After a long and exciting year, I’m excited to welcome 2024 with a new book and a teaser for said book. Reborn: As a Defective Drake Volume II, Part I will be released soon, but until then, please enjoy this sneak peek!
Hooves descend back to earth with a loud thud before the beast gives a wild buck. The forward motion nearly upends Cecily as she goes from pulling herself towards the saddle to locking her arms against the sudden reverse in gravity. Cecily shrieks in fear.
Meanwhile, Frost gives his own pained cry as a good portion of Cecily’s weight crushes him into the saddle. Fear and shock echo across their bond, but Frost can’t comfort Cecily at all as the beast bucks again. He’s too busy being terrified of this out-of-control pony himself to be taking care of Cecily, as well.
Somewhere in the confusion, he thinks he hears shouting and more equine brays, but he’s not given even a moment to think on them. Instead, the pony bolts forward in a wild thunder of hooves across the field.
Wind snatches at Cecily’s hair as she holds onto the saddle and squeezes her eyes shut. The two jostle across the saddle with each powerful stride of the panicking beast beneath them. Up and down, like a seesaw they heave from each thunderous movement.
After a few pounding strides against the earth, the pony gives another buck. Once again, Cecily and Frost are crushed against the saddle as Cecily attempts to hold onto the horse as tightly as she can to avoid being thrown. However, her arms aren’t enough to stop her forehead from meeting the leather saddle harshly.
“Ow!” Cecily shouts above Frost. Curled against Cecily’s belly, Frost holds on to her apron tightly with his claws. At Cecily’s cry, he forces his eyes open against the wind. From his current spot against her stomach, he can see the panicked pony’s head bobbing up and down in front of him and Cecily’s tearful face above him. She’s screwed up her face in fear and has squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as she can as she hunkers down onto the pony’s saddle.
Frost forces himself to take a big breath before squashing his panic. He can’t panic right now. He has an eight-year-old to take care of. Pressing himself flush against the saddle, Frost begins dragging himself forward against the rush of the wind and the pony’s wild pace. His sharp claws dig into the soft leather, the only things keeping him in place against the harsh jostling of the pony’s gallop.
Still, bit by bit, he claws himself up to the saddle horn. At another time, perhaps guilt would rise up in him for ruining the saddle with little pincushion holes and pulled leather strips, but today guilt finds no hold in him. Fear and desperation fill him to the brim and leave no space for anything else within him.
Once at the saddlehorn, he has a much clearer view of the situation. To the side of them, Ceasil rides his own white horse. Applette’s rapid bobbing prevents Frost from getting a good look at the man, but he can sense the man’s fear in his shouting and urgent gestures. Despite its rider’s preoccupation, Ceasil’s horse easily keeps pace with the pony.
Unfortunately, when Ceasil tries to bring the horse in close, the pony veers away with a loud, high-pitched whinny. Frost spots the old man shouting something, but the wind steals the man’s voice before it can reach him. They’re going much too fast to hear anything over the pony’s thunderous strides and the roaring wind.
Unfortunately, they don’t have much further to go. To Frost’s horror, the flat grassland behind the Snoweldon Fortress ends abruptly with only the wide-open sky and a steep drop downward awaiting them.
And so begins Cecily and Frost’s new adventure! Where will they go? And what will they see?
I hope you’ve enjoyed the sneak peek! Stay tuned for the cover release, pre-order launch, and more bonus stories by joining my email list.
I hope your 2024 is shaping up to be all that you’ve hoped for. Good luck achieving your dreams!
Happy (Belated) New Year!
Isekai Dragon 