A Dragon's Seduction

by Tamelia Tumlin

  Copyright © 2012 by Tamelia Tumlin

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system — except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews — without the written permission of publisher or author, except where permitted by law.

  Cover design by LFD Designs.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Wait, St. John! You can’t go in there alone! Ladder 21 will be here any minute and you know the chief wants everything done by the book.”

  Brayden St. John shot his human partner, Jack, a quelling look. In all his years – and there had been many of them, centuries to be exact – he’d never done anything by the book and he sure as blazes didn’t plan to start now.

  “No time!” Brayden grabbed his gear and leaped from the still-moving fire engine. He barrel-rolled onto the pavement, then with quick agility righted himself and charged past shell-shocked bystanders toward the burning building.

  Bright orange flames danced into the Louisiana night sky engulfing the two-story apartment building in a blanket of fire. Heat thickened the air, smothering all traces of oxygen. Exploding windows rained shattered glass onto the concrete below.

  *Hurry!*

  The urgent, seductive voice planted itself in Brayden’s mind and slid over him like black velvet.

  Brayden blinked in surprise.

  What the devil? If he didn’t know better he would have sworn someone had just whispered in his ear. He flung a look over his shoulder.

  Nothing.

  *Hurry! Please hurry!*

  Startled by the telepathic pleas, he almost missed the putrid odor filling the air around the flaming building. The scent, reeking of evil, finally penetrated his adrenaline-pumped brain and realization slammed into him with the force of detonated dynamite.

  Cyrus.

  Brayden tightened his jaw. The rogue Chaos dragon had entered the Earth realm. Just what he needed. A malevolent dragon from Jarithia’s kingdom terrorizing the streets of New Orleans. How had Cyrus breached the portal?

  Another equally evil odor arrowed out from the smoke-filled building. Brayden’s heart chilled. Cyrus wasn’t working alone. Something or someone had invoked the Chaos dragon.

  The roof of the apartment building crackled. Brayden jerked up his head. Burning shingles and boards burst through the air and landed near his feet in a heap of charred tar. The bitter odor reminded him of newly paved asphalt. His stomach clenched. He’d have to contend with the dragon later. Right now he had a job to do.

  *Hurry! They’re running out of time.*

  The urgency in the telepathic thought prickled the hairs on the back of Brayden’s neck.

  He sniffed the air once more.

  Humans.

  At least three still in the building.

  He tensed. The chief would just have to take his bloody rules and shove ’em.

  Again.

  He didn’t have time to wait for backup. Jack would have to handle the outside and he would have to do the rest. Alone.

  He lunged into the wooden door shoulder-first. Heat scorched his skin through the flame-retardant suit. He didn’t flinch. The wood heaved then snapped before finally giving in to his weight. Once it opened, thick, black smoke rushed toward him in deadly embrace.

  Brayden sputtered and coughed.

  Nope. The chief wouldn’t be pleased. As a matter of fact, he’d be downright pissed. Yep. Old Chief McIntire would be spittin’ ten penny nails over this one, all right.

  Not that Brayden cared. He lived by his own set of rules. None of which had a thing to do with any firefighter’s manual. They had more to do with survival.

  His.

  He covered his nose with a gloved hand and charged into the inferno, sidestepping burning wood and rubble. Heat burned his eyes and singed his lungs. He gagged as he felt his way through the smoke-filled building until he found the stairs. He sniffed the acrid air seeking the human scent.

  Close. Very close.

  He assessed the situation then grimaced. There was only one way he could save the mortals now. And it wasn’t in his human form.

  His inner dragon paced anxiously. Alert and ready for battle.

  *Hurry!* the voice implored again with sensuous, hypnotic vibes.

  Muffled whimpers from somewhere above snatched him back into action. Brayden closed his eyes, stretched out his arms and freed the dragon within.

  His muscles flexed, the air around him instantly cooled and his mortal body morphed into a winged warrior. His fingers curled into talons, bones reconfigured and his skin thickened into silvery-blue scales. The transformation complete, the dragon rose above the flames.

  Invincible.

  Brayden glided to the nearest window. With his talon, he opened the latch and raised the shattered frame. Cloaked in a blanket of smoke, careful not to be seen by the humans outside, he reared back his head and breathed into the star-filled sky.

  Lightning bolted from his mouth and flashed through the air like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Thunder rumbled overhead. Instantly, thick, black nimbus clouds formed above the building. Brayden expelled once more. The second bolt of lightning sizzled through the clouds, slicing them in two.

  The sky shuddered then spit a torrential downpour of cool rain onto the flaming building. The inferno sparked and flared before beginning to die.

  *Hurry! The children need you,* the desperate voice inside pleaded.

  Brayden shifted back into his human form and took the stairs two at a time following the human scent. He found them at the end of the hall on the second floor. Flames licked the doorway preventing his entrance and their escape.

  Brayden heaved a sigh. He knew it wouldn’t be an easy rescue. At least not for his human form. He pushed past the flames into the room, thankful for his protective clothing.

  Two small children and a teenage girl huddled under a table sobbing uncontrollably as the ceiling crackled, sparked and hissed above. A quick scan of the room confirmed his suspicion. All exits appeared blocked.

  Through the smoke, Brayden could just make out a faint haze of purple around the table. What now?

  Beside the children stood a woman with dark hair that brushed her shoulders and a lovely, oval face accented with sensuous lips and high cheek bones. She couldn’t be more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, he guessed. As a wave of smoke cleared, he saw her outstretched hands held a protective purple glow around the children. No fire or smoke penetrated the circle. Nor did it touch her.

  Brayden found himself staring into eyes the color of the sea. Clear and bright with just a touch of warmth. Though her build was small, strength rolled off of her in energized waves.

  Brayden’s nostrils flared. Surprisingly, even through the smoke and stench of the black dragon, he detected a delectable scent of magnolias mixed with something even more tantalizing and seductive that made his body tingle in places he dared not admit.

  “The children have been waiting for you.” The corners of the woman’s mouth lifted in an impish grin. She cocked her head to the side as if sizing him up.

  Brayden started at the appreciative gleam sparkling in the limpid depths of her gaze. A tingle of awareness skittered to his loins.

  “Who are you?” he demanded. He didn’t care whether he passed her scrutiny or not, but he sure as blazes didn’t like the way his body reacted to her. Not one bloody bit.

  “Callie Gautreaux. And you?” The softness in her voice caressed his skin and ignited a whole new wave of pleasure.

  “Brayden St. John. What’s that?” He pointed to the purple light surrounding the children. Agitation at the way his mortal
body responded to her sharpened his tone. His inner dragon, now fully awake once more, suddenly demanded release. Brayden clenched his fists, struggling to quiet him. Shifting now would not prove wise.

  “Protection, of course, until help arrived.” The woman’s full lips curved into a smile, though her eyes still held a note of curiosity. It was obvious she knew he wasn’t all human but didn’t quite know what to make of him.

  Brayden narrowed his eyes. He sure didn’t need for her to tell him what she was. He now recognized her delectable scent and understood the reason his body reacted so strongly to her presence. Ms. Callie Gautreaux was a sorceress – an expert seductress and the sworn enemy of the dragon.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Why the bloody blazes didn’t you just put out the fire?”

  Callie’s eyes widened, her smile faded and she dropped her head. “I couldn’t.” The words were spoken so softly Brayden wondered if he had even heard her correctly.

  “Why not?” He took a step toward her. She might be the enemy or, worse yet, the Achilles heel to a dragon, but he never backed down from a challenge. “Or maybe you’re the one who started it in the first place.”

  Callie’s head snapped up. “Of course not! I would never do such a thing.” Her blue eyes frosted with anger. A spark of charged energy radiated from her small frame.

  Brayden’s inner dragon hissed and pawed, not at all pleased to be in the presence of a sorceress. Brayden gritted his teeth and struggled to keep the beast under control. Never had the urge to shift been so strong. Never had his body – mortal or not – responded with such raging desire. But his inner dragon didn’t share the mortal’s instant attraction. Instead it snarled with antagonism and rage, knowing a sorceress’s touch could be toxic to a dragonshifter.

  With careful control, Brayden inwardly soothed the dragon once more. It protested furiously before finally going quiet.

  “What do you mean you couldn’t stop it? If you can put a protection around the kids, surely you could have put out the fire.”

  Callie’s shoulders deflated. “There wasn’t enough time. The building went up within seconds. I heard their screams and came as quickly as I could, but I wasn’t fast enough. They were trapped. My Magik isn’t strong enough to extinguish the blaze. I could barely send you the telepathic thoughts and keep them safe.”

  Brayden’s brows slashed together. He had never known a sorceress who wasn’t as powerful as the dragon race. Many were even more powerful and certainly more dangerous.

  He flattened his chin. Was Callie telling the truth about her powers – or rather lack of them – or was this just a trick to catch him off guard and rob him of his ability to shift into human form? Maybe it was she who had called up Cyrus and this was a trap.

  Brayden studied her for signs of deception. He didn’t find any. A muscle flexed in his jaw. She could be veiling her trickery.

  Callie lifted her face and a faint smile hovered on oh-so-delectable lips. An overwhelming urge to kiss her flooded his thoughts. Brayden promptly nixed it. It would be a hot day in the Arctic before he allowed a sorceress to take his power. No matter how innocent she appeared.

  The feud between Jarithia’s dragons and wizards had been going on for as long as he could remember, and the battle for power and prestige in the otherworldly realm had destroyed many families including his. Centuries of war and destruction kept strong their antagonism for each other.

  A flaming piece of ceiling tile crumbled to the floor beside them. Brayden jolted. He needed to get the children out before the whole building came down.

  He reached for the youngsters. A bolt of electricity shot through his arm as his hand tried to penetrate the purple glow.

  He jerked his head around and glared at Callie.

  “Sorry.” She blushed. “I forgot.” Then her gaze softened as it rested on the children and Brayden’s heart thudded erratically at the transformation. Her tender look almost made him forget what she was. Almost, but not quite. “They can’t see us, by the way – at least not until I release the shield.” She lowered her hands and the room flashed with bright white lights. Callie’s small frame shook violently then the purple glow dissipated. The room stilled.

  Brayden shot one more glare toward Callie. He didn’t like being made a fool of. Not even a little.

  The impish smile still playing on her lips didn’t help his disposition, and his mortal body was still reacting to her sensuous blue eyes in a way he didn’t care for.

  Brayden frowned. He knew better than to be drawn in by a sorceress’s seduction. He’d been warned since birth of their trickery. In Jarithia’s empire the dragonshifters and the Magik makers had been banished to opposite ends of the kingdom by their Grand Wizard in order to keep the peace. Very few of either race were allowed to enter the Earth realm. Only those who’d obtained favor with the Grand One could move freely between the two worlds. But even if Callie had been given permission to live in the Earth realm, that didn’t mean she wasn’t still dangerous to his kind. As with all Magik makers, she still had the power to take his shape-shifting abilities and destroy his mortal side, leaving him trapped inside his inner dragon for eternity.

  Not in this lifetime, sugar. No damn sorceress would ever take his power. Not if he could help it.

  Although Callie didn’t seem to be trying to seduce him, or even trick him for that matter, Brayden kept his guard up and steeled himself against her charm. No way he’d be sucked in by her spell.

  His inner dragon hissed in agreement.

  He turned his back to her and waved a layer of smoke from his view then reached for the kids.

  “Oh, thank God!” the teenager hiccupped as she ushered the two younger children out from under the table. “I thought we were going to die.” Her voice choked at the admission.

  “Not on my watch.” Brayden reached for the youngest child – a boy of about three – and hauled him into his arms. The teenager scrambled to her feet, coughing in the smoky haze, then picked up the little girl.

  Brayden glanced back over his shoulder.

  Callie had vanished.

  Disappointment settled in his stomach like a cold weight. The feeling caught him off guard. Why should he care if the lovely sorceress had disappeared?

  * * *

  The next day Callie did her best to concentrate on the floral orders, but for some reason the image of the sexy fireman kept intruding on her thoughts. Her heart had locked after one look into his stormy eyes and instant attraction had zinged through her like an electric shock. No other man had ever come close to making her lose control – of her Magik or of her body. Why him? She tried to chalk it up to the life-or-death situation they’d been in, but deep down she knew it was more than that. Had he felt it too? She didn’t think so. Not if the permanent scowl he’d worn was any indication. Still...

  “Something wrong?” Melody Pipes, Callie’s best friend and assistant at Ribbons and Roses Flower Shop, pulled a bundle of daisies from the cooler then crossed the room to set them on the counter. “You’re awfully quiet today.” She leaned over the countertop and propped her elbows, concern etched in her dark brown eyes.

  Callie forced a smile. “I’m fine. Just a little tired I suppose.” She nodded toward the flowers on the counter. ”Are these for the call-in order for Mrs. Jackson?”

  “Yes. I’ll deliver them if you like.”

  “I’ll do it. I have a couple of errands near there anyway.” Callie carefully arranged the daisies in a glass vase, added a few sprigs of baby’s breath as filler, then tied a yellow ribbon around the neck of the vase. “Is this the only delivery we have left?”

  “Yes. I took care of the other ones this morning.” Melody glanced at the clock on the wall above the cooler. “Are you coming back in afterward?”

  “Not tonight. It’s almost closing time so I’ll just take the rest of the day off.” She didn’t bother to add that her energy level was zilch after yesterday’s ordeal with the children. Practicing Magik always drain
ed her. Probably because she didn’t use it very often. Of course, she couldn’t tell Melody that. Her friend didn’t know she was a sorceress.

  Not that she was particularly ashamed of her Jarithian heritage, but humans did tend to be a bit skittish about the subject of Magik makers. Years ago, the Grand One had granted her father – a powerful wizard – permission to live in the Earth realm when he wed his human wife, Callie’s stepmother. Unlike her stepbrother – a half-blood enabled by Jarithian law to choose which realm he would call home – when Callie came of age she also needed special permission from the Grand Wizard to continue her life on Earth. And it had been granted, with the proviso she was to keep an eye on the half-bloods and help ensure a peaceful co-existence among all. Of course, given her current situation, she wasn’t technically living up to that last part.

  Callie placed the get well card in the holder, picked up the delivery and headed toward the door. Hopefully, Mrs. Jackson felt better than she did at the moment.

  “Okay,” Melody called after her. “See you in the morning. I’ll lock up in a little while.”

  Callie nodded then stepped outside onto the sidewalk. The late afternoon sun had drifted low behind the buildings lining the cobble-stoned road.

  Callie reached her car, balanced the vase of daisies and fumbled for her keys. Just as she opened the car door, the air instantly cooled around her. Callie shivered. She sensed a presence, but one quick glance around her proved nothing. She didn’t see a thing. Not even in her mind’s eye.

  She opened her car door and slid into the driver’s seat.

  Get it together, Cal. It’s just your imagination working overtime.

  Callie shook off the foreboding feeling and started the engine. Ever since the apartment fire she’d had a feeling that someone or something was watching her. Before the sexy fireman had shown up to save the children, she’d felt another presence. A familiar evil she couldn’t quite place.

  Callie shifted the gear into reverse and glanced into the rearview mirror.

  Her heart skidded to a stop. Oh, dear Lord, no!