Page 54 of Seduced By the Dragon Lord (Dragon Lords 2)

Her blush told him he might have guessed right. He felt himself losing control, the dragon in him simmering to break free and snarl a magma-hot protest into the sky, but he closed the gate on his inner beast and checked his strength, knowing he could easily snap her bones if he didn’t get a handle on himself.

Not knowing the struggle warring inside him, her expression turned stubborn. “Let go of me.”

“Answer the question.”

She jutted her chin. “He offered. Said he’d teach me. But I’m not stupid. There was something slimy about him, and I just wanted to get away.”

The fire in him was doused, appeased by her speech…for now. He released her. She drew her arm close to her, glaring at him. Guilt immediately flooded him. “I apologize for my behavior.”

Yet he was still dogged by a peculiar energy that itched the back of his neck. He shifted his aggression toward his food, raising the bowl to his chin and shoveling noodles into his mouth. She watched him with intense, yet wary eyes. Probing eyes. At times, it seemed as if she wasn’t quite looking directly at him, but all around him. Was she tracking an insect? He glanced around, but didn’t see anything. Perhaps she was avoiding his gaze. His behavior had been abhorrent. Edel would have knocked him in the head. Twice for good measure.

Finally she resumed eating, albeit hesitantly. Then a look of contrition crossed her features, and she admitted, “He did show me some magic—”

Gods almighty!He dropped his bowl to the counter. “What did he show you?”

“He kind of teleported. He called it sifting.”

“Aye, nasty business when one sneaks up on you that way.”

“Oh, and he took my knife from me without touching it or me. But then…” Her shoulders hunched and her expression turned anguished. “He killed that lema.”

Orik cocked a brow. “There was another one?” Damn, that means they could have been mates. There could be offspring. He shuddered at the thought of a boom in their population.

Jessie glanced up at him from under her lashes and slowly shook her head. “He killed it. The one you saw.” She glanced away. “Then it came back to life.”

“It came back to life,” he repeated, deadpan. This witch must be powerful indeed. “He likely did that to show you that he could kill without question and has power over life itself. Yes, they enjoy making others feel small and insignificant.” The bitterness in his own tone bothered him. He didn’t like her hearing it.

When a perspective gleam entered her eyes, he turned to dump his bowl in the sink. A witch was tracking her, had lorded his power over her, yet let her go. For what purpose? To capture her later? To take her as his? He ground his teeth together. Or to use her in some other way? What if that spell forced her to do something she didn’t want to? Like kill, or kidnap a royal…or take to bed the highest-ranking officer in the kingdom?

He glanced back at her over his shoulder.

She had been very forward. Very passionate. Even after he showed her his…dark leanings. Just remembering it heated his blood.

Could leading him farther into the woods during this storm have been a ruse? A way to get him alone? Were they currently being surrounded by his enemy?

If an ambush was the goal, there had been plenty of time for it before they’d entered the cottage. This cottage was a mini fortress, heavily warded against both physical and magical attacks. Though Orik despised the use of magic, Tristan had convinced him it was sometimes necessary, and indeed clever, to use protective magics procured through their handful of trusted sources to defend against magic meant to do harm. Breaking in would not be an easy feat for anyone. It would have been smarter for them to have staged their attack in the woods, where he would have had no room to transform without taking heavy damage from the trees that grew taller than even a dragon.

He moved to a nearby window and peered out, scanning the forest.

“What is it?”

Instead of answering, he asked, “Why would he want to track you?”

“He said he was recruiting witches and wanted me to join his coven. I told him I’d think about it.”

“You’dthinkabout it?”

“I felt I had to say something. He was looking at me like I was an object to acquire.”

“He let you go, so maybe your instincts served you well.” Orik had suspected the witches were organizing, but he needed to know why. He turned to face her. “He specifically said he wanted to recruit you?”

She nodded. “He said if I didn’t claim a coven, I was in danger. Said a witch without a coven could be stripped their magic.”

“Magic that youdoonapossess.” Orik’s gaze bore into hers, seeking any hint of subterfuge.

Her eyes darted to the right. “Obviously.”

Gods in heaven, could she work magic? He scrubbed a hand down his face and then raked his fingers though her hair. No. She couldn’t. She was only human. He was just being paranoid. Taking in a calming breath, he stabbed his finger on the countertop. “Go over everything again, and leave nothing out.”

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