by Ruby Dixon
I am all for all those things.
Until then, we’re in the fort, though, and since it’s stuffy inside, we’ve taken a few blankets and pillows out onto the roof. It reminds me of that night so many weeks ago, when Liam sat with me and reassured me that all would be well with Benny. That he’d never leave my side.
It feels like it’s been a million years since then…and it also feels like no time at all.
Look, Liam tells me, pointing at the sky. Can you see them?
I look over to where he’s pointing and for a long moment, there’s nothing. Then, I feel a new presence just as I see a flash of wing in the moonlight.
A dragon.
Then, another presence touches my mind. A second dragon.
I gasp, holding his other hand tightly. “Two dragons?”
Don’t worry. Can you feel them? They’re not a danger to us.
I do feel them, but it’s not the oppressive cloud of anger and rage that normally comes with an approaching dragon. There’s nothing but calm…and curiosity. Who are they? Do we know them? Are they sane?
I’ve asked their names but they’re ignoring me. That, or they don’t know them. They’re on their way to see the child. Sallavatri. Her mental touch must be calling them.
Oh. The drakoni instincts must be kicking in when it comes to a new baby. Are Claudia and Amy in danger, then?
I don’t think so. Liam’s thoughts are equally calm. They merely want to see who touches their minds. I do not think they will harm her.
I hold Liam’s hand tightly and try to pick up emotion in his thoughts, to see if he wants to follow and go visit the baby himself, or if the nearness of the other dragons flying overhead is going to incite madness.
I’m fine, I promise. He pulls me closer, tucking me against him. I have no desire to see the baby, and no desire to attack anyone, unless they decide to come and get a closer look at you. Then, I might have to bare my fangs.
Fair enough. You think we’ll see more dragons going to visit the baby, then?
Undoubtedly. He chuckles, the sound reverberating through my head and his big chest. I don’t envy the parents. I hope they’re expecting a lot of company, because they’re going to get it.
That might mean Amy and Rast are gone for longer, I tell him, a little worried. Are you okay with that?
I am, he tells me, and his thoughts are calm. Being in my two-legged form helps…as does having you by my side. I will try to stay in this form as much as possible.
That worries me a little. Gabe’s red still lurks around the edges of the fort, just far enough away to not be confrontational, but too close for comfort. “And what about Gabe’s little friend? Is she going to see Claudia and Kael’s baby, too?”
I don’t think so. I haven’t tried reaching out to her tonight, but I don’t get the impression that Teva’s leaving.
Teva? Hearing a name gives me a stab of jealousy. So she has a name? When did this happen?
Suddenly Liam rolls and I’m under him on the blankets, his bright golden eyes smiling down at me. “I can feel your jealousy, you know.”
“Well, you should. I’m not hiding it.” I push at his chest half-heartedly. “If she’s so crazy, how does she have a name? Are you two chitchatting on the sly?”
Liam snorts. He leans in and rubs his nose against my jaw, then presses a kiss to the side of my neck, right where he bit me just a few days ago and gave me his fires. “You want to hear what she says?” His teeth scrape lightly over my skin, sending shudders through me even as he opens his mind to me.
A new mind curls in through Liam’s thoughts. It’s definitely female…and desolate and as unhinged as anything I’ve ever felt.
There is a baby. I want a baby. Where is my mate? Why won’t he challenge me? I want a baby. Where is my mate? There’s a pause, and then it starts over again, a little wilder than before. There is a baby. I want a baby. Where is my mate? Why does he hide away?
I shake my head slightly, and he closes the link, silencing the female. His tongue flicks over my skin, sending shivers of pleasure up my spine. “All right, point proven. There’s no need to be jealous. So she doesn’t think you’re her mate?”
Definitely not. She smells my fires on you. She knows I’m taken.
Then…Gabe?
She’s fascinated with him, but I don’t think it’s occurred to her that he could be her mate. I think it’s just the ramblings of an unbalanced mind.
But she knows there’s a baby, so she’s not entirely gone.
He pushes my shirt up and drags his rough tongue over my nipple, distracting me. I whimper, holding his face to my breast as I close my eyes, losing myself to his touch.
She’s not having it with me. Liam’s thoughts are silky and full of need as he kisses one aching tip and then palms the other. I have someone else I’d rather give a baby to.
I gasp, both at his words and the gentle nip of his teeth against my breast. You want to have a baby?
He lifts his head, his eyes pure gold as they meet mine. Don’t you?
Well…yes. But what if it broadcasts to the world like Claudia’s baby? Sallavatri?
Liam lowers his head again and kisses a path down to my navel. I know he’s heading for my pussy, because the man could spend all day there and never get enough. Sallavatri is sane, as far as I can tell. She’s healthy. And if our baby brought a lot of company, she’d be the safest child in two worlds, because no one would ever hurt her. There’s nothing but joy in the minds of the dragons racing to visit. They’re excited for her presence.
Then let’s make a baby, I tell him, utterly breathless.
My sweet Atalim presses a kiss to my mound, then gives me a long, delicious lick that makes my legs slide apart and my body sing.
That’s not how you do it, I tease him, gasping.
So impatient, he tells me. Don’t worry, my sweet mate. I’ll give you everything I have.
And as I gaze up at the stars overhead, he does.
Epilogue
Elsewhere
CLAUDIA
“Can I hold her?” I ask, putting my arms out. “You’re hogging the baby.”
Not hogging. She likes being with her papa.
Kael moves toward me, his gaze locked on the tiny creature in his big arms. I bite back my exasperation because the picture of him entranced by his daughter is too sweet for words. The baby holds onto his shorn claw, gazing up at him adoringly.
“Is she hungry?” My breasts hurt and leak, which is a pretty new sensation. Then again, all of this is. I was still getting used to being pregnant and then in the space of what felt like a month, my belly popped out like a turkey thermometer, and then the next thing I knew, I was in labor.
Now, Sallavatri’s here, fat and sassy and with a full head of bright golden hair, a name that she apparently chose, and a mental set of lungs that brings every dragon for miles out to our tower to see her.
Kael sits down on the bed next to me and hands her over. She misses your warmth.
I try not to feel jealous as he hands her over. “It’s so unfair that you can hear her and I can’t.”
She is broadcasting her thoughts like any drakoni young, he tells me, caressing my cheek as I put my child to my breast. Sallavatri latches on, suckling, and gazes up at me as she nurses. I haven’t seen a human baby in a while, but she seems fuller in the face and far more alert than most newborns. Or maybe that’s just the proud mother in me. Either way, I smile and think encouraging thoughts in her direction as she nurses and watches me.
I am here, Kael tells me. His eyes are pure gold as he watches me feed our daughter. Even if you cannot hear her, I can share my connection to her. You will not be left out.
I smile at him. “I’m not trying to pout. She’s just so amazing and I want to be as much of her world as you are.”
You are everything to both of us, my fires, he tells me, and when he gazes down at me possessively, I feel warm and content.
I thought I had a bit more time
to get used to the idea of being a mom, but I can’t be sad that she’s here early.
She’s perfection.
Thank you so much for reading! Keep turning pages to read my end notes, hints at what’s next and for links to other books in the series! Everything I write is in Kindle Unlimited, so if this is your first time (aww, you’re a Ruby virgin!) go borrow like mad! <3
Author’s Note
Hello again!
I hope you’ve enjoyed Andi and Liam’s story! I’ve wanted to write about Liam, oh, for about a year or more now. I fell in love with the idea of a nomad-that’s-not-really-a-nomad and a drakoni man blending in with the rest of the world, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Liam’s choices set up all kinds of delicious problems with his attraction to Andi, and it was so much fun to write their push-pull relationship.
As for Andi, there were a lot of aspects to her personality that I wanted to explore. She tries to come across as kind of a badass toting around her shotgun, but the moment she fainted on page, I knew she was a liar and just pretending really hard. That interested me, and digging in, I learned she had a tricky past and that was also something I wanted to play around with. Sometimes it’s easier to be the girl that says ‘yes’ instead of ‘no’ and every woman has experienced situations that she might have later realized was a bad idea. Compound that with the small, closed-in feel of the forts and the powerlessness that most people had (and the power-hungry ego of those that did have power) and I could see it as a situation ripe for abuse. It’s one of those tricky situations where ‘just because you said yes doesn’t make it consent’ sorts of things and I could also see that affecting how she reacted in the future when Liam showed interest in her.
Also, I’m starting to sound like a huge dork in these author notes. I’ve always been one of those people that says she doesn’t have a muse and yet here I am talking about how characters introduce themselves. It’s okay to roll your eyes - I am, too! It’s just that I have definite ideas for some characters, whereas others show who they are when they arrive on the page. Liam I had a general idea for - Andi I did not until I wrote her hoisting around that shotgun and tossing her braid.
And then, of course, she just had to be a heroine. :)
A minor housekeeping note - in this book, Benny is 14. In FIRE IN HIS FURY I believe he was 14, and in FIRE IN HIS SPIRIT his age was mentioned as 16. I’m officially going on the record here and saying his age is 14, and I’m going back to correct the earlier instance. Right now, there are a few of you slapping your foreheads and wondering how such a thing gets missed, right? Don’t worry, I’m slapping my forehead, too!
Of course…I am that someone that doesn’t remember names or dates or why I walked into the kitchen. Basically, I live in a bubble. My husband can tell you all about how I didn’t remember his birthday for the first five years we were together and I still have to pull out our marriage license to remember what our anniversary was (it was a Tuesday! That’s all I remember!). So you’ll have to forgive me if I get dates and ages wrong from time to time.
You might also be saying to yourself, doesn’t Ruby have worldbuilding bibles? Yes, yes she does. She also forgets to reference them…
Like I said - I live in a happy bubble of my own making where dates don’t exist, like gray hairs and calories. :)
I’ve got two more books planned in this series at the moment. Gabe will have a book, which should be obvious after reading this one! I’ve had SO many people write me and ask why the lady dragons haven’t gotten their own book. My answer has always been the same - if I can think of a story, I’ll do one! And for the longest, I couldn’t think of a story. But in writing this one, I had an epiphany and I think that book will be fun to write and a nice, interesting shake up!
Azar and Melina’s book is tentatively planned as the last book in the series, but if I think of others or have new stories to tell, I might squeeze another in there. I love the dragons, but they’re also a lot harder for me to write than barbarians, so I don’t know if this series will go on as long as that one. I try to give all my series equal love but I also have to acknowledge that not every series can go on for forever.
(I am always open to fan input, though! So if you have something you’re absolutely DYING to see or feel I’ve neglected a particular storyline, drop me a line on Facebook!)
Audio for this book will be out in about 3-4 months. I know it’s a bit of a wait, but they have to have time to schedule the narrators and work it into their schedules. I’ve asked to keep the same narrators throughout the series because as a reader I find it jarring to have narrators switch out, so I hope you guys don’t mind the wait for the good stuff! <3 I think they do a fantastic job and can’t wait for them to bring Liam and Andi to life.
As for what’s next, I’m currently juggling my schedule at the moment and trying to fit together the pieces of the puzzle. I’ve got a New York book to squeeze in this spring (under my secret name) but I’m determined to keep Ruby’s release schedule hopping. So I’ll release that information soon enough on Ruby’s Facebook! Stay tuned.
If you’ve read this far, I just want to gush on a few people. Kati, for always making my covers spectacular and over the top. You really are a total genius and you can make something amazing out of my totally hand-wavy suggestions. I’m constantly in awe of your talent and thrilled to be your friend. Also, to my editor Eagle — your comments always make me laugh. I promise someday I’ll learn the difference between lay/lie and ‘there are’ vs ‘there’s’ but I figure I need to give you something to do. Yeah, that’s it. ;)
For my readers — you guys are the best fans and I can’t thank you enough. Please know that I read all your comments and suggestions and you guys always make my day better. You guys are an utter dream and I love all of you!!
<3
Ruby
PS - If you are the type to leave a review, would you be so kind? It helps the book ‘stick’ on Amazon and helps me as an author. And if you’re not the type to review, that’s okay too! No pressure at all. <3
The Fireblood Dragons Series
Just getting started? Here’s a quick run-down of the other titles in this series!
Fire in His Blood
For breaking the law, Claudia’s chained up and left as an offering to the ravenous dragon attacking Fort Dallas. But that ravenous dragon wants a mate, and he picks Claudia.
Fire in His Kiss
Poor, fragile Sasha’s been kidnapped by Dakh, who’s utterly lost in his crazed thoughts. The only thing that gets through to him is her touch. Does she dare mate the dragon?
Fire in His Embrace
It’s Emma’s fault that Zohr’s been captured by the bad guys. It’s up to her to save him, but there’s only one way to tame a dragon…with a mating!
Fire in His Fury
Amy’s dreamed of someone that could love her with every breath in his body. But when wild, terrifying Rast shows up, she’s not sure that’s exactly what she had in mind.
Fire In His Spirit
Mating with Vaan means that Gwen must give up her friends, her family, and her leadership of her fort for a stranger…
Like Audio? You can also listen to this series on audiobook! (Audio is released about 3-4 months after each book.)
Ruby Dixon Reading List
FIREBLOOD DRAGONS
Fire in His Blood
Fire in His Kiss
Fire in His Embrace
Fire in His Fury
Fire In His Spirit
Fire in His Veins (this book!)
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)<
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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
The Barbarian Before Christmas (novella)
Barbarian’s Beloved
CORSAIRS
THE CORSAIR’S CAPTIVE
IN THE CORSAIR’S BED
ENTICED BY THE CORSAIR
DECEIVING THE CORSAIR
STAND ALONE
PRISON PLANET BARBARIAN
THE ALIEN’S MAIL-ORDER BRIDE
BEAUTY IN AUTUMN
THE KING’S SPINSTER BRIDE
THE ALIEN ASSASSIN’S CONVENIENT WIFE
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