by Dianna Love
That pissed her off. Casidhe was the first line of defense for her family. She would not let some old being come in here and upend her people.
“Casidhe,” Fenella said in a warning tone.
“I know.” Casidhe closed her eyes, gave it a minute then opened them again. “Better now?”
“Ya canna make a mistake. Not now.”
“I will not allow anyone to harm the family,” Casidhe vowed and walked off. She wove her way to the rear of the building and down a set of stairs to a musty smelling basement cluttered with crooked piles of books and boxes.
Careful not to disturb cobwebs, she squeezed between two stacks and pushed a book that slid into the stone wall with no resistance. Once she entered the tunnel, she moved a rock with her foot and the entrance vanished. How long had it been since she made this walk?
Counting mentally, she came up with ten months. The last time she’d come this way had been only to visit for her own benefit after sending word to expect her.
Showing up unexpectedly would put everyone on edge.
It couldn’t be avoided. They had known this day might come.
When she found the ladder to the surface, she climbed up until she reached the inside of a tree older than most living things in the human world. Once inside the tree, she had enough room to move her arms straight out away from her body.
Light flashed from the silver and metallic-blue sword standing against the curved inside wall.
That sword had been created for a female warrior her size.
There had been two others made of similar design.
One had belonged to Brynhild, the first daughter of King Eógan.
That sword had been named Lann Saoirse, Blade of Freedom.
The third daughter’s sword carried the name Lann na Fírinne, Blade of Truth.
The sword now flashing with energy in front of her was hers by right, or so she’d believed her entire life. The Lann an Cheartais, Blade of Justice, had been made for the king’s second daughter, his favorite.
Her heart raced.
There was only one reason this sword would be churning with power. It sensed her need to protect the family and stood ready to do its duty as it had two thousand years ago.
Or ... it sensed an enemy coming to claim it.
Her father had told her this day might come, though he hoped it would not. She lifted the worn leather scabbard lying on the ground and fitted the harness onto her back. She had another sheath for battle, but this one would lie closer to her body, and be easier to conceal as she traveled.
With her gear in place, she stepped back and crooned, “Come to me Lann an Cheartais so we may do our duty.”
If the sword did not come to her, she had failed to prove worthy. Her father had warned her to never call it to her unless she was prepared to take control of its power.
The sword quivered, then slowly lifted upward. Turning in the air, the blade glided up and over her shoulder, where she waited for it to swing around and insert smoothly into the scabbard.
Or stab through her heart if it found her lacking.
Hard to know what something that old would do when she had never truly known if this was her sword to wield.
Until now, she’d been only the caretaker.
Deep in her heart, she’d always questioned whether she deserved the position she’d been given as a child, but she never doubted her commitment to the family.
When the sword slipped into place on her back, Casidhe released a sigh of relief and reached over her shoulder to feel the hilt. A hum of energy flowed through her arm and buzzed her body with a soft vibration she welcomed.
Patting the jeweled handle, she said, “We will train soon, but for now we must travel to see my father and the family.”
Lann an Cheartais sizzled with a push of energy.
Her sword knew she was not talking about the wonderful Luigsech family, which had raised her.
Cathbad walked Brynhild down the street toward a park in County Galway. So much had changed since his last visit.
How many centuries ago had that been? He didn’t want to add up the years. Instead he said, “That was an interestin’ visit.”
“Yes.”
This woman had much to learn. She’d come close to snarling at the historian. When he’d returned to Brynhild’s cave this last time, she had emerged from her ice bath prepared to play nice. She said all the right things and showed no sign of conflict.
He had lived too long to easily accept her docile attitude when it surely hid a homicidal fantasy involving him, but for now Brynhild walked calmly alongside him. She’d accepted his disguise to hide anything that might give her, or her power, away.
Unfortunately, it may not have been enough shielding.
Cathbad asked softly, “Did ya feel the power in the shop?”
Finally, a smile from the ice dragon.
She answered in a smug tone, “Oh, aye. If Daegan knew of the squire for his family, he would have been here already. Whoever hid from us in that shop was no human.”
“Exactly, my sweet. We shall pretend we did not notice the one hiding. With a wee bit of luck, that one will alert those we hunt and we shall be a step ahead of Daegan. All the while, I will continue to train you.”
Offering a full smile, she agreed, “I will be the best of students. When the time comes, I will destroy the red dragon and all that he holds dear.”
She might be difficult, but this ice dragon would accomplish what Maeve lacked the vision to even imagine.
With this ice dragon, Cathbad would rule Treoir ... and the world.
Thanks for reading Treoir Dragon Hoard.
I would really appreciate a review wherever you purchase your books.
Watch for the TREOIR DRAGON CHRONICLES (a Belador spin off series) plus more books in the Belador world as well. Be sure to join Dianna’s private newsletter list at www.AuthorDiannaLove.com to be included when she GIFTS her readers with a special story for Storm and Evalle a month prior to being released for sale (no date yet – watch newsletter)!
While you’re waiting on the next Belador adventure,
take a look at Dianna’s new League of Gallize Shifters series.
Gray Wolf Mate is book one in this exciting new paranormal series. Shifters came out seven years back and, since then, the world has never been the same for many.
Tess Janver and Cole Cavanaugh fell deeply in love in college ... then he disappeared without a word. She’d feared the worst, or thought she had. After six years, he returns as a beefed-up version of his former self. That’s not the only thing different. As someone working in a preternatural criminal investigation unit and the daughter of a senator determined to rid the world of dangerous shifters, Tess is caught between performing her duty to humans, protecting the only family she has left and risking her heart to a man who once destroyed it.
Cole had no choice in becoming a Gallize shifter and now he’s facing the end of his days from a fatal mating curse he can’t stop. He never planned on Tess finding out he shared his body with a wolf, but she’s in danger from a rogue wolf pack. He’s not leaving until she’s safe ... and he has a chance to redeem himself in her eyes before his time is up.
Gray Wolf Mate
Mating A Grizzly
Stalking His Mate (Nov 2018)
Thank you for reading this series. To stay up on all of my releases and book news, click on the box below to join the Dianna Love private newsletter list. You’ll be notified with the first release news on TREOIR DRAGON CHRONICLES, plus a special story for EVALLE and STORM.
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REVIEWS ON BELADOR BOOKS:
"…non-stop tense action, filled with twists, betrayals, danger, and a beautiful sensual romance. As always with Dianna Love, I was on the edge of my seat, unable to pull myself away."
~~Barb, The Reading Cafe
“…shocking developments and a whopper of an ending... and I may have exclaimed aloud more than once…Bottom line: I really kind of loved it.”
~~Jen, top 500 Reviewer
"DEMON STORM leaves you breathless on countless occasions."
~~Amelia Richard, SingleTitles
“...Its been a very long time since I've felt this passionate about getting the next installment in a series. Even J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.”
~~Bryonna Nobles, Demons, Dreams and Dragon Wings
The Belador series is an ongoing story line, so you may want to read the books in order. Available in ebook/print/audio.
Book 1: Blood Trinity
Book 2: Alterant
Book 3: The Curse
Book 4: Rise Of The Gryphon
Book 5: Demon Storm
Book 6: Witchlock
Book 7: Rogue Belador
Book 8: Dragon King Of Treoir
Book 9: Belador Cosaint
Book 10: Treoir Dragon Hoard
Tristan’s Escape: A Belador Novella
Do you enjoy shifter romance? Check out this new series from Dianna:
League of Gallize Shifters
Gray Wolf Mate
Mating A Grizzly
Stalking His Mate (Nov 2018)
Shifters came out eight years ago and the world has never been the same.
As one reader put it, “There are shifters, then there are Gallize shifters.”
BLOOD TRINITY – Belador Book 1
Atlanta has become the battlefield between human and demon.
As an outcast among her own people, Evalle Kincaid has walked the line between human and beast her whole life as a half-blood Belador. An Alterant. Her true origins unknown, she searches to learn more about her past before it kills her, but when a demon claims a young woman in a terrifying attack and there's no one else to blame, Evalle comes under suspicion.
The one person who can help her is Storm, the sexy new agent brought in to catch her in a lie, just one of his gifts besides being a Skinwalker. On a deadly quest for her own survival, Evalle is forced to work with the mysterious stranger who has the power to unravel her world. Through the sordid underbelly of an alternate Atlanta where nothing is as it seems to the front lines of the city where former allies now hunt her, Evalle must prove her innocence or pay the ultimate price. But saving herself is the least of her problems if she doesn’t stop the coming apocalypse. The clock is ticking and Atlanta is about to ignite.
“BLOOD TRINITY is an ingenious urban fantasy … will enthrall you during every compellingly entertaining scene.”
—Amelia Richards, Single Titles
“…a well written book that will take you out of your everyday life and transport you to an exciting new world …”
—Heated Steve
ALTERANT: Belador Book 2
Evalle must hunt her own kind...or die with them.
In this explosive new world of betrayals and shaky alliances, as the only Alterant not incarcerated, Evalle faces an impossible task — recapture three dangerous, escaped creatures before they slaughter more humans…or her.
When words uttered in the heat of combat are twisted against her, Evalle is blamed for the prison break of three dangerous Alterants and forced to recapture the escapees. Deals with gods and goddesses are tricky at best, and now the lives of all Beladors, and the safety of innocent humans, rides on Evalle's success. Her Skinwalker partner, Storm, is determined to plant all four of his black jaguar paws in the middle of her world, but Evalle has no time for a love life. Not when a Tribunal sends her to the last place she wants to show her face.
The only person she can ask for help is the one man who wants to see her dead.
“There are SO many things in this series that I want to learn more about; there’s no way I could list them all.”
—Romance Junkies Reviews
THE CURSE: Belador book 3
Troll powered gang wars explode in cemeteries and no one in Atlanta is safe.
Demonic Svart Trolls have invaded Atlanta and Evalle suddenly has little hope of fulfilling a promise with the freedom of an entire race hanging in the balance, even if she had more than two days. She takes a leap of faith, seeking help from Isak, the Black Ops specialist who recently put Evalle in his cross hairs and has a personal vendetta against Alterants who killed his best friend.
Bloody troll-led gang wars force Evalle into unwittingly exposing a secret that endangers all she holds dear, and complicates her already tumultuous love life with the mysterious Skinwalker, Storm. But it’s when the entire Medb coven comes after her that Evalle is forced to make a game-changing decision with no time left on the clock.
“Evalle, continues to be one of my favorite female warriors in paranormal/urban fantasy… I loved The Curse… This was a great story from start to finish, super fun, lots of action, couples to root for, and a fantastic heroine.” —The Reading Café
RISE OF THE GRYPHON: Belador Book 4
If dying is the cost of protecting those you love… bring it.
Evalle has a chance to find out her true origin, and give all Alterants a place in the world. To do so, she’ll have to take down the Belador traitor and bring home a captured friend, which means infiltrating the dangerous Medb coven. To do that, she’ll have to turn her back on her vows and enter a vicious game to the death. What she does discover about Alterants is not good, especially for the Beladors.
Her best friends, Tzader and Quinn, face unthinkable choices, as relationships with the women they love grow twisted. With time ticking down on a decision that will compel allies to become deadly enemies, Evalle turns to Storm and takes a major step in their relationship, but the witchdoctor he’s been hunting now stalks Evalle. Now Evalle is forced to embrace her destiny . . . but at what price?
"Longtime fans of the Belador series will have much to celebrate in the fearless Evalle Kincaid's fourth outing…with such heart and investment, each scene has an intensity that will quicken the pulse and capture the imagination..." —RT Book Reviews
DEMON STORM: Belador book 5
We all have demons... some are more real than others.
With Treoir Island in shambles after a Medb attack that left the survival of the missing Belador warrior queen in question and Belador powers compromised, there is one hope for her return and their future – Evalle Kincaid, whose recent transformation has turned her into an even more formidable warrior. First she has to locate Storm, the Skinwalker she’s bonded with who she believes can find the Belador queen, but Storm stalks the witch doctor who’s threatening Evalle’s life. When he finally corners the witch doctor, she throws Storm a curve that may cost him everything, including Evalle. The hunter becomes the hunted, and Evalle must face her greatest nightmare to save Storm and the Beladors or watch the future of mankind fall to deadly preternatural predators.
DEMON STORM includes a BONUS SHORT STORY—DEADLY FIXATION—from the Belador world.
"There is so much action in this book I feel like I’ve burned calories just reading it." —D Antonio
"...nonstop adventures overflowing with danger and heartfelt emotions. DEMON STORM leaves you breathless on countless occasions."
—Am
elia Richard, Single Titles
WITCHLOCK: Belador Book 6
Witchlock vanished in the 13th century ... or did it?
If Atlanta falls, Witchlock will sweep the country in a bloodbath.
After finally earning her place among the Beladors, Evalle is navigating the ups and downs of her new life with Storm when she’s sucked into a power play between her Belador tribe and the Medb coven. Both groups claim possession of the Alterant gryphons, especially Evalle, the gryphon leader. But an influx of demons and dark witches into Atlanta threatens to unleash war between covens, pitting allies against each other as a legendary majik known as Witchlock invades the city and attacks powerful beings. Evalle has one hope for stopping the invasion, but the cost may be her sanity and having to choose which friend to save.
“Evalle and friends are back in another high energy, pulse pounding adventure…Fans of Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden series will enjoy this series. I surely do.”
—In My Humble Opinion Blogspot
ROGUE BELADOR: Belador Book 7
Immortals fear little … except a secret in the wrong hands.
While searching for a way to save Brina of Treoir’s failing memories, Tzader Burke discovers someone who can help her if he is willing to sneak into the heart of his enemy’s stronghold—TÅμr Medb. He’ll do anything to protect the woman he loves from becoming a mindless empty shell, but his decision could be the catalyst for an apocalyptic war. The deeper he digs for the truth, the more lies he uncovers that shake the very foundation of being a Belador and the future of his clan.
