Chapter One

Everleigh's day had already been exceptionally terrible, then her car delivers the final blow, by rolling to a sputtering stop on a dark and desolate stretch of road in the middle of nowhere. To make matters worse, there was no one around to help her. She was completely alone in the pitch darkness. It is, undoubtedly, the worst way to cap off a disastrous day.

“Bloody perfect.” She grumbles to herself, throwing her head back against the head rest with a frustrated huff. She grabs her phone from the passenger seat and sees that she has no reception and her battery is almost dead.

She took the forest road in an ill advised attempt to shave half an hour off her journey. As she steps out of the car to see what the problem is, she senses a presence and knows that something isn’t quite right, the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, she feels like she is being watched. Fumbling with the door handle, she quickly gets back inside her car, her heart pounding beneath her flimsy blouse, her terrible day is getting worse by the minute.

When she looks in her rear view mirror, she gasps in shock and disbelief as she spots an enormous emerald green and gold dragon standing right behind her car. She blinks and shakes her head not believing her eyes, but when she opens them again he is still there. His magnificent wingspan and powerful presence make him seem larger than life. She can sense the raw power that emanates from within him, leaving her in a state of both admiration and pure terror. She tells herself this can’t be real and wonders if she is has fallen asleep at the wheel. When she dares to glance in the mirror again, she sees that the dragon has come closer, only his thickly scaled legs are visible to her now.

Everleigh’s father had warned her since she was a young girl that dragon shifters roamed the lands at night and danger lurked around every corner. She had believed them just to be fantastical fairy tales, meant to amuse her, she never thought dragons could actually exist. She decides to make a daring run for it into the dark, mysterious woods ahead, she doubted her car would be able to protect her from the beast, but maybe she could find somewhere in the dense forest to hide. She trips and stumbles in her hasty despair, her panic driving her forward as she desperately seeks an escape route. Her heart pounding rapidly, she can feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins as her feet clumsily stumble over the obstacles in her way. The forest seems never ending and she can’t help thinking that her life is becoming an actual nightmare.

The dragon follows, the sound of his wings beating fills the air as he flies closely above. His immense form casts a shadow all around her, blocking the moonlight that had been illuminating her ominous surroundings. Everleigh manages to stay ahead of him, weaving through the trees in an attempt to lose him. As Everleigh traverses the unfamiliar woods, she notices there are strange symbols carved into some of the trees and peculiar smells emanating from certain areas. She has never seen anything like it but doesn’t dare to stop and investigate further.

In her frightened state, she stumbles over a tree stump and falls to the ground with a yelp and a thump. She hits her head on the hard, damp forest floor and when she looks up, she notices the silhouette of something large coalescing out of a dark green fog. Suddenly, from the mist steps forth a man. His chiselled physique was made even more impressive by the knots of runes that snake along his bare arms and chest. Everleigh realizes that the runes were similar to the ones that were inscribed upon the trees.

The man watches her silently, his evergreen eyes gleaming in the moonlight, long brown hair almost the same colour as hers, is scraped back from his face in a half pulled through ponytail. His magnetic intensity keeps her rooted to the spot as he steps closer, his gaze holding her entranced and captive in its depths. She feels an electric pull towards him, like a magnet pulling her closer with each passing moment, yet she can’t move, her head is pounding and her ears ringing.

He reaches forward and brushes some hair away from Everleigh’s face and with an almost imperceptible whisper speaks soft words in a language unknown to Everleigh but she finds them inexplicably comforting. She continually strives to recall the magical, captivating stories that her father would tell her, with all the intricate details and vivid imagery that made them so memorable. There is something familiar about the man kneeling beside her, like she somehow knows him.

A sudden chill runs down Everleigh’s spine as his warm, gentle touch lightly grazes her cheek. It feels like electricity fizzing through her veins, captivating her body and soul in the most pleasant crackling sensation. A warmth begins to fill the core of her stomach, like a hot spring that slowly radiates throughout her entire being.

“Oh, my dearest little one, be careful, you could easily get hurt in this big, lonely world. What misfortune has brought you out here all by yourself with no one to guard or protect you?” Xavier leans in, his smoky breath rolls over her cold skin, warming it slowly.

“My car… it unexpectedly broke down, leaving me with no other option but to get out to see what was wrong. That’s when I saw it, a dragon right there, mere feet away from me. I know it sounds crazy and unbelievable, but I swear on my life that it was really there!” Everleigh hastily explains to the mysterious man what happened, and she can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t quite right. She must have hit her head harder than she thought, because when Xavier looks at her, it almost seems like there are flames dancing in his eyes.

“I wholeheartedly believe you, my little one. Let me take you to a place where you will be safe, and we should definitely take a look at that bump on your head to make sure it’s not anything serious. My name is Xavier.” He eagerly scoops Everleigh up off the forest floor. She looks up at him with an appreciative smile, and he feels a deep satisfaction as he holds her close.

Dragons rarely have the opportunity to bond with their fated mates due to the dangers of spending time among humans. But as soon as Xavier caught a whiff of Everleigh’s scent, he knew without a doubt that she was his and that his life would never be the same.

With no desire to scare his precious little mate further, Xavier choses to remain in his human form. He ventures deeper and deeper into the woods, heading back home and pondering what it would feel like to have her as his own. His heart flutters with excitement as he imagines all the possibilities that lay ahead of them. Her breathing grows softer and lighter with each passing moment as she feels completely safe and secure in his loving embrace, until eventually her eyes flutter closed and she drifts off into a peaceful slumber.

Xavier wasn’t fortunate enough to discover her name, which will remain an enigma until she awakes. He is left with a deep yearning to learn her identity, and everything about the curious little human that has wandered into his world.

When Everleigh wriggles in his arms, Xavier gets another strong and deeply alluring whiff of her mesmerizing floral scent which is simply captivating. His arousal is becoming increasingly difficult to control, and he thanks the goddess she is still sleeping soundly. The sooner they reach his lair the better, as it is the only safe haven from the dangers of the forest at night.

With long, steady strides, Xavier approaches the entrance of his secret lair, an opening in the rocky face of a mountain that is hidden from human eyes by powerful ancient runes carved into the rough and craggy surface. With a determined step, he moves through the invisible barrier whilst engulfing Everleigh in his protective embrace, feeling confident that she would be safe from the magical barrier whilst in his arms. He heads through the cavernous space towards his bedroom. The satisfaction of having found his mate and knowing she is safe gives him a sense of calm he hasn’t felt since leaving his family home.