of his suspicions. Not until he had more proof, anyway. "You should eat before it grows cold."
Slowly, she got up and crossed to the platter, where she picked up a piece of bread to taste it.
There was something beautiful about her even though her features were rather plain. She moved with a decided grace and assuredness that was unusual for a woman of such lowly birth. She wiped at her mouth daintily with the white linen cloth. "Am I doing something wrong?"
"Nay."
"Then why do you stare at me so?"
Blaise laughed at her innocent question. "I can't truly see you when I am in this form," he explained. "I see your shadow, and when you move, I see you much like a gray haze that is a bit blurry."
"You're blind?"
"Only as a man. As a dragon, I have perfect vision."
"Why?"
"I know not. 'Tis a curse of my birth." What he didn't tell her was that with his magic, he could see a great deal even as a human (that was a secret he'd always kept to himself), but colors and such weren't true to form.
"I'm sorry, Blaise. Do you need any help?"
It was all he could do not to laugh at her question. Imagine her helping him. And yet the kindness of her gesture warmed him. "Nay, my lady. I shall leave you to your work."
"Blaise?" she asked as he turned to leave.
"Aye?"
"Thank you so much for bringing the food. 'Tis most delicious and appreciated."
Her sincere gratitude sent a strange warmth through him. "My pleasure, Seren."
Blaise took one last look at her before he used his powers to leave her. And as he dissolved into his nether form, he saw the faint white aura around her…
Aye, she was as he suspected, and he wondered if Kerrigan knew it.
Blaise let out a long breath as he realized that he was in a precarious position. He was caught between two Merlins.
One who had embraced evil happily and one who didn't even know she had those powers. It was actually a frightening thought because whenever you put a positive with a negative, you either got a deep attraction…
Or one hell of an explosion.
Blaise let out a slow breath. May God have mercy on the girl. Poor Seren had no idea what was in store for her. Especially if Morgen ever learned the truth of her birth.
Chapter 7
It was almost dawn before Seren completed the tunic.Stretching her cramped muscles, she yawned. She was tired, but her joy at having finished her project overwhelmed her. It was truly her finest work ever. The scarlet cloth practically glowed in the candlelight.
Even her embroidery around the neck was exceptional. If only she'd possessed gold thread to stitch it, but even so, the black had turned out quite well. Surely even a man as temperamental as Kerrigan would like it.
Smiling at the thought of pleasing him, she stretched her cramped muscles once more before she rose and left the room. For once her door wasn't locked—most likely because there was no one else here besides them, and where could she go since they were on an island in the middle of a sea she didn't know?
She pushed the door open to step tentatively out into the hallway, where she half expected Blaise or Kerrigan to show up and force her back into her room.
She wasn't sure where Kerrigan might be. The most likely place would be the hall since he'd said that he didn't sleep. She wasn't even sure where that was in this large, cold place. Still, it seemed only natural that the great hall would be on a lower floor in the center of the castle.
Relying on instinct, she made her way through the darkened corridors and down the spiral stairs until she reached the first floor.
Sure enough, it opened onto a giant hall that was lined with trestle tables. Ornate banners that were mostly threadbare hung from the rafters over her head. But she wasn't paying attention to them. Her gaze focused on the man before the roaring fire who wore armor blacker than sin.
Kerrigan sat quietly in a large carved chair with his legs propped on a small wooden stool. At first she thought he was still awake until she drew closer.
His head was propped against his fist, but his eyes were closed, and they didn't snap open at her silent approach.
So much for his prideful boasting. The man slept after all, and that knowledge made him seem much more human.
Shaking her head, she took