Ember's Kiss
Authors: Deborah Cooke
Praise for the
Dragonfire Novels
Flashfire
“Deborah Cooke is a dragon master of a storytellerâ¦. Lorenzo fills the pages with enigmatic glory only rivaled by his mate, Cassie, and I did not stop turning pages until the firestorm had ended.”
âThe Reading Frenzy
“Cooke's long-running series continues to be a sexy and thrilling winner!”
â
Romantic Times
“Thrilling and unpredictableâ¦
Flashfire
is another great addition to one of my favorite paranormal romance series.”
âParanormal Haven
Darkfire Kiss
“Quick action, engaging prose, and hot sex.”
â
Publishers Weekly
“Deborah Cooke's Dragonfire novels are impossible to put down.
Darkfire Kiss
is no exception.”
âRomance Reviews Today
“Another book not to be missed!”
âFresh Fiction
“An action-packed, fast-paced romantic read.”
âTwoLips Reviews
Whisper Kiss
“Truly dynamic.”
âFresh Fiction
“Bursting with emotions, passion, and even a real fire or four, I count myself lucky not to have spontaneously combusted! Don't miss this sizzling addition to Deborah Cooke's Dragonfire seriesâit is marvelous!”
âRomance Junkies
“Cooke aces another one!”
â
Romantic Times
(4
1
â
2
stars)
Winter Kiss
“Beautiful and emotionally grippingâ¦sizzling-hot love scenes and explosive emotions make
Winter Kiss
a must read!”
âRomance Junkies
“A terrific novel!”
âRomance Reviews Today
Kiss of Fate
“An intense ride. Ms. Cooke has a great talentâ¦. If you love paranormal romance in any way, this is a series you should be following.”
âNight Owl Romance (reviewer top pick)
“Second chances are a key theme in this latest Dragonfire adventure. Cooke keeps the pace intense and the emotions raging in this powerful new read. She's top-notch, as always.”
â
Romantic Times
Kiss of Fury
“Visiting this world is a pleasure.”
â
Romantic Times
“Entertaining and imaginativeâ¦a must read for paranormal fans.”
âBookLoons
“Rivetingâ¦. Deborah Cooke delivers a fiery tale of love and passion.”
âWild on Books
“Excellent writing, a smart story, and exceptional characters earn this novel the RRT Perfect 10 Rating. Don't miss the very highly recommended
Kiss of Fury
.”
âRomance Reviews Today
Kiss of Fire
“Wow, what an innovative and dazzling world Ms. Cooke has builtâ¦. [She] draws the reader in and has you believing it could almost be real.”
âFresh Fiction
“Deborah Cooke has definitely made me a fanâ¦[an] extremely exciting series.”
âRomance Junkies
“Paranormal fans with a soft spot for shape-shifting dragons will definitely enjoy
Kiss of Fire
, a story brimming with sexy heroes, evil villainsâ¦and an engaging love story.”
âBookLoons
Also by Deborah Cooke
The Dragonfire Novels
Kiss of Fire
Kiss of Fury
Kiss of Fate
Winter Kiss
Whisper Kiss
Darkfire Kiss
Flashfire
The Dragon Diaries Novels
Flying Blind
Winging It
Blazing the Trail
EMBER'S KISS
A DRAGONFIRE NOVEL
DEBORAH COOKE
A SIGNET ECLIPSE BOOK
SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, October 2012
10Â Â Â 9Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 6Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 1
Copyright © Deborah A. Cooke, 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
ISBN: 978-1-101-60476-2
SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
With many thanks to Kerry Donovan
for her editorial expertise and her enthusiasm.
Chapter 1
Oâahu, HawaiâiâFriday, December 9, 2011
D
espite the time of year, the
Slayer
Chen was not feeling festive. He sat in the beach bar on the north side of the island, sipping a glass of pineapple juice and watching his prey. Even though he had donned his favorite form, an elderly Chinese man, and the waitress had underestimated him, his mood was sour. The bar was decorated for Christmas, the walls thick with jingling bells, ribbons, and posters of that jolly old elf laughing in his Hawaiâian shirt. This did absolutely nothing to lighten Chen's mood.
His plan was not coming together and time was slipping away. The year of the dragon would begin on January 23, 2012, less than two months away, and was his chance to ensure his ascendancy over all the dragon shifters. It should be the year that Chen claimed his destiny.
Except that nothing was going right.
It burned that his own choices were at fault. When he had loosed the ancient force of darkfire from the crystal that had held it captive for centuries, he'd been thinking only of confounding the
Pyr
. He'd been thinking of his own advantage and been certain that the darkfire would provide the necessary distraction for him to move his plan forward.
Instead, the darkfireâas unpredictable as it was said to beâhad ruined everything. His brand, the one he had used to mark other dragons and enslave
Slayers
to his will, had been first broken and then destroyed. He had been cheated of the harvest of Lorenzo, the one
Pyr
who was within a whisper of turning
Slayer
and the one who could have been a useful ally to buttress his affinity with water. Viv Jason had appeared, whatever she was, and vowed to deliver the
Pyr
Thorolf to Chen to fortify Chen's affinity with air. But Viv was not keeping her promise, at least not so far, and the darkfire seemed to be on her side. Everything had gone wrong because of the release of the darkfire.
That Chen had been the one to free the darkfire in the first place was just salt in the wound.
He, Chen, should be the master of all dragon shifters. He was the strongest, the smartest, and the most ancient of all the dragon shifters. He was the one who still remembered dragon magic, and he was the most cunning. It was his destiny to rule, to be the lord of all. It was his right to command.
His plan would continue as designed, despite recent setbacks. He watched the young surfer ride his board to the beach and shout to his friends, and his anticipation rose.
This part of Chen's scheme was proceeding well.
Yes, he would secure his hold over Brandon and that
Pyr
's affinity to the elements of earth and water. Brandon was nearly in his thrall. The moon would be full on this night and there would be an eclipse. Some
Pyr
somewhere would have his firestorm, and the prickle of energy in Brandon's vicinity gave Chen new hope.
Could he be so lucky that Brandon would be the one to have a firestorm?
If so, the tide could turn in Chen's favor. The young dragon would be vulnerable in love, caught between his noble impulses and the dark urges that Chen had fed to him. It would be enough to push him over the edge, to make his dragon ascendant for good.
Which would put him in Chen's thrall.
Chen, after all, already possessed three of Brandon's scales. One more scale, and Brandon's dragon would be Chen's, courtesy of the old dragon magic. All of the young
Pyr
's energy would be merged with Chen's ownâplus Brandon's corpse would provide a new supply of Dragon Bone Powder. Chen was so close to claiming him completely, though the young dragon was too stupid to see what was happening to him.
Brandon even thought Chen was his friend. In fact, he thought Chen was the only one who understood
the realities of his dragon nature, and he trusted Chen. Even if the
Pyr
came racing to the firestorm, Brandon wouldn't believe anything they told him. They were allied with his father, after all, which was a crime in Brandon's eyes.
That prospect of triumph cheered the ancient
Slayer
, as did the friendly wave that Brandon gave him as he entered the bar. “Hey, Chen! How's it going?” He was still gregarious, easygoing, and confidentâwhen his dragon was safely managed. Chen yearned for the vigor of his youth.
He'd have it soon.
Yes, Chen could almost smell the flicker of the firestorm's flames, courtesy of his own greater powers. This
Pyr
would have his firestorm, and it would spark between him and his destined mate on this night.
Perfect!
“My old friend!” Chen replied, making sure he sounded feeble. He let his arm shake as he hailed the young dragon and was deliberately unsteady on his feet when he rose to greet him. He clutched Brandon's strong hand like a lifeline. “I had to see you one last time,” he confessed, letting his tears rise.