don’t remember,” she said, her tone puzzled rather than angered.
Torque paused. His first instinct was right. This dragon was clearly unstable. The question was if it was a natural phenomenon or if someone had caused her muddled confusion.
“Can you tell me who trapped you here?”
“I…” Her words trailed away as she gave a shake of her head.
He swallowed a sigh, trying a new approach. Maybe he could lead her slowly to how she’d become a prisoner in the ice.
“You haven’t told me your name,” he reminded her with a small sigh.
“Oh.” She wrinkled her nose. “Did I have one?”
“I assume you did.”
“It disappeared.”
Torque grudgingly accepted defeat.
Whoever or whatever had managed to capture a dragon had also destroyed her ability to remember what had happened.
All he could hope for was her cooperation in getting them out of there.
“Please let me help you,” he murmured, taking a step toward her.
She instantly moved away, the scent of cinnamon almost choking him.
“You can’t,” she rasped. “No one can.”
“Together it’s possible,” he said. “If the three of us combine our fire we could surely melt through our prison and—”
She abruptly interrupted his words, a shimmer of magic surrounding her. “I must go.”
“Wait.” He held out a pleading hand. To hell with pride. “Please.”
The shimmers thickened, but she didn’t disappear as he’d feared.
“You mustn’t leave this lair,” she commanded.
“Why not?”
The pale eyes narrowed. “Madness waits for you out there.”
“Madness? From what?”
There was a silence, and Torque suddenly wondered if he’d gone too far. Offending a dragon was remarkably easy. Especially one who wasn’t thinking clearly.
At last she heaved a rueful sigh. “I had forgotten how very persistent males can be.”
He realized a silent sigh of relief. At least she hadn’t turned him into a charred pile of ash.
“I don’t mean to be persistent, but we can’t stay here forever,” he said, his voice gentle.
“Why not? You have to be someplace.” A sly expression touched her beautiful features. “And with someone. This is as good a place as any.”
Torque felt a jolt of shock. Had she sensed his increasingly tangled bond with Rya? Or had she read his secret fantasy of having his lovely betrothed locked in his bedroom for the next few centuries?
“Our families will be searching for us,” he forced himself to say.
“They will eventually forget you.” A sad, melancholy smile touched her lips. “They always do.”
The corridor seemed to darken, as if her mood had dimmed the soft glow.
Torque resisted the urge to reach out and touch the ruby-red hair. Trying to comfort a dragon was a risky proposition.
“I won’t deny it’s a temptation,” he reluctantly admitted. “But we can’t stay.”
When he had Rya in his bed it would be because she wanted to be there. Not because they were trapped.
“It’s too dangerous to leave now,” she said in unexpectedly firm tones. “I will return when it’s safe.”
“But—”
She lifted a silencing hand. “Patience.”
The shimmers whirled around her before she disappeared, leaving behind a small puff of smoke.
Patience.
Torque rolled his eyes. He’d just used the same word with Rya. No wonder she’d looked like she wanted to kick him in the nuts.
“Just perfect.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Finn was furious as he felt himself being yanked through the portal to land in a small, icy cave. Glaring at the tiny female in front of him, he allowed his powers to fill the air with a white mist.
“What the hell did you do?” he hissed between clenched teeth.
With a brief glance toward the dagger he still held in his hand, she met him glare for glare.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Adair snapped.
He leaned down until they were nose to nose. “I’m trying to rescue my people.”
The platinum eyes darkened, but she refused to back down. “By getting
Torque paused. His first instinct was right. This dragon was clearly unstable. The question was if it was a natural phenomenon or if someone had caused her muddled confusion.
“Can you tell me who trapped you here?”
“I…” Her words trailed away as she gave a shake of her head.
He swallowed a sigh, trying a new approach. Maybe he could lead her slowly to how she’d become a prisoner in the ice.
“You haven’t told me your name,” he reminded her with a small sigh.
“Oh.” She wrinkled her nose. “Did I have one?”
“I assume you did.”
“It disappeared.”
Torque grudgingly accepted defeat.
Whoever or whatever had managed to capture a dragon had also destroyed her ability to remember what had happened.
All he could hope for was her cooperation in getting them out of there.
“Please let me help you,” he murmured, taking a step toward her.
She instantly moved away, the scent of cinnamon almost choking him.
“You can’t,” she rasped. “No one can.”
“Together it’s possible,” he said. “If the three of us combine our fire we could surely melt through our prison and—”
She abruptly interrupted his words, a shimmer of magic surrounding her. “I must go.”
“Wait.” He held out a pleading hand. To hell with pride. “Please.”
The shimmers thickened, but she didn’t disappear as he’d feared.
“You mustn’t leave this lair,” she commanded.
“Why not?”
The pale eyes narrowed. “Madness waits for you out there.”
“Madness? From what?”
There was a silence, and Torque suddenly wondered if he’d gone too far. Offending a dragon was remarkably easy. Especially one who wasn’t thinking clearly.
At last she heaved a rueful sigh. “I had forgotten how very persistent males can be.”
He realized a silent sigh of relief. At least she hadn’t turned him into a charred pile of ash.
“I don’t mean to be persistent, but we can’t stay here forever,” he said, his voice gentle.
“Why not? You have to be someplace.” A sly expression touched her beautiful features. “And with someone. This is as good a place as any.”
Torque felt a jolt of shock. Had she sensed his increasingly tangled bond with Rya? Or had she read his secret fantasy of having his lovely betrothed locked in his bedroom for the next few centuries?
“Our families will be searching for us,” he forced himself to say.
“They will eventually forget you.” A sad, melancholy smile touched her lips. “They always do.”
The corridor seemed to darken, as if her mood had dimmed the soft glow.
Torque resisted the urge to reach out and touch the ruby-red hair. Trying to comfort a dragon was a risky proposition.
“I won’t deny it’s a temptation,” he reluctantly admitted. “But we can’t stay.”
When he had Rya in his bed it would be because she wanted to be there. Not because they were trapped.
“It’s too dangerous to leave now,” she said in unexpectedly firm tones. “I will return when it’s safe.”
“But—”
She lifted a silencing hand. “Patience.”
The shimmers whirled around her before she disappeared, leaving behind a small puff of smoke.
Patience.
Torque rolled his eyes. He’d just used the same word with Rya. No wonder she’d looked like she wanted to kick him in the nuts.
“Just perfect.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Finn was furious as he felt himself being yanked through the portal to land in a small, icy cave. Glaring at the tiny female in front of him, he allowed his powers to fill the air with a white mist.
“What the hell did you do?” he hissed between clenched teeth.
With a brief glance toward the dagger he still held in his hand, she met him glare for glare.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Adair snapped.
He leaned down until they were nose to nose. “I’m trying to rescue my people.”
The platinum eyes darkened, but she refused to back down. “By getting
Similar Books
