Dragons Among the Eagles by C. L. Kraemer
Excerpt Heat Level: 1
Book Heat Level: 1
Buy at: www.roguephoenixpress.com
Rain thwacked against Aleda's leathery black appendages. Her
arms ached; heck, every muscle in her body ached. This flying thing was going
to take more practice. The continual downpour of the spring night slithered
past her shielded turquoise eyes, bathing her scales in cool refreshment. As
much as she would like to have frolicked in the showers, she was more
interested in landing in one spot, curling up and sleeping for the next four
days. If only…
Cyre winged up to her side.
"You go in first and I'll follow. I want to wash off
the grit of the trip."
Aleda pulled back her lips in a semblance of a smile.
"No problem," she shouted over the wind drafts.
When Cyre's sister, Brittany, had first suggested Aleda
attend the dragon council in China, she'd been ecstatic. Her recent discovery
of her true identity--half human, half dragon--had put her beliefs to the test.
She imagined being around those like her would make her transition simpler.
Cyre and Brittany, full-blooded Celtic dragons, had helped as best they could
by explaining rules of dragon protocol and pointing out the good guys from the
bad guys at the council meetings. By the end of the week, Aleda's fairy tale
illusion had fallen abruptly on sharp rocks. Politics and power were as rampant
in the dragon-shapeshifter community as in the human community.
Brittany was going to spend a night or two in Cyre's den
before continuing her journey back to Scotland. Then Aleda and Cyre would be
faced with the decisions they'd both been putting off since their first
meeting.
She felt the solid rock beneath her talons and breathed a
sigh of relief. The council meeting had been exhilarating, educational and
overwhelming all at once. It was nice, really nice, to be back in the Northwest
of the United States. Aleda stood, getting her land legs then shook the extra
moisture from her body. Placing her talon on the button in the rock wall, she
pushed and the door of the cave slid open. Watching the heavy glass trundle
into the backside of Mt. St. Helens still gave her chill bumps. So much about
the twenty-first century dragon world made her shake her head. How could they
survive with all the advancements humans had accomplished? Knowing the answer
still didn't stop her from asking the question.
The few minutes she'd stood contemplating questions already
asked had given the cavern a chance to air out. While her sense of smell wasn't
as acute for some things, sulfur being one of those, she still hadn't been able
to adjust completely to the acrid aroma Cyre tolerated in his cave.
As she dragged her tired feet over the threshold, Cyre
backwinged his way on the landing. Aleda turned just in time to catch the
wicked twinkle in his eyes.
He sprayed water over the landing, his laughter bubbling
over the surrounding rocks like thunder.
"Cyre! I just dried off! Jiminy!"
Aleda wrinkled her brow and glared at the young gray-green
dragon. His mirthful smirk did nothing to help her anger.
"Hey, you two. Get in here and dry off. I did some
hunting before you got here and there's dinner in the great room. I've had mine
and to be quite frank, I'm exhausted. I'm going to sleep."
Brittany tromped back to the great room and found a warm
spot near the back wall.
Cyre and Aleda located the carcasses of the deer where
Brittany had dropped the bodies. Each took one and moved off to eat, alone,
before settling in for the night. Minutes after devouring their meals, the trio
of dragons were fast asleep, the decisions of the previous week set aside for
the normality of life.
Dragons
Among the Eagles is an excellent sequel that will hold your attention until the
very end and leave you craving more.
Well done Ms. Kraemer for delivering yet another awesome book!
Worthy of a
5 Angel Eyes rating
L. Nickels
for Rogue's Angels
