The Blood King by Abigail Owen
Series: Inferno Rising #2
Publication date: August 25th, 2020
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, Amara
Cover Art: Bree Archer
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, Amara
Cover Art: Bree Archer
Page Count: 400
Synopsis:
"What could be better than a smoking hot dragon shifter and a kickass phoenix? Throw in complex world building and a sizzling attraction and you have a sizzling dragon ride from beginning to end A fun, thrilling romance for anyone who loves paranormal." ~ NY Times Bestselling Author, Alexandra Ivy
Ruthless dragon king Ladon Ormarr must keep his throne--and his people--safe from the cruel High King at all costs. With war on the horizon, he'll need a miracle to protect his clan. Luckily , the fates have dropped the irresistible Skylar Amon right into his lap.
Or so he thought. Because the last thing this phoenix wants is him.
A phoenix mate is the ticket to securing his throne, but this fiery Amon sister detests Ladon, doesn't stick to protocols, and regularly offends his warriors and advisers.
Skylar also has no intention of sticking around, nor does she believe in the world destined-mates thing. But if it means taking out the High King who murdered her parents, she'll put up with the too-sexy-for-her-sanity Ladon... temporarily.
Their mating bond may make them want to tear off their clothes, but outside the bedroom... well, Ladon is positive the fates hate him. Just as he starts to win over the mercurial phoenix, everything goes to hell when the High King makes his final move. And Ladon will burn down the world to keep the mate he is unwilling to live without.
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Excerpt
"Skylar?" Kasia choked as she rose unsteadily to her feet, her skin leaching color, leaving her now pale face in stark contrast to her dark red hair.
"Holy shit." Kasia's mate had to reach out to keep his chair from tipping over as he stood as well.
Maul raised his massive head from his paws and whined, a sound Skylar recognized as both a warning and a reprimand. He didn't want her here? Too damn bad. Her sister needed her.
Ladon Ormarr stood as well, his gaze intent, penetrating even, though he said nothing. This close, she realized he had a cleft in his chin, which only added to his brutal looks. She shook off, her strange awareness of him above all the others in the room.
A dragon king. So freaking wrong.
Arden was the only person to calmly remain seated, looking back and forth between Skylar and Kasia. "Who's Skylar?"
Meanwhile, Ladon raised his head, sniffing the air. Phoenix smelled of smoke, like dragons, but with a sweeter underlying note. Would he scent the difference?
"Who are you?" He reiterated his sister's question, but softly. Again, that shiver skated over her at the deep tumble of his voice, the command there.
"What are you doing here?" Kasia overrode his question before Skylar could answer.
"I'm here to save you from yourself," She flung the accusation at Kasia more harshly than she intended.
Kasia scowled. "Dammit, Skyl. I mated Brand by choice."
"Not what I heard." No way that could be true. They'd blackmailed her or brainwashed her. No other explanation made sense.
Granted, the year since her mother's death had shown Skylar a different side to dragon shifters. Living with them after over five hundred years of running from their kind and despising all dragons would not have been her choice of hidey-hole, but that had been different. Those shifters had been in the American colonies, loners fighting against the laws and traditions of the clans--fighting the rule of the dragons in their very room.
Kasia flung out an arm. "I don't give a shit what you heard. We're supposed to stay apart--"
Skylar cut her off. "We were supposed to stay apart so we could be safe from dragon kings and the clans. You went and mated one."
Another growled warning filled the space as Ladon's warriors and advisors took offense to her words and the venom in her voice. She didn't give a flying leap about their delicate sensibilities. Skylar advanced into the room. If she could get close enough, she could send Kasia away, somewhere safe. Her own escape would be more difficult, but they could hash that out later.
Ladon stepped into her path.
Incredible blue eyes gave her pause--deep blue and so intense they stole the thoughts from her mind. She hadn't been close enough to see them like this, or to be under his direct influence.
What am I doing? So what, his eyeballs are pretty?
With a sneer, she ran her gaze down him, sizing him up. Then she lifted a single eyebrow, in deliberate insult, making obvious her find him wanting.
"You're not going near her," he said.
She crossed her arms, unimpressed. She had abilities she was about to rely on to get Kasia out of here. All he could do was shift, and that was doubtful in a room this size. He'd need more space. "You're not going to stop me."
"Who the hell are you?" His lips flattened.
Awwww... the poor king didn't like repeating himself if his frustration was any indication.
Skylar smiled in grim delight. "I'm Kasia's sister."
"Fuck me," Dopey exclaimed, his bald head shiny under the lights.
The rest of Ladon's guard stirred, but she kept her gaze on the king, who focused on her in a way that made everything else shrink into insignificance, fading into the the background like white noise, leaving only the two of them to face off.
Mimicking her posture, he crossed his arms and smiled back. "You shouldn't have revealed your presence to me, little firebird."
Those blue eyes took on a hungry expression that sent an answering, inappropriate, inexplicable heat rushing through her, both the look and her reaction resulting in a reverberation of shock that pounded through her like an avalanche.
She returned his watchful stare with a narrow-eyed glare of her own, trying to cover her reaction. "And why not?" she challenged.
"Because now you're mine."
"Holy shit." Kasia's mate had to reach out to keep his chair from tipping over as he stood as well.
Maul raised his massive head from his paws and whined, a sound Skylar recognized as both a warning and a reprimand. He didn't want her here? Too damn bad. Her sister needed her.
Ladon Ormarr stood as well, his gaze intent, penetrating even, though he said nothing. This close, she realized he had a cleft in his chin, which only added to his brutal looks. She shook off, her strange awareness of him above all the others in the room.
A dragon king. So freaking wrong.
Arden was the only person to calmly remain seated, looking back and forth between Skylar and Kasia. "Who's Skylar?"
Meanwhile, Ladon raised his head, sniffing the air. Phoenix smelled of smoke, like dragons, but with a sweeter underlying note. Would he scent the difference?
"Who are you?" He reiterated his sister's question, but softly. Again, that shiver skated over her at the deep tumble of his voice, the command there.
"What are you doing here?" Kasia overrode his question before Skylar could answer.
"I'm here to save you from yourself," She flung the accusation at Kasia more harshly than she intended.
Kasia scowled. "Dammit, Skyl. I mated Brand by choice."
"Not what I heard." No way that could be true. They'd blackmailed her or brainwashed her. No other explanation made sense.
Granted, the year since her mother's death had shown Skylar a different side to dragon shifters. Living with them after over five hundred years of running from their kind and despising all dragons would not have been her choice of hidey-hole, but that had been different. Those shifters had been in the American colonies, loners fighting against the laws and traditions of the clans--fighting the rule of the dragons in their very room.
Kasia flung out an arm. "I don't give a shit what you heard. We're supposed to stay apart--"
Skylar cut her off. "We were supposed to stay apart so we could be safe from dragon kings and the clans. You went and mated one."
Another growled warning filled the space as Ladon's warriors and advisors took offense to her words and the venom in her voice. She didn't give a flying leap about their delicate sensibilities. Skylar advanced into the room. If she could get close enough, she could send Kasia away, somewhere safe. Her own escape would be more difficult, but they could hash that out later.
Ladon stepped into her path.
Incredible blue eyes gave her pause--deep blue and so intense they stole the thoughts from her mind. She hadn't been close enough to see them like this, or to be under his direct influence.
What am I doing? So what, his eyeballs are pretty?
With a sneer, she ran her gaze down him, sizing him up. Then she lifted a single eyebrow, in deliberate insult, making obvious her find him wanting.
"You're not going near her," he said.
She crossed her arms, unimpressed. She had abilities she was about to rely on to get Kasia out of here. All he could do was shift, and that was doubtful in a room this size. He'd need more space. "You're not going to stop me."
"Who the hell are you?" His lips flattened.
Awwww... the poor king didn't like repeating himself if his frustration was any indication.
Skylar smiled in grim delight. "I'm Kasia's sister."
"Fuck me," Dopey exclaimed, his bald head shiny under the lights.
The rest of Ladon's guard stirred, but she kept her gaze on the king, who focused on her in a way that made everything else shrink into insignificance, fading into the the background like white noise, leaving only the two of them to face off.
Mimicking her posture, he crossed his arms and smiled back. "You shouldn't have revealed your presence to me, little firebird."
Those blue eyes took on a hungry expression that sent an answering, inappropriate, inexplicable heat rushing through her, both the look and her reaction resulting in a reverberation of shock that pounded through her like an avalanche.
She returned his watchful stare with a narrow-eyed glare of her own, trying to cover her reaction. "And why not?" she challenged.
"Because now you're mine."
About the Author:
Award-winning paranormal romance author, Abigail Owen, grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.
No matter the genre, she loves to write witty, feisty heroines, sexy heroes who deserve them, and a cast of lovable characters to surround them (and maybe get their own stories). She currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero, her husband, and their two children, who are growing up way too fast.
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