“We knew. We saw the dragons fighting. It was . . . terrifying, but when the woman came to our house with you, she made us forget our fear. We wanted you no matter what you were.”
The words filled Madelyn’s heart with pure love. She’d always felt lost, but to know now that her parents had always loved her, even knowing she wasn’t human like them . . . Her eyes burned with tears and she brushed them away.
Grigori spoke up. “How did you know what she was? Did she show signs of being different?”
Her parents both chuckled and nodded and her mother answered. “She did. When she was a baby and had colic, she blew the gates off her crib and wrecked some of the curtains. It was like a minor hurricane had gone through our house. Whenever she fell and skinned her knee . . . it always rained.” Her mother’s voice was gentle and warm as though those were fond memories.
“But . . .” Madelyn’s head was light. “Weren’t you afraid of me? Didn’t you want to get rid of me because I was different?” Discovering that her parents had known all this time . . . it made her feel a little crazy with an overload of emotions.
“Afraid of you? Never. When that woman gave you to us, we understood that you were special. You were ours, Madelyn. We were never afraid, not for one minute. We did our best to make you feel normal, to feel loved.”
Madelyn felt it, the skin prickling and the surge of the energy in the air. Thunder boomed outside and rather than make her parents jump, they both laughed and held open their arms. She pulled away from Grigori to hug her parents. The embrace enveloped all three of them, and she stopped fighting the tears she’d been holding onto for so long. When she finally calmed and lifted her head, she saw her mate, her beautiful, enchanting, sexy-as-hell dragon shifter lover, watching her. Grigori’s indulgent smile, the one she’d seen sketched in Barrow’s book two hundred years ago was there upon his lips. The man she’d loved before she’d even known him, was finally there, in the small, cozy kitchen with her and her parents.
Everything in the world was right. Everything was going to be okay.
“Well, let me get these cookies cooled off and then we can frost them.” Her mother grinned and pushed her toward Grigori. “Why don’t you two settle in the family room, watch a movie or rest. It was a long flight from Russia and I imagine you’re both jetlagged.
“Yeah.” Madelyn sighed and smiled. “That sounds great, mom.” She took Grigori’s hand and led him to the family room where a large leather sofa faced a massive flat screen. Grigori whistled softly. “Sixty-five inches. Nice.”
She scoffed playfully. “Men and their TVs.”
He tugged her down onto the couch and they curled up together as Grigori lifted the remote and started channel surfing. She tangled her legs in his as they watched the news. His lips brushed her temple and she sighed dreamily and stroked a hand over his sweater-clad chest. The beat of his heart filled her ears as she lay her head against his chest.
When he suddenly tensed, she tensed too, her instincts kicking into gear.
“What is it? What’s the matter?” She lifted her head and stared at him. His eyes were wide and his lips were parted. He didn’t speak, he merely continued to stare at the TV screen. When she followed his gaze, she swallowed down her own startled gasp and reached for the remote. She turned the volume up to listen to the man standing in a large auction house room.
“This is the largest find of jewelry from Elizabethan England that has ever been documented. They’re calling it the Westside Hoard, and that’s exactly what it is. A massive and stunning discovery of jewelry pieces that are close to priceless. The items will be going up for sale at the Thorne Auction House in two weeks. Museums from all over the world will be watching London as the jewels are unveiled. Behind me, some of the pieces are on display until a few days before the auction and the public can view them . . .”
Madelyn stopped listening to the words as she watched the crowds behind the newscaster. Her eyes were trapped on the dark-haired figure standing behind the newscaster. It was a face she recognized, especially the glowing eyes that were fixed on a large compass made entirely out of emeralds.
“Is that . . .” she began.
“Mikhail,” Grigori whispered. “My brother is alive . . .”
Keep reading for an excerpt from the next Royal Dragon Romance
MIKHAIL
Coming January 2018 from SMP Swerve
England, September 1559
“Sleeping on a dragon’s hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart, he had become a dragon himself.”
—C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The halls of Hampton Court Palace were quiet so close to midnight. There was no sound of laughter from the courtiers, nor were there even hushed murmurs of gentlemen luring young maids into dark corners for kisses. The tapestries lining the stone walls rippled faintly with the breeze that slipped in through the half-open windows.
Mikhail Barinov adjusted his black-and-gold doublet as he walked with light, quiet steps toward a bedchamber door. He ignored the prickle of unease at the silence cloaking him as he saw a guard ahead. The man was posted outside of the bedroom door, his hand resting on the pommel of a lethal-looking blade that Mikhail wasn’t the least bit afraid of. At a moment’s notice, he could transform into a dragon, and such mortal weapons would have no effect upon a dragon’s thick hide.
“Halt!” the guard growled. Mikhail was close enough to see the whites of the other man’s eyes in the flickering light of the wall sconces.
“My name is Mikhail Barinov. Her Majesty requested my presence.” He raised his hands, showing his empty palms before he offered a slight, courtly bow. When the guard relaxed, Mikhail removed a small bit of parchment from his doublet and handed it to the man.
The guard scowled as he stared at it. The odds that the man could even read were small, but he wouldn’t admit that to Mikhail.
“Wait here.” The guard rapped his knuckles on the door behind him and then disappeared into the queen’s antechamber. A minute later he reappeared, flustered as he pushed the heavy oak door wide, allowing Mikhail to enter. He nodded at the guard and stepped into the antechamber.
“Well now,” a soft voice murmured from a chair beside the fire. “I was worried you might not come.” The woman leaned forward in the chair, letting the flames cast light and shadows upon her in a dancing pattern. Her long reddish-gold hair was unbound and cascaded over her shoulders in ripples of fire.
Mikhail swallowed hard as a fresh bolt of desire shot through him at the sight. Elizabeth, the newly anointed queen . . .
Don’t miss the other two Brothers of Ash and Fire:
* * *
MIKHAIL
RURIK
* * *
Coming in 2018
About the Author
Author photograph © Jamie Alsobrook
Lauren Smith is an Oklahoma attorney by day, author by night who pens adventurous and edgy romance stories by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She knew she was destined to be a romance writer when she attempted to rewrite the entire Titanic movie just to save Jack from drowning. Connecting with readers by writing emotionally moving, realistic, and sexy romances no matter what time period is her passion. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including: New England Reader’s Choice Awards, Greater Detroit BookSeller’s Best Awards, Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award quarter-finalist, and semi-finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award. To connect with Lauren, visit her at www.laurensmithbooks.com or twitter at @LSmithAuthor.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyrigh
t Notice
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Excerpt: MIKHAIL
About the Author
Copyright Page
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.
GRIGORI. Copyright © 2017 by Lauren Smith. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Crystal Ben
Cover photographs: man © Nejron Photo/Shutterstock.com; city © Triff/Shutterstock.com; dragon © Algol/Shutterstock.com; texture © Fotohunt/Shutterstock.com; fire © Weerachai Khamfu/Shutterstock.com; flame © Weerachai Khamfu/ Shutterstock.com; logo © vectortwins/Shutterstock.com
ISBN 978-1-250-14254-2 (ebook)
First Edition: October 2017
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, ext. 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
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