“I’m done.” She jerked her arm, trying to break free of his light grasp. “Let go of me.”
“Not until I’ve had a little peek.”
Wynn frowned as the creature leaned forward. What did he mean “have a little peek”? She arched back, her hips digging into the wooden counter as he stretched out his hand, clearly intending to touch her.
“Ew. I thought the dragon was the perv. You’re—”
“Be quiet,” he muttered, the green eyes unfocused as if he were looking through her, not at her.
“Hey.” She hissed as his hand cupped her cheek, his touch gentle. “Stop it.”
She tried to angle away, but the moment she felt the soft touch of his fingers, she was surrounded by a white mist. Was this an illusion? Or had she been transported to another dimension?
Holding herself perfectly still, Wynn cautiously glanced around. At first there was nothing to see beyond the shimmering fog. It swirled around her, as if it was dancing on a breeze she couldn’t sense. Then, slowly the outline of a tall, broad-shouldered male began to form.
Wynn tilted back her head, her muscles clenching. She had no way to know if it was more dangerous to stay or to flee through the strange fog. All she could do was wait and see what happened.
The mist swirled again, parting to reveal the male standing directly in front of her.
The stranger was gut-wrenchingly beautiful, with smooth, bronzed skin and the features of a Greek god. His eyes glowed with a brilliant emerald power and his reddish-gold hair fell past his shoulders.
Wynn might have been impressed if she hadn’t already encountered the dragon. Now she acknowledged that this male was too perfect. Too aloof. His power too extreme.
All in all, he was just too...much. He would pulverize her with his presence.
Plus, he didn’t make her palms sweat and her blood sing with awareness, a voice whispered in the back of her mind.
Lost in her inane thoughts, Wynn wasn’t prepared for the sudden scent of copper that laced through the mist. Wait. Her mouth dropped open, her terror replaced by shock as she realized that this was the same creature as the bizarre, bearded intruder in Hexx’s apartment.
Was this his true shape? Probably. It was no wonder he went around the world as a scruffy vagrant. Hordes of women, along with hordes of men, would be following him through the streets, begging for his attention.
“What are you?” she at last managed to croak.
Indifferent to her amazement, the creature studied her with a piercing curiosity. “That’s not the question.”
Wynn’s mouth felt oddly dry. “It’s not?”
“No. The question is”—he lifted his arm to point at something in the distance—“what is that?”
A chill inched down Wynn’s spine. She didn’t want to see what he was pointing at. For some reason, the mere thought of it made her entire body shudder with fear. But the stranger gave a wave of his hand, and the mist ruthlessly parted, revealing the gaping hole in the floor that bubbled with a repulsive green goo.
“No, don’t go over there,” she rasped, horror racing through her as the stranger strode forward.
He was wearing a white robe that flowed around him like a river of satin, his hair floating on a sudden breeze. Like a god striding through the heavens.
The sight should have given her confidence. Instead she slapped her hands over her mouth as she fought the urge to scream. Even at a distance she could see the greenish goo bubbling and churning, clearly reacting to the presence of the stranger.
“Don’t,” she breathed. “Please don’t.”
The words had barely left her lips when the slime struck out, tendrils of magic snapping around the stranger. With a blinding speed the male was wrapped from shoulders to knees in the thick coils.
At the same time a blinding white light abruptly surrounded the stranger as he fought against the swift attack, forcing Wynn to squeeze her eyes shut. The ground shook beneath her feet, the stench of decay threatening to choke her.
“What’s happening?” she demanded.
“Run.”
“What?”
