Kiss of Fury
Deborah Cooke
Table of Contents
Praise forKiss of Fire
Cooke, aka bestseller Claire Delacroix, dips into the paranormal realm with her sizzling new Dragonfire series.... Efficient plotting moves the story at a brisk pace and paves the way for more exciting battles to come.
Romantic Times
Paranormal fans with a soft spot for shape-shifting dragons will definitely enjoy Kiss of Fire, a story brimming with sexy heroes, evil villains threatening mayhem, death, and world domination, ancient prophesies, and an engaging love story.... An intriguing mythology and various unanswered plot threads set the stage for plenty more adventure to come in future Dragonfire stories. BookLoons
A Wizards Fury
Sophie only turned away, carrying the Dragons Egg back to Eriks hoard. He waited for her to return, his thoughts swirling.
If Alex Madison was the Wizard, then she was the one who had taken the initiative that would save humans from the repercussions of their own deeds. And if the old legend was true, she would mate with the Warrior. They would lead the Pyr to victory.
Donovan. The best candidate to become the Warrior had to be Donovan, the Pyrs greatest fighting machineand the Pyr most reluctant to make a commitment of any kind. What if the Warrior and the Wizard didnt consummate their firestorm? What if Donovan didnt allow himself to be transformed into the Warrior? What if this Alex Madison didnt want to be involved? Erik winced and shoved a hand through his hair.
He decided that he hated portents and prophecies.
ALSO BY DEBORAH COOKE
Kiss of Fire
For all the readers who wrote to me about their loveof dragons and their enjoyment of this series.Thank you for your enthusiasm! I hope you enjoy thisdragons story just as well.
Prologue
August 28, 2007
Erik Sorensson was tired, but the ritual with the Dragons Egg always exhausted him. He and the other members of the high circle of Pyr had met in Samoa earlier in the day. Beneath the full lunar eclipse, they had received the portent that the next firestorm would occur in Minneapolis.
Would it be his? Erik thought not.
He hoped not.
Hed worry about the details later. For the moment, he just wanted to sleep in the solitude of his lair. He replaced the Dragons Egg in the most secure area of his hoard and yawned.
It is more than the journey that fatigues you, said a woman in close proximity.
Erik jumped and pivoted.
Sophie waved her fingertips at him. Surprise.
She lounged on one of his two black couches, looking as ethereal as ever. Her fair hair fell loose over her shoulders and she wore a dress made of sheer layers of silver and gray. She could have been a stray beam of moonlight.
Erik checked, but his protective smoke was still thick around the perimeter of his lair. It resonated with the clarity of an unbroken territory mark.
How did you get in here?
I am the Wyvern, she said without interest. I know many tricks, both magical and mundane. She glanced around his home, which was in a converted warehouse. The old hardwood floors gleamed and the furnishings were modern and few. Nice lair. I like the smell of brimstone. Its a fitting touch.
Erik strode across the floor to check his locks. He knew his tone was sharp and he didnt care. Its not brimstone. Its sulfur. I store the pyrotechnics in the back room. The locks were exactly as he had left them. He faced Sophie without troubling to hide his irritation.
She held his gaze. Arent you going to ask why Ive disturbed your solitude?
Youre the prophetess. You tell me.
Im not the only one with the gift of foresight.
Erik muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath and Sophie smiled as he perched on the couch opposite her. He might as well hear what she had to say, as enigmatic as it was likely to be. All right. Tell me why youve come.
Surely you can guess.
Maybe I dont want to. Im tired, Sophie, and need some sleep.
She shook her head, her gaze knowing. Sleep isnt going to fix what ails you.
Erik ignored that. Why did you come?
I had a portent to deliver, of course.
The next firestorm will be in Minneapolis, Erik said, even though he expected that Sophie already knew as much.
The firestorm was the mating sign of the Pyr, the sign that a Pyr had met the mortal mate who could bear his child. A firestorm could happen at any time in any place, but those of critical importance to the Pyr were signaled by total lunar eclipses.
Do you know whose firestorm it will be?
Sophie closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the couch. Her long hair spread across the dark fabric like a veil. Erik remembered the sight of snow on coal, felt a pang for the past; then her chanted words brought him back to the present.
The Dragons Tail demands recompense
Owed the land for mans violence;
Both human and Pyr must sacrifice,
To earn the chance to make matters right.
A portal has opened to the past
Making possible what has been lost;
Time to muster forces for the final battle,
In which Pyr and Slayer learn their mettle.
That sounds like a warning, Erik said when she fell silent.
She opened her eyes and smiled sweetly at him. It is.
Erik felt a surge of frustration, one he often felt in Sophies presence. I know there will be three total lunar eclipses, which follow the change of the moons node to the Dragons Tail. And weve known for centuries that a total lunar eclipse is the mark of a firestorm of particular import to the Pyr, like the firestorm the Smith indicated by the last eclipse.
Sophie continued to smile.
So, this one, this firestorm that will occur in Minneapolis, must also be important. But how? The Smith is already mated and Sara carries his child. What is significant about the next firestorm, or about the Pyr who will experience it?
Three total eclipses in rapid succession, Sophie mused, staring at her three outstretched fingers. Three Pyr of critical importance who will feel the firestorm. She looked at Erik. Three firestorms that must succeed, if the Pyr are to survive for the pending battle.
We must ensure them all or lose the war before it begins? Erik was incredulous, but Sophie was serene. Cant you tell me any more than that?
I brought you the prophecy.
But it tells me nothing!
On the contrary, it tells you everything you need to know.
Before Erik could argue, Sophie unfolded herself from the couch and drifted across the room. She seemed to float, to not be bound by gravity. She disappeared into Eriks hoard and he forced himself to stay put.
They were on the same team, after all. He should trust her.
She returned with the Dragons Egg. He was offended to see anyone else handling it. I just put that away....
She halted before Erik with the obsidian orb cradled in her hands. Look, she said.
Erik knew better than to argue. He looked.
The Dragons Egg gleamed. Sophies tune began low and soft. Erik couldnt hear the words, couldnt anticipate the rhythm, but he knew he was hearing an ancient charm. The surface of the stone seemed to swirl, as if it were covered with clouds of gray.
Storm clouds.
Hed never seen the Dragons Egg respond to anything other than the light of a total eclipse. He stared and marveled.
