Pryderi the Precious Part Six

Birds twittered sleepily in the pre-dawn darkness as Pryderi stirred and sighed. The hard warm body of Taranis was curled around her protectively in their soft feather bed nest. For the first time in her life she was sheltered in the strong arms of a lover. Oh, he was not her first lover. In the back country of Zerana, young women did not reach Pryderi's age without suffering the predations of at least one man. If the woman was fortunate, there were no more than two or three.

Though the High King proclaimed that all women must be valued and protected, the High King's men were not out in the byways where women were taken against their will--sometimes even stolen from their families. Pryderi was not an innocent, unaware of what occurred between a man and a woman. Once she took the vows of a Precious, her value increased fourfold as her power both attracted and terrified the men she encountered. Indeed, if they could not shackle her powers for their own needs, then her death was the preferred outcome.

And yet, in her heart she was certain that she was safe in Taranis' arms. Safe in his bed and at his table. She turned to face him and nibbled his chest.


"Awake already, little love?" He tilted his head so that his lips brushed hers in a gentle kiss.


"It's time," she said solemnly.


"Yes, it's time," he agreed. With the birdsong providing a melodious backdrop, they came together for the first time as mates in a slow joyous loving. There would be other times for the sound and fury of passion. This time... this time was for sealing the vows that bound them together... this time was for gentle, abiding love.


In a little while as the dawn lit the slate roofs of dragonry, Pennim quietly rose and went out into the enormous yard, stretching his stiff muscles in the cool shadows. He lazily flapped his wings to warm them up. Soon his mates would be looking for breakfast. His snout stretched in a dragon grin. Perhaps he would just go hunting for an unwary rabbit or two. After all, a hungry female mate was a cranky female mate.


With a last dragon chuckle, his wings beat powerfully as he rose above the yard, trumpeting his happiness for all to hear. Yes, it was a good day to hunt!


To be continued...


Anny

Stop by Kelly's blog at www.kkirch.blogspot.com and Amarinda's Place at www.amarindajones.blogspot.com for more good stuff! Blessings on your day!

Pryderi the Precious, Part Five

Early the next morning, Pryderi stirred restlessly in the soft cozy nest that Pennim had provided for her and Taranis the night before. Their quarters were spacious enough for Pennim's cool bed of jewels in one corner and the deep round nest of fluffy feather mattresses in the other corner for Taranis and Pryderi. Eating and bathing facilities took up the rest of the space.

Pryderi had wallowed in the deep bath filled with water that Pennim heated with one hot breath. The luxury of a hot bath was something so new to her, Taranis was hard pressed to get her to leave the tub. Finally, wrinkled from soaking in the perfumed water, Pryderi consented to climb out of the tub. Taranis wrapped her in a soft bath sheet and deposited her in their nest while he took his own bath.

To no one's surprise, Pryderi was fast asleep when he returned. Taranis took the opportunity to have a man-to-man talk with Pennim. "What did you think you were doing, Pen? You've bound yourself to humans!"

"Indeed? Is it sure you are of that?" Pennim rumbled.

Taranis stared at the dragon in puzzlement. "What are you saying?"

"The Precious is a morpher, my friend. She is a dragon morpher." Pennim sat back on his haunches, curling his long tail around his legs. "The only way to protect her was by claiming her before she changes. Once you consummate your vows, she will be subject to the change. And the law among the dragons is the first male to capture her is her mate."

"Unless she already has one." Taranis curled up against Pennim's belly and sighed. "She doesn't know?"

"No. I read her when she touched us the first time when we rescued her. She's an orphan and knows nothing of her parentage. Taranis, I would take nothing from you. Surely you know this?" Pennim willed his friend to understand.

Yawning, Taranis nodded, rubbing his head against Pennim's golden scales. "I know, Pen. Thank you for honoring us with your vow. We should ask if she will willingly bind herself to you. It would be best, wouldn't it?"

"In the morning we will talk to her. For now, I believe that your mate would take comfort in your presence."

Taranis went over to the nest and wearily crawled in with Pryderi. She roused briefly and then curled together, they slept while Pennim kept watch through the wee hours, grateful that his need for rest was not as great as theirs.

Dawn with the reckoning would come soon enough.

To be continued...

Anny

Today is my father's birthday. He's 78 years old. May he have quite a few more!

Check Amarinda's blog at www.amarindajones.blogspot.com to see how things are going in Aussieland. And then pop over to Kelly's blog for any words of wisdom she might want to share at www.kkirch.blogspot.com

On Friday night from 7pm to 10pm at the Ellora's Cave chat loop, we will laugh, share excerpts, and have fun at the Anny, Amarinda, Kelly and Frog Friends Chat. Please join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ellorascavechat/ Possibly there will even be a prize or two.

Blessings on your day!

Pryderi the Precious, Part Four

Pennim the Great waited patiently for Taranis and Pryderi to remount. When they were securely seated behind his huge head, he unfurled his great wings. They buffeted the air as the dragon rose high above the castle before turning to the west, flying through the starlit sky towards Sanctuary, the safe haven of all the King's Warriors.

Pryderi wrapped her arms around Taranis' waist and dozed, so very weary yet no longer anxious for her future. Taranis would guard her life with his own. She woke as Pennim was descending into the center of a huge compound. Sleepy dragon cries echoed all around them, sounding the alarm until Herald, the dragon keeper blew on his horn. Immediately silence fell over the dusty yard. Then Taranis dismounted and lifteded Pryderi to the ground.

"My lords and ladies!" he shouted into the waiting hush. "Allow me to present my mate and partner, Pryderi the Precious! We have sworn a vow before the King!"

"Is it so, Pennim?" a huge silver dragon demanded with disbelief. "A Precious is to be a Warrior?"

"It is so. This Precious brought Taranis to his knees and claimed a vow of service, as was her right. But Taranis freely swore the vow of the heart. And this Precious returned it. The King accepted their vows." Pennim turned his head, searching out the eyes of each and every dragon. "Now before you I will swear the vow of the heart. You will serve as a witness that I have bound myself to my humans."


"You are certain, Pennim?" the silver dragon questioned in puzzlement.


"I am certain, Rogoss. This is my destiny."


"Very well. I will serve as witness as will our companions."


Pennim faced Taranis and Pryderi, bowing his head until it touched the ground. "My Beloved Partners I will spend eternity holding you to my heart, protecting you beneath my wings, loving you with all my soul."

Taranis fell to his knees in shock. "Pennim, my friend, what have you done?"

Pryderi smiled though tears trickled down her cheek. "He has bound himself to us for as long as we live." She took Taranis' hand and held it out palm up to Pennim. "We accept your vow."

Pennin squeezed two tears from his golden eyes. They dropped onto Taranis' and Pryderi's palms, sizzling in the silence. Then a single glittering green stone appeared embedded on each palm. "Thus are we bound." He rose, arching his wings above them. "Now, we will rest."

To be continued...

Anny

Stop by Amarinda's Place to see if it's raining in Oz at www.amarindajones.blogspot.com and then pop over to Kelly's Blog for her Sunday Quote at www.kkirch.blogspot.com Blessings on your day!

Mid-week News AND Pryderi the Precious Part 3

Pryderi swayed in shock. The King quickly offered her his arm in support even as he stared down at his former vassel with a pleased smile. Taranis had just sworn not a vow of service as the little Precious had requested, but a vow of the heart that bound him to her as long as he lived. "This is your wish, Taranis?"

"With all my heart." Taranis still knelt before his King and Pryderi, head bowed as he waited for Pryderi to say the words required by tradition if she would accept his vow.

Drawing a deep cleansing breath, she straightened her spine, standing as tall as she could. With a tremble in her soft voice she said, "My darling I could spend eternity holding you to my heart, protecting you with my sword, loving you with all my soul." She plucked the Precious Amulet of Power from around her neck and carefully slid it over his head until it rested in the hollow of his throat. "I place my heart in your hands."

Immediately, he jumped to his feet. Solemnly, he regarded his new partner and mate, unable to realize the powerful changes she had wrought in his heart and soul. He drew his second sword and offered it to her, supporting it on his open palms. When she lifted it from his hands, he said, "I place my heart in your hands."

She sheathed the sword on her back in her scarred and battered battle harness where it slid home, as though created for her. Taranis slipped a gentle finger beneath her chin and tilted her head back. With a tiny smile, he bent his head and kissed her soft pink lips, thinking to afford her a new pleasure. To his enduring astonishment, she flung her arms around his neck and introduced him to an entirely different picture of Pryderi the Precious.

She tasted him with a tongue that flickered from one point of interest to the next, always just ahead of him, savoring the firm lips, the silken curve of his ears, the high ruddy cheekbones. With lazy humor Taranis enjoyed her wandering explorations. Then he captured her lips in a kiss that demonstrated his possessive feelings quite clearly.

Not bothering to hide his amusement, the King inquired, "Will you be staying for the feast? Or will you take Pryderi to the Sanctuary?"

Taranis reluctantly released Pryderi and lifted his head. With a deep sigh, he said, "It would seem best to ask what service we are to perform for you, my King. It was at your request that I fetched Pryderi. How may we serve you now?"

"Oh, I think you've served me very well indeed," the King said. "I hoped that you might find a bond that would make both of your happy. And I see that my hopes were met." He nodded. "Go. Take what time I can spare you. Too soon I will send you into battle."

To be continued...

What could you spend an eternity doing? What is your passion? Your hunger? Your deepest desire? Each day beginning February 5 and running through February 14 one of the ten authors will complete the line, "My darling I could spend eternity…" on either their blog or website. Collect all ten answers and e-mail them to anny@annycook.com with Eternally Yours in the subject line to win some hot, romantic books. There will be three lucky Valentine winners.

The prizes –1st prize--5 books

2nd prize--3 books

3rd prize--2 books
Entries must be in by February 16 at midnight EST. All books and prize winners will be drawn randomly.

Sandra Cox Silverhills
Mona Risk To Love a Hero
Brynn Paulin Tribute For the Goddess
Bronwyn Green Mystic Circle
Cindy Spencer Pape Stone and Earth
N.J. Walters Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke
Elyssa Edwards Mating Stone
Amarinda Jones Shades of Gray
Kelly Kirch Time for Love
Anny Cook Honeysuckle

Don't forget to stop by my website at www.annycook.com and check out the February Scavenger Hunt at the contest box. The deadline for this week is Friday night at midnight EST. Details are in the box!

Anny

Congratulations to Amarinda on her release of Shades of Gray! Excellent, excellent book. Loved her vampires! And Temperance was a wonderful, fiesty heroine. Stop by her blog at www.amarindajones.blogspot.com to read a great excerpt. Then pop over to Kelly's blog at www.kkirch.blogspot.com to see what she might be up to on this cold and snowy Thursday. As always, Blessings on your day!

Eternally Yours Contest AND Pryderi the Precious Pt 2

What could you spend an eternity doing? What is your passion? Your hunger? Your deepest desire? Each day beginning February 5 and running through February 14 one of the ten authors will complete the line, "My darling I could spend eternity…" on either their blog or website. Collect all ten answers and e-mail them to anny@annycook.com with Eternally Yours in the subject line to win some hot, romantic books. There will be three lucky Valentine winners.

The prizes –1st prize--5 books

2nd prize--3 books

3rd prize--2 books
Entries must be in by February 16 at midnight EST. All books and prize winners will be drawn randomly.

Sandra Cox Silverhills
Mona Risk To Love a Hero
Brynn Paulin Tribute For the Goddess
Bronwyn Green Mystic Circle
Cindy Spencer Pape Stone and Earth
N.J. Walters Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke
Elyssa Edwards Mating Stone
Amarinda Jones Shades of Gray
Kelly Kirch Time for Love

Anny Cook Honeysuckle

Pennim the Great, Dragon Warrior for the King raced across the sky skimming past the lush valleys and river deltas, passing over the tower mountains and wide plains until he reached the glittering Forbidden Sea. Pryderi gasped and clung tighter to Taranis when she realized the huge dragon was heading out to sea.

"Fear not, Precious One. Pennim will deliver us to our destination safely!" Taranis shouted over his shoulder.

Pryderi trembled with fear, but she forced the words from her throat. "All will be well!"

He barely caught the words as the wind streamed past them, whipping her long hair in a silken tangle. Taranis grinned as he shook his head in amazement. He could feel her trembling, yet he admired her courageous words. Perhaps there was more to this little Precious than met the eye. Usually a Precious was protected and cosseted, but the little one wore a battle harness--a sturdy, well-made battle harness that had seen hard use. And the King was not known for his altruistic rescue of the odd Precious here and there. Generally, King Bachat had little use for the gentle souls of the Precious community.

Suddenly, over Taranis' shoulder, Pryderi glimpsed the most astonishing sight. An enormous towering white castle floated on the green sea with high pointed battlements piercing the dark golden evening sky. Thousands of lights twinkled from numberless windows and all around the castle hundreds of dragons in every color of the rainbow floated through the air and rested on the sea.

"Where are we going?" Pryderi shouted in Taranis' ear.

"To see the King, of course. He charged me with your rescue." He could feel the weight of her soft body against his back as she clung to him with her legs wrapped close to his thighs. He reached down and gently patted her knee. "I will keep you safe," he assured her as Pennim smoothly glided down to land next to the Castle steps.

Taranis slid from Pennim's back and reached up to lift Pryderi down. She regarded his beautiful masculine contenance for a few moments before commenting gravely, "Or perhaps it is I who will keep you safe. It is best not to make promises you might not be able to keep."

"Ho, little sprite! Aren't you a spirited darling! How would you propose to keep me safe?" Taranis demanded with a chuckle. "You barely reach my shoulder!"

"Ahhh," she said with a thoughtful nod. "That would explain it."

"What? Explain what?"

With a swift deft twist of her hip and ankle, she tumbled him to the landing platform, rolled him to his chest and captured his arms in a painful locking hold. Leaning over so that her soft lips brushed his ear, she whispered, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

Taranis, torn between laughter and righteous anger, chose humor. There was definitely more to the little Precious--much, much more than he had imagined. "What must I do to redeem myself?" he inquired with a cheerful grin.

"I would have a vow of service, Sir Knight."

He inhaled sharply. A vow of service was no light thing to engage in. He was already vowed to the King. Without the King's release, he was not free to offer his vow to Pryderi the Precious.

Then a deep voice pronounced the formal words of ritual. "I release you, Taranis the Bold, that you might offer a vow of service to Pryderi the Precious," the King said solemnly. "Will you vow?"

After a few long moments, Taranis nodded. "I will vow."

"Then release him, Pryderi, that he might say the words."

Immediately she released him and stepped to the King's side. Taranis rolled to his feet, regarded her with serious eyes and then knelt before her. In a voice made husky by emotion and passion, he said, "My darling I could spend eternity holding you to my heart, protecting you with my sword, loving you with all my soul."

To be continued...

Anny

Don't forget to stop by Amarinda's Place at www.amarindajones.blogspot.com to check out the latest in Aussieland. Then pop over to Kelly's Blog to see if she's recovered from the neverending chat at www.kkirch.blogspot.com Blessings on your day!

Pryderi, Precious of Power

Pryderi the Precious ran lightly through the dark wood, desperately fleeing the the castle. As she flew down the crooked, leaf strewn path, far behind her she could hear the roar of the goblins as they crashed through the woods in pursuit.

Abruptly the woods opened onto a broad clearing. She rushed across the opening only to find herself on the edge of a high cliff with no visible means of escape. Frantically, she searched for a way to cross the chasm to the other side. The sounds of the goblin's pursuit was growing ever louder by the minute.

Pryderi resisted the urge to slap her hand to her forehead and declare "Woe is me" like some fairytale heroine. Everyone knew that fairytales didn't exist and besides, she was no wimpy too-dumb-to-live heroine. Tears would probably feel good, but at this point were likely counterproductive. Running along the edge of the cliff, she determined that she would leap into the chasm before she would let the goblins take her back to the castle. Only evil awaited her there.

The howling goblins broke from the woods, halting just outside of the treeline. Everything stopped. She could hear the heavy snorting and panting of the goblins as they waited impatiently in the semicircle that blocked all avenues of escape. Then two of them sidled hastily out of the way of the man who strode out into the clearing. Prince Pookookhan.

Pryderi shuddered.

"Come now, Pryderi. Surely you didn't think I would let you escape?" His eerie maniacal laughter rang out, echoing from the surrounding cliffs. "Every year there are fewer and fewer young men and women who embrace the life of a Precious. Imagine how delighted I was to hear of your sojourn through this part of the kingdom."

She ignored him, focusing all of her attention on the goblins waiting in the shadows. They were the immediate danger. Prince Pookookhan would never lay one of his pale green hands on her without a writ of bondage. That would be to write his own death sentence. But something told her that the writ of bondage was even now traveling down the high road in the pack of a courier from the High Court.

She backed up, one cautious step at a time until her heels were hanging over the cliff. It was important to know just how close she was. After all, one did not easily throw life away as long as there were other options.

With a blinding flash, the heavens split apart and a black haired knight appeared, bearing a mighty sword and seated on a terrible scarlet dragon that flew down to stand between Pryderi and her pursurers. The knight leaned down, snatching Pryderi up by the empty battle harness she still wore. Though the goblins had taken her sword when they captured her, the battle harness was of no interest to them. The knight plopped her behind him as the dragon soared with tremendous beats of his powerful wings.

There was a roar of thunder and then with a crack and sizzle they disappeared in a shower of glittering fireworks as the goblins rushed to the edge of the cliff. Prince Pookookhan screamed "No!" as he saw his plans literally vanish before his eyes.

Pryderi clung to the knight's waist with all her strength as the dragon shot across the sky. The knight glanced over his shoooulder at the woman the High Council sent him to save. She was very beautiful, he observed with a sneer. Of course she was. No Precious was ugly. Her long black hair flowed out behind her in the wind as they flew further and further from Prince Pookookhan.

"Thank you for saving me!" she shouted.

Well, he thought. At least she has manners. "You are welcome. I am Taranis and the beast you ride upon is Pennim the Great."

...to be continued."

Anny

http://www.amarindajones.blogspot.com/

http://www.kkirch.blogspot.com/

Only two more days! What could you spend an eternity doing? What is your passion? Your hunger? Your deepest desire? Each day beginning February 5 and running through February 14 one of the ten authors will complete the line, "My darling I could spend eternity…" on either their blog or website. Collect all ten answers and e-mail them to anny@annycook.com with Eternally Yours in the subject line to win some hot, romantic books. There will be three lucky Valentine winners.

The prizes –1st prize--5 books

2nd prize--3 books

3rd prize--2 books
Entries must be in by February 16 at midnight EST. All books and prize winners will be drawn randomly.

Sandra Cox Silverhills
Mona Risk To Love a Hero
Brynn Paulin Tribute For the Goddess
Bronwyn Green Mystic Circle
Cindy Spencer Pape Stone and Earth
N.J. Walters Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke
Elyssa Edwards Mating Stone
Amarinda Jones Shades of Gray
Kelly Kirch Time for Love Anny Cook Honeysuckle