Lovestruck, a Dragon Story (3 page)

Xavier waved a hand and conjured a jelly jar. He winked. “Welch’s works best.”

Michael laughed as the wizard snapped his fingers and disposed of the jar, glad his master had resumed his odd sense of humor.

An ogre was selecting a dead body from the pile near the wall. He hoisted it over one brawny shoulder and then dumped it on the ground.

Michael grimaced, glad he was not tasked with this unpleasant part of X’s experiments. The ogres seemed only too happy to gather the corpses from earth and transport them here.

“Stand back,” Xavier warned. “This is coldfire, and it may not yet be stable enough.”

Then the wizard pressed a button on the canister and lit the tip of the spray nozzle. A delicate blue flame shot from the nozzle. The wizard pointed it at the corpse.

The flame consumed the corpse instantly, leaving nothing behind, not even a single ash.

Michael whistled. “Damn, X! I never knew coldfire could do that.”

Xavier looked pleased as he blew out the flame. “Coldfire made by myself or the other wizards of the Brehon can do it, but we’ve never been able to manufacture it. Still, it’s far too unstable. And too dangerous.”

Xavier set down the canister and Michael noticed his hand shook slightly.

“I hate this shit,” Xavier muttered.

“Coldfire?”

“My former master killed me with it when I was mortal.” The Crystal Wizard stared at the pile of corpses. “I loathe the magick fire, and yet I must use it for the greater good.”

New respect for the Crystal Wizard filled him. “I never knew that.”

Xavier’s gaze grew grim. “I seldom share such confidences, but I trust you, Michael. You’re a good dragon, even if you are hot-headed at times. You work hard and your loyalty is absolute.”

“It is for another ninety-two years.” He started to grin and stopped. By then Anna would be mated, with little dragons of her own.

And he’d still be alone, so very alone.

When they returned to the lab, the wizard hunted through the shelves as Michael resumed his seat. “We’re short on supplies,” Xavier murmured.

“I’ll make a list.”

Xavier stroked the bristles of his short beard and nodded. “No need. I require only one item. The timing is right. I have a new assignment for you, Michael. You’ll have to go back to earth again.”

He swiveled around on the stool.

“I need two dozen more Lumen seeds. From the White Mountain compound of Clan Tyrith in New England.” Xavier’s gaze narrowed. “You know what this means.”

Michael turned away. “Send one of your ogres.”

“They can’t get inside the compound and they are not the right candidates for gathering the seeds. Only a dragon will suffice. A black dragon, who flies the night skies.”

“How convenient. And you happen to have one here at your disposal,” he shot back.

Xavier gave him an inscrutable look and dusted off his hands. “She’s still there. And unmated. Anna has not yet selected a mate from within her clan.”

He snorted. “Like I care.”

Even though he did.

“You must not, since you ran away from her. Your true mate.”

Anger bubbled inside him. Michael slammed a fist on the crystal counter, making bottles and vials rattle. “I did not run away. I am indentured to you for one hundred years. She told me she never wanted to see me again. And her bastard father threatened to kill my clan. You know he could do it. That’s not what I want!”

“Did you ever talk with Anna about what
she
wants? Perhaps she said those words to protect you from being turned into a dragon shish kebab by her father.”

He didn’t want to discuss Anna, any more than Xavier wished to talk about Ciara. “Go harvest the seeds yourself. You’re a wizard. Clan Tyrith’s guardsmen won’t stop you.”

The wizard looked thoughtful as he took the vial of dragon’s blood and spun it in the air like a child’s top. One thing the lab never needed was a centrifuge, not with Xavier’s magick.

“I could, but if the seeds aren’t harvested by a dragon properly, under the light of the new moon, they’ll be ruined. They have to be picked at the right time.”

“No. I can’t.” He thought of Anna, and the chance of running into her again, perhaps with a male she admired. Maybe he would be kissing her in the moonlight. His chest felt hollow.

“I’ll send you directly to the Clan Tyrith compound. You won’t even need a bus ticket.”

He did not laugh at the joke. Sometimes X’s sense of humor went too far. “No.”

“Yes.” Xavier’s gray gaze flickered white, signaling the rise of his power. When that happened, Michael knew better.

“Fine.”

The wizard handed him a small satchel. “Put the seeds in here. They must be kept warm by dragonfire and not see daylight, and make certain to pick them by the light of the full moon, when the plant’s natural luminescence is at its zenith.”

“And I’m supposed to waltz up to the gate, announce myself and tell the king of my rival clan that I’m here on your behalf? They won’t welcome me, even if I’m there on your authority.”

“You can get permission if you wish. Or sneak in there undetected.”

“I’ll take my chances doing this without announcing myself, thank you very much.”

“Your choice.” Xavier frowned. “But you shall need proper attire to go undetected.”

Snapping his fingers, he dressed Michael in black jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt.

“Outside the compound,” Michael warned. “If you put me inside the compound, their guards will see me.”

Xavier waved a hand. “Goodbye Michael, enjoy your stay.”

He materialized on earth. Light from the nearly full moon dappled the pine and oak trees. Xavier’s timing was off, for the moon would not be full for another night.

Dammit.

Looking around, he inhaled deeply and smelled the forest, mingled with clean water and freshly cut grass. And then he noticed a marking on the trunk of a nearby oak tree.

Son of a lizard! Xavier had materialized him directly inside Clan Tyrith territory!

“I’m screwed,” he muttered.

Whipping his head around, he listened. His dragon senses adjusted to being on earth. It was always a challenge when X sent him back, and it took him a few minutes to acclimate himself to the somewhat smog-ridden and impure air after the beauty of Tir Na-nog.

No time to adjust. Michael tensed his body as he heard footsteps nearby. His nostrils flared as he caught a familiar scent.

Xavier, what the hell are you doing to me?

He thought he heard a chuckle overhead. A wizard’s laugh.

Michael prepared his body to shift and defend himself as he peered around the tree.

A woman, alone.

Silhouetted by moonlight, she stopped, leaned against the trunk of a tall oak and gazed up at the sky.

“Michael, are you there, flying among the stars?” she whispered. “Do you still remember me? I’ve never forgotten you. I think of you all the time.”

Stepping out from among the copse of trees, he watched her, his heart light. She remembered him after all.

“Anna,” he breathed.

Her scent remained the same, juniper trees, rainwater and tangy air. It had not changed, only became more intense, probably because she was full dragon.

And then he picked out a tendril of delicate vanilla—the scent of innocence.

She was still untouched. Not mated. Yet.

Anna whirled, her dreamy expression turning to panic. She put a hand to her chest, and then it fell as he stepped out of shadow, into a pool of silvery moonlight.

“Michael?”

Joy filled her voice, which quickly turned to fear. “Why are you here, in my clan’s compound? It’s too dangerous for you.”

He came closer. “I don’t care.” Then he added in an uncertain tone, “You said you never wanted to see me again. Was that for your father’s benefit?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

Relief filled him. Xavier was right.

“Did you come here because you heard me calling for you across the stars?” she whispered.

I heard in my heart all these years and I refused to answer, to listen. I am listening now.

“Perhaps,” he told her. Maybe Xavier had sent him here for a different purpose, other than to gather seeds.

Maybe the wizard wanted him to plant a different kind of seed, a seed deep inside Michael’s one true mate. The Crystal Wizard was mysterious and close-mouthed with his purposes.

He dared to draw closer and reach for her soft hand, feel the satin skin beneath the rough callouses of his own. Her body remained in shadow, but he knew her, knew her scent. “Anna. My Anna.”

“I wanted you here so badly. Maybe this is a dream and I’ll awaken, and you’ll be gone and I’ll be alone once more.”

All the resentment, anger and loneliness of the past five years melted away. Michael forgot about his assignment, forgot he was deep inside enemy territory. Only one thing mattered.

His voice went husky. “Anna.”

Putting her hands to her face, she began to shake and his heart turned over. Had he scared her?

“I don’t want to wake up if this is a dream.” Her voice dropped to a pained whisper. “I’ve had so many disappointments. Please, I cannot bear another.”

“All that matters is I am here now, with you.”

He’d almost forgotten his purpose. His dragon roared with a different purpose, the burning drive to mate. Her scent in his nostrils, her skin bared for his pleasure, her naked body writhing beneath his as he took her and claimed her in the flesh…

Michael reached out to pull her into his arms, and draw her into the little pool of moonlight with him. She backed away into the darkness.

“Anna, come here,” he told her, crooking a finger.

She did not move.

“Please, Anna.”

When she did not, he stepped into the shadows. It was full dark and though he had excellent night vision in dragon form, it was poor in Skin. He could not see her face. But he had to taste her.

Michael pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He could not think, could not breathe, could not collect a single scattered thought. All he could do was kiss her, get the taste that was uniquely Anna upon his tongue, and indulge his passion for the moment.

Mine.

At first, she squirmed and then she went still. Anna wrapped her arms around him, kissing him back, pressing tight against him. And then her tongue was in his mouth and it was glorious. Every cell in his body roared to awareness, not merely skin, blood and bones, but a deeper, richer awakening of his dragon spirit.

He would move mountains for her, defy the highest power, soar to the very heavens of Tir Na-nog to make her his own.

Gently, he pulled away, panting deeply, staring into the eyes that he remembered so well from their time on the beach. “Anna,” he said hoarsely.

“Michael. My mate.”

He held her tight, stroking her silky red hair, tunneling his fingers through it. How he’d dreamt of this each night, to hold her in his arms, never letting go…

And then reality crashed down as if his dragon had been shot by a deadly iron arrow. He must let go. True mate or not, Anna did not belong to him.

She belonged to her clan, the hated Tyrith clan that had killed his parents. If he remained here, he risked putting his entire clan at war.

I will not be responsible for more death. Is losing my parents not enough?

But he could not deny his body’s longing for her, the call of his dragon to make her his own, and reassure her that all would be well.

Taking her hand, he pulled her out from the trees, though she protested.

“Don’t be afraid,” he told her. “I’ll be quiet and your people will never know I am here.”

A beam of silver moonlight spilled upon her, like a spotlight. Giving a cry, she retreated back into the shadows. But it was too late.

Horrified, Michael stared at her. “Anna? Dear goddess, what happened to your face?”

Chapter 2

Men had always considered her pretty. Among her clan, she had been called a true beauty, one who would win the heart of a powerful dragon who would give her family even more wealth and status.

And then, two years ago, she shifted into dragonskin for the first time, and everything changed.

Anna put a hand to her cheek, trembling and filled with anger and deep disappointment. Once again, a man had stared upon her in horror.

Only this time it wasn’t a Skin, or even someone inside her clan who had once desired to court her.

This time it was Michael—the one male she’d hoped would never look at her that way.

As if she were a monster, an ugly specter from someone’s darkest nightmare.

Crying out, she raced away from him, wishing this was a dream and she would awaken. She crashed through undergrowth and darted among the trees, hating him. Hating herself.

She did not get far, when Michael materialized before her and caught her in his arms. Anna’s lower lip trembled as she struggled to regain her lost composure. No crying. She had done enough crying in the days, even the weeks, following her first shift.