Caleb lightly touched her cheek, drawing his fingertips along her cheekbone. "You feel good. Your skin is so soft." He drew his tongue along the path his fingers had taken. "Does the rest of you feel as good?"
She suddenly wanted very much for him to find out. She smiled as he licked the whorl of her ear, air biting where his tongue stroked it. "Why did I go out with Greg in the first place?" she wondered. "He's nothing compared to you."
"Because the black dragon's mark was on him. You couldn't resist it."
She trailed fingers through Caleb's hair, knowing she needed more information from him but very distracted by his warmth and the rigid towel now nestled between her thighs.
"How am I supposed to know who this black dragon is? He could be Mrs. Bradley's dog, Mike. You could turn into a mastiff and have at him."
Caleb looked puzzled by her humor. "Mrs. Bradley's dog is not the black dragon. I have heard Mike's voice, and he is not. It is someone in this city, but I don't know who." He lifted her hand and kissed her wrist, breath hot on her skin. "Will you take me out in your city, Lisa? They have dragons in your place called Chinatown, and maybe the black dragon has gone there. I will locate the dragon orb before the black dragon does and then deal with him."
The idea of Caleb running around Chinatown looking for a black dragon unnerved her. "When you say deal with him, what exactly do you mean?"
"I will kill him."
Lisa tried to wriggle out from under him. The towel came with her, and suddenly she had her arms around a very warm, very naked human male. "Kill him?"
"It is the only way. Obviously the witches are not capable of it. They stripped him of power and threw him into exile but did one of them think to gore him? I need to find weapons of this world so I may destroy him. Will you help me do that?"
"Caleb." She put her hand across his mouth to stop him talking. She imagined him searching San Francisco, a golden-haired warrior with sword in hand, plunging it through the chest of the first man he suspected of being the black dragon. "You can't just kill someone. Not here. There are rules."
"He is a black dragon, and the witches say he will wreak havoc if he finds the orb. He has to go, Lisa."
She shook her head. "But here you won't be killing a dragon. You will be killing a man. You'll get yourself arrested and thrown in prison, and me, too, probably, for helping you."
He gave her a stubborn, very Caleb look. "A black dragon is not what you need. I came here to protect you from him, and the easiest way to do that is to kill him. If you do not wish to go with me, I will find him by myself." He released her and rose as though ready to run out and hunt for the dragon there and then. The towel forgotten, he stood over her, every inch an aroused male.
Lisa scrambled off the couch and put her hands on his well-muscled shoulders. "You can't go yet. It's the middle of the night and you need clothes. If you get arrested for indecent exposure, there go your chances of finding the black dragon. And when they look up your records and find out you don't exist, who knows what could happen to you?"
He watched her with blue eyes that held determination and a hint of sadness. "Then Lisa-ling, let us find me clothes."
He started to move away, and she sank her fingers into his arms. "I will find them tomorrow, when the stores open. For now, you stay here."
His brows quirked. "With you?"
"Yes, with me," she said nervously. She turned around and picked up the remote. "We can still catch that Conan O'Brien if you want."
He plucked the remote from her hand and tossed it aside. "I can think of much better things to do."
He slid his arms around her and pulled her against his broad chest. Emotions raged through his eyes, worry, the need to protect her, curiosity, amazement at his venture into the human world, and desire, very strong desire.
Lisa had only just met him, just gotten used to the fact that he was human, this human. But no, she'd known him a long time. Every day for months Caleb's voice soothed her as he encouraged her to tell him everything that had happened to her, what worried her, what made her happy. He'd sympathized with her hardships and rejoiced with her joys. He'd let her lean against his golden scales and cry when she needed to.
He'd been there for her more than any other man—any other friend—had ever been. Even the days when she curled up silently next to him in a chair by the door, turning down the heat and letting him warm the room, were comfortable. They'd watch television together, sharing popcorn, his sarcastic comments about the shows making her laugh.
Now he was here, her friend, the person who had shared joys and sorrows for half a year.
"Caleb." She cupped his cheek in her palm and kissed him.
He moved his lips tentatively in response to hers, obviously uncertain what to do. His eyes drifted closed, the blue shielded by his golden lashes, his brows drawing into a frown as he focused all his attention on the kiss. His lips were satin smooth, moving slowly as he learned how to return her pressure.
The faint notes of dragon music floated through her head, echoed by the shimmer of the wind chimes. She felt safe held against his strong body, as though nothing would hurt her ever again. It dissolved something inside her that had been tight for a long time, and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.
Caleb brushed away the moisture with his fingertips. "What is wrong, Lisa-ling? Do you not like me like this?"
She shook her head. "I'm too confused. I've just gotten used to living with a dragon."
"You will soon grow used to living with me this way. You belong to me now."
She shifted and groaned, half in anguish. "We should stop."
He looked at her, eyes darkening. "Why?"
She put her hand on his chest, but it was like trying to move a wall. "You're beautiful, and you're my friend, and I don't want to lose that friendship, do you understand?"
"No, I don't. We are friends, our bodies want each other, my mark is on you, and you are mine. I see nothing wrong."
She rested her head on his bare, warm shoulder. "I'm torn between wanting to kiss you and wanting to know more about this black dragon."
He nuzzled her cheek. "I don't want to talk about black dragons right now."
She licked his shoulder, liking the salty taste of his skin. He smelled good, too, spicy and musky and male. No artificial cologne, like Greg, just the clean goodness of Caleb.
"All right," she murmured. "But I'm not letting you off the hook."
His brows came down as he tried to work out the idiom. "You want to bind me to a hook?"
She had the sudden vision of Caleb's muscled forearms bound with rope, lifted over his head, him smiling down at her. He might be tied, his expression said, but he was still in charge.
Her face heated and so did the space between her thighs. She felt hot and liquid as Caleb brushed his thumbs over her shoulders and leaned to kiss her again. She flicked her tongue into his mouth, and he jumped in surprise. Then he parted his lips, letting her taste him, and swirled his own tongue against hers, learning and exploring.
It seemed so natural to kiss Caleb in her living room.
The wind chimes shivered, and she swore she heard faint laughter, Li Na's laughter, on the breeze.
He moved his fingers to the first button of her dress. He tugged at the button a moment, not knowing what to do with it, then simply tore it off along with the one below it.
The buttons fell to the carpet without a sound.
Caleb released his breath as he dipped his hand inside the dress. "I've always wanted to touch you," he whispered.
"I need to touch you."
"All right," she murmured against his mouth. She eased the rest of the buttons from the holes, saving them from destruction.
He looked with wonder at the swell of her breasts rising over her black bra. "You are so beautiful."
She swallowed, emotions chasing through her like water through a streambed. "It's nice of you to say so." "I wish…" he began, then he stopped. The front door slammed
open, rocking the wind chimes and setting the silk painting on the wall trembling. Two women Lisa had never seen before rushed inside. One was tall and red-haired, wearing a floating black garment that revealed more than it covered. The other, in khaki shorts and a button-up blouse and sneakers, looked more like she should be out picking up her kids from soccer practice. The two of them took in Caleb's six-foot, six-inch naked body with Lisa standing in his arms, her dress open.
The red-haired one gaped and the older woman scowled in disapproval.
"Who the hell are you?" Lisa demanded.
The older one said, "Well, it looks like it worked."
Caleb unwound his arms from Lisa and faced the two women in snarling dragon fury. "Damn witches. Don't you ever knock?"
* * *
Chapter Four
Caleb's human heart pounded in outrage. Donna stood in the doorway, arms folded, her pale eyes filled with anger. Grizelda's astonished gaze slid over Caleb's naked body and fixed on his groin as though she'd never seen a man before.
"She did a good job," Donna said.
Saba was notably absent. Caleb put his hand over the armband, which was glowing and hot. "What did you do to her?"
"To Saba? Nothing. It isn't her fault that you're a manipulative, cunning serpent."
"Dragon," Caleb growled. "No relation."
Donna sniffed. "Saba is no longer welcome in the coven."
"I don't think she'll care. She has a lot of power, I sense it in her, but you never let her use it."
"You have no business in the human world, dragon," Grizelda said, as she tried and failed to lift her gaze from his pelvic region. "We were on our way to take care of the Greg situation."
"You took your sweet time. If I hadn't been here, Lisa would have been carried off as a black dragon slave by now."
Caleb sensed Lisa quivering behind him, not in fear but in rage. She had the sense to shelter behind his body, but he felt anger spinning through as bright as a surge of dragon power.
He owed Saba his undying gratitude. When he'd looked into the apartment and seen Greg draping himself over Lisa, primal fury had seared through him. He'd launched himself through the door to her world without thought, sliding on the armlet Saba had given him, never feeling the change that took him from dragon to human.
The black dragon's magic made Greg strong, but Caleb was stronger. It had felt good to toss the man away, felt good to see the fear in his eyes and to watch him flee Caleb's might.
And then Caleb had touched Lisa, had felt the spread of her body beneath his and breathed the salty fragrance of her sex. The wonder of it shook him, and he wasn't certain why or what had happened. He knew he did not want to turn around and go back to Dragonspace before he had the chance to explore what had begun when he touched her.
"You can go away now," he told the two witches. "Everything is under control."
"You're still ours, dragon," Grizelda said. "And we order you back to Dragonspace."
"Not until I hunt and find the black dragon. If you had let me through earlier, he'd be dead by now."
Donna gave him a cold stare. "You will obey us. You've had your fun, now give me the armband and go home."
No. Not after he'd touched Lisa and kissed her and felt her against him. Caleb wanted to stay and discover what it meant to be with her, no matter how long that took.
He closed his hand over the armlet. "I like it. I think I'll keep it."
Donna's eyes narrowed. She reached for Grizelda's hand, and Grizelda, after jerking it free of her floating draperies, took hers.
Caleb clenched his fists, knowing what they were going to do and knowing he could not prevent it. Memories of pain swept through him, so much pain over the centuries, agonies untold. He knew he could run to the spare bedroom, remove the armlet, and become a dragon again and escape it. That's what they wanted, for him to obey to avoid the pain.
"Let me have this," he said, trying to brave it out. "I've done what you asked, now let me have this."
They did not answer. Hands joined, both witches opened their mouths and sang a clear, loud note. The note echoed off the apartment walls, divided into two, then four, then eight, then burst into an infinite number of fiery tendrils and wrapped around Caleb's brain. The music trickled down his spine, finding root in his body, invading the very essence of him.
The music was his true name, comprising the disparate elements of fire and gold that made up his being. Any moment now, those elements would come apart, any moment the music would tear him inside out, but not until he'd gone through drawn-out, horrific pain. He knew it and Donna knew it. He was bound to Donna, at her mercy, and she was proving it.
The music seared his nerves, lighting fires that flared hotter with each second. He sank to his knees, air burning his lungs. A moan dragged from his throat.
Faintly, behind the music that was destroying him, he heard Lisa's voice. "What are you doing? Stop!"
The two women ignored her. Hands locked, they fixed their gazes on Caleb, hatred and anger in their voices. The pain stripped him of reason and ground through his head like a glass. He pulled one hand from his ear and found a trickle of blood on his palm.
A growl ripped from Lisa's throat. The latent power he'd sensed in her surged, lifting the hair on his arms and crackling through the room like sudden lightning.
Lisa stepped between Caleb and the two women and raised one hand. Her voice was commanding. "Leave him alone."
The two ignorant witches didn't listen. Caleb rocked back and forth, wanting to laugh despite the lava burning his veins. The witches had no idea what was about to hit them.
A snap of light came from Lisa's open palm. It caught the two women square in their chests, hurling them backward to bang into the wall by the open door. The name-music abruptly ceased.
Caleb fell onto the carpet, weak and sick. Above him, Lisa lowered her arm and stared in astonishment at the two women sprawled on the floor. They stared back at her, equally astonished.
Caleb laughed weakly, the laugh turning to a cough. "See? Don't mess with my girl."
Grizelda scrambled to her feet, untangling herself from her gauzy skirts. Donna rose and brushed off the back of her shorts.
"You have no idea what you're doing," she said to Lisa. "Caleb is ours and you will be ours, and when we bind the black dragon, that will be the end of the problem."
"No, what you will do is get out of my apartment." Lisa stood straighter and stronger than Caleb had seen her, the white streak in her hair glowing. "When I want to talk to you, I'll find you."
Donna scowled. "If you let yourself be bamboozled by dragons, you're done for. You have power, obviously. Let me guide you."
Donna's eyes took on that ancient look that Caleb always hated. The woman was too eager, too interested in Lisa. Donna thought Caleb was a dumb-as-shit warrior dragon, too thick-headed to notice her interest, but she did not understand dragons very well. Witches learned their wisdom from books, dragons learned it from the world and the winds and dangers that witches couldn't begin to imagine. There was something more here than Donna wanting to assist or protect Lisa from the black dragon, something sinister, and by the bewilderment in Grizelda's expression, Grizelda had no idea what it was either.
"I wouldn't let you guide me across the street," Lisa retorted. "And I remember telling you to get out. Now you can walk out or I can throw your butts down the stairs."
She held up her hand as she had before. Caleb didn't feel the same surge of power in her this time, but the other two obviously couldn't tell the difference. Grizelda raced to the door and was out before Lisa had finished speaking.
Donna couldn't leave without a parting shot. "You're in over your head, girl. We'll be watching, and we'll pick up the pieces of you when they're scattered all over the city."
Lisa took an angry step forward, positioning her hand. Donna gave her a last sneer, then turned around and marched out. Her khaki shorts were tight on her, straining over her too-round buttocks.
The door slammed, though Donna didn't touch it. Lisa raced across the room and did up the locks, then turned back, her chest rising sharply with her breath, her brown eyes large.
Caleb started to laugh. His skin was damp with sweat, and he was so damn cold, but laughter grated out of him. "That's my girl. You are so beautiful, Lisa-ling."
Lisa went down on her knees next to him. "Are you all right? What did they do to you?"
"It's better now." He smiled his lips shaking. "You have dragon's magic. I smell it on you, I feel it in you." He lifted weak fingers toward her. "You and me, we're going to kick some ass."
He tried to laugh again, then coughed, a spatter of blood wetting his hand.
She smoothed his hair. "What did they do to you? What was that song?"
"My true name. My ancient name, the one known only to my soul. A dragon's true name is binding, and witches bound me with it so long ago."
"Why?" She pressed a kiss to his chilled forehead. "Why should they want to enslave you?"
He didn't want to explain the truth of it, not now.
"Because dragons have power beyond anything witches can dream of. They fear dragons but they envy them. They set up spells to draw power from dragons in Dragonspace, to enhance their own magic whenever they can. Witches don't enslave all dragons, only the stupid ones like me. I trusted them once."
He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent, resting against her like a wounded beast.
"Did they enslave the black dragon?" she asked.
"I don't know. But he'll have no love for witches, so he won't care if using the dragon orb to get him home to Dragonspace destroys this world and all the witches who live here. Once it's gone, the witches will be gone, too. It's logical."
"Cold-blooded," she said softly.
"He's a black dragon."
She ran her hand down his long hair. "You are so strong, and they hurt you because of it. They made me so angry."
"Puny witches shouldn't have so much power over a dragon." He lifted his head, trying to peer into the depths of her eyes. He sensed something there, he always had, but he did not know what. "You have power, Lisa. More power than the witches. Donna is right. You must be careful."
Dragon Heat Page 4
