For those of you who have finished Cast by Flames and you’re ready for Galadon, I’m posting the first chapter for you. The draft for this novel is finished, and I’m working my way through revisions now. I did have beta readers go over this chapter already, so only my editor hasn’t seen it yet. The estimated release date is April 24th. Sometime soon, I’ll post the cover and summary, along with pre-order links. Hope you enjoy this peek at the book!

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Chapter 1

Galadon

For the first time in months, my mood wasn’t foul and agitated.  I flew over southwest Oklahoma, enjoying the warm weather and sun on my burnt-orange scales.  The fields below were a vibrant green, and flowers bloomed everywhere.  Most of the winter had been irritatingly harsh and cold.  Dragons such as I spent much of the frigid season nesting within our dens in a haze of grogginess and hunger, only waking when the temperature rose enough for us to hunt and eat.

That didn’t happen for some time once the heavy snow in January began falling upon us.  It blanketed the region and failed to melt for six weeks, only becoming deeper with successive blizzards.  Though I had some control over storms, those had been too strong to mitigate.

I’d heard the land here hadn’t always received so much snow and ice, but many things changed since my kind’s former dimension, Kederrawien, melded with this one.  Weather patterns had altered.  It was only at the start of April, a week ago, that it had warmed enough during the day for me to venture far beyond my small territory in southeast Texas.  I had left home to resume my hunt for stray Kandoran enemies who weren’t vanquished during our big war with them last fall.  Some estimated thousands remained scattered throughout the land west of us.

A rift in the ground appeared ahead—a wide gaping maw that ripped the earth apart for hundreds of miles when the dimensions collided nearly seven years ago. It spanned from the Texas panhandle across southern Oklahoma and partway into Arkansas north of the Red River.  Though state titles meant little anymore after dragons arrived, the humans insisted on continuing to use them, so I’d learned the names to avoid confusion during the rare times I had to endure their company.  The words had been annoyingly challenging to pronounce at first, but I’d always been a quick learner.

The bottom of the chasm was nearly a thousand feet deep in most places, and it was a couple of hundred feet at its narrowest to fly past.  They’d finally built a bridge last year, reconnecting Interstate 35 so that the human populations to the north and south would no longer be cut off from each other.  Dragons had assisted them since that helped facilitate trade and reduced the risk of people plummeting to their deaths during construction, which I supposed was a bad thing.

I continued my flight over rolling green terrain broken occasionally by brush and copses of trees.  After a while, I spotted a gruesome scene of three large green dragon carcasses in the distance, surrounded by scorch marks and disturbed earth in what must have been an intense battle.  I landed and moved to sniff at them, taking in the putrid scent of evil and decay from their unmoving bodies.  A sneeze escaped me as the smell filled my nostrils.  The only time I had ever gotten used to that horrific odor was during the war.

The bodies were dead Kandoran.

Since they hadn’t turned to dust, they must have died within the last day.  Their clean and precise wounds told me they’d been killed by someone in human form who was quite skilled with a blade.  Upon further examination, I decided they must have been slaughtered within the last hour.  The blood-soaked earth was too fresh.

I moved away from them to clear my nose and began searching for the assailant.  After a few minutes of circling the area, I picked up a familiar female’s fresh and alluring scent.  It had been nearly five months since I’d last seen her.  My sensible side urged me to fly away and avoid her at all costs.  The other, controlled by the beast within me, desperately wanted to check on the woman and ensure she hadn’t been injured during the battle.  It was no easy thing taking down three Kandoran dragons at once, and she was known to be quite reckless.  I’d also be lying if I said I hadn’t flown this far north just for a glimpse of her because, deep down, it was true.

A few spots of her blood on the trail made the decision for me.  No matter how much I tried to harden myself against her allure, I couldn’t stand the idea of her being injured.  I followed the path she’d taken for more than a mile, studying her tracks.  Due to recent rain, it wasn’t difficult.  Her steps had been steady, indicating she didn’t have significant injuries, and certainly not on her feet or legs.

Despite that, I couldn’t stop myself from continuing my hunt.

I spotted a strange tower ahead at the top of a hill.  It was constructed of large brownish-red stones with a railed lookout at the top.  A couple of hundred feet away, I spied a small body of water.  I circled it until I came to a low-lying area with a cluster of trees and brush for cover.  While I blended well enough with the reddish-tinted dirt in this area, I doubted the lush green vegetation fully hid my large dragon form from view, but it would have to do.

The sounds of splashing drew my attention.  I crouched low, spotting a nude female figure in the lake.  In that moment, she appeared more like a siren calling to me than a ruthless slayer.  She was entrancing.

Although it had to be frigid at this time of year, she stood in water that only hid what was below her waist.  Everything else was bare for me to witness as she wrung out her coppery-brown hair.  I took in her full breasts with hardened nipples, flat stomach marked with scars, and the faint line of a healing cut on her right arm.  She held a bar of soap in her hand as she scrubbed away the last remnants of blood from battle.

I told myself I should look away.

It wasn’t right for me to watch her like this when she wasn’t aware of my presence—not after the promise I’d wrenched from her months ago—but I couldn’t forget the feeling of her soft skin.  That one time nearly six months ago when I’d given into my lust for her, and our bodies had fit so perfectly that I’d lost my mind to the pleasure that came with our joining. 

Even our magic had mingled ardently as if our powers called for each other.  Fate was cruel for creating a woman like Rayna, who I wanted more than any other female I’d ever met despite her being my born enemy.

I’d known I could only give into my lust for her once, so that day, I’d made a point of touching every part of the slayer with my hands and tongue, needing to taste her and memorize every inch of her.  She’d begged and moaned for me never to stop.  Against my better judgment, I’d taken her several times that day in an attempt to rid myself of the overwhelming need she drove within me.  It hadn’t been enough, but I had no choice except to be content with those few short hours.  What we’d done was dangerous.

Rayna was born to kill me and every other dragon on Earth.

After dunking low to rinse, she began moving out of the lake. Water sluiced from her nude form as she chose her steps carefully.  If there were a more perfectly shaped human female, I’d never seen one.  The slayer was beautiful, with a heart-shaped face, full lips, tan skin, and graceful movements that caused her shapely hips to sway as she walked.

I desperately wanted to shift into my human form and take her there on the ground.

She bent to grab a towel off a large rock, lifting the cloth to dry her hair.  The movement raised her breasts with their hard-peaked nipples.  I was torturing myself, and I knew it. Yet if I left now, she’d surely see me.  A mere fifty feet separated us.

Rayna slowly ran the towel down her body as if she had all the time in the world.  Once dry, she tossed it over her shoulder, slipped on a pair of sandals, grabbed a sword and mesh bag of toiletries, and made her way to a nearby trail.  It was a mere few paces from my position, and there was no way she’d miss my large red-orange dragon form.  I stiffened, waiting for her to spot me while also looking forward to the confrontation—to my annoyance.

“Enjoy the show?” she asked when she neared me, giving me a knowing smile.

I swished my tail in agitation, realizing belatedly she’d known I was here all along.

Since I couldn’t speak well in my beast form, I used telepathy.  How did you know I was here?

Not once had she looked his way during her bathing ritual.

Rayna pointed at a black Friesian horse standing high on the hill near the tower.  The animal was grazing on some tufts of grass as if he didn’t have a care in the world.  “Onyx told me.  He’s my lookout when I’m trying to have a private bath.”

This woman wasn’t only a slayer but also a sorceress.  She had two primary abilities—shooting lightning and telepathy with animals.  Dragons were included as part of the latter, which was the reason I could speak mind-to-mind with her.  Usually, I could only do that with my own kind while in beast form.

Your horse is odd, I said.

It was a fact that anyone who came across the animal quickly realized.  Unlike normal equines, this one snacked on dead dragons, engaged in battle, and had the ability to communicate with me.  Even her mount had to be as unique as her.

Rayna took a few more steps toward me, completely unashamed of her nude body.  “No, he’s highly intelligent.”

I barely breathed as she ran the tips of her fingers over my left wing in a soft caress.  I wanted to rumble in contentment at the sensation.  The damned woman was teasing me and must have known what it did to me.  Perhaps Bailey, another slayer who’d mated with a shifter, had given Rayna tips.  How else would she know about the sensitive places on my wings?

Attempting to focus on other matters, I kept my gaze focused on her hazel eyes and asked, Where are your clothes?

“In the tower over there,” she replied with a knowing grin.  “Am I offending your delicate senses, dragon?  It’s nothing you haven’t seen and touched before.”

She needn’t remind me.  Go get dressed.  We need to talk.

Rayna sighed, wrapped the towel around her body, and strolled away.  I didn’t move from my position until she entered the tower and shut the door.  After she was out of sight, I launched into the air and flew over the lake, landing on top of the hill near her abode.  Layers of her fresh, fragrant scent were everywhere—some old, some new.  She’d been staying here for a while, which I’d suspected since she seemed so comfortable in this location.  Rayna was playing a dangerous game to inhabit a place alone in enemy territory.

Ten minutes later, she came outside in loose pink pants and a white tank top that didn’t hide the rouge of her nipples. The fabric told me that none of it was fireproof.  If I sent a breath of flames at her, she wouldn’t burn, but she’d be naked again.  She lived to tempt me.

Rayna put her hands on her hips.  “Why are you still in dragon form?”

It’s safer that way.

“For you or me?” she asked, quirking her lips.

Both.

If I shifted, I’d be liable to grab her and drag her into that tower, burn her clothes off, and have my way with her.  I didn’t doubt for a moment that she’d let me.  She’d made that clear many times in the past, but I’d made her promise not to try seducing me in the future.  My willpower wasn’t nearly as strong as I needed to resist her.  Of course, she was pushing her vow today, but I was the one who showed up while she bathed.  No matter how much I wished to do so, I couldn’t blame her for her behavior.

Her face turned stony as her friendliness faded.  “What do you want, Galadon?”

There is a nest with hundreds of Kandoran—dragons and humans—less than ten miles from here.  If you continue to reside this close, you’re risking death, I said, glaring at her.

Rayna crossed her arms.  “It’s my job to take them out.  I chose this place to pick them off a few at a time when they venture out to hunt.”

They’re not stupid.  I’ve scented at least two tainted sorcerers in the area, which is likely why so many have congregated.  It won’t be long until they figure out what you’re doing and send in a force to kill you.  You won’t be able to fight that many.

I’d caught many telling scents while following her trail.  Many were faint, but they told me a lot.  We’d suspected there might be other sorcerers among the Kandoran, but we only confirmed it weeks after the war ended during scout patrols.  No one believed the remaining magic users were very powerful, but they might be able to exert some control over the infected dragons.

She stared at me for long moments.  “What do you care?  The war is over, and so is our truce.  If I die, it’s on me.  No more need to protect your arch-enemy.”

She wasn’t wrong.  I shouldn’t be here at all, tempting myself.

You’re right, I forced myself to say.  I’ll leave you to your suicide mission.

I flared my wings, readying them for flight.  She blinked, and I caught a flash of longing and pain in her hazel eyes—emotions she’d hidden until now.  My inner beast clawed at my mind, demanding I stay and protect her.  I didn’t dare listen to it.  All I had to do was think back to the early days of my childhood to remember why I could never trust a slayer.  She’d kill me the moment she lost control of herself, whether she wanted to or not.

“Wait.”  She took a step forward.  “Just…help me fight them so I don’t have to do it alone.  Imagine how many Kandoran we could kill if we worked together.”

It was tempting, so tempting, and wise of her to suggest it.  If I thought for a moment I had the strength to battle at her side and not touch her, I’d agree to the offer if only to keep her safer.  After all these months apart, though, my ability to resist her was weaker than ever.  She’d been at the center of too many of my heated dreams.

I’ll check in again sometime to see if you’re still alive, I said.  It was all I could give her.

“Seriously?” she screamed, picking up a rock and slinging it at me.  “Stop giving mixed signals, you asshole.”

I didn’t bother to dodge it, deciding to let her have that one.  It was round and soft.  I barely felt it as it hit me in the back.  If only she would throw many more of them so I could prove why we couldn’t be near each other.

I lifted into the air.  Take care, Rayna.

It took all my control not to look back as I flew away.

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I do want to warn that the spice content for Galadon is A LOT higher than the rest of the Dragon’s Breath Series. There is no fade to black or skimming over the intimate scenes. Galadon and Rayna have minds of their own and insisted on full disclosure, but there is plenty of plot, world building, and action in there as well. It will also get dark at times. If that’s not your thing, you might pass on this one.

For those of you who enjoyed this chapter, let me know if you’d like me to post chapters two and three soon!