Ruler of the Mind is a Draoithe Saga Tale.
Misty Todofer is a gifted human with power over the minds of others. She was broken by a series of traumatic events that placed her in the crossfire of an ongoing battle to restore the balance of magic. She was rescued by her friend with the help of the immortals of Draoithe.
Winter McLyon was an immortal red dragon hiding among humans as his magic slept. When Misty's gift calls out to him from her nightmares, he knows she was destined to be his Valkyrie. Her nightmares awakened his abilities as a Ruler of the Mind. Seeking to ease her distress, he learned of her tragic past and vowed revenge. Winter desperately wanted a chance to meet Misty in the real world and reached out to his old friend, a former dungeon master for help.
Will he be able to avenge the wrongs perpetrated against his Valkyrie and help Misty move beyond her past? Will Misty be able to accept the fact that Winter is more than a fantasy lover her mind conjured to escape the pain of her past? Find out if the magic of Draoithe can aid a Ruler of the Mind.
Steamy Paranormal Romance 18+ HEA! NC! Fated Mates Urban Fantasy
***Warning: Adult Themes, Fantasy Violence, and/or Explicit Sexual Situations. Intended for a Mature Audience.
Excerpt
Misty
A Story in the Dark
Misty breathed out the words. The story began to unfold. It was as if Winter knew the trick to loosen her tongue. She’d been laughing at Brenda’s story about a stray dog who followed her to the coffee shop. That was where it all started.
“Two men approached us and told us that we needed to leave. We weren’t to cause a scene. One of them had a gun.” Winter’s hands continued massaging her feet and lower calves as the words began to tumble out. He didn’t cringe, turn away or stop what he was doing. He simply listened.
Her skin tingled, and her tight muscles loosened up under his hands as she spoke. His actions felt good even if her words were ugly, black, and evil. His silence wasn’t horror, it was simple respect for her words. His hands on her feet offered encouragement to continue.
She spoke. Winter massaged. That seemed to be an equitable trade agreement. The evil left her in the words. Her terror faded.
It was a story, just a story. It had an identifiable beginning, a middle, and an end just as all the ghost stories told around campfires always had. She just needed to tell it. Then it would stop being scary. It would simply be.
“Two more men joined us as we left the shop.”
Misty sucked in a breath as she remembered. She’d spent the last weeks trying not to remember. Maybe that wasn’t the answer. Maybe she needed to face the truth rather than hide away from it.
“The needle surprised me. They drugged us. The poison burned in my veins.” She closed her eyes and stopped to breathe.
Winter simply continued stroking his warm calloused fingers over her skin. He waited while she struggled with the realization that what had happened had not been her fault. She had not had control. What had happened had been done to her without her consent. She had become the definition of a victim. Anger burned in her.
“The men were laughing at me. The sound was echoing and seemed far away. My vision wavered.”
Misty felt her voice hitch as Winter’s hands moved up her calves and stroked the back of her knees then swirled over her kneecaps. His hands drew her away from the pain and fear of her story. His touch was gentle and warm.
She felt that her anger was justified. As the quiet stretched out she wondered again at what he was doing. Not that he was touching her as odd as that seemed considering that she was broken and ruined and he shouldn’t want to do that.
What she wanted to know was how he was doing it. How was his touch easing words she had been unable to say to anyone before? Why he would want to do it was a mystery that could wait a little longer. Exactly what he was doing to her mind was the more important question.
“What are you doing?” she asked Winter, confused by her own disjointed thoughts.
