His Highness the Duke (25 page)

The Perfect Prince

The Dark Prince

The Warrior Prince

His Highness The Duke

The Stubborn Lord – Coming Soon!

Books 7 & 8 – Coming Soon!

You met their father, King Attor, in Dragon Lords. Now come meet the sons!

The Dragon Lords series continues with Lords of the Var.

Lords of the Var Series

The Savage King

The Playful Prince

The Bound Prince

The Rogue Prince

The Pirate Prince

About the Lords of the Var series:

The Var Princes were raised by a hard man who put no stock in love—especially love

with one woman. Bred to never take a life mate, these men will do everything in their

power to live up to the dead King Attor‘s expectations and never fall in love.

To learn more about the Dragon Lords and Lords of the Var visit

www.MichellePillow.com

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The Series Continues

Dragon Lords 6: The Stubborn Lord

Repossessed…

Kendall Haven‘s life turns upside down when she‘s kidnapped off her fueling

dock home by thugs claiming to have the right. Her father, the gambler, used her to

cover his losses at the Larceny Casino Ship. Drugged and treated like cargo, she‘s sold

to the highest bidder—Galaxy Brides Corporation.

Landing on a primitive planet on the far edge of the universe, she has no

intention of fulfilling her father‘s contract—even if that contract includes marriage to a

very handsome, very sexy, very intense barbarian of a man. He might be everything a

woman fantasizes about, but he wants a little more than she can give.

Possession…

Lord Alek, Younger Duke of Draig, has not been lucky in finding his life mate.

Resigned to a lonely life, he attends the bridal ceremony out of familial duty. Then the

impossible happens—Kendall. Nothing goes according to tradition, but he can‘t let that

dissuade him. She is his only chance at happiness, and no matter how she protests, he‘s

not going to let her get away.

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We thought you might like…

Immortal Ops 2

By Mandy M. Roth

Paranormal Shifter Military Special Ops Romance

When loyalties are questioned and bonds forged, the I-Ops find themselves fighting a war to

guard not only their secrets but their lives as well.

Missy Carter leads a rather boring, overworked life as a system analyst for the

State Department or rather, that‘s what she lets everyone believe. No, in reality her life

is anything but boring. As an agent with the Paranormal Security and Intelligence, she‘s

seen and done it all. Intelligence is her specialty, assassination is her hobby. The only

problem is that the things she spies on don‘t die easily. In fact, some of them were dead

to begin with. She‘s learned to handle anything life can throw at her. That is until the

biggest paramilitary pain her ass shows up again. Lucky for him, he‘s sexy.

Roi Majors, second in command of the I-Ops, is having a hard time believing that

Intel can only get half the information needed to bring down an underground ring of

vampires with big spending backers who are hell bent on creating a race of

supernaturals with multiple strands of DNA in them. As the team searches for answers,

Roi searches for sexual release. When he finds himself paired with the one woman in

the world who seems immune to his self-proclaimed charms, he can‘t wait to see her to

safety and then bid her good riddance. He never counted on falling in love with her.

And he sure in the hell never counted on her claiming to be an agent with a branch of

the government no human should know about.

To learn more about this book or Mandy M. Roth visit www.MandyRoth.com.

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Extended First Chapter Excerpt

Zhang Dynasty: Seduction of the Phoenix

Michelle M. Pillow

The Zhang Dynasty books are part of the Dragon Lords and Lords of the Var

futuristic worlds. This book starts were Lords of the Var: The Pirate Prince ends, with

Princess Zhang Mei‘s family.

Chapter One

Imperial Palace of the Zhang Dynasty, Honorable City, Muntong Territory, Planet of Líntiān

Prince Zhang Jin watched the women bowing before him, one right after another.

Their long sleeves trailed over their hands, falling gracefully to the floor. The delicate

silk of their traditional gowns only complemented their beauty. White powder hid their

complexions, accenting their red painted lips. They were all lovely, each sent from the

far reaches of his home planet of Líntiān to present themselves in the Hall of Infinite

Wisdom located at his home in the Imperial Palace.

―Yang Ping,‖ the herald announced as another woman stepped forward.

Jin kept his eyes forward as Yang Ping bowed before him. The yellow silk

surrounding her added a pleasing light to her face, as the orange glow of the palace

torches reflected lightly off her. The torchlight was only to add ambiance to the

ceremony and wouldn‘t truly be needed until nightfall. Above, the outside sun was

reflected in through small holes in the ceiling. They were so tiny and inlaid into the

intricate design that it was impossible to see them.

The herald spoke again, but Jin didn‘t catch the woman‘s name. He bowed as

was expected, bored to the point that his mind had gone numb. Absently, his gaze

traced the gold statue of a warrior god standing by the entranceway and imagined the

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life-size bust to be on the verge of attacking the hall. Jin wasn‘t one for violence, but the

prospect was more entertaining than
bowing
and
smiling
.

This was the
Qi-zi
ceremony and he was to have his pick of the women for his

bride—if he so chose. What none of the elders seemed to realize was that he did not

wish to be married. Still, he and his brothers were eligible, each year they‘d send

women for his inspection and each year he‘d send them away as unworthy. He‘d done

it so many times that he was beginning to recognize some of the women from years

before, though they wore different makeup and clothing.

At least he wasn‘t forced to endure the tradition alone. His brothers stood next to

him, each feeling much the same way he did. They did not wish for brides either. Why

marry when they could spend their days at leisure in the arms of a concubine?

However, according to their father, when the time to take a bride presented itself,

they‘d be guided by their ancestors and would have an uncontrollable compulsion to

claim her at any cost.

―Yu Xiang,‖ the herald announced the next eligible lady. A woman covered in a

long blue gown shuffled forward and bowed respectfully. The four princes nodded

their heads in return. She was pretty, but her virtue was indeed in question. Some

experience wasn‘t necessarily a bad thing in a bride, but the princes knew well Xiang

had enough experience to rival that of all the princes combined—a very great feat.

Though, looking at her now, she appeared as unsullied as a virgin. That was another

thing he didn‘t like about the ceremony. How did you really know anything about a

woman by watching her bow? Just a look was supposed to capture his interest and

make him want to know more? How could that be possible after so many women came

before him? Their faces would blur into one and he wouldn‘t remember a Shu Fang

from Ting.

Xiang batted her eyelashes at them while pursing her lips. Hearing a noise, Jin

looked out of the corner of his eye. His oldest brother, Zhang Haun, winked in his

direction. Jin tried not to return the insolent look with one of his own, knowing his

father, the Emperor of the Muntong Empire, was watching them carefully. Next to

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Haun stood the youngest prince, Shen, and then their brother Lian. They also had two

sisters, Mei and Fen. Mei was off in space with her husband, a foreign prince, but even

if she had been home she wouldn‘t have been present. The Zhang princesses weren‘t

forced to endure these ceremonies.

―Jia Wan,‖ the herald said and Jin tried not to yawn.

Traditional music, passed down for many generations, played over the quiet hall.

The sound of the flute mingled with that of the harp. It was beautiful and archaic. It was

tradition. Jin knew that without tradition the people would lose all connection to the

past. It was important for them as a royal family to rule in accordance with ideals and to

honor the old customs. That is why they never protested coming to stand for hours to

watch women parade before them. As much as he loathed it, he out of all his siblings

was blessed with a powerful understanding and respect for the past.

The Zhang palace was hidden behind great walls in what was known as

Honorable City. Aside from when duty demanded it, Jin never left the city. Why would

he want to? The city was a fortress. He was comfortable in his home, surrounded by his

family and his scrolls. His needs were tended to and every whim fulfilled. On the

outside, the palace walls were protected by a thick moat and there were only two

known entrances inside—one in front and one in back of the large rectangular complex.

The Hall of Infinite Wisdom was only one building within the palace walls,

located in the center. It was the largest structure, set high upon stone to tower over the

surrounding courtyard and gardens. Also within the compound were practice halls

where the royal family and imperial guards could exercise. There was a hall where they

paid homage to their ancestors, a library, archery range, the Exalted Hall used for

weddings and special private ceremonies. Barracks for the guards were near the

weapons chambers, which were located close to the royal chambers where the Zhang

family lived.

―Dong Xia He,‖ the herald said, as a woman clad in red shuffled forward. Jin

took a deep breath, eyeing the long line waiting behind her.

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Emperor Zhang and Jin‘s mother, the empress, sat in high thrones above the hall.

Carved golden dragons coiled around the royal couple. His father had a long mustache

that hung down the front of his tunic. They wore matching yellow embroidered silk

decorated with Imperial red dragons and ancient symbols. Just like when their people

had lived on Earth long ago, red and gold were the colors of royalty, representing

fortune and wealth. The emperor‘s clothing matched the buildings, all of which had

yellow tiled roofs and dark red walls.

―Let go of me, you son of a Lophibian whore!‖

Jin perked up at the very feminine cry. The language wasn‘t that of Líntiān but

he understood it well enough. It was a star language, from a culture that long ago

shared the planet Earth with his people. When they were growing up, the emperor had

demanded that all his children upload language files into their brains. They‘d been on a

very strict educational schedule for most of their childhood—but that had been decades

ago.

―I‘ll kick your ass, you tyrannical brute!‖

Jin narrowed his eyes, concentrating on what the woman screamed. The

translations shouldn‘t have been difficult to do, though it had been a long time since he

had used them. Was she really screaming insults or were the translations harder than he

thought?

―Zhang Jin,‖ said an authoritative, old voice. The words were soft, carried as if

on a gentle breeze.

Jin turned, seeing the transparent figure of his dead grandfather, Zhang Manchu,

standing beside him. Instantly, he placed fist to palm and bowed in respect for his

ancestor. ―Grandfather.‖

Tension curled in his gut. What was his grandfather doing here? Now? At this

ceremony? Did the bearer of the female voice bring danger with her? He knew he‘d

much prefer facing a life and death battle than finding a bride.

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―Jin?‖ Haun asked. His brother‘s eyes glanced to Jin‘s side. Jin knew his brother

couldn‘t see the spirit. The ancestors only showed themselves to those they wished to

guide.

―Grandfather Manchu,‖ Jin answered. Haun frowned, but nodded once in

complete understanding. The commotion grew louder and the sound of a struggle

ensued, distracting Jin from his grandfather‘s spirit.

―Takes five of you brutes and a blow dart to subdue a little girl like me? Your

parents must be so proud! Is this all you got? Huh? Huh! ‖

The line of awaiting women parted in a flurry of blue, green and yellow

embroidered silk. Their bodies created a pathway to the large gold doors leading from

the hall. Five Imperial guards dragged a woman by each of her limbs, the fifth holding

her masked head to keep it from thrashing about. Even clad from head to toe in black, it

was easy to see by her curves that it was a female—that and the sound of her ungodly

curses as she fought their hold.

―Let go of me you Kaokin scum.‖ The woman freed an arm and tried to punch

the guard holding her head. The man jerked to the side, wrenching her into a strange

angle. She didn‘t scream at the painful twist of her body as Jin expected she might, but