Alliance

n bed?

Readers love the
Torsere
series

by
A
NNABELLE
J
ACOBS

“
Capture
is a terrific beginning to a series, and
Union
is a great, though
somewhat more sedate, continuation. I’m anxious to get more of the story as the alliance between Torsere and the elves evolves to its full potential, and the return of a deadly enemy guarantees there’s much more action and intrigue to come. These books are a purely escapist pleasure read, with characters who all take full advantage of their page time.”

—The Novel Approach

Book One: Capture

“The world pulled me in from the beginning and I loved being able to explore the dragons and their bonds with their riders.”

—The Blogger Girls

“I would recommend this first book in the ‘Torsere’ series to those who like fantasy, sword fighting, evil kings and intellectual dragons.”

—Prism Book Alliance

“Recommended for those who enjoy fantasy, romance, adventure and have the good taste to love dragons.”

—Gay List Book Reviews

Book Two: Union

“
Union
is a wonderful next step in this exciting, imaginative, and fun world. I loved this story.”

—Joyfully Jay

“Great book! I would definitely recommend this story.”

—Top 2 Bottom Reviews

By
A
NNABELLE
J
ACOBS

The Choosing

Not Quite Shakespeare (Dreamspinner Anthology)

T
ORSERE

Book One: Capture

Book Two: Union

Book Three: Alliance

Published by
D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Published by

D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS

5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886  USA

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Alliance

© 2014 Annabelle Jacobs.

Cover Art

© 2014 Paul Richmond.

http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com

Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

Map Art by Margaret Warner

[email protected]

All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/.

ISBN: 978-1-63216-426-1

Digital ISBN: 978-1-63216-427-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014945895

First Edition November 2014

Printed in the United States of America

This paper meets the requirements of

ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).

Huge thanks to my editor, Desi, for all her hard work through this whole series. Her help and suggestions have been invaluable.

T
HE
WIND
had died down when the sun set, and Nykin’s eyes slowly began to close, his eyelids growing heavy in the darkness of the night.

“Nykin?”

Nykin’s eyes immediately snapped back open.
“Yes?”
He blinked a few times to chase the tiredness away and let go of Fimor’s harness with one hand to rub his face. The air cooled considerably so high up in the sky, but the thick furs over Nykin’s uniform, combined with the heat of Ryneq’s body pressed up behind him, did a good job of keeping him warm. Judging by the way he’d nearly dozed off, too good a job.

“I know you’re tired, but you need to stay awake just a little longer.”

“It’s fine. I wasn’t asleep.”

Fimor laughed softly, the sound filling Nykin with warmth and making him smile.
“Of course you weren’t.”

Nykin had no idea what lay ahead of them when they eventually arrived back in Torsere, but up here, away from everything, it almost felt like another world.
“How long ’til we get there?”
he asked, trying and failing to suppress a huge yawn.

They’d only stopped twice since leaving Alel. Fimor had assured them he could easily reach the Stone Palace within a day if they cut across land for part of the journey.

“Less than an hour,”
Fimor replied, his whole body dipping slightly to the right as he adjusted their course.
“You might want to wake up your king.”

As if on cue, Ryneq’s hands tightened around Nykin’s waist and he turned his head to burrow deeper into the crook of Nykin’s neck.

“Soon.”
Ryneq had only fallen asleep about an hour after the sun went down, finally giving in to his exhaustion when Nykin insisted that he try to get some rest. A sturdy leather strap fastened the two of them together so Ryneq was in no danger of falling.
“Give him a while longer.”

“As you wish.”

Nykin fidgeted in his saddle, the leather cutting into his thighs where the straps held him in place. At some point after their last stop, Fimor had insisted he use them, and Nykin had to admit it was just as well. The straps went across the top of each leg, forcing him to grip the saddle and preventing him from sliding off even if he fell asleep.

“I can’t wait to get these things off,”
Nykin grumbled. He slid a finger under one of them, trying to ease the pressure before slumping back in his seat.

“You’ve fallen asleep four times since we stopped, Nykin.”
Fimor huffed, tilting his head to look back at Nykin. “
If you weren’t fixed to the saddle, both you and Ryneq would be in the sea by now.”

“I know, I know.”
Nykin shifted about, trying to get in a more comfortable position. His ass had gone numb a long while ago, and he hated to think how much he was going to ache in the morning.

“Stop moving around so much,” Ryneq whispered in his ear, his voice rough and heavy with sleep, and Nykin startled.

“Hey, you’re awake.”

“I’m not.” Ryneq groaned as he sat up a little straighter, then abruptly gripped Nykin’s hips, apparently realizing where they were.

Nykin chuckled. “Okay?” He slid a hand over one of Ryneq’s and tangled their fingers.

“Yeah.” Ryneq nuzzled against the back of Nykin’s neck, and Nykin felt him smile. “I forgot where we were for a moment.” He sounded much more awake now.

“Fimor says we’ll be there within the hour.”

Ryneq let go of his hand and repositioned the leather strap holding them together. He wrapped his arms around Nykin’s waist and sighed. His breath was warm, and Nykin wanted so much to be back on the ground and in their bed. “Have you heard from Selene?” Ryneq asked, snapping Nykin’s thoughts back to the present.