Dragons Among Them (Kingdoms of Fire and Ice) Read Online Free Page A

longed to learn more about these things, more about her, but she’d grown quiet, unwilling to share her memories further.
    “And then?” he asked, his voice soft.
    She shook her head, blinking to hold back moisture now sparkling in the firelight. “You…you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
    Zayne sensed the fair maiden’s distress. Though her story to this point made little sense, the embarrassment in her tone was quite real. He reached a gentle hand to tip her feather-soft chin in his direction. “Tell me.”
    She shook her head again, stubborn even now. But why? What did she have to hide?
    “I know you saw another today.” He flashed her the same fiery look he’d set upon the wolves several hours before. In the daylight, the effect would have been diminished by the sun’s warm rays. But in the current darkness of this guest room, the glow of his eyes would be impossible to miss. “Because I was there.”
    Awareness dawned upon Addie’s face as her eyes widened. “No,” she breathed. “No, it…it can’t be.”
    Zayne lifted his shirt to reveal the blood-soaked bandages wrapped tight around his midsection. “I assure you, it can and it is.”

Chapter Four
    Addie stumbled backward, unable to look away. His eyes…they were glowing. And not a reflection from the fire glowing, but glowing glowing—just like the eyes of the giant golden dragon that had swooped down between her and the wolves.
    It was all too much. She had to get away from here. Now.
    She braced herself for the pain and spun on her good foot, then sprinted as best she could toward the window. Please be on the first floor , please be on the first floor . Addie threw aside the rustic window coverings. They gave way more easily than she’d anticipated, and a two-story drop suddenly came into view. With a startled cry, she pitched forward, utterly helpless. Hands clamped around her waist, and in a blink, the stranger had her back inside, facing him and pinned between his long, lean body and the wall.
    “What in the devil’s name were you trying to do?” His fiery eyes blazed mere inches from hers.
    Addie cringed beneath his grip and looked away. “Please don’t hurt me.”
    “Hurt you?” He stepped back, but his hands remained like warm manacles around her arms. “My lady, I just saved you. Again. Do you have a death wish?”
    “No. I just… I need to get back.”
    “Get back to where?”
    “To my hotel. In Watford. I have to work in the morning. Please, you have to let me go.”
    “There is no such—”
    The door burst open and Emeline rushed in, the oil lamp in her hand illuminating their tangled bodies.
    “Sire! Your wound!”
    “Leave us,” he barked without taking his eyes, or hands, off Addie.
    She threw the older woman a pleading look, but Emeline simply sighed, set the lamp on a nearby table, and retreated to the hall. Dread snaked down Addie’s spine as she found herself alone once more with the monster.
    “Please,” she whispered, unable to meet his gaze. “Let me go.”
    “If I release you, do you promise no further foolish attempts at escape?”
    Addie nodded quickly, wanting to be free from his touch, free from him.
    “Very well.”
    His hands opened, and the man stepped back, allowing her both some breathing room and a chance to study her captor in the room’s improved lighting. Afraid or not, her heart sputtered at the sight. The creature before her bore a closer resemblance to a Greek god than the golden beast who had descended upon her in the forest. His skin was smooth and richly tanned, making the white of his linen shirt nearly glow in comparison. From his trim waist hung silky golden lounge pants, which dusted the floor. A pair of bare feet—quite human indeed—peeked out from beneath the fabric’s edge.
    As Addie’s gaze shifted back to his face, her heart stammered once more. The man’s jawline was edged with day-old stubble, the same milk-chocolate color as his shoulder-length hair. Brows