Dragon's Curse (Harlequin Nocturne) (6 page)

Gently, so he didn’t waken her, he cupped Ariel’s cheeks
between his hands. An electrified tremor, like a bolt of lightning, raced up his
arms.

Undaunted by the brief shock, he closed his eyes and slipped
unobtrusively into her dream.

Chapter 5

A
t first Cam wasn’t certain where Ariel’s
dream had taken him. The surroundings caught him off guard. He hadn’t been
prepared to walk into a nightmare, not from the sensual look on her face. While
it wasn’t unusual to find that he’d walked into some night-terror dimension,
he’d expected to find her in a social setting flirting with an unattached
man.

Another glance told him this wasn’t a nightmare. Instead, clear
blue skies surrounded them. Cool, crisp air rushed by him as if he was flying.
He looked down at mountains, valleys and streams below.

Again, not too unusual, as flying without the aid of mechanical
devices, or wings, was another common dream device for humans. However, this
seemed…different…somehow.

The look on her face was an expression of pure unadulterated
bliss. Feelings he could understand completely. The freedom of being airborne,
without restraints or limitations, was an addicting habit—one he had no
intention of breaking.

But he sensed a deeper emotion of sharing, of oneness within
her. As if she was enjoying this journey with someone she dearly loved.

Is this what it would feel like to share joy with someone? The
feeling had become so foreign to him, a longing he’d forgotten he’d ever
experienced. It was more than just a warmth, more than a welcoming comfort.

Jealousy licked at him. It teased him for no reason other than
he’d intruded where he didn’t belong. Cam reminded himself that this wasn’t his
experience. Any emotion he felt was nothing more than an extension of her
dreams.

He set aside the unnatural emotions and looked around for her
partner. Careful to keep his distance, Cam circled around her, finding nothing
until overhead a dark shape came into view.

He slowed, falling behind her to watch as she soared higher.
Ariel flew closer to the shadow. Cam held his breath.
Would
she be welcomed or attacked?
But the beast paid little attention to
her. Instead, it turned its focus toward Cam.

Fascinated by the odd situation, Cam paused. Never before had
an object in a dream—human or otherwise—noticed him, let a1one focused so much
anger in his direction.

Normally his presence in a dream went unnoted. Not a
participant, he was nothing more than an observer—invisible to those in the
dream. But this time, pure, white-hot rage threatened to burn him. The shadowy
beast circled. Then, with wings angled back for speed, head held low and blazing
stare pinned solely on its target, it dived toward him.

Sun glinted off the dragon’s body. Iridescent scales sparkled
in the light. Sapphire eyes glimmered with deadly intent.

Cam cursed with the realization that fighting this beast was
impossible. Ariel was in control of this dream, not him. The outcome to any
confrontation would rest solely in her hands. A dangerous prospect for someone
not considered a friend.

Battling this particular dragon would be foolish. Worse, it
would literally be suicide since the beast was him.

There were tales that stated if you died in a dream, you died
in life, too. Cam didn’t believe that, but he wasn’t immortal and had no desire
to put the myth to a test.

More confused than he’d been before stepping into this dream,
Cam pulled free.

He rose and moved away from the sofa—away from Ariel. He’d
taken care to make certain she hadn’t seen his face in human form at Mirabilus.
She had no magical powers—of that he was certain. He and his family would have
known the second she’d crossed onto the Lair’s property if she did. So, she
couldn’t possibly know that he was the dragon changeling she’d seen in the
ancient workroom.

She hadn’t seen him in dragon form long enough to have conjured
such an accurate replica in her dream. Besides, what miniscule view she’d had
would have been distorted by her terror.

And that beast
had
terrified her.
Cam had recognized the scent of fear, and heard the rush of blood flowing
through her veins preparing her for flight.

So it made no sense that she would now dream of the beast that
frightened her so.

Cam crossed the room to stand before the glass sliding doors.
Thick fog obscured what had earlier been a panoramic view of the mist-dotted
mountains and cloudless sky.

His mood mimicked the atmosphere. The interested curiosity that
he’d woken up with was now leery trepidation.

Something had frightened Ariel in the elevator enough to make
her pass out. And something had her dreaming of him in dragon form—even if she
didn’t realize it was him.

He’d known that hiring Ariel could prove a mistake—he hadn’t
been wrong. She’d been here less than an hour and already his questions, not to
mention his unease, were growing. This hadn’t been his intent. He was supposed
to be uncovering answers.

A bloodcurdling scream tore his attention away from his
concerns.

Cam spun around to see Ariel struggling with something on the
sofa. She screamed again, kicking and pushing at the air as if trying to push
something away.

“Ariel.” Cam returned to her side. “Wake up.” He touched her
shoulder, dodging her flailing fists.

His initial attempts to awaken her were having no effect, so he
grasped her shoulders to shake her. “Ariel, it’s a dream, wake up.”

She opened her eyes and stared at him a second before pulling
free of his hold to bolt from the sofa.

Ariel scrambled away. She needed to escape, needed to find a
way to shake off the nightmare still haunting her. It had been one thing to
dream of a dragon. But it had been another thing entirely to dream of turning
into one herself. The thought terrified her and made her suddenly afraid for her
sanity.

She choked on a strangled breath, desperately needing air. It
felt as if the walls were closing around her, making it hard to breathe,
impossible to think.

She thought she’d recognized his laugh in the elevator as the
one from the dragon-man at Mirabilus. But now, she wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure
of anything.

Cameron Drake stood between her and the door. So she spun
around and fumbled with the lock on the sliding doors. Unable to force her
trembling fingers to cooperate, she bit back a cry of frustration.

“Ariel.” His voice was soft, deep, as he approached.

She wasn’t about to be fooled by the soothing tone. Holding out
a hand to ward him off, she nearly begged, “Please, stay away.”

Her quivering words did nothing more than make him slow his
approach. She swallowed hard, then ordered more firmly, “Stop. Stay away.”

To her relief he stopped halfway across the room. He held his
hands out with his palms up. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Ariel laughed weakly then batted at the door handle. “I need
air.”

Cameron merely moved his hand to the left slightly. The lock
clicked and the door slid open. It was all she could do not to scream before
stepping out onto the fog-shrouded balcony.

Ariel leaned against the railing, hanging on for dear life as
her head spun. She dragged in deep gulps of breath, praying the cool damp air
would help clear her mind.

“I won’t hurt you,” Cameron repeated from not more than four
feet behind her.

She crowded closer to the railing, unable—unwilling—to admit
her true fear. Instead, she whispered, “I know.”

His sigh echoed into the fog. “Tell me what happened.”

That was the last thing she had any intention of doing. She
shook her head and said, “You people aren’t…normal.”

“That depends on how you define normal.”

At least he hadn’t lied and denied her claim outright. “What
are you?”

“A man.”

The certainty of his answer provided a measure of relief. But
the tone of his answer warned her that he wasn’t going to tell her anything. She
didn’t need him to supply information. While he wasn’t a dragon, she was already
well aware that he was like Renalde. Both men possessed some otherworldly power
that made them far from normal.

It made them dangerous.

The danger Renalde presented was obvious. But the danger from
Cameron Drake was more insidious—he threatened not her life, but her sanity and
that part of her she’d hidden away for what seemed an eternity—her heart.

And from the dire longing throbbing deep in her chest, it was
quite probable that he could also threaten her very soul.

She needed to keep her distance from this man. Ariel could not
risk her brother’s life. Not even for a man who could prove to be her other
half.

She forced herself to turn around and face Cam. “I gather this
isn’t my apartment.”

“No, it’s mine.” A devilish smile curved his full lips. “But
you’re welcome to stay here if you’d like.”

His offer wasn’t serious, but it would serve him right if she
accepted. Unable to find the nerve to do so, Ariel ignored his teasing response.
“If someone could show me to my room, I’ll take my leave.”

“Just like that?” One eyebrow hiked briefly into an arch. “You
pass out in my arms, have a nightmare on my sofa and I get no explanation?”

How was she supposed to explain her reaction to his laughter in
the elevator when doing so would only incriminate her as a thief?

There were times when a lie was the appropriate response. As
far as she was concerned, this was one of those times.

Ariel shrugged. “Drop in blood sugar from not eating breakfast,
I guess.”

His narrowed gaze let her know he didn’t believe her. But
unless he could prove otherwise, she wasn’t changing her story.

“That might explain the passing out. But what about the
nightmare?”

The temptation to use the same excuse was strong.
Unfortunately, she had no idea if it was plausible or not.

“I don’t know—” Ariel paused, making it up as she went along.
“—passing out…unfamiliar surroundings.” She shivered from the cool damp air.
“Strange, creepy atmosphere.”

The woman was lying. Other than calling her on it, there was
little he could do.

Ariel had already realized he was different from normal men, so
he couldn’t grill her about the dragon in her dream. Doing so would only prod
her into asking questions he didn’t want to answer.

He wasn’t about to admit that he was the dragon changeling
she’d seen at Mirabilus until she confessed to being the thief. And if he read
her hesitation and expressions right, she had formed the same plan.

So, for now, it was a stalemate. Not that it mattered. In the
end he would prove the victor.

Cam waved toward the entry door. “I’ll show you to your
apartment.”

Ariel followed him out into the hallway. He explained.
“There’re two apartments in each hallway. I’m in thirteen-three.” He handed her
a key card as he led her around the corner. “You’ll be in thirteen-five.”

“Thirteen? I thought it was bad luck to have a thirteenth
floor?”

Cam laughed. “If you believe luck exists, it might be bad.”

“I take it you don’t?”

“Believe in luck? No. But I realize others do, so none of the
suites on this floor are available for guests.”

He nodded at an archway as they walked by it. “The middle area
through there is a common kitchen, bar and entertainment center.” Remembering
her earlier request, he added, “And there’s always a pot of coffee on. Help
yourself.”

“Thank you.”

He stopped in front of her door. “I’ll leave you to get
unpacked and settled in.”

Ariel opened the door, turned around and leaned against the
jamb. “I need to apologize.”

“For what?”

She looked at the floor. “This was an awful way to start my
first day on the job.”

Her words were barely above a whisper. Cam moved closer to lean
against the other side of the doorway. The warmth stealing over him at their
nearness caught him off guard.

Urges to protect her and to claim this woman as his warred deep
in his gut. He understood the second urge—Ariel Johnson was a desirable woman.
Her sultry scent and luscious form made for a seductive package.

What he didn’t understand was his urge to protect her. She
wasn’t like him and she wasn’t his to protect. Besides, he sensed no danger
close at hand. No threat—seen or unseen—lurked around the corners. The only
explanation he could find for the urge was her tone of contrition and her weak,
vulnerable stance.

Cam took her hands in his. “It’s Saturday. Your first day isn’t
until Monday.”

She stared at their joined hands, jumping slightly as he
stroked his thumb across the top. He heard the rush of blood through her veins
and felt her pulse quicken against his palms.

“Still, I’ve made a horrible first impression.”

His slumbering dragon rumbled awake, coming to life at the
tremor of her voice. The beast wanted to comfort her, wanted her to look up so
he could gaze into her eyes.

Gently coaxing her closer, Cam brushed off her concern. “No,
you haven’t.” When she stood mere inches from him, he lowered his head. “Your
first impression happened yesterday and it was fine.”

Ariel turned her face up toward his. “But—”

He stopped her words with his lips a hairbreadth from hers. “No
buts.”

“I…”

Cam held back a groan as her breath washed across his lips. He
wanted to kiss her, to taste her. The burning mark on his shoulder blade and the
clawing beast in his chest wanted more.

Just a kiss. That’s all he wanted. It was all he’d take. He
quelled his rebellious beast with a sharp, silent
No.

This time the dragon listened. Cam knew he’d not be so lucky in
the future. But at least now he’d be permitted to touch, to taste the woman
leaning against his chest.

She parted her lips, granting him the taste he’d wanted. Her
hesitantly returned kiss tasted of fruit—sweet, yet not cloying.

Cam gathered her closer, savoring the feel of her in his
embrace and the taste of her on his lips.