With the Rune Witch Mysteries complete, I thought I’d share with you a new novella length story following Trystan, my favourite dragon-man from the series, that also features a guest appearance from Summer and Thomas.
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Here’s a snippet from Chapter One:
I’m not one for dramatics, but my mind raced towards full out panic, and my emotions darted between joy and blazing fury when a dragon landed in the field adjacent to my house.
Her scales gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting a brilliant shade of silver that matched the steely look in her eyes. Her wings stretched like those of a bat. She shook a head crowned with a neck frill and six large spikes, sending a great chuff of air through her nostrils.
Eighty years! Eighty years since I’d last laid eyes another dragon.
I flicked off the incessant beeping of the proximity alarm and watched the monitor as Megan changed into human form and dressed.
I remembered every fibre of her being, her perfect face, the intoxicating scent of her skin.
Rose-tinted memories surfaced forefront in my mind. I scowled and pushed them aside. So much had changed. I had Maybe, just maybe, Megan had too.
Yeah, right!
I slapped my face to bring me back to reality and moved from the screen to the large sash window. Who knew, maybe it was just a dream. Although, nightmare may be a more appropriate term.
Sure enough, there she stood, flesh and blood. Untouched by time, as though stepping from a memory. Megan trudged through the grass towards my house, framed by a backdrop of sandstone hills shrouded in grass and heather. The cool touch of the wind blew a few strands of long chocolate-brown hair around her face. The rest hung in a loose braid over one shoulder, contrasting against the whiteness of her shirt. Her hair, face, and clothes; even the jacket hooked around her waist, and the stonewash jeans looked familiar. Only the change in style depicted the passage of time.
I listened at the front door for her footsteps. They crunched on the gravel, leading closer and closer.
I opened the door before she had time to knock.
“It’s good to see you, Trystan,” she said, while I remained silent.
I faced her, arms crossed, as she looked me up and down. Her gaze lingered on my abdomen before flickering lower. Heat soared in her eyes.
Damn it! She always had a way of making me feel like a piece of meat. I cleared my throat.
“What do you want?” Wariness crept into my voice. I shivered and told myself the blame rested on the chill mountain air.
“It’s been a long time,” she said, flashing her eyes at me while stating the obvious. “Can’t an old friend stop by for a visit?”
I toyed with the idea of playing all nicey-nicey, inviting her in for a little chat, a catch up on old times. On the other hand, I possessed a temptation to gouge my eyes out with a spoon. Either option would be just as painful.
I stared at her. She smiled back.
I clenched my teeth and tried to push down my building resentment. Her presence made me feel things long buried. “I’ll ask again. What do you want?”
“Fine.” Megan heaved and over dramatic sigh and pursed her lips. “You take the fun out of everything. The Glain Neidr is missing.”
I scoffed, shook my head, and shut the door in her face before moving to the kitchen. To occupy my hands, I gathered the cloth, wiped down the counter, and moved my morning dishes to the sink. What I wanted, was to punch a hole in the wall.
I didn’t need this crap. Not now. Not when I’d found a modicum of happiness.
I’d been exiled from my clan a human lifetime ago. They’d had decades to reach out to me, pay me a visit, and mend broken bridges. Typical that only a catastrophic event like the disappearance of the serpent’s egg would bring another dragon to my door. Least of all, Megan.
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Exile is now available now. You can also meet meet Trystan in the Rune Witch Mysteries. He joins us in Book Three and Four.
