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promise, when this is all over, I will have to spank you again. His
warning came in a low growl.
 But¼ð
 No, none of this is your fault, do you understand? The one to
blame here is Markus Grekko, and no one else. Believe me, my
mate, he and anyone who is with him will pay, Kaden said with a
strong, dominate force.
Tears stung the back of her eyes as the emotions she had kept
hidden from Kaden brimmed to the surface.
 I love you, Kaden, she said quietly. Tears slid down her
cheeks.  I don t want to die without you knowing how I feel.
 I know, beauty. His tone softened.  You mean everything to
me, and you will not die. I promise you, I will not allow it.
He struggled to shift closer to her. The Ute bounced over the
uneven ground as it followed the Range Rover. Kaden grunted, his
body slamming against the back railing where she was tied. He
managed to press his shoulder against her leg. It was a simple
connection, but it was something Terrie needed. She would have
given anything in that moment to be held in Kaden s strong arms.
 I believe you, she said. And she did believe him.  I trust you,
and I am glad you bought Holbrook, Kaden. Even if we are in this
mess, we re in it together.
 And we ll get out of it together.
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Dragon Down Under
 It s going to be dawn soon. She glanced up at the sky. The
stars were starting to fade in the waning darkness.  Whatever
Markus wants to do, he s going to need daylight by the looks of
this stuff in the Ute. She kicked the long boxes of shovels, axes,
and other digging equipment that poked out.
 I wish I knew what was under that mountain.
 Well, whatever it is, we are going to be finding out pretty
damned soon.
 Stay calm for me, beauty. Can you do that?
She stared into Kaden s eyes.  Yes, Kaden. Anything for you.
It was a heartfelt promise.
* * * *
The small mountain looked more like a pile of massive red
boulders. The aboriginal elders had told her this was the sacred
mountain of a serpent god.
 How did I not see it before? Kaden asked, with a shake of his
head.
 See what? Terrie wondered as they jolted along at a snail s
pace through the long, dry spinifix grass. Her arms ached from
having been tied behind her back, and her wrists hurt from the
constant jarring of the vehicle.
 In some cultures, the dead are buried by laying them in
shallow graves and then piling stones on top to cover the bodies.
Terrie s gaze turned to the approaching mountain, and she
saw it with different eyes than she had in the past  and with a
renewed interest.
 You d have to be a bloody giant to move those huge things.
It s been there for hundreds of thousands of years.
 The time of the gods, demons, and men, beauty.
 Gods, demons and men? she replied with some skepticism.
The Ute came to a sudden halt.
 We are all the creation of the gods: men, dragons, demons,
and every other creature in all realms.
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Dragon Down Under
 He s right, Markus s voice interrupted, striding into view.  I
am quite the expert on mythology, and I have an extensive
collection of ancient texts. But my main sources come straight
from the demon s mouth, so to speak. He moved around to the
back of the Ute. Daniel and the rest of Markus men started
unloading the equipment.  You want to know why I ve been after
your land for so long, Miss Holbrook? This mountain is why. All
my research has lead me here to find the resting place of Gadealla.
Even Kaden gave him a blank look.  It is a name I do not
know.
 So many legends, along with the gods, have been forgotten
through time. But some things still remain, like this. The legend
goes that when humans were created, we were created immortal.
The immortal humans grew more numerous and began rebelling
against the gods. So, the gods grand scheme was to take
immortality away from us. Of course, humans didn t like this idea
very much and attacked the gods en masse. To wrap up this
shortened version of the Gadealla story, the big lug of a god is
supposedly buried right here. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]