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  He reined in his beast, acknowledging that he needed time to think more deeply about this new development. It had been decades since he’d had more than a few hours alone with a female. Perhaps he was just lonely? Or horny?

  Grrr. His suddenly alert SeaDragon strongly disagreed. The Witch was his. His fated mate. Her natural fragrance, a tempting mix of lemon and mandarin-oranges with a hint of vanilla, was like ambrosia to him.

  He recognized it as the scent of her anima magicae, the heart and soul of her supernatural powers. Sweet and light and tantalizing to his Dragon’s nose. He wanted to breathe her in everywhere. To sniff and lick and taste each supple inch of her body.

  Easy there. We need time, remember? His Dragon bristled at the command but agreed with his human half. Phoebe was not aware of the situation at all. Thought it was likely that she had been sent by the Heralds to use her wiles on him, she seemed genuinely unaware of her effect on him.

  He was certain that she had been chosen for him. Perhaps by the Parcae themselves. But that didn’t mean he had to fall in line so easily, did it? He certainly had no intention of following the Heralds commands simply because they willed it.

  Why should this be easy for them? They’d abandoned him. Left him to rot alone without purpose. Did they even know what it is like to be a SeaDragon, a retainer of Cancer, and to have no purpose?

  Anger surged through him, fast and fierce, but it was just as quickly doused when the Witch in his arms ran her petal soft hand over his forearm. The movement though rendered while she was asleep, made his Dragon want to roll belly up as she continued to pet and caress him. Petting a Dragon?

  He should have been affronted by the gesture, but nope. He found himself leaning into her touch. Trying to prolong the moment. He bit back a moan as pleasure coursed through his blood. Perhaps she uses her craft against me? But Nathan knew better. His Beast was beyond thrilled at the feel of her body,body; her soft, gentle curves so close to him. The SeaDragon preened inside Nathan’s mind’s eye. She touches us. She knows she is ours.

  Bloody hell. It had been so long since he even entertained the idea of a mate. Was he even worthy of such a blessing? For decades he’d blamed himself for the fall of the Wardens. Particularly for his final failure, just before the Hounds of God took over the Wardens of Terra as protectors of the Earth.

  He’d been foolhardy and proud. He’d believed her. The woman who’d turned out to be the greatest traitor of them all. Arianna, an elemental, had more power and more negative intentions than he was aware of.

  He’d met her while fighting a mighty Sea Demon. She’d been captured by the creature and was being used to manipulate the weather, effecting the crops of the humans who inhabited the earth. The ones he’d sworn to protect.

  So, Nathan rescued her. Brought her home with him, blinded by her beauty. She seduced him easily. And when she’d said, she was his mate, well, he believed her. She’d been so very beautiful and so very good at lying.

  He’d been a young Dragon then. The last of his kind. He’d clung to the hope that Arianna was his true mate, though she would not let him mark her. He still hoped she would one day bear him young. Help him repopulate the world with SeaDragons. But she’d had other things in mind. Mainly killing him and using his blood for the Dark Magic that fueled the Sea Demon’s rampages against humankind.

  It had been bloody and painful, the battle that sealed his fate on this tiny rock. He’d spent the first century in mourning. Almost starving in his misery until he’d finally snapped out of it and decided to live again.

  He was not so down as to try and kill himself. It took time, but he shook off his folly. Nathan worked hard to build a life on his private isle. Cut off from the other Wardens and the Heralds. Abandoned by them. Yes. He’d let bitterness fester in his heart for those he was once proud to be part of.

  He would not go back to them so easily. Not just because they called him now. Still, he had needs. Needs the tempting little Witch in his bed could see to in the interim. He would not trifle with her, after all he was almost certain she was his fated mate.

  A truly delectable and sultry vixen. The most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen, what with her golden hair and sapphire eyes. A true treasure for any Dragon’s hoard. Laughter like the tinkling of bells, eyes like precious gems, skin pale and luminescent like the saltwater pearls he gathered from the deep.

  Perhaps she’d like to see his treasures? A good idea. He’d show her soon. Well, as soon as he got her to remove this silly spell she put on his home. He could hear the winds raging outside and he wondered what damage they were doing to his crops. He could always replant, but it was unusual for such storms to present so early in the season.

  Yes, he needed her to undo her magic immediately. Once she understood that she was his mate, she’d certainly give up on trying to get him to go back to the Wardens. She’d see her place was there with him. Serving his needs, cooking his meals, bearing his young. A fine place for a female! He’d be a good mate.

  Nathan would protect her, see to her every material need, and, come night, he’d make love to every inch of her willing body. Yes. Sounded perfect to him. Heck, he was looking forward to claiming her and solidifying the bond that had already started to form between them.

  It wasn’t love. No. He could never trust himself that far again. But he didn’t need to offer love. He could offer riches, more material goods than she could possibly want, every protection a SeaDragon could afford, and guaranteed, mind-blowing sex.

  How could she refuse?

  CHAPTER 6

  Phoebe woke up to the scent of freshly brewed coffee. She moaned aloud wondering how quickly she could get a cup to her lips before she had to face the day.

  It had taken her ages to fall asleep against the warm, and very hard, body that had clung tightly to her. All of her attempts to remove herself from his grasp were pretty much shot down as he simply tightened his vise-like grip around her soft middle. Oh, who was she kidding? She quite enjoyed being wrapped up in the gorgeous dark-haired, silver-eyed Dragon’s embrace for the night.

  Wouldn’t mind a bit more actually. Not that he tried anything. He was a perfect gentleman. Kept his hands firmly on her abdomen. Not a single digit strayed out of bounds. The jerk.

  Startled by the direction of her thoughts, she sprung up in bed. With a flick of her wrist she magicked the bed into making itself and hopped off to the bathroom. Shower. Shave legs. Brush teeth. Get dressed. A girl, even a Witch, had standards after all.

  When she was finished with all the necessities, she threw on a long white skirt made of a light gauzy material with a simple scoop-neck tank top and headed out to meet the man himself.

  Phoebe stopped in her tracks when she saw a shirtless Nathan standing at the kitchen counter with just a hint of sunlight outlining his body. He was positively ripped! With enormous tanned muscles covering every solid inch of him. So much sunkissedsun kissed skin. Like cinnamon sugar. Yummy. She licked her lips, wondering if he’d taste as sweet.

  Oh no. Do not go there, I have a job to do and it doesn’t involve getting frisky with the hottie over there!

  “Morning,” he spoke first, breaking the silence. Phoebe turned away quickly, embarrassed to be caught staring at him.

  “May I?” She gestured to the coffee.

  “Of course,” he replied, a smile on his perfectly chiseled features.

  How could one man be so damn good-looking? Ugh. Stop it, she scolded herself. Phoebe straightened her shoulders and walked up to the counter. She jumped when he reached over her, filling her nostrils with his fresh sea air scent, to place a clean mug in front of her.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you,” his mouth was impossibly close to hers for a nanosecond before he straightened.

  “No,” she cleared her throat, “I mean to say, that’s alright. Um, excuse me,” she avoided his gaze as he poured the rich, hot brew into her mug. He offered her both cream and sugar, that same smile teasing the edge of his rug
ged mouth.

  He was seriously handsome. Almost beautiful. Phoebe couldn’t help but admire his uniquely masculine beauty. Though, she should probably admit she also found him endearing. Helping herself to both his offerings, she repressed a sugar shudder as their fingers touched casually over the sugar bowl.

  “Breakfast?”

  “Sure. Did you want me to-”

  “No, no,” he answered.

  “You have been cooking for days.”

  “Yes, but you haven’t been eating it.”

  “A punishment for me I assure you. I have been a lousy host, Phoebe. Allow me to make it up to you. It’s only right I take care of breakfast.”

  “Alright then,” Phoebe watched as he deftly moved about gathering a few pots and a cutting board. He opened the huge refrigerator and began taking out ingredients.

  “Can I help at all?”

  “No, please relax. I was thinking of whipping up a vegetable frittata. You just enjoy your coffee,” he busied himself washing and chopping vegetables then set them in a pan to sauté, while he beat a dozen and a half eggs in a large stainless-steel bowl.

  Phoebe was pleasantly shocked at the way he executed himself. He had all the confidence of a man who’d been living alone a long time, but none of the savageness she expected from someone cut off from civilization for so long. He obviously still enjoyed some kind of relationship with the world.

  “What is it?” he asked while adding spices to the egg mixture.

  “Nothing. You just surprise me is all.”

  “Ah, you expect me to be some sort of wild animal, then?”

  She started to shake her head but stopped when he nodded and smiled instead.

  “No, I get it. I do. A solitary SeaDragon living on an unchartered island for a thousand years, I can hazard a guess at what your expectations of me were. You should know, stuck isn’t exactly a word I associate with myself. I am a Dragon, you know, I have magic, and more recently, I have the internet,” he winked at the last word and she felt herself blushing in response.

  She watched as Nathan placed the pan in the oven to finish. Then he began slicing long, thick pieces of bacon off a huge slab. They landed with a satisfying sizzle in the cast iron frying pan and Phoebe almost drooled at the delicious aroma.

  “That smells amazing,” she said.

  “Thank you. I smoke the meat myself.”

  “Really? Is that some kind of a Dragon joke?” She smiled as his laughter flooded the kitchen.

  “No, I’m afraid I use an old-fashioned smoking house, like ordinary normals used to. I built one on the other side of the mountain a few centuries ago. Of course, the wood needs to be replaced every few decades, salt air and all that, but I am pretty handy after all.”

  “Sounds interesting, I’d like to see it sometime.”

  “I could show you today, flava meus. That is, if you would remove your spell.”

  “I’m sorry, Nathan, but until you are ready to discuss business with me, the spell will remain.”

  “Well then, we will be stuck here,” his fingers brushed the back of her hand sending tingles of awareness through her body.

  “Alone,” he continued as he dished out bacon and slices of the succulent frittata he made.

  The concoction was practically bursting with fragrant onions, diced potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, and thick chunks of gooey, melted cheese. Freshly ground black pepper and sprigs of dill decorated the top, creating a divine flavorful experience. Heaven on a dish!

  Phoebe was almost drooling, and it wasn’t because of the delicious breakfast he’d cooked for her. Oh no. It was because of the way he seemed to touch her at every possible turn. Passing the salt, handing her a napkin, wiping a crumb of toast from her lips. He did all of that, and more, nonchalantly. As if he couldn’t feel the sexual tension in the air. Jerk, she thought once again, blushing at the unkindness of her inner dialogue.

  “Um, I’ll clean up,” she stood and tried to grab the dishes before he could, but he managed to move faster. His hand lingered on her wrist for a fraction of a second too long as he moved to gather the plates.

  She quickly took over, shooing him out to the other room where she hoped to the Goddess, he would spend some time getting dressed before she was done loading the dishwasher and wiping down the counters.

  She could’ve used magic, but the truth was she needed the time away from him to remind all her overactive little pink bits that she was there to do a job. And not that kind of job. Though she wouldn’t mind dropping to her knees before that mountain of a man and exploring whether or not everything about him was fully proportional.

  Sure, she’d gotten a glimpse the previous day when he was naked, but she hadn’t really looked. And last night she certainly felt something large settle in behind her bottom, but she remained facing the other direction. She was not peeking, well, not without an invitation. No matter how much she wanted to.

  He was definitely long and thick. Sigh. The hard evidence of his manhood that had snuggled against her buttocks during most of their time in bed had attested to the fact. Still, she’d sure love a long look at his marvelous cock up close and personal like. Uh oh. Moisture dampened her panties just thinking about him.

  Damn. Okay, think of Math. Yeah, Math is hard. Like Nathan. Eep! No. Bad Witch. Okay, the formula to find the circumference of a circle is pi times the diameter, so if the diameter is six then, oh hell, I give up.

  Utterly confused and doing her best to ignore the still shirtless SeaDragon, she approached him with both hands raised as if in surrender. She supposed she was surrendering in a way.

  “Look, we need to discuss why I’m here.”

  “I know why you’re here, but I told you already I won’t discuss it. Now, tell me, does your spell confine us to these rooms on this floor?”

  “Um, no, I bespelled us to be confined to your actual house. However large it is.”

  “Good. Will you come with me then? I have much to show you.”

  “Um, okay,” she shrugged.

  A curious Witch by nature, she wondered what Nathan had in mind. He didn’t seem to want her there at all the past few days, and yet today he seemed anxious for her company. Weird.

  She waited for him to return dressed in jeans and a clean white t-shirt. The starkness of the t-shirt only enhanced his generous tan which she knew covered his entire body. Lots of sunbathing in the nude happening round here. She only hoped she was around to see it next time. Sigh.

  He looked mouthwateringly good. His short, black hair was combed away from his face, silver eyes flashing with heat whenever he looked at her. She wondered if the Dragon possibly found her attractive.

  A short, chubby Witch from Virginia? Stranger things have happened she supposed. And it wasn’t like she didn’t think she was pretty or anything. He was just so extra. Tall, tanned, muscular, sexy, handsome. Just about everything the doctor, or in this case, Witch, ordered!

  Phoebe was a sucker for a beautiful man. Though her rounded figure tended to attract a certain type of guy, she’d always preferred her men to be handsome and sculpted. A girl has needs after all.

  She felt her blush creep along her skin and had to stop herself from swooning at his feet even if he did look like some kind of sex god with his muscles and exotic coloring. Yum.

  “Come, flava meus. I want to show you my castle.”

  “Your castle?”

  “Yes. All Dragons live in castles. This one is a little more modern than I recall them being, but I have embraced modern architecture and technology in this aspect. You should like it.”

  Nathan seemed concerned about that, so she nodded to assuage his anxiety. Of course she liked it. The house was amazing. A verifiable mansion on an island for the Goddess’ sake!

  He led her to an ordinary looking wall but surprised her yet again when he lifted a sconce to reveal a secret panel. After placing his palm on the security pad, another door appeared out of the natural rock wall, the stainless-steel portal slid o
pen without making a sound. High-tech indeed.

  “You know, I can’t figure you out, Nathan. Sometimes you talk like someone out of the 12th Century, but then you have all these gadgets,” she tsked and shook her head oblivious to his searching gaze.

  “Is that a bad thing, flava?”

  “No, not bad at all,” she was about to ask him what that word meant when he placed one large hand on the small of her back.

  Heat seeped through the fabric of her thin top as he guided her along the dark path to an area that seemed to glow with soft ethereal lighting. The temperature dropped a few degrees and she shivered, grateful for the natural heat that seemed to emanate from his powerful body.

  “Come this way. Watch your step,” he motioned towards the uneven floor, but his grip remained on her person.

  For that, she was exceedingly grateful. Some Shifters had the ability to see in night vision, alas Witches did not share in that talent. Besides, Phoebe had always been a little clumsy. The last thing she needed to do was fall down in the dark!

  “Thanks,” she murmured and allowed him to lead her down an incline of about a hundred yards or so.

  Another opening led to a large room that seemed more like a museum than what she’d imagined a Dragon’s treasure room to look like. His hoard was certainly vast. Paintings and historical artifacts were placed along one side of the enormous structure.

  Where she’d imagined a dank cave, she found herself standing in a very clean, climate-controlled room. The floors were highly polished, the walls finished, with vents on both the ceiling and floors.

  As they neared the entrance, she noticed a forcefield of some sort protecting the area. Nathan slowly exhaled a breath at the very center, and she went still. It was more than air that he breathed, it was magic.

  Amazing, she thought. A deep blue flame leapt from Nathan’s mouth and touched the forcefield allowing them temporary entrance. Dragon fire, she thought in awe of the miracle of him. She recognized the gift he bestowed upon her, allowing her to see his power. Dragons were rare after all, and very, very secretive.