Zephyr of Fortune

** This is the original work of Rebekah Cook, any unauthorized use of this content is prohibited. This content may not be copied, altered, or used for AI training.**

I've been working on a new project. What started as a smaller fantasy novella has turned into a stand-alone novel. This story follows a girl named Xanuanda. She lives on a small island in what she calls "The Old World". The Old World consists of roughly eight islands and twelve smaller islands that are magically sealed off from the rest of the world by an infinite rift in the sea.

Xanuanda's life is filled with duty and servitude. The women of her tribe serve the men, that is their role, but Xanuanda's destiny extends beyond this small life.

She was born an elemental and not only that, was marked as a dragon rider. When her father, the Chieftain, brings home a mysterious egg, Xanuanda's small life in her village changes forever.

This novel explores how family bonds can change or twist in the face of evil. It features a strong female character whose goal is to liberate the oppressed women of her village and free the magic that has been smothered for too long.

There is a central romance that runs throughout the story and a love triangle element that will 'hopefully' sort itself out by the end.

If you are still interested, I've left a little teaser here, this excerpt occurs right after Zakar and Xanu have a moment of tension in the sea. The chapter prior to this is told entirely in Xanuanda's Point of View. This excerpt is Zakar's narration of the moment:

Zakar’s tenuous grip on his control had almost slipped tonight. He’d followed the pulse of the bond to where he found Xanuanda in the sea, channeling water magic without even meaning to. The moonlight reflected off the water and onto the warm brown skin of her back, creating an ethereal picture he couldn’t tear his eyes from.

He’d known she was disrobed and that thought was what pulled him into the water. The moment he’d noticed her kafta tossed unceremoniously on the sand, his mind spun with the thought of her soft skin exposed under the dark water. He wanted to explore every curve hidden beneath the surface. He wanted to find out what noises she would make when he did.

She was troubled and when she finally broke down and shared her burdens with him, it was like the golden rope of fate that tied them together pulled even tighter, searing her to his very soul. Something snapped into place in that moment, something he hadn’t expected. Gaps in his collective memory finally filled in and he understood, fully, what was happening.

Whatever cursed destiny the two of them had been dealt was weaved into time by something truly depraved. That his rider was betrothed to another was some sadistic game the fates had to be playing. Now that he truly understood what she was to him, what she could become, it seemed so unfair.

When his kind learned they could shift into other forms, many of them chose to remain human. Not out of fear like he’d once believed but out of devotion. Many married humans and even fell in love. Children born from these pairings were never dragon kind, but human with enhanced strength and speed. Some were even born with natural magic beyond what a typical human was gifted.

Xanuanda carried some of that genetic history in her. Her great, great grandmother married a once dragon kind male named Dromedai, the magic quite literally was weaved into Xanuanda’s very being, which explained how she became such a powerful elemental.

Beyond this history, there was also one rider, dragon pair that bonded in a similar way. The dragon was female and her rider was male. They were matched and bonded younger than most, when her rider was only ten. Their friendship blossomed and what was usually a solid brotherly or sibling like bond, for this pair, grew into something far deeper. The female dragon could shift form, the first of his kind to be able to do so. She, however, continued to serve as both her rider’s dragon and human spouse for the remainder of their lives.

His kind experienced love and chose it again and again, many chose the human attachment over remaining in their dragon forms. This was what he felt for Xanuanda, even more intensely because of their dragon/rider bond.

The thought of that Manriki fool laying one hand on Xanuanda was more than he could bear, especially now that he understood the fire that burned day and night within him. He’d thought it was a reaction to being unable to shift, his dragon fire impatiently burning in his gut. But it had been a desire for Xanuanda, a desire that refused to be quenched until she put out the flames.

Of course she’d refused his attempts to persuade her to run. He hadn’t expected anything less from his rider. She wanted to protect him. That was only natural. What he hadn’t expected was the soft touch of her finger on his lips.

The control he prided himself on maintaining crumbled like dust. Just the small taste of her skin, lingering on the surface of his mouth, sent his heart rate thundering and his blood pumping. He couldn’t stop his hand from holding her against his mouth. He needed to feel her soft skin beneath his fingers so badly, that he grasped her waist.

He wrestled for control over his movements. HIs mind and heart screamed for release. He wanted to run his fingers over the delicate skin of her stomach, but instead his hand shook as he gripped her waist.

When Xanu dipped her finger in his mouth, he was completely undone. A groan threatened to bubble from his throat, but he locked it up tight, giving nothing away. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from tasting the salt and lilac on her skin, just once. His tongue ran over the soft pad of her fingertip greedily.

Her breath shook with every inhale and his eyes traveled to her heaving breast. It would be so easy to take what he wanted. He could already taste her breath in his mouth and hear her small, whimpered gasps in his ear. His body practically vibrated with need.

But this was Xanuanda, his rider…..his entire heart. She looked terrified and confused. She’d been keeping her emotions so tightly hidden from him that he could only catch glimpses with great effort.

Fear. He could sense it. She was afraid. He forced himself to pull back and instantly regretted the action.

Once their physical connection broke, Xanuanda’s walls collapsed. He caught a full picture of her emotional state. She….had wanted him to touch her….to press his lips against hers. She was ashamed.

And now she was retreating, running away. The walls slammed back into place.

Winds and fire, he’d completely and utterly misunderstood her fear.

She wanted him too. Xanuanda wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. He was her great love in the prophecy. His heart soared, even as she ran like a scared little rabbit. Even when she closed off the bond. His heart flew into the clouds and danced on the winds that she could bend at her will.

Zakar only had one problem to solve now and that was the Manriki Chieftain. Xanuanda would not belong to him. She belonged to no one. He smiled, “Woe upon any man who harms the heart of a dragon.”