Double Dragon

  © Copyright 2019 by Lilly Wilder All rights reserved.

  In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

  Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

  Double Dragon

  By: Lilly Wilder

  Table of Contents

  Foreward

  Come Stalk Me!

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  This Is The Story Of How I Fell In Love With A Dragon

  I’ve always been a normal girl. The only things I’ve wanted from life are happiness and prosperity, and a little bit of love mixed in.

  The simple pleasures have always been enough for me.

  My life changed the night I went to help my friend. Misty was always getting into trouble, and I was always the one to save her.

  Dependable Danni was what she called me, but she was the closest I had to a family and I had to help her.

  Turns out I needed some help too, from a man who would go on to change my life. Some people won’t believe this story. Some will think it too strange. I’m not a princess, nor a knight, but I’ve seen a dragon live in the flesh. They’re beautiful, wonderful creatures, but there’s also a man behind the monster.

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  WARNING: This ebook contains mature themes and language, intended for 18+ readers only

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  What If Dragons Were Real?

  And they roamed the Earth in the form of two breathtakingly hot guys. You’d think I was crazy but I’ll tell you what, I’ve slept with them and they are 100% real – every last inch of them.

  There’s only one problem.

  They’re dangerous – the kind of men who are known to claim women and yearn for them to birth their children. Now, logically, knowing this, I should run far, far away.

  But try running away from a couple of guys who just rocked your world into next week. It’s not that easy especially when you find yourself carrying their baby.

  So, I’m left with a choice: to live among the dragons and take my chances or to rely on my cheating ex-boyfriend and his desire for revenge.

  But is it really a choice at all? Tell me, what would you do if you knew dragons were real?

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  Bad Boys, Bikers, And Lovers???

  Bobby is leaving everything he knows behind, embracing the life of a biker, having been entranced with the Brothers of Chaos, a famed biker gang in the region.

  A young man entering his prime, Bobby is choosing what kind of man he wants to be, and when he meets the Brothers he’s faced with a wake-up call as it’s not what he expected at all. During his initiation he’s faced with a tough choice, and it’s only thanks to Mal, one of the Brothers, that he passes at all.

  Bobby is instantly taken with Mal, and there’s forbidden passion between the two of them. But lurking in the background is Mal’s ex, Jimi, who still holds a torch for Mal. The three men become involved in a heated love triangle, and there’s only one way out.

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  Carol Has Never Been Able To Keep A Single Man... But Maybe She Can Keep Two Men

  Carol Burton had always been unlucky in love and she had no idea what she was doing wrong. She may not have been for everyone, but surely there was somebody out there that wanted her for who she was and not what they wanted her to be.

  Carol thought that her options were limited, but her friend Tammy put her on to a speed dating night. The pickings are slim until she meets Jesse Peters and his twin brother Jacob. She thinks that it’s a joke that they are here together and the looks that they have received have not been kind. They have tattoos, long hair and beards to match their...

  Foreward

  From a young age I, Amber McPherson, have been intrigued by mystery and adventure. Coming from a long line of explorers and inventors, I’ve had a lot to live up to if I’m to continue the family legacy, but I’m also burdened by guilt.

  A few years ago, my parents lost their lives when going to explore and map the mysterious Dragon Island, one of the few places that still remained a mystery to modern science. Now, I’ve found funding to go there myself and discover the secrets that my parents never could, but I’m not alone.

  Forced to join me are two archaeology enthusiasts who forced themselves onto the expedition at my behest. These twin brothers are brash, competitive, and threaten to ruin the experience. But they also have a secret, one that will become more apparent as the mysteries of Dragon Island are revealed.

  Double Dragon

  1

  I was rushing around my apartment, trying to make sure I didn’t forget anything. I ignored the whip and fedora, but smirked as I remembered the party from a few nights ago, and the kiss I shared with Bobby. I sighed inwardly as once again my timing proved to be less than perfect. We’d been working together for what, three years now and it was only in the last few days before I left for a huge expedition that we actually showed our feelings for each other, and now of course it was too late. We’d told ourselves that we’d find each other again when I was back, but I didn’t hold out hope. In my experience, life always moved far too quickly for my liking, and I wasn’t going to start waiting around for something.

  While he stayed here in the real world, I would be going somewhere new and magical, somewhere amazing, and it was going to be a discovery all of my own.

  I heard my phone buzz under a pile of clothes and I rummaged around, digging it out.

  “Hey what’s up?” I asked, pushing a handful of hair away from my face.

  “Amber, you’d better get down here,” Dani said. The worried tone in her voice unsettled me.

  “What’s going on?”

  “You’d just…you really need to get down here.”

  My heart sank and I rubbed my temples as I slipped the phone into my pocket. Of course, something was going to go wrong last minute. It wasn’t like I could actually get anything for myself. I’d only been fighting to make this expedition happen for the past three years and had fought tooth and nail. I swear, if this thing was going to be taken away from me…God! I just wanted to wring someone’s neck with my bare hands. I glowered as I gathered my remaining things and chucked them in the truck, then slammed the door and
climbed into the car. I gripped the wheel tightly and sped to the university, focused on the road ahead. My blood was pumping and my eyes were locked on the future. I wasn’t going to let them take this away from me. They couldn’t surely…

  I knew the university had been suffering from budget cuts, but this expedition had been planned for so long that all the cash had been worked out. I’d spent my whole life waiting for an opportunity like this.

  At a stoplight, I closed my eyes and breathed in. I could feel Dad coming into my mind.

  “Amber, remember it’s only worth getting upset about the things you can control. Wait until you find out what’s really going on, and then you can get upset. Until then, it’s just wasted energy. Now breathe with me, breathe…”

  My hand slipped down to the locket that hung from my neck, resting against my chest. I ran my thumb over the engraved heart and then jumped as someone beeped their horn, interrupting my placid moment. I glared at them and saw them make a rude hand gesture as they pointed to the green light. I put the car in motion and rolled forward, shaking my head.

  It had become a rare occurrence for me to think of my father. I used to think about him and Mom every day, but over the years I guess I’d just gotten used to the fact that they weren’t here. I would have loved to have seen their faces when they realized that I was going to complete their life’s work and finish the family legacy. I was going to solve the mystery of Dragon Island.

  A smile played upon my face at the thought of stepping foot on the island and discovering all of its secrets, secrets that should have been my parents’. But as fate would have it, their plane got caught in a great storm and shattered on the jagged rocks that surrounded the island. Their bodies had never been found, probably drifting and lost in the wild ocean, or they had been eaten by some kind of marine beast.

  “I’ll make you proud,” I whispered as I ran my thumb over my locket again. I looked at myself in the mirror and fixed my hair, then left the car and strode towards the archeology office with purpose, my hands clenched into fists by my side. I wasn’t going let them get in the way of this mission, of my legacy.

  The university was quiet with only a few people wandering about the grounds. The building I was going to was tucked away at the back of campus; a small, squat building that never got much attention. A shadow loomed over my office, caused by the high main building that was like a big brother always overshadowing the younger sibling. I’d never had to deal with that, being an only child, but I did feel the weight of my family’s accomplishments weighing down on me. My family line was filled with people who had accomplished great things, and I was yet to join them.

  I pushed the doors open and the whole building seemed to shake as they slammed shut behind me, momentum closing them without me having to do anything. I was on the warpath and ready to slay anyone that stood in my way. I turned the corner, ready to barge into Mark’s office, when Dani rushed out of the lab and headed me off. She put both hands on my shoulders and arched her eyebrows at me.

  “Before you go in, I want to remind you to calm down and don’t say anything you’re going to regret,” she said in a calm voice.

  “What’s going on?” I snarled. “I’m not going to let them take this from me.”

  “They’re not.”

  “Then why did they call me? Why am I here?”

  “Because…well…they don’t want to take it away from you, I think they just want you to share it.”

  “Share it, with who?” I looked at Dani, puzzled. Dani glanced towards Professor Ford’s office. He was the man in charge, the man I’d had to convince this expedition was worthwhile. Anger and fear roiled inside me like a raging tempestuous storm and my expression darkened. This hadn’t been on the agenda and it was unfair of Ford to change the plans now.

  Since Dani seemed unwilling to share any more information, I knew that I’d have to go find it out for myself. I couldn’t blame her really, she was only the messenger, but she’d seen enough of what I liked to call my passionate outbursts to know that she didn’t want to be around me when the switch was flipped and I lost my temper.

  I strode past the posters of archeological digs and the models of old bones and pushed open the door to his office, not caring about the courtesy of knocking. Ford was sitting behind his desk, his bald head glistening under the light, his tuft of a mustache moving like a caterpillar as he spoke to the two men sitting in front of him. As I entered, the three of them turned their gazes towards me and ended their conversation abruptly. My hands were clenched in tight balls on either side of me and I was just about ready to unleash hell upon Ford and these two strangers, but the fact that they were twins took me aback and I lost my initiative.

  “Ah, Amber, just as I expected. Amber McPherson, I’d like you to meet Thomas and William Mapother,” Ford said. The men rose from their seats and held out their hands. Instinctively I took them, feeling the touch of their warm flesh. They wore sharp tailored suits and looked identical. The only thing that set them apart was their haircuts, and even then the difference was only subtle. Thomas was standing to my right and had brilliant sparkling blue eyes, and a warm smile. William, standing to my left, seemed a little more reserved. When he greeted me, it was with more of a smirk than a smile. I knew instantly which brother I preferred.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Thomas said. His voice was smooth like honey.

  “We’re honored to be in your presence. We’ve read a lot about you, and your parents of course. You’re perhaps the brightest young archeological talent in the world,” William added.

  I tried to ignore the flattery. It seemed hollow.

  “What’s going on?” I asked through gritted teeth, ignoring the Mapother brothers, glaring directly at Ford, who mopped some sweat off his brow and smiled wanly. The man was pitifully weak and I knew this was entirely his fault. If anyone ever came in flashing a wad of cash, Ford was quick to bend his knees and give them whatever they wanted.

  “Well, Amber you see it’s all quite simple really. The cost of the expedition was always a point of contention and since you seemed unwilling to make any kind of compromises, the university was forced to find other ways of funding the trip because we simply don’t have the budget for it ourselves. We put out feelers in the archeological community because we know how important this is, both professionally and for you, personally. The Mapother brothers come from an esteemed family and they were more than happy to put forward a very generous sum to ensure that the expedition goes ahead. they…ahem…they just had one condition…” he said, trailing off at the end.

  “To go with you,” William said.

  “Why?” I growled. The prospect of sharing this trip with anyone made my stomach turn. This was supposed to be my adventure.

  “We’ve always had a passing interest in archeology,” Thomas said, holding up a small globe that had been sitting on Professor Ford’s desk, “and this seemed the ideal expedition to join. Our ancestors were always on the forefront of exploration and achieved great things. We simply want to be a part of that again and this seems like the best way. What could be better than going into the unknown to explore a forgotten world? It’s like something out of a movie. Who knows what we’ll find?!”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “No. This is unacceptable. I’m not going out there with two men who don’t know the procedures. I’m not willing to risk my life for people who think this is some kind of trip,” I said.

  “We know what we’re doing. We’ve climbed all the highest peaks in North and South America, we’ve been on hikes through different countries, and Professor Ford has been kind enough to share your procedures with us. He’s also told us a great deal about you and, frankly, it doesn’t seem as though you have much more experience in the field than we do, certainly not unsupervised. It’s no wonder the university was reluctant to provide funding,” William said with a thin smile. I narrowed my eyes at him, but before I could say anything Professor
Ford rose from behind his desk and suggested that he and I speak privately. He excused himself and made a little bow in front of the Mapother twins, and then wrapped an arm around my shoulders and guided me out of the office.

  Across the office, Dani looked at them with interest, but stayed away. It was probably a wise choice, even though she must have been curious about what was going on. The moment we were out of his office, I shrugged off Ford’s arm and glared at him, folding my arms across my chest, looking up at his portly, ruddy face.

  “What the hell are you playing at? You can’t just spring this on me last minute! You know how important this expedition is for me and now you expect me to bring Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum along with me? I can’t do it. I won’t do it,” I said, putting my foot down. Professor Ford sighed and dabbed his forehead again.

  “Amber, please calm down, you know that sometimes your temper gets the better of you in these matters. Just take a few deep breaths and you’ll start to see things rationally.”

  I hated to be told to calm down, but I did as he suggested, making my nostrils flare dramatically.

  “Now then,” he continued, “I know this isn’t the ideal situation for you and I apologize for that. This isn’t the way I like to conduct myself, but the fact is that without the money the Mapother brothers provided for this expedition, it probably wouldn’t be happening.”