Keeper of the Flame: Dragon Knights, Book 7

by Bianca D'Arc

  Lera could see she had the child’s full attention.

  “My mother had a sister named Emisselde. She was very dear to my mother and to me. I have fond memories of my Aunt Emisselde and I think she would be proud if you would bear her name. And of course, my aunt’s nickname was Missy, so we could keep calling you Miss or Missy. Or Emisselde. Whichever you prefer. But you’d have a proper name, from my family. As my adopted daughter, you deserve no less. Does that appeal to you? Would you like to be called Emisselde?”

  Miss seemed to think about it for a few seconds. “Iss pretty.”

  “Yes, it is,” Hugh agreed. “Do you want Emisselde to be your name from now on, sweetheart?”

  The little cat head tilted in thought, then nodded once, very decisively.

  “Yess. I like.”

  “Good then. You are now Princess Emisselde of Helios.”

  “Princesss?” Miss seemed confused by the idea.

  “Of course, little one. Your parents are royalty. Now, so are you.” Jalinar winked at the child, clearly amused.

  It was fitting, Lera thought. The brave little girl had gone from half-frozen street dweller to heroic fighting feline to princess. She had the heart of a lion and the wings of an angel. To Lera, there was no more beautiful soul than Miss. She was proud to call her daughter and even happier to have the lovely little girl in her life.

  Lera wondered once more how she got so lucky. In the space of a few weeks she’d gone from running for her life with assassins on her trail to finding the love of her life and a beautiful child to call her own.

  Life didn’t get much better than this. At least, it hadn’t until now. Who knew what Hugh had in store for her? With him around, each day was a new adventure of the mos

  t incredibly joyful kind. As she looked at her new family, Lera knew she was well and truly blessed.

  About the Author

  Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.

  Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached through Facebook, her Yahoo group or through the various links on her website.

  Website:

  www.biancadarc.com

  Yahoo Group:

  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BiancaDArc/join

  Look for these titles by Bianca D’Arc

  Now Available:

  Brotherhood of Blood

  One & Only

  Rare Vintage

  Phantom Desires

  Sweeter Than Wine

  Forever Valentine

  Wolf Hills

  Tales of the Were

  Lords of the Were

  Inferno

  Dragon Knights

  Maiden Flight

  Border Lair

  The Ice Dragon

  Prince of Spies

  Wings of Change

  FireDrake

  Dragon Storm

  Resonance Mates

  Hara’s Legacy

  Davi

  n’s Quest

  Jaci’s Experiment

  Grady’s Awakening

  Gifts of the Ancients

  Warrior’s Heart

  String of Fate

  Cat’s Cradle

  StarLords

  Hidden Talent

  Print Anthologies

  Ladies of the Lair

  I Dream of Dragons Vol. 1

  Brotherhood of Blood

  Caught by Cupid

  Coming Soon:

  Brotherhood of Blood

  Wolf Quest

  Dragon Knights

  The Dragon Healer

  Master at Arms

  Their love will span the ages…and two very different worlds.

  Dragon Storm

  © 2013 Bianca D’Arc

  Dragon Knights, Book 6

  Caught in a magical storm and deposited in modern-day Oregon, twin dragon princes Darius and Connor are looking for a way home. Instead they find something most unexpected—their mate. The one woman who holds both their hearts in the palm of her healing hand—along with secrets abaster . Inout her origins that link their shared destinies.

  When Josie patches up the injured man on her doorstep, her snowcat instincts tell her he’s much more than a man. And so is his brother. She also knows her dragon lovers cannot fly free in the modern world. The only way to return them to their rightful place is to face the failures of her past, and leave the safety of her forest cabin to seek her estranged grandfather’s counsel. There she learns the painful truth: returning Darius and Connor to where they belong could mean giving up everything. Even her only chance for true love.

  But fate has other plans for the trio. Magic swirls all around them. Whether it is for good or ill, only time will tell…

  Warning: Contains a fiery hot ménage a trois, a wild cat-woman and two hunky dragon studs in black leather. A little time travel makes everything more interesting, doesn’t it?

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Dragon Storm:

  Josephine Marpa was heading out to her Jeep when she saw the man emerge from the woods. Immediately on her guard, she noticed he was limping and there was dried blood on his arm. His bare, muscular arm.

  He wore leather pants, boots and a sexy vest that tied up the middle over impressive pecs. His muscles bulged as he moved, the black leather hugging sinewy thighs and tight abs as if he’d been poured into it. Her gaze moved upward, and her mouth dropped open at the devilish grin on the handsome face looking back at her.

  He was probably a biker—judging by all the leather—who’d been in some kind of accident. Or maybe a male model escaped from some sort of fantasy-fetish photo shoot. Only she wasn’t aware of any photo shoots going on in the area.

  “Can I help you?” She stood her ground while she watched him approach. He stopped about ten feet from her, making no move closer, which put her more at ease, but she wasn’t going to let his amazing good looks influence her common sense. Much. She hoped.

  “I’m a little lost.” He favored her with a disarming smile. Sweet Mother of All, when the man smiled he was even better looking. He ought to be illegal.

  “And a little banged up.” She looked at his arm, not entirely sure she wasn’t hallucinating. Men like this certainly didn’t walk out of her forest every day. “What happened to you?”

  “I had an accident.” He moved a step forward, standing closer, but in an unthreatening position. His smile turned a bit sheepish, tugging on some long-lost feminine heartstring she hadn’t known she still possessed.

  She sighed, more annoyed at herself than at the stranger. He seemed all right. His body language was tentative, not aggressive, and her sixth sense was telling her he was okay. She made a rash decision and moved to inspect his injury more closely.

  “What happened to your bike? Too banged up to move?”

  She sensed some hesitancy before he answered. It didn’t feel menacing, and she trusted her special senses enough to believe he didn’t mean her any harm.

  “Something like that,” he answered. “Look, can you tell me where I am exactly?”

  One of her eyebrows went up in surprise. Maybe he’d hit his head when he crashed. “You’re in the national park. About two miles from State Road 42.” At the blank look on his handsome face, she went on, both eyebrows reaching upward now. “In Oregon? The Pacific Northwest? United States of America?”Amely sure sh; Instead of the laughter she expected at her little joke, only more consternation showed on his face. “Where are you from?”

  His lips firmed as he considered her. It almost looked like he was debating how much to tell her. She’d seen that look before, but never so openly. Whoever he was, he wa
sn’t a very good liar. Somehow that was reassuring rather than scary.

  “Draconia.” He searched her eyes for something, but she didn’t know what. “I was heading to the Northern Lair.”

  She tilted her head, considering his outlandish words. This had to be some kind of joke. “Are you an actor, or maybe a role player or something? Is there an SCA event going on that nobody told me about?”

  “SCA? What is that?”

  “The Society for Creative Anachronism. You know, the guys who dress up in old-time garb and fight with swords, pretending to be knights from medieval times? They like to pretend it’s a few hundred years ago and men still rule by the sword.”

  “I’m a knight,” he said softly, “but I do not belong to this society you speak of. I am a subject of King Roland of Draconia. To whom do you owe your allegiance?”

  “Look—” she sighed and shook her head, “—the act is cute, but this is the twenty-first century and I don’t have time to play games with you. Can I help you find your way out of these woods or what? You look like you could use some medical attention. I can drive you into town so you can get that arm looked at by a doctor. What do you say?”

  “The wound is minor. I do not need a doctor. I could, however, use a place to wash up. Can you direct me to water?”

  She hesitated about inviting him into her cabin, but what else could she do? Her special senses continued to insist that he was a good guy. She trusted her instincts. They’d never steered her wrong in the past. But having this huge man in her tiny cabin was a daunting prospect.

  “Sure.” She made a snap decision. “Follow me. You can use my bathroom.”

  “You have my thanks.”

  She led the way into her cabin, pointing him to the bathroom. He was closer than he had been outdoors, and she got her first good whiff of his scent.

  Sweet Mother of All.

  If her nose didn’t lie…

  He was her mate.

  Born to be mates…destined to be enemies.

  Breath of Fire

  © 2013 Liliana Hart

  Since the Banishment, Rena has become the Drakán Enforcer, cleaning up the messes her dragon brethren make in order to keep their presence in the human world hidden.

  When a group of rogue Drakán begins killing dragons who refuse to join the army of the Destroyer—the dragon they believe will become their true king—Rena has no choice but to take action.

  Special Agent Noah Ford appears, seemingly out of nowhere, to offer his assistance and protection. Protection, from a human? Hell, no. But something about him draws her hypnotically, erotically close. Some secret he refuses to reveal.

  Every clue Rena uncovers indicates Julian, leader of one of the five claf tn? Hell, nns, is the Destroyer. But when she confronts Julian, the blue mating fire—a phenomenon that hasn’t been seen since the Banishment—engulfs them both.

  Burning with need for two very different men, Rena must choose to kill the one destined to be her mate. Or see her people’s dreams of home turned to a pile of ashes.

  Warning: This novel contains high-speed car chases, crackling thighs, magic duels, naughty words, and sex on ceilings, tables, high in a tower, in the shower and—you get the drift.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Breath of Fire:

  “I am Julian, and I welcome you openly to my lands.” He took my hand and bowed formally before me, kissing the back of my hand lightly. “And never doubt yourself, little one, for your powers are great indeed. You only need the proper guidance.”

  “I told you to stay out of my head.” I jerked my hand away from his, and the moment our skin separated it was as if I could breathe on my own again. I couldn’t seem to find my focus anywhere.

  Julian laughed at the turmoil I was in, and I had a feeling he knew exactly what was happening to me. “Stop it.” The words came out as a growl, and my fire brought everything back into focus. I embraced my anger. It was the only thing in my entire life that had never failed me. His eyes flared in response to the rush of my power, but he shut down his reaction almost as soon as it had begun.

  “I apologize, but it’s almost impossible not to hear them.”

  “Try harder.”

  “As you wish. Have you dined this evening?” He changed the subject so quickly I had trouble following along. “I’d be pleased if you’d join me. We have much to discuss.”

  I didn’t want to go anywhere with Julian. It was as if I was losing a piece of myself with every minute I spent in his presence. But I needed to follow protocol and accept his graciousness, such as it was. It would make things go smoother once the Council moved in to take over. I looked down at my ragged clothes and wished for nothing more than a hot bath and bed, but it would have to wait.

  “If you’ll give me a moment to change, I’ll meet you in the dining room.”

  “I think you look lovely as you are. Blood looks good on you, but there’s no need for you to change.”

  Something whispered across my skin, delicate and soft, and it felt like heaven. I looked down, and my travel-worn clothes were gone, replaced by a sheer gown the color of rubies. Thin satin straps barely held up the soft material. It was gathered at the bodice and flowed softly all the way to the floor. Other than the color, it reminded me of the dresses of long ago. But it didn’t seem at all appropriate now.

  “That’s much better,” Julian said huskily.

  I ignored his offered hand, afraid of what his touch did to me. We walked side by side to the dining room. “Forgive me if I’m insulting you,” I said, “but I find your change of heart on my arrival insincere. I was under the impression there would be no peace between us, since you sent your Bellator to greet me.”

  “Complete peace would make life quite boring. The Drakán have never been at peace. It’s not in our nature. Besides, I already know why you’ve come. I know why you’re here better than you do.”

  “I had a feeling you might,̶ou ur nature.1; I said sarcastically.

  “But I think we will speak of it later. Much later. Unpleasant talk disrupts the digestion.”

  He spoke as if that was the end of the conversation, but I wasn’t ready to let my questions go unanswered. “You must understand my skepticism. There’s no way I would trust you after the way I was treated at my arrival. I’ve heard you are a most—unaccommodating man.” It was the nicest word I could think of to describe him.

  “You speak the truth. My people learn quickly that I do not believe in forgiveness. My wrath is a powerful thing, but this is my right as Archos. My people do their best to never make mistakes, and my land flourishes because of it. We are stronger than all the others. Can you say the same of your people?”

  The troubling thing was, I couldn’t say the same about our clan. My father ruled with vengeance, much like Julian. But he ruled only when he was forced to—when a problem grew so out of hand extreme measures had to be taken. He usually called me in to handle those cases. He chose to spend most of his time in seclusion, in his dragon form, ignoring the basic needs of his people and forcing them to make do on their own. If they weren’t powerful, they were meaningless to him. If they were too powerful, he had me mind rape them and make them malleable to his wishes.

  In all honesty, our clan wasn’t flourishing at all. We were slowly withering to death. My people had businesses and families, and once a year they came to our home and pledged their loyalty to my father at the gathering. But there were plenty of our people who didn’t have families or businesses, who were forced to live on the streets and scrounge for food. These were usually the Drakán who hardly had any power at all, but whose savage beast was just prominent enough that they still had to feed their need to hunt and kill. My father ignored these Drakán and left them to their own devices until they started drawing attention to themselves and I had to kill them. I hated doing it, so I’d started making it a point to seek them out and use my powers of mind control to help them find jobs and lodging.

  Julian interrupted my thoughts wi
th his silver-tongued words. “There is a saying I’m sure you’ve heard, Rena. One that someone very wise once told me.”

  “What is it?”

  “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

  Julian touched my hand and pushed his power into my body, and my inner dragon answered his call. She recognized his strength and wanted him. Lusted for him. The human in me wanted to run screaming out the door.

  I understood my position perfectly. I was trapped in the enemy’s hands with no way out but death.

  Keeper of the Flame

  Bianca D’Arc

  A warrior, a maiden…and a passion that could set the whole world aflame.

  Dragon Knights, Book 7

  Despite the fact he is the largest of his half-dragon brothers and better suited to fighting, Hugh has been sent on an undercover mission. Forced to stay in human form, he must discovee mlarr if the land of Helios is truly the Draconian ally it pretends, or something more sinister.

  When he witnesses injustice in the form of a misshapen baby gryphon kicked out into the cold, he cannot remain in the shadows and watch the child suffer. All he can hope for is that his act of kindness will go unnoticed so his mission can continue.

  But someone does notice. When Lera cautiously approaches Hugh, she is drawn to his strange, foreign magic. She is entranced by its irresistible allure—until assassins come calling and reveal her true identity.