Deep River Shifters 4 Book Box Set

by Lisa Daniels

  “I’m serious,” Noely said, pushing Cyprian on his back and leaning over him.

  “So am I, but if you mean what is your species, you are something that is actually rarer than sorcerers and sorceresses.” Her eyes widened, but she did not interrupt. “Oh, they get a bad name, and not really for a good reason anymore as they tend to keep to themselves and deal with what they are on their own. In fact, there are seven of them knocking about in Letera right now. They rarely know that there are others in the world, although some of them assume it. They find it much safer to hide who they are and try to act like ordinary witches and wizards. Kind of sad, really, given what they can do. The most powerful one is in Senones, but I hear that she has calmed down since taking a rather stiff and humorless dragon shifter as her mate.”

  “What?” Noely wasn’t sure if he was being serious or playing a trick on her.

  “It’s true, but there is nothing to worry about from them. She’s actually quite entertaining. I met her myself a couple of times. Sweet girl, just needed someone to help her feel comfortable. Can’t say that I care much for her choice, but then I don’t have to live with Calixto, so not really my concern. Plus, she is in a much better position to help the next one that is about to be born. Different clan, but same continent. That child is in for a world of difficulty because his parents are in trouble right now. It will only get worse if someone doesn't do something to help them.”

  “You are someone, you can help them.” She looked at her lover with pleading eyes.

  “As a water dragon, I’m not exactly welcome there. Not that they can tell I’m there without encountering me, but I try to minimize the damage. With Hisa on his way there, they may take it as a sneaky invasion too, so there is that to worry about.”

  “What if I go?”

  Cyprian looked at her, then rose to his elbows. “If you went, you would need to leave soon. The baby is due within three months, and it is a month and a half trip there.”

  “I think I can manage.”

  Cyprian looked at the mouth of the cave. “I will find someone to accompany you, but,” his eyes trained on her, “you must promise to be careful. Your kind don’t come around every century, and I do not know what I will do if something were to happen to you.”

  “I guess you can’t come with me,” she looked at him, knowing the answer.

  “Once Hisa returns, I may try to go, but he will not be back for a while. That boy will lose track of time and it might be decades before he returns. I hope not, but it would not be the first time he disappeared for so long.”

  “So dragon shifters just disappear whenever they feel like it?”

  “It depends on the type. Fire types tend to stay close to home, near their clans, living by strict rules and policies. They even regulate mating, which the dragon shifters everywhere else find backwards. But it seems to work for them, and they have reduced the number of ones that go wrong. You need to keep that in mind when you go because the sorcerer’s father is a fire dragon. A banished one, which is a large part of the problem. However,” he leaned forward and kissed Noely, his hand on her shoulder pushing her down, “we can talk about them later. Right now, I only care to talk about you.” He kissed the side of her face. “You are an angelous, the original name for angels. It means you have no human blood in you. Both of your parents had mixed blood, as did their parents, and probably their parents. Mixed blood is not very common since humans are the only ones who really don’t seem to take species into account when mating. Most other types are incredibly picky and refuse to associate with other species until they are married. Dragon shifters are a rare exception.”

  “So what does it mean that I’m an angelous?”

  He kissed her eyes. “It means that you can bring a sense of calm and peace wherever you are, but you must first feel it yourself. The world always goes through a time of tranquility when an angelous makes it to adulthood, though that is somewhat rare.”

  “Why?”

  He kissed her other eye and stroked her head. “Because it means that power centers stabilize, and those who want power do not want that to happen if it isn’t in their favor. Augustin kept you safe for the most critical part, and you appear to have found a way to make it through on your own sense then. But you do not have to face it alone anymore.” He kissed her lips.

  Noely kissed him back. When he finally pulled away, she looked up at his eyes. “Doesn’t that mean that you should come with me? Having me around will help keep people calmer, right?”

  He gave her a sad smile. “It will look like I am controlling you.”

  “But you said that one of them has a sorceress? Shouldn’t you be able to complain about that? And they are about to have a sorcerer born into their kind. They have two of something pretty rare. It seems only fair. Besides, it’s not like they will know what I am.”

  “You may have a point about it being fair,” his finger traced her lips, and Noely closed her eyes, “but every powerful creature can tell exactly what you are. You are radiant, and now that you know, you are going to shine brighter.”

  “Then I don’t want to go without you.” She put her hand over his.

  “If you really wish for me to go, I will.” He kissed her forehead, “But that means we will need to get moving tomorrow or the day after to find Augustin so that we can make the journey before the child is born.”

  “You know, I thought that my mixed blood meant I shouldn’t have children-”

  “And so you avoided intimacy in case?”

  “Yes. How did you know that?”

  “It is a question that most creatures with mixed blood share. You are afraid that you cannot be accepted, and you don’t want to pass that on to your children. It was the same problem your friend had, he was just far more honest about it.”

  “Jaylon never told me he didn’t want to have children. He was one of the biggest flirts I’ve ever known.”

  “How many of his relationships did he take seriously?”

  “Well, none because… oh.” She bit her lip.

  “It’s alright. If you don’t want to get pregnant, you won’t with me. If you do, then just let me know.” His eyes looked down on her with something that she didn’t quite understand.

  Noely’s hand slipped down his stomach and brushed against him. He closed his eyes and sighed. “With you, the idea of kids doesn’t seem so scary. If you are right about our departure from Antakya, then we still have time to ourselves for about 12 more hours,” she murmured.

  His hand slipped between her thighs and stroked up. “Yes, perhaps a little longer if you want to go into the town tomorrow. Does this mean that you feel ready for children?” His eyes searched hers.

  Giving him a smile, Noely shrugged. “Surprise me.”

  Cyprian laughed, “Now that seems like an incredibly risky attitude toward a life-changing event.”

  Noely responded by pulling at him. Cyprian smiled down at her, then rolled her onto her stomach. His hand ran along her back and around to her stomach, arching her lower half up. She moaned as his hand slid down her stomach and between her thighs, and he slowly began to press inside of her. It did not take long before she was moaning his name and hoping that the night would never end.

  The End

  Taja’s Dragon Preview

  By: Lisa Daniels

  Chapter 1

  Nothing out of the Ordinary

  Taja pulled the bundled-up items to her chest and tried to speed up, despite the crowd around her. The market was always impossibly busy at this time of day, and the acting stable master knew it. Still, he had told her not to be late after giving her all of the chores. Hating that the real stable master had been needed at the noble’s country mansion for a few months to deliver two new foals and take care of them, Taja took comfort in the fact that it wouldn’t be much longer before he returned. She just had to hold out for another week or two and then everything would go back to normal.

  Her blonde hair shone like sunshine, a few st
ray strands dangling beside her face as the young woman pressed forward. It would be her twenty-first birthday soon, but she had no expectations. The stable master was the only person in her life that actually seemed to care about what happened to her, and he would not be back in time. Not that she wanted to celebrate. The stable master had been like the father she had never known, so she just wanted him to come back so the nightmare that had been her job without him would end. One of the other stable hands had taken to harassing her in the stable master’s absence, and the acting master wasn’t about to do anything to stop the boy. Taja had plenty of experience keeping boys like that away, but it was wearing on her. That and her mother’s steady decline into the bottle. Taja didn’t feel sorry for herself. She just needed that one ray of sunshine back that had made life worth living.

  Taja was not a tall woman, just barely over five feet tall. The first impression people had of her was that she resembled a large doll. Despite working outside, her skin was pale and soft. Her large brown eyes were surrounded by thick lashes that combined with her unnaturally yellow hair, hinting that she was perhaps not fully human. The perfect symmetry of her dainty features was striking, and it had gotten her into plenty of trouble when she was young. It was only after she met the stable master that Taja had calmed down and started trying to make a better life for herself. That had been three years ago. Until that point, she had been a complete mess, sleeping with any boy who would give her gifts and expensive items. Her mother had used her daughter as much as possible, turning expensive gifts into high debts with many of the taverns. The stable master had given the young woman something worth living for outside of her different types of abuse.

  It was times like these as she was darting through the crowds that Taja was really thankful for being so small. She was able to more easily slip through spaces between people.

  Still not fast enough. I’m going to be late. Her mind was already calculating her distance and current rate of speed. Moving her legs a little faster, she shifted to the outside of the crowd. It was risky, particularly since she would be moving so close to the carriages and horses, but it was the only way she was going to get through the crowd in time.

  As soon as she reached the outside of the crowd, Taja’s speed more than doubled. With a grin on her face, the young woman hurried past the throng.

  Without warning, one of the people moving in the opposite direction stepped into her. He had been trying to step out of the way of a noble lady, and did not notice the young woman trying to get by on the other side.

  Taja lost her balance, and fell. Instinctively, her arms tightened around the things she had brought, trying to keep them from spilling all over the road. Scrambling to get up without dropping anything, Taja looked up. A horse was making its way quickly right toward her.

  With a little gasp, the stable hand tried to crawl out of the way without getting the things dirty.

  “Seriously? Is that stuff more important than your life?” The voice was unfamiliar, but warm. The accent was light, but it was obvious that the owner of that voice was not from the area. And he was clearly male. Taja felt a pair of hands on her waist and she was suddenly lifted off of the ground. Clutching the items to her chest, she couldn’t believe that someone had stopped to help her. Her mind registered the miracle as a warm and firm body pressed against hers. The sound of the horse’s hoofs rumbled past her as she tried to fully comprehend what had just happened.

  As soon as the horse was past, she heard the rider calling it to stop. The warmth moved away from her body as she tried to get a hold of herself.

  An angry voice was so close to her, and Taja knew it was the rider. “Do you know what you almost did to my horse?”

  Taja turned to look, to apologize, but someone else spoke first. “Are you a fool or an idiot? Oh, yes, I see, you are one of the noble. A bit of both, then.”

  Taja’s eyes went wide as she turned to look at the man who had pulled her from the ground. Her gaze went back to the noble, and his expression read the way she felt. Neither of them had heard a noble insulted so publically before. Her head turned and she saw the people in the crowd starting to watch them.

  The noble had found his voice. “How dare you insult me!”

  “Ah, you make it all too easy. A woman is knocked into the street, and you yell at her for what, exactly? Being in danger? Blaming the victim is easy, but it is also very clear who the villain is in these cases.” He tilted his head to the side. Taja couldn’t see his features very well, but his stance suggested that the man was accustomed to power. He was not tall for a man, but standing this close to him she could tell he was about 5 foot 8 or 5 foot 9. His body was not bulky, but remembering what he had felt like as he held her, she knew that the man was muscular. Sinewy, her mind supplied.

  The man’s clothing was very nice, which meant that he was at least upper class, if not something higher. His hair was an inch or two long, a style that she had never seen before. Though it was a dark brown color, it shone, highlighting the fact that he was clearly more than just a commoner.

  The noble moved his hand like he was about to strike when the young man held something up at him. Taja couldn’t see what it was, but from the look on the noble’s face, the man who had rescued her was far above the noble’s level.

  With her concern growing about who the man was, as well as knowing that she was again at risk of being late no matter how quickly she moved, Taja slipped into the crowd and continued toward work.

  The rest of the trip back to the stables went much smoother, and Taja made it back with a little time to spare. The acting stable master frowned down at her, eyeing her muddy clothing, but there was nothing he could say since she had returned with everything before the items were needed.

  Knowing that smiling at him would only anger the man, Taja lowered her head and inquired, “What would you like me to do next, sir?”

  Apparently she had struck the right tone and posture because the man had no insults for her. When she risked looking up at him, she saw his beady eyes looking around. Unlike the stable master, this man was clearly out of shape. His stomach hung over his pants in a way that suggested his body was trying to escape the confines of clothing. His hair was long and greasy. This was pretty normal for stable hands given what they did, but it generally took a full day’s work to look as bad as the man did early in the morning. It was clear from the man’s features that he was once handsome. Time and his ego had led to his decline, a fact that had not improved his personality. He couldn’t have been older than early forties, yet he acted like an old man with a grudge against life.

  “Damaris, sir,” the simpering voice of the boy who had been harassing her grated on Taja’s ears. The look of annoyance on the acting stable master’s face nearly matched the way she felt.

  Damaris turned to the stable hand, his expression one of barely contained rage at being interrupted. The stable hand saw his mistake and immediately started to bow to the man. His hair was a dirty blond color that might have been nice if he tried to keep it clean.

  Taja doubted the boy cleaned more than once a month, a fact that had often helped her as she could smell him coming. The boy was 17 years old and very self-assured, although Taja had no idea why. His face was always covered in pimples and scabs. His nose was nice, but the way he grinned made him look very unattractive. The boy also had a very uncommon name – Semaj – as if his parents were trying to force a better future on him than he was ever likely to have. Semaj’s personality alone would keep him down his entire life.

  The boy was bowing lower. “Damaris, sir,” he simpered, “I was wondering if you would like for the two of us to work together.”

  Damaris looked down at the stable hand, then turned his gaze to Taja. “I bet you would like that, wouldn’t you?” His question was directed at Taja.

  Fighting the urge to violently shake her head, Taja tried to keep her voice level. “I only want to complete my work today to your satisfaction, sir. If you wish for me t
o work with others, I will make sure to be more efficient.” If she had flat out denied wanting to work with Semaj, Damaris would have put them to work together just out of spite. If she had said she wanted to work with the boy, Damaris would have some very nasty words, and probably some physical punishment for showing interest in the boy. As it was, all Taja did was hint that she didn’t mind, but the choice was entirely up to Damaris.

  He gave a huff, then looked between them. “Semaj, I dare say you are trying to get someone else to do your work. Panding duty for you for your hubris.”

  Semaj’s face fell as he realized that he would not be able to see Taja again for at least a day, perhaps more. It was clear that he wanted to argue, but there were worse things than panding. “Yes, sir. I will make sure it is done well.” He tried to use the same flattering words that Taja used, but there was bitterness in them. Damaris missed the boy’s expression and had already lost interest in the whole affair. He wiped his grimy hand on his nose as he looked down at Taja, who still stood in readiness to do as he said.

  “Go home, Taja.” She had to fight to keep her eyes trained on the ground. His words were a shock, but she knew that he could easily change the orders. “You look like a pig who escaped the slaughter house and found a river of mud.” He laughed at his own words and walked away. Taja grinned. Damaris wanted to make sure she knew that he wasn’t doing it out of any satisfaction derived from what she had done, but because of the way she looked. Considering she would usually look much worse than she did after falling in the road, Taja knew the real reason he was sending her home – he was too lazy to figure out what she should do.

  It doesn’t matter, her thoughts were very clear. The acting stable master didn’t care if she was there or not, but it gave her the time she needed to finally recover from being overworked for months on end. Her heart was light as she turned toward the door to leave.

  A hand grabbed her upper arm and forced Taja to turn around. “I am waiting for you, Taja.” Semaj was too close, his blue eyes looking down at her too eagerly.