Dragon Mate by Ariana Hawkes

Author:Ariana Hawkes [Hawkes, Ariana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Luna Negra Press
Published: 2020-02-10T06:00:00+00:00

They didn’t pass any signs. There were no highway exits saying “RAGTOWN, TURN HERE.”

Just a long mountain road, full of switchbacks, and then Callan made a swift exit left, and April was suddenly staring at a tiny, ramshackle town full of trees, crooked buildings, and plenty of shifters, watching their arrival from darkened windows and street corners.

April tried to keep a friendly smile on her face, but the eyes that watched Callan’s car weave through the neighborhood were curious, suspicious, even.

Wary.

“Well,” Callan said as he pulled in front of a small, rundown wooden house, “here it is. Home sweet home.”

April took it all in. The yard was well-maintained, and the house itself was surprisingly charming, despite its minuscule size. “It’s wonderful,” she decided as she climbed out of the car. “Exactly what I was hoping it would be.”

“You were hoping I’d take you out of a literal library tower where books lined the walls and bring you to a shack in the woods?” Callan raised an eyebrow.

April grinned as she bridged the gap between them, letting him wrap his arms around her waist. “All I’d hoped for was to us to be somewhere safe together. I don’t care about fancy houses—though a library would be nice.”

“Ragtown’s got a library,” Callan pointed out as he guided her up the porch steps. “As for the house, well… maybe take a look at it before you make your judgment.”

He opened the door, and April stepped inside.

It was small—of course it was small, she’d been expecting that. Callan was alone, and had no need for oodles of space. Plus, April knew that dragons often preferred to keep multiple living spaces—he probably also had secret a dragon cave, somewhere nearby.

But it was tidy, and well-decorated—Callan had done what he could to make it a cozy space. There were paintings on the walls, gold fixtures here and there, a ruby red rug on the hardwood floor, emerald green curtains in front of the windows.

She smiled when she saw the little crystals, dangling from the miniature chandelier over the table—this was the home of a dragon, all right.

“It’s just like the one I had growing up,” Callan explained when he saw her looking at the light. “Much, much smaller, of course—and ours was made with real gems. But I found this at a flea market, and… I know it’s tacky. But it reminded me of home.”

April watched the reflections of the crystals spin against the dining room table. “It’s not tacky. Tacky, however, is this avocado green refrigerator—where did this come from, 1975?”

Callan chuckled. “It came from Ryker, actually. He’s the guy you call when you need to get something—and his resources are often limited. You have to learn not to be picky here in Ragtown.”

“That must explain the car, too,” April teased. She crossed to the fridge and opened it, her stomach rumbling—but there was nothing.

Callan met her eyes sheepishly. “Sorry,” he told her. “I would have arranged to have it stocked if I knew I’d be bringing you back here.

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