“I see your dragon.” She reached up to brush her fingertips gently over his eyes. “He’s lurking just behind here. He looks like he really does want to devour me.”
He tugged her closer, a growl rumbling in his throat. “From head to toe.”
She shivered as he allowed his fire to dance over them, outlining the wings that were invisible in this form. In the background the dragons once again bellowed their battle cries.
Azh hissed as he struggled to control his pagan desires, sternly reminding himself that they were just passing through. Of course, that didn’t mean they couldn’t take a short detour.
“I have something else I want you to see.”
She clicked her tongue, as if she thought he was teasing. “Seriously, you have to work on your cheesy lines.”
He lifted her hand to press her fingers against his lips. “Trust me.”
Before she could argue, he led her along the narrow pathway, heading toward an arched opening that led to the tunnels used by the servants who’d traveled with the dragons into hibernation. He wasn’t trying to hide. Every dragon in the lair could feel his presence. Along with his companion’s. This was simply the fastest route to where he was going.
Once inside the tunnel, they curved their way upward, heading to the layer of caverns directly above the arena. A few minutes later they stepped into another massive space. Azh stopped at the entrance, raising his hand to release a small flame that danced through the air, igniting the chandeliers that circled the coved ceiling.
The soft glow of light spilled over the endless rows of shelves that held the dragons’ impressive library and the long wooden tables placed in the center of the marble floor. On the opposite side of the space were glass cases that held manuscripts and parchments collected over thousands of years. Lost in the shadows was a shimmering circle of magic. It was the entrance to the forbidden section, where the most fragile and dangerous books were stored.
Next to him Wynn released a small gasp, stepping forward to glance around the heavily stacked shelves with a bemused expression.
“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Did what?”
“Brought me here to show off your library.” She turned to send him a chiding glance. “You knew I would be enchanted.”
He chuckled, shattering the illusion he’d wrapped around Gabriela’s book. Now that the seal protecting Gabriela’s hidden connection to the corruption had been broken, he wanted to make sure it was safely stored away. The history of the dragons was going to have to be rewritten.
Yet another worry for later.
With a word of power, he sent the heavy book spinning through the air, bypassing the glass cases to disappear through the swirling opening to the forbidden section.
Then he turned to study his companion with a faint smile. “Actually I assumed you’d be enchanted by the arena.”
“They were kick-ass warriors. But this...” She spread her arms as if attempting to absorb the rich scent of leather and incense. “This is the true magic.”
His dragon restlessly paced inside him as he stared down at the face that had captivated him from the beginning. The soft lavender eyes and delicate features were beautiful, but it was the bold, unbreakable spirit that called to his beast.
“Just like you,” he whispered.
She swayed toward him, as if they were being pulled together by unseen forces. But even as he reached to pull her into his arms, the marble floor trembled beneath their feet.
“How dare you taint our home with that creature,” a female voice roared, shattering the sense of peace.
Jumping back, Wynn shoved her hand into the pocket of her coat, no doubt grabbing her skipping stone in case she needed a quick exit.
“Someone’s not happy,” she said, her voice not quite steady.
Azh ground his teeth as his mother continued her angry tirade. “Destroy her or I will.”
Dammit. He should have wrapped his mother’s cell in layers that muffled her from sensing what was happening in the rest of the lair. Her unwelcomed interference wasn’t going to stop until he made her understand that she was no longer queen.
“Time to go,” he announced.
Not because he cared if his mother was angry that Wynn was in their lair. Zanna was always angry about something. But he didn’t want Wynn to think she was anything but welcomed in his home.
“No shit,” she agreed, hurrying toward the door.
