Shadow Wings
by Raye Wagner and Kelly St. Clare
Self-Published
Book 2 in the Darkest Drae trilogy
I will never be controlled again.
A manipulative dragon shifter. A sexy phaetyn prince. Me? I shouldn’t even exist.
With peace established in Verald, I should be free; Lord Tyrrik is liberated from his blood oath, after all. But the freedom in Verald is an illusion. If I remain, destruction will surely follow.
As soon as I come into my powers, the blood-thirsty emperor of Draecon will know. Even now, he is hunting me.
When a Phaetyn prince arrives promising safety, the solution seems perfect. A little too perfect. But is the objective of our group security or something more? Because everyone is telling me what my goals should be.
Who do you trust when everyone has lied to you?
Should I listen with my head – or my heart?
I might not get a choice.
RATED: 18+ CATEGORY: MOOD:
Violence Upper Young Adult Intriguing
High Fantasy
Romance
Shadow Wings is the second book in the Darkest Drae Trilogy, and is co-written by Raye Wagner and Kelly St. Clare. It centers around eighteen year old Ryn, who has just been liberated from captivity with the deceased king, and has found out she is not only Phaetyn, but is also a Drae, the first ever in history, and will be coming into her Drae powers on her birthday. Along with this, she is suffering from a broken heart after finding out the man she loved was really Lord Tyrrik in disguise, AND being dragged into a war against the emperor that she really doesn't want to be in. But she may not have a choice.
Noooo! It's happened again! I'm starting to find that more often than not, the second book in a trilogy tends to get .... weird. Which is how I describe this book. I really enjoyed the first book. This one ... I didn't hate it. I didn't love it, though. It was just not as thrilling as the first book. Ryn drove me crazy (and NOT because she was having trouble with trusting Tyrrik, but because she was absolutely all over the place with her emotions and thoughts), and the love triangle was flat. The political plot was chaotic. It was just ... a lot. There was a lot that happens, but at the same time, it was boring. The last few chapters is where I started to get truly interested, and that is sad, considering it was the end of the book.
Will I continue with the third book? Yes. I'm invested now. I do find the plot interesting, and most of the characters are cool. And now that Ryn has come to accept certain things about her nature, I'm hoping to see some growth in her chapter in the final book.
Tyrrik taking care of Ryn during her first transformation
Ryn accidently sending sexy signals to Tyrrik
Ryn saving Tyrrik
Dyter trying to talk about binding with Ryn
Ryn teaching Kamoi a crazy dance
Dyter telling Ryn that Tyrrik and her are mates
Dyter losing his patience with Ryn and Tyrrik
Tyrrik letting Ryn hit him with branches while they were walking to make her feel better
Tyrrik and Ryn making out, and Dyter walking in
Ryn's sudden love for shiny things
Ryn: "Holy pancakes."
I was standing between two huge, onyx-scaled Drae legs.
Ryn: "Holy pancakes. Please don't squish me. The community will be devastated."
Ryn: "Why did you have to whisper that in my ear?"
His gaze dipped to my lips
Tyrrik: "No secret on that, Ryn. I just wanted to be close to you."
Ryn: "I'll ride my own horse. You just want to touch me."
His features softened, but he shook his head.
Tyrrik: "We don't have time to go at your pace. If we make it, it'll be just in time. Your energy is all over the place, and I don't want to risk a talon to the eye if I don't have to. The sun has already started its descent, so you'll be feeling night's call soon, if you're not already."
Tyrrik was right; I could feel something deep inside me sending tentative tendrils out. Something huge slowly unfurling from within, raising its head in anticipation. I didn't want to transform here. I accepted the Drae's hand, and he pulled me up in front of him.
Tyrrik: "And I always want to touch you."
Tyrrik: You are perfect, Khosana.
Tyrrik: "I guess this means you like my nectar."
I blanched
Ryn: "You did not just say that?"
Ryn: Why do you hate Kamoi?
Tyrrik: I don't hate Kamoi. I hate the way he looks at you.
Ryn: Why? You think I'd like his nectar better?
Ryn: "Don't you dare die, Tyrrik. I'm the only one who gets to kill you."
Dyter: "I don't want to speak about it either, but the males are closing in, just like your mother and I always knew they would with you being so pretty. We'd hopes your independence and bad sense of humor would scare them off until you were ready to choose a partner."
Ryn: 'That was so not how I thought kissing you would go. I finally contemplate forgiving you, and you throw up. That's not allowed. You owe me a real kiss."
Dyter: "Come on, Ryn. You're his mate, and he's yours."
Ryn: "Tyrrik. When did you know we were mates?"
Tyrrik: "When I first touched you."
Dyter: "You two have frayed on my last nerve."
Ryn: "It's Tyrrik's fault. He's sulking."
Tyrrik: "I'm not sulking."
Ryn: "Mmm-hmm, sure."
Dyter: "Enough! If you can't say anything nice, don't speak at all."
Ryn: "That's what we were doing before. You said it made you cranky."
Dyter: "Not cranky ... irritable."
Ryn: "So you're not cranky, and Tyrrik's not sulking."
Dyter: "Ryn?"
Ryn: "Yes?"
Dyter: "I love you. But shut up."
Dyter: "Rynnie didn't believe plants came from seeds until we put a pot in her room and made her check it every day for three months."
Ryn: "I thought it was a scheme to give the people of Verald hope."
Dyter: "You didn't know what a scheme was at five."
Tyrrik: "Wait. She didn't believe plants came from seeds until five?"
I scowled at the grin in his voice.
Dyter: "No one was more surprised than I to find out she was Phaeton."
Dyter: "Love doesn't mean you're perfect. Loving someone doesn't mean you don't screw up. In fact, I'd say the more you love someone, the more time you spend with that someone, the more you're going to have to say you're sorry. Love means you say sorry sooner because when you realize you've hurt someone you truly love, you want to do whatever you can to make it right."
Dyter: "I don't know what's happening. But I know I don't want to watch it."
Ryn: "Well, I think everyone needs to ability to protect themselves."
Tyrrik: "You will not need for protection with me here."
Ryn: "You won't need my foot up your butt, but it could still happen."
Tyrrik: "You are my reason for being, my purpose, my world. I would do anything for you. Anything."
Tyrrik: "I love when you blush. It drives me near madness."
Tyrrik: "What we share is real, Khosana. There is nothing that makes more sense than what lies between us. If I could choose anyone, I would choose you. I would pick you out of a crowd of thousands. Your Drae calls to me."
Dyter and I froze and Tyrrik raised his eyebrows, a slow smile spreading as he looked at the three beautiful sapphires on the stone floor.
Dyter's lips dipped into disapproving lines.
Dyter: "Please tell me you're not stealing from our host, who is also a king."
Ryn: "I wouldn't do that."
We all stared at the glinting gems again.
Tyrrik wrapped his hand around my waist, and my blush intensified die to Dyter's presence as the Drae spoke.
Tyrrik: "Ryn is indulging in her instincts."
Check out the rest of the Darkest Drae Trilogy
Comments