Dark Side of Me: Tales of the Rikashi

By Calliope Parrish

Amid a swiftly building war between the dragon shifter clans , will Lorelei and Tam's deeply hidden secrets tear apart their budding romance?

 

After overhearing an assasination plot aimed at her newly found cousin, Jett's life, Lorelei's life takes a dark turn. Her grandmother sends her fleeing from Ireland to Dallas, Texas to Doris Houston, Jett's human grandmother. As she arrives in Dallas she is met by a mysterious biker named Tom.

 

Tom, who is really a former Rikashi Scout named Tamesis, abandoned everything after a bitter betrayal by family. His job is to train Lorelei to hide among humans from her family and Rikashi.

 

Alone in a secluded cabin they battle insecurities, vulnerabilities and attraction. Both unsure whether to trust the other with the secrets that forced them to leave home and family.

 

Lorelei must find out who she really is and if her attraction to Tom is part of her new life or just girlish fantasy, while Tom wrestles with his inner demons and the choices that haunt him.

 

Will their connection be strong enough to fight the chaos determined to tear everything apart? Will Lorelei break free from a lifetime of family control and embrace her newfound strength? Can Tom find the courage to confront his past and open his heart to love again?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Calliope Parrish
• Release date: Nov 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223783701

Calliope Parrish

Calliope Parrish is the joint name that Antonia Tiranth & Delilah K. Stephans. After both spent a lifetime writing separately, they joined forces to create new worlds and interesting situations to intrance readers. Antonia works in the medical field in the Baltimore, MD area and is married to a Parrish. Delilah has a degree in Graphic Design and Glass art and works from home in Mobile, AL and was born a Parrish.

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All Characters and events in this book are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. If there are typos or grammatical errors, these are unintentional, but we do realize there are readers who search for them and we aim to please readers.

Copyright © 2023 by Calliope Parrish

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

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Calliope Parrish is Delilah K. Stephans and Tonie Hines, who previously published under Antonia Tiranth. Best Friends, Writing Buddies and Soul Twins going on twenty years. The writing partnership started as sharing ideas, tossing ideas and then to beta reading and progressed to co-writing on a few books using both names. Due to misunderstandings and tragedies that resulted in loss of contact, they stopped writing for years. In 2021 they began talking again and decided to self-publish all their old stuff, partials and new stuff under a single pen name. Calliope Parrish was born. Calliope for the Chief Muse from Grecian mythology and Parrish because Delilah was born a Parrish and Tonie married a Parrish.

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The Morrigan Aerie

Dragon War

Dragon Alliance

Dragon Unity

Dragon Roar

Dragon Accord

Tales of the Rikashi

Break the Silence

Lies & Rumors

Black Velvet

Dark Side of the Moon

Standalone

The Holidays Bite

Contents

1.Lorelei

2.Gem

3.Lorelei

4.Tamesis

5.Lorelei

6.Tamesis

7.Lorelei

8.Gem

9.Tamesis

10.Laurie

11.Tamesis

12.Laurie

13.Gem

14.Laurie

15.Gem

16.Tamesis

17.Laurie

18.Gem

19.Laurie

20.Tamesis

21.Gem

22.Tamesis

23.Katrina

24.Tamesis

25.Katrina

26.Tamesis

27.Katrina

28.Gem

29.Katrina

30.Gem

31.Tamesis

32.Katrina

33.Tamesis

34.Katrina

35.Tamesis

36.Katrina

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Ihated airplanes! The horrible metal contraption shook and shuddered as it made the descent to the airport. I thought I might break the armrests from the way I clutched them, my knuckles turning white. Never again. I didn’t care if it meant Father and Luthien found me, I wasn’t getting in one of these things ever again. Finally, after one last bump, the engines roared at a deafening pitch to slow the plane’s momentum. This was nothing at all like flying in dragon form. As the plane taxied to the gate, I slumped back in the seat, nearly having to pry my fingers from the armrests.

A few of the humans around me were just waking up, and I envied them their rest. Sleep had eluded me for the past few months. Ever since everything went right for Amara and horribly wrong for my father and brother. Anytime I even started to drift off, I would jerk awake in a panic, thinking one of them was near, ready to rail at me again for Amara walking away from Luthien at the altar. If only I hadn’t let her go with her friends at that fateful lunch, but…she’d been so miserable. Father and Luthien were not the only reasons I lost sleep. There was also that female’s voice, low and sultry as she spoke to Luthien, promising him so many things if only he would—

Thank you for flying with us today. You may now disembark the plane. The stewardess’ voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I reached under the seat in front of me, pulling my purse from where I’d stowed it at the beginning of the flight. I stood and waited for my turn to leave my seat, grabbed the duffle bag from the overhead compartment, and exited the plane.

Dallas. Texas. America. I’d never even left Ireland before, and here I was, half a world away. With no idea what I was going to do or what I should expect or who I could trust, or how I would survive. All I knew was that Grandmother had contacted someone here who would help me break free of my father’s and brother’s clutches.

Grandmother promised Doris would send someone to meet me at the airport, but who? And how did I know I could trust whoever these people were? Especially when I couldn’t even trust my own family, with the exception of my Grandmother Irisa. What was I doing here? It was only a matter of time until Father or Luthien found me and dragged me back to Ireland to marry that weasel, Severen.

But I had to tell my story to someone. As soon as I’d mentioned Jett and Amara were in danger, my grandmother had cut me off and was on the phone to someone in America named Doris. Whoever this Doris was, Grandmother trusted the female. I should do the same.

I stumbled to the side as a human female shoved me aside and rolled her eyes at me as she hurried down the walkway to the terminal. I couldn’t make my feet move any faster. There were too many unknowns. Too many questions. Who was supposed to meet me? How would I know it was whoever Doris sent? Or would it be Doris herself? A human? A Rikashi? I didn’t even know if Doris was human or Rikashi.

Life had been so much simpler when all I had to do was follow Father’s orders. I had wanted for nothing. He gave me nearly everything I asked for. Yes, life had been so simple, but filled with fear and lacking one thing—freedom.

Watch it, lady, another human fussed after barreling into me as he side-stepped around and continued past.

S-sorry, I stammered, but the human was long gone.

Far too soon, the door to the airport terminal loomed ahead of me. I froze, breath catching in my throat. There was no turning back now, and I couldn’t just turn around and run back home. I couldn’t let Luthien, that female, or the babbling fool of a male in the wheelchair hurt Amara. I even wanted to save the rude male who was her mate, and surprisingly my own cousin. With all my family’s talk of pure bloodlines, it was hard to believe my Aunt Ellenweorc had mated with a human. But at the interrupted ceremony, Grandmother Irisa had apologized to the male half-breed for turning her back on Ellenweorc, so maybe it was just Grandfather who insisted on such purity of the bloodline and infected my father with the same thinking?

I couldn’t stand here and ponder all the questions running through my head, so I took a deep breath, hitched my carry-on further up my shoulder, and took the final steps into the terminal and a terrifying future of unknowns.

I stepped to the side, my gaze darting around at everyone and everything, trying to make myself as unnoticeable as possible. Surely this would be the first place Father and Luthien would look for me? Would the person meeting me have a sign? Like in the movies? Probably not since I was supposed to be hiding, not proclaiming my presence to the world.

Excellent thinking, Lorelei, I muttered, shifting from one foot to the other. I should have thought to ask Grandmother Irisa who was picking me up. All of the people nearby moved with purpose, and no one appeared to be searching for someone. I’d always had this weird sense that would alert me if someone was watching me. Perhaps merely a defense mechanism from trying to avoid Father and Luthien, but that sense was silent now. Or was I simply too nervous to pay attention to what my senses and instincts were telling me?

Something shifted near a pillar at the edge of the waiting area. Weird…I could have sworn there was no one standing there a moment ago, but now a male leaned against it, his gaze following every female who passed him, until it shifted to me. A lump formed in my throat, and I wished I had a magazine, something to look at, in order to not tip off this male that I was watching him. He pushed off the column and started walking toward me.

My temples throbbed with my racing pulse. The airport worker was closing the door, no one else was coming off the plane and all the other passengers had already gone on to baggage claim or to the terminal exits.

I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat and tightened my grip on my carry-on strap as I studied the man walking toward me. He was unlike any male I’d ever been in the presence of. A black leather jacket covered a dark shirt pulled tight over a muscular chest, and his jeans had worn spots in all the right places to draw a female’s eye and hugged narrow hips. He moved like a warrior, a true warrior, one who had seen the battlefield and was always aware of his surroundings. Attraction was the last thing I should be feeling right now, but I licked my lips nervously as he came to a stop in front of me. All the males I’d ever met kept their hair short, but his was longer, brushing his shoulders, and a dark brown, except when the overhead lights hit it just right and brought out the red in it.

Lorelei? His voice was a deep baritone that flowed over me like a caress and carried the faintest hint of an Irish brogue. The scent of dark woods and male teased the senses.

I couldn’t bring myself to speak. Maybe Luthien had discovered my late-night flight and sent someone ahead, thinking to come to drag me and Amara back to his side. I studied the man another moment. No, this male was no one’s lackey, especially not someone like Luthien, who only knew how to throw money at someone and demand they do as he said. This male was a defender, not an attacker. I took a deep breath and managed a quick nod.

His smile widened and seemed genuine. Doris sent me to pick you up. I’m Tom Guerrier. Do you have any luggage we need to wait for? Even this early the airport is busy.

My knees weakened with relief. He wasn’t one of Luthien’s men, but his manner was completely at odds with his appearance. His clothes screamed ruffian and that he could take on all comers and win, yet his manner was polite. It didn’t add up. He smiled and I realized I was staring at him.

S-sorry. Dear gods above, could the ground please open up and swallow me? Now would be good. Why had I ever thought I could be brave enough to do this? Tom probably thought he’d been saddled with a brainless idiot. I should have told Grandmother everything and stayed in Ireland at her home.

Don’t worry about it, he said reassuringly, and then repeated, Do you have any luggage?

My cheeks burned with embarrassment. He’d asked that before, but I’d been too busy ogling him to reply. Just this. I tugged on the strap of the carry-on bag. I didn’t have much time to pack.

So, first thing tomorrow we go shopping.

I shook my head frantically. I couldn’t impose.

He chuckled. I’m not taking you to any fancy boutiques. Walmart and Target will do just fine for the essentials.

The store names were not familiar, but it sounded like a store Father would deem beneath us. But I wasn’t Lorelei, daughter of the High Council Head, anymore. I was just Lorelei, a Rikashi with no family. Although, Father wasn’t the High Council Head anymore, which brought a small smile to my face. Grandmother put an end to his power by taking back her council seat, as was her right. However, she kept it only long enough to turn the position over to my cousin, Jett. Unless my Aunt Ellenweorc appeared out of thin air with a daughter, the seat truly belonged to Jett.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I looked up into Tom’s eyes. His lips were moving, but I couldn’t make any sense of the words. I was too lost in looking into those gorgeous hazel eyes. When he turned his head a little, the light revealed the gold flecks among the green. Wait, he was saying something. I needed to listen. With monumental effort I finally focused on the words.

…not safe. We need to get out of here.

I nodded. He was right. Out in the open was not the safest place for me to be, and that alone had me falling into step beside him, keeping as close as I could without hindering his movement. But what had he said before that? Had he seen any of my brother’s lackeys around? I really wanted to ask him to repeat it, but I couldn’t.

Once we were safely in his car and driving away from the airport, more questions popped up into my head, but what if Tom was human? The Erestor was too well-ingrained in me to blurt out what I was thinking. Rikashi did not reveal themselves to humans, and it was certainly possible Tom was merely a human Doris had hired to drive me. Now that I felt marginally safe in the car, away from the crowds, I focused on him and tried not to frown as I got nothing. Not even the humans Father hired for menial tasks were as blank as this man. I had no clue if he was a Rikashi or a human, and I couldn’t just come out and ask him.

We’re going to see Doris Houston. Before you ask, she’s Jett’s human grandmother, but she won’t tell him you’re even in the States. He turned his head briefly to give me a wink, and I didn’t know if I was meant to giggle or feel scandalized. Jett didn’t even realize she knew he had wings until a month or so ago. That woman’s mind is a steel trap and her lips are welded shut on anything she doesn’t want to tell you.

You admire her?

He nodded. I do. I met her through her daughter-in-law, who I guess would have been your Aunt Ellen, and the two of them helped me through an extremely difficult time. Now I repay the favor by helping others Doris sends to me.

Was this male a Rikashi? His name certainly didn’t sound like one, but of course he could be giving his human name. Many Rikashi used other names in dealing with humans since some of our names were often difficult for humans to pronounce. He did know about Jett’s wings though. Just because he knew my aunt didn’t mean he knew about, or was, Rikashi. After all, he’d called her Ellen instead of Ellenweorc. No, I couldn’t ask him. No matter how much I wanted to know.

To hide my uncertainty, I pointed at the power button for the radio. Do you mind if I turn on the radio?

Instead of answering, he reached out and turned it on. I let my hand drop back into my lap and stared at it. Guess that meant he didn’t want to talk to me. Why should I be bothered by that? This wasn’t a meeting of a potential suitor. And why should I be upset he’d done as I’d asked? Great Bahamut, I was being stupid and fickle. I twisted the straps of my bag resting in my lap like a shield. What had I expected? For him to protest that he wanted to talk to me more? He was a complete stranger!

Twangy music played from the car’s speakers, and the man frowned. Do you like country?

Did I? The only thing I’d ever listened to had been classical music. But then…did I actually like it or only listened to it because it was all Father deemed appropriate? He claimed anything else wasn’t fit for the ears of a civilized Rikashi.

There was one song Amara had hummed constantly. It certainly wasn’t classical, but I had liked it, though I didn’t know the name of it or the words. I didn’t even know what genre of music it was.

Let me guess, you don’t know what you like, Tom said as he pulled away from the toll booth. If your father is anything like Amara’s— There was a strange tone in his voice on that name, and how did he know Amara’s father? —the symphony was the only thing you were allowed to listen to. I’ll listen to anything, so why don’t you scan through the channels and find what you like, but this is Texas so there are a lot of Spanish stations.

I-I- Damn it. Why was I stuttering like a fool? Yes, it was a habit when Luthien or Father chastised me, but neither of them were here, and Tom was nothing like them. At least, I hoped he wasn’t. He certainly didn’t seem to be. The whole point of coming here was so Father and, by extension, Luthien couldn’t control me anymore. I had to keep reminding myself of that. Taking a deep breath, I said, I’m fluent in Spanish and Latin. Father insisted.

When Tom chuckled, it wasn’t in a condescending way like when other males I’d been around had laughed at something I said or did. This was a warm, inclusive sound, and I really wanted to hear it again. I found myself smiling with him.

Reaching over, I twisted the knob to change the stations, letting it settle on each one a moment before moving on. Except the classical station. I was not listening to that. Maybe someday I’d find I actually did like it, but today was not that day. Finally, I reached the end of the numbers and dialed back to one that had caught my attention. The music tugged at me, soothing and haunting at the same time.

Christian music? Tom queried.

My cheeks burned again. Had it been a bad choice? Maybe this wasn’t what ‘normal’ beings listened to? I-I can change it.

He put his hand over mine, stopping me from changing the station. No, I told you I could listen to anything. It’s your choice.

Tom put his hand back on the wheel and I instantly wished he hadn’t. How could one simple, innocent touch have such an effect on me? Stop being so stupid, I scolded myself as I lay my head back against the headrest. For the first time since I’d left Father’s mansion, actually for the first time in a long while, I felt…safe. Closing my eyes and sighing, I let sleep overtake me.

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"W ell? "

At his telepathic question, I glanced up at Aerandir through my bangs and shook my head. "Well, if you would be quiet a moment and let me concentrate, I would be able to tell you something. If you want to jabber while I check her, then call Nari. I’m not a Surion, so this takes some effort."

Josephine let out a snort. Aer thought he’d sent the question to me alone, but it was very likely Jo got at least some sense of our exchange through the Aikanaro bond. He’s worse than a mother hen, I tell you.

Aer just huffed and folded his arms. He was worried about his wife. It was hard to hide our feelings from our fellow Aikanaro, and I honestly had the same worries. I placed my hands again on Josephine’s round belly and focused. When Jett grudgingly accepted his place as one of the Aikanaro, our slow gain of all clan abilities had sped up, and now each member of the Aikanaro possessed every clan trait. Though most were not as proficient with powers we were not born with. The healing ability of the Surion had developed in me, a Tinuviel, a long time ago, so I was a little more skilled at wielding it than some of the others. Our brethren from the Surion clan would be best to scan Josephine, but they were not here at the moment, and I did the best I could. Despite the fact she was progressing more quickly than she should be, I could feel nothing wrong with the lives growing within her.

Opening my eyes, I met Aer’s worried gaze. I can’t sense anything abnormal. They are two perfectly healthy hat—babies.

Josephine’s annoyance rippled through me. You were going to say hatchlings, weren’t you?

I fought against a smile