Shadow of the Dragon - Dragon's Fire
Book 2 in the Shadow of the Dragon series
Ellora's Cave
Genre: Shape-shifter/Fantasy
ISBN #1-4199-0014-5
Book Length: Novel
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Power comes from passion.

Those words haunt Tiana's nights. A witch with no powers, Tiana is rejected and pitied by her people. She lives a contented, quiet existence on the edge of the Matriarchy's lands-until Princess Merena kidnaps Prince Rainek of Xicanth to use as a sex slave. Seeing his strong, naked body chained to the wall, Tiana discovers desires and needs she never expected-and the passion that flows between them has unexpected results.

Patience.

Denith, the dragon who shares Rainek's mind, has been preaching patience all his life and Rainek doesn't want to hear it any more. He wants the bedamned beast to pick a mate for him. After thirty celibate summers, he's a frustrated, exhausted virgin.and now he's been captured, stripped and chained inside a dungeon by a conniving princess. His situation hasn't improved. But when a dainty little thing comes into the dungeon to bathe him, Rainek and Denith immediately recognize her as the one.

Now Rainek just has to free himself, kidnap his mate, and convince her that life with a dragon was what she always wanted. Simple.



Excerpt:
The pounding inside Rainek's head and the furious ache of his arms warned him before he'd even opened his eyes that he'd placed too much confidence in Denith's ability-or perhaps willingness-to keep him out of trouble. The dim torchlight pierced his brain as he let his eyelids drift open. By all the Hells, what had happened to him?

Keeping his movements small, to limit jarring his throbbing head, he looked around. Well, it was easy to see why his shoulders hurt. Metal bands surrounded his wrists and stretched his arms up and toward the opposing walls. The bands were connected with thick chains, each link the size of a man's palm and attached to a huge bolt lodged in the stone walls. He tugged experimentally. The metal cut into his skin but he made no impact on the chain. Not that he'd expected much. When one was using chains to hold a prisoner, one didn't use soft metal.

Prisoner. The thought startled Rainek for a moment. He was someone's prisoner. But whose? And why would someone kidnap him? By the Hells, who would have the bollocks to kidnap him? His family was rich but demanding a ransom would only bring the wrath of a dragon down on their heads. Few were willing to risk that for some gold.

A faint brush of cool air drew his attention downward. He was naked, stripped of his clothes and bound to the wall at four points. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed open space behind him as well. He was situated in the center of the room, almost as if he was being put on display.

Rainek jerked again on the chains and growled when they held firm.

Patience, the dragon preached to him.

"Bite me," Rainek said without rancor and flipped his arm to wrap his hand around a link. Using all his strength, he pulled and lifted himself off the floor. Matching cuffs on his ankles stopped him from rising more than an inch. With a growl, he relaxed down.

Damn it, what good was it being part dragon if the dragon decided to sleep when they were attacked?

I can't be awake all the time. Then you would be awake all the time.

Rainek decided to ignore that bit of dragon logic. He didn't need the damned beast inside his head to point out the truth. They'd been ambushed and captured while they slept. Surely a dragon should have sensed that coming.

If you'd let me take my form, I might have.

Rainek closed his eyes. Denith, of course, would bring that up. During the four-day journey toward the Matriarchy lands, Rainek hadn't let Denith take his corporeal form when they'd stopped for the night. The men in his guard found it unnerving to have a dragon in their midst. Most of the guard knew that Rainek was part dragon but actually seeing that fact manifest itself was a completely different situation. Having a fifty-foot dragon share their campfire was more than most were willing to endure.

It did no good to explain that the dragon had no interest in anyone in the guard, as long as they didn't attack Rainek. Being as there were no females in his guard and the dragon viewed none of the men as potential mates, there was little chance that Denith would even notice them.

Speaking of which, what had happened to his men? He was alone in the chamber. They'd set up camp just beyond the Matriarch boundaries. Two more days of hard riding would have brought them to the queen's stronghold.

Rainek stared at the chamber. It seemed unlikely that he'd been carried as far as the queen's castle. Despite the headache, it didn't feel like he'd been asleep for two days. The last memory he had was the tent above him disappearing and a sharp pain in his leg.

And then waking, naked and chained to the walls of a large chamber. The dim light would have allowed a normal human to see little beyond the small space in front of him but the dragon senses were sharper. Only the darkest shadows were hidden from him. Counters and tables stretched along the walls with implements and herbs he didn't want to know the use of scattered on every available surface.

Whatever this chamber was used for, it didn't look pleasant.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to take your form now and break these chains," he asked Denith.

Denith was silent and Rainek could almost hear the beast considering the option.

Unwise, the dragon answered. If the bands around your wrists don't break, I could end up footless when I appear. Let us wait to see who has captured us.

Rainek yanked on the chains even though he knew the futility of it. It gave him a way to expend his frustration. He didn't care who in the Hells had captured him. He just wanted to be free.

Patience.

"Stop saying that," Rainek snarled. The only reaction was the quiet chuckle of the dragon. One of these days he was going to get his revenge on the beast.

Rainek glanced down at his chest. Along with his clothes, his amulet was gone. There was no way to contact his family. But he knew his brother. Bren was methodical and a bit dull, but he was protective of the family. If Rainek didn't check in within a few days, Bren would come after him.

The long, slow creak of a door opening shattered the irritated silence in his head. Maybe this was his answer. He took a deep breath and stood tall on his bare feet. Whoever it was, he wasn't going to be slumped over and weak when they entered.

He snapped his head toward the door, keeping his face impassive, hoping to catch his captors unaware.

He worked hard to hide the surprise as a woman strolled into the dungeon-her tall form decorated by a deep blue gown. Her breasts were small but pushed high and almost free from the tight bodice. The hint of a rosy nipple was visible. Crystalline black hair hung just to her chin, smooth and straight and with a soft swing to it as she strolled toward him. Confidence and power emanated from her.

Whispers of movement behind her distracted Rainek. He looked beyond her, curious to see who else had entered the room. He could see the bottom inches of a gray gown but the rest of the person was hidden in blackness. The first woman before him stepped forward, obviously wanting his attention.

It took his mind a moment to catch up but reality slammed into him with a sick masculine shame-he'd been captured by a woman!

The idea grated on his warrior sensibilities but logic helped him push his annoyance aside and deal with the situation.

He'd been kidnapped by the Matriarchy. Maybe the rumors were true.

Rainek felt his lips pull up in a reluctant smile. They would be disappointed when they learned the truth about him. He was the wrong man to use for a sex slave.



Reviews:
"Pull up a chair and get lost in the amazing world St. Clare has created in her Shadow of the Dragon series. Her combination of humor and sensuality is a wonderful blend."

RT BookClub


"The exciting and erotic love scenes are among the best I have read. Ms. St. Clare weaves her tale through a land full of magic and dragons and brings you along for the ride.This is definitely a must read."

Coffee Time Romance


"Dragon's Fire was nonstop sensuality and action. The story had a perfect pace to it, and revealed each portion of the story at just the right time.Dragon's Fire is right up there with all my favorite erotic romances."

Just Erotic Romance Reviews


"Dragon's Fire is hot, hot, hot! Tielle St. Clare has created a fantastic yet believable world of magic, might, love, passion and dragons. Her characters are real, her stories filled with adventure, humour and passion."

Historical Romance Club