The Dragon Healer (8 page)

“But what of my work?” She asked the first thing that popped into her mind. She didn’t know what to say. The wild part of her heart wanted to jump into their arms and never look back, but her practical side was casting doubts. She had never been lucky in marriage before. She had resigned herself to living a life of service and solitude. Why should things change so drastically for her now?

Geoff smiled. “Your skills will be much in demand in the Lair. In fact, we will be lucky to see you at all once everyone knows you are a Temple-trained healer. Such things are rare in the outlying Lairs.”

“And what about Hero? What’s to become of him?”

“Hero? Who is that?” Geoff asked, clearly puzzled.

“My horse.” But the old gelding was more than that. He was her friend, confidant, and had been her constant companion these past few years. She didn’t want to leave him to the care of strangers.

“You named that old nag Hero?” Brodie chuckled from the side.

“He’s not a nag. He’s my friend, and I won’t leave him behind.”

“You won’t have to, my love,” Geoff assured her with a little squeeze. “He will have oats and hay and a warm place to live out his life. There is a stable built into the Lair for the beasts of burden we use to cart supplies. He will live there and you can see him every day.”

“And my brother, Osric, will make things right with the Temple,” Brodie put in, moving closer. Geoff stepped to her right to allow Brodie room on her left. They both took one of her hands. Geoff kept his arm around her shoulder, while Brodie looped one loosely around her waist. “The Temple’s loss will be our gain. And if we haven’t said it before, be assured Geoff and I will never harm you. We will never stray from you. You will be our touchstone and our guiding light. You are the woman we have been searching for. Only you, Silla, until the Mother calls us all home to Her Light.”

Tears filled Silla’s eyes as his words calmed her fears and made her hope. Did she dare trust these men? These knights of the realm?

Everyone knew there were no better men in the realm of Draconia than the noble knights who were chosen for their honor as much as their skill by magical dragons who could see into their very soul. Why did she doubt, when both Brodie and Geoff had already proven their worth simply by being chosen as knights?

They would not hurt her. They would not scorn her. They would never throw her out into the street. And everyone knew there was no such thing as divorce among knights and their mates.

Her fears laid to rest, Silla did the only thing she could do. She kissed each of her knights on the cheek and whispered the word that all four beings waited to hear.

“Yes.”

About the Author

Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.

Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached through Facebook, her Yahoo group or through the various links on her website.

Website:

www.biancadarc.com

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Look for these titles by Bianca D’Arc

Now Available:

Brotherhood of Blood

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Rare Vintage

Phantom Desires

Sweeter Than Wine

Forever Valentine

Wolf Hills

Tales of the Were

Lords of the Were

Inferno

Dragon Knights

Maiden Flight

Border Lair

The Ice Dragon

Prince of Spies

Wings of Change

FireDrake

Dragon Storm

Keeper of the Flame

Resonance Mates

Hara’s Legacy

Davin’s Quest

Jaci’s Experiment

Grady’s Awakening

Gifts of the Ancients

Warrior’s Heart

String of Fate

Cat’s Cradle

StarLords

Hidden Talent

Print Anthologies

Ladies of the Lair

I Dream of Dragons Vol. 1

Brotherhood of Blood

Caught by Cupid

Coming Soon:

Brotherhood of Blood

Wolf Quest

Dragon Knights

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Will the fire within burn them all to cinders?

FireDrake

© 2012 Bianca D’Arc

Dragon Knights
, Book 5

Years ago, Drake left everything behind for a life in the shadows. While it broke his heart to leave his grieving dragon behind, serving his land as head of a network of spies suited him better. Far better than never quite measuring up to Mace, the “perfect” knight his father wished he could have been.

Mace has always done his duty. Drake, his childhood friend and rival, had been the charmer who effortlessly stole every woman who caught Mace’s eye. Some things never change—not one day back in town, and Drake’s already putting the moves on Krysta, the woman Mace has been courting.

The three of them take on the dangerous task of rescuing a kidnapped prince. Each day that passes on their perilous journey, Krysta sinks deeper into the complicated relationship between the two men and their meddling, matchmaking dragons. Mace is clearly the safer choice as a mate, yet Drake tantalizes her with that unpredictable gleam in his eye. When the three of them come together, any sense of torn loyalty burns away in their fiery passion.

The safety of the stolen prince hanging in the balance, Krysta accepts the challenge to unite two strong men—and their dragons—into a real family.

Warning: Features an intensely magical ménage between two former rivals and a woman bold enough to take them on. Heated bickering and explosive love scenes may cause your senses to ignite.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
FireDrake:

“Is this seat taken?”

The feminine voice was strong and not at all flirtatious, but Drake almost dreaded turning to find another of the cooing maids at his side. That the female had been able to sneak up on him at all was a testament to his distraction. With an inward sigh, Drake turned to face the woman.

And stopped short.

This was no maid. This was a warrior woman, in the gray uniform tunic of the Castleton Guard. She was an enforcer of the law, a keeper of the peace, and she was clearly on duty, though apparently on her dinner break.

She looked tired. There were circles under her pretty gray eyes and a weary set to her shoulders.

“I was saving it just for you, milady.” Drake’s charm was automatic and the fire that entered her eyes was his reward. It wasn’t a spark of interest, but rather of battle. Drake was intrigued. He looked at her more closely as she sat next to him at the now-crowded bar.

Her jaw was set in a stubborn line, and her features were strong. Some might say her features were unfeminine, but Drake would not. No, he’d always preferred strong-willed women over the more meek style many men seemed to favor. This girl was beautiful in a harsh sort of way that appealed to him greatly. Sleek muscles moved under her close-fitting tunic, and she wore her badge of office with clear efficiency and pride.

She wasn’t armed that he could see, but then that didn’t mean much. Each of the town’s Guards was armed in some way, carrying the weapon or weapons of their choice. For some, that was a sword or even a bow, but others had different specialties. He wondered idly what hers was while he finished off his meal.

The serving girl who’d replaced Devyn behind the bar greeted the woman with a friendly, familiar smile. Apparently this Guardswoman was known to the people in Devyn’s employ and welcomed by them. That spoke volumes for her character, as far as Drake was concerned. Jinn didn’t usually accept outsiders easily, and Drake read not only acceptance, but genuine friendship, in the serving girl’s words and actions toward the other woman as she served up a healthy portion of stew and a lighter beer that would leave the Guard with a clear head after her hearty dinner.

Drake observed, not intruding on the bundle of feminine power sitting next to him while he finished his own meal. She ate with neat manners, though it appeared she was used to rough living, as most warriors were. Often, women didn’t choose professions where they would be in the thick of a fight, though there were a good number of female Guards who worked in administrative ways or who dealt specifically with domestic issues and violence against women or female prisoners. This woman, however, showed every sign of being a patrolling Guard—one of the most dangerous of the Guard jobs.

“Quiet night so far?” Drake asked conversationally when it looked like she was finishing up her meal. It had been far smaller than his own, considering her much more petite size compared to him. She was trim and lithely muscular in a way that made his mouth water.

She looked at him with resignation, and Drake got the distinct impression she’d rather be left alone. Too bad. He had no intention of leaving the puzzling beauty to her own devices. He wanted to get to know her and then he wanted to bed her. It was that simple.

Suddenly, learning the feel of her body beneath his became of paramount importance. He had little doubt he could charm his way into her bed. He’d perfected his art over five lands, so why should his homeland be any different?

“It was a quiet day,” she said with the beginnings of annoyance in her tone. “We’ve yet to see about the night.”

“You’ve been on duty all day?” Drake was surprised and more than a little alarmed. No wonder she looked so tired. He felt a crazy impulse to protect her from the long and potentially dangerous night ahead.

She nodded wearily. “We’re shorthanded with all the new sectors to patrol. Excuse me.” Her gaze brightened as she slid from the stool and headed over to the far corner of the big tent. Drake followed her movements, his gaze glued to the enticing roll of her hips. She had a great ass from what he could see, and he looked forward to seeing it bare and ready for his desire.

He was so entranced by the way she moved, he almost missed the action going on across the tent. A drunk was getting a little too forward with one of the serving girls. She was struggling to free herself from his groping hands, to no avail. Drake was on his feet and moving across the crowded room before he thought about his actions.

But by the time he got there, the Guardswoman already had the serving girl free and was escorting the unruly drunk outside. Drake followed hot on her heels. He didn’t like the look of that drunkard and feared the man might not go peacefully on his way.

He was right. The ruffian was putting up a fight, but his attempts to knock the Guardswoman out were met by neat blocks and counterstrikes meant to disable the big man. But he was drunk and stronger than he ought to be with the pain-deadening effects of strong ale running through his system.

Drake stepped forward, into the man’s line of sight. The woman’s back was to him as he made sure to get the drunkard’s attention with a quick flash of steel. Drake always had a blade or two hidden on his person for situations just like this.

“Clear off, man. This is your last warning.” Drake used his trained voice to advantage, projecting to the drunk who’d seemed to give up the fight suddenly. The man’s jaw went slack and his eyes grew round with fear as he stumbled away with nary a flicker of complaint.

Drake smiled in satisfaction as the drunk let the Guardswoman be. He felt smug as the woman turned to him, a trace of annoyed respect on her face. Then her eyes widened as she stepped forward.

Drake didn’t quite understand why he apparently looked particularly fearsome tonight, but he wasn’t asking questions. Whatever it was about him had scared off one ruffian and had the little Guardswoman looking at him with new respect as she moved closer. Moving closer was good. It was, in fact, much better than having her move away. He wanted to get much closer to her before the night was through.

She stopped a few yards from him and raised her gaze upward as Drake’s stomach sank. What a fool he’d been!

“Friend of yours?” Her eyes lit with humor as she stared at a spot well above his head.

Drake followed the woman’s gaze upward though he could very well guess what he’d find waiting over his shoulder—or rather who.