Blackwing Dragon (Harper's Mountains 5) Read Free

of space to pass between her and a pillar. Concern flashed in the lady’s eyes as she passed, huddling her littles close. If she knew what Rowan was, she wouldn’t have allowed her family even this near. And now Rowan was going to shove herself into a tiny plane like a sardine with complete strangers? Without Damon? Hell no.
    “I’m coming home,” she gritted out into the phone.
    “The fuck you are,” Damon said, his voice still too low and gravelly. “You are a Bloodrunner, Rowan. And not a small one. Your dragon is almost as big as mine, and you have the fire. Now I’m fine with you living with the Gray Backs for the rest of your life if you at least go out and see the world before you settle.”
    “But my treasure—”
    “Is in your suitcase and will be in Asheville when you land. Rowan, there is nothing stopping you from helping the Bloodrunners.”
    “But—”
    “But nothing. Get on that plane.”
    The line went dead, and Rowan glared at the screen as it faded to black. The last part had sounded an awful lot like an order. Damon wasn’t her alpha, though. Creed Barnett, her father, was, and she didn’t have to take orders from Damon. She could just leave and go back where she was safe and comfortable. Where her dragon felt in control.
    Bloodrunner. She gritted her teeth. Thanks for that, Damon. His genetics had put a monster dragon in the middle of a submissive woman. His genetics had made controlling her inner monster a relentless chore from birth. His genetics had made her different from everyone. It wasn’t a good thing, being a special little snowflake. All her dragon did was bring her attention she didn’t want.
    Rowan stared longingly at the mother and her three kids.
    She would give anything to be human.
    “You dropped this.” A man holding the straps of a black duffle bag over his shoulder stooped and picked a plane ticket off the floor. He stood easily enough and got taller and taller until she backed up a step just to look him in the face. He wore a black hoodie over dark hair and sunglasses, and a three-day black beard shadowed his chiseled jaw. His hair was longer on top and fell forward in front of his face. He shifted his weight to the side, and behind his sunglasses, his dark eyebrows winged up. He shook the paper gently. Right, she needed that.
    She swallowed hard, took the ticket from his fingertips. There were tendrils of tattoo ink that curved out from under his sleeve and covered his hand.
    “Thank you.” Her words came out nothing more than a frightened croak. Some Bloodrunner Dragon she was, afraid of a human.
    A handsome human with muscles pushing against the long sleeves of his hoodie and powerful legs pressing against the threadbare fabric of his worn jeans, but a human nonetheless. She’d dated one once. They broke easily.
    He was staring. At least, she thought he was. All she could see was her own reflection in his sunglasses. She looked petrified. He parted his lips to say something, but a woman announced over the loudspeaker, “All military personal and veterans, you can board now.”
    The man turned abruptly and made his way toward the kiosk. He was the only one who walked to the front, and Rowan had to look around the broad shoulders of a man in a business suit to watch him. Tall Dark and Mysterious bore a deep limp. The woman up front took his ticket and talked just low enough that Rowan couldn’t hear. He answered, but all she caught was a deep, rich tone to his voice.
    So, he was military. Points for him.
    Rowan drifted closer, enamored by how his arm filled out his hoodie on the shoulder he carried the duffle bag. As he limped to the open doorway to board, he turned his face and seemed to look directly at her. A small gasp left her lips, but before she could force her attention anywhere else and pretend she wasn’t staring at him, Tall Dark and Mysterious was gone.
    “First class and priority, you are free to board,” the woman announced over the