by Bonnie Vanak
She regretted leaving the stone in her room. Usually it remained locked up, but to hold her own against Justin, she needed every bit of magick Father had infused into the stone. Yet the crystal had never glowed before.
Before she’d made love with Justin. Odd. Did the jewel draw energy from their coupling?
“It pulses with energy. Where did you get this?”
“It was a gift to my father from my mother. I don’t know where she got it, but it’s filled with powerful magick.”
Oops. I shouldn’t have told him that.
Justin picked up the chain. “Why does it hold so much power?”
Perhaps she’d tell him later. Ariel shrugged. “Does it matter? Are you more interested in the contents of my jewelry box or me?”
She got her answer as Justin dropped the crystal back into the box, closed it and returned to bed.
His hard body felt warm and comforting as he gathered her into his arms. Justin kissed her. “Much as I want to make love to you again, you’re too sore. I can wait.”
Ariel drifted off to sleep. And then the dream came again – sounds of flapping wings overhead, a terrible crunching…
Mama. No.
Writhing, she cried out, tears pouring down her cheeks.
“Sweet, wake up.”
The deep voice tore her out of the nightmare, hurled her into the present. Ariel sat up, gripping the sheet. Sweat dripped down her back, her temples.
He cupped her face in his strong hands. “You had a nightmare. You were screaming. Something about seeing so much blood. What is it?”
Blinking, she tried to regain her lost composure. Don’t tell him. He already has enough power over you.
“A nightmare.” She shrugged. “I’m tired.”
She rolled over and shut her eyes, feeling Justin’s hand drop.
There could never be anything but sex between them. Because she’d already lost so much in life.
And she had no plans to lose anything, or anyone else she cherished.
Eventually, Justin would leave. Now that she knew of its existence, the Drogmire had put a new, alarming twist on everything she never knew.
And then her father would be fair game. Because Justin had only promised not to kill him.
He never said anything about letting another creature do it.
14
The next morning Justin cooked breakfast. Not using the stove, but dragon fire.
White fire blew from his mouth as he crawled on the back patio in dragon form, igniting the coals on the fire pit. Ariel laughed.
Never had breakfast proved so entertaining before.
“Do it again,” she called out.
Justin blew out a flame with the next exhale. Fascinated, she reached out for it. Before he could react, her fingers went into the flame.
The dragon turned, spraying flames onto the gravel. Just as quickly he shifted into Skin. Justin seized her hand.
“Damnit, how bad did I hurt you?”
But her fingers didn’t hurt. Instead, a soothing warmth filled her, as if she’d indulged in a hot, relaxing bath. Justin examined each digit and frowned.
“Dragon fire burns ten times hotter than ordinary flame. Your fingers should have been seared off.” He kissed each finger, one by one. “Why aren’t you hurt?”
“Maybe my magick is stronger than you realize. I’ve been reading about dragons and preparing myself through my studies.”
He rubbed her hand against his mouth, his lips warm and firm. “What studies?”
“Oh, ancient books of Mage magick that detail dragons and their powers.”
Soon as the words fled, she regretted them. His dark gaze intensified. “Show me.”
* * *
They spent most of the day reading through the ancient Mage books Leo had given her. Ariel showed Justin a diary of her father’s work and his notes on the experiments.
It only confirmed what she feared.
“He messed me up.” Justin’s eyes were huge as he slammed the leather-bound diary shut and then threw it across the room. “He took my blood and added sources of other magick, and then reinjected me with the contaminated blood. But why?”
Ariel knew the real reason her father did it. Honesty was best. “He told me he wanted to use your dragon powers to regenerate my foot. I think by the time he caught you, his obsession had grown beyond helping me. I believe Dell urged him to experiment more because of your strength and your powers.”
She picked up the journal, smoothed the cover and replaced it on the library bookshelf.Last night Justin’s gaze smoldered with passion as he took her. Today she saw only haunted pain. “I need to know if there’s a cure,” he muttered.
“A cure for what?”
“For me.” Justin shoved a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t matter.”
Surely Justin could benefit from visiting the Canyon of the Mages. She felt certain of it. The waters were known for soothing troubled spirits. He’d trusted her enough to show her the cave with the baby dragons. Maybe if she showed him the mystery of her people, he would trust her and know that she wanted nothing to do with her father’s experiments.
She took his hand, and kissed it. “It matters to me.”
Surprise flared on his expression, then he regarded her with wariness. “Why?”
“I want to make amends for what Leo took from you. Maybe I can help.”
His wry smile tore her heart. “I doubt it, but thanks for trying.”
“I need to show you something.” Ariel paused. “Something beautiful I’ve never shown anyone before. It’s a secret.”
He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re beautiful.”
Her heart leapt at the compliment. Heat suffused her cheeks. “Silly. This is different. We’ll take the truck. It’s a long drive.”
* * *
Justin wasn’t certain where Ariel wanted to take him, but he decided to trust her.
Hell, he even let her drive. Justin’s dominant he-man gene had fallen dormant under her spell.
He wanted her to be happy. Empowered. His life was messed up, but these past two days with Ariel had given him more happiness than he’d felt in years. So he let her drive to wherever she wished, wincing only a few times when she braked too hard on the corners. The elderly Ford pickup rattled along the dirt road. They bounced up and down like bobble head dolls.
“Good thing my bottom has lots of padding,” she muttered as she shifted into a lower gear to climb a hill.
Giving her an appreciative look, he grinned. “Sweetheart I love your padding. Especially beneath my hands.”
Ariel pinked. He loved the way she flushed, responding to his compliments. Justin suspected she’d received few in her life.
They came to a dirt road and she turned off, heading toward a clump of trees near the cliff walls.
Sometime later, she stopped at a dead end. Red sandstone cliffs soared upward toward the blue sky.
The hike they took seemed forever, in an area that was dry and dusty. Clusters of trees provided scant shade.
“If you’re trying to show me Sedona’s desert side, I’m not impressed.” He paused to take a swig out of his water bottle.
Ariel grinned. “Hush. Trust me.”
Trust me. Few he did trust, but Ariel was one. He wanted her to trust him as well. She’d trusted that he would not hurt her. Abandon her.
That little prick of guilt tinged again. Justin focused on the hike as they entered a canyon. Rust-colored rock walls soared to the sky on either side. The sun began to set. He didn’t worry. If something threatened Ariel, he could shift and clear this place, getting her free from danger.
But he sensed no danger lay ahead.
A few minutes later, they entered a clearing. He stopped, staring in awestruck wonder.
Dusk had fallen, streaking the blue sky in striations of purple, gold and rose. But it wasn’t the sunset that captivated him.
Oak and pine trees ringed a quiet pool. A spar
kling waterfall spilled over rock walls, but it was so quiet, he barely heard it. Though it was the desert, a carpet of verdant grass grew around the water.
“Take off your boots,” she told him.
In their bare feet, they padded across the grass. It felt thick and luxurious beneath his soles.
“This is a place of Fae enchantment. The Fae lived here long ago, and when they left, they warded it with magick so no Skins would find it. They gave the secret of its location to the Mage colony in Sedona. My people have guarded its secret for centuries.”
In the water, neon blue lights twinkled.
The same blue lights he’d seen when Caderyn, the Shadow Wizard, had taken him on a magick carpet ride to warn him of mending his ways.
Justin’s delight turned to anxiety.
Had the Shadow Wizard shown him the pool because it was in Justin’s future? Connected to Ariel?
It’s not as secret as you believe.
Tugging his hand, Ariel led him over to the water. “They’re called lumina. I read about them in one of the books Father bought for me.”
He squatted down, but did not join her in dipping his hand into the water.
We already know how that ended. I don’t feel like killing these tiny creatures today.
“How did you find this place?”
Ariel swirled her hand and the lights changed to passionate red. “It’s written in one of the ancient Mage books of magick. The book said there are a few places in the world of tremendous energy and Sedona is one. ”
Beneath her long, dark lashes, she looked up at him. “Try it. Put your hand into the water. The lumina absorb your energy, but it doesn’t hurt.”
“No. I’d rather watch you.”
He didn’t want her to know about the real darkness in his soul, the darkness that had been present long before her father imprisoned him.
The darkness that would not go away.
Justin sat on the bank. “What happens if someone drinks the water? Do they get sick? Kill the lumina?”
Ariel drew patterns in the water he recognized as ancient Celtic runes from the books he’d perused. “No. The lumina are smart. Watch.”
Cupping her hands, she lifted them out of the pool. Dozens of tiny blue lights leapt out of her palms back into the water.
She drank. “It’s good. Refreshing. Probably the clearest water you’ll ever drink. Try some.”
“I’m not thirsty.”
He feared this place that revealed too much. For all its peace and beauty, it laid bare one’s secrets.
Ariel had nothing to hide. She was honest and open.
Not him.
Ariel sank back on her haunches. “What’s wrong, Justin? I thought you would enjoy this. I’ve never shared this with anyone before.”
“It’s lovely.”
His chest tightened. Maybe it was time for her to know a few secrets of his own. “I’ve been here before.”
Ariel’s doubting look made him laugh. Almost. “In a dream?”
“No. A powerful wizard, one of the Brehon, brought me here.”
“Oh.” Her smile tugged at his heart. “As a reward?”
“As a warning.” Justin swallowed hard. “Last time I touched the water, the lumina went dark. The wizard said they reflect a person’s energy.”
She had to know what he was, what she dealt with.
“I haven’t been totally honest with you, sweetheart. There’s something inside me that most Others don’t like. It’s why they’re scared of me. Not my powers.”
“I’m not scared of you.” Ariel touched his hand. “Test the water now. Please.”
He hesitated. The Shadow Wizard wasn’t here to counter the effects. “I don’t want to hurt them.”
“You can’t hurt them. They’re tough.” Ariel looked at him directly. “Like me.”
He didn’t have her faith. But maybe she needed to see proof of what he was. Justin rolled up the right sleeve of his baseball shirt. Taking a deep breath, he dipped his hand in the pool.
The lumina turned bright red. Red, not dark. Then they turned cobalt blue again.
Wonder filled him. He swirled his hand and the tiny creatures followed the path of his fingers.
He laughed with pure joy. Maybe he wasn’t as much of a dick as everyone claimed.
Suddenly Ariel pushed him, hard. Justin tumbled into the water. Cold water surrounded him, but it felt refreshing, not stinging. A blast of warm wind tumbled through the canyon, rippling the water and making the crimson lumina dance. Justin laughed and pulled Ariel with him. Squealing, she splashed him.
She stopped giggling.
“Look!”
Around them, the lumina turned from red to blush pink to fierce green. Then they began to change into bright crimson.
“Like fairy lights. Or Christmas lights.” Ariel flicked water at him, a few blue droplets. “Why are they doing this?”
He knew. It was her, his Ariel, his lovely, passionate Mage filled with vibrant, positive energy. Somehow he’d absorbed her energy and it changed him, just as it changed the lumina.
“It’s you.” Justin flicked water off his face. “You’re the reason.”
“No. It’s both of us, together.”
Stupid to stay here in wet clothing. Justin stripped and tossed his clothes onto the sandy bank. Ariel did the same.
“Come here,” he ordered in a husky voice.
When she went into his arms, fire warmed him inside. He had no need of Sedona’s sun. All he needed was Ariel, and her desire.
Glowing crimson surrounded them, as if the water turned into molten lava, but the liquid lapping around their naked bodies remained tepid. The lumina must sense their passion, he realized.
Cupping her face, Justin kissed Ariel. More than anything, he wanted to make love to her here, in this sacred place that made him feel whole instead of broken. And then she broke the kiss and smiled up at him.
* * *
With the water lapping around their bodies, and the setting sun sliding into twilight, Ariel knew this was a perfect place. She led him out of the lake onto the grass ringing the sandy bank.
Justin’s naked body glistened with droplets, water beading in the dark hairs of his groin. On his erection.
Ariel looked down. His penis was veined, jutting out from his body. More moisture dripped from the reddened knob.
His kiss was a brush of wet lips as he cupped her face in his strong hands. Moisture from his body mingled with hers as they touched, the droplets joining together and cascading in rivulets down her naked belly. His tongue glided over her lips, licking away moisture.
He guided her hand down to his penis. “Touch me.”
Ariel wrapped her hand around his erection, her fingertips failing to meet. He was huge. She grew wetter at the thought of all that male hardness pushing deep inside her.
“You want me again.” His deep voice rubbed against her in a seductive purr. Justin pressed against the damp curls at her center. “Here, deep inside you.”
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Let me come inside you, Ariel.”
He ravished her mouth, tongue and teeth plundering and claiming. Ariel opened her mouth wider under his coaxing. Justin hungrily pushed into the wet cavern of her mouth, mimicking what he would do to her body.
She moved her hands over his back, feeling the tensile muscles and the ridges of scar tissue. Ariel wanted to weep at what her father had done to this magnificent dragon. She let passion carry her in the moment, forgetting the past and its misdeeds.
Her nipples crested beneath the wicked thrust of his tongue. An agony of need twined with eager anticipation as he slid his hands over her naked body, cupping her hips. When he pushed her back onto the soft grass, still kissing her, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Justin would drown her in a sea of erotic bliss. Justin cupped her sex, stroked a finger around the edge of her vagina. Then he parted her with his fingers and pushed a single digit inside.
/> The pleasure was so sharp, she arched and cried out. Inside and out he stroked, fire licking between her legs. Ariel dug her heels into the grass.
Holding onto him, she shivered as he teased and stroked, culling moisture and sliding it across her cleft. He gently rubbed her clit, wringing tiny gasps from her throat. Ariel opened her legs wide in a nameless plea. Justin pulled away from the wet cusp of her mouth.
“Your mouth is like succulent wine. Your skin…,” he nuzzled the long column of her throat, “tastes like little sweet berries.”
Ariel shuddered beneath the power of the dragon’s sensuality. Her core spasmed with need.
Justin ran his tongue down her throat, pulled back to look deep into her eyes. In his gaze she saw her own desire mirrored.
“Like that?” he murmured. “Want more?”
Ariel nodded. Words had escaped her pleasure-dazed mind. He gave a wicked smile and continued his exploration.
Tongue and lips worked wicked magick across her skin as he kissed her bare belly, licked the indentation of her navel. Wildfire blazed through her veins, pushing the cold darkness far, far down. Each sizzling stroke pushed her closer to the edge. Then he mounted her, his muscled body heavy atop her. Pushing up on his hands, he looked down fiercely. Against her breasts, she felt the silk hairs from his chest rub against her, heard the rapid drumming of his heart.
Emotions filled her. She hooked her hands around his neck, wrapped her legs around his lean hips.
“Do it,” she breathed.
The knob of his penis probed. Ariel held her breath. Justin gave an experimental push of his hips and then he gave a hard thrust.
Pressure increased, but there was no more pain like before. Her shuddering flesh closed tightly around him, hugging his shaft as he slid deep inside. She gasped, holding herself still, becoming accustomed to the fullness. The feeling of Justin joined to her.
Tenderness shaded his eyes as he gazed at her. “You okay,” he asked in a rough voice.
Ariel nodded, words escaping her.
His cock pumped into her, hard and hot. Need pummeled her with greedy fists as she lifted her hips, urging him onward. Justin angled his hips, his body sliding over hers, possessing her fully. She felt drunk with pleasure as the hairs on his thighs rasped against her limbs.