But please remember, you're not those Fae, and I'm not those dragons.
By Blood and Magic
Jamie A. Waters
Dragon Portal, book two
Kindle edition, 403 pages
Audiobook, 14+ hours
Published March 26, 2020
ISBN 9781949524185
ASIN B07XYCBKMQ
A priceless treasure is hidden within the ocean's depths...Sabine barely managed to escape from Akros with her life.
But the ocean isn't safe for someone whose power stems from the forests.
When their ship is attacked on the high seas and one of Sabine's companions is taken hostage, only an agreement forged by blood and magic may save her friend's life.
The pearl of the sea is also the key to the gods' revenge...
With the dragon portal failing and the gods' magic threatening to destroy their world, Sabine must choose between following her heart or upholding a sacred oath.
The cost of ending a centuries-old feud may be higher than anyone expected.
All magic demands a sacrifice--even if it's hers.
A brief summary, with spoilers, rolling in...
Sabine escapes the Wild Hunt by joining Malek on his ship in a quest to find the lost Fae artifacts that powered the sealing of the portal. She is joined by Bane, the paranoid and overprotective demon. Also, Blossom the pixie, and Esme the witch.
Then the merfolk attack the ship and Esme and a dozen of Malek's men go overboard and become hostages. Sabine takes over, captures a merman, and they negotiate. If she finds their missing mermaid, Pearl, they'll return her people.
Malek transforms into his dragon form and flies the ship somewhere to get repaired.
Soon after, Sabine, Malek, and Bane are taken captive by raiders. Sabine and Malek alter their connection marks, and the goddess siezes the opportunity to use their power combination to smite the entire raiding party.
Bane then chooses to go back to oversee the work on the ship as he's also *finally* come to terms with the fact that Sabine has no intention of keeping distance from Malek.
Sabine, Malek, and their cheerleader, Blossom, set off to find Pearl. They end up in a village on the verge of their traditional burning ceremony in which they set fire to all magical creatures. In return for aiding the granddaughter of a woman with sight, Sabine is given a hint where to look for the lost mer.
Malek uses what's left of his energy to save innocents, and Sabine once again alters their connection to give him the strength to get out of the city. And when Malek finds out the details of that significant act, he's not happy. She's disrupted the balance between them. He can pull from her magic at will, void her glamour, leaving her vulnerable. He pushes her to change it back, but that's not possible. So he offers to make it equivalent. Which she accepts. Only, she can't handle the intensity of the flow of his dragon power and it burns at her. Suddenly, Blossom, is darting at Malek's back, poking and biting and stabbing with pixie dust and yelling at him to release her.
And as I laugh I wonder... did she just mate bond him?
A few revelations come to light. For one, although Malek believed Sabine to be about a century old, she's only twenty-seven. Secondly, Sabine's father and brother aren't the only ones that want her dead—her mother did, too. Malek can connect to Sabine's consciousness despite their distance. A couple more unseemly characters, and they end up in Faerie with a gong announcing her arrival and recognizing her as the rightful heir. It's a short visit, but it ends with Sabine spearing one of the True Folk for corrupting the treeheart.
They reunite with Bane, who all but instantly throws himself into an attack at Malek. Dammit, Bane! The demon senses how much their connection has altered Sabine's magic. It's bound her to the light and as she has both Seelie and Unseelie powers... this complicates her claim to the Unseelie throne. Too much light, and she becomes her Seelie father's subject.
Artifacts acquired, in addition to the chalice in book one: Pearl.
4 out of 5 stars. And I believe we could have a new drinking game for every time Malek pushes Sabine's hair behind her ear.
Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook
Previously in the series:
