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as effectively as if he’d ripped the Katronian rings from his cock.
    “Second prize goes to crowd favorite, Brigit Taylor for her celestial dragon.” The man held out a document to the spirited woman. She hesitated a second before snatching the paper out of his fingers. Her gaze swept past the announcer going straight to the cup in Orion’s hand, before she turned to the crowd and waved. Brigit smiled sweetly at the people, until she glanced back at him. Her happiness faded, replaced by a massive ball of rage. Without touching him, she slayed him repeatedly with her eyes.
    This was the woman he sought? This was Brigit? Impossible! The man had made a mistake. Yet, even as Orion considered the probability, he knew there’d been no error. He could almost hear the tinkling sounds of the Goddess’ laughter over the crowd’s din. She hadn’t blessed him with this woman, she’d cursed him.
    Orion’s gaze swept Brigit once more, taking in the hidden curves, imagining the feel of her skin beneath his fingertips, the taste of her nipples in his mouth. He swallowed hard. What would she look like without the hideous covering? His palms itched and his body tightened. So this was Brigit Taylor, friend to Queen Rachel and Jac.
    This changed noth—everything.
    There had to be a compromise somewhere. He knew his orders, but conveying his message and then leaving no longer seemed like a viable option. Besides, his orders mentioned nothing about refraining from touching, although perhaps they’d implied as much. King Eros and Ares should’ve been more specific. They’d left seduction floating in the realm of possibility. Orion’s smile deepened as he considered the prospects. There was“more than one way to skin a weasel”.
    He sheathed his sword and laughed under his breath at the fates that brought him to this tiny blue-green planet. The Goddess certainly worked in mysterious ways. Suddenly the thought of babysitting didn’t sound quite so unappealing.
    * * * * *
    Brigit seethed in anger as she rounded on him. “Who are you? Did Rick hire you? Damn, that’s desperate even for him.”
    “No, I—”
    “Then where in the hell did you come from?” she asked as she steamrolled past Orion, not waiting for an answer. “And don’t you dare tell me Zaron,” Brigit shot back over her shoulder as she unhooked her six-foot plastic tail and shoved it under her arm. What kind of name was Orion anyway? He might as well call himself Spock. Talk about unoriginal.
    Like Brigit expected, the man followed her as she exited the stage. Rick and Dorothy laughed and pointed at her as she passed, but quickly stifled their mirth when the dragon slayer shot them an admonishing look. She fumed. She didn’t need this…this…man sticking up for her. She could take care of herself. Brigit still couldn’t believe she’d lost to a guy wearing what appeared to be spray-on clothes. It didn’t matter that he looked like some kind of fabled god in them.
    She glanced at him. He stalked behind her. There could be no other way to describe his movements or his grim expression. Brigit took a moment to examine his costume. It reminded her of something you’d get if Fred E. Rick’s of Hollywood designed a spacesuit for men. Sexy even without a splash of color beyond a couple of jade accents. Were the judges blind? The crowd had decided the winner. The judges score sheets were simply a formality. She huffed. There was no accounting for taste.
    Brigit turned forward in time to avoid colliding into a structural beam. He would’ve loved that, having her so distracted that she walked into something. Bastard! Grr…why did he have to look so good in that outfit anyway? The contest should have been based on talent, yet it had turned into a beauty contest. And there was no way in hell she could beat him in that arena. Heck, the chick who played Lara in Tomb Ryder would have a hard time and she was beyond gorgeous.
    It wasn’t fair. Brigit slapped the second