Nikolai is a dragon shapeshifter who knows well the meaning of loss. Orphaned and raised to be a Dragon King, he never accepts defeat. Now, Nikolai prefers his solitude . . . until a beautiful, irresistible woman calls upon him for help—and Nikolai's whole world goes up in flames.
Ever since MI5 agent Esther woke to discover her mind taken over with magic, she feels like a stranger to herself. She looks to a notorious dragon, one who has the power to help her find her memory. But as she and Nikolai come closer to discovering what really happened to her, a dangerous passion ignites between them. Can this lone Dragon King help the woman he's grown to love to uncover the truth about her past—or will a deep and fiery danger tear them both apart?
Release date:
January 30, 2018
Publisher:
St. Martin's Publishing Group
Print pages:
352
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The words he’d spoken to Ulrik reverberated through Nikolai’s head like a bell tolling. He blew out a frustrated breath and sat up. Tossing aside the blanket, he swung his legs over the bed as he hung his head.
The few hours of sleep he’d managed were filled with dreams of his years with Ulrik. The Silvers had accepted Nikolai, though they hadn’t made his life easy. Their actions, in part, were what strengthened him.
The day Nikolai challenged Avgust for the right to rule the Ivories, there was only one who had stood by his side—Ulrik. The King of the Silvers had begun as a father figure, but soon became a brother in the truest sense of the word.
Nikolai held out his hands, palms up, and looked at them. The last time he had seen or spoken to Ulrik was right before they stripped the Silver of his magic and banished him.
It didn’t matter how many millennia passed, the burden of standing against Ulrik still weighed heavily upon Nikolai. It’s why he had taken to his mountain with the others and woke only one other time.
He’d still be asleep if Con hadn’t forced him to wake. The fact that Nikolai would most likely have to fight the man he called brother only worsened the situation.
Squeezing his hands into fists, he fought back the tide of regret. He drew in a deep breath and rose to his feet. Striding into the bathroom, he turned on the water in the shower.
He couldn’t remember a time when there hadn’t been tension running through the manor, but it was getting worse. Every Dragon King knew that the battle between Ulrik and Constantine, the King of Kings, was coming any day now.
No one wanted to see Ulrik dead, but if he won, then the vows made by each of them to protect the mortals would pit them against Ulrik, who wanted nothing more than to wipe the humans from the face of the earth.
In order to prevent that, Con would have to kill Ulrik.
Nikolai stepped beneath the hot spray of water and braced his hands on the wall. He’d sided against Ulrik once. It had been the right choice, but there wasn’t a day that passed where Nikolai didn’t wonder if he should’ve chosen differently.
This time, the choice would be out of his hands. This time, the battle between Ulrik and Con would have lasting effects on every being in the realm—mortal and immortal alike.
If only that were all the Kings had to worry about, but unfortunately, it was only a small piece of a very large pie filled with nothing but enemies who were focused on everyone at Dreagan.
Nikolai put his face in the water and closed his eyes. The Dark Fae were a serious problem for the mortals because they fed off their souls by having sex with them. To make matters worse, there was talk that Ulrik had joined forces with them.
At least that was the theory. Sebastian claimed that Ulrik wasn’t responsible for everything, that Ulrik’s uncle, Mikkel, was the one the Kings should be hunting.
Nikolai leaned back and began to wash. He recalled Ulrik having an uncle, but not the name. Nikolai hoped Sebastian was right. Regardless, Bast had left for Venice without Con’s approval in order to uncover proof about Mikkel.
That was a week ago. There had been no word from Sebastian, and Con had departed for Venice the night before to locate Bast.
The only good thing was now that MI5 no longer had a presence at the distillery, the ban on the Dragon Kings shifting had been lifted. It felt amazing to take to the skies again.
Nikolai ran a hand through his hair to get the shampoo out. Then he turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry off. He walked out of the shower and frowned at the pile of clothes that he’d forgotten to hang up the previous day.
He tossed aside his towel and began putting away the clothes in his closet. As he did, he grabbed a pair of jeans and put them on. He then made his way to the chest in his bedroom. After he put away a stack of clothes, he paused and looked at the painting above his bed. It was the first thing he’d done for himself after he discovered what his power was.
He stared at the idyllic mountain scene with lakes so pure you could see straight to the bottom. Flying together in the bright blue sky were his parents. It was the only thing that hung on his walls other than his sword.
As he made up his bed, there was a soft knock on his door. He didn’t look up as he bade whoever it was enter while he bent, tidying the comforter. The door opened, but it took him a second to realize that no one had spoken. When he straightened, he was shocked to find Esther North standing there.
The British beauty was still in the doorway, her hand upon the knob as her gaze locked on the various drawings that were scattered about his room, hung on lines he had strung, or sitting on easels.
Her lustrous brunette tresses hung free about her shoulders. She wore an oversized gray sweater that hid her curves and dropped past her hips over a pair of black leggings. Fuzzy white socks that had a kitten face atop them, complete with a pink nose and whiskers, encased her feet.
The longer she stood there staring, the more he was able to gaze at her striking features at his leisure. The MI5 agent had captivated him from the very beginning when a Druid got into Esther’s mind to control her with magic.
The Dragon Kings managed to undo the Druid’s work, but there were side effects. The memories of the time Esther spent with the Druid were missing. It made Esther a liability, but she was allowed to remain because of one very important factor—she was Henry North’s sister.
Henry, also MI5, worked with the Dragon Kings to track the activities of the Dark Fae in an attempt to figure out their next move. It was uncommon for the Kings to trust humans, but Henry was an exception.
And so was his sister.
Nikolai knew Esther’s face. His power allowed him to conjure every detail about her from just one look. From the small, nearly hidden scar on her left wrist from some childhood accident, to the confident way she held herself.
He knew her hair wasn’t just brown. It had strands of the softest shade of walnut, darker tones that deepened into chocolate, and lighter streaks of amber. He knew the curve of her face, and how she lifted her chin when she was angry. He knew the lines in her brow from the expressive way she spoke. He knew her mouth and how her bottom lip was slightly fuller than the top.
He knew her round eyes and the deep shade of brown along with the band of black that encircled her irises. He knew the slope of her breasts, the indent of her waist, and the flare of her hips. He knew the way she preferred to wear muted colors to help her blend in with a crowd.
It had taken but one look to put all that to memory, but he found his gaze going to her again and again as if he couldn’t get enough.
That fact was only one reason he kept drawing Esther. The other was that he had no choice.
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