by Ruby Dixon
The female’s scent is growing fainter. As it does, the madness threatens to encroach again.
I tilt my wings, circling back, heading toward that elusive scent. It is faint, but I know it is there. Somewhere in this pit of horrors that is this human-infested world, there is a thread of hope. A female to anchor to, to mate with. A female to cherish and protect. To give me purpose.
The scent grows as I return to the old territory, diving lower. Somewhere in the grasses below, she hides. I sweep over the ground, flushing out rabbits and small game. A deer bounds away in the distance, and I snap it up between my jaws, a quick meal before I turn around. No female.
Did I miss her?
I fly over the spot rich with her scent, need and longing filling my thoughts. Where are you? Who are you? My mind is filled with her. She will be red-scaled, I think, her hue screaming of her need for a mate. Her eyes will be fierce and she will look at me with a sultry golden gaze before attacking. The thought fills me with pleasure and hunger both. Ah, how I long for conquest. It is the only sane thing in this world, it seems.
I land, and when there is yet no sign of the female, I lower my nose to the grasses and follow the scent. It is older, I think. Several days old. She will be nearby, then. I move along the ground, tracing her scent until I find…it.
A…skin? No, it is made of some sort of fibrous material. A cloth of some kind. A bandage? I do not know. All I know is that it carries the scent of her cunt, as if it has been clasped between her legs. She is…not drakoni.
It matters not. I inhale deeply of her scent and growl low in my throat.
She is mine.
EPILOGUE II
Months later
ZOHR
A crinkle of a wrapper rouses me from my sleep.
Next to me, on the bed, my mate goes still. I roll over and squint at her with one eye. She has a candle lit on the nightstand, and resting on her rounded belly is the package of cookies I hid earlier.
“I can explain,” Emma tells me, her mouth full of crumbs.
Explain that you are eating your present? The one I hid for you to surprise you? I tease, sliding my hand over her hips and pulling her against me. She picks up the cookies and sets them on the nightstand, and I lean my head against the swell of her stomach, listening to our young kick and move inside her.
“I was surprised,” she protests, but she does not sound guilty. “The baby was hungry.”
I snort. You say that every time I catch you eating.
“Well, it’s true.” She licks her fingers and shrugs. “Your kid is always hungry.”
He is like his mother. I press a kiss to her belly. Eating and eating and eating.
“You’re just jealous because I didn’t save any cookies for you,” she teases, then slides her hand through my hair. Her caress is gentle, and I can feel her laughter move through her body as she chuckles. “What can I say, Junior wanted something sweet.” She regards the nearly empty package with a little sigh. “I’m so sad it wasn’t a bigger box, though.”
Your need for sweets grows as your belly does.
“You ain’t lyin’,” she says with a sigh. “I could totally demolish another box right now.”
Then you and our young—I pause to press another kiss on her protruding belly—will be pleased to know that Kael and his mate are holding two more packages for me.
Emma gasps. “Are you kidding?” She wiggles underneath me.
Yes. We will pick them up tomorrow. I told her I would exchange soap for the cookies. It seems that the longer that Kael’s mate is carrying his young, the more that strong scents bother her nose. Lately she has been wanting soaps and shampoos with a particular scent to them…and my mate wants sweets. It is a deal that works well for us, just as the one we have for Sasha and her peanut butter works well. Dakh’s mate’s is generous, though. The last time she had a jar of peanut butter, she invited the others over for snacks.
It is a good thing to have a clan again, even if it is a small one. At first, my Emma was not sure if she wanted to remain near the other dragons and their mates. The loner in her has been taught the need for solitude, but she likes her friends and she likes the safety our small band of dragons and riders can offer. She says sometimes that we will move on…but that day has not arrived in months and months. I do not think it will arrive anytime soon.
I do not care either way. All I care about is being with my Emma. She is all that matters.
It is much like my wings. We stretch them nightly, working hard to ensure that they are as capable as they can be. I can fly again for short periods of time, but they tire easily and I lack the finesse that the other dragons have on the air. Next to them, my thicker wings are clumsy and inept. It does not matter. I can fly enough to protect my mate, and her eyes shine bright with pleasure at even the smallest of airborne flights.
Perhaps I will fly fully again someday. Perhaps not. I find that it matters less each day.
My female grabs another cookie from the bedside and munches it, while the young in her belly shifts and twists. “He’s busy tonight,” she tells me between bites. “Even if I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t. It’s like he’s dancing in there.”
I rest my ear against her stomach. Perhaps he is just happy.
“Maybe.” She traces my face with her free hand, her mind thoughtful. “How about you? Are you happy?”
Beyond happy.
“Me too,” she says softly. “Especially at the thought of two more packages of cookies.”
A laugh rumbles in my chest, and I love the sound of her accompanying giggles.
“Happy” is such a strange, fleeting word. To think that months ago I was out of my mind with insanity. My world was nothing but bloodlust. “Happy” was not even a consideration. Yet now there is so much more in my world, and it is all thanks to my Emma.
I am…happy. She is my happy. She is my everything. And now that we will have a family, I cannot imagine a drakoni warrior that has ever been so filled with joy.
It does not matter what happened in the past. All that matters is the future. And it is a happy one.
EPILOGUE III
MELINA
“Shh,” I tell my patient. “You’re safe now. I promise. It’s all right.” I wring a cloth out and place it over his pale, pale skin. He burns with fever, delirious. Nothing I do can bring his fever down, which is concerning to me. But then again, I’m not a real doctor, and I don’t have any medicine. All I can do is hope that whatever healing I can provide will do something.
If nothing else, I can offer him some comfort.
I dip the rag into the water basin at my side, then wring it and place it against his bare shoulder. Such a strange, pale color all over. I don’t know what to make of it. His hair’s the exact same shade as his skin, which is a weird thing. Even weirder are his nails, which seem thick and blunted, and the tiny, broken knobs that protrude from his hair, as if they’re growing…back. But I don’t know how that’s possible, because I don’t know what they are.
Then again, this is the After, and you see some strange shit.
I bathe his skin, watching his eyes flick under his eyelids as if he’s dreaming. He might not live, not if his fever continues to rage like this. I can’t see any other fresh wounds. There’s an older one in his chest that looks as if it’s healed badly. Old gunshot wound, unless I miss my guess. But all the soot and blood that covered him when he showed up on our doorstep? It wasn’t his blood.
“You’ve got an interesting story, my friend,” I murmur to him. “Let’s hope you get to tell it, hmm?” I finish bathing him and drop my rag back into the basin, then stand.
A hand grabs my wrist.
I gasp, his touch burning hot. When I look down, I see his eyes are a strange, whirling yellow and black. I’ve…seen that before. He’s a dragon, like Claudia’s Kael.
But then he licks his lips and focuses on me. “Where…where am I?”
The words are accented but in perfect English. I relax
. He’s human. I’m imagining things. Claudia’s dragon never spoke. He just stared at you with those intense golden eyes. This can’t be the same…or if it is, he’s not crazy like that one.
I sit back down, putting a gentle smile on my face. “You’re in Fort Dallas. You showed up sick and delirious on our doorstep after the last dragonfire attack.”
“Dragons…” He swallows hard and gazes down at his hand, then flexes it.
“Yep. But that was days ago. You’ll be safe here. We’re behind concrete walls in this building. They can’t get to you through here.”
A hint of a smile curves his mouth, and he closes his eyes. I notice his teeth seem to be large, but they’re perfectly square. “Safe.”
“That’s right,” I tell him. “Rest now.”
I could swear he chuckles even as he relaxes in his sick bed. Strange man.
Author’s Note
Dear Readers,
Well, well, well. :)
Another book to bed in the dragon series. And here I thought I wouldn’t be able to make the world sufficiently interesting enough for you guys (or me). Ha. Ha ha.
I’m really enjoying the world of the After and my feisty, fierce dragons and their ladies. It goes without saying that Amy’s next. It also goes without saying that Melina will get a book as well. Beyond that, we’ll see how things progress in the story. I’m thrilled that you guys are enjoying the books as much as I’m enjoying writing them!
A few housekeeping notes. Emma’s half - Puerto Rican, and anyone with a bilingual parent knows you pick up a little slang and not much else. Her Spanish is thus tinged with Puerto Rican slang and might be a little different than textbook Spanish. That being said…any typos or incorrect usages are going to be blamed on me and me alone. I tried to make her use authentic phrases and if I got them wrong, it was my error and I’m sorry. I’m hoping I got more right than I got wrong.
In addition, the world’s growing by leaps and bounds. I’m trying to juggle between how much to show and how much to remain ‘mysterious’ on. It’s difficult because, well, my dragons are crazy. They know what they know until they don’t know it any longer, if that makes sense. So if the world-building feels murky and unclear…yay! I did my job right! It might never be clear to our dragons in the present day, and I’m striving to keep that ‘foggy’ feel to their memories as well as try to give you guys enough to hang your hat on. I know some readers are really into the world they left behind and want to know more about it, but I’m more focused (at least at the moment!) on their present story. In a way, it’s kind of like we’re exploring a love story post-trauma. The dragons have suffered a traumatizing event that cost them a lot, and so all of their memories they do have left (and the ones they make in the future) are all going to be colored by that single polarizing event. It’s kind of bleak to look at it that way, but I also like to think that it’s a hopeful sort of story, too. That there’s love in the darkness and that no one’s ever too broken to save.
At least, that’s my theory. :)
That said - these books are long, and as my editor calls them, ‘cinematic’. That means they are also tiring. My brain still feels on a mental break after wrapping this book. I’m still unwinding, because my mind keeps telling me what comes next in the plot. How Amy and Rast meet. What Azar is up to now that he’s resurfaced. But I’m also very, very tired, so it takes a few for my brain to switch gears after an intense book.
I guess all of this is me saying that I need to ‘take it easy’ in the next project…and that it won’t be Icehome #1 (which spell check is DETERMINED to make Ice House #1). I want the first Icehome book to be a big, meaty adventure. I want it to be on a slightly grander scale than most of the Ice Planet books. There’s a lot going on and we’re still introducing people! I’m going to need lots of pages. I’m also going to need lots and lots of brainpower.
So I’m going to write something else between that book and this one. Some of you might be groaning. Some of you might not care, but this little space is where I try to reason out with you guys why I do what I do, so here it is. :)
That doesn’t mean I’m taking a month off, of course. I’ve, um, already started Kivian’s book (did I mention I’m terrible with taking time off?). If you don’t remember who Kivian is, he’s the space pirate brother of Jutari, the star of Prison Planet Barbarian. It’s going to be a fun romp with space corsairs and kidnapped humans and I’m only on the first few chapters and I’m already having fun. It’s going to be my little brain-break in-between much bigger books. Icehome is still coming! I just want to give it the proper time it deserves.
(The book has no title. I’m terrible with coming up with appropriate titles.)
Right now, my schedule’s going to be a little more loosey-goosey than I originally planned. I am hoping to do Kivian’s story next, then Icehome #1, then (theoretically) Ariana’s story for IPB. Then Amy.
I can already hear some of you out there screaming that you want Amy’s story already. It has to percolate. :) You’ll get it! Just not right away.
Think of it as a Christmas present…or uh, New Years. Or something along those lines. Whenever. It’s coming!
That said, I hope you enjoyed this book! I love writing in this world because it’s such a fun change from Ice Planet Barbarians (which I also love). In a way, it’s a bit of a reversal - in IPB, the heroines are the strangers in a strange land. Here, it’s our heroes. Either way, it’s fun.
Speaking of fun, audio is now out for both FIRE IN HIS BLOOD and FIRE IN HIS KISS. This one isn’t scheduled for audio yet, but the moment it is, I will let you guys know.
Much love,
<3 Ruby
— PS: If you got this far, you finished the book, right? If you are so inclined, I would love a review at your favorite review spot. If not, that’s okay, too!
Fire In His Blood - Book 1
The first in the Fireblood Dragons series!
Click here to buy/borrow!
Years ago, the skies ripped open and the world was destroyed in fire and ash. Dragons - once creatures of legend - are the enemy. Vicious and unpredictable, they rule the skies of the ruined cities, forcing humanity to huddle behind barricades for safety.
Claudia's a survivor. She scrapes by as best as she can in a hard, dangerous world. When she runs afoul of the law, she's left as bait in dragon territory. She only has one chance to survive - to somehow 'tame' a dragon and get it to obey her.
Except the dragon that finds her is as wild and brutal as any other...and he's not interested in obeying.
What he is interested in is a mate.
Fire In His Kiss - Book 2
The second book in the Fireblood Dragons series!
Click here to buy/borrow!
Bloodlust and insanity rule my existence. As a fierce drakoni warrior, this strange new world I find myself in eats at my mind until there is nothing left. There is no light or clarity...until she arrives. I save her life, plucking her from the sky.
From that point on, she is mine.
But the human I have chosen for my mate - Sasha - is fragile and wounded. She does not trust me and fears my presence. I will not give up, though. I will do anything to give her my fires and bond us both in body and spirit. How can I convince her that I want nothing more than her happiness if she will not let me touch her?
How does a dragon woo a human?
Ice Planet Barbarians
Does a big brutal alpha male possessing his delicate human female make you as happy as it makes me? If you liked FIRE IN HIS KISS, I’d love for you to give it a try. As always, my books are free to read in KU!
Book 1 of Ice Planet Barbarians
You'd think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could happen to me. And you'd be wrong. Because now, the aliens are having ship trouble, and they've left their cargo of human women - including me - on an ice planet.
And the only native inhabitant I've met? He's big, horned, blue, and really, really has a thing for me
...
Click here to borrow or buy!
Other Books by Ruby Dixon
ICE PLANET BARBARIANS
Ice Planet Barbarians
Barbarian Alien
Barbarian Lover
Barbarian Mine
Ice Planet Holiday (novella)
Barbarian’s Prize
Barbarian’s Mate
Having the Barbarian’s Baby (short story)
Ice Ice Babies (short story)
Barbarian’s Touch
Calm(short story)
Barbarian’s Taming
Aftershocks (short story)
Barbarian’s Heart
Barbarian’s Hope
Barbarian’s Choice
Barbarian’s Redemption
Barbarian’s Lady
Barbarian’s Rescue
Barbarian’s Tease
PRISON PLANET BARBARIAN (stand alone)
BEDLAM BUTCHERS
Bedlam Butchers, Volumes 1-3: Off Limits, Packing Double, Double Trouble
Bedlam Butchers, Volumes 4-6: Double Down, Double or Nothing, Slow Ride
Double Dare You
BEAR BITES
Shift Out of Luck
Get Your Shift Together
Shift Just Got Real
Does A Bear Shift in the Woods
SHIFT: Five Complete Novellas
Want More?
For more information about upcoming books in the Ice Planet Barbarians, Bear Bites, or any other books by Ruby Dixon, ‘like’ me on Facebook or subscribe to my new release newsletter.