“So why did you come to this world?”
“According to legend we were fleeing a corruption.”
“A corruption. What does that mean?”
His jaws clenched. That question had been a source of annoyance to him for eons. He’d gone through every scroll, manuscript, book, and even personal diaries he could find, but there’d been nothing to reveal the exact nature of the “corruption.” He didn’t know if it was a powerful enemy that had driven the dragons to this world, or a toxic destruction of their homeland, or a disease that had forced them to flee. And the fact he couldn’t find information to understand their ancient foe had been a thorn in his side. Unlike most of his people, he wasn’t willing to dismiss the fact their past was shrouded in mystery. Without the truth of where they came from, there was no way to guarantee their mistakes weren’t being repeated.
“Again the histories are vague and different scholars have a variety of explanations.”
“Wait.” She blinked. “Dragons have scholars?”
Azh flinched as her disbelief scraped against a raw nerve. Dammit.
“Why is that shocking? Do you assume that all dragons are brainless savages?”
Chapter 5
Wynn sighed. She hadn’t meant to insult him. At least not that time. But she was struggling to think clearly.
She’d found this empty house after fleeing Hexx’s apartment. It was small, nondescript, and tucked into a human neighborhood far from the nearest demon lair. The perfect place to disappear. After creating a protective barrier, she managed to fall into a deep sleep for the first time in forever. She didn’t know how long it’d lasted, but night had obviously fallen again, so at least twelve hours. Was it any wonder she was fuzzy when Azh had woken her?
Then, just when she managed to clear her brain of the cobwebs, she’d gotten her first good look at the aggravating creature.
It had felt like an earthquake was ripping the ground from beneath her feet, dropping her into a void of stunned bewilderment.
Her first encounter with Azh had been unnerving. He was without a doubt the most obscenely gorgeous, ruthlessly sexy male she’d ever met. But now...
But now he was earthshattering.
Wynn’s mouth felt weirdly dry and her heart pounded as she took in the blazing, devastatingly flawless beauty of the male standing in front of her. The thin blade of a nose. The sharp cheekbones and the lush lips. It was as if he’d removed a dampening spell to reveal the pure precision of his lean features and the smoky gray eyes that burned with a tumultuous power. His skin was smooth, but it shimmered with a silvery hint of unseen scales. And his aura...it raged around him like a fiery tornado. Solar flares of magic brighter than anything she’d ever seen.
It was spectacular.
This was the real Azh. Even if he was in human form.
Wynn cleared the lump from her throat, struggling to follow the conversation. She sensed it was important.
“I never really thought about dragons or their schooling,” she admitted. “I thought you were a myth.”
The magic of the Gyre pulsed beneath her feet, as if reacting to his annoyance. “Can I continue?”
She instinctively wrapped her arms around her waist, struggling to stand her ground against the raw blast of his male presence.
“Go for it.”
He took a moment, as if gathering his composure. Then, with a twist of his hand, he gestured toward the hole he’d created in the air. A thick leatherbound book on the highest shelf floated forward, moving through the opening and floating in front of Azh. With a casual motion he grabbed the heavy tome and bent down to lay it on the floor, as if indifferent to the years of filth embedded in the shag carpeting.
Curious in spite of herself, Wynn watched in silence as he flipped open the book and stepped back, the heat of his magic swirling through the air.
Pleasure sizzled down her spine as the magic washed over her like a caress. Had it been on purpose? Or had she got caught in a rogue wave of power? Not that it mattered, she sternly warned herself. The only reason she wasn’t trying to escape was because he promised her answers.
Once she knew what the magic was and how to get rid of it, she was going to take a tip from the dragons and find herself a hidden lair and hibernate for the next month. Maybe the next year.
Thankfully unaware of her intense reaction, Azh released his magic with a sharp motion. A mist swirled over the book and the detailed illustrations that were painted onto the yellowed pages began to glow. Almost as if they were coming to life.
Wynn instinctively froze as the image of a silver dragon suddenly hovered in midair. She was a breathtaking creature with delicate wings spread wide and a solid body that narrowed to a long, elegantly curved neck. Slowly the mist widened, allowing Wynn to view the illustration behind the dragon. She was soaring through an open sky with her head tilted toward the two reddish suns and her mouth open to reveal her rows of lethal fangs. As if she were screeching a challenge to the gods.
“There is endless speculation on how we arrived in this world, but all historians agree that we were led here by Gabriela, our most fierce warrior.” Azh broke the silence.
