Burned by Darkness - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,27

I will come back to rescue you.”

Hope briefly shimmered in the impossibly blue eyes before Sunny was sending a fearful glance toward the camera.

“That’s impossible,” she whispered.

“What did I say about that word, ma belle?” he scolded in light tones. Then, giving a wave of his hand to dispel the image of Odel, he squared his shoulders. He was running out of time. “Tell me how to find the vaults.”

There was the faintest hesitation before Sunny leaned down to whisper directly in his ear.

“Take the back stairs to the basement,” she said. “In the last cell there’s a door hidden behind an illusion of a brick wall.”

“Ah.” Levet gave her a cheek a small pat. “Illusions are my specialty.” Turning, he headed toward the door, pausing to send her a reassuring smile. “I will return for you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Right.”

“I do not make promises I do not keep,” he swore, stepping out of the room before those big blue eyes could lure him into forgetting the reason he was at the nasty pub.

First he had to get Odel.

Then, he would come back for Sunny.

And then…well, perhaps he would play cupid for himself and allow Sunny to enjoy the attentions of a genuine Prince Charming, aka Levet.

###

Tayla wasn’t sure how long she slept.

It felt like several hours, but time between dimensions always flowed at its own pace. It could be a few minutes or several weeks since she’d entered the cottage. And since night and day were clearly controlled by Baine, she couldn’t even use the hint of dawn that was cresting the horizon to assume it was morning.

Still, she felt deliciously rested for the first time in years, she decided. Which was all that mattered.

Scooting off the bed, she shoved her tangled hair out of her face and followed the thundering male power that hummed in the air.

“Hello?” she called out, moving through the cozy living room filled with overstuffed furniture and tiny tables covered in knickknacks.

She briefly hesitated, easily imagining herself seated in front of the fireplace, sipping tea and… She gave a sharp shake of her head. Was she nuts? Sipping tea in a dragon’s lair?

She was clearly suffering from some strange Stockholm syndrome.

Forcing her feet to carry her out the front door, she glanced around the seemingly empty yard with a small frown.

“Baine?”

There was the sound of rustling leaves, then without warning a slender form was leaping from the nearby tree to stand directly in front of her.

“He isn’t here.”

She sucked in a startled breath, her wide gaze taking in the stranger’s short silver hair and storm-gray eyes. The male was gorgeous, but she wasn’t fooled by his boyish smile or the casual khakis and gray cashmere sweater.

He didn’t have the same power as Baine, but he was a lethal predator who could crush her before she could hope to escape.

“Who are you?” she demanded, taking a discreet step backward.

He folded his arms over his chest, studying her with a blatant curiosity.

“Char.” He performed a small bow. “Baine’s most trusted servant.”

A delicious heat wrapped around her, prickling over her skin like an intimate caress. Yow. If Baine hadn’t already bewitched her with his magic she would have melted into a puddle of gooey lust.

“You’re a dragon?” she demanded.

“Half-breed.”

Ah. That would explain why his power had seemed muted.

It didn’t, however, explain why he was in the private lair Baine had created.

“Why are you here?”

“I was commanded to protect you.”

“Protect me.” Tayla frowned. That didn’t sound good. “Protect me from what?”

Char shrugged. “Baine was a little vague on details. Something about trolls.”

Could the trolls follow her here? It seemed unlikely. So was there some other reason he was worried for her safety?

Or did he assume she was going to try and escape?

Of course. That had to be it.

The thought was somehow disappointing.

“Where did Baine go?” she asked, stiffening as Char slowly circled her, his heat continuing to dance over her skin.

Was he checking out her butt? Or deciding if he wanted her for dinner?

Neither possibility was reassuring.

At last completing his circle, the male halted in front of her, meeting her wary gaze with a mysterious smile.

“He had to deal with a personal matter.”

Personal matter? What was that supposed to mean?

Tayla narrowed her eyes as her brain was seared with an unwelcome visual of Baine standing in his harem with a bevy of beautiful females kneeling at his feet.

Not that she’d seen any hint of other females when she’d been in his harem. Or even knew what a ‘bevy’