A Royal Continuum Read online

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  A ROYAL CONTINUUM

  by

  MARIE HARTE

  Amber Quill Press, LLC

  http://www.amberquill.com

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  A Royal Continuum

  An Amber Quill Press Book

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or have been used fictitiously.

  Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

  Amber Quill Press, LLC

  http://www.amberquill.com

  http://www.amberheat.com

  http://www.amber-allure.com

  All rights reserved.

  No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

  Copyright © 2007 by Marie Harte

  ISBN 978-1-60272-129-6

  Cover Art © 2007 Trace Edward Zaber

  Layout and Formatting

  Provided by: Elemental Alchemy

  Published in the United States of America

  Also by Marie Harte

  Darkson's Forfeit

  Firebreather

  Chapter 1

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  Matthias Dekker glared at the men surrounding him in the dank, musky bar, their fists clenched in outrage as many of them reached for anything they might use as a weapon. Though Matthias had always considered himself open-minded concerning the human race, lately his ideals had been put to the test. Still, he hung on to his patience and did his best to quell the dragon writhing inside of him. Maintaining his weaker, human form, he mentally prepared for the brewing battle.

  An unkempt bear of a man shook a large bat at him. "Look, you sorry sack of shit. Your kind isn't welcome here, and never will be. Everybody knows a good Dracon is a dead Dracon." Several in the crowd laughed.

  Asshole. Not too clever, and not very creative. Since the Dracon had first "come out" to the world over five hundred years ago, humans hadn't known whether to flee in fright or stare in awe at the shapeshifters. Both species lived together, if not in harmony, then at least in peaceable coexistence... normally. Hell, his older brother had married a human, though Matthias admitted Lea was an extraordinary woman, one who had converted into a royal Dracon with ease.

  Matthias admired Lea and her family. He'd even had designs on Lea's sister, Cora, but had quickly seen the attraction as one that would never satisfy him. Cora was pretty, intelligent, and far too frail for his liking. Unlike her sister, Cora would never turn Dracon. She didn't have that special something within her, that added fire. And without it, Matthias could never take her to mate.

  Thoughts of a mate brought him back to his reasons for frequenting this hell hole. His quarry. Now that was a female to fight over, to stake a claim for and never let go...

  A fist lashed out, nearly striking him, and Matthias quickly focused on the here and now. Why the hell hadn't he taken the time to check out this place before entering?

  Because you're too used to everyone catering to your whims, his conscience chided. Life has become tedious, empty. So how's this for shaking things up?

  Hell, it was for that very reason that he'd jumped at the chance to track down Shino's long-lost niece, that and to finally get his hands on her. God help her if she lived among these bigots. And God help any of them if they'd so much as looked at her the wrong way.

  "Tell you what, son." An older man that looked like the giant holding the bat stepped forward. "Do that lizard thing and turn all green-like. You rip off one of them dragon claws for each of us as a souvenir. Maybe some of them fangs, too. And we'll let you live." The man smiled, his eyes hard, his lips thin and nearly bloodless.

  Matthias smiled back, his white, even teeth growing sharper as he spoke. "I tell you what. You assholes back up and I won't hurt you...much. I came in here looking for a woman who's gone missing. I don't want any trouble, but I'm not averse to handing it out to those asking for it."

  "Averse," someone mimicked. "Fancy talk, dragon boy. You're too pretty to be looking for a woman. I bet you came in here looking for dick instead." Several men guffawed and grabbed at their crotches. "Dick, where are ya?"

  Another unkempt giant stepped forward. "Right here, Mike. But I don't know about this. He's pretty enough I suppose. But I wouldn't want my dick to fall off in a scaley, green ass."

  More laughter followed as several other men joined the crowd. Fuck. Matthias couldn't hold off this many in human form. He needed to shift, but he needed the space to shift as well. The minute he started to turn, they'd be all over him. And it looked as though he wasn't going to get the time he needed. Unless...

  "I tell you what, fellas. I'll make this fair." Matthias shrugged out of his jacket and rolled up his sleeves while the crowd quieted. "Send me your strongest and we'll fight this out, man to man."

  Shino was going to owe him big time for this. And Matthias planned on his niece as due payment.

  Mike grinned and stepped forward, along with three other giants that looked related. An entire family of illiterate pricks. How nice. Mike, however, kept the large bat in a tight grip. An unfair fight, even better.

  The crowd backed up to give them more room, and Matthias breathed a small sigh of relief. The blow to the back of his ribs took him by surprise, however. And before he could recover, a bat swung at his head.

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  Tanner Flay cursed under his breath as he watched a Dracon royal prince nearly suffer a busted skull. Luckily, Matthias's reflexes were spot on, and he dodged the blow and landed one of his own, sending the man sprawling. Great. One more shitkicker out of the way so another could take his place.

  Lucas was going to have his ass if anything happened to golden boy over there. But hell, what was Tanner supposed to do? Lucas had given him explicit instructions a week ago. Follow Matthias, keep him safe, and whatever you do, don't let him know you're there to protect him. If he manages to lose his other guards, you'll be his last defense. Considering Lucas, the king's personal royal guard, had been known to maim and severely damage those who screwed with the royal family, Tanner had accepted the icebreather's direction without a qualm. But he hadn't counted on Matthias's contrary will.

  The prince had thus far countered every instruction Tanner had overheard Lucas give him. Matthias didn't shield his identity as a shapeshifter or hide his intended destination, and he refused to take his assigned guard with him, making Tanner's job that much more difficult. Hell, the prince had already lost the three tails Lucas had sent after him, and it had taken Tanner all day to track Matthias to this surprisingly large shack in the mountains. And now Tanner was the last Dracon standing between Matthias and a royal ass-whooping.

  Tanner gritted his teeth and began to muscle through the crowd surrounding the prince. Matthias was doing a decent job of protecting himself without killing any humans. For his troubles, he'd taken a few blows to the midsection, but nothing too rough. Just so long as he protected his weaker points... Shit, too late.

  Another redneck swung at Matthias, making contact with his knee. Matthias swore and stumbled, allowing three men to jump him before he shook them off and knocked them into the crowd. Matthias's eyes took on a red sheen--never a good sign--and he pounded two men unconscious, adding them to the half dozen littering the dirty floor. With the press of bodies moving closer, Tanner could only hear grunts and groans as Matthias steadily mowed down his opponents. But if anything, word of the fight drew more men, as another few raced through the entrance heading toward the brawl.

  Tanner cursed under his breat
h at unruly royalty and shoved his way toward the fight's edge. Several made way for him, apparently reading his annoyance and his overly large body bent on crushing anyone who stood in his way. Though Lucas had cautioned him not to make waves with local law enforcement, Tanner would do what he had to in order to protect Matthias. He reached the edge of the circle to see Matthias glaring at his battered attackers, battle-lust shining in his black eyes. A rainbow of color glittered over the dark orbs, and Tanner watched, impressed despite himself, as the prince fought with an animal ferocity, so out of keeping with the tamest, most easygoing of the Dekkers.

  A man next to Tanner moved forward and Tanner clipped him under his chin. Several others started at the unexpected violence, but Tanner merely grinned. "Let's watch, friend. I want to see a dragon up close. I hear he's a firebreather."

  Hearing that Matthias was a rare firebreather, a shapeshifting Dracon capable of a hell of a lot of damage, many in the crowd finally began to disperse. But the diehard Dracon-haters swarmed. Tanner suddenly had his hands full knocking heads together and sweeping fucking guns aside as the idiots brought firepower into an already unfair fight. In his periphery, he saw Matthias shimmer, beginning to shift forms. Knowing Matthias needed protection in this moment of vulnerability, Tanner kept the others away and in the process earned several blows to the stomach and face. Unfortunately for his opponents, the roughness only whet his appetite for destruction.

  Feeling his own control slipping as the urge to shift and devour the enemy grew strong, Tanner forced himself to remain as a man and contented himself with driving his fists and feet into his bigoted adversaries.

  "Shit. Look out!" someone screamed.

  The bar began seriously emptying as Matthias swung his massive green head from side to side. His chest heaved and his tail swung with the force of a whip, knocking men back left and right. A twenty foot long dragon in the throes of deepening rage wasn't something to look at up close and keep one's health.

  Tanner had his hands full as the men he fought struggled to get by him to the exit.

  I'm going to feast tonight.

  Tanner felt Matthias's projection in his mind, the communication between Dracons telepathic in the way they shared images leading to mindspeak. Matthias roared and set the curve of the bar on fire, igniting several bottles of liquor which exploded on contact.

  The fiery emission should have eased some of Matthias's need for destruction. And yet... Tanner could sense that Matthias had worked up an appetite. Crap.

  Quickly shoving several escaping men out of his way, Tanner raced toward two men leveling rifles at Matthias, while the prince snapped at two humans cowering and crying on the floor.

  Not so brave now, hmm, Dick? Matthias snorted, a puff of smoke escaping.

  Tanner would have laughed had he not been so concerned with the assholes readying to shoot the prince. Though Tanner was in fact new to his security detail, his loyalty was unquestioning. If need be, he would die to protect his charge. And since the royal guard had appointed him the task of keeping Matthias safe, he'd do what was necessary.

  Luckily, taking a bullet proved unneeded. With a swift kick, Tanner took down the closest marksman, causing the other to aim his way. Ducking the sudden rifle burst, Tanner punched the second rifle's owner in the face hard enough to break his nose. The asshole fell to his knees screaming.

  Matthias continued to play with the few bullies left, thankfully not chewing through blood and bone, but rather taunting them as he exhaled smoke and set a few pairs of boots on fire.

  While their opponents raced around the bar slapping at their feet, Tanner couldn't help smirking at the hapless idiots. Then a large boom surprised him, and he stared in horrified dismay as Matthias went down.

  "Got him." The old man who'd been so insulting earlier held a shotgun in his hands. "Now those of you that's left, let's grab them claws and teeth. Worth a pretty penny, especially since this one's a firebreather."

  Tanner saw red. Without pausing to consider his actions, he flew at the old man and his accomplices. Time had no meaning as instincts took hold. He shifted in the blink of an eye and began destroying everything in his path. Not a firebreather like Matthias, he nevertheless could destroy with his claws and tail, teeth and wings. By the time he finished, several lay dead, the bar was in ruins, its roof all but nonexistent as Tanner and the fire had broken through the ceiling, and he held Matthias in his large claws.

  Seeing Matthias's nearby coat, Tanner added that to his load and took to the skies, flying unsteadily, not used to carrying such weight. He did, however, manage to put several miles between them and the disaster at the bar. Finding an isolated spot in the mountains would be fairly simple. It was cold up here, even in the early fall. The cold had never bothered Tanner, and truth be told, he preferred it to being overly warm. Dragon scales would help maintain Matthias's body heat, that and his firebreather nature.

  Carefully clenching his claws, Tanner felt Matthias in his grip and focused his hearing. Matthias remained unconscious and bleeding, but his heartbeat was strong, and for that Tanner said his blessings.

  Finally spotting what he'd been looking for, Tanner slowly descended toward a lone cabin in the woods. The place stood in darkness, and Tanner could sense no life within. Deserted or vacant, he couldn't tell, but the absence of humans was enough.

  He set Matthias down gently and shifted into human form, needing the dexterity of his hands to help aid the injured prince.

  "Matthias, can you hear me?" He ran his hands over the smooth green scales, tingling at the odd heat racing through him. Matthias's body felt as if an electric charge surrounded it. Tanner shook off the strange feeling and continued to move his hands over the dark green scales, searching for the cause of the bleeding he could smell but couldn't yet determine.

  Tanner stared at Matthias, seeing easily in the dark with his Dracon senses. Though blood spattered the prince, none of it pooled anywhere. And a head wound should have been obvious. Yet there was no blood, and the prince remained unconscious. A puzzle. Tanner wished Matthias could shift back. Studying him in a man's form would be much easier than trying to look over his huge, protectively scaled dragon's body.

  The prince suddenly groaned, music to Tanner's ears.

  "Matthias, can you shift back for me? I can't see where you've been hurt."

  Matthias blinked his eyes open, and Tanner froze at the sudden connection between them. Lust surged in his blood, a hunger for something intangible that confused him. Matthias lifted his claws to catch Tanner's arm.

  "You." The prince's eyes widened and he shifted into a man's body. A slow, satisfied smile curled his lips, and then his grip went slack and he passed out again.

  Tanner stared unseeingly at Matthias's torn clothing over golden skin. What the fuck was that? He moved uncomfortably, aware he had the mother of all hard-ons right now. Which made no sense. He wasn't into men, and shouldn't have had any desire for sex when his every concern was to ensure the safety and health of the prince.

  Grumbling under his breath, Tanner eased the prince out of his ripped and useless clothing. Good for nothing but rags, now. A glance at the many bullet holes through denim showed him the futility of keeping the garments. Tossing the mess to the side, he focused again on his charge.

  Ignoring his own unruly body for the moment, he checked Matthias for injury and found several bruises and two deep gouges, one across Matthias's temple which had been hidden by his hair. That injury must have accounted for his sudden loss of consciousness. Thank God it hadn't been worse. Matthias's scales must have deflected much of the shotgun blast, even at such close range.

  Breathing easier now, Tanner knelt to take Matthias in his arms. The minute his palms touched his prince's hard flesh, his body screamed for sexual release. What the hell is wrong with me? Grunting under Matthias's weight, he gauged the prince to be an inch or two taller than his own six three frame. All bone and muscle, and heavy as hell deadweight. But with sure steps, Tanner w
alked into the unlocked cabin.

  Though small on the outside, the log cabin's interior looked much larger. The moonlight shone through the cabin's unfettered windows, highlighting a well-tended, heated home. Whoever had been living here would be back, and Tanner would need to be ready.

  That in mind, Tanner looked for a place to put the prince. Homey and warm, the cabin looked to be one large living space with two doors to the left. The first, Tanner discovered, was a small bathroom. The second, a surprisingly feminine bedroom. He settled Matthias on the pink and white quilted bed and left for the bathroom. Big enough to fit a small toilet, pedestal sink and surprisingly spacious shower, it also held what he'd been looking for in the cabinet over the commode. A first aid kit.

  Tanner collected the first aid kit, a wet washcloth and a towel and returned to Matthias. Settling beside him on the bed, Tanner spread out his supplies. Nothing appeared to still be bleeding, and Tanner decided to clean Matthias up before tending to his wounds, which by and large seemed surprisingly superficial, save for the head wound and another deeper cut near his groin. The damned shotgun had hit more than Matthias's hard head.

  As he cleaned the prince, Tanner couldn't help noticing the strong lines of muscle over the man's frame. Long and lean, Matthias had strength abundant in his corded arms and thick, powerful thighs. Even the bruises on his skin couldn't hide Matthias's supple flesh, the firebreather's warmth radiating health in that royal frame.

  Tanner frowned as he ran the washcloth over Matthias's arms, belly and chest. For such a large man, Matthias had soft skin over those ropy muscles. And the golden color told Tanner the prince often worked outside. Curious, Tanner reviewed what he knew of the royal family, wondering again where Matthias fell into the scheme of things.