Something inside her shifted as the incredibly handsome man laid her back on the soft grass, hovering over her small body with his large, muscular form.
“Do you understand now?” His words sounded near her ear as he pulled slightly back. Dark green human eyes watched her carefully, a slight smile playing about the hard lips that had just kissed her breathless.
“Roland?”
He nodded. “In the flesh.”
“But how?”
“I’m of the royal bloodline, Lana. All the males of my line are both human and dragon. Black dragons, to be precise. Only the royal blacks can change form from human to dragon at will. It’s part of our heritage, part of our birthright, part of the agreement between human and dragonkind to peacefully coexist as they coexist in the males of my line.”
She ran one hand over the sharp angles of his face, marveling at how the dragon resembled the man. Though in completely different form, she recognized him. He was not a stranger to her. And he was so good-looking, he took her breath away.
His green eyes sparkled just like the emerald dragon eyes she had come to know so well over the past days. The arch of his eyebrow was so similar in shape and angle to the eye ridge of the dragon. The curve of his cheek was in the same proportion as the angular jaw of the dragon.
“You are Roland.” Her voice was a breathless whisper of awe as her eyes lit up with discovery. She gasped as another thought occurred. “Sweet Mother! Are you a prince or something?”
His smile deepened, revealing sexy dimples. “Or something. You’ll find out all the grisly details when we get to the palace and meet my family, I’m sure.”
“You’re taking me to the palace?” The thought struck fear into her heart.
“If I’m right, you too are a member of one of the royal bloodlines. You must learn about your heritage and claim your birthright, Lana. By right of your birth, you’re also part of the royal court.”
“Are we related?” Apprehension filled her.
Roland nodded, confirming her fears. “Yes, sweet, but only very distantly. The House of Kent, to which I suspect you belong, and my line are quite far apart, but both our lines breed true. Which means you’re half-dragon too. It’s your gift to heal dragons, as do most of the women of the royal lines.”
“Half-dragon?”
He chuckled, kissing her nose. “Yes, little one. It’s probably the only reason you were able to claim and tame a great Northern Ice Dragon. Such a feat is not easily done. Did you never wonder why you were the only person in Salomar’s household who could speak with your dragonet?”
“But I wasn’t the only one.”
“What?” His dark eyes grew alert, his expression questioning.
“He has a witch.” Lana’s heart pounded as she remembered the evil woman. “Her name is Loralie. She’s tried to lure Tor from me many times. She’s the one who sent his mother away with no memory of the egg she left behind.”
“When we get to the palace, you must tell my brothers everything you know about this witch.”
She nodded, sensing how important this was to him. “I’ll gladly tell you everything I know about Salomar’s household if it will help you defeat him.”
“Defeat him? What do you know of his plans?” A cunning smile broke over his face.
She smiled back. “I didn’t spend all my time languishing in dark, cold caves. As much as his men hunted us, Tor and I harried them. We intercepted messengers and waylaid enough scouts to know he plans to bring war on a kingdom to the south with his allies in the east. I can only guess that the kingdom he intends to move against is yours.”
Roland drew back from her, rising to sit back on his haunches, his expression hard. “I suspected as much, which is why I flew north. I wanted to do a little reconnaissance. Instead I almost died.”
“You didn’t know about the weapons he’s developed to fight dragons.”
He turned back to her with a bright light in his eyes. “But you do. You know all about his tactics and his weapons. He’s been testing and perfecting them on you and Tor.”
She sat up, nodding slowly as she realized what he was getting at. “Yes, you’re probably right.” She took his hand in hers. “We’ll tell you everything we know and though I can’t speak for Tor, I will fight with you against Salomar to the best of my ability. If ever a man deserved to