by ML Guida
“That was true, but I want you to be happy. I’ll pursue you across the galaxy to make you mine.”
“You would?”
“Yes.”
Hera was speechless listening to him, and her heart eagerly wanted to believe him, but her stubborn mind refused. It was her pride. “What happens if I touch that?”
“Then we’re bound forever. A bond that can’t be unbroken.”
She clenched her fists tight. “I want to. I swear I do.”
His hand shaking, he put it on the nightstand. “Don’t answer right away.”
She couldn’t say yes. She couldn’t say no. So, she took the coward’s way out. “Kiss me.”
“Are you sure? Tryker said you were too weak.”
“I need you,” she whispered.
He covered her mouth with his, and he moved his hands gently over her body, building a desire within her.
“I want to take a shower.”
“Of course, I’ll–”
“With you.”
Desire flamed in his golden eyes. He whisked her into his arms and dashed to the shower, as if he were afraid she’d change her mind.
He turned on the water, and droplets cascaded over her shaking body. But each time Damon planted kisses along her throat or moved his hand over her skin, surprisingly, she grew stronger, and the pain slowly subsided. She wrapped her arms around his thick neck and captured his mouth. He slipped his hand down to her soft curls and stroked her. She groaned with pleasure. The juncture warmed between her thighs, and she pressed her core against his hard cock.
“Take me.”
“Are you sure?”
She hooked her legs around his hips, impaling herself on his cock. “Yes!”
He didn’t hesitate, and with one thrust, pinned her against the wall. The water sprayed onto his back, splashing onto her. He took her longer and deeper each time he moved his hips. She matched his hard rhythm, needing him to be inside her, needing to feel alive.
“Harder!” She urged.
Damon picked up the pace and drove her passion into a frenzy. He was the only man that plunged her into madness, and she couldn’t let him ago. Her orgasm came fast and furious. She leaned her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat as frantically as hers. They both gasped for breath, not saying anything for several long minutes until the water soon ran cold.
She couldn’t keep it a secret any longer. She lifted her head and stared into his passionate gaze. “I love you.”
His answer was to take her one more time until she was totally spent. He dried her off first then wrapped her in a thick robe that smelled of him. She laid her head against his chest as he carried her to the bed, naked.
Tomorrow, she’d give him the answer and take the claiming stone.
17
“Hera, Hera, wake up. We’re here.”
Hera woke to a start to the mysterious woman’s voice.
But this time she wasn’t in the desert. She was still in Damon’s cabin. “Am I dreaming?”
Damon had his arm draped over her and was sleeping soundly. Fog had entered the room, shrouding everything except for a bright oval light big enough for a person to walk through.
“We’ve come to take you back home.”
Hera pushed herself up. It’s what she’d been wanting. She’d been asking to go back home and to not compete with Queen Cosima, but then why was she shaking and snuggling closer to Damon?
Damon stirred. “Hera?” He jerked awake. “What the hell’s happening?”
“Hello, Damon,” the woman said. “We’ve come to take Hera back home. She’s proven herself worthy to return.”
Damon wrapped his arms protectively around Hera, holding her close to his beating heart. “No, I won’t let you have her.” His voice turned into a threatening growl.
“If you try and stop us, dragon. You’ll find yourself the size of a small lizard.”
The anger in her voice struck fear in Hera’s heart.
Hera stuck out her hand. “Don’t hurt him. I…I love him.”
“You do? Has he claimed you?”
Hera frowned. “How do you know this?”
“I’m a witch, remember? I told you the council could combine our powers and use a portal to get here.”
Through the fog, Hera could see the outline of several women. It was true. It wasn’t a dream. She could go home.
Damon gently turned her shoulders around until she was facing him. “Is this what you really want?”
“We haven’t much time, Hera,” the woman said. “The portal will close soon.”
“Hera?”
Hera’ eyes widened, and she broke from Damon’s clasp. It was if another key unlocked a secret in her mind. She knew that voice. “Pandora?”
A woman raced out of the fog. She had brown hair and brown eyes and was slightly shorter than Hera, but Hera remembered her. Remembered all the times they fought together, played together, laughed together. It was her sister. Hera couldn’t contain her excitement and hugged her.
“I’ve missed you so much.” Pandora returned the embrace. “I hated it when you were banished. You can come home now.”
“Damon, this is my little sister.”
He grunted, but didn’t otherwise respond.
“Where is home?” Hera asked.
“The memories will return if you come with us,” the woman said. “Pandora, you’re still under oath not to reveal all of our secrets.”
Pandora nodded. “I understand.”
Hera looked between Pandora and the outline of the women standing in the portal. All she had to do was go with them, and all of her memories would return. But then she caught Damon’s eyes. He’d been so tender and loving, but now, he looked so lost.
She thought of the Orion and the brave Zalarians. She’d risked her life for them, for Damon.
Pandora stretched out her hand. “Come on, let’s go home.”
Hera hesitated. The last few months had been so hard, so lonely, and on board the Orion, she’d been safe. Damon was everything to her. Her place was with him. Afraid they’d force her to return, she darted past Pandora.
“I am home.” Hera scooped up the pearl on the nightstand and clutched it tight in her fist.
Sizzling power surged through her, rushing through her veins, and she screamed out Damon’s name. Fear seized her that she’d go through the same miserable pain she’d experienced on Zalara.
“Hera!”
“Stay back, Pandora!” the woman ordered.
Damon jumped out of bed and folded his arms around her, holding her tight. When he touched her, warmth and love shielded her. “In the name of the Fates, I claim you to be mine until the end of time.”
Something softly tickled inside her chest as if a feather was dusting over her. It was as if those words were inscribed on her heart. All her doubts melted away. She knew without a doubt her brave Zalarain guard loved her.
Hera didn’t know how, but she managed to repeat the same words.
Light swarmed around them, blinding them, and then they both fell on their knees, trembling.
“You chose me?” Damon asked in wonder.
“Of course, I love you.”
“Hera, your eyes!” Pandora said. “They’ve turned gold.”
“Come, Pandora,” the woman said softly. “She’s made her choice. She’s mated with a Zalarain, which is why her eyes have changed.”
Hera broke away from Damon as Pandora passed into the portal. “Wait. Pandora, don’t go.”
“Don’t worry, Hera,” the woman said. “You will have the power to see her again. Master the book. And remember, I’ll be watching.”
With that, the fog, portal, and women, including Pandora, disappeared. Hera hung her head as a fleeting sadness descended upon her.
Damon came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Are you all right?”
His presence gave her strength, chasing away the sadness. She turned around, her body still trembling.
“I made the right choice, Damon.”
“But she was your sister.”
“I’ll see her again. I know I will. But my place is by your side.”
He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. “You’ve made me the happiest Zalarain alive.”
Heat warmed her sad heart. But then she thought about what Pandora had said. “Are my eyes really gold?”
He touched her chin. “Yes. They’re beautiful. This only happens when mates are in love.”
“But you must have known the queen was in love with the king.”
“I did. I honestly didn’t know what love was until I met you. Cosima will always have a place in my heart, but you have my whole heart and my soul.”
“And you mine.”
Hera grasped his hand and led him back to bed, knowing she had the answers she needed for now. She had a sister who was a witch. She’d been forgiven, and she was powerful enough to capture the love of a Zalarian.
She kissed him deeply, and he returned her passion. They explored each other’s body, unleashing the madness between them until they were both panting with desire. She came again, screaming his name, never guessing that she would find true love and a home in the stars with a dragon.
Blurb for Madness Unhinged
Madness Unhinged is the second book in the Dragons of Zalara, and it’s included in the 20 Shades of Shifter.
Detective Agnes Malloy is stunned.…
Jack the Ripper is back!
Two women are found brutally murdered in modern-day Denver–their M.O. identical to the victims in 1888 London. But Agnes has no clues to the murder. Women are terrified, and if Agnes doesn’t solve the case, the police commissioner will have her handing out parking tickets.
Her troubles increase when a mysterious man appears, claiming to be with the FBI. But no one called them. He insists that she needs his help–her life depends on it.
It’s up to Anonghos, the chief security officer of the Orion, to stop a deadly alien from killing the Zalarian’s designated mates. He’s cut off from his ship, and to make matters worse, he doesn’t know who the alien is and must wait for him to strike.
His only hope is to stay close to the curvy detective who just happens to be his mate, without her accusing him of being the murderer. The body is count about to sky rocket and only by working together can they stop an enemy bent on destroying both their worlds.
Excerpt Madness Unhinged
Anonghos, wishing he were anywhere but here, gravely watched the three Fates sisters, rising from the Angarth Citadel’s bubbling baptismal pool. Their white robes illuminated the citadel, brighter than the Zalara’s two suns. They were spirits, but powerful enough to strike down the most powerful dragon. Besides Queen Cosima and his best friend’s new human mate, Hera, they were the last females on Zalara. Three months ago, the Kamtrinians had annihilated all their women, and to survive, they needed Earth women.
But he refused to mate.
King Greum and Queen Cosima bowed slightly to the Fates. The king and queen were complete opposites. The king had dark hair and dressed in black, while the queen was blonde, and dressed in white. The bond between them was strong–something that Anonghos knew would never be his.
“Greetings,” Greum said.
Rillo, the smallest but the strongest Fate, stepped in front of her two sisters. She stretched out her arms. “Another human mate has been chosen, giving us hope that our race will survive.”
Anonghos winced at her loud voice that sent his nerves on edge. He hoped to hell they weren’t going to call his name. There were at least four hundred men crowded in the church–all eager to have their name read. They all believed the myth that mating was for eternity–an unbreakable bond.
He knew differently.
The myth was a lie.
He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to relax. Odds were against his name being called. He gave Rillo a hard stare, trying to will her to call anyone’s name but his.
“The human mates will all be murdered!” Queen Cosima screamed and covered her ears before falling onto her knees on the altar.
“Cosima!” Greum wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
Sunlight came through the stained glass window of two intertwining dragons. Suddenly, the light dimmed as if a blanket of dread had doused both suns.
Rillo and her two sisters cried out and put their hands over their chest, as if something had pierced the Fates’s hearts.
Anonghos sucked in his breath. Without the humans, they’d all die.
Rillo touched Cosmia’s bent blond head. “You’ve had a vision, child. Speak now before it is gone. I fear time is of the essence.”
Cosmia moaned, “Blood. There was so much red. So vicious. So senseless.”
The baptismal pool hissed and steamed, then slowly turned red.
Anonghos slowly pulled out his eruptor. He was the chief security officer of the spaceship Orion, and his job was to protect his people from evil. He scanned the church, looking for anything that could have turned the sacred pool red.
Greum took her hand. “Please tell us.”
She lifted her head. “Greum, it’s the Kamtrinians.”
“What will they do?” Rillo asked. “Speak quickly.”
“Their plan”–Cosima gasped–“is to slaughter each designated mate one-by-one on Earth, hoping to end our race.”
Greum’s cheek twitched. “How?”
“They plan to use a mercenary to invade Earth. I can see the intruder. It’s a Mistonian. He’s here on Zalara.”
The crowd gasped in horror.
Greum asked, “Why?”
Cosima gripped his hand. “He needs a humanoid form to carry out his mission.”
Unable to keep silent, Anonghos stepped out of the pew and knelt on one knee. “Your majesties, one Mistonian could easily wipe out the women of Earth. Humans have no weapons strong enough to defeat the Mistonian. Allow me and my team to hunt down the intruder.”
And hopefully escape his name from being called.
“No.” Yethi, one of the Fates and keeper of the Mate Stones, shook her head, her red hair coming lose from her bun. “The ceremony must be completed.”
Taog, the captain of the Orion, joined Anonghos. “We don’t have time for this. Our race depends on keeping the Earth women safe.”
“But this mating ceremony is different.” Yethi’s face was pale, as if she were still in pain. “Without this one, Captain, you and your crew can’t possibly defeat the Mistonian.”
Rillo clasped her sister’s arm. “Yethi, how do you know this?”
“The Mate Stone revealed it to me.” She slowly opened her hand, revealing a red ruby stone.
Anonghos clasped the captain’s arm. “We must leave now before the blasted Mistonian reaches Earth.”
Taog nodded. “Let’s move.”
“No!” Yethi held up her hand. She looked at Taog. “This Mistonian is different. It’s a mutant, who feeds on fear. The mutant plans to possess one of Taog’s crew, then force him to steal a ship to invade Earth.”
Anonghos and the captain’s eyes locked. “Impossible,” they muttered at the same time.
Every crew member on board the Orion was loyal to the captain and the Confederation. As if to prove Yethi wrong, the twenty crewmen of the Orion hurried up to the altar and stood at attention behind the captain who looked behind him. Pride flickered in his eyes.
Cosmia shook her head. “It’s already here.”
“Fan out.” Taog gestured with his eruptor. “Set your weapons to kill.”
“Listen to me.” Yethi hurried over to the captain. “The mates will all die unless the ceremony is finished.”
“There are at least four hundred men in here who are not a member of the Orion. Complete the ceremony if you must,” Anonghos grumbled.
Yehti gave him a curious look. “Are you so sure the stone hasn’t chosen someone on board the Orion?”
Anonghos’s stomach tightened. “Well, it’s
sure as hell isn’t me.”
Yehti’s eyes twinkled and she laughed. “You’re wrong, security officer. You have been chosen, and you are the key to our survival as well as your mate.”
Someone snorted behind Anonghos.
Another muttered, “We’re doomed.”
Sweat glistened over Anonghos. Men turned their gaze away from him or sighed in defeat. Others whispered to each other, but he knew what they were saying––failure, player, weakling…
Or at least he used to be a player before the damn Kamtrinians murdered all their women.
The captain whirled around. “Silence. All of you. Anonghos won’t fail us.”
The whispering and grumbling ceased. No one wanted to take on the captain of the Orion.
But he was wrong. Anonghos would fail. He was his father’s son.
He braced his shoulders and in his sternest voice, he said, “I was never loyal to any of our women when they were alive. Why would you think I could be loyal to an alien?”
Yehti touched his arm. “I know of your past security officer. The guilt, the horror, the betrayal.”
Anonghos jerked his arm away. “That’s enough, Fate.”
“You will need to come to terms with your past. Your mate will be key in healing you.”
He stiffened. “I don’t need to be healed. I just need women to warm my bed. One will never do.” He wasn’t his father.
“No, you’re wrong. You have been chosen Anonghos,” she said. “Without you, we will not succeed. The Mating Stones are never wrong.”
Anonghos shook his head. “You have the wrong guy.”
“Wrong. Like you, your mate is a security officer and will hunt the Mistonian down. Without your help, she will die a horrible death.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Give me your hand.”
Anonghos kept his arms to his sides.
The captain nudged him. “Anonghos, stick out your hand. That’s an order.”
Anonghos glared, and for the first time, planned to disobey a direct command.
“I suggest you take it,” Greum growled. He’d cradled Cosima against his shoulder. His eyes burned gold.
