Chapter 4 #2
“Yes.” Azh shrugged. “According to my queen he is biased toward the leeches.”
“And according to you?”
He moved forward, careful to leave space for her to escape from the corner. There was nowhere she could go that he couldn’t find her.
“I’m more concerned with you.”
She shoved her hands into her pockets, glaring at him in frustration. “Concerned or obsessed?”
“It could be both,” he admitted. “Why do I smell the Watcher’s scent?”
She clicked her tongue. “I don’t know anything about the Watcher.”
“Who have you been with?”
“Nobody...wait.” She furrowed her brow, as if trying to pinpoint a memory. “There was a weird dude who attacked me in Hexx’s apartment.”
Heat seared through the air, like the blast from a furnace, as Azh moved to stand less than an inch from her. He swiftly searched for any hidden wounds that he might have missed.
“He attacked you?”
She lifted a hand, pressing it against his chest. “Okay, maybe he didn’t attack me.
But he somehow reached into my mind and then we were in this misty place with the yucky green sludge spreading out to wrap around him and.
.. You know what? That all sounds crazy now that I’m saying it out loud. Probably it was just a nightmare.”
Azh studied her for a long moment, then he shook his head, containing his angry heat. The Watcher was yet another problem for later. Right now, he needed to discover the source of the dragon magic.
“Tell me where your power comes from.”
Her eyes narrowed at his command. “I’m not talking until you back up and give me some room.”
“No.”
“I can’t think when you’re crowding me.”
Azh slowly smiled, pleasure sizzling through him. He planted a hand against the wall and leaned forward. So much for his promise not to intimidate her.
What was that human saying about the “road to hell and good intentions”?
“I have that effect on most females,” he murmured.
“Gross.” She made a sound of disgust, but her cheeks were flushed and the scent of her desire threaded the air. She might not like it, but the fierce awareness sparking between them was too powerful to deny. “Could your head get more bloated?”
“Probably.” He held her wary gaze. “Where did your powers come from?”
There was a tense silence before she heaved a resigned sigh. “Fine. My mom was a fortune teller in a traveling circus and—”
“Stop,” Azh interrupted the ludicrous story. “Tell me about the cave.”
“A specific cave. Or caves in general?”
“The one that always is included in your wild tales.”
She flashed a taunting smile, but she lowered her lashes to hide her stunning lavender eyes. “I don’t know what you mean. There’s never been a cave in my charming folktales.”
Azh lowered his head, brushing his cheek over the smooth blond hair. Someday very soon he was going to release those satiny strands from her braid to watch them fan over her naked body.
“Stubborn.” His voice was rough as his body hardened with need. It’d been a very long time since he’d indulged his most primitive passions. He had no doubt when he finally claimed this woman it was going to be epic.
“Not stubborn...bored,” she insisted, pushing against his chest. “Time for me to move along.”
He chuckled, skimming his lips down her cheek before burying his face in the curve of her throat. Flames danced over his skin as he absorbed her essence.
“You don’t smell bored.”
“Gah. Don’t sniff me.”
“You smell...hungry.”
“Impossible. I just ate a yummy donut.”
“It’s not food you’re hungry for.”
Her lips parted to deny his claim, but the violent shiver that raced through her body ruined her pretense of indifference.
“You’re burning me,” she instead accused.
“No I’m not. My fire is created for pleasure, not pain.
If you’re overheating it’s not my fault.
” He licked the skin above her pounding pulse at the base of her throat.
She tasted of warm female temptation, rich magic, and dragon.
He didn’t know how it was possible, but it was an intoxicating combination. “Or maybe it is my fault.”
Her head tilted back, as if inviting his touch. But before Azh could wrap her in his arms, she sucked in a sharp breath, as if suddenly coming to her senses.
“No,” she rasped.
Azh didn’t hesitate. Stepping back, he allowed his flames to fade. The finest treasures were always the most difficult to obtain, and he didn’t doubt for a second that Wynn would be worth any amount of effort.
Besides, he couldn’t allow himself to become distracted by his intense attraction to this woman. His people depended on him to keep them safe.
“This is the last time I ask nicely. Tell me where you got the power.”
She stuck her chin in the air. Defiant to the end. “I don’t know anything about the magic or the power you’re looking for. I’m just an average woman trying to scrape by. Something that would be a lot easier if you would leave me alone.”
He folded his arms over his chest, pleased when her eyes widened as his muscles rippled beneath his silk shirt.
“If you’re not lying—which seems unlikely since you lie about everything—I would think you would be eager for my assistance.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been taking care of myself for a very long time. Why would I need your assistance?”
“I have the answers to the origin of the magic.”
“If that was true, you wouldn’t be harassing me.”
He shrugged. “Fine, I don’t have answers, but I do have a theory.”
Her brows snapped together, but he sensed her sudden interest. “This is a trick.”
“Allow me to prove my claim.”
He turned to the side, pointing to a spot on the wall. Then moving his hand in a slow circle, he created a spinning circle of smoke.
“An illusion,” Wynn muttered.
“You aren’t the only one with tricks.”
“Can you breathe fire?”
He glanced toward her, a slow smile curving his lips. “Only if you ask very nicely.”
“Lame.” Her frown abruptly deepened. “Wait. Are you creating a magic hole?”
A laugh was wrenched from his throat. “Magic hole?”
“What do you want me to call it?”
“A small window that allows you a glimpse into our private lair.”
She warily watched the smoke spread to reveal the towering shelves that held countless books and scrolls and precious manuscripts protected by layers of magic.
“No weapons,” he assured his companion. “Nothing more dangerous than a book.”
“Like books aren’t the most dangerous weapons in the world.”
Azh jerked at her soft words. She understood.
This aggravating, stubborn, unpredictable, completely glorious woman understood.
Was it any wonder that he’d been immediately fascinated by her?
It wasn’t just her rare beauty. Or the way she stirred his passions.
Dragons enjoyed companionship with lots of partners over the endless centuries.
But this one...
It was as if she touched a part of him that no other creature had ever managed to reach.
His beast stirred, waking from the deep slumber of hibernation. It studied the tiny wisp of a woman in bemusement. Ah, so this was what the fuss was about, it sleepily acknowledged. Good. He was pleased. She was a tasty morsel.
With an effort, Azh ignored the rumblings of the dragon.
“You’re right. They are dangerous. This one, however, is dedicated to the history of my people.”
He felt a portion of her tension ease. “A history of dragons? You didn’t come here to bore me to death, did you?”
“There are a few images I think you’ll find interesting.”
“If I let you blabber about the dragons for a while, will you leave me alone?”
“Probably not.”
She glared at him, but there was something that might have been curiosity shimmering in the lavender eyes.
“What is it?”
“The histories speak of a time when the dragons lived in another place.”
“You mean like another country?”
“Another realm.” Azh wasn’t concerned that he was revealing the dragons’ deepest, darkest secrets. Most of his people had forgotten their distant lore. “It’s referred to as Kazak. Or the homeland.”
“So why did you come to this world?”
“According to legend we were fleeing a corruption.”
“A corruption. What does that mean?”
His jaws clenched. That question had been a source of annoyance to him for eons.
He’d gone through every scroll, manuscript, book, and even personal diaries he could find, but there’d been nothing to reveal the exact nature of the “corruption.” He didn’t know if it was a powerful enemy that had driven the dragons to this world, or a toxic destruction of their homeland, or a disease that had forced them to flee.
And the fact he couldn’t find information to understand their ancient foe had been a thorn in his side.
Unlike most of his people, he wasn’t willing to dismiss the fact their past was shrouded in mystery.
Without the truth of where they came from, there was no way to guarantee their mistakes weren’t being repeated.
“Again the histories are vague and different scholars have a variety of explanations.”
“Wait.” She blinked. “Dragons have scholars?”
Azh flinched as her disbelief scraped against a raw nerve. Dammit.
“Why is that shocking? Do you assume that all dragons are brainless savages?”