The Dragon Finds Forever (Nocturne Falls Book 7) Read online

  THE DRAGON

  FINDS FOREVER

  Nocturne Falls, Book Seven

  Kristen Painter

  Monalisa Devlin is a Will O’ The Wisp, a rare and potentially dangerous creature. Unfortunately, her greedy father makes sure she lives up to that potential. Monalisa is magically compelled to obey her father’s evil commands—until he finally agrees to free her in exchange for one, last mission: Travel to Nocturne Falls and use her powers to force Ivan Tsvetkov back into the ring.

  Once a champion on the supernatural MMA circuit, Ivan ‘The Hammer’ Tsvetkov retired after a devastating injury that left him unable to shift into his dragon form. Wounded and embittered, Ivan wants nothing more than to be left alone. Until an infuriating, stubborn, delicately beautiful stranger shows up on his doorstep and demands that he rebuild his life.

  Posing as a rehab therapist seemed like the easiest way to get close to the smoldering recluse, but Monalisa quickly realizes that nothing about this mission is going to be easy. To gain his trust, she shares more of herself than she ever has before, and as their connection deepens, so does the weight of her secrets. She thought she was willing to do whatever it took to win her independence…but when her deception blows up in her face, will Monalisa discover that the loss of Ivan’s heart is too high a price to pay? Or will their love rise from the ashes to burn stronger than ever?

  Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year. The tourists think it’s all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals populating the town know better.

  Living in Nocturne Falls means being yourself. Fangs, fur, and all.

  THE DRAGON FINDS FOREVER:

  Nocturne Falls, Book Seven

  Copyright © 2017 Kristen Painter

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  ISBN: 978-1-941695-26-5

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  Table of Contents

  THE DRAGON FINDS FOREVER

  Welcome to Nocturne Falls

  Copyright

  Dedication

  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

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  About the Author

  Many Thanks

  Dedicated to everyone who ever wished dragons were real.

  A single gold coin.

  It should be hers. It was her birthright. Her freedom.

  Her prison.

  Monalisa Devlin watched the shiny coin dance through her father’s fingers like a toy. It was one of the countless many that Padraig Devlin owned, but this one he spun over and under his long, nimble digits, like it was a game. Which it kind of was. A game about reminding her. About taunting her. About keeping her hungry.

  She could practically feel the weight of the gold against her palm. Not that she’d ever touched it, because he’d never given it to her like he was supposed to when she turned eighteen. Just one more disappointment on her ever-growing list.

  And to think, she’d even done her pedicure in a gold glitter polish because she’d been so excited that she was finally going to get her coin.

  What a waste.

  Leprechauns were strange creatures. Crafty. Greedy. Mean. Ambitious. And the one before her wasn’t just her father, he was also the king.

  She forced herself to tear her gaze away from the gleaming object and meet his eyes. “I did what you asked. I want the coin.”

  He smiled and shook his head. “And I told you this loose end still needs to be resolved. Take care of it and the coin is yours.”

  It should have been hers on her eighteenth birthday. Twelve years later and she was still waiting. She closed her eyes for a moment and gave herself briefly over to her emotions. Anger. Frustration. Irritation. Helplessness. And a little fear. All of those swirled inside her as she stood before her parents. But she shoved them down and opened her eyes. “You can’t make me do this. I won’t.”

  “I can, Monalisa.” Her father’s stern look was something she’d seen so often, it held little sway. His toothy grin was still unpleasant to look at, though. “And I will.”

  He absolutely could, and he absolutely would. That was the story of her life. “I don’t want to do this.”

  Her mother, Tavia, sighed and rolled her beautiful, pixie eyes. “You should have thought about that before you stepped into the arena. What’s done is done. Now you must finish it.”

  “I didn’t step into the arena by my own will either, in case you forgot.”

  Padraig waved a lazy hand. “I am your father and your king. You have no choice.”

  Monalisa ground her teeth together to keep from saying the things dancing on the tip of her tongue. She let a long second pass, gathering her control. “If I do this, I get the gold. I get my freedom. I have to. You cannot go back on your word again.”

  Her father jumped to his feet, anger turning his face uglier. He was nearly half a foot shorter than she was, but then, most leprechauns were short-statured. Even the king. “I did not go back on my word. You didn’t finish the job you agreed to.”

  She’d seen him angry before. It didn’t frighten her. “I did exactly what you asked me to do. How was I to know he’d end up injured and refuse to honor his contract with the League?”

  Padraig shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what happened. You have to finish the job. Get him to agree to the fight, and I’ll give you your piece of gold.” He snorted in obvious disgust. “And you call me greedy.”

  “Greed has nothing to do with it.” Anger overtook the other emotions. “That coin should have been mine years ago, but you’ve held it over me because you know the second I have it, I’ll leave.” She would too. Being gifted one of her father’s precious coins would release her from his power. She would finally be able to do whatever she wanted. And heaven knew, her life had been on hold long enough.

  Her mother clucked her tongue. “Such an ungrateful child.”

  “Because I want my freedom? Because I want to be free from both of you?” The hurtful words left Monalisa’s mouth before she could stop them, but her parents kne
w how she felt.

  Her father was a bully. King of the leprechauns and as mean-tempered and greedy as any who’d reigned before him. And her mother, the beautiful pixie, had been married to him in an arrangement meant to bring peace between the leprechauns and the pixies. The marriage had accomplished that, but Tavia had been swept up in the power and glamor of the royal life, becoming just as manipulative as her husband.

  Together, the pair was given a healthy respect in Nevada’s supernatural community and was known worldwide because of her father’s casino, the Shamrock, and the supernatural fights held in its secret arena. It wasn’t like the Titan Fight League could hold its MMA bouts just anywhere.

  Having mythological creatures like dragons and griffins and centaurs going round after round for an equally supernatural audience really limited the available venues.

  Her father provided one of only fifty arenas in the world where the TFL could hold bouts, and his was one of the largest. Throw in the private gaming and party rooms in the casino reserved for supernaturals, and Padraig Devlin wasn’t just the king of the leprechauns, he was also the unofficial leader of Las Vegas’s supernatural Mafia.

  Monalisa had had enough. She lifted her chin. “I want to live my own life. I don’t want to be a princess anymore, I don’t want to live in Vegas, I don’t want to be part of this fast-paced, corrupt life.” She just needed that coin. Then her father’s sway would finally be broken.

  “This life you hate so much,” her mother said, “has kept you from wanting for a single thing.”

  “Except for my freedom!” She groaned. “And I don’t need or want the rest of what this life provides. The cost is too high. Don’t you see that?”

  Tavia sighed as if her daughter’s opinion was ridiculous. “And what will you do? How will you support yourself in this new life? You have no real skills. Life requires money. And you have no way of earning any.”

  Because her parents had made acquiring those skills nearly impossible. They’d kept her reliant on them and, except for the errands her father sent her on, separate from the world. “I’ll find something to do. I’ll survive.”

  Padraig barked out a laugh. “You’re good at two things, Monalisa. Being pretty and leading men astray. That’s what Will-o’-the-Wisps do. Having the kind of gifts best used for darker ends is nothing to shy from. Not when they can be so valuable.”

  She sneered. “Sure, to a man like you.” She’d had enough of that.

  “That’s right.” He smiled. “You might not like me, Monalisa, but would you really rather end up doing another man’s dirty work?”

  She glared down at him. “My powers aren’t my only usable skills, and besides that, I won’t use them for evil purposes ever again. You can go after that fighter yourself.”

  He grabbed her arm. “You brat. The only way I’m going to let you go is if you get him to abide by his contract. I need that rematch to take place. Once it does, I’ll give you your piece of gold and you’ll be free. But not before. And not ever if he doesn’t step foot into that ring.”

  She yanked her arm out of her father’s grasp. “This is the last thing I’m ever going to do for you. The last.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic.” He snorted. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

  She stared at him. “You don’t even care, do you? You’re sending your only daughter into the den of a dangerous—”

  “The danger is in lingering,” he snapped. “Get in, use your power on him, and get out. Over and done. Once he’s under your thrall, he won’t be able to say no.”

  Just like she couldn’t say no to her father. But using her gifts against another person was wrong. She didn’t want to be the kind of supernatural who took advantage of people, employing her inherent abilities to bend them to her will or make them do things they had no desire to do.

  That was what her father did. And she didn’t want to be anything like him.

  The muscles in her jaw ached from clenching her teeth so tightly. She managed to get out a few words. Enough to appease the man in front of her. “I know what to do.”

  “I hope so. Now prove it. Bring me that dragon.”

  Van Tsvetkov studied the roomful of dogs on the other side of the glass. He liked dogs. Liked that this was a no-kill rescue center. Liked the idea that he was giving another creature a chance for a better life. Even if it was with a washed-up MMA fighter like himself.

  One of the dogs was sleeping. Two of them were playing tug-of-war with a knotted rope. Another was chewing on his own foot like it was a delicious snack. But one was staring back at him, eyes filled with the kind of hope that Van couldn’t refuse.

  He nodded. “That one. With the brown and the black and the pointed ears.”

  Pandora Williams, Van’s good friend and a woman he trusted very much, gave him a stern look. “I’m pretty sure that’s a Rottweiler or something equally big. And I don’t think it’s full-grown yet. Look at the size of its paws. It could be a monster when it gets older.”

  “I don’t care. I want that one.” How many times in his life had he been called the same thing? Monster might as well have been his middle name growing up. The people in his village in Russia had not been kind. And after they’d found out what he and his family were, they’d turned violent out of fear. That was when his family had left. Escaped, actually. “He looks like a good dog.”

  “I’m sure he’s a great dog. But how about that little white one over there? I bet that one’s awesome too. And you could put him in a carrier. Or a backpack.”

  “No. No yippy dogs that fit in bags.” Van poked the glass with his finger, directing it at the gangly animal that continued to watch him. “I want that one.”

  “Van, how exactly are you going to walk a dog that’s the size of a deer? You’re on crutches.”

  “I will not be on crutches forever.” Van’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her. He knew she was only watching out for his best interests. It’s what Pandora had always done for him, starting years ago with overseeing the building of his house in the hills of Nocturne Falls. But he wouldn’t be traveling anymore. From now on, this was where he’d be. And a dog was a big step in settling down. “I will hire a dog walker until I’m healed.”

  “Oh good. So you’re going to get a dog and then let it bond with someone else? That sounds like a fabulous plan.” She crossed her arms as she faced him. She was one of the few people he could count on to always be honest with him, and he liked that. Pandora didn’t care who he was and wasn’t intimidated by his dragon side either.

  She kept going. “And who’s going to watch this dog while you’re off at a fight? Or training somewhere? Or doing a promotional tour? Or—”

  “I told you, I am retired. Done.” The muscles in his jaw tensed, and he forced himself to relax. “I am settling down now. Here. Nocturne Falls is where I live.”

  Her expression was full of skepticism. Then it shifted to one of concern. “You really think you can give all that up and be happy?”

  Happiness wasn’t something he was worried about at the moment. “Already done. I’m content to read books and work on my English. And play with my new dog.”

  She shrugged. “Okay. But you’ve gotten rid of enough of your accent already. Chicks dig that, you know.” She winked at him.

  “Kotyonok, I have no interest in chicks. This dog is all the companionship I need right now.” And he did not want Pandora trying to set him up. He wasn’t in the right head space to even think about a relationship.

  “If you say so.” She waved at one of the rescue workers. “Can we go into a room with the big tan and black one?”

  A few minutes later, Van maneuvered himself into one of the chairs in the visitation room, careful of the brace that kept his right knee from bending. He set the crutches against the wall as Pandora took the chair beside him.

  The worker, a young man named Tim, came in with the dog. “Okay, this is Pup. Pup is a three-month-old Doberman. He’s a great dog.”

&n
bsp; “Doberman. Huh.” Pandora nudged Van. “Told you. Big dog.”

  Big was good, Van thought. He studied the dog, who seemed to be studying him right back. “Pup is no name for this dog.”

  “Well, whoever adopts him can change that.” Tim shrugged. “People change the names all the time.”

  “Sure,” Pandora said. “How did Pup end up here?”

  “He’s from a litter rescued from an animal hoarder. He’s the only one that hasn’t been adopted yet. Probably because he’s a little on the timid side, and most people want dogs like this for protection.”

  Van held out his hand to the dog. The animal stretched his neck and sniffed Van’s fingers, then tentatively licked them and gave a nervous wag of his tail.

  Eager, but fearful.

  It was enough to make up Van’s mind. “I will call him Grom.”

  “Gum?” Pandora asked.

  “Grom,” Van corrected.

  “Grom?” Pandora looked at him. “You mean Gromit, like in Wallace and Gromit?”

  Van scratched the dog’s head. Grom closed his eyes. “Grom means thunder in Russian.”

  Tim laughed softly. “That’s a lot of name for this dog.”