The Dragon Legion Collection(74)

Who was he? Aura concentrated and a dragon replaced him in her mind, a dragon touched by a fire similar to the sparks that surrounded her.

He was a shape shifter?

Like her?

Aura had never met another shape shifter, other than the nymphs who were her relations. They were all women. A handsome man who could become a dragon, who created sparks from his presence and filled her with lust? This was a dangerous possibility, all the more so because it fascinated Aura. She should run, she knew it, but she wanted to see this marvel.

The sparks brightened suddenly, burning hotter and more yellow than orange. To her dismay, an answering heat filled her body, making her yearn for a man’s touch.

Not any man, though. Only the one in her thoughts. He was more clear to her, almost as if he stood before her, and she knew he was drawing closer. This was her last chance to flee.

Curiosity might be her undoing, and even knowing that, she didn’t run.

She heard him then, a creature flying through the mist without the least bit of caution. What drove him? A quest? A message? Or simple lust? With every beat of his wings, the passion within Aura grew and the sparks multiplied in number. She was overwhelmed with thoughts of pleasure. The air filled with a radiant and golden glow, one that seemed to Aura to be filled with anticipation.

A dragon of deepest black popped out of the mist in that moment. The golden light surrounded him and caressed the edges of his scales, making him look gilded. He hesitated in his flight, evidently startled to be out of the fog, and surveyed his surroundings.

He was magnificent, so graceful and noble a creature that one sight of him could never be enough. His wings were large and black, spread high and wide above him. His scales were deepest black but gleamed with golden lights. His eyes were like burnished gold, nearly glowing with intent. A strange flame illuminated his body, the orange color of the fire making him look even more primal and powerful than he would otherwise.

He was the handsome stranger in other guise. Aura could see his two forms overlapping each other when she eyed him, the one he had chosen more dominant but the other still there. Aura yearned to caress him, a desire that frightened her with its intensity. It wasn’t natural, even for a nymph, to burn with such lust from only one glance. She wanted to know how his scales felt. She wanted to feel the strength of his body. She wanted to touch him in both guises. The sparks were filled with a kind of magic. Already she knew the desire would only be sated by this stranger.

She peered into the mist, seeking a sign that she could indulge herself without repercussions. To Aura’s enormous relief, she saw no child.

She could have him.

With that conviction, there was no question of fleeing.

Aura felt his gaze as surely as a touch. His glance swept over her and he flew closer, seeming to savor his first look at her. His eyes glowed and he breathed fire, as if in anticipation. The glow heated to brilliant white, making Aura burn in a most primal way.

She stood with her head thrown back as the black dragon flew around her in a tight circle. His obvious awe made her want to preen.

It certainly made her smile.

The sparks were getting hotter.

Aura was getting hotter. She felt a lust building in herself that was beyond anything she’d experienced before. She was a nymph, not a vestal virgin, but this desire was sizzling.

It was a spell. It had to be.

Aura hoped it would last for more than just one taste of him.

The dragon flew closer, and Aura couldn’t help but admire his grace. He changed his posture to land right in front of her, and the light crackled as it became brilliant yellow. They were caught in an orb of sizzling heat when she saw a flicker of cool blue. It was almost like a lick of lightning, gone so quickly that her eyes could have been deceived.

But Aura recognized that shimmer. He was a shape shifter, just like her. She resolutely kept her gaze fixed upon him, wanting to witness the change. Just before his feet touched the ground, he became a handsome and athletic young man.

The same one she’d envisioned, of course.

The change was seamless and quick, accomplished in the blink of an eye and with the same elegance he showed in flight. Aura smiled at his prowess. The way he smiled back at her gave Aura ideas.

The flames that burned between them gave her more ideas.

They simultaneously took a step to close the distance between them, then smiled at each other that their thoughts were as one. The light between them lit to palest yellow. Aura could feel perspiration on the back of her neck and feel her desire for him redoubling with every heartbeat. She wanted to run her hands over him and rub herself against him, she wanted to kiss him and taste him and feel this heat build to a crescendo...

He lifted his hand to her chin. Aura gasped at the brilliance of the spark that lit from the point of contact. Its heat surged through her body, melting her reservations and weakening her knees.

“I am your servant,” he murmured, his voice low and deep. His gaze searched hers and she smiled a welcome. She looked at his mouth in time to see the corner lift, then he bent forward and kissed her.

He kissed with surety, firmly but gently, a man who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it, a man who could be turned aside with a fingertip. He wanted her to want him, too, and that realization dissolved the last of Aura’s resistance.


She was lost in his kiss and didn’t want to be found.

* * *

She was perfect.