“But I saw you,” I said, shaking my head. I couldn’t look at her, and had to stare at the door behind her, instead. How could I put thisdelicately? “I saw how the magic affected you. You were…losing your reason.”
Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Losing my reason? What are you talking about?”
I hesitated, feeling my cheeks heat. How could I explain what I’d seen—the way her eyes had darkened, her breaths had quickened, her lips had parted in that perfect, enticing way? How could I tell her that she had looked like everything I’d ever wanted, and it had terrified me?
“I mean...you were acting...not yourself,” I said awkwardly, taking a step back to put some distance between us. “You seemed...overwhelmed.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re saying I was acting crazy?”
“No, no,” I said, holding up my hands as I quickly took a step back from her.
“Then what do you mean?” she persisted, following me when I tried to retreat from her. Her determination was unyielding, and I felt myself backing into the wall.
“I mean—” I took a breath, trying to find the words. Why couldn’t she understand something so simple?
“Yes?”
“I mean—how can you be feeling this way, if it wasn’t for my magic affecting you?” The words came tumbling out of me, and even as I noticed the appalled look on her face, I couldn’t stop myself. “I’m a beast. Not even a human. Someone like you…” I shook my head. “Iknowmy magic is affecting you because there’s no way you would be attracted to me, otherwise.”
When she stayed silent, I sighed. “I heard the mage say that dragon magic hasn’t been studied very well. I could be controlling your mind without you even knowing.” I looked away. “I’m sorry. It’s why I’ve been avoiding you all these days. I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you because of my dragon’s instincts.” I shuddered. “If I hurt you—if I take away your free will—I’d never forgive myself.”
I turned away so I wouldn’t have to look at her.
A long beat passed in silence, and then I heard the rustle of clothes. So this was the end, then. Seranni was leaving, fleeing the beast who had so nearly—
Her hands on my face made me jump.
Seranni turned my head to look at her and stared at me for a long moment, her lips pressed into a thin line. The firelight danced in her eyes, reflecting something I couldn’t quite decipher.
“What do your dragon instincts say now?” she asked softly, her voice like a challenge.
I swallowed hard, my pulse pounding in my ears. My dragon was screaming at me to claim her, to hold her, to make her mine. The pull was stronger than ever, a visceral, undeniable need that made my breath hitch.
But surely Seranni wasn’t…
She couldn’t…
Seranni put all my doubts to rest by leaning up to meet my lips with hers. It felt like lightning had struck me, like diving into a pool of sweet, cool water after a long summer’s day.
Her kiss was soft, tentative, but it ignited something inside me that I couldn’t contain. My arms moved on their own, wrapping around her waist and pulling her flush against me. She meltedinto me, her hands sliding into my hair as her lips moved against mine with growing confidence.
I groaned, the sound rumbling in my chest as I deepened the kiss. She tasted like wild honey and something sharper, something uniquelyher.The dragon inside me roared with triumph, but for once, it wasn’t just the beast. It was me.Kael.I wanted this. I wantedher.
With an effort, I tore my mouth away from her kiss, resting my forehead against hers as my breaths came ragged. “Are you sure?” I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper, even as my dragon howled in disappointment.
She smiled, her eyes alight with mischief and something deeper. “You know,” she murmured, brushing her fingers against my jaw. “I’ve always loved to play with fire.”
Chapter 10: Seranni
It felt like flying, kissing Kael.
His mouth was soft, generous,wild. He was impatient, and his eagerness made him clumsy. When I drew away from him, gasping for breath, he chased me as if he couldn’t bear to be apart from me, covering my face with several small kisses, his stubble tickling my skin as he sipped from my mouth in little caresses.
When I finally wrenched myself away, something clenched hard in my middle at the sight of Kael in the dying firelight: his shirt, opened bymyquesting fingers, his long black hair hanging in his eyes, gleaming withfireas he looked at me, his magnificent chest heaving for breath…
I slid off my shawl and moved to the buttons on my blouse, wanting to feel his bare skin on mine. He stepped closer as if drawn by wires, stumbling on his feet until our breaths mingled, his fingers caressing my skin as he tried to help me, as if he couldn’t help himself.
His fingers were warm; when my blouse finally fell open, he brushed his knuckles against the skin of my breasts, skimming delicately over my overheated skin. He smiled when I shivered, and I saw the tip of a fang peek out of the corner of his mouth.
