Sample Pages and Giveaway: Huntress by, Christina Bauer

Huntress
Christina Bauer
(Angelbound Offspring, #7)
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication date: May 25th 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Princess. Warrior. Dragon Shifter. Huntress.
When it comes to protecting her family, eighteen-year-old Princess Huntress is known for kicking ass, taking names and then kicking a little more ass, just to be sure. She’s the last of her kind—a glass dragon shifter—and no matter what the threat, Huntress always tracks it down solo.
Then Huntress meets the leader of the L’Griffe crime family, Gage Beaufort, who is a dashing dragon shifter with a knee-melting stare. The attraction is instant, yet Huntress hates it. Why? Crime syndicates hurt royal authority, which means they threaten her family. Long story short, being with Gage is just wrong. Besides Huntress already has a rock-solid life plan, and that’s to fight alone, forever. No relationships, thank you very much.
But when a new danger threatens the royals, everything changes.
Now Huntress needs a mercenary army and fast, so she forges an alliance with L’Griffe. To protect those she loves, Huntress agrees to marry someone she loathes: Gage Beaufort. But will the extra help be enough?
Even worse, Huntress’ family isn’t the only thing at risk–the same is true for the princess’ heart. Because Gage is a man who always gets what he wants. In this case, the crime lord desires Princess Huntress, body and soul.
“With Angelbound Offspring, every page is entertaining… an exciting story that unfolds with magic, dragons, a little romance and a villain to despise.” – Tonja, Goodreads
Perfect for readers seeking a clean fantasy adventure in the spirit of omegaverse romance
Angelbound Offspring
1. Maxon
2. Portia
3. Zinnia
4. Rhodes
5. Kaps
6. Mack
7. Huntress

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Huntress
Six Years Old. Ish.

Glass dragons sleep like the dead. I should know. I’m one of them. Imagine a snake who’s bigger than a freight train, and that’s me in my beastie form. Who wouldn’t want to look like that at night? When I rest, I curl myself up in a loop and cuddle my own scales. So snuggly. I guess other dragon shifters snooze in their human shapes.

Yuck. That’s all I can say.

Which brings me to this morning. I wake up, flick out my forked tongue and taste the air. Stale, per usual. My home’s a massive cavern made from metallic crystals that reflect at different angles. It’s like living inside a human’s disco ball, only less exciting.

Over the years, I’ve counted every rock and ledge in this place. In two spots, the wall stones even look like faces. I named them Walter and Stony. Spend enough time in a cave and all sorts of things seem to make sense.

Anyway, after I wake up, I go through my morning ritual. It’s a habit to scan all the wall rocks and see if anything changed since last night.

Nothing did. No shock there.

My roomie is a dragon familiar named Doofus. He’s super-small and still sleeping on his favorite rock platform near the ceiling. Nothing’s different about that, either. I’ve lived in this cavern my whole life with only Doofus for company.

In case you haven’t guessed yet, my existence is really boring. That won’t last, though. I have plans to leave this cavern and serve Jaya, the Hive Queen of the Glass Dragons, out in the real world.

But that’s a month away. For now, I’ll go through my morning routine.

Next up? Check myself in the mirror stones. Honestly, there’s not much else to do. And I really am a good-looking beastie. Like all glass dragons, I’ve a long body with grey scales, stubby legs, and huge insect wings. I can turn invisible at will, but why bother? Doofus and I have seen that trick already. Many times.

Speaking of Doofus, my dragon familiar is snoozing on his favorite ledge. Little by little, I uncoil myself while moving upward. Once I’m at eye-level with my tiny friend, I speak in a low voice.

“Hey, Doofus.”

By the way, my familiar is convinced that he chose a super-cool name. What can I say? He gets confused.

“Go away.” Doofus rolls over so his tiny butt and wings are facing me. “I’m sleeping.”

“I’ve a question for you.”

“The answer is no,” snaps Doofus.

“I haven’t asked anything.”

Doofus rolls over to face me. “Fine. Go on.”

“We’ve talked about leaving this cave. It’s almost time to join the real world, don’t you think?”

“Cave? Our home is called a honeycomb hall,” corrects Doofus. “Use the right terminology. If I were a glass dragon, I’d be proud of my hive heritage.”

“Hey, I love my buggy side.”

Glass dragons are like insects in more than just our wings. The magic of every dragon in our colony ties right into our hive queen. She’s mega-powered, which is awesome. But there’s a downside. If the queen gets killed without a replacement, then the entire colony dies as well.

That’s where I come in.

I’m a hive queen novice. That makes me back-up royalty. One day, I might take Jaya’s place. Until then, I’m magically matured in a honeycomb hall, just like dozens of other possible queens. Doofus is my familiar, which makes him my teacher and general handler. He’s also super bossy.

Speaking of Doofus, he hops up and gives what I call his smiley side-eye. “I’m waiting,” he declares.

See what I mean? Bossy.

“Fine,” I reply. “It’s a honeycomb hall.”

“Good. And don’t forget it.”

—end of excerpt—

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Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too.
Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
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