by Alice Brown
She heard her mate growl from beside her and quickly placed a hand on his chest. “What is your name, elf?”
“His name is Adorellan. He’s our pick-pocket thief,” Dominic growled out.
She turned her head to give her mate a withering look. “Thank you, but I was asking him, not you, big guy.”
Turning back to the elf-man, she quietly commanded, “Adorellan, please look at me.”
He was shifting his weight from one foot to another. Finally, he glanced up. She was ready for him. She knew he meant to only give her a quick glance before shooting his eyes downward again. Only when his eyes met hers, he found himself completely unable to look away.
Keeping her voice very low hoping that only Dominic and this elf-man could hear, she started, “Now that I have your attention, I don’t want any special treatment. I don’t want you bowing or kissing me in any way, and that includes my feet. I have come here to live out a normal life, but I can’t do that if you start treating me as if I’m different. I’m not any different than anyone else, just a female elf with white hair that happens to have a bit of magic at her disposal. But, since I can tell you want to honor me in some way, you can do this. You can stop stealing from these good people immediately. If you currently have in your possession anything that belongs to them, I want you to give it back. There is to be no more picking pockets, stealing, or even borrowing anything. If you do, not only are you disgracing yourself, but you will be disgracing me as well. Now, is that what you wish to do? Would you disgrace me because of a very bad habit?”
Unable to look away from her eyes, his tears poured down his cheeks unchecked. “No, my Omega. No, I do not want to do anything that disgraces you. I will straighten my ways immediately. Thank you, my Omega. Thank you for coming to this land and allowing me to meet you.”
“Oh, and one more thing, Adorellan. I’m not to be referred to as the Omega at all. My name is Meldamiriel and that is what I wish to be called.”
She broke the spell she had over him that had him trapped the minute their gazes locked. It didn’t go unnoticed that he was shaking as he took a step back and wiped his face. He started to walk away, but stopped and turned to face her once again. “Thank you, Ms. Meldamiriel. It was an honor to meet you.”
Silence seemed to descend upon the crowd. She turned her attention to her mate. “Do you think he will stop?”
He shrugged his shoulders as he frowned and watched Adorellan walk away. “I have never seen him be serious about anything. He has been a menace to himself and everyone else since he arrived. I can promise you one thing, though. If it works and he does change, I know a lot of shopkeepers that will be very pleased.”
That evening as she climbed into her new twice-the-size of a king bed, she looked around her in awe. She was still having trouble wrapping her mind around the fact that all the splendor around her was now hers.
After her talk with Adorellan, Dominic had paid him to carry their bags to his castle. When she overheard him specifically state castle, she chuckled, not believing that he actually would own a castle. How wrong she had been!
Dominic had then escorted her over to their tavern, where it had been a lively time. It seemed every man in the place wanted her to try some new food, seeming to enjoy watching her reaction to each new bite. They didn’t seem to comprehend that she was too full, too quickly. But as she watched a platter the size of a tabletop be sat down in front of one of the patrons, then watched in horror as he devoured every bite, she understood the situation.
Dominic and even Blain ate a lot by human standards, but she had never seen either of them devour the amount of food that was being eaten that night.
And then the drinks… She quickly discovered that the people of Dragonose loved their drink, and furthermore, they could hold their drink. Again, they couldn’t understand why she nursed on the same drink all night long when huge mugs of spirits were being passed around as if it was water.
But the real surprise that evening had come when they arrived home. As they approached, she found her mouth hanging open and jaw slack as she gazed up at the huge castle. “Dominic, who lives in this castle?” she asked, thinking surely it was King Thoran’s.
“We do, sweetheart.” He chuckled at her wide eyes. “If you don’t like it, we’ll build another,” he said lightly, causing her to blink up at him in disbelief. The subject of money had never come up while they were at Blain’s, because frankly, she had never had any. She wasn’t sure she would know what to do with it if she had any.
He quickly escorted her through the double doors, where she felt certain she had stepped into a fairy tale. Staff and servants bustled about, several coming up to them and introducing themselves and welcoming Dominic home. She took in all the beautiful furniture and beautiful carvings spaced throughout. She turned and looked at her mate. “Did you make these?”
He smiled down at her, happy to see her interest. “Yes, I did. I guess it’s what you could say I do when I’m not in the king’s inner circle or being a warrior.” He stopped and shrugged his massive shoulders. “It helps relax me. I sell some of it at the market place.”
She was now settled into bed with him, tucked up under his arm, her head resting on his shoulder. “Thank you, Dominic.”
“For what, love?”
“For bringing me home. For the first time since I was six years old, I truly feel safe and at home. Thank you.”
He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss. “You are exhausted, baby. Rest. We have the rest of our lives to enjoy, starting tomorrow.”
It was in the wee hours of the morning. Meldamiriel was sleeping soundly when suddenly a figure appeared out of nowhere. The figure wore a long, flowing white gown. Meldamiriel could feel no ill will toward her. She only felt peace. When the figure was standing in front of her, the voice was soft and melodious.
“My child, I have watched you from afar for a long time. I am so proud of the woman you have become. King Thoran was correct when he stated you have not tapped into all of your powers, yet. But you will.
“It is no coincidence that you are the mate to a mighty warrior. This land needs you and your powers. I am afraid there will be some dark days ahead for this land and its people. Your love and loyalty will be put to the test, but you will come out victorious.
“Take care of yourself, my child, and listen to what your body is telling you. For inside you right now is the beautiful creation conceived from you and your mate’s joining. You, along with King Thoran’s sons’ mate, will play a pivotal role in turning this world around so it thrives once again.”
The figure turned to walk away. “Wait,” Meldamiriel called. “Who are you?”
The beautiful lady stopped and looked over her shoulder. “I am Mother Nature, my dear.” And then she walked off into the darkness.
Meldamiriel only partially woke up from her dream, just enough to curl her little body tighter around her mate, but not before placing a hand over her now flat stomach. “A baby,” she whispered in awe.
Unbeknown to her, Ivormantis picked up on her conversation and had listened in carefully. Hehe, he thought to himself. For once I know something before Dominic does!
Epilogue
King Thoran sat in his office staring at the papers in front of him. How could he have been so wrong? How could he have missed this all these years? How could he let something like this happen in the first place?
The information in front of him was enough to make both he and his dragon mad enough to rain fire all through the land. He always considered himself a fair and just leader. Where most lands that were ruled by kings were dictatorships, his was not. He implemented a system years ago that made sure all major changes were to be put to popular vote. There had been many things over the years that had been vetoed, and although he may have felt strongly about it, he allowed the majority vote to stand.
And now to find out that he had traitors in their midst. His own people, people that he had known most if not all of his
life, working with their enemy.
The questions that remained unanswered were why and how many were there? This was a sticky situation at best and he was going to need his very best warriors involved in settling this quickly and quietly. He prayed there was little bloodshed, unless it involved the Raptorians. Those bastards could go burn in hell!
He was glad Dominic had returned home and was completely healed. The fact his mate was an Omega Elf would benefit them also, but only if Dominic would allow her to become involved.
He needed to get in touch with the one person he trusted above anyone else, save his two sons. He needed Blain and his mate, Natasha, on this upcoming mission. He knew his sons would have been home in a heartbeat if he contacted them. He decided against it. Their mate was pregnant with twin girls. He didn’t want the babies in danger, and danger they would certainly be in if he called his sons home. No, he would leave them out of this one. However, it was going to take Blain, Natasha, Dominic, Meldamiriel, Quinn, and the rest of his inner circle to bring a peaceful end to the situation.
On the Menu at
The Dragonose Pub Grill
Drink Specials:
Dragon Piss
¾ oz. butterscotch schnapps
1 oz. cinnamon schnapps
4 oz. Mountain dew citrus soda
Mix ingredients together in a whiskey sour glass, and serve.
Satan’s Piss:
1 ½ oz. Bacardi 151 rum
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
Pour rum into shot glass. Add tabasco to the top. Serve room temperature.
Flying Dragon:
1 part Bacardi Dragon Berry Rum
2 parts Lemonade
2 parts Sprite
Pour ingredients over ice and garnish with a lime or kiwi wedge.
Dragon’s Breath:
½ oz. Firewater Cinnamon Schnapps
½ oz. Bacardi 151 Rum
Pour in Firewater, float Bacardi on top and ignite.
Fireball Whiskey Recipes
The ‘HOT’ toddy:
Hot Tea, honey, lemon, and
A heaping helping of Fireball Whiskey
**Guaranteed to burn anything out which ails you.
The Drunken Dessert:
Cup of hot chocolate with a healthy dose of Fireball Whiskey.
The Ultimate French Toast Shot:
Fireball
Butterscotch Liqueur
Bailey’s Irish Cream
Ice
Mix. Shake. Shoot. Repeat. (If you dare!)
If this is your breakfast, expect your bedtime to be around noon!
Food:
Wheadirskon bread: This is a sweet bread made from the Wheadirs grain grown only on Dragonose. The grain is naturally sweet and each loaf is two-three times the normal loaf of bread on earth.
Duebeask: Similar to earth’s deer, but the size of a small car.
Pheasgon: Similar to earth’s foul, but grows to be the size of a canoe.
Boarskon: Similar to earth’s boar, but will grow to be about the size of a Rhino
Agaton: This is a vegetable that resembles a bell pepper but is the size of a pineapple. Has a sweet, grainy taste to it.
Books by Alice Brown
Published with JK Publishing
Vampires Among Us
A Special Gift – Book Two
Texas Ranger Vampires
Up in Flames
Up in Smoke – Coming Soon
Dragons of Dragonose
Co-authored with Lady V
Sapphamire
Fire Ice
Ivormantis
My Beloved
My Beloved Werewolf
With other Publishers
Vampires Among Us – Book One
The Music Box
We would love to hear from you!
Website: Alice - http://AuthorAliceBrown.com
Email: Alice - [email protected]
Facebook: Alice - http://www.facebook.com/authoralicebrown1
Books by Lady V
Dragons of Dragonose
Co-authored with Alice Brown
Sapphamire
Fire Ice
Ivormantis
My Beloved
My Beloved Werewolf
We would love to hear from you!
Website: Lady V - http://AuthorLadyV.com
Email: Lady V - [email protected]
Facebook: Lady V - http://www.facebook.com/LadyVampWolf
Excerpt from Sapphamire
Dragons of Dragonose Book One
By Alice Brown and Lady V
He quickly did up his tie and headed downstairs to his waiting date, Amberlynn. He glanced around, but Natasha was nowhere to be seen. He stopped one of the guards walking past and quietly inquired as to the whereabouts of his new assistant. They quickly informed him that she had been pulled away temporarily and had sent a message down that she would join him in just a few minutes. Groaning inwardly, he offered his arm to his date before entering the room. All the elders stood as he and his date entered the formal dining room. “Please, be seated and enjoy the great food at Dragonmire Castle!” He walked around to the head of the table, seated his date on his left side, and took his own seat.
He was proud of his home. When he had decided about eight years ago to access Earth through one of the portals on his home world, Dragonose, he came with the belief that finding his mate would be a rather easy job. Then again, he had come under the assumption that only humans resided on this planet. Now, he knew both assumptions were incorrect. The king had granted his request to leave, only requesting that Blain keep the knowledge of the Iceland portal away from all others. That was an easy promise to make his king. Since then, he only got called upon by his king when the Raptorians grew bored and decided to start a fight. The king would then send out an emergency distress call to each and every one of his dragons, expecting them to return home immediately to help defend their world.
“Ms. Clayton, where is she?” Councilwoman Kristin, who was a pixie, inquired in an almost frightened voice from the other end of the table.
“She was pulled away to tend to some business before joining us tonight. She shall be along shortly.” He certainly hoped so, anyway. It would look so much better for her if she were sitting next to him.
“Does she please you?” another council member questioned.
“I’d rather wait to discuss the business involving Ms. Clayton, at least until she is in attendance to hear it for herself,” Blain replied with a bit of a sting to his words, then he picked up the small glass sitting at the top of his plate, swallowing the liquid, and enjoying the burn. His guests watching him, quickly followed, all except the vampire in attendance. She had her own goblet of fresh blood sitting at her plate. He heard several “ohs” and “ahs” as his guests enjoyed their pre-dinner treat.
“Delicious!” Councilwoman Hazellette, who was a witch, exclaimed in delight as she ran her tongue across her lower lip. “What is this drink called, Blain?”
He couldn’t hold back his smirk or his chuckle. His guests were not going to see the humor in his answer as he did. “Dragon Piss.”
Total silence descended upon the room for about ten seconds before the double doors were flung open, and a beautiful redhead sauntered into the room. She was wearing a black evening gown that glittered in the light; it was a one shoulder strap ensemble, and he immediately spotted the slit that ran all the way up the side to her hip. She walked up to him with such a regal air that he knew she was the envy of the females in attendance—his own date included.
“My apologies for being late, sir,” she stated when she reached his side. He immediately jumped up to pull her chair out for her.
It was a good thing he didn’t need to speak at that moment, because he suddenly found that his tongue wasn't working as he gazed down at her in awe. He had only thought her beautiful when they met earlier today. But now? Now she was absolutely stunning. She put his date and her short red cocktail dress to shame.<
br />
“May we proceed now?” Councilwoman Hazellette snapped out.
Yep, let the envy begin, ladies.
“Yes, Councilwoman Hazellette, I apologize if I was the reason for any hold up,” Natasha quickly replied, seeming to know already that Blain was without words at the moment. He suddenly didn’t give two cents about this dinner. And he certainly didn’t give two cents about this Council harping on his mate. All he wanted was for everyone to get the hell out of his castle so he could spend some time getting to know her.
“You…” he started, but his little mate was quick to cut him off as she leaned in close to him and whispered in his ear.
“Please forgive me for being so late, but there was a very important phone call I had to take.”
“Ah…of course,” he stuttered out, gracing her with a smile. He was getting ready to tell the battle-ax of a witch that she needed to show his mate respect, and that would not have gone over very well at this point.
Leaning back in her seat, Natasha graced him with a gentle smile. His heart did a quick leap into his throat before plummeting down to his groin. Oh, good God, was she perfect. One of the elders broke into his deep thoughts as they repeated the earlier question.