by S. E. Smith
He swore the last month had been the longest of his life. Hell, even Wilson and Buck had moped around the house. He and Kane had tried to act like life was normal, but the emptiness had been eating away at them all. Neither one of them had slept a wink last night, impatient for the hours to slowly crawl by.
“Do you see her?” Kane asked, pulling Gabe back to the present as he scanned the rolling waves from the stern of the trawler.
“Not yet,” Gabe replied, standing on the back of his boat staring out at the waves. “She’ll come back. She promised.”
“I know. I just wish she would hurry,” Kane muttered as he ran his hand down over his face.
“She’ll come back,” Gabe repeated in a firm voice. “I told her I’d come after her ass if she didn’t.”
Kane gave a gruff laugh and leaned against the rigging. “Fat chance of that,” he retorted before he released a breath of relief when he saw a water spout suddenly dance on the surface. “There she is!”
“I told you she’d be back,” Gabe muttered, leaning against the side.
Both men watched Magna as she waved to them before disappearing under the surface of the water. Kane laughed as she emerged next to the boat seconds later, and he reached out as the water rose to lift her to their level. He didn’t care if he got soaked with the icy liquid as long as he had Magna back in his arms.
“Did it work?” he asked in a rough voice as he wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest.
“Yes,” she breathed, leaning back enough to give him and Gabe a brilliant smile.
“You were gone longer than you said,” Gabe muttered as he grabbed her other hand and pulled her out of Kane’s arms and into his. “We expected you back hours ago.”
Kane groaned when Magna chuckled at the slight pout on Gabe’s lips, then reached up and brushed her lips across Gabe’s bottom lip. The protest on his own lips faded when she turned and pressed her mouth against his as well. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. It was only when Gabe grunted that he reluctantly pulled back.
“There was something else I needed to do before I came back,” she paused to draw in a deep breath. “I went to see my parents.”
Gabe’s hands stilled on her hips. “How did it go?” he asked in a cautious tone.
“It went well. They believed me and understand what happened was not really me,” she replied in a soft voice.
“Will they want you to return? I mean, of course they will, but do they understand that it isn’t safe for you to go back?” Kane asked in a strained voice. “I’ll be honest, the last month has been total hell without you. I… We can’t lose you, Magna. We love you.”
She pressed her warm palm against his skin and he leaned his cheek into her hand. “You won’t lose me. I love you both and won’t ever leave you,” she promised before she turned her gaze out to the water. “Yes, they understand it would not be safe for me to go back. I hope you and Gabe….” her voice faded when she heard Gabe’s swiftly inhaled breath.
“Kane,” Gabe muttered, following Magna’s gaze.
“They are only here to visit,” Magna softly said. “They wanted to meet both of you.”
A few yards from the boat, two figures gazed back at them. Her father’s vivid green eyes were inscrutable, but through the clear bubble surrounding her mother, Gabe could see that she was clearly curious and worried. The woman had the same glossy black hair that Magna did, and the man’s short white hair was bright in the sunlight.
“Mother, Father, it is safe,” Magna called to the couple in the water.
Kane swallowed as the couple disappeared beneath the waves before reappearing next to the boat a few seconds later. He pulled Magna to him and Gabe stepped back to give them room. The clear bubble rose on a wave of water. The moment Magna’s mother was over the boat, the wave retreated and the bubble dissolved. Gabe reached out and steadied the older woman before stepping back when the burly man cleared the boat’s side and stood next to her, wrapping his arm around her.
“This is my father, Kell, and my mother, Seline,” Magna introduced as she wrapped her arm around Gabe’s waist to pull him closer to her.
Gabe cleared his throat. “Hi,” he muttered, staring back at the tall man.
The man bowed his head in greeting. “Thank you for helping our daughter,” the man said.
Gabe relaxed and nodded. “No problem,” he said with a crooked grin. “She’s not going back.”
“Gabe,” Kane growled under his breath.
Magna giggled and blushed. “Gabe speaks his mind,” she explained with a happy grin.
Seline chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Magna said the same thing,” she said.
Kell nodded. “It would not be safe for Magna to return,” he agreed. “Even if she were to petition for forgiveness from Orion, many would rather see her dead, regardless of the truth.”
Gabe’s face darkened into a fierce scowl. “Not happening,” he retorted in a steely voice. “She’s ours.”
Kane studied Magna’s parents. They both just nodded in agreement. He drew in a breath of relief. He felt much better now.
“How were you able to travel back here and how long do you plan to visit?” Kane asked in a hesitant voice. “So far, we’ve been able to keep Magna’s identity quiet.”
“There is a passage between our worlds,” Seline admitted. “It is not well known and it is guarded. Magna shared an invisibility spell that she learned while on the Isle of Magic. We are able to sneak by the guards.”
“I had to close the original portal that I created for Carly,” Magna said. “It was not safe to leave it open and would have drained too much of my energy to keep a protective spell in place. The other is a natural portal, but leads to a protected sea cave on the Isle of the Sea Serpent. It is the only way passage between our worlds now.”
“She has healed the things done while she was under the control of the creature,” Kell reflected. “Word will spread of her deeds, and in time, she will be accepted not as a monster but as the Sea Witch who saved our world.”
“I feel as if I can finally begin a new life without guilt,” Magna said with a sigh, threading her fingers through Kane and Gabe’s hands. “My parents would like to stay for a while. I hope you don’t mind.”
“That’s fine by me. They can attend the wedding,” Gabe stated.
“Wedding?” Magna repeated in a stunned voice.
“We decided that we weren’t going to chance losing you again once you came back,” Kane replied, shaking his head at Gabe. “We were going to ask you after dinner tonight.”
Gabe grinned at Kell and Seline. “I hope you don’t have a problem with having two sons-in-law, because we’ve already claimed your daughter,” he informed them.
Kell shook his head, his lips twitching in amusement. “I always knew Magna was a handful. I am relieved to see she now will be well protected,” he chuckled.
Seline laughed in delight. “Does this mean I will have twice as many grandchildren?” she asked with a hopeful smile.
Kane chuckled when he saw Gabe’s expression. For once, the big guy was truly speechless. Magna’s face was a rosy red. Lifting Magna’s hand to his lips he answered for them all.
“Yes, I believe that is exactly what it means,” Kane replied.
Magna’s beautiful smile filled him with warmth. She could let herself have a life with them now. His Sea Witch had found her redemption – and it was in the form of the two men who would love her forever.
* * *
To be continued: Ruth and the King of the Giants
* * *
Ruth Hallbrook pursed her lips as she hung up another flyer. If the frigging FBI wouldn’t take finding her brother seriously, she would take matters into her own hands. Mike was a police officer for crying out loud! She would have thought the disappearance of a police officer would have made front page news, but it had been stuffed to the back of page three.
S
ure, there had been a massive search a little over six months ago, but within weeks, it had stopped. Mike had called her and left some ambiguous message telling her that he was alright. She had been out of the country and hadn’t received it until two weeks after he’d left it. Muttering under her breath, she pressed the staple gun to the information board at the Yachats State Park entrance.
Stepping back, she gazed at the laminated picture of Mike. She had returned to the park based on a crazy story a woman she’d met earlier at the hardware store had told her. It was too late to go down to the spot where Mike’s car had been found. She scowled as she pocketed the stapler and grabbed the stack of papers with Mike’s picture and her contact information. She figured she might as well post a few since she was here.
Returning to her car, she slid behind the wheel and stared down the curving road. She bit her lip and glanced at the time. It was getting late and the park would be closing soon. A sigh escaped her when she saw the park ranger step out of the booth and glance at her.
“Tomorrow,” she muttered. “I’ll come back and tear this place apart rock by rock if I have to, but I’m going to find you, baby brother, and when I do, I’m going to kick your sorry ass for making me worry!”
Read on for samples!
Magic, new worlds, and epic love in the many series of S.E. Smith…
Sample of Twin Dragons’ Destiny
Synopsis:
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Scorching hot and sexy stories set in science fiction and paranormal worlds that come alive in your hands. Don't miss out on stories that readers say they can't get enough of!
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The line between life and death is sometimes blurred...Barrack and Brogan have memories of their death--and it isn't a pleasant one. When the Goddess Aikaterina gives them a second chance at life--and at finding their true mate--they are willing to do whatever it takes to change their destiny. What they don't expect is that it would be so difficult! It turns out that their true mate is a human, a species they have limited knowledge about, from a planet they have never visited. With time running out, it doesn't take them long to realize that this may be one battle that will take all of their skills to win.
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Delilah Rosewater is haunted by dreams of her death. She doesn't understand why the dreams feel so real, or why she knows with growing certainty that time is running out for her.
Caught in a snowstorm in the Appalachian Mountains, Delilah doesn't know what to think of the two men and their wild claims of a powerful Goddess, alien worlds, and new destinies. Will Delilah open her heart to the twin dragons and accept this second chance before time runs out for all of them?
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Below is the full prologue of Twin Dragons’ Destiny and part of chapter 1!
Centuries before:
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Aikaterina sat beside the river of gold, her fingers caressing the growing symbiots that would one day form a living companion for a dragon warrior. She drew strength from them, knowing that the essence of her blood would keep the dragons of Valdier safe for many centuries to come.
The Valdier considered her a ‘Goddess,’ but she wasn’t. Her species were wanderers, having no true home but the universe. They lived off of the energy around them. It was the essence of life to them, and without it, they would perish.
In reality, her species was probably more dependent on the Valdier than the dragon-shifting race were on them. After all, when she had first come to this world, it had been to die. The courage and spirit of the Valdier had given her new life, and in return, she had given them a touch of her essence – the living gold symbiots. In time, she had found others of her kind who were weak and dying like she had been, and she’d brought them here to heal.
A smile curved her lips when she saw Arosa and Arilla frolicking in the stream. Although the twins were thousands of years old, she still thought of them as infants. They reminded her of newborn stars. She had witnessed the creation of many celestial bodies and still found a star’s birth fascinating to observe. She had found Arosa and Arilla out in the cosmos, centuries ago, barely clinging to life.
Arilla looked up with a frown and slowly moved her hand as she tested the air. Confusion turned the young Goddess’s eyes a darker gold. Arilla looked at her and tilted her head.
“What is it that I feel, Aikaterina?” she asked.
Aikaterina looked up, feeling the disturbance as well. She closed her eyes and focused on the stream of energy flowing through the river. A great sadness filled her as she received a vision of the death of a rare set of twin dragons, the first to be born. She felt the intense pain of their symbiots as they watched the men and dragons die. They would need her now. The symbiots could not survive out there without their dragons.
Bowing her head, she allowed the wave of grief to pierce her. She called to the orphaned symbiots. Rising to her feet, she opened a portal for them to return to her. Behind them, she could see the smoke-filled remains of a village and hear the wails of grief. Two identical dragons lay dead amid the carnage.
She looked from them to the two young boys pressed against the side of one of the huts. Their words would forever haunt her, because deep down, she knew this was because of her interference. She was the one who had gifted the twins to the village for protection. She did so not long after she brought Arilla and Arosa to this world with her.
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“Do you think…?” the young boy named Calo whispered, staring at the smoldering remains of the green and white dragon.
“No. You heard him. We will die in battle, like warriors, before we let this happen to us. We will do the honorable thing before we hurt another,” his twin brother, Cree, answered, his mouth tight with determination.
“We will die in battle,” Calo agreed, watching as their father’s symbiot healed him. “Or we will take each other’s life before we hurt another.”
* * *
The symbiots of Brogan and Barrack, the original twin dragons, fell weakly through the portal, unseen by the mortals in the village. Aikaterina caressed them, trying to give them comfort. The form she had taken shimmered and partially faded in response to the utter grief the symbiots shared with her.
This was a new feeling to her, one of excruciating pain and anguish. The constant search for hope only to have it ripped away time and time again – and the suffocating loneliness of knowing they would never feel the tender touch of their mate’s hand. She had never understood the loneliness that the men and their dragons felt until now.
“What is it, Aikaterina?” Arosa asked, floating over to her. “What is wrong with them?”
“Are they ill?” Arilla asked in concern.
Aikaterina gave the symbiots the command to return to the river. She was shocked when they resisted. They would surely perish if they did not return. She could already see their color fading until they were almost translucent. She gave the order again, this time a little more firmly. The creatures turned away from her, but they still did not return to the river. She watched with a puzzled expression as they retreated to a dark corner of the cavern and curled up around each other.
“The men given to them have died,” Aikaterina murmured.
“Couldn’t you have saved them like you saved us?” Arilla asked.
Aikaterina could understand how Arilla felt. It was a difficult thing to understand and accept why the species that gave them life and made their world so interesting should have to die.
“I fear that they have perished because of something I did,” Aikaterina confessed, turning and floating over to the two symbiots.
She gently stroked them, giving them a large amount of her essence. They tried to resist, but she refused to let them fade away. Instead, she encouraged them to share with her everything they had experienced while with Brogan and Barrack. The more they showed her, the more certain she was that she was the one responsible for the devastation.
Eventually, she did the only thing she could to alleviate their di
stress; she sent them into a deep sleep. Floating upward, she crossed the magnificent cavern to the platform where she had created a portal to the universe.
“Can we go with you, Aikaterina?” Arosa asked with a hopeful look.
“Not this time, Arosa. This journey I must make alone,” Aikaterina answered as she stepped through the opening.
Aikaterina walked through the burning village. As she did, time regressed. What she was doing would not be achieved without a personal cost. From this moment forward, the energy it would require to hold this thread of the future would place a heavy toll on her.
Her initial trip had been to the future to see if there was a way to undo the damage that she had unwittingly created. She would have to be extremely careful. The chance of affecting the fabric of time in the universe, and the destinies of others who resided in it, was one of the reasons her kind remained merely observers.
Her species had been born at the same time as the universe and was thrown outward with the explosion of the first atoms. Over millennia, they had grown powerful enough to create worlds – and destroy them. However, no matter how powerful her species became, they were also very vulnerable. They lived off the positive essence of all creatures. Most planets were devoid of life, thus over time, her species had faded away until there were only a few of them left.
Aikaterina watched Brogan struggle with an older warrior at the door to a quaint cottage. His gaze was locked on a frightened young girl standing next to her mother. Several other men from the village rushed forward to help the warrior protect his fragile family.
