Fake Dragon Mate  

        by Harlow Blaze

Starla

He was there again, across the street watching her. She didn’t have to see him; she could feel his presence there. This wasn’t good, the spell must be weakening. She was a human, a witch whose greatest powers were embedded in her Club, were she served shifters and other supernatural beings, while watching over the girls who worked for her. It protected her, allowed her to control her magic, made her stronger.  She knew he would come, but she’d known at some point she wouldn’t be able to control the cursed spark. To keep it contained, not allowing it to come to life. For the last year, since he had been visiting the Club, the cursed spark had started to fail. Now every few days she had to re-enforce her spell to control it.  She refused to become a breeding machine for a dragon!

 

Mars

He couldn’t stop himself from standing outside her club each night, to watch her. Drawn to her as if by some thread that he believed was a curse. A curse she had placed on him. He had to find out soon why she had cursed him, he had done nothing to her. This couldn’t go on.  As a dragon enforcer, for one of the biggest eyries in the country, he was the best. He had lost all sense of feelings and emotions long ago as a child. But he could feel hatred for her, every time he got close to her, his chest would tighten with pain. It had to be hatred.  Baz the King of Seattle, a powerful dragon, would settle for nothing less than perfection. These nightly visits had to stop. Then he heard to warning call. Something was wrong. He had no choice but to report back to Baz something bad had happened.

 

For eons, few female dragons had been born and the dragon populations were dwindling. Dragons could only mate with other dragons, with few exceptions. Humans with a dragon spark had only recently begun to surface, but until the spark awoke even the dragons couldn’t identify the human women. Baz had a sister, Ruby,  who had just turned 21 and hated basically being  a prisoner under her brother’s control. But if someone from one of the other eyries stole her to mate, centers of power could change. Mars was supposed to be on guard watching her, but he had left two of his best men to guard her. How had she been taken.  

 

Starla was a powerful witch as long as she was in her club. Beyond that her powers were much weaker. Traveling through several territories that were controlled by other dragons, without permission to enter their domain, could mean war. Baz wanted to go after his sister and her abductor but if the media followed him, it would put Ruby in danger. Mars would have to go after Ruby, but he would have to appear as a human. They needed Starla’s illusion magic to shield him, making Mars appear as a human.  However, being so far from her Club she couldn’t do it without help. Then, a voice gruffly intoned “I will allow it, my mate. For a price.” She would have to stay with Mars, travel all the way to Death Valley. How could she keep the spark from coming to life in such close proximity? Did she have a choice?  Could she control the night mares that gave her the magic she needed to help him find Ruby and battle any trouble on the way?  Controlling the night mares meant controlling your fear. If she didn’t they could destroy her.

 

Dragons have been my dearest companions since I was five. A story filled with dragons, witches, shifters and other beasties grabbed my attention right away. The way in which the story was written is full of imagery, I could easily see the story through Harlow Blaze’s words. It was a race against time to find Ruby before the King who had her abducted managed to woo and bed her. But it wasn’t a journey without mounds of trouble that could still create more problems for Seattle’s King. I loved Mars right away. He was a powerful being, his word defined him, so he was always on guard to never fail. He believed he was dead inside, but his actions were far more telling about who he is. His care of Starla, in spite of the fact that he believed she’d cursed him. His slightly warped sense of humor and he admission that he saw himself as broken because he couldn’t feel anything.  Each had a past they were running away from that had made them a bit of a lost soul.  Starla wanted control of her life since she’d had none growing up. Under her crusty exterior she was compassionate, she would put her life on the line for those that needed her help. And gave what little love she thought she had to her closet friends, of which not all were human. There is humor, friendship, love, and stupidity. One line seemed to hint that Mars wasn’t as emotionless as he believed “….she liked his dragon better when it didn’t act like a f*&$ing Shakespeare.”  I highly recommend this story and Harlow Blaze’s writing. I love the characters and the storyline. I hated to see the last page, even if there is more in the series to come with other characters. There is no cliffhanger and the ending was just about perfect.  This is a paranormal romance with some spicy scenes.

 

I was graciously, offered this ARC for my honest opinion of the story I read.