DRAGON WITCH by Kathy Kulig is book one in the new Dark
Realms Series
Genre: SciFi Romance, paranormal, shapeshifter, ménage
The
dragon protects her. But who will protect him?
She mixes science and magic in her life-saving potions for
those who live on the harsh planet of Somerled.
Jaida Chel wants to forget her dark past and make a new home
on the savage planet of Somerled. Her companion and protector is Kai, the last
shapeshifting dragon. He’s powerful, willful, and overly possessive of her. So
when Jaida’s ex-lover, Fleet pilot, Captain Brayden Stokes, re-enters her life,
the trouble—and heated passion—begins.
Brayden loves Jaida, she’s the one woman in the galaxy who
could convince him to give up the interstellar trade business and stay
planetside. But his mission is about to turn her world upside down. He’ll do
anything to rescue endangered colonists on a dying planet, but at what cost?
BUY:
EXCERPT:
Finishing her chore, she turned to face him, a bit annoyed with his rudeness. But the man leaning casually in her doorway was not Mr. Moretti. He was tall, broad in the chest, with well-defined muscular arms and dark hair cut short.
With the sun so low in the sky Jaida could not see the man’s face. Nor could she guess who he might be. She swallowed, took a step back as her mind raced trying to recall the other settlers in the village who could fit the dimensions of this man but couldn’t.
A twinge of fear shot through her at the thought of space raids, but she hadn’t heard the sirens. “Are…are you here to pick up Mr. Moretti’s order?” she stammered. Who was this man? She glanced at her sarong, suddenly feeling exposed but hesitated to grab it because she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing her discomfort. “Did another freighter or shuttle arrive today?” she asked with her power voice, the confident tone used to evoke the goddess and nature spirits on this planet to do her spells.
The man chuckled. A familiar, sexy laugh. “Hello, Jaida.”
Her stomach twirled with excitement, her nipples tightened and her body ached with need, all from the sound of his voice. Damn you, Captain Brayden Stokes. Her heart ached too, although she thought she’d put that part of their brief encounter all behind her.
She breathed in the white sage, burning in a censer, in an attempt to block the erotic memories of Brayden that flooded her mind—his mouth, his hands pleasuring her. Closing her eyes, her thoughts drifted to many hot, passion-filled hours, making full use of every spare inch of his tiny, private bunk. She’d spent many lonely nights here on Somerled cursing him for leaving her.
An involuntary throb began between her thighs, remembering his hard cock plunging deep inside her. The sage did nothing to ease her desire. Crossing her arms over her waist in a casual pose, she then turned on an angle and crossed one ankle over the other in an attempt to hide her sex. She glared at his silhouette.
“Hello, Brayden. What brings you planetside?” she asked coolly.
“Taking leave for a few months.”
“Right,” she drawled out. “As I recall, you hate setting your feet on solid ground. Always had to have several million gallons of flammable propellant shooting your ass all over the far ends of the galaxy.”
He laughed. “I thought you liked my ass.”
Biting her lower lip, trying not to smile, she thought about the time on board his ship when she snuck into his cabin and found him in the coffin-sized shower. She teased him about his cute ass. Before she knew it, he’d pulled her into the shower, clothes and all.
How they managed such frenetic lovemaking in that small space, she would never know. But it got her hot all over every time she thought of it. Of all the men she had slept with in her adult years, and the number of relationships or encounters, she couldn’t remember one who’d groaned with as much pleasure. And it thrilled her to think she could bring a man to that state.
Goddess, she loved how it was with him in bed—stroking, touching, urgent needs, driven wild and intense, neither able to get enough of the other. She took a long, shuddering breath and walked to her sarong and slipped it over her head, securing the halter ties around her neck.
“Don’t get dressed on my account.”
Shaking her head, she glared at him as she walked past, picked up her bags of rice and flour and stepped back into her house. Three years hadn’t changed him, including his wiseass attitude. She glanced at his full lips and instantly remembered bruising, incendiary kisses. Damn him for loving what he does. He would always be a space drifter. His heart moving much too fast for any woman to capture. She shook off the sensation of sinking in the algae swamp and gave him a cool stare.
“Got tired of the illegal trade business? Now, you’re making deliveries for Moretti?”
“Legal goods, illegal trading,” he corrected. “Colonists on the Outer Rim like you wouldn’t survive otherwise.”
“And you make quite a profit. So why are you here?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I told Moretti I was looking for work and also looking for you. He handed me the bags then pointed me toward your house.”
“So when are you really leaving? Tomorrow?” Her tone had a bite to it, but she couldn’t help it. He’d hurt her when he dropped her off and left, barely saying goodbye.
He raised his eyebrows, hesitating. “A few months.”
She laughed. “Right. Outer Rim Fleet captains don’t get a few months off—ever. I know you, Brayden. You’re like a tiger that lives and hunts alone. And you have to keep moving. When it comes to space travel the more remote or insurmountable the journey, the better.”
“There are more credits in the longer runs,” he added.
“And no credits when you’re planetside.” She glared at him then lowered her voice. “What did you do? Did you kill someone?”
His expression darkened for a moment. He glanced away and murmured something she couldn’t decipher. She didn’t miss the twitch of disgust at his jaw. When he turned back to face her, he took a breath, then smiled suggestively.
“C’mon, Jaida. It’s been three years. Aren’t you glad to see me?”
