For the Heart of Dragons Read Online Free Page A

the pile—the obvious place to put such a thing—he would have assumed it was just part of the ensemble and put it on without thinking about it. But she had placed it on the bottom, where he would find it after he had already gotten dressed. That action spoke volumes to the significance of the collar. It meant he had a choice if he wanted to wear it or not. Or, he could just be reading too much into a simple act. Taking a deep breath, he slipped the collar around his neck and buckled it in place.
    Magic tingled over his skin, answering his question. There is significance to the collar . Reaching up, he pulled the collar off. The tingle stopped as the leather slipped from his skin. Looking down at the piece, he probed the leather softly to see what magic she had wrought. A binding spell . Noah swallowed hard as he stared at the collar. He had seen spells like this used to join a human and dragon without the need to share a scale. There was an elegance to the work that awed him. It was so simple that a child could break it, yet strong enough to allow them to share their essence. Interesting . Then there was the way she had left it for him.
    The fact that she had practically kidnapped him when they first met colored everything they did together. She had both physically and mentally coerced him into going with her. By leaving him wanting and sending him to shower, she had given him time for whatever chemicals that may have been in his system to dissipate. His head was clear of any effect she had on him physically. By leaving the collar among his things, she’d taken away any mental pressure he may have perceived in anything she may have said while giving it. There hadn’t been words of love between them, but the act of leaving the collar spoke of her position on the subject. He knew exactly what she was doing.
    If he left the collar, she would say nothing of the gift and they would go their separate ways once their time together was up. Accepting the gift would show he was willing to accept her. But there was another side to the coin. The fact that the spell was fragile showed this wasn’t a choice he would have to live with forever. Refusing her was permanent. Accepting her gave him options—a chance to discuss what the future could hold.
    A smile slipped across Noah’s face as he wrapped the leather back around his neck and secured it into place. In his short time with her, he had learned a lot about Raven. Not only was she creative and caring, she was highly intelligent. He would be a fool to pass up the opportunity to really get to know her. She had opened that door with the collar, and he was going to take it.
    Pulling himself to his full height, he considered his reflection in the full-length mirror in the corner. The black of the outfit made his toned chest look paler than usual. Frowning, he ran his fingers through his auburn and silver hair. If he were going to stay with Raven, he probably should risk the freckles and see if he could get a little more color into his skin. A quick shake of his head drove those thoughts out of Noah’s head. Raven didn’t care that he was pale. She had already accepted him as he was, so there was no reason to worry about that part of his appearance. Now, he just had to go and play whatever part she wanted him to for the company she had mentioned. They could talk about the collar and its meaning later.
    Stepping out of the bedroom, Noah felt the tingle of magic ghost across his skin. “Raven?” he called as he headed down the hall. Something wasn’t sitting right in the pit of his stomach. The magic was vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Following the pull of it, Noah made his way through the winding halls of Raven’s home to a downstairs sitting room. “Raven?” He pushed the door open to find her resting in one of the armchairs, staring off into space. “ Raven? ” he called as he rushed to her, concerned. She didn’t move as he reached out and touched her