Hidden Treasures

By M.A. Abraham

They are hunted from the moment of their birth, their parents, and all of the drakes will fight to the death to protect them.

Sequestered on an island with the young girls, Nonnie teaches these Hidden Treasures.

They will grow powerful as they age, enough to challenge the world, and their mates, as they forge new paths into the future for their people.

For they are Drakaina, and they will survive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M.A. Abraham
• Release date: Feb 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215358726

M.A. Abraham

I don’t really know what to say about myself.I have been writing books since before I became a teenager. Most are still hidden in the closet. I used to make up my own stories as a child, everyone used to act them out while we were playing outside. As a teenager someone issued me a challenge. I told her that her stories stunk, she told me to do better.My job growing up was to play guardian to my little brother, keep him safe. That meant I ended up getting into more fights than enough – makes sense now that I write about warriors.My family will try to tell you that I’m not innocent, I have a personality that keeps them on their toes. Over my lifetime and theirs I have earn several nicknames – The Godmother, The Evil Christmas Elf (comes from making my nieces wrap their own Christmas presents), Mistress of Ambush. My favorite response to them when they try to get me into trouble is just to look at them with a wide doe eyed expression and say “Moi?????”I have a seal point Siamese cat named Snoop, named after my favorite cartoon character and hobby. I have a “healthy” but small collection of Snoopy memorabilia. He is a character alright; never met a cat who can talk back like he does. He expects daily dosages of adoration on his schedule when he wants it – not when it’s convenient for me and he HATES snow.I come from a very large family (mostly brothers) and I could outrun the whole works of them (I’m the shortest!). It was called survival.This book has been in the making for a long time now. Over a half a year to write it, about the same amount of time to edit it, and probably about the same amount of time to get the art work and website! I have learned you can’t control the timelines of other people – Murphy likes to step in.So for now I am setting up good luck charms everywhere... didn’t know I had that many stuffed Snoopy’s. *Fingers, legs, toes, eyes and anything else I can crossed*

Book preview

HIDDEN TREASURES

HIDDEN TREASURES 

BOOK 2 OF THE DRAKAINA SERIES

Copyright © 2022 by M.A. ABRAHAMwww.maabraham.com

Acknowledgements…

I would like to take this time to thank my editing team, Eniko, Fran, Candice and Tanya for their continued support and efforts in correcting my poor grammar and literary efforts.  Without them my books would be unfit for reading.  A good backup team is priceless and I hope to one day be able to find a way to repay each of you for your support… and Becca… what can we say, you continue to be my foremost reason for being out in the public eye, your talents are endless.  And, last but definitely not least, I would like to thank Cora Graphics for the wonderful job she did on my cover.  A good cover is priceless and you have made this one as masterpiece.  Also, a special thank you to Betty Olsen for going over it, one more time, just to be sure.

HIDDEN TREASURES

CHAPTER I

Even at three, four, and six, the daughters of Trank and Tatiana Livingston were expected to attend classes. Their Grandmother, Nonnie, held these. They were an exercise in decorum and deception, something the girls learned to fully appreciate quickly.

It wasn’t that they were being taught to be bad or underhanded, which would have been frowned upon. The lessons were considered to be a matter of self-defense and preservation. At the same time, the children needed to learn how to act in public, something Nonnie excelled at. No one would be able to guess she was a Drakaina, a secret she had hidden well from the world that surrounded them. As matriarch of the family, it was time for her to pass on her secrets; something there had been no need for before now.

In the last several hundreds of years, there had been no Drakaina born to their people. This dry spell had come to an end over the last 10 years; for whatever reason. Now, several hundred had joined the ranks of their mothers. It was considered a miracle, even if it meant they needed to take special care of the little Drakainas, for they symbolized the future of their species.

On this day, the girls were seated at a small table on their Grandmother’s patio, and as they carefully acted out their parts, she studied every movement they made. They had been dressed royally, and as they sipped apple juice from small porcelain teacups, Nonnie smiled in satisfaction. Her vigilance was beginning to pay off. They were the pictures of little ladies, as they should be. In civilization, they would be able to fool most anyone watching as they nibbled on their biscuits and conversed lightly. Like her, not so much as a drop of juice or a crumb of a biscuit escaped their control. It was time she let them in on more of her secrets.

Nonnie didn’t have the girls fooled as much as she thought she did. They knew she was a softie at heart, and they had her firmly wrapped around their little fingers. It went both ways, but they were smart enough to know when not to push their luck. Nonnie loved them, but she wasn’t about to put up with their nonsense during class. She was also the center of their worlds. Granted, their parents were no less loved, but she was the one who was visible at all times. She was the one they had to watch for.

So Nonnie, Desiree began, as she was the eldest girl, what should we discuss today?

Nonnie didn’t immediately respond, instead she continued to watch her Granddaughters, to see if any of them would break the ensuing silence. When no one did, she gave a slight nod of satisfaction. None of the girls had as much as flinched under her gaze, which boded well for the future. They hadn’t broken ranks either, which meant the sisterly bond they shared was strong, and they would go to the rescue of each other if needed. It was a connection she hoped would never break, although she was certain it would be tested to the limit many times over during their lives.

What makes you think I have a subject selected for today? Nonnie asked.

Because you usually do, Desiree replied calmly.

Not one of the three girls had shown signs of withdrawing or cringing, and Nonnie liked that. They would be fierce little Drakainas when they were fully developed, something the women of their kind needed to be to protect their young in times of need. This also related to each other while they were younger. If even one had cowered at the tone she had used, she would have had words with them. She was not about to let them get away with any signs of weakness, even at this early age. It was a lesson she made sure they understood well, for it would be tested vigorously in the future, and it was time to let them know how much. If all went well with the classes she was about to teach, there wouldn’t be a Drakaina who wouldn’t be able to make any of the huge males of their species squirm or break into a sweat with a look. It was no less than a Dragon Male deserved and one a Drakaina should be able to dish out.

So true, Nonnie acknowledged Desiree’s statement. A woman is always prepared for any eventuality. You never know when someone is going to throw a curve at you, be it a male or female. A Drakaina needs to be even more careful than Human women. It is the way of the world.

Kassi then did the unforgivable. She had been watching and listening with rapt attention, and she forgot to mind her manners as she licked the last of the cookie crumbs from a forefinger. She realized what she had done wrong the moment she noticed Nonnie direct a sharp glance in her direction. She hung her head in shame as she slightly squirmed, and then glanced up at her Grandmother through her long dark lashes. The moment Nonnie gave a slight smile, Kassi perked up, silently promising to do better in the future.

Desiree and Dempris, Kassi’s sisters, understood. Kassi was only three, but she wouldn’t be a baby for much longer, and Nonnie wouldn’t put up with errors from her then. Still, there were things even Desiree and Dempris needed