by S. E. Smith
Roam’s Valentine Wish
Dragonlings of Valdier
S.E. Smith
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my husband Steve for believing in me and being proud enough of me to give me the courage to follow my dream. I would also like to give a special thank you to my sister and best friend, Linda, who not only encouraged me to write, but who also read the manuscript. Also to my other friends who believe in me: Julie, Jackie, Christel, Sally, Jolanda, Lisa, Laurelle, Debbie, and Narelle. The girls that keep me going!
And a special thanks to Paul Heitsch, David Brenin, Samantha Cook, Suzanne Elise Freeman, and PJ Ochlan—the awesome voices behind my audiobooks!
—S.E. Smith
Roam’s Valentine Wish
A Dragonlings of Valdier Novella
Copyright © 2021 by S. E. Smith
First E-Book Published February 2021
Cover Design by Melody Simmons
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission from the author.
All characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations are strictly coincidental.
Summary: Budding emotions explode as Valentine’s Day nears and a young cat-shifter named Roam is about to discover how much he wants to receive a Valentine’s Day card from a certain Dragonling named Spring.
ISBN: 9781952021800 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781952021817 (paperback)
Parent Romance with brief suggestive sexual content | Family Life – Kids’ Adventures | Fantasy | Paranormal – Shifters, Magic | Holiday | Novella | Science Fiction - Aliens
Published by Montana Publishing, LLC
& SE Smith of Florida Inc. www.sesmithfl.com
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Additional Books
About the Author
Cast of Characters
For those who have not yet read the Dragon Lords of Valdier series, here is a little background.
The Valdier are dragon shifters. Only the Valdier and their mates can bond with the mysterious and powerful golden symbiots, who are, yes, symbiotic creatures, and they are stand-out characters all on their own! Each Valdier consists of three parts: the dragon, the man/woman, and their symbiot companion. They are friends with the Curizan (a species able to harness the energy around them) and the Sarafin (a cat shifting species). The following is a character guide for those new to the series:
Zoran Reykill, Leader of the Valdier true mate to Abby Tanner:
one son: Zohar
Zoran’s symbiot: Goldie
Zohar’s symbiot: Truck
Mandra Reykill true mate to Ariel Hamm:
one son: Jabir
Mandra’s symbiot: Precious
Jabir’s symbiot: Munch
Kelan Reykill true mate to Trisha Grove:
one son: Bálint
Kelan’s symbiot: Bio
Bálint’s symbiot: Tag
Trelon Reykill true mate to Cara Truman:
twin daughters: Amber and Jade
one son: James
Trelon’s symbiot: Symba
Amber’s symbiot: Treat
Jade’s symbiot: Trix
Creon Reykill true mate to Carmen Walker:
twin daughters: Spring and Phoenix
Creon’s symbiot: Harvey
Phoenix’s symbiot: Stardust
Spring’s symbiot: Little Bit
Paul Grove true mate to Morian Reykill:
one daughter: Morah
Paul and Morian’s symbiot: Crash
Morah’s symbiot: Princess Buttercup
Cree and Calo Aryeh true mates to Melina Franklin:
one daughter: Hope
Calo’s symbiot: Teddy
Cree’s symbiot: Bear
Hope’s symbiot: Rainbow
Vox d’Rojah, King of the Sarafin mated to Riley St. Claire:
one son: Roam
twin daughters: Sacha and Pearl
Viper d'Rojah mated to Tina St. Claire:
one son: Leo
Asim Kemark true mate to Pearl St. Claire
Ha’ven Ha’darra, Prince of the Curizan mated to Emma Watson:
one daughter: Alice
Aikaterina: Unknown species; accepted as a Goddess to the Valdier, she is the oldest and most powerful of her kind.
Arilla and Arosa: Unknown species, still young for their kind, they are twins and thought to be Goddesses.
Synopsis
Love is back in the air as Valentine’s Day grows closer, but one young cat-shifter named Roam is in danger of not receiving any Valentine’s Day cards this year!
The Dragonling girls are on a mission, which of course leads to chaos, heart-warming adventures, and our favorite alien dads worrying again!
I hope you enjoy this Valentine’s Day story from the Dragonlings of Valdier and The Worlds of S.E. Smith.
Wishing you all a happy Valentine’s Day!
~Susan
Chapter One
“You are so going to regret this! I’m going to knock you and your big, scaly butt to the ground,” Ha’ven Ha’darra growled.
His threat was answered with a blast of super-heated fire. Ha’ven hurriedly created an energy shield. He had no intention of being burnt to a crisp like the piece of toast similar to what his daughter, Alice, had served him this morning. Though he’d been fast, he could still smell the stench of scorched hair.
He lifted a hand to his head. Imagining wisps of smoke rising from his long hair sent a shudder through him. A wiggle of his fingers created a small shower of water over the heated strands. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to have a tough time explaining why he looked like a crispy, drowned rat.
His eyes widened with alarm when the dragon in front of him suddenly turned and swung its tail at him. Ha’ven dove to the side and rolled. The movement caused him to lose his focus on the shield. Another wave of dragon fire swept toward him and he dematerialized a fraction of a second before it would have hit.
When he rematerialized, he found himself in the last place he wanted to be—on the back of the damn beast! The thought had slipped into his mind at the last second. He tumbled forward, wrapping his arms around the dragon’s neck to keep from being thrown off. A vehement curse slipped from him when the dragon furiously bucked. However uncomfortable the seat though, it occurred to Ha’ven that he was in the safest spot to avoid being roasted or stepped on by the nearly two dozen men, dragons, and cats ferociously locked in battle.
With a thought, a bridle appeared around the dragon’s head and a saddle appeared under him. A wicked gleam of satisfaction coursed through him. He might as well enjoy the battle a little more before he demanded a humiliating concession.
The gleeful pleasure quickly turned to unease when he felt the dragon’s body tense a fraction of a second before it shot up off the ground in a breathtaking burst of energy. As the ground disappeared below, Ha’ven weighed his options. He could teleport back to the ground and give up on this fight or he could….
“Hi, Daddy!” a cheerful voice called out, distracting him.
“What the…? Dragon’s balls!” he cursed.
The dragon under him took advantage of his distraction, bowed his head, and bucked, snapping the tip of its
tail against Ha’ven’s ass as he rose in the air. The sharp slap stung like hell and he put the reins in one hand so he could rub his offended butt cheek.
Of course, the damn dragon took the upper hand and twisted in a barrel roll. Ha’ven went airborne again, scowling and glaring while his daughter giggled as she flew past him on the back of a purple and gold dragon.
Dangling from the reins, Ha’ven swung in a slow circle, twisting around until he was staring face-to-face with the clearly amused creature. He turned his ire on the glowing golden eyes of the dragon when the beast opened his mouth and blew a snort of hot air around him.
“Did you know about this… that?” he demanded, waving a hand in the direction his young daughter had disappeared.
The dragon rumbled with delight. Ha’ven had enough. He released the reins and fell. He twisted and crossed his arms in irritation as he sped toward the ground.
He ignored the chaos below him. Instead, he searched in the direction where Alice and Bálint had disappeared. A pair of strong claws wrapped around his waist, stopping his rapid descent.
“I had this under control,” he snapped, glancing over his shoulder at the dragon. “What I don’t have under control is your son giving my daughter a ride!”
He jerked like a rag doll when the dragon chuckled. Ha’ven didn’t see what was so funny! He knew he wasn’t the only one who had noticed how Alice and Bálint gravitated to one another.
The moment his feet hit the ground and the dragon released him, he stepped away. He’d only taken two steps when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. Ha’ven reached up to grip the man’s wrist, but the warrior must have expected his next move, because he ducked under Ha’ven’s outstretched arm to stand in front of him.
“They are just being kids,” Kelan said with a shake of his head.
“Kids! Alice said Bálint has beautiful colors! Do you know what that means for a Curizan?” Ha’ven growled.
Kelan laughed and placed a hand on his shoulder once again. “Yes, I do. I also know that there is nothing we can do about it—for now,” he quickly added.
“Our team won, by the way,” Ha’ven muttered.
“Vox! Sacha and Pearl are loose!” Riley St. Claire d’Rojah hollered above the uproar on the field.
Ha’ven and Kelan turned to watch Riley race along the path. Curizan warriors, Sarafin cats, and Valdier dragons all froze in mid battle as twin, tan, white, and black spotted kittens darted across the long field with Riley frantically chasing after them. Viper d’Rojah shifted from his cat form next to Ha’ven and Kelan. Viper grimaced when he saw what his nieces were chasing.
“Leo strikes again,” Viper muttered, watching his son with amusement.
Ha’ven chuckled as the small, sleek black panther cub raced by them with an oblong ball clutched possessively in his mouth. Half a second later, Sacha and Pearl ran past them. He shook his head at their red toenails and colorful ribbons.
“At least we know where the football is now,” Kelan chuckled.
The three men jumped back when Vox d’Rojah, King of the Sarafin cat-shifting species, charged by in his tiger form after his twin daughters. They watched with amusement as Leo passed under the goal post at the end of the field and disappeared into the garden. A huge grin curved Ha’ven’s lips when Ariel blew her whistle and lifted both arms up to show a touchdown.
“I guess since Leo passed under our end of the field that means my team won!” Ha’ven good-naturedly chuckled with a slap to Kelan’s shoulder.
Chapter Two
An hour later, Ha’ven moodily glared at the group of kids sitting at a table under a large tree. They were laughing and excitedly chatting. It wasn’t the kids were having fun that bothered him. It was the young boy tucking a flower in his daughter’s hair that disturbed him.
“Your face is going to freeze like that if you aren’t careful,” his mate teased near his ear.
He sighed. “Emma… I don’t want Alice to get hurt,” he confessed.
Emma kissed his forehead before she sank onto the bench next to him. “I know, but I think we have a few years before we really need to worry,” she teased.
“How many?” he ruefully asked.
His mate giggled when he didn’t quite hide his smile. His gaze returned to Alice. She was nodding at something Phoenix was saying. Her cheeks were rosy and he didn’t miss the way she kept lifting her hand to touch the flower tucked in her hair. His chest felt tight when he saw Bálint smile at Alice. Ha’ven looked down when Emma threaded her fingers through his and squeezed them.
“I think I like that game you call football,” Vox stated, reaching for a slab of the cooked meat on a platter.
“I have to admit I’ve never seen a football game quite like that,” Paul Grove chuckled.
Ha’ven frowned. “Did we play the game wrong? We did what you said—get the ball past your opponents to their end of the field and throw it down,” he said.
“Yes, well, shape-shifting and doing other things weren’t part of the rules,” Ariel answered.
Mandra Reykill, Ariel’s mate and the largest of the Dragon Lords of Valdier, snorted. “There was nothing in the rules you gave us that said we couldn’t.”
Ariel glared at her mate. “Well, there will be from now on. Do you have any idea how difficult it was to referee the game with everyone shifting back and forth or popping up in different places? I won’t even go into all the penalties! Holding and unsportsmanlike conduct were the least of the offenses,” she declared, grabbing the bowl of fruit no one else had touched and pulling it toward her. She lifted the spoon and waved it. “You do know that eating nothing but meat will clog your arteries, right?”
Ha’ven smothered a laugh when Ariel spooned a large amount of fruit onto Mandra’s plate. Mandra looked at the fruit salad with a sigh of resignation. It wasn’t easy having a wife and son who were vegetarians and devout animal lovers when you were a dragon who loved meat.
“So, what would you call the game we were playing?” Viper asked.
“A cross between the Keystone Cops and Game of Thrones,” Riley replied.
Ha’ven absently listened as Riley, Ariel, and the other humans sitting around the table explained who and what the Keystone Cops and Game of Thrones were to the group. His focus was shifting back to the children. He started when he realized the kids had disappeared.
“They just went to play. I’ve been keeping an eye on them. They were taking the little ones to the playground,” Emma murmured.
“All of them?” he asked.
Emma pressed a kiss to his cheek. “The boys were going to play football and the girls were going to play on the swings and slides,” she said.
“Football—that would be good. Girls don’t play football,” he said.
“I loved playing football after school,” Riley unexpectedly announced.
“You did? I did, too! Ariel, Trisha, and I used to kick ass on the field,” Carmen Walker-Reykill said, resting her chin in her palm with a dreamy smile.
“You just enjoyed tackling Scott,” Trisha said without thinking. She gave Carmen a sad smile. “Sorry about that.”
Carmen reached over and held the hand of the man sitting next to her. “It’s okay. You’re right. I did love tackling Scott,” she said.
“Now, she gets to tackle me and my dragon any time she wants,” Creon Reykill added with a suggestive smile.
Riley groaned. “TMI, Creon. Don’t you dare give Vox any—Vox! Damn you. I think all you think about is sex,” she groaned.
Ha’ven laughed when Vox leaned against Riley and purred. The dishes on the table rattled from his low rumbles, and Riley’s face turned as red as the blouse she was wearing. She muttered a very unladylike curse before bending to nip his ear.
“Tina, would you mind keeping an eye on the kids for a little while?” Riley asked her sister with a mischievous smile as she twisted around on the bench and rose to her feet, pulling Vox up behind her.
“Of course. We’l
l save you and Vox some food for when you get back. Something tells me he’s going to need it,” Tina teasingly called after Riley as her sister and brother-in-law disappeared back toward the palace.
“I wonder…,” Viper began before Riley and Tina’s grandmother, Pearl, interrupted him.
“Oh, hell no! Asim and I are not getting stuck watching the kids while you guys go try to make more. If anyone is going to have some fun, I’ll do the volunteering for that,” Pearl St. Claire interjected with a wave of her hand to the quiet, scarred giant of a man sitting next to her.
“That sounds good to me,” Asim announced, wrapping his arm around Pearl’s waist.
“It’s a good thing the kids decided to leave the adults alone,” Emma giggled.
Chapter Three
Bálint grunted when Roam tackled him. Roam pushed off of him, rose to his feet, and held his hand out to help him up. He held the football in one hand and extended his other to grasp Roam’s hand.
“Thanks,” he said.
Roam roughly slapped him on the shoulder and grinned. “You know, you wouldn’t be so easy to catch if you’d watch where you were running instead of watching the girls. What’s the matter? Are you afraid they are going to get hurt playing with dolls?” he teased.
