The tip of hertongue flicked across her lips.
“I’m so sorry Iscared you last night. I thought you knew what you were. What weare.”
A hint of asmile graced her lips as she looked him up and down. “I’m notafraid of you, especially not in that getup. What on earth are youwearing?”
He glanced downat his pink attire. “What, this? Sorry, it was the first thing Icould find.” Nix grinned. “It was either this or rescue you in thebuff, and since you ran the last time you saw me naked…”
She sucked hercheeks. “You came to rescue me?” Her eyes glinted with amusement.“So, not so much knight in shining armour, more like my knight in afrilly pink dressing gown. Different, I suppose.”
Toby yapped asthough to agree.
“Would yourather I was naked then?” He winked and made as if to undo thedressing gown tie.
Her cheeksreddened, much to his delight. “One step at a time,” she whispered,her expression serious now. “I didn’t run from you last nightbecause I was scared. I left because of what was happening to me.To us. I didn’t understand.”
“And do younow?” He forgot to breathe.
“Some of mymemories are coming back—flashbacks mostly, like pieces of a jigsawpuzzle, but I can’t see the whole picture.” She bit her lip. “WhatI do know is, your name is not Nicholas. It’s Phoenix.”
He tucked astrand of hair behind her ear. “Yes, it is. I’m sorry I lied, butyou have to understand, I had no choice.”
“I don’tunderstand, not yet, but my heart is telling me I can trust you.Maybe it’s the magic in the air. I felt it the day I got lost inthe woods and in the pub too, as though it’s drawing us together.Like it is now,” she whispered, her voice husky.
Fire lit insidehis belly. Static electricity crackled between them, thesickly-sweet aroma of magic swirling in the air.
Nix took herhand and pressed it against his chest. “I feel it too, Katarina. Mydragon heart beats for you.”
Her intensegaze searched his face, pleading for answers. Her pupils enlarged,sparked with a hint of recognition, but it was enough.
Tentatively, heinched closer. Her lips parted.
Phoenix kissedher, unable to contain his love a moment longer.
ChapterTwelve
Kat gasped ashis lips brushed against hers. Soft, hot lips she remembered.
Nix pulled backa fraction, his gaze intense, uncertain.
But she’d neverbeen more certain of anything in her life.
The sugaryscent of magic made her head spin.
Kat wanted him,yearned to feel those lips on hers again. She needed his taste, hisscent, his touch. Oh God, she thought she might burst if touch heragain this minute.
In a swiftmove, she tugged him towards her and returned his kiss, her embracefervent.
Nix respondedwith equal vigour, crushing her body to his as he wrapped his armsaround her.
The tip of histongue flicked against her lips, driving her wild with desire.“Nix!” she gasped, his touch scorching. Her skin cooled in responseas if it was meant to be. She tangled her fingers in his hair andyanked.
He emitted aguttural groan of pleasure. “My Katarina…”
A magical blastof energy exploded around them with such force the ground shook. Acardboard box tumbled off a shelf beside them.
Kat opened hereyes. The dingy warehouse was bathed in a kaleidoscope of rainbowcolours, as was Nix. She’d never seen anyone look more resplendentin this life or her past lives.
Her ability tobreathe left her as she gazed at him in wonder.
Tobybarked.
Sudden painpummelled her head. For a split second, she thought something hadfallen on her, but the pain came from within. Panic bubbled insideher. What’s happening to me? She clasped her head as thoughit would make the pain go away. It didn’t.
A spirallingsensation overwhelmed her.
Everything wentblack.
“Katarina…?”Nix’s voice sounded muffled, far away.
Someone washolding her, shaking her gently—Nix?—but she couldn’t breakfree from whatever the pain was trying to show her.
A coolnessspread over her entire body, calming her. The spiralling slowed. Itwas more rocking now. Instead of resisting the pain, she knew shehad to welcome it.
Regulating herbreathing, she focused on the pain.
Whoosh!
Memoriesbombarded her mind with the force of a blizzard. Every one of herpast lives played inside her head, like a movie on fast forward.The flashing images revealed her previous existences; a waitress inthe 90s, a wartime factory worker making bombs in the 40s, a partygirl in the 20s. Nix was there. She didn’t know him then, but sherecalled the fun they’d had that night.
The paindissipated into the blackness.
Further andfurther back in time, her memories returned, each century flashingby in a few seconds.
“Phoenix…?” Shewasn’t sure if she’d uttered his name out loud or in her head,but…
Whoosh!
She rememberedeverything about him.
Her magnificentfire dragon.
Every one ofher memories flooded back. She recollected their life together, howtheir dragons used to own the sky, soaring through the cloudstogether, before shifting back to their human form to run nakedthrough the woods, laughing, without a care in the world. How happythey’d been until that evil sorceress had cursed them to aneternity apart.
Her stomachtook a nosedive.
Selene isthe sorceress… She cursed us.
Kat’s eyesflashed open. She was lying on Nix’s lap, and Toby was licking herfingers.
Thekaleidoscope of colours faded into the dank warehouse. The magichad served her well.
“Katarina… oh,thank God…” Nix stroked her hair, his expression distraught. “Ithought I’d lost you. I couldn’t bear it, not now. Are you allright?”
She gazed up athim, seeing him—really seeing him—for the first time in centuries.“I’m fine; more than fine.” Kat grinned. “But I could do with someof that homemade moonshine we used to make right about now.”
His jawdropped. “What…?”
Toby yapped andwagged his tail.
“You heard,handsome.”
“You remember?”His voice came out in a whoosh of air, barely audible.
“My memoriescame back. The tragic story I read in an ancient book—it’s us;we’re the last two dragons, one of fire and one of ice.” Kat cuppedhis face with both hands. “I remember the life we shared and howhappy we were.” She smiled. “And we will be again.”
“But thecurse…”
Katconcentrated, commanding her vision to become that of herdragon.
He gasped asthough he couldn’t quite believe it.
“Selene’s curseis broken. Do you hear me, Nix? After centuries apart, we foundeach other, despite her interference. If you still want me?”
His pupilselongated into narrow, vertical slits. “Of course I stillwant—”
She crushed herlips to his, no longer
