Oh God.
Was it possible for it to be hotter? Quickly she cast her eyes to the sky. But, then she peeked again. Damn it.
Her eyes followed down his body, one inch at a time. Hot. So hot. Her, him. Who the hell knew at that exact moment.
There was one muscle that Maddie couldn’t unsee. She didn’t want to unsee it.
Shit. Wait.
Oh God. Nope. Burned into her brain forever.
Maddie looked again.
“Don’t worry, dear. I don’t think he has any scruples over you looking.” Her mother floated around Maddie and Kal. “My, my, my. Fate really likes you, my dear. He was worth waiting for, don’t you agree?”
“Mother!” Maddie squeaked.
The ghost sauntered a few feet away. “Good Lord, Maddie. I’m dead, not nonexistent. Even I can enjoy a good male specimen. Tell him to stay clear of cemeteries though. Good Lord, he could bring new life to some of those corpses.”
Her face heated, or maybe it was the stupid fire raging in her body rather than her mother’s embarrassing words. This was one of those high school moments where you just wanted the floor to suck you up.
“Mother. Stop.”
Maybe her demon father could swallow her up right now.
“Think of it as research, sweetheart. I can’t leave my daughter with someone, well, someone like your ex. He would not please you, ever.”
Yup. Swallow her right now. “Mother. Please stop. I can’t. No mother should see their future son-in-law’s junk.”
Kal stopped in front of her. Maddie tried to look away. She tried to look over his shoulder. She tried not to stare at him, but for crap’s sake. She wanted to jump him.
“I understand the word future. Son-in-law though?” Kal asked.
Her eyes met his. “I uh. No. It was just a figure of speech. You don’t worry about it.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. She’d really just implied that maybe he had a future with her. And, maybe he did. Maybe she should listen to her damn mom this time. Then again.
A wave of dizziness hit her. The fire growing.
So hot. Boiling.
Kal’s arms jetted out towards her, catching Maddie before she fell.
Her arms had started to shake as she reached out to him. Kal’s form came in and out of focus. The only comfort was the strong grip he placed around her. At least she wouldn’t fall if her legs gave out.
“You’re all right, mate?”
“I. Maybe? Just give me a second.”
Kal placed a hand over her head and closed his eyes. She took a deep breath for the first time in forever. The searing pain behind her eyes subsided to a dull roar.
“Better?” Kal asked.
She blinked. “Yes. A little. I can stand now.”
“Maddie dear, accept your fate so I can rest. Accept him, because seriously, if you don’t someone else will. I mean… I think I can feel my heart beating.”
“Mother.”
Her mom’s ghost chuckled.
“You don’t have to sell me on him. If he wants me, then he will figure out how to win me.”
His arm slipped around her, pulling her tight. Her body relaxed, and tingles of something she couldn’t identify followed. Hell, he didn’t have to work that hard.
“Well love, sometimes I feel like you failed to see that I knew best. I want you to make the right choice, just for once.”
Maddie went to put her mother in her place, but all that came out was a puff of air as her body cranked up the heat and took her back a step. Head to toe the fire burned. Maybe she looked cool, glowing, but right now all she could think of was the pain.
“Mom?” She tried to call out. The blaze burning a destructive trail through her veins intensified. Everything faded around them.
A reprieve from the pain came along her arm where Kal touched her.
“Maddie?”
Kal’s voice broke through her agony. He kissed her earlier and made it all better, or well, slightly better.
Blindly she reached for his face.
“Kiss me.”
6
Hesitation wasn’t something he knew, and now was not the time to feel a new and human emotion. Doubt. What if he couldn’t save her? No, there was no room for this.
Kal pressed his lips to hers, wrapping his arms around her soft curves. The dragon quieted for a moment as they dragged in the heat, a high from magic coursing through his veins. He didn’t have to look to know that his tattoos were burning brighter like a fire being stoked. His dragon grew within him, stretching with energy.
Through the haze of the power, he realized something was still wrong. He breathed her in. Her scent changed. Singed. It was then that Kal felt the blaze of Maddie’s skin. This wasn’t right. His soul pulled in the power burning within her, stronger, faster.
In one motion he tightened his grip around her as she went limp. Pulling his lips from hers, he called out. “Maddie?” Her body was near lifeless.
The heat singed even through her clothes as he lifted her.
What the hell was going on? No one had warned them, him, that humans could be affected by their power. None of the humans in all the years of warriors finding mates had ever done this. They were supposed to find their mate, and their mate was supposed to be able to handle the power once the ritual had been completed.
Words. All just words. His dragon would know her the second he saw her. She would be able to survive his fire. She would wear his markings. All the rules and yet she followed almost none of them. The markings dancing over her skin would have blinded him had he not been what he was. This wasn’t right. It was as if she were the sun, and that wasn’t possible. No one could survive that.
“Shit.”
He kissed her again, but this time Maddie didn’t respond. He breathed in, pulling the magic from her again and again, trying to rid her of his cursed power.
“Kal, although I appreciate your concern for my daughter, this isn’t working. Come with me, dear boy.”
He looked over his
