Blazing the Trail
Authors: Deborah Cooke
Praise for
the Novels of Deborah Cooke
Winging It
“[Cooke’s] clever ability to convey what it means to be going on sixteen while being faced with dark, world-altering dilemmas has created a unique and compelling young-adult series bursting with magic, mayhem, and danger.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Zoë is as kick-butt as ever… another fast-paced, well-thought-out novel in [Cooke’s] Dragonfire universe. Teen readers will love that Zoë and her friends get to be the stars.”
—
Romantic Times
Flying Blind
“Whether you’re young or just young at heart, you will equally enjoy this brand-new series by Ms. Cooke.… It’s entertaining, it’s exciting, and it’s adventurous… a wonderful new series.”
—The Reading Frenzy
“The first of a new dragon series sure to become a classic.… Cooke has written a fantastic offshoot of her
Pyr
universe.… After turning the final page, I sat for a moment with a sense of excitement I haven’t felt since I finished my first of Anne McCaffrey’s Pern books.”
—Fresh Fiction
“This story crosses the boundaries. It will appeal to both teens and adults across the board. The story is engaging and fun. It’s bringing to life a world of dragons and magic that appeals to all.”
—Night Owl Reviews (5 stars, top pick)
“The writing is swift and fun, just like I’d imagine flying on the back of a dragon.… If you’re looking for a break from vampires and werewolves or you’re a fan of Cooke’s adult Dragonfire series, you won’t be disappointed.”
—All Things Urban Fantasy
The Dragonfire Novels
Flashfire
“Deborah Cooke is a dragon master of a storyteller.… Lorenzo fills the pages with enigmatic glory only rivaled by his mate, Cassie, and I did not stop turning pages until the firestorm had ended.”
—The Reading Frenzy
“Thrilling and unpredictable…
Flashfire
is another great addition to one of my favorite paranormal romance series.”
—Paranormal Haven
Darkfire Kiss
“Over the course of her terrific Dragonfire series, Cooke has introduced numerous intriguing characters. In this book some plot threads are completed while new channels are opened. Cooke’s consistent excellence ensures a great read!”
—
Romantic Times
(4½ stars)
“Drew me in from the very first page. The premise makes for an interesting read and the sensual intensity between the lead characters could very easily singe the pages.”
—Fresh Fiction
Whisper Kiss
“Terrific.… The author has ‘Cooked’ another winner with the tattoo artist and the dragon shape-shifter.”
—The Best Reviews
“Cooke introduces her most unconventional and inspiring heroine to date.… The sparks are instantaneous.… Cooke aces another one!”
—
Romantic Times
(4½ stars)
Winter Kiss
“A beautiful and emotionally gripping fourth novel,
Winter Kiss
is compelling and will keep readers riveted in their seats… a must read!”
—Romance Junkies
“Another stellar addition to this dynamic paranormal saga with the promise of more to come.”
—Fresh Fiction
Kiss of Fate
“An intense ride. Ms. Cooke has a great talent.… If you love paranormal romance in any way, this is a series you should be following.”
—Night Owl Romance (reviewer top pick)
“Second chances are a key theme in this latest Dragonfire adventure. Cooke keeps the pace intense and the emotions raging in this powerful new read. She’s top-notch, as always.”
—Romantic Times
Kiss of Fury
“Entertaining and imaginative… a
must read
for paranormal fans.”
—BookLoons
“Combustible… extremely fascinating.… Deborah Cooke has only touched the surface about these wonderful men called the
Pyr
and their battle with the evil dragons.… I am dying for more.”
—Romance Junkies
Kiss of Fire
“Wow, what an innovative and dazzling world Ms. Cooke has built with this new Dragonfire series. Her smooth and precise writing quickly draws the reader in and has you believing it could almost be real.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Brimming with sexy heroes; evil villains threatening mayhem, death, and world domination; ancient prophesies; and an engaging love story… an intriguing mythology and various unanswered plot threads set the stage for plenty more adventure to come in future Dragonfire stories.”
—BookLoons
THE DRAGON DIARIES NOVELS
Flying Blind
Winging It
THE DRAGONFIRE NOVELS
Kiss of Fire
Kiss of Fury
Kiss of Fate
Winter Kiss
Whisper Kiss
Darkfire Kiss
Flashfire
Blazing the
Trail
DEBORAH COOKE
N
EW
A
MERICAN
L
IBRARY
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, June 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Copyright © Deborah A. Cooke, 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
 | REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA |
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:
Cooke, Deborah.
Blazing the trail/Deborah Cooke.
p. cm.—(The dragon diaries; 3)
ISBN: 978-1-101-58874-1
1. Supernatural—Fiction. 2. Dragons—Fiction. 3. Shapeshifting—Fiction. 4. Secrets—Fiction. 5. Fantasy. I. Title.
PZ7.C774347B1 2012
[Fic]—dc23 2011052662
Set in Janson Text STD
Printed in the United States of America
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
Blazing the Trail
Chapter 1
February 11, 2025
I
t was Tuesday, the day that stretches so long that you start to think the weekend will never, ever come—and I was actually hoping the weekend would never arrive. I’d avoided my locker all day, but when the last bell rang, I ran out of excuses.
For one thing, it was snowing like crazy outside. The second thing was that I needed my coat. Therefore, I had to go to my locker before I could go home.
And Derek would pounce on me, and Meagan would be there with Jessica, listening to the whole thing, and the day would end even more badly than a normal Tuesday.
I dragged my feet down the corridor, trying to delay the inevitable. Suzanne sailed past me with her cronies and snarled her favorite greeting—that would be “Freak!”—and they all laughed their mean girls’ laugh. My dread was enough that I didn’t even care about Ms. Popularity.
You would think that my outlook would be more positive. A bunch of great things had happened in the fall—some due to the efforts of yours truly—and it had been quiet in the realm of dragon shape shifters ever since. We’d kicked the proverbial butts of the Mages—that fun group of humans who were bent on wiping all shifters from the face of the earth—by destroying their hive memory; we’d formed alliances with the wolf shifters and the cat shifters against the Mages; and I’d been given the blessing of the previous Wyverns as the new Wyvern. Kohana, a Thunderbird shifter, had stolen the powerful NightBlade from the Mages, thereby rendering them pretty much impotent, and we had a plan to help him destroy it on the next solar eclipse, coming to a sky near you in April. All we had to do was wait for the time to be right to completely consolidate our victory—forever.
My best friend, Meagan, had discovered that she had spellsinger powers and was learning to use them. I’d also had the most awesome sixteenth-birthday party ever at the end of all that drama. Plus I’d gotten my driver’s license—a quest that my father insisted had cut at least a century off his life span—and had done so without fulfilling my dad’s expectation that the city of Chicago would become a scene of carnage.