Tova's Dragon (Kingdoms & Legends Book 2) Read online

  “But you said you came back to clear your name.”

  He took a step closer to her. “So I thought. Now I suspect things are much more complicated.”

  She withdrew her hand. She had her own suspicions that the gods were playing with them, but to what purpose? “How much do you know about Velosian magic?”

  “Enough. I know magic is supposed to be used for good, and helping someone increases the magician’s power. Hurting someone decreases it.” A frown furrowed his forehead. “I never understood how Bruno became all powerful when his intentions were evil.”

  She sighed. “He knew how to manipulate the magic. He took care of his followers, whatever was required to make them happy, no matter who was hurt in the process. Generous pay, prostitutes for the guards and soldiers. Those who do not possess magic are easily pleased. A little kindness, a little largesse can go a long way. And I understand he kept his mistresses quite happy in bed.”

  “Mistresses?”

  “The more the merrier I’ve heard.”

  His gaze grew more intent. “You intrigue me, my lady mage. But you have not said how I can help you, other than providing rest and food.”

  She paused to decide what to do. There was one course she could take to boost her magic, but dare she trust him? A shiver passed through her. She’d heard such fearful tales of the Outlaw Kane, yet he didn’t strike her as dangerous. And if she wanted access to all her powers, what choice did she have?

  “My magic is low,” she whispered.

  He quirked an eyebrow. “How could I possibly help you with that?”

  “I suspect you know.”

  “But I want to hear you say it.”

  She drew in a deep breath. “You could let me make love to you.”

  A slow smile curved his full lips, and her heart beat faster. “I hoped you were going to ask me.”

  Slowly, Tova pushed the furs off, exposing her body, and beckoned Kane. He moved toward the bed, his gaze intent upon hers, much like a predator stalking its prey. She shivered under his gaze, from cold and trepidation, but also from anticipation. He lowered himself to the bed of furs, but refrained from touching her.

  She knelt in front of him and reached out to caress his face and trace the strong plane of his jaw with one hand. His dark stubble prickled her fingertips. When she brushed her thumb over his lower lip, he opened his mouth and pressed the tip of his tongue to her flesh. Her magic stirred, just a little. “Yes,” she whispered, despite her reservations. “This is what I need.”

  He flashed a cocky smile.

  Oh, yes, he was all man. She moved her hands to the back of his head, tangled her fingers in his silky hair and leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth. He turned his head slightly, capturing her lips with his own. His arms circled her waist and pulled her close, until her breasts were pressed against his firm chest. She opened her mouth to his tongue, enjoying the sensations he awakened in her. His scent surrounded her—smoky, musky, utterly masculine. A spark of magic stirred at the base of her spine. Every touch fueled his pleasure and strengthened her magic as it wound upward with the red haze of desire, banishing her doubts.

  She let her hands travel over his strong shoulders and chest to the bulge between his legs. It had been a very long time since she’d been with a man. She wanted to revel in the touch and taste of him, the sense of leashed power and masculine need.

  With a groan, he broke off the kiss and buried his face against her neck. “I want you, Tova.”

  She laughed as her power inched higher. “Whatever you want, my lord. Tonight I am yours.”

  He eased her down onto the bed. His hands roved over her body as he feasted on her breast. His tongue teased the taut peak and bursts of pleasure darted to her core. She sighed in ecstasy. It wasn’t fair. She was supposed to be giving him pleasure, not the other way around. Perhaps lovemaking strengthened him, too.

  He turned his attention to the other breast, while his hand delved between her legs. She opened to allow him entrance.

  He inserted one leg between hers, his wool breeches scratchy against her skin. She reached down to push them off. “Why are you still dressed?”

  Laughing, he sat up and removed his hose and breeches, as she admired his anatomy. His buttocks were firm and his legs long and muscular, covered with a light coating of black hair. What a beautiful man, and for the moment, he was all hers.

  She looked into his amber eyes, heavy lidded with desire. “What will please you most?”

  He pushed her down on the bed and followed. “Being inside you.”

  She wrapped her arms and legs around him, his arousal hard against her belly. “Then love me, Kane.”

  His mouth took hers in a kiss that left her breathless, while his hands trailed a path down her torso to her waist. He cupped her ass, and then stroked the sensitive skin on her thighs. Sensations coursed through her body, from the apex of her legs upward and outward until she was bathed in a sensual haze. She gripped him tighter.

  He moved a hand between them and touched her, teasing her to new heights of arousal. He inserted one finger inside her, then another. “So hot and wet and welcoming.”

  “Now, Kane,” she ordered.

  In one swift move, he entered her. Her magic was strong enough now she felt his pleasure as well as her own, sensed the tightly coiled power in him. His aura blazed bright red and gold, and she glimpsed an image of him soaring high into the sky. Then her climax hit and the world went dark.

  CHAPTER 2

  Kane rolled off Tova and collapsed on the furs, chest heaving. Damn, he’d intended to pull out, but he’d been too caught up in their passion. He couldn’t remember when he’d had such an intense encounter. Gods, he’d forgotten how much he loved Velosian women and their sex magic.

  He glanced over at her, noticing the intense green of her aura, much better than the sickly gray it had been earlier. “You look better.”

  Her laugh echoed throughout the cave. “I feel much better.” She turned on her side and smiled at him. “And you?”

  He returned her smile, took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Never better.” To his surprise, he spoke the truth. He couldn’t remember when he’d felt so alive. Yet a sliver of guilt intruded into his pleasure. “I apologize for not pulling out. I’ve no wish to leave you with child. Have you been taking precautions?”

  “I’ve had no need to.” She squeezed his hand. “Do not worry. I expect nothing from you in that regard.”

  He grimaced, not sure whether or not to be offended. “I have never been one to shirk my duty.”

  “Hush,” she soothed. “I needed for you to lose control. It was the only way to increase my magic to a high enough degree. We will deal with any complications should they arise. We both have more urgent matters right now.”

  “Can we continue this discussion after we eat?” he asked. “I suddenly find myself hungry.”

  She laughed again. “Yes, please. Do I smell stew? Odd I didn’t notice it sooner.”

  Kane rose and pulled on his clothing. “Rabbit stew.”

  “Marvelous. And I have cheese and bread in my pouch.”

  “Good, we may have need for those later. Stay here until I see if your clothes are dry.”

  Her breeches were but not her tunic, so he brought her a white linen shirt to wear with her breeches, hose and boots. While she dressed, he stirred the stew he’d prepared earlier in the day. Fortunately, he’d caught two plump rabbits in his snares and found some root vegetables. It should have been enough for two days, but not if he had to fly all night. Shifting alone used up a prodigious amount of energy, not to mention staying in dragon form for hours on end. But he was not about to let Tova continue on her own. She’d come to him for aid, and she wouldn’t leave alone.

  When Tova joined him by the fire, he poured her a cup of wine. “This will quench your thirst.”

  She took a sip. “Delicious. Where did this come from?”

  He filled a bowl of stew and ha
nded it to her, along with a wooden spoon, then filled his own bowl. “The castle has its own wine cellar.”

  She tasted the stew. “Hearty and filling, though a few herbs would add flavor, but I don’t imagine they grow at this height.”

  “No, and not much was left behind when my people fled.”

  “I can imagine,” she murmured. “I passed several deserted villages on my way to the mountain. I considered spending the night in one, but decided to press on.”

  “You’d have found nothing of use there, save a roof over your head,” he said, aware of the bitterness in his tone. “Bruno’s men looted the villages of anything of value. However, the castle has hiding places they never discovered. Like this cave.”

  “I’m thankful I found the cave. I thought the goddess guided me here, but ’twas you.”

  “I am happy to be of help.” He stifled a smile at the look of wonder on her face and turned his attention to his dinner. He wolfed down his stew and ladled more into his bowl.

  “Tell me,” he said between bites, “how did Bruno lose his power over the king?”

  “’Tis a long story,” she warned him.”

  “I have time.”

  She set down her bowl and faced him. “It was Princess Ilona.”

  He stopped eating to stare at her, his brow furrowed. “But she drowned, or do I have the wrong princess?”

  “No, as it turns out, she staged the boating accident to cover her escape from the Castle.”

  “Why?” he wondered aloud.

  “Bruno had decided she should marry him, once her period of mourning was over. She suspected Bruno of causing Prince Werner’s death, not to mention, who in their right mind would want to marry Bruno?”

  He laughed. “True enough. The proverbial fate worse than death.”

  Tova shuddered. “Indeed. Ilona wandered for a while with a group of travelers until she encountered a werewolf, in reality a knight trapped in a wolf’s body. Somehow she broke the enchantment. Together she and Sir Rolf pieced together what had happened and returned to break the enchantment and depose Bruno. They were married shortly afterward.”

  Kane stopped eating, spoon halfway to his mouth. “Wait a minute. You said werewolf. Is Sir Rolf a shape shifter?”

  “Yes. Apparently there are a number of werewolves in Velosia, some of them knights. King Helmut was so grateful to Sir Rolf that he wrote a proclamation putting all werewolves under royal protection.”

  Kane stared at her in amazement. “That is a remarkable story.” And one that gave him hope. If the king could accept one group of shapeshifters, perhaps… Now he was doubly anxious to find the king.

  “Do you want any more stew?” he asked.

  She gave him an amused smile. “No, why don’t you finish it?”

  He scraped what remained into his bowl. “Where were the princes, Otto and Leopold? How did they let Bruno take control?”

  Tova sighed. “Bruno plotted to make it look as if Prince Otto schemed to depose his father, and King Helmut had him banished. Shortly afterward, Prince Leopold took sick, too weak to do anything but lie in bed.”

  Kane stopped eating. “That was convenient.” Her next words confirmed his suspicions.

  “Princess Ilona found out Bruno was poisoning him. He’s recovering now, but slowly.”

  Kane shook his head. “What a disaster. Bruno is more devious than I realized. How is it you know so much about the goings on in the castle?”

  She smiled for the first time since Bruno had been mentioned. “When I was a child, my father was a member of the king’s guard. Princess Ilona and I played together. When I heard she was alive, I wrote to her. She answered and told me everything that had happened.”

  “I see now. When you said Bruno enthralled the king and queen, you meant it literally. He put a spell on them.”

  “Yes.”

  When he’d finished his third helping, she asked, “Do you always eat this much?”

  He grinned at the amazement in her voice. “Not always, but I worked up a bigger than usual appetite today.”

  She blushed, no doubt thinking he meant their lovemaking. In reality, he’d shifted twice earlier, once to search for the human he’d sensed was in need of rescue, and again to avoid alarming her.

  “I am glad we met, daughter of earth.”

  She smiled shyly at him. “Mutti Zee says everything happens for a reason. Since she sent me to you, there must be a reason we were supposed to meet.”

  So I could make love to you.

  No, that wasn’t the reason, no matter how much he’d like it to be. Soon he must tell her the truth about his dual nature. He dreaded the moment, for surely she would recoil. It was ever thus between humans and shifters.

  “What is the matter, Kane? You seem troubled.”

  He shrugged. “The threat of Bruno at the head of an army should be enough to trouble the most complacent soul.”

  “Yes, that is why we must warn the king. But how I am to get there in time, I cannot imagine.”

  “I will help you, Tova. But first finish your supper.”

  She nodded and picked up her bowl again.

  Kane took a deep draught of wine. He needed it after today’s revelations. Perhaps King Helmut would be more agreeable than he’d thought. After all, they were both Bruno’s victims. He smiled at Tova, certain that she would bring him luck.

  *****

  “How long has this cave been here?” Tova glanced around the cavernous area, awed by its size.

  Kane stood and held out his hand. “As long as my people have been here. We use it for storage in good times and as a hiding place in bad.”

  “And lately there have been more bad times than good, I imagine” She took his hand, anxious to resume her quest. Her stomach was full, her energy level high, but they had to wait until morning to depart. No matter how well Kane knew the mountain passes, the rugged terrain had to be too dangerous to attempt in the dark.

  “Precisely.” He picked up a torch from its wooden sconce with his other hand and led her to the back of the cave where he pulled open a heavy wooden door carved in symbols she didn’t recognize.

  She entered another chamber and squinted in the dim light. “I had no idea the cave was this large.”

  “It has several rooms we use for various purposes.” He held the torch higher, shining the light on some of the assembled treasures.

  Tova gasped and moved forward to examine a large chest of scrolls and tablets. “Where did all of this come from?”

  He lit more torches placed around the natural chamber giving her a better view of the rest of the contents. “My people are collectors. We travel the world to find treasures of the past. We have ancient objects from all civilizations.”

  She touched a tablet, tracing the indentations in the clay. “I sense the heat and dryness of the desert. Water was precious to the people who made this.”

  He shook his head. “I am astonished and impressed. It is, in fact, from an ancient and arid land. Can you sense where the other objects come from?”

  “I can try.” She moved to a carved wooden chest, laid her hands on it and closed her eyes. “I see a land far to the east, home to a great and ancient civilization.”

  “Yes, the land of silk and rice and dragon emperors.”

  She opened her eyes and grinned at him. “Was one of your ancestors a dragon emperor?”

  “Not exactly,” he said. “Though there is a family tale of an ancestor from there.”

  She moved on to a worn stone carved with runes and traced them, a deep sense of belonging in her heart. “My father’s family has a tall tale also. This stone is from the northern lands from whence he came. I feel the bitter cold of the winter snows, though I am unable to read the symbols.” A sob rose in her throat, but she suppressed it.

  Kane studied the runes. “This tells the story of the Lightning Maid, a daughter of Thor, who inherited his ability to channel lightning. ’Tis said she passed the ability to her descendants, but
only to the daughters.”

  Tova stiffened. No, impossible. A chill ran through her as she turned to face Kane. “How curious. My father liked that tale. Papa said it was about one of his great- great-grandmothers.” Her words trailed off as she recalled her father, a large, fair-haired man, holding her in his lap, telling her fantastical stories of his homeland. A wave of yearning shook her. Though he was long gone from her life, she missed him yet. “When I was little, I believed his stories. Or rather, I wanted to believe.”

  “And now?” Kane’s gaze was keen, as if her answer were important.

  She shrugged. “I know they were meant to entertain a small child.” Anything else was unthinkable.

  “Perhaps not.”

  Another shiver passed over her. “What do you mean?”

  He took her hand again. “Over the years, stories become exaggerated. New storytellers add their own twists and details, but sometimes a kernel of truth exists amongst the exaggerations.”

  She studied his face. Was he teasing her? “Do you mean there may really have been a lightning maid?”

  “I think it possible.”

  “Nonsense.” She refused to believe otherwise.

  He arched a brow. “Is it? I watched you deflect a lightning bolt earlier today.”

  She gasped, pulled her hand away and took a step back. “How did you see that? You were here in the cave.”

  “I was outside, watching you.”

  She gaped at him. “But how? I never saw you.”

  He sighed. “I have much to explain, but time is of the essence.”

  “I know,” she said. “We have a hard trip ahead of us tomorrow. Perhaps we should rest now.”

  “We have no time to rest. We leave after dark.”

  His words puzzled her. “Don’t you mean at first light?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “No, we’ll be traveling by night. I have excellent night vision.”

  She faced him, her hands fisted at her side, alarmed by his words. “But I do not. Surely the mountains are too dangerous at night, even with the full moon.”

  “It doesn’t matter, Tova. ’Tis time to fly with the dragon.”