Shadows of Fire (The Shadow Realms, Book 1) by Brenda Davies (chrome ebook reader .txt) 📗

Seeming to recall he was still holding herarm, his thumb stroked her skin. A fiery tendril of heat worked itsway out from where he touched her. It spread through her belly andinto her legs until her knees almost gave out.

This was a deadly game she played with him.However, she couldn’t bring herself to pull her arm away, and whenhe stepped closer, she didn’t move.

He could learn the truth of what she’d donewith his brother and destroy her for being a traitor withoutbreaking a sweat, but she didn’t care.

No one had ever made her feel this alive, andnow that he was awakening her to the wonder of his touch, shecraved more of it. She gulped and tipped her head back to meet hispiercing blue eyes. He held her gaze while he caressed her skin inslow, tantalizing circles that made her mouth go dry and her heartrace.

Her father had sheltered her for her wholelife. She’d never understood his fierce need to keep her protected,but she also hadn’t rebelled against it. She had hundreds, if notthousands of years, to see the world, and she was in no rush toleave her safe, much-loved home.

But now, her father was gone, and for thefirst time, she yearned for something more than her home, herfriends, and family; she wanted him.

And if the way his eyes darkened as theyscanned her was any indication, he wanted her too.

CHAPTER 19

She was losing herself to him when a powerful roarshook the earth. Screams rent the air, and people raced for coveras a blast of wind rattled the boards in the stand behind her. Duststung her skin as it whipped up from the ground and swirled downthe street.

Cole threw his arms up to protect her fromthe pebbles and dirt blasting against her skin, but it didn’t domuch to stop it. Another bellow reverberated through the day, andthen an enormous shadow passed overhead as a dragon soared over thetop of them.

It was so large it blocked the sun andbrought an early twilight to the land. Its belly was a paler shadeof red than the rest of it. Its wings spread a good hundred feetwide, and its legs were tucked up against its underside.

It extended its long neck as another roarissued from it, but thankfully, it didn’t unleash a wave of fire.This creature wasn’t here to destroy; it was here to intimidate andremind the world of who ruled it. It was succeeding.

Her mouth parted in awe at the magnificent,beautiful, terrifying creature. As a child, she’d dreamt of ridingdragons and pretended she ruled the throne and the beasts whoguarded it. As an adult, she didn’t find anything fun or fancifulabout them.

They were stone-cold killers who were ruledby a madman. The destruction they unleashed on earth wasn’t thedragon’s fault; they were only doing as commanded. However, shestill loathed the beast who gave the Lord so much of hisbrutal power.

She’d never been this close to a dragonbefore, never felt so small and vulnerable. This thing could killthem without ever knowing they were there. However, she was moremesmerized by it than fearful.

Then it was climbing higher into the skywhere it met up with two of its brethren, a red dragon with a burstof yellow on its belly and a yellow one with a stripe of black onits back. The three of them rolled through the air as they snappedat each other before separating and soaring toward the smolderingcity.

“They’re magnificent,” she whispered.

“They’re something,” Cole muttered.

She glanced at him as someone called hisname. He turned toward the voice as the people who fled the dragonscrept out of their hiding places.

A tall, blond man strode toward them as themarketplace became crowded again. She recognized the man as Cole’syounger brother, Brokk.

“They’re hunting for Orin,” Brokk said as hestopped before them. He didn’t notice her as his attention remainedriveted on Cole. “Malakai is leading the party.”

“I know,” Cole said and stepped closer toher.

Brokk finally noticed her, and then his eyesnarrowed on Cole’s hand on her arm. He frowned at Cole beforeturning his attention to her. His eyebrows lifted before he focusedon Cole again.

“We should help them,” Brokk said.

Lexi suppressed a shudder at this sign ofbrutality from the brothers. She pitied poor Orin, but he had tofind a new place to hide.

When Cole looked at her, she saw reluctancein his eyes, but he gave a brisk nod. “We should,” he agreed. “Itwas good to see you again, Lexi.”

“You also, Cole,” she managed to say in a farmore normal tone than she’d expected.

He held onto her for a moment longer beforereleasing her. She instantly missed the connection between them,but she’d never been so happy to be free. When he walked away, sheturned and fled into the crowd.

• • •

Lexi knelt before Orin in one of the dozens oftunnels running beneath the manor and spreading throughout thehundred acres of land they owned. Some of the tunnels went beyondtheir land, but most didn’t.

She had no idea why her father had so manytunnels built when she was a baby and young child, but he wasadamant she and Sahira learn them all. He’d done all the work ofbuilding the tunnels, installing gates, and stacking supplieshimself. It took him ten years from start to finish, as he wasstill constructing them when she was a teen.

When she was younger, he made them run drillsto escape the manor if there was ever an attack. Now, she knew thedark, concrete halls beneath the earth as well as she knew therooms of the manor. She knew where to locate the emergency suppliesdown here, so they could survive beneath the ground for a fewmonths if it came to it.

The possibility of such a thing made her skincrawl, but after seeing what the dragons did to the earth, she wasglad her father had been so prepared. She’d always considered itcrazy and overkill, but now the tunnels offered her a sanctuaryshe’d tarnished by bringing Orin here.

He did all this before the war, but the Lordwas talking about letting mortals know of their existence decadesbefore the war. Her father once told her he would do anything toprotect his family,