The Curse of the Dragon

I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, trying to relieve the sensation of being out of control, to no avail. I needed to consult my cards and see if I could glean any information about what might be going on. Was there some kind of magic or spell the dragon possessed that could play tricks on me? I should have asked more questions about them before our arrival. Or I could talk to Lettie more about them. She had a vast knowledge about many things and a deep well of magic to call upon. But she too had begun acting strange since the minute we’d arrived.

“Are you cold? Should we go back inside?”

Ian's deep, masculine voice drifted across my bare skin, sending a shiver racing down my spine. I shook my head. Inside only made it worse. Without the open air, I could only smell the wildness of him. A heady scent of fire, musk, and man that seemed to beckon me closer. It was the most unique thing I’d ever experienced, and I couldn’t seem to get enough of it.

What the hell was wrong with me? I didn’t know him at all. Ian was certainly attractive, and I could chalk up my interest in him as perfectly normal for a woman my age who had never been with a man. But this…this was different.

It was as if my whole being was building towards something big, and I didn't know how else to explain it. Only that it had something to do with him.

Heat was building in my core with every passing minute, and I couldn’t stop rubbing my legs together, trying to ease the pressure between them. Not to mention the slick moisture soaking my undergarments. I understood what it meant. I was a virgin, not an idiot. I'd just never experienced anything quite like this or had anything described like this to me. This did not seem normal.

“You keep rubbing your arms and fidgeting. Is something else wrong, then? Can I assist?” Ian took a step closer to my side, and my breath caught in my lungs. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating from his skin to mine. Everything I felt growing inside me intensified. I could barely breathe with the ache of unmet want pounding in tandem with my heartbeat.

He reached forward and barely grazed my arm, but it was enough to cause a moan to slip from my lips. Horrified that I’d made such a noise in his presence, I slapped my hand over my mouth and recoiled from his touch.

“Don’t do that,” I finally snapped. “It’s not right.”

"In what way?" he asked.

"I guess I'm technically betrothed to your brother, and you and I are alone without an escort. You shouldn't touch me. What if someone saw? What would they think?"

“That may be true. But it’s also as necessary as taking a breath. Isn't it? I could no more stay away from you than you me.”

My head jerked to meet his gaze, shocked to see that golden glow of his eyes looking back at me again. “What is that supposed to mean?” And why was my body angling in his direction?

“It’s difficult to explain to a—”

“A what?” If he was about to insult me, I was going to both die and lay into him for it. There had been more than enough insults for one day. Also, I was on edge and possibly unable to control my emotions. Although, that was putting it mildly.

“Someone not like us,” he finally whispered, which I heard perfectly fine.

I took a small, shallow breath, hoping for some relief or, at the very least, a shred of control. “You mean a shifter?”

He nodded. “Unless witches have a similar phenomenon.”

Since I had no idea what he was referring to, I doubted there was anything similar between a witch and a dragon. I shuddered at the memory of Prince Isaac and his gigantic black dragon on the front lawn. The smoke that had risen from his black scales and the steam that had erupted from his nose was going to give me nightmares for quite some time. I was in no hurry to see that from him again.

"I couldn't say, considering I have no idea what you are talking about. Stop talking in circles and say whatever it is you think needs said."

"Don't you? Know, I mean?" he asked, leaning a little bit closer so that when he spoke, I felt his breath against the shell of my ear. A shiver worked down my spine, and the heat already building in my core grew infinitely more intense. It took my breath away.

"I demand you tell me what's going on," I wheezed. "Is this some sort of trick you are playing on me? If this is a shifter thing—"

"While it is a shifter thing, I assure you it is no trick. At least not one played by me. Fate, on the other hand, does enjoy games, and they are rarely fair."

"I feel like you are purposely talking in riddles in order to confuse me. You must tell me more information. Have you done something to me? Is this a poison of some kind?"

He smiled down at me, and I swear he got even more rakishly handsome like that. One part gentleman and two parts devil. What else could explain this inexplicable draw to a man I didn't know?