Dragon's Curse (Harlequin Nocturne) (22 page)

When he didn’t answer the door after her third knock, Ariel
drew in a deep breath and crossed her fingers before willing herself inside his
apartment.

She felt the air around her move and when she opened her eyes,
nearly cheered to see she’d actually gone through a solid object.

“You weren’t invited in here.”

She spun around to face him. “There are rules about that,
too?”

“Do you just walk into someone’s house uninvited back where you
live?”

“No.”

“Then don’t do it here, either.” He turned away. “You can get
out the same way you got in.”

“Cameron, I’m sorry.” Ariel followed him down the hall toward
the master bedroom.

He didn’t stop, but asked, “For what?”

“For not knowing my place in your world. For not being a proper
submissive female dragon.”

“Figured that out all by yourself?”

“Actually, no.” She saw no reason to lie. “A couple of
lovebirds showed me.”

He stopped outside his bedroom door and turned to face her.
“You and I might be equal here, in human form.”

“Might be?” She snapped her mouth shut.

“Fine. You and I are equal here, but not there, Ariel. A beast
is a beast. It doesn’t matter how civilized I might be as a man, that falls away
when I take another form. My human logic can’t always control a dragon.”

Hesitantly, she reached up and touched his cheek. “I’m
sorry.”

“Apology accepted.” He grabbed her wrist. “Now will you go
away?”

Ariel shook her head. “No. Don’t you think there’s a few things
we need to talk about?”

“Like what?”

“Us perhaps?”

“We can discuss it tomorrow.”

“No, we can’t. I’m leaving in the morning, Cam.” She pulled her
wrist free and turned to leave. “I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am.
And say goodbye.”

Ariel swallowed, then gritted her teeth. Just as she had
expected, her eyes filled with tears.

“Goodbye? Just like that?”

Knowing she wouldn’t be able to speak without making a fool of
herself, Ariel nodded.

“You aren’t going anywhere, Ariel.”

She spun around and shouted at him, “I can’t stay here, not
like this, not where I’m not wanted.”

“You aren’t a fool, so don’t act like one now.” He swept her
into his arms, carried her to his room and kicked the door closed behind them.
After depositing her on the bed, he warned, “I can find you wherever you go, so
don’t even think of disappearing.”

“I’m not going to disappear. All I want to do is go back to my
apartment, finish packing and cry myself to sleep.”

“You should cry. You’ve lost so much today.”

The enormity of her brother’s death settled around her like a
mountain-size boulder. She gasped for breath beneath the weight.

Cam sat next to her and pulled her onto his lap. Holding her
tightly against his chest, he urged softly, “Let it go, Ariel. Let it go.”

She shook her head, fearing that if she let the tears fall they
would never stop. “No. I’m fine.”

But he ignored her. Without exchanging another word, Ariel felt
his beast reach out to comfort hers. It was as if a great wing pulled her
grieving beast closer against the warmth of a steady heartbeat.

She didn’t know if the gentle crooning against her ear came
from Cam or his beast, nor did she care. The only thing she knew for certain was
that she was protected, she was safe and that she was held by someone who cared
for her deeply.

A sob tore from between her teeth and she curled her fingers
tightly into his shirt, seeking a solid anchor in the coming storm.

He rocked her, whispering over and over, “It’s okay, let it
go.”

Chapter 21

W
hen Ariel awoke, darkness still blanketed
the room. She sat up on the bed and took a deep, shuddering breath. She scanned
the room wondering how long she’d been asleep.

The door to the bedroom opened, letting in a sliver of light
along with Cam. “Here, drink this.” He handed her a glass of water.

She took the glass, muttering, “I’m sorry.”

While unbuttoning his shirt, he said, “You’ve nothing to be
sorry for, Ariel. Nothing.”

“What are you doing?” She eyed him suspiciously.

“Getting ready for bed.” He winged one eyebrow in her
direction. “You should be doing the same.”

“Oh, no, you don’t.” She nearly leaped from the bed. He wasn’t
going to trick her into making love. Right now, with her defenses down and no
strength to resist him, this would be the most unwise and dangerous mistake she
could make.

If he touched her, or kissed her again, how would she ever
spend the rest of her life without him?

Ariel tugged on the bedroom door. It wouldn’t budge beneath her
hand. She closed her eyes and wished herself anywhere but here, but to her
chagrin her wishes went unanswered.

“Ariel.” He breathed her name against the back of her neck.
“Ariel, we’re not letting you go. We can’t.”

She clung to the doorknob for support. “Don’t do this, please,
don’t do this.”

“What? Don’t do what?” He brushed her hair aside and placed his
lips against her heated flesh. “This?” He moved up her neck, angling over to the
sensitive spot beneath her ear. “Or this?”

She needed it to be something more than just sex and desire.
“Don’t try to confuse me by using lust against me.”

He stepped away. “Lust?”

“Yes, lust. Desire. Passion. Call it what you will. But isn’t
that all we share?”

When he didn’t respond, she turned around. Cameron stood fully
clothed across the room with his arms crossed against his chest, glaring at
her.

“Cam?”

The bedroom door swung open. “If that’s all this is to you,
feel free to leave.”

Something in the tone of his voice checked her exit. He sounded
unbelievably hurt—disappointed. She took a step toward him, feeling her way with
her heart instead of her head.

The longing and pain swirling around her were familiar. She’d
sensed them in the dragon, without realizing the man shared the same emotions.
Her need to comfort both of them drove her forward.

Ariel swallowed hard, trying to convince herself that she
wasn’t making a grave mistake. She squared her shoulders and met his hooded
gaze. “It’s always been more than just lust for me. Always.”

She took another step toward him. “I thought that’s all it was
to you. A way to gain what you wanted from the enemy, until you and your dragon
made love to me.” She took a deep breath to steady her faltering voice. “I love
you, Cameron Drake. I love both the wizard and the dragon, dearly.”

He met her halfway across the room. “I won’t lie. I desired you
the moment I caught you in the workshop at Mirabilus.”

He took her hands in his and lifted them to his lips. Placing a
kiss on her fingertips, he said, “And I’ve been madly in love with you since you
shot me with your stun gun. Then, to make matters worse, you went and petted the
dragon, making him fall head over heels goofy for you, too.” He lowered his
voice. “And you heard his need for love and answered it by caring.”

He shot her that all-too-familiar half smile that took her
breath away. “If that wasn’t enough, you laughed at me when I claimed my dragon
had no abilities. You, a mere mortal, with one sentence, made it clear that just
being a dragon was all the magic needed to end an ancient curse. It wounds my
ego deeply to admit you were right.”

Cam dropped down to one knee. “Ariel, I love you. You are my
angel of healing, my harbinger of rebirth. Stay with me. Marry me and I swear
that I will prove how much I love you each and every day we share together.”

She knew that crying again would make him feel guilty and that
if she started, it would be hard to stop. So, to keep from falling into a
weeping puddle, she tossed her head and quipped, “I suppose I still have to be a
submissive female dragon to your dominant male?”

He laughed softly and before she knew what he was planning,
found herself naked on the bed, with him next to her.

Cam handed her a silk scarf. “I’ll make you a deal. You be the
submissive dragon and I’ll be the submissive lover in bed if you want.”

Ariel dropped the scarf to the floor, rolled over onto his
chest and gazed down at him. “I’ll have to think about that one. But I do know
one thing.”

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the end of her nose.
“What?”

“That I love you more than I can say. But if you don’t kiss me
quick, I’m going to turn into a blubbering nit.”

Cameron pressed his lips against hers, whispering, “We can’t
have that, now, can we?”

* * * * *

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ISBN: 9781459233768

Copyright © 2012 by Denise L. Koch

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