|
"Five Stars! Journey back to the land of Shadowmere; where magic flows and the men are dangerous, gorgeous, and sexy. When I first glanced at The Dragon King I was really enamored with the cover; the picture of the barbarian warrior was just yummy, and I mean good enough to eat, no pun intended. The story of the lone dragon will pull at your heartstrings Balian is passionate about everything he does, from the medieval tournaments to going after the hand of his fair lady. You can feel the sexual tension throughout this novella and it was quite an adventure. The love scenes between Balian and Kisah are romantic, sensual, and spicy HOT! I thought this story was very exciting and Ms. Fox has created another masterpiece. I would recommend this story for anyone who loves a fiery romance." Susan Holly, Just Erotic Romance Reviews
"Five Stars and ORGASMIC Heat Level! I loved The Dragon King; it is a great novel with paranormal aspects and a great plot that keeps your enthralled and reading until the very end. The sex scenes are intense and will have you on the edge of your seat in anticipation of what Balian will do next. With action and adventure to please everyone The Dragon King is an excellent story for all. Jaide Fox has done it again in a story of love and life." Angel Brewer, Just Erotic Romance Reviews
"Four Hearts! This was a wonderful short story. Jaide Fox is a gifted writer, with several books published and this is just another example of her talent. If you're a fan of her work you'll want to get The Dragon King. And if you haven't read any of her work this would make a great beginning. Enjoy!" The Romance Studio
"Four/Five Stars! The Dragon King is the latest installment in Jaide Fox's Shadowmere series. Like the previous titles in this exciting collection, The Dragon King proves to be an intense read. The constant bantering between them is quite entertaining. Both characters are extremely appealing and Ms. Fox does a superb job in conveying their motivations, which makes this story a bit more emotional than the previous titles. Despite the fact that The Dragon King is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. I am placing this book in my "keeper" shelf." Mireya Orsini, Just Erotic Romance Reviews
"In The Dragon King Ms. Fox brings us another tale of the Shadowmere world where humans are shape shifters and love is passionate. Kisah is as strong and intelligent as foretold by the seer and she has a plan formulated. If the dumbest warrior wins the tournament, Kisah hopes to be able to rule him and in doing so rule her kingdom. However, all bets are off when she meets Balian. Stronger than any Wyvern warrior, Balian is only playing the tournament in order to win Kisah’s hand instead of taking her by force. Alone in the world and his castle, Balian craves love above all else. When these two came together, the computer started to melt! With every new Shadowmere tale, Ms. Fox brings us more of what her readers have come to expect. The Dragon King is no exception and definitely worth the read!" Road to Romance
"Four Angels! This was a thoroughly entertaining book! The author has created a new fantasy world inhabited by dragons. The author has infused her new world with action, love and plenty of sexual tension. The reader is pulled into the story and the characters come alive through the author’s words. Ms. Fox has written another winner!" Fallen Angel Reviews
"THE DRAGON KING is a fascinating romance that will intrigue readers from the very beginning. I was totally fascinated with THE DRAGON KING, the history of Shadowmere, and how it all came about. For a quick but interesting read, grab a copy of THE DRAGON KING today." Sinclair Reid Romance Reviews Today
"Four and ½ Flames! Ms. Fox has done it again. THE DRAGON KING is an imaginative tale with great characters. Balian seems cocky but has a vulnerable side that is touching. Kisah is the character who changes the most in this story. It isn’t because she’s weak, but because she opens her eyes and her heart. The intensity of the sexual tension is powerful—the sparks really fly. This novella is a quick read that should not be missed." Sizzling Romances
THE DRAGON KING
By
Jaide Fox
© copyright December 2003, Jaide Fox
Cover art by Eliza Black, © copyright 2003
New Concepts Publishing
5202 Humphreys Rd.
Lake Park, GA 31636
www.newconceptspublishing.com
Prologue
Before the birth of Shadowmere, at the dawn of time, when men and beast were one, a single, aged race ruled the land ... the dragons.
Magic flowed through their veins, their scarcity of numbers strengthened by their power, and the fear they invoked.
The race of man was not content with their lot. They craved the immortality of the beasts and dragons, and above that, their power. In great numbers, they swarmed their brethren born of magic, sweeping across the land as locusts, killing all who stood in the way of gaining that which they most coveted. Elusive was the beast’s secret, however, forever remaining out of man’s ken.
One by one the great dragon kings fell to the horde, betrayed by those they’d taught the essence of quickening to--their magic used against them.
Their kind overcome, the beasts fell back, until the edges of a dark land lay at their back, shielded by heavy mountain and desolate plains.
To survive, the ragged remains of these strange peoples banded together, led in force by a dragon king of immense power. There could be no other choice for freedom, for they would not be slaves.
In a final battle, the gods wept as their children lay dying, the sheer gray landscape awash with blood.
A tremulous peace was struck amid the deafening cries of the dying, and the beasts of magic retreated to a land they called their own.
And the last dragon withdrew to the raging sea of lost souls, alone, his brethren lost for all time.
Chapter One
Time had never been his enemy, until now.
Sleet pelted Balian of Memnon, driving against his hide at the altitude he flew, slashing against the thick, protective lids covering his eyes. He raised his shoulders, closing his wings slightly to duck beneath the cloud cover. There, above the pitch black landscape, he hovered. His wings lazily stirred the air, crystals of ice tinkling as they broke from his scales with each beat of his wings.
He blinked his lids back as he looked down on the castle. The sheer rock of the valley protected its flanks. Its spires seemed to grow from the very ground itself. From the land, the fortress below him was impregnable--immune to any force that dared to assault it. Many had tried ... and failed.
His keen eyes picked up the glow of fires, the faint, frosted breath of horses in the courtyard, traced the movement of guards watching the lay of the land. He could hear the boasting laughter of one guardsman to another, the quickened steps of a servant rushing down cobbled hallways. Unaware that their oldest enemy hovered above them, life carried on there as it always had.
None expected attack from above, nor had they reason to. They could not reach such heights themselves, their own abilities having deserted them in a long ago age, leaving them barely capable of flight at all, and his race had died long ago--though the loss felt as fresh now as if it had only been yesterday.
His lips pulled back in a semblance of a smile over jagged teeth the length and thickness of a man’s leg--razor sharp, designed for one thing alone ... rending a foe to pieces.
They had everything to fear ... they just didn’t know it.
Inside those stone depths, his bride awaited--in the tallest tower, in the land of Wyverns, at the stronghold of their domain ... so he’d been told. Here was a woman worthy of his claim, with a strength to match his own ... a mate for the last of the dragon kings.
He’d best not keep her waiting, he thought with a combination of amusement and anticipation.
Heaving a breath of thin air, he tilted and flattened his wings to his body, diving, his quarry in sight. He cloaked himself in darkness as he approached the tower, shifting into human form as he neared, landing with light feet upon the dark and lonely balcony. Fine glass doors opened with a soft push, and he was soon inside the black chamber.
The bed dominated the room, and his eyes were drawn instantly to its occupant.
With silent footfalls, he approached the bed, easing back the sheer drapery to better view her. She lay with an arm flung carelessly above her head, her fingers tangled in nut brown hair shot with streaks of gold. Silken sheets rode high upon her chest, obscuring the bounty of her figure but not wholly hiding her beauty.
His gut clenched with sudden, fierce desire, awakening the beast betwixt his legs with painful intensity. How long had it been since he’d lain with a woman, supped on the honey between her thighs, felt the heat of her body wrapped around him? Ages of abstinence had honed his need until it felt like the thrust of a blade in his belly with each beat of his heart.
He groaned under his breath, gritting his teeth against the pain, against the savage desire to take her and ravish her where she lay. He welcomed the agony as an old friend, knew its nature and how to control it. He slid his fingers through the ends of her hair, and up, across supple, pouting lips that begged a taste. How easy it would be to steal such treasures, but conquering her mind and body until she succumbed willingly? ‘Twas a test he was willing to engage.
She sighed and stirred in her bed, the sheets slipping down her body, constricting his strength of will. One taste would suffice, would tame the wild beast.
But no, it wouldn’t be enough. He closed his hands into fists and thrust away from her, moving across the room before he could make a mistake. His chest heaved, his nostrils flared as he breathed the cool air flowing through the window. Blood rushed to his clenched fingers, pulsing like heartbeats, prickling with awareness. The memory of silken skin against his fingers seduced, warred with his mind.
He couldn't leave without a sample of her delights.
* * * *
A cold sigh of air caressed Kisah’s skin, nipping her with cool teeth. The breathy coolness moved through the room, fluttering the netting about her bed until it crawled across her skin in slinky movements. Fingers seemed to glide through her hair, making her scalp prickle, drawing her up from the depths of sleep.
Kisah awoke with a start, gasping, certain she’d been touched, certain she’d heard something move about in her room.
Darkness blinded her. The room was black as pitch without any relief. Not even her window revealed a speck of light. She knew the moons must have set hours ago for it to be so dark inside.
As if to give the lie to the reassurance that leapt so readily to her mind, light winked palely as something moved in front of the window, revealing the source of the darkness.
Kisah startled, nearly jumping out of her skin, sure her eyes were playing tricks on her. Perhaps she still slept....
"You’re awake," a man spoke, the timbre of his voice deep and tinged with an accent from an unfamiliar land.
Kisah sucked in a breath to scream, but his next words choked the air from her lungs.
"No one can hear you. I have laid a muting spell on the room."
That explained the tingling feeling when she awoke, the feel of lightning dancing across her skin, raising the hairs on her arms and legs. "What do you want of me?" she asked, feeling beneath her pillow for the sheathed dagger she always kept there. Her fingers found nothing.
"I’ve taken care of your blade as well, princess." His tone was almost apologetic.
More startling than the knowledge that he’d done away with her blade was the fact that he could apparently see her in the dark as well as if it had been light. She wondered briefly what else he’d done while she slept.
Kisah stayed her hand, searching her mind for any other weapons she had nearby. She could think of none save throwing huge pieces of furniture, and that was not feasible.
"You didn’t answer my question," she gritted out in helpless frustration, clutching her blankets in a tight-fisted grip. "What do you want?"
"You," he said, amusement tingeing his voice.
Kisah stiffened, glaring into the shadows. "I am not for the taking."
"If I choose it, I could take you now," he said, so quietly she barely heard the whisper of sound.
Nevertheless, the threat in his statement set her nerves on edge. "You will draw back but a nub if you come near." She gathered herself on her knees, preparing to make a run for the door.
He seemed to sense her intent, though her movements were subtle, for he moved deeper into the room. His footsteps were soft as he progressed. She lost track of him, couldn’t place where he’d moved. Her hackles jumped with warning, her skin interpreting every breath of wind as his touch.
"I think Syrian to be right," he said, suddenly, his voice a few feet to her right--and blocking escape through the door. "You are worthy of me."
His audacity stunned her to silence for several moments. "I’m gratified to know that," she said tartly. "It changes nothing. Touch me and you will regret it."
He laughed, so deep and husky, it touched something inside her, warming her, as the affectionate laughter of a dear friend. What strangeness this was? She wondered, for it was not a laugh of cruelty, but true amusement. Never had she heard a more pleasant sound. That in itself stoked the warning fire inside her, warned her that more magic surrounded her than merely a muting spell. Kisah shook the strange kindling off, curling her hands into talons.
"Easy, princess. I came only to look upon my future bride, to see for myself if you are the one."
Knowledge dawned with that bold statement. He had to be one of the contenders for her hand, come to participate in the games that would decide her fate. Boastful bastard. She could not fathom how he’d managed to reach her room, but she would discover it on the morrow if she survived tonight. By his words, he intended to collect the bounty of her dowry, which meant he would not harm her--not yet.
The thought gave her little comfort.
"Until next time," he whispered.
The bed dipped abruptly. Kisah shrieked and scrambled away. He was faster. He caught her legs just as she freed herself from her heavy covers and dragged her to him, underneath him. Suddenly she was trapped beneath a wall of hard male flesh.
Kisah slapped at him, squirming, kicking her legs. He pinned her with his body, locked her hips down as he straddled her. Two massive hands closed around her arms and brought them above her head, pinning her wrists to the bed.
Kisah growled in fury, biting at him. She tasted hair. It tangled all around her, choked her. She blew it out of her mouth just as he bent his head close.
His lips touched hers, and a wave of enraged heat enveloped her. The kiss was brief, more a flutter of air than a merging of souls. He pulled back before she could bite him.
He paused above her, silent as she fought the anger threatening to overwhelm her thoughts. He transferred her wrists to one huge hand and trailed his free one down her face, cupping her jaw, skillfully avoiding her teeth.
Kisah stilled, waiting to see what he would do, if he would finish what he had started. The men of this land were violent, not above rape. She would endure it if she had to, and when he was done, she would try her utmost to kill him.
He progressed no further than the column of her throat, explored the fine tendons, up and down, the curve of her jaw. She didn’t understand what he was doing, why he didn’t press his advantage, for she was powerless to stop him.
Her stomach fluttered as his thumb brushed against her bottom lip. She sucked in a sharp breath, ignoring the sudden, tingling throb of her lips. She wanted to bite him, but she couldn’t. He threatened no violence now, only explored with feathery strokes.
She wondered for one insane moment what it would be like to allow him to steal a kiss....
"Another time," he said, as if in answer to her thoughts.
Kisah stiffened at the promise.
He stood abruptly, releasing her. Before she could sit up, he ran toward the open window. Kisah caught a glimpse of silvery limned, muscular shoulders and long dark hair, and then he leapt out the window and off the balcony.
She gasped, hopped out of bed and ran through the portal, peering down over the balcony, expecting to see a broken body on the parapets. There was nothing but the patrol guard manning the walls, the fires of torches. She continued looking down in stunned amazement. It was as if he’d never existed, and yet her heart still pounded in her chest, her lips still tingled.
He was a sorcerer of some type, of that she was certain. Magic sparked in the air, tasting like flame on her tongue.
Kisah stepped back and closed the window, shivering from the cold.
Tomorrow, she would have the window bricked up, or new locks placed on the latches. She crawled back in bed, but she knew sleep would not come, not this night.
The games would begin with sunrise. She would find this man in the contests, and she would have him put to death for daring to touch her.
|
