Daniil halted, breathing hard, face agonized when he saw the state Koen was in.
Dropping to her knees, Marina sprawled out between the clean cuts of Koen’s nostrils, and thumped him with all her might. “Open your eyes. Don’t think for one god damned minute you’re going to die. I swear, I will follow you, and drag you back just to throttle you to death myself.”
‘Woman,’ his voice boomed in her head, ‘I ache all over. Get off me.’
She barked a startled laugh, and slapped a hand over her mouth. Marina slipped off his snout, and sat down on the jungle floor, crispy leaves, and knobby twigs cracking under her weight.
Koen groaned and rolled over from his side to his stomach. His wings righted themselves, extending to the full impressive expanse, fluttering, then folded to his back. Koen’s neck curved back as he reclined regally, blinking down on Marina.
‘You are unharmed?’
She nodded, standing. “I–”
‘Good. When I am finished with you, Marina Zar, you’ll be wishing I let the dirt claim you.’ Black smoke curled from his nostrils. ‘You foolish woman! You strode between dueling creatures of wild, and expected to come away whole?’
Marina felt her joy at seeing him well evaporate into the mists surrounding them. “Well I did, didn’t I?”
‘Because I saved you.’
“Well it’s about fucking time you did something for me.”
‘Goddess save me, I thought I would have the pleasure of ripping scales from hides to protect my blood.’ Mikhail landed chortling. ‘But I see I shall have to save this dragon from my daughter.’
Regent Myron was close behind him, a blinding sight of dark gold, his scales gleamed in the dying sunlight, and his eyes were molten.
Both phoenixes prowled forward, and Marina sensed a swell of magickal power as they drew nearer. Strange, because she had never felt that before, yet there was an unmistakable aura around the dragons that she hadn’t noticed before; the softest of glows.
They shifted human and summoned their robes.
At the sight of Regent Myron, and with a gush of horror, she remembered. To save her Koen had sacrificed everything.
He had touched her.
Regent Myron rolled his eyes, and deliberately turned his head to look into the depths of the jungle. “It is curious, so many phoenixes interpret the rules wrong. First Chosen are not allowed to touch the king during Aver. The Chosen are not allowed to touch. There is no rule to say the king cannot touch what he wishes. But then … that was always my interpretation, and when Isaak was Regent he had nothing to say against such a perception either.” Regent Myron looked at Mikhail. “What about you?”
“Same for Almeria and I,” Mikhail said gruffly. “As long as I was careful not to flaunt the touches in the faces of the other Chosen, so as to not show preference, I touched my treasure whenever I wished.” Mikhail bellowed a laugh in Koen’s face. “You are slow, youngling, and if you heeded us like you should instead of hiding yourself away, we would have told you this days ago.”
Koen blinked repeatedly then showed rows upon rows of polished fangs as he grinned.
Squinting as he shifted human, desperate to connect, Marina staggered forward to his outstretched arms until he could grab hold of her. He crushed her to him, lifting her small feet from the floor before he sank down to his knees, wrapping his arms around her hips, his face pressed against her thumping heart.
Impatient, Marina grabbed a fistful of his hair to tug his head back and leaned down to slant her lips over his. He inhaled in a rush. Tongues tangled and pulses raced. Marina bit his lip, still somewhat annoyed he had scolded her.
This was what she had crossed dimensions of scorching fires for. This feeling of completeness was what she pushed her body to the very brink for. She fought for the tormenting experience of his hot skin beneath her palms, and the feral reaction of his passion battling hers.
Koen broke away, and stood, only to bury his head in the crook of her shoulder. “It’s you. Everything I have done, or ever will do, is for you.”
She clutched him tighter, and in a mischievous voice said, “I’m not forgiving you for kissing Katya.”
He barked a laugh. “I never expected you to.”
The Regent cleared his throat loudly, his blind eye ending.
Koen squeezed her one more time before stepping away. She gripped his arms, not wanting to let go, but knowing she had no choice. With a noise of frustration, she pushed him away from her, and flushed when he speared her with a hot look.
A ruby dragon landed with an icy blonde-haired woman crouched on his back.
Close behind was a bronzed dragon that immediately shifted human and swooped Marina up into his arms. “My fiery angel, I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
“Brat! You’re about ten minutes too late,” Daniil said dryly.
Anastasia Vor vaulted off her brother’s back, slapped his side once, and slinked over to where Daniil stood. She studied him. “That was brave what you did,” she said in a clipped voice. Daniil flushed and shrugged nonchalantly. Anastasia’s tongue flicked from her top teeth in a thoughtfully clicking sound. “Very brave to catch a falling Chosen, yes? I will be sure to tell the court that is what I saw happen here.” She turned and looked Marina directly in the eye, showing she knew exactly what had happened. “I hope you’re ready for tomorrow, princess. There will be no mercy.”
At that, Anastasia sashayed away. Daniil stared after her with a hungry look in his eyes.
Nikolai nuzzled Marina’s neck, and she shoved at his head, laughing.
Her gaze clashed with Koen’s, soft and loving, and everything was right in her world.
Chapter 25
Epilogue
“What’s going on?” Marina asked quietly.
“Katya Ja’s disqualification as first Chosen has sent the gentry into Chaos. Suddenly, Houses all over the Empire think their daughter might have a chance to wear the Frost Wreath.”
A bunch of bloodthirsty warrior women from lesser Houses suddenly had a fighting chance to be named First Chosen and possibly Empress.
Anastasia and Marina stood in their way.
“That cannot be good,” she said flatly.
“No. It means you now have to be suspicious of every single Chosen in the competition. As Aver progresses a new First Chosen will reveal herself. You must be prepared. You have trained to fight Katya, Galina, and Anastasia, but this new adversary might have skills and a way of thinking you are not accustomed to.”
Marina blanked. “Who’s Galina?”
“The forth, now third, First Chosen. She took her oath with you and the others.”
“Oh yeah. You know, I keep forgetting about her.” She sighed. “This day could not get any worse.”
Daniil smiled, and the soft aura around him intensified. Marina squinted. “There has never been a female hybrid has there?”
His brows plunged. “Never. Why do you ask?”
“I thought I felt … something before when I was falling. The high princesses before me, were they different in anyway?”
“Other than being the daughters of phoenixes, no. Why the sudden curiosity.”
“I–.”
Pasha shuffled over, forestalling any further conversation on the matter, her wrinkled face solemn. Her daughter, Peeta, trembled beside her, bottom lip quivering.
“Lady Zar,” Peeta stuttered. “We cannot find your amour. We’ve looked everywhere….”
Daniil spun to her. “What!”
Peeta squealed and dived behind Pasha.
“Five minutes until the gate opens,” a voice warned.
“Okay, nobody panic. What now?” Marina asked. “The back up amour?”
“Being repaired,” Pasha said. “You damaged it in training.”
“Magick,” Marina suggested desperately.
“I cannot create something. Only pull it from somewhere else.”
“Well I’m out of ideas. Somebody do something,” she snap
ped. Daniil shed his chainmail and slipped it over Marina’s head. It weighed a ton. “Too heavy,” she gasped, and wiggled out of it. It fell to the floor with a heavy jumble of clinks. “I wouldn’t be able to walk let alone fight.”
“I could steal you some,” Boy offered in a light voice.
She silenced him with a glare.
All eyes dropped to her leather corset, a cuirass that covered her from breasts to mid stomach. Her black skirts started below her hipbones, slung low to one side so that it angled across her groin.
There was nothing practical about the outfit in anyway. There was an enticing bare slice of flesh at her middle that just screamed ‘stab me’ and would be a homing beacon to any warrior or beast.
Marina looked at Daniil with a grim expression. “I’m dead, aren’t I?”
He ran a hand through his warrior braids. “If you don’t go out there the dishonor on House of Zar will be immense, but you can’t. You need the armor, without it it’s suicide.”
Marina stared at her stomach, remembering how pleased she had been her ceremonial outfit had been so sexy. Well, she was paying for that vanity now. “I can’t afford to sit this out. I swore to Koen I had this under control. What’ll he think when the quest starts and I’m not out there?”
Daniil’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, Marina. We’ll have to think of another way … despite the shame there would be nothing stopping you from entering the next tournament.”
“A queen would have to die,” she said flatly. “That could take years.” He nodded sadly. “Anastasia might catch Koen between now and then.” All three of them nodded this time.
The lava flow of Ash Mount would freeze over before Marina gave up.
“No,” she growled, and spun around. “Lace me up again, tighter. Boy, bring my helm and shield.”
Her son rushed over to the wooden stand and picked up her helmet and shield. She was so proud of him. He’d done well the past few days, and despite the court gossip of his origin and the subtle shuns from his peers, he had settled admirably. He did flinch when anyone but her touched him, but his rabid snarling was at an all time low.
When one of the older squires sneered at him, Boy curled his upper lip, and hissed menacingly. So vicious was the sound the older boy paled, and shuffled away warily.
Boy’s face smoothed as he trotted back over to her.
Yes, she was proud of her ninja.
Daniil ignored Marina’s laces and planted himself in front of her. “I can’t let you do this. Koen would kill me.”
“I’m going to kill you if you don’t help me. I need you to do up my laces, I can’t afford for my cuirass to fall off. I’d be too exposed.”
“You cannot go out there.”
“Why not? It was always dangerous. I just have to be more careful.”
“You won’t last five minutes without–”
“If anything can hit me so easily, I have no business being out there. You taught me that.”
Marina took her shield from Boy, and let him slid the helm onto her head. The light steel covered the entire back of her head, narrowing to a blunted point at the nape of her neck, but the front was a heart shape around her face, covering her brow, nose, and part of her cheeks. A high crest of black hair ran down the centre of the burnished metal, and trailed down to the small of her back.
She faced Daniil like the warrior she was. “You told me I had the potential to be one of the most gifted Chosen you’ve ever seen. Was that a lie?”
“No.”
“Then help me or get the fuck out of my way.”
“You will die.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Daniil, I’ve always been prepared that I might not make it through this. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t willing to risk everything. I’ve always known you believed I didn’t realize the seriousness of my decision to enter Aver, but I did. I understood you, but you never really understood me. I’ve made up my mind, I am doing this. That’s all there is to it.”
Grunting his disapproval, Daniil tugged on her shield to make sure she held it secure. He wasn’t satisfied with Peeta’s attempt to lace her cuirass, so he unlaced it, and began retying it. On the first yank, Marina felt her body straighten and the air forced from her lungs. He eased back a bit. She wiggled left to right to made sure she could move. She breathed in and out deep. Happy it was not too tight she nodded for him to continue.
“Stay nimble on your feet,” Daniil instructed. “Don’t freeze, let the fear take hold and you’re dead. Do you understand? Keep moving. The leather will protect you in near misses, but it won’t deflect a direct blow.” He finished tightening the laces. “So what can’t any man, woman or beast do unless you want it to?”
“Touch me.”
“Good.” He leaned closer so his face hovered beside hers. “Why are you here?” She turned to him in confusion, but he knocked the side of her helm, and barked, “Stay focused and answer me. Why are you standing here?”
“To be with Koen.”
“What are you?”
“A dragon mate,” she replied fiercely.
“What is Koen?”
“A dragon. King of dragons.”
“Anastasia is stronger than you. She is faster and has infallible battle instinct. She has trained for this moment since she was born, and she wants to be Empress more than the air she breathes. Why do you think you have a chance at beating her?”
Marina scowled, narrowed her eyes. “Because I’m not here for the throne. It’s a responsibility I will shoulder to keep my prize.”
“Marina, why do you stand here?”
She touched her stinging cheek, it reminded her of her choice, of her dedication and resolution.
“For Koen. Yes, Anastasia has me beat in every skill in every way, but that doesn’t matter right now. There is one thing I have that she doesn’t, and will never have, the love of Koen Raad. She will not be the one to take him from me. Koen was born a king, with a creature of power inside him. He was born to lead. The woman who owns his heart cannot be weak. She must be fierce. She must be able to defeat all others, and stand tall in the face of danger by his side. She must be willing to lay down her life for his safety. She must love him, and honor him until her last breath. She must cherish him, and give him strong sons and daughters to carry his name. I am that woman. I’m not the greatest swordswomen ever. I am not exceptionally smart, or witty, or charming. I have no great beauty. What I have is a deep and abiding love for my dragon, for their Emperor. Nobody will ever love anybody as much as I do him. Ever. I will never fail him.”
Marina snapped her mouth shut, knowing she had already said too much because everyone had gone silent, and was staring at her like she was insane. Flushing, she ducked her head and kept telling herself she could win, psyching herself up.
Her heart raced as she heard the chains moving, pulling the gate up.
Wolves howled, the sound long and low, causing chills to ripple up and down her spine. Was it her, or did they sound hungry?
Large shadows ghosted passed the gate.
“Daniil,” she said in an odd voice. “How large are the wolves exactly?”
“A bit larger than the ones you have on Earth.”
Marina struggled to control the fear. She held onto her composure with her fingernails, but she held it.
“Whatever is out there,” she said quietly. “I will defeat it.”
The horn blared, and the crowd screamed in excitement. The very walls trembled.
Boy placed his hand over hers. He met her eyes, and the trust that shone there astounded her. “I’ll be waiting for you mother.” He had an aura too, a dark one.
Daniil placed a cool palm on her shoulder. “Don’t fail him,” he whispered.
Boy and Daniil let her go, and stepped back into the shadows.
Slamming her visor down, she blinked in disbelief when the portcullis was raised fully. Was this real? Taking a deep breath, rolling her shoulders, Marina thought of Koen Raa
d, and ran out into blood and chaos.
***
For information on Book Two “Burn” please visit my website www.penelopefletcher.com
***
NOTE FROM PENELOPE
And Dragon Souls begins. If you’ve read my Rae Wilder series, you will know that the lead character Rae is unsure of herself, and often lets things happen to her. Marina is different. I wanted her to be strong and passionate – feminine yet not atypical in her softness.
Koen Raad is my favorite male character to date. I love an arrogant man (god help me), and I had such fun creating him. I hope you enjoyed this book, and will carry on to read book two, Burn.
Aside from follow-ups to Smolder, 2012 will see a number of new releases from me. Moon Burn, the sequel to Lunar Light. Bite, My Love, the sequel to Die, My Love, and of course Demon Boy, the concluding book in the Rae Wilder novels.
Thank you for reading! Please leave a review or rating.
From the same author on Feedbooks
Glamour (Rae Wilder #1) (2010) Rae Wilder has problems. Supernatural creatures swarm the earth, and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Stalked by a handsome fairy who claims she is like him, demonkind, Rae thinks maybe it was a mistake breaking the rules by going over the Wall into demon territory. Plunged into a world of dark magics, fierce creatures, and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet. The changes to her mind and body are startling, but rather than accept her purpose she struggles against who she is destined to be. Throw in a big lust for a vampire who can't keep his hands off her, and life starts to get complicated. Rae is forced to make the ultimate choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control. BrE.
Lunar Light (2011)
Monsters should not walk the daylight, they should cower in the dark.... When the full moon haunts the sky, Evangeline prowls the dark as a Wendigo; a fearsome mix of human and beast. The night an injured outcast falls into her claws she must defy her keeper, the laws of nature and her own morality to protect him from the hunter who wants his head as a trophy. Struggling to reconcile her cannibalistic urges and gentle temperament, Evangeline must move beyond the ancient curse of her ancestors blood, and become legend. A Beautiful Damned Novella.