Kiss the Dragon (Maidens Book One) Read Online Free Page B

forward, his attention rapt.
    “It’s the future.” I rushed the words out, afraid if I gave myself time to think I wouldn’t say them at all.
    “You have the sight then,” Malcolm said, calm save for a spark of excitement in his eyes.
    I shrugged. “I don’t know what it is, but I know what I can do.”
    “Tell me.” Malcolm motioned for me to continue.
    “I read energy, like the vibe of people and things around me.” I waved my hand to indicate the room. “This voice talks to me and sometimes I have visions.”
    “Is that why those men were after you?” Alec asked.
    I nodded. “I made the mistake of telling people and showing them what I could do.” I worried my bottom lip, gathering my thoughts, trying to decide how much I should say. “I turned down all the job offers, but there are people and… other things out there who aren’t interested in employing me. They want to own me and make me serve their purposes. I’ve been on the run for years, trying to keep away from them.”
    The men gulped down their tea in unison, taking a moment to digest everything I’d said.
    “Can you take it away with your magic?” I asked Malcolm, curious. “Can you turn me back into a regular human that no one would want?” I didn’t know a lot about magic, but if he’d brought me here with a spell, maybe he could get rid of the voice.
    He pursed his lips and thought for a long moment and then said, “I donna know, lass. I will have to research it.”
    Alec put an arm around me. I stiffened at the contact at first, feeling a violation of my personal space but that soon gave way to a sensation of comfort. Giving me a squeeze, Alec said, “But I do know we can keep you safe, lass. You don’t have to run anymore.”
    “And in return, you can break our curse,” Malcolm said with a smile.
    I went still for a moment and narrowed my eyes at Malcolm’s words. “Excuse me?” Just when I thought I couldn’t be surprised, something else popped up to prove me wrong.
    “We’re cursed,” Alec said. “And without our maidens we will remain so.”
    The food I’d eaten turned leaden in my stomach. “You think I’m going to save you?”
    “Aye, we do,” Malcolm said with a decisive nod.
    Chapter Three
    Alec took me to the turret after we finished the dragon biker version of tea and crumpets, curses and fireballs (oh my!). His brothers had abruptly left after dropping the curse bomb on me, filing out of the kitchen and shooting pointed looks at Alec as they went. I had a feeling he’d been given the task of filling me in on the rest of the story. I should have run earlier and I should have run then, but I stayed, mostly because I was tired. The castle seemed safe enough for me to risk one night. I would find a way out tomorrow. Until then, I would play along.
    Outside, the sun managed to push a few meager rays through the gray cloud cover. The wind helped by blowing strong enough to make the clouds roil, creating gaps for more sunlight to pass through.
    “What do you think of all this?” Alec asked me as he peered over the edge, taking in the ground below. “Do you believe in dragons?”
    I lifted my head to the sky, preferring the wind to the weight of the earth. It smelled like rain. Again. Scotland was a wet place.
    Soon , agreed the voice.
    Oh shut up, I thought at it. I don’t need you to state the obvious. To Alec, I said, “I guess I do now. I don’t really understand what’s going on though.” He started to speak, but I held up my hand. “I get that you’re looking for your maiden to break your curse, but I can’t be it. There’s no way. There must be a mistake.”
    “I donna know, lass. It feels right to me.” His hazel eyes searched my face. “That kiss--”
    I cut him off. “Was an accident.”
    Alec shook his head. “No, lass. It wasna. It rang through me like church bells, sweet and holy and right .” When I tensed, he stepped away as if not wanting to crowd me. “I’ll give you time,