by Julia Mills
Table of Contents
Epilogue
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
SNEAK PEEK ~ CHAPTER ONE of ASHER
ABOUT JULIA
ALSO BY JULIA
BANNING
Dragon Guard Berserkers #1
by
Julia Mills
Unbeatable, Unstoppable
and damned near Indestructible.
They are the Dragon Guard Berserkers.
The Boys are Back and
There’s Hell to pay.
Copyright © 2018 Julia Mills
All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictional manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
NOTICE: This is an adult erotic paranormal romance with love scenes and mature situations. It is only intended for adult readers over the age of 18
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Edited by Lisa Miller with Angel Editing Services
Proofed by Tammy Payne with Book Nook Nuts
Beta Read by Linda Levy
Cover by Linda Boulanger with Tell~Tale Book Covers
Formatted by Charlene Bauer with Wicked Bold Creations
Thank you, Lisa, from the bottom of my big ole southern heart, for all you do.
You are SIMPLY the BEST!
I love you to the moon and back on golden dragon wings!
XOXO Julia
DEDICATION
Dare to Dream! Find the Strength to Act! Never Look Back!
Thank you, God.
To my girls, Liz and Em, I Love You. Every day, every way, always.
To everyone who’s ever made a wish, had a hope, or dared to dream, this one’s for you.
May you find all the faith, trust, and pixie dust you ever need to believe in your dreams and shoot for the stars.
Index of the Original Language of the Dragon Kin
BANNING
Bualadh mo chroí……….Beat of my Heart
Mo Dragon……….My Dragon
Mo stór……….My treasure
Athair……….father
Mo ghrá……….My love
Mo maité, mo ghrá, mo chroí agus anam………my mate, my love, my heart and soul.
Mo cara……….My friend
Grá mo chroí……….My beloved
Mo stór……….My darling
Féileacáin……….Butterflies
Is breá liom tú, mo mhac………I love you, my son
Tá tú mo ghrá eternal. …….You are my eternal love.
Ta’ mo chroi istigh ionat………My heart is within you
Grá mo shaol………Love of my life
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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
EPILOGUE
SNEAK PEEK ~ CHAPTER ONE of ASHER
ABOUT JULIA
ALSO BY JULIA
Chapter One
The sun glistened off the rippling water in the fountain and cast a shadow over the face of the dragon statue standing guard in the center. He hated this time of day, despised the sun shining in his face, detested the scorching heat, and absolutely loathed with every cell of his being that he was helpless to do anything about it.
The dragon, once known as Banning, a powerful Guardsman, next in line to rule the Lunar-White Dragons, could still hear the old crone’s cackle as she sentenced him to a living death nearly two centuries ago. “When the moon turns red and darkness falls on the land, then and only then, will your human form return. But be warned, as soon as the first rays of the sun peak over the trees and the next morning dawns, you will return to bronze, frozen in time. True release, escape from the prison of your hubris and vanity, can only come if the One the Universe has made for you professes her undying love.”
He’d been so young and foolish. His brethren had told him to let her go. Told him she wasn’t long for this world, couldn’t survive without the combined strength of her coven, but Banning would not be deterred. He wanted the victory, craved the glory, needed to feel the power in his blade as he separated her head from her neck.
The hunt had been invigorating, racing over hill and dale, through the densest parts of the Black Forest, following the evil taint of the old witch. Hate had clouded his senses, made him reckless, led him into a trap that had he been in his right mind, the Guardsman would have easily avoided.
Jumping off his horse, Banning sped toward what had once been a work of architectural wonder but now stood in ruins from years of neglect and abuse at the hands of evil doers. Slashing through the wall of thorny brambles growing from column to column, the heels of his black thigh-high riding boots struck the rotting floor boards of the porch a split-second before he burst through the front door, leaving the decaying wood hanging from a single hinge. With his sword at the ready, the Guardsman quickly checked each room from attic to kitchen and was heading for the back door when the sound of steps underfoot alerted him to the witch’s presence.
Using the preternatural senses of his kind, the Guardsman pinpointed her exact location, immediately making his way down the crooked and creaking stairway into the dark, dank cellar. The stench of rancid blood, fetid flesh, and mildewing herbs assaulted his senses as he took in the many jars, vials, and vessels filled with the grotesque tools of her trade.
Following the trail of black magic, Banning delved farther into the darkness. Crouching to avoid running into the rough rocks overhead as the cellar narrowed to a small earthen tunnel, his blade leading the way as the dragon crept ever closer to his prey. The pungent odor of black magic permeated the very air he breathed, its grotesque fingers reaching for him from the shadows. A light flickered at the end of the shaft, quickly followed by a ghostly figure and the whisper of bat wings. Quickening his pace, the thrill of a sure victory fueled his pursuit as the corner of his mouth curled in anticipation.
Bursting out of the corridor, brandishing his sword, Banning found himself all alone in a candlelit cavern as he bellowed, “Show yourself, Crone! You’ll not escape the doom Fate has planned for you.”
Spinning in circles, ready to take on any and all comers, the Guardsman’s perusal slowed as the slithering runes on the wall began to take shape. Painted in human blood, the symbols pulsed with the power of the witch’s malignant mysticism.
Ignoring the apprehension suddenly slithering down his spine and his dragon’s ominous growl, Banning roared, “Enough of the parlor tricks, Witch! There is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide! Show yourself and face your doom!”
The ground beneath his feet began to shake. An evil cackle fil
led the cavern, rebounding off the stone walls, bombarding his senses with misdirection as a ring of fire burst to life, capturing the Guardsman before he could react. Flames bounced off the ceiling where silver chains dangled like snakes from the trees of the rainforest, the shackles snapping and reaching for his limbs.
“Parlor tricks?” The witch’s shrill screech felt like shards of glass shredding his eardrums. “I will show you parlor tricks, you insolent, insignificant lizard.”
Cuffs snapped around his wrists. Banning’s sword flew from his grasp. His arms were yanked over his head. His feet snatched from the floor. The flesh of his wrists and ankles bubbled and burned from the tainted silver, but through it all, the Guardsman refused to abandon his mission, continuing to taunt, “Mere sleight of hand and childish magic. You are weak. Pathetic. Scared to face me.”
The quaking ceased. The fire extinguished. The flames of the candles surrounding the perimeter of the cave jumped and danced, their smoldering tongues licking at the high stone ceiling.
A plume of smoke, so pungent his eyes watered, sprang from the center of the pentagram Banning now saw on the floor beneath him. A tornado of fiery air howled through the stone enclosure, clearing away the acrid mist, revealing the old crone standing front and center.
With the hood of her tattered cloak thrown back, her gnarled features and onyx eyes were even more pronounced and hideous than he’d first imagined. Black veins, filled with the venom of her dark magic, snaked across her leathery, pox-marked face. Her wrinkles deepened to bottomless caverns as she opened her mouth, revealing rotted teeth and a gray tongue as she spat, “Insults and empty threats will not save you from the repercussions of your imprudence. You are caught like a fly in the spider’s web and now you shall pay for not only your sins, but the sins of all your kind. The blood of my sisters still wet the ground, their heads severed from their necks by the blades of the mighty dragons.” Mockery hung thick in the air, a twisted grin cracking the skin of her thin, black lips. “The Universe’s chosen warriors. Pfft!” she scoffed. “Scaly bastards with an exaggerated sense of self-importance and uncontrollable bloodlust is more like it.”
With a wave of her hand, the circle of fire once again sprang to life, malice tainting her every insult as she continued, “But today is the day I strike back, the day you pay for the injustices thrust upon all my brothers and sisters that you and your kin have slain. Today…”
“Stop your rant, you worthless bag of bones,” Banning jeered, interrupting the crone’s raving, mocking her with his every word. “Spare me your empty platitudes. Kill me. Save me from the torment of your irritating tone. Assault me no longer with your offensive visage. It would be a blessing to ascend into the Heavens simply to escape your presence.”
Leaning heavily on the knotted wood of her cane, the crone tapped the tip of the dirt-encrusted nail of her free hand on her bloodless bottom lip, her grin stretching into an evil smile. Taking a step forward, she chuckled, “Oh, you shall not die, Dragon, for death is too good for the likes of you. No, you shall live forever, suspended in time, watching your kin perish and the world you sought to save destroyed, helpless to do anything but observe. You shall be encased in bronze, only able to take your human form on the infrequent occasions that the earth eclipses the moon and only until the sun dawns on the next day.”
Throwing her head back, the witch’s maniacal cackle once again filled the chamber as she uttered the curse, sealing Banning’s fate, stealing his future…extinguishing the fire in his soul.
A whisper, as soft as silk, as tender as a lover’s caress, reached into the darkness of his hell on earth, breaking the spell of Banning’s memories, returning him to the here and now. Listening intently to the murmured plea, something deep within his soul sprang to life. The Dragon King whom he’d been paired with all those decades ago raised its mighty head as the Guardsman’s heart beat with renewed vigor within the deep recesses of his impenetrable bronze prison.
“I know this is silly,” the woman nervously chuckled. “Making a wish to a fountain. Throwing a coin into a pool of water and praying for a miracle, but I don’t know what else to do.”
He could see her staring up at him, hope bright in her hypnotic hazel eyes, her words gaining confidence with each syllable that crossed her beautiful lips.
“When I was a little girl, my mom used to tell me stories of the magic of dragons and of their great heroics. She believed they were warriors for the people and not the fire-breathing beasts told in the tales of most storybooks.”
The sun danced upon the highlights in her long, toffee-cream-colored hair, its waves cascading over her shoulders and down her back. Tiny freckles, like kisses from the angels, swept across the creamy skin of her cheeks and the bridge of her pert nose, but it was the soft pink of her mouth and the pain he felt radiating from the depths of her soul that called to not only the man, but also his dragon.
“So, here I am,” she sighed, her elegant fingers brushing back the tiny wisps of hair flowing around her expressive face. “Standing in the park, talking to a statue, praying Mom was right. Pleading with God, or the Universe, or Fate for some of that magic she used to talk about to heal the unknown disease eating away at her body, slowing her heart, killing her, one agonizing breath at a time.”
Tears streamed down her face as she knelt on the marble surrounding the fountain. “The doctors have no answers. Modern medicine has given up. The machines keeping her alive are only prolonging the inevitable.” Her voice cracked, unshed tears filling her eyes. “But I can’t let her go. I can’t lose her. She’s all I have left in this world.” Her chin fell to her chest, the words of her next whispered plea wrapped around Banning’s heart, threatening to rip it from his chest. “I would gladly give my life in exchange for hers.”
He watched, unable to move, to respond, to do anything as the silver coin she held tightly in her hand slid through her delicate fingers, disappearing into the cool waters beneath him.
“NO!” Banning shouted from the deep recesses of his mind, shocking not only himself, but the woman as well.
“What?” She sprang to her feet, looking from side-to-side, demanding, “Who’s there? Who said that?”
Spinning first one way and then the other, she stopped, blushing as she nervously chuckled, “Oh great! Now, I’m hearing things.” Once again fidgeting with her hair, a gesture he could tell only happened when she was nervous or out of sorts, the young woman added, “Guess I really do need to get some sleep.” Pausing and looking up, she smiled, “Thanks Dragon Man, even though I know you’re just a statue, it really helped to have someone simply listen.”
Watching her walk away, helpless to do anything but stare, the Guardsman cursed Destiny for his impotence and vexed the witch who’d sentenced him to a fate worse than death. He damned a world in which a woman as beautiful and pure of heart as the one he’d just witnessed was made to suffer, but most of all, he waded through a swamp of his own guilt for his foolhardy actions all those centuries ago.
Inspired for the first time in all his years, Banning counted the days since he’d last taken human form. He spoke with the dragon of his soul and called to the dormant magic flowing through his veins. Hour by hour, the two great warriors conspired, so that by the time the sun set on that very day, they had formulated a plan.
Pleased with their progress, the Guardsman once again allowed himself to think of the young woman. The image of her sitting beside him begging for help replayed again and again in his mind, his heart beating more passionately with each viewing.
The success of his plan hinged on his magic and that of his beast filling every cell of his body over the next few days. He needed to sleep, had to conserve his energy for what was to come.
For the first time in longer than he could remember, Banning looked forward to the total eclipse of the moon. He couldn’t wait for the darkness to descend, to feel his prison melt away and his feet to touch the cool, dewy grass once more. He’d finally found his purpose
…his direction. One miraculous wish from a beautiful woman had breathed new life into his cold, dead spirit, and the Guardsman was holding on to it with every ounce of his abundant strength.
Closing his eyes, the Guardsman’s thoughts whispered through his mind as he forced himself to rest. “Sleep well, my fair maiden. Lay your worries at my feet. I shall not fail you…”
Chapter Two
“Lillie, I’m home,” she called out, shutting the door behind her and tossing her bag on the table before heading down the hall.
“Hello, Lovely.” Lillian, her mother’s nurse, chirped as she handed Mimi a glass of sweet iced tea and added, “Sit down. I’ll get your dinner from the oven.”
Grinning as she took a seat at the small, wooden dining table by the kitchen window, Myanna Havers, Mimi to her friends and family, acquiesced. “Thank you so much. I am beat.” Taking a sip of tea as the nurse placed a beautiful plate of salsa chicken, yellow rice, and veggies on the table before her, Mimi happily sighed, “This looks amazing.” Adding as she looked up and smiled, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Bending down, the tall, gray-haired woman kissed the top of Mimi’s head and patted her shoulder. “Good thing you won’t have to find out. Your mom has been my best friend since we were knee high to a grasshopper.” The nurse took a deep breath, her voice cracking with sorrow, “I’ll be here until Robin jumps out of that bed and sings ‘High Hopes’ in her awful, can’t-carry-a-tune-in-a-bucket way.”
Chuckling at the thought of how many times her mom had sung that song and how true it was that she was not musically gifted in any way whatsoever, Mimi sang in her lovely contralto voice, “Just what makes that little old ant…” grinning from ear-to-ear when Lillie joined in. As they reached the crescendo of, “Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant,” both women laughed out loud.
