Lovestruck, a Dragon Story by Bonnie Vanak

Prologue

    Tonight she planned to lose her virginity to a handsome, powerful dragon.
    If her father discovered Michael was here, there would be hell to pay. Dragonfire hell. And Barlow Dixon knew how to spit fire strong enough to maul even a strong dragon like Michael.
    Anna Dixon hugged her knees as she sat on a deserted section of beach in Florida by a sheltering clump of sea grape trees on the tawny sands, staring into the Gulf of Mexico as she waited for Michael to arrive. Her father had taken his immediate family on a small vacation break, away from their territory in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
    Soon as she found out their destination, Anna had sent word to Michael via email, planning to meet him on the beach at sunset. Her father might forbid her from seeing her childhood friend, but she refused to listen.
    Michael Vincent, a dragon from Clan Fury. Clan Fury were the guardians of the night sky, and the enemies of her clan, Clan Tyrith, guardians of the mountains, streams and forests.
    Their clans had feuded for so long, no one remembered why, only that each detested the other. However, she was eighteen now, and even if she had not yet shifted into her dragon like Michael, she was considered an adult by humans, or Skins, as OtherWorlders called them.
    While Anna was walking here, the sun had started to lower toward the flat line of the Gulf of Mexico. Couples gathered on the sands to watch. Arms around each other, they whispered and kissed. Anna felt a wistful tug. Why could she not do the same? She and Michael belonged together.
    Michael spent part of his time in Tir Na-nog, the afterworld, as an apprentice to Xavier, the Crystal Wizard. But the afterworld was a small obstacle compared to her obstinate father, who thought she should mate only with another red dragon like herself.
    Her father hated black dragons like Michael. Black dragons, he declared, are inferior. Michael was not as narrow minded. Although dragons from her clan had killed his parents in battle when Michael was only sixteen, he’d never held a personal grudge against her or her family.
    A familiar tingle rushed down her spine. Anna turned her head as Michael approached.
    Her heart skipped a beat. With his shock of dark hair, gaze black as pitch and high aristocratic cheekbones, Michael was lean and handsome. She wanted no other as a mate, and felt an odd tugging in her belly when he was near.
    Dressed in black jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt that contrasted with his tanned skin, he looked sexy as hell. The tattoo snaking down his neck was pale, indicating his service to the Crystal Wizard. In his left ear was a small crystal hoop earring, another indication he served Xavier. Michael’s mouth curled into a satisfied smile as he saw her.
    The tingle in her lower belly intensified.
    Could he be her true mate? Perhaps.
    But…he was different now. Power pulsed from him, seductive and teasing. It was a low hum, but powerful magick all the same, not mere dragon magick.
    She found herself pulling away when he sat beside her.
    “You’ve changed,” she said, her voice shaky.
    “Anna.” His voice was deep and velvety, a caress against the bare skin of her arms. “Don’t look so scared. It’s me. I have new powers, but it’s still the same me.”
    Michael turned his hand over, showing her the mark where she’d bitten him when she was only five years old. “See? You have more power than I have.”
    Her heart melted at his sexy grin. “It’s been years since I last saw you, Michael. I missed you.”
    “And I missed you.” He reached for her hand and the touch of his calloused palm sent a thrill racing down her spine. What would his hands feel like all over her naked skin?
    Maybe after mating in Skin for a few years, they could mate as dragons after she experienced her first shift. Her cousin Marcia told her mating in dragonskin held the most incredible sensations.
    With a worried eye, she studied him. He looked hale and hearty, and