A Dragon Speaks Her Name: A Nocturne Falls Universe story Read online

  A Dragon Speaks Her Name

  A Nocturne Falls Universe Story

  Kira Nyte

  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

  A Dragon Speaks Her Name

  A Nocturne Falls Universe Story

  Copyright © 2017 by Kira Nyte

  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 hasn’t 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 person, 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

  A DRAGON SPEAKS HER NAME

  Welcome from Kristen Painter

  Copyright

  About the Book

  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

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  About the Author

  A Dragon Speaks Her Name

  Kaylae Drayce is convinced she’s crazy. She hears voices in her head and dreams of fiery apocalyptic wars. That’s nothing compared to the terror she feels when the only people she loves are taken from her and she’s forced to run for her life all the way to Nocturne Falls. The town promises her one of two things: Answers to her madness or a one-way ticket to an asylum.

  Zareh Lutherone is shattered to discover the Firestorm dragons’ ancient enemy has found and murdered his Keeper. He is plotting his next move in preparation for another war when a beautiful stranger literally falls into his arms. He doesn’t know who she is, only that the dragon inside him demands he protect her at all costs. It doesn’t take long to understand why.

  Faced with a daunting task of convincing Kaylae she isn’t crazy—she is his Keeper and lifemate—just got complicated. Their enemy is hot on their tail and will stop at nothing to get their hands on Kaylae in order to destroy the last of an ancient dragon race.

  Website for Kira Nyte: www.kiranyte.com

  Find Kira Nyte on Facebook: www.facebook.com/kiranyte

  Contact Kira Nyte at mailto:[email protected]

  Shout out to Kristen for this amazing chance to take part in the Nocturne Falls world. A special thanks to Fiona Roarke for your support, and my family for cheering me on.

  Chapter One

  Summer remained a few weeks away, but one wouldn’t guess it with the chill consuming this Georgia town.

  Kaylae Drayce tapped her fingers nervously against the steering wheel as she guided her compact Kia between the pedestrian-crowded sidewalks of the Halloween-themed town of Nocturne Falls. She hoped this would be her last stop. She needed time to think, time to recap the horrors that chased her from everything she knew and loved. Driving for over a week, sparing only a few hours here and there for naps in her car and the luxury of two cold showers at truck stops, her body resented the idea of discovering yet another leg to this never-ending escape.

  She took in the streets and the quaint shops. There was definitely a black-and-orange color scheme going on, with splashes of green, blue, and hot pink. Tourists packed the sidewalks at this late morning hour, some dressed in an array of Halloween costumes, from witches to ghouls and everything in between. The stores had befitting names. The Hair Scare. Misty’s Boo-Tique. The architecture wasn’t lost on her. Some stores had a rickety presentation while others donned a magical appearance.

  Despite the appeal, she wasn’t sure this was where she wanted to set up camp. Crowds were not her friend.

  Neither is solitude.

  “Almost got you killed,” she said under her breath. She cast a glance at the locked wooden box, no bigger than a fancy watch box, on her passenger seat. She had tucked it partially under her purse, out of plain view but visible enough to keep last week’s events vivid in her mind. That cursed box made her feel nothing but despair and anger.

  The GPS on her new iPhone directed her down a few streets before guiding her into the parking lot of a standard-sized, one-story building. Nocturne Falls Credit Union. Kaylae dug the smallest envelope out of her purse and removed the single piece of paper it contained. So far, each stop along the way produced yet another cryptic letter and the next address to go to. No explanations. No hint as to where or what or who she was looking for. After comparing the numbers on the credit union’s main door and the address in her GPS, she tentatively cut the engine.

  “I guess the trusty old saying is appropriate. Here goes nothing.”

  Kaylae shoved the cursed box into her purse and climbed out of the car. She headed to the double glass doors, but paused. What was she supposed to ask for? The letter, like all those before it, had not indicated what she could expect at this destination. A bank was certainly unexpected. Her father had transferred $10,000 into her checking account the night of the attack. She’d been using that money to fund her escape. All of the family’s accounts were through Jasper National Bank.

  Sucking in a deep breath and steeling herself against the very real prospect of looking the fool in front of who knew who, she pulled open the door and stepped into the modernly-furnished bank.

  Her skin prickled as employees cast her guarded glances. Her senses hummed with the onslaught of unnatural energy flowing through the open space. Strange, pulsing energy. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she calmed the swelling anxiety before it got the better of her. That’s all she needed—to have one of her signature meltdowns in this new town in front of strangers and really look the fool.

  “…newbie in town…”

  “…can’t figure her out…”

  “…hope she isn’t planning to rob…”

  “…those shoes are hideous. And those jeans…”

  Kaylae choked, her eyes springing open. She visually sought out the woman who so rudely mentally analyzed her choice of attire. Strangers’ thoughts continued to play in her mind. Her heart rate
increased in tempo as her anxiety mounted.

  She glanced down at her battered New Balance sneakers out of self-conscious curiosity. Okay, so they had some holes in the mesh and mud stained the once-white soles. Her jeans weren’t bad, unless the unknown woman was commenting on the worn holes at the knees. Wasn’t that trendy, even if the holes were made through honest wear instead of in a factory?

  “Not my choice either, have it known,” she whispered. Maybe the drive-thru would have been a better idea.

  Sighing, Kaylae hunched her shoulders forward in hopes of making herself look smaller and approached the first available teller.

  “How can I help you this morning?” the woman asked, her mouth pressed into a warm smile. Her brown eyes lowered over Kaylae’s ratty hoodie stained with spilt coffee before returning to her face. Her smile widened but the genuineness evaporated.

  “I, um…” She struggled to come up with an answer until something her father had mentioned shortly before the attack struck her. “You have safety deposit boxes here, correct?”

  The woman’s smile remained despite the skepticism that filled her expression. “Are you interested in purchasing one?”

  “Actually, I’m interested in accessing one.” Kaylae dug into her purse and pulled out a small manila envelope that contained her false identification, from passport to driver’s license to credit card. My new life. She held out the passport and license. “Under Dane.”

  The woman took the IDs and scrutinized them. “Do you have a box number or key?”

  “No. I was told that the key is in safe keeping here.”

  Not exactly the truth, but there was no key in the envelope and her father had never given her one. She hoped the teller had a spare. She had no idea how safety deposit boxes worked.

  The woman’s smile waned and she placed the IDs on the counter. “Give me a moment, please.” Her fingers danced on the keyboard of her computer.

  Kaylae took the IDs and dropped them back into the envelope.

  “…don’t know what she expects to find here. Don’t think those IDs are authentic…”

  Kaylae opened her mouth to rebut the unspoken accusation, but quickly snapped her lips shut. She didn’t need any more attention drawn to her than she already had.

  The woman stopped running her fingers across the keyboard, placed her hands on the counter by her computer, and let out a short, “Huh,” as she looked at the monitor. A crease formed between her brows a moment before her gaze turned to Kaylae.

  “Did you purchase a box?”

  “I was told by my father to come here and that there was a safety deposit box under our family name. Should anything happen to him, that is.”

  The woman’s expression softened for the first time. She gave a small nod. “Let me speak with my manager. If you’d like to take a seat, I’ll only be a moment.”

  “Thank you.”

  Kaylae helped herself to a cup of fresh coffee and a mini muffin from the tray left out for the convenience of customers. Perhaps she’d have a chance to get some real food, if this stop allowed her more than a few hours’ respite before she had to hit the road again. The secretive scavenger hunt had already led her halfway across the country in a miserable connect-the-dots fashion before sending her back to the east coast. To Nocturne Falls. Her back protested the thought of getting into the driver’s seat again. So did her rear. And her legs.

  Oh, heck. She wanted one night, just one night, where she could stretch her legs out on a bed, flip through fuzzy channels, and maybe doze on a pillow instead of a rolled-up jacket.

  She wanted time to call her father and hear his voice.

  He’ll never answer the phone.

  The last swallow of muffin stuck in her throat as it swelled with grief. She forced it down with a gulp of hot coffee, blaming the sudden moisture in her eyes on the burn from the drink.

  After a week of aimless travel, she still had no idea what had become of her father. Her uncle caught her as she ran to her father’s aid. Her beloved uncle, immeasurable pain in his eyes, smacked the keys to the car in one of her hands, her purse in the other, and shoved her back out the door with nothing more than a hissed, “Go!”

  Her car had been packed with belongings, including the strange box and a simple note instructing her to guard the box with her life. If it fell into the wrong hands, the consequences would be devastating.

  “Ms. Dane?”

  Kaylae sniffled, blinked away the tears, and turned to the teller. “Yes?”

  “Follow me, please.”

  Kaylae kept her head lowered as she followed the woman down a hallway and a flight of stairs to a simple room with a metal table and a few plain, cushioned chairs.

  “I’ll be right back with the boxes. You may wait here.” The woman left the room, closing the door behind her.

  Kaylae dropped her purse on the table and plopped into one of the chairs. She rubbed her face with the palms of her hands, her mind roiling in a vast sea of unknowns and questions. Twenty-eight years of her life uprooted and gone. Twenty-eight years of security and laughter and love…gone. She pulled out the envelope with her falsified documents and found the note that started her on this mysterious, terrifying journey.

  Do not confide your real identity to anyone. Your lineage is in your name. Do not draw unwanted attention to yourself. Do not place any calls from your old phone. Dispose of it now. A new one is provided under your new identity. Whatever you do, my darling, do not return home. Your past is a memory now. Your future is at stake.

  The handwriting was certainly her father’s. His haunting instructions twisted at her gut, making her regret the coffee and muffin. Deep down, she knew what had become of her father and uncle, but she couldn’t accept it. Not without proof.

  Hope was the only thing that kept her going. Hope that she would be reunited with the only family she had. The family that understood her anxiety and her breakdowns. Family that did not judge her for her faults and loved her unconditionally.

  If her father and uncle were gone, who would have her? A broken, most likely clinically mad woman who heard voices in her head and had nightmares about a coming apocalypse every single night?

  The door to the small room opened and the teller entered, carrying two large metal boxes stacked one on top of the other. She placed them on the table side-by-side and laid a key on top of each box.

  “When you are through, press the button on the end of the table. Someone will come down to return the boxes to the vault and escort you back to the lobby. Is there anything else I can get for you, Ms. Dane?”

  Kaylae shook her head. “Thank you.”

  The teller left, once again closing the door behind her. Kaylae immediately went to work. She unlocked the lid on the first box and slid it up. Her jaw dropped. The box was stuffed to the brim with bundles of what looked like hundred-dollar bills. She pulled one bundle out and ran her thumb over the edges, fanning the thick wad of cash.

  “I really am nuts.”

  She pulled out bundle after bundle until the box was empty. Nothing, not even a note.

  Half expecting to find another stash of cash in the second box, she opened it without having to worry about disconnecting her jaw in disbelief.

  The second box held no money, only several black velvet bags. She pulled out one bag and loosened the drawstring. Careful not to drop the contents, she spilled them into the palm of her hand. Gemstones, some polished, some raw, glistened in the room’s unnatural light, a rainbow of colors in an array of shapes and sizes. Stunned, she returned the gems to the bag and tightened the drawstring.

  Beneath the pouches, she found a single letter-sized envelope. The words Beloved Daughter looped in graceful cursive across the front. Kaylae pressed her lips together. This time when the sting touched her eyes, she had nothing to blame but the onset of realization.

  Her desire to open the envelope warred with an equal one to leave it sealed. Ignoring it for now, she pulled out the last item in the box: A small gold
key resting in a glass container. She turned it over in her hand as she examined it.

  Baffled, Kaylae sat back in the chair, her attention on the letter. “I really don’t want to read you. You’re going to ruin my life more than it already has been.”

  Her father’s beautiful handwriting beckoned her until she snatched the envelope up and shoved it deep in her purse, followed by one thick bundle of hundreds and the gold key. Everything else, she put back in their respective boxes, locked up, and pressed the call button. She needed to get out of this room and the nightmare it hinted at.

  A different woman answered the call. Kaylae waited impatiently while she returned the safety deposit boxes to wherever they’d come from.

  “What’s the closest hotel?” Kaylae asked the woman as she followed her up the stairs to the lobby.

  “There are a few bed-and-breakfasts that cater to certain clientele.” The woman flashed her a smile. “There’s Pinehurst Inn on the town’s outskirts, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

  “Do they have a restaurant?”

  The woman shook her head. “You’ll have to come back into town for that. Mummy’s Diner is always a hit. New to Nocturne Falls, are you? I haven’t seen you around before.”

  “Most likely just passing through.”