Chapter One
Kayla
This could not be happening.
The corset pinched in on her ribs as the steel boning stabbed into her armpit. Kayla couldn’t even breathe, the thing was so tight. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was grateful for the lacy skirt that went mid-thigh on her, because the panties they’d put her in certainly would do very little to protect her modesty.
Not for the first time she wondered how she had managed to get here. Everything was bright around her. Too bright. Whatever she’d been given to knock her out was sending bolts of pain through her brain still. Faces, both male and female, were a blur of color. They mumbled to each other but it wasn’t any language she knew. One of the men surreptitiously made to touch one of her breasts, which had become like these giant glowing balloons under her chin, and she struck out, nailing him right in the stomach.
Kayla smiled but her victory was short-lived as the man drew back a hand.
“Don’t you dare put a mark on the prize,” a male voice rumbled from somewhere behind her.
“What is going on?” Kayla demanded. Her voice came out raspy and terrified but at least it came out. “Let me go right now or I’ll lay some hurt on you!”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” one of the women said. “And hold still so I can fix your lipstick. You’ve gone and smeared it.”
Kayla made to head-butt the woman but a pair of arms seized her from behind. The next thing she knew, she was trying not to vomit as she was seated on a throne-like chair, gilded in fake gold, while her wrists and ankles were being tied to it. The women draped gauzy sheets around her, hiding the ropes. One of the men held her head still while her makeup was fixed.
The voice from before spoke again. “Just relax, Miss Tucker. If you behave yourself you’ll get out of this unmolested.”
Kayla’s stomach churned again. She had to choke back bile as she considered everything. How had she even gotten here? Her head was starting to clear, letting her slowly remember what had happened.
She had been here in Canada for almost a week, helping her friend Esther Durant with her archeological dig. While the plan was eventually to do some underwater archeology off the coast of Central America, Esther had decided to cut her teeth on a smaller dig here in the boreal forest of British Columbia. Students were due to arrive any day now, and Kayla had gone into town to relax.
And that was where she had met Gordon Hunt. The tall, handsome blond with a cleft chin and a sparkle in his eye. He had invited her to go to his club. She’d accepted. And then she had woken up here.
Idiot! She could have kicked herself. You’re going to be murdered and end up on the five o’clock news and people aren’t going to care because you were such an idiot.
Well, getting murdered would teach her to think that a drop-dead gorgeous man would be interested in her.
Oh, God.
She was going to be murdered.
Kayla thrashed against the ropes holding her in place but it was too late. She was securely bound, and there was no getting out of this. Her breath came in choppy gasps as she looked around wildly, desperately seeking a sympathetic face. Why were they all just standing there? Was this some sort of cult? How did she get out of this? The corset, the gauzy fabric… was this a porno shoot? She retched but nothing came out.
“Calm down.” A man stepped around her. Blond hair. Muscular frame. Gordon Hunt. “Miss Tucker, you are not going to be harmed. We just need a couple good shots of you to get the fighter’s blood roaring.” He set a golden crown that looked like a Greek wreath on her head. “There. Perfect. Now… You wouldn’t happen to be a virgin, would you?”
Rage fired through her blood. Her fists curled as she yanked at her restraints again. With nothing else to do, she spat at the man. The glob of spittle and stomach acid landed on his black leather shoes. Gordon’s eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. Thin curls of smoke escaped from between his lips and Kayla’s eyes widened.
A dragon.
Crap. Crap, crap, crap!
Lights flashed, indicating that the pictures were being taken but she didn’t care.
She had interacted with dragons before. Most of them were tall, muscly and completely delicious. But they weren’t human, even though they could interbreed. Dragons had their own cultures, their own ways of looking at the world. Whatever this was, whatever Gordon was plotting, she couldn’t think of it in a human term.
“Help!” she screamed. “Somebody help me!”
Gordon laughed. “Listen to her! I should have brought in a prize long ago.”
A few of his minions looked uncomfortable but most laughed along with him. Tears began to stream down Kayla’s face. “Please don’t do this,” she begged, not caring at this point that she didn’t know what they had planned for her. “Please!”
“I do love begging.” Gordon laughed again. “Keep crying, my dear. I can use that. But there is no Prince Charming coming to save you.”
The doors burst open and Prince Charming came charging in.
Taller than anybody else in the room, with muscles on muscles that would put a pro bodybuilder to shame. His lips were curled back, flickers flickering around his teeth. Eyes blazing. He grabbed one of the giant men in suits and hurled him across the room without any effort. Kayla’s heart jumped into her throat as her hero let out a roar and charged through the mass of people.
“Shane!” she shouted.
Something round and cold pressed to the side of her head. Shane stopped dead. Kayla’s eyes met his. Everything else seemed to spin around her but his face remained clear.
“Put it down,” Shane growled. “I’m not leaving without her.”
One of Gordon’s goons punched Shane in the kidney. It drove him to his knees but Gordon made an angry noise and the goon stepped back.
“Look, whoever you are…” Gordon stepped away from Kayla but the gun remained pressed to her temple. So someone else was holding it. “You’re not taking away my prize. If you want her, you’re going to have to fight and win her.”
Opposite them, a TV flickered to life. It showed a large ring, full of men milling about. A few of them were doing stretches, others practicing punches and throws. And suddenly Kayla understood exactly what was going on. The talk about her being a prize. The skimpy outfit. The clandestine hints. Gordon Hunt ran an illegal fighting ring and they were going to fight to claim her as their prize. And then after they claimed her?
He said I’d be unmolested. She wanted to pass out. He’s lying.
“Give me the girl and there won’t be any more trouble,” Shane snarled.
“I think not. She owes me a debt.”
“What debt?” Kayla couldn’t stop herself. “I’ve never seen you before in my life and I don’t owe you—”
The gun pressed harder and she fell silent.
“Whatever her ‘debt’ is, I can pay it.” Shane held up his hands. “Give her to me right now, or I promise you that you’ll regret it.”
Gordon cocked his head to one side. “Hmm. A dragon being so protective over a human? What, is she your mate?”
Shane growled but didn’t speak. Kayla opened her mouth but shut it again. Her first reaction was to say that she was but she had no idea how Gordon would react to that. Mates among dragons were more than husband and wife. They were bound together on a spiritual level. Kayla wasn’t entirely certain how it all worked but she had met women with dragon mates. The dragons would do anything for them.
Eventually, Shane’s rigid posture relaxed. He dipped his head towards Gordon. “Fine. I’ll fight for her.”
Gordon made a pleased noise and gestured to one of his goons, who pushed on Shane. The dragon looked back, giving her a small smile before he disappeared from sight. Gordon clapped and rubbed his hands together, a gleeful look on his face.
“This is delightful,” he purred. “I haven’t had this much fun in a while. Do you think your boyfriend will be able to do anything? He certainly looks tough.”
Kayla tried to ignore him. The gun was removed from her head, making her gasp in relief. It was short-lived though. Now that Shane was going into the fighting ring, she was alone here again. With these people. And if he lost? What would happen to them then? She struggled not to cry. Gordon ordered the ropes cut but a glare from him kept her sitting on the chair. The gauzy sheets didn’t do much to shield her from the eyes staring at her but she covered herself up the best she could anyway. Her lip trembled, even though she told herself again and again that she wasn’t going to cry.
“How do these fights work?” she managed to rasp out. The tremble was still in her voice but at least she was able to speak.
“Simple. I put a bunch of men together and tell them to fight. I used to have them fight one on one but that got so boring. If I wanted to see that, all I’d have to do was turn on the TV. Now, I prefer a more gladiator approach. Give them something to fight for and let them tear each other to pieces.”
Kayla’s stomach dropped. “You want them to die?”
Gordon shrugged. “Haven’t had a death yet. At least not in the ring.”
He laughed, sending chills down her spine. This guy was a psychopath. There was no other explanation. Her eyes returned to the large TV screen. All the men were standing around the outsides of the ring now, and Shane stepped in. Shirtless, his muscles gleaming. Kayla leaned forward, as though she could protect him through sheer force of will.
There was a loud noise, like a gunshot. Kayla jumped, barely holding in a scream. The men crashed in on one another. Shane disappeared from view.
“Don’t do this,” she begged, reaching for Gordon. “He’s rich, he’s a billionaire. Shane Freeman. He can pay you anything you want!”
One of his goons grabbed her and thrust her back into the chair. He held her there while the men on the screen beat each other. Shane appeared briefly as he was kicked in the knee. Blood flowed from his nose.
Kayla clung to the arms of her chair and tried not to scream.