will get distracted.”
The woman loved to eat, so it was a perfect way to distract her. He figured it was obvious enough he didn’t need to respond. Instead, he wrapped his hand around hers, tugging her toward the kitchen. She settled herself on a stool, pulling her legs up to her chest. “Okay.” She dropped her chin on her knees and waited. “I’m listening.”
He walked over and stared out the wall of windows into the darkness before he let out a disgusted sound and scrubbed both hands over his face.
“Fine,” he snapped, “but I expect full disclosure from you, too, got it? I mean it, Shelby.”
She hugged her knees closer to her chest as fear flickered over her beautiful face. “I don’t know who shot me, Daniel.” Her teeth worried at her bottom lip, before she shook her head, helplessness flashing in her eyes. “I don’t know who would want me dead.”
Gods help him, he believed her.
“A little over two thousand years ago…” His words trailed off when she let out a strangled sound. “Yes, I am that old.”
She gave him a cheesy grin. “Ok, I’ll wrap my head around it eventually. Please continue.”
He waited a beat before he continued. “A long time ago, a woman named Leanora enchanted me. She was human and wanted immortality, which I refused to give. It would have meant mating to her for eternity. By the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late. The damage had been done.”
“What damage?” she asked, softly.
“I’d turned on my kind, those I’d sworn to protect, and almost destroyed an entire village.”
Her eyes went wide. “Almost?”
“Yeah.” His jaw worked for a moment, before he bounced his shoulders in a restless shrug. “Almost. I still don’t know what stopped me, but I suddenly realized I wasn’t myself. My thoughts weren’t my own. My punishment for disobeying her wishes was pain. A dungeon too small for my human size, let alone a dragon.”
He watched the blood drain out of her face, her small hands clenching into fists. “How did she manage to imprison you?”
He shrugged again, deliberately keeping his face impassive. Talking about it was one thing. He couldn’t control his nightmares, but he would not give the bitch the satisfaction of reliving the sensation of being caged ever again. “My blood. I don’t know how she got a hold of it.”
She let out a soft sound before she slid off the chair. She moved around the island to stand in front of him. “You were locked up in your dragon form?”
“Yes.”
Her hand came up to rest against his chest. For some reason, he found the touch soothing. “For how long?”
“I lost count after about six months.” He held his arm out and let the glamour spell drop. Suddenly, where his perfect shoulder had been was a melted mess. His gaze met hers, probing. “I spent months chained in a damp dungeon beneath a frozen lake.”
She slapped her hand over her mouth when a strangled sound escaped her. “Water did that?”
“It’s amazing what a steady stream of ice water can do to even dragon scales.”
He expected her to be horrified, and part of him had hoped the sight of his arm as it really was would disgust her enough to rethink wanting him. But instead of running away in revulsion, or feeling sorry for him, she moved in between his spread legs. She slipped one hand into his much larger one, linking their fingers together. She rested her head against his chest as the fingers of her other hand traced feather-light over the damage of his ruined arm. “How did you get out?”
He was helpless to stop his fingers from tightening around hers. Ryuu, what the hell was she doing to him? “She came for me. She thought time would have weakened me, and that I’d succumb to her advances.”
“You killed her.”
Because it wasn’t a question, he only jerked his head in a quick nod. “She was a danger to my people.”
“She betrayed you,” she whispered, her voice soft and fierce at the same
The woman loved to eat, so it was a perfect way to distract her. He figured it was obvious enough he didn’t need to respond. Instead, he wrapped his hand around hers, tugging her toward the kitchen. She settled herself on a stool, pulling her legs up to her chest. “Okay.” She dropped her chin on her knees and waited. “I’m listening.”
He walked over and stared out the wall of windows into the darkness before he let out a disgusted sound and scrubbed both hands over his face.
“Fine,” he snapped, “but I expect full disclosure from you, too, got it? I mean it, Shelby.”
She hugged her knees closer to her chest as fear flickered over her beautiful face. “I don’t know who shot me, Daniel.” Her teeth worried at her bottom lip, before she shook her head, helplessness flashing in her eyes. “I don’t know who would want me dead.”
Gods help him, he believed her.
“A little over two thousand years ago…” His words trailed off when she let out a strangled sound. “Yes, I am that old.”
She gave him a cheesy grin. “Ok, I’ll wrap my head around it eventually. Please continue.”
He waited a beat before he continued. “A long time ago, a woman named Leanora enchanted me. She was human and wanted immortality, which I refused to give. It would have meant mating to her for eternity. By the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late. The damage had been done.”
“What damage?” she asked, softly.
“I’d turned on my kind, those I’d sworn to protect, and almost destroyed an entire village.”
Her eyes went wide. “Almost?”
“Yeah.” His jaw worked for a moment, before he bounced his shoulders in a restless shrug. “Almost. I still don’t know what stopped me, but I suddenly realized I wasn’t myself. My thoughts weren’t my own. My punishment for disobeying her wishes was pain. A dungeon too small for my human size, let alone a dragon.”
He watched the blood drain out of her face, her small hands clenching into fists. “How did she manage to imprison you?”
He shrugged again, deliberately keeping his face impassive. Talking about it was one thing. He couldn’t control his nightmares, but he would not give the bitch the satisfaction of reliving the sensation of being caged ever again. “My blood. I don’t know how she got a hold of it.”
She let out a soft sound before she slid off the chair. She moved around the island to stand in front of him. “You were locked up in your dragon form?”
“Yes.”
Her hand came up to rest against his chest. For some reason, he found the touch soothing. “For how long?”
“I lost count after about six months.” He held his arm out and let the glamour spell drop. Suddenly, where his perfect shoulder had been was a melted mess. His gaze met hers, probing. “I spent months chained in a damp dungeon beneath a frozen lake.”
She slapped her hand over her mouth when a strangled sound escaped her. “Water did that?”
“It’s amazing what a steady stream of ice water can do to even dragon scales.”
He expected her to be horrified, and part of him had hoped the sight of his arm as it really was would disgust her enough to rethink wanting him. But instead of running away in revulsion, or feeling sorry for him, she moved in between his spread legs. She slipped one hand into his much larger one, linking their fingers together. She rested her head against his chest as the fingers of her other hand traced feather-light over the damage of his ruined arm. “How did you get out?”
He was helpless to stop his fingers from tightening around hers. Ryuu, what the hell was she doing to him? “She came for me. She thought time would have weakened me, and that I’d succumb to her advances.”
“You killed her.”
Because it wasn’t a question, he only jerked his head in a quick nod. “She was a danger to my people.”
“She betrayed you,” she whispered, her voice soft and fierce at the same
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