***

  Nash and Scarlett’s story isn’t over! Find out all about the Silent Canines and how Nash does as the Alpha in book 2. Want to be the first to know when Red: Through the Dark comes out? Join my mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/bh8v_j ! You’ll be the first to hear about freebies, new releases, and pre-order pricing.

  Author

  Sophie Stern is an erotic romance novelist who lives in the Midwest with her husband. She loves hearing from readers! Please feel free to connect on Facebook or leave a review with your thoughts on the story.

  Books

  Other stories by Sophie Stern

  Billionaire on Top

  Dragon Isle

  Stepdragon (Dragon Isle Book 0.5)

  My Lord and Dragon (Dragon Isle Book 1)

  The Dragon Fighter (Dragon Isle Book 2)

  A Dragon's Bite (Dragon Isle Book 3)

  Lost to the Dragon (Dragon Isle Book 4)

  Beware of Dragons (Dragon Isle Book 5)

  Excerpts

  Did you enjoy this story? Want to read more? Turn the page for THREE special excerpts from my other shifter stories!

  The Dragon Fighter is the second Dragon Isle novella and features a strong leader who needs a human’s gentle touch. Will Emerson be able to find that in Janae?

  Red Says the Dragon is a historical dragon shifter story. This is more erotic than romantic, but there’s still a happy ending! I promise! When a mischievous princess wanders into the woods, she has no idea what danger is lurking in the darkness of the forest. What could possibly go wrong?

  Staff Sergeant Polar Bear is the first story in my Polar Bears of the Air Force series. When a single father picks his daughter up from daycare, the last person he expects to meet is his mate, but that’s exactly what happens. Will Heather recognize the connection? Can her heart handle loving an airman?

  The Dragon Fighter Excerpt

  This story features dragons, but takes place in the same world as Red: Into the Dark.

  Read the full book on Amazon here: The Dragon Fighter (Dragon Isle Book 2)

  Chapter One

  Emerson stared at the old woman in front of him as she listed her complaints. She was upset about the cost of electricity and the price of milk and most of all, she didn’t like having to pay taxes to live on Dragon Isle.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Helsley,” Emerson finally said. “I’m not in charge of the prices. Importing things from the mainland costs money and the prices here reflect that.”

  “But it’s not fair,” she whined.

  Emerson gritted his teeth. He would not hit a woman. He would not hit this old woman. He wouldn’t yell at her, he wouldn’t raise his voice, he wouldn’t lash out. He was beyond that. He was better than that.

  But he didn’t know how much more he could take before he snapped.

  When Mrs. Helsley finally left his office, she was threatening to move away from the island. While he said, “We’d hate to see you leave,” what he really meant was, “Okay, please go ahead.”

  “I’m going out,” Emerson grunted to his tiny secretary, Penny. She nodded, but didn’t bother asking where he was going or how long he’d be out.

  “I’ll clear your schedule,” she said simply. For that, Emerson was grateful. He didn’t deserve Penny and made a mental note to get her something good for her birthday this year. She put up with all of his crap. It was the least he could do. Maybe he’d get her a gift certificate to a nice restaurant off the island. Hell, he should just give her an extra week’s paid vacation. That would do it.

  Emerson walked outside and stripped, tossing his clothes in one of the many baskets that decorated the tiny village on Dragon Isle. The baskets each held robes that dragons could don if they accidentally shifted and ruined their clothes, but they also doubled as storage space for dragons who needed to fly somewhere for any length of time.

  Today, Emerson wasn’t sure how far he was going to go.

  Emerson wasn’t sure how long he was going to fly.

  He shifted quickly and easily. It wasn’t hard for a dragon his age. The older a dragon got, the more difficult shifting was, but he was still fairly young. He was old enough to be able to control his shifts, yet youthful enough that it wasn’t challenging.

  In other words, Emerson was the perfect age to find a mate.

  Yet somehow, he hadn’t.

  He knew when he took the position as clan leader that he would one day be pressured to find a mate. He just didn’t know that after a few years leading a group of dragonmen and women, he’d be wishing to find a mate.

  No, that’s not really what Emerson wanted at all.

  He wasn’t the marrying type.

  Yet somehow, after a long day dealing with dragons who just couldn’t be pleased, Emerson wanted nothing more than to curl up in front of the fire with a beautiful female and have her promise that everything would be okay.

  And how wimpy was that?

  No, Emerson didn’t need all that.

  Not just now.

  Maybe not ever.

  He closed his eyes and flapped his wings, leaping into the air, spinning straight into flight. Within seconds he was soaring high above the trees that surrounded the main village on Dragon Isle. Within minutes, he was coasting over the forest.

  The world was simpler up here, quieter. The world was more peaceful.

  Yet somehow, Emerson knew that without a female, his life would never stop being lonely.

  Too bad he was so damaged that no one would ever want him.

  Read the full book on Amazon here: The Dragon Fighter (Dragon Isle Book 2)

  Red Says the Dragon

  Kaira is an ordinary princess: spoiled, stubborn, and secluded.

  When Kaira becomes lost in the forest, however, everything changes.

  The Dragon of Naga, Sanguine, takes no prisoners. When Kaira finds herself in his lair, she begs him to spare her life.

  “I’ll do anything,” she tells him, and that’s exactly what the dragon requires.

  Red Says the Dragon is an erotic novel about a princess, a dragon, and the relationship they forge in the darkness of the forbidden forest.

  Want more shifters? Check out Sophie’s medieval dragon book: Red Says the Dragon. You can read chapter one here. The full story is now available on Amazon.

  “The forest is no place for a princess,” the King told his daughter sternly. Headstrong and determined, 19-year-old Kaira was not interested in her father’s rules.

  “There’s nothing wrong with the forest, Father,” she said simply, blatantly ignoring his comment. “And besides, Ian will be there with me.”

  She nodded her head toward her servant: the lowly Ian. The poor boy said nothing as the King’s angry gaze passed over him. Ian didn’t want trouble. He didn’t even want to be here today. All Ian wanted, really, was to run home to his mother and enjoy a bowl of hot lamb stew.

  Unfortunately, the princess had other plans: plans that practically guaranteed a delay in his arrival home. If she did convince her father to let her go into the forest, after all, she might be gone for a day or two. Maybe, Ian thought suddenly, they would be gone for an entire fortnight.

  And he wished silently to himself that the King would be able to convince his daughter that exploring the forest was a horrible idea.

  “Why do you want to explore the forest, Kaira?” The King asked quietly, returning his gaze to the girl. The dirt beneath her fingernails betrayed her luscious gown. She might be a princess by blood, but she was not one in her heart.

  “To see all that my Kingdom has to hold,” she replied without missing a beat. Despite the fact that she had practiced her lie a thousand times in her bedroom mirror that morning, both the King and Ian knew that Kaira was hiding the truth.

  “And what is so special about the forest this week, Kaira?” The King inquired, stroking his beard. His daughter reminded him greatly of his late wife: headstrong, determined, and stubborn. He remembered the day that his queen had begged to go into the forest, as well, though she had been honest enough to tell him why and smart enough to decide against it.

  “It’s just that,” Kaira paused. This was a question she hadn’t anticipated. “It’s so beautiful this week. The weather is good,” she waved her hand to the open window, where a gentle breeze was flowing inside.

  No one could argue that it was, in fact, a beautiful day.

  “It’s lovely out, Father. If I’m to be Queen one day, don’t you think I ought to know my Kingdom better than anyone else? Don’t you think it’s wise to let me discover all of the secrets that my land has to hold? Don’t you-“

  “That’s quite enough,” the King held up his hand and cut his daughter off mid-sentence.

  Kaira looked surprised: and she was. The King wasn’t one to interrupt her speeches, nor was he one to ignore her desires. There was something about the forest that Kaira didn’t know, though, that the King knew all too well.

  And King Liam was not one to take risks with his most prized possession.

  It was simply not his style.

  “Ian, leave us,” the King commanded. The poor servant boy stumbled over his too-big feet as he hurried to escape the King’s gaze. He closed the heavy doors behind him and waited in the hallway with the lone guard.

  “Trouble in paradise,” the guard commented softly.

  Ian just nodded.

  **

  Inside the room, the King was struggling to deal with Kaira.

  “Why won’t you let me go?” She whined. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted. You just don’t want me to be happy,” she pouted. “You wish I was boring and dull like all the lords and ladies. You wish I was bored.”

  The King frowned at Kaira.

  “You may not go to the forest, Kaira. There are wild things – horrible things – that a princess need not know about. The castle is where you belong. You have full range of the gardens and full freedom to explore the village, but the forest is one place where you may not go. I forbid it.”

  Kaira growled at her father, furious with his lack of understanding. Frowning, she turned and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her like a toddler who didn’t get his way.

  When she was gone, King Liam collapsed in his throne and closed his eyes. How could he tell his daughter why he didn’t want her to go? How could he warn her about the dangers that she was so frequently drawn to? He knew perfectly well why she wanted to go into the forest this week: trolls. It was troll season and all the best knights were out hunting them, fighting them, and killing them to prove their strength.

  He knew Kaira wanted to find a troll.

  He also knew that it would kill her in an instant.

  That wasn’t why King Liam forbade his daughter to enter the forest, though.

  In actuality, a much bigger threat resided in the mountainside behind the darkness of the trees: a threat that would love to get its hands on a princess, especially one as young and tasty as Kaira.

  Though the risk of being captured was small, it was less small when you were royalty. And though many believed the fables to simply be myths that had been passed on for generations, the King knew better.

  As a young prince, he had wandered too far into the depths of the forest and eventually found himself in a deep, dark cave.

  With nothing but his bravery, the King had encountered a monster so great that he had spoken of it only to his one-legged, dim-witted brother Percy who had died later that year. How the King managed to escape, he still didn’t know. How he managed to find his way home, he never knew. How the King managed to find a cavern that few had ever seen, he couldn’t comprehend.

  Despite years of searching, he had never been able to find the cave again.

  But he knew it was there.

  And the King knew that if he warned his daughter of a dragon in their country, she would be running for its cave even faster than she was running for the trolls.

  Red Says the Dragon is now available on Amazon!

  Staff Sergeant Polar Bear

  Looking for a quick, lighthearted read? Polar Bears of the Air Force is the perfect series for you! This series of four stories features sweet men – and women – who just want to be loved! Sometimes being in the military is hard. Being a bear shifter makes the job even tougher! Fortunately, the right mate can make all the difference.

  Get your copy of Staff Sergeant Polar Bear HERE.

  “Heather, can you come help me with this puzzle?” Judith called out from the toddler half of the Hourly Care room at the Child Development Center. Heather glanced over and nodded.

  “Just a minute,” she said. “Let me finish cleaning down the changing table.” She grabbed a fresh pack of wipes and carefully sprayed the changing pad before wiping it down. She dropped the wipes and her plastic gloves in the trashcan, then headed over to the waist-high partition that divided the Hourly Care room into two separate rooms for children.

  Heather liked the divider because it made caring for children who weren’t regular daycare attendees very easy. She could talk with the other workers and ask for help when she needed it, but she didn’t have to worry about the toddlers accidentally stepping on the infants. Hourly care attendees were usually drop-in children whose parents needed last-minute care for their kids. Since the CDC was located in the middle of an Air Force base, they had to offer flexible hours for care. Parents never knew when they might get called in to work, so they had to be ready for anything.

  She stepped over to Judith’s side and helped her friend and coworker begin cleaning up the puzzle. It was the end of the day and the children had all gone home. Everyone, that is, but Ava.

  Ava was a quiet little thing and sat on a little chair watching Judith and Heather work. Today had been her first day at Hourly Care, but the girl’s father said she would be coming on a semi-regular basis. Heather and Judith had both tried their best to make Ava feel comfortable, but they knew she was having a hard time being around other people. Her mother had died at birth, so her primary caregivers had all been babysitters.

  “Did you have fun today, Ava?” Heather asked, reaching for a puzzle piece.

  Ava just stared at her.

  Judith shrugged and finished boxing up the rest of the puzzle before sliding the box back onto a shelf. She stood and glanced at the clock.

  “I hate to leave you alone,” she said slowly. “But I promised Bruce I’d meet him at seven. Any chance you can close up shop without me?”

  “Yeah,” Heather smiled at Ava. “We’ll be fine on our own, won’t we, Ava?”

  Ava said nothing.

  “It’s fine,” she reiterated, looking back to Judith. “Her dad should be back soon and I know you’ve been looking forward to your date.”

  “Thanks,” Judith said. “I owe you one. He’s super hot.” Ava giggled and both women turned to her, then Judith blushed. “Oops,” she said. “Guess I need to watch my mouth. Later, hon,” she kissed Heather on the cheek, grabbed her sweater from a cubby, and left the room.

  “Well, looks like it’s just you and me, kiddo.” Heather said. She grabbed a book from a shelf and sat down at the table with Ava. Opening the book to the first page, she started to read.

  The CDC officially closed at six, but the Hourly Care room closed at five. Parents who picked their children up after 5:01 from the Hourly Care room would have to pay a fine. Heather thought about it worriedly as she kept glancing anxiously at the clock.

  She would get paid overtime for staying with Ava, but that wasn’t what worried her. Where was her father? Surely he knew the rule about picking up children late?

  Finally, at 5:59, Staff Sergeant Jake Adams strode into the Hourly Care room looking exhausted. He was in his blues, of course, because it was Monday. Everyone had to wear their dress uniforms on Monday to build morale. He looked uncomfortable and tired. He had dark circles under his eyes, but a smile lit his face when he saw Ava.

  “Daddy!” She squeaked, finally talking. She jumped up and ran to the door in the divider, and waited for him to open it. The door latched on the outside of the partition so toddlers couldn’t accidentally escape. At four, she was older than most of the Hourly Care kids, but the daycare manager had made an exception for her. Apparently Staff Sergeant Adams had some sort of special duty he couldn’t get out of and needed a little extra help with Ava.

  “Hey, princess,” he said, sweeping his daughter up in his arms. He held her for a long moment, then put her down and turned to Heather. “Hey, Heather. I’m so sorry I’m late. I should have called.”

  “It’s okay,” Heather said with a smile. She felt bad for him. His wife had died and he had to pull special duty with a daughter. Being a single parent couldn’t be easy. Though she was exhausted from being on her feet all day, she couldn’t imagine what he was going through. “No big deal. Did you pay Stephanie?”

  Stephanie worked at the front desk and was responsible for scheduling, getting kids checked in and out, and taking payments. She wasn’t known for her charming personality, and Heather suspected she was responsible for at least part of the Sergeant’s weary look.

  “Yeah,” he said gruffly. “All squared away.” Heather handed him Ava’s bag and they stepped out of the Hourly Care room together. She flicked off the lights and locked the door to the room, then headed out of the CDC with the pair.

  When they reached the parking lot, Heather turned to go to her car, but felt a soft touch on her shoulder. She turned. Sarge was looking at her.

  “Is there something else?” She asked quietly.

  “I just wanted to thank you again,” he said. “For staying late. And I’m sorry.”