The Dragonsong Trilogy Box Set

by H. C. Brown

  “Then we will leave here as soon as we have collected the horses and Brew.” Lumos opened his wings and gathered Thalia in his arms. “Lead the way.”

  The ground disappeared. Thalia’s stomach dropped and she gasped, clinging to Lumos. Her cheek pressed against his hard chest. “Oh, my gods!—Lumos—we are flying.”

  “Aye, little one, this is what Fae do.”

  Her heart raced. Far below, the tops of the trees rushed by in a green and golden haze, and in the distance, rivers stood out, winding like blue snakes through the valleys. Beside them, Pyro hovered on an updraft, his magnificent blood-red wings billowing out like sails. The wind caught her hair, and whipped the strands around her face. The cry of an eagle brought the magnificent, hooked-beak predator not one arm’s length away before the bird eyed its prey and speared down, disappearing through the canopy of trees. Her fear vanished. Inside Lumos’s strong arms, she reveled in the pure joy of flying.

  “Can we fly all the way back to Drakka? Better still, may I fly on your back if you change into a dragon?” Thalia squeezed his arm.

  “Ah… I wish we could, but you would freeze to death if I flew high enough to go undetected through the Nomag realms.” Lumos tipped back his wings and started to descend. “It took me about six days to travel to the Singing Forest, although it would have taken me five if the Gate at Virriol had not taken me to the wrong destination. That was the Magus’s doing, no doubt.” He set Thalia down gently on the grass. “We will travel through Nomag realms and magyck realms, so we will require the horses for transport. I will use circles of light to jump from Gate to Gate where possible, but I cannot use magyck in the Nomag realms. This is because I cannot see Nomags through the circle, and we may well land on some of them.”

  She shuddered at the thought of hurting anyone. “I see.”

  “I am looking forward to some privacy tonight, butterfly.” Lumos brushed a kiss on her hair.

  She leaned back against his chest, drinking in his scent and wallowing in the delight of his radiant heat. She sighed. Oh, goddess … so am I.

  Chapter Two

  Fullmount Castle

  The Magus of Fullmount pressed the palms of his hands on the table each side of the copper scrying bowl and gazed into the image floating on the surface. Anger shimmered through him. He dashed a hand through the surface of the water and glared at his brother.

  “Lucifer’s wings, Boris, do tell how a Nomag had the power to disintegrate my magyck circle?” He straightened. “Apart from dragonic magyck, only one born of our blood could do such a thing.”

  “I spent a year searching for the Nightdragon’s mate. This female, Thalia, is a child and nothing other than a healer at best.” Boris lifted his chin. “It was not easy killing the queen and manipulating the king’s mind to make the man banish the girl to the Singing Forest. Nor was it simple to get into Drakka and seduce that bitch of a Faerie, Lucinda, in order for you to trap Lumos. I can only assume the Dragonfae has instructed her in some fashion.” He cleared his throat. “Drog … you are my brother, why would I deceive you?”

  Biting back rage, Drog moved toward his brother, his long robes swishing against the paved floor. He wanted to claw at his throat for air. The atmosphere in the gloomy dungeon, filled with the acrid stench of potions bubbling in great cauldrons on the hearth, closed in around him. The Dragonfae had eluded him, broken free from his prison, and somehow, now hid under the shield of the King of the Fae. He grasped his brother’s collar, lifting the younger Magus to his toes.

  “This healer, Thalia, has blocked me from her mind, battled the Lutwych Hag, and somehow used her healing powers to kill the demigoddess Nehebkau. I have no idea how she had the magyck to release the Firedragon, but I gather she used Pyro to remove the silver bands from Lumos, and now both Dragonfae have full power. Together, these three will be difficult to destroy.” He ground his teeth. “That half-blood Elf who stirred your loins, the one with the golden hair—what was her name? Do you remember her—the one you wished to fill with your seed? Ah, yes … Angelina. Where is she, Boris?”

  “Dead… Angelina is dead.”

  Drog tightened his grip until Boris’s face turned a deep shade of purple. “Angelina’s mother, the witch they call Nell—my sources say she met with Thalia. Now, why would she do that?” He twisted the collar of Boris’s shirt. “Why would old Nell seek the company of a princess? Perhaps Thalia is not the king’s daughter?”

  “The child I sired with Angelina is dead.” Boris gasped for air. “I left her for the wolves myself. I can assure you there were no more babes. Angelina made her own way through the veil. If you must know, she destroyed herself with magyck. It was none of my doing.” He tore at his brother’s fingers. “I know nothing of Nell’s visits.”

  Trembling with rage, Drog released his grip. Magyck crackled around him as he balled his hands into fists. His brother’s ignorance in this matter surprised him. After this disturbing series of outcomes, it had taken less than five minutes to discover all he needed to know about the witch, Thalia, from King Garro’s High Priest.

  “So, brother, your plan to produce an heir backfired? Angelina’s mother, the Elf, Nell, came to us with child. I believe she was a captive of yours from a raid on Aska?”

  “Aye, brother, Angelina was the result of a mating of Duneos, a Magus from our rival clan to an Elf. She carried our rival’s blood and that of the Fae. That is why I allowed the girl to live. As soon as Angelina became old enough to breed, I impregnated her to produce an heir with magyck to rival both clans.” Boris rubbed his neck. “I poured magyck into my seed to produce a son. I planned to call him Anu … the catcher of souls. He would have been more powerful than even you.”

  The Magus opened his hands palms up. A large leather-bound volume appeared, the gold edges glistening in the gloom. The book opened and the pages flicked through in a dazzling speed before coming to rest. He held out the book to his brother and indicated an entry on the page.

  “It would seem Angelina had other plans for her babe.” He grimaced. “She had the child registered in the Book of Sorcery with the name Thalia, the opposite to your wishes. Is not Thalia the name of the protector of souls or, in Fae, the butterfly … a new beginning? It would seem Angelina embraced the goddess Cymbeline.” He raised an eyebrow. “The child lived. This abomination that hinders my way is from your loins.”

  “No! She cannot be the same person. I left Angelina’s babe with a raw leg of mutton in front of a wolf’s lair.” Boris backed away clutching his neck. “She was five days old and I gave her no name. According to our law, she never existed. Tell me why I should risk doing such a thing when I intended to kill her?”

  “Angelina sewed the babe’s name onto her clothes in plain view. King Garro made this plain when he adopted her as his own—were you too addle-brained to notice?” Drog slammed the book on the bench. “No wolf ate your child. I would wager Nell discovered your plan and followed you. She probably placed the child in the path of King Garro’s hunting party knowing a childless king would look on the babe as a gift from the gods—and—he—did.” With a screech of frustration, he clawed at his hair. “Do you understand what you have done Boris? Do you? With old Nell’s help, there is a good chance Thalia lives under the protection of Cymbeline, our sworn enemy.” He drummed his fingers on his thighs. “It is no wonder I am having such trouble controlling her. She is your child and carries both Elf and dark Magus magyck. Aye, you have created a weapon that becomes stronger by the hour and what a way for Cymbeline to twist the knife into us, Boris, by giving your child to a Dragonfae king for his mate!”

  “No! I refuse to believe this falsehood. On my honor, I—left—her—to—die.” Boris squeezed his head between two gnarled hands.

  Drog moved swiftly to his brother’s side. “Did the babe have hair? Can you remember?”

  “Aye, the child had a mass of hair.” Boris stared at him blindly. “It was red like the flames of the sun. The day the child was born, Angelina
remarked that she believed her babe had an angel’s halo.”

  Moving toward the scrying bowl, Drog waved a hand over the water. “Show me the likeness of Thalia of Broclarre.” He stared down at the image of Thalia, chestnut hair flowing down her back. With a groan, he turned to Boris. “See? Here is the product of your seed and the destroyer of dark magyck.”

  “Lucifer, protect us.” Boris fought to breathe. “What are we to do?”

  The Magus frowned down at the shimmering water. He ran a finger across the image of Thalia watching it shatter under the swirling surface. “I have ordered the Shadow Walkers to strike at any opportune moment. They are ready and well trained to take on all our enemies but killing even one of the Dragonfae will prove difficult. Rather my intention is to delay Lumos so he misses the deadline to fight for Drakka. There is no other ready for the task.”

  “What about his brother?”

  “Axim? I have thought on this. I doubt the Stardragon will leave Draconia. He will expect Lumos to win … and, in any case, he cannot rule both realms. By the time the deadline comes, it will be too late and Drakka will be mine.” He rubbed his chin. “Thalia has built a feeble attempt at a barrier to my thoughts, but I need only a second in her lapse of concentration to make her respond again to my influence. She has, after all, a larger quantity of Magi blood than Elfin and this will work in our favor. Once I am through her pathetic barrier, it should be easy enough to control her. “He rubbed his hands together and grinned at Boris. “She loves Lumos, but the transformation has confused her and she cannot understand why he refuses to mate her. I will use this worry to sow seeds of doubt in her mind about Lumos’s fidelity. I will use Lucinda to play on Thalia’s feelings of inadequacy, to prevent the mating.”

  “How do you know they are not mating now under the protection of the Fae?”

  Drog grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Because, brother dearest, Lumos has that nasty trait I despise—honor. He will wait until the battle for Drakka is won and Thalia is Fae.” He chuckled. “By that time, I will have killed the witch or, better still, I will have her chained in my dungeon for breeding. We have many Magi worthy of impregnating her to produce a bloodline with superior magyck. Yes, that is a fine idea. Very fine. I will instruct the Shadow Walkers to find Thalia and bring her to me.” He chuckled and rubbed his chin imagining Thalia at his mercy. “She is very beautiful and if she was not your daughter, Boris, I would fuck her myself.”

  Chapter Three

  The King of the Fae’s summer palace — Crystal Mountain, Nubra

  Lumos ground his teeth. The desire to take Thalia and damn the consequences had become an ongoing battle with the Nightdragon. The scent of his beautiful witch made him hard all day long. His balls throbbed and he ached to have her sweet mouth wrapped around his shaft. His mind filled with the image of her cherry lips stretched around his length, and the way her sultry eyes fixed on him with each tormenting slide. Soon, she will be mine.

  Her amazing grasp of magyck had surprised him but watching the changes in her appearance enthralled him. As a Nomag, she had a serenity, a grace of sorts, he greatly admired but gods, as a Faerie, she would be the most beautiful female in his kingdom. He recalled the Elfin female his cousin had taken as a mate. The female had changed slowly before the mating. In fact, the Elfin female had taken many months to grow her wings. Mayhap, the goddess had sped up the process with Thalia because her skin glowed like a golden peach after drinking his seed, and the speed of the changes in her, amazed him. In the few days since tasting him, the fiery thatch on her folds had almost disappeared, leaving her smooth and delectable. His mouth watered with the desire to taste her again and run his tongue around her hard little nub.

  All I can think of is bedding my mate and I must concentrate on the challenge ahead. He gave his mind a mental shake and led her into a magnificent bedchamber. Inside he stopped and gaped in amazement. The walls glowed with translucence, filling the area with a subtle radiance. Faceted crystals sat in small alcoves illuminated under a stream of light, sending a multitude of rainbows against the glossy, white crystal walls. The Faerie King’s palace overlooked a lush valley and long winding rivers. He ran the palm of one hand along the veranda railing shaped from a living tree enjoying the thrum of life under his palm. The branches entwined to form the frames for windows, each bow resplendent with fragrant blossoms. The building, cut into the side of the Crystal Mountain and maintained entirely by magyck, had an opulence he had never encountered before. He glimpsed a tub through an archway big enough to bathe six.

  “Goddess, just look at the size of this bed.” Thalia ran a hand over the royal blue velvet bedspread. “And I enjoyed that delicious meal.” She kicked off her shoes. “I have never had ambrosia before. It made me feel … ahh, sooo relaxed.” She flopped down on the bed and giggled.

  Relaxed is good. “Yes, the meal was wonderful. Thalia…” He rubbed his chin. “We are most fortunate to be here. Nox usually uses this palace to entertain his lovers in spectacular orgies, but he made an exception for us. He is very different to the Dragonfae and his allegiance is to the Goddess Boda. Unlike our peaceful Cymbeline, the Goddess Boda will war to keep her subjects safe.” He smiled and indicated to the valley below. “She values this tranquility much like Cymbeline but when her realms were threatened, she changed her black panther into the god Arious and he created the Knightwatch, the cat shifter militia to keep the realms free from demons and other predators who would cause trouble.”

  “But not you? Why has Cymbeline allowed dark magyck to destroy the Dragonfae?”

  He smiled. “We are dragons and have no predators and She gave us free will to decide which path we must take.”

  “So you have no use for the King of the Fae’s magyck?”

  “Aye, at this point in time any help would be nice but as dragons we have the most powerful magyck of all.” He took in the slight tremble of her bottom lip. “Have no fear, little one. Once you have witnessed the power of the Nightdragon, you will understand that for him, no problem is insurmountable.”

  She blinked her beautiful green eyes and her lips curled into a small smile.

  “I will look forward to meeting him.”

  “I am pleased, you have found the courage because I spoke to Pyro over dinner tonight and he is letting the Firedragon free to hunt. Would you mind if I let the Nightdragon free to fly tonight while you are asleep?”

  “Why?” Thalia rested her head on her hand. “You said he would want to mate as soon as you let him free.”

  Lumos sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hand slowly up Thalia’s leg. “Oh, he wants to mate, this is true, but he is very hungry and it has been a long time since he last ate. I need to let him free to hunt.” He grinned. “A full dragon is a contented dragon and, with luck, he will not constantly insist I mate you after he feeds. To be honest, little one, I require the Nightdragon to concentrate on the battle to come. After all, you will be his reward for winning.”

  “Am I not your reward, Lumos?” Thalia ran a hand down his chest.

  “Ah, but I can have your mouth on my cock, or taste your sweet pussy. In fact, the dragon only experiences the mating of minds during the moonfire.” He slowly unbuttoned Thalia’s buckskin breeches revealing a strip of satin skin. The overpowering need to touch her consumed him. He plunged his hands inside to savor the slide of her silken flesh under his palms. “And tonight I am going to pleasure you until you fall into a sated sleep.” He eased the breeches down her legs and inhaled her sweet feminine allure. “Your scent is intoxicating.” He bent to nuzzle her mound sliding his tongue between the crack. When she moaned in delight, he lifted his head and wet his lips. “Open your legs, little one, I need to taste you and lap your cream.”

  He loved the shudder of anticipation shimmying through her and the pebbled flesh beneath is touch. When she complied, he gazed down at her slick folds, then her thighs spread in invitation and he dipped his tongue inside her and feasted. Thalia bucked, her r
ounded hips grinding her sweetness into his seeking tongue. As he cupped her plump ass cheeks and lifted her to his mouth, her breath came in short pants. Her clit hardened full and plump to greet him and he nipped the ripe bud then suckled.

  “Lumos—gods!” She gripped the bedspread. “This is so … so wickedly delicious.”

  Honey flowed from his lover and she shuddered, undulating under him. He drove his fingers deep inside her. Her hot pulsating heat closed around him drawing him deeper. Desire clawed at his balls—he wanted to take and take again to relieve the building erotic demand. He imagined her tight channel gripping his shaft in climax and groaned. He had to be inside her and withdrew his fingers, trailing slick heat to her rear. She was so damn wet, but he would require more lubrication to ease inside her tight virgin hole. He sat up and searched the nightstand. The drawer held a variety of sex toys, thick metal phalluses, bindings and leather floggers. A few bottles of aphrodisiac oil stood to one side. He grinned. My little butterfly will love my cock in her tight ass if I use this potion. He regarded Thalia’s flushed face.

  “Let us get comfortable, little one.” He dragged his tunic over his head.

  Hovering on the edge of climax, Thalia gathered her wits and pulled her shirt over her head. She wanted to, needed to taste Lumos. The day had been so long, and she craved to have his cock in her mouth and his tongue tormenting her clit again. Overpowering desire filled her constantly, fueled by his delicious scent. She gazed up into the Dragonfae’s deep pools of lust and sighed. “Why do you make me feel like this? I want you every minute, Lumos, and my folds are wet all the time… Gods, I know Pyro can smell me.”

  “Although Dragonfae carry a beast inside, we are not like animals, sweetness. We do not scent a mate and take her without consent.” Lumos rubbed her nipples between his warm fingers. “We may enjoy many females before we mate but what we have together is different. What we feel, the need, the burning desire for each other, this is the onset of mating fever—the moonfire.” He bent his head to kiss the rosy tips. “We never mate without consent. In truth, we prefer a slow courtship. You see, my love, a Dragonfae mating is forever, so I must be sure we are matched before I mate you.” He met her gaze. “I am sure you understand?”