Nathan's Heart (Brotherhood of Bandits (Mating Fever) Book 1) Read online

  table of contents

  Back Cover

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Books by M. Malone

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Nathan’s Heart

  Nathan Drake cares about only one thing. Money. As a thief recovery agent he'll take any job that gets him the green. His brothers don't call him Heartless for nothing. But a heart doesn't keep food on the table. Living on the outskirts of dragon shifter society has taught him that. Whether it's drugs, jewels or weapons, he'll recover whatever the client wants, for his cut of the loot of course.

  Until the day he recovers the most unexpected of cargo.

  A girl.

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  chapter one

  Evangeline Ford shivered and pulled her thin sweater tighter around her ample chest. The motion only made her girls plump up even more. The guy standing in front of her grinned, revealing a row of crooked, broken teeth.

  “Darling, I usually say more than a handful is a waste but I have a feeling I’d enjoy the extra.”

  “Do you want to buy a purse or not?” she snapped.

  He finally dragged his eyes away from her cleavage and handed her a folded ten-dollar bill. She thrust one of the purses she held into his arms.

  “Thanks.” After tucking the money carefully in her pocket, she turned to the man standing behind him.

  He’d been waiting for a while but she hadn’t been able to get rid of her toothy suitor. She only hoped he was a serious customer. If Mimi came back and saw that she’d only sold one purse, she’d never hear the end of it. Evie loved her mother but she wasn’t the most responsible person ever. She’d never been able to hold down a job and was constantly following some get-rich-quick scheme. Her latest was selling knockoff purses outside all of the metro stations.

  The nation’s capitol is filled with tourists, Evie! Most of them don’t know the difference between a Coach and a couch so it’s the perfect place to sell. You won’t have to worry about making rent ever again!

  Never mind that the only reason she was so broke was because Mimi had found where she’d hidden last month’s rent money and gone on a cocaine and alcohol-fueled bender. They’d already been behind on all their bills so Evie could have just cried at the thought of all that money gone in one weekend. It had happened right after she’d lost her waitressing job and she hadn’t found another one yet. Every day things looked worse and worse until their electricity had finally been cut off the day prior.

  “Hi, are you interested in a ladies clutch or perhaps a tote?” She smiled brightly at the new customer, hoping he’d buy something out of pity if nothing else.

  Despite the bleakness of her current financial state, Evie couldn’t believe she was standing out in the cold selling knockoff bags. She didn’t even want to know about this “source” that Mimi had found to supply the bags. She planned to just sell and ignore the little voice in the back of her head screaming that this whole situation was bad news.

  The guy didn’t smile back but just stared at her. After a few awkward moments he finally said, “I need a new wallet. You got any of those?”

  She was trying to think of a way to convince him that the coin purse she had could double as a wallet when she saw him.

  The past few weeks, she’d seen the same guy getting coffee at the shop right across from the metro station. Tall and well-built with dark hair, there was something about him that made her think of a soldier. She could never get close enough to see what color his eyes were but he had a permanent scowl on his face that made him seem pissed at life in general. That wasn’t enough to stop him from being the most viscerally sexy man she’d ever seen.

  Not that he was the only reason she’d insisted on coming back to this same corner even though she didn’t get many people to stop here. Mimi kept telling her she needed to pick a less affluent area but she’d countered that the Foggy Bottom station was used by a lot of students. Students were usually broke, right? But as she watched him swagger down the sidewalk she had to admit a lot of it had to do with getting to see her daily dose of eye candy.

  Her customer shifted and cut off her view of tall, dark and cranky. It was just as well. She was supposed to be hustling for rent money not lusting after guys who were way out of her league. Guys who looked like that didn’t go for short, plump girls of unknown ethnic origin. Although she’d been called “exotic” before. Whatever that meant.

  “I don’t have any wallets. But maybe you might want to buy a bag for your girlfriend.” She held up the tote bag on her right arm. “This would be perfect for upcoming beach season–”

  Her voice dropped out completely when the guy blinked and his pupils morphed into slits. She gulped. He was one of the dragon shifters she’d heard so much about.

  “Um, this would be perfect for the beach. Maybe you’d like this one instead?” She tried to play it cool but his smirk told her she hadn’t been successful.

  Trying not to be obvious she snuck another glance at him. Ever since the dragons had made their existence public, the American media had been fascinated by them. Notoriously reclusive, they claimed to have no ill intentions toward the human population and just wanted to live in peace. She’d heard the stories of course, that they could take out a building with one swipe of their huge claws and the public’s fascination had only gotten worse since their king had gone on a late night television show. Handsome and charismatic, the country’s female population had become instantly obsessed with the elusive new species living amongst them.

  “I’m not a beach kind of guy.”

  He stepped closer and her breath automatically sped up. She’d heard the rumors about them snatching girls but she’d figured she was safe. No one snatched big girls. Maybe this was just a dragon thing, like the imposing height and the creepy eyes.

  “A clutch, maybe?” Her voice came out as a squeak.

  The dragon shifter took a long inhale. “No, I already know what I want.”

  Then he smiled.

  As Nathan Drake dodged another streak of lightning, this one so close he felt the heat, he had to acknowledge that there was a lot he’d do for money. But this shit right here…

  He swerved again as thunder crashed to his left, the reverb vibrating through his wings. Fire left his throat on a bark of displeasure. It wasn’t easy to correct course while carrying a two hundred pound crate but his client had made it clear that every one of his shipments needed to be delivered within an hour of pickup.

  The arrogant way his former king had ordered him to take the job had been almost enough for him to ignore the elegant missive that had arrived by personal courier six weeks ago. But he’d decided to take the job and not just for the considerable purse, although a hundred grand per delivery wasn’t anything to sneeze at. More than that, he wanted what Avan dangled in front of him like the most precious of jewels. Safety. Security. The promise of an ally in the event his clan ever needed one.

  The thought of an alliance with the dragon he hated most in the world had filled him with rage but in that moment, he’d thought of his father. His last memory was of the light leaving his eyes but he had years and years of memories before that, of a man both steadfast and wise. As clearly as if he’d been right there clapping him on the back, he’d heard his father’s last words.

  Take care of your brothers.
r />   If it was just about him he’d tell Avan exactly where he could stick it but the safety of his clan had to come first. So he’d taken the strange job despite all Avan’s warnings about how important his deliveries were. He’d insisted that each pickup take place on a Friday at five o’clock in the afternoon and reach the Rivenell stronghold in precisely one hour. Flying from D.C. to the mountains of the neighboring state of Virginia was hardly difficult and he’d delivered each week’s cargo with no issues.

  But not in the middle of a fucking monsoon.

  Another bolt of lightning whizzed by but this time the flash of energy caught him in the wing.

  “Damn it!”

  At least that was what he said in his head but all that came out was an anguished roar of pain. His right wing burned like hell but he struggled to keep it extended. He’d never reneged on a job or delivered late but this storm was worse than expected. It was time to accept defeat.

  Either that or end up losing a limb.

  Nathan executed a gentle turn, keeping a firm grasp on the harness in his talons holding his cargo. Luckily it was only a medium-sized crate so he could still move quickly enough to dodge the random flashes of lightning streaking through the sky. He’d only been flying for ten minutes so it made sense to just turn around and take shelter in his own den. His land was pretty close to his current position just outside of D.C.

  He pumped his wings harder, using the turbulent wind to propel him faster. Five minutes later, the land he inhabited with his brothers came into view. Circling several times, he dropped the crate gently in front of the entrance to his den and then shifted mid-air. He landed on his feet with a thud. Shaking off the impact, he immediately turned around and sprinted back to his den. His dragon didn’t mind getting wet but his human side didn’t appreciate it.

  He hefted the crate in his arms and carried it inside. He glanced around the room and then made a split-second decision to keep it in his bedroom. He and his brothers had been couriers for some expensive shit before. There was no telling the value of what was in this particular crate, especially considering how adamant the king had been about receiving it on time.

  Fucking Avan.

  It still irked him that he’d been forced into this job in the first place. But no one said no to the dragon king. And he’d been tempted when he got the king’s letter.

  It had been a powerful message, not just the words on the page but the jarring realization that Avan had always known where they were. The dragon sitting on his throne and leading his people had sent him a letter as if he was summoning any underling to do his bidding. Nathan ground his jaw as he deposited the crate in the corner of his room.

  He may not be a true king, not according to the old laws, but he’d managed to lead his small clan to both safety and prosperity. His brothers all worked with him and together they’d built their business until they were the most sought after recovery specialists in the world. In the beginning they’d used their natural dragon-born instincts to ferret out treasure and to recover a few things they shouldn’t have, selling a cadre of jewels, artwork and precious metals to the highest bidder. Now that they were on their feet they could afford to turn down jobs that seemed too risky. Although he kind of enjoyed some of the more dangerous missions.

  His heartbeat increased suddenly and the damn thing felt like it was banging against his ribcage. Then came the heat. Nathan staggered, propping a hand on the wall to keep him from falling on his ass. Damn, mating fever. Flying expended so much energy that he’d taken the job knowing he wouldn’t have any trouble ignoring the fever. But in his human skin, it was going to be a bitch to fight off. Maybe he could shift and ride out the worst of it.

  He glanced toward the front of his den. The two windows in the front, the only ones in the place, showed that the storm hadn’t lessened any. As a dragon he stood about twenty feet high so the only room in his den where he would fit was the living area and he wouldn’t be able to move much. What he needed was a good hard workout.

  Or a good, hard fuck, he thought bitterly. But since his last girlfriend hadn’t been cool with how often he was away, he didn’t have anyone to help him with the lust currently trying to burn through his system.

  “Good hard workout it is.”

  He changed into running shorts, a t-shirt and sneakers. Then he grabbed his boxing gloves from his dresser and tapped the speed dial on his phone to call his brother. He put the phone on speaker so he could tape his hands while they talked. Although maybe shedding a little blood would help him calm down.

  “What’s up, Nate? Aren’t you supposed to be on your way to see the king? Tell me you didn’t drop it.”

  He made a face at the phone. “Of course, I didn’t drop it. My perfect record is still intact.”

  Both of his brothers had dropped or damaged cargo at least once before. He hadn’t yet and they loved to remind him that the day was coming.

  “So what’s going on?”

  “The storm. I couldn’t keep going. I almost lost a wing as it was.”

  “Shit. Avan is going to lose it when he finds out. He was extremely clear that he expects prompt delivery and no questions every time.”

  Nathan really wanted to say that Avan could go fuck himself but he figured there was no use taking his frustration out on Ian. His brother got enough shit dealing with their demanding, intractable customers.

  “I know. But I didn’t have a choice. Just wanted to give you a heads up so you can avoid him when he calls. He probably won’t realize there’s an issue for another hour. I’ve got his crate right here in my room. It’s perfectly safe. I’m sure whatever it is, his lord and master can wait until tomorrow morning to get it.”

  Ian sighed. “Fine. I’ll try to stall him. But I’m pretty sure he’s going to find a way to take this out of our hides.”

  His brother hung up without waiting for a response so Nathan tossed his phone on the bed. He walked down to the gym on the other side of his den and spent an hour pounding on the heavy bag. Afterward, he stripped the clothes from his body so he could shower. The warm water didn’t soothe him the way it usually did. By the time he got out he was just as antsy as before. Back in his room, he pulled on a pair of worn-in jeans and just as he was pulling a t-shirt over his head, he heard it. A soft shuffling sound.

  A second later his scales came out. Only purebred dragons descended from the royal line could shift partially. It was a handy skill in situations where he wasn’t sure if there was a threat. The iridescent gold scales shimmered in the semi-darkness as he moved through the room closer to the crate. Then he heard it again. A shuffle. Then a soft whimper.

  “Oh no.”

  Frantically, he started pulling at the boards holding the crate together. Their company refused to carry live cargo but it didn’t stop people from trying to break the rules. It was just like Avan to ask him to pick up some exotic pet and with his luck he’d have to figure out how to feed and water a tiger cub or some exotic monkey.

  He yanked at the last board and then pulled back layers of padding covering the contents. At first his mind couldn’t reconcile what he was seeing, it just sent him random information. Arms, legs, long dark hair. His mouth fell open. Avan wasn’t trafficking exotic pets.

  It was a girl.

  chapter two

  Evie’s first thought was that absolutely everything on her body hurt. She opened her mouth to moan but got a mouthful of something scratchy. Coughing weakly, she tried to move her arms to push whatever it was away but found she couldn’t do that either. The muscles in her arms and legs screamed as she attempted to stretch out.

  “Oh god, help.” Her voice was so soft that she almost couldn’t hear herself but the slight sound was enough to send her into a spasm of pain.

  “Don’t worry, I’m going to get you out of there. Just hold on.”

  The unfamiliar voice sent terror through her once more. Who was that? It wasn’t a voice that she’d ever heard before. She winced at the sound of cracking wo
od and curled into herself. The last thing she remembered was … what? Her brain felt scrambled and it was hard to think beyond the pounding in her skull but she vaguely remembered Mimi fussing at her before she left their apartment. Had she been robbed? But who would want to steal the crappy knockoff bags she was selling?

  As it was she couldn’t even give the damn things away.

  “Okay. Can you move?”

  The deep voice rumbled somewhere above her so she tentatively opened one eye. It was dark and she couldn’t see much other than the huge form hovering over her.

  “What happened to me?”

  The large form moved again and the pressure against her side was removed. She let out a tortured groan when her legs shifted. It shouldn’t hurt this much to move her limbs.

  “I have no idea sweetheart but I’m going to find out. What’s your name?”

  She hesitated. Should she really be talking to this man she didn’t know? For all she knew he was the one who’d done this to her. Then she thought that maybe if she was cooperative he wouldn’t hurt her. Especially since she wasn’t in any kind of shape to defend herself like this.

  “Evie. I mean, Evangeline Ford. Who are you?”

  “Nathan Drake. Come on, let’s get you out of this box.”

  Tentatively, she stretched out her legs. They were sore but she could move them. She planted a hand beneath her torso and pushed up.

  “Slowly. Careful now.” He put his arms under her and then stood with her clasped to his chest. That’s when she became aware that she was completely naked.

  In too much pain to even be mortified, she clung to him weakly as he turned and placed her gently on something soft. A second later, a soft light turned on bathing them in a warm glow. She looked up and then instantly froze.

  “It’s you!”

  “Do we know each other, sweetheart? Because I’m pretty sure I’d remember.”