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

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The Dragon God’s Wife Box Set

The complete The Dragon God's Wife series featuring all five ebooks!

Anna Roberts is a newly created goddess from our world dropped into a new one filled with magic and intrigue. Lord Eastwei is the handsome dragon god, known as much for his icy composure as his incredible magic. He fascinates her. She intrigues him. Together they learn what it means to know immortal life, and immortal love.

Excerpt:

Gods and monsters, and everything in between. And in the middle of that mess stood a handsome immortal. He opened his arms to me and his smile warmed my heart. A whispered word floated from his elegant lips.

“Anna.”

I blushed. He was calling my name.

“Anna? Anna!”

My head snapped backward and my imagination-clouded eyes cleared. The dingy room came back into focus and I found myself seated in my office chair. My desk and I were stuffed into a small dreary cubicle of grays and off-whites. The only benefit was the location. I was too far from the boss’ prying eyes to catch his attention.

However, I did have the attention of one very irritated coworker. She sported a long brown ponytail and a very deep frown on her face. “Snap out of it, Anna!” she hissed at me. “Even the boss makes the rounds now and then, and you know how the squealer is.”

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I sighed. I knew only too well as I partially turned my chair to look at the generic company calendar that was pinned to the gray wall. “I know. That seminar on worker responsibilities is tomorrow.”

My coworker put her elbows on my desk and lay her hands in her cupped palms. She studied the calendar and wrinkled her nose. “That’s just not fair. They shouldn’t be able to make you work on a Saturday.”

“It’s either that or I have to take it after work and that won’t fit into my schedule,” I pointed out. “Besides, they are paying me for it.”

“Well, how about you have fun tonight to make up for tomorrow?” she suggested as she tugged on my sleeve. “We could go to that new club and meet some cute guys.”

“I’m busy.”

She rolled her eyes. “Come on, just skip it this once, okay? I mean, you go there every Friday. Couldn’t they give you one night off?”

I smiled at her and shook my head. “I couldn’t do that to them, especially after I promised I’d be there today.”

She sighed and dropped her hand. “It’s really that important that you cook and clean for them?”

I shrugged. “It makes me feel like I’m giving back. I was raised there, after all.”

My friend set a hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. “One day you’re going to make some guy very happy.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Probably not anytime soon unless an unmarried man comes to adopt someone.”

“Fat chance of that,” my coworker mused as she straightened. She still gripped my shoulder and some of her humor faded. “Alright, I give you permission to abandon me to the wilds of stag dating, but you have to promise me you won’t go through that creepy place.”

I cocked my head to one side to look at her. “It’s not creepy. It’s just an empty lot.”

“Yeah, but there’s something creepy about a lot that’s never had anything on it,” she countered. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “The rest of that area has buildings except that. It’s just not right.”

“What are you doing over there?” a voice shouted.

My friend’s face turned white. “Gotta go. And remember your promise!” She scooted away to the wilds of the cubicle jungle.

“It’s just a lot. . .” I murmured as I returned to my work. A long strand of hair tickled my nose and I brushed it out of my face. “Gotta get it cut. . .” I muttered as I studied my reflection on the screen of my computer.

A young woman with neck-length mousy brown hair stared back at me with equally mousy brown eyes. My face with thin but not narrow and the rest of me was built pretty much the same. And I was short. Frustratingly short. I was five foot three at best, and those were on my good days. I slouched on my bad days.

“Not exactly marriage material. . .” I murmured.

“Why are you talking, Miss Roberts?” The sharp voice startled me and I whipped my head up. The sharp face of my supervisor glared at me from the opening of my cubicle. “Do you have that report done that I asked you for yesterday?”

I managed a tense smile. “Not yet. I’m just working on it.”

She scoffed. “That isn’t what I saw. If you know what’s good for you you’ll focus on your work and leave the fraternizing for the weekends.”

I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from spitting out what I truly wanted to say. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“See that you do,” she snapped as she lifted her nose and looked down her beak at me. “And I expect it on my desk before you leave.”

I didn’t look up from my computer screen. “Of course. I’ll definitely have it done before I leave.”

She strolled off to harass one of my coworkers. I settled my fingers atop the keys and sighed. “Where’s that Prince Charming when I need him?”

I shook off those thoughts. No sense in wishing for a dream to come true. I had to make things happen. That’s how the world worked.

I got back to work but my daydreaming meant I was late getting in the report. By the time I stepped out night had begun to fall. The shadows stretched long and deep over everything as I wrapped my scarf tightly around my neck and began my journey through the concrete wilderness. The streets were busy with traffic and pedestrians as everyone tried their best to beat everyone home or to the bars.

I turned off the well-worn paths and into the back residential areas. These had seen better days, what with their crumbling facades of brick and mortar. Only the imperiousness of their four floors gave a hint of their lost grandeur. Many of the windows were broken and replaced by the ever-economical plywood while others were completely neglected, allowing vagrants the opportunity for a nice free rest.

My steps took me past a rusted chainlink fence, and through the diamond designs, I glimpsed the empty lot of my friend’s warning. I slowed to a stop and stared at the abandoned property, forgotten by everyone, even the litterbugs. There were no cots or blankets strewn about the place, and what trash tried to get inside was blocked by the tall fence. A loose spot in the far corner of the fence ahead of where I stood tempted me. That was my usual entrance inside when I dared take the shortcut. It saved me two whole blocks of walking.

My friend’s pleading words echoed in my head. I sighed and continued onward past the loose links. In my distraction, I didn’t see the faint white light that emanated from beneath the ground.

My footsteps took me down that long block and to my destination. The journey’s end was a square building some three floors high and a hundred feet wide. A tall stoop denoted its origins as coming from the late nineteenth century when the fog of industry blanketed much of the city. The windows were old but clean and the bricks chipped but washed. Even the stoop had been swept of leaves and picked clean of trash. A single word had been built into the bricks above the door: Orphanage.

Many of the lights were on as I walked up those worn steps. I paused at the top and half-turned to look at the street. All was quiet and empty. Nobody would be coming today.

The front door burst open and a half dozen small bodies threw themselves at me. I didn’t stand a chance as they latched onto me, tugging my person in every direction. They were children and ranged in age from three to six. Their faces were clean but their hand-me-down clothes were patched in several places.

“You’re here! You’re here!” several of them crowed.

“What took you so long, Anna?” another scolded me.

I laughed and grasped two of the hands that so lovingly held me. “I’m not that late.”

“Miss Wynn has been looking out the window for you to come for a really, really, really long time!” another chimed in.

“Not too long,” a kindly voice spoke up and a woman just shy of fifty stepped out onto the stoop. She wore a plain blouse and faded jeans, and her graying hair was tucked into a tight bun behind her head. “Now all of you inside and don’t drag poor Anna with you.”

“We were only trying to help her inside,” one of the children moped as she shuffled past Miss Wynn.

Miss Wynn laughed and patted her on the head. “I’m sure she can handle the door herself but she’d be glad to have you greet her any time.” The girl’s face brightened and she nodded before disappearing inside. Miss Wynn turned her attention to me and clasped her hands in front of her. “Thank you for coming. They do really appreciate it.”

I grinned as she led me inside. “It’s no problem and I’m sure they’ll show their appreciation when they eat all my brownies before bedtime.”

“Brownies!” The cry came from every nook and cranny of the small foyer. Children rushed out of the woodwork, sprinting out of the wings and down the stairs.

“Easy! No running or you won’t get any brownies!” Miss Wynn warned them.

“You know what to do, troops!” I shouted. The kids scuttled into a line in front of me and gave me crooked but sincere salutes. I walked up and down the line inspecting them. “Dirty hands, dirty face, clean, clean-” I stopped in front of a short boy of five who bowed his head and crossed my arms over my chest. “Jasper, what are you hiding?”

Jasper lifted his face and revealed a large cut on his cheek. “The cat got me.”

I knelt on one knee so we were at eye level. “Did you pull the cat’s tail again?” He bobbed his head. “You know he doesn’t like that.”

“But I was just trying to catch him to brush him,” he whimpered.

I set a hand on his head and ruffled his hair. “The cat doesn’t understand that. That’s why you have to be gentle. Now how about some brownies?”

“Yeah!” the kids shouted.

“After you all clean up,” I added as I stood. Those with dirty digits and faces scurried off to obey.

Miss Wynn smiled at me. “I’ll leave you to it then. Good luck.”

I laughed. “I’ll need as much as I can get.”

COLLAPSE

Defying a Creator

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

The return of the Black Reign threatens to consume the whole world for a second time, and the only thing standing in its way is Anna and her friends. They set off on their separate missions, each gathering as much information as they can to figure out how to defeat the fiend. Their foe is the mysterious peddler, a man with a box full of evil who seeks the revival of the Reign.

Their trials lead them all over the five realms, including into the deepest depths of the demon realm. There, Anna and Eastwei are confronted by a terrifying power that threatens her life and his sanity. Only their union will hold them together, but as the shadows grow long, will they be able to defy a creator god, or will everything be swallowed in its cold embrace?

Excerpt:

Bright skies. A warm sun. An invitation to trouble.
I sat in the garden where it all began, my eyes closed and a smile on my lips. The sun soothed my aching muscles, still sore from my adventure in the pool. A month of recuperating hadn’t quite taken out the deep wounds I’d received.
“A nice day, is it not?”
I started and whipped my head around. Leiren strolled toward me with a gentle smile on his face. I watched in surprise as he took a seat beside me on the bench.
“You’re not watching the barrier?” I asked him.
“I heard your health had improved and came to satisfy your curiosity,” he revealed. I blinked at him. He chuckled and raised one hand. A thread of silver rose from his palm. “I noticed you showed some interest in my ability when I revealed my magic during our last adventure.”
“Then you really can use silvene magic like me?” I guessed.
“Very much so,”

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he confirmed as he closed his hand and the thread vanished. “I believe you and I are among the very few capable of using that particular element, making us almost as rare as Lord Eastwei.”
I lifted one hand and flexed my parted fingers. “So what does it mean to be able to use this kind of magic?”
He leaned his head back to study the sky. “I wish I had an answer to give to you, but such explanations are kept close by a higher deity than you or I.” He rolled his eyes to me and his smile widened. “However, I do know that we silvene are a very stubborn lot. Perhaps our strength comes from our confidence in our abilities.”
I snorted and dropped my hand into my lap. “I don’t think that fits me at all.”
He leaned down to catch my eye. “Then just imagine how strong you would be if you did have such confidence. You would be able to strike down those serpents tenfold with a mere look.”
His comment piqued my curiosity. “The serpent? The one I fought in the past?”
“Just the same.”
“Then did you guys know it was me who led you to Dadan all those years ago?” I inquired as I studied his face. “You and Lady Wuhel and Froumai were all there.”
His eyes twinkled. “What do you think?”
I leaned back and lifted an eyebrow. “I think you’re avoiding my question.”
“Well, let us say that we were very interested in you upon your arrival, and seeing you in your feline form at my home confirmed our suspicions,” he revealed.
“Lord Leiren! What a pleasant surprise!”
I leaned to one side and looked past Leiren to the door. Yushir and Arian strolled into the garden, the prince with a wide smile on his lips. Leiren stood and stepped to one side as Arian approached us.
“Please do not rise on my account!” she pleaded.
The ancient lord swept an arm toward the seat. “I rise on my own account, Lady Arian. I must return to my watch of the barrier.”
“How is it?” Yushir wondered.
“Slightly stronger for Lady Anna’s efforts, but Lady Wuhel will still craft a potion to strengthen the magic even more. If you will excuse me.” He bowed his head and slipped out of the garden.
Yushir watched him go while fiddling with his ring. “He is a very difficult book to read.”
Arian plopped down beside me and grasped one of my hands in hers. “How are you feeling?”
I grinned. “Just fine, but I’m sure you didn’t come here just to ask that.”
She blushed a little and her eyes flicked up to Yushir. “We, um, we have come to say goodbye.”
My heart skipped a beat and a little color drained from my face. “Say goodbye? Why?”
“What Arian means to say is we will be resuming my mission to speak with all the clan leaders,” Yushir spoke up.
She frowned up at him. “I had not yet finished, but yes.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Both of you are going?”
Arian’s faint red hue returned and she bowed her head. “I wish to be of use and I cannot think of a better mission than to assist Prince Yushir.”
Yushir’s face drooped at the impersonal name. “You may call me Yushir, Lady Arian.”
“And you may call me Arian,” she reminded him.
He grinned. “An apt trade we both often forget.”
“But perhaps I should be more personal with you,” Arian mused as she winked at me. “I believe my brother has given you the nickname of ‘Yushy.’”
Yushir shuddered. “I beg of you to refrain from that colloquial name, Lady-” She gave him a look of warning. “Arian.”
“When do you guys leave?” I asked them.
“The day before you do,” Yushir replied.
I blinked at him. “Me leaving? Where am I going?”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Has Dadan not told you? He intends to travel to the land of the demons and learn more about the Black Reign, particularly this individual who is spreading these seeds of evil.”
Arian gave the prince a pointed look. “Perhaps we should let Lord Eastwei explain the matter to her more fully.”
He cleared his throat. “Yes, I believe you are right, and we have a few things left to prepare for our trip.”
Arian returned her attention to me and squeezed my hand. “You will stay safe down there and return to me?”
I laughed and wrapped her in a hug. “When have I ever broken that promise to you?”
She eagerly returned the gesture. “Never.” She drew us apart and her eyes revealed reluctance. “But I fear for you. The demons are a monstrous lot and they have little love for gods.”
“No love,” Yushir chimed in as he set a hand on her shoulder. “But they do respect Dadan more than anyone else. If anyone can find anything more about the Reign in their archives, it will be him.”
Arian reluctantly stood and smiled down at me. “I hope to see you soon.”
“It’s a promise,” I swore.
She slipped away with the prince at her side. The bright, warm sun no longer allured me. I had too many questions in my head, and I set off to find the one god who could answer them. The fire dragon god himself, Lord Eastwei.
Otherwise known as my fiancé.

COLLAPSE

Learning a Magic

Eastwei takes Anna to a secluded cabin deep in a forest of the land realm to teach her how to control her magic. While there, more than magic sparks begin to fly between the pair.

Unfortunately, Eastwei isn't the only one with plans for Anna and himself. Their lessons are interrupted by reports of trouble at the borders of the forest. A quick trip to investigate the problems turns into a fight for survival against an old foe.

The battle leaves Eastwei infected by a terrible poison. All manner of medicines fail to work but legends speak of a rare blood that once healed Eastwei as a child. The only problem is the creature with the blood died many millions of years ago, taking the secret of its healing magic with it.

Anna is left with a terrible choice. She must risk her life in a dangerous attempt to retrieve the precious blood and if she fails they will both die.

Excerpt:

Sunny. Peaceful. It was a perfect day in the heaven realm.
That’s why it had to be ruined.
I sat on one of the benches scattered around my modest palace with my hands in my lap and a smile on my face. The high sun warmed my cheeks and tried to tan their unhealthy pallor. I raised one hand and turned it over. The muscles were still stiff and sore even after three long weeks of recuperating.
“Does it still hurt?”
I jumped and whipped my head to my right. Arian stood there with two cups in her hand and a worried look on her face. I dropped my hand into my lap and shrugged. “A little.”
“You would not give your hands so much attention for a little pain,” Arian countered as she took a seat beside me and held out the steaming cup of tea.
I gladly accepted the cup and clasped it between both hands. “I’m fine, really.”
She nodded down at my cup. “Then why are you using the warm tea to soothe the soreness in your hands?”

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My face fell and I looked at my hands. The heat had indeed unconsciously tempted me to dampen the ache. I sighed and my shoulders drooped. “I guess it does bother me-”
“More than a little,” she finished for me.
“More than a little,” I repeated with a faint smile. “Anyway, I’m sure I’ll be better in a week or two. I only just got out of bed three days ago, after all. Everything’s still a little stiff from laying in bed for so long.”
“Lady Anna! Lady Anna!”
The shout came from the archway to my palace grounds, and a tiny shadow darted down the path and crashed into me. My arms shot up to prevent a terrible spill on the tiny creature that now hugged me about the waist.
“And a warm hello to you, too, Lia,” I returned with a faint laugh.
“You need to be more gentle with her, Lia,” Kean scolded her as he trotted down the path. “She’s still sick and needs to be treated like glass.”
“Who told you that?” I wondered as Lia wriggled her way onto the bench between Arain and me.
“Uncle Yushir,” Kean told me as he stopped before us. The young lad folded his arms over his chest and looked me over with as serious an expression as he could manage. “You look really pale.”
“You should have seen me a few days ago,” I replied as I took a sip of my tea. The warm drink soothed my recuperating stomach. “I could have passed as a ghost.”
The color drained from Lia’s face. “Did you die?”
I laughed and bopped a finger against her nose. “No, but I was very sad because I hadn’t seen you two for so long. What have you been up to?”
Her face drooped and she hung her head. “We popped all of your ‘boons.”
It took me a second to translate her child’s speak. “Well, I can make you more balloons, and more chocolates, too.”
Arian looked over Lia’s head and frowned at me. “You should save your strength.”
“Surely I can make a little chocolate bar,” I insisted.
Lia’s face perked up. “Chocolate! I want chocolate!”
“You should refrain from such magical arts.” The scolding voice came from the arch and Prince Yushir appeared. He strolled up to his nephew’s side and inclined his head to Arian and me. “Good morning to you, ladies. How are you both feeling this lovely day? Are you well-rested for your journey to your homeland, Lady Arian?”
My eyes widened and I whipped my head around to face my friend. “You’re going home?”
She dropped her gaze to her cup and sighed. “Father wishes for me to return, at least until the meeting of the clans in six months.”
“I will guarantee you the time will not be any longer than that,” Yushir swore to her as he placed a hand over his heart. “As the second son of the king of heaven, you have my promise that you will return in that time.”
“That is very kind of you to guarantee but you have not even ventured to the other clans to seek their agreement,” she pointed out.
His face fell and he sighed. “Unfortunately, I too will leave tomorrow for the turtle clan, and then to the others to seek their help in this matter. King Wearg and your father have promised to put in a good word for me among their allied clans which will greatly hasten my mission.”
My heart dropped as I realized the consequences of their responsibilities. “So I won’t see you guys for a while.”
“You might come home with me,” Arian offered.
Yushir closed his eyes and shook his head. “You are forgetting Lord Eastwei’s promise, Lady Arian. He is to take Lady Roberts to instruct her in how to use her unique skills.”
I gripped the cup tighter and bit my lower lip. Dadan. I hadn’t seen him since I left his palace four days prior.
A small hand tugged on my sleeve and I looked down to see Lia with a worried expression on her face. “Are you feeling alright, Lady Anna? You don’t look so good.”
I offered her a smile and tapped the rim of my cup. “My tea is a little warm and it didn’t go down very nicely, that’s all.” Lia didn’t look convinced, and neither did anyone else around me.
“We should get going, Lia,” Kean scolded her as he pointed at the arch. “The others are waiting for us at the park.”
Lia reluctantly slid off the bench but she turned and set her adorable hands one on top of the other on my knee. “Please take good care of yourself, Lady Anna. I’d be very sad to see you hurt again.”
I rubbed my hand on the top of her head. “I’ll take very good care of myself just for you.”
Her face brightened a little before Kean snatched one of her hands. He bowed his head to us as he pulled her along, and little Lia waved. “Goodbye!”
“Bye,” I called back while Arian waved.
Yushir clasped his hands behind his back and studied me. “Little Lia is quite right to worry. Your color is still not healthy.”
“It’s the lack of sun,” I mused as I blinked up at the bright sky. “A few days in this will brighten me back up.”
He didn’t look convinced but he bowed his head. “Then I will unfortunately take my leave of you ladies. There are preparations for my travels that must be made.”
“Good luck to you and I hope you return safely,” Arian told him.
Her good wishes perked up the prince. “Do you truly mean that, Lady Arian?”
Arian’s cheeks reddened slightly. “Of course I do. You are a good friend.”
I hid my smile in my cup of tea as Yushir’s face drooped. “A. . .a friend. Yes, of course. Well, if you will excuse me.” He hung his head and slouched out of the gardens.
I couldn’t suppress it any longer and had to snort into my cup. “I think he was looking for something more than being a friend.”
She sighed. “Yes, but I cannot give that to anyone, not while I worry about you.”
I nudged her arm with my elbow. “You can stop worrying about me. I’m fine, just a little tired, that’s all.”
“Perhaps you would like some food? Or maybe more tea?” Arian inquired as she leaned forward to peer into my cup.
I laughed and sloshed around the contents. “I think I’m good with this for a while, but you can get another cup for yourself.”
She bit her lower lip. “Are you sure?”
I clapped a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “I think I’ll be fine for a few minutes alone again.”
Arian reluctantly stood and slipped back into the house. I sighed and dropped my gaze to the steaming cup of tea. The sweet aroma surrounded me, wrapping me in a comfortable fog of indifference.
Until a shadow fell over my tranquility. I frowned and whipped my head up.
And found myself staring into the handsome face of the former emperor of everything, Lord Eastwei.
“Are you ready?” he asked me.
I blinked at him. “Ready? Ready for what?
“For your training. We leave today.”

COLLAPSE
Mac Flynn