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

his arms. “You have no such ailments.” He released her, allowing her to catch her breath. Joy and warmth bubbled in his soul. Fun. He’d forgotten teasing.

She touched his face before winking at him. “How about a tattoo that says, sex machine?”

His laughter died on his lips as her eyes turned to milk. She stiffened in his arms. A beautiful statue with as much emotion. Helplessness was a foreign concept to Legion. Having to wait while the single most important woman in his universe experienced her vision, was an insufferable torture. He couldn’t help her, assist her, or take away the pain as she flinched.

Her eyes returned to the emerald green as she took a deep breath. “Alana.”

“What is it? What did you see?’

“We have to get Alana back now. She’s in danger.”

Mara held her breath as the images faded. The urgency and determination refused to release their hold. “I saw Alana running. She was looking up. I can’t tell if she was afraid or not, but she was being chased from above.”

Legion rubbed her back. “Tell me about Alana. What is she like?”

Mara sighed. “Alana has always been independent. She drove my parents nuts. When I was playing with dolls or walking the dog, she was exploring caves or fighting with the local bully.”

“She sounds very headstrong.”

Mara put her hand on her forehead. “You have no idea. I knew when Alana was sixteen that I would lose her someday.”

Legion frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“Alana loves exploring. She loves caves and spelunking was her go-to pastime. When she isn’t exploring, she is climbing. She has fallen twice and the last time she almost died.”

Legion’s eyebrow went up. “I hope that curbed her exploits.”

Mara huffed. “Hardly. Alana went caving a month later and got exposed to mold spores. She was in the hospital for over a week and home in bed for another. She was still coughing when she left.”

Legion’s eyes narrowed. “She would not stay with you, even when she was sick?”

Mara shook her head. “Alana won’t stay anywhere for long. It’s like she has an internal clock that’s always set to go. She doesn’t even have a permanent address. Just a mailbox that forwards her mail to wherever she is in the world.”

“You don’t know what country she is in?” Legion asked.

“No. I have talked to Alana six times in the last two years. I think she only checks in because mom made her promise when we were kids that we would never forsake one another. I think Alana regrets that promise. She hates it when I reach out to her.” Her voice cracked. The cauldron of emotion bubbled to the surface. Natalie was the only person who knew how much Alana had hurt her, and she wanted it kept that way.

“You are in pain. What did Alana do to you?”

Mara took a stunted breath. “It’s not like that. Alana did nothing to hurt me.” She just wants no part of me.

Legion growled. “When was the last time you saw her?”

Mara swallowed the lump in her throat. “She came home for mom’s funeral, but left the following day.”

Legion squinted. “What caused the rift in your relationship?”

“Nothing. She was always independent, but when we returned from camp that summer, she stopped playing with her friends and started climbing. The following year she started caving. We could barely keep her in school after that.”

Legion’s eyes flashed. “How does she support herself? I assume since you were in financial crisis when we met, that you were not helping her pay her bills.”

“No. She would accept no money from me, or our parents. She left the day after her graduation and has supported herself by finding rare objects. I guess her strange obsession with old caves has an upside.”

Legion’s hands tightened on her for a moment. “A treasure hunter?”

Mara touched a finger to her lip. “Yes, but she doesn’t care about money. For Alana, the thrill is finding what she is looking for. She takes the money to pay her bills and to finance her personal hunts.”

Legion smiled. “A seeker then.”

Mara considered his words. “That’s an accurate description.”

Legion nodded. “How old is she?”

“Alana is almost twenty-two. We are just over a year apart.”

Legion nodded. “It is too soon to say if her caving interests are akin to her druid ability.”

Mara licked her lips. “How can you be sure she will have any?”

Legion picked up her hand, kissing her fingers. The action reverent, as if he was unsure, she was real. “She was at that camp. She is a druid and will have magic of her own one day. Whether she is a dragon mate, however, remains uncertain.”

Mara huffed. “I pity any dragon that tries to pin my sister down. If she has magic at her disposal, even more so.”

Legion turned her hand over, so he could kiss her palm. “Dragons are patient and persuasive when needed.”

Mara smiled at the soft caresses against her fingers. “Really, I hadn’t noticed.” He smiled against her hand.

Legion closed her fingers over his kiss. “Can you email her? Tell her it is imperative she contact you.”

Mara grabbed her phone from the nightstand. She sent off a quick email, doing as Legion instructed. “I said it was my birthday and something unbelievable has happened. I doubt she will care about my birthday, but she is curious, so she may call just to find out...” Mara turned when her phone dinged. “I don’t believe it. Alana is calling me in a minute.” Mara tried not to let her excitement show. She knew better than to expect anything from Alana. Her phone chimed and an unknown number flashed before she picked up. “Hello?”

Alana cleared her throat. “Hey, Mara.”

Mara glanced at Legion. “Hi Alana, it’s good to hear from you.”

Static crackled on the line. The sound of rushing water rumbled in the background. “Yeah, sure, you said something happened. It’s your twenty-third birthday. Was it... weird?”

Mara blew out a long breath. “You have no idea. Listen, it’s not something