Dragon Wish (24 page)

hand.

Paladin stared at her, memorizing every curve of her face.

His stomach tightened, cramping like never before. He had

trouble loosening his arms from around her. Glancing at

him, she smiled. It was a sweet, soft flicker of her spirit. “I’ll

be fine. I didn’t die in my bathtub. And I won’t now. I want to

see my baby, to hold him, and watch him grow up.”

He nodded.

She slipped from him, taking Bask’s hand. Paladin let his

arms fall like dead weights to his sides. Bask wrapped his

free arm around Seren’s waist. His wings materialized on his

back, and he rose into the air with Seren pressed against

him.

Her short hair fluttered in the increasing wind. The

clouds grew thicker. The moons disappeared from view.

Particles charged with magic floated in the air. Paladin’s

heart raced. He had trouble catching his breath.

When Bask reached the place in the pedestals’ center, he

hovered and started an incantation. The bare hint of the

wizard’s voice reached Paladin. The words he chanted were

blown away with the rising wind.

The dragons leapt at the same time to fly in a circle above

the pillars. Faster and faster, they created a vortex, swirling

in a magnificent array of white, black, gold, red, blue, green,

and purple until the aura surrounding them combined into a

rainbow. They joined into one entity, diving toward the

center, coming together, their wings angled, one up, one

down. Their heads met, cheek to cheek. There they halted,

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suspended several hundred feet above where Bask held

Seren.

The wizard passed a hand over her face then levitated

her, releasing his hold. He descended, landing not far from

where Paladin stood.

Once Bask’s feet touched the slab, the dragons opened

their mouths. From deep inside their chests, flames poured

out, combining into one column of magical fire aimed at

Seren.

“She will not feel any pain. I used a spell to send her into

a deep slumber,” Bask murmured.

Paladin swallowed. When the column struck Seren, she

dropped several feet. He took two quick steps in her

direction, building his inner magic to produce his wings.

Quiet and calm, Bask ordered, “Do not interfere.”

Clenching his fists, Paladin fought the need to help Seren.

He didn’t want to lose her, not now. His heart pounded, and

he chewed on his bottom lip until a strong metallic taste

formed in his mouth. Bile rose to the back of his throat. He

gritted his teeth to keep his mouth shut, but the need to

shout at the dragons to stop nearly overwhelmed him.

Lightning flashed across the darkened sky. Thunder cracked,

vibrating the air. Dust along with small stones bounced on

the slab at his feet. His dragon’s blood boiled with the

increased magic swirling in the air.

He tore his focus away from her to where Bask waited.

Paladin yelled over the windy gusts. “Swear to me, she will

live. Swear upon Lior’s head.”

Bask, face expressionless, cut his gaze to him. “Swear.

There, done, final. Does this make you less frightened, oh

mighty king of the White Dragon Clan?”

Paladin gritted his teeth in frustration. The wizard dared

to mock him.

With his next words, Bask verified he did indeed mock

him. “Words are words, thrown out so carelessly. Here, this

very second, the dragons prove their worth. What they

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decree will be. You and no other on Avaris can stop them.”

Taking a step toward him, Paladin raised a fist, prepared

to pound the truth out of him.

“Be still, king. You bother me with your faithless self.

Wait. Watch. And consider—do you truly believe they would

harm the very vessel their king needs for his survival?”

The question stopped him. He looked up at the dragons

and Seren. Within the column of fire, a golden aura

encompassed her form. She glowed with the dragons’ full

magical power.

Rain splattered, blurring his vision. He swiped at his

eyes, refusing to look away.

After what seemed an eternity, the blast ended. The

dragons snapped their mouths shut as one creature. They

took flight, roaring amid the wind and rain.

Seren descended, coming to rest on the slab, her eyes

closed while her body remained limp. Peaceful and serene,

she appeared to be sleeping.

The wizard reached her at the same time Paladin did. He

checked the pulse in her neck, smiled then placed his hand

over her abdomen. He shut his eyes, his brow lined with his

concentration.

Paladin knelt at her shoulder. He brushed a trembling

hand over her head, smoothing her hair back. Her skin was

coated with the strange yellow dust from the combined fires

of the dragons.

When Bask grasped his wrist and tugged, Paladin jumped

in surprised. The wizard grinned, “Feel your son now, Sire.”

He sensed the power of the baby without needing to

touch Seren’s rounded belly. Instead, he ignored Bask. He

wrapped his arms around her, lifting her, pressing her body

against his chest. He swayed lightly with his cheek pressed

against the top of her head.

With a grunt, Bask left them. After several moments,

Seren stirred, her eyelashes brushing across his neck. His

eyes squeezed shut while he battled the tears burning behind

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his lids. She would live. So would the child. He would hold

her close for a while, and he was thankful for the boon.

She moaned.

He tensed.

Raising his head, he tilted to one side so he could look

into her eyes. She stared for a moment, recognition absent,

then like the lightening flashing through the night skies

awareness pooled in her gray depths.

“I’m alive,” she murmured.

He smiled and passed the back of one hand over her

cheek. “Very much so. How do you feel?”

She frowned, a puzzled expression crossing over her face.

“All right, I suppose. I don’t feel different. Except...”

He leaned nearer. “Except what?

Lifting one hand, she studied it, the layer of gold glinted

when she turned it one way then another. “Colors, they’re

brighter for some reason.” She tilted her head in the

direction along the edge of the slab. “And I swear I just heard

a fish in the water.”

Paladin grinned. “You’re fine. You will soon become

accustomed to these things.”

“So your senses are acuter than mine were? This is

normal for you?”

He nodded.

A low laugh came from her. “I don’t know if I care for

this. It’s so different, weird even.”

Shifting behind her, he helped her sit up. Footsteps

approached from behind. He kept a hand on her back to keep

her steady.

Bask had returned. “I sent word to your ship. They wait

outside the boundaries of the island. In the morning, you

may go. Here, take this, it will help you adjust.”

He handed Seren a twisted torque with two stones on the

front at the opening, one white and one black. Inside them, a

mist swirled and moved as though a torrent wind blew.

Power emanated from the entire piece.

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She glanced at Paladin, her eyes wide, uncertainty vivid

in them. He took the torque from her and guided the open

end over the back of her neck so the stones rested on the

points where her collarbones met at the base of her throat.

Bask touched the stones. He looked into Seren’s eyes.

“Sleep, mother of our new king. Allow the magic of this place

to soak into your body until none you meet will doubt the

powers which hold you dear.”

Eyes drooping, she leaned against Paladin, her body

heavy, relaxed. He moved her into a more comfortable

position so he might settle in for the night to pass. So caught

up in watching each breath Seren took, he never noticed that

Bask had left them.

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Water crashed over stone, rousing Seren from the depths

of sleep. She came awake in slow degrees until she opened

her eyes, inhaling the salty, moist air. Sunlight glimmered

over the white rocks. The brilliant glow fell on Paladin’s

golden head where it was bent over her. She smiled, and

touched a stray lock, enjoying the fine texture between her

fingers.

She sensed more than saw him open his eyes. When she

looked up, she became lost in the blue irises. He bent to her.

Her tongue slipped over her bottom lip a second before his

covered hers. With tender warmth and sweet attention, he

laved her lips with gentle care, almost like she was a precious

object he meant to cherish. She reveled in the moment, but

soon she wanted more. Much more. She pressed her tongue

into his open mouth, exploring his secrets.

She found heat. Passion battled in their tongues’ dance.

When his slipped past to enter her guarded depths, she

sucked, drawing him deeper. He groaned, grasping her hard

to him. Uncontrolled need flowed in her veins.

Breaking the kiss off, he tugged her arms free of his neck,

forcing a cry from her. “Not here, not now. We will have time

once we’re aboard the ship. I’ll not have any, man nor

dragon, privy to what we do any more than need be.”

She panted and dropped her forehead on his chest, trying

to gain control over her raging desire. Overhead, huge wings

flapped. A moment later, they stilled. Great heaves of breath

echoed around them. The dragons had stayed during the

night.

Soft grunts and mewls reached her. Fire heated her face.

She didn’t care that these giant creatures could sense her

emotions regarding Paladin. They liked the fact that she

wanted him and he wanted her in return. Surprised at these

new realizations, she found Lior sitting on one of the

columns. Was the oversized dragon smiling at her?

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The abrupt halt of their kiss along with the dragons

surveying their movements forced some of her need away.

Slow, with difficulty, she loosened her grip on his shoulders.

Amazed at the intensity of her passion, she couldn’t meet his

gaze. If he didn’t already know the depth of her desire, he

would the moment he looked into her eyes.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. The simplicity of

this one small gesture released the tension in her body and

helped her relax.

With his hands on her upper arms, he pulled away and

looked into her eyes. “I warn you now, tonight, on board my

ship, there will be no barriers between us. You belong to me

as I to you.”

Her need for him simmered in anticipation. She agreed

with a silent nod. His arms slid from her. She glanced

around, hoping to find a distraction from the throbbing

between her legs.

Through the gaps in the stone pedestals, the glittering

blue-green water met the deep azure sky in the distance.

White sails fluttering in the distance appeared in the corner

of her vision. Facing the gap in the stone, her heart raced at

the sight of the ship hovering just beyond the island.

“How are we going to reach them?” She nodded at the

ship, keeping her attention on the polished vessel.

“I’ll fly, unless you are frightened.”

Astonished he would make such a comment, she shook

her head. “I already know you can fly. I don’t think you can

amaze me much more.”

He grinned at her, cocking a brow. In that grin, she found

the quiet promise of many more stunning abilities he

possessed.

Several of the dragons roared, their mouths pointed

toward the sky. Seren started, her gaze darting from one to

the next, wondering why they did so.

“They too desire to rejoice in the morning.”

“Can we leave? I hate to admit it, but they make me

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nervous. I keep remembering a movie I watched years ago

about a dinosaur eating a man in a bathroom. I’d hate

something similar to happen to us.”

A look of complete bemusement crossed his features. She

shot him a quick smile, no intention of explaining, and

scrambled to her feet. “Come on, let’s go.”

“You go without a farewell.”

Paladin, on his feet, stiffened at Bask’s comment. Seren