Captive's Return Read online

  “Happy anniversary—here’s your present at last,” he said cheerfully.

  She looked down, surprised. She had forgotten all about his casual mention of a gift. She lifted the delicate chain with her fingers, admiring the beautifully wrought metal, silver and gold entwining to form the chain. She stared for a moment at the pendant dangling from the end of it.

  “Sorry it’s late,” said Jonan. “But I needed to fix it—it was missing something. I’ll admit, Giles helped me out.”

  For a long moment, Scarlett said nothing, just turning it over in her fingers. The central pendant was a beautifully designed flower, wrought in silver with a white gem glinting in its center. She recognized it as a dianmon, a flower that grew only in Kyona’s mountains and was often used as an emblem for the kingdom. It was evident that this flower had been the original focus of the necklace. But added on either side of the white flower were two identical flowers wrought in gold, made red by the gems that studded them. She had no difficulty identifying the hibiscus that grew in abundance in the jungle surrounding Nohl.

  She felt tears pricking her eyes as she turned to look up at her husband over her shoulder. “It’s beautiful,” she said softly. “Thank you.”

  He put his arms around her from behind, drawing her back against him as he joined her in looking out over the railing at the swiftly receding shoreline.

  “You’re welcome,” he said, his voice equally soft.

  For a minute there was silence, then Jonan spoke again. “You looked very pensive, standing here all alone, looking at the ocean. What was weighing on your mind, sweetheart?”

  Scarlett smiled at the term of endearment and the softness of Jonan’s question, a rare show of tenderness from her usually energetic husband.

  “You know what?” she said. “Nothing at all. I was just feeling happy to be going home.”

  Note from the Author

  Thank you for reading Captive’s Return. I hope you enjoyed the quick escape into Scarlett’s world. I would be so grateful if you would consider leaving a review on Amazon—it would really make a difference!

  If you want to find out what the next generation of Kyonans get up to, check out Legacy of the Curse, the fourth installment of the Kyona Chronicles, where more adventure, fantasy, mystery, and romance await.

  Join up to my mailing list at deborahgracewhite.com to be kept up to date on new releases, specials, and giveaways, such as bonus chapters. You will also receive Dragon’s Sight, an 8,000 word prequel to the series, told from Elddreki’s perspective.

  Again, thanks for entering the world of the Kyona Chronicles! I hope to see you back again.

  Acknowledgments

  After I finished writing Book Two, I found myself wondering about the trip back to Balenol that Scarlett mentioned in the epilogue. I thought there was a story to be told, and I liked the idea of spending some time in Scarlett’s head. What started as a short story somehow became a whole novella.

  As always, making that happen involved the support of many people. My first thank you goes to my husband Ray, my alpha reader, my cheer squad, and the reason I know firsthand that the romance doesn’t end once you tie the knot!

  A big thank you as well to my beta readers: Mum, Dad, Andrew, Adrian, Tamara, and Cherilyn. You guys are the best. As usual, a big thanks to Dad for your developmental and copy editing, to Mum for your line editing, and to Dad and Mel for your help with publication and release.

  Karri, your cover is amazing as always, thanks for being patient as I scrawled through dozens of models in ballgowns. Rebecca, the map still blows me away every time I look at it.

  To you, the reader, thank you for giving me the privilege of being an author.

  And most importantly, to God, who brings light into the darkest of places.

  About the Author

  I’ve been a reader since I can remember, growing up on a wide range of books, from classic literature to light-hearted romps. The love of reading has traveled with me unchanged across multiple continents, and carried me from my own childhood all the way to having children of my own.

  But if reading is like looking through a window into a magical and beautiful world, beginning to write my own stories was like discovering that I could open that window and climb right out into fantasyland.

  I cannot believe how privileged I am to actually be living that childhood dream and publishing my own novels. I do so from my hometown of Adelaide, Australia, where I live with my husband and our two, soon to be three, little munchkins.

  I’ve never outgrown my love of young adult stories, and my first series, the Kyona Chronicles, is a young adult fantasy series of four novels and two novellas.

  Feel free to email me at [email protected] and introduce yourself! Or subscribe to my mailing list at deborahgracewhite.com for free giveaways, sales, and updates.