Breath of Fire

Breath of Fire

Cathryn Fox

Contents

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Afterword

Instinctive

About Cathryn Fox

Also by Cathryn Fox

Copyright

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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Originally published with SAMHAIN

ISBN 978-1-928056-37-9

1

L ying , cheating bastard, Chloe Stevens mumbled under her breath before taking another long pull from her icy strawberry drink. The delicious fruity concoction did little to help cool her down. In fact, it seemed to rile and fuel the dark side of her temper even more.

Shifting on her beachside bar stool, Chloe stirred her drink with her straw, blew an exaggerated breath and glanced around the majestic island of Ryuu. Emerald waves lapped gently against a bed of pristine white sand and created soft, soothing noises. Towering palm trees fringed the secluded cove, providing the eclectic mix of guests with their much-coveted privacy. Off in the distance she could see couples frolicking in the warm surf, sexual energy oozing off them as their seductive laughter lingered in the air. Warm exotic scents from flowers, salt water, and…man curled around her and awakened her senses. Chloe drew the alluring aroma into her lungs, tasting and savoring the sweetness on the tip of her tongue before exhaling with a heavy sigh.

Sure the exotic island was beautiful, everything the brochure had promised, and sure she should be out enjoying the activities instead of plotting and strategizing ways to separate Michael Wilson’s testicles from his body, but she couldn’t seem to get her ex-lover out of her head.

Asshole.

As a zoologist working at York University in Toronto under the guidance of the charming, enigmatic Michael Wilson, the last place she expected to find herself was on a small island smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, searching for dragons. Dragons. Of all the… The island might be called Ryuu, meaning dragon in Japanese, but that certainly didn’t mean dragons inhabited it. Now or ever.

A slight breeze blew in off the water and rushed over her moist skin as Chloe pulled a red leather like swatch from her pocket, peeled away the protective cloth and ran it through her fingers. As far as she was concerned, sending her to the island in search of the legendary Ryuu dragon was just an excuse to get her out of the office so Michael could properly initiate the newest member of the organization into his team—his personal team, that is. Chloe scoffed, remembering her initiation all too well. Michael’s new plaything was young, innocent, and oh so accommodating, a replica of Chloe herself. Chloe shook her head. Michael sure had a way of breaking in the good girls. Honestly, her biggest mistake wasn’t in sleeping with her boss. Her biggest mistake was thinking about fairy-tale weddings and happily-ever-after. Let’s see how happily-ever-after Michael was going to be without his testicles.

And speaking of fairy tales…

Legend had it that a dragon slumbered on the mountain towering the sandy island floor. But that’s all it was…a legend. For years rumors had circulated and garnished the fantasies of many people, so much so that a tall fence had been erected around the base of the mountain to keep the beast contained, according to the tale. Chloe suspected the real reason for the fence was to keep vacationers from exploring the dangerous cliffs. Over the last century the whispers had died down, until some crazed lunatic had recently touched down on Canadian soil carrying, what he claimed to be, part of a dragon’s wing. Chloe examined the swatch again before rewrapping it and slipping it back into the pocket of her sundress. Truthfully, it looked like the caruncle from the throat of a wild turkey.

Even though numerous scientific tests performed at the university lab had ruled out that logical explanation, Chloe still believed otherwise. After all, secret genetic engineering experiments were growing at an alarming rate worldwide. One couldn’t deny the possibility that she was in possession of a mutated caruncle. Although why one would want to do gene splicing with a turkey was beyond her.

Despite the studies on the sample, the truth was Chloe still couldn’t positively identify the red swatch, with all the strange vein like vessels spidering off in different directions, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t a dragon’s wing. Because dragons didn’t exist, dammit. And she’d only been sent to the island on some wild-goose chase—or rather dragon chase—so her boss could have his wicked way with the new girl.

Obviously her boss had come to the same conclusions as she had—the swatch was nothing more than a mutated caruncle. Otherwise he’d be all over the island, seeking his fame and fortune with the rare, yet spectacular discovery. If there was one thing the last few months had taught Chloe, it was that her ex was a man of little character, a man who’d do anything to get ahead in the scientific world, even if that meant using extreme measures and excessive force in the field, much to Chloe’s dismay. He was also a man who believed a woman’s place was inside the lab, not in fieldwork, because they lacked the skill, strength and intelligence needed when going up against wild animals.

Sure he was quick to enlighten her to the fact that this was the opportunity she’d been waiting for, the opportunity to prove her abilities outside an academic setting, but they both knew it was a load of bull. She was merely a distraction he didn’t need when breaking in his new plaything.

Honestly, Chloe would give her eyeteeth to discover a dragon on Ryuu. Then after she unveiled her discovery, she’d make her mark in the scientific world, and show her ex what she was really made of. What all women were made of.

Her anger sparked and she grunted something very unladylike. The hell with Michael and his ridiculous notion that dragons existed. She had two weeks on this beautiful island. Even though it was the off-season for tropical vacations,