• Shop
My Account
  • Register
  • Login
Header Logo
You are here: Products Nikolai of Semar by Aurrora St. James

Nikolai of Semar by Aurrora St. James

Dragon King Nikolai Baudin witnessed how love destroyed his own father after the death of his mother and vows to never take a wife. Yet, when the little girl he rescued so many years ago returns as a beautiful and mysterious woman, he finds the desires of his heart overwhelming his good intentions. But when some of his people are found dead, Nikolai must face the possibility that the woman who draws him may just be the one murdering those in his care.

Arianrhod Deatherage has every reason to hate the darkly handsome king who saved her from a burning pike, only to turn her over to strangers and then promptly forget about her. But when she finds him again, it’s not hate she’s feeling, but something far more unsettling… desire. If he discovers her secret, she could lose everything. But when people begin to die around her, Aria fears that the past is repeating itself, and that the man she’s come to admire could be the next victim.

Can two souls who have forsaken love join together to battle an ancient evil? Or will tragedies from the past separate them forever?

SKU: B07G3RD6YY Categories: Fantasy, Paranormal Tags: alpha males, dragon shifters, medieval, royalty, shapeshifters
360 product view
0%
  • Description
  • Reviews (0)

Description

Find more from this author on:

Buy this book on AmazonAmazon
Buy this book on Barnes&NobleBarnes&Noble

Buy this book on SmashwordsSmashwords

Author's websiteAuthor Site

Find this author on GoodReadsGoodReads

Find this author on FacebookFacebook

Find this author on TwitterTwitter

Find this author on PinterestPinterest


About the author:

Aurrora St. James is the author of sexy, paranormal romances. Her second book, Gavril of Aquina, received Honorable Mention for the 2015 RONE award for best fantasy/sci-fi romance.

She has loved ghosts, graveyards, curses, gypsies, magic, vampires, and haunted houses for as long as she can remember. Not to mention archaeology, pirates, lost treasure, lost lands, and pretty much anything paranormal.

Aurrora loves to hear from her readers. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, or her website www.aurrorastjames.com.

What inspired you to write your book?

This book is the re-imagining of a tale I created many years ago while watching a favorite television program (which had absolutely nothing to do with a desert kingdom or dragon shape-shifters). But out of that TV show grew a small group of writers who took the show's characters and put them into an entirely new setting, and spun new tales.

During that particular time of my life, I was going through some personal issues, and rediscovered my love for writing. You could say that the TV show and the stories we wrote launched me into my writing career. I realized then that I wanted to be an author more than anything else and share my love of romance with people. I wanted people to read my stories and find hope for the future and their own relationships, and to realize that no matter where you are in life, you can overcome anything.

Four hundred years later, I've come back to Nikolai. It was such a pleasure to return to his character. He's as handsome and heroic to me now as he was then and, I don't mind telling you, I'm totally smitten with him! The kingdom of Semar is the same, as are some of the side characters, but the adventure is a little different. Niko's original name changed, but he's always had Arianrhod for his heroine, and their true love remains.

I'm SO excited to share this book with you. For me, it is a bit like coming full-circle, and yet also sharing something that has been dear to me for a long time. I hope you enjoy Nikolai!

Here is a short sample from the book:

Excerpt from Nikolai of Semar:

Nikolai kneels at the shore of the oasis just outside the gates of the city of Semar. His inner premonition – his Knowing – tells him that some, unknown danger is coming for his people.
—-
Niko knelt on the shore and trailed his fingers through the water, sending his magic into the heart of the spring, seeking the source of the disturbance.

“Planning to go for a swim before greeting your caravan guests? The market is set up,” Kiril said as he strolled up to stand next to Niko.

“I shall go tomorrow,” he replied.

Kiril said nothing.

Niko blew out a breath. Anytime his Second was silent, he was about to be lectured by the man. “There is something I must attend to today,” he said, hoping to stave off the rebuke.

“More important than greeting honored guests? More important than showing that you appreciate the distance that they’ve traveled?”

Niko stood and glared down at his friend. “Which of us is king here?”

“The one who greets the caravan first,” Kiril said with a grin. He stroked his short beard. “Do you think I could pass for the King of Semar with the ladies?”

Niko shook his head. “The water of the oasis is low.”

Kiril shrugged. “More people are about. It is to be expected.”

“It’s never low.”

“This is your sorry excuse for not doing your duty?”

“I’m concerned,” Niko ground out. “As your king, I should not have to explain myself to you.”

“As your Second, I shouldn’t have to remind you to do your duty and not worry over something as small as the water level of the oasis after a week of blazing hot summer days.” Kiril crossed his arms over his chest.

Niko stared him down. “I sense something is amiss.”

“There is. You’re distracted.”

Nikolai blew out a breath and reined in his frustration. Three years ago, he’d picked Kiril as his Second for his steadfast spirit and his loyalty to Semar. Those two traits irritated him now. The too-eager young man who’d joined his guard all those years ago had turned into a full-grown pain in his arse. “Half an hour.”

“Two hours,” Kiril countered.

Niko wanted to wipe the cocky grin off the man’s face with his fist. “One hour.”

“Three.”

“You’re lucky I don’t have you slain for speaking to me so. If you weren’t my friend, I’d have kicked your arse by now.”

Kiril had the audacity to laugh. “It’s never stopped you before.”

Nikolai shook his head, unable to keep the grin from his lips. “Two hours, damn you, and not a moment more. Then you will leave me in peace for the rest of the day.”

Kiril clapped him on the shoulder. “Agreed. Two hours is enough time for me to find something to keep me occupied for the remainder of the day.”

More like someone, Niko thought. Despite Kiril’s irritating habit of always being right when it came to Semar, he deeply appreciated the man’s friendship and counsel. Especially since Niko’s twin brother, Stefan, had been gone for months. He wiped his hands on his pants and followed Kiril toward the caravan.

Together, they wandered through the many market tents. Most tents had brightly colored curtains with little tassels welcoming people into the cool interiors, though some were open to the air to better display their wares. Sheets of fabric in faded reds and greens stretched over their heads, keeping the harsh heat at bay, and a warm breeze blew, bringing the scents of cinnamon, paprika, and cardamom.

Niko breathed deep as he and Kiril pushed through the crowds. Despite his words to Kiril he loved the scents, the energy, and even the haggling of the bazaar.

“I love when the caravan comes,” Kiril said as they stopped at a weapons tent.

“Such luxuries cannot be acquired anywhere else.” Niko knew. Stefan and he had traveled extensively before at last settling in Semar.

He left Kiril admiring a set of throwing knives and crossed to the book seller. Leather-bound volumes lined her booth and it was some time before he noticed Kiril standing over his shoulder.

“Surely you can find something other than a moldy old book, Niko. You haven’t cracked a smile the entire time we’ve been here. I thought that our agreement implied that you would enjoy yourself, however I now see that I will have to be more explicit in my terms.”

Niko snorted. Women followed their progress even now, and more than one had beckoned him with a sultry flutter of eyelashes or the accidental brush of their sweet bodies against his. He adored all women, no matter their shape, size, or color. Yet none called to him. None enticed him to look a second time. The interest he’d lost with Helene seemed to apply to other women as well.

“Allow me to buy you a pint of ale. After which you will enjoy the remaining two hours of our shopping.”

“Remaining two hours? I agreed to two total.”

“Yes, but you see, there is a one-hour penalty for not enjoying the first hour.”

Nikolai scowled at Kiril, but knew the man well enough to understand he wouldn’t win this particular argument. At heart, Niko knew that Kiril worried he took life too seriously. Perhaps he did. “Agreed. Ale and two hours of revelry.”

“You don’t have to sound as if I’ve just gouged out your eye.”

“That was the part I enjoyed,” Niko replied as he paid the seller for the book of fables.

Kiril laughed and they made their way to the ale tent, where many of his guard enjoyed a tankard and stories of lands far beyond Semar.

As they approached, a woman came out of a tent stacked with carpets. She held a red rug with bright cream and green flowers and lay it on top of the nearest stack, then disappeared back into the darkness of the tent. Wholly unremarkable, except that the moment she appeared peace flooded Niko’s soul. When she swept back into the darkness of the tent, the feeling sucked out of his body as if by force.

Niko gripped Kiril’s arm to stop him from entering the ale tent. “Did you feel that?”

“What?”

“The peace. Did you feel it?”

Kiril looked at him like he’d gone mad.

“Did you see the woman?” Niko pressed.

Kiril looked around them. “Which one? There are many. Did someone catch your eye?”

Niko shoved the book of fables at his Second and strode to the carpet seller’s tent. The peace he felt was like a beautiful balm to his soul. It soothed him for the briefest instant. A taste that had him and his dragon begging for more.

He ducked past the green tasseled curtains into the cooler interior of the tent. Bright lanterns lit the space, revealing stacks and rolls of carpets of all shapes and sizes. Rugs hung on the walls, displaying the fine quality wool and exceptional craftsmanship. Nikolai’s brow furrowed when he didn’t see the woman. Had he imagined her? Impossible. He couldn’t have conjured up the feeling that stirred him to distraction. She was here, somewhere.

He spun, taking in every detail, until he spied the slim gap between two hanging carpets and the lit space behind it. He approached just as the woman stepped through, right into his arms.

Peace flooded Nikolai’s body as her slim hands landed on his chest. The tiny amount he’d felt outside was nothing compared to the wave he experienced when his hands landed on the soft skin of her arms. Tranquility sank deep into every fiber of his being, caressing him like a lover. Arousing. Breathtaking. Niko sighed in pleasure and pulled her closer to his body.

She gasped at the contact, her eyes widened, and suddenly it was Niko’s turn to be astonished. Thick silvery-gray lashes and delicate eyebrows framed eyes as gray as a dove in a heart-shaped face. She wore a scarf around her hair, but it slipped back enough to reveal locks as silver-gray as her brows. Yet the woman wasn’t old by any means. She didn’t have a single line of aging upon her face.

“Remarkable,” he breathed, tracing the delicate arch of her eyebrow. “Like moonlight.”

Deep in his mind, his dragon rumbled a sigh that sounded suspiciously like a purr. He’d never heard the noise before from his other half. Whoever this woman was, she affected them both on a level he’d never known.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Be the first to review “Nikolai of Semar by Aurrora St. James” Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related products

Prev Next
  • Cover image of the book

    Mistress of the Maze by J.P. Reedman

    0 out of 5

    Rosamund Clifford, one of the most famous royal mistresses of all time—concubine to Henry II, the first Plantagenet King.

    A young maiden ruled by a grasping father who will stop at nothing to promote his own cause with the King…even using his daughter’s beautiful face and enticing body to gain high favour.

    A fearful girl taken by a mysterious messenger from Godstow nunnery to a Tower surrounded by a grotesque topiary labyrinth, where she must wait for the arrival of the master of the maze—not the Minotaur of ancient Greek myth but the bull-like Plantagenet King Henry.

    Purchase
    Quick View
  • Cover image of the book

    Ravished By The Kings Guard by Penny Black

    0 out of 5

    The King wants to invade the wild lands to the north, and decides to marry off his youngest princess in order to raise the funds. Feisty Elizabeth has different ideas however, so she works out a devious plan of her own.

    She knows Selwyn won’t take her unless she’s absolutely pure, so she decides to do something about it.

    When she creeps into their chamber in the middle of the night, a slip of see-through silk her only protection, the innocent girl has nothing but a barely formed plan in her head. She has no experience in these matters, and no idea what to expect.

    She’s been around the King’s five best men long enough to know these alpha males will be unable to resist her perfect, nubile form, but will she be able to resist them?

    After all, the last thing she expects is to fall in love.

    Purchase
    Quick View
  • Cover image of the book

    Kydona by Thomas Krug

    0 out of 5

    Named for heaven, the kingdom of Elessia once served as a beacon to the world. Now its name has become a byword for decadence. When Lord Prince Marcus hears the beginnings of a vast conspiracy from the lips of his dying mother, he sets out to uncover the motives lurking behind the war his father waged. With the help of Kaelyn—a sharp-tongued courtesan nursing a long-hidden desire—and Vernon de Gauthier—a near-disturbingly prolific womanizer with a weakness for apples—Marcus slowly unearths the truth: his country lies on the brink of collapse. And soon, the vanquished nation of Kydona will rise to settle a generation-old score.

    In Elessia’s debauched court, the threat goes unheeded. Marcus’s romances bloom and just as quickly wither. Blood is shed, lives extinguished. It matters little. Quarrel and murder, lust and love, right and wrong—the lines that separate these are hopelessly blurred in the throes of court intrigue. And the difference between each rests on a knife edge so sharp that even a hero cannot tell them apart.

    Purchase
    Quick View
  • Cover image of the book

    Turn The Page by Ditter Kellen

    0 out of 5

    Catherine Grier seemed to have it all—money, prestige, and a beach house that would rival the Hamptons. But an old scar buried deep in her soul hides a life filled with lonely nights and painful memories…until a dusty old book lands in her lap, sending her back in time to 1767 and into the arms of sexy Lord Bryne Adair.

    Purchase
    Quick View
  • The Lady of the Glen by Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple

    0 out of 5

    Top 50 Best Indie Books of 2019!
    Elayne MacNally knew one thing for certain: Her reputation as the willful harpy of the highlands was well earned.

    As the spoiled daughter of the successful Laird MacNally, Elayne got whatever she wanted, until the man she thought she would wed rejected her. Dejected and reconsidering her lot in life, her father comes up with an opportunity that could change the course of her life and perhaps her reputation as well.

    Declan MacCollough also knew one thing for certain: He did not want to follow in his father’s footsteps as Laird of the reputed “Beast Clan.”

    Following his father’s death, Declan had a lot of work ahead of him to reclaim any sense of respect for his people. Families had fled; fathers would not permit their daughters to wed into the clan. Declan wanted, more than anything, to recreate his clan into one deserving of service to the King. The first step Declan must take is to find a wife with enough backbone to help him tame his clan, help it grow, and gain back respect.

    Learning of Elayne and her reputation, Declan offers to wed the lass – an arranged marriage of sorts. With no other choices open to her, Elayne decides that the Laird of the Beast Clan is her best, if only, option.

    What happens when she arrives is a strange and passionate meeting of the minds between herself and Declan. Playing on each other’s strengths, they maneuver around those who attempt to prevent the marriage as a play for power. However, Declan’s past affiliations with the King are not welcome by all, and the challenges to their marriage become the least of their worries.

    Can Declan and Elayne trust each other enough to face the threats to the MacCollough clan and their very lives?

    Purchase
    Quick View
  • Cover image of the book

    Viking: Legends of the North by Tanya Anne Crosby, Glynnis Campbell, Shelly Thacker, Miriam Minger by Tanya Anne Crosby, Glynnis Campbell, Shelly Thacker, Miriam Minger

    0 out of 5

    Conquering lands, enslaving hearts… Four fierce Vikings from the frozen north find warmth at the hearth of their enemy.

    Three full-length bestselling Viking romances and one bonus novella by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling authors Tanya Anne Crosby, Miriam Minger, Shelly Thacker, and Glynnis Campbell.

    Purchase
    Quick View
  • Cover image of the book

    Breaking Hammer by Sabrina Paige

    0 out of 5

    99 cent sale for release week only! Regular price $2.99!

    He would search the ends of the earth to bring her home.

    Betrayed by the MC he once loved, mourning the brutal murder of his wife, Joe “Hammer” Holder is just trying to hang on to the pieces of his life. He swore he would never fall in love again.

    Until Meia.

    But Meia belongs to another man – a human trafficker with unlimited political connections and power, who ensures her loyalty by holding someone she loves in his grasp. Love is not part of Meia’s destiny.

    Until Hammer.

    Can love blossom in the midst of unspeakable pain and loss? And when Meia disappears without a trace, will Hammer’s love be enough to help her survive?

    This is a standalone full length novel with a HEA. The series can be read in any order,

    although it is recommended to start with book one in order to better understand the club dynamics.

    Show less

    Purchase
    Quick View
  • Cover image of the book

    Wild Ride (Ready to Ride Vol. 2, An Invitation to Eden Story) by Opal Carew

    0 out of 5

    NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY AND ARe BESTSELLER

    Her friend told her dreams come true at Eden,

    but this is more like a nightmare.

    Marissa is shaken when her bad-assed biker ex-boyfriend begins to stalk her. After receiving an invitation to an exclusive resort called Eden, she jumps at the chance to get away.

    But even in paradise, she can’t escape the man from her past. As he’s closing in on her, a passing stranger on a motorcycle pulls up and orders her onto his bike. Frightened and willing to take any chance to flee her dangerous ex, she does as he says.

    Her knight in supple leather manages to lose her ex and take her to a secret hideaway, but now she finds herself overwhelmed by his potent masculinity and submitting completely to his authoritative commands.

    Killer didn’t want to be her saviour. He had problems of his own. But once Marissa’s under his protection, he will do whatever he can to keep her safe. Even force her to face her deepest fears.

    Purchase
    Quick View

Book Categories

  • Collections & Anthologies
  • Contemporary
  • Erotica
  • Fantasy
  • Gothic
  • Historical Romance
  • Multicultural & Interracial
  • Mystery & Suspense
  • Paranormal
  • Romantic Comedy
  • Science Fiction
  • Time Travel
  • Westerns
  • Romance
  • Author Interviews
banner-01testtesttesttest
banner-01testtesttesttest
banner-01testtesttesttest

Top Rated Products

  • More Than Everything by Delphie Gray
    5.00 out of 5
  • Bad at Love by Emeline Piaget
    5.00 out of 5
  • Crashing Into Me by R.L JACKSON
    5.00 out of 5
  • Captured by Conner Kincaid
    5.00 out of 5
  • Forever Loyal by Sheppard Brothers
    5.00 out of 5
WantonReads.com supports indie authors!

for Authors

  • Submit Your Book
  • Submit an Author Interview
  • Get Featured Placement

for Readers

  • Discover New Books
  • Meet the Authors
  • About WantonReads

Thanks for visiting!

  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
© 2022 - WantonReads.com
View Cart Checkout Continue Shopping