The Dragon Legion Collection(47)
And when she held the last note, drawing it out into a tone of impossible richness, her smile was only for him. The others applauded but Damien took the last step between them. “Pure magic,” he said, then caught her face in his hands. She gasped at the spark of heat that fired between them, then smiled at him in the illumination of the firestorm. She held her ground though, undaunted by the strange light.
She was as remarkable and bold as he’d hoped.
“Thank you for the song,” Damien whispered, then bent his head and kissed her.
She was as sweet as the finest honey, her lips both soft and firm, the scent of her perfume enticing. To Damien’s surprise, she slipped one hand around his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss when he might have stepped back. Her tongue touched his, her welcome enflaming him.
He knew he should break their kiss but didn’t have the willpower to do so. She opened her mouth and rose to her toes, inviting him to partake of all she had to offer, and Damien couldn’t have resisted her—or the firestorm—at any price.
* * *
Petra was back in the tavern, on that fateful night. She felt the firestorm even before she saw Damien, although she hadn’t known what it was at first. She turned in surprise at the unexpected heat just as he walked into the small tavern.
And her world stopped.
At first glimpse, she was snared. Damien paused at the back of the tavern, looking unpredictable, confident and alluring. He watched her, a smile on his lips and a seductive glint is his eyes. It was more than the fact that he was handsome, more than his muscled build, that drew her eye.
He was surrounded with golden light, and she felt as if she was looking straight into the sun. His eyes even seemed to be lit with gold, although later she would see that they simply had hazel glints in them. In that moment, she thought he could have been a god come to walk among them. Petra guessed there was something different about him. He had a raw power that she could sense even at a distance, see even with a glimpse, and her heart soared with hope.
Could it be that there was a man worthy of her love?
Could it be that there was one man who would love her for what she was?
After just one song, he was striding forward to claim her with a kiss, as if he, too, knew that there was strange magic between them. That golden light burned and flared, becoming brighter the closer he came to her. His touch seared her soul and his kiss melted her bones.
She was his for the taking. Their meeting was destiny at work; their happiness together assured. She couldn’t bear to share his company with anyone and led him outside the back of the tavern, where the night sky was thick with stars.
He kissed her again, slowly and thoroughly, leaving her flushed and filled with desire. The golden light burned even brighter between them, sparking off her fingertips in a way that made her laugh. She played with it as he watched her, touching his shoulder to make the flame flash brighter, then drawing her hand away, over and over again.
Each touch made her desire stronger.
Each touch made his gaze burn with greater intensity.
There weren’t any other people outside and Petra was thrilled that they were alone, that this intriguing man was bent on winning her favor. She toyed with the light that sparked between them, and its growing power took her breath away. She was dizzy with her awareness of him and her desire for him. At the same time, she didn’t know what to say to him. Did he have this effect upon all women? Her thoughts were filled with questions, but she loved the sensation of standing with him in the velvety darkness of the night, caught in a golden glow that tantalized and teased them both.
“Surely such a beautiful woman has a name,” he prompted finally and Petra smiled.
“Petra. And you?”
“Damien.”
Petra nodded approval. “A good strong name. A warrior’s name.”
He smiled, watching her play with the sparks. “You’re not afraid of it.”
“Should I be?”
“Many people would be, particularly if they knew what it meant.”
Petra smiled at him. “Does that make me bold?”
The heat in his eyes made her heart pound. “Maybe.”
“Is that a problem?”
He shook his head. “I like bold women, strong women, and women who know what they want.”
“Sounds as if you like a lot of women.”
Damien laughed. “I have, but none such as you.”
She surveyed him, summoned a spark from one of his shoulders with her fingertip and passed it to his other shoulder. She had to narrow her eyes against its bright flare. “Does this happen often to you?”
He shook his head. “Never before, but I know what it is all the same.”
“How so? Have you seen it before?”
He shook his head, his eyes dancing as he watched her try to figure it out.
“You’ve heard of it, then.”
“Many times. It’s called the firestorm.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“Of course not. You’re not one of us.”
Petra’s heart skipped a beat at the inference that he was different from other men. Maybe he was just as different from men as she was from women. “Us?” she echoed lightly.
He smiled, nodding back toward the tavern. “My friend and I belong to a company of warriors called the Pyr.” He watched her then, waiting to see if she recognized the name.