Name and Flame (Paranormal Dating Agency Book 71), page 1
NAME AND FLAME
PARANORMAL DATING AGENCY
BOOK 71
MILLY TAIDEN
CONTENTS
About the Book
Name and Flame
1. Audrey
2. Stone
3. Audrey
4. Stone
5. Audrey
6. Stone
7. Audrey
8. Stone
9. Audrey
10. Stone
11. Audrey
12. Stone
13. Audrey
14. Stone
15. Audrey
16. Stone
17. Audrey
18. Stone
19. Audrey
20. Stone
21. Audrey
About the Author
Also by Milly Taiden
ABOUT THE BOOK
Adrenalin junkie Audrey Koch loves her job … chasing storms. Unfortunately, storm chasers don’t make great money, so when Gerri Wilder offers her a gig as a treasure-hunting guide for a rich dragon shifter, she decides what the hell. What’s the worst that could happen? Lots. Lots can happen.
Being a thousand years old dragon shifter, Stone Langert has had a long time to ponder the legend of his clutch’s missing treasure. And now, he thinks he knows where it might be. He’s not sure he wants anything to do with a time-consuming mate. But when he sees Audrey, keeping her is all he can think of.
Everything is perfect. His fated mate is leading him to the lost fortune, and they’re going to live happily ever after. But he’s not blind or oblivious to the dangers aimed directly at his fragile human mate. Keeping his real treasure safe becomes more important than anything.
NAME AND FLAME
PARANORMAL DATING AGENCY
NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
MILLY TAIDEN
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Published By
Latin Goddess Press
Winter Springs, FL 32708
http://millytaiden.com
Name and Flame
Copyright © 2023 by Milly Taiden
Cover: Willsin Rowe
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Property of Milly Taiden
March 2023
Created with Vellum
—For my readers,
Thank you for your support.
ONE
AUDREY
A few miles away, a tornado touched down. An EF3 that was about a half mile across. Audrey Koch chased the storm in her vehicle, capturing photos and videos for local meteorologists and news stations to use in their coverage.
When she first started storm chasing, the idea of watching a behemoth tear up the areas around her while she watched helplessly was a daunting idea. As time went on, she grew to love the role. After all, someone needed to let the region know about a tornado’s path of destruction.
By chasing tornadoes, she was helping people prepare themselves for the storms that would come in the future. And she appreciated that. Unfortunately, property was often lost in the chaos, but what was most important was making sure that lives could be saved.
And if her work meant that people could get a heads-up earlier and hurry to safety sooner, then that meant everything was worth it.
On the drive back to Cetenville, she listened to the weather forecast on the radio while her windshield wipers fought desperately against the rain pellets that fell on her car. She hummed a soft tune to herself, occasionally noticing the distant lightning strikes that streaked across the ominous gray skyline.
Tornadoes were common in her corner of Mississippi, but just because they were a frequent occurrence didn’t mean it negated their danger. People needed to know about them and where they were headed.
Luckily enough, Audrey was ready with her camera in one hand and her steering wheel in the other, chasing the storms while the wind whipped her dark hair violently. Every time she felt the cold air drag daggers across her skin, she couldn’t help but smile.
It was freeing. The treacherous nature of tornadoes meant that at any given moment, the tornado could switch directions and come barreling her way. Audrey didn’t mind the risk. If she died, she felt content that she would go out doing the one thing she loved.
In that way, death didn’t seem like a sad thing to her, especially if it meant looking into the eye of the monster that carved across the land. Instead, it sparked her curiosity. What would she feel in those final moments? What would be her final thoughts?
Audrey snorted to herself, knowing the answer to that one. I fucked up would be those final, heroic words.
Unfortunately for the people of Cetenville, the storm coincided with the beginning of the local festival. The tourists, who usually paraded through the streets and enjoyed all the delights Mississippi had to offer, were instead finding shelter in many of the town’s businesses.
Itching for a warm drink and a nice meal, Audrey pulled into a local diner. The establishment was usually slow and sleepy, but when she arrived, she saw the eatery was bursting at the seams with energy.
Stevie’s was one of her favorite places. Good food and good people meant for a good time. Awake since six o’clock in the morning, she desperately needed coffee and a steaming plate of bacon and eggs to warm her heart as well as her belly.
“Morning, Audrey,” Kitty, one of the waitresses, waved from behind the counter. “Would you like the usual?”
“Sure. Mind if I look at the menu for a second? I want to see if anything else catches my eye.”
“Of course, sugar.” Kitty slid her a laminated menu that contained all of the diner’s classics. Then, the young woman leaned an elbow on the counter. “Do you see all the people who stopped by for the festival? We ain’t seen this level of action in ages.”
“I hope you aren’t feeling too overwhelmed right now,” Audrey replied, glancing over the menu and deciding that bacon and eggs were, indeed, her go-to order. Sliding the menu back to Kitty, she smiled. “Ophelia is helping, isn’t she?”
“More or less,” Kitty replied grimly, eyeing the teenager with a sharp glare. “The girl likes to flirt with the boys more than she likes to work. I can’t say that makes me too happy.”
“She’s eighteen,” Audrey said, raising a brow. “We were the same way when we were that age.”
“Not during rush hour,” Kitty lamented, jotting down Audrey’s order as if it were muscle memory and slipping it to the cook. Then, the overworked waitress hurried to the other side of the restaurant, where tables were waiting on her.
Laughing under her breath, Audrey leaned her chin on her hand and hummed happily. Next to her, a woman with white hair slurped happily on a vanilla milkshake topped with a bright red cherry.
“You’re a regular here?” The woman glanced up at her, swirling her straw in her drink. “What do you do for a living?”
Audrey nearly flinched. “Are you talking to me, ma’am?”
“Who else would I be talking to? Myself?” Taking off her shades, she smiled wide. Then, she held out a hand. “My name’s Gerri Wilder. Pleased to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Sending her a small nod, Audrey glanced at the woman from head to toe. She dressed in an extravagant way, very dissimilar from the townsfolk she grew up with and was used to seeing. “My name’s Audrey Koch. I’m a storm chaser.”
“As in …” she jutted her thumb over her shoulder, “chasing tornadoes? Like the one we’re experiencing a few miles out?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Audrey couldn’t help but laugh. Life was too short to be miserable, in her eyes. “Don’t look too surprised.”
“It’s a risky job, isn’t it? Don’t you get worried that you might die while chasing a storm?” Gerri leaned in a little closer, dropping her voice. “I knew a guy who knew a guy who did the same thing you do. The poor man died while chasing one of those monsters.”
Accepting the coffee from Kitty with a silent nod, Audrey followed up with a shrug. “It’s not a job for everyone. You really need to have a passion to do the things I do. At first, it was pretty scary, but I grew to love it.”
She sipped from her mug, accidentally spilling a few droplets on her blue overalls in the process. Kitty came by with her food, not stopping for a conversation this time around. The woman was swamped with orders, and her teenage coworker didn’t seem to lighten the load.
“So, that must mean you know the area pretty well. Right?” Gerri tilted her head.
“Like the back of my hand, ma’am,” Audrey said, chewing through a mouthful of egg. She snapped a piece of bacon in half. “I don’t have the best ride in town, but it gets me through storms like these. I use it for my travels.”
Running her tongue over her teeth, Gerri squinted her eyes and nodded. Something twinkled in the woman’s eyes, which made Audrey stop chewing for a moment. It was as if this woman, whom she had never met, somehow knew more about her life than she was letting on.
On the one hand, that was pretty weird. On the other hand, she was intrigued beyond belief. She wanted to know more.
“It’s amazing that you can do the things you do. I mean, I never thought a non-shifter would take up the task,” Gerri said.
Audrey clicked her tongue. “How do you know I’m not a shifter?”
“I just do.” Smiling, Gerri continued before Audrey opened her mouth to interject. “It must be quite dangerous for you. Shifters have the advantage of their animal forms to protect them, even in the worst of storms. I’ve heard how some of them shift while chasing tornadoes.”
Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Audrey nodded. She picked apart her scrambled eggs easily. “I’ve seen that happen before, ma’am. It’s quite a sight. I think it’s great that they find comfort in shifting while chasing the storm. I’ve got to take more safety precautions than they do, but I still got a lot of work done.”
The woman hardly touched her milkshake, but she continued swirling her straw around the white liquid. Audrey eyed that curiously. Gerri crossed her legs and gazed upon her features, something which might have made her fidget if she wasn’t as famished as she was.
What mattered to her was scarfing that food down her gullet. Everything else was an afterthought.
“You know,” Gerri said over the noise of the restaurant. “I’ve been looking for a person like you.”
“Really?” Audrey asked, coughing into her fist. “There’s a lot of competition around here, ma’am. There are shifters who’ve got less to worry about when chasing storms. You’ve said it yourself.”
“I know, but I really think that you’re the perfect one for this job.”
“Job?”
Gazing around at their surroundings, Gerri scooted her chair a tad closer to Audrey’s. Meanwhile, Audrey kept eating.
“I’ve got a client who needs someone who’s familiar with Tishomingo State Park. You know what I’m talking about, right?”
“Of course I do, ma’am. Everyone in Mississippi knows about it.” Audrey set down her utensils and rolled up her sleeves. “As a storm chaser, I also need to document the damage that comes after a storm, so I find myself in a lot of these parks with my camera once the weather calms down.”
“Great. So you know your way around the park?”
“It’s one of my favorites, ma’am.”
“My client pays very well, so I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to hear about this opportunity. Is this something that might interest you?”
Audrey was nearly at a loss for words. She came into Stevie’s looking for a hot meal, not a business opportunity. Was this how networking worked?
“I … I …” Oh, what the hell? When was an opportunity like this going to come next time? There probably wasn’t going to be a next time. Being a tour guide in a damaged park didn’t sound too bad. “I wouldn’t mind hearing about it.”
She needed the money, after all. Her occupation was high-risk but not too high of a reward when it came to monetary compensation. She was still trying to carve her name in the industry, and she wasn’t paid as well as some of the other chasers in the region.
Coupled with the fact that there was hefty competition around storm season, it meant Audrey wasn’t expecting a fat paycheck whenever payday came. Freelance storm chasers weren’t on the same income level as doctors or lawyers, that was for certain.
“That’s wonderful. You don’t know how happy that makes me,” Gerri said, which took Audrey by surprise. Reaching over, Gerri took her by the hand. “Tell me, honey … are you seeing anyone right now?”
Audrey’s eyes widened. Carefully, she retracted her hand from Gerri’s. “I-I’m sorry, ma’am, you’re a wonderful woman and all, but I’m just not into …”
“No, silly, not me. I’m not talking about myself,” Gerri exclaimed, shaking her head. Audrey’s ears turned red with confusion. “How would you feel about dating a shifter? Goodness, you flattered me too much.”
Fanning herself with a hand, Gerri laughed. Audrey blinked.
“I thought you were talking about a tour guide job,” she deadpanned. “Not dating. I … Wow! Wasn’t expecting all that.”
“Sorry, sorry.” Gerri waved her hands around. “Didn’t mean to frazzle you, dear. Whew. But you should know that matchmaking is never too far from my mind. When I see an opportunity, I go for it.”
“Yeah, I just …” Audrey blew out a stream of air. Then, she laughed. “Give me a few more details, though. I’m interested.”
A raised brow from Gerri followed. “Are you really?”
“Sure. Why not?” Audrey shrugged. She scraped the last of her food from her plate and shoved it into her mouth. “I mean … how different is it from dating a regular ol’ guy off the street? They’re still people, too, right? Just with their animals in them.”
“It can be very intense. The average person might not be able to handle that sort of romance, but I’ve got reason to believe that you’re not an average person.”
“I guess not.” Audrey wrinkled her nose. Her green eyes twinkled. “Not a lot of people could run toward a tornado and say they like it.”
“Exactly. You’re a fiery spirit, my dear. That’s why you stood out to me when you entered this restaurant. I just knew that I needed to speak to you.”
“That makes me feel as if you organized the whole thing, ma’am,” Audrey said, ducking her head slightly.
She didn’t catch the way Gerri’s lips upturned into a coy smile, but she certainly saw a flash of it in her peripheral vision. Around them, the restaurant continued to bustle with the influx of customers from out of town. Audrey lost sight of Kitty, but she caught little Ophelia talking up another young man sitting alone.
“I can tell you’re an adventurous girl. Dating a shifter wouldn’t scare you? At all?”
Audrey scoffed. “I don’t care if he can turn into a wolf, a tiger, or whatever. If he’s hot, then it doesn’t matter to me. He can turn into a cockroach for all I care.”
“What about a dragon?” Gerri asked, smiling falling from her face while she waited for Audrey’s reaction.
A dragon? Audrey swallowed hard, mulling over that possibility. She had never seen a dragon. They were only in the movies, shows, and an occasional wild dream.
Getting to date one, though?
“That sounds … interesting,” Audrey managed. As she wet her lips, a shiver of excitement coursed down the entire length of her spine. This was new. An exciting adventure unfolded in front of her eyes, kicked into motion by the small woman with a bob of white hair. “Tell me more.”
“Oh, Audrey,” Gerri said wistfully. “You’re a dream come true.”
TWO
STONE
“Mr. Langert?”
Stone glanced up from his desk, mulling over some documents that contained words that hardly registered with him. His amber eyes flashed brilliantly, landing on his assistant, who stood in his doorway with a clipboard.
Robert pushed his glasses farther up his nose bridge. “You have a visitor.”
Glancing at his calendar, Stone noticed he hadn’t scheduled any meetings for that day, so he didn’t have a clue as to who was searching for him at that hour. He sighed, leaning back in his chair, and looked out the window that showcased his extensive garden. The Langerts were a family of billionaires, which was a hefty responsibility to manage. Stone was now both the Alpha of his clutch and CEO of their company.
As the oldest in his family and the head of the dragon clutch, he made sure the family assets were properly managed, and all of his shifters were taken care of. With the various real estate holdings that belonged to them and the investments they had accumulated over the ages, the Langerts were in a much better position than most shifters.
