Third in the Dragon’s Breath, Human Heart series, this new installment dives deeper into magic, motherhood, and monumental dragon awakenings.
π Sneak Peek: Chapters 1 & 2 of Heart of the Current
Chapter 1: Moving
Day
The skyline of Avalon
glittered against the soft pink hues of early evening, the Ivory Spire’s
towering buildings reflecting the last gold rays of the sun. Lyra wiped sweat
from her brow, rolling her shoulders as she leaned against the open trunk of
her car. Her sons’ new apartments loomed ahead, modern, sleek, untouched by
time—unlike her.
She watched as her
twin boys—Kai and Ren—lugged boxes up the stone steps, their laughter threading
through the air like the last remnants of childhood slipping away. The moment
was supposed to feel triumphant. Instead, a dull ache curled in her chest. They
were leaving her world, stepping into their own.
“I told you that
couch wouldn’t fit through the door,” she called up to them, smirking as Kai
grunted, his fingers barely gripping the fabric. “You should have listened to
your mother.”
“Mom, I swear if you
jinx this—” Kai lost his balance for a moment, nearly sending the couch
toppling onto Ren.
Ren just sighed, ever
the patient one. “This is why we hired movers, Kai.”
As if on cue, the
last of the hired crew strode toward them, black-gloved hands shoving a dolly
ahead. His presence immediately unsettled Lyra. He was tall, lean, his head
shaven close. A thick scar curved along his jaw like a lightning strike.
Something about the way he moved made her stomach twist—too smooth, too
measured. She had spent enough time in the Labyrinth to recognize someone who
wasn’t just another worker.
His eyes locked onto
hers as he set down the dolly. And then, barely audible beneath the sounds of
the city, he murmured something.
Yuki no Ko.
The words sent a
shiver down her spine. Child of the Snow.
Lyra took a slow step
back, her pulse thrumming in her ears. He knew something—something she didn’t.
Then, just as quickly
as he had spoken, he turned and disappeared into the street.
Chapter 2: The
Mark
The apartment was
still cluttered with half-unpacked boxes when Lyra found it.
She had been sorting
through one of Kai’s shipments when a flicker of something caught her eye—a
mark, burned into the cardboard.
Not printed.
Not drawn.
Branded.
It was circular,
intricate, an ancient symbol she couldn’t place. But she had seen enough in the
hidden corners of Avalon to recognize intent. This was a message.
Varesa needed to see
this.
Grabbing her coat,
she barely muttered an excuse to the boys before slipping into the neon-lit
streets of Lower Avalon. The Duskbound Labyrinth stretched before her, winding
alleys and shifting shadows that never sat still. Her instincts led her down a
familiar path, toward the scent of perfume and fire.
When she pushed open
the door to Ember & Essence, Varesa’s shop, the bell barely finished
ringing before the woman herself stepped forward.
Varesa Nordstorm had
always commanded a room without trying. Tonight, she was clad in a silk robe,
her auburn hair pulled into a loose braid, sharp amber eyes scanning Lyra with
something between curiosity and concern.
“You look like you’ve
seen a ghost.”
Lyra didn’t
hesitate—she held up the box.
Varesa frowned,
tracing the mark with a careful finger. Then her expression darkened.
“This is a sigil of
the Draco Venatores,” she murmured. “But it’s… different.”
“How different?”
“It’s not just a
hunter’s mark. It’s a summoning.”
Lyra’s breath
hitched. “Summoning what?”
Varesa exhaled.
“You.”
ππππ
π✨ Why You’ll Love This Series:
-
Elemental dragon lore that feels ancient and personal
-
A powerful, grown woman at the center of the action (yes please)
-
Found family, sisterhood, and bonds that defy fate
-
Emotional stakes as deep as the ocean
π Where to Get Heart of the Current
Ready to meet Lyra? Get your copy here:
π Smashwords (ePub, PDF, mobi, online reading):
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1741759
π Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/heart-of-the-current/id6744248064
π Barnes & Noble (Nook and print):
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-the-current-rin-nocturne/1147232595
π± Everand (formerly Scribd):
https://www.everand.com/book/846230195
π¬ Fable (great for book clubs and annotated reading):
https://fable.co/book/x-9798227028495
π§ Hoopla (library app – check if your library carries it!):
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/18195255
π² Kobo (international friendly):
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/heart-of-the-current
π Vivlio (ePub format, EU-friendly):
https://shop.vivlio.com/product/9798227028495_9798227028495_10020/heart-of-the-current
π©πͺ Thalia (Germany/Austria/Switzerland):
https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1074951614
✨ You can also revisit the Smashwords link for direct downloads and reader reviews:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1741759
And here's a bonus treat to bring you back:
The Ripple Beneath Their Bones
A Non-Canon Bonus Story Set After "Heart of the Current"
By Rin Nocturne
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Parental anxiety, child endangerment
(magical), brief mention of trauma-related flashbacks, emotional distress
****
The Labyrinth never really slept. Not even when the rains came.
It was the kind of storm that Avalon called a lullaby. Gentle and
persistent, laced with memory. The scent of wet stone and salt-slick alleyways
clung to the walls of Lyra’s apartment above the perfume shop. Some people
found the rain soothing. She didn’t. Not anymore.
It reminded her of that night—the night she changed. The night the
sea answered back.
“Mom,” Ren’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. He stood barefoot
at the kitchen threshold, curls a mess, wearing his favorite dragon hoodie
backward. “Kai is being weird again.”
Lyra sighed, placing her teacup on the windowsill. “Define weird.”
“He’s staring at the bathtub. Again.”
Ren's twin, Kai, had always been the quieter one—strange in the way
certain flowers bloomed too early or too late. Now seven years old, he was
beginning to speak in riddles even when he wasn’t trying to.
She found him crouched by the tub, one hand resting on the
porcelain, head tilted like he was listening.
“It talks,” he whispered when she entered. “The water. It remembers
you.”
A chill trickled down Lyra’s spine. It wasn’t a lie. Not exactly.
****
Kai wasn’t the only one who changed.
Ren, more impulsive and fiery (despite being born of water), had
begun holding his breath for minutes. Once, he dove into a city canal and
emerged two blocks down like it was a game.
Clarissa had warned her. “Power doesn’t always skip generations. It
echoes. Especially in those tied to the Tides.”
But how could she teach them when she was still learning herself?
When the very thing that made her powerful also terrified her?
“I don’t want them to live hunted,” Lyra told Varesa over tea one
evening. “I want them to live...normal.”
Varesa only gave her a sad smile. “Normal isn’t what you are, Lyra.
And it’s not what they are either.”
****
It happened on a Thursday.
The rain came harder than usual. The shop flooded in minutes. Lyra
rushed upstairs—only to find the apartment empty. Panic tore through her chest.
She followed the pulse of water magic like a string. It led her
through forgotten tunnels of the Labyrinth, down spiral stairs that hadn’t been
touched in centuries. The deeper she went, the more the air shimmered with old
power.
And there, in a cathedral of broken tile and water-soaked murals,
were her sons. Standing in the center of a glowing pool. Singing.
Or rather—something was singing through them.
It wasn’t a trap. It wasn’t possession. It was a calling. One she
barely understood. One she had answered years ago.
“Mom?” Ren looked up, eyes glowing faintly blue. “Do we have to
stop?”
No. She couldn’t.
Her knees hit the stone. “I’m scared,” she admitted. “But I trust
you. I trust the magic in you. Just come back to me.”
****
They did.
When the boys emerged, the light had dimmed. The song had ended.
But the echo lingered in their veins.
They hadn’t become dragons—not in body. But the spark was there.
Coiled. Waiting. Something she’d never seen before: a shared current.
One soul split between two hearts.
They were still her sons. Still loud and messy and strange. But
more.
She tucked them in that night with salt-dried tears in her eyes.
“Will we change again?” Kai asked.
“Maybe,” she said. “But you’ll never be alone in it.”
Ren grinned. “We’re gonna be awesome dragons someday.”
Lyra smiled, brushing hair from his forehead. “You already are.”
*****
The three of them stood ankle-deep in the labyrinth’s hidden lake,
under the glow of a fractured moon. The boys’ reflections shimmered, scales
glinting just beneath the surface.
They had inherited more than her magic.
They’d inherited her heart.
And maybe...just maybe...that was what the tide had always
intended.
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