*
Lilly woke to warmth for the first time in far too long. Looking around, she found the source of the warmth—a sparkling white dragon lay in the arched doorway to the chamber in which she found herself. Great diamond-like eyes blinked slowly as they watched her.
Lilly sat up. Her head swam, and she gripped the edges of the bed to steady herself, never taking her gaze from the dragon. She searched her memory, finally coming up with a name.
“Shilayla. Is that right? Your name is Shilayla?”
The dragon raised its head to nod, but a voice sounded in Lilly’s mind, the likes of which she’d never heard outside of dreams. “Yes.”
“Thank you for saving me.”
“It was our pleasure.” The tall man she’d mistaken for an angel of the nether realm strode through the arch, skirting around the dragon’s large head. He was even taller and more striking than she remembered.
She could be excused for believing him a heavenly being, she decided. Flowing golden hair, piercing blue eyes, chiseled features and a long, lithe, muscular body that made her long-neglected woman’s sense sit up and take notice. He was the most devastatingly attractive man she’d ever seen, and that was saying something. She’d seen more than her share of muscular warriors in her father’s school and in her work. This man outclassed them all. In fact, he was in a league of his own entirely. She had thought she had been prepared to face the fair folk and their reputed beauty, but if this man’s blinding good looks were any indication, she would have to work hard to keep herself sensible about her mission among these handsome, magical beings.
Luc towered over her bedside, watching her with curious, intelligent eyes. Lilly became very aware of the fact she wore nothing beneath the covers besides her thin cotton underclothes. The man reached for an intricately carved chair that had been near the wall. He turned it around and straddled the wooden seat backwards, leaning his brawny forearms along the seat’s back.
“Now, Mistress Lilly, may I ask more about the vision that sent you here?”
He didn’t have to say that he thought hers had been a foolhardy mission, whatever it was. His expression said it already. Lilly had known the risks. Few people ever made it within the protected Veil of the fair folk, and many succumbed to the conditions outside their hidden valley, though few actually died. She suspected the fair folk scouts rescued far more travelers than they would admit, depositing them in the closest towns with trusted go-betweens who protected the fair ones’ secrets. Lilly had done her research before heading north. She’d heard too many stories of rescues of unconscious victims by simple village folk to believe them all.
“You may ask.” She sat up a bit straighter and grasped the warm blankets closer to her chest. “But, for all that I owe you my life, I am charged to bring my message directly to your Council. Until that duty is discharged, I may not speak of my origins or my mission. I’m sorry.”
With each of her words, one golden eyebrow rose another fraction. She could see she’d intrigued him, though that was not her intent. She spoke only the truth about the secrecy of her mission.
“Well, then.” He rose from the chair, twirling it around as if it weighed nothing at all and replacing it against the wall. “Since you won’t talk to me, I’ll see what I can do about getting you an audience with the Council. Are you feeling up to a short walk? Or can you not tell me that, as well?”
His sarcasm surprised her. She hadn’t thought such a powerful being would act quite like a spoiled child when he didn’t get his way. Somehow, the thought put her at ease in his presence as nothing else could. With a single sentence and an annoyed tightening of those tempting masculine lips, she was on more familiar footing.
“I am well enough to walk. Thank you.” She tried to hide a smile as the dragon’s head rose and the warrior made for the entryway.
“Your clothes are in the cupboard. I’ll be in the main room when you’re ready. Likely, the Council will see you right away since they are as intrigued by your presence here as the rest of us.”
He barely looked at her as he walked toward the door. He spared only a moment to rub the eye ridges of the white dragon before leaving, sparing Lilly not a glance or word of farewell. He was definitely pouting, and Lilly had to stifle a laugh. Men, it seemed, were the same the world over, regardless of their magical abilities.
Lilly was left with the dragon, but she felt surprisingly comfortable with Shilayla. Moving cautiously at first, Lilly pushed the covers back and sat for a moment on the side of the bed, taking stock. She actually felt better than she had expected. Her feet, which had been nearly frozen through, were sore but looked healthy and pink, as did her fingers. The rest of her muscles were sore too, but felt better as she stretched. All in all, she was surprised there appeared to be no permanent damage from the days of exposure to such brutal weather.
Lilly edged off the high bed, holding the bedstead for a moment while she caught her balance. A few steps brought her to the cupboard, and as promised, her clothing was inside, cleaned and pressed. She wasted little time dressing, feeling stronger as the moments passed. When she was fully clothed, she turned to find Shilayla watching her.
“Will I pass muster?” she asked the dragon with a playful curve of her lips.
The glistening white head bobbed up and down. “You look very different from other ladies. You dress like a warrior.”
Lilly smiled at the dragon. “That’s probably because I am a warrior, milady.”
“You hear me?”
“Yes, Lady Shilayla. Though I’ve never met a dragon before, much less talked with one, I can indeed hear you. I’m honored you would choose to speak with me.”
“Most humans cannot hear us.” Shilayla sniffed delicately at Lilly’s shoulder. “But you have magic, don’t you? I smell it.”
“I suppose I do, since the healing ability came to me a few months ago. No one was more surprised than I when it flickered to life inside me.”
“Like a flame?” Shilayla asked in a curious tone. Lilly considered the comparison and found it to be a good one.
“Yes, now that you mention it. It did feel like that. I suppose the ember was always there, but something fanned it to life, and now, I have no idea how to douse it.”
“Why would you want to?” Shilayla cocked her head in a puzzled way. Lilly just sighed.
“Why indeed?” It was too complicated and too personal to discuss with the dragon she’d only just met. Besides, she had a mission to complete, and Luc was probably waiting on her—tapping his toe impatiently, if she had to guess. The thought made her smile as she picked up her pack and walked toward the door and the dragon filling it. “I must speak to your Council without further delay, Lady Shilayla.”
The dragon watched her, as if debating for a moment before she stepped aside and allowed Lilly to pass through the portal. As anticipated, Luc stood waiting for her, but he still seemed surprised when she entered the main room of the dwelling, the dragon following right behind her.
Luc caught his breath as he viewed Lilly healthy and whole for the first time. She wore her leathers warrior style and looked at home in them. There were more than a few warrior women among his people, but he’d never before been attracted to one of them. Not like this. This human woman affected him in ways he didn’t understand, but he knew one thing—one way or another, he would have her.