Amethyst Bound (4 page)

Even as I thought the name, I felt the dragon body tilting and heading east toward La Paz. Apparently my imaginary dragon had built-in GPS. No directions or anything, just say your destination and, Bob’s your uncle, you’re on your way. I didn’t bother to squash down my runaway thoughts. They were all that kept my panic under wraps. Full-blown panic could come later, after my imagination got us back on the ground.

Considering the terrain far below—what about Davis?

Even if the Rosita wasn’t safe long, we could grab Davis’s things or at least let him go. If he survived the trip.
“Is he okay down there?”
He came into sight as if the dragon had tipped its—

my—head down to check on Davis.
“He appears well
enough.”

Davis really didn’t seem as upset as I would have 26

Amethyst Bound

expected. In fact…the lunatic had his arms spread like a child pretending to fly. It was a surprising reaction, but then again…he’d said his specialty was dragons. Maybe he was enjoying this. Hell, maybe this wasn’t his first dragon ride. Somehow his joyride reaction eased some of my terror. Maybe it was my competitive side, but if he could handle being snatched up by a dragon, I could deal with being stuck inside the monster. Couldn’t I?

“Davis!” I tried to shout, but it came out as a roar similar to an alligator though less rough and more…musical. But unfortunately not in any kind of words that Davis would understand.

“We will go to his lair.”

Lair? Oh, Davis’s hotel. “
Not too close. I don’t want
anyone to shoot us down.”
Now that I thought about shootings…why wasn’t my behind throbbing? There was no pain at all now.

“Shifting forms often heals injuries.”

“Handy.”

“Indeed.”

My scaly half was chatty and full of information. That should prove useful for more than healing bullet wounds.

Before I could ask her any of my thousands of questions, our body angled sharply toward the earth.
Oh hell…

I was not panicking. I was calm and cool and in control. Maybe not in control of my body or my situation, but I had control of my mind and, damn it, I wasn’t going to panic. A tip of wings revealed we were circling down into La Paz. The sun hovered on the brink of the horizon and threw the stone-and-adobe walls of the many buildings into high relief with deep shadows.

Good Lord, the people were sure to see us. How could they miss a giant purple dragon? Maybe I should try L. Shannon

27

blending. Considering I was now the size of a damn plane, was blending even an option?

“They will not see us. I come in from the setting sun
and your shadows have hidden us from sight.”
Shadows? Then I understood. The dragon was already using my blending. Much as I was glad to not be scaring the crap out of the locals, I also felt a little betrayed. It was my skill, the thing that had kept me alive and safe more times than I could count.
Mine
was now suddenly
ours
.

As smooth as a butterfly, and bigger than a freaking elephant, we settled behind the Hotel Rosita. We set Davis back on his own feet and I wondered if he would bolt the moment the claws opened.

He didn’t. Instead he stepped closer to my draconic body and seemed content to study me. To him I was probably as good as a Rosetta Stone.

Much as it might disappoint Davis, now would be a good time to return to human form. If I could turn into a dragon I could surely turn back, right? I was more than ready to have control back in my very human hands.

“I don’t wish to change back.”
Whoa, baby!
Everything that was me rebelled at the dragon’s thought. This was not going to happen. Not today. Not ever.

“It’s time to change back,”
I insisted. The dragon read my mind and knew my thoughts so I couldn’t even consider the possibility of not taking back control of this body that we currently seemed to share.
“I’m not exactly
sure what you are or what we’ve become. I don’t know if
this is temporary or a permanent situation. What I do
know is that I won’t be pushed around. I’m willing to
share if you let me lead, but that’s the only option.”
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Amethyst Bound

“You cannot get free of me now that we are bound.”
Okay…that sounded permanent, which made this moment of understanding even more important. She thought I was left with no choice, and in a way she was right.
“I will cut your pretty pendant from my flesh before
I’ll let you control me.”

“Cutting the pendant away will do nothing but make
you bleed.”

I wasn’t sure if that was the truth. For some reason it sounded like my dragon half was guessing.
“Then I will
bleed. I bet if I bleed enough, you will die.”

“So would you.”
She sounded smug but I also heard a tiny hesitation.

“Yes, but I will never again be the puppet for another
being. I would rather kill us both than live in terror of
someone else’s control.”

There was a curious shifting in the body and mind we shared as she tried to understand my reasoning.
“You
would choose death before submission?”

“Yes.”

A tickle ran through my mind when she checked if I was lying. She found that I spoke the truth.
“I believe you
would. Very well, you shall lead us.”
Despite the short answer, I had the distinct impression she silently tacked a “for now” onto the end.

Chapter Five

The dragon released my body and I changed back into my usual human form. I was given no warning. One moment I was wrapped in several tons of scale-covered dragon. The next I was standing naked in the breeze. And poor Davis…he’d been running his hands over the dragon’s scaly shoulder, and after the change, his right hand was resting over my bare right breast.

He let out a yelp and jumped back. “Oh! I’m sorry.” I understood the reaction. Our flesh touching for even that second scorched me. Reaction or not, I stood bare-ass naked before him. The only upside was that his eyes had lost their scientific stare and had taken on some very primal heat. Even if I might rarely admit it, I was girlie enough to appreciate the flattery. However, I didn’t appreciate it enough to just hang out nude for all and Adam. “Give me your shirt, would you?” His gaze traveled the full trip down to my toes and on the way back up stalled out at my shoulder. “Beautiful tattoo.” His hand started upward as if to touch me again but stumbled and then retreated.

Instinctively my fingers closed over my upper arm, where the image of a knife stabbed through tangled ivy.

“Um, thanks.”

“Not that one, although it is nice too. I mean the dragon tattoo.”

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Amethyst Bound

“I don’t have a dragon tat—” I looked at where his hands waved and, lo and behold, I had a new tattoo.

“Damn it.” Twisting and turning, I could still only see the edges but even that was enough to identify the brand-new art. The thing was huge—a purple dragon covering my back with wingtips spread out across my shoulders. Davis might be all impressed by the beauty of it, but I was more than a little bit pissed. It was my body, yet it seemed like every part of it was being stolen from me. “Give me the damn shirt, Davis.”

“Ah, yeah.” He dug into his bag and pulled out a long-sleeved shirt. He ducked his gaze away and held out the offering. I might have been impressed if he hadn’t been peeking and his lips hadn’t formed a cute smirk.

“Thanks.” I slid into the shirt and began buttoning it up. For not the first time in my life, I was happy to be on the small side. His shirt was long enough to hit mid-thigh and cover all my important parts. It also smelled like Davis, a peculiar musty, manly smell that was a part of him. As I pushed the button through the next-to-top hole, I couldn’t resist lifting the collar up to inhale his scent.

“We shouldn’t stay out here. Do you still want to go to my hotel room?” This time he was asking more than where I was going or if I wanted to use his books for research. He was asking me up to see his etchings.

I almost laughed at the thought, but the truth was I’d fall for the line with a smile and never mind the consequences. Already my body tingled with a demanding desire to do naughty things to Davis. Starting with stripping him down and licking him all over. I needed his scent on me. In me.

At least during sex I could control what and who my body did.

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I paused at the waves of need that were deeper and darker than mine usually ran.
And licking up his scent,
what’s with that?
A familiar tickle glided through my mind. The dragon. Maybe I
couldn’t
control who I did.

Maybe this wasn’t my desire. Did dragon lust run hot?

Was this the creature or me?

“Both.”

I considered arguing, but even before I picked up the cursed amulet I’d wanted Davis. A quick tumble was certainly appealing. But this wasn’t all me. I didn’t jump a guy when on the job or being hunted by killers. If it happened, it would be later. For the moment I had bigger problems than my long-ignored libido. And the faster I dealt with those problems, the sooner I’d get to jump Davis. Now that was motivation.

“Do you have materials in your room that might shed some light on the pendant, the prophecy or the fact that I just turned into a dragon?” I moved up closer to him and slid one hand over his arm. He felt tense under my touch but it was the kind of coiled strength that promised a release of energies that I was fairly sure would be a great deal of fun.

His head dipped forward, then hesitated mere inches from kissing. His pause left me wanting to jump and claim the temptation. His lips quirked up and he sighed a warm breath out. “Maybe. Hey, I don’t even know your name.”

“You didn’t think it was important,” I teased.

He dipped closer once more, this time not stopping until I was almost breathing from his lips. “That was then.

This is now. Will you tell me your name?”

“Amethyst.”
The dragon’s voice chimed through my mind.

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Amethyst Bound

“Amethyst?” My dragon had a name? I felt kind of weird having a name for my current dip into insanity, but on the other hand it sort of made sense too. Unfortunately it also made the whole situation too real. The panic I’d been holding at bay welled up.

Davis pressed his lips to mine, breaking me from the rising fear. His kiss was light but sparked my arousal up a notch. Before I could take control and deepen the kiss, he drew back and said, “Amethyst is a pretty name.”

“What?” Oh, he thought my name was Amethyst. “No, that’s not my name. My name’s Toni.”

“But…you just said it was Amethyst.” I couldn’t help but laugh at his confused look. “That’s the dragon’s name.” Weird as it was for my other half to have a name, I wanted to be clear with Davis about her being separate from me. Or at least as separate as two personalities sharing one body could be.

“She has a name?”

I cringed a little at my new dual-personality reality.

Apparently stealing his life’s work was what had changed my life, possibly forever. “When you asked for my name, she answered. It surprised me and I repeated it.”

“You just learned her name? I take it you weren’t a dragon prior to stealing the
Tawasuyus?
” He was really taking this well, a little too well, even for a dragon expert. He should be freaking, maybe not as much as I was, but at least some. “Why aren’t you freaking out? Exactly how many dragons have you met?

And how did you know this dragon is a she?” He shrugged. “You’re my first dragon. I’m handling it because I’ve dreamed it a thousand different ways, and being female makes sense since she is you.” His gaze darted away. “Shouldn’t we be going inside?” He waved L. Shannon

33

toward the path that probably led to the back entrance of the hotel.

His back was too straight and his body too tense.

Different from how he’d been when we touched. And why had he backed off? My nerves tightened. Maybe it was a little too convenient that he studied dragons. Maybe he was a threat. Here I was trusting him, far more than I would any other stranger. Hell, more than I trusted most of my acquaintances. “Wait a minute. You’re not telling me something.”

“Hurry up, Toni. What if the gun-toting lunatics know where I’m staying? Even if they don’t know now, I imagine it won’t take them long to find out.” He had a good point, but this was too important to let go. I sped up to reach his side and grabbed his arm to stop his flight.

He stilled under my hand and slowly tipped his head down to meet my gaze. “I looked.”

“What?” He looked at what? I mean I knew he looked at me standing naked and I was glad he could tell I was female, but that wasn’t what he meant.

Amethyst’s thoughts flowed over me.
“I do not wear
clothes. I have no reason to hide my femininity.”

“Oh. You scoped out my dragon.” I punched him in the arm. “Perv.”

His face bloomed a cute pink.

I bit back another laugh in relief. Not lies, plots or betrayals, just a strange man who’d snuck a peek at the genitals of the mythical beast that happened to be me.

This time the laugh made it free. Damn, the man was adorable when he was embarrassed. “You know, Davis…that is kind of weird. Guess I should feel lucky you didn’t grope her tail.”

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Amethyst Bound

“She is pink. It was a bit of a giveaway.”

“She’s purple. Besides, you’re pink now too, and I haven’t asked you to drop shorts.” At his shocked look I couldn’t help going one step further. “At least not out here in the garden.”

His mouth fell open as I walked past him. With him following mutely, I led us through the little garden area up to the building. The man was just too much fun to play with. Verbally sparring with him was an occupation I could get used to.

But then I remembered my fears from moments ago.

Could he be a threat? Obviously he was interested in me because of the dragon, but was that interest a danger?