by Alisa Woods
Arabella’s heart lurched. “Lucian.” She begged with her eyes for an explanation, but he just shook his head, looking as confused as she was.
An awkward moment reigned. “Mother, what is he talking about?” Lucian finally asked.
The Queen Mother didn’t answer at first. Then she took a step forward. Then another. Until she was close to the front of the throne dais, looking down at Zephan as he smirked up at her.
“When my sons were born,” she said loud enough for the entire hall to hear. There was a horrible dread in her voice, but her eyes were locked onto Zephan’s face. “The entire world felt it.” She dragged her gaze from Zephan to meet Lucian’s wide-eyed stare. “We felt it, Lucian.”
Lucian’s face went slack.
Felt what? Arabella wanted to scream. But she was clutching her baby and holding onto the hope that all this was one big misunderstanding. That everything she had been through hadn’t been for nothing.
“Of course, you did,” Zephan purred. “That magical shock occurs every time the treaty is renewed. An echo through magical space of the power of the first treaty, forged in the powerful magic of death and True Love. That’s how we knew, Alexis. That was the ultimate proof that your dragon-dragon coupling had fulfilled the requirements of the treaty when your three boys were born. But you didn’t feel it this time, did you?”
A heartbeat. Then two. “No,” came her whispered reply. Then she slowly turned away from Lucian and looked back with tears in her eyes to her other two sons, standing next to Arabella and the baby—Leonidas and Leksander.
“But… but I’m the prototokos,” Lucian protested. “The first-born—”
“Do you really think that when you exited the womb has any real significance?” Zephan sneered. “You are all three the product of the True Love pairing. All three of you survived the birthing. But in your arrogance, you presumed to know magic of which you are barely aware.”
Breath was held all around the throne room.
“All three dragon princes of the House of Smoke must produce dragonlings through a True Love pairing or the treaty will be broken.” The triumph on Zephan’s face struck horror through Arabella’s chest.
No… She looked to Leonidas. “The curse,” she whispered.
Leonidas briefly closed his eyes, the gray pallor returning to his face.
Leksander was likewise pale.
The horror on Lucian’s face struck her through the chest.
The tiny, innocent baby in her arms wasn’t enough… they had made it through, all of them, but the toll it had taken… and now two more princes of the House of Smoke had to bring dragonlings into the world in order to save it. Leonidas, who was cursed to turn wyvern if he ever fell in love and who had already nearly been turned by the poison. Leksander, who was in love with an angeling who would never return it. Both had to win the True Love of a human woman or not only would their lives end… but a twelve-thousand-year-old treaty as well.
Arabella let her tears fall freely and drip down onto her sweet baby’s face.
“Once upon a time, there was a witch who loved me...”
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Of Bards and Witches
London, The Year of Our Lord 1600
Leonidas is a dragon shifter, a century into his allotted five, and he’s entranced by Master Shakespeare’s theatre and the comely and lusty women of London’s bankside. But when he finds a witch in the practice of her art in clear view of the stage, he must act… for dragons are the keepers of the peace between the mortal and immortal realms. But never has duty been so sweetly sexy and delicious to the touch as a witch whose very skin sparks pleasure. He becomes lost in his bed, breaking his own cardinal rule—never seduce a woman for more than a night. As one pleasure-drenched night bleeds into the next, he runs afoul of a danger he ought already know… never cross a witch.
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Leonidas's story is just beginning in...
CHOSEN BY A DRAGON
(Fallen Immortals 4)
coming soon
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Check out all of Alisa's bestselling Shifter books...
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READING ORDER
Shifters in Seattle
True Alpha (Book 1)
Dark Alpha (Book 2)
A True Alpha Christmas (Book 3)
River Pack Wolves
Jaxson (Book 1)
Jace (Book 2)
Jared (Book 3)
Wilding Pack Wolves
Wild Game (Book 1)
Wild Love (Book 2)
Wild Heat (Book 3)
Wild One (Book 4)
Wild Fire (Book 5)
Wild Magic (Book 6)
NEW!
Fallen Immortals
Kiss of a Dragon (Book 1)
Heart of a Dragon (Book 2)
Fire of a Dragon (Book 3)
Chosen by a Dragon (Book 4)...coming soon
Seduced by a Dragon (Book 5)...coming soon
Touched by a Dragon (Book 6)...coming soon
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Alisa Woods lives in the Midwest with her husband and family, but her heart will always belong to the beaches and mountains where she grew up. She writes sexy paranormal romances about alpha men and the women who love them. She enjoys exploring the struggles we all have, where we resist—and succumb to—our most tempting vices as well as our greatest desires. She firmly believes that love triumphs over all.
All of Alisa's romances feature sexy alphas and the strong women who love them.
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Alisa's website: www.AlisaWoodsAuthor.com
