Azh breathed in her fresh floral perfume threaded with a deeper, more complex scent, attempting to discover if she was injured. He couldn’t smell blood or inner damage, but there was a distinct stench of copper clinging to her.
“The Watcher,” he breathed, unthinkingly stepping toward her. “What did you do to him?”
Her eyes widened, almost as if he’d frightened her. Azh scowled. This woman had been spitting in his face just a few hours ago. Even after she discovered he was a dragon. What had changed?
It wasn’t until her gaze swept over him, almost as if she were seeing him for the first time, that he realized he hadn’t bothered to mute the dragon aura. The flares of gold and silver could blind a human. And even those with demon blood would find it overwhelming.
At last she licked her lips as if they were dry and stiffened her spine. “What are you talking about?”
Relief raced through him as Wynn at last managed to send him a bold glare, as if she refused to be daunted.
“The Watcher,” he repeated. “I can smell his scent on you.”
“I’ve never heard of one.”
“He is supposed to be the referee who keeps the dragons and leeches from descending into a violent, chaotic war.”
She looked genuinely confused. “There’s an actual referee?”
“Yes.” Azh shrugged. “According to my queen he is biased toward the leeches.”
“And according to you?”
He moved forward, careful to leave space for her to escape from the corner. There was nowhere she could go that he couldn’t find her.
“I’m more concerned with you.”
She shoved her hands into her pockets, glaring at him in frustration. “Concerned or obsessed?”
“It could be both,” he admitted. “Why do I smell the Watcher’s scent?”
She clicked her tongue. “I don’t know anything about the Watcher.”
“Who have you been with?”
“Nobody...wait.” She furrowed her brow, as if trying to pinpoint a memory. “There was a weird dude who attacked me in Hexx’s apartment.”
Heat seared through the air, like the blast from a furnace, as Azh moved to stand less than an inch from her. He swiftly searched for any hidden wounds that he might have missed.
“He attacked you?”
She lifted a hand, pressing it against his chest. “Okay, maybe he didn’t attack me. But he somehow reached into my mind and then we were in this misty place with the yucky green sludge spreading out to wrap around him and... You know what? That all sounds crazy now that I’m saying it out loud. Probably it was just a nightmare.”
Azh studied her for a long moment, then he shook his head, containing his angry heat. The Watcher was yet another problem for later. Right now, he needed to discover the source of the dragon magic.
“Tell me where your power comes from.”
Her eyes narrowed at his command. “I’m not talking until you back up and give me some room.”
“No.”
“I can’t think when you’re crowding me.”
Azh slowly smiled, pleasure sizzling through him. He planted a hand against the wall and leaned forward. So much for his promise not to intimidate her.
What was that human saying about the “road to hell and good intentions”?
“I have that effect on most females,” he murmured.
