Dragon Wish (2 page)

blinding whiteness. Within it, a solid white door formed.

Caught off guard by the strange sight, he stepped away

from his room, a chill moved down his back. Out of habit, his

right hand grasped the cool, solid handle of his long sword.

What magic worked in this inn? Paladin tried to recall if

there were any wizard apprentices in the building, but there

were none that he knew of.

He took one step closer and lifted his free hand to touch

the door inside the bright glow. He snorted then half smiled.

Excellent sorcery. The power radiating from the light amazed

him. None but the six great dragons acting in conjunction

possessed such strength.

At this thought, horror over his regretted wish widened

his eyes. Was this the dragon’s answer to his plea? He should

turn and go to his room but curiosity drove him forward.

Without any further consideration, he twisted the golden

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knob then gave the door a shove. The door swung wide,

banging into the wall on the other side.

A room appeared before him with its smooth floors,

walls, and even the ceiling painted white. Amazed at the

difference between this room and the dank, dim hallway,

Paladin stepped over the threshold.

Across the room, a woman, her short dark hair slicked

against her scalp from the abundance of steam in the air,

leaned forward in a vessel filled with water. Her hand

stretched toward the opposite end, but her gaze was caught

by a strange box emitting a tune. The silver box slipped

toward the water.

Fire flared in his veins. His dragonblood roared to life. It

warned him of danger with the box. In one long leap, he

clasped its sides a moment before it touched the water. With

a swift jerk, he flung the contraption behind him.

* * * *

scattering the floor with debris. Seren, at first unable to tear

her eyes from the broken pieces, glanced toward the

stranger.

He was bent over next to the tub, his body twisted at the

waist with his back hunched. A long fitted coat flared around

his middle and fell to his knees. From her side, she saw

underneath the coat, gold hued skin of a solid chest peeked

through the gap in his white shirt which opened from the

neck to mid chest. Lower, a wide black leather belt wrapped

around his slender waist, holding up dark pants which clung

to his long legs; the hems of his pants were tucked into knee-

high black boots.

Golden hair fell in strands angled toward his face and

shoulders. His light blue eyes were narrowed in his lean face.

Just past him, a brilliant light from the doorway added

brightness to the gold strands.

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She glanced at the water. Then, unable to stop, her stare

moved toward the shattered radio. What the hell had just

happened? Was she imagining this or was it part of another

vision? Her body felt numb, but her mind raced through the

events of the last few seconds. Yes, it had to be another

vision, just another weight to add to her already miserable

day. She reached out and poked the arm closest to her. He

faced her, straightening and staring down at her with a cool,

almost curious look in his eyes.

He was real. Oh, God! How had he gotten into her

apartment? The shock of having a strange man in her

bathroom added to the fact she came close to death sent

adrenalin rushing through her body. Only one other time had

she experienced such a feeling, and that was when Mandy

had died. Without thought of her nakedness, she grabbed the

tub to stand, determined to escape. A phone—she had to call

the police.

He gripped her hand. She wasn’t sure if he meant to

capture her or help her stand. A sense of security came over

her, but she wasn’t going to take the chance his intentions

were good.

“Let me go,” she demanded, pulling from his hold. He

held tighter. She gave one fierce tug. He released her. Free,

she splashed back, landing with a dull thump against the far

corner of the tub. She watched in slow motion as water flew

out and a drop landed at the corner of his eye. Pain lanced up

her left side, ending in her shoulder.

Their gazes clashed, his pupils dilated. The water droplet

slowly drifted down his check like a tear. A second later, he

wrapped his arms around her and lifted. He set her on her

feet and made sure she was steady. Water cascaded in

streams off her body and his soaked sleeves to pool on the

floor. The drop on his cheek fell free.

He touched her lips and muttered words she couldn’t

understand. She had no idea what he was doing. Whatever it

was, he’d better stop and get the hell out of her bathroom. In

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one sweep, he shrugged his coat off and wrapped it around

her. Heat raced up her neck to end in her cheeks as she

realized her nakedness was covered. How had she forgotten

she was nude? He hadn’t thrown her down or hurt her.

Maybe he didn’t plan on hurting her.

“What do you want?” Seren tried to shove him and his

coat away, but she slipped on the wet floor. Her body tilted

forward, she started to fall, but his body stopped her from

hitting the ground. Instead, she landed hard against the

width of his solid chest.

Stunned, she panted, gathering the strength to fight this

strange man. He picked her up. His voice, so deep and

melodious, lilted around her. “There’ll be no death in this

place tonight. If you desire to place yourself in danger once

more, kindly wait until I have departed.”

She wanted to scream, hit him, anything that would force

this man…this intruder to leave, but her strength ebbed. Her

muscles refused to obey the fight or flight message her brain

sent. She lay in his arm staring horrified at him, trying hard

to ignore the increasing feeling of security that wove around

her. She searched his face and whispered, “Leave me alone.”

He turned toward the open door, glancing at her. “One

day, but not this one.”

In that second, his clear, intense look landed on her. The

bathroom disappeared.
Cold wind whipped over her face.

Closer now, still silent and foreboding, the dragon stared at

her.
In the next instant, the image vanished. She gasped in

surprise and found she was once more captured by this

man’s cool blue eyes.

The vision came upon her so fast then disappeared just as

quickly. She studied his lean face, the smooth jaw, sculptured

lips, straight nose, and strong forehead. Arched golden

brows matched his light hair. His looks reminded her of

drawings she had seen of glorious archangels. He appeared

like a saint, untouchable and pure, yet the dragon’s image

nudged her to whisper while fear of his answer tightened her

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muscles. “Are you the dragon?”

He stopped at the open door, a frown marring his smooth

brow. His attention stayed focused ahead of them. A strong

citrus odor floated in the air separating them. She inhaled

the intoxicating scent.

“Depends on which dragon.”

“A white one with blue eyes.”

He glanced at her, one brow cocked before he looked

away. For a second, a flicker of surprise and recognition

appeared in his eyes.

“Perhaps.”

Unsettled by his answer, she tried to understand his

reaction to the question. He moved toward the door. The

moment he walked out of her bathroom, the blazing light

just outside the doorway dissipated. Darkness crept in on

them. She looked around, blinking to give her vision time to

adjust.

Stale air assaulted her. She wrinkled her nose. Memories

of her grandmother’s house flittered through her mind. Old,

dusty furniture, tainted with a moldy scent, filled each room

in the elderly woman’s home. Here, though, dim bluish light

from lamps situated in tarnished brackets lined the scarred,

paneled walls. The air pressed in on her, pulling her body

toward the floor. With the heaviness around her, she had to

concentrate to shift closer against his broad chest.

Shadows danced along the hallway. Cool air touched her

bare legs. Curiosity warred with panic inside her mind.

“Please, tell me where we are?” she whispered. Glad her

voice didn’t reveal her fear, Seren continued to search for

some reminder of her pristine condominium. “What do you

want with me?”

“Just to help. You are safe. I intend to keep you close

until I have departed on the rising,” he murmured, stopping

at a closed door.

Her mind awoke with his words. “No, you won’t. You’ll

take me home.”

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Before he had a chance to respond, slurred phrases

mingled with unsteady steps stomping up a staircase that

seemed to be coming from the far end of the corridor. Seren

glanced over her shoulder, and tightened her hold around his

neck.

“To return you to your home, I fear, is impossible at

present. If you desire, I can leave you here, but I will take my

coat with me.”

Seren’s heart dropped. He didn’t actually intend to leave

her here, did he? Where was this place exactly? Her stomach

roiled, nausea threatened to make this a more memorable

night. She hadn’t believed the day could get any worse, but it

had decidedly gotten much more than worse. Horrified, she

met his piercing stare and opened her mouth to speak only to

find no words would come out.

One golden brow lifted in question. “Interesting situation.

What do you suppose those men will assume when they

reach the top of the stairs and discover a naked woman?”

She balled her fists. How dare he do this to her? She

wouldn’t be humiliated like this. The heat of fury started to

rise within her, overriding the shock and setting her in

motion. “All right. I’ll go with you,” she ground out between

clenched teeth.

He had taken her choice away from her. She fumed,

nostrils flaring, inhaling to fill her lungs. She regretted the

deep intake of his scent. It filled her mind with his

intoxicating aroma and made her press her fingers into the

solid muscles of his shoulders.

With a nod, he tightened his grip on her with one arm. He

managed to unlock, twist the handle, and push the door

open. Once inside the room, he kicked it shut behind them.

“Where are we? What are you going to do to me?” She

searched his face, seeking some answer.

He blinked. His eyes remained closed longer than she

thought necessary. Moments continued to slip by. Why

wouldn’t he answer her? The wet streak on his cheek caught

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her attention. She reached over and wiped it off. He moved

his head back away from her fingers and spoke. Her body

jerked in reaction, her nerves stretched taut by everything

that had happened to her. His words, though, had nothing to

do with her questions. “You are here with me because I saw a

shooting star, and fool that I am, made a wish.”

“Wishes on stars don’t come true.”

Curtains at the window were pulled wide, admitting more

light than the small blue-flamed candles situated around the

room. The soft moonlight emphasized the shadows on his

face, giving him a menacing look. She swallowed against the

lump of fear tightening her throat.

His low laugh rumbled in his chest as he moved to a small

bed against the far wall. “Perhaps for those who do not

believe.”

He leaned over and slid his arms from under her. She

sank into the soft mattress. The coat’s edges separated. Her

hands braced behind her, she stared at him. He towered

above her, his features half-shaded.

She held her breath for a few seconds.

He tilted his head. His gaze roamed over her face, glided

down her throat to linger on her breasts, her waist, and

stopped lower, at the junction of her legs.

Frightened of him, she should have curled away, but right

now, she cared little that the coat had fallen off, and she sat

with her arms behind her, her legs bent at the knees,

spreading her body for his view. A sharp slice of desire cut

into her, hardening her nipples and swelling her nether lips.