The Dragon Legion Collection 9

The Dragon Legion Collection

Kiss of Danger

Kiss of Darkness

Kiss of Destiny

by

Deborah Cooke

The Dragon Legion Collection

Digital Edition

Published by Deborah A. Cooke

ISBN: 978-1-927477-26-7

Cover by Kim Killion

Digital Formatting by Author E.M.S.

Kiss of Danger

Copyright © 2013 by Deborah A. Cooke

Kiss of Darkness

Copyright © 2013 by Deborah A. Cooke

Kiss of Destiny

Copyright © 2013 by Deborah A. Cooke

All rights reserved.

Without limiting the rights under copyright preserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright holder and the publisher of this book.

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.

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Dear Reader;

As many of you know from my blog and newsletter, I like to plan ahead and I love to make lists. Whenever I write a book, I always know the ending. In fact, it’s pretty common for me to write the final scenes of the book before I write the middle, just so I know exactly where we (the hero, the heroine and me) are headed. Writing an ongoing series is no different: the process is just a little more complicated. There are more plot threads to be resolved and more details to be addressed before the big finish. Dragonfire is the longest series of linked books I’ve written to date, so as I start to wrap up this the Dragonfire cycle, I’m making lists, trying to plan for all the details that need to be resolved.

Currently, there are eight Dragonfire paranormal romances available, as well as three books in the spin-off Dragon Diaries trilogy of paranormal young adult books.
The Dragon Legion Collection
is Dragonfire #9, and it comprises three paranormal romance novellas—
Kiss of Danger, Kiss of Darkness
and
Kiss of Destiny
. Dragonfire #10 is entitled
Serpent’s Kiss
and will be Thorolf’s book. Dragonfire #11 will complete this cycle of the story of my dragon shape shifter heroes and will be Sloane’s book. (Maybe you already guessed that the Apothecary of the
Pyr
would have to be the one to heal the world.) I’m not done with dragons by a long shot, but these books will complete the Dragonfire cycle of linked stories.

In planning for Thorolf’s and Sloane’s books, I had a long list of unanswered questions. Within the ranks of the
Pyr
, I was curious about Drake and his men. What was going to happen to the Dragon’s Tooth Warriors? Would they have firestorms in our time? What about the Dragon’s Tooth Warriors who had already found their destined mates in the past? Were they doomed to be unhappy
Pyr
, separated from their partners forever? Outside of the
Pyr
themselves, there were even more questions. What role does that last darkfire crystal play in the battle against the
Slayers
? I’ve only accounted for two of the stones so far. (Actually, I knew the answer to this all along, but had to create the Dragon Legion Novellas to share it with you!) In
Ember’s Kiss
, we met the first mate who was an Elemental Witch—Liz is a Firedaughter. But is Liz really the first Elemental Witch to pair up with a
Pyr
? Are there Airdaughters, Earthdaughters and Waterdaughters? If so, what role do they play in the resolution of the Dragon’s Tail War? Then there are my questions about the
Slayers
. Who—and what—is Viv Jason? Why does she hate the
Pyr
? What does she want to achieve? What happened to Jorge after he was drawn down into the earth by Pele in
Ember’s Kiss
? Do the
Slayers
have a plan to win their fight against the
Pyr
? Their ranks are dwindling, so they need something big to turn the tide in their favor. What could it be?

These questions (and a few more) were answered in the writing of the Dragon Legion Novellas. I really enjoyed exploring the characters of three of Drake’s men, as well as ensuring that they had their firestorms. It was great to have the opportunity to add more dimensionality to my Dragonfire world, too, and put the pieces in motion for those next two books. As with all of the Dragonfire novels, it’s probably best to read the novellas in order, since the stories do build on each other. That said, I’ve tried to ensure that you can pick up any story and enjoy it without having read all the earlier titles first. In this edition, I’ve also added a couple of new resources for you: there’s a list of continuing characters as well as a glossary of terms for the world of Dragonfire. There’s also an excerpt from Thorolf’s book,
Serpent’s Kiss
.

In other news, I’ll be republishing my urban fantasy romance series, The Prometheus Project, this fall. These books are set in a gritty dystopian future and feature fallen angel heroes who have voluntarily shed their wings in a quest to save humanity.
Fallen
,
Guardian
and
Rebel
were previously published and will be available in new editions. There will also be a new fourth title in the series called
Abyss
, which is Tupperman’s story. These are Claire Delacroix books, so please visit my website at
www.delacroix.net
to read excerpts and learn more.

I hope you enjoy the Dragon Legion Novellas! Until next time, may you have plenty of good books to read!

All my best—

Deborah

also writing as Claire Delacroix

Kiss of Danger

The First Dragon Legion Novella

by Deborah Cooke

They will sacrifice anything to regain the loves they’ve lost...

Alexander knew he had to fulfill his duty to his kind, the dragon shape shifters called the
Pyr
, even at the price of abandoning his new wife and young son. After he and his fellow warriors were enchanted for centuries, then finally set free in a future long after their own time, Alexander feared he would never return to his love. Against all odds, the darkfire crystal makes his dream come true, flinging him across the centuries to the world he left behind. Is this his chance to regain the life he lost? Has his Katina waited for him? Or has the darkfire crystal cast him back in time for some mysterious purpose of its own?

Prologue

Salvatore dreamed.

As he dozed in his elegant apartment in his son Lorenzo’s home, the old dragon shifter dreamed of the future, the present and the past. He dreamed of possibilities and roads not taken, of chances lost and opportunities seized. Whether speculation or fact, his dreams melded together into a coherent whole.

Salvatore understood that he had entered the realm of the Wyvern, a mystical dimension in which all possibilities existed simultaneously. He wasn’t sure how he had done it or why it had been allowed, but he was entranced. In every moment of his dreaming, he was aware of the steady pulse of the darkfire trapped within a large quartz crystal. Salvatore knew the gem in his dreams was secured in the hoard he shared with Lorenzo.

Darkfire was said to have the power to turn everything upside down for dragon shape shifters like Salvatore and Lorenzo, dragon shape shifters called the
Pyr
. Darkfire introduced uncertainty and possibilities, challenged expectations and was a force for change—however unwelcome that change might be.

Salvatore assumed it was the darkfire that had taken him to this dream place. The darkfire, after all, illuminated all he witnessed.

Though Salvatore had known little of darkfire in his life—save the rumor of its existence—in his dreams, he glimpsed its past and its future. He understood that there were three similar crystals, and he saw the locations of them all. He saw the destiny of the one in Lorenzo’s hoard and understood his role in all of it. The gem had been entrusted to Lorenzo for safekeeping, but the darkfire had a will of its own. It awaited Salvatore, demanded that he play his role to ensure that the stone’s destiny was fulfilled.

Salvatore followed the behest of his dream. He sent a summons on the wind of dreaming, a whisper lower than old-speak, a command that he knew would be obeyed. He slept yet more, awaiting the moment that would come.

One morning, Salvatore awakened from his slumber, confident his summons would be answered that very day.

He rose from his bed with purpose.

He had to fetch the darkfire crystal to send it on its way.

* * *

Las Vegas, Nevada. December 10, 2010

Erik, the leader of the
Pyr
, was only moments away when Lorenzo’s security system began to sound. Someone—or something—had entered the courtyard secreted in the midst of Lorenzo’s house. The only entry was from above. It had to be another
Pyr
, but which one? Lorenzo paused and inhaled deeply, disliking that he had been surprised.

It wasn’t Erik.

The arrival wasn’t a
Slayer
, either. Lorenzo knew the dark scent of decay and darkness carried by those dragon shifters who had turned evil. The lack of vitality that clung to the scent of
Slayers
was part of the reason he didn’t want to join them. He feared that the cost was higher than they preferred to admit.

And Lorenzo adored being vital and alive.

This scent was faint, difficult to perceive. It was so strange that he couldn’t quite place it. He chose to mull it over, keenly aware of Erik’s increasing proximity.

Definitely
Pyr
, but ancient. More like the old perfumes that had been sold in Venice centuries before. Frankincense. Myrrh. Ambergris. Scents that could not be precisely described by anyone but which, once smelled, were never forgotten. This scent awakened something in Lorenzo that he would have preferred to have left slumbering.

Lorenzo returned to the atrium and pulled back the blind with a single smooth gesture. He hid his surprise that there was not just one
Pyr
there.

There were seventeen.

It was strange that their individual scents were not as readily distinguishable as those of the other
Pyr
Lorenzo knew. They must have arrived in dragon form. Together. Acting as one. The courtyard was open to the sky and all other windows to the house were locked against the heat.