Open Flame (Dragon's Fate) Read Online Free PDF

bite again had been correct? That he had found his mate? His throat tightened, and he shook the thought from his mind. A foolish fancy.
    The vision of her standing before him in the Spectacle of Time’s hall kept coming to his mind.
    Her fire-blue eyes burned his soul. A playful companion.
    “Are you enjoying the Spectacle of Time?”
    “More like a skeptical of time, don’t you think?”
    Yet there was sadness in her actions.
    What was her grief about?
    They had met before, and he could not place her. If she was his mate, wouldn’t his reaction to her have been the same then?
    Her breathing leveled out, and she slept.
    Madoc sighed. The air, heavy with dirt and the stench of the unwashed floorboards, choked his nostrils. How long had he been standing here in the dark?
    He pulled his watch from his pocket and flipped the case open. He squinted, barely able to see the clock hands. Five to one.
    Hudson. He couldn’t leave his friend alone in this city for the day. He couldn’t leave her here.
    This waiting was agony. He blew out a breath.
    She tossed her head to the side and moaned a gutter-cat sound. His stomach tensed. She would die. That sound alone said enough.
    He fisted and then shook out his hands. He wouldn’t stand here and watch her die. Striding to the small table by the window, he stared at the unlit candles.
    Fire.
    Would she still listen? Would the flames tell the truth or be as a jealous lover one came back to after a time? “Ild.” The Nordic word for flame.
    The candlewicks flared to long, flickering orange flames. He placed a palm over the warmth. He closed his eyes and reached with his mind to the flames. Fire always held the answer.
    In a burst of orange light, the image of him tucked behind her on a bed as he bit her again flickered in the candles glow. His hands wrapped about her body as she trembled and arched her body to his. Beneath the covers, they moved as one. Joined in every way.
    The vision faded. He continued to hold his hand above the flames. Poisoned blood filled his cheek pouches, and he gently caressed the swelling with his teeth. The flame wished for him to bite her again. He stared harder into the fire’s dance.
    Her warm, creamy skin against his lips had assaulted his senses as his teeth sliced into her pulse. The acrid smell of warm blood and the taste of salt on his tongue…
    Maybe he had not released enough of his poisons into her blood to mark her. Maybe he had set her fate by biting her only once.
    He needed to bite her again.
    He shut his jaw and clamped his teeth tight. Pain ripped through his gums as his fangs slid down. He turned from the table and sat on the edge of her tiny bed. The wood protested his weight with a loud creak.
    His fingers brushed a lock of sweaty, fine, curly brown hair from her forehead. Pale skin, as dim as the atmosphere of this dreary room. Simple features as plain as the color of her brown hair. He traced the smooth, arched brows above her eyes and trailed his finger down the bridge of her nose.
    A small bump met his finger at the center. A break, or at least an injury that had healed with a scar as a reminder. He needed to know her story. Would he ever get that chance?
    A bite could save her. A bite could kill her.
    He pushed her hair away from her neck. Fevered skin met his caress. She burned hot, too hot for a human to stand.
    Madoc closed his eyes. A horse whinnied out on the street, a bell rang in the distance, and something shuffled up the hall. Concentrate only on her. He opened his eyes and stopped time for all living things within his reach… Except her. He slid his hand down her neck until the beat of her heart jumped against his fingers. She lived. The flame said to bite her again.
    His body tensed. What if she died? He could not risk another bite. No. He released his hold on time, and the noises came crashing back.
    He leaned in and inhaled the scent of nutmeg and vanilla.
    Helplessness rushed him, and his stomach cramped. Since the