I tore my eyes away and busied myself wrapping the sheet around me. When I looked up, he still stood there, his erection as prominent as ever.
“For heaven’s sake, cover yourself,” I snapped.
“I can’t, my lady. I don’t have any clothes with me.”
I didn’t believe him. No one traipses through the kingdom in the nude. But I couldn’t concentrate with his manhood pointing at me. “Fine. Take this.” I tossed a pillow at him.
“Thank you, my lady.” He climbed back onto the bed and lay down on his side facing me, tucking the pillow behind his head.
I couldn’t help glancing down at his cock again. He caught me, and I covered my embarrassment with bluster. “I could call for help right now and have you hauled away and clapped in irons.”
“Ah, but you won’t.” He shot me a grin again. Damn the man, it was such a disarming grin.
“What makes you so sure?”
“If you were going to have me arrested, you’d have screamed bloody murder the minute I took my hand off your mouth. Besides…” His voice grew somber. “You’ve been living under the shadow of the Oracle’s prophecy as long as I have. No matter what the outcome, taking action is better than waking up every morning fearing that today might be the day.”
He was right. I’d known this moment was coming ever since I took the throne. Between worrying about the dangers ahead and dreaming of seduction scenarios starring the brash, naked man lying in front of me, I hadn’t had an uninterrupted night’s sleep in years.
He’d outsmarted me once, and I was too stubborn to admit it by demanding a second time that he cover himself, so I tamped down my raging libido, kept my eyes on his face, and set my mind to business.
“You say the Oracle sent you?”
“You know she did. She’s shown me to you many times, just as she’s shown you to me. I’ve been preparing for this day, studying everything known about the Lord of Darkness. Ever since my first shifting.”
“Shifting?”
He gave me a look. “Don’t pretend you don’t know. I saw you there, more than once. Lurking in the shadows, like a wraith. A beautiful wraith,” he added with a comic leer.
“You’re the dragon lord.” It wasn’t a question. Of course I knew. But even so, I didn’t believe what I’d seen. That a man could walk into fire and emerge alive in the shape of a fearsome beast then resume his human form unscathed – all of it was unthinkable. That part must have been an illusion. A nightmare interwoven within an erotic dream
I took a moment to study him. I recognized the dark wavy hair, the handsome profile…and that gorgeous body. But I’d never seen him up close. His deep brown eyes held both intelligence and a hint of humor. The lips that had claimed mine so thoroughly were full and warm, curved into a slight smile as he met my gaze. I couldn’t help sneaking a quick glance lower down. This close, it looked even bigger.
“Is what you see to your liking, my lady?”
“Your appearance hardly matters to the task at hand.” I regretted it the moment I’d said it. The dragon lord was both charming and seductive. If I kept rising to the bait every time he made a suggestive remark, I’d end up underneath him again before sunrise. Goddess knew I was sorely tempted.
I changed the subject. “You say you’ve been studying. What have you learned?”
“According to ancient chronicles, the Lord of Darkness draws power from five sources. Four are elemental – earth, water, fire, and air. The fifth, the most important, is the final one he needs to conquer our world and rule once again. The essence of the One.”
I nodded. So far, his information matched what Antonius and I had learned from the scrolls in my father’s chest.
“Scholars and mystics have puzzled for centuries over what the last could mean. I think I know.” He stopped, as though searching for the right words. “It’s you. It’s your soul.”
“My soul?”
“Your essence, your life force. But the Lord of Darkness doesn’t want to kill you. He wants toownyou. To know that you’ve surrendered your will to his, to know you’ll submit to him in all things.”
“Why me?”
“It’s obvious to someone looking at it from the outside. He tried to take over the world of the Seven Stars a thousand years ago. Your ancestor defeated him, sent him to a prison deep in the bowels of the earth. Legend has it that the king’s consort used a magic spell to bind him there in a deep sleep.”
“Ancient legends? Magic spells?” I couldn’t believe I was really hearing all this. “I know we’re facing a threat. But it’s not from some ancient superstition. I’ve consulted my advisors. My intelligence sources tell me there’s a race dwelling beyond the mountains. A primitive species that manages to survive despite the harsh land in which they live. They’re wild and uncivilized. Though they bear some resemblance to humans, they are savage beasts. Over the centuries, only a handful of hardy explorers have made the trek to their lands and returned alive. According to one of them, the others in his party were slaughtered and eaten.”
“That’s the threat we face,” I finished. “I believe this Lord of Darkness is their leader. If there’s any truth to the prophecy, that’s what it refers to. He has gained control of these creatures and is preparing them to attack and overtake our world. I’ve been learning the skills of battle, so one day I can lead my troops to victory.”
Drayke shook his head. “He may use them to help him accomplish his goal, but believe me, my lady, the Lord of Darkness is no primitive beast. He’s cunning and intelligent. And whether you believe in magic or trust the truth of the legends, the threat we face from him is all too real. He craves power. He hungers to rule, and to be victorious he must have your soul.”