“Do not run, Katy. My dragon loves to hunt.”
Was that supposed to be funny? “Not funny.”
Erik chuckled and then closed his eyes.
For a few seconds nothing happened. Then everything happened at once. The man she knew as Erik, in his much more casual pants and turtleneck sweater, shimmered like a phantom before a strange light blocked her view of him. Almost like fog, only made of light instead of mist. She couldn’t see anything for the space of a heartbeat. And then?
Katy gasped. Standing before her was a dragon made of silver, his scales sparkling like small, interlocking pieces of chrome on his back, darkening to a more matte stainless-steel color under his chest and the bottom sides of his wings. Only Erik’s warning kept her feet planted on the ground, every instinct she had screaming at her to run.
Eric’s claws were black and longer than her arms, the tips sharp as knife blades. His eyes were bright blue sapphires that sparkled like brilliantly cut gemstones with a dark, slanted pupil in the center.
Not human. Nothing even close to human.
Dragon eyes.
“You’re beautiful.” The words were honest, but Katy’s shock was real. She hadn’t been imagining those flying creatures out over the water, like she’d half convinced herself at least a dozen times on the way here. They were real.
Dragons were real.
I am dragon.
The voice came from inside her mind, and she held her breath, listening for more.
You may approach, human.
So, it wasn’t her imagination then. This creature was actually speaking to her with some kind of… what? Telepathic power? Telepathy? How was that possible? And in her native language?
She answered her own question. Because he was a dragon. Magic. Right?
Moving forward slowly, Katy completely forgot about the cold, her half-broken heart, Ryker, marriage contracts, and her sister. The world faded away as she approached the most beautiful creature she’d ever seen or even imagined. Hand outstretched, she was shocked when the mighty beast, at least four times her height, bent down low and rested his head on the stones so she could reach his face.
The teeth and jaw were a bit too much for her to handle, so she walked a few steps closer and reached for the spot below the dragon’s ear where she knew her neighbor’s cat liked to be scratched. Her fingertips came to rest on the dragon’s cheek, and she grinned as heat flowed into her from the contact.
“Do you breathe fire?” she whispered, unsure of her voice. Erik was, after all, a creature of pure fantasy. Magical. Legendary.
In response, the dragon made a huffing sound, and small flames shot from the dragon’s snout as if she had asked a stupid question.
“I’ve never met a dragon before. I didn’t mean to offend.”
The dragon leaned toward her again, bumping her hand just like a demanding cat wanting attention.
Proceed, human.
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Katy couldn’t keep the nervous giggle out of her voice as she rubbed the dragon’s cheek, right below his ear. For about a minute he held perfectly still. A low rumble began, moving through the stones and up into the soles of Katy’s feet.
Was he purring? Or maybe rumbling like the elephants did, the tone so low human ears couldn’t pick up the sound?
After several minutes the dragon lifted its head and stretched to his full height. Not mate.
Katy had to agree. “No, I’m not.”
Erik wants to make a bargain.
Uh-oh. What was she supposed to say to that? “He does.”
I do not. I feel dragon magic in you. You belong to another.
“Dragon magic?”