Page 33 of Born of Blood and Thorns

I retreated back into the library, my mind a jumbled mess. Collapsing onto the settee, I stared blankly ahead, more confused than ever. My eyes landed on the small table before me, where I had abandoned Isla and Adrian. Its crimson spine peeked out from beneath another book, beckoning to me. I reached for it with trembling fingers, the tale of a star-crossed vampire romance that had set me on this path.

As I cradled the book in my lap, I traced its gilded letters, recalling the hefty price I'd paid for this frivolous story. Loss of livelihood, fat hovel house, my father…which, in retrospect, wasn't much of a sacrifice now that I thought about it. Yet, I'd risked it to possess this fanciful fiction. What cruel irony that it led me to a castle cursed by true vampire betrayal.

I opened Isla and Adrian, its pages soft and worn beneath my touch. Losing myself in their epic tale of love conquering hatred, I felt the vice around my heart loosen. If only Lore would see me as more than his ancestral enemy. Even then, anything that bloomed between us would be doomed from the start because of the curse.

Exhaustion overwhelmed me as I read on into the night. I stifled a yawn, my eyelids growing heavy as lead. The fire's warmth enveloped me like a hypnotic lullaby, its flames dancing in twin pools of crimson blood. I imagined those fiery eyes guarding me as I drifted into slumber.

Just before oblivion claimed me, I thought I heard the dragon's faint call from afar, confirming that he would keep me safe and that I was his to protect. A traitorous part of me thrilled at the thought of belonging to him. The world faded to black.

Golden rays caressed my face, coaxing me awake. Blinking against the brightness cascading through the glass ceiling, I felt the scratchy weight of a blanket tucked around me. The fire had faded to ashes, and my book lay splayed open on the floor, its pages rumpled.

Had I dreamed of the dragon's nocturnal vow? I couldn't deny the magnetic pull I’d felt, even knowing his flames could end me in seconds. Yet some primal instinct insisted he would not harm me. I was his...for better or worse. The intensity of my yearning for him terrified and exhilarated me.

I burned to investigate Lore's inner sanctum, to see him unguarded in slumber. Like a moth to his flame, I was helplessly drawn. Still, I proceeded with caution down the shadowed corridor. My pounding heart betrayed my eagerness as I approached his bed chamber. The door stood slightly ajar, sunlight spilling through the crack. Hardly daring to breathe, I peered inside.

The man was exactly where I knew he would be—laid out flat on his back, his chest bare, and the golden bronze of his skin on full display. I studied his body's dips and valleys. My mouth watered.

He was perfect. At least his body was. The rest of him, well, he was an ass. I almost snorted at the thought. Instead, I held my breath, afraid to wake him from his slumber. My eyes drifted to the journals behind him, curious to know if, somewhere in there, the answers to my question could be found. How did I break the curse?

I took a tentative step into the door, letting out a slow exhale when nothing happened, and then I stepped further into the room. I thanked the gods. I was quiet but cursed myself for being a fool and even attempting this.

I made it to the bookcase, and just as my hand grasped a journal, the wood floor beneath my feet creaked, and I stilled. The room seemed to hold its breath as the air became thicker. I knew.

I knew pale blue eyes would be on me if I turned around. My hand dropped from the bookcase and the journal I had almost liberated.

Slowly, I turned. Only he wasn't in his bed anymore. His cerulean eyes stared penetratingly into mine, but he stood a breath away from me. He was not happy.

He slammed me back into the bookcase, a sharp pain shooting into my back as I cried out.

"I'm sorry, I just?—"

"You just what. Decided to kill me in my sleep?"

"No," I gasped. His body pressed harder into mine, forcing an acute pain into my back. There was death in his eyes. My death.

"So you decided to steal from me, then?" His eyes flicked to the bookshelf and then back to me. His lips twisted into a snarl.

"No…" I trailed off. That had been exactly what I had been doing. I was such an idiot. "I just wanted something to read."

Lore studied me, studied my face, and then he released me, stepping back. "Get out," he snarled through clenched teeth.

I turned to leave, but then, as I looked over my shoulder, Lore looked to be warring with himself as his eyes turned red again. When they did, everything changed. Lore stalked toward me with an intensity I had only seen once before. He was a pure animal, led by his primal instincts, a creature peeking out from beneath the surface. He rumbled, only this time it wasn't in a threatening way. He spun me around and dropped me on his bed before he moved above me to stare down at me with those eerily red eyes.

“I told you that you are mine,” that deep, gravelly voice said.

I knew then. This wasn’t Lore; this was his dragon.

“I don’t understand,” I squeaked as I turned to get away, confusion ripping through me for the first time.

Lore reached gently, taking my face in his hand, his thumb caressing my jawline with soft strokes. He placed his hands on my hips as he bent down, breathing me in deeply as his nose lightly traveled up the skin of my neck.

My body responded, the traitorous bitch arched, and a moan slipped from my lips.

Lore smiled. "I've waited for you for a very long time," Lore's dragon said, replacing his nose with his lips. He released my hands, sat up, and stared at me.

"How are you appearing in Lore? I thought you were separated and were…" I trailed off, unsure of the correct term. "Not piloting the ship together?" I asked with a lilting inflection in my voice.

"Things are different now," his deep voice answered as he studied me. His voice went heated as he took in my form, still only clothed in a thin robe.

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