I'm happy to have fellow Dreamspinner Press author Qaida Harte here today with an excerpt of her novel, Dragon's Treasure. (Isn't that cover beautiful?) Welcome, Qaida!
College student Ahndrai has the ill fortune of falling into the grasp of an attractive, sadistic vampire. He encounters Eita, a vampire who lusts for Ahndrai's sweet blood and tears apart his world. Eita proves that every myth and legend ever written is only too real, and they are far darker than portrayed in any story.
Ahndrai must face a host of monsters that Eita allows to attack and kill him. Each time Ahndrai dies, Eita revives him so he can continue to feed off him. Ahndrai believes that every creature is as cruel and unforgiving as Eita. Then Nakiirn, a dragon prince, rescues Ahndrai. But even after Ahndrai overcomes his fears and falls in love with Nakiirn, they must both contend with Eita's cruelty again before the vampire succeeds in claiming Ahndrai once more.
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Excerpt
I was lying in his bed, the sheets tumbling over my body like tiny mountains, and Nakiirn hovered over me. Much like the past few nights in his room, he ran his hands through my hair, his soothing touch making my eyes drift close. His rumbling Drakonic voice filled the room.
“Hatviere daline nalie irillie na.”
The words were music in my ears. He said them slowly, letting them rumble into the room on a low whisper. Then Nakiirn said several other things to me, none of which I understood. I was only beginning to pick up on some words he used often, even though I didn’t know what they meant. All I knew was that it put me into a peaceful sleep, and that was all I wanted. The more he spoke to me, the more I drifted off, until I was inside the sweet dreams he wove for me.
The first time he’d done it, I’d been having a nightmare, and he had come into my room and slipped into my dreams, changing them. When I woke, he explained what he had done and why. Since then, I’d let him weave his power however he wanted. Sometimes he would have me dream of a beach, other times a rain forest with all of its wonderful sounds echoing around me. The dreams were always different.
Sometimes they were rather fantastical, and such was the dream he created for me right then. He put me in another forest. The dew smelled amazing, filling my senses with pine and damp wood. I was seated on a fallen log, the sunlight filtering through the dark green leaves. Golden rays of light sparkled with the natural dust that lingered in the forest. What came through the trees were things I’d never seen before. They were small, no larger than house cats. Six colorful creatures came out of the forest and scampered up to me.
Oddly, I wasn’t afraid of them.
They resembled lizards, except they had long necks that reminded me of dinosaurs. Leathery wings flapped along their backs, and they had little feet with thick claws digging into the earth. Horns lined their bodies. Not one of them was like another—they were blue, green, purple, orange, red, and white. They were little dragons. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but I did, and I didn’t run away from them as they fluttered around me. They played with one another, tumbling and rolling while I laughed.
A couple of them climbed onto me. To my surprise, they felt like velvet. They were warm little furnaces too. They chattered at me, squeaking and clicking at such a fast pace that it was just sound with no substance at all. The white one got into my lap after climbing up my arm and chirping in my ear for a minute. The adorable little creature turned and turned in circles before curling up in a ball and going to sleep. I rubbed my hand along its back, enjoying how soft the little dragon felt.
That was the entirety of the dream, watching them play with one another while I stroked the sleeping one. I listened to the others as they came and climbed over me, talking to me about whatever it was they were wanting to say. Through it all, I smiled and laughed. It felt wonderful, but I could only do it in my dreams.
“Treasure.” Nakiirn’s voice stirred me.
I opened my eyes. I had been enjoying that particular dream, and Nakiirn seemed to know that. He grinned at me, looking rather pleased with himself. I took a slow breath as I started to wake up from my fantasies. Shifting around on the bed, I pulled the covers up to try to go back to sleep, but Nakiirn laughed and pulled the blankets back down.
“Are you not hungry? I will make you breakfast.”
I grumbled a little as my stomach betrayed me. “Yes, I’m hungry,” I answered in defeat. I wanted to stay there for a while longer, but I did want to eat. I also knew that if I asked, Nakiirn would weave that dream again and put me back to sleep. However, I needed to get up. I had never slept all day before, and I didn’t intend to start. With a yawn, I stretched and sat up.
Nakiirn moved with me. “May I touch you?”
I nodded. It didn’t bother me all that much if he touched me without asking, but he still asked. If it was anyone else, I would freak out—but I had gotten used to Nakiirn’s touch, since he did it so often. His hand curved along the back of my shoulders, and I closed my eyes at the simple caress that eased my muscles all the same. Nakiirn curled his hand under my arm and against my side and pulled me to him.
The sheets shifted as my body went, bunching up in a little pile between us. There was something different in the way he held me. His arms wrapped around me, securing me against his bare chest. Looking up at him, his crystalline eyes made me shiver. Nakiirn was staring at me with a kind of heat that made me stiffen in his grip. Tilting his head a little, he ran one hand up my back, the other curling into my hair at the back of my skull.
“I have an intense desire to kiss you. But I will not if you do not wish it.”
His words stole my breath. I could feel my face igniting as I blushed. Nakiirn wanted to kiss me? Oh… God. I wasn’t ready for that. My reaction had me pushing against his chest to get some distance. No matter how much I liked his touch, the idea of kissing him led to a variety of awful thoughts. He would kiss me, then that kiss would turn violent, and as Eita had described to me, Nakiirn would fuck me. And all of that would end in being eaten.
Nakiirn must have noticed, because he loosened his hold and I leaned farther away from him, keeping him at arm’s length as if that was going to protect me. I trembled as I stared at him, watching his every move in fear. Sure, it had been months, and all he’d done was touch me lightly with no intimate intentions, but to bring up being kissed…. I wasn’t ready. His words brought horrible memories, and all I could think about was Eita. My heart was racing. I whimpered as I shook my head hard enough to make myself dizzy.
“No.” I was lucky I hadn’t screamed the word at him. There was enough fear in my voice to make up for that, though.
“I am so sorry, my treasure. I did not mean to frighten you,” Nakiirn’s answer was quick and spoken in hushed tones.
Nakiirn eased me back into the mattress, drawing the sheets up over me as his voice began to fill the room. I began to relax again the more he spoke. I was falling back asleep as he drew away from me. Nakiirn sat on the edge of the bed as he spoke, his hand drawing circles along my arm and shoulder. I was thankful that he hadn’t forced himself on me—surprised that he hadn’t, but thankful all the same. It didn’t take long, so I was convinced he was using a little more power than usual to ease my stress and nerves. Nakiirn started up the dream of those adorable little dragons again.
In minutes I forgot all about why I was so worked up. Instead, I sat on that log in my dreams and smiled as the baby dragons played around me.
“Hatviere daline nalie irillie na.”
The words were music in my ears. He said them slowly, letting them rumble into the room on a low whisper. Then Nakiirn said several other things to me, none of which I understood. I was only beginning to pick up on some words he used often, even though I didn’t know what they meant. All I knew was that it put me into a peaceful sleep, and that was all I wanted. The more he spoke to me, the more I drifted off, until I was inside the sweet dreams he wove for me.
The first time he’d done it, I’d been having a nightmare, and he had come into my room and slipped into my dreams, changing them. When I woke, he explained what he had done and why. Since then, I’d let him weave his power however he wanted. Sometimes he would have me dream of a beach, other times a rain forest with all of its wonderful sounds echoing around me. The dreams were always different.
Sometimes they were rather fantastical, and such was the dream he created for me right then. He put me in another forest. The dew smelled amazing, filling my senses with pine and damp wood. I was seated on a fallen log, the sunlight filtering through the dark green leaves. Golden rays of light sparkled with the natural dust that lingered in the forest. What came through the trees were things I’d never seen before. They were small, no larger than house cats. Six colorful creatures came out of the forest and scampered up to me.
Oddly, I wasn’t afraid of them.
They resembled lizards, except they had long necks that reminded me of dinosaurs. Leathery wings flapped along their backs, and they had little feet with thick claws digging into the earth. Horns lined their bodies. Not one of them was like another—they were blue, green, purple, orange, red, and white. They were little dragons. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but I did, and I didn’t run away from them as they fluttered around me. They played with one another, tumbling and rolling while I laughed.
A couple of them climbed onto me. To my surprise, they felt like velvet. They were warm little furnaces too. They chattered at me, squeaking and clicking at such a fast pace that it was just sound with no substance at all. The white one got into my lap after climbing up my arm and chirping in my ear for a minute. The adorable little creature turned and turned in circles before curling up in a ball and going to sleep. I rubbed my hand along its back, enjoying how soft the little dragon felt.
That was the entirety of the dream, watching them play with one another while I stroked the sleeping one. I listened to the others as they came and climbed over me, talking to me about whatever it was they were wanting to say. Through it all, I smiled and laughed. It felt wonderful, but I could only do it in my dreams.
“Treasure.” Nakiirn’s voice stirred me.
I opened my eyes. I had been enjoying that particular dream, and Nakiirn seemed to know that. He grinned at me, looking rather pleased with himself. I took a slow breath as I started to wake up from my fantasies. Shifting around on the bed, I pulled the covers up to try to go back to sleep, but Nakiirn laughed and pulled the blankets back down.
“Are you not hungry? I will make you breakfast.”
I grumbled a little as my stomach betrayed me. “Yes, I’m hungry,” I answered in defeat. I wanted to stay there for a while longer, but I did want to eat. I also knew that if I asked, Nakiirn would weave that dream again and put me back to sleep. However, I needed to get up. I had never slept all day before, and I didn’t intend to start. With a yawn, I stretched and sat up.
Nakiirn moved with me. “May I touch you?”
I nodded. It didn’t bother me all that much if he touched me without asking, but he still asked. If it was anyone else, I would freak out—but I had gotten used to Nakiirn’s touch, since he did it so often. His hand curved along the back of my shoulders, and I closed my eyes at the simple caress that eased my muscles all the same. Nakiirn curled his hand under my arm and against my side and pulled me to him.
The sheets shifted as my body went, bunching up in a little pile between us. There was something different in the way he held me. His arms wrapped around me, securing me against his bare chest. Looking up at him, his crystalline eyes made me shiver. Nakiirn was staring at me with a kind of heat that made me stiffen in his grip. Tilting his head a little, he ran one hand up my back, the other curling into my hair at the back of my skull.
“I have an intense desire to kiss you. But I will not if you do not wish it.”
His words stole my breath. I could feel my face igniting as I blushed. Nakiirn wanted to kiss me? Oh… God. I wasn’t ready for that. My reaction had me pushing against his chest to get some distance. No matter how much I liked his touch, the idea of kissing him led to a variety of awful thoughts. He would kiss me, then that kiss would turn violent, and as Eita had described to me, Nakiirn would fuck me. And all of that would end in being eaten.
Nakiirn must have noticed, because he loosened his hold and I leaned farther away from him, keeping him at arm’s length as if that was going to protect me. I trembled as I stared at him, watching his every move in fear. Sure, it had been months, and all he’d done was touch me lightly with no intimate intentions, but to bring up being kissed…. I wasn’t ready. His words brought horrible memories, and all I could think about was Eita. My heart was racing. I whimpered as I shook my head hard enough to make myself dizzy.
“No.” I was lucky I hadn’t screamed the word at him. There was enough fear in my voice to make up for that, though.
“I am so sorry, my treasure. I did not mean to frighten you,” Nakiirn’s answer was quick and spoken in hushed tones.
Nakiirn eased me back into the mattress, drawing the sheets up over me as his voice began to fill the room. I began to relax again the more he spoke. I was falling back asleep as he drew away from me. Nakiirn sat on the edge of the bed as he spoke, his hand drawing circles along my arm and shoulder. I was thankful that he hadn’t forced himself on me—surprised that he hadn’t, but thankful all the same. It didn’t take long, so I was convinced he was using a little more power than usual to ease my stress and nerves. Nakiirn started up the dream of those adorable little dragons again.
In minutes I forgot all about why I was so worked up. Instead, I sat on that log in my dreams and smiled as the baby dragons played around me.
About Qaida:
Qaida Harte is a new author with Dreamspinner Press.
Qaida has been writing for most of her life and has always dreamed of being published. Her preferred genres are modern fantasy and erotica. Action and danger are a must in the themes of her projects, as well as that steamy romance to help ease all the heart ache.
She currently resides in the beautiful town of Reno, Nevada with her wonderful husband. Days are spent pounding away on a keyboard with a hot cup of coffee and music blasting. There is an endless amount of characters and dark plots weaving and too little time to get them all done.
Contact Qaida:
Website / Twitter / Email: qaida.harte@gmail.com
Qaida Harte is a new author with Dreamspinner Press.
Qaida has been writing for most of her life and has always dreamed of being published. Her preferred genres are modern fantasy and erotica. Action and danger are a must in the themes of her projects, as well as that steamy romance to help ease all the heart ache.
She currently resides in the beautiful town of Reno, Nevada with her wonderful husband. Days are spent pounding away on a keyboard with a hot cup of coffee and music blasting. There is an endless amount of characters and dark plots weaving and too little time to get them all done.
Contact Qaida:
Website / Twitter / Email: qaida.harte@gmail.com
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