Dragon Wish (10 page)

from the water and carried her to the bed. With efficient

strokes, he dried her before he pulled a light sheet over her.

Tears burned his eyes. In the middle of the night, his son

had stopped fighting. He sensed no movement, no life force

from him at all, yet the heat continued within Seren. After

effects? Had the babe given up or had his strength ebbed?

He studied the agony etched on Seren’s pale face. He

eased onto the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms. For

the first time since she’d fallen onto the deck, her restless

battle against the heat ceased. He tensed, waiting for her

next breath. He counted each one, hoping she would survive.

The door swung open and his first mate approached the

bed, alone. Paladin realized before his friend spoke what he

would say.

“They have no mage here, Sire. The nearest one is a day’s

flight to the north. I’ve ordered our immediate departure.”

Paladin curved tighter to Seren, holding her closer. She

would not make it to another morning. Her body might live,

but her mind would not.

“Very well,” he muttered. His gut felt like he’d swallowed

a hundred dragon stones. The heaviness wouldn’t abate. The

weight of this night sat on his shoulders and it became

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heavier as the guilt loomed closer. He could not escape it and

did not try. Seren’s condition was his responsibility alone. He

was the one who’d brought her here. He should have had

better control. What kind of monster was he to do this to

her?

His damnable wish. He desired a son, but not at the cost

of murdering the child’s mother. He groaned. If he had not

drunk so much, had not made his wish, the door would never

have appeared. But he had, and now he must pay penance

for his carelessness.

He laid his palm against her lower abdomen. A faint

stirring came to him. He waited. There—a slight movement.

He tilted his head toward Calis. “Leave us.”

The older man tripped over his feet in his hurry. Once the

door shut, Paladin turned his attention to his son. He

narrowed his eyes, his vision becoming all-seeing and

magical, a gift born of his dragon flesh. Focusing on the spot,

he saw past Seren’s skin and muscles to where the babe lay

attached to her womb. His son’s diminutive form resembled

more the namesake of his clan than anything human.

Paladin studied the fast beat of his tiny heart. The babe’s

head turned toward him. A pulse of supplication surged to

Paladin. In one beat of his tiny heart, Paladin understood

what the unborn child tried so desperately to do.

Without considering, Paladin centered his power to his

small son. He sent him the strength he needed to erect a

barrier between his dragonfire and Seren. The barrier

thickened and became wider. The babe swirled in the vortex

of magical dragon flames, but the fire remained contained

within the shell of his birth sack.

After several minutes, Paladin sensed the babe dozing.

The heat, which had flared nonstop in Seren, ebbed to

normal. He allowed one sob to escape before he shifted to his

human sight.

Exhausted, he rolled from the bed and called for Calis.

When his friend arrived, they set about cleaning the room.

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Once Calis departed with the tub, Paladin washed the sweat

from Seren, hoping to make her more comfortable.

Under clean sheets, she lay still. Hands trembling, he

tucked the edges against her. So pale, fragile, she had not

wanted a child. Once more, guilt slapped against his

conscience.

Calis returned, carrying a chair to the side of the bed.

“Here ye go, Sire, sit. Rest. Ye deserve it.”

Paladin suppressed an urge to laugh. Deserve a rest? No,

not he. He deserved to suffer the same way Seren had for

what he’d done. He sat in the chair and turned to look at

Calis. “Head for Dene. I want this ship there in one day. Use

all of the dragonstones if you must.”

A quick nod and Calis was gone. Paladin shouted to his

first mate as his footsteps faded, “And rest. That’s an order.”

Seren frowned, stirring, her eyelids fluttering. He

straightened in the chair, regretting the shout. Her eyes

opened, and she looked at him. Without saying a word, she

shifted onto her side with a groan, curling into a fetal

position. He remained silent, motionless. She drifted off. He

sighed in relief. Now, he would wait to see if her mind

survived the ordeal with the dragon’s fire. He rested his head

against the back of the chair and closed his eyes.

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Quiet footsteps approached the bed. Seren opened her

eyes. Paladin stood over her, blocking the rest of room. The

beauty of his face took her breath away. She stretched.

Sensitive muscles screamed silent messages throughout her

entire body, forcing a gasp to escape.

“Careful. You have been sore ill,” he said, taking her

hand.

She stared at him while she tried to bring the pain under

control. “What happened to me?”

Before he could answer, memories of the drac at the

window rushed forward—the burning agony, her flight from

the room, her need to find him. He would help her. Only

him.

“The babe,” he murmured.

At his soft comment, a sharp flash of fear shot across her

chest followed by a wave of grief. She frowned, her hands

moving to cover her abdomen. “I lost it?”

“No, our son lives. He helped save your life.”

She studied him for several moments, trying to

understand what he meant. A slow dull pounding set up

behind her eyes, against the back of her head and radiated

down her neck. Right now, she didn’t want to hear an in

depth discussion on the baby’s abilities. She wanted to find

out what put her flat on her back with so many aches she was

afraid to move. “That beast—the dragon—did something to

me when it came to the window. It cried out. I felt like a fire

was cooking me from the inside out.”

Paladin nodded and eased onto the bed next to her. “He

called out to our son. In turn, the babe responded.”

“By trying to kill his mother?”

“That was not his intention. If you die then he dies. No,

instinct caused him to answer the drac’s call.” He leaned

toward her, and his hand brushed across her brow. “I am

thankful you are whole.”

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She stared at him for a long time. “Me too. I want to go

home”

“I’ll not have your death on my conscience.”

She grunted and shook her head. “If carrying your child is

going to cause me this much pain, then why did you touch

me?”

A sad, mischievous smile flittered over his lips.

“Uncontrollable passion?”

Another grunt and shake of her head. “I’m to blame too.”

He brushed a finger over her lower lip. “You came to me

so I might help you. Why? That is the reason you went above

when the pain began. To find me. You knew I would help

you?” His eyes held a spark of wonder. The light dwindled

after a moment. He continued, a gentle smile returning to his

lips. “You do need me.”

His soft words evoked a rush of heat up her neck to her

face. How dare he insinuate she needed him? The constant

agony in her head increased. She clenched her hands into

fists to keep from slapping his cheek. She narrowed her eyes

and glared at him. “I don’t need anyone.”

“If this is so, why did you seek me out?”

Seren sighed, unable to remain furious with his quietly

asked question. She lifted a hand to her pounding head. Even

that small motion caused her pain. Every muscle in her body

ached fiercely. She couldn’t think. Her brain refused to come

up with any other reason for her action other than the truth

which she blurted out with her last bit of defiance. “You’re

my stability here. There, are you happy?”

Paladin didn’t crack a smile. He didn’t even look pleased

“Is this all I am to you?”

She gritted her teeth, determined not to reveal how much

she wanted him. Never again. The pain was too fresh in her

mind. When she didn’t answer him, he shifted away and

stood.

“We dock in Dene in an hour. Your clothes are there,” he

said, pointing to the foot of the bed. “Once we arrive, I will

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come for you.”

After he closed the door, she laid there for a long time,

her body refusing to relax. This wasn’t her world. Her life.

Why was this happening to her?

Her entire body ached worse than when she’d had the flu

a couple of years ago. He said she’d almost died. If she died,

so would the child he claimed she carried. She placed her

palm on her abdomen. The fluttering came again. She bit her

lips and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to control the sudden

rise of tears.

A surge of warmth mingling with a sense of peace raced

through her. Her eyes shot open and she clasped her belly

over the spot from where she sensed the emotions rising.

Her vision blurred, blackening along the edges. The first

physical sign of her psychic abilities. Her mind floated away,

and then, just as fast, returned with a jolt.

She glanced around at the white marble walls and

columns lining the portico. Sunlight slanted between the

columns to produce a ladder effect. Broad slants of shadows

interspersed with light on the floor and the back wall. Pulse

throbbing, she realized she stood inside a tomb. She touched

the side wall. Upon contact, she jerked away. Smooth cold

stone, solid and real, surrounded her.

Dream of a death meant news of a birth.

The old meaning appeared in her mind. But whose death?

Why was this vision so real? She actually felt the solidness of

her body. Was that wind coasting over her skin? She rubbed

her hands over her bare arms, and took a step toward the

entrance. The soft cloth of a simple white shift covered her

body, leaving her arms and calves bare. She tingled at the

gentle caress of the material against her skin.

“Why do you not want me?”

A bolt of fear zagged up her spine. Her skin erupted with

goose bumps. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the

bottom half of a tall stool in the far corner of the tomb. Boot

heels hooked over the last rung. A man sat in the shadows,

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facing her. She saw nothing of his face except for where the

light cut across his eyes, revealing the clear, bluish-gray hue.

The shock of color in the white place surprised her. She

returned his stare, trying to comprehend who and what he

was to her.

“Oh, God,” she muttered, “I’m psycho. I just know I am.”

Light-hearted laughter came from him. She shivered. The

sound of his laughter reminded her of someone, but she

couldn’t quite place it. Years ago, Mandy’s laughter always

brought a smile to her face. This strange man’s joy made her

want to smile too. But why? What was it about him that put

her at ease when she should have been tense?

She wanted to leave this place, to return to the present,

but as with all her visions, she had to stay until the end. With

her fear lessening, curiosity sparked. Her hand slipped to her

abdomen, tightening over the spot. Unsure what to do, yet

unable to stop, she whispered. “Can you see me?”

“Yes.”

She gasped, her eyes wide, at the clear voice ringing

within the cold white walls. A touch of joy edged his answer.

Seren waited, hoping the vision would end soon. Clouds

streamed by, casting sunlight followed by lighter shadows

across the floor. After several minutes, she took a deep

breath and asked, suspecting who the man was, but not

wanting to know for sure. “Who are you?”

“Your son.”

A laugh of disbelief escaped. Oh, yes, she had lost it. More

so now than when she’d first arrived in this place. This

wasn’t possible. She had never had a vision so real before.

She had always been the observer not the participant.

Helpless and unsure, she shook her head. “No.”

“Why do you deny my existence?”

Seren balled up her fist, fury followed on the heels of

helplessness. “What am I supposed to think? It’s impossible

for me to know I’m having a baby this soon, and it’s