her stomach seemed to rise and fall in her gut. She would have staggered if the bonds of magic didn’t anchor her firmly in place. The dizzying arrival deposited them in the middle of a lavish hotel room with enormous windows spanning half the wall. A fifth floor view overlooked the resort grounds and lush greenery bordering the beach below.

  “I’ll never get used to flying Air Genie,” Marcy muttered.

  Air Genie was her fond way of referring to the instantaneous travel Mahasti the Djinn used to teleport them from one location to the next.

  “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it beats airport security and cramped seats by a long shot, but I always feel nauseated afterward. Thanks, Mahasti.”

  “It is nothing,” Mahasti’s disembodied voice replied.

  Astrid clapped her hands together. “Again, please! Wanna do it again!”

  “I think you’re alone there, Marce. I feel fine.”

  “You both also have the blood of a dragon in your veins,” Marcy pointed out, giving a disgruntled grumble. “That probably negates magical teleportation motion sickness.”

  Chloe grinned at her. “Well, Saul’s Uncle Thor is always in the market for a new concubine... He usually goes for shifters but will make an exception and take a human only if she’s as hot as me.”

  Marcy tossed her purse onto one of the queen size beds then waved her hands around. “I’m not having a baby for a shot at eternal life. This womb is closed for business.”

  “How can it be closed if it’s never been open?”

  Within seconds, they had both burst into a fit of giggles.

  “Down, Mama, down.” Astrid kicked her little feet until Chloe set her on the floor. She immediately ran and leapt onto the bed to r
oll upon the soft coverlets. As her child played, Chloe stepped over to her friend and hugged her tight.

  “I’m glad you’re here. You know, I’m joking right? About the baby thing?”

  “I know,” Marcy replied. “But you almost died, chica. It was the most... terrifying experience of my entire life, thinking you would be gone forever.”

  “I couldn’t have made it if not for you and Saul,” Chloe admitted. “It’s a good thing he inherited his mother’s ability to cast healing spells.”

  Until five years ago, Chloe had never intended to become a mother. It all happened by chance when a one-night stand with a mysterious man resulted in her life-changing pregnancy. Of course, all pregnancies were life altering, but Chloe’s was more special than most.

  She’d conceived with a dragon named Saul, and in bearing his child, cemented her own immortality. The blood of the dragons flowed through her veins, an irreversible and magical change that made her as strong as the ancient being she had married.

  And one day, her best friend Marcy was bound to grow old, wither and die. It was a sobering thought that brought them together so frequently for visits that Marcy may as well have packed up her home and moved in with the dragon family.

  “I already unpacked everything I brought for Astrid and me,” Chloe explained, gesturing around the big suite. “You can take a moment to do the same then I’ll show you around.”

  “Sounds good,” Marcy said, moving her clothes from her luggage into an empty dresser. “So, tell me why you made me bring my flirtiest dresses.”

  “There’s going to be lots of rich and influential people around for the opening festivities. A few actors from Saul’s films also accepted Teo’s invitation—”

  “Wait, what? Teo’s invitation?” Marcy interrupted.

  Chloe hesitated. “Well, Marcy, whose island did you think we were visiting? I told Teo the two of us were coming on Saul’s behalf. He isn’t really a fan of hobnobbing, and too many people in the business have long memories. If they recognize he’s the same man they met thirty years ago, we’ll have problems. So I’m here instead as Teo’s personal guest.”

  “Ugh. You mean he’s going to be here?”

  “Well, it’s his island, silly. Seriously though, I doubt he’ll stay long. Teo will probably put in an appearance then soar off to his place.”