Dragon's Kiss (The DragonFate Novels Book 2)

by Deborah Cooke

  He should be in the building adjacent to the bar, in Manhattan. What was going on?

  Rhys flew in a wide circle, unable to explain his situation. He blinked. He shook his head. He even dipped his toes in the water, but nothing changed. The illusion, if it was one, was consistent.

  There was a splash in the distance and he barely heard it, even with his keen Pyr hearing. Rhys raced toward it silently, flying close to the surface of the water to avoid detection. He swooped down toward the water when he glimpsed a dark silhouette, but it disappeared beneath the surface.

  Rhys dove into the water, seeking his companions.

  To his astonishment, a spark lit at the end of his talon. It glowed, radiant even in the water, which only gave him more questions. The flame sent a heat through him that couldn’t be denied, heating him as well as filling him with desire.

  But it was supposed to be Kristofer’s firestorm.

  Was his own destined mate nearby?

  The flame was brighter when he held his claw down toward the dark depths. Rhys returned to the surface, took a deep breath, and dove. He held his talon before himself, following the glow like a beacon.

  He had to know.

  He caught a glimpse of movement and the sight astonished him. Was that a seal? Whatever it was, the light was brighter in proximity to it. Rhys pursued the creature, his chest tight. He didn’t dare return to the surface and lose sight of his prey. He had a strange conviction that if he did, he’d never find his way back again.

  The light drove him on, but whatever he chased had no intention of being caught. Rhys swam as quickly as he could, ducking around coral and rocks, swimming deeper and deeper. The water became as dark as midnight, the glow of the firestorm startling eels and fish that never saw such bright light. He followed it with determination and just when Rhys thought his lungs would burst, the light flared to golden brilliance in the entry to a cave.

  He reached inside, knowing he could manage only one grab before he had to return to the surface. His talons closed around something—or someone. It felt suspiciously like a woman’s waist and the contact sent a fire through his veins that could only be the result of the firestorm. She struggled and squirmed, but she had to be in need of air, too. Rhys knew that people who were drowning often fought their saviors. He gripped her with resolve and surged toward the surface.

  On the way, he changed to his human form, reasoning that he could still hold on to her but would require less air. The water was lit with a blue shimmer during his transformation, then he locked one arm around his mate’s waist and used the other to haul himself toward the surface.

  He broke the surface with a gasp and took a greedy gulp of air.

  He held a seal, a creature with large dark eyes that stared back at him fearlessly. Rhys would have thought he’d made a mistake if it hadn’t been for the thousands of little sparks of the firestorm, the tiny blazes that illuminated every point of contact between them.

  This was his mate?

  She trembled in his grip and he saw a blue shimmer that was more than familiar. He watched, incredulous, as her shape began to change. He held tightly, uncertain what she would become but having his hopes.

  She became a woman, a naked one, with fair skin and long dark hair that hung down her back, slick and wet. Her eyes remained thickly lashed and expressive, just as dark and mysterious as those of the seal. She braced her hands on his shoulders and pushed, flames erupting from the flats of her palms against his skin.

  “Let me go!” she said, struggling against him. “I have to hide!”

  Rhys changed shape again, soaring high into the sky with her captive in his arms. He wanted to kiss her, to seduce her, to pleasure her—but she seemed to have the opposite reaction to his presence. She fought him hard, but without success.

  “Can’t you feel the heat of the firestorm?” he demanded when they were high above the sea.

  “The firestorm?” Her tone became curious and she stopped struggling. She laid a hand upon his chest, testing, and the light flared to brilliance between her hand and his scales. They caught their breath simultaneously and Rhys felt the acceleration of her heartbeat. His own matched its pace, a sensation that left him dizzy and he flew in a spiral with his eyes closed, wallowing in the pleasure of her touch.

  To his surprise, she laughed. It was a wonderful sound, like a thousand silver bells, and he opened his eyes to consider her.

  “So, this is how a dragon is brought to his knees,” she said, teasing him.

  “Absolutely,” he agreed easily, not at all like his usual self. “You’re beautiful.” He meant it. Even without the firestorm, he would have been struck by her beauty.

  She was naked, so he could see a lot of her skin. As he glanced down, her nipples tightened but she didn’t blush or avert her gaze.

  “What are you?”

  “A selkie.” She blinked away tears as Rhys recalled old stories he’d heard of her kind.

  “I didn’t think selkies were real.”

  “We nearly aren’t,” she replied, a little sharply, then smiled at him. “I was pretty sure dragons weren’t real,” she continued with humor. She ran a hand over his scaled chest, feeding the fire within him. “But you look pretty solid.”

  “I am.” They were flying over the water, but Rhys heard waves on a beach ahead of them. He changed his course, wanting a kiss.

  “Turn out the light!” she urged. “We don’t want to be seen.”

  Rhys thought it was strange that she was shy, but he couldn’t do what she wanted anyway. “There’s only one thing that extinguishes the light of the firestorm.”

  She started to ask, then their gazes met and he saw that she understood. “You’re kidding me.”

  Rhys didn’t answer her, but soared for the beach, landing with a flourish. He felt filled with new power and grace, and he knew his shift to human form was perfect. He landed on his feet in the shallows with his mate cradled in his arms.

  “Wow,” she said, running a hand over his shoulder as if she couldn’t stop herself. Her eyes sparkled as she met his gaze. “Although the red and silver scales were very striking.”

  Rhys grinned. “I’m glad you approve.”

  There was a distant boom of thunder and she spared a panicked glance upward. “I have to go.” She wriggled against him again. If she wanted him to release her, the movement had exactly the opposite effect.

  “It’s just a storm,” he said, trying to soothe her.

  “It certainly is,” she said, her eyes flashing.

  Rhys tightened his grip upon her, bent his head and captured her lips beneath his own.

  “Oh,” she murmured and he swallowed the sound, slanting his mouth over hers to deepen his kiss. She made a little growl in her throat, as if she couldn’t decide whether to be annoyed with him or to surrender. Then she sighed and melted against him, parting her lips to welcome him.

  Rhys was glad she decided in a hurry. He liked decisive women who knew what they wanted. She wrapped her arms around his neck, taking control of the kiss in a thrilling way. The firestorm blazed through him, setting his very blood on fire, hot and hungry and demanding, just the way they’d always said it would be. Desire obliterated every other thought from his mind. Rhys was aware of nothing but his mate and her perfection.

  And her kiss.

  He felt her fingers lock into his hair, realized that she’d arched her back to rub her breasts against his chest, and felt the tip of her teasing tongue. This time, it was Rhys who growled in frustration. He pivoted without breaking their kiss and headed for the beach.

  He had time to wonder how exactly this would work, then she kicked hard. She surprised him enough with her sudden powerful move that he loosened his grip.

  She splashed into the water, diving for the depths again.

  “No!” Rhys roared and dove after her. He saw a shimmer in the water ahead of him and knew what it meant. He snatched and caught the tip of her tail in one hand, and she paused to look ba
ck at him. She had half-changed, her lower body the tail of a seal, but her upper body still human. She was like a mermaid but not. Her hair swirled around her and her gaze softened, the light of the firestorm glowing all around them. She reached back and touched his hand, so lithe and lovely that his heart squeezed.

  “Let me go,” she whispered, and he was amazed that she could talk beneath the water. There was an entreaty in her gaze. “She’ll kill me if she sees me.”

  Who? Rhys couldn’t ask the question, but she must have understood. She shook her head and looked as disappointed as he felt.

  “I can’t say her name. I won’t say it,” she said with ferocity. Then she smiled at him. “If she didn’t hunt me, I’d let you tell me about your firestorm, dragon man.” She swam closer and Rhys released her tail, unable to bear the idea of her being injured because of him. She touched her lips to his cheek. “Thank you for that kiss,” she whispered, then with a flick of her tail, she was gone. He saw her pale skin disappear and knew she’d completed the shift to her other form, then he had to take a breath of air. He surged for the surface, his chest tight, wishing he had the ability to swim after her and change her mind.

  There was a brilliant flash of light above the water just as Rhys broke the surface again. It cracked like lightning, illuminating the surface of the sea and the beach as if it was midday. He saw a pair of high-heeled purple sandals at the high tide mark on the beach, but there was no one else in sight. He turned in place, wondering who had abandoned the shoes, as the light faded away.

  Then the lightning flashed again, cracking loudly as it struck him between his shoulders. He cried out at the searing pain that shot through him and closed his eyes as the world spun. He summoned the change but his body betrayed him and he remained in human form.

  He couldn’t shift.

  Rhys did panic then. Nothing interfered with his ability to change forms, and his hidden dragon gave him the confidence to face any foe.

  But he couldn’t shift. It was terrifying.

  There was a red string knotted around his wrist, one that burned. Even though it was thin, he couldn’t snap it. He was in court of glittering Fae, Hadrian sprawled beside him with a similar string on his wrist. He was soaking wet and his clothes smelled of salt water, but there was no spark of the firestorm.

  Where was Kristofer?

  Then the music started, infectious merry music, and his feet began to twitch of their own accord. He found himself on his feet and dancing a jig without having made any decision to do so. Hadrian awakened and lunged to his feet, seizing Rhys’ hands as he joined the dance. The two of them circled, dancing hard and fast, against their will. The court around them blurred into streaks of silver and red, the music melded with raucous laughter, and his feet began to hurt. He was breathless, his heart thundering, but he couldn’t stop dancing. The red cord burned and the music went on and on and on.

  All the while, he wondered about the selkie and her kiss—and whether he would ever see her again.

  Dragon’s Heart

  Book Three of the DragonFate Novels

  Coming in May 2020

  About the Author

  Deborah Cooke sold her first book in 1992, a medieval romance published under her pseudonym Claire Delacroix. Since then, she has published over fifty novels in a wide variety of sub-genres, including historical romance, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, fantasy romance, time-travel romance, women’s fiction, paranormal young adult and fantasy with romantic elements. She has published under the names Claire Delacroix, Claire Cross and Deborah Cooke. The Beauty, part of her successful Bride Quest series of historical romances, was her first title to land on the New York Times List of Bestselling Books. Her books routinely appear on other bestseller lists and have won numerous awards. In 2009, she was the writer-in-residence at the Toronto Public Library, the first time the library has hosted a residency focused on the romance genre. In 2012, she was honored to receive the Romance Writers of America’s Mentor of the Year Award.

  Currently, she writes paranormal romances and contemporary romances under the name Deborah Cooke. She also writes medieval romances as Claire Delacroix. Deborah lives in Canada with her husband and family, as well as far too many unfinished knitting projects.

  Visit Deborah’s Website and Blog

  Visit the Dragonfire Website and Blog

  Visit Claire Delacroix’s Website and Blog

  More Books by the Author

  Books by Deborah Cooke

  Paranormal Romances:

  The Dragonfire Novels

  KISS OF FIRE

  KISS OF FURY

  KISS OF FATE

  WINTER KISS

  Harmonia’s Kiss

  WHISPER KISS

  DARKFIRE KISS

  FLASHFIRE

  EMBER’S KISS

  Kiss of Danger

  Kiss of Darkness

  Kiss of Destiny

  SERPENT’S KISS

  FIRESTORM FOREVER

  HERE BE DRAGONS: A Dragonfire Companion

  The DragonFate Novels

  Maeve’s Book of Beasts

  DRAGON’S KISS

  DRAGON’S HEART (May 2020)

  DRAGON’S MATE (October 2020)

  Paranormal Young Adult:

  The Dragon Diaries

  FLYING BLIND

  WINGING IT

  BLAZING THE TRAIL

  The Dragons of Incendium

  WYVERN’S MATE

  Nero’s Dream

  WYVERN’S PRINCE

  Arista’s Legacy

  WYVERN’S WARRIOR

  Kraw’s Secret

  WYVERN’S OUTLAW

  Celo’s Quest

  WYVERN’S ANGEL

  Nimue’s Gift

  Urban Fantasy Romance

  The Prometheus Project

  FALLEN

  GUARDIAN

  REBEL

  ABYSS

  Contemporary Romance:

  The Coxwells

  THIRD TIME LUCKY

  DOUBLE TROUBLE

  ONE MORE TIME

  ALL OR NOTHING

  Christmas with the Coxwells

  Flatiron Five

  SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE

  ADDICTED TO LOVE

  IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR

  SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK

  Going to the Chapel

  BAD CASE OF LOVING YOU

  SOME LIKE IT HOT (2020)

  Secret Heart Ink

  SNOWBOUND

  SPRING FEVER

  ONE HOT SUMMER NIGHT

  UNDER THE MISTLETOE

  Novellas

  A Berry Merry Christmas

  Learn about Claire Delacroix

  historical romances on

  Claire’s website.