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  Good enough.

  I stripped and hopped into the shower, setting the temperature to just short of scalding. Even the shampoo felt luxurious, the suds thick and soft. I could have stayed in there forever, but then my stomach started growling.

  "All right," I muttered, rinsing off. "I got you."

  It was only as I stepped out that I realized I had literally nothing. Everything I had had literally gone up in flames in my apartment. The realization knocked me back on my heels for a second. It just felt so . . . final.

  I took a deep breath and told myself I could get new stuff. It wouldn't be the same, but maybe it didn't need to be. With that thought at the forefront of my mind, I rooted around until I found a fluffy white robe in one of the closets. I'd never seen a bathroom with closet space before, but there you go.

  Towel drying my hair, I padded out into the bedroom to find Ashur already there, setting up a table with food.

  "Where's Omari?" I asked, as my stomach gave another interested grumble.

  Ashur glanced up and smiled.

  "He decided he wanted to go down to the dining hall and eat with his friends. Guess we're second string now."

  "Ah."

  I walked over to kiss his cheek.

  "Already he's wanting to separate," I sighed dramatically.

  Ashur chuckled, sliding his hand into my robe to squeeze my bare butt.

  "Gotta make the best of it," he said with a grin. "However will we manage that?"

  My stomach grumbled again and he laughed.

  "After we eat, of course."

  "Of course," I agreed.

  Ashur sat down and pulled me down onto his lap. We put the food away at a leisurely pace. But it was definitely put away. We were both hungry.

  "This is nice," I murmured as he fed me. "Is this a full-service kind of place?"

  "Yes, it is," he said solemnly. "You're in luck."

  I grinned. "Sounds like I am. What kind of amenities do you provide?"

  "Well," he said. "We offer a wide array of naked ones."

  He smiled as he met my eyes and undid the belt of my robe, pushing the front open to expose me. I sighed as his warm hand smoothed up my thigh, across my stomach, up to cup my breast.

  "I think I'm going to like this place," I murmured, leaning in to kiss him. "I'm surprised I didn't hear of it before."

  "We aim to please," he murmured, his thumb rubbing my hardening nipple.

  I sighed, turning in his lap so I could straddle him, deepening the kiss. I wanted more. And he gave it to me. Making a sound in the back of his throat, he slid his hands under my robe to cup my butt, his fingers pressing into me. Kneading me. And then he stood up with me in his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried us over to the bed, rubbing myself against the hard bulge that was right where I wanted it.

  Well, almost right where I wanted it. I could think of one place where I would rather have it. Groaning, he dropped us both onto the bed with me underneath him.

  "Take off your pants," I demanded, reaching between us to the fly of his jeans.

  He swept my hands aside and took care of it by feel, his eyes scorching as he scanned me. As he worked on them, I took ahold of the hem of his shirt and pulled it up. He shoved his jeans and boxers down and then raised his arms so I could lift the shirt off.

  That was all the patience either of us had.

  I was ready for him when he pushed forward, my hands digging into his hard ass as he slowly entered me. I was slick and so was he, but it was still slow going. I moaned and he clenched his jaw as he sank in deeper. Slowly. Another slight pull out. And push in. Another. Then he was seated deep inside me, exactly where I wanted him.

  "Ashur," I gasped, sliding my hands up his back.

  He leaned down and kissed the side of my neck, moving down to suck my nipples, hard and fast. I arched up against him, gripping his biceps as he started thrusting, short and deep, grinding against me. I panted as I shut my eyes tight, letting the sensations wash over me. This was what I needed right now. Straight to the point.

  But I wanted to be on top, so I made it happen. Tightening my legs on Ashur's hips and taking hold of his shoulders, I flipped us so he was underneath me. We both moaned this time as he sank in even deeper. Impatient, I shrugged out of my robe and threw it to the side. It was in the way. Then I braced my hands on his shoulders and he took a firm grip on my hips.

  I watched him and he watched me as I started to ride him, going slow, rocking against him, but that didn't last long. Leaning forward, I came down on him hard. And then again. And again.

  "Mia," he said, his grip on me tight, his neck corded with strain. "I'm going to . . ."

  I pushed down all the way and rubbed against him, reaching for my own climax and finding it. I dropped my head as I started clenching down on him, the orgasm wracking my body as I held onto him, bracing myself with the feel of him.

  He flipped us again, pushing my arms up and holding them there as he hammered into me, his eyes fierce as his body flexed, his muscles standing out in harsh relief with the effort. Oh, that was hitting me in a completely different place. My pleasure started building again, almost before it could wane.

  Growling, he pulled out of me.

  "Ashur," I protested, but he was just turning me over and pulling me up at the hips so I got into position on my knees.

  I groaned as he slid back inside me in one smooth motion. I gripped the sheets in tight fists as he pounded into me, hitting that place even better in this position. I felt the orgasm building, deeper and richer than before. My body started to tremble. It was almost too much.

  "Ashur . . ."

  He smoothed a hand down my back and then brought it around my hip to rub directly against my already sensitive clitoris. I cried out, clamping down on him once again, pushing back to take all of him as the climax rocked my body, a rushing wave that hit me from my head right down to my toes, my entire body clenching with it.

  My eyes were open, but I wasn't really seeing anything as I was drenched in pleasure. And then he was joining me, the kick of his cock inside me and the rush of warmth setting off another small wave of pleasure. It was hard and fast. And so satisfying.

  Our panting was loud in the quiet of the room as we both slowly came down. Ashur dropped next to me, holding me close, our slick bodies sliding against each other. We lay there in the quiet, our bodies slowly cooling. Eventually, he reached down and pulled the covers over us. I snuggled in closer, listening to the soothing sound of his heartbeat.

  "When the bomb went off . . ." Ashur trailed off.

  I smoothed my hand over his chest.

  "I'm sorry," I murmured.

  We hadn't spoken of it since it had happened. I couldn't imagine the shock of seeing that. The idea of being on the other end of that . . . Yeah, I didn't want to even think about it.

  "It's not your fault," he said, tightening his hold. "But my heart about stopped. All I could think was that we didn't have enough time together, that I needed more. More time, more you." He leaned back so he could see my face. "I just wanted you to know that. I love you, Mia."

  I swallowed past the knot in my throat. I knew he did. It was in every action he'd taken. Every time he made the effort to be with me, every time he tried his best to protect me.

  But the words still had a power of their own. So I gave them back to him. Because I meant them. And he deserved to know that too.

  "I love you too, Ashur," I murmured, cupping the side of his face. "So much that I worry about the future almost constantly," I admitted.

  He laid his hand over mine, pulling it away to kiss my palm and place it over his heart.

  "We'll figure it out," he said simply, his voice and his eyes confident. "Trust me."

  I did trust him. And I really wanted to believe we would. So I pushed the doubts and fears to the side as I lay my head back down on his chest.

  We'd figure it out.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I spent the ne
xt few days relaxing and trying not to think about anything too hard. I spent my time doing things that made me happy, things that were a far cry from everything that had just happened.

  I played games with Omari. He'd quickly become addicted to the game console, so I had to be careful to limit his time, but he didn't seem to mind. He had plenty of friends here to occupy his time.

  I ate. A lot. Food better than any I could find in the city dome. Including chocolate cake that I could have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I let myself. I think I gained five pounds in just a few days’ time. And I didn't regret it one bit.

  I also spent time with Ashur. Learned the small corners and edges of him that I would only learn by spending enough time around him. I slept in the same bed with him every night, which was nice. More than nice. It felt so . . . normal. We'd been so stressed for so much of our relationship so far, it was good to be able to spend time around him while things were calm.

  We also made trips out to the oasis of nature that Ashur had shown me when I first changed. The sight of it still took my breath away. The blue of the water. The lush green of the forest. And just the sheer freedom of the wind beneath my wings, of the endless blue sky all around me as we soared over the trees and the sparkling river . . . It was amazing. I missed it. I missed a lot about being with Ashur here.

  I'd just been suppressing it because I'd been worried that things wouldn't work out, that I'd reach for something I couldn't have and be hurt again.

  But this time here with him and Omari . . . I was starting to think maybe . . . just maybe that might have been a mistake.

  Even as I spent time with Ashur, with Omari, lazed around, ate like a pig . . . I couldn't stop thinking about the looming threat, no matter how hard I tried to shut it off. Underneath all of it, I couldn't shake thoughts of Emberich.

  What was I going to do about him? What was the proper course of action when one's own power-hungry, sociopathic father decided to come after you?

  This was exactly what my grandmother had warned me about, that Emberich was jealous of his power. That he didn't like to have anyone around who might one day take it from him. I'm certain that was the reason why it was so easy for him to hurt Omari, sicken him deliberately to lure me out to his territory.

  He viewed Omari and me, his own children, as expendable. No, that wasn't right. He viewed us as threats. As potential enemies he had to neutralize before we became menaces.

  What could I do when my attacker was the king of an entire race of powerful beings like the phoenixes? A manual would be helpful. With color-coded diagrams. Daddy issues didn't even begin to cover this convoluted mess.

  Suffice it to say, I still hadn't come up with any answers by the time Ashur and I returned from our latest flight out.

  "What do you want for dinner?" Ashur asked as he pulled on some pants.

  I took a moment to admire the flex of his six-pack. I mean, it was right there! It would be rude of me not to.

  "I don't know," I said musingly as I put on a t-shirt. "So long as it isn't too spicy, I can—"

  I was interrupted by the bell ringing.

  "Were you expecting someone?"

  He shook his head, frowning. "No."

  Pulling a shirt on over those delicious muscles, he walked out of the bedroom to the front door of his suite. I slipped my shoes on and followed him out, curious.

  When he opened the door, it was Hathai.

  "What is it, Hathai?" Ashur asked. "Is something wrong?"

  "We have a trespasser," she explained, nodding at me. "We've taken him into custody."

  It was odd to think that not too long ago, I was a trespasser on Ashur's territory. Sometimes my head spun with how much had changed in such a short amount of time.

  Ashur's face hardened. "Who is it?" he demanded, his naturally territorial nature exerting itself. It was why dragons didn't really do well under a uniting monarch, one that would be in charge of all the skeins. They viewed their territory as their own and nobody else's. It would have gone completely against their nature.

  "He won't say. All he'll tell us is that he wants to speak with Mia." She looked over at me. "Says he won't talk to anyone else."

  I looked at Ashur, but he looked just as confused as I did. Then she let another bombshell drop.

  "He's a phoenix."

  A short silence. Now, didn't that just put a different spin on things?

  "Take us to him," Ashur said grimly, reaching into the coat closet and pulling on some shoes. We didn't waste time. We followed Hathai into the elevator. Down in the lobby, she led us out into the street and then down a block to a building that looked like any other here, but inside, there were rows of cells beyond the initial security desk and two guards. I guess a jail was necessary with a population this big. I just never thought of it.

  But Hathai didn't lead us to the cells. She went down another hall that had a row of doors on either side, the feel of the place very institutional. Maybe they had the same decorator as the hospital. This was the first place I'd been in this city that wasn't pretty.

  Enzi was standing in front of the first door on the right, along with another woman I didn't recognize, her lavender hair something I would have remembered.

  "Open the door," Ashur said in a low voice.

  They stepped back and Enzi opened the door. Ashur stepped in first, blocking my view. I stepped in after him as he shut the door, closing us in the room.

  That was when my eyes first fell on who was inside and I froze.

  Blond hair fell around a narrow, intelligent face. His lean and long build was in one of those loose white cotton tunic and pants combos the phoenixes seemed to favor.

  "Sven," I said. Ashur gave me a sharp look when he realized I knew who the man was. "What the hell are you doing here?"

  "You know him?" Ashur asked, giving Sven a hard look.

  "I met him when I took Omari back to phoenix territory," I explained. "But I have no idea what he's doing here now."

  Sven was watching the both of us silently.

  "Why are you here, Sven?" I repeated, completely at a loss.

  Was he sent by Emberich? But what kind of attack plan was being captured? Maybe the point was to have someone inside dragon territory? But none of that quite made any sense.

  "I need to speak with you, Mia Hill," he finally said in a low voice, glancing over at Ashur.

  Ashur made no move to leave.

  "He stays," I said firmly. "Talk."

  He hesitated, but then nodded when he realized that it was the best he was going to get.

  "I tried to warn you as best I could about the attacks," he said. "Unfortunately, I didn't always have the most detailed information to work off of."

  I stared at him. "You're my anonymous tipper?" I asked incredulously.

  He nodded, his eyes watchful. "Yes."

  I didn't even know how to react to that. From what I could glean, he was pretty high up in the food chain over in Emberich's territory. Why would he try to warn me of his king's plans?

  "Why?" I asked, taking a step closer. "Why would you try to warn me?"

  "Because we need someone with a clear claim to the throne to keep things stable when we overthrow Emberich." He leaned forward, the chains on his hands and feet clanging. I hadn't even noticed them before. "And you're our only feasible option that’s still alive."

  I stared at him blankly.

  Damn.

  Was not expecting this.

  PHOENIX KING is the second novel in the Dragons & Phoenixes series. Watch for SHIFTER QUEEN, the third and final novel, coming soon! Sign up for our mailing lists to be the first to know when it’s available.

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  Blurb

  Not every alien is an enemy, even if he kidnaps you...

  Calista is happy with her life of scientific research. She doesn't need love, she has her books, her friends, and her work. Things are fine until her ship is attacked by space pirates and crash lands on a desert planet with heat so intense she and her friends can't survive without help.

  Ladon is a Zmaj warrior resigned to a life alone, who only desires to protect his treasures. His hopes for a mate faded long ago, yet when he meets Calista something stirs. It takes only one look to know that she belongs to him. He's been alone for so long but she is the ultimate treasure and he will protect her.

  Now there's only the small problem of her living long enough to understand.

  A devastated planet, a mysterious history, space pirates, and threats environmental and alien beset them on all sides. The sexy Zmaj warrior will have to battle the planet's ultimate threat in an epic effort to obtain the one thing he knows Calista needs to survive.

  But will the other humans accept this huge and alien looking dragon warrior? Or will they find him just as big a threat as the rest of the red planet? The future of both their races depends on it.

  CALISTA

  “Who are you?” I ask.

  His head cocks to one side then he opens his mouth and makes a sound that contains a lot of s sounds and a bit of hissing. I shake my head, not understanding, but it’s clear he’s intelligent and has a language. He waits for me to respond then repeats the same sounds again. I shake my head, frustrated.

  “I don’t understand,” I say, motioning with my hands like that will help.

  On board the ship we all spoke Galactic Common. Everyone does, though some old holdouts keep their native language too. No one in the galaxy doesn’t speak Common. Where the hell have we crashed that he doesn’t know it? Vulcan, right, well if only I’d been geek enough to learn to speak Vulcan. He doesn’t look like Spock though and I sure as hell ain’t Captain Kirk.