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Black Dragon
The Nightmare Saga: Book 2
A desperate gambler. A masked assassin. A dragon who could burn them both alive.
Jack Landry just wanted to be the responsible one for once. When he offered to take George Calhoun’s money to the bank in Denver so George could stay with his pregnant wife, Jack never dreamed his gambling habit would get the better of his good intentions. Now Jack haunts the Denver underworld like a ghost, determined not to go home again without winning back what he lost.
A night of gambling in Chinatown takes an unexpected turn when Jack finds himself the target of a shadowy criminal syndicate. A mysterious assassin in a dragon mask rescues him from their clutches… moments before the real, live dragon in the basement burns the whole place to ashes.
Behind the mask is a woman named Shufen. She carries twin swords and a double-bladed attitude to match. She’s bent on getting revenge on the gang that exploited and killed her sister. When Shufen breaks into their headquarters to save a little girl named Jinjing from her sister’s fate, she isn’t particularly pleased to find a hapless, clueless cowboy tagging along—a man with a price on his head. She’s even less pleased to see a giant scaly monster who should only exist in ancient legends.
With homicidal crime lords and fire-breathing dragons on their tail, the odds of Jack, Shufen, and Jinjing making it safely home to the Calhoun ranch are looking mighty slim…
If you love mythic Chinese beasts and rip-roaring Western adventures, you won’t want to miss Black Dragon.
In This Series...
Chapter 1
“I am your enemy,” I whisper as I swipe a speck of dust from my sword’s glassy blade.
This shed has only one window, covered with brown paper, but orange evening sun still filters through. By its glow, I study the pair of butterfly swords with a critical eye. Their curved hilts give them their name, the left-hand and right-hand grips mirroring each other with the perfect symmetry of a butterfly’s wings.
The left-hand sword shows a hint of dullness. I heft my whetstone in my palm and, with one swift motion, scrape the ten-inch blade against its cool edge.
Hissssssssssssssssssssssss.
“I am your enemy,” I murmur, flipping the blade to sharpen the other side. “That is all you need to know.”
Sometimes in the heat of battle, my English words mix themselves up. I speak the language of white men with fair accuracy when I can focus, but whenever my mind races, Chinese spills out before I can halt its flood. So I practice beforehand when everything is quiet.
“You keep women as slaves?” With a metal clink, I set the sword beside its twin on the upturned crate I’m using as a table. “Then you must pay the price.”
Red heat floods my brain. I take a slow breath. I cannot lose my nerve. Instead, I pour the angry energy into ripping a cartridge box open, the flimsy cardboard crumpling under my hasty thumbs. I pick up one of the cold cylinders. Balance it in my cupped hand. Watch the light glint off.
“You make our lives like death.” My breath hisses out with the final word. “So tonight comes your time to die.”
I loved the fantasy western setting and the fast-paced action adventure plot…. Likeable characters, believable scenarios, and non-stop action made it hard to put down.
I loved catching up with old characters and meeting new ones. Shufen was fierce and strong. I really admired her quest to rescue girls who were in horrible situations. Jack was rough around the edges but extremely likable. They made for a mismatched and often antagonistic team, yet they worked so well together! They made a great team, and I loved watching them fall for each other.
A unique mix of old time western and paranormal. I’ve not read a book quite like this before, but if you like westerns, you should really enjoy this with Chinese mythology added. Expect a lot of action, a few plot twists, a little romance (just kisses), and don’t forget the dragon.