Legion: Alpha Dragon Shifter Romance (Dragon Rules Series Book 1) by Tia Didmon (best fiction novels .TXT) 📗

as it hugged her ass. The entrance on the side of the store was private and hidden. He pushed back the overgrown brush in order to ascend the stairs.

Mara glanced at the tall bushes that had overtaken the terrace. “Sorry about the terrace forest. My mom had a garden under the stairs. It’s overgrown in the last couple years.

Legion glanced down at the foliage below. “Druids call to the earth. They are one with nature. Plants flourish in their presence.” He hadn’t meant his words to come out so harshly. Everything he said to Mara came out as if he were reprimanding her. Was he always this unforgiving, or had the years of loneliness turned him into a complete bastard?

She looked down as she unlocked the discolored oak door to her loft and allowed him entry. She hung her light jacket on a hook by the door, before putting her purse down on the green counter. They stood in the kitchen. If one could call it that. One that consisted of a small counter beside a yellow stove with a matching refrigerator. The small wooden table and four chairs were so worn, Legion doubted he could sit on one without breaking it. While he was large in his human form, his dragon’s density made it mandatory to seek sturdier furniture. Even the floorboards creaked under his weight.

He followed her to the purple couches in the front room that matched those in the store downstairs. Her loft was only one large room with three smaller ones attached. “Is that your bedroom?” Her scent drifted from the lavender painted room.

She nodded. “Yes, the larger room is Natalie’s. The tiny one is the bathroom.”

He tried not to let his distaste for the apartment show on his face. The eclectic suite was neat and quaint, but it was small. Dragons hated confined spaces. Anything that prohibited them from taking their dragon form. If he shifted here, he would destroy the loft and the store beneath. He planned a polite retreat when he noticed a large painting in her bedroom. Legion strode toward it, attempting not to let his surprise show. He pointed to the artwork on the wall. The man was looking over a meadow. His back was bare, while his kilt billowed in the wind. A meadow from another era, but that wasn’t the most noticeable feature. The man’s exposed back had a black tattoo of dragon’s wings. His wings. “Where did you get this?”

Mara glanced at the painting. “It’s been in my family for generations. It’s an heirloom. Painted by my great grandmother... with several greats added on.”

He studied the painting in silence, remembering the first time he had seen it. “I thought they had destroyed it. Adara must have retrieved it before they destroyed the second temple.”

Mara studied the picture. “What are you talking about? Do you know who this man was?”

Legion pulled off his shirt, turning to allow Mara to see the tattoo on his back. The painting, a recreation of the day he received them. The day he became leader of his clan. A sweet memory before destiny ripped his world apart. “The druid who painted this was a friend of mine. She was Adara’s aunt and a powerful druid.” He motioned to the picture. “May I take it down? There is an inscription on the portrait.”

Her eyes sparkled with interest. “Please do.”

Legion held the painting by the simple wooden frame. He whispered low under his breath in a language long forgotten by humanity. The gold script shimmered before appearing. It was visible for a few seconds, then faded into obscurity. His forehead creased as the words echoed in his soul.

Mara ran her delicate fingers over the invisible scripture. “What did it say?”

“It was a warning.”

She looked up at him. “What kind of warning?”

“For me to vigilant. When I first saw this painting, I did not understand the significance of the scripture.”

Mara let her fingers slip from the painting. “To be vigilant against what?”

“The dark dragons. Anyone who would take you from me. You are the last seer. The only treasure that matters to me.”

Mara’s heart stuttered. The staccato a reminder his reward stood beside him. Alive. Afraid. Beautiful. “I’m not a seer. I have had episodes, but I have never predicted the future.”

Legion’s eyes focused on her pink, perfect lips. The quiver in her voice was light and sexy. “You are a seer, Mara. You have not come into your power. When you do, there will be few creatures on earth who can oppose you.”

His dragon rumbled its displeasure as her fear tickled its nostrils. The need to kiss those perfect lips was an instinct he didn’t want to deny. He leaned toward her.

Mara was such a coward. Thinking about Legion’s body. His lips so close to hers made her body heat. She had run from him. She had not only run, but tripped on the corner of the coffee table when she did. Legion catching her before she fell, had dampened her arousal and reminded her of an emotion she was more familiar with. Her cheeks flamed, thinking about it.

She sat in the lobby of the Dark Art Gallery, glancing at her watch, hoping that Ross wouldn’t keep her waiting long. He had excused himself as soon as she had arrived and promised to return. That had been over an hour ago.

The office door creaked opened. She recognized Devlin Night from the many magazines he had graced. Those pictures had made him seem debonair. Attractive. Sexy. Faced with the reality, she felt none of the thrilling emotions she hoped for. “Hello, Miss Krane. It is lovely to meet you.” He extended his hand.

As soon as her hand touched his, ice traveled through her veins, making her shiver. She was careful not to let the reaction show on her face. Her lips turned up in a fake smile. “I had no idea I was meeting you today. This is quite an honor.”

Devlin nodded smugly. “I’m sure