Ember's Kiss Read online

  Praise for the

  Dragonfire Novels

  Flashfire

  “Deborah Cooke is a dragon master of a storyteller…. Lorenzo fills the pages with enigmatic glory only rivaled by his mate, Cassie, and I did not stop turning pages until the firestorm had ended.”

  —The Reading Frenzy

  “Cooke’s long-running series continues to be a sexy and thrilling winner!”

  —Romantic Times

  “Thrilling and unpredictable…Flashfire is another great addition to one of my favorite paranormal romance series.”

  —Paranormal Haven

  Darkfire Kiss

  “Quick action, engaging prose, and hot sex.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Deborah Cooke’s Dragonfire novels are impossible to put down. Darkfire Kiss is no exception.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “Another book not to be missed!”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “An action-packed, fast-paced romantic read.”

  —TwoLips Reviews

  Whisper Kiss

  “Truly dynamic.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Bursting with emotions, passion, and even a real fire or four, I count myself lucky not to have spontaneously combusted! Don’t miss this sizzling addition to Deborah Cooke’s Dragonfire series—it is marvelous!”

  —Romance Junkies

  “Cooke aces another one!”

  —Romantic Times (41⁄2 stars)

  Winter Kiss

  “Beautiful and emotionally gripping…sizzling-hot love scenes and explosive emotions make Winter Kiss a must read!”

  —Romance Junkies

  “A terrific novel!”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  Kiss of Fate

  “An intense ride. Ms. Cooke has a great talent…. If you love paranormal romance in any way, this is a series you should be following.”

  —Night Owl Romance (reviewer top pick)

  “Second chances are a key theme in this latest Dragonfire adventure. Cooke keeps the pace intense and the emotions raging in this powerful new read. She’s top-notch, as always.”

  —Romantic Times

  Kiss of Fury

  “Visiting this world is a pleasure.”

  —Romantic Times

  “Entertaining and imaginative…a must read for paranormal fans.”

  —BookLoons

  “Riveting…. Deborah Cooke delivers a fiery tale of love and passion.”

  —Wild on Books

  “Excellent writing, a smart story, and exceptional characters earn this novel the RRT Perfect 10 Rating. Don’t miss the very highly recommended Kiss of Fury.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  Kiss of Fire

  “Wow, what an innovative and dazzling world Ms. Cooke has built…. [She] draws the reader in and has you believing it could almost be real.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Deborah Cooke has definitely made me a fan…[an] extremely exciting series.”

  —Romance Junkies

  “Paranormal fans with a soft spot for shape-shifting dragons will definitely enjoy Kiss of Fire, a story brimming with sexy heroes, evil villains…and an engaging love story.”

  —BookLoons

  Also by Deborah Cooke

  The Dragonfire Novels

  Kiss of Fire

  Kiss of Fury

  Kiss of Fate

  Winter Kiss

  Whisper Kiss

  Darkfire Kiss

  Flashfire

  The Dragon Diaries Novels

  Flying Blind

  Winging It

  Blazing the Trail

  EMBER’S KISS

  A DRAGONFIRE NOVEL

  DEBORAH COOKE

  A SIGNET ECLIPSE BOOK

  SIGNET ECLIPSE

  Published by New American Library, a division of

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,

  New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,

  Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,

  Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

  Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124,

  Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

  Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park,

  New Delhi - 110 017, India

  Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632,

  New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue,

  Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:

  80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  First Printing, October 2012

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Copyright © Deborah A. Cooke, 2012

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  ISBN: 978-1-101-60476-2

  SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  Printed in the United States of America

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  ALWAYS LEARNING

  PEARSON

  With many thanks to Kerry Donovan

  for her editorial expertise and her enthusiasm.

  Table of Contents

  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

  Epilogue

  Flashfire

  Chapter 1

  O‘ahu, Hawai‘i—Friday, December 9, 2011

  Despite the time of year, the Slayer Chen was not feeling festive. He sat in the beach bar on the north side of the island, sipping a glass of pineapple juice and watching his prey. Even though he had donned his favorite form, an elderly Chinese man, and the waitress had underestimated him, his mood was sour. The bar was decorated for Christmas, the walls thick with jingling bells, ribbons, and posters of that jolly old elf laughing in his Hawai‘ian shirt. This did absolutely nothing to lighten Chen’s mood.

  His plan was not coming together and time was slipping away. The year of the dragon would begin on January 23, 2012, less than two months away, and was his chance to ensure his ascendancy over all the dragon shifters. It should be the year that Chen claimed his destiny.

  Exc
ept that nothing was going right.

  It burned that his own choices were at fault. When he had loosed the ancient force of darkfire from the crystal that had held it captive for centuries, he’d been thinking only of confounding the Pyr. He’d been thinking of his own advantage and been certain that the darkfire would provide the necessary distraction for him to move his plan forward.

  Instead, the darkfire—as unpredictable as it was said to be—had ruined everything. His brand, the one he had used to mark other dragons and enslave Slayers to his will, had been first broken and then destroyed. He had been cheated of the harvest of Lorenzo, the one Pyr who was within a whisper of turning Slayer and the one who could have been a useful ally to buttress his affinity with water. Viv Jason had appeared, whatever she was, and vowed to deliver the Pyr Thorolf to Chen to fortify Chen’s affinity with air. But Viv was not keeping her promise, at least not so far, and the darkfire seemed to be on her side. Everything had gone wrong because of the release of the darkfire.

  That Chen had been the one to free the darkfire in the first place was just salt in the wound.

  He, Chen, should be the master of all dragon shifters. He was the strongest, the smartest, and the most ancient of all the dragon shifters. He was the one who still remembered dragon magic, and he was the most cunning. It was his destiny to rule, to be the lord of all. It was his right to command.

  His plan would continue as designed, despite recent setbacks. He watched the young surfer ride his board to the beach and shout to his friends, and his anticipation rose.

  This part of Chen’s scheme was proceeding well.

  Yes, he would secure his hold over Brandon and that Pyr’s affinity to the elements of earth and water. Brandon was nearly in his thrall. The moon would be full on this night and there would be an eclipse. Some Pyr somewhere would have his firestorm, and the prickle of energy in Brandon’s vicinity gave Chen new hope.

  Could he be so lucky that Brandon would be the one to have a firestorm?

  If so, the tide could turn in Chen’s favor. The young dragon would be vulnerable in love, caught between his noble impulses and the dark urges that Chen had fed to him. It would be enough to push him over the edge, to make his dragon ascendant for good.

  Which would put him in Chen’s thrall.

  Chen, after all, already possessed three of Brandon’s scales. One more scale, and Brandon’s dragon would be Chen’s, courtesy of the old dragon magic. All of the young Pyr’s energy would be merged with Chen’s own—plus Brandon’s corpse would provide a new supply of Dragon Bone Powder. Chen was so close to claiming him completely, though the young dragon was too stupid to see what was happening to him.

  Brandon even thought Chen was his friend. In fact, he thought Chen was the only one who understood the realities of his dragon nature, and he trusted Chen. Even if the Pyr came racing to the firestorm, Brandon wouldn’t believe anything they told him. They were allied with his father, after all, which was a crime in Brandon’s eyes.

  That prospect of triumph cheered the ancient Slayer, as did the friendly wave that Brandon gave him as he entered the bar. “Hey, Chen! How’s it going?” He was still gregarious, easygoing, and confident—when his dragon was safely managed. Chen yearned for the vigor of his youth.

  He’d have it soon.

  Yes, Chen could almost smell the flicker of the firestorm’s flames, courtesy of his own greater powers. This Pyr would have his firestorm, and it would spark between him and his destined mate on this night.

  Perfect!

  “My old friend!” Chen replied, making sure he sounded feeble. He let his arm shake as he hailed the young dragon and was deliberately unsteady on his feet when he rose to greet him. He clutched Brandon’s strong hand like a lifeline. “I had to see you one last time,” he confessed, letting his tears rise.

  “Are you sick, Chen?” Brandon slid into the chair opposite, his gaze bright with concern. “Was the trip from Beijing too hard for you? You know, you’ve got to take care of yourself, Chen.”

  “I know. I know.” Chen patted the Pyr’s arm. “But I cannot change that I am old. It does me good to be here with you, even if the journey is long.” He raised a hand when Brandon might have protested. “Enough of the trials of an old man. I have a gift for you. I came to give it to you.”

  He produced the silver vial of Dragon Bone Powder, the very last of his stash. On the one hand, Chen was reluctant to surrender it. On the other, he knew that doing so was a good investment in his plan. He offered the vial, his hand trembling by choice.

  Brandon winced, then leaned over the table to whisper. “You want another trade? I’m not sure I can do it today.” His hand passed over his chest. “Each one hurts more, and I want to be in good shape for the competition.”

  Ah, so the removal of the scales was troubling Brandon. Some of his dragon sense remained, which was useful to know. In the interest of the greater good of his plan, Chen chose to be gracious and cement their relationship.

  Before he struck the young dragon down.

  He knew he’d get the scale when the firestorm ignited.

  “No, no,” Chen insisted. “This is a gift from me to you, because we have been friends for so long. I know you like it. It is important to me that you have it.” He placed the vial in Brandon’s hand and closed the young dragon’s fingers over it. He smiled, his heart beating a little faster at his growing sense of the approaching firestorm. “Use it well, my friend. I regret only that there is no more.”

  “Wow, and you gave it to me. Thanks, Chen.”

  Chen was surprised when the young dragon caught him in a tight hug and thumped his back.

  Surprised, but satisfied that all was coming right.

  A group of surfers who were passing the table congratulated Brandon on his wild-card slot in the current trio of competitions, and on his performance in the first two. Chen watched Brandon joke with his friends, the young Pyr’s confidence drawing the gaze of more than one woman. Brandon appeared to be oblivious to the young blonde who was openly admiring his muscled physique as he rolled the silver vial between his finger and thumb.

  Chen smiled to himself. Brandon would be his to command shortly; then he would move forward with his plan and his destiny would be secured.

  Chen could hardly wait.

  “You want another juice or something to eat?” Brandon asked. “It’s the least I can do when you give me something like this.” He flashed the vial, then shoved it into his pocket.

  “Just your company is good,” Chen said with a nod. “Tell me of your surfing today.”

  Brandon grinned and started to explain the way the surf had broken that day, his enthusiasm and passion clear. Chen basked in his presence and the strength of his affinities to earth and water. Even undeveloped, they were potent.

  In Chen’s grasp, they would ensure his victory.

  The prospect made the old Slayer smile.

  Liz felt as if she’d arrived in paradise.

  There was no better place to make a fresh start.

  Maureen had picked her up at the airport, as planned, and they were driving away from Honolulu. The warm temperature was a welcome change from the snow of New England. It amazed Liz that she’d shoveled her driveway for the cab that had taken her to the airport just fourteen hours before.

  Instead of being tired from her trip, she felt invigorated.

  Maureen had the windows open on her ancient turquoise Mercedes and the wind blowing through the car felt like a warm caress. The flowers in Liz’s lei, which Maureen had bought for her, were yellow plumeria and smelled like heaven.

  This place might just be heaven.

  Liz felt a tight knot within her loosening, and she knew the stress and tension of the past year was easing out of her body. She was excited at the possibility of making connections at this symposium to access the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and continue her research there. No wonder she felt so energized. Also, she was ditching a lot of garbage that had been
wearing her down.

  She smiled, recognizing a thought her mother would have expressed.

  Maureen tossed Liz a smile. “Are you relaxing finally, or is it just jet lag that’s made you quiet?”

  “Probably a combination of both, but it feels good.”

  “That’s the magic of this place,” Maureen said. “It feels so good. Stay a week and you’ll never want to leave.”

  Liz had a feeling it wouldn’t take a week to convince her to stay.

  Maureen was in her fifties and a ferociously clever marine biologist who had been Liz’s mentor and doctoral adviser. She’d always been stern and somewhat daunting on the East Coast, but the woman who had picked up Liz at the airport could have been Maureen’s wilder twin sister. She’d cut her hair since coming here to continue her research two years before and had stopped coloring it. It blew around her face in flattering silver waves. She looked less careworn, though Liz imagined that she was still a perfectionist when it came to reports.

  “It looks as if it suits you to be here,” Liz commented.

  Maureen laughed. “They’ll take me off this island when I’m ashes in a jar and not one moment before.” She winked at Liz. “Since you and I are two of a kind, inviting you here for this seminar is part of my diabolical plan to tempt you here for good.”

  Two of a kind? Liz supposed that she and Maureen had been similar. She certainly had always liked the older woman and intuitively trusted her. There was a lot that Maureen didn’t know about Liz, though, and Liz was going to keep it that way.

  Liz saw the entry to the tunnel looming ahead, a porthole to darkness. She suddenly had a bad feeling, like someone walking over her grave, and shivered.

  What was going on? She didn’t have a fear of darkness.

  Maureen must have noticed Liz’s reaction because she hurried to reassure her. “It’s not a very long tunnel, and it’s the quickest way home. Next time I’ll take you around Diamond Head for the view. I figured you’d be tired today and quicker would be better.”

  They were swallowed by darkness before Liz could answer, the headlights of the car illuminating the road ahead.