“What about potions?”
She looked confused. “They take magic to create, but anyone can use them. Even humans.”
“Yes, but do you absorb the power from the potion?”
She shook her head. “No.”
He stepped forward. He genuinely wanted to discover the source of her powers. But more importantly, he was eager to use any excuse to be closer to her. A realization that made him weirdly uncomfortable. He was a dragon with royal blood flowing through his veins. A male whowas used to females making their desire obvious. Sometimes painfully obvious. Earning this woman’s trust was new territory for him.
“What if you touch a magic user?” He ran a finger down the side of her face, his touch as light as a butterfly wing. “Like this. Can you absorb my magic?”
“No.” She shivered, the lavender eyes darkening with the same heat that pulsed deep inside him. “There’s nothing.”
“There’s something.” Flames danced over his fingers. A kiss of fire that was a promise of pleasure to come. “And it’s magic.”
Her face flushed, but it wasn’t from the flames. The sweet scent of her arousal perfumed the air.
“Azh.” She lifted a hand to press it against his chest.
“I know, but I’m bewitched.” His voice was husky with something that was more than hunger. Need? Yearning? Fate? “There something tantalizingly familiar about being near you. As if we’ve lived this moment a thousand times.”
Her fingers stroked over his chest, as if unable to resist tracing the edge of his smooth muscles. “You’re distracting me.”
He lowered his head, skimming his lips over her cheek. Her skin was velvety soft and scented with a hint of citrus. Deep inside, his dragon breathed in the bright aroma, growling in approval.
“In a good way?” he asked, brushing a kiss over her lips.
Her fingers curled into his shirt, as if intending to pull him closer, only to abruptly push against his chest.
“In a dangerous way,” she muttered.
“True.” He reluctantly conceded defeat, taking a step back. When he finally took Wynn into his arms, he didn’t intend to be standing in a sleazy hotel that smelled like mildew. “Where did you find the dragon statue?”
“I have no idea.” She held up her hand as his lips parted. “I didn’t have a clue I had dragon magic. Not until you started sniffing around me like a dog.”
“Did you just compare me to a dog?” He arched a brow. “Are you completely fearless?”
“Probably senseless,” she clarified.
He studied her with a vague sense of bewilderment. Dragon magic was the most dominant force in this world. It was what fueled the Gyres’ power despite his people being in hibernation for thousands of years. It should have slammed into her with a shocking intensity. In fact, it was amazing that it hadn’t crushed her mind and body.
“You genuinely don’t sense the dragon magic that you absorbed?” he demanded.
“There’s a strand of magic inside me that appeared nearly a year ago,” she conceded. “It must have come from an artifact that I touched, but I have no idea when or where it happened.”
“What does the magic do?”
Frustration tightened her features. “I haven’t been able to use it. All I know for sure is that it’s expanding and interfering with my other magic. And that the nightmares started after it appeared.”
Her words sparked a memory. “You said that you’d seen the demons from the gallery in your nightmares.”
“Not those specific demons, but I’ve had dreams where I’m being attacked by goblins with glowing green eyes.”
“But it’s never happened when you’re awake?”
“No...” Her words trailed away as she furrowed her brow.
“You remember something?”
