Authors: Judith Leger
Tags: #Wild Child Publishing Fantasy Romance Novel, #fantasy, #romance, #novel, #dragons
hand.
Paladin stared at her, memorizing every curve of her face.
His stomach tightened, cramping like never before. He had
trouble loosening his arms from around her. Glancing at
him, she smiled. It was a sweet, soft flicker of her spirit. “I’ll
be fine. I didn’t die in my bathtub. And I won’t now. I want to
see my baby, to hold him, and watch him grow up.”
He nodded.
She slipped from him, taking Bask’s hand. Paladin let his
arms fall like dead weights to his sides. Bask wrapped his
free arm around Seren’s waist. His wings materialized on his
back, and he rose into the air with Seren pressed against
him.
Her short hair fluttered in the increasing wind. The
clouds grew thicker. The moons disappeared from view.
Particles charged with magic floated in the air. Paladin’s
heart raced. He had trouble catching his breath.
When Bask reached the place in the pedestals’ center, he
hovered and started an incantation. The bare hint of the
wizard’s voice reached Paladin. The words he chanted were
blown away with the rising wind.
The dragons leapt at the same time to fly in a circle above
the pillars. Faster and faster, they created a vortex, swirling
in a magnificent array of white, black, gold, red, blue, green,
and purple until the aura surrounding them combined into a
rainbow. They joined into one entity, diving toward the
center, coming together, their wings angled, one up, one
down. Their heads met, cheek to cheek. There they halted,
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suspended several hundred feet above where Bask held
Seren.
The wizard passed a hand over her face then levitated
her, releasing his hold. He descended, landing not far from
where Paladin stood.
Once Bask’s feet touched the slab, the dragons opened
their mouths. From deep inside their chests, flames poured
out, combining into one column of magical fire aimed at
Seren.
“She will not feel any pain. I used a spell to send her into
a deep slumber,” Bask murmured.
Paladin swallowed. When the column struck Seren, she
dropped several feet. He took two quick steps in her
direction, building his inner magic to produce his wings.
Quiet and calm, Bask ordered, “Do not interfere.”
Clenching his fists, Paladin fought the need to help Seren.
He didn’t want to lose her, not now. His heart pounded, and
he chewed on his bottom lip until a strong metallic taste
formed in his mouth. Bile rose to the back of his throat. He
gritted his teeth to keep his mouth shut, but the need to
shout at the dragons to stop nearly overwhelmed him.
Lightning flashed across the darkened sky. Thunder cracked,
vibrating the air. Dust along with small stones bounced on
the slab at his feet. His dragon’s blood boiled with the
increased magic swirling in the air.
He tore his focus away from her to where Bask waited.
Paladin yelled over the windy gusts. “Swear to me, she will
live. Swear upon Lior’s head.”
Bask, face expressionless, cut his gaze to him. “Swear.
There, done, final. Does this make you less frightened, oh
mighty king of the White Dragon Clan?”
Paladin gritted his teeth in frustration. The wizard dared
to mock him.
With his next words, Bask verified he did indeed mock
him. “Words are words, thrown out so carelessly. Here, this
very second, the dragons prove their worth. What they
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decree will be. You and no other on Avaris can stop them.”
Taking a step toward him, Paladin raised a fist, prepared
to pound the truth out of him.
“Be still, king. You bother me with your faithless self.
Wait. Watch. And consider—do you truly believe they would
harm the very vessel their king needs for his survival?”
The question stopped him. He looked up at the dragons
and Seren. Within the column of fire, a golden aura
encompassed her form. She glowed with the dragons’ full
magical power.
Rain splattered, blurring his vision. He swiped at his
eyes, refusing to look away.
After what seemed an eternity, the blast ended. The
dragons snapped their mouths shut as one creature. They
took flight, roaring amid the wind and rain.
Seren descended, coming to rest on the slab, her eyes
closed while her body remained limp. Peaceful and serene,
she appeared to be sleeping.
The wizard reached her at the same time Paladin did. He
checked the pulse in her neck, smiled then placed his hand
over her abdomen. He shut his eyes, his brow lined with his
concentration.
Paladin knelt at her shoulder. He brushed a trembling
hand over her head, smoothing her hair back. Her skin was
coated with the strange yellow dust from the combined fires
of the dragons.
When Bask grasped his wrist and tugged, Paladin jumped
in surprised. The wizard grinned, “Feel your son now, Sire.”
He sensed the power of the baby without needing to
touch Seren’s rounded belly. Instead, he ignored Bask. He
wrapped his arms around her, lifting her, pressing her body
against his chest. He swayed lightly with his cheek pressed
against the top of her head.
With a grunt, Bask left them. After several moments,
Seren stirred, her eyelashes brushing across his neck. His
eyes squeezed shut while he battled the tears burning behind
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his lids. She would live. So would the child. He would hold
her close for a while, and he was thankful for the boon.
She moaned.
He tensed.
Raising his head, he tilted to one side so he could look
into her eyes. She stared for a moment, recognition absent,
then like the lightening flashing through the night skies
awareness pooled in her gray depths.
“I’m alive,” she murmured.
He smiled and passed the back of one hand over her
cheek. “Very much so. How do you feel?”
She frowned, a puzzled expression crossing over her face.
“All right, I suppose. I don’t feel different. Except...”
He leaned nearer. “Except what?
Lifting one hand, she studied it, the layer of gold glinted
when she turned it one way then another. “Colors, they’re
brighter for some reason.” She tilted her head in the
direction along the edge of the slab. “And I swear I just heard
a fish in the water.”
Paladin grinned. “You’re fine. You will soon become
accustomed to these things.”
“So your senses are acuter than mine were? This is
normal for you?”
He nodded.
A low laugh came from her. “I don’t know if I care for
this. It’s so different, weird even.”
Shifting behind her, he helped her sit up. Footsteps
approached from behind. He kept a hand on her back to keep
her steady.
Bask had returned. “I sent word to your ship. They wait
outside the boundaries of the island. In the morning, you
may go. Here, take this, it will help you adjust.”
He handed Seren a twisted torque with two stones on the
front at the opening, one white and one black. Inside them, a
mist swirled and moved as though a torrent wind blew.
Power emanated from the entire piece.
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She glanced at Paladin, her eyes wide, uncertainty vivid
in them. He took the torque from her and guided the open
end over the back of her neck so the stones rested on the
points where her collarbones met at the base of her throat.
Bask touched the stones. He looked into Seren’s eyes.
“Sleep, mother of our new king. Allow the magic of this place
to soak into your body until none you meet will doubt the
powers which hold you dear.”
Eyes drooping, she leaned against Paladin, her body
heavy, relaxed. He moved her into a more comfortable
position so he might settle in for the night to pass. So caught
up in watching each breath Seren took, he never noticed that
Bask had left them.
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Water crashed over stone, rousing Seren from the depths
of sleep. She came awake in slow degrees until she opened
her eyes, inhaling the salty, moist air. Sunlight glimmered
over the white rocks. The brilliant glow fell on Paladin’s
golden head where it was bent over her. She smiled, and
touched a stray lock, enjoying the fine texture between her
fingers.
She sensed more than saw him open his eyes. When she
looked up, she became lost in the blue irises. He bent to her.
Her tongue slipped over her bottom lip a second before his
covered hers. With tender warmth and sweet attention, he
laved her lips with gentle care, almost like she was a precious
object he meant to cherish. She reveled in the moment, but
soon she wanted more. Much more. She pressed her tongue
into his open mouth, exploring his secrets.
She found heat. Passion battled in their tongues’ dance.
When his slipped past to enter her guarded depths, she
sucked, drawing him deeper. He groaned, grasping her hard
to him. Uncontrolled need flowed in her veins.
Breaking the kiss off, he tugged her arms free of his neck,
forcing a cry from her. “Not here, not now. We will have time
once we’re aboard the ship. I’ll not have any, man nor
dragon, privy to what we do any more than need be.”
She panted and dropped her forehead on his chest, trying
to gain control over her raging desire. Overhead, huge wings
flapped. A moment later, they stilled. Great heaves of breath
echoed around them. The dragons had stayed during the
night.
Soft grunts and mewls reached her. Fire heated her face.
She didn’t care that these giant creatures could sense her
emotions regarding Paladin. They liked the fact that she
wanted him and he wanted her in return. Surprised at these
new realizations, she found Lior sitting on one of the
columns. Was the oversized dragon smiling at her?
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The abrupt halt of their kiss along with the dragons
surveying their movements forced some of her need away.
Slow, with difficulty, she loosened her grip on his shoulders.
Amazed at the intensity of her passion, she couldn’t meet his
gaze. If he didn’t already know the depth of her desire, he
would the moment he looked into her eyes.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. The simplicity of
this one small gesture released the tension in her body and
helped her relax.
With his hands on her upper arms, he pulled away and
looked into her eyes. “I warn you now, tonight, on board my
ship, there will be no barriers between us. You belong to me
as I to you.”
Her need for him simmered in anticipation. She agreed
with a silent nod. His arms slid from her. She glanced
around, hoping to find a distraction from the throbbing
between her legs.
Through the gaps in the stone pedestals, the glittering
blue-green water met the deep azure sky in the distance.
White sails fluttering in the distance appeared in the corner
of her vision. Facing the gap in the stone, her heart raced at
the sight of the ship hovering just beyond the island.
“How are we going to reach them?” She nodded at the
ship, keeping her attention on the polished vessel.
“I’ll fly, unless you are frightened.”
Astonished he would make such a comment, she shook
her head. “I already know you can fly. I don’t think you can
amaze me much more.”
He grinned at her, cocking a brow. In that grin, she found
the quiet promise of many more stunning abilities he
possessed.
Several of the dragons roared, their mouths pointed
toward the sky. Seren started, her gaze darting from one to
the next, wondering why they did so.
“They too desire to rejoice in the morning.”
“Can we leave? I hate to admit it, but they make me
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nervous. I keep remembering a movie I watched years ago
about a dinosaur eating a man in a bathroom. I’d hate
something similar to happen to us.”
A look of complete bemusement crossed his features. She
shot him a quick smile, no intention of explaining, and
scrambled to her feet. “Come on, let’s go.”
“You go without a farewell.”
Paladin, on his feet, stiffened at Bask’s comment. Seren