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  Naked, she dipped a toe into the hot pool and gingerly stepped in, striding down the steps that led into the water. The steam was scented of night-blooming flowers, and she inhaled deeply, letting the heat seep in to relax her tired, grimy body.

  “You do know how to pamper a girl, I’ll give you that,” she said, floating onto her back and letting herself drift on the surface with her eyes closed.

  She floated like that for several moments, letting her limbs go lax and studiously ignoring her irritation that he persisted in avoiding her.

  A soft draft filtered through, cooling her exposed skin. Only the tips of her breasts, her face, and her knees remained above the surface, and the air seemed to dance over her. She sighed, imagining the air was his breath, blowing on her nipples and teasing them to hard peaks.

  The room darkened beyond her closed eyelids, and she opened them. She stood up, alarmed at first by the utter blackness that surrounded her, until she caught a glimpse of flickering color on the far side of the pool where she’d entered.

  What she saw was a surreal, glowing shape of a man who seemed to be crafted of multicolored fire that twined around his body in a network of effulgent tendrils. She could make out no features other than the size and shape of him. Large, with broad shoulders and a thickly muscled torso. The displacement of the water was the only sign that he had actual mass and wasn’t just made of a strange mix of darkness and fire.

  She blinked several times, worried that he might be a mirage—some trick of her tired eyes and her need to finally see him. Not that she could see much in the darkness, but what she could see enthralled her.

  Her throat tightened and she struggled to swallow past the knot in it when he reached her. He was so tall she had to crane her neck to look into the iridescent orbs that swirled where his eyes should be.

  “Do I frighten you?”

  She blinked, disoriented by the way his voice seemed to fill the air from all sides, as well as echo inside her mind.

  “No. My god, is that really you?”

  She took an impulsive step toward him and reached out. He flinched back and grabbed her hand in his. Neela’s heart stopped at the sudden, unexpected force of that contact, the squeeze of his hand around hers and the soft caress of his thumb in the center of her palm. He tilted his head to the side and directed his ethereal gaze to her hand, exploring the center in little circles with his thumb before meeting her eyes again.

  Her heartbeat synced with the pulsing light emanating from beneath his strange, dark skin. Heat built in the water between them, the air growing even thicker with steam. It solidified around her, pushing at her back, but she needed little urging to close the distance.

  It was as though a rough tide surged behind her, but it could have come from within. Either way, she launched into his arms like she’d been pulled into a well of gravity too strong for her to possibly resist.

  “Neela,” he growled as his arms closed around her. “Adara, I’m not ready for you, but I had to see you, touch you, taste you, to believe you were really here and not another waking dream.”

  He brought his hands up to her face, which warmed under the glow of his eyes. His thumbs traced her brows, and she let her eyelids fall shut as he brushed the pads over the soft skin to her cheeks, then down. He caressed her lips, and they parted. She darted her tongue out, mouth watering for more intimate contact, and he obliged, slipping the tip of his thumb inside. She sucked, letting out a soft moan of need, her core tightening with desire.

  With a single, swift scoop, he hoisted her higher, hooking one arm beneath her ass as she wrapped her legs around his torso. Their faces drew level, and one molten glance passed between them before their lips touched and their mouths merged.

  Neela clung to him through the kiss, overwhelmed by the sensation of heat and softness and pure desire that washed through her. Never in her life had any male incited this kind of all-consuming fire in her.

  He brushed his free hand up her side and cupped her cheek as his tongue swept deep, ravenously tasting her. She moaned into his mouth, tightening her grip on him. God, she wanted to climb inside his skin and live there forever. The light raking of nails down her side suggested he wanted the same thing, and he left trails of pure fire along her skin before slipping his hand between them to cup her breast.

  He found her nipple and pinched it lightly, the sharp sensation sending a bolt of pleasure like an earthquake rending her body in two. She cried out, tilting her head back and arching into him. His hot mouth replaced his fingers, his lips and teeth plucking at the taut flesh, flooding her core with even more wet heat.

  She bucked against him, craving more contact, but this wasn’t enough.

  “I need to see you. My whole life, you’ve always come to me in shadows. Please let me see you for real now.”

  “Need you,” he growled, sucking harder on her nipple and slipping the hand that held her backside down until his fingers grazed her spread opening.

  The contact set off white-hot blasts of heat in her brain, her body tensing on the very edge of what might be the quickest climax of her life. She struggled to tamp it down, because she wanted more—wanted this first moment with him to be more than just two bodies writhing in the darkness.

  “Stop!” She smacked her hands against his shoulders, pushing him away.

  He pulled back, his glowing eyes flashing beneath fluttering eyelids. His breath came in quick, rough pants, betraying his own barely contained desire.

  “We are bound. Fated since time began. Why are you fighting this?”

  “I’m not … Fuck, I want you, but not like this. Not in the dark with my imagination having to fill in the blanks. In the dark you might as well be some other man …”

  “It is me … Zorion …”

  Something wavered in his voice and she pushed harder, prying herself out of his arms and barely catching herself as he relented, releasing her back into the water. “Why don’t you sound convinced of that yourself? What are you keeping from me?”

  All the churning confusion of the past few hours tangled into a writhing knot in her chest and she backed away. “How are you even here? I thought … I thought I had to make love to you in the temple to even wake you up.”

  “I’m not like other dragons, Neela. The first temple you found me in all those ages ago was enough to contain my power. The temporal bubble Asha’s father kept us in blocked all but our barest mental link. But the new temple was easy for me to breach with my fire.”

  “Are you a Shadow? I’ve never seen anything like you, but I want to see you in the light.”

  “I am more … more than my mother and father combined. A piece of the Mother Dragon was made whole when they joined and made me. But it isn’t a pretty piece. I think I must be made of the darkest parts of them. I am the product of the unholiest union, unlike my sister, who was conceived from the purest form of love … that of a man willing to sacrifice his very soul for his lover’s happiness.”

  “You think that because your parents were siblings, that makes you somehow unholy? I beg to differ. You were always there for me, Z. You kept the darkness from eating me alive. I only wish you could have done the same for my brother. He didn’t have the blessing of such a connection with Asha. Not even his dreams of her could keep him from the taint of what they did to us. You protected me from all that, so as far as I’m concerned, you’re a fucking angel. Please let me see you.”

  “I am trying to help your brother as we speak. He will be made whole soon enough.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “He is with Asha. He fights to protect her from himself, but is willing to give up love to protect you from me. I wasn’t sure if he would be worthy of my sister if he couldn’t see his own value, but I’ve changed my mind. I think being with her will make him worthy. Asha can be convincing.”

  Neela’s brow twitched at the deep a
ffection and humor in his voice. He reminded her of Naaz, with his quiet tolerance of his sister’s quirks.

  “He’s all right, then? The Hunters … or whoever they are … were talking about attacking him earlier.”

  “They were a ruse, simply meant to give him a reason to fight. Taking you was part of that.”

  “Wait, were you behind all the ambushes we’ve fought off all this time? And I guess taking me was only meant to torture my brother, is that right?” She crossed her arms over her bare breasts and lifted an eyebrow at the glowing eyes that regarded her.

  “I didn’t say that. You belong with me, adara. Torturing my sister’s future mate was a bonus.”

  She growled low in her throat, trying to decide whether she despised this man or loved him more for his irreverence.

  “Well, you can stop now. I want you to let him know I’m all right.”

  “It’s a little late for that.” When she lifted her eyebrows again, he let out a sigh that made the air shimmer between them. “All right. Follow me, and you can at least see him. If you still want me to contact him, I will.”

  He turned away, but rather than stride out of the pool like a normal man, he simply disappeared.

  “Jesus fucking Christ, why can’t I drift in here?”

  “It isn’t drifting. There’s no displacement of time. My fire simply travels more quickly than your human senses can track. Come to me, adara.”

  With a soft whoosh of air, all the candles relit. Neela waded out of the pool and found a pile of clean towels folded neatly on a ledge nearby. Her core still ached with unquenched need, but she ignored it and found her clothes. Whatever kept Zorion from showing himself would have to give. As much as she wanted him, she couldn’t stand the idea of making love to him without being able to look into his eyes. His real eyes, not those strange fiery orbs he kept showing her in the darkness.

  She dressed again and followed the pulsing beacon that broadcast his location. Again, he led her through a tangled maze of twisting corridors that left her completely turned around. She entered another room, this time lit with dragon globes mounted on the walls like bright sconces. Zorion was nowhere to be seen, but she could sense him in the shadows.

  “Move to the reflecting basin,” he commanded, the timbre of his voice sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. She could listen to him talk forever and never get tired of the sound.

  She stepped to the center of the room where a sandstone pedestal rose out of the floor with a concave depression worn into its surface. Before her eyes, the well filled with water. The ripples evened out, leaving the surface mirror-smooth, and within the reflected depths, something more detailed than the nondescript reflection of the ceiling above her came into view.

  Chapter Nine

  Naaz clenched his fists at his sides, agonizing over the sight before him.

  “It is me, my love. I am only in stasis. My mind is awake, yet my body cannot move until you revive it.”

  “I won’t fuck you like this, Asha. Please don’t ask me to do that.”

  “Then don’t. I only need your Nirvana.”

  Naaz let out a snort. “As if me jacking off is any better? I want our first time to be … special. Not just some pointless grasping for pleasure on my part. I want you to love it.”

  “Then make love to me as if I were awake. Trust my voice. Tell me what you would do first.”

  He took a deep breath and moved to the head of her pedestal. “I would kiss you,” he said, his voice rough. “God, that’s all I’ve been able to think of since the dreams began. The way it feels to kiss you.”

  “Do you not make love to me in the dreams?”

  “No … because my cock isn’t good at making love. Great at fucking … not the kind of thing you deserve.”

  “Have you ever tried making love before?”

  He thought back to the one time he’d had the chance to. But Evie hadn’t wanted to be made love to, which he understood completely now. Marcus and Ked were the only men who should be allowed to make love to Evie. Just as Asha was the only woman for Naaz.

  “Once … I tried it once with a friend, but it didn’t work out. I want it to work this time.”

  “Does that mean you will stay with me after?”

  “God, Asha. I don’t know. I want you so fucking much. It tears me up to think of how wrong I am for you.”

  “How will you know if you’re wrong, unless you try?”

  He swallowed thickly, gazing down at the perfect, serene beauty that lay before him. Her lips were a sweet, pink bow, perfect for kissing. Despite centuries of experience, he suddenly felt out of his element. His heart pounded so hard the thuds reverberated inside his skull as he lowered his face to hers.

  When he pressed his mouth against her lips, he had the most surreal, fervent hope that somehow a kiss would be enough. That this would be the end of their perfect fairy tale, in which he braved the tangled, perilous obstacles keeping him from the princess, and that this kiss was the last step before their happily ever after.

  But he was no prince, and while Asha was arguably the most beautiful, slumbering princess in existence, he knew the kiss was only the beginning.

  Her voice was like a sigh inside his mind, a soft “oh” of wonder as though she’d just had some revelation about the nature of the universe. It spurred him on and he rested his palm against her pale cheek, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. Swiping his tongue between, he was met with the hard, unmoving barrier of her teeth and jolted back.

  “Fuck. I don’t know about this.” Her lack of physical response made it all too similar to the times he’d tried to deepen a connection with the females he’d been forced to couple with. He’d only sought to make the experience less horrifying.

  “I liked it. I wish I could kiss you back. Once I’m awake, I think I will spend every spare moment kissing you.”

  “I liked it too. You’re so soft.” He impulsively reached out and brushed his fingertips over her cheek again, grazing his thumb across her lower lip. “Can you feel this?”

  “Yes. I feel your heat near me. Your palm is a little rough. Is that how men feel?”

  “Men who fight. These hands aren’t used to making love, baby. You’re bound to be disappointed.”

  “Do I feel good to you?”

  He smoothed his palm over her shoulder and squeezed, marveling at how solid she was—how warm and human. She looked far more delicate than she felt.

  “You feel amazing. I could do nothing but touch you all day and never get tired of it.”

  “Then touch me. Kiss me everywhere but my lips, so it doesn’t scare you that I can’t kiss back. When your hand is on me, it warms me from the inside in a way I’ve never felt before. Do you feel the same way?”

  “Mmm … warm, yes.” He didn’t elaborate, but touching her made his blood run hot and his dick throb almost painfully within the confines of his cargo shorts. He ignored the tightness, forcing himself to focus on her and only her. She evidently enjoyed his touch, and as long as he could incite those pleased little mental moans from her, he would keep trying.

  “I’m going to kiss you some more, all right Asha?”

  “Yes.” Her voice sounded breathy and expectant. The mental image he had of her responded to the barest brush of his fingers along her collarbone with an arch of her neck to give him better access. He traced a line down her sternum and paused, letting his big hand rest gently over hers where they lay folded over each other in the center of her chest, her forearms partially concealing her breasts from view. He bent and pressed a soft kiss at the hollow of her clavicle, then impulsively darted out his tongue.

  “Do I taste good?” she asked.

  “Like sunlight,” he murmured, brushing his lips along the line of her shoulder.

  Another mental sigh urged him on. H
e closed his hands over both of hers and lifted them off her chest, closing his eyes for a second to brace himself for the sight of her bare breasts. With deliberate care, he placed her hands at her sides and stood upright, letting his gaze drift over her, trying and failing to numb himself to her beauty. Her breasts were small but perfect, their weight only partially succumbing to gravity, the swell of one side casting a shadow over her ribcage.

  “Where did you go? Naaz?” She sounded almost frantic, and he gripped her nearest hand in his and squeezed.

  “I’m here, baby. I just … got a little overwhelmed there for a second.”

  “Do you like the way I look?”

  “God, yes. You are a feast for sore eyes. I just had to take a moment to enjoy the sight.”

  “Oh, good. I worried when Zorion kept going on about how no human could ever love a creature as monstrous as he. He’s my brother, so I must resemble him in some way, but if my appearance pleases you …”

  “If your brother is anywhere close to as beautiful as you, Neela will adore him. But I think she’d adore him regardless. If it weren’t for him, she’d be as messed up in the head as I am.”

  “You’re not messed up. You’re as kind and gentle as I hoped you would be. I wish you would kiss me again.”

  “There is nothing kind and gentle about the thoughts going through my head. Do you have any idea how badly I want to be inside you? Every image is of me defiling your perfect … innocence. Fuck, I am such a monster for letting that out.”

  “But you aren’t doing that. You’re doing what I asked. You’re a good person.”

  “You don’t understand. This is about power. You are helpless even though you can speak. You’re naked and vulnerable, and I’m … a lot bigger than you, and practically wearing armor compared to you. Nothing about this situation is balanced in the least. I would rather be the one lying there with you molesting me.”