Blood Wizard: Dragon Key Book 2 (Dragon Shifter Romance) E-Book

Mac Flynn

• Herausgeber: Crescent Moon Studios, Inc.
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Kate and Tegan have escaped the Keys, but now they find themselves on a dangerous path to learn more about their impossible union.

The werewolf capital of Malartu is far behind them, but the threat from the Seer Senate and their Keys remains. The overarching reach of the powerful Senate means they have to avoid the main roads and travel cross country to the kingdom of the vampires. There they hope to find the Blood Wizard, a mysterious figure who may be able to tell them more about Kate’s unique gift as a twilight witch.

Matters are complicated when they stumble upon a hungry undead. One vampire bite later, and Kate is in even greater danger as the curse of the undead begins to take hold of her body. Her anxiety stirs up her unpredictable powers and hiding her dual magic becomes a nearly impossible task.

Stuck between an uncertain future and a pursuing past, can they reach their destination before they’re found out, or will she succumb to the growing lust within her?

Leseprobe

BLOOD WIZARD

DRAGON KEY BOOK 2

MAC FLYNN

CONTENTS

Copyright

Author’s Note

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Sneak Peek: Mana Dragon

A Small Favor

When’s the Next Book?

Series by Mac Flynn

About Mac Flynn

COPYRIGHT

Blood Wizard (Dragon Key Book 2). Copyright © 2024 by Mac Flynn.

Published by Crescent Moon Studios, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, disseminated, or transmitted in any form or by any or for any use, including recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the author and/or artist. The only except ions shirt excerpts or the cover image in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel or on the cover are either products of the author’s or artist’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author or artist.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for joining me on a journey through my imagination. If you’re looking for romance and adventure with a guaranteed Happily Ever After, then you’ve come to the right place. My books contain paranormal plotting and fantastical action, and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.

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You can keep in touch with me by joining my newsletter or checking out my website for the latest updates.

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Thank you for giving my book a chance, and Happy Reading!

- Mac Flynn

CHAPTERONE

“Duck!”

The shout came from Tegan and the command was aimed at me. Something else was aimed at me, and that was the dagger-like claws of the creature that swooped down from the skies. I threw myself to the ground and covered my head with my arms. The wind from the claws brushed past my limbs before the creature regained its altitude.

I whipped my head up and glared at Tegan as he held a fireball in each upturned hand. “I don’t like your shortcut!”

We were in the middle of the dark woods with a starry sky overhead. I sat up and rubbed my ankle which I had sprained slightly after a trip over some rocks. A flurry of stones had fallen into the mouth of a nearby cave and three foul creatures had flown out. They had the neck and head of a woman but below that was a bright display of feathers and dagger-like claws. Their human parts weren’t much to look at, either, with wrinkled faces and dull gold eyes. Their long, straggly hair flew out behind them in crusty strands.

I ducked again as one of them swooped down to try to grab my hair in their claws. The creature dropped a flurry of feathers on top of me. I sputtered and spat one out as the creature shrieked like a banshee.

“I didn’t mean to disturb your beauty sleep!” I shouted at the fiend. “And heaven knows you could use it!”

The three creatures screeched as Tegan hurried to my side and knelt beside me. “I don’t think they appreciated your comment,” he pointed out.

I fluffed off the feathers. “I don’t appreciate them dive-bombing me.”

The trio circled above us like vultures. Tegan watched them with a sharp eye as the flames in his hands increased in size. He looked like he was holding a pair of campfires. “Whatever happens, stay behind me.”

I glared at him. “I can take care of myself.”

“Not if you trip again and fall into my line of fire,” he countered.

My face drooped. “Point taken.”

I scurried behind him as the creatures made another pass at us, this time all in one go. They swung their claws out in front of them as they let loose more horrible screams. Tegan threw his fireballs and struck two of them, but the center continued its kamikaze mission as it aimed straight at us. My companion opened his mouth and spat out another fireball. The orb of fire struck the creature in the chest and dropped it like a rock. The three fiends flapped about on the ground and extinguished the flames, but they looked even worse than before. Their feathers were singed and their hair smoldered. They gave us dirty looks as they stumbled back into their hole.

I fell back onto my butt and breathed a sigh of relief. Tegan did the same beside me and lifted his eyes to the thick foliage. “I guess this wasn’t such a good shortcut, but at least we’re not bored.”

I snorted and brushed off more feathers. “Or maimed. Yet.” I picked up one of the quills and admired the green and orange hues. “You think they’d mind if I took one?”

“We won’t be staying here long enough to ask,” he told me as I climbed to his feet and offered me a hand. “Can you stand?”

“And walk,” I assured him as I accepted his hand. He pulled me to my feet with a little more force than I expected. I fell against his chest and blushed at the comfortable heat that radiated off his person. A chuckle rumbled through him. “Like what you feel?”

My cheeks were lit on fire and I stumbled away. “I-I wasn’t thinking that!”

“Thinking what?” he innocently asked me.

I glared at him. “Thinking what you were thinking?”

“I was merely thinking about where we should go from here,” he countered as he swept his gaze over the area. “We should be nearing the border between Conas and Blutstein.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Those sound like two different types of hard liquors.”

“They serve very different drinks in Blutstein,” Tegan mused as we made our way westward.

“Blood on the rocks?” I guessed.

“Among other ways. Some prefer their drink served very warm.”

I clapped a hand over the side of my throat. “Should I have packed a turtleneck sweater?”

A rustle of branches ahead of our location made us freeze. Tegan swung his arm out in front of me and he scanned the area. “Who’s there?”

The bushes ahead of us parted and a man of about thirty stumbled out. The man had shimmering long black hair that stopped halfway down his back and sported a pair of dark brownish eyes. He was slightly taller than me with disheveled jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. The stranger wore plain brown sandals and a matching thin brown coat covered him.

The man started back when he noticed us and yelped before he stumbled backward and vanished into the same bushes he had just escaped.

“Damn these things!” the man swore as the bushes shook violently. The stranger crawled out on his stomach looking even more scraped than before. He slammed his fisted hand against the ground. “Damn all these plants!”

“Did you need some help?” I spoke up.

The man climbed to his feet and brushed the leaves and twigs off himself. “No, I’m quite alright. I was just trying to get to Blutstein.”

Tegan nodded to the west. “We were just headed that way ourselves.”

The stranger eyed us with a curious look. “Through the woods?”

“In the same manner as you,” Tegan countered.

The man folded his arms over his chest and shrugged. “I like to be alone.”

“Out here?” I wondered as I inspected the dark shadows that surrounded us.

The man winced and rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I wasn’t planning on traveling this way, but I sort of kind of got. . .”

Tegan cocked his head to one side and his eyes twinkled with mischief. “What was that last word?”

The stranger scowled at him. “I’m lost.”

“You could come with us,” I suggested.

“Provided you keep your distance from our necks,” Tegan added.

I did a double take on the stranger. He was unusually pale.

The stranger kicked a stone on the ground. “Suit yourself.”

Tegan bowed his head and took my hand. He led me around the man and westward through the woods. I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder at the stranger as he tagged along. He didn’t have the same deathly pallor as Mrs Brogan, but there was a strange air about him that seemed to block me from distrusting him.

He noticed my attention and gave me a big toothy smile. “I don’t think I introduced myself. The name’s Zahn.”

“Kate,” I replied.

He bowed his head to me and his long dark hair slid over his shoulders. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Kate.”

I nodded at Tegan. “And this is, um-” He had a look of warning in his eyes. “This is Hal.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Hal,” Zahn greeted him.

“The pleasure is all ours,” Tegan replied with more than a little terseness in his voice.

Zahn didn’t appear to notice as he grasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the night sky. “Nice night for a walk, isn’t it?”

“Not too bad,” I answered. “But what’s taking you to Blutstein?”

He shrugged. “Business and pleasure. I’ve been away for a while and was wondering if anything changed.” A barking laugh escaped him that made me jump. He noticed my fright and got control over himself. “Bad joke, wasn’t it? Blutstein hasn’t changed in a century. It’s not bound to be any different after just a decade.”

“So you lived there before?” Tegan spoke up.

Zahn nodded. “Oh yes, for quite a few decades. I’m just coming home because I heard some interesting news from an old friend.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “What kind of news?”

He lifted his chin and furrowed his brow. “What was it again? Can’t seem to remember.”

Tegan didn’t look too pleased with the man’s shallow demeanor. “Did you forget that with the way to the town?”

“Of course I didn’t forget-” The man caught himself, but it was too late. He sheepishly smiled at us as he scratched the back of his head. “I’m no good at lies, am I?”

Tegan stopped and turned to face the stranger with narrowed eyes. “Why are you really out here?”

Zahn scowled back at him as I scooted closer to my companion. “I wasn’t lying about that. I heard some interesting news and wanted to see it for myself.”

“And what is this news?” Tegan persisted.

Zahn nodded at me. “That your friend here is about to be attacked by a vampire.”

My mouth dropped open. Tegan threw himself between the stranger and me. He stretched his arms out and his hands became claws. “I won’t allow you to touch her.”

Zahn smiled and shook his head. “You can’t stop me.”

I blinked and the vampire had vanished. My heart raced as I whipped my head about, but he was nowhere to be found.

I grasped Tegan’s sleeve and my words came out in a squeaky whisper. “I thought you said vampires weren’t any faster than us.”

His eyes darted over the area. “They aren’t but some of them have their own unique magic that-”

I didn’t hear the rest as a paralyzing pain struck me. The pain was focused on my throat and I could turn my head just far enough to see Zahn’s dark eyes staring back at me. His long fangs were impaled in my neck and two thin lines of blood ran down my neck. His cold arms wrapped around me from behind and drew me against his chest.

A garbled cry escaped my lips. Tegan spun around and tried to slice half the vampire’s head off at an angle. Zahn leapt back and all my support went with him. I crumpled to the ground and Tegan caught me before I face-planted.

Zahn stood over us with his teeth still grotesquely long. He wiped away a few drops of blood with the back of his hand and grinned down at me. “Thank you for that, Miss Kate. Until we meet again.”

He turned and fled into the woods. Tegan drew me into his arms and his worried face hovered over mine. “Kate? Kate, can you hear me?”

I weakly nodded, but the world around me was growing dim. The last thing I saw were the stars twinkling above us. Then all went black.

CHAPTERTWO

Darkness. Shadows. Those crept into my dreams as I lay in slumberland. The children of Night brushed against my sleeping visions, chilling me to my soul.

And then a light came from afar and a voice called to me.

“Kate!” The shadows stirred and scurried away like rats. “Kate!” The voice was growing louder. I stretched out my thoughts toward it and a light slowly appeared.

My eyes flitted open and I found myself staring up into the pale face of Tegan. His bright eyes searched my features and relief washed over him. I gave him a weak smile. “Sorry about the nap.”

He shook his head as he lifted me off the ground and propped me up in his arms. “It wasn’t your idea.”

My pulse quickened as I recalled whose idea it was. I tried to whip my head about but I received a nasty case of dizziness for my effort. “Ow. . .”

“Keep still for a moment. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

His words didn’t keep my heart still. “Am I going to die? Or worse?”

Tegan shook his head. “Nothing as serious as death. As for the other option-” He dropped his concerned eyes to my throat and pursed his lips. “I’m not sure.”

My face drooped. “What do you mean? Isn’t there some way to tell?”

“Not until there are signs,” he told me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “What kind of signs?”

“I might start looking as tasty to you as you do to me,” he teased.

I glared at him. “This isn’t funny.”

“No, it isn’t,” he agreed as he studied my face. “But humor is a good antidote to fear and panic, both of which I can see in your eyes.”

I shut my eyes and turned my face away. “Well, do you blame me?”

Tegan grasped my chin gently in his grasp and drew my eyes back to face him. I dared peek them open and saw him smiling at me. “Not, I don’t. I was only trying to give you comfort.”

My shoulders sagged and a heavy sigh escaped me. “I. . .I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you, especially with how much you’ve helped me.”

A crooked grin slipped onto his lips. “We’re in this together, remember? You did bind me to you.”

My mouth dropped open. “Me bind you? You’re the Key master here, bucko.”

He arched one handsome eyebrow. “Bucko?”

I waved off his question. “Never mind. Just know that it wasn’t my idea to go flying over my apartment building during a thunderstorm.”

Tegan chuckled. “Nor mine, but I do like what came of it. Very much.”

I couldn’t help but notice a slight heat in his words and his glowing eyes. My cheeks reddened and I had to swallow a lump in my throat. “Y-yeah, well, what do we do now? Do you start digging a grave or do I start picking out coffins?”

“Neither, I hope,” Tegan replied as swept his eyes over the woods around us. “But we should keep moving. I know these lands pretty well and there should be a castle a day’s walk to the northwest. The master there is an old friend and knows more about the bite of a vampire than I.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “A vampire specialist?”

“More like a specialist who’s a vampire,” he corrected me as he swooped his arms under me and lifted me off the ground.

“Hey!” I protested as I looped my arms around his neck. “I can stand!”

“Do you really want to try that?” he countered.

I looked down at my legs and bit my lower lip. “On second thought, I’m fine, but what’s this about the doctor being a vampire? You told me they didn’t get sick.”

“They don’t, but some vampires make their living helping the living,” he told me as he stooped and snatched up his traveling bag. He tossed that into my arms. “Ready?”

I grasped the bag against my chest. “You really don’t have to do this. I mean, I’m not exactly light.”

He grinned. “To me, you’re as light as air.”

Tegan set off through the thick woods. We passed tree after tree with only the occasional creek or huge boulder to break the monotony. However, the further we traveled the more the scenery began to change. Rocks replaced trees and the ground grew more uneven, as if a great upheaval had occurred in a distant past to rend the earth. Holes dipped low between short mounds, creating an endless roller coaster of travel.

What stood out most were the large mounds of boulders scattered here and there. They were stacked as though a giant had played blocks with them and then left to do something else, never to return. As we passed a few, I noticed some looked like they’d been carved out in the interior, though it was difficult to tell from all the nature trash of leaves and sticks, and the deep shadows that hid the deepest depths.

All of this was merely a view of nature, but something had slowly crept into the back of my mind. It was a sense of being watched.

“Did people use to live in these boulders?” I asked my native guide.

Tegan nodded. “Very very long ago. Legends state that the first vampires came out of the grave near these parts and made their beds in the constant shadows.”

I leaned my head back and glanced at where we’d come from. “This isn’t very far from the werewolf kingdom.”

He chuckled. “Territories change. Before the last war, these were werewolf lands. The vampires fought even during the sun to reclaim the territory of their ancestors.”

My heart fell a little at the mention of battle. “Do you think there’ll be another war?”

His good humor, too, faded as he stared ahead. “I hope not.”

We continued onward far into the woods. Tegan didn’t pause for several hours, but when he did I felt him stiffen beneath me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I couldn’t speak above a whisper. “What is it?”

His bright eyes scanned the area. The night was waning and the day would arrive in a few more hours. “We’re surrounded.”

My eyes widened. “Surrounded by-”

“Do not move!”

The shout came from ahead of us. A tall, lean figure stepped out of the shadows of a tree. The person wore a completely black ensemble of boots, pants, and a shirt, all of which were covered by a long cloak that trailed the ground. The stranger threw back their hood and my heart skipped a beat when I beheld their pale features.

“Who are you?” the stranger demanded.

“Merely a pair of travelers,” Tegan called back as he held me up. “One of us was attacked by your kind a few miles back and we’re trying to get to the nearest settlement.”

The vampire studied us with a sharp look. “We weren’t informed of two travelers passing through the High Road that fit your description. How long have you been in the woods?”

Tegan lifted an eyebrow. “I’d like to know why you’re watching the road so stringently.”

“I will ask the questions here,” the vampire snapped as he beckoned with one finger. A half dozen more bloodsuckers stepped out of the woods and surrounded us. “Take them to the outpost.”

The vampires closed in on us and I shrank into Tegan’s arms. He tightened his grip on me and a few whispered words passed his lips. “Courage.”

CHAPTERTHREE

A vampire grabbed his arm and yanked him forward. The speaker led the way through the wilderness and after a mile, a meadow opened up before us. The trees had been newly chopped as evidenced by the fresh stumps and their bodies used to build a high wall that encircled the whole of the clearing. A single gate led inside and two pale men stood in the shadows with one weary eye on us and another on the horizon.

We were marched into the interior which was occupied by a long, narrow building of wood that reminded me of barracks. The only other structure was a smaller square building. Two dozen vampires stalked the perimeter as we were led through them and to the smaller of the two structures.

“These buildings aren’t up to your usual lofty standards,” Tegan commented as he inspected the wood structures.

The leader vampire turned his head enough to stare at us with one eye. “The prospect of war softens standards.”

“With the werewolves?” Tegan wondered.

“You’re asking questions again,” the vampire scolded him as he stopped at the wood door and rapped his knuckles against the entrance.

Tegan grinned and shrugged. “It’s a habit.”

“Break it,” the vampire snapped as the door opened.

We stepped inside and found ourselves in a primitive office. Only one window had been cut out of the log walls and faced the forest. An unlit lamp sat on a simple desk at the rear and a half dozen chairs were scattered about the room. The only oddity was a hole dug into the ground in the farthest corner in which a sturdy wooden crate had been set. A mess of straw surrounded the container and the contents were accessed via a top hatch.

The leader lit the lamp as Tegan was herded over to one of the chairs. He set me on a seat before being forced to take one himself. The vampire turned to us and nodded at his compatriots. Half of them left while two took up positions on either side of the door. Our ‘host’ clasped his hands behind him and strolled over to stand in front of us.

“Why were you really out there crossing through the woods into our territory?”

Tegan nodded at me. “As I said before, my companion here was attacked by your kind. The quickest way to the next settlement was through the woods.”

“And where did this attack occur?” the man questioned us.

“You would do better to find the culprit attacking visitors to your land than to detain us with my companion in such a weakened state,” Tegan scolded him. I tried to look as lethargic as possible and to be frank there wasn’t too much acting needed. I didn’t feel quite up to snuff and a stubborn chill clung to my bones.

“You would do better to answer my questions or I will have you charged with trespassing on the king’s property,” the vampire warned us as he glared at Tegan. “Now tell me why you needed to conceal yourselves in the woods. What are you hiding from?”

Tegan studied the huge logs that made up the cabin. “These are very ancient trees. I wonder that you were allowed to chop them down. That last time I checked, Baron Grau was most particular about his forests.” He cast a side glance at our ‘host.’ “That is, unless the crown has seen fit to confiscate his lands.”

The commander scowled at him. “The crown takes what it needs, but what do you know of the baron?”

Tegan shrugged. “I know of him. He’s a friend to all, werewolf and vampire.”

Our ‘host’ curled his lips back in disgust. “He does indeed claim to welcome everyone. Such a man honors allegiance to no one and what is a man without his allegiances.”

“That would depend on what those allegiances make a man do,” Tegan countered as he cast a worried look at me. “For instance, yours is keeping my companion here from proper medical attention.”

The commander studied me with a sharp look before his eyes rolled back to Tegan. “She will receive proper attention when you have answered my question: why were you traveling through the woods? And I want the truth.”