The Dragon Shifter’s Duty Read online

  Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Mandy M. Roth, Online

  Suggested Reading Order of Books Released to Date ...

  Blurb

  Dedication

  Praise for Mandy M. Roth’s Immortal Ops World

  Immortal Ops Series Helper

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Excerpt from Midnight Echoes: Part of the Immortal...

  Dear Reader

  The Dragon Shifter’s Duty (Shadow Agents / PSI-Ops)

  by

  Mandy M. Roth

  The Dragon Shifter’s Duty: Part of the Immortal Ops World (Shadow Agents / PSI-Ops)

  © Copyright 2016, Mandy M. Roth

  First Electronic Printing Oct 2016, Raven Happy Hour LLC

  Trade Paperback Printing Oct 2016

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  All books are copyrighted to the author and may not be resold or given away without written permission from the author, Mandy M. Roth.

  This novel is a work of fiction and intended for mature audiences only. Any and all characters, names, events, places and incidents are used under the umbrella of fiction and are of the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events or places or locales is merely coincidence.

  Published by Raven Happy Hour LLC

  Oxford, MS USA

  Raven Happy Hour LLC and all affiliate sites and projects are © Copyrighted 2004-2016

  Mandy M. Roth, Online

  Mandy loves hearing from readers and can be found interacting on social media.

  (copy & paste links into your browser window)

  Website: http://www.MandyRoth.com

  Blog: http://www.MandyRoth.com/blog

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMandyRoth

  Twitter: @MandyMRoth

  Book Release Newsletter: mandyroth.com/newsletter.htm

  Suggested Reading Order of Books Released to Date in the Immortal Ops Series World

  This list is NOT up to date. Please check MandyRoth.com for the most current release list.

  Immortal Ops

  Critical Intelligence

  Radar Deception

  Strategic Vulnerability

  Tactical Magik

  Act of Mercy

  Administrative Control

  Act of Surrender

  Broken Communication

  Separation Zone

  Act of Submission

  Damage Report

  Act of Command

  Wolf’s Surrender

  The Dragon Shifter’s Duty

  Midnight Echoes

  And more (see Mandy’s website & sign up for her newsletter for notification of releases)

  Books in each series within the Immortal Ops World.

  This list is NOT up to date. To see an updated list of the books within each series under the umbrella of the Immortal Ops World please visit MandyRoth.com. Mandy is always releasing new books within the series world. Sign up for her newsletter at MandyRoth.com to never miss a new release.

  You can read each individual series within the world, in whatever order you want…

  PSI-Ops

  Act of Mercy

  Act of Surrender

  Act of Submission

  Act of Command

  And more (see Mandy’s website & sign up for her newsletter for notification of releases)

  Immortal Ops

  Immortal Ops

  Critical Intelligence

  Radar Deception

  Strategic Vulnerability

  Tactical Magik

  Administrative Control

  Separation Zone

  And more (see Mandy’s website & sign up for her newsletter for notification of releases)

  Immortal Outcasts

  Broken Communication

  Damage Report

  And more (see Mandy’s website & sign up for her newsletter for notification of releases)

  Shadow Agents

  Wolf’s Surrender

  The Dragon Shifter’s Duty

  And more (see Mandy’s website & sign up for her newsletter for notification of releases)

  Crimson Ops Series

  Midnight Echoes

  And more (see Mandy’s website & sign up for her newsletter for notification of releases)

  Paranormal Regulators Series and Clear Sight Division Operatives (Part of the Immortal Ops World) Coming Soon!

  The Dragon Shifter’s Duty: Part of the Immortal Ops World (Shadow Agents / PSI-Ops)

  Book Two in the Shadow Agents Series

  He’s locked away…

  She’s being hunted…

  Undercover special operative and dragon-shifter Ezra has fallen into enemy hands. He knew better than to stray from the mission, but he couldn’t fight his natural need to protect the innocent. When he senses the desperate call of his mate, there is no stopping this wild, fire-breathing alpha male. He won’t go down without a fight and he’ll destroy anyone and anything that stands in his way of happiness and love.

  Dedication

  To my BFF. We’re finally on “the same page.” Here is to the next chapter of our tribe’s journey.

  Praise for Mandy M. Roth’s Immortal Ops World

  Silver Star Award—I feel Immortal Ops deserves a Silver Star Award as this book was so flawlessly written with elements of intrigue, suspense and some scorching hot scenes—Aggie Tsirikas—Just Erotic Romance Reviews

  5 Stars—Immortal Ops is a fascinating short story. The characters just seem to jump out at you. Ms. Roth wrote the main and secondary characters with such depth of emotions and heartfelt compassion I found myself really caring for them—Susan Holly—Just Erotic Romance Reviews

  Immortal Ops packs the action of a Hollywood thriller with the smoldering heat that readers can expect from Ms. Roth. Put it on your hot list…and keep it there! —The Road to Romance

  5 Stars—Her characters are so realistic, I find myself wondering about the fine line between fact and fiction…This was one captivating tale that I did not want to end. Just the right touch of humor endeared these characters to me even more—eCataRomance Reviews

  5 Steamy Cups of Coffee—Combining the world of secret government operations with mythical creatures as if they were an everyday thing, she (Ms. Roth) then has the audacity to make you actually believe it and wonder if there could be some truth to it. I know I did. Nora Roberts once told me that there are some people who are good writers and some who are good storytellers, but the best is a combination of both and I believe Ms. Roth is just that. Mandy Roth never fails to surpass herself—coffeetimeromance

  Mandy Roth kicks ass in this story—inthelibraryreview

  Immortal Ops Series Helper

  Immortal Ops (I-Ops) Team Members

  Lukian Vlakhusha: Alpha-Dog-One. Team captain, werewolf, King of the Lycans. Book: Immortal Ops (Immortal Ops)

  Geoffroi (Roi) Majors: Alpha-Dog-Two. Second-in-command, werewolf, blood-bound brother to Lukian. Book: Critical Intelligence (Immortal Ops)

  Doctor Thaddeus Green: Bravo-Dog-One. Scientist, tech guru, werepanther. Book: Radar Deception (Immortal Ops)

  Jonathon (Jon) Reynell: Bravo-Dog-Two. Sniper, weretiger. Book: Separation Zone (Immortal Ops)

  Wilson Rousseau: Bravo-Dog-Three. R
esident smart-ass, wererat. Book: Strategic Vulnerability (Immortal Ops)

  Eadan Daly: Alpha-Dog-Three. PSI-Op and handler on loan to the I-Ops to round out the team, Fae. Book: Tactical Magik (Immortal Ops)

  Colonel Asher Brooks: Chief of Operations and point person for the Immortal Ops Team. Book: Administrative Control (Immortal Ops)

  Paranormal Security and Intelligence (PSI) Operatives

  General Jack C. Newman: Director of Operations for PSI North American Division, werelion. Adoptive father of Missy Carter-Majors.

  Duke Marlow: PSI-Operative, werewolf. Book: Act of Mercy (PSI-Ops)

  Doctor James (Jimmy) Hagen: PSI-Operative, werewolf. Took a ten-year hiatus from PSI. Book: Act of Surrender (PSI-Ops)

  Striker (Dougal) McCracken: PSI-Operative, werewolf.

  Miles (Boomer) Walsh: PSI-Operative, werepanther. Book: Act of Submission (PSI-Ops).

  Captain Corbin Jones: Operations coordinator and captain for PSI-Ops Team Five, werelion. Book: Act of Command (PSI-Ops)

  Malik (Tut) Nasser: PSI-Operative, (PSI-Ops).

  Colonel Ulric Lovett: Director of Operations, PSI-London Division.

  Dr. Sambora: PSI-Operative, (PSI-Ops).

  Immortal Outcasts

  Casey Black: I-Ops test subject, werewolf. Book: Broken Communication.

  Weston Carol: I-Ops test subject, werebear. Book: Damage Report.

  Bane Antonov: I-Ops test subject, weregorilla.

  Shadow Agents

  Bradley Durant: PSI-Ops: Shadow Agent Division, werewolf. Book: Wolf’s Surrender.

  Ezra: PSI-Ops: Shadow Agent Division, dragon-shifter.

  Caesar: PSI-Ops: Shadow Agent Division, werewolf.

  Crimson Sentinel Ops Division

  Bhaltair: Crimson-Ops: Fang Gang, vampire. Book: Midnight Echoes.

  Labrainn: Crimson-Ops: Fang Gang, vampire.

  Paranormal Regulators

  Stamatis Emathia: Paranormal Regulator, vampire.

  Whitney: Paranormal Regulator, werewolf.

  Miscellaneous

  Culann of the Council: Father to Kimberly. Badass Fae.

  Pierre Molyneux: Master vampire bent on creating a race of super soldiers. Hides behind being a famous art dealer in order to launder money.

  Gisbert Krauss: Mad scientist who wants to create a master race of supernaturals.

  Walter Helmuth: Head of Seattle’s paranormal underground. In league with Molyneux and Krauss.

  Dr. Lakeland Matthews: Scientist, vital role in the creation of a successful Immortal Ops Team. Father to Peren Matthews.

  Dr. Bertrand: Mad scientist with Donavon Dynamics Corporation (The Corporation).

  Chapter One

  Twenty Years Ago…

  Ezra gave his sports car more gas as he sped down the abandoned country road. The moon was full, illuminating the way, but it wasn’t needed. His vision was enhanced, as were all of his other senses. It was a byproduct of his kind—men who could shape-shift into dragons. The stuff of myths and legends.

  He rubbed his freshly-shaved chin, still not used to the clean-cut look. He’d also recently shaved off all his hair, something he regretted and planned to grow back out.

  He popped a piece of chewing gum into his mouth and fidgeted in the driver’s seat, the craving for a cigarette all-consuming. Smoking was a dirty habit he’d had since long before the Surgeon General began issuing warnings about its dangers.

  He’d attended medical school more times than he could actually recall, each time learning new techniques that had come along with a refresher of the old. He’d also fought in too many wars to count, serving as everything from a field medic to a physician. Whatever the time needed, he provided.

  He’d once made it his life’s work to help others—to try to heal the sick and injured. He’d been the type of guy others could respect. Nowadays, he walked a fine line between good and evil. There were days he didn’t even recognize himself when he looked in the mirror.

  Right now, he didn’t much care.

  He just wanted a smoke.

  He knew the dangers of it, but they didn’t affect him. He’d been smoking for over a hundred years. As a supernatural, he was immune to human diseases. That being said, he was trying to cut back. His smoking had reached chain-level status. As he chomped on the peppermint-flavored gum, he began to second-guess his newfound urge to quit. The gum really wasn’t a great substitute. He’d have given in and lit up, but his pack of cigarettes was in his jacket pocket that was currently in the trunk. He’d purposely put it back there in hopes he’d think twice about pulling over to retrieve it.

  A flicker of orange light grabbed his attention out of the corner of his eye a second before he caught the faint whiff of smoke. Someone was probably having a bonfire or campfire in the heavily wooded area.

  Shifting gears, he continued to drive at a speed most stunt car drivers would avoid. He glanced to the right and did a double take when he realized what the orange glow was—a full-blown fire. He was on a time crunch, having just checked in with his handler at Paranormal Security and Intelligence (PSI). And he had a meeting with the bad guys soon that he couldn’t miss. The mission depended on it.

  As a Shadow Agent, he didn’t keep anything close to regular hours, nor did he appear in PSI’s records. It was important that his identity as an operative with the organization remain as secret as possible. Not that PSI was publishing a list of employees or anything. No. Outside of the world of supernaturals, PSI wasn’t known. Humans were to be kept ignorant of the supernatural and for good reason.

  They had zero ability to handle the truth.

  Each time in the past that supernaturals had tried to bring humans into the fold, they’d failed epically. In the time of Ancient Greece, supernaturals were worshiped as gods when they were anything but. In the Middle Ages, they were thought to be witches, demons, and sorcerers. While some were all of those things and more, ignorant humans had painted all supernaturals with the same brush of evil and burned many at the stake. History was steeped with incidents of humans reacting poorly to that which they could not understand.

  Humans are stupid, he thought as he continued to drive, the smell of smoke increasing enough for him to confirm the fire was quite large.

  Already behind schedule because of his check-in with his handler, Ezra intended to keep going. As cold as it sounded, he’d learned long ago to stay out of human affairs unless ordered to intervene for work. He’d been a Shadow Agent for so long that the lines between right and wrong often blurred for him. He knew that, so did his handler, and the few close friends he had.

  He smelled more smoke, and was about to ignore it and punch the car into top speed, when the strangest of feelings came over him. Unable to disregard it, he looked for a turnoff. He spotted a road ahead on the right and slowed enough to take the turn safely. In his sports car, that meant he could still go very fast.

  The car fishtailed for a moment as the road went from pavement to stone. He decreased his speed, more to protect his car than anything else. The road twisted and turned, narrowing to one lane as it cut deeper into the woods. There were no signs of anyone living this far out, but the feeling that someone needed his help forced him to continue onward. This feeling, this sense of…urgency for him—he’d never had anything close to this happen to him before. He couldn’t have ignored the urge to seek out the person if he'd tried.

  “I’m going to regret this,” he said, rolling down his window and spitting out his gum. The flavor was gone.

  He came around a bend and his breath caught as he saw what he was fairly sure used to be a farmhouse now totally engulfed in flames. As he drew the car to a stop, he caught the scent of burning flesh and death. The dragon side of him wanted to rise and take control. It was totally fine with carnage and burning humans to a crisp. In fact, he’d done so more than once in his fifteen hundred-plus years. All of the humans he’d roasted had deserved it, so he didn’t harbor any guilt.

  As he took in the smell of death, pani
c began to fill him. He wasn’t sure why. He leaped from his car after barely remembering to throw it into park and cut the engine, left his door standing open wide, and rushed at the burning home. He was almost to it when he caught sight of a human male lying on the ground, to the left of the home. The man was burned badly on one side, but still very much alive. Ezra went right for him and bent to check on him. Old habits kicked in and Ezra assessed the man’s state, rapidly assessing the amount of trauma.

  The man seized hold of Ezra’s wrist with his unburned hand, his gaze darting around wildly. “She did this.”

  It was clear to see the man was in a state of shock. His injuries were severe.

  “The demon did this. Kill her. Send her back to hell,” the man said, grimacing in pain as he clung tighter to Ezra’s wrist.

  Unsure what the man was going on about, Ezra pried the man’s hand from his wrist. Head tilted, his sensitive hearing picked up on the telltale sounds of whimpering in the distance, over the noise of the fire blazing.

  The sound of the soft cries struck him as solidly as a kick to the gut. The panic he’d felt moments prior increased tenfold. He stood, no longer concerned with the man on the ground. Facing the home, he listened, trying to figure out which direction the crying was coming from. It was female, that much he was sure of, and it sounded like she was young.