Dragon Blues (Immortal Dragons Book 1) Read online

  Immortal Dragons

  Book One

  Dragon Blues

  Ophelia Bell

  Thank you for buying Dragon Blues! If you enjoy it and would like to receive updates on new releases, news, and giveaways by Ophelia Bell, simply subscribe to Ophelia Bell’s mailing list. You will receive a link to download the first two books in the Sleeping Dragons series, in the format of your choice.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Thank you for reading!

  Books by Ophelia Bell

  About Ophelia Bell

  ***

  Chapter One

  “It has to be you, Sister.”

  Belah dug her talons into the soft grass-covered earth of the Glade in an effort to suppress her objection to her sibling’s request. Ked was right, as were the others. Leaving the Glade was the only way to accomplish their goal. And of course they chose her to be the first, in spite of her history. Or maybe because of it.

  Ked’s black eyes watched her steadily from beneath his heavy, black-scaled brow. The infinite depths of those twin voids disconcerted her even though she knew the level of compassion that hid in the shadows behind them. Of all her siblings, Ked knew the true extent of her reluctance. He’d seen her at her worst, saved her from continued torture and exploitation at the hands of a human man she’d once loved. The mistake she’d made still haunted their race more than three thousand years later.

  “We’ve already altered our laws to increase our numbers as quickly as possible. The six of us are not exempt from the breeding requirement, sister.”

  She and her five siblings were organized in their typical circle, the others all watching her, waiting for her to agree to a thing she had begun to believe would never happen again. She would leave the Glade for the first time since the very first Hibernation cycle. It had to be her because she could most easily attune herself to the human populations, would be able to sense the unique patterns of hostile intent that were the badge of their enemy, the Ultiori. And she would be the first member of the immortal Dragon Council to breed since their Mother first breathed them into existence with the prismatic flames from her own lungs.

  They’d all been viewed as gods back then, and had taken full advantage of their roles. Not only had she been a queen, worshiped by thousands of human subjects, she’d also had her pick of human partners to take to her bed. Nik had been the man she’d chosen, the only one who didn’t fear her true shape, and who was willing to take the chance of being bedded by a goddess.

  They had loved each other, in their own ways. His betrayal had been even more heartbreaking for the fact of their love. Or what she believed was love, but may only have been abject submission that she let fester into something horrific, even though she never abused the man. Every emotion she read from him spoke unadulterated love and nothing else. The fact that she—a Blue of the Mother’s first brood—had been mistaken still haunted her. They had all paid since, in so many ways, when her lover turned on her.

  The ruthlessness he’d exhibited afterward had forced her entire race to hide itself with nearly permanent human disguises and guarded magical temples for their children. They’d changed their laws to protect their offspring, but somehow their enemy—the enemy she was responsible for creating—still managed to find them.

  “It’s surely too big a risk still, for one of us to walk among humans. The Ultiori would know …” It was a weak objection, but she couldn’t help but try to at least put it off.

  “This is why only one of us at a time will go. You would be well guarded. Kol’s Shadows are very well trained, and you’ll be hosted by Bren’s son and his mate, who will take very good care of you.”

  “I remember Erika,” she said. “It’s a rare human who can assert herself so well with a dragon mate, to fit in among our kind.”

  She let out a short gust of breath, trying to tamp down the memory of Nik and how ideal she’d thought him at the beginning before he betrayed her. Like a fool, she’d been too certain of the depth of his worship of her, and hadn’t marked him because she believed it showed weakness to admit to loving someone.

  Her siblings hadn’t criticized her for her mistake, at least. The same thing could have happened to any of them. But they made new laws to prevent the mistake from occurring again. The distance three thousand years gave her from that event still hadn’t diminished her shame, however. That a single drop of her blood on her lover’s tongue could drive him mad with power had never occurred to any of them.

  The bigger mistake was the one that followed—she forgave him and forbade the others from destroying him once they did track him down. The truth was, he hadn’t caused trouble for them for nearly a century. He’d simply become a king in his own right, though maybe not a kind one, but he hadn’t been a threat.

  It wasn’t until his son had died in an attempt to kill a dragon and steal its blood that they realized their mistake. The boy had done it in an effort to become as powerful and near-immortal as his father, but failed, and their entire race had suffered the father’s vengeful grief ever since.

  “It’s been so long since they hunted us,” her sister Aurum said. “Their newest acolytes believe we’re a myth, that some other power infuses the elixir they are initiated with. We would have the element of surprise if we spend the next two decades raising a new brood, the likes of which the world has never seen. The Ultiori will be outnumbered, their hunters too overwhelmed to fight back.”

  The elixir was made from the blood of dragons who had been hunted over the centuries. Their children, and their children’s children. Fewer within the last six generations since they began hiding them away, but every hundred years or so another one fell victim to their enemy. And then the other higher races became targets when the dragons couldn’t be found.

  “Sister,” Aodh said, “the past is behind us now. We must move forward if we are going to prevail.”

  But the scars of the past still burned her belly, even if they were invisible. She glanced down at the scored earth in front of her, shocked to realize she’d been idly carving a pattern into the ground with her talons—the very same intricate design Nik had cut into her belly that day, just barely breaking the skin, but cutting deep enough for her to feel it. The pain had been beautiful, cathartic, and even more so coupled with the pleasure he gave her with his tongue moments later. She should have known not to let him taste the blood—not without being marked by her first. In her mind’s eye the pattern in the earth swelled, filling with the blood of the dragons who had been targeted, hunted and bled because of her.

  Yes, she must do this. It was time to stop hiding and correct her mistake. Perhaps she could find some consolation once she found a mate, though she was skeptical she could ever give herself so completely to another man again.

  “Very well,” she said, and shifted to her chosen human form. “Let Geva and Erika know I am ready. I’d prefer not to waste more time.”

  Chapter Two

  Heaven was music.

  Lukas had found heaven. Heaven existed in every breath his lungs pushed through the mouthpiece of his saxophone. And in the sounds that came out the other end. The combined shift of the audience when the music started told him that he’d done well. Th
at subtle lean or tilt of their heads, the rhythmic tap of a foot somewhere in the crowd. This particular club wasn’t the type of place for dancing—not like the blues club his older brother played at. The patrons came for the atmosphere of a jazz club, which he gave them in spades, with his low, sultry notes, laced with the tiniest bit of the North Wind that lived in his lungs, to keep them engaged. It helped having an immortal spirit infusing your very being to attract fans—and lovers.

  He never hit a wrong note, and could seduce a woman merely by playing the right song for her. The second half of heaven still eluded him—finding the perfect woman—even with his skills. Simply being able to seduce any woman he wanted didn’t make it easy to find the right one. And he should know, because he’d been looking for her for nearly two centuries.

  Yet he kept trying, because Heaven wasn’t only music. The other half of Heaven meant finding the perfect woman.

  Tonight his target was a lovely blonde at the cocktail table near the stage. She was seated with a pair of girlfriends, who chattered back and forth constantly during the first set, but this particular young woman seemed like she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. He threw her a glance and a smile in between solos. He’d test her with a few songs, then if she held true, he’d give her the full Lukas North treatment with the last song of the night, after which he’d take her home and hope she might be the one.

  It was still early in the night, however. The band was only a few songs in, so his seduction was merely beginning. He released the mouthpiece for a breath and a quick sip of water, then secured his lips again around it, fingertips resting on the brass keys, worn and smooth from constant use.

  His fingers nearly slipped when she walked in—a dark-haired beauty with skin so luminescent it couldn’t belong to a human woman. His lips parted and left the mouthpiece when his head turned to follow her through the room, unable to let his eyes dwell elsewhere. The blonde’s allure dimmed to insignificance.

  Just in time, he gathered himself and hit his cue with the bassist’s heavy note. That note vibrated through him when her eyes landed on him, and lingered as she walked.

  Suddenly the beat he played to had nothing at all to do with the band. Their rhythm still guided him, but his true music—the music that came from his soul—was meant to match the beat of her heart. Even as she made her way through the room with two other people to a private booth just beyond where the blonde sat.

  He very nearly missed a note when he saw the glimmer of light in her eyes, and in the eyes of her male companion. Lukas recognized the third member of their party. His lips quirked into a smile at the sight of Erika Rosencrans, and he thought he understood. If any human woman he knew could snag a dragon for a mate, it was her. But had she found herself two dragon mates? Or was the mesmerizing female beside her simply a friend? And if they really were a mated trio, would they be open to a fourth, even if it was only for fun?

  Fucking dragons, he thought, confused, but a little elated. If he could entice a dragon female into hearing him play, he didn’t care about anything else. All he cared about was making sure she noticed him. Dragons had particular sexual appetites, but were very picky who they chose to share them with.

  He hazarded a glance at Erika and the other dragon, trying to keep his focus on the music. The male, an intimidatingly huge Red dragon, hid his nature well, with a close shave and clean haircut. The male dragon paused while the two females settled into the booth, then slid in beside Erika and bent to kiss her and sling an arm protectively around her.

  Lukas raised an eyebrow as their kiss lingered. Definitely a closely mated pair from the looks of things. He glanced at the other woman in time to see her gaze linger longingly on the couple. And then the large Red rested a hand on Erika’s belly and whispered in her ear.

  Their beautiful companion turned away and met his eyes again.

  Blue, was all he could think. Her eyes were the first introduction, vivid and sky-colored. Her dress a deep, midnight-blue velvet that hugged every curve. Her hair a cascade of blue-black over creamy white shoulders. A pair of sapphires dangled from her ears, catching the light. The colors were only superficial to her mood, however, and he altered the key of his song to try to pick up that impression, knowing his bandmates would catch on quickly.

  He managed to keep up with the composition but was grateful for a break to catch the breath she’d stolen.

  She was the one. Right here. Right now. Right the fuck in front of him.

  But a Blue? Fuck.

  He’d been with a few dragons before. The higher races were allies, and he’d found a sense of camaraderie in their shared secrets, so it was always a relief when they found a friend in the crowd that meant they didn’t need to hide what they really were when they went home together.

  But this one … she was something else. He’d heard about how amazing Dragon Ascension season could be, but he hated what it meant for the rest of the higher races.

  The Ultiori would be out in full force, hunting.

  If these two were here, looking as young as they did, that meant it had begun. Maybe months ago, but this was his first clue. He wondered if his brother knew.

  He cursed their efficiency as much as he praised it. They were good at staying under the radar if even his race didn’t know their new generation was awake. But his race was good at keeping secrets, too, and he’d been out of touch for most of the year.

  None of that mattered when she moved, though. She raised a glass as he finished the song. She was looking right at him, toasting him, and he was mesmerized by the fingers on her glass, the slope of her arm, and the way her sweet, pink lips grasped the lip of the glass and drank, the lovely line of her creamy throat rippling as she swallowed.

  He shook his head to dispel the sudden, sure instinct that he had to have her tonight. And forever.

  Dragons were complicated. Not like his race. The Turul were simpler. The Turul lived to fly and cared about little else besides the wind and their music. The fact that they’d gotten tied up in deeper political issues didn’t sit well with him, even less so after his sister’s death fifty years earlier. He and his brother had managed to forgive the dragons in general—they hadn’t been the ones to kidnap and drain his sister’s blood in some barbaric ritual sacrifice. The Dragon Council were the ones responsible for the Ultiori’s existence. Those six immortal bastards could suck his cock.

  No, the rest of the dragons he had no issue with. Far from it, if the look she was giving him was any indication. He’d dive bomb the Dragon Council if he could, but this pretty dragon woman … he’d save her from their constricting laws. Take her away to an Enclave. Make sure she never had to worry about their fucking laws again, or about the Ultiori who hunted them. The urge to save her, care for her, protect her, was so primal his head throbbed with the compulsion as much as his dick throbbed with arousal at the very sight of her.

  He nearly missed a note at the understanding of that urge. The Turul mated for life. His own parents were the best example, but he’d seen it in action with countless other friends and relatives.

  He’d been skeptical about the truth of it, in spite of seeing his brethren coupling with each other, or even with other races. He’d been alive for so long without meeting the one. So long that he’d ceased believing in it. Maybe there was no one out there for him. Maybe Fate was playing a big joke on him, letting his close friends have it, but not giving him the chance. The heart wants what the heart wants, his best friend had told him on the day he wed his mate. Love at first sight was a myth to Lukas, until now.

  She was here. Right now. Right in fucking front of him, but he had to finish the set before he could talk to her. Never had he wished so hard to not be playing his saxophone. The instrument itself had become his only love for so long even his bandmates joked about how he loved it more than sex. There was some truth to it. He never found as much pleasure in coupling with another as he found playing music on this instrument. He’d tried, with all of them. Humans were enti
cing, but ultimately too complicated and too shallow at the same time, oblivious to the real world they lived in. Ursa were fun, and he tended to gravitate to them more often lately, because they seemed to enjoy his brand of humor and loved being entertained. The Nymphs were a little too … female for him. Perhaps having no male aspect to speak of made them that way, after the males of their race had been hunted to extinction. He loved women, but also loved men for their familiarity. And the women he was most attracted to were the ones with the most powerful personalities.

  Like his blue lady’s friend … He knew her well. Erika. He had very fond memories of her, though she’d never known his true nature. She wasn’t the woman for him, after all. But now it thrilled him to know she’d found a true mate in a Dragon. He’d always loved dragons. Perhaps it was their shared bond to the wind. The Nymphs could fly when they chose, but their true form was waterbound. The Ursa were so tied to the Earth that the sky was only of passing interest to them. Dragons craved the wind just like the Turul did. Thrived on it. Air meant life for every creature, but the wind meant even more to his race. The North Wind was their goddess, she was the one who gave them life. And she’d had an alliance with the Mother of Dragons since the beginning of time. Their fates were intertwined.

  If only the Dragon Council weren’t total jackasses. If only one of them hadn’t fucked it all up for everyone. At least that had been the very quiet rumor passed down since practically the dawn of time. One of them had made the mistake that had changed their entire world.

  He might forgive them entirely if this newly ascended beauty could be his. He might forget that his race and their sister races wound up the targets of the Ultiori after the dragons went to ground.

  His mood had been dark for several weeks over the same old thoughts, but lifted now that she was listening to him play.

  Chapter Three

  Belah closed her eyes, a little terrified by the effect the musician had on her. But the music calmed her as much as it excited her. The notes that came out of that beautiful, golden instrument were like nothing she’s ever heard.