The Dragon Falls for the Fairy Godmother Read online

  The Dragon Falls for the Fairy Godmother

  A Nocturne Falls Universe story

  Larissa Emerald

  Welcome to Nocturne Falls

  Dear Reader,

  Nocturne Falls has become a magical place for so many people, myself included. Over and over I’ve heard from you that it’s a town you’d love to visit and even live in! I can tell you that writing the books is just as much fun for me.

  With your enthusiasm for the series in mind—and your many requests for more books—the Nocturne Falls Universe was born. It’s a project near and dear to my heart, and one I am very excited about.

  I hope these new, guest-authored books will entertain and delight you. And best of all, I hope they allow you to discover some great new authors! (And if you like this book, be sure to check out the rest of the Nocturne Falls Universe offerings.)

  For more information about the Nocturne Falls Universe, visit http://kristenpainter.com/sugar-skull-books.

  In the meantime, happy reading!

  Kristen Painter

  The Dragon Falls for the Fairy Godmother

  A Nocturne Falls Universe Story

  Copyright © 2018 by Larissa Emerald

  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 and was made possible by a special agreement with Sugar Skull Books but has not been reviewed or edited by Kristen Painter. All characters, events, scenes, plots, and associated elements appearing in the original Nocturne Falls series remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Kristen Painter, Sugar Skull Books, and their affiliates or licensors.

  Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author or Sugar Skull Books.

  Published in the United States of America.

  Table of Contents

  THE DRAGON FALLS FOR THE FAIRY GODMOTHER

  Welcome to Nocturne Falls

  Copyright

  Other Books by Larissa Emerald

  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

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Thank you for Reading!

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Other Books by Larissa Emerald

  Paranormal Romance

  Nocturne Falls Universe

  The Vampire Bounty Hunter’s Unexpected Catch

  The Shaman Charms the Shifter

  Merry & Bright: A Christmas Anthology – The Witch’s Snow Globe Wish

  Divine Tree Guardian series

  Awakening Fire

  Awakening Touch

  Awakening Storm

  Vampire – Blood Keepers Series

  Forever at Dawn (novella)

  Forever at Midnight (novella)

  Romantic Suspense

  Chalet Romance Series

  Winter Heat

  Contemporary Romance

  Barefoot Bay Kindle World

  Come Sail Away

  Want to stay up-to-date on upcoming books, release dates, giveaways, and contests from Larissa Emerald?

  Sign up for her NEWSLETTER!

  Dedication

  For my granddaughter, Tallisyn,

  May your vivid imagination

  and desire to read and write stories

  continue to blossom.

  Love always,

  Nana

  Chapter One

  “I don’t know if I can do it.” Erika Tschanz gazed at the ceiling of her bedchamber. Gossamer fabric intertwined with miniature lights draped from tiny hooks. “If only I were brave like Willa.” She rolled onto her side and propped onto an elbow, peering at her cousin Saniyya. “I mean, you saw the way she flew off riding on the back of that gargoyle, and after defying the king and passing the kingdom off to her sister. If that’s not bravery, I don’t know what is.”

  The image of the gargoyle and fae was etched into her brain. Now that was a worthy woman. Strong and fierce and willing to face any adversity.

  Not like her. She twirled a lock of her dark red hair between her fingers, holding it up to the light and looking through the strands. One day, she supposed, she would become a young girl’s fairy godmother. Her aunt had said the first one hundred years goes by fast. But it didn’t seem so. Not that she was anywhere near a hundred. But still…not a fairy godmother.

  She sighed and then opened her eyes wider as an idea formed. “I wonder what it’s like in Nocturne Falls—where Willa lives. Georgia is so far away from Rhoswynn, Arkansas.”

  “Go find out.”

  “I wish.”

  “Then do it. Not five minutes ago, you were moaning over a way to escape an arranged marriage with Dika and be free from your parent’s pressure to wed and give them grandchildren.”

  Erika couldn’t suppress an eye roll. “Their views are archaic, narrow-minded, and insulting. I should be working or running a business or…something. Not still living at home.”

  “Then why are you?”

  Why indeed? But she knew the answer to that, didn’t she? From the time she was a toddler, her mother had extolled her virtues about how perfect and good she was to everyone. Erika inwardly cringed. All the way back when she was four and her mom had told Mrs. Kren how her sweet little girl always walked in the stores with her hands behind her back and never touched things. But that was a lie, and she knew it. Erika had slipped a chocolate into her mouth when her mother wasn’t looking. No, she wasn’t as well behaved as her mother thought, wasn’t worthy of her praise. She’d been trying to live up to her mother’s expectations ever since.

  “You don’t have to stay in Rhoswynn,” Saniyya said. “Look at me, I live and work in Las Vegas. I come home to visit a couple times a year. I love my life.”

  Erika didn’t love hers. But leaving? She wasn’t sure she could make it on her own. She sighed from way down in her stomach. She wasn’t a carefree, flighty, air fairy like Saniyya. She was an earth fairy, as solid and stationary as the mountain where they lived. It took a lot to move her. A big city like Las Vegas didn’t interest her. But Nocturne Falls? A town similar to Rhoswynn filled with paranormal creatures like her? Now that was a place to go. A place she might be able to settle.

  A knock sounded on the door and then it opened without a sound. Her mother stepped halfway inside. “Hi, Saniyya. I didn’t realize you were still here.”

  “I’m leaving to go home this afternoon, so I wanted to visit a little longer,” Saniyya said happily.

  Their house was so large, her parents rarely kept track of who and what was going on.

  Her mother nodded. “Well, safe travels.” She slid her eyes to Erika. “You turned Dika away again today? Why?”

  She couldn’t look up, knowing the disapproval she’d see on her mother’s face. “I wanted to spend time with my cousin before she left.”

  “Erika, look at me.”

  Slowly, she raised her eyes.

  Her mother pressed her lips together. “He will be back tomorrow. And if he asks you to marry him again, you must say ‘yes’
. Even your father grows tired of you putting this off.”

  Her mother smiled at Saniyya. “She’s being silly, isn’t she? Passing up a fantastic catch like Dika.”

  “I’m not the person to ask.” Saniyya shrugged.

  Erika balled her fists. She was about to become unhinged. Enough with the marriage stuff.

  Her cousin’s nonchalance seemed to upset her mother further, causing her to huff and sputter.

  Saniyya and Erika’s gaze caught and flashed a mischievous, knowing glance, like heat-lightning passing among clouds. Erika held back a chuckle. It didn’t do any good. Her mother saw her mirth anyway. She spun around and let the door slam behind her.

  The laughter spilled out of Saniyya, too. She fell over Erika, taking her down onto the mattress, wrapping her arms around her. She wasn’t ready for serious things like marriage and a family. She wanted to live first.

  Erika sobered. Sadly, her mother wasn’t going to give up on this, she realized. If not Dika, then it would be someone else equally as disagreeable. After all, Erika knew everyone in Rhoswynn. As beautiful as her home was, few people came here to reside. Practically everyone had lived there since they were born, like her.

  In a way, she couldn’t blame her mother, Erika was getting older by the day, while her friends were married and starting families. Conflicting emotions nipped at her. It was just another way she’d let her mother down.

  There was only one solution. Erika pushed down a quiver of anticipation. She needed to leave Rhoswynn and make a life somewhere else. Nocturne Falls, perhaps.

  Deep inside, the thought filled her with fear, and yet, excitement flowed through her at the possibility. Her heart beat faster as her mind raced to figure out how to leave and make a new start…a new life. Perhaps her cousin was the answer.

  Erika stared at Saniyya. “When you leave, will you take me with you? Back to Las Vegas.”

  Saniyya’s eyes widened. “What will you do? How will you live?”

  “I’ll travel to Nocturne Falls.”

  She hustled to the chest in the corner and threw open the lid. They didn’t keep their money in banks and her father had long ago presented her with her dowry. Having the cash to fund her move wasn’t the problem. “I will use the gold father has set aside for me—what I can carry, at least. That should set me up for years.”

  “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  Erika gave a weak smile, examining the perfection of her room. “Yes.” She was done being trapped in her parent’s guilt trips.

  The only way to be free was to escape. She drew a pen and paper from the bedside table and wrote her parents a note. She loved them, but she needed to be allowed to grow up and make her own decisions.

  * * *

  With the winds of March, humans and paranormal creatures alike blew into town for a brief visit. A year ago, Marshall had been one of those folks. And as luck would have it, he’d had the chance to return and set up house to live his dual existence as an artist and secret agent.

  The Black Rose, the most luxurious dead and breakfast in Nocturne Falls, had recently designated a corner of their lobby to include a gift shop. As with most of his life, Marshall Chadwick had been at the right place at the right time and had landed a spot to display his glasswork in the limited retail space. He didn’t care as much about selling his pieces as he did about the connections his work gave him around Nocturne Falls. Connections were invaluable for his undercover job, hence the reason he showed his art in a handful of stores around town. Each place gave him a touchpoint to chat with people and stay tuned-in to what was happening. And during the time that he’d been here, he’d become friends with many of the residents.

  He grinned to himself. Actually they were a welcoming bunch once he accounted for their quirks. Reading people was part of his clandestine career.

  He placed a green wine glass with a dragon curled around its base and stem on the center shelf. Each was one-of-a-kind. Mrs. Turnbuckle, the establishment’s owner, clucked, “Those are gorgeous. I don’t know how you do that. They are so delicate, and you have such large hands.” She gave her head a shake.

  Marshall lifted a massive shoulder and let it fall. “I’ve been blowing glass since I was a lad.”

  It’d been a means to pass the time when he was a boy in Norway back in the day when dragons had been hunted and slaughtered for sport. His parents had forced him to stay hidden in the mountains. His survival education had begun at a young age and had given him a wariness and sixth sense that had served him well later in the special forces.

  He had learned to use his art as a cover, to lie low and not overtly call attention to himself.

  “Well, your dragon and fairy pieces are quite popular. I sold another two over the weekend.” She glanced around as if looking past her shoulder. “A new fellow bought them. He’s a bit…strange.”

  “How so?”

  “I can’t quite put my finger on it. I think it’s his shifty eyes. Never really looks at you.”

  Carefully, Marshall set a dragon figure farther back on the shelf, away from the edge.

  Mrs. Turnbuckle nudged his arm with her bony elbow and lowered her voice as she peered at him through her wire-rimmed glasses. “There. That’s him going out the front door now.”

  A tall man with rounded shoulders and a half bald head walked across the porch outside. He stopped, framed in the window, then turned and stared right at Marshall. After a bit, he moved on, leaving an ominous imprint in his wake. “How long has he been here?” Marshall asked.

  “Four days. He goes by the name of Roar Braun. Take care. He’s warlock.” With the last, her voice lowered as if warning him.

  “And bought two of my pieces,” he said more to himself than to Mrs. Turnbuckle as he observed the man. Marshall filed that away with all the other tidbits of information he’d collected. Things like Darryl Sides had an unusual odor about him—he always smelled of cleaning solution. And that the street lights were out near Howler’s again, even though he knew that owner Bridget Merrow had recently had them replaced.

  He wondered if this guy had a genuine interest in glass art, or if there was an ulterior motive for purchasing the selections.

  When dealing with paranormal beings, there was always the chance one was gifted with the power to steal or lift the essence of someone off of an object. And Marshall literally breathed life into his glass art, so a bit of him was in every piece.

  “Well, if you suspect anything peculiar is going on with him, make sure you call Sherriff Merrow…and me,” he murmured and tugged his mouth to one side. Females seemed to like his smile. It made them forget he was a dragon. “I like to help my friends.”

  She patted his arm with gnarly fingers. “I have your card.”

  He nodded and exited onto the porch then paused. Where had the mysterious man gone? Then he spotted him across the street. A Ryde shuttle van pulled into the drive and parked beneath the shade of a massive oak, effectively cutting off his view of the man. Marshall sidestepped to keep his eye on the man. The Ryde driver quickly retrieved luggage from the rear of the van, set it on the porch, then opened the van passenger door.

  Long shapely legs came into view as a woman eased from the Ryde van, giving her short dark green skirt a downward tug. Auburn hair tumbled over her shoulders. She smiled at the driver and whispered her thanks for his assistance.

  Marshall felt his heart quicken. A breeze rustled her skirt, showing a few more delicious inches of her thigh. The driver got into the van and drove off. She seemed frozen in place, watching him leave. Then she stared down the main street of town, as if taking it in.

  Marshall tried to recall the first time he’d been to Nocturne Falls. He admitted, when he’d seen it with fresh eyes the place had been somewhat overwhelming with all the Halloween decorations and heavy-handed theme. Now, that he’d gotten used to it…he found it totally charming.

  It may even be the place he’d settle down in one day. The thought caught him off guard
and he pushed it back with all his other longings. He wasn’t really the putting-down-roots type.

  The woman turned, and her gaze met his, lingered, then shifted away, but not before he glimpsed the beauty of her eyes. He was smitten.

  Which was totally absurd. Dragons didn’t burn for just anyone. Only…he didn’t want to contemplate further. No, she couldn’t possibly be his mate.

  With a prickle of intuition, he switched his attention back to Roar Braun. The warlock’s eyes narrowed in a way as if to say “watch this.”

  A cracking sound split the air, and Marshall snapped his head around, confused, yet at the same time, knowing what was going to happen nearby. Between one instant and the next, a hint of recognition confirmed his suspicion. The trunk of the oak tree near the drive had broken in two and was falling. The woman stood directly in its path. In a seamless flash—as quick as the flicker of a flame—Marshall changed into his dragon form, flying, skimming the ground, then scooping her up seconds before the tree slammed down on the very spot she’d stood, denting the earth.