MY ETERNAL SOLDIER.

Sanctuary, Texas.

Krystal Shannan.

Dedication.

To my friends and fans for supporting me and to my family and especially my husband. I can't thank you enough. This has been an amazing year and I'm looking forward to many more magickal years ahead. I think this is the best book I've written thus far and I know you are going to love it.

I have to give a shout out to my ChickTale gals, R.L. Syme, Jodi Vaughn, KC Klein, and Lavender Daye. You ladies remind me every day how much fun it is to be an author. And how this doesn't have to be a solitary career.

For my dear friend and critique partner April London who is never afraid to tell me how it is - My books are better because of you!

A huge shout out to the Krystal Shannan Fan Club. You guys rock! I love you and I hope one day I have the pleasure of meeting you all face to face. Thank you for your daily, weekly, and monthly support. Thank you for telling your friends about my books and pimping me out. I couldn't ask for better fans or friends.

Last, but especially not least, the amazing and wonderful and mind-reading Publishing a.s.sistant, Annie Slasher. I couldn't do this without you.

CLICK HERE!.

Chapter One.

KILLIAN.

Texas Republic, 2097.

No one ever forgets the cry of a dragon.

The heartbreaking bellow cut into my chest, strangling my soul with rage-filled agony. Her second scream split the gray Texas sky, nearly sending me to my knees. Searing pain radiated through me as her anguish became mine. I gasped for breath and dug my fingernails into the bark of the tree I stood behind, welcoming the pain of the splinters as a distraction from the burning fire blazing through every cell.

Straight ahead a silver-white dragon, the size of a large house, lunged toward several men about thirty yards south of my position. As far as full-grown dragons went, she was no shrimp. Distinct silver streaks on her otherwise white wings made my heart clench. I know her. A thousand years ago, she had been princess in a land called the Veil, separated from Earth by a secret gate. A land I called home. A land all supernatural beings called home before the gate was discovered.

Now I stood on the edge of a Texas field watching the Drakonae princess I thought long dead attack a man I didn't recognize. The shining golden blade hanging from a chain around his neck was familiar, however. Even from this distance, the familiar hilt of the dagger elicited a sudden rush of homesickness.

A Shamesh dagger was as rare on Earth as finding a diamond in a cereal box. I couldn't believe he wore one so openly.

She leapt forward again. This time her sharp claws sliced through the man's chest, leaving jagged b.l.o.o.d.y streaks in their wake and flinging the chain and dagger to the ground.

Half a second later, the wounded man disappeared through a teleportation vortex with a Djinn at his side.

She roared again and stomped the ground with enough force to shake the trees around me, all the while carefully circling a man lying on the ground. He was a goner for sure if a Djinn didn't return for him quickly.

But no one came.

And no one moved toward the fallen dagger sparkling in the gra.s.s a dozen yards from her position. My hand itched at my side. Desire to retrieve the dagger made me consider leaving my hiding place in the trees for a moment, but common sense and the will to survive overrode that craving, stilling my body and calming my racing pulse.

Just because I recognized her didn't mean it was safe to be in her presence. She was the size of a small apartment building. n.o.body and nothing could fight a dragon unless they too were some type of oversized, lethal mythological creature.

No f.u.c.king way.

My throat closed up as two enormous shadows glided by, shading the entire grove of trees for several seconds. I peered up and couldn't help the tightening of my chest or the way my heart pounded. I struggled for my next breath. Two more dragons circled, their black, winged forms cutting a swath through the grey-blue sky like something out of an old science fiction movie. Their wings stretched easily a hundred feet across, and their length was equally as much -a magnificent sight. But one that did not belong in the Texas sky. No one knew dragons existed. No humans, anyway. If someone spotted them, they were in for a s.h.i.t load of trouble.

My heart continued to pound in my chest like the hooves of the wild mustangs that used to roam the Texas prairies. Living through the first purge in the Veil, even though I knew and respected the Blackmoor Drakonae family, had not prepared me to see shifted dragons again. Memories and emotions rushed to the forefront of my mind. Terror. Anger. Hatred. I'd lost everything because of the war between the Blackmoors and the Incanti.

The white dragon, Diana, shifted to human form and helped the bleeding man on the ground to his feet. She carried him toward Sanctuary, cradling him in her arms as she ran. The two black dragons flying overhead, Miles and Eli Blackmoor, stayed in the air and followed her to the edge of town.

As soon as the Blackmoor brothers landed and shifted to human form out of sight, I pulled a sword from one of the leather sheaths strapped to my back and crept from the tree line to where they'd been in the open field.

Kicking through the thick gra.s.s carefully, I located the dagger, tucked it into my vest, and moved cautiously to my parked bike. The Djinn could appear again at any moment, and I didn't want to be anywhere nearby when one of them realized the dagger was missing.

I threw my leg over the seat of my vintage Dyna Guerilla motorcycle, turned the ignition, and gripped the clutch. As I gave the custom designed bike a little gas, the v-twin cam engine purred to life. Satisfaction filled me, knowing my hands had modified her from the torn down body of a Harley Fat Bob to the progressive shocks and controls. Besides hunting and killing South East Coast Republic (SECR) soldiers who snuck into the Texas Republic (TR) to kill Others, fine-tuning this machine was my only distraction.

I rode cautiously through the wooded area and made my way to the main road. The small golden blade was cold against my skin. Icy daggers shot through my heart as my mind flooded with memories of fleeing the Veil a thousand years ago.

Even though I was still young by Elvin standards, I had lived through two generations of Blackmoor kings on the throne of Orin. The young twins Miles and Eli, along with their mate Diana Karlson, would've made good rulers for the land had the Incanti family not betrayed and murdered their family, seizing control not only of Orin, but the entirety of the Veil kingdom.

My parents had been killed in the first purge, slaughtered in the fire the Incanti breathed upon those who supported the Blackmoor family. My brother and I had narrowly escaped the second. We found refuge on the Earth side of the dimensional gate, and when news came from people who fled after us, I learned that the Incanti had taken complete control of the Veil and that any surviving non-Drakonae were either dead or serving as slaves.

The painful memories of that day wrenched my heart exactly as they always did.

The attacks had come swiftly and without warning. Thousands had died just trying to escape. My brother and I were the only two in our family to survive. We'd been out in the field behind our home, testing new swords.

Playing.

Goofing off.

Acting like boys a fraction of our age.

Because of that, we weren't in the house when an Incanti dragon incinerated our home and our family. Within minutes, the house was reduced to red-hot ash. Dragon fire didn't leave anything behind.

Hatred pooled in my soul, growing larger and more calculated with each mile of prairie that pa.s.sed. I wanted revenge. The Blackmoor princes and their bride were a means to my desired ends.

With the appearance of Diana Blackmoor in Sanctuary, the Veil was up for another dynasty change. With some well-made plans and the dagger I carried, I would make sure the House of Blackmoor rose from the ashes and, with it, revenge for my people and all the others who fled death and the fires of Incanti greed.

Chapter Two.

XERXES.

I touched my neck, missing the weight of the dagger on its chain. The gashes on my chest from her claws were already healing, but I knew she must've torn it from my body during the fight.

"Flash back," I snarled at the Djinn on my right. "Now!"

The guard touched my upper arm, and the world spun around us. We came out of the vortex in the field where the encounter had occurred. I could smell my blood on the gra.s.s as well as her son's. Raising my hands, I called for the dagger.

Nothing happened. f.u.c.k.

I took several strides toward Sanctuary and stopped. The small town lay quiet just below these hills, but if they had the dagger, it would be long hidden by now. It could take years to recover centuries even. Rose was a formidable opponent.

My heart raced, pounding futilely and angrily at my carelessness. I should've noticed the chain being broken. I should've felt the loss of connection with the key.

Turning to the Djinn standing at my side, I snarled, "Take me to the palace."

The man bowed, touched my arm, and we were instantly returned to the place I called home for now. The dry heat of the desert air calmed my shattered nerves somewhat. What I really needed was someone to punish, and I knew exactly who I wanted it to be.

"Bring me Mandana Farrok," I ordered, walking out of the main hall toward my suite of rooms. A crisp "Yes, sir," echoed through the marble halls as I left him behind.

Two Djinn guards on either side of my suite entryway opened the doors wide as I approached and closed them softly behind me. My girls jumped from their seats on the couches off to the side of the room and hurried to bow at my feet.

I needed a quick f.u.c.k before the guard returned with Manda or I'd never keep myself under control. Though perhaps staying in control wasn't what this situation warranted.

"Lily," I snapped, "bring out the sawhorse bench and the red cat-o-nine."

"Yes, Master," she answered, the slightest hitch in her breath.

Her pulse raced at the mere notion of a beating. The air filled with the scent of her arousal. My little s.a.d.i.s.t.

Barely a minute pa.s.sed before Lily returned, pushing the large sawhorse toward the play area of the bedroom. She went to work locking it in place over the large drain in the floor. Once it was properly secured, she returned to the closet briefly and emerged carrying a red leather cat-o-nine, custom made for shredding skin. Bits of metal and gla.s.s had been expertly sewn along the thin leather thongs. It cut through the air with speed and inflicted painful damage on its victim. Perfect for the demonstration I planned.

Lily bowed at my feet and lifted the flogger in both hands.

I took it and snapped it in the air. "Good girl. Now go fetch me the b.i.t.c.h I put on a leash yesterday."

Lily rose to her feet and practically ran from the room. I smiled, her eagerness lifting my mood slightly.

Knocking at the door pulled me from my thoughts. I gestured to Roshanna, another of my bedroom slaves, to open the doors. She rose from where she'd been kneeling on the floor, her bare feet pattering softly as she scurried across the marble tile. She unlatched the large lock across the middle of the doorway, pulling the two doors open wide.

Manda walked through the opening, her shoulders drooping more with each step she took. The two males I'd a.s.signed to shadow her walked only a few feet behind. Her gaze fell on the whip in my hand, and a smile teased my lips at the slight gasp she let escape.

"You may go." I waved my hand to them. "I'll send for you when it's time for her to leave."

They bowed and exited the room quickly.

Manda stood silently. Her eyes were wide, and her bottom lip trembled.

Pleasure surged through me at the slight tremor. Fear was something I still wasn't used to seeing on Mandana Farrok's face. I loved it.

I raised my hand, grabbing her with my magick. She whimpered just a moment, but didn't struggle against my hold. She'd learned the futility of it the last few times I'd brought her over.

This time would be different, though. This time she would watch another woman suffer before I touched her at all. She thought she was tough, taking whatever I gave her. But I knew she cared about her people more than anything. If I truly wanted to motivate Manda, I had to hurt others ... not just her.

I rubbed my d.i.c.k and growled deep in my throat. "I can't wait to shove my d.i.c.k between your silky p.u.s.s.y lips today. It was such a pleasure the last time you were here."

Manda's face turned green, but the coldness I'd come to expect appeared quickly in her eyes. She already distanced herself from me, from the experiences we'd explored already - flogging, caning, and f.u.c.king her. I especially liked the last one.

I moved her across the room with a flick of my wrist. Once she was standing under the chain that hung from a large beam in the ceiling, I dropped my hold on her.

"Strip."

She followed the command without a word. No fight. No hesitation. No emotion.

b.i.t.c.h.

She thought she could pretend what I was doing didn't matter anymore. I had a surprise in store for her today.

"Put the cuffs on your ankles."

A slight hesitation resonated through her muscles; still, she complied without a word.

"Now the cuffs above your head."

She refused to look up, but I could see the tendons in her neck tighten at the command. Perhaps she could convince her mind that she wasn't present for these little sessions, but her body knew what was coming and hated it.

Once locked into position, her range of motion was severely limited. Perfect for the torture I had planned.

Lily came through the side door of the suite leading a naked woman by chains that looped around her wrists, ankles, and through the enchanted rings I'd pierced through her nipples, c.l.i.t, and l.a.b.i.a.

"Esther!" Manda choked out, lunging against her restraints. She glared at me, hatred sparking her glazed lavender irises to life. "What are you doing? You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

"Making sure my punishments and threats are taken seriously." The corners of my mouth turned up in a smile. Esther had been the perfect choice. The Djinn was - correction - had been Manda's personal a.s.sistant.

"Manda?" The other woman's face pleaded for help that her mistress couldn't deliver. The servant's whole body trembled. Fear filled the room with its sweet scent.

Lily pushed the other Djinn female toward the sawhorse bench. A few sharp tugs on the woman's chains ensured her cooperation. Once Esther was secured, I held out the heavy flogger.

Lily approached. Surprise and pleasure colored her face. "Thank you, Master."

"Make her bleed," I said. "But just a little at a time. I plan to enjoy these two all day long."

I stroked my hard d.i.c.k again through the fabric of my pants and stepped toward Manda. My toys were arranged on a table just behind her. The first to catch my eye was the electric wand.

Picking it up, I flipped the safety switch off and let the tip run across her soft skin. Over her hip, up along her ribcage, across the rise of her breast ... When the tip touched the ring in her nipple, I bathed in her terrified gaze. That was what I had been waiting to see again.

"This is what happens to you when things don't go my way."