by Donna Grant
The door opened, but it took him a second to realize that no one had spoken. When he straightened, he was shocked to find Esther North standing there.
The British beauty was still in the doorway, her hand upon the knob as her gaze was locked on the various drawings that were scattered about his room, hung on lines he had strung, or sitting on easels.
Her lustrous brunette tresses hung free about her shoulders. She wore an oversized gray sweater that hid her curves and dropped past her hips over a pair of black leggings. Thick, fuzzy white socks that had a kitten face atop them, complete with a pink nose and whiskers, covered her feet.
The longer she stood staring, the more he was able to gaze at her striking features at his leisure. The MI5 agent had captivated him from the very beginning when a Druid had gotten into Esther’s mind and controlled her with magic.
The Dragon Kings had managed to undo the magic of the Druid, but there was more damage. The memories of the time Esther spent with the Druid were missing. It made her a liability, but she was allowed to remain because of one very important reason—she was the sister of Henry North.
Henry, also MI5, worked with the Dragon Kings to track the movements of the Dark Fae to try and figure out their next move. It was uncommon for the Kings to trust humans, but Henry was an exception.
And so was his sister.
Nikolai knew Esther’s face. His power allowed him to conjure every detail about her. From the small, nearly hidden scar at her wrist from some childhood accident, to the confident way she held herself.
He knew her hair wasn’t just brown. It held strands the softest shade of walnut, darker tones that deepened into chocolate, and the lighter shades of amber.
He knew the curve of her face and how she lifted her chin when she was angry. He knew her small nose and the lines in her brow from the expressive way she spoke. He knew her mouth and how her bottom lip was slightly fuller than the top.
He knew her round eyes and the deep shade of brown along with the band of black that encircled her irises. He knew the slope of her breasts, the indent of her waist, and the flare of her hips. He knew the way she preferred to wear muted colors to help her blend in with a crowd.
It had taken one look to put all that to memory, but he found his eyes going to her again and again, as if he couldn’t get enough.
That fact was only one reason he kept drawing Esther. The other was that he had no choice. She filled his mind like no other before.
* * *
Esther was shocked. And that wasn’t an easy thing to do.
Her eyes moved from one sketch of her to another, each depicting different areas of Dreagan she had been to, from the manor, the distillery, or strolling through the snow in the Dragonwood.
There was even pictures of her walking the caves inside the mountain connected to the manor. The picture she stared at the longest was the one where she had stood at the entrance to the cavern where four of Ulrik’s largest silver dragons were kept sleeping within a cage.
The look on her face was one of awe and curiosity. Though, she remembered feeling fear at the idea of Ulrik killing Con and releasing those dragons to wipe out humans.
But in many of these instances, she knew Nikolai hadn’t been there. How then had he drawn them? His power of projected thermography allowed him to see something once and paint it, draw it, or weave it.
As her eyes moved from one side of the room to another, they clashed with a bare chested Nikolai that made her mouth go dry as she stared at his chiseled form.
The Dragon King had a way of making her forget whatever she was thinking every time she looked into his baby blue eyes.
But that’s not what her gaze lingered on now. It was his tattoo. She knew every Dragon King had one, but this was her first time to see Nikolai’s, and it was stunning.
Starting at his wrist was the tail of the dragon that snaked up his arm to his bicep where the body of the dragon began. The back claws of the dragon looked as if they were digging into Nikolai’s arm as its wings were tucked.
The dragon turned and leaned over Nikolai’s shoulder. The head of the beast was on Nikolai’s chest with its mouth open as if roaring. One of the dragon’s arms was outstretched as if reaching for something.
It was the intricacy of the tat along with the mix of red and black ink that would ensure it was never duplicated in any way.
It was impossible not to ogle his finely shaped chest or the washboard stomach. Drops of water had fallen from his hair to his shoulders before they wound their way down his amazing chest. She bit her lip, her blood heating when she noticed that his jeans were unbuttoned and hanging precariously upon his narrow hips.
Unable to look away, she followed the trail of hair from his navel until it disappeared in his jeans. She swallowed, not quite sure how to feel about her blatant carnal reaction to Nikolai.
As she raised her gaze, she noticed that his hands were clenched tightly. That caused her eyes to jerk upward and clash with his.
His features were strong and perhaps a bit harsh, but she found them disarmingly so. From his jawline, to the wide lips to his hallowed cheeks.
She wanted to run her fingers through his subtle cinnamon red locks. He kept the hair around his face shorter than the rest that was full of body and thickness. Even now with it wet, the strands held a wave as they fell to the back of his neck.
It took her several minutes to remember what she was doing in his room she was so consumed by him and the lascivious thoughts that kept running through her head. Of all the men at Dreagan, it had been Nikolai who had caught her eye, even as she fought against it.
Nikolai was one of the quiet ones. She’d noticed right from the start how he stood to the side observing everything and everyone. She’d mistakenly assumed he was like her and trained for such things.
The real reason was because of his power. Everything he witnessed was filed away in his brain to be sorted through later.
The longer they stared at each other, the more aroused she became. She knew she should speak, but she couldn’t think of anything to say. Which was a first for her. The one thing she had never lacked was words.
“Esther.”
Her name had been passed down through generations of North’s. She’d always hated it. Right up until Nikolai said it in that deep, husky brogue. Her name had never sounded sexy until he spoke it.
Also by DONNA GRANT
THE SONS OF TEXAS SERIES
The Hero
The Protector
THE DARK KING SERIES
Dark Heat
Darkest Flame
Fire Rising
Burning Desire
Hot Blooded
Night’s Blaze
Soul Scorched
Passion Ignites
Smoldering Hunger
Smoke And Fire
Firestorm
THE DARK WARRIOR SERIES
Midnight’s Master
Midnight’s Lover
Midnight’s Seduction
Midnight’s Warrior
Midnight’s Kiss
Midnight’s Captive
Midnight’s Temptation
Midnight’s Promise
Midnight’s Surrender
THE DARK SWORD SERIES
Dangerous Highlander
Forbidden Highlander
Wicked Highlander
Untamed Highlander
Shadow Highlander
Darkest Highlander
THE REAPER E-originals
Dark Alpha’s Claim
Dark Alpha’s Embrace
Dark Alpha’s Demand
From St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Praise for the Dark King series by
DONNA GRANT
“Loaded with subtle emotions, sizzling chemistry, and some provocative thoughts on the real choices [Grant’s] characters are forced to make as they choose their loves for eternity.”
—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
“Vivid images,
intense details, and enchanting characters grab the reader’s attention and [don’t] let go.”
—Night Owl Reviews (Top Pick)
Praise for the Dark Warrior series
“The world of the Immortal Warriors is a thoroughly engaging one, blending powerful ancient gods, fiery desire, and touchingly human love, which readers will surely want to revisit.”
—RT Book Reviews
“[Grant] blends ancient gods, love, desire, and evil-doers into a world you will want to revisit over and over again.”
—Night Owl Reviews
“Sizzling love scenes and engaging characters.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Ms. Grant mixes adventure, magic and sweet love to create the perfect romance[s].”
—Single Title Reviews
Praise for the Dark Sword series
“Grant creates a vivid picture of Britain centuries after the Celts and Druids tried to expel the Romans, deftly merging magic and history. The result is a wonderfully dark, delightfully well-written [series]. Readers will eagerly await the next Dark Sword book.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Another fantastic series that melds the paranormal with the historical life of the Scottish highlander in this arousing and exciting adventure.”
—Bitten By Books
“These are some of the hottest brothers around in paranormal fiction.”
—Nocturne Romance Reads
“Will keep readers spellbound.”
—Romance Reviews Today
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant has been praised for her “totally addictive” and “unique and sensual” stories. She’s the author of more than thirty novels spanning multiple genres of romance including the bestselling Dark King stories. The acclaimed series features a thrilling combination of dragons, the Fae, and Highlanders who are dark, dangerous, and irresistible. She lives with her two children, a dog, and four cats in Texas.
Want to know when Donna’s next book is available? You can sign up for her newsletter at www.DonnaGrant.com, follow her on twitter @donna_grant, or like her Facebook page at facebook.com/AuthorDonnaGrant, or sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Epilogue
Heat Teaser
Also by Donna Grant
Praise for the Dark King series by Donna Grant
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
BLAZE
Copyright © 2017 by Donna Grant.
Excerpt from Heat copyright © 2018 by Donna Grant.
Cover illustration by Crystal Ben
Cover Photographs by Shutterstock
All rights reserved.
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eISBN: 978-1-250-10956-9
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / June 2017
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