by Julia Mills
It had been written in the Carte de Secrete, over two thousand years ago that a woman of Petrescu Family would take her rightful place as the Head of the Clan. Willa’s mother, Vadoma, had read the same passage every night, kind of like a bedtime story but as more of a promise. “The day will come when Dragons once again soar in the skies above with the sun glittering off their scales and fire springing from their lips. They will usher in the beginning of great change, a new beginning for the Petrescu Family whose leader, the Valiant Protector shall take her rightful place as Queen and Ruler. She will lead the Family into the future, giving them hope for the future and a renewed purpose.”
Pushing Willa’s hair off her forehead, Vadoma kissed her daughter’s head before sitting back and smiling. “That is you, Willa, my brave mica printesa. Your papa may be in the Heavens but you have his heart and his strength. Always remember that Iubirea mea. Never forget.”
“What are you over there thinkin’ so hard about?” Mars’ hand squeezed hers, pulling her from the past, out of her memories and back to the present. “You better tone it down before we get to the Curtain. You’re glowing like the neon lights at the Drive-In.”
Moving his hand to shift gears as he took a left, her best friend added, “One of those old dudes gets a whiff of you and we’ll have to fight our way out. They’ll be out for blood if they get a whiff of power like yours.”
“Maybe a little bloodshed is just what I need.”
“Yours or mine?”
“Theirs,” she barked with sarcastically sinister laughter as she raised her head and looked at the side of Mars’ face, before adding with a snicker, “We can’t let anything happen to that baby face of yours, now can we?” Reaching across the seat, she ightly pinched his cheek and added, “All the swooning little girls would be just devastated.”
Glancing her way and batting his impossibly long eyelashes over his lavender eyes, Mars quickly looked back at the road and snorted, “Oh stop, you’re makin’ me blush.”
Laughing together as they pulled up in front of one of the only bars within a hundred-mile radius where they could go without every Billy Bob, Jake and Hoss looking for a fight, Willa was out of the car and halfway up the steps before Mars had time to shut off the engine.
“In a hurry, Will?” He teased at her back.
“Hell yes, I’m in a hurry. I need my brain to shut down and my nerves to calm and that calls for Jose, Jack, Jim, and all their friends.”
Pushing open the old salon style doors and walking straight into a thick cloud of smoke, Willa eyes immediately adjusted, her hypersensitive sight kicking into gear as the heels of her well-worn boots hit the scuffed wooden floor boards with true purpose. A group of older Romani’s, men who’d known her parents, some who’d been close friends of her dad’s and had shown her step-father the way out of their Clan, all raised their glasses and hollered her name.
“Hey there,” she called over her shoulder. “Y’all buyin’?”
Josef, the man who was like an uncle to her, had been her dad's best friend and who, when he'd seen her mother's black eye, had grabbed her step-father by the throat and nearly killed him, yelled to the bartender, "Willa's drinks are on my tab. Give her whatever she wants and keep ‘em comin'."
Spinning on her heels, she curtsied deeply and bowed her head before standing back up and waving her hand. "Thanks, Joe. I gotcha next time."
Seeing him tip his chin as acknowledgment, she spun back around and had just wrapped her fingers around her first shot of Jack Daniels when Mars sidled up beside her and teased, "Starting without me? Isn't that a party foul?"
Throwing back her shot, loving the burn as the warm amber liquid coated her throat, stilled the voices and eased her tension, Willa slammed the shot glass down on the bar and nodded, “Probably, but I’ll have to owe you later.”
“Yeah, I’ll add it to your tab,” Mars chuckled before ordering a beer and pushing a stool into Willa’s backside then getting on another himself.
Drinking in companionable silence while the sounds of the bar floated all around them, Willa was just about to down her fifth shot when gnarled fingers appeared on her forearm and a haggard, old, black and rose carpetbag landed on the bar to her right. Turning to see who belonged to both, she could only gasp as she blinked to be sure she wasn’t hallucinating, already drunk, or both.
Grinning a toothless smirk, Raluca, the oldest of their Clan, a powerful vrăjitoare and a recluse who lived in a cave on the other side of the river, chuckled, “Happy to see me or think I’m a ghost?”
“Yes and yes?”
“Well, I’m not dead yet, so, let’s go with ‘you’re happy to see me’.”
Nodding because she couldn’t speak from the shock at seeing the one woman more powerful than she, Willa stared as the four-foot-nine-inch woman who was as wide as she was tall climbed onto the stool beside her and pulled out an antique flask. Unscrewing the lid, the harsh scent of Raluca’s own ‘brew’ bit at Willa’s nose as the old woman took a long, deep swig.
Setting the silver and jeweled decanter on the bar, Raluca’s knotted fingers returned to Willa’s arm as the older Witch leaned in closer and with the index finger of her free hand motioned for the younger woman to do the same. Doing as she was told, knowing Raluca only appeared when she absolutely had to, Willa held her breath as the older woman whispered, “Tonight, when the light of the moon is hidden by the clouds and darkness falls over the land, you must go to the man in your visions. Only you can save him. Without you, he will die and the hopes of our people with him.”
Leaning back and taking another sip of her flask, Raluca added, “It is your Destiny, Willa Elizabeta. Your entire reason for being.”
“But, I don’t know where he is, who he is, or how to help him.”
Not waiting for Raluca’s answer, Willa swiveled her seat back to the front and downed the shot on the bar in front of her. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she turned back to ask the old Witch for more details only to find the stool empty and a necklace on the bar.
Picking up the heavy silver chain, Willa let the huge, teardrop-shaped ruby dangle in the air. Mesmerized by the dragon in flight etched within, Raluca’s words replayed in her mind.
My Destiny? Damn, seems to be a common thread here lately…
Looking closer, the image of the man from her dreams became superimposed over the gem, his face lax and his eyes closed in sleep. It was the most peaceful she'd ever seen him. Looking closely, she focused on his mouth, his cracked and bleeding lips barely noticeable through his matted, black beard.
Needing to hear what he was mumbling, pulled farther and farther into the vision, Willa’s world began to spin. Her stool leaned backward. The tips of her fingers grazed the bar, trying to grab hold. Her feet flew into the air and then with a bone-jarring thud her ass hit the floor.
Not intentionally ignoring Mars and Joe as they lifted her off the floor, asking if she was alright and fussing about, Willa was simply unable to speak, unable to believe what she heard, hardly able to breathe. Leaning on Mars’ arm to remain upright all she could do was listen as the man in her mind murmured, “Willa…Willa…Willa…”
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Book #1 in the Dragon Guard Series
HER DRAGON TO SLAY
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Sassy and stubborn have gotten Kyndel through everything life had to throw at her. Will her moxie help when destiny falls at her feet?
Hundreds of years of loyalty to Dragon Guard have made Rayne a fearless leader. When the long-foretold pull of his mate rocks the Commander’s world to its core will he be able to save her from his enemies in time?
The chemistry between this strong-willed curvy girl and fierce warrior makes all the difference in the world where nothing is as it seems. The existence of an ancient race of honor-clad, tradition-bound protectors might be hard to accept but now th
e dead are coming back to life and holding a knife to her neck.
Can these fated mates defeat their greatest enemies and get their happily ever after?
Fate Will Not Be Denied!!
About Julia
Find all my stories on Amazon!
Hey Y’all! I’m Julia Mills the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Dragon Guard Series. I without a doubt admit to being a sarcastic, southern woman who would rather spend all day laughing than a minute crying. Living with my two most amazing daughters and a menagerie of animals, keeps me busy but I love telling a good story. Now, that I’ve decided to write the stories running through my brain, life is just a blast!
My beliefs are simple. A good book along with shoes, makeup, and purses will never let a girl down and no hero ever written will compare to my real-life hero, my dad! I’m a sucker for a happy ending and alpha men make me swoon.
I’m still working on my story but I promise it will contain as much love and laughter as I can pack into it! Now, go out there and create your own story!!! Dare to Dream! Have the Strength to Try EVERYTHING! Never Look Back!
I ABSOLUTELY adore stalkers so look me up on Facebook, sign up for my newsletter at JuliaMillsAuthor.com and follow me on Amazon.
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XOXO Julia
Also by Julia Mills
Find Them All on Amazon
*****
The Dragon Guard Series
Her Dragon to Slay, Dragon Guard #1
Her Dragon’s Fire, Dragon Guard #2
Haunted by Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #3
For the Love of Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #4
Saved by Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #5
Only for Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #6
Fighting for Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #7
Her Dragon’s Heart, Dragon Guard #8
Her Dragon’s Soul, Dragon Guard #9
The Fate of Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #10
Her Dragon’s No Angel, Dragon Guard #11
Her Dragon, His Demon, Dragon Guard #12
Resurrecting Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #13
The Scars of Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #14
Her Mad Dragon, Dragon Guard #15
Tears for Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #16
Guarding Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #17
Sassing Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #18 (Sassy Ever After Kindle World)
Kiss of Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #19
Claws, Class and a Whole Lotta Sass, Dragon Guard #20(Sassy Ever After Kindle World)
Dragon with the Girl Tattoo, Dragon Guard #21 (Paranormal Dating Agency Kindle World)
Dragon Down, Dragon Guard #22 (Part of the Fire Kissed Box Set)
Twinkle, Twinkle, Sassy Little Star, Dragon Guard #23 (Sassy Ever After Kindle World)
Dragon Got Your Tongue, Dragon Guard #24 (Paranormal Dating Agency Kindle World)
Her Dragon’s Fury, Dragon Guard #25 (One True Mate Kindle World)
Dragon in the Mist, Dragon Guard #26
Dragon Got Run Over by A Reindeer, Dragon Guard #27 (Part of the 12 Magical Nights of Christmas Boxed Set)
Tangled in Tinsel, Dragon Guard #28
Her Dragon's Treasure, Dragon Guard #29
Her Love, Her Dragon: The Saga Begins, A Dragon Guard Prequel
*****
The ‘Not-Quite’ Love Story Series
Vidalia: A ‘Not-Quite Vampire Love Story
Phoebe” A ‘Not-Quite’ Phoenix Love Story
Zoey: A ‘Not-Quite’ Zombie Love Story
Jax: A ‘Not-Quite’ Puma Love Story
Heidi: A ‘Not-Quite’ Hellhound Love Story (Magic & Mayhem Kindle World)
Lola: A ‘Not-Quite’ Witchy Love Story (Magic & Mayhem Kindle World)
Sammie Jo: A ‘Not-Quite’ Shifting Witchy Love Story (Magic & Mayhem Kindle World)
Harmony: A ‘Not-Quite’ Haunted Love Story (Magic & Mayhem Kindle World)
*****
Kings of the Blood
VIKTOR: Heart of Her King ~ Kings of the Blood ~ Book 1
ROMAN: Fury of Her King ~ Kings of the Blood ~ Book2
ACHILLES: Soul of Her King ~ Kings of the Blood ~ Book 3
*****
CAUGHT: A Vampire Blood Courtesan Romance
*****
MARROK: A Wolf’s Hunger
*****
Out of the Ashes: Guardians of the Zodiac: Pisces ~ Book 1
Scorched Ember: Guardians of the Zodiac: Taurus ~ Book 2