The Embraced Series
By Kerrelyn Sparks
Published by St. Martin’s Paperbacks
**On Sale March 27, 2018**
Chapter Three
As the three men came to a stop, Gwennore
noted that the ladies-in-waiting were curtsying, so she
did, too.
Karlan bowed. “My lord
general.”
“At ease,” the gorgeous man
in the middle said.
Freya rushed to his side. “Silas, you arrived just in time. I’ve discovered an assassin.” She pointed at Gwennore.
“You should arrest her!”
Gwennore popped up from her curtsy, ready to defend
herself. But before she could say anything, the general had enveloped the queen’s hand in his own and turned her away.
“Your Majesty.” He
flashed a smile that caused a few of the ladies to stumble as they rose from their curtsies.
“I came as quickly as I could after hearing
the news. May I
congratulate you on the birth of
your
daughter?”
“Why, yes.” Freya blushed. “Thank you. I was in labor a dreadfully long time, you know.”
“Yes, so I hear.” He patted her hand. “But thank the Light,
you and the babe are doing remarkably
well.”
What nonsense was this? The gorgeous general was acting like the others—playing along with the queen’s delusion.
Gwennore drew in a deep breath to voice her
objection, but
the general shot her a warning look with his
sharp green eyes.
When she lifted her eyebrows
as if to question
him, he inclined
his head ever so slightly.
He’s asking me to trust him. It was as clear as if he had spoken. For a moment she wondered
if she was experiencing a mental connec-
tion with him like she
had with Puff.
Don’t jump to conclusions, she chided herself. She was only hoping for a connection because he was the most handsome man
she’d ever met.
Something flared in his eyes, a spark of gold in the em- erald green, and her knees grew weak. Good goddesses, was she about to swoon like these other silly women? She needed
to be stronger than this.
“Thank you, Silas,” Freya said, drawing his attention back
to her.
“Doesn’t the baby look just like
her father?” “Yes, indeed.” The general glanced at Eviana, who was still clinging to Gwennore’s legs. “And to mark the occa- sion, I have brought you a gift.” He motioned to Gwennore. “A nanny.
As you can see, the princess has already
developed a special fondness for her.”
Freya gasped. “You brought
the elf here?”
“Of course.” He gave Gwennore a wry look as if he was daring her to contradict him. “She’s a noblewoman
I captured some time ago in battle, but since then, she’s learned
our language and proven herself
quite useful.”
So General Gorgeous had no problem
spinning lies or manipulating a madwoman.
Gwennore snorted. But since she was in danger
of being imprisoned and even exe- cuted, she
was not
in any
position to reject his solution.
Even so, she wondered if
she could actually trust him. As the general of the Norveshki army, wouldn’t he see her as an enemy?
“We dare not trust an
elf,” Freya muttered. “She could be
a spy. Or an assassin.”
40 Kerrelyn Sparks
“We can trust her,” the general insisted. “Lady Gwennore cares deeply for the princess. Enough to risk her life
for her.”
Gwennore’s heart lurched into a fast pace. He knew her name? And what she’d done? Puff must have told him everything that had happened.
That meant General
Gor- geous could hear dragon voices, too. It made sense, she figured, since his job would require
him to communicate with dragons. But did that mean he had ordered the first dragon to kidnap Eviana?
Or perhaps, he had ordered Puff to
try to
stop the kidnapping. Which side
was he
on?
“But
elves are such violent creatures,”
Freya whined. “They are fierce
warriors, that is true,” the general
agreed. “That is why Lady
Gwennore will make an ex- cellent nanny. No one will protect your daughter
as well as she.”
“Well . . .” Freya looked confused. Her hands
fluttered around her chest,
causing the rubies to sparkle in the after-
noon sun. “I suppose we can
give her a try.”
“Excellent.” He turned toward Karlan. “You and your men
may return
to your
posts.”
Gwennore exhaled with relief. She wasn’t going to the dungeon. And as the official nanny, she could remain close to
Eviana.
“And remember.” The general stepped closer to Karlan and
added softly, “Lady Gwennore is
my guest.
She will be treated with respect.”
“Yes, my lord.” Karlan motioned for his men to follow him back to the main
gatehouse.
With Gwennore’s
superior hearing, she’d heard the general’s whisper. He had to be on her side. For one thing,
he kept referring to her as a lady. The status of noble- woman would shield
her from any physical
abuse during her stay here in
Draven Castle.
So, most probably, she had two
allies in Norveshka—
Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon 41
Puff and General Gorgeous. She could only hope they would both prove to be
trustworthy and honorable.
The general turned to
the nearest lady-in-waiting. “Your
name, please?”
The woman stumbled
back a step. “O-Olenka, my lord general.”
“Lady Olenka, would you please escort Lady Gwennore and the princess
to the nursery?
And make sure they are well
taken care of.”
“Yes, yes, of
course, my
lord general.” Olenka nodded, then curtsied again.
“I’ll drop by to check on you later.” The general shot a pointed
look at Gwennore. “Till then.”
Gwennore
inclined her head, understanding he in- tended to have a talk with her. That was fine. She needed to
talk to
him, too.
“Oh, everything will be perfect, my lord general! You can trust me.” Olenka motioned
for Gwennore to follow her.
“Come along now.”
Gwennore lifted Eviana in her arms and walked toward Lady Olenka. As she passed the queen, she bowed her head. “Good day, Your Majesty.”
Freya narrowed her eyes. “If anything
happens to my daughter, I’ll have your head. I will not lose another child!”
Another child? How many had the queen lost? “I will protect her with my life,” Gwennore told her, then fol- lowed
Lady Olenka toward the northwestern
tower.
As she neared the general’s two companions, she noted there was a slight difference in their uniforms. One had three brass stars embedded in his leather breastplate, while the other had two. Did that mean they were officers? The
general had four stars on his
breastplate.
These men
were handsome like the general—tall, mus- cular, long dark hair. No doubt they knew how to
make a
|
Eight Simple
Rules for Dating a Dragon
The Embraced Series
By Kerrelyn
Sparks
Kerrelyn Sparks is no stranger to the New York Times bestseller list, as her massive fan base couldn’t
seem to get enough of her Love at Stake
series. Sparks then introduced her extraordinary fantasy romance series, The
Embraced, with How to Tame a Beast in
Seven Days and So I Married a
Sorcerer. Set in a medieval
mythical world, the series follows a special group of people with powers born
when the two moons of the world form an eclipse. Now comes the captivating
third installment, EIGHT SIMPLE RULES
FOR DATING A DRAGON (St. Martin’s Paperbacks; March 27, 2018), where
readers meet Gwennore, our fierce and powerful new heroine.
Gwennore is an Elf able to track down the cause of an illness and heal
it; a valuable asset to her people. But when she is thrust into the realm of
the dragons, she discovers a haunted place of power and magic, plagued by an
ancient curse. And then she meets the smoldering General Silas Dravenko. She’s
been raised never to trust a dragon, but never did making a deal with the devil
feel so good…
Silas has no way of saving the royal family he’s served for years. But
when a beautiful elf comes bursting into his world, Silas is awakened to desire
in a way he’s never felt before. But can he trust a sworn enemy?
Filled with romance, adventure, and a vividly imagined new world, EIGHT SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING A DRAGON
is a fantasy in the vein of Game of
Thrones with all the fun of The
Princess Bride. Audiences will become enthralled with Gwennore in a world
where passion, fantasy, and royal intrigue collide. Return to the most
exciting, magical and romantic series to come along in years in the stunning
world of the Embraced!
About the
Author
Kerrelyn Sparks is best known (so far) for the Love at Stake series,
which has hit as high as number 5 on the New
York Times list and 22 on the USA
Today list. Visit Kerrelyn on Facebook, Twitter, or her website,
http://www.kerrelynsparks.com/
Praise for Kerrelyn Sparks:
“Readers will be fully invested in this
Embraced series!”
— Romantic
Times on How to Tame a Beast in Seven
Days
"Readers will relish Spark’s lovingly detailed
and memorable tale and look forward to the next.”
— Booklist on How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days
“[Sparks] has produced a book that I'll come
back to again and again. I'll be counting down the days till the next girl gets
her story.”
— Night Owl
Reviews on How to Tame a Beast in
Seven Days
"A deeply satisfying, delightfully
swoon-inducing close...full of vulnerability and tenderness."
— Publishers
Weekly (starred review) on Crouching
Tiger, Forbidden Vampire
"Mixing paranormal romance with humor, Sparks
clearly has a style all her own, one that readers love."
— USA Today's
Happily Ever After blog
"Sparks skillfully infuses her writing with a
deliciously sharp wit."
— Booklist
EIGHT SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING A DRAGON:
The Embraced Series
By Kerrelyn Sparks
Published by St. Martin’s Paperbacks
**On Sale March 27, 2018**
Mass Market Paperback | $7.99
ISBN: 9781250108258 | Ebook ISBN: 9781250108265
For more information or to set up an interview with the author, contact:
Brittani Hilles at brittani.hilles@stmartins.com or 646-307-5558
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