by Kyle, Celia
It was the first fundraiser for a charity that had been organized by both races. Sasha grinned as she recalled her conversation with the mayor. He had wanted them to pay several hundred thousand dollars to rent the park. Yeah, even though the Preor had the money, Sasha gently hinted that humanity was doing less for the unfortunate than the Preor and there could be bad press as a result. He immediately donated free use of the park and every carnival ride that belonged to the city.
Screaming, happy children were everywhere. The atmosphere was high as everyone indulged in face painting, bumper cars, or the laziness of lying on their backs in the grass, stuffing themselves with food.
Sasha didn’t perform any interviews. She simply walked around the park with her crew, getting lots of footage and doing voiceovers to explain what was going on to the folks at home. They had put out enough good press over the last few weeks that they didn’t need to push the issues so hard any longer.
So many people had turned out for the event that Sasha knew they wouldn’t have any problems from the protestors for a long, long while. There had been a few at the gate when the event started, but once the Preor approached them—just to talk—the protestors had fled.
It did nothing for their argument to be seen shouting and pointing at a bunch of very peaceful Preor. Choler had been at the head of the group, his yellow scales and upbeat manner an obvious choice for an ambassador. He was excellent at making people feel at ease and had a knack for making the protestors feel terrible when he talked to them happily and calmly while they screamed.
Since the protestors had taken off, the day had only gotten better and better. Some of the Preor were handing out flyers and directing people to the new website Sasha had organized. Three times a week at Preor Tower, they held classes on the Preor for their history, customs, and cultural evolution. Sasha had been amazed that hundreds of people kept showing. She had never imagined that many people had an interest, but it seemed that getting to know the Preor was becoming a necessity for some.
Some doctors wanted to learn their methods, not just to apply them in their own hospitals but also to learn how to treat the Preor, as well. Plenty of doe-eyed women looked for their mate and were determined to learn everything they could to be prepared. Some people had a casual interest while others planned to make the stuff of Preor culture their life’s work.
Sasha waved at people she knew as she walked through the boisterous crowd. She had met dozens of Preor over the last several weeks and she remembered every face. She was pleased to see quite a few celebrities had come as well.
Overhead there was a sudden roar and rush of wind. Sasha looked up to see Whelon’s dark shape cruising above, his massive wings making a huge, black shadow. Behind him Vende and Kozav followed closely as they turned their noses up and then dove straight down.
They came within a few feet of the ground, making a terrific explosion of dust and leaves as they powered back up into the sky. People clapped and cheered, and the children ran around screaming in joy.
They will never know a world without dragons. To them, this is the Earth. They don’t know what it was like before the Preor came.
She smiled, knowing that as generations passed, the two races would only become further intertwined. It was inevitable, a process of evolution.
In a way, she could see the protestors’ point about the human race being wiped out. It wasn’t, though. It was being changed—for the better. That was not the same as the death of the species, which is exactly what would have happened if humans had been allowed to keep spreading poison across the planet and killing each other without care.
She watched the dragons come around in a big circle, ready to land at the edge of the park. Already a screaming horde of children charged at the dragons. She laughed and chased after them all. The Preor would do several air shows today, performing stunning maneuvers with both their wings and fire.
It wasn’t just in an effort to be impressive and entertaining, but also to show just how much control the dragons had over their massive bodies. It wasn’t possible to accidentally squash someone, for example. The males were too highly trained for such a thing to happen.
Unless you’re chasing after your mate…
The Preor had all been coached about acceptable behavior but the trouble was, not one of them was capable of thinking clearly once they caught the scent of their one and only.
The three dragons came down as one, flapping their wings in time as they stretched out on the grass. The fearless children immediately began to crawl all over them, and Sasha heard Dawn’s tinkling laugh as a small child grabbed hold of Vende’s eyelid to clamber onto his head.
Sasha approached Whelon, seeing his fangs peek out of his big, scaly smile. She stroked his nose and the massive eyes blinked in pleasure.
She pressed her body against him, feeling the magic of the bond sweeping through them both in a gentle gust of sensation. Putting her arms around a massive dragon was incredible enough, but knowing that his heart existed for her and only her was something else.
One of the smallest children came tumbling down Whelon’s nose, rolling and bumping until he hit the ground with a thump. The child yelled in anger but then climbed up once more, using Whelon’s whiskers and eyelids to get back atop his head. Sasha laughed, finding it hilarious to watch a dragon scowl.
Then she saw how his eyes softened when he looked at the kids. She knew he couldn’t wait to have children. Watching him calmly accepting the kids crawling all over him made her crave her own babies as well.
She wrapped her arms around his massive snout and closed her eyes, feeling the curious blending of their minds that only grew stronger each and every day. She knew he was thinking the exact same thing as her—
The park was fun, and they were having a good time, but… they counted the seconds until they could be alone together again.
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Did you miss any of the Dragons of Preor series?
1. Jarek - http://bklink.to/jarek-amazon
2. Taulan - http://bklink.to/taulan-amazon
3. Kozav - http://bklink.to/kozav-amazon
4. Rendan - http://bklink.to/rendan-amazon
5. Zadri - http://bklink.to/zadri-amazon
6. Hatched - http://bklink.to/hatched-amazon
7. Ivoth - http://bklink.to/ivoth-amazon
8. Brukr - http://bklink.to/brukr-amazon
9. A Baby for Chashan - http://bklink.to/chashan-amazon
10. Argan - http://bklink.to/argan-amazon
11. Vende - http://bklink.to/vende-amazon
About the Authors
Celia Kyle
Ex-dance teacher, former accountant and erstwhile collectible doll salesperson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Celia Kyle now writes paranormal romances. It goes without saying that there’s always a happily-ever-after for her characters, even if there are a few road bumps along the way. Today she lives in central Florida and writes full-time with the support of her loving husband and two finicky cats.
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Anne Hale
Anne Hale writes paranormal romance about dragons. All of her stories include smoldering, hot, dragons that claim their fated mates and protect them from a world that doesn't understand shifters. Anne's alpha male heroes protect their mates and provide for them during the day, and at night wrap their arms around them and make them forget the world. She lives in a world of magic and also writes urban fantasy. Anything to escape from her day to day life!
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Copyright © 2020 by Celia Kyle & Anne Hale
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