Carnelia Majere, the dragon queen who was once a nameless human, has never faced a challenge half as dangerous or cruel as this one. When her children become ill, she begs aid from her enemies only to discover that her dead husband, Primus Majere, Dragon King of Luxandra, is alive and imprisoned. Determined to do whatever it takes to free him, she will forge unlikely alliances and battle new monsters as she fights to reclaim her dragon prince. BOOK 2 in the DRAGON PRINCE SAGA.
[Carnelia]
My husband, Primus. Is dead.
My mate gave his life because he loved his wife and children so much that he was willing to die for them to have a chance at life.
Primus was the very best of mates. He taught me how to love.
I would gladly die a million deaths to have him by my side again.
But he died at his own brother's hands, another victim of the Starfell War.
Or at least, that is what I need to tell myself, because to admit the truth would be madness.
My wings, as black as night, float around me as they transform, and I fall into my preferred form, one more human than dragon. Now they are the gossamer sleeves of an elegant silk gown, my scales are gold sequins that make up the bodice and skirt. My hair, braided in hundreds of golden tendrils, is piled upon my head, the crown gifted to me on my wedding day woven between the strands.
On my wrist, a black bangle connects me to the Celestial Realm. On my hand, the ring that once connected me to my love.
I never thought I'd return to this place. But here I am, begging for aid.
Not for myself, but for what is left of my husband.
As I enter the breezeway, I am announced. Finely clad bodies swivel in my direction as elegantly adorned dragons and other creatures from all the many nations on our planet turn to see the infamous queen of the heavens--the queen who was a human until she married a prince and became a dragon herself.
"Queen Carnelia, welcome," Eleanora's smile falters as she takes in my elegant appearance. I think she was expecting me to be more human. "We weren't expecting you."
As she says these words, she motions to the throne on her left.
I turn my head to follow her hand and all time stops as my eyes adjust to what I am seeing.
Sitting in front of me on a high throne carved from stone is a drake who looks just like my husband. Except that I know it can't be him, because if Primus was alive and well enough to receive guests, he would be at my side, with our children.
"I require your assistance as Queen of Luxandra" I bow graciously, tipping my head at an appropriate level as I complete a high court curtsy. I rise to see startled faces throughout the crowd, not the least of all is the queen herself.
"I see," she replies simply. "And how can us lowly Terrans help someone as powerful as yourself?" Some of the lords and ladies in the audience chuckle.
"My children are sick," I explain. "And the cure is here, in Luxandra."
"My condolences," she replies with a small, pitying smile. "I do not see ..."
"We need your help," I try to explain again, even though I realize my words are falling on deaf ears. I turn my body towards the corpse of my husband and beg. "Please, Primus, your children need you. I need you."
A guard steps between me and the throne. I had taken several steps forward without realizing it. Eleanora's eyes are wide with shock.
"We heard your plea, Queen Carnelia," Queen Eleanora speaks, her voice as clear and calm as water despite the terrified gleam to her eye. "But I don't see how that is a concern of Luxandra. The health of a Celestial Dragon is a matter for the Celestial kingdom, is it not?"
"My children are dying, Queen Eleanora," I try to keep my own tone calm even though my heart is raging. "If it were your children in pain, would you stop fighting for them?"
She sits there, observant, her hand on her perfectly formed chin. She inclines her golden head towards Primus, who does nothing but sit there, looking straight ahead.
"We can be merciful," she smiles benevolently as if bestowing a great gift. "Bring your children to us. Luxandra will gladly provide the care they need in exchange for new trade routes and the reopening of the Eastern Gate..."
This petty, vengeful drakaina is using my children as leverage to get what she has wanted all along. I want to curse her name and set her throne on fire, but that won't get us what we need. My children need me to come back to them with a solution.
"Alone?" if they weren't in so much pain, I wouldn't be considering this farce of a negotiation. She's been trying to get me to give up one of my children in exchange for renegotiating our treaty, and now she is using my children's illness to force my hand.
"Of course not," her smile brightens. "Each child would be allowed one servant each."
"I would need to stay with them myself as well," I insist, my back straight as I look her directly in the eye. "For safety, of course."
"Of course," she inclines her head in agreement. Her eyes are kind, but her smile is poisonous, with just a touch of fang and no trace of the false kindness from before.
"The gate doesn't open until they are all cured," I declare. There is no way I intend to open a pathway into my country putting everyone at risk when she may very well be lying about extending her help or having the skills to help in the first place.
"Until they have all RECEIVED the cure," she clarifies. "I cannot guarantee that it will work equally well on all of them. I want to make sure there is no misunderstanding between us if we intend to proceed in this... arrangement."
There is so much to consider. So many risks.
But my children. I would risk anything to save them.
I give the other throne one more look. He doesn't move. He is no more my husband than a stone or a stick or any other inanimate object. My Primus would never sit still and expressionless while standing before him, begging for the lives of our children.
My Primus would destroy the world to keep us safe.
So this cannot be Primus.
This stranger is merely a ghost of him.
A body without a soul.
And yet, I cannot take my eyes off of him.
Primus.
I feel a small flutter of something like fear vibrate into my body from the ring on my hand.
Could it be...?
Looking over, Primus is still the same.
"Queen Carnellia...?" Eleanora's voice is strained as she attempts to regain my attention. I pull my eyes away from the throne next to her to meet her gaze. Her eyes are cold and hard, although her tone is gentle. "Do we have a deal?"
"Yes," I respond. "We have a deal."
Rosalynd Reid was just an ordinary young woman from LA. Or at least she thought she was, until one fateful day when, forced from her home by her mother's betrayal, she leaves LA, heading north to the refuge of California's redwood coast. During her journey she encounters surprises she never expects and potential love in the arms of a young alpha. Things get even more complicated when, on her 23rd birthday, a birthday blessing turns surprisingly magical. She is a real witch with real powers that had been waiting for the right time to awaken. In her great need, the universe sends her a new home and companion, a secret billionaire leprechaun hiding in the woods of Arcata. And if that wasn't enough, her arrogant but alluring literature professor turns out to be the leader of the local coven. This man who irritates her in all the wrong ways brings her into the world of witchcraft where she soon learns she is the focal piece in a long brewing war between the three factions--wolf, witch, and fae. Because lurking in the shadows is another secret, one that spans generations... Will Rosalynd find true happiness in the arms of one of her lovers, or will the past come back to haunt her and destroy everything she has created?
This is the story of Millicent Walker, a mysterious orphan who arrived in the small coastal town of Crimson mute, nameless, and with no memory of her life before. Hired out by the orphanage to pay for her room and board, her strange appearance and mannerisms lead her to be seen as a freak. To many, she was seen as having less value than the rags she used to clean the floors. When a blight comes to Crimson, the dragon demands a virgin "of marriageable age" as a sacrifice in exchange for his assistance. Seen as strange, even cursed, Millicent was an easy choice for the sacrifice. Loved and wanted by no one, there was nobody to fight for her when they chained her to the cart and left her at the base of the hill to be defiled or devoured. Little did they know, her sacrifice would be their biggest mistake.
"You're mine, little puppy," Kylan growled against my neck. A soft gasp escaped my lips as his lips brushed my skin. My mind screamed at me to push him away-the Lycan Prince who had humiliated me again and again, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him before I could stop myself. He pressed his lips against mine, and his kiss grew more aggressive, more possessive as I felt my legs weaken. What was I doing? In a split-second, I pulled away and slapped him hard across the face. Kylan's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips exposed his amusement. "You and I both know we can't fight this, Violet," he said, gripping my wrist. "You're my mate." "And yet you don't want me," I replied. "You told me you were ashamed of me, that l'd never be your queen, that you'd never love me. So please, accept my rejection and let me go." "Never," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. "Soon enough, you'll be begging for me. and when you do-I'll use you as I see fit and then I'll reject you."
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
Becky endured three years of marriage to the cold-hearted Rory. In all that time, she naively reasoned that one day, he'd gradually come to like her. But the second he forced her to kneel down and humiliate herself, she knew she had been wrong about him. This man had no feelings for her at all. So why should she still love him? When Rory gave her the choice between kneeling down and divorcing, she didn't miss a beat and chose the latter. After all, why should she waste her youth on this scumbag? Wouldn't it be nicer for her to just have fun every day with her billion-dollar family fortune?
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town's richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. "Way to go, honey!"
Brenna lived with her adoptive parents for twenty years, enduring their exploitation. When their real daughter appeared, they sent Brenna back to her true parents, thinking they were broke. In reality, her birth parents belonged to a top circle that her adoptive family could never reach. Hoping Brenna would fail, they gasped at her status: a global finance expert, a gifted engineer, the fastest racer... Was there any end to the identities she kept hidden? After her fiancé ended their engagement, Brenna met his twin brother. Unexpectedly, her ex-fiancé showed up, confessing his love...
Five years ago, Alessia La Rosa's life took a drastic turn when, suffering from memory loss, she wed to Dominic Carter under her grandfather's mysterious arrangement. But their marriage was a facade, bringing her only humiliation and heartache as Dominic showed no love, and she couldn't conceive. Upon discovering Dominic's infidelity, Alessia sought liberation through divorce. Yet, fate had more in store for her. Five years later, spurred by an anonymous email hinting at her lost child's whereabouts, she returns to the city with her twin babies in tow, determined to uncover the truth. As she navigates the tangled web of her past, a surprising twist awaits. Dominic, upon meeting her again, finds himself drawn to the woman she has become, unaware of her true identity as his former wife. Little does he know, the woman he's falling for is not only his ex-wife but also a powerful Doctor and Master Hacker.