Greetings, all! Today I'm bringing you something special: reviews for THE CURSE OF DESIRE and the complete prologue for my upcoming epic novel, AWAKEN, Book 1 of the THE DRAGON LORDS series!
I am really excited to show the two great reviews I have received for THE CURSE OF DESIRE, an erotic fairy tale based on Grimm's
Hans my Hedgehog. This is one of my favorite stories and I am proud that others adore this tale of curses and love as much as I do.
"A great short story that can be read in one sitting. The words themselves are pure poetry."--Tanna, BittenbyLove Reviews. 4.5 Stars. To read the entire review, click
here.
"Wow! For a short story, Eva is a very creative writer! We always wonder if true love will break any curse, well you will have to read to find out!"-- BBL, Amazon.com 4 Stars. Click
here for the entire review.
John is cursed at birth for a heinous crime committed by his father against the daughter of a witch. Unfair though it may be, he is born with metal spikes protruding from his back and shoulders like a porcupine. When his mother didn't survive his birth, his father was unable to bear the consequences of his actions and so he takes his own life. John is forced to live a mostly solitary existence. That is, until he decides to take on an assistant to run his errands and help clean his house. Hiring Angela could just be the best decision of his life!
I'm so glad to have received these wonderful reviews! If you would like to see what everyone's gushing about, THE CURSE OF DESIRE is available on
Kindle. I also have an excerpt available
here.
THE DRAGON LORDS series is almost available! The first book in the series, AWAKEN, follows Isbet, daughter of the High Seer and betrothed to marry one of the last remaining dragons. However, the betrothal is news to her and though she is excited, she has other things on her mind. Her sister, Liessa, has gone missing and finding her takes priority.
This is an epic adventure unlike any other! The war between the Dragon Lords has just begun and Isbet will be caught in the middle. How can she follow her heart when the entire realm is in danger?
Prologue:
A woman with long, flowing brunette tresses sliced her palms open. She winced with each cut. The crimson stream of blood dripped into a
silver bowl. Candles flickered as a
soft, steady breeze circled in and around the cave. Stalactites quaked on the ceiling and threw
small pebbles on the wet cavern floor.
The woman swallowed loudly and with firm resolution said, “Come forth
Narcil, take me as your sacrifice and do my bidding!”
Sharp gusts of wind whipped around her feathers that grew out of her
forehead. She was of the Dragonkin, a
race of half-human, half-dragons. White
scales littered her arms, chest and legs.
She wore no clothing save a bright red robe. Her eyes were milky white. They seemed to pale the more the wind grew
agitated. She was dabbling in dark magic
and one wrong move could spell disaster.
The summoning circle caught fire and she knew he was close. True dragons could breathe flame without
opening their mouth. Just a glance could
cause an inferno in their surroundings if they wished.
The woman wiped sweat from her brow and cried out, “Come forth, Dragon,
and heed my call. I have offered my life
to you so that you may fulfill my wish!”
The cavern shook as more pebbles jumped frantically with the
quake. The fire immensely towered and
formed columns, suffocating the oxygen from the air.
A large, black paw came from the shadows and was bathed in orange
firelight. Silver talons tapped the
ground and finally, the dragon fully appeared.
The cavern could barely hold his form.
His head reached over sixty feet in height and his body was three times
as long as his height. Glistening ebon
scales covered him from head to toe as several sharp spikes protruded from his
spine. His ember eyes reflected the fire
burning inside him. Dark clouds of smoke
escaped his mouth as he growled, “Who are you, Dragonkin?”
“I am Edina, your humble servant.
I have given my blood and will give my being so long as you fulfill my
desire.”
“I heard you the first time. No
need to repeat yourself,” he snarled.
Narcil had a particularly nasty habit of despising life. He resented the Dragonkin, the so-called
Servants of Dragons. He detested
them. They were vile, selfish creatures
who only wished for their own advancement.
They cared little for the future—they only lived in the present. They did not understand consequences. If he was no longer caged in this prison, he
would destroy them once and for all. The
Dragonkin were a blight on the land.
They would sweep across vast plains and leave utter destruction in their
wake. Besides they were not pure. They were half-breeds. He would slaughter them for that distinction
alone. Diluting the ultimate power of
dragons among men was a nightmare and should never have been done.
Narcil peered down upon the woman and swallowed a large chunk of air. A ball of fire grew in his gut. She had
trespassed into his prison, his domain and even though magic protected the
innocent within his domain, he would slay her.
He would discover a way. She was
beneath him and she deserved death.
“You cannot hurt me here, Narcil,” she whimpered, “The prison only
allows willful death, you know this.
Regardless of your strength, that rule cannot be broken. You cannot take what is not willfully given.”
Narcil roared. Damn this
prison! Damn the dragons who placed him
here! And damn the Dragonkin for their
impetuousness!
The woman continued to speak, “If you promise me that my daughters will
grow with power, then you can have my lifeforce, you can have my soul. It will feed you and make you strong. You will be able to escape. You will have my daughters to finish the
ritual and feed you. But you must vow to
imbue them with magic and force.”
Narcil sneered. He was an
ancient Dragon and yet, he was powerless at this moment. He was at her beck and call. What had he been reduced to? “Why should I do
this?” he asked her.
“As I said, your freedom.”
“Why do you wish this for your daughters? Once I breathe into them, they will become
mine. I will do whatever I desire to
them. Does that not frighten you?”
“Men will do worse. The
Dragonkin society has become a mockery of what it once was. Women have no power. All we are allowed to do is submit to the
rule of men.”
“What makes you think life has not always been this way?”
“In secrecy, I learned to read.
Most of the Dragone history has been lost, but several scrolls mentioned
powerful female leaders. They were equal
to men. They were not merely seen as
sexual vassals, but rather, the women were respected. I know the Dragonkin race is becoming extinct
because child-bearing is a near impossibility and because of that, women are
only trained in the sexual arts in order to hopefully become pregnant. But I want my daughters to be more. I want them to have rank and power. Being a Breeder is a terribly important role
but please, make them powerful.”
Narcil snorted. The Dragonkin
were indeed vile creatures. Each of the
Dragonkin were borne of sacred dragons and the gender of each should never be
questioned. They were not necessarily
created as equals, but rather, they were created as partners. One completed the other. Men were created physically stronger but
women were created more intelligent. One
gender possessing all the traits would be a disaster. But separating each quality into two
different beings would balance the other out.
Or so it was meant to be…
He did have to wonder as to why child-bearing was difficult. The Dragonkin were created fertile so that
the line of Dragons could continue. The
War of the Ages, which occurred before Narcil was imprisoned, had almost
destroyed all the dragons. In order to
reproduce, the Dragonkin were created.
At first, the Dragonkin were only female, but genetics does not give
only female. Men were soon born and what
began as a necessity then turned into a circus of diluted power and dying
breeds.
Humans were chosen to be transformed into the Dragonkin because of
their ability to reproduce. So what had
made the present Dragonkin sterile?
Narcil shrugged. What did it
matter to him if the species died out?
He could bide his time and once the last of the Dragonkin fell, the
spells imprisoning him would be broken.
Patience had merit but so did revenge.
He could destroy his so-called Dragon Brothers if they weren’t already
dead. He needed to escape.
Smoke curled around his nostrils, “Why do you wish power only for your
daughters? Why not women everywhere?”
“Because the women have grown stupid.
They are uneducated and willing only to be subservient. They would not understand the power you have
given them. I cannot offer an entire
realm of women to serve you, but I can offer my daughters. They will help you escape. You will be free.”
Narcil tried to move in the cramped quarters but only managed to trip
and knock his head against the ceiling.
He growled and plopped down on the heated rock floor. Freedom was a tempting offer. He had been imprisoned in this place hundreds
of years ago. He had disagreed with a
few of his fellow dragons and in his haste, he had slain them. The remaining Dragons saw his anger and
murder as unjust and knew that Narcil would turn his wrath on their precious
Dragonkin and so they maimed him and locked him in this cage. Only the lifeforce of a willing servant would
be able to break the bonds that kept him inside. There were other preventative measures for
keeping him at bay, but if he had two daughters of the sacrificed servant, he
would be able to use them to unlock the other magical barriers. Her wish showed promise.
If he could have stroked his chin, he would have. He had not been able to revert to human form
for centuries. The magic kept him a
beast.
Freedom was seductive.
“Why haven’t you gone to the other dragons for aid?”
“There are no other dragons with your power.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Dragons are dead. You are
the only one left.”
“Then who rules you?”
“Descendants of the Sun and Moon Dragons. The Kings are dragons, but they are not your
power level. Their mothers were
Dragonkin. You are pure and they are
not.”
“I see”, he snarled again. He
would not be able to have his vengeance on the other Dragons. A part of him was furious but the other part
was suddenly laughing. He had survived
and they had not. He would like to know
how they came about their demise. How
were they murdered? Dragons were
immortal but not invincible. He would
have to exact his revenge on their descendants, beginning with the ruling
heir. He grinned and brimstone leaked
from his mouth, “Very well…”
“Wait, my Lord, I have one more request.”
He sighed, there was always a catch.
Nothing ever came without cost.
“You will have my daughters but you cannot kill them. They must be under your protection at all
times. Your freedom will cost the lives
of thousands and I do not wish my daughters to be in that number. They will live long, fruitful lives.”
“I cannot guarantee a long and fruitful life for either of your
daughters, but I can promise they will not die by my hand or by my flame.”
“That is all I seek.”
“Then we have an accord. Place
the dagger in your heart and give your lifeforce to me.”
He narrowed his eyes as the woman’s hands trembled. Killing oneself was difficult. She was still young by his accounts which
meant her daughters were children. The
downside to this deal was he would have to wait a few more years before he
could finally escape. He internally
shrugged. He had waited centuries for a
Servant to find him, what were a few years?
“When you see my daughters, tell them I loved them. Everything I have done was for them.” She plunged the silver dagger deep into her
bosom and collapsed to the floor. Her
blood flowed steadily across the rock floor and lapped at Narcil’s feet. He breathed deeply and inhaled her soul. Her soul carried her memories and images of
her children. Her last memory was of her
daughters playing. They ran around a
pristine lawn and tried to catch each other.
Narcil watched the fiery haired child wrestle her brother to the ground
while the white haired daughter laughed and giggled. He could already sense their strengths and
weaknesses. He knew exactly how to
manipulate them to serve his purpose.
The children would suit him well.
He would rise and he would have his revenge.
If you recognize the name Narcil, you're not wrong! He is introduced in THE DRAGON'S DESIRE, Book 1 of the HEART OF THE DRAGON series. What led him to desire revenge on such a scale? Read the HEART OF THE DRAGON series to find out! The first book is available on Kindle and on the Nook.
If you would like to review any of my work, email me and I will send you a free copy! My email address is authorevaweston @ yahoo.com
I look forward to hearing from you and hope you visit my blog often!
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