Arianna screamed. But Ross raised his hand, pointed his finger at Hectora, a stream of fire intercepting the blue light. It exploded in a rain of glass shards. Arianna threw up her hands, but not soon enough. Splinters hit her face, tearing through her hair. When she brought her hands down, they were covered with blood.
She looked up. Ross was still standing, chest heaving, covered in sweat. Hectora was standing, feet now planted on the stones. He face radiated pure hate. But Arianna took a perverse pride to see she looked confused, surprised.
“You think you're so smart, that some little bit of magic has rubbed off on you after all these centuries. I should have known. But your luck will not hold. You have no control, only luck.”
She raised her hand, the blue light flashing out. Ross raised his hand, the fire shooting across the space between them, but it was clearly weaker this time. It glanced off the blue ball, deflecting it. But the blue fire crashed into the wall of the castle, its power barely diminished, shattering stones.
“You cannot keep this up, Ross. You will tire soon, and I then shall kill you.”
“I will fight ye, Hectora, until my last breath.”
Arianna couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was mad, if he thought he could face down a witch. She stood, took an uncertain step forward.
Someone grabbed her, pinning her arms to her sides, like bands of steel. The air around her crackled, that horrible stench of sulfur filling her nostrils. She tried to scream, but there was no air. She was choking, suffocating. Everything started to go gray around the edges, but she saw Hectora looking at her, lips pulled back in a feral smile. Ross followed her gaze and turned to Arianna. She met his eyes, and saw fear.
“So, Ross Cameron. Now what are you going to do?” Hectora walked forward with slow steps. “I have your woman. I can kill her in a heartbeat. All I have to do is nod, and...” She stopped, hands on hips, head tilted to the side.
“I don't even know her name. I like to know the names of those I kill. Tell me her name.” She looked at Ross.
“Leave my castle, Hectora. You have no place here...”
“The girl… she is such a pretty little thing.” Hectora stiffened, eyes flashing. “Do not try my patience or I will take her from you right here and now.”
Ross clenched his jaw in anger, and Arianna could read the conflicting emotions in the set of his shoulders, the ramrod stiffness of his back, hands clenched in fists. But then lifted his head. “Hectora…I can’t give you what you want.” He said her name through gritted teeth.
“We’ll see about that.” She advanced toward Arianna. Ross moved to step in front of Arianna, but Hectora halted him with a hiss.
“She is such a lovely girl. But she reminds me of someone...” She stopped in front of Arianna, cocked her head to the side, finger tapping one cheek. It was all Arianna could do not to spit in the woman's face. But she stared her down in silence.
Hectora's eyes widened in mock surprise, and she turned her gaze to Ross. The smile she gave him was knowing and conspiratorial, and simply horrible.
“It's Bridget.” Her cruel laugh pealed out, filling Arianna's ears. “You're not even original Ross. Not even original. But she'll have something else in common with Bridget in a minute. She'll too be dead.”
“No.” Ross stepped forward, this time ignoring Hectora's hiss. “Kill me, if ye must. But not her.”
Hectora spun around, pointing on long-nailed finger at him. “I will kill you both, if I wish. And I might.”
The arms tightened around Arianna, and another wave of vertigo swept through her. She fought to remain conscious. Whatever power the woman behind her had, it was incredibly powerful.
“But I have a proposition for you, Ross Cameron.”
Arianna watched Hectora circling Ross. “Ravena had the right idea, saw something in you that I also see.” She reached out, tracing a line down his bare chest. “Something that I want.
“I'll let your woman live, on one condition. The dragon curse will be lifted, because you cannot be a dragon without the control of a witch. In return, you will be placed under my control, but not as a dragon. As a man. A man who will belong to me.”
Ross stiffened. “I will not submit to yer whims, Hectora. We struck a deal long ago, but I will not strike another. Kill me, but leave her alone. She's naught to do with this. What's between us goes back too far.”
Arianna struggled to speak, but nothing came out. He couldn't sacrifice himself for her. She wouldn't let him. But she was essentially bound and gagged by the woman's hands holding her.
“I'll give you a day to reconsider. In the mean time...” Hectora whirled around, pointing her finger at Arianna. “To help make your decision easier...”
A ball of dense black fog formed at the end of Hectora's finger. It hovered for a moment, and then the ball grew, shifting and swirling. Forms appeared, hideous faces and forms, mouths open in silent agony, limbs distorted in horrible shapes.
The arms holding her were suddenly gone, and she staggered for a moment, almost feeling weightless. Then she slumped to the floor. In horror she watched as the ball advanced, dipping and falling toward her. She wanted to move away, but her body refused to cooperate.
“Ross...” She lifted her head. “Ross...”
Ross took a step toward her, but Hectora grabbed his arm. He pulled against her, but her fingers dug into his skin, nails piercing his flesh. But he didn't seem to notice. She met his eyes, saw fear and panic, emotions she'd never seen on his face. But it was mixed with such intense love that for a moment she thought that would be enough, somehow that all-encompassing love would shatter Hectora's spells, blow her off the roof.
But the ball sped up, moving faster, then shot forward. Ross yelled her name, but Hectora's shrieking laughter rose, filling the air, and then the ball slammed into Arianna.
It was like being hit by a Mack truck. The pain was immediate, all-consuming, unbearable. She fell forward, her head hitting the stones, but that pain was insignificant, trivial. Ross yelled again, and again, but his voice faded as her head filled with a deafening roar.
Blackness filled her mind, tendrils creeping into every corner, blocking out everything, and mercifully taking away the pain. But it also blocked out the sound of Ross's voice.
With the last of her strength she lifted her head, searching through the graying fog that surrounded her, looking for Ross. The last thing she saw was Ross breaking away from Hectora, moving toward her, reaching for her. Dimly she was aware of his arms around her, gathering her against his chest.
“Arianna. Hold on. Just hold on.”
The world went dark.
Chapter Fifteen
Something cold touched her forehead, and she jerked away. It touched her again, and she raised her arm, striking out. Something grabbed her wrist and she pulled back, a scream rising to her lips. Images of the woman holding her rushed through her mind and she struggled violently.
“Arianna. Stop. It's me...Ross.”
Ross. Gradually she became aware of the bed beneath her, his hand on her wrist, his scent. And his voice...but she wasn't sure she wasn't dreaming, that this wasn't some evil trick of Hectora's.
“Arianna.” His voice was very close, warmth brushing her ear. “Wake up.”
She forced her eyes open. The world was fuzzy, gray...spinning. Closing her eyes was a better option. The pain in her body had settled into a dull ache, but it resided in every cell, throbbing in time with her heartbeat.
“Arianna...”
“I'm awake, Ross. I'm here.” Even to her own ears, her voice sounded tiny and far away. “I think I'm here. Where am I?”
“You're safe. You're in my room.”
“What...happened?”
“Shhh...just rest.” Something cool was placed on her forehead. It felt like heaven, and she breathed out a sigh. Then she struggled to open her eyes again. Ross sat on the edge of the bed, streaked with dirt and perspiration. She, on the other hand, was wearing a clean
white nightgown that smelled of lavender. It felt as if she'd had a bath as well. When...how...
“I want to know...what happened.” She struggled to sit up, but her arms were weak. “Help me sit up.”
“Ye should...”
“Stop telling me what I should do. Help me.”
He put an arm behind her shoulders, lifting her, then moving behind her so she rested against his body. His warmth was comforting, but the effort to sit up had her breathing hard, sweat beading her upper lip. Ross dabbed at her with a damp towel.
“Do ye remember anything?”
“I remember being on the roof...Hectora...two dragons...that woman holding me. Then...pain. And darkness.”
Ross tensed against her at the sound of Hectora's name. “She cursed ye...like she cursed Bridget.”
It all rushed back, the threats Hectora made, the blue balls of light...Ross fighting her with fire.
“You have magic. How...did you know?”
“I dinna know, until tonight. I just...it just happened. I raised my hand...and there was fire.”
“She said it was...it had rubbed off on you.”
“Aye. That's what she said.” He dropped the wet towel into a bowl on the bedside table. “It could be...I dinna ken. I dinna care how it happened. Magic is beyond me.”
“But...there's more.” Arianna struggled to look up at Ross. “She said you had a day...until tonight to decide. Decide what?”
He sighed. “To go with her, to be her...”
“To be her what? Her dragon?” The image of Ross wearing that cruel bit and harness she'd seen made her sick.
“To be her everything.” His voice dropped to a desperate whisper. “To be hers, as a man, as a lover, and as a dragon. To live forever, or close enough, with her.” He looked away. “And she will lift the curse on ye, and ye will be free.”
She looked at him in horror. “But I'd be without you? You'd be gone.”
“Aye. But ye'd be alive.”
“But I'd be without you.” There didn't seem to be any argument in her mind.
He was silent for a long time. “Arianna, I want ye to be alive, and safe. What happens to me...” He shook his head. “It's not important. I've lived too long, seen too much...ye have a whole life to live. Ye need to live that life.”
“But I need you in my life, Ross. I don't want to live it without you.”
She broke down in tears, and he held her for a long time, rubbing her back, speaking words too soft to understand. She felt broken, and it was too hard to even think. Darkness closed in again in her mind, and this time she just gave in to it.
* * *
The dreams came and went, rising up suddenly, intense images, then fading just as quickly in flames. Wings beat against her, then swept her away toward the moon. Just as quickly she was dropped, plunging toward the earth. She screamed...
Chapter Sixteen
She was awake when Ross came into the room. It had been dark for a long time,, she thought, but a candle burned on the bedside table. She'd forced herself to stay awake, to stay conscious. It drained her, but she knew she could not slip back into that terrible darkness.
“Ye awake.” He didn't seem too surprised. Even in the dim light she could see dark circles beneath his eyes, the slump of his shoulders. He brought her a glass of water, and she took it, but it tasted odd, metallic, and she did no more than take a sip.
“What time is it?”
“It's late...almost moonrise.”
Moonrise. But what day? “How long have I been asleep?”
“I'd not call it sleep, but it was last night that Hectora was here.”
“You look exhausted, Ross. Have you slept?”
He sat heavily down on the bed, but he didn't answer. He didn't have to. His whole body radiated something beyond exhaustion. Despair, hopelessness.
“What are you going to do, Ross?”
“I'll face her, and go with her. And ye'll stay here...the curse will be lifted, and ye can return to where ye belong. To the life ye should have.”
“I will not stay here while you go off to meet that...that witch. And you will not...”
He turned to her, eyes flashing. “Ye will not fight me, Arianna. Ye will not.” Reaching out, he took her hand. Some of the anger left his eyes, and he dropped his head. “Ye will not. Please. Do not.”
“But...”
“I will not let ye suffer any longer, but I dinna have it in me to kill ye. I've come to a decision, and it was hard enough. I willna think about it again.”
There seemed to be nothing she could say, and there was certainly nothing she could do. Her body was too weak to physically stop him. Sinking back against the pillows she squeezed his hand. He'd made up his mind, and as much as she hated what he'd said, and being told what to do, he'd made the decision for both of them. But she wouldn't let him go through this alone.
“Take me with you, please. So I can say good-bye. I want to know she takes you, not just kills you, and leaves me here to die.”
She expected an argument, but he didn't say anything. After a long time he nodded. Then they sat in the dark, watching the slow tears of the candle, waiting for the inevitable.
* * *
It took a long time for Ross to help her up to the roof. When they finally reached the top, she collapsed onto the cold stones, breathing hard, drenched in sweat. Her nightgown did nothing to keep out the chill, and within moments she was shivering, her teeth clattering together.
The moon was just rising above the trees, days past full, one edge clipped off. It looked strange and irregular, but it was still magical. It took a long time until she found the strength to lift her head, to let its silver light wash over her. Ross stood behind her, and she leaned back against his legs.
The dragon appeared out of nowhere, circled once and gliding in on silent wings. But tonight she arrived alone. The dragon settled on the roof, and Hectora dismounted in her customarily witch-like way, her feet not quite hitting the stones. She glided toward Ross and Arianna, a smile of anticipation on her face.
“I see you're here, Ross. That means you've come to a decision. Am I right?”
“I am here.” His voice was cold and tight, and she wished she could see him, but it was too draining to look up at him.
“That's not an answer, Ross Cameron. I want to hear you say you'll come with me. Say the words, and I'll lift the curse from her.” She looked down at Arianna. “And you should say it quickly. She looks on the verge of death.”
“Come closer and I'll tell ye what ye need to hear. I'll not be shouting my decision from the rooftop.”
Hectora arched an eyebrow at him, but shook her head. “I'm not your fool, Ross. I'm not coming anywhere near you.”
“Have it yer way, witch.” Ross stepped from behind Arianna, and she slumped to the side, landing heavily on one hand. He took two slow measured steps toward Hectora.
“You'll come with me, Ross Cameron, of Castle Nathair?”
“Aye. Lift the curse from her, and I'll come with ye.”
Hectora shrugged. “You come with me, I'll lift the curse.”
Ross shook his head. “Ye'll not be changing the terms of the agreement in the final hour, although I'm not surprised. But do it now, Hectora, or I'll not move.”
She waved her hand, breathing out an exasperated sigh. “It's all the same in the end. But I'm tired of talking, Ross. I want this over, just like you do. I can force you, but I want you to come of your own will.”
“I'll not go with ye until ye lift the curse.”
Hectora's expression grew dark. “Do as I say or she dies, now.” Hectora pointed her finger at Arianna, a ball of glowing red dancing at her fingertips. “Now, Ross. Now.”
The ball floated for a moment, then moved toward Arianna. She wanted to scream, wanted to move out of its path. But she was too weak. From the corner of her eye she saw movement, the plaid of Ross's kilt swirling as he stepped forward. Something glinted in his right hand. As he raised it,
Arianna saw what it was, and for a moment she thought her heart would stop beating in her chest.
He had a knife, the blade flashing in the moonlight. Before she could even say his name, he plunged the blade into his chest. Blood soaked through his shirt, the blood staining it almost black..
“I'll not go, and neither will Arianna.”
Hectora shrieked, grabbing at the air, retrieving the ball of fire. It rested on her palm for a moment, and then she pivoted, flinging it toward Ross. Or rather where Ross had been.
He'd turned, pulling the knife from his chest as he lunged behind Arianna. He grabbed her hair, jerking her to her feet. She cried out in pain, struggling to stand, failing. He wound her hair around his fist, pulling harder, and she stood briefly, then fell back against him. Warmth seeped through her nightgown—Ross's blood. The knife rested against her throat, wet and cold.
“I'll die, but I'll kill her first.” His voice sounded breathless, but there was a strength behind it, a conviction that chilled Arianna. “Ye'll have neither of us. I've killed before. I will do it again. I love her too much to let her suffer. I love her to much to let you use me as ye will.”
The fireball whistled past her ear, smashing into the wall behind them, broken pieces stones hitting her legs. Ross's hand never wavered, the knife pressing against her skin.
“Remove the curse, and leave. Never return. Neither ye, nor yer foul kind.”
Hectora's gaze flickered away from Arianna's face. There was something in her eyes, something Arianna recognized as fear. And something else. An emotion that could destroy them all.
It was envy.
Hectora wanted Ross, body and soul, as a man. And she wasn't going to let Arianna stand in her way, just like she'd enlisted Ross to get Ravena out of her way. But something must have gone wrong back then. Now Hectora had a second chance. She wasn't going to lift the curse, no matter what. It was clear to Arianna that Hectora meant to kill her. Somehow Arianna found the strength to speak.
“Why have you waited all these years, Hectora? Why didn't you take him when you had the chance?”
Kiss Of Fire (BBW Dragon Shifter Paranormal Romance): Dragon Shifter Romance Page 14