Carpathian 23 - Dark Storm

becoming part of the mountain.”
    “So you’re telling me that right now your soul is mixed with a dragon’s, and as a
     side effect from time to time these sparkling red and gold flecks appear.” She shook
     her head and laughed in disbelief. She couldn’t help it. What else did he have in
     his life? “So if I ask why you’re so sexy, are you going to tell me your mother was
     a goddess from Mount Olympus? That she ensnared your father, after a shooting star
     fell to the ground on a starless night?”
    Dax laughed again. “My mother was a sweet woman whom my father loved very much. Although,
     it’s true my mother did claim to ensnare my father, and he did claim he saw stars
     the first time he set eyes on her.” Then his tone changed, losing its flirtatious
     note. “We’re here.”
    They glided back to earth and landed softly in a small clearing about a half mile
     from the smoking remains of a village. Dax set her down on her feet, but kept her
     hand in his.
    “Riley before we continue, there is something I’d like to give you.” Reaching into
     his pocket Dax brought out a folded black and red silk cloth in the shape of a dragon.
     “You open it by pulling the wings out to the sides.”
    “I don’t want to ruin it.”
    “I can make another one.”
    Carefully, Riley pulled the wings back, and the cloth dragon unraveled in a way only
     Dax’s magic could make it do. In the center of the cloth lay a gold and silver bracelet.
    “This is for me, but why?”
    “Let’s just say for now it’s tradition. I wanted to say I am very sorry for the loss
     of your mother, and again I hoped you might honor me by finding a home for her last
     gift in here.” He gestured to the empty setting in the intricate design and then slipped
     the bracelet on to her wrist.
    Riley wasn’t shocked when it fit perfectly. It was a work of art, and she tracked
     the different trails of silver, each holding several smaller diamonds meeting at the
     central space.
    Reverently, Riley pulled out the silver dragon with agate eyes holding an obsidian
     stone. Her mother’s death was an enigma. The magic and power she now had wrapped through
     all her memories and experiences. Something had touched her when she was there, something
     that had soothed the grief and allowed her to move forward. But holding the piece
     of jewelry handed down in her family from mother to daughter was a reminder of her
     mother, and no matter what that something was it couldn’t fill the gap that was left
     behind.
    She thought about everything her mother had stood for, the way she was raised, her
     sense of humor, how she always was there to pick her up when she had fallen down.
     Annabel was classy and strong; if this dragon was her last gift it deserved a better
     place than inside her dirty pocket.
    Riley’s mind was puzzling out what it meant to wear her mother’s stone out where others
     could see it. “How did you know about the dragon, and my mother?”
    “You touch it from time to time when you walk, although you don’t seem to notice.
     As for knowing about your mother, how could I not know?”
    Opening her hand she presented the dragon to him. “Would you mind?”
    Dax covered the bracelet and her wrist with both hands, having palmed the dragon.
     She felt the heat but couldn’t tell if it was his touch or what he was doing as tingles
     ran up her arm and into her fingertips. His hands came away, and it was perfect. The
     shadows of grief were still inside, but as she looked from his face down to her mother’s
     gift on her wrist, Riley felt a little more at rest. Without thinking Riley wrapped
     her arms around Dax, this time feeling completely at ease; she pulled hard, bringing
     his head closer to hers, initiating the contact this time.
    His kiss took her away, sensations pouring into her body. He was so warm, his skin
     almost hot, his body hard against hers while his mouth moved over hers in long, heady
     kisses.
    Riley pulled back a little, and Dax let her, but she could feel the struggle in him.
     It caused a wicked sense of danger and control she found a little intoxicating. The
     fact that he was having a difficult time with control was reassuring. Riley released
     his neck, slowly bringing her hand over his chest. She could feel his heart beating.
     Looking up she saw that his eyes were dancing as he held still, and Riley felt even
     more powerful. Playing with fire, she curled her nails into him.
    The growl that