Lennox did smile this time. He liked her spirit. “You act as if you’ve never seen a dragon before.”
“Because I haven’t.” She glanced away.
Then her focus returned to him. She slowly perused his body. He watched as her lips parted slightly. She cut her eyes away again, but her attention slid back once more, lingering on his cock.
She suddenly met his gaze. He quirked a brow. Given how she shifted her feet, she liked what she saw. Yet it seemed to make her uncomfortable. “Why do you cover yourself?”
“Um,” she said, swallowed, then cleared her throat. “It’s just our way to wear clothes.”
So that’s what they were called. “And my being without makes you uncomfortable?”
Her eyes lowered to his chest. “I wouldn’t say that exactly.”
Lennox studied her attire for another heartbeat before using magic to create cloth that went around his legs and torso, along with some cumbersome things on his feet. He hated all of it. The garments restricted his movements. How did she wear such things? He tugged at the shirt and stretched his neck.
“Wow,” she mumbled.
He eyed her. “Is there something wrong?”
“Not at all,” she replied and hastily met his gaze.
“Your name.” His words came out rougher than intended, but he really wasn’t happy about the confinement. He appreciated being able to communicate with her, but this form was too different.
She licked her lips. “Ailis. And yours?”
“Lennox. King of Dragon Kings.”
Her midnight brows show up on her forehead. “So, there are more than two of you?”
“There are thousands,” he replied.
Interest tinged with a thread of alarm filled her red eyes. “Can you show me? I want to see…” She paused and looked around. “Everything.”
“Where did you come from? I know you’re no’ from Earth.”
“Earth?” She repeated the name carefully. “I’m from the Fae Realm. I’m Fae. I’d rather classify myself as an explorer, though. This is my first trip to a new realm.”
No one had ever come to Earth from another realm before. She wanted to learn from him, and it was a great opportunity to acquire knowledge about her people. Yet unease kept him quiet. She had come from another realm. That in itself was enough to cause alarm, but she also had magic. He knew nothing about Fae or if they were dangerous to dragons or Earth. Nor did he know how many more of her kind were already on the realm. How could he keep his world safe if he didn’t know when others arrived?
“Please,” she said slowly. “I only want to learn. I came alone, I assure you.”
Lennox heard dragons approaching from the west. He looked up in time to see some black dragons pass overhead, but they didn’t glance his way. It was a group of adolescents—getting into mischief, no doubt. Lennox lowered his gaze to her. “How did you get here?”
“Through a door.”
He frowned and shook his head. “What?”
“It might be easier if I show you.”
“Then show me.”
“Can you teleport?”
It was a word he didn’t recognize.
“I take your expression to mean you can’t.” Ailis shifted her weight from foot to foot. “I could walk you there, which would take some time. Or I can teleport us both.”
“We could fly.”
She jerked back. “In case you’ve not noticed, I don’t have wings.”
“I’d fly us,” he replied.
“Ah…perhaps another time.”
He fought not to smile. “You cross realms and face a dragon but are afraid to fly?”
“Aye,” she stated firmly. “I am.”
“I wouldna drop you, lass.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not find out.”
He bowed his head in acceptance. “Just as I’d rather no’ find out what teleporting is.”
One minute, she was before him. The next, she was gone. He heard a shout behind him and turned to find her on the opposite side of the lake. Then she was gone again. When he heard her voice, he discovered her back in her original spot.
“It’s just jumping from one place to the next,” she said with a shrug. “Much safer than flying.”
“So you say,” he murmured, unconvinced.
She smiled and held out her hand. “Not afraid are you, King of Dragon Kings? It’ll get us there in a blink.”
He knew she was goading him, but damn if he didn’t want to prove he wasn’t anxious. She didn’t seem fazed by the jumping. If he could shift from dragon to whatever being he now mimicked, then he could go with her.
Just before he took her hand, a sudden, overwhelming apprehension gripped him like a vise. What if he wasn’t able to return to his true form? What if he was stuck like this? What if he could never fly again? He thought of his wings, the feeling of air moving over his scales as he flew, and then heard a startled shriek.
Lennox tipped his head and found Ailis far below him. When he spotted his talons and unfurled his wings, he sighed in contentment. Maybe this was a new power. Surprisingly, he hadn’t felt pain this time. To test it, he shifted again. Once more, there was no pain. Lennox chuckled to find he was naked again. He covered himself with the same clothes as before.
“I should’ve warned you,” he said. “I wanted to test that I could return to my true form.”
She nodded and held out her hand again. He was cautious about this new visitor and her motives, but he was a dragon. Nothing on the realm could compete with their magic. With one call, he could have dragons surrounding her in an instant.
He took a tentative step, learning his new body. He closed the distance between them and took her hand. The world whooshed past him almost instantly, and he found himself in the Trocana Glen. He shook his head as he fought to get his bearings.
“I should’ve warned you.”
He looked to find her eyes twinkling with laughter. Damn if he didn’t find himself liking her more and more. He should be wary, though. She no doubt hid her true motives. But he would uncover what they were.
She lifted her hands as if to showcase something. “Ta-da. Here it is.”
Lennox searched the area but found nothing. “What?”
“Right here,” she said as she pointed, her brows furrowed.
“That’s air.”
Her frown deepened. “Can you not see it?”
“Apparently, no’.”
Which was disturbing. There could be other doorways on Earth that the dragons weren’t aware of. Ailis might not want to do anything but learn and explore, but that didn’t mean others would come to do the same.
He needed to know about the Fae and what they could do so he could prepare the dragons. They were used to being the strongest, most powerful creatures on the realm. Now, there was a Fae who could create doorways to their world—ones he couldn’t see. Lennox wouldn’t take any chances. He had to know more to ensure the protection of his people and the realm. And if it meant spending time with the enthralling Ailis, that was a hardship he would gladly bear. “I’ll show you my world if you tell me of yours,” he offered.