The Blackstone Dragon Heir: Blackstone Mountain Book 1 Read online

  “You okay, buddy?” Matthew asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Ben shook his head and ran a hand down his face. “No … I thought I heard … And then I smelled …” He shrugged his shoulders. “Never mind.” He looked at Catherine. “So, congratulations, guys! And welcome to the family.” He gathered her into a fierce hug. “Glad to know this grumpy dragon ain’t gonna be working himself to death or brooding alone in his castle anymore.”

  Catherine laughed. “I’ve given him a monthly limit on the brooding.”

  “So, did you set a date yet?” Sybil asked. “I know you’ve only been engaged a couple of hours. But Mom and Dad want to know so they can come home for the wedding.”

  Catherine had met Hank and Riva over video call a few times, and though they were eager to meet her, she insisted they could continue their trip. They could all figure out a later time to get together, since she was still recovering from her wounds. "We're thinking the end of the month."

  “That soon?” Kate narrowed her eyes and placed a hand on Catherine’s tummy. “You got a bun baking in there?”

  “Kate,” Sybil admonished.

  Catherine looked up at Matthew shyly. A baby with her mate? She thought about holding a small, tiny person that was half her and half him. The thought warmed her heart. Judging by the look on his face, he was thinking the same thing, too.

  “No.” He shook his head, then added, “Not yet.”

  "But we're decided there's no need to wait to get married," Catherine said. "We're not doing anything fancy, and that should be enough time to get my family here, and Cordy will be out of school. Christina will be here earlier to help me plan."

  Jason's eyes darkened at the mention of her sister's name. He took a shot of tequila, then another, and slammed both glasses on the table. "Say, Nate, those ladies look lonely." He nodded to a group of girls at another table. "Why don't we go keep them company?"

  “You sure you’re not going to strike out again?” Nate asked. “Because you know last time—”

  “Shut up,” Jason growled and threw back another shot. “Later,” he said as he walked over to the women. Nate shrugged and followed his friend.

  “What crawled up his ass?” Kate asked.

  Catherine looked at Matthew, and he shrugged. Since that day at the hospital, neither of them had brought up the incident. Did she believe in the legend? She wasn't sure, but then again no one else she talked to said they looked different. Not Sybil. Not Meg nor Christopher. Not even their parents. Riva said she could tell them apart by their mannerisms, but to her, they looked exactly the same. But maybe, like Jason said, it was because she and Christina were twins. He never talked about her, and whenever anyone uttered the word mate, he would bristle and change the subject or walk away.

  Christina never mentioned Jason either, nor what had transpired between them that night. She had been speaking with her twin sister regularly, and though Christina had her reservations about Matthew, she was happy when Catherine had told her about the engagement today. It would take a lot of work to switch her schedule, but Christina promised to come at least a week before the wedding. She also confided in her about what she'd been really doing at Stavros International for the past year. While Catherine wasn’t thrilled, it had confirmed to her Papa had indeed changed.

  “You seem far away,” Matthew said as he leaned closer. “Regretting saying yes already?”

  “Ha!” she crowed. “You’re not getting out of marrying me that easily.”

  “I thought I would be the one dealing with a runaway bride,” he said wryly.

  "Oh no, no more running away," she said. "I'm home." Blackstone was her home. Matthew was her home. For now and always.

  The End

  Thanks for reading! Want to read some bonus and extra scenes from this book, including some sexy scenes that are too hot to publish? Sign up for my newsletter now! You’ll get access to ALL the bonus materials form all my books, two FREE contemporary novels and my FREE novella The Last Blackstone Dragon, featuring the love story of Matthew’s parents, Hank and Riva. Sign up here.

  So, what happened when Jason and Christina met for the first time? Flip the page after the author’s notes and read a preview of

  The Blackstone Bad Dragon.

  Author's Notes

  Written on December 18, 2017

  Thank you so much for coming on this journey to the Blackstone Mountains with me! And, as you can tell, it’s only just begun, so I hope you stick around.

  Some of you may be wondering why I wrote this story, especially since, if you’ve read my True Mates series, I have a ton more storylines and books to write for that one. Well, I realized at some point this year (maybe around the time I was writing All for Connor), I was suffering a bit of a burnout from the True Mates world. I really wanted to continue the stories and begin generation two, but I was running out of fresh ideas. I needed a break, and so I wrote The Last Blackstone Dragon.

  The idea for The Last Blackstone Dragon came from the old robber barons of the industrial age. I was fascinated with the stories of these tycoons, like John Jacob Astor, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, etc. So, I thought, what if I used the same idea but with shifters? And so Blackstone was born. I wrote Riva and Hank’s story (Hank was originally going to Matthew and Jason’s older brother) and spawned a whole new world of shifters.

  I hope you enjoyed reading The Blackstone Dragon Heir and that you’re looking forward to the next book in the Blackstone series! I want to hear what you think, so email me at [email protected] for your thoughts or all other comments. I also hope that you leave me a review, as reviews are what keeps authors like me going and writing. And if you didn’t like it - that’s okay, I’d still love to hear from you.

  All the best,

  Alicia

  Preview: The Blackstone Bad Dragon

  Four Weeks Ago…

  Pretending to be his twin brother was something Jason Lennox was very good at.

  People mixed up him and Matthew all the time anyway, so acting like his cool, more aloof twin was just a matter of switching his personality. When they were younger, it was a lot of fun, and they both got a kick out of playing pranks on other people.

  No one could tell them apart, not even their parents or sister, though as they grew older and developed their own separate interests and personalities, people started to notice the difference. Matthew was inclined to stay in his room and finish his homework (even on a Friday night), while Jason preferred the company of his friends. Matthew was more serious, which is why he was chosen to be CEO of Lennox Corporation when their mother retired. But he wasn’t resentful or anything. Jason didn’t want that responsibility. He preferred running the Lennox Foundation and working in the blackstone mines, in his dragon form. His inner dragon loved nothing more than being free. And he couldn’t do that if he was stuck in board meetings all day.

  Still, despite their differing personalities, the two were as close as anyone could be. Jason would do anything for Matthew. Pretending to be him for the day to help save his twin’s reputation and the family company was easy enough.

  While he couldn’t analyze spreadsheets and stock reports like Matthew, Jason could get by for just a day. When they looked at him, in his immaculate suit and tie, hair groomed back perfectly, a cool expression on his face, people thought he was Matthew. Easiest gig in the world. And it was a for a good cause, after all.

  Matthew’s mate, Catherine, had been injured followed by an attack by a pride of lions who had been trying to kill her. Turns out, she had been hiding in Blackstone, but the lions had somehow found her. Matthew was able to save her in time, but she’d been badly hurt. Matthew couldn’t leave her side, which is why Jason had to pretend to be him. Catherine had pulled through and made it through the night, but there were other complications. The frantic call from Matthew explained most of what happened.

  “Matthew Lennox,” Jason said, answering the phone as he sat in M
atthew’s plush office at the Lennox Corp headquarters.

  “It’s me,” Matthew answered.

  “Oh good,” Jason visibly relaxed and put his feet up on the large oak desk. “What’s happening? She’s…good, right?” Aside from the fact that she was his brother’s mate and he knew it would destroy Matthew if anything happened to her, Jason happened to actually like Catherine. She was a good person, and she could also dish out as much as she could take.

  “Yeah…she’s stable,” Matthew said.

  “So, what’s wrong?” Jason asked, sensing his twin’s distress.

  “Well, you see…it turns out Catherine has family. A sister. We met and things didn’t go too well. She blames me for what happened and she’s trying to take her away.”

  “Fuck, no!” Jason cursed, swiveling the leather chair around and getting to his feet. “She can’t do that. What do we gotta do to stop her?”

  “That’s why I called you. She jut left the hospital and is on her way back to her hotel. You have to make sure she doesn’t leave?”

  “And how am I going to do that?”

  “I don’t know…just…pretend to be me. Intercept her at the lobby and tell he you’re sorry about today and that you just want to talk to her. Charm her. Make her think like you’re on her side and that you’re not trying to stop her. We just need some time to get into Catherine’s room so I can talk to her.”

  “Ah,” Jason said with a nod. “Gotcha.”

  “Oh and by the way—shit!” Matthew cursed. “Sorry, Jason, I gotta go.”

  And so here he was, waiting at the lobby of The Ritz Ski Resort, just 30 miles out of Blackstone town. He sat in one of the wing back chairs, nursing a whiskey as he scanned the area for…what was her name? Christina. Matthew had forgotten to tell him what this Christina looked like. He supposed if she was related to Catherine, they would look alike. Would she be pretty? Jason let out a snort. Who cared? If she was trying to take Catherine away, then Jason would do anything to stop her. Even if she looked like the Wicked Witch of the West, he would do his best to charm her, at the very least, distract her long enough for Matthew to convince Catherine they were mates and make her stay with him forever.

  He let out another snort and swirled the crystal glass in his hand before taking another sip. Not that he wasn’t happy for his twin. Matthew was finally getting that stick out of his ass, and that was all thanks to Catherine. Dragons rarely found mates, after all. Matthew’s dragon not only recognized Catherine as his mate, but also confirmed a legend from his mom’s side of the family.

  Their mother, Riva, told them of a saying from the Sinclair family: the one who knows you from your twin is your soulmate. And it seem Matthew had indeed found his soulmate. Jason wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it himself. Despite seeing them side-by-side, Catherine didn’t believe they were twins. In fact, she said they looked different in her eyes. Jason found her cute, even flirted with her, but it was obvious that Matthew’s dragon had already staked its claim.

  Good for him. Having a mate was something his brother needed. Someone to lean on during the tough times, and of course, have cute little dragonlings who would carry on the family name. If there was one thing Jason was glad about not being the heir to Lennox Corp, was that he was free. Free to do whatever he wanted. And whomever he wanted. In fact…he was antsy now. He hoped this wouldn’t take too long, because all he wanted was to head over the The Den and find some friendly company for the evening. Maybe someone new, someone he hadn’t banged before. The thrill of the chase, of a new, gorgeous woman in his bed. And—

  The glass in his hand dropped with a soft thud, spilling the amber contents onto plush, white carpet. But he didn’t notice it; in fact, the entire room seemed to quiet down as he stared ahead.

  His heart hammered against his rib cage. She walked into the lobby of The Ritz like she was a queen, like she owned it. Dressed in a a white wool coat, stiletto heels, and a cool expression on her beautiful face. A very familiar face.

  “Goddamn Matthew,” he swore. Christina wasn’t just Catherine’s sister. She was her twin. His brother had conveniently forgotten to mention that. She was the spitting image of Catherine, but there was something about her…he couldn’t stop staring at her. And she turned her head and ice blue eyes stared right back at him, his heart stopped beating. Everything slowed down and froze.

  Mine.

  Huh? Jason shook his head. It was noisy in the lobby again, and it was like everything sped up again. But she was still staring at him, and for just a brief second he saw that cool mask disappear. She had seemed surprised to see him, flustered even. Of course she was, he told himself. She and Matthew had met earlier and had a nasty confrontation. But, she turned away and began to walk toward the doors.

  Shit! Can’t let her get away! Jason shot to his feet, threw a couple of bills on the table, and strode after Christina. She was standing by the door, hands on her hips, an impatient look on her face.

  “Uhm, Christina,” he called as the stopped in front of her. “I’m glad I caught up with you.”

  She looked up at him, those light blue eyes pinning him with a frosty gaze. “Excuse me?”

  “Look, I came here to apologize. For this…morning?” God, he sounded like an idiot. He really should have gotten more details from Matthew.

  “What are you talking about? Do I know you?” she asked with a frown. Her accent was posh and elegant, very different from Catherine’s.

  Was this chick on something? “Yes, you do.”

  “I don’t think so. I’m not from around here. You must have mistaken me for someone else,” she said, then turned away.

  “Wait, you don’t know me?” he asked.

  She turned her head back at him, her gaze perusing him from head to toe. “I don’t think so.”

  Oh no.

  Oh hell no.

  Jason’s heart began to sped up again. There’s got to be some mistake. “Listen, Christina. I—”

  “Please don’t address me in such a familiar tone,” she snapped in a cold voice voice. “I told you, I’m not who you think I am.”

  “Christina…Archer?”

  Her eyes narrowed to slits. “It’s Stavros,” she corrected. “So, obviously, I’m not who you’re looking for.” She began to walk away from him and headed out the front door.

  Mine.

  “Shut the fuck up!” he growled at his inner dragon. No, there was some mistake. Christina…whatever her name was, was not his mate. He didn’t want a mate. He didn’t need a mate. His life was perfectly fine the way it was. Drinking and having fun and fucking any woman he wanted. “Shit!” As much as he wanted to run far, far away, he promised Matthew he would keep her away from the hospital.

  As he walked out of the hotel lobby, Jason told himself there had to be a reasonable explanation. Christina and Catherine shared DNA. Yeah, that was it. It didn’t mean Christina was his mate. It couldn’t because otherwise, karma was really kicking his ass.

  The Blackstone Bad Dragon

  Blackstone Mountain Book 2

  Coming late January 2017.

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  Other Books by Alicia Montgomery

  Paranormal Series:

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  Romancing the Alpha

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