Buying a Mate (BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance) (Quick & Furry Book 8) by Celia Kyle, Mina Carter Read Free Book Online

Lots of superstition. Lots of humans who were always looking for something supernatural and were quick to accuse.” He ran a hand over his face, rubbing some of the tension away.
    River remained silent, unwilling to break the soft spell he’d woven around them.
    “We were happy for a while. Our little family in the hills. We kept to ourselves. But over the years the humans gathered. They sought out those they thought were magical.” He pressed his lips together until they formed a white slash across his lips. “They called themselves the Hunters and they killed.” He shook his head. “They killed so many. Shifters and not. Witches and not. One accusation and the target was gone. Brother against brother. Friends against friends. Neighbors...” His voice was hollow with the last word.
    River couldn’t even imagine such a time. “What happened?”
    Taron huffed. “Right.” He shook his head and then lifted his hand. He formed a tight fist and as he released the tension, his skin was replaced by scales. “What color do you see?” He showed her both sides of his hand, wiggling his fingers so she could get a good look.
    “Bla…” she started to say black, but paused and frowned as the bedside lamp sparkled off the scales. “Blue.”
    “Dark blue,” he agreed. “Close to black but not quite. The black was my brother, Elian.”
    “And that matters?”
    Taron snorted. “It mattered to the Queen of Dragons and the twelve blacks.” He turned his head, their stares colliding. “There was a war, and the queen and our race are protected by the blacks. They are the fiercest fighters and most skilled warriors. The hunters threatened and the blacks destroyed every hint of those threats. It was their job. But they were failing.”
    The last few words were so soft she doubted she’d even heard them. “And they needed to freshen the ranks so they heard about Elian and came to our cottage.” His eyes were clouded by moisture. “We were no more than twelve. Our dragons were fully grown even if we were uncoordinated. The queen herself came knocking. Playing the gracious monarch and begging my parents for Elian.”
    “Not you?”
    He shook his head. “Wasn’t a black, you see. It didn’t matter that Elian and I could practically read each other’s minds. That training us both would give her better soldiers to hunt and destroy the Hunters.”
    A single tear spilled over the edge of his lashes and River wrapped her arm across his waist.
    “My mother cried, my father was proud, and I was gutted when they pulled him away. He said it was going to be an adventure and he’d return. We’d protect our little piece of the world. Hunters would never dare to come to our cottage because he was going to be one of the blacks.” Taron’s chuckle was harsh and rueful. “Well, the blacks got Elian killed and then they came.”
    He fell silent, so quiet she wondered if he even intended to finish.
    “Tell me,” she whispered.
    “That day we’d gotten word about Elian. He… Joseph tried to explain, but my father could hardly listen. My mother was shattered, and I did my best to pay attention. It was just too much. The blacks hadn’t had Elian in their care for long and then he was just… gone. And then later that night… I don’t know if they saw Joseph fly in or if it was just coincidence, but they came for us.”
    “The Hunters.” She put voice to the truth when he couldn’t.
    He shuddered and she gripped him tighter. “I tried to fight them off. My father shifted and attacked, turned half of them to ash, but they killed Mom first.” He shook his head. “A dragon can’t live without his mate.”
    He sobbed and tried to cover it with a cough. She loved him all the more.
    Loved?
    If not love, she was two breaths away from it.
    “What happened next?”
    An evil grin tipped his lips. “I finished the job my father started.”
    She couldn’t be upset with him for his vengeance. Not after witnessing the deaths of his