Dance of the dryad, p.1
Dance of the Dryad, page 1
Brotherhood of Blood ~ Wildwood
Dance of the Dryad
by
Bianca D’Arc
Copyright © 2022 Bianca D’Arc
Hawk Publishing, LLC
New York
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any or by any means, or stored in a database retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the Author.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
www.biancadarc.com
OFFICIAL BIANCA D’ARC NEWSLETTER
Could she really be his fated mate?
Captain Dennis Palmer is auditioning for a spot in the infamous shifter mercenary company known as the Wraiths. His first assignment is to track down the Alpha female’s long-lost sister and make contact. The leads are slim, but he travels to Sacramento and the one link they have with the woman – a record of employment by a small dance studio.
The ethereal woman Dennis spies through the window, teaching a class of adorable toddlers in pink tutus, captures his attention and stirs his cold heart. He’s not sure if she’s the woman he came to find, but he doesn’t care. He has to talk to her. He has to breathe in her scent and see if she could possibly be the one woman he never dared hope to find.
Then, a sniper’s bullet breaks the studio’s giant plate glass window and he leaps into action.
What is it about this mystery man that compels her so?
Sunny doesn’t move like she used to. Her days as a prima ballerina are over due to a crippling car wreck the previous year. She’s only just able to get out and about on her own, taking on a teaching role for her friend who owns the dance studio. When a strange man appears after the window shatters, she doesn’t know what to think, but her instincts clamor at her to trust him.
Why does she feel so safe with him? And why does she agree to see him again? She doesn’t understand her own instincts when it comes to this man, but there’s a tingle of magic about him that draws her like a moth to a flame. She has to find out more.
Magic, danger, and mystery await, if she’s not much mistaken. Along with the adventure of a lifetime and a man that just might be the one to make her life complete… If she dares to try again.
DEDICATION
To the voracious readers in my facebook group, which is called The D’Arc Side. You guys have really been there for me this past year and I can’t thank you enough.
Many thanks also to my dear friend, Peggy, who helps find the little bits of fun the typo fairy leaves behind during the editing process. Speaking of which, I would also like to thank my editor, Jess, for being such a good sport about editing a book during the holiday season.
And, as always, I dedicate all my work to my parents, who are both gone now, but who instilled in me a love for learning, for imagination, and counselled me to follow my dreams. My Mom famously told me to “Do what you love,” when I was faced with a job offer versus my nascent writing career back in 2006, or so. And my Dad always said “Reach for a star. The closer you get, the better off you are.” Both of them were much loved and are very missed.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue
Excerpt from Night of the Nymph
About the Author
Other Books by Bianca D’Arc
PROLOGUE
Previously, in Wyoming…
Sally cradled Leonora in her arms. Her mate, Jason, was going after the shooter. The bastard had hit her great-grandmother with a silver bullet.
“Leonora. Talk to me. Tell me what to do.” Sally tried to staunch the wound, but Leonora’s blood was like nothing Sally had ever seen before. It wasn’t red. The wound spilled sparkling, clear, sap-like fluid that smelled of chlorophyll and growing things. Leaves and light. The scent wafted to her, subtle on the night breeze.
“Silver may not harm you, granddaughter, but it doesn’t agree with my magic at all,” Leonora grumbled in a low voice.
“I lied before. I don’t wear silver jewelry. It turns my skin black.” Sally babbled as she tried her best to help Leonora.
“Believe it or not, that’s good to hear. It means you have more magic than I thought,” Leonora told her with a pained smile.
“What can I do for you?” Sally didn’t know what to do for a being like her great-grandmother.
Leonora was a dryad who was more magical than any other being Sally had ever known. Not that she knew much about the magical world she’d only just discovered.
“You must remove the bullet.” The vampire’s voice came from over Sally’s shoulder. Master Dmitri had snuck up so silently, Sally had jumped a bit when he spoke. “You’re the only one among us who is not poisoned by the silver. It might singe you a bit, but I don’t believe it will poison you the way it would the wolves or myself.”
“I see your point.” Sally searched her mind for what little first aid she knew. She had a small pocketknife. She reached in and took it out of her pocket. “What about germs? Should I sterilize this?”
“Infection is not a worry. The silver poison that is already spreading through her body is. Time is of the essence.” Dmitri sounded concerned. If a being as old and world-wise as he was showed concern, Sally knew she had to act fast.
She pulled the fabric away that she’d used to try to stop the flow of the wood nymph’s sap-like blood. It tricked down her arm and the ground soaked it up like rainwater. Sally could see the silver of the bullet, not too far down inside Leonora’s flesh.
Gritting her teeth, Sally probed the wound as gently as she could with the knife, coaxing the bullet out quickly.
“I’m sorry.” Sally cringed as Leonora’s body went rigid. A moment later, the bullet was out, and Leonora relaxed again. Her relief was evident, but her blood still flowed.
“Put the bullet in your pocket. Best not to litter the forest with something that could harm our furry friends,” Dmitri advised. Sally picked up the bullet and looked at it for a moment before tucking it away.
“Such a small thing to cause so much harm.” She looked from Leonora to Dmitri. “What now? She’s still bleeding, and I can’t seem to get it to stop.”
Dmitri crouched across from Sally, on Leonora’s other side. He took the aged dryad’s hand and smiled gently.
“So, it is true that dryads bleed tree sap. I’ve always wondered.” His teasing words brought a faint smile to Leonora’s face, though her energy was clearly fading.
“Of course you have, old friend. But it is too magical for the likes of you. If you’re tempted to taste, go slow. It could change you for all time.”
“What can we do for you now, sweetling?” Dmitri was so tender with Leonora it brought a tear to Sally’s eye. Could Leonora be dying? Is that why the ancient vampire was being so kind to her?
Sally wouldn’t stand for it. Not when she’d finally found her great-grandmother. Sally had lost enough people in her life. She wasn’t about to lose the only grandparent she’d ever known.
Sally called on her power as she’d never done before.
Wind sang through the leaves, whipping the forest into action. The branches of the willow under which they sat closed in around them, forming a canopy. A living, breathing, leafy green canopy in the night that blocked out almost everything. Only Dmitri and Sally hovered within, Leonora between them.
“I think your granddaughter is unwilling to let you travel beyond this realm just yet, my friend.” Dmitri’s eyes blazed encouragement. An unearthly light surrounded them all, painting each living thing within the dome of the tree in a hazy glow. Dmitri was outlined in red, Leonora in the purest golden green, while Sally’s light was more toward the muddy end of the spectrum, a sort of olive green that leaned heavily toward brown. It was darker than Leonora’s golden light, but it was no less powerful.
“Her light is that of the earth itself,” Leonora whispered, pride in her tone as she took in the magic Sally had called. “It can heal me, but not quickly and not alone.”
“Tell me what else I need to keep you here, Grandmother,” Sally pleaded. “I’ll do everything I can. Just tell me how. I know so little of my heritage.”
“And yet, you’ve learned so much,” Leonora said. Her gaze was calmer now as the bleeding began to slow. “This willow will protect me while you gather the necessary peopl
“People?” Sally was confused.
“Your family tree, my dear. You must find your sister and cousins. It will take a blending of all their magics with yours to bring me back. I can heal with help of the forest alone, but it would take many decades. If you can find our relatives and bring them here, together, you could augment the power of this wood many times over. For now, you must put me in the care of the forest. The willow will anchor my body to this realm while it heals. My spirit will float on the edge of this realm and the next while you fulfill your quest.”
“Will you take the gift of my blood to help sustain you while you rest, Leonora?” Dmitri asked in a gentle voice. “Fair warning though—it could change you for all time as well.” He winked at Leonora, bringing a faint smile to her face. One of her eyebrows quirked upward.
“An even exchange then? It’s probably about time we expanded the bounds of our friendship to include that kind of trust.”
Dmitri nodded gravely, the smile still touching his lips. “As you say, my old friend. I have long valued your presence in the woods near where I have made my home.”
“And your empire,” Leonora added with a weak grin. She was losing energy. Whatever they were going to do, they had to do it now.
Sally’s power flared along with her worry. That seemed to get Dmitri’s attention.
“Right. Let’s get on with this so you can rest more easily,” he said, his gaze moving from Leonora to Sally.
Lifting one hand, he shifted the shape of just one finger into a wickedly sharp claw. Sally felt the rush of magic in a way she’d never before experienced and saw the glow of red increase around his hand as he willed it to change. Before she knew what he intended, he used the claw to slash a fine line over his other wrist. Blood welled and he was careful to drip it directly into the wound in Leonora’s shoulder.
From about twelve inches above, he dripped his dark red blood into the raw wound as Sally watched, dumbfounded by his actions. Leonora wasn’t complaining, other than an initial hiss as the first drop sent up a sizzle as it began to react with Leonora’s chemistry. Sally had to trust that these two magical creatures knew what they were doing. She was totally out of her depth where vampire blood was concerned.
Dmitri stopped at exactly thirteen drops. He removed his hand from over Leonora’s body and licked at the remainder of blood on his wrist. When Sally looked at his wrist, the wound was gone. Not even a faint scar remained. Amazing.
When Sally looked back at her great-grandmother, Leonora looked better. Her wound was bubbling with pinkish light as her magical blood met and was aided by Dmitri’s. She stopped fading though she was quite obviously still in bad shape. Even so, the effects of the poison seemed to have stopped in their tracks. She wasn’t getting any worse, which was a huge relief.
“You’ll understand my inclination to wait until you are completely healed of the poison to complete our exchange.” Dmitri bowed his head in a formal manner.
Leonora nodded slightly, a faint smile hovering over her lips. “I look forward to the day I can fulfill my promise. For now, I must rest in the wildwood.”
“And I will guard over your resting place by night, my old friend.”
“The wolves will watch by day,” Sally said without thinking.
“Already you speak on behalf of your mate?” Leonora seemed amused.
“I—”
“Don’t worry. I approve wholeheartedly of Jason Moore. He’s nothing like the creature my Marisol chose to wed. He’s a good and honest man and you will do well with him. He will also support you on your quest, which could be useful. You two are a good match.”
Sally was speechless. Leonora amazed her. She was at death’s door and here she was reassuring Sally. Leonora was a trooper, that was for sure.
A tear tracked down Sally’s face to splash onto the leaves that were hovering close. It sparked silver off the leaf. Only then did Sally realize the willow was weeping. It rained dew from its leaves onto Leonora, though none of the three within the circle of the willow’s embrace were wet.
The silver sparkling dew was life. The tree’s life force—perhaps the whole forest’s life force—being given to the nymph who loved and sustained this portion of the wildwood. The dew landed on Leonora, and her body soaked it in. The dew seemed to be somehow preparing her body for what would come next, if Sally understood what it was Leonora wanted her to do.
“It’s nearly time.” Leonora’s voice was fading as her own power ebbed. “You must deliver me into the willow. It will hold my body safe for as long as it takes.”
Dmitri pressed a quick kiss to Leonora’s hand then retreated a short distance. He nodded toward Sally, and she took his signal to mean that it was show time. Now, if only she knew what it was she was supposed to do.
“Speak the willow’s name in your heart,” Leonora coached. Sally held tight to her hand, disliking the way her skin had cooled. Leonora was in bad shape. “Ask for its help. Send it your power to help it do what it must.”
Sally tried to do as Leonora instructed. She searched for and found the willow’s name. How? She had no idea. She only knew that when she sent her thoughts spiraling toward the tree, she knew exactly what to say. It was as if some ancient instinct kicked in and took her by the hand, showing her what to do.
Sally kissed Leonora’s hand, much as Dmitri had done, then moved back a few inches to let the willow do what it would. It was in the tree’s hands—or limbs, rather—now. As she watched, feeding her power to the pliable branches of the willow tree, small tendrils snaked down from above and wove a complex pattern under Leonora’s pale body. In no time at all, it had woven a sort of basket around her. Sally and Dmitri stood as one when the branches lifted Leonora off the ground, raising her to a standing position before pulling her into the heart of the tree.
She blended with the trunk in a flash of golden, green and pulsing brown light. A blend of her magic and Sally’s, along with a hint of the blood red essence that Sally now recognized as Dmitri. The power flared to a high intensity. It was so bright, Sally had to look away. When she turned back, Leonora was inside the tree, suspended in the trunk as it slowly faded from crystal clear to translucent then to opaque.
Before Sally lost sight of her completely, Leonora smiled. She looked stronger. Happy in the embrace of the tree’s ancient wisdom. Sally had touched its heart, its mind, and knew it would hold Leonora safe for as long as it took, sustaining her life with its own. With the life of the very forest around it, if necessary. It was her guardian now and honored to be so.
CHAPTER ONE
The present day in Sacramento, California…
Sunny was doing a favor for a friend, teaching little girls in fluffy tutus about ballet. It was more about jumping around in pink tights at their age than the actual art of the dance, but they were so cute, Sunny didn’t mind their ruckus. She could teach any class at this dance academy, as her friend had titled the small shop on the outskirts of an upper-class residential neighborhood. From these cute tots right up to the advanced ballet class filled with older girls, some of whom might have a real chance at a professional career. The academy was well-placed, and the owner had the right connections to get the girls seen by the right people in the arts world for auditions.
But her friend was at a business luncheon with one of those bigwigs and had asked Sunny to fill in for today, which she had done many times before. She enjoyed working with kids and teaching them what she knew. Sunny had gone to school for dance, back before the world had proved a bit too brutal for her gentle sensibilities. She’d earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance and was qualified to teach anything from tap to jazz to ballet. She’d even dabbled in ballroom a bit, though the competitive scene hadn’t been for her. She just loved to dance. Anytime. Anywhere. For any reason. Dance had been her life for a long time. Until tragedy had struck.
Sunny had been in a car accident almost a year ago that had nearly ended her life altogether. She’d been T-boned by an out-of-control truck, and she’d had to be cut out of her own vehicle. She’d nearly died on the way to the hospital, but with good doctors, time, and a lot of physical therapy, she’d managed to walk again. She’d only just started venturing out on her own during the past week or so. Dancing to her old standard was still impossible, but she had regained enough range of motion to show these little ones the basic moves.
