THE FIRE LORD'S LOVER: Dominic & Cassandra's Love Story

Hello Romance Junkies! It’s such a pleasure to be back here again, and I look forward to speaking with all the wonderful readers that I met the last time I blogged here. And don’t forget to leave a comment, as my publisher will be giving away a free copy of my book to one lucky commenter!

During my month-long tour for my upcoming release, THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER, I have been blogging about the eighteenth century historical element of the novel and how I developed the fantasy world of THE ELVEN LORDS for my alternate England, and today I’m just as pleased to talk about Dominic and Cassandra’s love story.

It’s not often that a song inspires one of my books, much less a character, but in this case I did get a great deal of inspiration from the song MAGIC MAN from the group HEART. I kept picturing my hero using his magic like an instrument to seduce my heroine, and in the case of THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER, Dominic uses his yellow fire magic, which is warm and gentle, to do just that.

If you’ve never heard it before, here’s a video I found on YouTube so you can take a listen to this amazing song:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vlAdMeZSfw[/youtube]

Dominic Raikes is the tortured hero…literally. He has inherited the magical gift of fire from his elven lord father, Mor’ded, and has endured trials by fire since he was a lad because his father is afraid of his developing powers. The elven lords are careful not to let anyone threaten their rule. Before Dominic learned better, his father used anyone he became fond of to test him as well, and so Dominic has forced himself to care for no one, so they cannot be used against him.Lady Cassandra Bridges is the ultimate innocent; raised in a convent to keep her pure for her arranged marriage to Dominic, having little contact with the outside world. What makes her complex is that she has also been trained by the Rebellion–who fight against the oppression of the elven lords–to assassinate Mor’ded. She considers herself a martyr, destined to die young and resigned to a loveless life in the meantime.

But these two are kindred spirits, and despite the overwhelming obstacles against them they cannot fight the strong physical attraction between them, much less the melting of their hearts for one another.

Lady Cassandra is not without her own magic. She inherited the gift of the magical dance and was taught several by the Rebellion, including the dances of death…and desire. In a world of beautiful people created by the addition of the elven blood into the gene pool, Lady Cassandra lacks the physical allure of the average aristocrat, and her gift is one of the ways that she captures her husband’s heart, and as the story progressed I realized that Dominic’s gift could be just as seductive. And so I would like to leave you with a partial excerpt of the scene that HEART’S MAGIC MAN inspired:

Dominic stroked the hair away from her cheek, his fingertips lingering on the softness of her skin. He could feel the muscles in her jaw as she gritted her teeth. He slid his hand beneath the covers, along the smooth curve of her waist, over the sweet mound of her bottom. She pulled away from him. How could he comfort her if she would not let him touch her?  

“So,” he growled. “You do blame me after all.”  

Her voice sounded as if it came from a great distance. “No… I… I just wish the elven had never come to our world. With their games and their dragons and their damned magic.” 

Dominic sat up, spreading his fingers, calling forth the yellow flame from the magic that sang in his veins. The mellow fire played along his fingertips, lit their curtained cocoon with a soft golden glow. She did not blame him. Precious girl.  

He flicked his fingers, sending the small yellow flames upward to dance along the carved wooden ceiling of the box bed. He called forth the magic again and again, flicking it upward, watching it create a spatter of light that resembled the stars in the night sky Ador had just showed him.  

“Magic is not so bad,” he murmured. “It’s up to the user whether it brings pleasure or pain. Your elven love dance brought me great pleasure.”  

She made a dismissive sound deep in her throat.   He felt a smile curl his lips, looked down at her then, his ceiling of fire casting her in a golden glow, making her brown hair look like silken honey, her skin like shimmering silk. She still lay stiffly with her back to him, the covers snug about her waist, revealing only the smooth curve of her back and one bare arm.  

“Will you not look and see the ceiling of stars I’ve made for you?” he asked.  

She stubbornly shook her head.  

Dominic called down one yellow flame, his eagerness making it dance and swirl. It touched her shoulder, made a circling motion, and her arm twitched at the gentle tickling heat. He called down another, sweeping the flame against the curve of her back. The next one he brought to her neck, made it curve beneath the fall of her hair and weave its way through the satiny strands of golden brown.  

He envied his fire, for he wanted nothing more than to trace his own fingers across the paths on which he sent them. But he could touch her in a thousand places at once with the myriad flames, and it brought him pleasure to imagine her own. So he sent the tiny flickers to her more quickly. Some to warm her back. More to weave within her hair. Yellow flames wove between her fingers, lightly moving her hands as they spun within her palms.  

She pretended to ignore them.  

Dominic traced her cheek with flame, eased more across her lips, and imagined his own mouth upon them when she sighed. He made the flames catch the covers and lift them up, draw them down her body until he could see the curve of her hip, the long length of her legs, the small soles of her feet. A small shiver went through her from the chill air, and he quickly sent more whorls of yellow to caress her legs, play with her toes, flick over her hips.  

He narrowed his eyes in concentration as she continued to ignore his magic, ruthlessly skimming her bottom with tendrils of flame, finally sending some to tickle the crease between her buttocks.  

Cassandra let out a startled yelp and flipped onto her back.  

Dominic continued to play with his fire as if he stroked the keys of some erotic instrument, his entire being caught up in bringing pleasure to his wife.   He hadn’t realized what intense satisfaction it would bring him. 

What song might inspire the perfect hero (or heroine) for you? Or have you heard any songs that reminded you of books you have read? I’d love to hear your answers, and one lucky commenter will receive a free copy of THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER! Be sure to leave your contact information, and check the comments section tomorrow to see if you won.

All My Magical Best,

Kathryne

THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER BY KATHRYNE KENNEDY—IN STORES JULY 2010 

 Kathryne Kennedy’s historical fantasy romances have garnered awards and a growing readership. This exciting new series, set against the lavish backdrops of Georgian and Victorian England so beloved by romance readers, is deliciously dark and exciting. Fighting for control of a kingdom that is split into seven domains, Elven warlords use their human slaves to breed an endless supply of soldiers for their armies. Dominic Raikes, the half-blood son of the Elven Lord himself is one such warrior. Betrothed to Lady Cassandra, who has been raised in a convent to keep her pure, he little suspects that she’s been secretly trained as an assassin to murder his father. Dominic and Cassandra soon discover that each one is not what they seem, but the price of trust may be their very lives, and the destruction of the magical realm each is desperately trying to save… 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathryne Kennedy is a multipublished, award-winning author of magical romances. She’s lived in Guam, Okinawa, and several states in the U.S., and currently lives in Arizona with her wonderful family—which includes two very tiny Chihuahuas. She welcomes readers to visit her website where she has ongoing contests at: www.KathryneKennedy.com.  

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