Kiss of a Dragon (Fallen Immortals 1) - Paranormal Fairytale Romance Read Free Page B

open his palm. The blood welled, red flecked with gold, glistening dark in the shadowed alleyway, and he pressed it to her wound. It should be enough to stave off the death that was circling her, waiting for a chance to land.
    She was a treasure—he could see that as plain as day in this midnight alley—just as sure as he knew he couldn’t leave her here.
    She might be the one. The whisper of it haunted him. She might be strong enough.
    He would have to seduce her. Convince her to love him. But he wouldn’t make the mistake of loving her in return, as he had with Cora. His heart. And if this woman survived, he wouldn’t have to carry the guilt of what he had done. She would have riches beyond imagining, including a long life and anything else she desired.
    It would be a fair trade.
    She roused a little with the infusion of his blood, but her eyes were still glazed. He scooped her into his arms and lifted her from the dirt. A phone in her pocket was quickly freed. He dialed 9-1-1 and tossed the device on the man’s inert body. They would come for him. But she would no longer be here. He shifted again, letting the gold expanse of his wings spread behind him as he gripped her in his talons and lifted into the air.
    He was taking this treasure back to his lair.

She was flying.
    Gripped in the arms of a golden-winged creature—an angel—and soaring over mountains that reflected the moonlight above.
    She was falling…
    Arabella awoke with a start. She sat up, gasping, dizziness flooding her brain. She was on a couch with fabric soft as butter in a vast light-filled room. The windows stretched two stories tall and covered an entire wall, giving a view of the mountains as though she were perched on top of them. The room was gorgeously decorated, like something out of a magazine. The couch formed a wide half circle twenty feet across. Natural wood floors sparkled beneath it. To her left was a white spiral staircase with a twisted metal railing. Near that, a rock sculpture carved from pure sandstone stood as tall as a man. The chairs, the couches, the spare adornments… all of it screamed money.
    “Good. You’re awake.” The deep rumbling male voice made her nearly jump out of her skin.
    A man appeared around the corner of the couch to her left, striding toward her.
    All she could think was, holy shit, I’ve been kidnapped. Her body reacted before her mind could fully grasp what was happening. She launched herself off the cushions and ran at him, hoping to take him off guard. His eyes widened and flashed gold—no that wasn’t possible—but her flying kick was aiming straight for his solar plexus in spite of him being a mountain of a man. But instead of knocking him back when her feet jammed into his body, he moved lightning fast and caught her by the calf, yanking her toward him. She ended up trapped, mashed against his massive chest. He pulled her leg over his hip with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her back, locking her against him.
    She struggled for only a split second before realizing the utter futility of that. His arms were bands of iron, pinning her to him. But he wasn’t hurting her… yet.
    “Don’t be afraid,” he whispered, peering down into her face. “I’m not going to harm you.”
    They always say that. But they lie.
    Her heart pounded, and her mind raced, searching for the right thing to say. The thing to keep her alive. But her brain was annoyingly overwhelmed by the extreme maleness of him—cut jaw, broad shoulders, hard-muscled chest. His light amber eyes were blazing down at her. He was easily the most gorgeous man she’d ever been pressed against, and her body betrayed her by responding to him, so close and so hot.
    That only welled up anger inside her. “Let me go.” Her words were half whisper, half shudder at his overwhelming sexual presence.
    He released her, but it was slow and lingering, fingers dragging across her skin and body before they lifted free. He smelled