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Death Before Dragons Bonus Scene: The Box

Welcome! This is a bonus scene with Val, Dimitri, and Sindari. Someone is getting in a box, but you’ll have to read on to see who it is.

The scene takes place after Storm Forged (Death Before Dragons Book 6) but there are only a couple of mentions of things that happened in Book 6, so you can read this before reading the novel if you like.

The Box

I was in my bedroom, attempting to obey my therapist’s suggestion to learn how to meditate, when the doorbell rang.

“Val, can you get that?” Dimitri hollered up from what sounded like the backyard.

“I’m meditating!” I hollered back from my cross-legged position on the floor, my headphones issuing binaural beats, theta waves, and who knew what other woo-woo noises to induce deep relaxation.

“I’m welding!”

“Is that more important than me reducing my stress and improving my health?”

“The last time I stopped in the middle, I almost caught the lawn on fire.”

“I guess that’s a yes.” I sighed, pulled out the headphones, and rolled to my feet.

So far, all I’d managed to do while meditating was put together a mental to-do list that included getting a Costco membership so I could buy meat for Zav in bulk and picking up new magical ammunition from Nin. I’d used a lot of mine during my adventure on the gnomish home world.

By the time I grabbed my sword—I always had to be ready for potential enemies at the door—and made it to the first floor, I half expected our visitor to be gone. But the living room window was open, so whoever was out there should have heard us hollering.

A delivery guy with a clipboard stood on the porch, wearing a puzzled expression as he peered around the yard. I peered around, too, wondering what had him confused. As far as I knew, Zav hadn’t put in the dragon topiaries he’d talked about yet.

“I have a delivery for Val Thorvald at this address, but, uhm, is that you, ma’am? They’re commercial appliances.”

“Oh, the smoker and the big fridge? Yeah, you can bring them in. We made room.”

His forehead creased. “Are you starting a restaurant? This is a residential area.”

“No. I just have a hungry…” I kept myself from saying mate, reminding myself that normal people didn’t use dragon terminology. “Boyfriend.”

“It’s a sixty-cubic-foot refrigerator, ma’am. People don’t usually get them for their houses.” He eyed the steps leading up to the covered porch, probably wondering how he would get it inside.

“A very hungry boyfriend.”

“Yes, ma’am. I just wanted to make sure this was the right place. I’ll grab my partner, and we’ll bring them in.” He trotted down the steps, waved to someone in the cab of a large truck parked in the middle of the street, and headed for the roll-up door in the back.

“Any chance that refrigerator is in a box?” I called, fingering the feline-shaped charm on the leather thong around my neck. For a long time, I’d wanted to see if Sindari, my seven-hundred-pound magical tiger, found cardboard boxes as appealing as mundane Earth cats. This could be my chance.

“Uh, the smoker is.”

“Is it big?”

“Everything I’ve got is big, ma’am.”

“Good to know.” I might have thought that was an innuendo, but his expression still suggested he was more puzzled by me than interested in me. “Bring it in with the appliances, will you?”

“The box?”

“Yup.”

His buddy had come out to help, and they exchanged long looks, then shrugged and climbed in the back of the truck.

I sensed Dimitri coming in the house and glanced back to make sure nothing was on fire. He wore a welding mask pushed up on his head, but he must have put his torch away before coming in.

“The smoker came?” he asked.

“It did.”

“Should I admit how excited I am about it?”

“Are you also a fan of ribs?”

“Who isn’t?”

“I haven’t seen Freysha eat anything that isn’t green. Hopefully, she won’t object to meat smells wafting up to her room at all hours of the day.”

“I’m sure she gets that it’s important to keep a huge, carnivorous dragon fed and happy.” Dimitri tilted his head as the delivery guy brought a giant box up the walkway. “I thought they took the appliances out of the boxes before bringing them in.”

“I requested that for a special occasion.” I waved for him to come inside and helped maneuver the giant cardboard box through the door. It took a lot of tilting and pushing. “Careful. Don’t damage it.”

“Usually, customers don’t want us to damage the appliances,” he said as we laid it the long way on the living room floor. One side had been cut open to remove the smoker. Perfect. “They care less about the boxes.”

“I’m a unique individual.”

Dimitri nodded his agreement when the guy looked at him. As if he could talk when he was wearing a welding mask in the living room.

“Show him where to put the appliances, will you, Dimitri?” I tapped my charm. “I’m going to set up a few things for a friend.”

“Sindari?” Dimitri recognized the cat charm. “I thought you only brought him out for battles.”

By now, the two men were using a hand truck and straps to maneuver the smoker through the house.

“Most of the time, yes. But as I said, this is a special occasion.” I opened the drawer on the little table where we threw our keys and the mail, and drew out a plastic baggie of dried green herbs.

“Is that from American Mary?” Dimitri asked.

“I don’t know what that is.”

“The pot store.”

“No, it’s from the pet store.” I opened the baggie and sprinkled copious amounts of catnip in the box. “It may serve a similar function. After smoking, do you ever feel compelled to roll on your back with your legs in the air and wriggle all around?”

“Oddly not. And I doubt Sindari will either.”

“You don’t think so?”

“He’s regal and majestic. He’s not going to get in a box and roll in catnip.”

“I’ve seen him roll in the grass on fertilizer. He’s a cat.”

“A regal and majestic cat,” Dimitri said.

“I see he’s got you trained to use his preferred terminology.”

“It seems wise to describe a massive predator with dagger-like fangs and claws exactly as he wishes.”

That earned us a few more quizzical looks as the guys passed back through the living room on their way to get the fridge.

“Sindari has mentioned before that he would never play with a box. Even if he’s hugely tempted, I doubt he’ll do it with witnesses in the room. I’ll have to set up a hidden camera.” I tapped a finger to my chin, pulled out my phone, and looked around for a potential place to mount it.

“You’ve discussed boxes with him before?”

“Of course. What did you think we chatted about?”

“Hunting down and slaying enemies.”

“You can only talk about that for so long before the conversation inevitably wanders to topics such as how horrible the air fresheners are that I get for my Jeep, how rude it is that my seats weren’t designed to accommodate tigers, and… boxes. I’ve showed him videos of tigers, lions, and other big cats in boxes. They’re all over the internet. Tons and tons of empirical data on the subject. Cats love boxes. It’s a proven fact.”

“Has anyone mentioned that you’re weird?”

“Only when I’m not holding my gun.”

Given that Dimitri had likely been welding recycled bicycle parts and mattress springs into garden art that only a troll could love, I refused to accept his judgment of me.

I climbed onto the back of the couch, rested my phone on a shelf in a bookcase, moved a tissue box to partially hide it, and tilted it so that it would focus on the box. After a few adjustments, I started the camera recording.

“Now I’m ready.”

The delivery guys had finished installing the refrigerator and one approached with a clipboard. Not saying anything about me standing on the couch, he handed me the clipboard to sign, then headed out. He did give me one last puzzled look before he closed the door. Someone else who thought I was weird.

“I can’t believe you’re setting a trap for him,” Dimitri said.

“It’s not a trap. I’m simply setting up a security camera for the living room. That’s a valuable box. If anything happens to it, I want to know about it.”

“I think he’s going to gnaw your foot off, whether you’re holding your gun or not.”

“Ha ha. Go back out and weld your masterpiece.” I didn’t want Dimitri spoiling my fun.

“You better cut him in if you put that on YouTube and make a fortune from ad revenue.”

“I don’t think advertisers pay big money to have their products displayed next to tigers in boxes.” I made a shooing motion at him, then rubbed the cat charm and silently summoned Sindari.

Dimitri shook his head as he left the room.

Mist appeared near the box, and my magical silver tiger ally solidified within it.

Have you called me forth to do battle, Val? His green eyes met mine. I do not sense any magical beings around, not even Lord Zavryd.

“He’s helping his uncle out on the gnomish home world for a couple of days. And I’m taking the afternoon off, so no battles, unless some irate ogres from the coffee shop come looking for me. But I want your opinion on something.”

Sindari sat on his haunches, his gaze shifting to take in the box, which was hard to miss given that it was larger than the couch and took up most of the floor space in the living room. His nostrils quivered as he contemplated the scent of the catnip.

Oh? Did he sound wary?

“I got a smoker so I can slow cook massive amounts of meat for Zav. It’ll be a lot less expensive than taking him to the barbecue restaurant every night. You’re a carnivore, right? I’d like your opinion on what kind of meat he’d be most excited by.”

Sindari walked closer to the box, peered inside, and sniffed liberally. His tail swished with interest, but then he seemed to catch himself and sat on his haunches and looked at me again. Why is there a box dusted with dried herbs in your domicile?

“The smoker came in it. I haven’t moved it outside yet. Zav really likes barbecued pork ribs, but I haven’t exposed him to a wide variety of Earth meats yet. Do you know what dragons in their native habitats prefer? Maybe there’s something here that’s similar to one of their favorites.”

I smiled as innocently as I could mange, though I suspected Sindari was already suspicious of this setup. He was as smart as any human, if not smarter. Any species that could do math without a written language or the ability to use a calculator was not to be underestimated.

Many dragons enjoy yankuur, a large scaled, tusked herbivore native to their home world. Since I cannot eat while I’m on your world, I do not know which meats may be similar.

“I’ll go look up tusked herbivores on the internet. Make yourself at home.”

I headed toward the kitchen, certain he would be overwhelmed by the awesomeness of the box once I was out of sight.

Maybe I shouldn’t have sneaked a glance back over my shoulder, but I couldn’t resist. He was sniffing the interior—or the delightful catnip scents wafting out of it—but he caught me looking and sat on his haunches again.

He pinned me with a cool gaze. I know what you’re doing.

What’s that? I kept walking, heading casually out to the backyard.

You have informed me before that cats on your world play with boxes. And I have told you that such antics are ridiculously silly and that a mature, superior apex predator from Del’Noth would never do something as foolish as that.

No? I guess I was unwise to try to tempt you.

Very much so.

Dimitri’s backyard project wasn’t made out of recycled bicycle parts but green street signs and—that looked suspiciously like the sides of our old refrigerator. How had he disassembled it so quickly?

The project had the shape of an evergreen tree in a pot, the latter made from bright yellow crosswalk signs. He was welding eyelets to the tips of the metal branches, presumably so he could attach the string of Christmas tree lights coiled on the patio table.

“It’s not even Labor Day yet.” I waved to the project, though his mask was down again, and he probably couldn’t see me. “Isn’t it early to make Christmas trees?”

“I’m going to put it in our shop so people can see it all fall and realize how badly they need to order one of their own.”

“For a mere three hundred dollars?”

“Six hundred plus a delivery fee. I’m going to enchant it.”

“To do what?”

“Guard presents.”

“Ah, yes. I hear that in-home gift thefts are on the rise worldwide.”

He lowered the blowtorch, pushed his mask up, and peered down at my feet. “He didn’t gnaw either of them off?”

Maybe I shouldn’t have told Dimitri how often Sindari threatened to do that.

“No, but you were right. He saw through my clever ploy.”

“Clever. Right.”

I looked toward the open back door. Since Sindari had figured out my ruse—I refused to call it a trap—I thought he might join us outside. But he didn’t, and he didn’t make any more telepathic comments. I still sensed him inside.

Maybe I was right, and the box—and catnip—were too intriguing, and he couldn’t help himself.

A thump drifted out of the house. From the living room?

Freysha was at Willard’s office today, so the only other person in the house was Zoltan in the basement, and the vampire never stirred during daylight hours if he could help it.

Another thump drifted out.

“Do you think that’s the sound of a massive tiger playing in a box?” I asked.

“It sounds more like a battle. You don’t sense any orc invaders, do you?”

“Just Sindari. He’s still in the living room.”

More thumps sounded. I was tempted to run in to catch him in the act, but I’d left the phone recording, so I should be getting footage of whatever he was doing.

A clatter followed the next thump.

Maybe there was a battle going on. I could only sense magical beings. It was possible random robbers had rushed in the front door to steal the smoker and the new fridge.

“He could be destroying the furniture in a vengeful fit,” Dimitri said.

“He wouldn’t do that.”

“I hope not. The Gamersac is my favorite thing in the house.”

“If that’s the ugly, gray beanbag in the corner, I wouldn’t mourn its loss.”

“It’s not ugly; it’s comfortable. And it’s Chinchilla Phur, not gray.”

“I can’t believe you think I’m the weird one.”

The noises coming from the living room stopped.

“Time to see what my phone captured.” I winked at Dimitri. “With video evidence, he won’t be able to deny that even regal Del’noth tigers are susceptible to the allure of boxes.”

“Val?” Dimitri asked as I headed inside.

“Yeah?” I paused in the doorway.

“You’re at least twice as weird as I am.”

I looked at his welding torch, his mask, and his soon-to-be-enchanted hodgepodge of tree-shaped metal and shook my head. “If that’s true, I’m deeply distressed.”

“If he destroyed the Gamersac, you owe me a new one.”

“I’m sure it’s fine.” It had better be. I refused to have Gamersac appear on my credit-card statement.

Whistling, I headed through the kitchen. The scent of catnip hung in the air, making me certain that he’d rolled in some.

When I walked into the living room, I found Sindari sitting on his haunches in the same position I’d left him in, except that his tail was swishing back and forth, and his eyes were almost bright enough to glow. The half-shredded box had been completely flattened and perforated with fang marks. Catnip was strewn everywhere, far more than I’d dusted in the box. The stuff covered the couch, the coffee table, the shelves, the Chinchilla Phur beanbag, and Sindari’s back. The plastic baggie I’d made the mistake of leaving on the table instead of returning to the drawer had also been shredded.

I pointed at it. “That was supposed to be enough to entertain six cats for an entire year.”

You left the windows open. A gust of wind blew in.

“A gust of wind destroyed a bag of catnip?”

And the box.

I propped my fist on my hip. “If you enjoyed yourself, you can just admit it. I’ll get you another box and some more catnip.”

Regal Del’noth tigers do not enjoy themselves by such inane means. What we enjoy is the hunt—stalking our prey and pouncing on it before it can escape.

“It looks like you stalked and pounced on the box.”

The wind did that.

“It’s completely flattened.”

It was a vigorous wind.

“And there are tooth marks.”

His eyes closed to slits. It was a vigorous, biting wind. A tremendous squall. You are fortunate it did not damage more of your house.

“Are you seriously not going to admit that you chewed up and rolled all over that box, enjoyed the heck out of the catnip, and are even now as high as a kite?”

I am not. Sindari rose to his feet. And since you do not need me for a battle, I will now return to my realm.

“Fine, fine, go ahead.”

As he faded from our world, I headed for the bookcase where I had set up my phone. Little did he know that I had recorded the whole thing. A biting wind, my ass.

But when I looked into the bookcase, my shoulders slumped. My phone had been knocked over and lay facedown on the shelf, with a tiny pile of silver tiger fur and three pieces of catnip on top.

The floorboards creaked as Dimitri walked into the living room. “Damn. That’s a lot of catnip.” He walked to the bookcase and peered over my shoulder.

I pointed at the little pile of fur. “Do you think that was an accident or it’s a message?”

“Oh, that’s a message.”

“That he enjoyed the catnip and the box but didn’t appreciate my ruse?”

“That you’re weird.”

“Hm.”

~

Other bonus extras from the Death Before Dragons series:

An interview with Colonel Willard
An interview with Sindari
Bonus scene: “Yeah, Relaxingly”
Free novelette: The Forbidden Ground

 

Storm Forged (Death Before Dragons, Book 6) Is Available!

The latest Death Before Dragons adventure, Storm Forged, is out on Amazon and ready for your reading pleasure.

Moving into a rundown Victorian house with a vampire living in the basement isn’t as bad as I thought, but things go from weird to weirder when a badly injured gnome collapses in my back yard.

The surprising part? It’s my friend Nin’s long-lost grandfather.

Since he’s unconscious, we can’t figure out who’s chasing him, or where he’s been all these years, but if we can’t help him, he’ll die.

To make matters worse, there’s a new dragon in town. A female dragon. Everyone knows females are more dangerous than the males, and this one takes an instant dislike to me. It seems that she wants to date my mate, Zav, and has his mother’s approval.

If I can’t avoid her wrath and find a way to cure the gnome, Nin’s going to lose her grandfather, and I’m going to end up deader than the vampire in the basement.

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon AUS
Amazon CA
Amazon DE
Amazon FR

This series is exclusive with Amazon for now, but I will take it out of that program at a future date, and it will be available everywhere (the paperbacks and audiobooks are already available in other stores).

As a reminder, if you want to get all of my books and prefer to get them early and straight from me (before they go into Amazon’s exclusivity program), you can subscribe to my Patreon page. You only get charged when I have a new release, and if you get them there, there’s no need to buy them from the store.

What’s next?

I’m switching over to my science fiction after this to release the last installment in the Star Kingdom series in September, but if you want me to return and write more with Val and Zav, let me know. Book 6 wraps up quite a few story points, but there’s also more I could explore in the series.

Thanks for following along with my books!

Death Before Dragons Bonus: Interview with Col. Willard

If you’ve read my Death Before Dragons urban fantasy series, you’ve met Val’s boss Colonel Willard (and her cat Maggie).

The new prequel adventure Mist and Magic shows the story of how Val first came to work for the somewhat testy Willard, so I thought it would be interesting to interview her.

I asked on Facebook for some questions, so most of these are from you guys. Thanks for reading along!

Interview with Colonel Willard

Greetings, Colonel Willard. You may have heard that there’s a new adventure coming out that shows how you and Val Thorvald first met. To celebrate the release, I’d like to do an interview of you for your fans. Would you mind answering a few questions?

My what?

Fans. They’ve been reading along with the stories I’ve been printing. Of course, Val, Sindari, and especially Lord Zavryd the dragon have the most fans, but a few people are curious about you.

You’re from the press? Who let you in this office? Do you have clearance?

Yes, I’m cleared.

*suspicious squint*

As I said, we’ve been covering the story of Val, the dragons, and how your office works to protect the citizens of the Pacific Northwest from magical beings with ill intent toward humans. Our readers would like to know more about you.

If any of that was happening, it would all be classified. Who’s your source?

I’ve learned that goblins get chatty if you give them espresso.

Gondo? I’m going to wring his green neck.

There’s no need for that, Colonel. As you can see, I do have clearance from the government. And I only have a few questions. This interview won’t take long at all.

I don’t recognize this documentation. I’m going to have to call my superiors.

There’s no need to get them involved. Look, I’ll do you a favor if you just answer these questions.

I don’t take bribes. I’m going to throw you out of here, and Gondo will follow right after.

What if I cat sit for you? I understand you have a hard time finding boarding facilities that will accept Maggie. She’s a touch vocal, isn’t she?

*less decipherable squint*

I’ll give you two nights of free cat sitting if you answer my questions. 

A week.

Three nights.

Two weeks.

Uh, a week is good. I can… buy ear plugs, I guess.

As long as you pet Maggie, feed her, appropriately worship her, and don’t bring any tigers into the apartment, you’ll be fine. Ask your questions. I can’t speak about anything that’s classified.

Okay, let’s ask some personal questions then. They’re not classified, I assume.

You want to pry into my personal life?

Our readers want to know about you.

I’m going to need one week of cat sitting every year for this. On the off chance I ever get time to take vacations.

Right, okay. First question. Cindy and Jackie and several others would like to know how you learned about the supernatural world and what your first experience with it was.

The day after I graduated from high school, I signed up for the army. Bless my mother and our community, but I’d grown up poor as dirt and watched too many friends turn into drug addicts and end up in jail, so I wanted out of there.

When I maxed the ASVAB, my recruiter suggested a career in Signal or Intelligence. I’d always liked puzzles and solving problems, so I became an Intel Analyst.

I was in for about five years and aware that there were supposedly non-human beings here on Earth, but I didn’t have firsthand experience until I was sent out to investigate a winery, of all things, in the foothills of Southern Arizona. I was stationed at Ft. Huachuca at the time. Everybody had been killed by mountain lions, including the owner’s family and their young daughters.

It was supposed to look like lion shifters had been responsible, as some were living in the area. But we poked around and learned that a wizard, who had claimed a few thousand acres in the foothills for himself and didn’t like shifters for neighbors, had used magic to compel real mountain lions to attack. When we hunted him down, we found a bunch of wine he’d stolen from the family in his cave, along with some grisly souvenirs. He was half-ogre half-perv.

Honestly, the whole encounter disturbed me a lot, and that’s when I put in for drill sergeant training. But I heard from old colleagues about more cases, more magical beings coming into the world, and I felt like a coward for having fled. I’d finished my bachelor’s degree by then, so I applied for OCS and, after I graduated, I returned to Intelligence.

That’s what I’ve been doing ever since. I passed up a chance to become a battalion commander for this job, because I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life organizing personnel. I knew this would keep me solving problems and figuring out puzzles.

Louisa wants to know how you relax besides working out. Are you a cheeseboard with slippers and a robe kinda lady?

I don’t snack between meals or eat any cheeses ripened with mold or aged out of a sane person’s pocketbook. In the evening, after a good run, I’ll kick back in my reading chair with a book and my cat.

Ebook or physical book?

I don’t do ebooks. I like big history and science books that I can underline and makes notes in and dog-ear. That’s all slow and awkward on an e-reader.

Ellen asks what you’re avoiding by working out so hard?

Nothing. Fitness evaluations are part of being in the army, and if you want to make it to the upper ranks as a woman, you have to be twice as qualified as your male counterparts to be considered. It’s not fair, but it is what it is.

Can you tell us a bit about Val? This comes up, at least from Val’s point of view, in the new Mist and Magic adventure, but Melissa asks, “What did you think of Val the first time you encountered her?”

That my predecessor, Colonel Hobbs, had been insane to employ her.

I read through her record, saw how little regard she had for following rules and obeying authority, and was positive she’d get our whole unit in trouble if we kept giving her gigs.

Years later, I’m still not positive she won’t, but she has more magical trinkets and weapons than anyone else on the West Coast, and she knows how to use them. I finally decided it was better to have her close, where I could keep an eye on her, than let her run around bucking the law as a damn freelancer.

Marion asks if you realize Val is under paid?

Underpaid? Shit, she makes more than I do. Civilian contractors are coddled.

Francis asks about your mental coping methods for dealing with Val and if you have a spiritual side.

I’ve had enough commands at this point that I’m used to dealing with all kinds of subordinates. Dealing with people getting killed because we weren’t quick enough to track down and take out a bad guy is harder to stomach. Yes, having my faith helps with that to some extent. And it’s one of the few things I have in common with my mother these days—she regularly reminds me that she’ll kick my ass if she finds out I’m not going to church.

Can  she kick your ass? You’re kind of tough.

Mothers have super powers. Irk them at your own peril.

Let’s finish up with something fun. Meagan asks, “How did Willard meet her cat, why did she decide that was the cat for her, and why did she choose that name?”

I decided a long time ago not to have any pets. I’m single, work long hours, and get deployed often. I shouldn’t have a plant much less an animal.

But I was investigating a series of murders with an otherworldly tie-in and kept butting heads with an obnoxious journalist who insisted on snooping around and putting herself in danger. You know how writers are. *squint*

Do you have something in your eye, Colonel Willard? You keep squinting. It might only be allergies or a simple irritation, but it could signal a more deleterious condition.

It’s an irritation all right. Anyway, the journalist ran an article detailing how a cult of humans worshipping a vampire were responsible for the murders—they were doing sacrifices for their undead god. She was right, but they killed her for exposing them.

We found her body the same night we were arresting the cult members. And we found her terrified cat under the bed in the apartment. It was actually the neighbors complaining of her screeches that led to us finding the body.

I’d briefly met—and heard—Maggie days earlier when I’d been trying to warn the journalist to back off the investigation. I wouldn’t say that we’d bonded, but since I’d failed to deal with the cultists in time to save her owner, I felt obligated to find a good home for her. I didn’t want to dump her off at the Humane Society.

I put out feelers and tried to find cat lovers who didn’t mind a somewhat tempestuous feline, but she doesn’t get along well with most other animals—or most people. A few optimistic souls took her but ended up bringing her back. I decided that wasn’t good for Maggie and that she would stay with me until such time as a perfect match could be found.

And how long ago was that?

Four years.

It’s possible she found her perfect match.

*Willard starts to squint but catches herself*

One last question from A: What’s so special about Willard’s given name that she’s grateful nobody under her command knows of it?

It’s not special so much as it’s… a creative spelling. I was born in the 70s, and my mother is very country. That’s all I’m going to say.

I could probably find your records.

See story above about what happens in this city to nosy journalists.

Right. We’ll just leave it at that then.

~

Other bonuses from the series:

Interview with the magical tiger Sindari
Free novelette: The Forbidden Ground
Bonus scene: “Yeah, Relaxingly”

Haven’t read the books yet? Start with Mist and Magic (the prequel) or Book 1 Sinister Magic.

Mist and Magic (the Death Before Dragons Prequel) Is Available!

Mist and Magic is officially out on Amazon!

Urban fantasy with a magical tiger cub. Also bad guys and sword fights and snark too. But an especially cute tiger cub!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/39ABVZU

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mist-Magic-Urban-Fantasy-Adventure-ebook/dp/B08BHCB69W/

Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/Mist-Magic-Urban-Fantasy-Adventure-ebook/dp/B08BHCB69W/

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Mist-Magic-Urban-Fantasy-Adventure-ebook/dp/B08BHCB69W/

Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/Mist-Magic-Fantasy-Adventure-English-ebook/dp/B08BHCB69W/

This is a stand-alone prequel adventure to the Death Before Dragons series. Book 6 in the main series will be following in August.

The fabulous artwork is by Luisa Preissler. She’s done some more Val stuff for me that you’ll see soon too. If you have a minute, go check out her gallery.

July Free Fantasy Novels!

Happy July!

Some of these fantasy novels are always free, but some are going back to paid soon. Please grab them if you’re interested! (The Books2Read link will take you to all the book links for the various stores.) The complete series for all of these books are available on Apple, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, and Google Play.

Warrior Mage (Chains of Honor, Book 1):

https://books2read.com/WarriorMageCoH1

Dragon Storm (Heritage of Power, Book 1):

https://books2read.com/DragonStorm

The Dragon Blood Bundle (Books 1-3):

https://books2read.com/DragonBloodCollection

The Emperor’s Edge (Emperor’s Edge, Book 1):

https://books2read.com/emperorsedge1

Death Before Dragons Book 5 (False Security) Is Available!

I’m a little late updating the website (what’s new?), but if you didn’t see it, my fifth Death Before Dragons novel, False Security, is out on Amazon.

I have one more novel coming in the series (Book 6, Storm Forged, in August and also a Val and Sindari prequel story at the end of July, Mist and Magic), and then we’ll see if you guys want more!

In the meantime, thanks for reading along with Val and Zav and the gang. (I’m not telling Val that several people have referred to these as my “Zav books” or “Zav series.” I think she would be put out to find out that the dragon is getting top billing.)

A note for my sci-fi fans:

I’m writing Star Kingdom Book 8 (Layers of Force) as we speak, and I’m over halfway through. It’ll be out in September!

Huge “Fantastic Beasts” Fantasy Story Bundle (includes my complete Heritage of Power series)

I’m editing my Zav bonus scenes for my Death Before Dragons series and should have them out to newsletter subscribers in a few days, but if you need something to read right now, you can check out this huge bundle of fantasy novels (including my five-book Heritage of Power complete series) from numerous indie and traditionally published authors.

Hosted by StoryBundle, the books are available from now until June 18th.

The bundle includes: Moonshadow, the first book in the three-part series by USA TODAY and New York Times bestselling author Thea Harrison; The Heritage of Power series (Books 1-5) by Amazon bestselling author Lindsay Buroker; and Bloodrush, part one of the bestselling Scarlet Star series by Ben Galley, among many others.

Most of the earnings are split between the authors, and there’s also an option to donate 10% of the purchase to charity. The ebooks are DRM-free and come in .ePub or .mobi format (so good on all e-readers).

Here’s the link if you’re interested: https://storybundle.com/fantasy

Death Before Dragons 4 (Elven Doom) and Audiobooks for the Series

If you’re on my newsletter, you already know that Elven Doom (Death Before Dragons, Book 4) came out last weekend, and may have already read it (thank you!). For the rest of the world, here is the official announcement.

Book 4 is out!

Blurb:

Dragons make life complicated. Extremely complicated.

After returning from Idaho, I was hoping to have time to figure things out with Zav—also known as Lord Zavryd, the dragon who claimed me as his mate without asking—but the dark elves are up to their old tricks again.

Actually, they’re up to far more deadly tricks, using more powerful magic than I knew existed. I have no idea how I’m going to stop them, but if I can’t, my entire city and everybody I care about could be obliterated.

To make matters worse, Zav’s sister has shown up and is rooting around in my life. His family doesn’t approve of me, and she plans to put an end to our relationship… one way or another.

Links:

The series is exclusive to Amazon this year (if you’re not a Kindle fan, remember that you can get all of my ebooks before they release by subscribing at the $5 level on Patreon), and here are the links to the various stores there:

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AUS
Amazon DE
Amazon FR

Books 5 and 6 are in the works. Will there be more? We’ll see how things are going after 6. I am planning to work on a prequel novella (or maybe novel) that gives the story of how Val and Sindari first met. It may not have been love at first sight!

Audiobooks:

Thanks to CoVid and other craziness this spring, the distributor was very slow with approving the audiobook of Book 1 in this series, but it’s finally available. And so are Books 2 and 3!

If you’re an audiobook listener, I hope you’ll check out Death Before Dragons. Here are some of the links (unlike the ebooks, the audiobooks are not exclusive to Amazon, so you can find them on Kobo, Apple, Audible, Google Play, and many other audiobook stores as well as in some libraries — make sure to request them if your library doesn’t have them).

Audible (series page link)
Amazon (Book 1 Sinister Magic)
Apple (Book 1 Sinister Magic)
Google Play
Kobo
Chirp

Thanks!

New Books!

I’ve been so busy writing that I haven’t updated the site with new releases this spring (we’ll pretend that is a rare thing).

Here’s what came out recently:

Tangled Truths (Death Before Dragons, Book 3) is out on Amazon:

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AUS

Home Front (Star Kingdom, Book 7) is out on Amazon:

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AUS

My complete Heritage of Power fantasy series is now available outside of Amazon.

The first book, Dragon Storm, is free everywhere this month (the Books2Read link will take you to a page with the links to all the stores):

https://books2read.com/DragonStorm

What’s next? Elven Doom (Death Before Dragons Book 4) is coming to Amazon on May 16th.

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AUS

Thanks for reading. I hope you’re staying safe!

Death Before Dragons Bonus Scene: “Yeah, Relaxingly”

Book 3 in my Death Before Dragons series comes out tomorrow! I wrote a little bonus scene that takes place between Books 2 and 3. Val does some yoga while Sindari offers commentary. Magical tigers are super helpful!

If you haven’t tried this series yet, Book 1 (Sinister Magic) is 99 cents on Amazon for another week or two before it goes up to full price. The series is also currently in Kindle Unlimited.

Thanks for reading!

Bonus Scene

“We’re going to unwind from Garudasana and flow into Utkatasana,” the smiling leotard-wearing instructor in the yoga video announced.

“The what from the what?” As I crouched awkwardly with one leg hooked around the other and my arms twisted in a pretzel, I looked at the magical silver tiger lounging on my couch, as if Sindari could explain this better than the instructor.

But Sindari was watching the door to my apartment instead of the video. I’d brought him forth from his magical realm to stand guard while I contorted my body into vulnerable positions. It would be just like a werewolf or troll to break down my door while I was propped on my shoulders with my legs pointed at the ceiling.

“Eagle pose to chair pose,” the instructor clarified as she flowed into the new position.

“Why didn’t she call them that to start with?”

Sindari gazed at me, his green eyes bland. Is the video designed to instruct you in a foreign language as well as exercises?

“Oh, I’m sure. I can’t tell you how often I’ve traveled and wished I could whip out some Sanskrit.”

Your knees are not in alignment, Sindari observed. The instructor would not approve.

“You’re supposed to be listening for threats in the hallway, not critiquing my form.” I scowled at him, but I did adjust my knees.

I can do both. This duty is unchallenging. I thought you were bringing me forth to do battle.

“That could happen any time.” It had been several days since Dobsaurin’s body disappeared from the military’s makeshift morgue. I feared it was only a matter of time before a representative from the Dragon Justice Court came to visit me.

“You’re doing great,” the instructor said, “but lower your chair a little more. Feel the burn in your thighs even as your stretch through your chest and shoulders. This is a wonderful pose. Let’s hold this for five more breaths before we shift into Virabhadrasana Three.”

“I think that means Warrior Three.” I was tempted to hunt for a video where the instructor spoke only in English, but my therapist Mary had recommended this series specifically. So far, I’d been mildly encouraged by the lack of discussion of chakras and third eyes that I’d endured at the yoga studio I’d visited.

Do you not worry that you will be weary from these exercises if a dragon shows up?

“You can’t get weary from yoga. This isn’t exercise; it’s relaxation.” I wondered if that sounded as unconvincing to him as it did to me. “Mary promised me it would lower my stress levels.”

Your leg muscles are quivering.

“Yeah, relaxingly.”

As the instructor guided me into a one-legged Warrior Three, Sindari looked toward the door again.

Someone is coming.

“Who?” My half-elven blood didn’t sense anyone with the aura of a magical being.

A soft knock sounded on the door.

The provider of your magical weapons.

“Oh, Nin?” I paused the video so I could politely greet my guest, not because my leg muscles were quivering and sweat was slithering down my spine. “She never comes here. I hope everything is okay.”

After checking the peephole to make sure there weren’t any threatening bad guys looming behind Nin in the hallway, I undid the deadbolts and let her in. She was carrying a notebook and five paper-wrapped packages of her signature dish from her food truck.

“Good evening, Val,” she said. “You have not been coming by for the free meals that we agreed you would accept for helping me get rid of the shifters trying to put me out of business.”

“I know. I’ve been busy researching dark elves and lowering my stress levels.” I waved toward the yoga mat spread between the desk and the coffee table.

“Those two things sound mutually exclusive.”

Should I admit that I found the research the more relaxing of the two?

Nin stepped into the apartment, her blue pigtails bobbing as she peered around. She set her meals next to a pizza box on the counter and touched it with a finger. “What is this?”

“It was last night’s dinner and this morning’s breakfast. Now it’s a box.”

“Val, I have superior food.” She tapped her packages. “I use grass-fed beef and organic rice. I’ve just now had a meeting with my butcher here in Ballard to ensure the best quality meat for my customers.”

“Your food is very good, and I appreciate you making me some, but I can’t eat the same thing for every meal. And since when do you deliver? You’re not going to inspect the contents of my fridge next, are you?”

“Would I find them execrable?” She spoke the word carefully, and I wondered if it had been on her word-of-the-day app that morning?

“How do you feel about mayonnaise that’s encroaching on the expiration date?”

Nin shook her head, as if I were a juvenile delinquent destined for a life of crime.

“I came for your fitting.” She held up her notebook and dug a tidily wrapped measuring tape out of her pocket.

“My fitting?” I touched my waist. “Are you concerned that the pepperoni, mushroom, and sausage pizza went to my hips?”

“If it did, I must account for it when I make your magical armor.”

That was why she’d come. I would have bounced over to her side, eager for a new toy to protect me against bad guys, but I’m too mature to bounce. I only skipped a little.

Will this armor be able to protect you against dragons? Sindari hadn’t deigned to stand up, but he gazed over the back of the couch at us.

“Probably not,” I answered.

Nin lifted her eyes.

“Sindari wants to know if it’ll be dragon-proof.”

“I do not believe anything is dragon-proof. Did one not utterly destroy your old Jeep by hurling it twenty feet up into the trees?”

“Yeah, but Jeeps aren’t magical. Your armor will be magical.”

“I will do my best to make sure it can protect you from bullets, daggers, fangs, and claws, as you requested. You also said it must be lightweight, I believe.” She flipped open her notebook to a sketch and a list written in Thai.

“Bonus points if it’s made from Mithril.”

Her brow furrowed. “What?”

“Didn’t your gnomish grandfather teach you about Mithril?”

“I believe you are pulling my leg, Val.”

“Maybe, but I’m going to be a little disappointed if Mithril doesn’t exist in any of the Cosmic Realms.” I looked over at Sindari to see if he had an opinion about fantastical precious metals.

My people do not smelt ore. He lifted one of his great paws into view. Perhaps the next time you rescue a dwarf, you can get him to make you a list of metals on other worlds.

“Before he disappeared,” Nin said, “my grandfather told me about substances on his home world with a great affinity for holding magic, but they do not exist here on Earth. I will do my best to make you armor that can withstand your magical foes, but Val, from what I have heard, there is no armor anywhere that can make you impervious to a dragon.”

“That’s disappointing.”

“Perhaps you should be practical and reasonable and avoid dragons.”

“I’m practical and reasonable. The dragons aren’t.”

Nin tapped the end of her measuring tape to her lips. “Perhaps you will need two sets of armor.”

“Or maybe a tank. Did your grandfather teach you how to make tanks?”

“Sorry, no.”

“I’m doomed.”

~

If you’re ready for more, you can pick up Tangled Truths (Death Before Dragons, Book 3) on Amazon.