Her hands smoothed down his chest to his abdomen.
Slick skin over hard muscles tensed beneath her palms. He
rolled over, his hands under her hips, lifting them. One
heartbeat later, he thrust deep inside her, sliding with ease
into her slick entrance.
A moan escaped her. Yes, she needed this, no one but he
would do. Her angel. Freeing her lips, she begged, “Please,
please.”
“Always,” he groaned, capturing her mouth with his once
more.
Seren slid her fingertips over the sleek muscles of his
back to the curve of his buttocks. She grasped them, pulling
him harder, faster into her. She wanted him to...
White streaks flared behind her eyelids. Her entire body
jerked with her climax, followed by warm lassitude, numbing
her limbs. He stiffened and emptied himself into her womb.
She cried out, unable to hold the sound in. Gasping, she
kissed his shoulder, his neck, her tongue tasting the saltiness
she found there. He lifted her chin, claiming her lips again.
“Sweet,” she whispered. He shifted off her and pulled her
close to him. Wrapping a leg over his hip, she dozed.
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Dragon Wish
Twice more before sunrise, she dreamed of her angel.
Each time, he brought her pleasure the likes of which she’d
never before experienced. No foreplay, no sex toys, all she
needed was his kiss, his heavenly touch, and the hard length
of him buried inside her. Each climax burned her like a
Roman candle exploding on the fourth of July.
He remained silent during their lovemaking. She liked
that. She’d tried to discuss the dragon with friends and
associates, but their responses failed to solve the puzzle of
the vision. Helpful advice and assumed suggestions hadn’t
worked to eliminate the problem. The vision continued. So
she’d had enough of talk.
Right now, she wanted someone to give her peace, and
for a short time, allow her to rest. He succeeded.
* * * *
Warmth and the orange glow of light beat against her
closed eyelids. He shifted away. She groaned. Her body felt
weighed down, yet nothing but the covers were on top of her.
She cracked open her eyes. Across the room, past where he
sat on the edge of the mattress, angled sunbeams came
through the windows. The golden light struck him in a
framed picture, branding it into her memory for life. For a
moment, broad shoulders slumped as his chin rested against
his chest. He inhaled deep, and then pushed up off the bed.
Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t imagined it.
He was beautiful. Every muscled curve, each firm line
rippled with perfection.
Her thoughts whirled with memories of last night. She’d
dreamed of him. She straightened to a more comfortable
position. Soreness pulled between her legs. Her gaze,
widened. Shocked, she stared at the back of his head.
Oh, God, what had she done? She’d let him make love to
her during the night. She tried to remember if he’d worn any
protection.
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Dragon Wish
She bit her bottom lip. Her palm covered the base of her
belly. She might, even now, carry his child. She released a
shaky breath, hoping that never happened.
Memories of long sweltering summer days playing in the
park, laughing while wet, tiny arms embraced her after a
warm bath, the first day of school, and then...Seren squeezed
her eyes shut in an attempt to stop the images of her
daughter’s death and the days—no, years which followed.
She attempted to quell the familiar resentment of her
psychic ability as it was now compared to before she lost
Mandy, but failed. The anger never left her. She should have
known and somehow saved her daughter from the drunk
driver. Because of this, she’d decided never to have any more
children, a fact her ex-husband, Lance, hadn’t been able to
understand.
Lance had assumed she’d change her mind, but this was a
decision she’d stood by. Seren refused to chance losing
another child. He’d filed for divorce two years later.
Sunlight streamed through the windows and cast a glow,
surrounding the stranger’s body. Golden hair rippled over
his shoulders. The beauty of his hair captured her attention.
The strands shifted to one side, revealing muscled buttocks.
Seren’s turbulent thoughts ended with a rush of intense
desire flooding her body. She gritted her teeth, confused at
her reaction and tried hard to fight her own passion.
Every movement was slow, almost lazy, yet she sensed a
layer of steel beneath the quiet veneer. She stared at him,
unable to tear her focus away while he poured water from a
pitcher into a bowl.
Droplets, sparkling in the light, flung wide while he
washed. Her gaze wandered over his lean legs, up his
sculptured back, and across broad shoulders. She stopped at
the strange mark on his left arm. A raised tattoo in the shape
of a white dragon spiraled from his wrist to end just above
his left breast.
Her breath caught in her throat. Sore muscles in her back
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Dragon Wish
stiffened. He was the dragon. The mark was proof. She met
his stare in the small mirror on the upright chest where the
wash bowl sat. She froze, heart thudding against her chest at
being caught studying him.
He lifted the pitcher.
“The water is from yesterday, but it is still clean if you
choose to freshen up,” he told her, lowering his eyelids,
hiding the blue. “I am going below to break my fast. I will let
the Innkeeper know you are here and to bring some clothing.
Once you dress, you are welcome to join me.”
“Where is this place?” She sat up, pulling the covers to
her neck. “What is the meaning of the dragon?”
“Gilliesport.”
She frowned in confusion. The unfamiliar name hung in
the air between them. She swallowed before asking, “Where
is that?”
The left side of his mouth curved up. “Where are you
from?”
She hesitated. He’d been in her home last night, yet he
acted like he didn’t know where she lived. She narrowed her
eyes, trying to see into his mind without any results. Did he
think she was stupid? His expression never changed. “New
Orleans.”
A vee formed between his brows. He appeared to not
understand what she meant. He was silent as he dragged on
his pants.
“Louisiana,” she added, frustrated with his lack of
response. What game was he playing?
Tugging on his boots, he stopped and glanced at her. “I
have never heard of loueezzeeaannah.”
“It’s in the U.S. You have to know the United States.” She
looked at him and rolled her eyes. “Of America.” With no
recognition evident in his eyes, her heart thumped harder, its
beats increasing, pounding an erratic rhyth
m in her chest.
Her blood surged through her veins, and her head throbbed.
She spoke low, the words edged with anger. “North America.
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Dragon Wish
It’s on Earth.”
He nodded with a slight smile on his lips. “Ah, Earth.
Now, I have heard that before. Sister planet to Avaris.”
Dressed in his shirt and pants, he fastened the wide black
belt at his lean middle. After he slipped his coat on, he slid
the two scabbards through the belt, one on each side of his
waist.
Seren stared at the weapons. He’d worn them last night.
Now, she wondered why. The black handles reflected the
sun’s light, and each was tipped with a clear, round, gold-
encased stone. Once he finished, his gaze met hers. “There is
a man in Dene. He claims he, too, is from Earth. Perhaps,
you should speak with him.”
“You’re nuts, aren’t you? There’s no way I could have
traveled from one planet to another. Tell me the truth, where
am I?” The news of someone else who knew the places she
mentioned had little if any impact on her. The sudden rise of
her fear threatened to turn into panic. “How can we talk to
each other if we come from separate planets?”
“You are, indeed, on Avaris. Both Earth and Avaris are
connected to one another by the dragons’ magic. The portal
can only be opened at the gathering of the great ones, or
perhaps, by combining the powers of several talented
wizards.” He stopped and shrugged before his stare met hers.
“We have magic so powerful we are able to understand what
anyone says at any time. It is a common spell placed on all
babes at the time of their births. The one I placed on you
when I found you enables me to understand you and to
speak in your language. You now also have the ability to
speak and understand my language.”
Unable to fully believe him, she stared wide-eyed at him.
The door rattled under a heavy fist. A rasping voice
sounded from the other side. “Ready to depart in an hour,
Cap’an.”
She twitched and tightened her hold on the blanket.
He glanced from the door to her. Their eyes locked. His
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Dragon Wish
voice remained soft, gentle, and calming. “Only the cosmos
knows how the two planets became connected. No one that I
know of has ever questioned it.”
Her voice trembled with unshed tears, frustration, and
the hot embers of her anger. “Well, I do. I want to go home. I
want to know what the dragon means. What do you intend to
do with me? Last night, we—oh, God, I just want to go
home.”
With a slow gait, he walked to the door. He lifted one
hand and grasped the knob. Without looking at her, he said,
“I cannot send you home.”
“Why not?” Frightened, overwhelmed with what had
happened to her, Seren gripped the covers, her knuckles
white. Tears scalded the lids of her eyes, shame and despair
built in her mind.
“The only way I know of is to have the great dragon clan
leaders open a portal.”
“Then tell them to do it.”
He shook his head, a sad smile forming on his lips. “One
does not go to the dragons to demand something. It is by
their will that peace is possible on Avaris, therefore, we are
obligated to them.”
“They have to send me home. I don’t want to be here!”
“I suppose I shouldn’t have brought you through the
portal. It seemed right to do so.”
“For who? You?” Furious and more than a little
frightened for the future, she lashed out at him. “We had sex
last night. There might be complications I don’t want.”
His response followed on the heels of her statement. “I
agree. Even now, I travel to return my beloved wife to her
family. She bled to death trying to rid her body of my child. If
I had a choice between a willing and an unwilling mother to a
babe of mine, I would much prefer to do without either.”
Horrified, Seren’s eyes widened. She started to speak, but
he opened the door and left, shutting it with gentle care
behind him.
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Dragon Wish
His words still echoing in her ears, Seren huddled under
the blankets. The shock of what had happened to him
surprised her enough to forget her own troubles for a
moment. Guilt at her callous manner toward him came over
her. She shook her head then clenched her fists, fighting the
need to call out to him, begging him to return. He didn’t
appear the type to accept an apology. She bit her lips,
sucking them between her teeth.
Who was this man? Where was Avaris? What kind of
world was it where dragons ruled? For a second, she stilled.
The warmth of the sun fell across her face and upper body.
She hadn’t even asked his name.
She shifted on the over-soft mattress. Muscles, unfamiliar
with the type of exertion she had asked of them last night,
pulled and tightened. No, she was alive. Vivid memories
from the last few hours spread fiery heat up her chest to fill
her face. Sex. No other word described what had occurred
between them the night before. Hot, lurid sex with a
complete stranger.
She tried to pull in a deep breath, but her lungs refused to
expand far. With just the physical act, he had accomplished
hours of foreplay. She had climaxed every time. Once, she’d
reached her peak twice, her body tightening around the
entire length of him stronger than the first instance. He’d
reached his also.
After a shuddering breath, she waited for the appearance
of the vision. Nothing happened. The terrifying image
seemed to be gone. She still felt the remnants of the pressing
weight the vision put on her, but the bone-deep fear
remained absent.
Scratching came from the door. She glanced at the
wooden barrier. Her voice cracked when she spoke, “Who’s
there?”
“Be Alice, mum. The cap’an sent me ’ere to give ye these
clothes.”
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Dragon Wish
Seren’s gaze bounced from one spot to another around
the room. What now? Should she let this woman in? The
news of the clothes tempted her. Knowing she had to get out
of bed sometime, she tightened her hold on the covers and
called, “Come in.”
The door opened, revealing a full-bosomed woman. She
swept in, her long black curls bobbed about her head,
swirling over her shoulders. Her wide brown eyes scanned
the room. When she spied Seren, she stopped and grinned,
showing off a mouth full of white teeth.
A narrow scarf held the mass of hair away from round,
rosy cheeks and a broad forehead. The yellow peasant shirt
with a low scooped neck and a brown, ruffled, long skirt
clung to the generous curves of her body. The sandals she
&n
bsp; wore revealed bright red painted toenails.
“So, you’re the one keeping the cap’an up most of the
night. I sleep right above ’ere. I could ’ear that bed a movin’
all night. W’at a man, the cap’an is.” A dreamy expression
covered the woman’s face as she sashayed across the room, a
bundle clutched in one hand. She plopped on the bed at
Seren’s feet. Her skirts floated up then settled over well-
rounded legs.
This woman had heard them. Seren’s face flamed hotter.
She pressed her hands over her cheeks. Oh, please let me live
through this.
Observant eyes flickered over Seren, a mischievous glint
in them. “I brung ye some clothes, though from the looks of
ye, they won’t fit. Dinna know the cap’an liked ’em so young.”
Seren reached out, clasping the offered bundle. Untying
the dull brown sleeves crisscrossed over the folded cloth, she
lifted a blouse. Much too large, the oval neckline would fall
low on her chest, revealing more than she wanted. The
woman may be outspoken, but she was a good judge of size.
Letting her hands drop to her lap, the shirt wadded on
the bedcovers, Seren lifted her gaze to the woman. “Do you
have some men’s clothes, maybe boy’s pants and shirt?”
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Dragon Wish
“Well, I might be able to find ye somethin’. Cap’an says he
brun’ ye ’ere. Couldn’t ’elp wonderin’ w’at ’appened to yer
clothes.” Eyes bright with curiosity, the woman leaned
closer, anticipation heavy in her husky voice. “Tell me, w’at’s
it like, bein’ with him?”
Amazed that this woman, a complete stranger, dared to
question her concerning something so personal, Seren
swallowed and leaned back, putting distance between them.
Did this woman believe she had such loose morals? The
answer showed in the bright look angled at her. Embarrassed
by what had occurred last night, Seren shook her head. “I
don’t think the captain would appreciate me talking about
him.”
The woman straightened, her mouth twisted into a pout
before she huffed out a sigh. “So ye know ’im well, do ye? Of
course, ye right. The cap’an ’s a secretive man. A real gent, ’e
is. But when ’e’s around us common folk, ’e don’t put no airs
on. Right favorite ’e is to us. So be careful ’ow ye treat ’im.”
In a flurry of flying skirts, the woman jumped up and hurried
to the door. “I’ll be back in a blink. Wash up, mum, ye still