Dragon's First Shift (Dragons Secret Society Book 1) Read online

  Dragon’s First Shift

  Dragons Secret Society

  Serena Meadows

  Copyright ©2019 by Serena Meadows - All rights reserved.

  In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

  Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

  Contents

  Authors Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Fairplay Shifters Series

  Wolves of Gypsum Creek Series

  About the Author

  Exclusive Offer

  AUTHORS NOTE

  Dragons Secret Society Series

  Book 1-Dragon’s First Shift

  Book 2-Dragon’s Forbidden Mate

  Book 3-Dragon’s Flame

  Book 4-Dragon’s Prophecy

  You should know that Dragon’s First Shift is the first book in the Dragons Secret Society romance series. Although each story can be read independently and all end with a HEA with no cliffhangers, to get the full experience of the series, you should really read them in order.

  Chapter One

  ***Daniel***

  Daniel stepped off the elliptical machine satisfied with the way his heart was pounding. Stripping off his sweat-soaked tee-shirt, he walked over to the window and looked out at the city, loving, as always, the scene below.

  People rushed along the sidewalks, cars sped up and down the wide avenue, all completely oblivious to the energy that pulsed around them. He loved living in the city, loved knowing that no matter what time of day, the city would be awake ready to entertain him.

  But he wasn’t thinking about the city as he continued to stare out the window; he was thinking about his upcoming birthday weekend and how much he’d love to skip the entire thing. His father had worked hard to give him a celebration he’d never forget, but he was afraid he’d never forget it for reasons other than how much fun it was going to be.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t love his family—they were the most important people in his life; it was all the other people who would be there that he had little patience for. He understood why his father had wanted the big celebration; turning twenty-five was a big deal and he was the oldest in the family.

  His sisters would get the same treatment when their time came, but as the only son, his father had gone all out, planned an entire weekend of celebration instead of just the party he’d originally mentioned. As the guest list had grown, so had his aversion to the whole thing, but he was a good son; he’d go just to make his father happy.

  Sighing, he turned from the window just as there was a knock on the door and a young woman poked her head in. She saw him standing there bare-chested and her eyes got big; he quickly put his shirt back on.

  “Yes?” he asked when she didn’t speak.

  “Oh, umm...I brought...your tuxedo,” she finally managed to stammer.

  “Thank you, you can hang it in the closet,” he said, fighting the annoyance he always felt when women went all gaga over him.

  He watched her cross the room; she opened the closet, put the tux away, then scampered toward the door. “Where’s Marie?” he asked before she could leave.

  “She left for your father’s house a few hours ago,” she said. “I offered to stay and wait for your tux. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  Daniel’s annoyance drained away; it wasn’t her fault that he had a strange effect on women. “No, thank you. Head on home,” he said, flashing her a big smile, almost laughing when her face turned bright pink. “Have a nice weekend.”

  Once she was gone, he stripped off the sweaty shirt and headed for his private bathroom and a cold shower. Stepping up to the mirror, he looked at himself, trying to see what everyone else saw.

  At nearly six-three, with a muscular body, dark curly hair, and gray eyes, he had to admit that he was a good-looking man. He’d never been vain about his looks, didn’t really like all the attention they brought him, but over the years he’d learned how to deal with them.

  Getting into the shower, he made a mental list of the work he’d take with him for the weekend. He was way behind and would have to carve some time out of the fun to get caught up before the meeting he had scheduled for Monday.

  Being not only the youngest vice-president but also the son of the owner and CEO of the company meant that he had to work twice as hard as anyone else. But he liked the work, needed the work to help him burn off the energy that always seemed to be flooding his system.

  Showered and dressed, he stuffed as much as he could into his briefcase, grabbed his laptop and his phone, and looked around the office. Then he remembered the tux and grabbed that too, throwing it over his shoulder, hoping that it didn’t get too wrinkled.

  When he got to his car, he stuffed everything into the trunk wondering if he should have brought the SUV instead of the sports car. But when he drove out of the garage and saw what a beautiful afternoon it was, he pulled over and took the top down.

  As he drove out of the city, the wind blowing through his hair, he tried to drum up some enthusiasm for the weekend to come. It was late enough that he would miss the welcome dinner, but tomorrow there would be horseback riding, games on the lawn, and a huge lunch on the patio.

  Then, after a quiet afternoon before a massive party with a dinner buffet and dancing. His father had invited hundreds of people, some he’d never even met, and the party would last well into the night.

  He’d come to hate these parties and everything about them, especially since he’d been named one of the most eligible bachelors in the city. Now it seemed that every mother in the city had made it her sworn duty to marry her daughter off to him, and he knew that he’d be fending them off the entire night.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to fall in love, but the women he’d met so far just weren’t what he was looking for. He couldn’t blame them; it wasn’t their fault that they were spoiled rich girls, more concerned with looks and money than what was inside a person, but that just wasn’t the kind of woman he wanted.

  He wanted a woman who cared about what was inside, a woman who would see beyond his looks and money to who he really was. Of course, that might be harder than it sounded since even he wasn’t sure who he was, had been struggling for years with the feeling that he was somewhere he didn’t belong.

  Pushing that familiar feeling away, he concentrated on the road as he came out of the city and into the countryside. His father had worked hard to put this weekend together for him, and he was going to do his best to enjoy himself, and if things got too tough, he could always hide himself away; there were plenty of places on the estate.

  ***Natasha***

  Natasha walked quietly down the hallway, the plush carpeting absorbing the sound of her footsteps as she approached the study. When she got to the door, she paused, took a deep breath, tightened her ponytail, and knocked.

  “Come in,” she heard Marcus Carlson call from
the other side of the door.

  When she stepped into the dark study, the only light was coming from a small lamp on the desk, but even in the dim light she could see the smile on her benefactor’s face. “Natasha, it’s good to see you,” he said, getting to his feet and coming around the desk to gather her in his arms for a hug. “I hope you found the place okay.”

  “It’s a little hard to miss, what with it being a castle and all,” she said, grinning up at him.

  Marcus shrugged. “My ancestor’s idea, not mine,” he said, leading her over to a chair, then turning up the lights. “You look good; the East must agree with you.”

  “It was an amazing year. I learned so much; thank you for sending me,” she said, unable to hide her pleasure at his compliment. “But it is nice to be back in the States; there are a few things I missed, like running water.”

  Marcus laughed. “Well, we’ve got plenty of that here. I hope your room is satisfactory.”

  Natasha thought of the plush bed, huge bathroom, and lovely fireplace that waited for her upstairs. “It’s lovely, but it almost feels too luxurious after China,” she said.

  “Nonsense, you’ve earned a little pampering, but don’t get too comfortable: I’ve got a job for you,” Marcus said, making her heart begin to race.

  Natasha had been training for this day since her father had left her at the orphanage run by Marcus and his family and she was eager to get her first job under her belt. She was sure that the first one would be the hardest, but that with time, it would get easier.

  That could be a good thing or a bad one, but she’d been trained to kill, and kill she would when Marcus felt that she was ready. “Name it,” she said, with far more confidence than she was feeling.

  “Good, because this is an important assignment, one I wouldn’t trust to anyone else,” Marcus said, sliding an envelope across the desk to her. “I need you to deliver this and then bring two men home with you; it needs to be done quickly and quietly.”

  Natasha picked up the little gold embossed envelope and looked at it. “I think I need a little more information,” she said, setting it down again without opening it.

  “I’m afraid I can’t give you much more information than that, but James Spencer will come with you when he sees this; his son might be a bit more reluctant, but he’ll come if his father asks him to,” Marcus said.

  Natasha thought about that, then asked, “Where do I deliver this?”

  Marcus smiled. “I guess that would help,” he said, sliding a sheet of paper across the desk. “Here’s your itinerary. You’ll need to get some new clothes; these are the kind of people who expect designer labels.”

  Her heart sank; she hated dressing up and playing rich, but she’d been trained to do that just as she’d been trained to fight, so with a sigh, she said, “Not my favorite kind of people, but it’s been a while since I got dressed up.”

  “I know just the person to help you; she’s been waiting outside since you walked in here would be my guess,” Marcus said, just as the doors burst open and his wife came flying into the room.

  “Natasha, you’re here,” she said, opening her arms to her.

  She sprang to her feet and ran to the petite woman and hugged her. “I just got here,” she said, stepping back to look at the woman who had been the closest thing to a mother she’d ever had.

  “Have you told her?” Bridget Carlson asked her husband.

  “As much as I could,” he said, grinning at his wife who was still beaming with pleasure.

  “Good,” she said, then turned to Natasha. “Are you ready to go shopping? I’ve reserved us a suite at the plaza and made appointments with several of the most exclusive boutiques in the city.”

  Natasha wanted to sigh again but could see how excited Bridget was, so instead, she said, “Sounds like fun. When do we leave?”

  “I’m ready when you are,” Bridget said, pointing out into the hallway where her luggage was piled by the door.

  Natasha laughed. “Let me just run upstairs and grab a few things,” she said, getting to her feet and shooting Marcus a dirty look.

  “Have fun, you two,” he said as she walked out the door and then she was sure she heard him laughing.

  Once they were in the car and on the way to the city, Bridget took Natasha’s hand in hers and said, “I know this isn’t really your thing, but I don’t have any girls to spoil, so humor me and act like you’re having fun.”

  Natasha felt bad; Bridget had always treated her like her daughter. “I’m sure once we get there, it will be fun. I haven’t been to the spa in over a year,” she said, finding that she was beginning to get a little excited.

  Chapter Two

  ***Daniel***

  Daniel pulled the car to a stop in front of his family’s country estate, turned off the engine, and got out. He stood with his back to the house and looked out over the grounds, taking a deep breath of the fresh air, then turned to face the house.

  Normally, the country estate was a place he could go to get away from the crowds, a place to relax and unwind, but not this time. The house was lit up, nearly every bedroom window full of light, as well as both parlors and the sunroom, and he knew that where there was light, there would be people.

  Before he could even get around to the back of the car, a smartly dressed servant came down the stairs and greeted him. “Can I help you with your bags, Mr. Carlson?”

  Daniel recognized the servant and was happy to see him. “How are you, Steve? What exactly are you wearing?” he asked, trying not to laugh.

  Steve looked down at himself, and then back towards the front door where his father was standing. “It was your dad’s idea; he thinks we look more sophisticated,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “He promised us all a big bonus if we’d wear them, so here I am, at your service, your grace.”

  Then he performed an elaborate bow, and Daniel burst out laughing, much of the tension he’d been feeling evaporating. “Well then, my good man,” he said, with an exaggerated British accent, “my bags are in the trunk, and you can take them up to my room.”

  “Will there be anything else, sir?” Steve asked, imitating his accent.

  Daniel opened his mouth to order high tea or something equally ridiculous, but before he could, a little red sports car came shooting up the drive. It came to a screeching halt just inches from his car, and before the dust had settled, a striking woman climbed out of the car.

  She looked around her, glanced over at him, and then up at the house. Completely unaware that she’d just about crashed two cars that were both worth a quarter of a million dollars, she grabbed her purse and slammed the car door.

  The servants were all frozen in place, but when she popped open the trunk, they came alive, flying down the stairs. She supervised the unloading of her luggage, which took four stout men, then turned to face the house again.

  Daniel could only stand opened mouthed and stare at the woman, who clearly thought that she owned the world. Normally, he would have turned away long before, disgusted by her haughty behavior, but there was something intriguing about this woman.

  She couldn’t be described as beautiful; that wasn’t the right word, he thought as she approached him, her long legs catching his eye as she climbed the steps. The white linen suit she wore hugged her body suggestively, and the lacey top she wore under her jacket gave him just a glimpse of her breasts.

  Steve was staring at her open-mouthed and Daniel couldn’t blame him, but he knew her type; she was probably lapping up the attention, had probably staged the whole thing. He was even more convinced she had when she began sashaying up the stairs, her hips swaying seductively.

  But just as she reached him, her ankle turned, and she would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her, and he knew that wasn’t planned. He grabbed her by the arm and steadied her, surprised when a spark of electricity made his finger tingle.

  She wobbled a bit, then grabbed his arm and yanked off the shoes. “You would think that for nea
rly a grand, these would be more comfortable,” she said, looking at the shoes.

  Just then his dad came bursting out the door. “Oh, my dear, are you okay?” he asked, snapping his fingers for one of the maids to come out of the house.

  The woman looked up at his dad and said, “I’m fine; it’s just these awful shoes.”

  When she flashed his dad a huge smile, he could see his dad practically melting. “Well, let’s get you inside and up to your room,” he said, taking the shoes from her and handing them off.

  The maid whisked the woman away, but not before she turned to Daniel and said, “You should be more careful where you park.”

  Both men stood and watched as she disappeared into the house. “Who was that?” he asked his dad.

  “I’m not sure, but she’ll be a nice addition to the party,” he said, then elbowed Daniel.

  “You don’t know who she is?” he asked, shocked.

  His father shrugged. “I’ve invited so many people I don’t know, it doesn’t surprise me; I’m just going with it.”

  Daniel shook his head. “You know you didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” he said, giving his dad a hug.

  “I know, but I wanted this to be a special birthday,” his father said, trying to sound happy, but Daniel detected a note of sadness in his voice.

  “Dad, you know that no matter how old I get, I’ll always need you, right?” he asked.