Year of the Dragon (Changeling Sisters Book 3)
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Authors: Heather Heffner
Changeling Sisters III
Year of the Dragon
By Heather Heffner
The right of Heather Heffner to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act of 1988.
YEAR OF THE DRAGON. Text copyright © 2016 Heather Heffner. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Dark, action-packed fantasy epics from author
Heather Heffner:
Seven deadly vampyre princes. Two sisters far from home. And one spirit world in trouble. Let the shifting begin.
The Changeling Sisters Series
Year of the Wolf
Year of the Tiger
Year of the Dragon
Year of the Rat
(Forthcoming)
~Available on all major online eBook retailers~
The Changeling Sisters Novellas
Year of the Boar: Tica (#1.5)
Welcome to Hell. Don’t abandon all hope. That wouldn’t be as much fun.
Afterlife Chronicles
The Tribe of Ishmael
The Staff of Aaron
(Forthcoming)
~Available on
Amazon.com
~
For my wolf pack who helped me hunt down my dreams: Janae, Thavy, Una, Ogonna, Irene
Table of Contents
Chapter 9: The Lost Doorkeeper
Chapter 11: Internal Differences
Chapter 13: The Hall of Heroes
Chapter 14: Jaehoon’s Farewell
Chapter 19: Strong Wing and Fierce Breath
Chapter 20: The Great Wall of China
Chapter 28: The Yeouiju’s Curse
Chapter 29: The Weretiger Clan
Chapter 31: An Unlikely Alliance
Chapter 32: Darkening the Doorway
Chapter 41: The Forgotten Island
Chapter 44: The Great King Rocks
Chapter 46: The Dreaming Dragon
Chapter 49: Night of Falling Dreams
Chapter 52: Battle of the Southern Isles
Chapter 55: Sunrise at the Edge of the World
Chapter 59: Road to Retribution
Chapter 60: Cold is the Blade of the Knife
Chapter 61: The Heart of Deception
Chapter 62: The Yeouiju’s Curse
Foreword
My name is Raina Alvarez.
If you’ve met me before, please forgive me if I don’t immediately remember your face. The last few months have been a nightmare. I have only just woken up.
Vampyres are real. The spirit world is, too. It is a strange and dangerous place called Eve. You can find it when the sun rises or sets. It is a world in which ghosts try to reconcile with their former lives, great beasts of legend soar, and sometimes, the occasional mortal discovers.
When my family first moved to South Korea, I hoped I could finally find a place where I belonged. We were running from so many things: my mother’s affair with a wealthy Korean businessman that made me; the subsequent divorce; my eldest sister Marisol’s mysterious disappearance.
But then the Vampyre Queen Maya who had kidnapped Marisol came after me, too. She dragged me to her hellish court in Eve. And we knew it was time to stop running.
I have three living siblings now. I am closest to my half-sister, Citlalli. She is one year older than me. Citlalli rescued me from the Vampyre Queen and her seven deadly sons. She joined the Were Nation, one of the shapeshifting forces fighting against the Vampyre Court. In the process, she became a werewolf. Then she became a leader. After the war was over, Citlalli emerged as the controversial Alpha of the Seoul werewolves. Her opponents currently include her former flame, Rafael Dominguez, and Xu Xiang the Goshawk, leader of the International Were Council.
We survived the Were War by joining forces with one of the Vampyre Queen’s sons, the eldest crown prince named Khyber. He has been trying to put a stop to his vicious brothers’ reign for ages. Then he plans to end his own undead existence. Together, we rounded up and destroyed his brothers’ souls. This severed their link with immortality. Now all of the vampyre princes can be killed.
However, my sister didn’t survive the war unharmed. A vengeful Dark Spirit named “Xec” cursed Citlalli to a life bond with Khyber. Now the only way for Khyber to die is if Citlalli fades, too. I fear this “life bond” is changing my sister. Sometimes, dark shadows cross her face and she does not seem like herself.
But I have come into my own power as well. I hope it will be enough to help my sister and defeat the last of the vampyres. I discovered the reason the Vampyre Queen wanted me: I am the Changeling Soul, a shapeshifting water dragon from my father’s line. Now I am preparing to meet my father to discover just what the means.
Our enemies retreated after Maya’s fall, but the new Lady of Eve, known as the White Tiger, warns us to be cautious. The Were Nation is a threat to be taken seriously now. She fears we have awoken something far more dangerous: the vampyres’ makers.
After what the Dark Spirits did to me and my family, I say let them come. We will show them that it is not death they have to fear: It is us.
—
Raina
KEY PLAYERS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNDECIDED
Alvarez Family:
Raina:
me. I just learned that I am a shapeshifting water dragon with the ability to call the rains and create storms. Now I know how I won so many hold-your-breath-underwater competitions.
Citlalli:
my half-sister, one year older than me. She is as tough as nails and carries an attitude as big as her black curls. Citlalli was turned into a werewolf by Rafael Dominguez while trying to rescue me from the vampyres. She lost an eye and a finger during the Were War. Not even my brother will mess with her now.
Marisol:
my deceased eldest sister, whom the Vampyre Queen mistook for the Changeling Soul. Now she is at peace.
Miguel:
my older brother who works as a manager at our family restaurant in Itaewon. He doesn’t understand the difference between politeness and profanity, or the general concept of boundaries for that matter. Our relationship is strained.
Daniella:
my older sister who serves as a Foreign English Teacher and the moral compass of the family. She is currently back in America looking after Papi with her boyfriend, Hosuk.
Mami:
our mother, who goes after what she wants and gets it. She grew up an orphan in México City, so she is big on tough love. Now she owns the Alvarez Family Restaurant in Itaewon.
The Seoul Werewolf Pack:
Rafael:
Citlalli’s werewolf creator and estranged pack mate. I can see why she fell for him. He’s not hard on the eyes, and he uses that to go after what he wants: the annihilation of all vampyres. Specifically, he is out for Khyber’s blood because he holds him responsible for the deaths of his mother and his sister, Tica.
Yu Li:
Rafael’s ex-girlfriend. Citlalli is always at odds with her, but I personally admire her commitment to the pack while raising her son, Young Soo.
Kaelan:
an Irishman whose daughter was stolen by the Vampyre Queen. He witnessed Seu Jaehoon, the old Alpha, passing the Red Fang Necklace on to Citlalli before he died, which is the symbol of leadership amongst wolves.
The Were Nation:
Una:
our spirit walker friend, who developed a crush on Miguel. During the Were War, she gave herself up to a devious nine-tailed fox named Fred in exchange for our brother’s life. We really wish we could have talked her out of that one.
Hyeon Bin:
Una’s uncle, a fighting monk who takes down vampyres with his staff.
Thaksin:
a shapeshifting naga from Thailand. He is Citlalli’s close ally.
Yong Mun Mu:
the King of Dragons, Guardian of the East Sea, and CEO of Yong Enterprises. Another title I’ve recently added to the list: Dad.
The Lady of Eve
: a wise old spirit tiger. After the Vampyre Queen’s fall, She restored peace and balance to the world of Eve.
Xu Xiang
: the “Red Bird.” He is the leader of the International Were Council and rules the shapeshifting goshawk clan in China.
The Vampyre Court:
Maya:
the deceased Vampyre Queen. She ruled Eve since the Korean War until recently, but her age spans many centuries. Obsessed with immortality and power, Maya entered into increasingly dangerous deals with the Dark Spirits and sacrificed many lives in order to create her seven sons, the vampyre princes. She transformed the spirit world into a dark, ugly place of despair and enslaved all of the ghosts. Citlalli and the White Tiger defeated her.
Khyber:
Maya’s eldest son. A long time ago, he sacrificed himself in order for his sisters to escape from Maya. He can kill with a touch. Khyber is called the “Prince of Sorrow,” or “the Crow,” referring to his shabby black wings. I try to block out as much as I can about my captivity in the Vampyre Court, but I remember feeling safe with him. I also remember the kiss.