The Book
Dragons, battles, a deal Sam may come to regret, and a Siren attack, leave Sam and Bob in danger, and Mikhail finding a mate.
Bob and Sam take their kind-of-adopted-now vampire daughter, Mal to look round new schools.
Mikhail is left to babysit the last remaining rescued child whilst they are away. When Sirens appear to steal her away he is left facing the attack alone until a mysterious hero comes to his aid.
Ryujin, or Jin to his friends, is a dragon shifter and his role as Captain of the Dragon Guard puts him in direct conflict with Mikhail.
The minute he sees Mikhail he knows what he wants. Now if he can only get Mikhail to see the same.
"....Talk about fun. And it had dragons too. What more could I ask for? Well, that would be a well written plot, good characters with nicely developed personalities and a smooth flow. Well, guess what? I got it...."
End Street Detective Agency Series
Book 1 - The Case of the Cupid Curse
Book 2 - The Case of the Wicked Wolf
Book 3 - The Case of the Dragon's Dilemma
Book 4 - The Case of the Sinful Santa
Buy Links - eBook
Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | All Romance | Barnes and Noble | Kobo
Buy Links - Print Book
Volume 2 incorporating Books 3 and 4 - Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK)
Reviews
MM Good Book Reviews - 4/5 - "....This story is a wonderful addition to the End Street Detective Agency continuing the kidnapped children/ siren storyline while weaving slightly darker elements into it to give us an exciting dangerous story...."
"....I recommend this to those who love brilliant paranormal investigations, danger and mad dragons, new storyline directions, great characters, incredible hot sex and a brilliant ending that leads us to the next book...."
Mrs Condit & Friends Read Books - 5/5 - "....Ms. Scott and Ms. Kell make a great team on this book. You’re never overwhelmed with too much information and are generally left salivating and wanting to know what’s waiting for our intrepid heroes in the next book...."
Literary Nymphs Reviews - 4/5 - "....Talk about fun. And it had dragons too. What more could I ask for? Well, that would be a well written plot, good characters with nicely developed personalities and a smooth flow. Well, guess what? I got it. There are even some dark and dangerous elements to add some excitement. And I can’t forget the steamy sex between mates Jin and Mikhail...."
Excerpt
"And you’re sure you are going to be okay looking after our little guest?" Bob didn’t look convinced even as he asked.
"I’ll be absolutely fine," Mikhail said firmly. "It’s not like she does or says anything. She just sits there." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked squarely at the small blonde-haired girl curled up on a temporary bed with her thumb in her mouth. He knew absolutely nothing about children, other than that they were shouting, squealing bundles of confusion that he couldn’t quite get his head around. But at least this one was quiet. She hadn’t said a single word since being rescued from the docks and the cage she had been held in. The fact that she had been one of the children in the cages was another contradiction. He could understand Mal being in a cage—the small vampire was a spitfire and constantly back-chatting and by all accounts had made life difficult for her captors. This child, though—why would any human think she was threat enough to cage her?
"We don’t know what her species is," Bob reminded him. "I could stay here and back you up." There was no trace of sarcasm in Bob’s voice, but there was an element of slyness there that Sam picked up instantly.
"You’re not staying here," Sam said firmly. "We have two schools to check out with Mal and she needs both her guardians with her."
Bob muttered something under his breath but didn’t argue his position with any conviction.
Mikhail chuckled. Bob was handling having a surrogate daughter in about the same easy way as Mikhail was handling having children around him at all.
"I don’t have anywhere to be," Mikhail confirmed. "I don’t mind sitting and watching."
"See if you can get her to talk," Sam suggested. "We can’t return her to her people if we don’t even know what she is."
Mal ran into the room and slid to a stop next to Sam. She grabbed at his jacket to stop from falling on the wooden floor.
"Sam," she said quickly. "It’s time to go."
Mikhail waved them away and shut the front door after they left. He wandered through the house and spent a short while in the file room, but Teddy was lurking and the disapproving looks from the ghost had him leaving to go and check on the girl. For a while he hovered at the door. Sam had tried talking to her. Bob had attempted cajoling her. Smudge had even spent an inordinate amount of time winding in and out of her legs every time she stood up.
Still nothing.
Maybe he should give it a try. He did have one advantage over Bob in that his friend was a pure vampire. And over Sam, who was a human. Maybe she would react differently if she knew more about Mikhail? That he wasn’t pure vampire. Maybe she was a mixed species and had learned not to share that fact with others. A lot of paranormals shunned mixed race beings because they weren’t all one or the other.
It was worth a try at least. What did he have to lose?
He dragged a chair from the side of the room, then straddled it backwards before resting his chin on his hands. Where to start?
"So, I’m Mikhail," he began. She stared right at him and even stopped twirling her hair to listen. "I found out that I wasn’t who I thought I was. It was hard to come to terms with finding out my entire life had been a lie. People didn’t accept me. Even friends I’d known for a long time became enemies." Great. If anything, the confused expression on the little girl showed exactly how little of what he was saying made sense. "Let me start again."
She shuffled a little on the bed but still said nothing.
"I was about your age…well, ten anyway—hell, if you are even ten that is—when I found out my dad wasn’t my dad. Turns out I wasn’t the full-blooded siren, or prince, I was expected to be. In fact, I’m half vampire. Before I was ten you couldn’t have told I was different from other children my age." Mikhail shook his head. He recalled the teasing and bullying when he couldn’t master breathing underwater for long periods of time without using magic, and how he’d learned to pretend everything was okay. As the middle son to the siren king, Mikhail hadn’t been allowed to fail. Did this child in front of him have the same problems?
Mikhail sighed. "As I grew up, my vampire nature became dominant and my siren side became quieter and in the background. I know what it’s like to be different and to have to keep secrets."
Was that enough to communicate what he wanted? Would she see that he understood if she was a half-breed or unusual species type?
She uncurled and sat up.
"Eliza," she said softly. "My name is Eliza."
"Hey, Eliza," Mikhail said. He kept his voice low and friendly. "Can you tell me how to get hold of someone who might be missing you? Parents? Family?"
Becoming mute again, she shook her head, then clambered down off the bed. She walked past Mikhail and into the hallway before going into the bathroom. Well, at least he’d got her name. That was a start. She shut the door behind her and Mikhail contemplated what he was going to ask her next. Maybe a location, or a surname, or anything that meant she could get home.
I love this series and can't wait for the next books. Keep them coming.
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