Kiss of Darkness (The Dragon Legion Novellas) Read Online Free Page A

To her relief, one head yawned elaborately. The other heads quickly began to yawn as well, then the dog circled and laid down before the gates. It sighed as it put its heads down.
    Its eyes closed.
    Its manes of vipers stilled, as if they too fell asleep.
    Then Cerberus began to snore.
    Petra wanted to shout with joy.
    Except that Damien was striding toward her, purpose in his every step, and that dagger in his grasp. He wore strange clothing, but that didn’t disguise his muscular build, his vitality or the blood on his leg. He paused to peel off his upper garment, then tore a length of fabric from the hem while Petra stared at the perfection of his body. He bound his wounded leg tightly, but Petra saw the blood still seep through it. She saw his bare chest, his muscles, a mark on his arm, and remembered the hard press of his body against her.
    It was too easy to recall his arms wrapped around her and his heat inside her, his lips against her ear.
    Even knowing what she did of him, Petra yearned. He’d promised her a night, but he’d stayed three months. Had their partnership really been that ill-fated?
    Damien shoved the dagger into his belt and threw away the torn remains of his garment. He resumed his march toward her, limping slightly, his burning gaze locking on her face. Petra’s heart seemed to skip in anticipation.
    They’d either fight or make love. It had always been that way between the two of them. She was surprised to realize just how much she’d missed her fiery dragon. Ever since he’d left her, life had seemed flat and monotonous—although the underworld was even worse.
    Petra eased behind the pillar, guessing his plan and not liking it. There was only one more thing he could want her to surrender to him.
    “You could have enchanted the hellhound sooner,” Damien said, his low voice sending a familiar thrill through her even as his words surprised her. He arched a brow. “Or was that your way of getting even?”
    Petra hoped she looked more indifferent to his presence than she felt. “I assumed you had a plan. You always do.” She shrugged as she dared to provoke him. “I guess it wasn’t a good one this time.”
    Damien’s eyes flashed, although Petra wasn’t sure if his reaction was anger or desire. She was less sure it mattered. That blue-green light swirled around them, intoxicating her with its circling patterns. It leapt between them and touched her skin intermittently. It should have distracted her but instead, it made her world smaller, tightening her focus upon Damien.
    They could have been alone in the underworld.
    “You knew Cerberus would attack me,” he said, then gestured to his leg. “Was this what you wanted?”
    “I knew I wouldn’t be able to speak to you unless you shed blood.”
    Damien blinked in surprise, then shoved a hand through his hair. “I didn’t know that.” His eyes narrowed and Petra knew he was thinking about what he had seen, weighing his experience and observations against her words. She’d never met a more analytical or observant man and a part of her wanted his attention turned upon the riddle of her again.
    “Because you don’t pay attention to stories,” she chided. “You never have.”
    “They’re not real.” He was dismissive, just as he’d always been. “I’m interested in truth.”
    Petra folded her arms across her chest. “So, you’ve given up on prophecies?”
    Damien inhaled sharply and she saw that he wanted to take a step back. The glimpse of his trepidation only made her angry with him again. “Stories are as real as you and me,” she informed him, then arched a brow. “Or do you prefer to think of every kind other than the Pyr as just stories?”
    Damien grimaced, which didn’t surprise her, then avoided the question, which was even less of a surprise. He bent to press the flat of his hand against his wound, as if he’d close it by sheer will power. “I always hated snakes,” he muttered.
    Petra refused to feel sorry