The Dark Dragon had a sick, twisted sense of humor.
“Well, you’ve got to give it to him,” Rhys says dryly, looking at the clear crystal with distaste. “Who would have ever looked inside the crapper for a priceless and powerful magical artifact?”
“Umm, can we wash it first? Really well? Soak it in a vat of bleach for a few hours?”
Casius gives me an amused look. “It was in the void, not inside the toilet.”
“Whatever. It’s still gross.”
“I’m with Aria.” Bastian backs away from the stone as if it’s carrying the plague, and I bite back my grin. He might be a big, powerful dragon, but he’s also a germaphobe. His reaction is hilarious.
“What now?” I can feel the trapped souls inside the crystal, beating at the clear walls holding them prisoners. Their desperate eagerness to be finally free washes over me. “Mateo, can you break the runestone apart?”
Mateo gives me a serious look. “This isn’t my quest, tesoro,” he says gently. “It’s yours. You defeated Zyrian. You should free these poor souls.”
How?
Instead of asking the question, I direct my attention at the Runestone. The wall imprisoning the souls is thick and appears impenetrable, but I keep probing until I find what appears to be a thin crack in the barrier. I run my fingers along it. I’m coming to get you, I whisper to the magicals that Zyrian killed for their powers. I promise. I will break this barrier.
Their despair changes to hope. I place my hands on either side of the crack, and I tug at the wall of magic with all my might. God, it’s strong. Zyrian might have been a conscienceless sociopath, but there’s no disputing his power. It had taken all the magic inside the Bloodstone to finally put an end to his reign of terror.
I can’t do this alone. More than anything else, that’s the one lesson I’ve learned. But this time, it isn’t my dragons I need. It’s the wraiths themselves.
Help me, I say to the souls inside. I need your strength.
Ghostly bodies stream into Zyrian’s gold-and-marble bathroom. I feel insubstantial hands on either side of me, lending me their strength, tugging with all their might.
The barrier rips in one long diagonal tear, and then it’s done.
Thank you, the wraith closes to me says, her voice as sweet as a summer melody. You have our everlasting gratitude.
In front of our eyes, they start to fade.
After hundreds of years, they’re finally moving on.
“One more thing.” The Grimoire Noir appears in Mateo’s hands. Oh, right. I’d almost forgotten.
He quickly ties the book to the same wisp of magic and sends it back to the void. When the book is gone, he snaps the strand that tethers the grimoire to our world. “We do not need another dark dragon,” he says grimly. “This way, no one will ever be able to find it again.”
I take a deep breath.
Gideon Zyrian is defeated. The curse is broken. The wraiths are freed. The dragons that challenged me for Zyrian’s treasure have been dealt with.
It’s time to go home.
The Blood Prophecy Series
The Blood Prophecy series is now complete. Don’t miss any of the books.
Dragon’s Thief
Dragon’s Curse
Dragon’s Hope
Dragon’s Ruin
Dragon’s Treasure
Dragon’s Fire (the omnibus edition, containing all the Blood Prophecy episodes) and a bonus story, Dragon’s Ghost.
Wolf’s Mate - a free Blood Prophecy companion story, available only to mailing list subscribers.
Subscribe to Lili Zander’s mailing list and be the first to find out when new Blood Prophecy books are released!
About the Authors
Lili Zander is the sci-fi romance loving alter-ego of Tara Crescent. She lives in Toronto. She enjoys reading sci-fi and fantasy, and thinks a great romance makes every book better.
Find Lili/Tara at:
www.lilizander.com | www.taracrescent.com
www.facebook.com/authorlilizander | www.facebook.com/tara.crescent
Email her at taracrescent@gmail.com or lili@lilizander.com
Mailing list: http://lilizander.com/draekon-mate-bonus/
Rory Reynolds is a stay-at-home mom of two little monsters. She's a ravenous reader of romance and firmly believes that you can never have too many book boyfriends.
She writes feisty heroines, alpha heroes, and panty drenching smut with happily ever afters.
Email: authorroryreynolds@gmail.com
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2ePjbgL
Twitter: @RoryReynoldsBks
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/clcRNv
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2eq5PHW
Books by Lili Zander
Night of the Shayde (Vampires in space, reverse harem)
Exiled to the Prison Planet (Sci-fi dragon-shifter menage romance)
Draekon Mate - Viola’s story
Draekon Fire - Harper’s story
Draekon Heart - Ryanna’s story
Draekon Abduction - Olivia’s story
Draekon Destiny - Felicity’s story - coming soon!
Adventures of Suzie and the Alien (smutty alien goodness!)
Adventures of Suzie and the Alien (Episodes 1-5)
Which includes:
Episode 1: The Alien, the Doctor and the Virgin
Episode 3: The Alien, the Virgin and the Warrior Queen
Episode 4: Tentacle Monsters and the Virgin
Episode 5: The Virgin Returns Home
BOOKS BY TARA CRESCENT
MÉNAGE ROMANCE
The Playing for Love Series (Ménage MFM Romance)
Betting on Bailey | Gambling with Gabriella | Playing with Piper | Wagering on Wendy | Messing with Miki
The Dirty Series (Ménage MFM Romance)
Dirty Therapy | Dirty Talk | Dirty Games | Dirty Words
The Cocky Series (Ménage MFM Romance)
Her Cocky Doctors | Her Cocky Firefighters
Standalone Books
Dirty X6 (A Reverse Harem Romance)
BDSM ROMANCE
Standalone Books
Mr. Banks (A British Billionaire Romance)
Teaching Maya
The House of Pain
The Professor’s Pet
The Audition
The Watcher
Dominant - A Boxed Set containing The House of Pain, The Professor’s Pet, The Audition and The Watcher
Nights in Venice Series
A Thief in Venice
An Heiress in Venice
A Starlet in Venice
The Assassin’s Revenge Series (Romantic Suspense)
Assassin’s Revenge - The Complete Series
Found (Book 1)
Freed (Book 3)
Claimed (Book 4)
The Doctor Dom Series (BDSM & Medical Play)
Triage (Doctor Dom Volume 1)
Observation (Doctor Dom Volume 2)
Diagnosis (Doctor Dom Volume 3)
Relapse (Doctor Dom Volume 4)
Recovery (Doctor Dom Volume 5)
Or, buy the collections for a discount…
Doctor Dom Series Sequence One (Triage | Observation | Diagnosis)
Doctor Dom Series Sequence Two (Relapse | Recovery)
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
The Drake Family Series
Temporary Wife (A Billionaire Fake Marriage Romance)
Fake Fiancee (A Billionaire Second Chance Fake Marriage Romance)
Standalone Books
MAX: A Friends to Lovers Romance
A Touch of Blackmail
A Very Paisley Christmas
Boyfriend by the Hour
Books by Rory Reyonlds
Just Married
His Hellcat (Sassy Girls Book 1)
Dirty Girl
verse Harem Romance