Wyvern's Prince (The Dragons of Incendium Book 2)
Read Wyvern's Prince (The Dragons of Incendium Book 2) Online
Authors: Deborah Cooke
Wyvern’s Prince
The Dragons of Incendium #2
by
Deborah Cooke
Once, in the Kingdom of Incendium, there were twelve princesses of the realm, each a dragon shifter. Each fiery and passionate. Each possessed of an appetite for pleasure that only her destined mate can satisfy. Twelve men are expected in Incendium, each with special powers of his own, each with the gift to claim one dragon princess’s heart forever.
Engaged to Prince Urbanus of Regalia, Gemma knows that her fiancé ordered the assassination of her best friend—but has been told that he’s her HeartKeeper. Caught between her destiny and her moral duty, she decides to take vengeance upon Urbanus after the wedding night. Gemma’s not counting on more dark revelations about Urbanus, much less his beguiling charm. Alone in his palace, Gemma can only rely upon herself to ensure her survival—or can she trust the mysterious stranger who pledges to aid her, for reasons unknown?
Wyvern’s Prince
By Deborah Cooke
Digital Edition
Published by Deborah A. Cooke
Cover by Frauke Spanuth
Formatting by Author E.M.S
Copyright © 2016 by Deborah A. Cooke
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under copyright preserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright holder and the publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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ISBN: 978-1-927477-95-3
Table of Contents
Next in the DRAGONS OF INCENDIUM Series
Dear Reader;
I really like warrior heroines, so writing about a warrior heroine who is also a dragon shifter has been a lot of fun. Gemma has a different nature from her older sister, Drakina. While Drakina is flamboyant, Gemma is mysterious. She’s just as fierce as her big sister, but is more inclined to keep her own counsel. Some might call her private. Others—like Urbanus—might call her secretive. I think it suits a dragon shifter princess to keep part of the truth to herself in order to serve the greater good, and I like that Gemma found her happily-ever-after, even on Regalia. Fortunately for Venero, she’s a woman ready to accept that there’s more to a story than meets the eye.
Next up in the
Dragons of Incendium
series will be another short story,
Arista’s Legacy
. We’ll learn more about the death of the Warrior Maiden of Cumae who trained with Gemma and was her best friend, as well as (briefly) meet the hero of
Wyvern’s Warrior
.
Arista’s Legacy
will be published in November, and
Wyvern’s Warrior
will be published in December. Both are available for pre-order at some portals now.
As you might have already noticed, the
Dragons of Incendium
stories are being published as mini-books. Each mini-book includes one novella and one short story and is available by limited distribution. When there are three novellas and three short stories complete, the
Dragons of Incendium: The First Collection
will be published in trade paperback and available in wider distribution. I expect that volume to be available in early 2017.
The
Dragons of Incendium
stories are also being produced in audio. The series is being narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. The audiobook of
Wyvern’s Mate
will be available on September 13, 2016. Because of the time required for production, you can expect each story to be available in audio several months after the digital edition goes on sale.
Although the
Dragons of Incendium
series of paranormal romances features dragon shifter heroines, it’s not connected to my
Dragonfire
series. Incendium is in a different world. Not only are the heroines the dragon shifters, but the heroes all have special traits of their own—it takes a special kind of man to fall in love with a dragon shifter princess! The
Dragons of Incendium
series will alternate between novellas and short stories that introduce characters and details of the world. These dragons have their own website (with a glossary of terms) at
http://dragonsofincendium.com/
To stay up to date with my news—including cover reveals, sales, and special offers for subscribers—please sign up for
my monthly newsletter
. You can also subscribe to
my new release alert
, if you prefer to receive a single email on the day a new title becomes available.
Until next time, I hope you have lots of good books to read.
All my best
Deborah
Prologue
The royal apartments in the palace of Incendium
“I could MindBend Gemma,” Troy offered.
“You could, but I prefer you tanned and not toasted,” Drakina replied.
Gemma leaned against the wall of the corridor outside the new couple’s chambers and eavesdropped on their conversation. She had intended to make one last visit to her new nephew before her own wedding and Drakina and Troy’s subsequent departure for Terra, but hearing her name had brought her to a stop. She was glad of her keen dragon hearing, and her ability to remain completely still. An observer might have thought her struck to stone.
Fortunately, the serving maid who had left the chamber and failed to completely close the door was walking in the opposite direction. She hadn’t noticed Gemma at all.
Felice, Gemma’s pet pavofel, sat between Gemma’s feet and the wall, then wrapped her tail around herself. The pavofel was a feline creature, bred to splendor on Cumae, with blue and green fur that resembled the feathers of the peacock known on other worlds. Felice was particularly pretty, sporting two dozen ‘eyes’ in the fur of her wide and lush tail. It always amazed Gemma how Felice could seem to disappear in the shadows, given the bright hues of her fur. Once seated, Felice was completely motionless. Only the glow of her luminous green eyes revealed her presence.
It must be true that pavofels chose their companions and caregivers, because Gemma and Felice seemed to understand each other perfectly.
“But you can’t let her just marry Urbanus,” Troy protested. “We know too much about his nature.”
“I doubt we can stop her,” Drakina replied, her tone suspiciously temperate. “Gemma is determined to marry Urbanus, just as Father planned, and ensure the treaty is made between the two kingdoms. You’ll never change the thinking of two royal dragons.”
“And you’re not going to intervene?” Troy demanded. “Even if she’s stepping into a trap?”
“You do not know that.”
Troy snorted. “I don’t have to be a MindBender to know that Urbanus is a sneak.”
Drakina’s tone turned thoughtful. “It
is
for the good of both kingdoms to make the alliance. Gemma knows as much as we do and she’s agreed to marry him.”
“But Urbanus arranged for the death of Arista…”
“Gemma knows that. Arista was her best friend.”
“I know she knows that. It’s why she hates me.” Troy could be heard pacing. Gemma’s heart filled with disgust that her older sister’s husband had been the assassin to kill her best friend. Her argument, though, was with the instigator of the agreement, not the man who’d been given the job.
She knew enough about the Gloria Furora to understand that any choice Troy had been given wouldn’t really have been a choice. His own death would probably have been the only other option available.
She might not be able to blame him for what he’d done, but she didn’t have to like him.
How
could
Drakina have married a man, even her HeartKeeper, who could influence her thoughts? It was incomprehensible that Drakina was happy with a MindBender.
Maybe her big sister was more influenced by her husband than she realized.
“You should let me MindBend her about that, at least,” Troy said and Gemma bristled at the suggestion. “The way she looks at me makes me uneasy.”
“If you used your MindBending abilities, she would do more than glare at you. You would not survive the day.”
Gemma nodded agreement with that.
“But why is she going? Why did she agree?”
“Gemma must have her reasons.”
“That’s it, isn’t it?” Troy said. “She plans to avenge Arista.”
Gemma straightened, impressed that he was the only one on Incendium who seemed to have guessed her plan. Or at least said it aloud. It was possible her father knew.
“I do not know.” Drakina’s tone was so mild that Gemma wondered whether her sister had guessed as well.
“But she can do that without marrying him!” Troy insisted. “There’s a piece of the puzzle missing. Drakina, I can find out.”
“I learned early in this palace that whenever you have not been told some detail, it is because that information is not yours to know,” Drakina replied curtly. “It is folly to provoke tempers in a household of dragons.”
“But…”
“Do you not understand that they are all on guard because they know what you can do? If you MindBend any of them, when I have vowed that you would not, even I will not be able to save you. Troy! Do not attempt this thing.”
“You promised them I wouldn’t use my powers?” Troy was clearly surprised.
“It was the only way to gain you access to my father’s court. You are Terran, a race he cannot tolerate. You are a MindBender, a kind he finds despicable. Even being Carrier of the Seed and my HeartKeeper was not enough for my father to allow you to step over the threshold given those credentials.”
“Go ahead. Build my ego a little more.”
Gemma smiled.
“Troy! I love you. Is that not sufficient?”
Troy made an exasperated noise, evidence that Drakina’s love
wasn’t
enough. Gemma had always thought that the minstrels who insisted that love conquered all were taking a simplistic view. Here was proof. “I feel like my only value is as a stud.”
Drakina laughed, and her voice turned sultry. “Is that so bad? Come to bed, stud, and I will remind you of the benefits.”
“It’s not funny, princess. I need to use my powers. I need to
do
something.”
“And you will have plenty to do once we get to Terra. I have invited my father to come and hunt, and he will arrive within days of our return there. You will be more than busy ensuring that no Terran notices a dragon king in the vicinity.” Drakina sighed. “He is not accustomed to keeping a low profile, after all.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
“Look at the upside. His visit might improve his view of Terrans.”
Troy scoffed, revealing his view of that possibility. Gemma was inclined to agree with him. Their father, Ouros, was slow to abandon any conviction. “Now, what about Gemma?”
“She can defend herself.”
“What kind of family is this?” Troy demanded. I thought you watched over each other!”
Gemma felt the air chill and could easily imagine the look her sister was giving her new husband. She was tempted to peek and see if he took a step back.