The Dragon Legion Collection 9 (21 page)

Each touch made his gaze burn with greater intensity.

There weren’t any other people outside and Petra was thrilled that they were alone, that this intriguing man was bent on winning her favor. She toyed with the light that sparked between them, and its growing power took her breath away. She was dizzy with her awareness of him and her desire for him. At the same time, she didn’t know what to say to him. Did he have this effect upon all women? Her thoughts were filled with questions, but she loved the sensation of standing with him in the velvety darkness of the night, caught in a golden glow that tantalized and teased them both.

“Surely such a beautiful woman has a name,” he prompted finally and Petra smiled.

“Petra. And you?”

“Damien.”

Petra nodded approval. “A good strong name. A warrior’s name.”

He smiled, watching her play with the sparks. “You’re not afraid of it.”

“Should I be?”

“Many people would be, particularly if they knew what it meant.”

Petra smiled at him. “Does that make me bold?”

The heat in his eyes made her heart pound. “Maybe.”

“Is that a problem?”

He shook his head. “I like bold women, strong women, and women who know what they want.”

“Sounds as if you like a lot of women.”

Damien laughed. “I have, but none such as you.”

She surveyed him, summoned a spark from one of his shoulders with her fingertip and passed it to his other shoulder. She had to narrow her eyes against its bright flare. “Does this happen often to you?”

He shook his head. “Never before, but I know what it is all the same.”

“How so? Have you seen it before?”

He shook his head, his eyes dancing as he watched her try to figure it out.

“You’ve heard of it, then.”

“Many times. It’s called the firestorm.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“Of course not. You’re not one of us.”

Petra’s heart skipped a beat at the inference that he was different from other men. Maybe he was just as different from men as she was from women. “Us?” she echoed lightly.

He smiled, nodding back toward the tavern. “My friend and I belong to a company of warriors called the
Pyr
.” He watched her then, waiting to see if she recognized the name.

Petra did. “Dragons,” she breathed, her fingertips rising to her lips in awe. She could believe that Damien had the ability to change into a fire-breathing dragon. She could believe that he had been chosen by some divinity to be more than just a man.

Maybe to be her partner.

“Not many have even heard of us.”

“I collect stories and songs. It’s my trade. I’ve heard of the
Pyr
and hoped they were real.”

“As real as can be.” He spread his hands, inviting her admiration. Petra didn’t trouble to hide it. In fact, his confidence made her want to laugh out loud. She’d known so many men with doubts and had had plenty of her own. It was infinitely appealing that he appeared to have none.

“So sure of yourself,” she teased. “Exactly as one would expect a dragon to be.”

“I’ve got to live up to your expectations.” He must have seen her confusion because he leaned closer, dropping his voice to a seductive whisper. “It’s the demand of the firestorm.”

“That you fulfill my expectations?” Petra demanded. She played with the sparks again. “It must mean more than that.”

“Yes and no. It means that you’re the woman who can bear my son.”

Petra blinked, but he held her gaze unflinchingly. “And this happens to you
Pyr
all the time?”

“It happens only once for each
Pyr
, so is an opportunity not to be missed.” He caught her hand in his, seeming bemused by the array of sparks that lit at the point of contact. Their golden light made him look vital and powerful, a man who might be more than he seemed to be. “I couldn’t have asked for a more alluring lady to light the flame.” He bent over her hand and kissed her fingertips gently, sweetly. “But I won’t lie to you about what it means.”

Petra’s mouth went dry as she watched his firm lips touch her skin, that dizzying glow burning so bright that it seemed he’d mark her forever with his kiss.

“And afterward?”

“We are warriors. We fight.”

“You’ll leave,” she whispered and he nodded once. He might return, though, and this sensation was one Petra wanted to explore.

Damien glanced up, his gaze knowing. “What other expectations do you have of the
Pyr
?” he murmured, his breath fanning her skin.

“So you can fulfill them?”

“Of course!”

“Loyalty.” Petra bit her lip when he nodded. “Power. Protection.” He nodded after each and she studied him, wondering. “Immortality?”

“Longevity,” he corrected, which was a relief to her. “We’re said to age more quickly once the firestorm is satisfied.”

“The ability to solve riddles,” Petra added.

He grinned. “I hope to solve yours.”

“It’ll take more than one night.”

He chuckled at that, not so worried about his independence as she’d expected.

“A passionate nature,” Petra whispered.

Damien traced one finger down her cheek, leaving a sizzling path in its wake. “You can verify that yourself.” He cupped her chin in his hand, then bent to kiss her. It was a sweet seductive kiss, one that heated with every passing moment. Petra found herself opening her mouth to him, her need growing in the golden heat of this firestorm. When Damien’s strong fingers slid into her hair, drawing her closer, she caught her breath and stepped back, not quite ready to surrender to him.

“Keen senses?” she asked, her voice husky. She liked that he let her go, but then he had that confidence. He knew she’d surrender to him, and the patience of a dragon meant he’d wait.

A little while. Petra had a hard time catching her breath as he studied her. Could he read her thoughts? Had he already guessed her truth?

“Keener than those of men.” he admitted.

“Prove it.”

He straightened, listening and looking. “The men in the tavern are talking about your beauty and your songs.”

“Of course they are!” Petra scoffed, showing some confidence of her own. “They all talk about me, all the time.”

“Someone named Dmitri is insisting that you’ll be his wife, but another man, one with a deeper voice, is laughing at him, saying you’ve declined him three times.” He arched a brow and Petra couldn’t argue with what he’d heard.

“How long have you been here?”

“We just arrived moments ago.” Damien smiled at her. “Do you think you really could have overlooked me, and this?” He touched her mouth with one fingertip, making the light flare brilliantly between them.

It was a point she couldn’t argue. She turned and kissed his fingertip, then grazed his skin with her teeth. His gaze brightened. “I can’t be persuaded to have a child as easily as that, whether you’re
Pyr
or not,” she said, folding her arms across her chest to face him down. “You’ll have to seduce me.”

He laughed. “But that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

Petra could believe it. This was a man who had seduced a hundred women, even without those disorienting sparks on his side, and left not a one of them with regrets. “First, show me what you are,” she challenged.

Damien didn’t try to deny her request or pretend he didn’t understand. He smiled and stepped away from her, casting one glance toward the noisy tavern before he looked back at her. “You shouldn’t watch,” he cautioned. “There are stories of people losing their sanity.”

“I have a good hold on mine,” Petra replied and arched a brow. “I think you’re stalling.” She didn’t think that, not at all, but she liked how he grinned when she challenged him, as if he wasn’t used to anyone provoking him.

“Protect yourself,” he said, suddenly serious. “I need to know that you will.”

Petra nodded, chastened by his concern.

As she watched, a pale blue glow appeared around Damien’s body, its radiance increasing with every passing moment. She saw Damien throw out his arms, then she felt a surge of power that was achingly familiar to her. She closed her eyes, following his advice, and she felt the force of a transformation wash over her.

When she looked again, Damien had become a dark green dragon with gleaming scales. Each scale looked to be dipped in gold and his dark wings stretched high overhead. His talons shone gold and his teeth were numerous and sharp. He was both beautiful and terrifying, but there was something in his golden eyes that reminded her of the confident warrior. He breathed a plume of fire toward the stars, as if overjoyed at his own abilities, then turned a glittering look upon her.

He was so beautiful that he should be overjoyed.

And she was just as thrilled to be in his company. Damien didn’t know it yet, but they were two of a kind.

When he offered one claw to her, Petra saw the firestorm’s spark leap from the end of his talon, arc through the air toward her. She closed her eyes as it struck her right in the heart, as burning a wound as one from Cupid’s own arrow. She took the step between them and put her hand in his claw before she dared him again.

“Take me for a ride,” she urged, then turned and pointed. “I want to be seduced on the top of that peak.”

She wanted to be surrounded by earth and stone when this union was made.

Damien smiled, showing every one of his sharp dragon teeth. He inclined his head slightly even as his wings rose higher behind him. “Your wish is my command,” he said in that same wondrously low voice. Then he caught her close, holding her with all the care due a precious gem, beat his wings and carried her into the night.

It was perfect, every dream come true. As the wind rippled her hair and the distant peak drew nearer, Petra knew she’d finally met her match. This was the man who could win her heart forever. This was the man who would remain by her side. This was the man who would be unafraid of what she was.

He believed their union would be fleeting but Petra knew better. The child would forge a bond between them, one that would encourage his return.

She would be his, forever.

Starting on this night.

* * *

Damien opened his eyes to find Petra in his arms, and the darkfire fading around them. She tasted like wine and sunlight again, a combination so seductive that he remembered every spark of their firestorm. He didn’t want to stop what they’d started, but wanted to explore the passion between them once again.

He was startled to realize that they stood in the shadows of the underworld, not on the peak of a mountain with the stars shining above. He was re-living the satisfaction of the firestorm and wanted to do it all again. The ripe curve of her belly was between them, a telling reminder that the firestorm had been consummated. Damien wondered whether she’d experienced the same vivid recollection that he had, but then noticed an amazing thing.

Petra was changing color. She’d been pale when he’d seen her at the gates, as pale and ethereal as a ghost. But now, he watched a flush of color suffuse her cheeks, spreading from her reddened lips to make her look as rosy as she had when she was alive. Her eyes became the rich dark brown he remembered, her hair looked thick and dark and lustrous. Her lips were red and her skin was warm. She caught her breath in obvious surprise, shook off his embrace, then backed away.

“What have you done?” she demanded, her fingertips rising to her lips.

“Proved you wrong, I think. You look alive again.”

Petra’s hands touched her cheeks, then ran over her body. It was clear she didn’t believe what she saw or felt. “You can’t do this. It’s not possible.”

“I have done it.” Damien winked at her. “Maybe you’ll have to write a new song about it.” He reached for her hand. “Let’s go.”

“It’s a trick,” Petra said, snatching her hand away from him. “Terrible things happen to the dead who try to leave the underworld. You’re trying to convince me to make a mistake.”

“I’m trying to save you.”

“It’s too late for that!”

“Then let me save my son!”

“You can’t,” Petra began and then she fell silent. Her face paled as if she’d had a shock. She turned away from him so abruptly that Damien knew she was trying to hide something.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“Nothing.”

She was lying and he knew it. “Something happened,” Damien began to argue, and Petra spun to confront him.

“Why did you leave me?”