Gabe’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned back in his chair. “You kill her.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Liliana Hart is a bestselling and award-winning author in both the mystery and romance genres. After starting her first novel her freshman year of college, she immediately became addicted to writing and knew she'd found what she was meant to do with her life. She has no idea why she majored in music.
Liliana is an avid reader and a believer in all things romance. Her books are filled with witty dialogue, steamy sex, and the all-important happily-ever-afters her romantic soul craves. Since self-publishing in June of 2011, she's sold more than half a million ebooks all over the world. She lives in Texas with her husband and four children, and they occasionally let her meet her deadlines.
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Read on for an excerpt of Breath of Fire! Coming June 4!
CHAPTER FOUR
I lifted my nose a little higher, hoping to get another whiff. The atmosphere was thick with ozone, and lightning raced horizontally across the sky. Mist crept in slowly, building in white waves so the ground below it was invisible to the eye. The rain fell harder, almost as if it were a sign of bad things to come. And then the mist grew thicker, taking the shape of a man—a mist dragon. I’d never seen one before, only heard the stories passed down through the generations.
He appeared to my left and wasn’t large, maybe a few inches taller than me, but he was thick across the shoulders and chest—built like a brawler. His jeans were old and torn, his white T-shirt ragged and stained with blood. He gave me a feral grin as he stopped at the edge of the garden path.
I answered his smile with one of my own and leaned against one of the stone arches, enjoying the theatrics. His smile dimmed a little when he saw I wasn’t as afraid of him as he’d hoped I’d be. I held the weapon I’d brought out with me in my left hand so it was hidden behind the railing.
It wasn’t long before the others appeared out of the trees and joined the first. There were five in all. Maybe half of the original group who’d attacked the woman last night. I recognized their scent. There had been others with this group when they’d killed the woman, but those Drakan had moved on.
I was looking specifically for one of my own clansmen. Each clan had a unique scent—ours smelled of clean rain and damp forest—and I’d recognized it immediately around Jillian’s body. It was the reason I’d been able to see Jillian’s death in my vision, even though she was from a different clan. I’d kept that information from Cal.
There was only one female in this group, but she was the one I focused on. I’d seen a little girl once holding a doll with blonde curly hair, blue eyes and rosy cheeks—the porcelain of her complexion so pale and flawless it seemed as if even the slightest touch would cause her to shatter. That’s what this woman reminded me of.
Sapphires the color of the deepest part of the ocean were embedded in her human skin—up her arms and across her collarbone—and a single winking jewel glittered above her left eyebrow like a beauty mark. This only happened to those dragons who slept on top of their hoard in human form. It’s why we were never able to wear jewelry—our human forms absorbed the jewels. It was just another way for us to keep our treasures close.
The female hoarder stood in the center of the group, slightly in front. Two other males—one as dark as onyx, the other as pale as buttermilk—flanked her left side. Their power was minimal. The last male was almost as old as the female. But not quite. The only difference was his clothes were pristine, his face calm, while dried blood and mud covered the others. This male stood in the rain eerily still, his dark hair plastered around his face and his eyes knowing. He gave me a slight bow with his head, and it was then I knew he had psychic abilities—pitiful as they were. He was practically an open book. But I could use him.
It was situations like this one where I thought our laws kind of sucked. I couldn’t kill them just because I knew they’d killed one of our own. Legally, I had to file a warrant with the Council and wait for it to go through. The only way I could kill them today was if they moved to attack me first.
“You guys are pretty far from home,” I called out.
“And your welcome is quite disappointing.” It was the female who spoke. Her accent was thick and Slavic.
I cast my psychic power from my body and read them all quickly. The woman was obviously from the Russian clan, but what had me worried was that the other members of the ragtag group were representing three other clans—the Romanians, the Belgians and the Irish. Our clans had been feuding since the Banishment, and I had no idea why they were working together without animosity now. They thought of themselves as a unit—a family. And for some reason, I couldn’t siphon the reason they’d joined together from their minds. All I could read was that they needed me, and if I didn’t cooperate, then I had to die.
“You made a mistake last night,” I said. “You shouldn’t have killed her. And you definitely shouldn’t have been stupid enough to leave enough of her body behind so I could find her. Now I have to kill you.”
The brawler to my left laughed thin and high, and the insanity of it raised chills on my arms. “You think you can kill us, Enforcer? You’re outnumbered. And we have powers you could only dream of.”
It was my turn to laugh. “I don’t think so. You’re the pawns. Who’s your Master? None of you has the power to breathe fire.”
The brawler took a step forward, his anger making him stupid.
“Bartolome,” the female said harshly. “Stand down and follow orders.” Bartolome stepped back, but he didn’t like it.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“I’m here to ask you to join us,” the female said. “When the time for battle comes, you don’t want to be on the losing side.”
“And let me guess, it would help to have a psychic with my abilities on your side to even the odds a little.”
“It would,” she acknowledged.
“You already have a psychic.” I gestured to the quiet male with them. “You don’t need me.”
“Christos’ powers are dimmed in comparison to yours. Your mind is virtually untouched. Unexplored. Our Master can help you. You’ll be one of the most powerful Drakan to walk the Earth.”
“You still haven’t told me your Master’s name.” I was stalling. It was hard to ignore the rush that the promise of so much power would bring me. My dragon nature wanted to take their offer and never look back. The human in me kept a more level head. “I’d like to know who I’m working for.”
“His name is unimportant. You only need to know that there is no other of our kind who holds more power. He will be king.”
