Powerful Magic Read Online Free PDF Page B

"You thought perhaps the heat from my body would warm you?"
               Miserable now, she shot him a look from beneath her lashes.   As dreams went, this wasn't going exactly like she'd like.   By now he should have swept her up in his muscular arms and kissed away any lingering doubts.   Instead, he stood there glowering at her like she'd somehow insulted him.
               "I said never mind."   Turning her back to him, she shivered and held her hands out to the fire.   She didn't remember ever being this uncomfortable in a dream either.
               At precisely that moment an icy wind gusted through the cave opening, dumping wet snow on the small fire and putting it out.  
               "Perfect."   Megan muttered.   "Okay, that's it.   I've had enough.   Dream's over.   It's time to wake up."
               From behind her, she heard a muffled curse.  
               "Stop this foolishness."   His gravely voice sounded weary.   "We must make another fire, here in the back of the cave."
               "But the smoke-"
               "Breathing smoke is better than freezing to death."
               To confirm his words, another icy draft whistled around the cave.  
               If he could pretend that she hadn't made a fool out of herself, so could she.   Bowing her head, shivering so hard she could barely control her hands, she went to his stack and immediately grabbed up as much dry kindling as she could carry.  
                "Where do you want it?"
               "There."  
               She could have sworn amusement flickered across his harsh features before he turned away to get more wood.
               "Now what?"   She didn't have a lighter, or even a match.   And she'd never been a girl scout, so she had no idea how he meant to start another fire.
               Ignoring her, he reached into a pouch and pulled out some sort of stone and scratched it on another.   From a spark he coaxed another; before too long a small fire sputtered to life. Of course he would know how to start a fire.   And she'd lay bets that he'd never been a boy scout either.
               "Warm yourself.   Then we will eat.   I have bread and cheese."
               Great.   Now all that was missing was a jug of wine.   Some dream, she thought with disgust.   At least she could have conjured up a lobster or even a thick, juicy steak.
               Though she was beginning to doubt that this actually was a dream.   What else could have happened, she couldn't hazard a guess.   One thing for sure, she was nowhere near Dallas, Texas. Nowhere near the good ole U.S. of A either.
               The fire felt good, warming her still-frozen hands, though the heavy smoke that soon filled the small cave made her eyes water.   Near the cave opening Kenric chipped away at the pile of snow.   Hollowing out a tunnel, tamping and bracing it with rocks and sticks, she saw he'd created a chimney of sorts.   At least until it filled with snow.   It did alleviate some of the smoke, letting her breathe easier.
               Megan watched as Kenric, muscles working, hefted blocks of stone into his makeshift chimney.    With his leather clothing he looked like something out of a fantasy novel.   She thought of Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart and smiled.   With looks like that, this Kenric had to be an actor or a model.   Maybe one of her friends had hired him as a joke.   Like Sarah Frazier, who nagged her every chance she got that Megan's life was too staid, too predictable.  
               This was not predictable.   Her grin widened.   Sarah's husband had plenty of money.   Enough to create a blizzard in June.   Maybe that was it.  
               But the chill in the air spoke more of a harsh northern winter than a snow machine in Texas.