“Then she always wanted me dead. Good to know.” He exhaled shakily and pushed a hand through his hair.
“Arista planned this,” Gemma whispered, tears shining on her lashes. She reached into the bag and ran her fingers through the remaining dust. “How could she have known?”
“She had the ShadowCaster,” Venero reminded her.
“There’s no way we’ll be able to find it, then. Arista would have planned for every possibility. She would have ensured its safety.”
“Maybe it told her its destiny and she set it free.”
Gemma smiled up at him. “I like the idea of that.” Her smile faded as she held his gaze. “You have a throne to claim,” she noted softly.
Venero shook his head, thinking about practicalities. “Not easily. The Captain of the Guard always coveted the throne, so he might lead a coup. Then there are my other brothers, who will think they deserve to rule.” He shrugged. “I can’t just walk in and claim my legacy, Gemma.”
“Good thing you know a dragon princess who trained a regiment of commandos,” she said quietly and he dared to be encouraged. She took a breath and he saw an answering hope in her magnificent eyes.
“You’re not going to finish Arista’s mission?”
Gemma shook her head. “I’m going to make an exception for my HeartKeeper.”
Venero grinned and offered his hand. “Then marry me. Let’s claim the throne of Regalia together, Gemma.”
“You won’t mind a dragon queen by your side?”
“I wouldn’t want anyone less. I love you.”
“And I love you.” Gemma laughed and threw herself into his arms. Her smile was brilliant and her kiss was fiery. She kissed him with such enthusiasm that Venero knew a woman of any less passion would have bored him to tears. There was no chance of that happening with Gemma as his wife.
“Come meet my father,” she whispered when he finally broke their kiss. “We’ll make an official request for military support, and launch a new alliance between our kingdoms.”
And Venero had no complaint with that.
* * *
Watch for
Arista’s Legacy
A short story of Incendium
#2.5 of the Dragons of Incendium
Wyvern’s Warrior
#3 of the Dragons of Incendium series
Coming Soon!
The Dragons of Incendium have their own website
http://dragonsofincendium.com/
About the Author
Deborah Cooke sold her first book in 1992, a medieval romance called The Romance of the Rose published under her pseudonym Claire Delacroix. Since then, she has published over fifty novels in a wide variety of sub-genres, including historical romance, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, fantasy romance, time-travel romance, women’s fiction, paranormal young adult and fantasy with romantic elements. She has published under the names Claire Delacroix, Claire Cross and Deborah Cooke. The Beauty, part of her successful Bride Quest series of historical romances, was her first title to land on the New York Times List of Bestselling Books. Her books routinely appear on other bestseller lists and have won numerous awards. In 2009, she was the writer-in-residence at the Toronto Public Library, the first time the library has hosted a residency focused on the romance genre. In 2012, she was honored to receive the Romance Writers of America’s Mentor of the Year Award.
Currently, she writes paranormal romances featuring dragon shape shifter heroes under the name Deborah Cooke. She also writes medieval romances as Claire Delacroix. Deborah lives in Canada with her husband and family, as well as far too many unfinished knitting projects.
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Deborah’s Website and Blog
Deborah’s Newsletter
Books by Deborah Cooke
Paranormal Romances
- The Dragonfire Series -
Kiss of Fire
Kiss of Fury
Kiss of Fate
Harmonia’s Kiss
Winter Kiss
Whisper Kiss
Darkfire Kiss
Flashfire
Ember’s Kiss
Kiss of Danger
Kiss of Darkness
Kiss of Destiny
The Dragon Legion Collection
(including “Kiss of Danger”, “Kiss of Darkness” and “Kiss of Destiny”)
Serpent’s Kiss
Firestorm Forever
- The Dragons of Incendium -
Wyvern’s Mate
Nero’s Dream
Wyvern’s Prince
Arista’s Legacy (2016)
Wyvern’s Warrior (2016)
Paranormal Young Adult
- The Dragon Diaries -
Flying Blind
Winging It
Blazing the Trail
Contemporary Romance
- The Coxwells -
Third Time Lucky
Double Trouble
One More Time
All or Nothing
- Flatiron Five -
Simply Irresistible (2016)
* * *
Books by Claire Delacroix
Time Travel Romances
Once Upon a Kiss
The Last Highlander
The Moonstone
Love Potion #9
Medieval Romances
- Harlequin Historicals -
The Romance of the Rose
Honeyed Lies
Unicorn Bride
The Sorceress
Roarke’s Folly
Pearl Beyond Price
The Magician’s Quest
Unicorn Vengeance
My Lady’s Champion
Enchanted
My Lady’s Desire
- The Bride Quest I -
The Princess
The Damsel
The Heiress
- The Bride Quest II -
The Countess
The Beauty
The Temptress
- The Rogues of Ravensmuir -
The Rogue
The Scoundrel
The Warrior
- The Jewels of Kinfairlie -
The Beauty Bride
The Rose Red Bride
The Snow White Bride
The Ballad of Rosamunde
- The True Love Brides -
The Renegade’s Heart
The Highlander’s Curse
The Frost Maiden’s Kiss
The Warrior’s Prize
- The Champions of Saint Euphemia -
The Crusader’s Bride
The Crusader’s Heart
The Crusader’s Kiss
The Crusader’s Vow (2017)
The Crusader’s Handfast (2016)
Urban Fantasy Romance
- The Prometheus Project -
Fallen
Guardian
Rebel
Abyss
Short Stories and Novellas
An Elegy for Melusine
Beguiled
Audio Editions