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Supreme's Kiss (Kiss Series Book 3)
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Supreme's Kiss
By M.K. Eidem
Supreme's Kiss: Kiss Series
By
M.K. Eidem
Turtle Point Publishing, Inc
Copyright © 2020 by Michelle K. Eidem
Cover Design by Judy Bullard
Edited by: [email protected]
All rights reserved: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without the express written permission from the author.
All characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is strictly coincidental.
License Statement
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Synopsis
All Kirall wanted to do was bring his mate home, love her, and make sure she never suffered again as she had on Earth.
All Autumn wanted was to make a home on Mondu, love Kirall, and maybe have a family.
While some on Mondu embrace and support the return of the Supremes, others do not. Not everyone is happy Supremes have returned. Change causes conflict. Lives are about to change. All is threatened when an Elder was discovered carrying a jewel that the Varana took from Autumn's brother, Jack.
The Supremes have returned to Mondu, and it has stirred up ancient animosities. Can Autumn and Kirall overcome them and return Mondu to the proper path or will they be destroyed, and with them any hope their people have.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
About the Author
Additional Books
Chapter One
Autumn's dress billowed out behind her as she stood on top of Kruba. She couldn't believe how her life had changed. It had all happened so fast. If she had it figured right, twenty days ago she'd been sitting in her apartment letting Kristy try to make Autumn look more like her.
Kristy had talked Autumn into impersonating her for the weekend at a swanky party where she'd sworn all Autumn would have to do was serve drinks, but the truth was it had been a gathering for aliens who wanted to have sex with Earth women. Kristy hadn't known that because all the women had their memories altered at the end of the weekend.
Autumn’s memory couldn't be altered because she hadn't taken the bolus Bonn had given her. It would have provided them with a chemical marker of where to start changing her memories, but medications made Autumn sick, so she'd faked swallowing the pill.
That is where Autumn had met Kirall. He was a Black Prime Dragoon, and even though he'd believed Autumn to be an Other, a race similar to humans, he'd claimed her as his mate. When he'd been threatened, Autumn, to the astonishment of everyone, including her, had shifted into a red dragon to protect him.
But she'd been hurt when she'd shifted back. After she'd been healed and while she was still unconscious, Kirall had carried his mate onto the Inferno, the ship the Dragoons had arrived on, and taken her home with him.
It was during the two weeks they traveled on the Inferno that she discovered she and Kirall weren’t mated because a Black Prime couldn't mate a Red Supreme, which is what she was. Instead, Autumn had to mate Kirall, which she'd more than willingly done making him a Supreme too.
So now Autumn and Kirall were the first two Supremes on Mondu since long before the oldest living dragoon had been born.
It hadn't gone as Kirall had hoped. His family hadn't welcomed Autumn into the family, and the Council of Elders had been convened where their mating had been challenged.
Autumn had quickly taken care of that, proving that not only was she a Supreme, but she was a mature one. That's when all hell had broken loose in the chamber. Autumn had seen the relay jewel around Elder Tove's neck, the same crystal that Varanian General Terron had pried out of Autumn's younger brother, Jack's, hand as he lay dying in her arms. Autumn had instinctively reacted, Elder Tove had been severely injured during the encounter before being taken into the custody of the Council Guards, which brought them to where they were today.
It had been two days since Autumn and Kirall had returned to their Lair, Kruba, on the highest peak in the Honali Mountain range. Two days where they'd loved, laughed, explored more of their new Lair, and forgotten about their problems, if only for a time. Ever since she'd discovered she was a Dragoon and accepted her dragon, Autumn's senses had heightened, especially her eyesight, which was allowing her to see where the boundary of Kruba was expanding right now.
When Autumn and Kirall had first arrived, Kruba's boundary had only extended as far as the base of the two mountains surrounding the Lair. Now it was expanding in every direction and was working its way up the next ridge. She could sense no dragoons living on the Kruba side of the mountain, but there were dragoons at the peak, and Kruba was not going to allow them to remain.
"You can control it, you know." The god's voice didn't surprise her, she'd felt the shift in energy and air currents that always occurred before Kur arrived.
"Control what?" Turning, she found the god, Kur, standing slightly behind her. The iridescent strands of his hair were blowing in the wind as his swirling eyes gazed into the distance.
"What territory you claim or choose to bestow,” he told her, turning his amazing eyes to her.
"What do you mean?"
"Kruba's ability to claim and protect territory depends on the power of the Hoard. You and your mate are the Keepers of the Hoard, and you have made it the most powerful Mondu has ever seen. So it's within your power to choose to extend your territory or not."
"You're saying I can choose to not force Prime Dragoons out of their lairs that were once part of Kruba?"
"Yes, you can allow one to stay while forcing another out on a lesser peak. You may also force one out and then bequeath the Lair to one you deem worthy. Another Supreme, perhaps."
"Another Supreme?" Her eyes widened in shock. "What are you talking about? There are more returning?"
"Unfortunately no," Kur gave her a forlorn look. "You and your mate are the only remaining Supremes."
"What? You mean none of the other Supremes survived once they left Mondu?" She found that hard to believe.
"Many did survive," Kur told her, "but the adaptations their offspring had to make to survive their new environments changed their dragons in unexpected ways. They would no longer be able to survive on Mondu."
"Then how can we bequeath peaks to other Supremes if there aren't any?" she asked.
"By making others into Supremes as you did your mate," the god told her.
"What?!" She stumbled back from him. "No way! I'm not joining with anyone but my mate!"
"Autumn? What's wrong?" Kirall demanded, storming out of one of the turrets. Ignoring Kur, he pulled her into his arms. He'd felt her sudden rush of emotion through their bond.
"Kur wants me to make more Supremes the way I did you," she choked out, surprised at how betrayed she felt by the god. She'd come to like him, but he was no different th
an Kristie, wanting to use her for his own ends.
"Never!" Kirall growled glaring at the god. "Autumn is my mate!"
"She is," Kur agreed, and his eyes swirled faster when he looked at Kirall. They calmed as he dropped to one knee before Autumn, who was still in her mate's arms, and met her hurt gaze. "I never meant to imply otherwise, Autumn. I would never use you like that, never ask you to betray your mate, not even for the survival of the Dragoons."
"Then what did you mean?" she whispered.
"That because of who you are, where you came from, and what you had to survive, you can control who becomes a Supreme just as you can control the extent of your territory."
"What are you talking about?" Kirall asked. "A territory expands based on a Hoard's power."
"And powerful Keepers can control their Hoard, so peaks are available for other Dragoons," Kur told him as he rose.
"You're saying…" Kirall trailed off.
"That you have the choice of who you expel and who you allow into Kruba's territory."
"I've never heard of that being possible," Kirall told him.
"That's because it wasn't, until you and Autumn."
Just then, a pulse of energy rippled across Kruba as its boundary came in contact with that of another. They all turned to where the pulse originated from.
"Krapis," Kirall and Kur said together.
"Krapis?" Autumn asked.
"Tove's Lair," Kirall told her quietly.
"It is the closest lair to Kruba," Kur told her. "It was once the home of Razeth's closest friend, a White Supreme named Virgil. He remained on Mondu long after the other Supremes left, trying to convince Razeth to leave with him. He thought that together they could find a new world and rule it. Razeth didn't want that. All he wanted was to find his mate."
"And he did," Autumn murmured.
"Yes, and because of that there is now hope for the rest of Mondu." Kur looked from the distant peak to Autumn. "Starting now, with your decision about Krapis."
"You mean whether I allow Maaike and Macawi to stay in their Lair or force them out." Autumn looked to the god.
"Yes."
"Kirall?" Her gaze turned to her mate. He would know the best way to handle this and the ramifications.
Kirall frowned as he thought of his answer. "Tove has powerful supporters who aren't going to believe he's done anything wrong until it’s proven beyond a doubt. And still, there will be disbelievers. Forcing his family out of their Lair while he's in the custody of Council Guards could be seen as a preemptive strike against those who oppose us."
"But allowing them to stay…" Autumn trailed off.
"Could be seen as us not having enough power to force him out," he told her. "Which supports his claim that pure bloodlines are stronger, and that you're not."
"He'd be wrong," she told him angrily.
"Yes," Kirall agreed, pulling her close again.
"What else?" she asked, instinctively knowing there was more.
"Macawi is going to stand by her mate no matter what, but Maaike may tell us what she knows if she isn't forced out of the only Lair, she's ever had. She would have noticed the golden jewel as she is… fascinated by them."
"You know this because?" Autumn asked, pulling back slightly from her mate.
"Because I would gift some to her whenever she helped me with a Heat," Kirall told her.
"You mean you paid her for fucking you?" Autumn all but shrieked.
"It's not uncommon for a male to do so," Kirall said cautiously.
"Do females?" Autumn demanded.
"Do females what?" Kirall asked, frowning.
"Do females gift males that help them with their Heat?" Autumn demanded through tight lips.
"No!" Kirall exclaimed in shock.
"So Maaike is a prostitute." For Autumn, that seemed fitting.
"Prostitute?" Kirall frowned at her.
"A Doxy," Kur told him quietly.
"Doxy?!" Kirall's eyes widened in disbelief. "No! Maaike isn't a doxy!"
"You're defending her? To me?!!" Wisps of smoke began to trail out of Autumn's nose.
"No! No, my love, I'm not." He ran soothing hands up and down her arms. "But Maaike isn't a doxy."
"Couldn't prove it to me," Autumn hissed.
"Perhaps we should return to the problem at hand," Kur said, his gaze going to the horizon. "What do you want to do about Krapis?"
"She's never going to tell us anything." Autumn wrapped her arms around her waist as she stepped away from Kirall and looked toward Krapis.
Kirall walked up behind his mate, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her back against his chest. He wasn't going to let her pull away from him. "Why do you say that?"
"Because she hates me," Autumn told him, relaxing back into his embrace. "She'll never do anything that helps me, not even to help herself."
Kirall thought about that for a moment. "You're right."
"So we force them out?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Yes," he agreed.
Together they both turned to face Kur.
"How?" Kirall asked.
Kur had remained silent during their discussion, allowing them to work it out for themselves the way true leaders must. Now, as he spoke, another weaker energy pulse was felt.
"There is nothing you need to do. At this moment, Kruba is taking care of the matter. Within the hour, Krapis will once again become part of your territory."
"You said it used to be Virgil's Lair," Autumn said.
"It was, but once Virgil left, Kruba absorbed it. It's yours again to do with as you please."
As the wind picked up, Autumn felt the need to fly. Stepping out of Kirall's embrace, she leaped from the platform, her dragon instantly emerging, and they took to the skies. Kirall's dragon quickly followed, and together they flew over their territory.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Hours later they returned to their Lair. Autumn was tired but had a full stomach. They'd flown over one of the many high mountain lakes in their territory that were filled with fish. Swooping down, her dragon had expertly skimmed the surface, eating her fill of the tasty treat.
Landing back on their platform, Autumn clothed herself without a thought. This time in comfortable jeans, boots, and a loose flowing shirt instead of the gowns Kruba seemed to favor. Stepping to the side, she made way for her mate to land. The flight had cleared her head and helped her see things more clearly. There was no reason for her to be upset that Kirall had once gifted jewels to Maaike. That was his past. She was his future.
"Autumn?" Kirall walked up to her, wearing the buff-colored pants, black shirt, and matching over-the-calf boots that always had her breath catching, concern written all over his face.
"I'm fine." She stretched up on her toes to kiss his lips. "Let's go inside. I still have some questions for Kur."
"You believe he's still here?" Kirall asked after returning the kiss.
"Can't you feel him?" she asked as they turned toward the door.
Kirall closed his eyes and after a moment, felt what she had. Kur, his mate was amazing. Quickly feeling and recognizing slight energy differences was something only the oldest among them could do.
"I can now," Kirall told her. "He's in the front room. It seems Kruba has provided him with food and drink."
"You thought it wouldn't?” she asked. “Kur is a god, after all.”
Kirall said nothing. Instead, he opened the door for her. It didn't take them long to reach Kur, having gotten more familiar with Kruba over the last few days.
"I was wondering when you would get back,” Kur said rising from an oversized chair that hadn’t been there before.
"You could have flown with us," Autumn said, taking the glass Kur held out to her before moving to sit down on a couch.
"Yes, well," Kur's cheeks darkened slightly. 'I thought the two of you would enjoy some time together alone. Your family is arriving later today, are they not?"
"They are," Kirall sighed, also acc
epting a glass before sitting down next to his mate. They'd been able to hold his family off since returning from Dramman, but the Council was set to reconvene as soon as Tove healed and there was still much they needed to learn and do before then.
"You will need them to be part of your Quora," Kur told them.
“Quora?” Autumn searched the information Kur had flooded her with when they'd first met, but couldn't find what that was.
“It’s what a loyal group of Dragoons is called when they are of different colors and status,” Kirall told her quietly.
“Mondu is at a precipice," Kur told them quietly, '"and what you two do over the next few days will decide the fate of this world."
Autumn gazed into the god's swirling eyes, there was so much to see in them. Creation. Destruction. Secrets.
"Tell me how we can make more Supremes," Autumn told him.
"How you can make more Supremes, Autumn, only you." Kur returned to his chair.
"You can't?" she asked.
"No. The act of creation is a mysterious thing, even for a god. While I created the original Dragoons, I am unable to create more from their offspring."
Autumn frowned, not understanding the logic of that.
"It is as it will be for you and your mate. While you will create offspring together, you will have no power over the offspring they create. It will also be the same if you accept my Kiss. You will only ever be able to select one Dragoon of each color to bestow your Kiss on. After that’s done, it’s up to them to continue their line." Kur gave Kirall an exasperated look when he began to growl lowly. "It's not the same Kiss as the one your mate gave you, Kirall."
"How is it different?" Autumn asked, placing a calming hand on Kirall's leg.
"You and Kirall shared a Breath Kiss. It is an intimate thing and helps bind mates together. The Kiss we will share shall bind the recipient to the level of power of the one giving the Kiss."
Kirall frowned. He'd never heard of this type of kiss before.