Page 83 of Seduced By the Dragon Lord (Dragon Lords 2)

Dark clouds loomed outside, gliding softly on a chilled wind, almost as if the weather were trying to mirror the mood she was stubbornly working to reject.

Before Orik left for the day, he’d hooked her chin and inclined her face toward his, his expression filled with all the things he wanted to say, things she wanted to hear...and things shedidn’twant to hear.

“We’ll talk when I return,” he said.

At the statement that was far too similar to the terminablewe need to talk, a lump of pure dread formed in the base of her throat, but then he Eskimo-kissed her with such sweetness that it drove away some of the sourness, and a renewal of hope filled her heart.

When he shifted to place his lips softly atop hers, everything feminine inside her had swooned, melted, and brightened all at once. One does not simply Eskimo kiss like that if they wanted to end things. Not without both losing and giving a piece of their heart.

Was it possible their separationwasn’tinevitable after all?

With a jaunty new beat in her step, she dressed and debated hairstyles in the vanity mirror Orik had procured for her.

It hit her then, and her eyes widened to the size of twin saucers. She’d briefly contemplated it yesterday, but only fleetingly. Her focus hadn’t been aimed at dissecting his actions…at least not the actions that didn’t involve her body interacting with his.

Orik had installed avanityfor her. Not only that, he’d filled the room with plants because he thought it might please her. Her clothes mingled with his in the closet. Phoenix’s new bed had a prominent place in the room…he’d permitted a beast near him that he found threatening. He did it for her. She suspected the cozy seating area by the fire was new as well.

He’d changed his entire living space to accommodateher.

It made no sense for him to do any of that, disrupt his own space so thoroughly, if he planned to send her away once she’d recovered.

Was there a chance he wanted to give their relationship a real shot? Was that what he planned to talk to her about later? Not to coordinate her extraction from his life, but to ask her to stay?

She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but her gritty mind had no such qualms. It was already plotting their future. They’d make love every day, morning, night, and even some nooners here and there. She’d work on her magic until she was prolific, and maybe she could even act as an ambassador for the king whenever they needed to deal with new covens. She’d have to study witch culture first, but her gift with auras, once perfected, would surely come in handy. Perhaps she’d even join the castle guard and work alongside Orik.

She placed her fingers over her thumping heart. Could children be a possibility? She’d never considered it before, not with anyone she’d ever dated, but now she pictured little dimple-cheeked tots with his clear blue eyes and her dark hair rustling around the room. An inexplicable longing expanded her heart.

She knew she was getting ahead of herself, but it was nearly impossible not to muse over the possibilities.

To distract herself from the fanciful thoughts, she decided to test out her magic.

Yesterday, without even thinking about it, she had manipulated water droplets from the pool. Now she sat on the pool’s edge, her feet dangling in the cool liquid, sunlight periodically peeking through slivers in the clouds, trying to retrieve those droplets once more.

Nothing happened.

She tried again, focusing her mind like a laser, staring into the water like it had personally wronged her. Finally, after what felt like an hour, the previously still water puckered and rippled. She gasped, and the water flattened once more to a glossy sheen. She tried again, this time not breaking her concentration when the water began to move and a pea-sized crystalline drop plucked from the water, hovering in the air.

A huge smile split her lips. The droplet dripped back down, disappearing into the pool.

In college she’d taken calculus one-oh-one, had spent hours toiling over limits, derivatives, and integrals. By the time she completed some of the more complex formulas, her brain had felt battered and drained. That was how she felt now, as though she’d just fumbled through a calculus quiz with too many problems that she didn’t understand.

Why was it so much more difficult now, when little more than twenty-four hours ago she’d performed magic without even trying?

A knock sounded on the door. She got up to answer, finding Edel and June on the other side.

Wide smile in place, June held out a stout potted flower to her. “Hi, how are you feeling? Orik told us you were finally awake, so we thought we’d pay you a visit, even though he said we should probably leave you alone, so if you’re not feeling up to it, we’ll understand. He also said you liked plants. This one is one of my favorites. It sparkles when the light hits it.”

Sure enough, the golden petals and verdant leaves glittered before her eyes. “Thank you. I’m feeling much better. Please come in.”

They entered, followed by two beefy guards who’d discreetly stood behind them, their cold gazes scanning the space.

Jessie immediately backed up, her heart plummeting. Had they come to arrest her?

June waved away her obvious concern. “Orik insists we travel with guards until we’re sure the threat is over.”

“Oh.” She set the shimmering plant on the coffee table and invited them to sit.

Edel stiffly took a seat, looking queenlier than Jessie had ever seen her, wearing an expression that was a cross between wariness and disdain. Her aura was muted, the colors tightly packed. The woman who had previously been kind and welcoming wasn’t quite sure what to make of Jessie, the human turned witch.

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