What is Liliana cooking? Will anyone find out before something big happens? Or will Liliana manage to succeed in her plans?
The next few days passed uneventfully as everyone was waiting for the storm to come. The castle was unusually quiet, it was clear that everyone was waiting for some bad news. Alpha McBlaze had waged a war between dragons and werewolves. Dom had taken Y's foster sister, who happened to be his favorite plaything to torture over the centuries, and declared her under his protection. Dom knew the consequences but he couldn't let his mate be ruined like that anymore. Iris had her own room but now she was unable to have that peace of mind as she did when she had slept cocooned in Dom's arms. He was a man capable of turning her on, scaring her into running away, and calming her down. He had control over her that she blamed the mate bond for, but deep down she knew it was her own developing feelings for the one man in her long life whom she could shelter herself under. His presence made her feel safe, she felt like nothing could harm her anymore. It had been only a few days in the castle and
"Y is at the gates, himself! And he is demanding her." Those ten words drained Iris of every other feeling and left her saturated with nothing else but cold icy dread. She felt like she had been drenched in ice-cold water which had reached her soul and left her feeling utter terror. Anyone looking at her could see the effect that those ten words had on Iris and she was helplessly not in control. Dom had wanted to protect his mate. That is why he had wanted to leave her without telling her anything about the news Freddie was going to deliver. By the mention of The Red Code, Dom knew it had something to do with the evil psychopath Y and that is why he didn't want Iris to feel scared about any of it. Wulfric was also aware of his Alpha's wish to keep all the distressing news from their future Alpha-Queen. That is why he had declared the code first and not the news directly. But the one thing they forgot was that even though Iris was weaker than their lot, she was still supernatural w
Iris woke up to a smiling Liliana. She remembered the events from before blacking out and sat up straight panicking and wide-eyed only to see Lady Marie smiling unusually happily at her. Then Sussane entered with a broad grin on her face, pushing a mouthwatering meal trolly into the room. The former jumped at the sight of an awake Iris and left the trolly to make a speedy beeline to Iris and gave her a joyously tight hug, "IRIS!" Her smile widened even more as did her enthusiasm, "O, Iris, I am so happy for you!" Iris forgot her panic and looked confused at the three happy women in the room, which she now noticed wasn't her own. When did she get transferred back to Dom's bedroom, then the question rose, Where was he? Finally, due to lack of any explanation, she asked, frustrated and sarcastically, "Will somebody tell me what is making everyone so happy? Cuz I am quite tense and want to be happy too!" Liliana answered her fondly, "No need to be tense ever again, our future Alpha-qu
Iris sat dumbfounded on the king-sized bed. The story seemed too good to be true. Y couldn't end up in dungeons just like that. Something was missing. Some part of the bigger picture that either Iris wasn't being told or nobody knew. But she felt in her gut that something was not right. The rest of the women saw her reaction, which was quite opposite to what they had anticipated. Instead of being happy and sighing with relief, Iris just sat there with a frown and slouched deep in thought. Sussane came to stand in front of her and held her by her shoulders, "Iris! Did you even hear anything Clara just told you? We won! You are free. No need to be scared ever again. Come on, this calls for a celebration. Let's go shopping!" She declared. "Suz! Let her process. Girls, leave us alone. Let's give your queen some space." Lady Marie scolded. All the girls nodded as Sussane left the room after giving a bone-shattering hug to Iris one last time and squealing in excitement. Lady Marie simply
Iris had never had to prepare for a date before. Her last real relationship was nine centuries ago and that was the reason for all her misery. During that relationship, she never needed to dress up or get formal. It was an ordinary relationship of accepting each other the way they are, with no pretense and no superficial effort needed to keep it going, that is, until Y found out about it. Now there was no Y to worry about. The feeling was surreal as Iris sat patiently for Liliana to curl her long brunette locks and Sussane did her nails while Clara hustled around the room to gather things that were needed and made sure every necessary pin and brush was available. The girls had spent hours finding The perfect dress for Iris that was according to the occasion and still allowed her to be herself, yet made Dom swoon, which Iris wasn't sure was possibly made, but she didn't say. Iris had so many things going on in her head as she sat there becoming perfect by her friends, who had been mor
The car ride to the dinner venue was short and uneventful though Dom did send a wink or two every time Iris looked at him. In ten short minutes, they had reached their destination. Like a perfect gentleman, Dom opened the vehicle door for his mate and held out a hand for her to take. No one had ever treated her like a girl before. All anybody could ever see was a multi-breed abomination, the only one of her species. The way Dom treated her, made her finally feel that feminine side of herself that had been suppressed for so long. She smiled delicately and took his hand to step out of the vehicle and Freddie quickly drove away to park and get out of their way for the rest of the night. In her thousand years of life, Iris had never been to a fancy restaurant to eat for the simple sake of self-pleasure. It was either to hunt or kill somebody. Now she was looking at one of the most glamorous places she had ever set her eyes on. The restaurant was huge and the entrance was like that of a P
Standing on the balcony of the Palace-like restaurant, Dom and Iris forgot the troubles of the past or planning for the future. All that remained was the present moment. The moment, where under the Milkyway, in front of the distant city lights, they tasted the nectar of each other's lips that they had been yearning for since their first intimate encounter. All Iris could think about was how Dom's strong arms enveloped her and held her delicately like some porcelain doll. All Dom could focus on was how his mate's plump lips tasted and how she allowed herself this moment. This intimate dance of lips and slight tongue was what their respective dragon and wolf had been yearning for since their first encounter. Iris felt her wolf howl just as Dom felt his dragon sigh in pleasure. When Dom and Iris had heard people talk about mates and the sense of completion it gave, they never truly realized it until now. Waiting for a mate and rejecting one were the emotions they had suffered respective
"Nothing happened?" Sussane exclaimed in disbelief. "I refuse to believe that with the dress I chose for you. Nothing happened but dinner!" Liliana declared. "You must think us to be idiots if you think we are going to believe that," Clara told. "Believe me, girls! The place was amazing, the food was amazing and we danced. That's it." Iris tried to make them believe it. "O so we are supposed to believe that you guys returned after midnight without even a kiss?" Sussane asked. "She does think of us as idiots," Liliana declared. "Guys!" Iris helplessly exclaimed, but these girls were stubborn. And they might've made Iris produce the whole truth if a servant hadn't interrupted them. "Apologies for the disturbance but, Alpha has requested a private audience with Lady Hanson." That announcement made all four girls' eyes pop. Sussane's attitude changed in a blink as she excitedly repeated "Ooh! Private audience!" "And she says nothing happened!" said Clara, then asked Iris, "If noth
Hello, my beautiful escapists who kept up with my shenanigans throughout the ups and downs of this book. First things first, I love you all. I feel so lucky to have found this platform and through this all of you. I love the comments and I hope you weren't bored with my author notes. Multiple TV shows, novels, and movies came together in my head every night, and I created Iris. Through her I created Dominic and you guys know the rest. I have two news to share with yall. The first one is about this book. I am delighted and proud to tell you guys that 'Under the Dragon's Protection' is available on A****n Kindle. I have ordered my author's copy of the paperback for this book. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, A****n is unable to ship to Pakistan to my remote location in the middle of Thal, the second largest desert in my country. So, I have sought the help of an abroad friend to get it for me and then send it to me by post. The whole procedure will take more than a couple of
Marie had wanted to be the first one to see the Sun on the first day of the year. She had convinced her parents to fly her to the East coast of Japan to stand on the highest point and catch the first rays of the first Sun of the year. They had reached there a day earlier, and Marie was determined to stay awake the whole night, countdown to midnight, and then watch the sunrise before sleeping. Iris was sure she wouldn't make it past ten, but she still promised her daughter not to force her bedtime and in case she does fall asleep, to wake her up before midnight and sunrise. * Dom walked from behind Iris, who was leaning slightly on the balcony railing deep in thought, the mug of tea brewed from local Japanese herbs forgotten in her hands. "Penny for your thoughts, Little Wolf?" Dom whispered close to her ear and took pleasure as her body reacted to his voice. Iris turned around slightly, placing the mug on the nearby table as Dom placed his hands on the railing behind her, envelo
"Daddy, watch out!" But before Dom could duck, a ball of snow flew into his face and then Iris' laugh rang through the chilly morning. "My turn!" Dom laughed louder wiping his face and threatening, "Now, watch out!" He threw the two balls of snow in his big hands, one at each of his girls. Purposefully missing his daughter, making her sweet laugh ring in the crisp morning air. "Mommy, I need more!" Little Marie called out, making Iris temporarily lose concentration and head towards her daughter to create a bunch of little snowballs for her to throw. That's when Dom sneaked behind his wife and masterfully pulled back her neckline to drop a handful of ice down her back, making her shriek and run inside, "Dom! You'll pay for this." "You wanna make snow angels?" Dom offered his daughter who still stood bewildered at what had happened and why had mommy suddenly stopped helping her make more snowballs. She nodded enthusiastically and laid on the snow as Dom joined her and the two str
"Dom, she is too young for this. Wait a few more years." Iris laughed as she read a book and kept watch on baby Marie while her father was doing things nobody expected him to. Ever since the war had been won and peace had been settled. Dominic and Iris chose a secluded place untouched by war or any bad memories, a small cottage beside a private white beach in Brazil, to raise their daughter. Of course, there were times when they had to fly or teleport to a meeting halfway across the world when Freddie or Nora needed them to be present. The Alpha King and Queen could simply not vanish with the little princess. The secret perfectly up-to-date with technology and the magic, basement of the cottage was an example of how Dom and Iris were working from home while giving Marie the childhood that neither of them had. They had settled into this new routine of mundane chores which meant everything to the couple who had seen and suffered so much in their millennia-long lives. Dom had changed
[The semi-smut scene of the patch-up in the cave.] This was the first time a man had looked at her with this hunger and not to harm her but with a need to love her. That was all the motivation either of them needed because they didn't know who began it but with another loud thunder, they were on each other. More like Dom was hoisting Iris by her thighs as she had jumped on him and wrapped her legs around his torso. The patch-up makeout was intense as they kissed each other wanting to drown in the other. Their tongues danced to the wild rhythms of their hearts as their combined shadow danced with fire on the cave walls on the music of the magical storm that was raging outside. Once their lips were kiss-swollen and their lungs could not take the lack of oxygen anymore, they unwillingly separated. But Dom had had enough of staying away and the factors that were trying to pull them apart, so he headed for an attack of kisses and nibbles on her neck making it hard for her to control her
[Dom's dream from the Med-Bay bed after getting rescued from Y's Island and recovering.] Dom outlined the edge of her black lace panties with his teeth as Iris couldn't help but squirm under his ministrations, making Dom stop and look up from his position between her legs and say in his deep sensual voice, "Little wolf, if you don't stay place, these lace panties are not going anywhere tonight!" Iris looked at him doubtfully, "You don't mean that!" Dom sat up straight, revealing his tanned chest that flowed down to his smooth torso ornamented by rigid eight-pack abs and that sexy v-line that made Iris drool. "Try me!" He challenged and Iris was quick to give in, not only because she knew he would do as he said but also because she was too eager to avoid delay. She wanted him and she wanted him soon, so she huffed making her naked breasts jiggle. "Fine!" Dom's bulge in his trousers got more obvious at the show of her hot body lying almost naked on his bed waiting for him to do
Implied Smut. The salty water washed its foam around their feet as their eyes gazed at the mesmerizing sunset. After an exquisite lunch, Iris found herself being led out of the house by Dom and towards the beach. The weather wasn't particularly sunny, but it was perfectly cloudy enough to walk in the not-so-hot sand barefoot and roam around without sunglasses or hats. The salty sea wind blew through their hair and clothes, and Iris felt a sense of euphoria she had always yearned for. Dom couldn't help himself but keep his eyes fixated on his mate. Lady luck had smiled on him, and he couldn't be more grateful. He wanted to provide her with everything she had been missing for centuries. They kept walking silently on the beach, savoring each other's company and the gorgeous beach around them. No exchange of words was needed. Somewhere along the walk, Dom's hand found Iris subtly. She didn't pull it away, relishing in the little skin-on-skin contact they were allowed before the rituals
It is said that there are two parts of war. The battlefield and the aftermath. The battle was won. The cost came in the aftermath. Dom along with his family and those of the deceased was the first one to enter the Shifter Cemetery. It was the huge ground where all the shifters who lost their lives to Y's madness were buried after the war. Those who had been recognizable had tombstones, the rest got collective plates with lists of names of those lost in war. There was an empty grave for the innocent Isabella, about whose whereabouts no one had any idea. But Freddie deserved a place to mourn, and Isabella deserved to be remembered like the rest of the innocent victims. Liliana's body had been recovered, but it would've been unfair to all those who died fighting Waai if she had been buried in their ranks. So Dom had placed her in the backyard of his private mansion, where only the close family would be able to visit and remember. Iris still hadn't been able to entirely move past the
[Warning: This chapter contains an account of childbirth. Readers are advised to proceed with caution.] Dominic walked haphazardly through the emergency field hospital that had been set up by the witches to help the wounded in the war. "We need more people, just give the order and the women can come to aid." Nathaniel was trying to keep up with Dom's pace and convince him. "I cannot allow them to be on the battlefield when I promised their men that their women, children, and elderly would be safe at all costs." Dom looked around at his people, some lying motionless on the makeshift cots with missing limbs, some lying on the ground groaning because there was nowhere else to go, awaiting medical and magical help. "I am not asking you to order them to be here or break your promise. Just give the women a choice. Let the ones who volunteer come and help us get these brave people back on their feet. The war isn't over just because Waai is dead." Nathanial was persistent. Dom suddenly st