About Embracing the Dragon
by Kathryn Scannell
212 pages / 80000 words
ISBN: 978-1-61040-200-2
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html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub
Danny O’Riordan’s life was complicated before the vision of a past life
forced him to admit he was bisexual. There’s a war going on, and being
Liegeman to Aran, the Elven King of Avalon puts Danny squarely in the middle
of the politics of two worlds, Earth and Avalon. Adding a romantic
relationship to the mix could be explosive.
His lover from that previous life has been reborn as Mordellir, the ruler of
the Tengri Empire. The Dragon of Heaven is the most powerful person in his
world. Will he want Danny back once he knows he’s been reborn? If he does,
how far will he go to get his way?
Review
Stephanie Vaughan, author of the Off World books, writes: Kathryn Scannell has written a ripsnorter of a tale, set in a rich fantasy world whose large cast and intricate plot will keep readers on their toes. Danny’s internal struggle is played out against a backdrop of political intrigue, adding satisfying layers to an unusual coming out story. The tale begins slowly, but patience is rewarded with a bravura final act. Fans of Wen Spencer’s Elfhome and Jodi Lyn Nye’s Halfling series have something to cheer about.
Sample
Mordellir looked more at ease than Danny had ever seen
him. Was this what he'd been like before he became Emperor?
Looking at him now, in this mood it was easy to see the resemblance to
Demeth. Certainly there were differences. Demeth had been only part Tengri.
He'd been shorter and a bit heavier built. Demeth's hair had reddish
highlights, which hinted at demon in his family somewhere. But there was
still something in the body language, and the aura which reminded Danny
achingly of those memories of Demeth. It wouldn't be hard to put this man in
place of the image of Demeth in those memories...
Thinking that had not been a good idea. Danny realized his mistake when he
felt his cock start to swell. Just remembering the damned dreams he'd been
having was enough to get him hard again, and the bathrobe he was wearing was
not going to hide it. He could see a telltale bulge already. He shifted to
cross his legs, hoping to keep things under control, but it just didn't
work.
Mordellir had noticed, too. His gaze followed that moving bulge, and he gave
off a mix of amusement and interest. All the extra blood that wasn't already
in Danny's cock rose promptly to his face as he realized that.
Mordellir grew even more amused as Danny turned bright red. "I didn't think
you were interested, Daniel. It's certainly nothing to be embarrassed about.
You're a handsome young man. I'm not intimate with all my Favorites, but
it's certainly an option."
Danny cursed inwardly. This was rapidly becoming a disaster. "No! I'm not--
I mean I don't-- Oh Hell." He ground to a halt. Doing anything would be
stupid, and guaranteed to make settling the problem of those old memories
worse, not better, but how did he say no without insulting the Emperor?
Especially when his cock was obviously saying yes.
"Slowly, Daniel," Mordellir said gently. "If I read that wrong, I'm sorry.
Will you tell me why you’re so confused and embarrassed? It can't be just
having an erection in front of someone else, not after living among the
Elves and the Kennakriz. What is it?" He looked probingly at Danny out of
his good eye.
Danny took a deep breath to try to calm himself. "No. This isn't simple to
explain. You didn't misread my reaction, but it would be a terrible idea to
act on it."
"Why?" Mordellir sounded genuinely puzzled.
"Because you're the Emperor of the Tengri, and I'm the senior Liegeman to
the King of Avalon, who happens to hate Tengri in general, and you in
particular. That gives whole new levels of meaning to conflict of interest,"
Danny said, wondering why he was explaining the obvious to someone this
experienced in politics.
"So?" Mordellir felt perplexed. "Is this an Earth thing? A little sex hardly
constitutes anything important. It's not as if there was a commitment
involved. There isn't even a chance of children to worry about negotiating."
What could he say to that? From an Avalon or Empire perspective, Mordellir
was entirely right. The problem was that Danny was sure that if he let
himself get any closer to Mordellir that those old memories would hit him
full force, and he'd want something more. A lot more. That would be a
serious political problem.
His first impulse was to explain that, but doing that could be opening a
huge can of worms. He didn't really know Mordellir. He might not be anything
like Demeth. There were vast differences between Danny and Emrys, thanks to
the different worlds they'd lived in, and the things that had happened to
him in this life. Emrys had trusted Demeth, but everything he knew about
Mordellir told Danny not to trust him. This was a man who'd schemed his way
to the Imperial Throne over a trail of bodies, including his father, the
previous Emperor. Then he'd held his own against his remaining siblings and
children to keep that throne for more than 10,000 years. He had to be a
master of manipulation and deceit. It would be ridiculously risky to lay a
vulnerability like this out for him to exploit. But it was so very tempting.
It felt right to do. Danny's thoughts spun in circles, his impulses arguing
with his common sense.
Mordellir waited for him to answer, looking faintly puzzled. In the end,
that pushed Danny over the edge in favor of explaining. The expression was
so like one Demeth had often directed at him when Emrys was new to the
Empire, and reacting oddly to everything. This was still Demeth, and some
deep part of him trusted Demeth.