A Dragon's Heart Read online

  A Dragon’s Heart

  By Dahlia Rose

  Copyright © October 2011, Dahlia Rose

  Cover art by For the Muse Designs © October 2011

  ISBN 978-1-936668-35-9

  This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

  Sugar and Spice Press

  North Carolina, USA

  www.sugarnspicepress.com

  Chapter One

  The sound of the powerful engine of a Harley Davidson filled the night air and surrounded the man on the back of the mechanical beast. Kalv loved the sleek machine like it was a best friend, polished the chrome and caressed its smooth lines like it was a lover. It was the only stable thing in his life. He roamed the roads from one side of the United States to the other, staying in hotels for as little as one month to as long as a year. It all depended on if he liked the scenery enough to stay around, but his restlessness always won out, and he took to the road again. It wasn’t the urge to travel that kept him moving; he’d seen all there was to see and more. But if he stopped, Kalv knew he would have to admit he was stuck in a place that wasn’t his home, and that thought alone could turn his heart to stone.

  Lightning cut a jagged swath across the sky before him, not from rain but from the damn heat of Texas. He’d spent a month on the beaches of Galveston and now was heading to God knows where. He’d stop when he wanted to, but right now even though it was eleven at night, the humidity was oppressive. He’d taken off his leather coat and was in the black tank shirt he wore under it. The only thing that made it bearable was that the Harley cut through the stifling winds, and it caressed his muscled arms as he shot into the night.

  Welcome to Blackbird Cove. He read the dusty sign that was written in script. It was so old he could barely see the black bird that was drawn sitting on the letter C. Kalv could make out more than that in the dark; hell, he still wore the sunglasses he’d put on when he left Galveston. Another dead-end little town, he thought ruefully. Kalv knew that in less than an hour he would be back on the open stretch of highway and the nothingness of the desert. Maybe he’d head to New Mexico or even Arizona. He hadn’t quite made the decision yet.

  The sound of a gunshot echoed through the night. It would have been lost in the wind and the roar of the engine of his motorcycle, but just like his sight, Kalv’s hearing was superb. He pulled his motorcycle to the side of the road. He heard another shot and the voice of a woman. It seemed to be coming over the hills in front of him. Intrigued, Kalv hid his bike in the underbrush and bent low to the ground as he went up the hill to peer over the edge. In the valley below sat a ranch-style house. It was fenced in, and horses sat in one pasture while cows sat in another. He saw trucks with lights on and men standing by the fence. One raised a gun and shot a cow while the woman screamed.

  “Goddamn you, Luke Richfield. You will not run me off of my land. Kill all the fucking cows. I don’t care, I’ll buy more!” she screamed.

  He raised the gun and shot again and that was when she came off the patio to attack. She was feisty and got a few good shots in, catching one man with a punch in the face and giving another a kick in the groin before two more grabbed her arms and she struggled. Her dark skin gleamed with sweat as Luke moved closer. The shooter turned to her and without hesitation slapped her in the face.

  “No one to save you out here, Ginna. We’re going to show you exactly how far you can fall from that high horse.” Kalv assumed he was Luke Richfield, and his face was cruel. “You always thought you were better than us. Now we’re going to show you different.”

  He could see the horror on her face. Kalv couldn’t stand seeing a woman being hit, let alone the threat of rape. He was never the one to stand by and let injustice go on. There was something dirty in this damn town, and Kalv grinned because he was looking for a good fight. He strode out of the tree line and dusted his hand on his jeans.

  “Honey I couldn’t find that stray calf…” He narrowed his eyes as everyone turned to look at him.

  Her light brown eyes widened with relief, then with added fear. Kalv hated to admit it but the look in her eyes struck him somewhere deep in his chest, and it angered him they made her frightened.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Luke Richfield snarled.

  “The question should be directed to you, and why do you and your goons have your hands on my woman.” Kalv said coldly.

  “It would do you good to turn around and pretend you didn’t see a damn thing,” Luke replied.

  “And why would I do that? I just said she’s mine. Take your hands off her before I break them.” Kalv’s voice turned deadly.

  “Let her go.” Luke threw a smug look at his friends and then turned to Kalv. “We’re going to teach him to mind his business and then go back to ours.”

  “Oh five against one, what will I do?” Kalv voice was sarcastic as cracked his knuckles.

  One of the men who were holding her arms rushed him, and Kalv picked him up like he weighed nothing and slammed him into the ground. He heard the man’s breath leave his body in whoosh, but paid it no attention. One of the others swung and connected with his jaw. It stung but not for long, and Kalv repaid the gesture with his own fist in the man’s face. He crumpled and didn’t move he spent the rest of the fight unconscious. He toyed with them for a while; it was actually entertaining. Then, when he got bored, Kalv dispatched them with deadly ease. Luke was the only one left and Kalv hit him a few times in the face until he was at the brink of unconsciousness. He shook the ringleader awake and looked into his bloody face.

  “Luke Richfield is it?” he asked. “I want you to nod if you hear me. That’s a good fella. Now listen carefully. I am going to give you one chance to never come back here. Will you take it?”

  “This ain’t over, mister,” Luke mumbled and raised his hand to throw a weak punch.

  Kalv shook his head. “Oh yes it is. Let me say this, if I ever see you on this land again, I will render you unable to procreate because I will break your spine in half. That goes for all of you, so I suggest you leave…now.”

  He pushed Luke away in disgust and watched him and his men stumble and moved groggily back to their trucks. When they pulled away with bleeding faces, Luke Richfield looked out the window and yelled, “This is so fucking not over. You and the bitch are going down!”

  “Ah such a pity idiots never listen,” he murmured. He turned to the woman who stood close to the fence, clutching her shirt with a petrified look on her face. “Did they hurt you too badly?”

  “N-no, you came along just in time.” She narrowed her eyes. “Who the hell are you anyway?”

  “I came over the hill when I heard the shot,” Kalv explained.

  “That is almost five hundred yards away, and if you were driving there is no way you should’ve heard anything,” she retorted.

  Kalv shrugged. “What can I say? I have good hearing. My name is Kalv.”

  “Strange name,” she said. “Ginna Masters.”

  “Pleasure to meet you.”

  Kalv took a few moments to study her. Long, dark hair and a petite build. Her eyes were wide and set in an oval face and long lashes framed them. Her lips were full, and she wore no lipstick or makeup. She was quite a beauty without it and fiery packed in a tiny frame.

  “So, Kalv. That’s it? not other name, is like a rock star?” Ginna asked.

  He smiled. “Could be.”

  She stomped up to him and practically had to stand on tiptoe to poke him in the chest. “Listen buddy, I don’t like evasiveness and bullshit. You see, I got enough crap to deal with Richfield and his band of merry idiots. So don’t mak
e me go find my shotgun.”

  Kalv laughed out loud. I like her! “Heaven forbid you have to do that. You’re no bigger than a pixie, and you run out to save a few cows and look at the trouble it got you in.”

  “Are you saying I should tuck my tail and run? Hell no! This is my land and by God, no one will chase me off what is mine,” she yelled and turned. “You hear that Luke Richfield, no one!”

  “He is gone you know,” Kalv teased and she turned her angry gaze on him. “Listen, Pixie, you have a problem here and you need some back up. I think I’ll stay around for a while, I’ll even work for my keep.”

  Ginna put her hands on her hips. “Why would you do that?”

  “I love a good fight and this one seems very entertaining,” he said. “How about I grab my bike and come in from the road. If you have some coffee and something to eat, you can tell me all about Richfield and his friends and why the cops aren’t out here with handcuffs.”

  Ginna nodded. “I think I’ll take you up on your offer, since not one damn person in this town will raise a hand against the Richfield family. But you step wrong and I will kick your twig and berries up into your throat.”

  Kalv winced. “There will certainly be no need for that. I don’t think they will be coming around after they see what I have in store for them.”

  “Which is?”

  ‘I’ll show you sometime soon,” he replied. “What will you do with the dead cows?”

  “Call the butcher in town. Luckily he is probably the only other person who doesn’t give a damn about the Richfield name,” Ginna explained. “Adam will come pick them up right away and make them into steaks and stuff for me. I’ll have meat in my freezer for months and he can get some for the store.”

  “I could do with a good steak,” Kalv commented. “You go do that and I’ll get my bike.”

  “Park it in the barn. It’s open.” She turned and walked away up the path to the house.

  Kalv watched the curve of her derriere in her jeans while she moved, and felt his body stir in response. He’d have to tell her about the other part of him tomorrow, because there wouldn’t be any hiding it if trouble came back in the form of Luke Richfield. Well she’ll probably shoot me right then and there if I say it, so I’ll have to show her, Kalv thought. He pushed his bike from the bush and slung his foot over the frame. He started it up, and as usual it purred to life with a light touch. Show and then tell was the only way to explain that he was a dragon from another realm. Paladin was a place he hadn’t seen in over a hundred years. The gates were locked to him and there was no way to get home.

  Chapter Two

  Ginna put the phone down after speaking with Adam and rested her forehead on the cool stainless steel of the fridge. Three of my best cattle shot in the head. She needed a moment to regain her composure so she wouldn’t fall apart. Tonight she’d come dangerously close to being brutalized, and that kind of terror wasn’t a good feeling If it weren’t for Kalv, God knows what would have happened. There was an enigma wrapped in a whole bunch of sexy, Kalv with no last name. Yeah there was no way she was going down that path with a man she didn’t know. Then she questioned why she let him stay, and there were to reasons. One was if someone wasn’t there, Luke and his goons would be back tomorrow night. With his being an outsider to this town, her chances for help just got way better he wouldn’t be influenced by Luke’s money. Two, he was the size of a Mack truck, with eyes the color of emeralds, a sexy mouth and a rugged jaw line. Ginna wondered if Luke had tried to hit Kalv if the bane of her life would have broken his hand. She would have paid to see it happen.

  She opened the fridge and pulled out leftovers from her dinner of roasted chicken and herb-flavored russet potatoes with asparagus. She made Kalv a plate and looked at it then on impulse heaped more of everything on it. Looking at his size, she didn’t think he ate small portions. She knew the questions would be coming and God knew the answers ate at her. Ginna wanted to be strong and handle the issues with Luke Richfield herself, but tonight showed her she stood alone against him in Blackbird. She wasn’t going to let Adam lose his shop because of her. She put the food in the microwave and sighed while she watched it spin. Maybe she should give up, let them get the land and send Kalv on his way. No one should be hurt for material things no matter how much she loved the few acres she owned. The microwave dinged just as a loud knock sounded on her door. Both startled her, but she crossed the expanse of hardwood floor and opened the door. Kalv stood at the entrance and she could help but lick her lips looking at him. Ginna stepped back and let him inside. He had to duck a little to get through her door.

  “Um I heated up some of my leftover dinner for you. If you’d like to sit, I’ll bring it to the table,” she said and gritted her teeth at how soft her voice was.

  “Food is food thanks,” Kalv replied and sat at the natural wood-colored table. He took off his coat and she saw the large circular tattoo that covered his entire upper shoulder. It was a pattern that she didn’t recognize and it made her curious.

  She put the plate in front of him, and a tall glass of sweet tea and utensils. He picked up the fork and tore off a piece of chicken to put in his mouth. Ginna leaned against the counter and tried not to watch him while he silently ate.

  “Are you going to stand there and study the wall instead of telling me what’s going on in Blackbird?” he asked without looking at her.

  She gritted her teeth against a scathing retort but instead sat down and glared at him. “What do you want to know?”

  “Probably all of it would be best,” he said.

  “My parents owned this property, and I lived in New York when my dad passed. So I moved home with my mom. She died three months later. I think she was missing my dad so much she just gave up,” Ginna explained. “The Richfield’s always wanted this land from the time I was growing up. Luke’s daddy died wanting it, but he would never go up against my father. My dad saved his life once when he was sheriff, and no matter how much Luke told his dad to go after it, he refused and wouldn’t hear of it. With his father gone and mine gone, he decided it was time. First he tried to woo me, and it almost worked. We were almost married. Until I found him in the sack with one of my bridesmaids. He let me know it was supposed to be a marriage for the land, nothing more. I really didn’t care. I’d known something was wrong long ago, I just didn’t want to see it. The wedding was called off and he started pressuring me to sell and at less than what the land is worth. It’s been getting worse and worse, and tonight is part of it.”

  “What else has he done,” Kalv asked quietly. He’d stopped eating at that point and looked at her.

  “He poisoned my cattle and you saw the shooting. He broke one of my horse’s legs and I had to put him down.” Ginna shrugged. “I’ve held firm that I would see this piece of land fall into hell before he gets his hands on it.”

  “Why doesn’t the town or the law help you?”

  Ginna laughed. “The Richfield name goes far in this town. They own and employ most of the people in it. The new sheriff was elected because of him, and while he won’t help them chase me off, him and the deputies turn a blind eye to what he does. The butcher I called is the only one who would stand against him, but I don’t want to see his store burned and his livelihood gone. This town is the only thing he’s ever known, and with the shop gone he would have nothing.”

  “So you stand alone,” Kalv stated.

  Ginna looked up at him. “That’s right.”

  “Not anymore,” he said. “We need to find out why he wants this land so badly and what’s fueling this vendetta. Is it because of his father or because of you or is it worth something that he wants.”

  “I shouldn’t even let you get in this crappy situation. You could get hurt.” Ginna shook her head. “You should get on your bike and roll through this town before the sunrise.”

  “I doubt I’ll get hurt.” He smiled and it changed his face so much she stared in awe at how much more handsome it made him. “I t
end to never run away from a fight.”

  “Somehow I think you many have some figurative demons chasing you,” she murmured. The look he gave her told Ginna that there was a story there, but one he wasn’t willing to share. She thought it best to change the subject. “So how is the dinner?”

  “Better than food on the road that’s for sure,” Kalv replied. “You are a very good cook.”

  “I always end up making more than I need,” Gina said. “Anyway when you’re done I’ll give you some linen for the guest bedroom. I don’t usually keep it put together but it’s clean.”

  “Before you pull out the sheets, I need to show you something outside,” Kalv said.

  “Oh jeez, did Luke and those assholes come back?” Ginna asked feeling her temper rise again.

  “No, your friend came and took the cows, but it’s a me thing. Hell, after you see it, you might make me leave anyway. It’s my best weapon against your troubles… another part of me,” Kalv explained.

  Ginna felt her heart lurch. Oh crap not again. “Okay. If you’re going to show me your schlong or tell me that you’re a cross-dresser who has a split personality, I really don’t need this right now.”

  “Exactly how would either of those things help you?” he asked.

  “Then what the heck is it?” Ginna demanded to know.

  “It’s a show not tell, Pixie, and you will see after I finish eating.” He turned his attention back to the plate.

  She tapped her fingers impatiently, and it infuriated her when he paid no attention. Kalv took his time eating, and when he finally stood up, she bounced out of the chair like a cannon. He smiled and opened the door, with one hand he ushered her out before him and then closed the door. Ginna was practically on pins and needles following him and he climbed over the wooden rails to her second pasture for the cows. This area was darker at night because there wasn’t much lighting and the shade of the tall trees made it cool in the summer. She kept her eyes on his back as he strode out a few feet from the rails.