Dragonborn (The Jade Lee Romantic Fantasies, Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

wig. But this dancer obviously scorned such convention, deliberately flaunting her pale tresses as openly as she displayed her fury.
    Then, d'greth, she began to dance in earnest.
    She had begun slowly, as if unwilling to surrender to the lure of the music. But who would deny such a gift? Even the drunks about the room had ceased imbibing long enough to watch.
    For a bare moment Kiril tried to analyze what made her movements so compelling. There was skill, surely, but he had seen dancers with greater practice, greater training. It wasn't in the way she twisted or shifted before his eyes, her movements almost serpentine in fluidity. No, though mesmerizing to watch, the attraction did not lie in her sheer physical performance.
    Then his mind began to falter, conscious thought slipping away as he gave himself up to the pure joy of watching. The music, the dance, the girl herself; all combined to express an emotion he had rarely seen, much less felt.
    What was it? He couldn't even give it a name.
    Sufficiency, perhaps. He doubted the girl even remembered she had an audience. And happiness. Her expression was rapturous.
    Joy. That was it. Simple, pure, unadulterated joy. D'greth, when was the last time he'd felt that happy?
    She took a leap into the air. He was so caught up in the dance that he fully expected her to sprout wings, taking the explosion of power and movement into the air. But she didn't have wings, and so she fell, plummeting to the floor in a dazed heap, as though she too were surprised by her lack of wings.
    The tavern was silent, the musicians done, and as one, dancer and audience took a breath, all simultaneously returning to reality.
    Then came another explosion: a roar of deafening applause, whistles and cheers. For a moment Kiril envied these men, knowing that for them, the dancer's performance was routine. The innkeeper said she had danced here most of her life. What would it be like to know, at the end of the day, that such awesome beauty awaited? One need only step down the corner to the local tavern. No wonder this inn was thriving.
    Kiril took a deep breath, startled to realize it was his first in many moments. In fact, his dizziness came as much from lack of air as from the woman still on the floor by his feet. Without thought, he left his seat to crouch beside her, gently lifted her up in his arms.
    Tiny was his first thought. She weighed next to nothing. But through the thin barrier of her costume he felt the hardened muscles, the strength and the power of a body that could perform such miracles.
    "I can stand on my own, thank you very much."
    Her cold words jolted him into awareness. Sweet Amia, he had been standing with her in his arms for who knew how long. He felt his face flood with heat, and the shock of that sensation made him drop his arms as if she were no more than a sack of meal. Fortunately, she was lithe and found her feet as easily as any wild animal. And like any wild animal, she turned to flee.
    Fortunately, he was regaining control of his thoughts. Quicker than she could run, he extended his hand, catching her arm. And though he tried to be gentle, his urgency to keep her near him made his grip tighter than he'd intended.
    "Don't go," he urged.
    She stood still, her expression wary, her gaze locked not on his hand where he gripped her wrist but directly at him. On his eyes.
    She had the most marvelous eyes. Pale. Changeable. They matched perfectly with her blond hair and fair complexion. And once again, they were angry, blazing challenge at him for daring to touch her. He felt their impact as a physical blow. No doubt this was how she kept the local populace in line. Otherwise, she would likely be mauled at the conclusion of her first dance.
    But he had not become a dragon-killer without obtaining some skill. No human could match a dragon for power in their mesmerizing gaze, and as potent as this girl was, she was nothing compared to the creatures he had already defeated.
    Instead of