“More than, baby.” Christ! How much more would he be able to stand seeing her naked, offering him the traditional gestures and words of the ceremony with a smile before he could dispense with the dragonkind’s custom and get on to all the goodness he knew she held between her lips, her thighs?
Taking the package, he carefully opened it and pulled off a springy piece. Nice! Spice cake had always been one of his favorites.
“Here’s water from a fresh spring.” Her hands held a carafe typically used to decanter wine, only with a lid. As his eyes went to it, wondering at the amount of bacteria it might contain and how many days he might suffer from bowel-distress with only a sip, she giggled. “I used water treatment tablets on it, dragon-man.”
“Good to know,” he acknowledged with a wink before popping the top and taking a long swallow of the fluid which was almost sweet in its freshness.
She sighed after he set the decanter down on the rocks next to the rewrapped cake. “Lastly, I offer myself.”
Oh goddamn, whatever it was she was thinking lit her eyes from within, making her into a painting of glowing, verdant skin, full lips and shining hair.
A treasure too gorgeous for words.
“I give you my body for comfort and the ease of your needs,” she whispered on a shaking breath. “If we are blessed with a child, a mix of the two of us with a dragon’s fire in his heart given at his conception, I’ll care for him within the cradle of my womb just as I will embrace him in my heart and arms.”
Christ! Her saying the words the other dragons had given him was more powerful, struck him at such a gut-level it stole his breath away. Beating back the emotions that clogged his throat, Ti’eron looked her dead in the eyes. “I, Ti’eron Stalwar, human-paired with Ver’gren, accept your gifts, Adrienne Votte. We find you more than suitable and take you as our mate without reservations.”
“Dragonnn-trinnne,” Ver’gren breathed and Ti’eron’s mouth heated as a flicker of flames appeared. He took a step forward, his bare feet sliding on the tiny pebbles of the lake’s beach.
She met him halfway but placed a hand over his mouth. “No kissing until all the fire is gone, okay?”
As compromises went with his Adri, and Ti’eron knew there’d be many more of them in their future, the one she requested in that moment, the one at the true instance of their pairing was something he could more than agree to. When his lips met hers, as he held her amazing body in his arms, he couldn’t help but open his eyes.
“So are you going to take me to bed or just keep squashing your mouth against my teeth?”
“Take you to bed.” He liked the buzzing of their lips as they tried to talk without disconnecting.
She blinked and the twinkle in her eye caused the steel between his legs to flex. “And yet here we stand, naked as jaybirds.”
Christ, how he loved this woman!
He bent, surprising her at his sudden move to lift her into his arms, to cradle her in his arms and against his heart. Looping her arms around his neck, she brought her shining eyes to his as he stepped to the dragon-made lean-to. “A long time ago, I promised you I would never leave you.”
“Yeah,” she said, tucking her face into his neck. “You did.”
“Can you consider that a promise kept, baby?”
She pulled back, glancing at him, at the fire and the small greenery covered structure Ver’gren so vigilantly built, the one holding the multi-blanketed air mattress. When she tilted her chin up to his, she was smiling with both her mouth and her eyes.
Christ!
Smiling with her very being.
“Yeah, Eron,” she breathed. “I do.”
#.#.#.#.#
Author Bio – J.A. Hornbuckle
Aren’t we all curious about the person who wrote the story we read? I know I am.
Here’s what I know about myself:
--I love red wine (although I’ve been known to enjoy a Fireball shot or two)
--Live music gives me tingles no matter what style (…well, opera isn’t really my thing!)
--Muscled, tatted, long-haired men are my own personal kryptonite.
--I can’t deal with the cold which is why I live in Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Of course that’s just the tip of the ice-berg when it comes to this lady!
At first meeting me people often think I’m somber and a little stand-offish. I’m really not. It’s a case of my outsides not matching my insides. Because there’s a freaking party in my head almost twenty-four/seven.
I’m old enough to know better but still young enough to do it anyway (…the BEST part of aging is that you know the CONSEQUENCES of your actions and weigh the outcome of resulting punishment accordingly!)
I love reading and writing, especially romances but only where the ‘man’ portion is a part of the ro-man-ce word.
And…I believe, have complete faith, that there are happily-ever-afters. I hope you do too.
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.jahornbuckle.com *be sure to sign up for my newsletter*
Twitter: @JAHornbuckle
GoodReads: J A Hornbuckle
Other Books by J.A. Hornbuckle
The Grantham Series
**Pole Dance (Jake and Caitlin)
**Human Hieroglyphix 1 (Dex and Leila)
**Tap Dance (Marianne and Ram)
**Human Hieroglyphix II (Crys and Gabe)
**Bewitchments 1 (Trevor and Zoe)
**A Grantham Christmas (compilation)
**Last Dance (Paul Adler) (coming in 2016)
**Bewitchments 2 (Niko and Samantha) (coming in 2016)
Stand Alones
**Everybody Falls
**Hiding in Plain Sight (prequel to the Hellions Motorcycle Club)
Hellions Motorcycle Club Series
**The Possibility of Trey
**Reinventing Mel
**Taking a Dare
**A Civilian for Silo
**Checkmate with Bishop
Mate Search Series (Sci-Fi Romance)
**Rykhan (full length novel based on Love Without Boundaries Novella, Mate Search—First Contact)
Rylin’s Fire
The Four Kings-A novel of the Dracol
By Michelle Howard
Published by Michelle Howard
Copyright © 2015 by Michelle Howard
License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. The eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this novel with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please buy an additional copy for each recipient.
No part of this book may be distributed in any format, in whole or in part without the express written consent of the author.
Thank you for respecting the author's hard work.
This is a work of fiction and is not a reflection or representation of any person living or dead. Any similarity is of pure coincidence.
Rylin’s Fire
Rylin thought he’d lost everything when his mate left him to bond with another. Then in a surprising twist of fate he inherited the mantle of leadership. Now Rylin rules the Black Dracol but it’s a lonely life. With hopes of finding another mate, he attends a mating party and finds the fates aren’t done with him yet. An Earth woman captures his heart with one flash of her endearing smile and the open ability to laugh at herself.
Acknowledgments
This was my happiest and saddest book to write. Happy because I’ve been bouncing in my seat at writing a dragon shifter romance all year. But it also made me so very sad because I wrote it during a difficult time in my life. Maybe the most difficult time any little girl could ever go through.
Love you, daddy. I finished another book ((smile))
Chapter 1
It was time.
Rylin strode down the long hall of the royal palace, the sound
of his boots ringing against the stone floor. Mounted portraits of past Kings held prominence along the walls, revitalizing him despite the reason for his presence today. Spine straight, Rylin continued. Rows of men, fellow warriors, marched with him until they reached the throne room. The tone and atmosphere shifted as soon as they all crossed the threshold.
Grief hung in the air, increasing as more entered the room behind him. With a heavy heart, Rylin mirrored the males around him and removed his shirt to bare his torso. He wadded the material into a ball on the floor and dropped to one knee before the massive chair on the dais. Their King sat upright, hands gripping the rounded ends of the arms.
Lines of strain and weariness marked a face once filled with happiness and grace. Grooves marred the sleek waves of amber streaked, brown hair. A body made fit by war dwarfed the elaborate chair with its carved scrollwork and heavy jeweled embellishments. Gold, glittering eyes surveyed the people amassed in the throne room, pausing when they reached Ry. The King nodded his head in recognition then shifted to eye the others entering.
Soon the hall overflowed with males and females, though most of the women crowded to the far right of the room. Ry remained poised on his bent knee as he searched the crowd, scanning for a familiar face. He froze when his gaze landed on Mikal, one of his best friends and fellow soldier. For years, they served together under the King’s army. Beside him, Mikal’s lira, Sana, cradled their new baby but months old.
Sana smiled at Mikal and leaned up to kiss her blond mate’s cheek. Ry flinched, unable to look away from the couple. Sana had once smiled at him in that special way, lips curled, eyes shining as if her world centered on him.
Of course, that all changed when he failed to create a child with her. Month after month, Sana’s ire increased until she requested their mate bond be severed. It had hurt Rylin’s pride for his lira to announce her decision to leave him. He might have forgiven her if she hadn’t deliberately chased another, a fellow warrior Rylin called friend, and rubbed Ry’s face in their successful mating.
Since she’d bonded with Mikal, Rylin went out of his way to avoid her, though it proved difficult when she insisted on attending warrior affairs and gatherings where she knew he’d be present. Fortunately, his friendship with Mikal endured aside from the initial discomfort.
Sana turned in his direction and their eyes met across the expanse. His heart seized and air trapped in his throat. Gold eyes, like most of their people had, stared and narrowed. Then, proving her heart to be as cold as their mating bed had become, Sana turned away and cooed to her baby.
Bitter pain sliced through Rylin’s heart for the child he’d once longed for. Mikal kissed the top of Ani’s red hair—a match to her mother’s, tickled the baby’s fat cheeks, and joined the others by going to one knee and removing his shirt. They exchanged glances and Mikal nodded.
Rylin heaved a sigh, shoving regret far away, and faced forward. The large chambered doors clattered closed behind them. King Sarkin stayed quiet a moment, allowing the silence to gain steam. Time slowed as the tense pall spread, and then he spoke.
“We know why I have gathered those of the Black.” His voice resonated with ancient power.
One of the females against the wall cried out. Her blonde hair lay in loose coils about her shoulders. As always, her dress and manner proclaimed her royalty despite her pale features and tearstained eyes.
King Sarkin smiled at his lira gently. “My time has come and I’m not afraid of the great beyond. Save your tears, my heart.”
Rylin braced his hands on the floor as his shoulders grew taut. He wasn’t surprised. King Sarkin had marked his two hundredth year among them this year. A king did not summon all of the males in his caste with such short notice unless the end was near.
“The essence of my Dracol,” King Sarkin continued, once again facing the men gathered, “will choose a worthy male to carry on the Black mantle. I only request that he who rises in my stead take care of my lira in my absence.”
Another choked cry came from Queen Miram.
“Will my last order as your King be heeded?” King Sarkin asked.
The room rumbled with the shouted reply as it echoed through out. “Yes, Sire!”
Though Rylin called out his response as loud as the others, one look at the Queen and he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t choose the path of others before her. When the king died, the queen more often than not chose to follow.
King Sarkin sighed and leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees, palms clasped together. His voice when he spoke next was lower, rougher. “Let us not linger. I’m weary.”
Every man in the room kept their gaze forward. Many hoped, prayed to be selected to wear the weight of the mantle and assume the crown. Rylin had no such desires or cares. He was content with his lot in life, but his essence swelled in preparation. Centuries’ old instinct could not be denied and his nature fought for dominance.
“I summon the mantle.” The room vibrated with energy as the King called forth the root of the Black Dracol power.
Lightning cracked overhead and flashes of light filled the room. Rylin found himself grinding his teeth as wave after wave of power cascaded over him and the floor trembled beneath him. Others hunched over, and loud groans followed.
“Bring forth the new King and a new reign!” King Sarkin roared, rising to his feet, arms extended over his head.
Even more power gathered and coalesced. Someone screamed to the left of Ry and fell to the side. The males around him began to collapse under the strain of the mantle seeking another.
Ry curled his fingers into balled fists, knuckles turning white as he pressed them into the tiles until the pain distracted him from the pounding his body took. Thunder boomed above and the walls heaved.
Panting from the overload, Ry dropped his head in time to witness the floor buckle. With every muscle straining, he forced his head back up.
King Sarkin shouted, his back arched. “Is there none worthy, oh mighty one?”
Mikal grunted and fell to his stomach, limbs splayed. Rylin recognized Sana’s scream of denial. “No! Get up!”
Arms trembling, Rylin checked on his friend, relieved to see his chest rising. The relief was short lived. Rylin reared back on his haunches as a fist slammed into his mid-section. Pain exploded in his head and radiated throughout his entire body. His teeth grinded and uncontrollable grunts broke out as he sustained blow after blow.
Through blurry eyes, Ry saw King Sarkin’s gaze lock on him. The King’s amber eyes lightened. Relief glinted and his mouth curved upward.
“Rylin,” he whispered. “A good choice.”
A bolt of lightning burst from the King’s chest and struck Rylin dead center. Rylin’s last clear image showed King Sarkin slumping to the floor then hundreds of voices slammed into his head and fire lit a path down his spine. He screamed at the sensation of burning skin being peeled from his back.
Rylin’s perception dimmed as phantom claws ripped him open from the base of his neck down the length of his spine to the top of his hip. His essence rose at last to meet the burden and wrapped around him to buffer the effect. He fell forward on his hands and knees, shaking. The voices faded until one word repeated itself clearly.
‘Mantle.’
‘Mantle.’
Rylin’s awareness came back in small increments. Females cried, males moaned, and he couldn’t stop his own choked gasps as he continued to twitch with residual spasms. When he lifted his head, one of the King’s men grasped him about the shoulder and helped him to his feet.
“What happened?” Rylin mumbled, trying to restore his balance. Everything around him wavered, his vision going in and out of focus.
“Come with me,” Nolan instructed.
Rylin followed blindly as they headed toward the throne, one stumbling step at a time. At the foot of the gold dais, a pile of black ashes on the floor swirled then flew out the open window. Confused, Rylin blinked as Nolan helped him to sit on a cushioned seat.
“The mantle has chosen,” Nolan announced. “All hail King Rylin of the Black Dracol.”
Chapter 2
10 years later
“Are you sure you want to do this, Dara?” Her mother asked.
“I’m certain, Mom.” Dara placed the last item into her carry on. The lone duffel bag didn’t allow for many belongings, but the government held strict to the one bag requirement for all participants in the Singles Program.
Honor McDaniel twisted her fingers together in front of her, drawing Dara’s attention. Dressed in simple drawstring pants in a neutral tone with a short sleeve white top, her mother could have passed for her twin. “I can’t believe you’ll be so far away from me, honey.”
Dara slid her luggage to the floor, then crossed the small space of their living room, skirting around a scuffed coffee table with its chipped corner. The imperfection in the otherwise flawless piece of furniture came from Dara’s attempt to fly from the cushioned sofa as a child. She’d taken a header and had the small scar beneath her hair as proof.
“I’ll only be out of touch physically. Technology on Vovin will allow us to still talk and see each other on the view screens.”
Honor huffed out a sigh. “It’s not the same as hugging my baby when she’s having a down day.”
Dara squeezed her mother tight. “Everything will be fine. You’ll see. Now are you going to give me a ride and drop me off?”
Honor rolled her green eyes. “You know I will. You’re moving to another world, an alien planet, and you’re not coming back. I want to soak up every moment possible.”
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