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Dragon God's Wife
Defying a Creator (The Dragon God's Wife Book 5)

Anna and Eastwei have overcome much to be with one another. Now their bond will be tested as they face their final adventure.

Defying a Creator (The Dragon God's Wife Book 5)

Dragon Thief
FEATURED FREE BOOK: Sticks and Stones

Life is full of life-changing events. Obviously. Millie, however, never expected the change to come at the tip of a stick.

FEATURED FREE BOOK: Sticks and Stones

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Sticks and Stones

Life is full of life-changing events. Obviously. Millie, however, never expected the change to come at the tip of a stick.

One late-night walk has her face off against a trio of men intent on having some fun with her. The tables are turned when she stumbles upon a stick in the path, a stick with some interesting abilities. The men are sent packing and Millie stands tall with her prize and pride.

Triumph turns to trouble as she's literally dropped into a new world. She falls into the strong arms of a masked rogue with dragon wings, and he places her in the charge of an old friend, the handsome and wealthy Count Benjamin Castle. He’s as mysterious as his acquaintance, and the heated looks he gives her reveals that his interest in her is more than just mere kindness.

However, Millie’s only thought is to return to her own world, but they’re not the only ones searching for answers to her problem. Someone else wants to learn the secrets of traveling between worlds, and they’re not afraid to play dirty to get to the answer first.

Their adventure leads them from the deepest sewers, to the sleaziest auction houses, and up to the highest heights of high society, and all the while Millie begins to wonder what her heart truly desires. The wonders of fantasy, fun, and magic were alluring, and the pair of men who called themselves her protectors intrigued her even more. As their journey takes them deeper into this new world, she must make a choice: leave it all behind or embrace the budding romance that promises to reveal a deep secret.

Excerpt:

Life is full of life-changing events. Obviously. I never expected mine to come at the tip of a stick.
“Hey, Millie!”
I paused on the street corner and turned back to the open doorway. Bright blinking flashes of rainbow colors streamed out of the door and onto the sidewalk. A couple of people lingered around the door frame, but one of them broke from the pack and hurried over. She was a woman on the short side with equally short brown hair and the same color eyes. Her rounded face showed an honesty that was disarming, and sometimes alarming.
She grasped my hands and offered me a smile that warned of some trouble brewing. “Do I have a winner for you!”
I rolled my eyes as I stifled a deep groan. “Not another one.”
She shook her head. “This isn’t like the last guy. This one's nice.”
I winced as my memory recalled past instances where I'd heard her speak those very words. "

READ MORE

The last one that you said was nice held up a liquor store so he could get a bottle for his mom."
My friend shrugged her shoulders. "That was just bad luck. How was I to know he had mommy issues?"
“He had his mom's number on speed dial and used it when he got a paper cut.”
She rolled her eyes and waved a hand at me. “That was just a single time. Trust ol’ Sheryl to get it right this time.”
I clapped my hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “I trust you, Sheryl. It’s the guys you pick for me that I don’t trust.”
My dear friend sighed and forlornly shook her head. “You have to find someone, Millie. You’re too pretty to stay single.”
I snorted and patted one of her shoulders. “You’re a good friend, Sheryl, but I’m just not looking for a guy right now.”
Sheryl wrinkled her nose. “Well, you should be. You’re not going to just drop in on one, ya know.”
I grinned as I drew my hands back and shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe he’ll sweep me off my feet.”
Sheryl draped one of her arms across my shoulders and tried to turn me toward the open door. Loud music blared onto the street and people shouted above one another. “Come on. Just lemme introduce you to Hamlet.”
I jerked to a stop and stared blankly at her. “Hamlet?”
She shrugged. “He said something about being a big fan of Shakespeare.”
My face drooped. “You do know what happened to Hamlet’s girlfriend, don’t you?”
She blinked at me. “He had a girlfriend? I thought he just played around with a skull.”
A choked laugh escaped me before I gathered my wits and slipped out of my friend’s gentle though persistent hold. “I appreciate the effort, but it’s been a long week and I just want to bury myself in my bed for the weekend. See you Monday.”
I turned away, and Sheryl’s voice called to me as I strolled down the sidewalk. “Mark my words, Millie! I’ll see you with a guy before the month is out!”
I didn’t look back as I waved at her. The long, lonely road awaited me, and a chill wind was my only companion as I made my way home. I wrapped my coat closer about myself and shivered as my ‘companion’ blew its cold breath down my neck.
“Should’ve taken the bus. . .” I mumbled as I stuffed my hands in my pockets. They were empty. Oh, right. No money, no bus. “Next time don’t leave your wallet home.”
I lifted my eyes to the sky. The streetlights blotted out most of the stars, but a few bright planets shone through the eternal soft glow of the city lights. I smiled and stretched my hand up toward one of the brighter ones, a red star that seemed to blink at me.
“Hey, handsome,” I murmured as the star dazzled me with its light. I snorted and dropped my hand back to my side. “Maybe Sheryl’s right. Maybe I do need a boyfriend.”
What I needed right then was to make a decision. The path diverged ahead of me, and in a few steps I stopped and turned my head to look left and right. Right continued down the illuminated albeit abandoned street. Left led me into the park and down its winding concrete path. Left was a shortcut shrouded in darkness. Right was a long bright trek.
My tired feet told me to take the left path, so I did. Traitorous soles.
I had gone only fifty feet down the dark path when I realized what a stupid mistake that was. The bleary sky couldn’t give me enough light to see by and the eerie stillness made my skin crawl. I turned around and froze.
Three heavy-set men were walking down the path toward me. They were shoulder to shoulder, and their steps were quick and pointed. Pointed directly at me. I stumbled backward and that made one of them break into a sprint. The others followed, and I spun around and raced down the path.
My feet pounded down the trail, but their feet were louder. They were also getting closer. I knew in a few moments they could catch me and. . .well, I didn’t want to think about it.
What I wouldn’t have done for that handsome guy to catch me instead of them.
My eyes caught sight of something that lay across the path. It was a long, thick staff of wood. My flight instincts were overridden by my fight, especially as their footsteps came ever closer. I scooped up the stick and spun around to face them with both shaking hands clutching the wood. My grip was so tight I felt my fingers mold themselves to the strange designs etched into the staff. No doubt left there by ants after they’d gnawed through the bark.
“D-don’t come any closer!” I internally rolled my eyes. That line was just too cliched.
The men agreed as they burst into laughter. One of them stepped forward and held out his hand to me. “Come on, little girl. Gimme the stick and let’s have some fun.”
I swung the stick, but he easily evaded my weak little wave. His hand twisted around and snatched the stick at the halfway point between my hands. He leaned forward and his twisted grin loomed out of the darkness.
“Naughty, naughty,” he cooed as he tightened his fingers around the wood. “Now I’ll have to show you-”
I would forever remain in blissful ignorance of what he had to show me because at that moment a soft white glow burst from the stick. Both of us stared dumbly at the wood as little drifting tendrils of brilliance floated between us. Those tendrils coalesced underneath his hand, and I could hear the familiar charge of electricity.
The next moment jagged bolts of lighting shot out of the wood and through his hand. The bolts struck him dead center in the chest, throwing him backward several feet before he landed on his back. A soft moan came from him and he stirred no more.
His companions gawked at their wounded comrade. Hope was kindled within me and my hands didn’t shake quite so badly as I tightened my grip on the glow stick. “Anybody else want a taste of this?” I had no idea if I could manage a second helping of kick-ass.
One of them spun around to face me with fury in his eyes. “You little bitch! You’d you do that?”
He marched forward and also tried to grab my stick, but my confidence had returned. I could also see what I was doing.
I slammed the side of the staff against his face and the electrical current had a shorter distance to travel, so it had even more kick. The man was thrown several yards and crashed into a thicket of bushes far off the path.
I turned to the last man standing. His eyes flickered between my face and my stick, and he made his move. Backwards. The man spun around so fast he tripped over his own feet and fell on all fours. He scrambled across the ground and over the top of my first victim, who let out a whoosh of air.
I stood triumphant over the two groaning men and their retreating comrade. A big grin spread across my face as I slammed the bottom of the staff against the ground.
Electricity shot out in six different directions, barely missing my feet. I yelped and danced around the jagged lines as they traveled for two feet before arcing to the left where they joined each other to create a circle around me. A dark, bottomless hole opened up within the circle.
Which was exactly where I was standing. I let out a scream as I plummeted into the unknown.

COLLAPSE

The Dragon’s Maiden

Kate and her dragon protector Ros have escaped the domain of the King of Shadows, but their troubles are far from over.

Kate’s role as the person to lift the world out of darkness is still in doubt, so Ros suggests they look into the prophecy. Their journey takes them along the Paths of the Forgotten, an labyrinth of abandoned trails that lead to their destination, the ancient library of Mathisi. The records within those walls were saved by the ravages of time by the Logos, an old family who were once part of the civilization that built the majestic ruins adjacent to their library.

However, all is not well on the Paths. A strange sickness afflicts the villagers near the library, one which leaves them as nothing more than zombies eager to consume a particular herb found only in their forest. As the situation worsens the pair find that there’s more than just shadows that haunt the ruins and the village. Something far darker lurks in the heart of the ancient city, something only Kate can discover, but only together can they destroy the evil before they become its next victims.

Excerpt:

People can sense the things that lurk in the dark. Maybe that’s why a whole city was abandoned almost overnight. Maybe that’s why we should have been more cautious when we traveled to that lonely, forgotten mountain.

Maybe I needed to stop thinking about the road ahead and start thinking about the path under my feet. My sore, tired feet.

“One sec,” I pleaded as I collapsed with a soft whoosh onto a boulder. I crossed one leg over the other and removed my leather shoes to massage my foot. “I think my foot’s about to fall off.”

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Ros and I found ourselves along a dusty dirt road now wider than a cart. The path had once been at ground level, but countless centuries of foot and vehicle travel had dug a large ditch into the ground so that earthen walls surrounded us like a tunnel. Trees of strange leaves like maples and birches grew atop those walls and their branches hung over the road, giving us shade against the hot bright sun that loomed overhead.

It had been ten days since our adventure ended at the river, and every one of those days had taken its toll one me. My perma-wrinkled clothes were covered in mud stains and I could only imagine what my face looked like. Callouses covered the bottom of my feet and I could barely feel my hand as I massaged the sole.

Ros took a seat on the wide boulder and stretched his arms above his head. “Stopping isn’t such a bad idea, but only if we don’t stop for too long.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Do you really think Corvinus has sicced a bunch of. . .what do you call them?”

“Lurkers, and it wouldn’t be the first time he did so,” Ros warned me as he looked up and down the deserted road. “But even taking these side roads, we should reach the foothills this evening.”

I looked up the road which lay to our right and beheld the same snow-capped mountains I had seen at the river. Now, though, after ten days of walking they were much closer. Their grassy foothills started only a few miles off and stretched for miles into deep valleys and even a few plateaus filled with white-barked trees.

I squinted at the rocky outcroppings that looked like towering fortifications. “So there’s supposed to be a city in there?”

He lifted his eyes to the mountains and nodded. “An ancient one. Brother Collins used to tell me tales about it when I was young, and I went looking for it after my. . .well, after I left home. Took me five years of searching, but I found it.”

I scooted closer to him and lifted both my eyebrows. “And?”

He shrugged. “It’s a ruined city. Whatever majesty it used to have was washed away by time and rain.”

My face drooped. “Is that it? And we’re going to a place like that to find out more about my prophecy?”

A smile slipped onto his lips as he nodded. “Yep. Though most of the city is just a jumbled mess of stone, the library was kept up by a branch of the ruling family. None of the looters really wanted books, so they’ve been able to keep the library nearly intact for all these years.”

I tilted my head to one side. “Nearly intact?”

Some of his good humor faltered. “Corvinus and others like him have stolen some of the more valuable tomes, those that deal with the darker spells of the world. He discarded the ones that proved worthless to the libraries of Mavros-”

“And why you were hoping Collins could find something in them to help you guys figure out about those ships,” I finished for him.

He nodded. “Exactly.”

“What I wouldn’t do for one of those ships right now. . .” I murmured to myself as I eased my massaged foot onto the ground. I froze and winced when a sharp pain shot up my leg.

Ros looked me over with a concerned expression. “Are you alright?”

I smiled at him. “You wouldn’t happen to be hiding a pair of wings underneath your clothes, do you?”

He grinned and shook his head. “I wish, but we haven’t had wings in a long time.”

I blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

A pensive expression slipped onto his lips as he looked down at his hands that hung between his parted legs. “When my ancestors were first endowed with the Pactus we looked quite different, at least according to the descriptions and pictures from centuries past. We were taller than most men, at least according to the descriptions, and all of those that were granted the gift to be a dragon had large leathery wings that could somehow be hidden when not being used. Apparently it was a sight to behold when a whole family went out to war leading the charge from the sky.”

I couldn’t help but glance at his empty back. “So what happened?”

He straightened and shrugged. “Somehow down the long years the wings grew smaller with each successive generation until they disappeared entirely.” He folded his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow. “Even Corvinus’ lineage had wings, but they’ve lost them, too.”

“So there’s no flying dragons?” I guessed.

He shook his head. “Not a one, though admittedly there’s few dragons left, period. Of the five kingdoms of the dragons, only three remain, but-” He eased himself onto his feet and turned to face me with a bittersweet smile, “-that’s time for you. It moves on and the rest of us just have to keep up.”

I sighed and stood, disregarding the complain from my feet. “A not so subtle hint that I need to get my butt moving?”

He flashed me a grin. “It’s an admirable ass. I’d hate to not see it again.”

I snorted. “That’s a lame pickup line.”

Ros blinked at me. “A what?”

My face fell a little and I shook my head. “Forget it. Just an old saying from my world. Anyway, we’re in yours and that means-” I scooted around him and pressed my hands against the back of his shirt, pushing him down the road, “-you need to lead the way.”

He twisted his head around and grinned, but didn’t try to get out of my pushy clutches. “No need. This road leads straight to where we need to go.” He cast his eyes further down to my hands and his good humor faded a little. “We might find some gloves for you there, too, if you want.”

I released his back and sidled up to him where I looked at my bare hand. “I should. . .”

Ros studied me for a long moment before he looked ahead and smiled. “You’d look good in work gloves.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Come again?”

He shrugged. “Or evening gloves, or the fashionable ones women wear that don’t have the fingertips. I think you’d look good in all of them.”

I blushed and stared down at the ground. “I don’t know about that. . .”

“I do.” I whipped my head up in time to watch him stretch his arms above his head before he crossed them behind his back. “You even looked good in those frumpy clothes the good father gave to you, and that’s hard to do for even the handsomest among us.”

I snorted. “Even for you?”

A grin stretched across his face. “Even for me.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I shook my head. “Anyway, how many miles do we have? I want to warn my feet about their impending doom-hey!”

Ros had swept me off my feet and into his arms. Instinct told me to grab him around the neck, but I jerked back before my Familiar magic kicked in. Instead, I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. “I can walk!”

“You were just saying you couldn’t,” he pointed out as he strolled ahead. “And my ancestors may have lost my wings, but we haven’t lost any of our strength, now enjoy the carry.”

I settled into his arms and did as he commanded. The day was warm, the breeze a gentle kiss on my cheeks, and the trees swayed lazily against the wind as we passed through the tunnel-like road.

I noticed the ground had slowly been rising, and the more miles we left behind the steeper the climb became. The short hills on either side of us fell away and revealed a rocky plateau that shared a jagged border with the foothills of the majestic mountains. Though their tops were craggy, their sides were gently sloped, and small, tree-covered highlands were everywhere to be seen.

Our road wound its way via switchbacks and long slopes up the mountainside, though Ros stopped us at the start of the steeper climb. A cabin sat beside the road, and a plume of white smoke rose out of the chimney. At our coming the wooden door opened and a wizened old man shuffled out.

He wore a simple vest made from the rough wool of some sheep-like animal, and his short trousers were of smoothed leather. A pair of heavy boots covered his feet, and he walked with a slight hunch in his shoulders with his hands clasped behind his back. He had combed back his full head of white hair and a pair of spectacles pinched the end of his long nose. One of his hands clasped a thick wooden cane.

The man stopped beside the road and squinted at us through the glasses. “Were you wanting some supplies before you climbed up?”

Ros set me down on my feet and opened his arms wide. “Old man!”

The old man’s eyes widened before his bushy eyebrows crashed down. He jabbed the flat bottom of the cane at Ros and his face was a picture of fury. “You! You owe me a goat!”

COLLAPSE

Anima Empire

Jane and her friends travel to the Feronia Empire in search of answers, but on arriving she discovers more questions than she ever knew to ask.

Their journey takes them to the hinterlands of the capital where the buildup of arms that had been hinted at in the faraway village of Fossa makes itself known in many ways, not least of which is the horrors of captives. The empire has started to makes it move on the neighboring unaligned territories, and the freedom of the citizens is the first casualty. While they strive to balance rescuing the people with keeping a low enough profile to infiltrate the capital city, Jane stumbles into a mystery, one that revolves around her grandmother.

One of the leaders of the soldiers knows Bee from long ago, and he holds a revelation that will rock Jane’s world and shatter the illusion her grandmother has tried to hard to keep. In the ensuing chaos the empire reaches out its shadowy hands toward them, and their group finds themselves in a race against an entire empire to save not only themselves, but the future of all the Feronians.

Excerpt:

Trying to escape destiny is like trying to get the last pickle out of the jar. The pickle is going to be so squeezed and prodded that it isn’t worth eating.

By the way, that was the weirdest fortune cookie fortune I had ever read, but I was about to find out how true it was as we rattled our way down the winding dirt road. My grandparents sat opposite Caius and I in the back of Signor Abano’s sturdy carriage. His sorry nag of a donager trudged along, catching the occasional blade of grass among many that were scattered about the side of the road.

We had left the forested valleys of the Fossa region and now found ourselves among a paradise of lush wild grass with the occasional patches of white-barked trees. Rolling hills stretched out in front of us, blocking our view beyond a mile ahead of us.

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Bee clutched on to my grandfather’s hand and kept her eyes focused completely on the road ahead of us. Every now and again a few whispered words left her parted lips. “Almost there. . .”

“Did you visit the capital city a lot when you used to live here?” I spoke up.

Bee smiled without looking at me. “I grew up there and only ventured out when your grandfather found me.”

Sage chuckled. “You found me, my dear. Your bird crashed into me in the market.”

Bee nodded. She still hadn’t taken her eyes of the road. “Oh, yes. How silly of me to forget. You walked into its path.”

My grandfather wrinkled his nose. “That isn’t quite-”

“There,” Caius spoke up as he straightened and towered half a head taller than even my grandfather. His gaze, too, lay on the road ahead of us. “We can start to see the castle now.”

I stood and craned my neck to catch my first glimpse of the capital city of the Feronia Empire. At first I saw nothing but the green rolling hills and the sky dotted with white clouds, but then I noticed one of those clouds didn’t move. The round ball was attached to a spire, and that glistening cone was attached to a tower that stood tall and proud over the landscape.

The rest of the castle came into view, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of one of those fairy tale citadels where the goodly people lived in happiness until a shadow fell over their lives. The keep of the emperor was a glittering mass of white marble marked by five towers, with the tallest being in the middle and the other four at the points. Its sheer walls rose up some hundred feet above the city scape and were topped by wide battlements. The whole place must have taken up ten city blocks, and from its bailey poured forth several dozen plumes of black smoke.

The castle stood in the center of a metropolis that stretched out for five miles around its base. The city was surrounded on all sides by an ancient fortification of plain gray stones that were piled fifty feet high atop one another, and also had battlements with towers placed at intervals. The metropolis had been constructed on a flat plain with mountains at its back and a wide river that ran in front of its battlements that faced us. I could see three huge gates with massive wooden doors evenly placed along the wall which allowed a steady stream of visitors and commerce.

Bee stood as I did, but there was no awe in her face. She clutched her hands against her chest and pursed her lips. “I don’t remember so much smoke coming from the bailey.”

Sage frowned. “Neither do I.”

Caius flashed them a mischievous smile. “Then we should go have a look and see what the emperor is up to.”

Bee’s face fell and she bowed her head. Sage stretched his arm over her shoulder and gave her a soft smile. “Everything will be fine, especially after we have had a bite to eat at the next town.”

The distance between the castle and where we were wasn’t empty. Three roads led to the city, and on each of them lay a small town with quaint two-floor houses. Their whitewashed stucco walls showed a cleanliness that was reflected in their swept streets and the many long flower boxes that hung below their windows.

We rolled into the street of the town ahead of us and I noticed a sign atop one of the bars that read ‘Brier Run Pub.’ What I also noticed was the subdued atmosphere. People and carts passed us by, but many of the pedestrians kept their heads down.

I swept my eyes over the nearly deserted streets. “Does anyone else notice something strange?”

There was a cloud on Sage’s brow as he nodded. “Something has frightened them enough that they keep to their homes.”

Caius lifted his nose to the air and frowned. “I smell blood.”

I gave the air a sniff and frowned. “I don’t.”

He tapped the side of his nose. “Dragon senses.”

The street down which we rolled opened, and before us stretched an elegant town square. Stalls lined the opposite side in neat rows, and the buildings had storefronts that showed off their wares. There was everything from tailor’s mannequins to woven baskets. What was missing was a crowd of people to appreciate and buy the wares.

Sage leaned forward and tapped Abano on the shoulder. “We should stop here.”

Abano pulled on the reins and the cart stopped. We climbed out, and Sage stepped up to the box and smiled sadly up at our driver. “This is where we part, old friend.”

Signor Abano frowned and pointed a finger at the castle in the distance. “But there is much road between here and there! Surely you want me to take you that far!”

Sage shook his head. “The road ahead is too dangerous. We will not involve you in our troubles any further.”

Those words sounded so strange spoken in the middle of such a serene square. More people had ventured to this focal point of commerce, and a soft murmur of voices rose up to lighten the otherwise tense atmosphere of the town.

I couldn’t help but notice a small vendor tucked a few yards into a wide alley. The proprietor was a young girl of five who had a simple table in front of her along with a couple of glasses and a pitcher. Her tiny fingers fidgeted over the handle of the pitcher as she watched the adults stroll past the mouth of the alley.

I smiled as I strolled over to her little shop. “Hello there. What are you selling?”

She nodded at the pitcher. “Some spry juice.”

My face drooped a little at the unfamiliar name, but I fished in my pocket for some coins which I set on the table. “I’ll take the whole pitcher.”

All the gold in the empire’s vault couldn’t have given me more pleasure than the bright smile on her face. “Thank you so much!” She pushed the pitcher toward me along with a cup.

I laughed and poured myself a drink. “No, thank you. The road’s been long and I could use a drink.” I took a sip of the concoction and was relieved to find it had a sweet fruity flavor. It wasn’t lemonade, but it wasn’t bad, either. Kind of like an apple mixed with a strawberry.

“Hold it right there.”

I nearly choked on the drink in my mouth before I managed to swallow. The voice had come from behind me, and I turned to find myself facing a man of about thirty-five who stood at the mouth of the alley. His hair was short brown and his eyes were of the same color, but of a deep, open brilliance that I couldn’t help but be reminded of autumn. He wore the uniform like the soldiers at Fossa , though more elaborate. The front was adorned with an ornate crest of a double-headed eagle with its faces pointed in different directions.

He looked downcast when he studied my features, but he rallied himself and strode toward me with a curious look on his face. “Who are you?”

I sheepishly smiled at him. “Just a tourist out for a stroll.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Tourist?”

Damn it. I still spoke like a world foreigner. “Um, just enjoying what’s to be seen around here.”

“Thomas!”

The shocked voice came from behind him, and I looked in that direction to see my grandmother standing in the mouth of the alley with her own mouth agape.

The man whipped around to face her and his eyes widened. “Beatrice!”

COLLAPSE
Mac Flynn