Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon--A Novel of the Embraced

  A knock sounded at the door. Probably Margosha. Gwennore rose to her feet, suddenly realizing how hungry she was. “Come in!”

  The door swung open, and Silas strode inside.

  She gasped. “What…?”

  He halted with a jerk, his eyes widening.

  She grabbed the pillow off the floor to hold in front of her. Good goddesses, she was wearing nothing but a thin shift. “You can’t come in now!”

  His jaw shifted. “I have a few things to say to you.” He reached back and slammed the door shut.

  He wasn’t leaving? “I’m not properly dressed!”

  “I noticed.” He strode toward her.

  She stepped back. “You need to go. Now!”

  He stopped a few feet away from her. “I see you’re taking me seriously now.”

  “What?”

  “For your information, I was the one who sent the dragon to you. He didn’t want to go, but I insisted. I knew he could get to you faster than I could.”

  “Oh. All right.” Why was Silas making a big deal over who did the rescuing? Gwennore looked him over. He was as handsome as ever, dressed in full uniform with brown linen breeches, green shirt, and his leather breastplate. His hair was disheveled, though, as if he’d dressed in a hurry, and his green eyes were glittering with emotion.

  She hugged the pillow, making sure it covered her breasts and private parts. “Then before you go, I would like to thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  When he didn’t budge, she motioned toward the door with a pointed look.

  He frowned at her. “I heard the dragon told you that he would always come if you called him.”

  “Yes. It’s rule number three for dating a dra—”

  “What you need to know is that the same rule applies to me. You can always count on me.” Silas thumped his chest, drawing her attention to his leather breastplate.

  Her eyes narrowed on the four stars. The one on the left was tarnished. Green, just like the one she’d seen in the small cabin in the clearing. Were these the same clothes? Why had Silas dressed there? And how did he know what she and Puff had talked about? “Did you listen in on my conversation with Puff?”

  “Of course I could hear you. Your shield was down.”

  “I didn’t hear you,” she muttered. Or had she? Silas’s voice was similar to Puff’s, although it was hard to distinguish the two since she heard Silas’s voice with her ears and Puff’s voice in her mind. And Puff was usually speaking kindly to her with a soft voice, while Silas was either fussing at her or joking.

  Scowling at her, he shifted his weight, “I told you how dangerous the forest could be, but you failed to heed my warning.”

  She lifted her chin. “You failed to tell me about the trolls.”

  He scoffed. “Telling you about bears, wolves, and wildcats wasn’t enough? Warning you that children get lost in the—”

  “I was never lost! I knew exactly how to get back. And I’m not a child.”

  His gaze drifted down to the pillow, then back to her face, his eyes blazing with a fierce intensity. “You shouldn’t have gone off by yourself.”

  She winced inwardly. That much was true, although she hadn’t thought there would be any wild animals close to the castle. She’d assumed there were game wardens who kept the area surrounding the castle free from any danger. It was that way at the palaces where Luciana and Brigitta lived. “I would have asked you to accompany me, but you weren’t here. Where did you go?”

  He shrugged. “Official business.”

  “Meaning you won’t tell me. Just like you didn’t tell me about the trolls.”

  “They’re harmless.”

  “They were chasing me! One of them threw a spear at me.”

  “They’re excellent hunters. If he’d wanted to hit you, he would have.”

  She huffed. “And that makes it all right? I was terrified!”

  “It wouldn’t have happened if you’d stayed here!”

  “I wouldn’t have left if I knew the trolls were out there! You should have told me.”

  “You were already terrified of them. I didn’t want to scare you even more by saying they were real.”

  She pointed a finger at him. “That’s not your decision to make. From now on, I want honesty from you, whether it frightens me or not. Don’t you dare keep things from me again!”

  “You want honesty?” He stepped closer. “You think you can handle it?”

  “Yes!”

  “Then here’s some for you. I wish I had kissed you yesterday. I wish I hadn’t been so damned honorable about it, because ever since then, it’s been driving me berserk.”

  Her mouth dropped open, then snapped shut when his gaze lowered to her lips.

  “You want more honesty?” He took another step closer. “You scared the crap out of me today.”

  “I was afraid, too.” She glanced at his eyes and for a second, before he blinked, they looked gold. Like Puff’s. How? Why did she keep getting this odd feeling? Her mind raced. Golden eyes, similar voices, an extra-large heart. The tattoo of a dragon on Silas’s shoulder. There had even been times when Puff and Silas had used the exact same words.

  She stepped back, bumping into a chair. No, it was too bizarre. It couldn’t be possible.

  “Do you want more?” he asked.

  She clutched the pillow tightly with her fists, suddenly afraid she couldn’t handle more truth. “We … we should stop now.”

  “Stop what? Pretending I don’t want you? That you don’t want me?”

  “I never said that!”

  “You were thinking it. Ever since you met me.”

  “No!”

  He scoffed. “How about some honesty from you?” He ripped the pillow out of her hands and pulled her into his arms. As she slammed against his chest, he gripped the back of her head and planted his lips on hers.

  Chapter Seventeen

  When she stiffened with a jolt and pushed at his chest, Silas broke the kiss and looked at her. Gwen’s lavender-blue eyes were so wide, and her lips so pink and beautiful, it took all his control not to pounce on her again. But then he noticed she was searching his face as if she was trying to detect something.

  Was something wrong? “Gwen?” He almost wished he hadn’t taught her how to erect a shield, for he had no idea what she was thinking.

  Her gaze fell to his chest, where her hands still rested against his breastplate. She touched the brass stars, her fingertips lingering on the tarnished one. The sleeves of her shift had fallen back to reveal the pale skin of her forearms.

  “I heard you were poisoned.” He grasped her wrists and held up her arms till he could see the pale-pink area on the underside of her left arm.

  “Damn,” he whispered as he examined the inflamed area. “Is it hurting you? Are you in pain?”

  “I’m all right now, but earlier I had a headache and some problems with dizziness.”

  So she hadn’t been thinking clearly when she’d gone off by herself. And he’d yelled at her. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault Romak tried to poison us. Are you going to arrest him?”

  “Yes.” Silas stroked his fingers over the delicate pink skin. “I can’t bear the thought of you being hurt.” He leaned over to kiss the inflamed area.

  “No!” She stepped back, yanking her arm from his grip. “You mustn’t risk getting any poison on your mouth.”

  “Then where is it safe to kiss you?” He took hold of her shoulders and moved close enough to brush his lips across her brow. “Is that all right? Or maybe here?” He kissed her temple.

  When she placed her hands back on his chest, he took that as a yes.

  “How about this?” He skimmed his mouth across her damp hair, then kissed the tip of her ear.

  With a small gasp, she shivered.

  So her pretty ears were sensitive. He ran his tongue along the contour and was rewarded with a soft moan that was so sweet, his groin tightened. “Gwen.”
He pulled her back into his arms and nuzzled her neck.

  She wrapped her arms around him, her hands delving into his hair. “Silas…”

  “Yes.” He kissed a path toward her mouth.

  “I’m not sure if this is safe,” she whispered.

  He hesitated, his mouth close to hers. What did she mean? Was she afraid of losing her heart? Or was the unthinkable happening, and she was figuring out the truth? He blinked, making sure his sight was normal. Sometimes, when his emotions grew too intense, the power of the dragon flared hot and turned his eyes gold.

  He leaned back to look at her. “If you’re worried about getting hurt, all I can say is we’re in this together. My heart is just as much at risk as yours.”

  She placed a hand on his cheek, then ran her fingers over the whiskers along his jaw. “I must be letting my imagination get the better of me. I didn’t think trolls were real, but they are. So now, I’m—” She shook her head. “I must be mistaken.”

  His nerves tensed. “About what?”

  “It’s nothing. I’m just being paranoid. For over two years now, I’ve hidden in the shadows, afraid to be myself and suspicious of everyone around me. But I don’t want to be that person anymore. I want to be brave. And bold.”

  “You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met.” He smiled as he smoothed a hand down her silky hair. “But I’d like to see how bold you can be.”

  A pretty blush crept into her cheeks and colored the tips of her ears. “All right.” She slipped her hand around his neck and gave him a shy smile. “I’m ready for you to kiss me, if you like.”

  “You brazen hussy.”

  When she laughed, he pulled her into his arms. By the Light, the peal of her laughter was so sweet to his ears.

  She took a deep breath, and the pressure of her breasts against his chest sent his blood rushing to his groin.

  “Gwen, I might go insane if I don’t kiss you.”

  She touched his cheek. “Then I recommend you go ahead.” Her eyes fluttered shut when he bent down to press his lips against hers.

  Sweet. He kissed her again, and when she leaned into him, he deepened the kiss, molding his mouth against hers.

  A thrill of victory shot through him. Yes. He’d known it would be this good with Gwennore. It was more than good. It was glorious. His heart thundered in his ears, and the fire of the dragon flared in his chest. Somewhere in the dark reaches of his lust-filled brain, he realized he’d never reacted this strongly before to a mere kiss.

  When she moaned, he slipped his tongue into her mouth. By the Light, she was warm and sweet. And bold, for she hesitated only a second before welcoming him with a stroke of her own tongue.

  He wanted her. He wanted her more than any woman he’d ever met. And he wanted her now.

  He pulled back for a second to let her catch her breath, then dove in for a hot and ravaging kiss. She melted against him, kissing him back, her fingers entwined in his hair. His sweet and bold Gwennie.

  She gasped against his mouth when he cupped her breast. Through the thin material of her shift, he felt her nipple harden against the pad of his thumb. And that just made him grow harder. He needed her now.

  As he smoothed his hands down her back, he reveled in how beautifully she arched against him. The small of her back, the curve of her waist, the flare of her hips: It was all perfect and perfectly in tune with him.

  More, he wanted more. He splayed his hands over the sweet curves of her rump and pressed her hard against the swollen bulge in his breeches. Yes. She belonged there.

  “What?” She jerked back, and her gaze dropped to his breeches. “Holy goddesses.”

  “Gwen.” They weren’t finished. He attempted to pull her back, but she jumped away.

  “I wasn’t expecting anything more than a kiss.” She shot an incredulous look at his breeches. “Surely you weren’t planning to … to copulate with me? We just met three days ago!”

  “I didn’t plan anything. It just happened while we were kissing.” And they weren’t finished. He reached for her.

  She stepped back, frowning. “If that’s the case, we had better not kiss again.”

  “What?” His lust-hazed brain was having trouble following this. “Why?”

  “Because I have no intention of copulating with you.” She shifted her weight nervously. “I—I only wanted a kiss. I’ve never experienced it before, so I was curious—”

  “You did this out of curiosity?” The fog of lust in his brain faded away, leaving behind a knot of frustration.

  “Well, yes. Partly.” She winced. “I also wanted to be bold for a change. And I wanted to make sure that you were…” She bit her lip as she glanced away.

  “That I was what? Going insane?”

  “That you’re a genuine human male,” she mumbled.

  “What else would I be?” He raked a hand through his hair. Dammit, was she suspecting the truth?

  She stole another glance at the bulge in his breeches. “I would say you’re definitely male. But it hardly matters, since I never intend to copula—”

  “I got it!” He held up a hand to stop her. If she mentioned her objection to copulating one more time, he might end up punching a stone wall. “But you should know, for future reference, that I definitely want to kiss you again, and in a moment of passion one thing can lead to another.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s precisely why we should never kiss again.”

  “You were enjoying it.”

  She waved a dismissive hand. “That may be true, but—”

  “May be? Hell, woman, you were on fire.”

  Her cheeks turned pink. “It was my first time to experience a moment of passion, so I may have gotten a bit carried away. But I’m sure that in time, I would learn to control myself—”

  “Don’t you dare. I want you out of control.”

  Her blush spread to her ears. “Thankfully, I was still rational enough to come to my senses and stop this before something terrible happened.”

  “Terrible?” he repeated. Why didn’t she just slap him? It would hurt less.

  She nodded. “It would be terribly improper for us to copulate when we hardly know each other.”

  “Don’t—” He gritted his teeth. “I do know you.”

  She scoffed. “You’re obviously not thinking very clearly.” She motioned toward his breeches. “No doubt you’re suffering a diminished mental capacity due to your extreme reaction.”

  “What?” Did she just call him stupid? “Gwen. How would you know what’s extreme? How many men have you kissed?”

  She winced. “None, other than you. But I have treated male patients in the past, so I feel reasonably certain that this is not normal.” She tilted her head, studying his breeches, and her eyes widened. “Good heavens, I think it’s getting even bigger!”

  “Because you’re looking at it!”

  Her gaze lifted to his face. “That’s all it takes?”

  “Apparently so.” He clenched his fists. “You should be flattered you have that much power over me.”

  She blinked. “I … do?”

  “Yes. Now, before I go totally insane, I’ll go to my dressing room to take care of this problem.”

  “Really? How?”

  “Why do you ask?” He arched a brow. “Would you like to lend a hand?”

  She looked confused. “I don’t think so.”

  “That figures.” He trudged toward her dressing room. “Rejected again.”

  “Don’t come to my bed tonight.”

  He paused by the door. “Why not?”

  “I think the reason is obvious.”

  “You don’t trust me.” He glanced back at her. “Or could it be you don’t trust yourself?”

  Her face grew pale. “I’m going to spread the news that our affair is over.”

  “Then what will be your excuse for remaining here for a month?”

  “I’ll try to finish in a week. Then I’ll be able to go home.”
br />   He gripped the door hard, suddenly tempted to punch a fist through it. “I see.” She’d kissed him and wanted no more of him.

  Crap! He strode into his dressing room and slammed the door behind him. A glance down at his breeches confirmed he no longer needed a cold bath. He’d been thoroughly rejected, so his problem was quickly shriveling away.

  And his heart was hurting.

  “Dammit.” He stalked into his bedchamber. A pain shot through his heart, and he pressed a hand against his chest.

  By the Light, he didn’t want her to leave in a week. He didn’t want her to ever leave.

  He collapsed in a chair. Usually, his half-dragon heart made him stronger, healthier, and more formidable in battle. But with Gwennore, it was having the opposite effect.

  For rule number two stated that a dragon could love fiercely, but if his heart was broken, he would feel the pain with an equally fierce intensity.

  He rubbed his chest. The pain was bearable at this point, but the fact that it was there could only mean one thing.

  He was falling in love.

  * * *

  Gwennore paused in the doorway of her dressing room, studying the closed door that led to Silas’s suite. There was a small part of her that wanted to be brave and fling that door wide open. But another part, a larger part, wanted to run back home to her sisters.

  She was a coward after all.

  With a sigh, she trudged toward her bed. What was she doing here? She was so far from home, all alone in a foreign country where most people saw her as an enemy and a wanton woman who could kill her lover in his sleep. She’d been poisoned, attacked by trolls, and propositioned by a man she wasn’t sure was even human.

  But holy goddesses, he could definitely kiss.

  She wrapped her arms around a bedpost and closed her eyes, letting herself remember for a few minutes just how glorious the kiss had been. It had encompassed her, enveloped her, entranced her.

  All her worries and suspicions had melted away with the heat of his embrace and the soothing timbre of his deep voice, and for a few precious minutes, she had felt absolutely certain that he was human. His voice, his lips, his shoulders, his hair, the whiskers along his jaw—it had all felt completely human. And totally male. Didn’t the bulge in his breeches prove he was undeniably a man?