by Rinelle Grey
She should show this strange guy out and get on with her usual nightly routine.
But instead, she found herself waiting for his answer, hoping it would somehow make sense.
“What I have told you is the truth.” His words were quiet. Sincere.
And completely unbelievable.
“You’re a dragon?” She stared at him, making the mistake of looking into his eyes, trying to figure out if he really believed that, and thus was crazy, or if he was trying to trick her. Though surely, if he was, he would have chosen any of a thousand more believable lies?
“I am,” he said solemnly. He hesitated for a moment, and the intense look he gave her set her pulse racing and made her breathing hitch. “I understand that it may seem fantastical, and I wish I could transform and prove it to you, but I have not fully recovered from my injuries yet.”
How could he say something like that with a straight face?
She shook her head in disbelief. Why did she always attract the nut jobs and crazies? He made Eric seem positively sane, and he’d had serious issues.
Which was exactly why she was going to keep her distance.
“Look, I’m happy to call someone to come get you, but you need to be out of here before Rowan finishes his bath. He’s already had enough upheaval in his life, he doesn’t need more drama.”
His eyes widened. Was that a trace of panic in them?
His reaction made her feel a little nervous. Up until now, he’d seemed harmless, if a little crazy. But now it hit her that she was alone in the house with this man. Her father was out of shouting range. When she’d moved here, that had been a plus, the fact that she could have a little privacy. Now she couldn’t help wishing that he was a little closer.
Especially when Calrian reached out across the table toward her.
As his hand moved towards hers, her mind screamed at her to snatch hers back, to avoid the contact. To let him know she wasn’t available. But her instinct, and a need that almost overwhelmed common sense, insisted she hold her ground.
As soon as his fingers connected with hers, a spark flared in her fingertips, flowing up her arm, straight to her belly, igniting something she hadn’t even known existed until that moment.
Calrian felt it too. She could see it reflected in his eyes.
“That desire you feel is a result of a magical bond that formed between us the moment you touched me out in the yard.” Calrian’s voice was low and urgent.
Heat flushed through her at his mention of the desire she felt. Both embarrassment that he knew, and excitement that he’d acknowledged it. But… a result of a magical bond?
That was ridiculous. Magic didn’t exist. Neither did dragons.
But the way she couldn’t stop thinking about him, the way her body heated whenever her eyes met his, and the way she desperately wanted to kiss him and never stop, that couldn’t be normal, right? Not for a man she’d never met, even if he did have a body that looked like it belonged in one of those firefighter calendars.
Right?
She tried to ignore the little voice in the back of her head, the one that said, but what if it’s true? She’d read books about dragons since she was a kid. The dragons had always seemed so sure of themselves. Well, wouldn’t they be, when they could soar off into the sky, or breathe fire at their enemies?
The thought of having this… this bond, with one of them… well, it did sound pretty romantic.
Calrian was still talking, and his words cut through the haze she was feeling.
“If I leave now, before the Mesmer ritual is completed, both of us will suffer. We will grow weak and sick. If we remain apart, we’ll eventually die.”
“What?”
Any thoughts of romance fled. “You… you made this… this bond… that has this sort of effect, without even asking me?”
Hell, here she was talking about this like she believed it. If it was all nonsense, which it had to be, then what did it matter that he was pretending or imagining he’d done it without her consent?
And yet, how else could she explain this overwhelming desire she felt for him?
The whole idea was starting to make her more than a little nervous. And, for the first time in the conversation, that uncertainty wasn’t for whether he was crazy or not.
What had she gotten herself into?
“You have my most sincere apologies for that.” Calrian’s voice was low, and he looked away for a second, regret in his eyes. “I would not have done it if I weren’t desperate. Even then, I wanted to talk to you first, to ask your permission. But without the bond, you couldn’t understand what I was saying, and I couldn’t understand you.”
He had pulled back when she’d moved to touch him. She hadn’t understood why at the time. She’d ignored his reluctance and touched him anyway.
Apparently she’d been the one to form this bond.
Rylee pursed her lips. She was starting to believe the crazy. That wasn’t good.
But when she looked into his eyes, he didn’t look crazy. Not even a little bit. He looked sincere. Like he truly believed what he was saying.
Eric had been like that too. He’d claimed, time and time again, that everything he did was for her own good. For Rowan’s good. She’d believed it for far too long.
She should have learned her lesson.
But then again, she’d never felt this way about Eric. In less than an hour, this man had stirred more desire than her ex-husband ever had.
“So what is required to complete this… what did you call it?” Rylee found herself asking, despite her reservations.
“Mesmer ritual,” Calrian repeated. Then he hesitated. He stared at her for a long moment, and Rylee found herself barely breathing. Somehow, she was sure that whatever it was, it was going to be exciting.
If this were true, and he were a dragon needing help with a magical ritual, then it could hardly be dull, could it?
Calrian’s eyes flicked down to their clasped hands, then back up. “Nothing major. I just need to stay near you for a week or two. The bond will do the rest.”
“That’s all?” For some reason, that answer didn’t live up to Rylee’s expectations.
It was ordinary. Boring.
And it didn’t explain why the bond involved such a strong attraction. He had said that the feeling was because of the bond, hadn’t he?
Maybe the attraction was designed to keep them close? The kind of activities her mind kept picturing certainly involved lots of closeness. And it could take a week or two to explore them all. She felt herself blushing just at the thought.
Calrian looked away, not meeting her eyes. He was blushing a little too. His voice was non-committal as he said, “That’s all.”
Somehow, Rylee didn’t believe him.
Chapter 6
Calrian couldn’t bring himself to meet the beautiful human’s eyes. He felt bad lying to her, even if he was doing it for her.
He couldn’t bring himself to tell her that the ritual would be over in an hour or two if she mated with him, even though the thought had been on his mind constantly since she’d touched him. He was sure that she felt the same, that was how the Mesmer bond worked. She’d probably be more than willing with the Mesmer magic coursing through her veins.
Which was exactly why it wouldn’t be fair on her. She’d had no idea what she was getting into. To use the bond, and the attraction it caused between them, to sleep with her would be dishonest. Worse than dishonest. Disgraceful.
That was a perfectly valid reason for keeping his distance. One no one could argue with, not even himself.
But it wasn’t his only one.
He was kind of glad that extending the Mesmer ritual would give him a chance to get to know her a little better.
Once the ritual was complete, he’d have no excuse to stay here. His clan was out there somewhere, and he needed to find them. That need hummed in the back of his mind, never leaving him alone for one second. He was aware of it constantly.
But he was also aware of an attraction to this woman, one he’d felt even before she’d touched him and initiated the Mesmer bond.
She wasn’t like any woman he’d ever met before. Probably not that surprising, since she was human, not a dragon. He’d never met any humans before today, let alone human women.
Were they all like her? If so, what on earth had possessed his ancestors to move so far away from them all?
“There’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there?” Rylee probed.
Calrian grimaced. Perhaps that was why the dragons had left England, and escaped from the humans there. The human woman seemed rather too good at reading him.
Calrian forced himself to meet her eyes. Tried to look as open and innocent as he could. “No, nothing else. Why would there be?”
She looked at him suspiciously, searching his face. Calrian did his best to keep it open, to give away no sign that he was keeping something back.
Her gaze was so intense it stirred something in him, the very emotions he was trying to deny. Well, it wasn’t really surprising that he had the urge to kiss her, to mate with her, with the Mesmer bond sizzling between them.
She was caught by it too, her breath hitching and her fingers twitching under his.
Calrian still held her hand, and he selfishly didn’t let go either. The physical touch would help speed the completion of the Mesmer ritual. The closer he was to her, the more quickly he would regenerate. That was why he didn’t let go of her hand.
Or, at least, that’s what he told himself.
Then, abruptly, her expression changed. A flash of anger, a hint of fear. She snatched her hand back and glared at him. “This is nonsense. If you think I’m stupid enough to fall for your tales of dragons and magical bonds, then you’ve got another thing coming. Get out.”
Calrian stared at her in shock.
“Out?” he repeated, struggling to believe.
She seemed to have guessed he was keeping something back, was that why she was angry? Did she think it was something bad?
Of course she did. She didn’t know him. She couldn’t possibly realise that he was only keeping a secret to protect her.
“Yes, out,” Rylee repeated, pointing to the door.
“Look, if this is because I haven’t told you everything, I only did that to protect you,” he said desperately. “The truth is, the quickest conclusion to the Mesmer ritual is for us to mate. That’s why we feel this attraction towards each other. But I couldn’t ask you to do that when you don’t even know me. When you’re only feeling this attraction to me because of a bond that forms as part of the ritual, the Mesmer bond. You had no idea that any of this would happen when you touched me, and I wouldn’t take advantage of that. Staying close has the same effect, it just takes longer.”
Her eyes widened as he talked, and from the horrified expression on her face, Calrian guessed he was making things worse rather than better.
“I’m not a fool.” Rylee put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Dragons aren’t real, and magical bonds that can make someone sick if they get too far apart are just as nonsensical. If you think this is going to somehow convince me to sleep with you, you have another thing coming. If you don’t leave right away, I’m calling my dad. He lives just a few minutes’ walk away.”
Her hands shook, and her pulse beat rapidly at her neck. She was scared.
Of him.
He’d made a terrible mistake. He should never have come here, much less bonded with her.
He’d never actually seen what happened when people were separated during the Mesmer ritual. No one had ever done it in his lifetime, or in those he’d heard about. It was an old story, centuries old. Perhaps it wouldn’t really be so bad?
Or perhaps it would.
He hesitated, staring at her, not sure what to do. His first instinct was to do exactly as she asked and leave. Her words were clear. The trouble was, she didn’t understand what she was asking. If he left, she would be in as much danger as he was.
Rylee was still glaring at him, her arms folded. Still looking just as afraid.
Calrian guessed he was about to find out if things were as bad as he had been told. He stood up, the chair scraping loudly on the floorboards.
“I’m sorry if I caused you any discomfort,” he said gently, wincing internally at how inadequate the words were. She clearly felt more than discomfort. And he didn’t blame her. Apparently humanity had forgotten about the existence of dragons. Without that knowledge, his story must seem completely impossible.
He must seem irrational and crazy. No wonder she was frightened.
Calrian wished there was some way to undo what had happened to her. But any move he made right now would only make things worse. He’d caused this problem, and now it was time for him to leave.
Even if it would be one of the hardest things he’d ever done.
He stared at her for a moment longer, searching her face for any hint that she might relent. But her glare didn’t abate. Her crossed arms faced him like a wall. A wall designed to keep him out.
So he made himself walk past her, keeping some distance between them, and out the front door. He didn’t even look back at her as he left, not certain he could make himself go if he did.
When the door closed behind him, he swore he could hear her sigh of relief. A few seconds later, he heard the click of the lock behind him. The sound was final.
He was gone, and she was relieved.
Calrian stared out at the darkening sky, wondering where he should go. The lair was to the north, he could feel the pull faintly. But it was overshadowed by the enormous tie behind him, to the woman he’d bonded with.
He couldn’t leave yet.
Squaring his shoulders, he headed towards the tree line to the west. He would stay nearby. Watch her a little. He had no idea how long it would take for them both to feel the effects of being separated. Or how severe they would be. He would stay for the night at least.
If nothing had gone wrong by morning, maybe he could assume the stories were wrong, and he could just leave.
If he could make it back to the lair, then he could find a dragon to mate with, and that would release both him and Rylee from the bond.
He hoped.
Chapter 7
When the door closed behind the strange man, Rylee forced herself to take a deep breath. She was shaking, not from fear or relief, but from the adrenaline of the confrontation. She hated having to take a stand and tell someone something they didn’t want to hear, even when she was sure of her decision.
Which she certainly wasn’t right now. She’d freaked out when he’d held her hand and such strong feelings had washed over her. She’d made a snap decision to throw him out, not really thinking it though. The feelings of need had been so intense, they’d scared her.
But as soon as he’d released her hand, she’d wanted the contact back.
And now he was gone.
She reminded herself that telling him to go was the right thing. The sensible thing. His whole story had been crazy, and letting him stay, much less believing him, would have been a mistake.
She listened for a few moments, but could hear no sounds outside, so she crossed the room and locked the door. She should be glad he was gone, and without a fuss. But instead, she felt deflated. Let down. As though something was missing.
Even though he’d left without too much protest, she couldn’t get rid of the premonition that something was wrong. It crawled between her shoulder blades and stuck there, like an unwelcome hitchhiker. In fact, it only seemed to intensify after he left.
Rylee walked around the table and picked up the plates, taking them out to the kitchen, putting them in the sink, and running some water to wash them. She needed to get rid of any evidence that the man had even been here. Maybe then she could forget about him.
“Where’d Calrian go, Mum?”
Rowan’s voice behind her reminded her that forgetting him wasn’t going to be so easy. S
he bit her lip, and turned off the tap.
Turning around, she put her hand on her son’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Rowan, I had to ask him to leave. I know you brought him home with the best of intentions, but…” She hesitated as her son looked up at her with trusting eyes. She didn’t want him to ever lose that innocence. But she also couldn’t let him put himself in danger. “He was lying to us. You could see that, right?”
Rowan hesitated, then nodded. “I suppose so. But…” He looked up at her, his eyes shining. “What if he really is a dragon?”
Rylee felt her heart lift a little at the same time as it ached. How wonderful it must be, to still be able to believe in magic. She wished she could. But Eric had destroyed any trust she’d had.
She refused to let the same thing happen to her son.
“Then I’d say he’s perfectly able to look after himself,” she said lightly. “Now go and finish your homework, you have school tomorrow.”
Rowan sighed. “All right, Mum.” He headed off into the other room, and Rylee returned to the washing up.
As soon as Rowan left, her shoulders twitched, reminding her that the itch was still there.
What if Calrian was still out there somewhere, just waiting until she was asleep to return? That was what Eric would have done. She’d had to go to court and get a restraining order to stop him calling at odd hours.
The memory of her ex, and the ordeal it had been getting away from him, sent a shiver down her spine.
She should probably tell her father about Calrian, just in case. He could walk the perimeter with his shotgun, and check. But he’d also berate her for letting the man into her house, even for a second. She winced, imagining his words and tone as he told her she was an idiot.
No, she’d managed this just fine on her own. Her dad didn’t ever need to know.
The house was locked. She and Rowan would be perfectly fine. Despite the fact that she kept comparing Calrian’s actions to Eric’s, there was one important difference—when she asked him to leave, he’d gone without a protest. Eric had never done that.
