by Alice Brown
Ivormantis
Number III of Dragons of Dragonose
Alice Brown, Lady V
JK Publishing, Inc. (2014)
* * *
Tags: Erotic, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Warning: For Mature Adult Audiences. Contains language and actions some may deem offensive. Sexually explicit content. MF
In book three of the Dragons of Dragonose: Left badly injured from the horrific attack on Dragonose and in need of time to recover, Dominic follows his best friend, Blain Barrymire and his mate, Natasha, to their Iceland castle. At the castle, Dominic is in a constant struggle with his dragon, Ivormantis, who is stir crazy from not being allowed out. As if fighting to get back to his original warrior ability isn't enough, his mate shows up, adding to his despair because she fears him.
Meldamiriel, who is out of options, and running for her life, runs to the only person she has left, Natasha. She arrives at the castle with vampires hot on her heels, leaving her no time to think about the man who is staying at her friend's home—even if he is her mate.
When fear has ruled her life for so long, will Meldamiriel be able to overcome it to accept what fate has given her—a dragon shifter? Does Dominic win her heart only to lose her as evil moves in to gain the power his mate wields? Or will Meldamiriel face those who wish to harm her and prove to everyone why fate chose her to hold such power?
Ivormantis
Dragons of Dragonose
Book Three
by Alice Brown and Lady V
© Copyright August 2014 JK Publishing, Inc.
ISBN #9781310992827
All cover art and logo © Copyright August 2014 by JK Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Edited by Jakie Vis Vires
Artwork by Jess Buffett
Published by JK Publishing, Inc.
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Dedication
To Heather, this book is for you. I know you have been waiting patiently for us to finish. Thanks for all of your help!
Table of Contents
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
On the Menu
Books by Alice Brown
Books by Lady V
Excerpt from Sapphamire
Excerpt from A Special Gift
JK Publishing, Inc.
Prologue
How far can one person run? How fast can one person run? Sooner or later, no matter what, you reach the end of the line. That was exactly what Meldamiriel thought as she quickly made her way to Dragonmire Castle where she hoped and prayed she could seek true safety and sanctuary. Her friend, Natasha, had promised her she would be safe there. She just had to get there. The Russian vampire clan led by Bullock was after her and hot on her heels. If it wasn't for the force of wind she had on her side, there would be no chance of her ever out-running the blood-thirsty creatures of the night. Then again, if she wasn’t an Omega Elf, wielder of all four elements, she wouldn't be in the position in the first place. No, she would be able to live out her life peacefully like a normal person. However, she wasn’t normal, and therein lay the problem.
She had the ability to control all elements; earth, wind, air, and fire. She could even shapeshift into any animal she wanted to. That didn’t mean she was safe. In fact, the exact opposite was true. Creatures of all supernaturals had been after her blood for as long as she could remember. It seemed everyone was greedy and wanted the ultimate power, that was assumed, she possessed. All she wanted was a chance to live a normal life.
Though she feared large, scaly, fire breathing dragons—really, who wouldn’t?—she knew she could trust her friend, Natasha, to keep her safe from any harm. And since she literally had nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to, she supposed getting help from dragons was now her best bet at surviving. At least they were one of the few paranormal creatures that hadn’t tried hunting her down.
She ran so fast she sped right past her friend, Natasha, and her mate, Blain. But there was another dragon shifter with them, one she didn’t know. For reasons she couldn’t name, she felt a pull toward him. But she couldn’t stop now. She knew the vampires were close, too close. She had to seek shelter in the castle, and fast!
As she came to a screeching halt at the front door of the castle, she could hear the conversation behind her. Just as the hairs on her arms began to stand up in warning, she heard one of the dragon shifter men behind her breathe out the warning, “Vampires.” She pounded frantically at the front door, even though in the back recesses of her mind, she knew Natasha and Blain were coming up behind her.
The big, heavy doors opened and she pushed past the person on the other side with little thought. There, she made it. She collapsed on the floor in a heap, trying to catch her breath and relieve the twitch in her side. A moment later, Natasha came crashing through the doors and skidded to a halt beside her, throwing her arms around her friend. “Meldamiriel, are you okay?”
Still trying to catch her breath, she managed a nod,
and then pointed to the double doors. “I was followed.”
Natasha pulled her friend up to a standing position before replying, “I know, but you are not to worry. Blain has many guards; you are safe here.” She turned her friend away from the door and toward the stairs. “Let’s get you settled into a room and then you can tell me what’s going on.”
They went up the stairs arm in arm. Goodness was she tired. As Natasha opened the door to a guest bedroom, Meldamiriel felt ashamed of her appearance. She didn’t need a mirror to know she looked awful. She’d literally been on the run for the past three days. There was no time for sleep, the luxury of a shower, or even clean clothing. She was barely able to grab a few morsels of food here and there to keep her going. She suspected the vampires had planned it that way. They knew with the element of wind on her side that they couldn’t outrun her. But they must have figured if they kept on her long enough, and didn’t allow her time to rejuvenate her body, sooner or later she would start wearing down. Then they would have her right where they wanted her.
She looked around the pristine room and shuddered. She needed a bath, food, and a nap, in that order. Thankfully, her friend seemed to be able to read her mind. “The bathroom is through the door on the right. Go ahead and take a good, long soak while I try to gather up some clothes for you and see about some food.”
Meldamiriel walked into the embellished bathroom and leaned over the huge tub. Turning on the faucets, she filled the tub and added a bit of bath salts she found nearby. Stripping out of her nasty clothing, she looked down at them in disgust. They would probably need to be burned. Climbing into the hot water that faintly smelled of roses, she turned the faucets off and leaned back, closing her eyes.
Chapter One
Natasha waited until her friend had closed the door to the bathroom to take off and see to other preparations.
She ran back downstairs looking for Sophie, one of the assistant cooks. She had chatted with the young woman prior to leaving for Dragonose and had asked her to secure some clothing for her friend in preparation of her coming. She knew Meldamiriel would come; it was just a matter of when. She found the young woman in the kitchen placing food on a tray.
“Ms. Natasha, how good it is to see you! I heard we had a visitor and I assumed it was your friend. I have all of her clothes in my room. If you allow me to deliver the tray up to her, I’ll go fetch the clothing next.”
Natasha smiled at the young woman. “Sophie, go ahead and get the clothes and meet me in the guest suite. I’ll take the tray up myself.”
Natasha carried the tray upstairs and knocked lightly on the bedroom door before entering when she received no response. She sat the tray down and walked over to the closed bathroom door, knocking lightly again and calling Meldamiriel’s name. When she received no response, she frowned and reached for the door handle, thanking the powers that be it wasn’t locked.
Meldamiriel sighed heavily as she allowed her body to relax for the first time in what seemed like forever. Her muscles were in a constant state of knots from running, always running.
She thought back to when she first arrived a short while ago. She thought about Natasha and her mate, Blain, then about the other dragon shifter that was with them. Both men were enormous in build and the patch over Blain’s eye gave him the look of a massive, deadly pirate. But she knew from talking with her friend, Natasha, that Blain would never hurt anyone intentionally. She also knew the dragons at no time had taken the slightest of interest in her and her unusual powers. However, there was something about the other dragon who had been walking with Natasha and her mate; something that kept on niggling in the back of her mind, distracting her from all other rational thoughts.
“Hello? Are you even listening to a single thing I’m saying?” Natasha asked, leaning down to get eye level with her and snapping her fingers in her face.
Meldamiriel jumped back in the tub, splashing water everywhere as she gasped, not even realizing she had momentarily left the here and now to let her mind wander a bit.
“Yes,” she automatically answered the one person on the planet she could fully trust, even though she hadn’t heard a darn word her friend had been saying.
Blushing, she knew she couldn’t lie to her only friend in the world.
“Actually, no. No I didn’t. I’m sorry, Natasha.” She was working on keeping her tears hidden behind her eyes, even though they were still threatening to break through.
Natasha sighed heavily and dropped down onto the closed toilet seat. She, her mate, Blain, and their friend, Dominic, had just been returning from a trip to Dragonose. The trip turned out to be a learning experience for Natasha in finding her own inner dragon, Naquadus. They also were involved in a battle between the Dragonosians and the Raptorians. During the battle, both Blain and Dominic were severely injured. Blain had lost his right eye to the foul creatures and Dominic’s dragon’s wings had been broken, converting the injury over to a badly damaged spine in his human form. It made any normal movement difficult for him, even walking a short distance, and required him to wear a special back brace that forced him to keep his spine straight. Seeing her friend in the state she was in upon arrival, and knowing she was jumpy around large men, Natasha had whisked her straight into a spare bedroom and got her settled in a bath. However, Natasha needed answers.
In truth, the shifter that wasn’t Natasha’s mate who the one who made Meldamiriel nervous. But then again, almost any man did. Being a four-foot seven-inch elf was no comparison to a six-foot plus mighty dragon, such as the one she had gotten a glimpse of on her way in. But damn if he wasn’t good looking. For once, Meldamiriel wished she were any other creature other than an elf. To the larger supernaturals, like vampires, werewolves, and some dragons, elves were at the same level as the dirt beneath their boots. Never noticed, respected, or even acknowledged. But could she ignore the pull she was feeling toward the big man? Furthermore, why was she feeling such a strong pull to begin with?
Trust no male. Trust no person. You know that. Natasha taught you that. You need to try to keep as far away as you can. Meldamiriel repeated those words in her head as she gazed down at her tiny hands folded in her lap. Besides, why would a formidable warrior dragon like him have anything to do with someone like you, someone who is running to keep their own life?
“Melda, why is Bullock’s clan after you?” Natasha asked.
She looked over to Natasha, knowing she would need to come clean with her and tell her everything. A lot had happened since she left.
Dominic really needed to lay down, or at least sit down and stay seated for a little while. Their trip back from Dragonose had truly taken a lot out of him, much more than he wanted to admit. However, he couldn’t bring his body, nor his dragon, to accept the rest right now. Not after just finding his mate and now having her in the same house as himself. He felt as if he were about to crawl out of his skin, his need to see his mate so profound. If only he could see her for a moment. He needed to know she was safe. He needed to know she was unharmed. It was eating a hole in him not to know either. Earlier, Natasha acted too quickly for him, rushing his mate into the castle and straight upstairs, out of sight, not even allowing him the chance to say hello to the beautiful creature let alone to catch her name.
His dragon, Ivormantis, itched to be set free to go hunt down his mate and claim her immediately. It was a rough struggle for him to keep the stubborn creature locked up within himself. But it was necessary. Otherwise, if he let the beast out now, he would never be able to fly ever again. The Raptorians had done a number on both he and his lifelong friend, Blain Barrymire, during their raid on Dragonose a few weeks ago. Both of his dragon wings were shattered to the point that when he shifted into his human body, the injury transferred over to his spine, almost leaving him paralyzed. If it hadn’t been for some excellent healthcare, he might not be walking today. The bastards had stabbed Blain’s right eye out as well.
“You look like you could use one,” Blain stated,
coming up behind him with an extra Scotch in his hand.
Dominic hadn’t even realized he had been staring out the huge bay windows gazing off into the darkness of the settling night. He smiled, gingerly taking the fragile glass from his friend’s hand. Though the good doctor who had seen to his injuries had warned him about drinking, one Scotch was nothing to a dragon. And in truth, tonight he could really use it. It would help to settle his raging nerves and take the edge off his pain; he was way past time for the next round of his pain medication and just hadn’t made it up to his room to unpack his things and find the pills. Plus, he had no intention of moving anywhere until he knew at least something about his mate.
They had scented the vampires nearby when they arrived. It wasn’t hard to guess they were the ones chasing after the small elf. Blain sent out several of his best guards to hunt the bloodsuckers down and bring them back for questioning. Dominic would personally see to it that he was the one to run a stake through each and every one of their hearts if they were truly after his mate!
“It’s eating at you, isn’t it?” Blain questioned, following his gaze out into the night.
Dominic cocked his head slightly to the side, at least as much as his shattered spine would allow him to. “What?”
“The need to be near her and lay claim to her.”
He sighed, looking back out into the wide open. “It’s that obvious?”
