The doorbell rang, and her heart leapt. She ran down the stairs to the door and saw Guy’s shadow through the glass side panel. The decision over which of the men intrigued her more was hard. Guy was accessible, and always touching her—light grazes of his fingers on her hair, the indentation of her waist. And even though they’d shared so much more that first night, he’d retreated, promising her a more thorough seduction. When he’d kissed her at the door last night, she’d ceased worrying whether he’d lost interest. His erection had damn near bruised her pelvis as he’d ground into her.
Oh, she’d been willing. Told him so, but he’d shook his head. “A woman’s first time should be special. We’ll make it special, Angel. Magical.”
And she believed him, because every time she was with him, she did feel special, alluring, the center of his attention.
Since that first night, she hadn’t seen Drago, but Guy spoke of him, of his thoughts and desires, so she had begun to know him. His reclusiveness was an armor he drew on to protect himself from some old horror. The more she learned about their business ventures, about the places they traveled and the things they did together, the more she wanted to know the man, see him without the blindfold she’d be wearing tonight when she met Drago again.
She opened the door and stood in the frame, enjoying the sight of Guy, broad-shouldered and beautiful, his brown hair falling back in careless waves. He seemed to enjoy the sight of her as well, taking in the thin blousy top and short skirt. She hadn’t bothered with hose—or underwear. From the flare of his nose, she thought maybe he guessed that fact.
“Have you eaten?” he asked.
“Something light, just as you suggested,” she said, feeling breathless.
With a short nod, he thrust out his elbow, and she snuck her hand into the bend, letting him walk her down the steps to the Mercedes parked at the curb.
The drive flew by in what seemed seconds because the next time she looked out her window, they were passing under the stone gate and along the pea-gravel drive to the old keep. Moonlight reflected on the gray stone, lending it a slightly sinister aura.
It’s just nerves, she told herself. She would lose her virginity tonight. A girl had a right to a few doubts.
Guy escorted her inside the foyer, turning to lead her into a large room, the great hall, she was sure from her research. The floors were polished marble, the furnishings were made of heavy, dark wood. The slate gray walls were covered in original paintings, many of them depicting dragons.
“Care for a drink?
“Nothing with alcohol. Those were the rules,” she said, smiling. Odd rules. But he’d said he wanted her to be fully aware, wanted this to be consensual—whatever event they had planned. Her thoughts had skipped to images of a sexy ménage, then to her blindfolded and shackled while two men took turns warming her flanks with a light flogger, teasing her nipples with rubber-tipped clamps. Her cheeks warmed, and she quickly shoved away those thoughts before she jumped the poor man.
Guy gave her a quizzical look, his expression amused by the crinkles deepening beside his eyes. He held up a dark-colored bottle. “Sparkling cider?”
“Yes, please,” she said, wishing she didn’t feel suddenly uneasy and nervous. Would she make a fool of herself? Did she really know these men? How had they gotten her this far this quickly?
“Don’t worry, Angel. No harm will come to you. Only pleasure. My promise,” he said, handing her the glass, his expression suddenly solemn.
Too solemn. Or maybe it was just her overworked nerves. “Drago’s here too?”
“He awaits us.”
Too quickly, she took a sip, then coughed and set aside the glass. Her hands shook too badly to hold it anyway. “I have a million questions,” she blurted.
A slight smile curved his mouth. “I’m sure you do. And we’ll answer them all. But first, we ask that you trust us to see to your pleasure and safekeeping.”
She cleared her throat. “Do I need to know a special word?”
“A safe word?” His smile widened. “You won’t need one. Forget whatever books you’ve been reading. Let the magic happen.”
“I don’t believe in magic,” she said, feeling somehow defective. What woman didn’t believe in “happy ever afters”? At least, until her dreams were crushed by a man.
His hands settled lightly on her waist and pulled her closer. “No? What do you believe?” he asked, his voice a velvet rumble.
The close angle forced her to tilt back her head. “That you’re very, very good at this.”
A dark brow arched above a crystal blue eye. “Too good?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” she scoffed. “Twenty-four, a virgin, and yet you’ve managed to tempt me into a ménage and whatever else with your boss.”
“My lord. My master,” he said, dipping his head toward hers. “He will be yours too—if you let it happen.”
Mesmerized by his sexy curving mouth, she shook her head. “Why does that sound so appealing? The offer shouldn’t.”
“Another sip,” he said, “then let’s go meet him together.”
He released her and took a step back, disappointing her, because she’d liked the heat emanating from his large body. She reached for her glass, took a long sip of the sweet sparkling liquid, hoping she hadn’t lost her mind, and that her first time wouldn’t be a complete letdown. The buildup, so far, was taking away her breath. “It’s not really my first time. We’ve already had sex.”
Guy held out his hand, waiting.
When she placed hers atop his palm, she felt a reassuring spark of electricity sizzle between them.
He tucked her beside him, then turned toward the open door. “It’s fine for you to think that, if it helps dull the edge of your anxiety. We’re simply taking care of the technicality tonight.”
“Why tonight?” she asked, suddenly breathless. “Why not that first night?”
His head bent towards hers as they climbed the steps to the upper level. “Do you note the moon’s cycles?”
“Tonight’s the last night of the full moon. Does that mean something in your culture?”
His eyes sparkled, reflecting light from the old-fashioned gas-lit sconces suspended in the stairway wall. “There’s magic in the moonlight.”
“Dragons, you mean?” she drawled.
For a second, his gaze slid away then returned, piercing her with its intensity. “Have you been checking up on us?”
“I’m a curious girl.”
He halted at the end of a long hallway where an open archway led to stone steps that spiraled upward. “Would you like to hear the full story?” he asked, his voice, for once, hesitant.
She reached for both his hands and held them against her belly. “I’m all yours. Tell me everything.”
And he did—launching into a wild story of a tarnished knight who’d found a new crusade atop a lonely, moonlit atoll. By the time he’d finished with the lavish tale, she was smiling. “I love fairy tales.”
His expression tightened, and his piercing blue gaze locked with hers. “Could you love that dragon?”
“If he turned into a handsome lord, I might,” she said lightly, although inside, her heart stuttered at his strange intensity.
His eyelids closed, his expression turning grim.
Was he praying? She squeezed his hands, worried that something was wrong. “Is this the story Drago has had to live with all his life? Did the villagers fear him? Is that why you moved everything here?”
Guy bent and leaned his forehead against hers, looking weary. “We wanted a fresh start, without all the baggage. We hoped to be accepted for the things we do, the charities we support, the jobs our ventures produce, rather than an old curse.”
“You moved to a remote mountain with its own prosaic folklore,” she said, using a quiet voice to reassure him. “Don’t you think we’d be glad for a little romance?”
“Romance?” he snorted. “You think it’s romantic, the story of the Drakkenberg curse?�
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Because she heard an edge of anger seep into his voice, she deflected. “Was Drago named for the dragon?”
“He’s been called it for so long he doesn’t remember the name he was born with. That one no longer has significance.”
Not knowing now whether this was part of the game they would play this night or whether Guy was delusional—and not really caring because she was still hot, and beyond bothered—she tilted her head to align their noses, then whispered, “Is he so very old then?”
His mouth rubbed hers. “Not to worry,” he murmured. “When he isn’t a fire-breathing dragon, he’s quite handsome—not a wrinkle or a gray hair to be seen.”
“Then I’ve nothing to fear?” Her tone was light, but she knew he realized how nervous she really was, because he cupped one side of her face and kissed the tip of her nose.
“Plenty will happen to make you quiver, Angel, but we hope you will look beyond the moment and truly enjoy what follows.” He gathered her closer, their lower torsos touching. “Trust us. Trust me. You’ll not be harmed, and both our lives will be devoted to your happiness.”
How she wanted to believe him. Wanted this moment to be about more than the magic he was trying to create. “You don’t have to make me promises. I may be inexperienced, but I know this is just sex. Right?” Guy’s eyes were so sad, so weary, that she took a step back. “Don’t play with me. Please. I’m a big girl. Don’t lie to me.”
With a slow shake of his head, he shrugged. “I’ve told you only truths.”
The roughness of his voice caused a pang of answering sorrow in her chest. She reached out and laid her palm against his cheek. His head turned, and he pressed a kiss against the surface, then dragged down her hand and held it by his side. As they climbed the stairs to a crenellated wallwalk, she glanced around, wanting to remember every detail. Mist enclosed the valley below them, obstructing the view of their surrounds.
Guy continued forward, walking slowly toward an opening in the wall where a stone bridge spanned a deep crevasse and ended atop a barren, rocky knoll at the other end.
“I haven’t seen that before...” Her voice trailed off as she glanced down. The mountains here in this region were gentle slopes, but this was a jagged wall of rock that sank into the mist.
“You don’t believe in magic, but here’s your first proof.” His hand swung in an arc. “We built the bridge, stone by stone over centuries of small windows of opportunity, to make the journey to the atoll less dangerous and frightening for the women.”
“Women?” Breath whooshed out, and her head swiveled toward him. “Is this a joke? A game? Are you reenacting the sacrifice? Is that why you wanted me? Because I’m the only virgin you know?”
“At first, yes. It’s paramount we find a maiden, and one who looks like the witch’s daughter.”
Realizing at last that he was dead serious, she shivered. Was he insane? She glanced again at the shadowed depths beneath the bridge. Was she? “I look like the daughter of the witch who cast the spell?”
“Yes. She was real, Angela, just as everything I told you is real.” He laid a hand against his heart. “I swear it.”
Not knowing quite what to believe, she shook her head as dread constricted her chest. “The blindfold...when Drago and I met...”
“Makes it easier for the girl to meet Drago without seeing what he has become.”
“He’s a dragon,” she said, still hoping he was kidding, and that any moment he’d grin and tell her not to worry, that they weren’t really crazy.
But he didn’t smile. His handsome, craggy face was etched with pain. “The curse has foiled us, century after century. Drago transforms, he tastes the blood of the virgin’s gift. But if she doesn’t accept him at that moment, if she doesn’t fully trust, we are forced to repeat the cycle.”
“You really believe this,” she said, her eyes tearing and her throat scratchy. Hadn’t she known all along this beautiful man was too good to be true? Then she heard something—like claps of a thick leather whip. The air stirred.
She glanced over her shoulder to see a large shape block the moon, its long body stretched, wings flapping downward as it neared the atoll across the bridge and settled at the end.
Angela couldn’t tear her gaze from the creature who sat on its back haunches and folded its wings. Its gaze met hers, slitted golden eyes never blinking. “Aren’t I supposed to be chained to a rock?” she whispered, amazed she could still talk because she suddenly felt dizzy from shock.
A hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed. “We’re giving you a chance to decide on your own how you wish this to happen.”
Dread roiled in her stomach. “Can I undecide? Leave now?”
“If we allow it, the demon inside him will wreak vengeance until the next full moon.”
Looking at the dragon that appeared menacing even as he held still as a carved statue, she guessed his vengeance would be truly horrifying. “You’ve seen this happen before?”
“We resisted the curse, tested it, to our dismay. Now we do what we must.”
“Can’t you simply kill it?” she asked, then blanched because she realized a man lived inside the huge beast.
“At his request, I’ve tried, but his wounds heal. Drago’s tried suicide, numerous times and ways. Only one escape from the curse exists.”
She dragged her gaze from the dragon, glancing over her shoulder at Guy. “These girls were never harmed?”
“After they surrender their maidenhead, they were coddled, pampered, treated like queens for the rest of their natural lives.”
Suspicion tightened her stance. “But sequestered.”
“We can’t have anyone leaking the truth to friends and families. We won’t live at the center of a circus.”
“I have no friends. No family. No one I would want to tell.”
His head canted. “Are you negotiating?”
Angela straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I won’t be imprisoned. Your promise.”
“You are still willing?”
“Only if you keep your first promise.”
His lips curved slowly. “That we escort you to a dungeon?”
Had he forgotten? She shook her head. “That you compensate me with pleasure. More than I can bear.”
The corners of his mouth twitched, then he gave a solemn nod and swung toward the dragon blocking the bridge at the other end. “We’re coming.”
The dragon bent his head and backed away, his wings extending as though in a bow.
“How will he do it?” she whispered as they strode toward the towering dragon.
“You’ve already felt his tongue inside you.”
When heat bloomed in her cheeks, she was grateful for the darkness. “Good lord! I thought he was blessed, like Gene Simmons or something.”
Guy chuckled. “If you felt pleasure, then he is blessed. I’ll envy him now.”
They passed the dragon, whose head angled to watch them as they strode toward a cleared area at the center of the atoll where a tall stone pillar stood. “If this curse ends? What then. Will you two still be immortal?”
“As human as you, my dear—at least, that is our hope.”
“And you want that?” Her eyes widened. “You’ll both be giving up eternity.”
Again, his gaze locked on hers. “We want to grow old with the woman we will love.”
Something in his expression confirmed his yearning. Her breaths deepened. “Will that be me?” she asked in a small voice, hope tugging at her heart and making it thud against her chest.
“If you wish that. We will make it so.”
“To be loved by two men...” She blew out a deep breath and gave a nervous laugh. “I’m a greedy woman, Guy. I need love every bit as much as you need someone to end this curse.”
“Will you be the one to end it, little one?”
“I will try.”
Chapter Four
Guy held Angela’s hand as they approached the pillar. Hers felt
cold, and he detected a slight tremor.
“I don’t remember seeing that bridge before,” she chattered nervously. “I don’t know how I missed it. I walked all around the outside of the keep at the Renn Faire.”
“We moved the castle, stone by stone, in hopes the atoll would be lost. That the bridge would no longer connect us with our past. We built it long ago. Each time the anniversary struck, we had three-day windows. We wanted the virgin’s journey to be a safe one. Before this, we had to climb rocks and a narrow ledge to get here.”
“Where is here, Guy?”
“In the past. Drago’s past.”
“The curse again? This is magical then, this place?”
“Don’t you feel it?”
She glanced back, as did he, but already the castle’s battlement was obscured by mist. A shiver ran through her body..
“It’s colder here,” Guy said, “He’ll warm the stone if you wish.”
Her eyes glinted with curiosity. “Show me.”
Guy let go of her hand and strode toward the dragon. In his animal form, Drago’s intellect was diminished, but the beast could understand simple phrases.
The dragon stretched out its neck and peered down at Guy, snuffling its snout against his chest, reacquainting itself with its vassal. Guy held out his palm, much like he would to a dog, and waited until the dragon nuzzled into it.
“We are here again, old foe. Your virgin awaits, but she is cold. Would you warm the stone for her?”
The dragon’s neck arched. Then the creature ducked its head around Guy’s side to peer at the girl. Guy glanced back as well. She stood still, her eyes wide.
“Not too warm because you don’t want her flesh burned. Have a care...”
The dragon nodded, and Guy stood to the side as the creature bent, dropping to all fours to amble toward the pillar.
Guy returned to Angela and slid an arm around her shoulder. “The creature is frightful,” he ventured, more to get her reaction to what she was seeing so he’d know whether she would need the blindfold or for Drago to use his magical persuasion to seduce her.
Dragon's Desire Page 4
