by Kira Nyte
When she didn’t ask him to prove he was exactly what he claimed, it was his turn to feel confused. He watched silently as she ate and wondered what was going through her mind. Her gaze flitted from his legs to his torso, back to his legs, as if she were gauging possibilities.
“All you have to do is ask,” he finally said. That drew those pretty eyes up to him. He grinned. “Unless you suspect what I’m saying might actually be real and you don’t want to accept it.”
“I didn’t say that. I was just enjoying my meat for a few moments before you go and really screw with my head. And my beliefs. Oh, heck, my entire life.” She tossed the fork into the container, readjusted her position to sit cross-legged, and leaned her elbows on her knees. He caught his gaze before it dropped to the tantalizing dip in her shirt. “Like I haven’t had enough to deal with.”
“I promise you, the faster you learn and accept, the easier everything will be. The thoughts? I can help you control them. I can help you filter them to hear only those that are pertinent to your survival. They are easy to control when you are within range of your dragon.”
Out of instinct—okay, maybe a little desire—he reached over their food and rested his hand over hers. When she glanced down at their connection, he allowed his dragon an inch of freedom. Deep, burnt-red scales pressed through the skin along his forearm, covering him in a partial coat of armor.
Beneath his hand, Doe stiffened. Her eyes widened and those kissable lips separated on a soft gasp. Her pulse kicked up, but she did not pull away.
“You have never been trained or educated in the gifts of a Keeper. I do not, and would never, fault Talius for deciding to keep your lineage and powers a secret, even from you. After the last war waged by the Baroqueth thirty years ago, the Keepers were forced to disperse and go into hiding. It was a devastating time for our clan and our Keepers. It had been centuries since the last time we were forced to go to such extremes.” Zareh continued to monitor her reaction as he divulged more about himself and her own family. She appeared stunned, skeptical, but a little hopeful. “However, he should have mentored you in controlling the thoughts. I see how much their presence destroys your sense of self.”
Her eyes shimmered with tears before they lowered. Zareh pressed up off his elbow. He raised his hand from hers and eased her chin upward, catching her gaze again.
“You are not crazy, Doe. You have never been crazy. This is a gift, a very special one. You are special in more ways than you can begin to comprehend.”
The pull was too much to ignore, but the cramped quarters of the trunk space proved difficult to maneuver in any graceful manner. The last thing he wanted to do was scare his little Doe just when he saw her beginning to accept the impossible.
Bracing his free arm on the floor between open take-out boxes, he brought himself closer to the woman whose first name he had yet to discover. Her gaze lowered to his mouth. He traded his scales for his enhanced dragon senses. Her skin warmed and her heartbeat increased. A faint, almost unrecognizable tremor skated beneath her skin.
Then, she moistened those tempting lips of hers.
“I’m asking a lot of you as a stranger, but we are no strangers. Listen to your conscience as I listen to my dragon. One pulls the other, leads the other, follows the other. A sense of duty and loyalty. A sense of kinship that has crossed hundreds, thousands of years.” He slipped his hand to the back of her neck. She did not resist his gentle guidance closer. “Learn to trust me, Doe. See that I speak only truth to you. I vow to protect you. Talius would have nothing less than my vow to honor and protect you with my life, as he protected you with his.”
Her eyes fell shut. The warmth of her breath caressed his lips and made him ache and burn.
He parted his lips, hungry for a kiss, a taste.
And found himself on the brink of a tongue twister with her finger.
He pulled back enough to see the finger she had slipped between their mouths. Those breathtaking blue eyes watched him, a tumultuous storm brewing.
“I can’t allow you to kiss me.”
Zareh pressed his lips together and nodded. “I’ve overstepped my bounds.” He reluctantly lowered his hand from her neck and again placed the width of the trunk between them, his stomach knotting. He hoped he hadn’t destroyed the delicate balance of trust he was trying to build. “My apologies.”
“I’m a nameless face to you right now. Even if you’ve dubbed me Doe.” The corner of her mouth twisted in a regretful grin. “Not that I don’t want you to kiss me.”
“My intentions were of good mind, but poor timing.” He forced a chuckle and took up his fork and knife. The last thing he wanted to do was eat while he was going mad with the need to kiss Doe. Oh, who was he fooling? He was going mad with the need to do far more than kiss her. He wanted to show her how perfect they would be together.
“How well did you know my father?”
Zareh’s hunger disappeared at the question. Hunger for food and a kiss. In that single question, Doe reminded him there was an entire lifetime for her of information she would be discovering over the next few days.
“Talius became my Keeper when he was fifteen. He excelled at his skills and gifts, a true Keeper prodigy.” Zareh smiled and lifted his chin with pride. “Your lineage produces prodigies like a cloud produces rain. He was one of the youngest to come into his birthright. I’ve had wonderful Keepers throughout my life, but Talius was by far one of my favorites. We shared a lot of common beliefs and ideas and humor.”
He pulled himself from his memories of Talius riding his back on midnight flights and their occasional trips to the bars when they got a weekend away from The Hollow. They were trouble, but also a fierce team when together.
He focused on Doe. The woman’s expression softened and a small smile crossed her lush mouth.
“You really cared for him.”
He laughed and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I cared for all of my Keepers. They were a part of me, as I was a part of them. The dragon-Keeper balance is delicate and sacred. It is hard for a dragon to survive without his Keeper. They are the very key to keeping us grounded and sane. Otherwise, dragons can go off the deep end.”
“Like breathing fire deep end?”
Zareh shrugged. “It’s not pretty.”
“Neither was my meltdown at the clinic.”
“Actually, it was pretty sexy, if you ask me.”
Doe’s eyes widened. “That was so not flattering.”
Zareh burst into laughter. A moment later, the sweet singsong sound of Doe’s laughter joined his. It was beautiful enough to snatch his breath.
“I suffer those often, you know,” Doe confided. He heard the truth in her admission despite her lingering smile. “I’ve told you, I’m crazy.”
“You’re crazy stubborn, crazy brave, and crazy beautiful, but not crazy.” He nudged a container with apple crisp closer to her. “Here. Try this. This will make you crazy delighted.”
Doe used a spoon to scoop up some of the dessert. Before she put it to her lips, she asked, “You are serious that you can help me with the voices? That they’re normal because of my lineage?”
“Yes, Doe. As serious as I was when I vowed to protect you. Never again will you have to worry.”
She gave his words thought, then took the bite of apple crisp into her mouth. Her eyes closed in blissful appreciation.
Oh, sweet Goddess, what he’d do to be an apple at that moment.
Chapter Seven
By the time they finished their meal, Zareh had given Kaylae renewed hope. Her spirits lifted higher than they had in a long, long time. Initially, she resisted his assurances and explanations. For one, who would have thought dragons were real? Second, who would have thought a dragon could be so hot, no pun intended?
Kaylae didn’t waste a single bite of her meal, and her belly was thanking her for finally feeding it something of worth. They didn’t discuss much more about her Keeper lineage or his dragon
blood. She put her curiosity of his age aside to enjoy his company. They laughed over stories about her father, from the time Talius tried to woo a young lady over a dance that ended up with a broken toe on the lady’s part to Kaylae’s telling of her father’s miserable fail in the kitchen that ended in the fire department coming to her house.
Hearing of her father’s adventures from Zareh, and listening to the tone of adoration and appreciation in his voice when he spoke of Talius softened her towards him beyond what she deemed reasonable.
Zareh guided her on a walk through the large, manicured park in the heart of Nocturne Falls. He gave her a brief overview of the town, explaining everything from the history—which included a vampire founding family—to the ongoing festivities. She was taken by the ornate gargoyle fountain that drew tourists at the dusk hour to take pictures and toss coins.
Zareh leaned close, his lips brushing her ear. Tingling pleasure crept along her skin.
“Nocturne Falls is a huge tourist town. Most of the people here are human. Some are not.”
Kaylae looked up at him. He pinned her with a pointed, yet soft, look.
“I’m one of the tourists.”
He gave his head a little shake, one that left strands of hair falling over his eyes. She reached up and brushed them aside.
And froze.
How was it so easy to take such liberties without a second thought? It felt like the natural thing to do. With Zareh. Only Zareh. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Zareh caught her hand as she retracted it. He curved her fingers over his and kissed her knuckles. “I’m not.” With a gentle tug, he curled her arm through his. “And you are not one of them. You’re not entirely human yourself.”
“Um, yes.”
“Um, no.” He winked at her. “You’re a little more than that. I guarantee you if you drank the bottled water that the humans drink, it would not have any effect on you.”
She paused. “What do you mean?”
He leaned back down to her and in a deep, sexy voice, whispered, “It’s water from one of the falls this town is named after. It’s magic water and it’s meant to keep the humans from realizing just how paranormal this town really is. Nocturne Falls is like a safe haven for paranormal beings to be who they truly are beneath the façade of an act for the tourists. So, this town is everything you think it is and you think you see.”
“Vampires, witches, and shifters, oh my.”
Zareh smiled.
Heavens, the dragon man had a killer, make-a-woman-swoon smile.
Kaylae couldn’t refrain. She pressed up on her toes and laid a soft, chaste kiss to the smiling god’s mouth. The moment her lips touched his, she lost touch with reality. He tasted sinful, like spice and sugar, something sensual and smoky.
Oh, geez. What am I doing?
“I-I’m so…” Kaylae started to lower to her heels, embarrassment washing over her. “Sorry.”
She let out a sharp breath. Weakness threatened to knock her knees out from under her. A tingling twist deep inside her belly urged her to kiss him again. Her mind rocked until his fingers brushed down the side of her face, drawing her gaze up to his.
“Are you sorry because you kissed me? Or for another reason?”
“You don’t know my name.” She waved toward the SUV. “And that’s the reason I stopped you earlier.”
“Ahh, the name.” He chuckled, his fingers trailing off her jaw and his arm lowering to his side. “Damn names always get in the way of a nice kiss, don’t they? However, I’m privy to your true surname.”
He had a point there.
“You really take things in stride, don’t you?”
He tightened their linked arms and led her toward the fountain. “No, actually. I don’t. My friend, Alazar, will be the first to tell you I usually have a barb in my wing.” He chuckled, and that gruff, rumbling sound tickled the inside of her belly in really sensual ways. “I take the fun out of his gambling antics because I save his scaly paws from losing his hoard.”
“Hoard? You really have hoards?” Images of huge mounds of gold and jewels passed through her mind. Visions of storybook lore. A flash memory of the bags of jewels she found in the safety deposit boxes made a split-second appearance. “What do dragons hoard? Fancy cars?”
“Alazar has a gold fetish. So, if you have any gold jewelry and you don’t want him sniffing after you like a dog after a bone, keep it hidden.”
Zareh gave a gentle tug, dropping his arm to her waist and moving her away from a group of laughing tourists who paid no heed to the people around them. She took the moment to inhale the scent of his cologne, a supple woodsy scent with the undertones of a bonfire. So comforting. She grinned, thoroughly enjoying the calm, soothing scents that continued to pull her away from the safe sanctions of distance and closer to the dangers of a dragon.
“And you? What do you hoard?” Kaylae asked. It took more strength to keep from resting her head against his shoulder than she cared to admit. “Cars and leather jackets and women?”
“No, no, and definitely not.”
Zareh dug into the pocket of his jeans and retrieved a silver coin. He handed it to her. She turned the strange, heavy coin over, admiring the unusual crest and markings on each side. The darken sky did little to dim the bright sheen of the silver coating.
She glanced up at him. “Coins?”
“Nah.” He drew her up to the edge of the fountain. “That’s for you to make a wish.”
“But it looks valuable. I’ve never seen anything like this.” She pressed her lips into a pout. “Don’t tell me it’s some magical coin.”
“Nope. No magic. Simply a token from my home.”
She turned the coin over again. Zareh’s home. She tried to imagine what a dragon’s home looked like. Was it a cave with piles of treasure? Dark and dank with little connection to the outside world? Somehow, that image did not fit with Zareh. Instead, she contemplated whether his home was some gilded castle in the sky.
“Okay.” She took a deep breath and flashed him a grin. “Here goes.”
She squeezed her eyes closed. A wish. Ah, yes. She knew what she wanted. She kissed the coin for luck, opened her eyes, and tossed it into the water. A calm fell over her, masking the last of her anxiety from the day. The thoughts from all the tourists dimmed beneath a heavy cape of quiet.
For the first time in a long time, she felt…normal.
“So.” Zareh eased her away from the fountain to face him. She grabbed the lapels of his jacket, stepping into him. Oh, how wonderful it was to have only her thoughts in her mind, even if those thoughts were quickly becoming everything Zareh. “What did you wish for?”
“Uh-uh.” She tapped his chest with a finger. “I can’t say. You know if I do, it won’t come true.”
Zareh’s eyes glinted, a faint curl of deep orange looping around the beautiful moss green before fading. “Will you tell me when it does come true?”
Kaylae tipped her head with a single-shoulder shrug. “We’ll have to see.”
Zareh lifted his chin, looking over her head. That sexy, stubborn grin widened. “And it hasn’t come true yet?”
“Aren’t you pushy.”
“Remember what I am. I tend to enjoy getting my way.”
Kaylae didn’t freeze up when he lifted his hands to her cheeks, cradling her head as he brought her face toward his. A soft moan escaped her throat the moment his lips touched hers. His kiss was far from chaste. She melted beneath the slow, gentle, sweeping kiss, leaning into the sturdy frame of his body.
She was in serious trouble with this guy. She wanted to dodge his charm and the lure of his promise to protect. She wanted to lunge away from his endearments and downplay the reaction her traitorous body had toward a near stranger.
Instead, she kissed him back with equal delight and enjoyment. She drank in the hints of sweetness from their dessert and the delicious smokiness she was becoming addicted to. His lips reflected him, firm and possessive, yet warm and tender.
He called to something deep, dark, and unknown that roused from a lifetime of slumber inside her soul. An awakening beacon of light that pulsed to an unheard beat until Kaylae flattened her palm to his chest.
The beat.
Zareh’s heart.
Zareh groaned with the last of their kiss and eased away. Kaylae didn’t want to open her eyes, following him until she could follow him no more. She settled for the taste of him on her lips and the thoughts of him saturating her mind before returning to reality.
When she did open her eyes, Zareh’s were still closed. His face was close to hers, his nostrils flaring. She caught the distinct shift of his jaw as he pressed his lips together.
A faint wisp of gray-white smoke curled up from his nose.
Kaylae touched his cheek. Slowly, he opened his eyes to slits, unleashing the shocking yellow-orange flames that had taken over the moss green of his irises. Fire raged behind his eyelids, wild and wicked, before they closed again.
His fingertips curled against her temples. “One moment, Doe.”
His voice was rough and gravelly. A man and a dragon mixed as one.
“Can I do anything?” She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she didn’t like seeing him so distressed. “Tell me what I can do.”
He snorted, more smoke escaping his nostrils. His lips curled into a smile. He pulled her into his arms, his chest, and held her in a reassuring embrace.
“Little Doe, there is nothing you can do. Nor would I want you to do anything.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I think you’re right about tonight. A dead-and-breakfast might be a safer choice of places to stay.”
Kaylae couldn’t help but bask in a newfound giddiness. Zareh had said the water was magical. She didn’t have any of the bottled water, but she wondered if Nocturne Falls itself was magical.
It was about time things started turning around for her. If any place could make her wish come true, she was beginning to think this quaint town that celebrated Halloween all year round was it.