by Lynn, Denise
“I’m sure you will be later—as will I.” He trailed a fingertip along the side of her neck. “Right now, though, it seems the grimoire has control of our emotions. At least while we’re in this room.”
Ariel thought the idea of anyone—or anything—having control over Cameron Drake was ludicrous. “And you’re okay with that?”
“Are you implying I have control issues?”
“I’m not implying anything.”
Cam laughed at her answer before following his stroking finger with his lips. She shivered beneath his touch. This was more than disconcerting, it was dangerous.
There was one sure way to stop him. Ariel leaned over, grabbed the grimoire and set it on the desk. “There.”
Just as she thought he would, Cam left off teasing her to stare intently at the book. She took his concentration as an opportunity to slip off his lap.
Before she could walk away, he hooked his fingers around her wrist to keep her close. He wasn’t as distracted as she’d hoped.
“I’m not going to stand here all night.” She jiggled her wrist.
Without turning away from the page, Cam nodded toward a chair that instantly materialized on his other side. He released her, suggesting, “Have a seat.”
After she perched on the edge of the chair, he said, “It’s a curse.”
Ariel jumped up from the chair and stood behind Cam. “What’s cursed?”
“I’m not sure.” He ran a finger beneath the symbols and pictures. “This one here—” he tapped the first symbol “—is familiar. It shows that a curse was spoken. Since the symbol is ancient, I can only assume the curse was issued centuries ago.”
“And this concerns us, how?” She didn’t care about curses, or the grimoire, for that matter. Ariel just wanted to find the pendant and the cube and get out of the Lair before anything happened to Carl—or her.
Cam reached back and stroked her leg. “It concerns you because I need you here.”
She closed her eyes. If he didn’t stop with the touching and caressing, they’d be back on the bed naked and his precious book would be in the closet.
“And it concerns me,” Cam continued, “because it seems to have been placed on Nathan the Learned along with certain members of the Drake family.”
She ran her fingers through his hair, almost jealous of the silken softness. “Which members?”
“I’m not—” He tensed beneath her touch before rising.
“Cam?” She looked up at his furrowed brow and clenched jaw. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He headed for the door. “I forgot that I have an appointment.”
“No. Wait. Tell me—” Before she could finish her sentence he was gone.
Ariel went back to stare down at the book. He had to have seen, or read, something that unsettled him. What?
She flipped the pages back and forth. The only thing she could make sense of, besides the symbol he’d pointed out a few minutes ago, was a brilliant picture of a sapphire dragon.
Ariel stepped back, confused. A sapphire dragon? Why would that upset him so?
Knowing she’d find no answers staring at the grimoire, she left the bedroom and stepped out onto the apartment’s balcony.
She shivered as the cold night air brushed across her face. Hugging herself for warmth, Ariel stared up at the stars shimmering against the blackness of the sky.
It seemed darker here than at home. Bereft of the constant glow of city lights, stars appeared brighter…close enough to almost touch.
She breathed in deeply, savoring the scents of the forest…the freshness of evergreens and the musty yet earthy aroma of dirt. The air green and alive swelled her heart with longing. She needed to break free of the bonds chaining her feet to the solid ground.
Ariel closed her eyes and leaned over the balcony’s railing, straining to better feel the bracing rush of the wind.
The desires beckoning her weren’t normal—weren’t quite human, a part of her knew this and recognized the longings as impossible. But the pounding of her heart, the ache of her soul begged her to ignore the logical, to instead listen to the cry of the imaginings, to leave logic and reasoning behind.
She curled her fingers tighter around the icy-cold metal railing, ensuring her hold on the tangible. And yet, in the same moment, felt the wind embrace her, pulling her from the earthly confines to soar freely toward the glittering stars.
Chapter 12
Cam whipped his sword through the musty air of the basement wishing he had something more solid to fight than his imagination.
There was nothing like a curse to give one’s life meaning. It did, however, explain why his dragon had cared so little for Carol that it had let her be killed.
Since there were no others like them, the beast had known they would never find a mate, never know love. Their hunger and thirst were for Learned blood, not home and hearth.
So, what made Ariel so different? Why this mind-robbing physical attraction when they would never have a life together? It made no sense. But then, when it came to his beast’s desire for Ariel, nothing made any sense.
The knowledge of his destiny took away not only his breath, it hammered at his will. What was the point of living alone—without a mate, without love, without making memories of a life shared? Without even knowing what it would be like to have a home and a family.
He threw his sword back into the storage chest. Battling nothing but air did little good. He wanted to rage out loud—scream his human frustration to the wind.
Cam clenched his jaw, fighting to ignore his beast’s dire need to hurt something—to shed blood, to transfer this pain to another.
He raced up the stairs, out a back entrance and into the blackness of the forest. He had to get away, needed to find a way to breathe, to think.
From the tightening of his chest, he was certain his dragon needed freedom as much as he did, Cam took one quick glance over his shoulder before stepping off the side of the mountain.
The bite of the cold breeze settled beneath his wings, lifting him toward the blinking stars. He craned his neck, stretching out the kinks from the sudden shift from man to beast.
* * *
Aelthed bit the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing out loud. Doing so would risk detection. And that was the last thing he wanted right now.
So, while the dragon twin had been unsuccessfully venting his frustration, he’d sat in the corner of his cube sensing the twin’s anguish.
He knew the changeling had left, but he could still feel the anger, the confusion and the heartrending longing swirling about the area.
It was obvious from the tumultuous conflict that the man had managed to get the woman to help him with the grimoire. Good. It was past time the changeling knew about the curse.
Now, if he could just learn to accept the beast, give it full rein on its emotions, perhaps the curse could be broken.
It was impossible to tell if this woman would ever be the dragon’s true mate. But from the scent of lust fulfilled hanging heavy in the air, Aelthed knew the beast was already convinced.
Would the man come to accept or recognize that conviction? It was hard to be certain. There was little else Aelthed could do except to keep forcing the two of them together, whether the changeling liked it or not.
Satisfied that he’d done all he could today, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. He needed rest to gather strength for the
spell casting yet to come.
* * *
The stars brightly dotted the sky. The air, crisp and clear, glided beneath his wings. A measure of quiet calm settled his frustration and eased his confusion.
And yet, in the peacefulness of the night, Cam sensed that he wasn’t alone.
Someone—or something—else had invaded his territory.
Startled out of his momentary tranquillity by an instinctual response to protect what was his, he dipped low and circled back defensively toward the Lair. A shadowy form glided just above the tops of the trees surrounding the resort.
Head low, wings folded compactly against his body, Cam’s beast aimed for the intruder. Moving in closer, he uncurled his talons, intent on grasping the still-unsuspecting prey in order to break its neck and end the looming threat.
Nostrils flared, lips slightly parted, he chuffed the air, seeking a scent of the unfamiliar beast.
No.
Cam pulled up short.
Impossible.
His great beast pumped its wings backward to stop the assault and tipped its head one way, then the other, in confusion. He ascended and settled into lazy circles above the half-formed beast.
This was no intruder threatening his home and family. This shadowy beast was a new changeling, still not capable of complete transformation, let alone danger, doing nothing more than testing its wings.
Cam felt the changeling’s excitement, its awe at the feel of air beneath its wings and wonderment at the open heavens above. He remembered those emotions, those first few moments of absolute freedom and unadulterated joy.
But neither the emotions nor the memories had pulled him up short and confused his beast—it had been the scent. The all-too-familiar scent of…Ariel.
Again he recognized that fact for what it was—impossible.
She was human. Of that he was certain. Ariel Johnson possessed no magic outside of what a normal, ordinary woman possessed in relationship to a man. He found her desirable. She aroused his passions with nothing more than the slightest touch, or a look.
While that ability might be considered magical, it wasn’t true magic.
His beast grunted, reminding him that he could think whatever he wished, could gather whatever reasoning he wanted and hold it as close to his heart as he wanted, but the proof was before them. How could he deny what he and his beast saw or what they sensed?
Still—it wasn’t possible. For so long he’d wished not to be alone that now he was imagining this. He and his beast only recognized the changeling as Ariel because of their unwarranted attachment to the woman.
His beast’s long-drawn-out sigh was like a heavy weight against his chest.
Determined to put an end to this nonsensical argument, Cam prepared to descend, to make contact with this changeling. But just as his beast angled its wings, the shadowy form looked up at them.
Before Cam could stop the other beast from leaving, the misty, shadowy form disappeared.
He knew from experience that it would be impossible to follow or track the changeling. How many times in the beginning had he been startled from his misty dragon form by one thing or another only to find himself back in his apartment shaken and confused as to what had happened.
It had taken months and many transformations before he’d been able to admit what he was, what he’d become. He doubted if it would be any different for this changeling.
And in the meantime, it would be impossible to know for certain who the changeling was in human form. The one thing he did know for certain was that it was not a member of his family. The changeling’s magic was far too weak for it to be of Drake blood.
He ignored his beast’s repeated grunts. It wasn’t Ariel. And even if it was, what difference did it make? The woman worked for the Learneds.
Cam and his beast shivered at the sudden implication of that uninviting thought.
To prove to himself that he had no worry on that front—that the changeling wasn’t Ariel and that she wasn’t now a greater threat to him and his family—he headed back to the Lair.
Landing on the balcony outside her bedroom, Cam shook off the lingering buzz common after changing back into human form and then stepped inside.
He nearly laughed with relief at finding her sound asleep on her bed. If his memories served him correctly, she wouldn’t be this relaxed or peaceful after an outing as a dragon—at least not the first few times.
His beast groaned softly in longing and regret, chasing away Cam’s relief.
He crossed the room and stared down at Ariel. He longed to lie beside her, to gather her into his arms and lose himself in passion and lust.
She rolled over and looked up at him through half-opened eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Cam sat on the edge of the bed to stroke her cheek. “Nothing.” He kept his voice low and gentle to soothe her back into her dreams. “Go back to sleep.”
Ariel covered his hand with one of her own. “Come to bed.”
It was painfully apparent that he and his beast had already grown more attached to her than was safe. Compounding that attachment wouldn’t be wise for either of them. But he had to keep her at the Lair until the Learneds were defeated. And he would have to do so without adding more risk to his physical and emotional safety.
Careful not to waken her further, he eased down onto the bed alongside her. She burrowed against his chest, one hand beneath her cheek, the other absently drawing circles on his back.
Cam swallowed hard. He hated this easy closeness, and despised himself for being such a liar.
With his lips against her cheek, he whispered, “Go to sleep, Ariel. Go to sleep and dream.”
As her breathing slowed, her fingertips grazed the mark on his back. The oddly shaped dragon stretched in contentment beneath her touch.
Cameron drew in a long breath, quelling the sudden urge to awaken her with heated caresses. He rested his forehead against hers and fell headlong into her dream.
Startled that he’d once again left reality behind through no plan of his own, Cam groaned. Didn’t his beast understand that this was the last place he wanted to be?
Gentle waves lapped upon the sandy white beach. The shimmering sunlight enveloped him with warmth.
He turned to search the beach, knowing exactly where to find Ariel and her dream version of him. They were together in the hammock that was still tied between two palm trees.
A shadow passed overhead. Cam knew without looking up that his dragon was also here. He felt the beast’s torment, and recognized it for what it was—jealousy of the man with Ariel.
If it wasn’t so pathetic, he’d laugh. But at the moment, he was grateful that this unwarranted anger emanating from his beast existed only in a dream.
Not wanting to be seen, and not wanting to intrude, Cam forced himself out of Ariel’s imagined fantasy.
Careful not to awaken her, he inched away from her lax embrace. Once free of the bed, he tucked the covers around her, then crossed the room to sit at the desk, staring at the grimoire.
She must have been looking at the book after he’d left earlier, because it was no longer open to the pages with the curse.
He watched, fascinated, as symbols and colorful drawings slowly spilled their way onto the pages.
When Braeden had explained this process to him, he’d taken the story with a grain of salt. Now he knew that his brother hadn’t exaggerated—the grimoire did fill in the pages on its own
.
The intricate magic in action shouldn’t surprise him. After all, the family volume had been originally created centuries ago by a High Wizard.
And given his family’s history, why wouldn’t this item be magical, too?
He could only hope that eventually it would see fit to show him how to deal with the Learneds.
Chapter 13
Ariel pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine. Cam had been right about the smaller vehicles being easier to handle on the twists and curves in the road.
Thankfully, she’d remembered to triple-check for her cell phone before leaving the apartment and once again after getting in the Jeep. This time she wouldn’t have to search for a phone or head back to the bar to call Renalde.
Instead, she’d found a small, secluded park at the far end of town, away from the shops and tourists. The only other person here—a fisherman—had just removed his vest and was loading his gear into the back of his truck. While waiting for him to leave, she sat on the top of a picnic table watching the river rush past.
Her dreams last night had been so real, so vivid. Somehow she’d been flying—and not with the assistance of an airplane, but by herself, under the power of her own…wings.
Dreaming of dragons was nothing new; she’d regularly done so as a child. But rarely had she dreamed about actually being a dragon. And never had she done so as an adult until last night.
What bothered her wasn’t so much the dream. No, what bothered her was the wishing it could be so.
She was obviously more stressed than she’d first thought. She needed to finish this business with Renalde, collect Carl and get the hell out of here before she completely lost her ability to reason.
But getting the hell out of here would mean leaving Cam. Why did that idea fill her heart with an empty sadness?
Cam—she couldn’t help wondering, where had he disappeared to last night? After leaving so abruptly upon seeing something in the grimoire, he’d returned. She remembered falling back to sleep in his arms. But when the alarm went off this morning, she’d been alone.
