Stones of Dracontias: The Bloodstone Dragon by African American author N.D. Jones, a standalone fantasy romance featuring dragon shifters, ancient magic, and a powerful heroine.
Stones of Dracontias is my first dragon shifter paranormal romance. In this novella, Kya isn't a human who can turn into a dragon. No, she was born a dragon and loves being a dragon. But when she falls for the human, Armstrong Knight, (Yes, the Secret Service Agent was given that name with fun deliberateness.) she considers life as a human.
- Publication Date: June 15, 2018
- Genre: Paranormal Romance
- Cover Design: Giusy Ame
- ISBN: 978-0-9975293-9-5
- ASIN: B07CNHVWST
- ISBN: 978-0997529395
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A life without love, forbidden or not, is a life unlived.
In the mystical realm where dragons soar and humans tread cautiously, Kya, the Bloodstone Dragon, grapples with a love that defies the natural order. As she falls for Armstrong Knight, a human unaware of her true nature, Kya faces an internal struggle. With the ability to shapeshift into a human female, she tiptoes on the edge of forbidden love, yearning for a connection that transcends the boundaries between dragon and man. But the human world is unforgiving, and Kya fears the repercussions of revealing her secret, even as love blossoms.
Armstrong Knight, a human, finds himself entangled in a friendship that burgeons into an unexpected and powerful love for Kya. Despite the depth of their connection, he grapples with the inconceivable idea of a romantic relationship between a human and a dragon. As their bond deepens, Armstrong faces the challenge of reconciling his feelings with the societal norms that dictate their love is impossible. The fear of their secret being exposed looms, threatening to unravel the delicate threads that tie their hearts together.
Can Kya and Armstrong overcome the barriers between their worlds and prove that love knows no bounds? Or will the divide between dragon and man be too great to bridge?
Stones of Dracontias: The Bloodstone Dragon is a spellbinding standalone dragon shifter romance filled with passion, heartache, and the eternal struggle to follow one’s heart. Perfect for fans of forbidden love, epic fantasy, and happily-ever-afters.
Excerpt
Kya lowered her eyes to the bustling city below. Hundreds of feet in the air, she could see them, specks of entitlement and short lifespans. They were loud, smelled, and polluted the oceans from which she drank and the air she marveled in flying through.
“Meet me here in a week. Father will expect a report, and I don’t wish to lie to him again. You must shift this time. Find a human worthy of your trust and make a friend. Maybe you’ll find a diata in this City of Magnificent Intentions.”
A human as brave as a dragon? She doubted that but argued no more with her sister. Ledisi had indulged Kya’s bout of ideological rebellion, she wouldn’t repay her patience with obstinacy.
Kya watched her sister fly away, stunning green scales twinkling in the midday sun.
She flew toward Washington, D.C. The smell of garbage and sweat worsened the closer she drew to the ground. Landing with a soft thud, Kya glanced around. An alley, dirty and empty. She supposed it was a perfect location for her change. Private, if not sanitary. She could conjure human clothing after her transformation, although she didn’t relish the idea of confining her dragon’s soul in such a tiny form.
Despite the sun high in the sky, the alley held little light. A ten-foot locked metal fence lay at one end of the alley, behind Kya. The other end led to the street, where she could hear everything from disgruntled workers in the building across the street to rats scurrying in the sewers below.
She should shift now, but something kept her from doing so. Instead, she settled behind a dumpster, her four legs tucked under her, her snout to the disgusting ground. Kya would rest for a few minutes, shift and then go in search of a creature more mythical than dragons—an honorable human.
“Please, let me go.”
Kya awoke at the soft, desperate plea. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep. The sun, once warm and bright, had given way to a crescent moon.
“Please, please, let me go.”
A woman. Young.
“Now why would we do something like that?”
A man’s voice, deep and confident. He smelled of alcohol. Lots of it.
“You’re so pretty. We like pretty, sweet things. Don’t we, Ron?”
“Yeah, yeah, we do.”
Two males and one crying female.
Kya heard clothes rip and more crying. She didn’t understand the context of the human interaction. What she did comprehend, however, was the woman’s fear. That singular scent, above all the others, had Kya’s scales rising and anger flaring.
“Hold her down for me. Yeah, Ronny boy, just like that.” The man’s voice lowered, but Kya could still hear every cruel word. “Don’t fight, girlie, or Ron here will cut that pretty face of yours. Just stay still. I promise, you’ll enjoy it.”
Kya may have been a dragon and spent little time around humans, but she wasn’t naïve to what transpired between males and females regardless of the species. She didn’t know the human word for what the men wanted to do the female, and it didn’t matter.
Her whimpers and frightened pleas did.
She stood, silent and lethal.