by Tessa Dawn
And now—this night—Lord Drakkar had summoned Ghost to the throne room to ask him something about the various regions in the Pantheon: the grasslands or rolling hills; the mountain regions and the Garden of Grace; the white sandy beaches with an ocean of fire; the dry desert in the east; and the tropical flatlands, also known as the plains. He had wanted to know the precise positions of all seven lairs so Killian Kross, his chief counselor, could add them to the topographical map the shadow-walker was creating.
And that’s when Ghost had seen the girl.
The beautiful human woman, first carried into the dark throne room, then set on her feet and dragged before Lord Drakkar.
That’s when Ghost had rolled his shoulders, popped his neck, and waited for the stupid, inane scene to unfold with cold indifference—Drak’s human slaves, his personal or abhorrent proclivities, were none of Ghost’s concern, and he was never going to get out of that damnable place if he let minor underworld politics distract him.
But that was also when Ghost had seen the quick flash…
Less than a second, really, maybe a heartbeat or two at the most.
That was when the stunning, half-drugged woman’s dark-brown eyes had flashed as diamonds, their color shifting from umber to crystal-and-phantom blue. And that’s when Ghost’s diamond amulet had heated to a searing spark and burned an indentation in his chest.
He had quickly covered the gemstone with his hand, appraising Lord Drakkar and his nearby minions to see if anyone else had noticed—it didn’t look like they had—and then he had stared the woman down like he had been alone on a desert island for a century, and this was his first, astounding contact with other sentient life.
Hell’s fire and brimstone…
Literally.
The shit had just hit the fan!
Ghostaniaz Dragos was standing in the Pagan Underworld, of all places, the prisoner of an ancient, savage, demonic king, and he was staring at his fated…his dragyra…and the woman was Lord Drakkar’s newest slave. As if that wasn’t horrific and unthinkable enough, Ghost only had ten days to somehow get this lady out of the underworld and into the Temple of Seven.
COMING NEXT TO THE PANTHEON OF DRAGONS SERIES
GHOSTANIAZ – SON OF DRAGONS
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A SNEAK PEEK FROM BLOOD DESTINY
(BOOK #1 – BLOOD CURSE SERIES)
Jocelyn lifted the canteen from the weighty, navy blue backpack and took a long drink of water. She checked her compass once again, glancing furtively at the sky to determine the position of the sun. She was making great time. There was plenty of daylight left, more than enough to reach the cave before sunset. Placing the canteen back in the pack, she adjusted the weight evenly on her shoulders, her mind continuing to analyze information as she headed deeper into the forest.
Jocelyn knew that she didn’t have permission to move on the tip her informant had given her. She wasn’t supposed to be there. And if anything went wrong, she was on her own. But she also knew that it couldn’t wait. Human trafficking. Ritualistic killings. The entire case was so bizarre.
As an agent of ICE, a highly specialized department within Homeland Security, Jocelyn Levi had been investigating one particularly shocking human-trafficking ring for months. Unlike more typical rings that forced young women into sexual slavery or sold children into forced labor, these victims were being taken for much darker purposes—to be used as sacrifices in ritualistic killings.
But by whom?
Jocelyn shook her head, carelessly tucking a handful of thick brown hair behind her ear. Over the last two months, her unit had discovered three freshly discarded bodies, each one showing signs of the same hideous brutality. The sight of the mutilated corpses had been abominable, but they were close to finding the head of the ring, or at least finding the man who was selling the women. Still, they had no idea who was doing the actual killings: what kind of cult could be behind such gruesome acts of evil. They had never managed to uncover an actual crime scene.
Jocelyn sighed, hoping that today would be a major breakthrough. If the information her source had given her about the cave was correct, then she was about to make a huge discovery.
Her informant had assured her that she was not walking into a danger zone, that the site he had told her about was no longer being used by the ring. As always, they changed locations frequently, moving around to avoid detection by the authorities. Unfortunately, this meant that there would be no fresh forensic evidence, but the information Jocelyn hoped to uncover was of a different kind anyway.
Jocelyn slowed her pace as a series of tall, reddish rock formations appeared in the distance, strangely shimmering into view like a desert mirage on a hot day. An eerie chill swept through her body, raising the hair on her arms, and a deep sense of foreboding settled into her stomach. She shivered and stared ahead. There was something about the peculiar canyons that shook her to her very core.
Although most people would have turned back, most people would not have been there in the first place.
Jocelyn was not most people.
Solving difficult crimes was her life. Stopping the really, really bad guys. And she was very good at it. She had always had a sixth sense, an uncanny ability to stay one step ahead of the criminal mind. It wasn’t like she was psychic or anything. She just had a way of feeling things. Walking into a crime scene and knowing. As if the very essence of the place whispered secrets to her of the people who had been there.
Now, after months of dead ends, she finally had a reliable lead; and she had no intention of letting the information go to waste.
Jocelyn drew in a deep breath of crisp mountain air, her lungs working overtime to adjust to the altitude of the Eastern Rocky Mountains. The beautiful, expansive territory ran along the Front Range of North America, full of hidden canyons, dense forests, and towering, majestic peaks; under different circumstances, it might have been an idyllic place to vacation. Her sense of dread grew stronger with every step she took, so powerful that it almost felt as if there were an invisible hand holding her back, something warning her away. She shook her head in an effort to clear her mind as she pushed forward against the invisible barrier.
She had come way too far to turn back now.
The faces of the victims, their broken and tortured bodies, continued to replay in her mind like a gruesome, private slide-show, reminding her of just how much was at stake.
Picking up the pace, Jocelyn headed deeper into the canyon.
PURCHASE BLOOD DESTINY NOW
ALSO BY TESSA DAWN
(THE BLOOD CURSE SERIES)
Blood Genesis (prequel)
Blood Destiny
Blood Awakening
Blood Possession
Blood Shadows
Blood Redemption
Blood Father
Blood Vengeance
Blood Ecstasy
Blood Betrayal
Christmas In Dark Moon Vale
Blood Web
Blood Echo ~ Coming Next
(DRAGONS REALM SAGA)
Dragons Realm ~ Book 1
Dragons Reign ~ Book 2
(PANTHEON OF DRAGONS)
Zanaikeyros ~ Son of Dragons (Book 1)
Axeviathon ~ Son of Dragons (Book 2)
Ghostaniaz ~ Son of Dragons (Coming Next)
(NIGHTWALKER SERIES)
Daywalker ~ The Beginning
(A New Adult Short Story)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tessa Dawn grew up in Colorado, where she developed a deep affinity for the Rocky Mountains. After graduating with a degree in psychology, she worked for seve
ral years in criminal justice and mental health before returning to get her master’s degree in nonprofit management.
Tessa began writing as a child and composed her first full-length novel at the age of eleven. By the time she graduated high school, she had a banker’s box full of short stories and novels. Since then, she has published works as diverse as poetry, greeting cards, workbooks for kids with autism, and academic curricula. Her Dark Fantasy/Gothic Romance novels represent her long-desired return to her creative-writing roots and her passionate flair for storytelling.
Tessa currently splits her time between the Colorado suburbs and mountains with her husband, two children, and “one very crazy cat.” She hopes to one day move to the country, where she can own horses and what she considers “the most beautiful creature ever created”—a German shepherd.
Writing is her bliss.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Contents
Copyright
Credits and Acknowledgments
Pantheon of Dragons
Prologue
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
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Epilogue
A sneak peek from Blood Destiny
Also by Tessa Dawn
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About the Author