The Dragon Legion Collection

Chapter Two



Petra fought harder. Knowing the truth of his intentions meant she had no intention of going with Damien at all. “And what happens if we do get out of here?” she demanded. “What happens after our son is born? You’ll just abandon me again? I don’t think so!”

“He’s my son!” Damien protested.

“And mine!”

“But...”

Petra was so angry that she kicked Damien hard, right in the wound the hellhound had just given him. He roared in pain, stumbled, and his grip loosened enough for her to get her feet on the ground again.

Miserable, self-centered dragon!

Petra regained her balance quickly and kicked Damien harder, in exactly the same spot. He paled in pain as he fell to one knee, then she decked him. Damien swore as he fell back, even though Petra knew she hadn’t hurt him that much.

“You want your son? Then come and get him!” Petra spun and ran into the shadowy depths of the underworld. She was livid, but ran as fast as she could, wanting only to leave as much distance as possible between herself and the infuriating, sexy father of her child.

Oh, she hadn’t called Damien nearly enough names when he’d left her before. He was selfish, he was conceited, he was insensitive and indifferent to the desires of others, he was...

“Petra!” Damien roared from the gates.

She didn’t waste time looking back but kept running. Damien was taller, faster and he wasn’t nine months pregnant. He was also a dragon shape shifter. It was inevitable that he’d catch her, possibly also inevitable that he’d win his way, but she wanted to make him work as hard as possible for his victory.

Maybe she was getting even.

Or maybe she was the one who didn’t believe, now.

“No!” Damien bellowed suddenly. The dismay in his voice convinced Petra to look back. She laughed to see that Damien’s plan was falling apart before his eyes. Charon was calmly plying his pole to guide his ferry back across the river. He was already too far from the shore for Damien to jump and the River Acheron ran darkly between them. Damien stood on the bank and shook his fist at the departing boat.

“I paid you to wait!” he bellowed, but the ferryman continued on his way, deaf to Damien’s cries. Petra felt a twinge of sympathy when Damien’s shoulders sagged.

She knew her dragon would never accept defeat easily. He always mustered his resolve for another foray.

Which was why it had been so devastating when he’d left her forever.

Again, she expected the pale blue glow that announced his intention to shift, and again, she didn’t see it. Petra felt a whisper of concern.

Was something wrong?

Damien pivoted to glare into the underworld, his eyes blazing with fury. “This is your fault,” he said, flinging out his hands in frustration. “You could have just come along. You could have just cooperated, but every single thing has to be an argument.”

“You mean I could have trusted you. Again.” Petra spoke quietly, knowing Damien’s keen senses would allow him to hear her, even at such a distance. “Too bad your firestorm wasn’t with a stupid woman.”

Damien’s eyes flashed. He strode toward the gates, resolve giving him new power. Petra felt a thrill of anticipation. When they’d argued like this while alive, they’d made up with equal passion. She wondered whether he intended to win her agreement with a kiss and couldn’t wait for him to try. She stood her ground, telling herself that Damien’s kiss wouldn’t be half as marvelous as she remembered.

But she was going to find out.

As Damien approached the gates, Cerberus stirred, one head rousing to yawn.

Petra saw the dog sniff the air.

She heard it growl at Damien.

Damien growled back.

Petra turned to run, telling herself she didn’t want to see whatever happened next. She heard Damien swear, then the dog yelp. When she looked back, Damien had plunged under the gates of the underworld to pursue her and was closing fast. Cerberus stood on the other side, barking after Damien with all teeth bared.

The hellhound wouldn’t let anyone pass through the gates to return to the River Acheron and the world above. That was forbidden and the injunction even applied to Damien.

It was possible he didn’t realize as much, or that he was just focused on the moment, because Damien seemed untroubled. Petra knew he had no shortage of confidence. It took a brave man to walk into the underworld when he wasn’t dead, and a braver one to imagine he might be able to leave alive whenever he wished to do so.

Damien looked furious. His eyes were blazing and his muscles were pumping. He was all male and so gorgeous that Petra almost wished to be caught and kissed into submission.

Instead, she ran. Would she spend eternity trying to outrun Damien? The realm of the underworld was nearly endless. She could lead him across its vast wastelands for untold ages.

Except, of course, that Damien was mortal. Even he would fade without food and water. And if he consumed anything in this realm, he’d be trapped here as surely as if he were dead.

That bothered Petra more than she knew it should.

A glimmer of blue-green light crackled along the deadened ground, drawing up alongside her then racing ahead. Petra couldn’t make sense of it, but she didn’t have time to think about it. She spared a backward glance to find Damien closing fast, his expression murderous. She stumbled over something and looked forward again just as blue-green brilliance flared. It lit into an orb of light so bright that she had to close her eyes against it. It appeared so abruptly that she couldn’t keep from running straight into its glow.

Then her footsteps faltered to a halt as she stared in wonder.

Because Petra was abruptly surrounded by the past and filled with the ache of all they’d lost.



* * *



Trust Petra to be unpredictable and uncooperative.

Trust Petra to start an argument instead of helping them both to escape.

This quest should have been easy. Damien should have been able to fetch his son, return to the ferry and have Charon take him back to the side of the river that touched the land of the living. It should have been quick and relatively painless. He should have been heading back into the world he knew, his son safely with him, but nothing with Petra ever went as planned.

She’d always defied expectation—in fact, that had been one of the things Damien had once admired about her. She challenged him and surprised him, as no one else had ever done. She was fearless and defiant, and completely captivating. Their relationship had been fiery from the start, filled with arguments and passion, filled with battles of words that ended in ferocious lovemaking. He’d felt so alive with her, so embroiled in a constant battle of wits and challenges.


Challenge was the right word for Petra.

Look at their firestorm. He’d planned to fulfill it, conceive their son, and leave again. She’d been agreeable, even wanting to experience it. Instead, he’d stayed one day, then another, until he’d been with her for three months. It was only because he finally had left, to make a quick trip to Delphi, that he’d learned the truth about her and been able to leave for good.

The strange thing was that he knew he should be furious with her, but Damien felt invigorated. He was startled to realize how glad he’d been to feel that old flame leap to life between them. He’d missed Petra, even knowing how dangerous she was. Maybe that was part of the reason she intrigued him. Either way, he wasn’t nearly ready to step away from her again.

That should have worried him more than it did.

Damien had to wonder if she was the one who had ensured he couldn’t shift shape to fight Cerberus. It would have been like her to want him in her debt for something.

Maybe that was why she’d enchanted the hellhound, so Damien would owe her.

What did she want in exchange? It was a question that only Petra would be able to answer.

Except that she was running away from him.

Damien couldn’t believe that his son hadn’t been born before Petra had drowned, but the evidence was unmistakable. That made his mission more complicated, and he wondered if she’d planned it that way in advance. It seemed a bad time to acknowledge that he had no clear idea of her powers. Had she seen the future? Guessed where and how they’d meet again? He had a thousand questions, but Petra was clearly disinclined to explain herself. Why hadn’t she waited for their son to be born? It had been irresponsible for her to undertake such a journey so close to her time, and he felt angry with her for her choice.

An unwelcome voice in his thoughts reminded him of his own lack of responsibility, but that had been different. He couldn’t have stayed with Petra, not once he’d learned the truth about her.

Not once he’d known that she could kill him at any time.

He would have gone back for his son sooner, if he and his fellows hadn’t been cast across the centuries.

And now Charon had forgotten his bargain and had headed back to the far shore. Damien doubted there would be a refund or a credit on the extra fare he’d paid. Petra was running like the wind, running faster than he could have imagined a woman in her state would be able to run. It would have been simple to catch her if he’d been able to shift shape, but no amount of effort seemed able to rouse the dragon within. Damien pursued her, realizing as they moved deeper into this strange territory that the underworld wasn’t a place he wanted to explore alone—much less a place he wanted to remain.

But Petra had been trapped here. He felt a pang of sympathy for her.

In fact, the first sight of her, round with his son, had shaken him. She’d always been lovely and had always had lush curves. But pregnancy had ripened her in a way that made Damien remember very well all the pleasure they’d had creating that son. The strange blue-green light of the darkfire had flattered her in a way he hadn’t expected, drawing him closer, making him want to caress and seduce her all over again.

He saw the darkfire crackle along the ground ahead of him, illuminating this dark and dreary realm. It flared up suddenly in front of Petra, almost like an explosion. He shouted a warning but she didn’t stop. Damien tried to run faster even as she stepped right into the brilliance and disappeared.

Damien cried her name in horror. He feared the worst, although when he thought about it, he couldn’t think of what would be worse for her than being dead. He passed into the light of the darkfire, feeling a shiver pass over his flesh at its cold touch.

And then, he was surrounded by the past.



Damien had just stepped into a tavern, taking shelter from the night along with Orion. The cool of a winter evening was at his back. Inside the tavern was a crowd of people, laughter and food.

And music.

The music had drawn them, turning their steps in this direction like a spell of enchantment. Now, surrounded by the glow of candlelight, Damien stood in silence and stared.

A gorgeous woman played the lyre in the middle of the tavern, to the obvious delight of the people listening. She evidently played a familiar song, for they all knew the words and sang along. A plump man who had to be the proprietor stood by the door to the kitchen, smiling with satisfaction.

Orion heaved a sigh of satisfaction. “Finally, a decent meal and some good company.”

“I’m not such bad company as that,” Damien retorted and Orion grinned.

“You could be the most beautiful woman in the world, and after a month in your company alone, I’d still be ready for a change.”

Damien laughed, unable to be insulted. “That’s the most beautiful woman in the world,” he said, gesturing to the musician. “It would take more than a month for me to tire of her companionship.”

Orion might have replied in kind, but as Damien gestured, a spark lit at the end of his finger. The brilliant orange light flared, arching across the room to land on the musician’s parted lips.

She gasped in wonder.

She considered him.

Then her eyes lit and she smiled.

“The firestorm,” Orion said, a tinge of jealousy in his tone. “You’ll satisfy it in a night, won’t you?” he teased. “Never linger.”

“Lingering only builds expectations,” Damien replied softly, his gaze fixed on the woman who could bear his son. His blood fired in anticipation of the night they’d share. “And the firestorm is extinguished as soon as it’s satisfied. One night is all it will take.”

She ended the tune, stilling the strings of the lute with one hand as her audience applauded. There were calls for drinks and food that sent the proprietor scurrying, but the woman immediately began to play another song.

It was a love song, low and seductive, the words sending a pulse of heat through Damien.

Or maybe it was the way she sang the song to him that fired his blood. Damien stood utterly still, his gaze locked with hers, as her song filled the tavern. Her voice was so rich and pure that she might have been born of the gods. He heard the rapturous sigh of one of the patrons. Damien was barely aware of Orion clapping him on the shoulder, then pushing him forward. He took one step and then another, moving closer to the beguiling beauty who sang just for him.

With every step, the heat of the firestorm burned brighter. With every step, he heard her song more clearly and was more smitten. Her eyes were darker than dark, filled with a thousand lights. They tipped up slightly at the outer corners, giving her an exotic appearance, and her ripe red lips seemed to caress each syllable of the song as the words spilled forth. Her hair was long and dark and wavy, hanging past her hips in flowing ebony. Her skin was so fair that it might have been carved of ivory, and the contrast made her even more strikingly attractive.

She wore a chiton of fine white cloth that was cut full, then tied at her narrow waist with a gold cord. She was curvaceous, her breasts enough to fill his hands, her waist narrow, her hips sweetly curved. She danced barefoot, the glimpses of her feminine feet beneath the hem of her tunic making Damien’s pulse pound in his ears. Her tunic was hemmed in golden embroidery and the light played with the thread, making her look like a precious gem.

His gem. His mate. The firestorm told no lie. This was the woman who could bear Damien’s son, and he wasn’t going to bypass the opportunity.


He was going to make the most of it.

And he’d be gone in the morning.

The way she sang for him, her eyes dancing and her smile drawing him closer, told him that she liked what she saw, as well. It wasn’t just the light that burned brighter between them with every step he took closer—it was the desire that surged through his body with greater demand. By the time he halted before her, he was burning for her, determined to woo her in bed, to make this night a night that neither would ever forget.

He was captivated by her dark eyes, her knowing smile, her grace and her lovely voice. The song could have lasted a lifetime or the duration of a single heartbeat. Damien didn’t know or care. There was only the musician and her song.

And when she held the last note, drawing it out into a tone of impossible richness, her smile was only for him. The others applauded but Damien took the last step between them. “Pure magic,” he said, then caught her face in his hands. She gasped at the spark of heat that fired between them, then smiled at him in the illumination of the firestorm. She held her ground though, undaunted by the strange light.

She was as remarkable and bold as he’d hoped.

“Thank you for the song,” Damien whispered, then bent his head and kissed her.

She was as sweet as the finest honey, her lips both soft and firm, the scent of her perfume enticing. To Damien’s surprise, she slipped one hand around his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss when he might have stepped back. Her tongue touched his, her welcome enflaming him.

He knew he should break their kiss but didn’t have the willpower to do so. She opened her mouth and rose to her toes, inviting him to partake of all she had to offer, and Damien couldn’t have resisted her—or the firestorm—at any price.



* * *



Petra was back in the tavern, on that fateful night. She felt the firestorm even before she saw Damien, although she hadn’t known what it was at first. She turned in surprise at the unexpected heat just as he walked into the small tavern.

And her world stopped.

At first glimpse, she was snared. Damien paused at the back of the tavern, looking unpredictable, confident and alluring. He watched her, a smile on his lips and a seductive glint is his eyes. It was more than the fact that he was handsome, more than his muscled build, that drew her eye.

He was surrounded with golden light, and she felt as if she was looking straight into the sun. His eyes even seemed to be lit with gold, although later she would see that they simply had hazel glints in them. In that moment, she thought he could have been a god come to walk among them. Petra guessed there was something different about him. He had a raw power that she could sense even at a distance, see even with a glimpse, and her heart soared with hope.

Could it be that there was a man worthy of her love?

Could it be that there was one man who would love her for what she was?

After just one song, he was striding forward to claim her with a kiss, as if he, too, knew that there was strange magic between them. That golden light burned and flared, becoming brighter the closer he came to her. His touch seared her soul and his kiss melted her bones.

She was his for the taking. Their meeting was destiny at work; their happiness together assured. She couldn’t bear to share his company with anyone and led him outside the back of the tavern, where the night sky was thick with stars.

He kissed her again, slowly and thoroughly, leaving her flushed and filled with desire. The golden light burned even brighter between them, sparking off her fingertips in a way that made her laugh. She played with it as he watched her, touching his shoulder to make the flame flash brighter, then drawing her hand away, over and over again.

Each touch made her desire stronger.

Each touch made his gaze burn with greater intensity.

There weren’t any other people outside and Petra was thrilled that they were alone, that this intriguing man was bent on winning her favor. She toyed with the light that sparked between them, and its growing power took her breath away. She was dizzy with her awareness of him and her desire for him. At the same time, she didn’t know what to say to him. Did he have this effect upon all women? Her thoughts were filled with questions, but she loved the sensation of standing with him in the velvety darkness of the night, caught in a golden glow that tantalized and teased them both.

“Surely such a beautiful woman has a name,” he prompted finally and Petra smiled.

“Petra. And you?”

“Damien.”

Petra nodded approval. “A good strong name. A warrior’s name.”

He smiled, watching her play with the sparks. “You’re not afraid of it.”

“Should I be?”

“Many people would be, particularly if they knew what it meant.”

Petra smiled at him. “Does that make me bold?”

The heat in his eyes made her heart pound. “Maybe.”

“Is that a problem?”

He shook his head. “I like bold women, strong women, and women who know what they want.”

“Sounds as if you like a lot of women.”

Damien laughed. “I have, but none such as you.”

She surveyed him, summoned a spark from one of his shoulders with her fingertip and passed it to his other shoulder. She had to narrow her eyes against its bright flare. “Does this happen often to you?”

He shook his head. “Never before, but I know what it is all the same.”

“How so? Have you seen it before?”

He shook his head, his eyes dancing as he watched her try to figure it out.

“You’ve heard of it, then.”

“Many times. It’s called the firestorm.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“Of course not. You’re not one of us.”

Petra’s heart skipped a beat at the inference that he was different from other men. Maybe he was just as different from men as she was from women. “Us?” she echoed lightly.

He smiled, nodding back toward the tavern. “My friend and I belong to a company of warriors called the Pyr.” He watched her then, waiting to see if she recognized the name.

Petra did. “Dragons,” she breathed, her fingertips rising to her lips in awe. She could believe that Damien had the ability to change into a fire-breathing dragon. She could believe that he had been chosen by some divinity to be more than just a man.

Maybe to be her partner.

“Not many have even heard of us.”

“I collect stories and songs. It’s my trade. I’ve heard of the Pyr and hoped they were real.”

“As real as can be.” He spread his hands, inviting her admiration. Petra didn’t trouble to hide it. In fact, his confidence made her want to laugh out loud. She’d known so many men with doubts and had had plenty of her own. It was infinitely appealing that he appeared to have none.

“So sure of yourself,” she teased. “Exactly as one would expect a dragon to be.”

“I’ve got to live up to your expectations.” He must have seen her confusion because he leaned closer, dropping his voice to a seductive whisper. “It’s the demand of the firestorm.”

“That you fulfill my expectations?” Petra demanded. She played with the sparks again. “It must mean more than that.”

“Yes and no. It means that you’re the woman who can bear my son.”

Petra blinked, but he held her gaze unflinchingly. “And this happens to you Pyr all the time?”

“It happens only once for each Pyr, so is an opportunity not to be missed.” He caught her hand in his, seeming bemused by the array of sparks that lit at the point of contact. Their golden light made him look vital and powerful, a man who might be more than he seemed to be. “I couldn’t have asked for a more alluring lady to light the flame.” He bent over her hand and kissed her fingertips gently, sweetly. “But I won’t lie to you about what it means.”


Petra’s mouth went dry as she watched his firm lips touch her skin, that dizzying glow burning so bright that it seemed he’d mark her forever with his kiss.

“And afterward?”

“We are warriors. We fight.”

“You’ll leave,” she whispered and he nodded once. He might return, though, and this sensation was one Petra wanted to explore.

Damien glanced up, his gaze knowing. “What other expectations do you have of the Pyr?” he murmured, his breath fanning her skin.

“So you can fulfill them?”

“Of course!”

“Loyalty.” Petra bit her lip when he nodded. “Power. Protection.” He nodded after each and she studied him, wondering. “Immortality?”

“Longevity,” he corrected, which was a relief to her. “We’re said to age more quickly once the firestorm is satisfied.”

“The ability to solve riddles,” Petra added.

He grinned. “I hope to solve yours.”

“It’ll take more than one night.”

He chuckled at that, not so worried about his independence as she’d expected.

“A passionate nature,” Petra whispered.

Damien traced one finger down her cheek, leaving a sizzling path in its wake. “You can verify that yourself.” He cupped her chin in his hand, then bent to kiss her. It was a sweet seductive kiss, one that heated with every passing moment. Petra found herself opening her mouth to him, her need growing in the golden heat of this firestorm. When Damien’s strong fingers slid into her hair, drawing her closer, she caught her breath and stepped back, not quite ready to surrender to him.

“Keen senses?” she asked, her voice husky. She liked that he let her go, but then he had that confidence. He knew she’d surrender to him, and the patience of a dragon meant he’d wait.

A little while. Petra had a hard time catching her breath as he studied her. Could he read her thoughts? Had he already guessed her truth?

“Keener than those of men.” he admitted.

“Prove it.”

He straightened, listening and looking. “The men in the tavern are talking about your beauty and your songs.”

“Of course they are!” Petra scoffed, showing some confidence of her own. “They all talk about me, all the time.”

“Someone named Dmitri is insisting that you’ll be his wife, but another man, one with a deeper voice, is laughing at him, saying you’ve declined him three times.” He arched a brow and Petra couldn’t argue with what he’d heard.

“How long have you been here?”

“We just arrived moments ago.” Damien smiled at her. “Do you think you really could have overlooked me, and this?” He touched her mouth with one fingertip, making the light flare brilliantly between them.

It was a point she couldn’t argue. She turned and kissed his fingertip, then grazed his skin with her teeth. His gaze brightened. “I can’t be persuaded to have a child as easily as that, whether you’re Pyr or not,” she said, folding her arms across her chest to face him down. “You’ll have to seduce me.”

He laughed. “But that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

Petra could believe it. This was a man who had seduced a hundred women, even without those disorienting sparks on his side, and left not a one of them with regrets. “First, show me what you are,” she challenged.

Damien didn’t try to deny her request or pretend he didn’t understand. He smiled and stepped away from her, casting one glance toward the noisy tavern before he looked back at her. “You shouldn’t watch,” he cautioned. “There are stories of people losing their sanity.”

“I have a good hold on mine,” Petra replied and arched a brow. “I think you’re stalling.” She didn’t think that, not at all, but she liked how he grinned when she challenged him, as if he wasn’t used to anyone provoking him.

“Protect yourself,” he said, suddenly serious. “I need to know that you will.”

Petra nodded, chastened by his concern.

As she watched, a pale blue glow appeared around Damien’s body, its radiance increasing with every passing moment. She saw Damien throw out his arms, then she felt a surge of power that was achingly familiar to her. She closed her eyes, following his advice, and she felt the force of a transformation wash over her.

When she looked again, Damien had become a dark green dragon with gleaming scales. Each scale looked to be dipped in gold and his dark wings stretched high overhead. His talons shone gold and his teeth were numerous and sharp. He was both beautiful and terrifying, but there was something in his golden eyes that reminded her of the confident warrior. He breathed a plume of fire toward the stars, as if overjoyed at his own abilities, then turned a glittering look upon her.

He was so beautiful that he should be overjoyed.

And she was just as thrilled to be in his company. Damien didn’t know it yet, but they were two of a kind.

When he offered one claw to her, Petra saw the firestorm’s spark leap from the end of his talon, arc through the air toward her. She closed her eyes as it struck her right in the heart, as burning a wound as one from Cupid’s own arrow. She took the step between them and put her hand in his claw before she dared him again.

“Take me for a ride,” she urged, then turned and pointed. “I want to be seduced on the top of that peak.”

She wanted to be surrounded by earth and stone when this union   was made.

Damien smiled, showing every one of his sharp dragon teeth. He inclined his head slightly even as his wings rose higher behind him. “Your wish is my command,” he said in that same wondrously low voice. Then he caught her close, holding her with all the care due a precious gem, beat his wings and carried her into the night.

It was perfect, every dream come true. As the wind rippled her hair and the distant peak drew nearer, Petra knew she’d finally met her match. This was the man who could win her heart forever. This was the man who would remain by her side. This was the man who would be unafraid of what she was.

He believed their union   would be fleeting but Petra knew better. The child would forge a bond between them, one that would encourage his return.

She would be his, forever.

Starting on this night.



* * *



Damien opened his eyes to find Petra in his arms, and the darkfire fading around them. She tasted like wine and sunlight again, a combination so seductive that he remembered every spark of their firestorm. He didn’t want to stop what they’d started, but wanted to explore the passion between them once again.

He was startled to realize that they stood in the shadows of the underworld, not on the peak of a mountain with the stars shining above. He was re-living the satisfaction of the firestorm and wanted to do it all again. The ripe curve of her belly was between them, a telling reminder that the firestorm had been consummated. Damien wondered whether she’d experienced the same vivid recollection that he had, but then noticed an amazing thing.

Petra was changing color. She’d been pale when he’d seen her at the gates, as pale and ethereal as a ghost. But now, he watched a flush of color suffuse her cheeks, spreading from her reddened lips to make her look as rosy as she had when she was alive. Her eyes became the rich dark brown he remembered, her hair looked thick and dark and lustrous. Her lips were red and her skin was warm. She caught her breath in obvious surprise, shook off his embrace, then backed away.


“What have you done?” she demanded, her fingertips rising to her lips.

“Proved you wrong, I think. You look alive again.”

Petra’s hands touched her cheeks, then ran over her body. It was clear she didn’t believe what she saw or felt. “You can’t do this. It’s not possible.”

“I have done it.” Damien winked at her. “Maybe you’ll have to write a new song about it.” He reached for her hand. “Let’s go.”

“It’s a trick,” Petra said, snatching her hand away from him. “Terrible things happen to the dead who try to leave the underworld. You’re trying to convince me to make a mistake.”

“I’m trying to save you.”

“It’s too late for that!”

“Then let me save my son!”

“You can’t,” Petra began and then she fell silent. Her face paled as if she’d had a shock. She turned away from him so abruptly that Damien knew she was trying to hide something.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“Nothing.”

She was lying and he knew it. “Something happened,” Damien began to argue, and Petra spun to confront him.

“Why did you leave me?”

“You know why.”

“I can guess why.” She folded her arms across her chest and challenge lit her eyes. “I want you to tell me.”

“Because of what you are, what you can do.”

“You’re afraid of me,” Petra asserted.

Damien took a deep breath, knowing that he had to be completely honest with her to win her agreement. Petra had always been perceptive. “Yes. But I think it’s smart to be afraid of someone who can kill you.”

“I’m not afraid of you and you can kill me,” she countered immediately. “Does that make me stupid?”

“It’s not the same thing...”

“It’s exactly the same thing,” Petra corrected. She leaned closer, tapping her finger on his chest. The darkfire sparked at the point of contact, sending a burst of heat through his veins that made him want to silence her with a kiss. “The difference is that I trust you and you don’t trust me.”

Damien didn’t know what to say to that, because it was true.

“Wait a minute,” he said, snapping his fingers. “You saved me from Cerberus. You didn’t have to do that.”

Petra arched a brow. “No, but I’ve just wanted to tell you what I think of you for a long, long time.”

“I’m thinking it won’t be complimentary.”

“Are other women complimentary when you abandon them, pregnant with your child?”

“You’re the only one. There’s only one firestorm. And it wasn’t like that.”

Petra’s lips tightened. “I beg your pardon, but it was exactly like that. I was there. You left too quickly for me to explain exactly how I felt about your choice.”

“What about your choice?” he demanded in exasperation.

“I did what I had to do.”

“So did I!”

Petra snorted her skepticism.

Damien swore under his breath, then pointed back toward the world they’d left behind. “You turned everyone in that village to stone while I was gone!”

Petra was unrepentant. “And you never asked me why.”

“Could there possibly be a reason to justify that?”

“Obviously, I thought there was.” Her eyes were shining in brilliant and alluring challenge. If anything, her reaction told Damien that he’d been right to leave her.

Even if she was right that he’d never asked why. The darkfire skipped between them, almost daring him to ask a question.

To take a chance.

He heard his voice rise in his own defense. “Well, you’re wrong.” He jabbed his thumb into his chest. “My kind are charged with defending humans, as one of the treasures of the earth. Turning people to pillars of stone is a violation of that sacred duty.”

“Even if it’s only for a day?”

Damien blinked. “One day?”

Petra nodded, obviously enjoying his discomfiture.

Only one day. That meant it was temporary, not permanent. Damien surveyed her, wondering what else he didn’t know. “You never told me that.”

“You never asked,” she replied archly.

“I was surprised. Who wouldn’t be?” he demanded. “You never told me what you were!”

“I thought you knew. I thought you’d guessed.” She leaned closer, challenging him again. “Aren’t dragons supposed to see more clearly than normal men?”

“But I’d never heard of an Earthdaughter.”

“So, your lack of education was my fault?”

“You don’t understand...”

“I do understand, and that’s the problem. I could have imagined you might be surprised.” She scoffed at him. “I never expected you to be afraid. You’re a dragon, for the love of Zeus!”

Damien had to avert his gaze to hide his reaction, but he wasn’t surprised that Petra noticed. Her fingertips landed on his arm, and her gaze brightened.

“Aren’t you?” she asked, her voice so low that he knew she suspected the truth.

Damien turned away, having no intention of confessing his weakness to her.

“A dragon could have easily finished off even a three-headed dog,” Petra said, as clever and determined as Damien remembered. “Why didn’t you shift shape?” She smiled. “Was it a ploy? Did you want me to rescue you?”

“No.” Damien glared at her. “I don’t want to owe you anything. I take care of myself.”

“Really? It didn’t seem to be going very well.”

He exhaled in irritation. “I didn’t shift because I couldn’t.”

Petra’s smile was cool. “Don’t feel badly, Damien.” He was shocked at how his heart skipped when she said his name. It sounded like music on her lips, but then, he’d once thought everything did. Her next words surprised him again. “Everyone has to sacrifice something to come to this place.”

He sobered as he studied her. “Even you?”

“What do you think?”

What if both of them had lost their powers?

That would change everything. Damien could have stayed with Petra if she hadn’t had powers of her own, if he’d been the one to defend them and their roles had been clear.

He realized there was a question he should have asked on the day they parted. “Why did you do it? Why did you turn the villagers to stone?”

“Why are you asking now?”

“Because I really want to know. Because I was wrong not to ask you before.”

Petra lifted a brow, the pleasure in her eyes making Damien catch his breath. “They were saying that you were unnatural. They were saying that you had been touched by the gods and that you would bring ruin upon them. They blamed your arrival for the crops failing and the storms that had come that year.” She leaned closer, her gaze hot. “They were going to trap you and burn you alive.”

Damien was shocked. “I could have defended myself...”

Petra was dismissive of the idea. “You would have been vastly outnumbered, and even if you’d gotten away that time, they would just have attacked again. They would have waited until your guard was down or you were asleep or otherwise vulnerable.” She straightened, her eyes shining with determination. “I learned young that the way to stop this kind of nonsense is to instill fear. So I did.” She looked him up and down. “I did it for you.”


“But only for a day?”

“A day and a night. They wouldn’t have forgotten. They never did, actually.”

“You protected me.” Damien was humbled—until he remembered what had happened after he left. “Was that avalanche for me?”

Petra’s lips quirked. “What avalanche?” she asked with completely unconvincing innocence. She looked so mischievous that Damien almost forgot how terrified he’d been.

“The one that came out of the mountains unexpectedly, right when I was approaching Delphi after leaving you. The one that nearly killed me.”

“Oh, that avalanche.” She failed to keep control of the smile she’d been hiding, which only annoyed Damien.

“You could have killed me.”

“Could being the operative word.”

“You have the ability to control rocks and earth...”

“I am an Earthdaughter. I told you that before.”

“So, you did start an avalanche to kill me when I left you? All that shows is that I was right about you. The prophecy was about you...” He took a step back, but Petra pursued him with purpose.

Her voice dropped to a whisper as she jabbed a finger into his chest. “If I’d intended to kill you, you’d be the one trapped in this place, not me.”

Damien didn’t know what to say to that. He had perfect control of his own powers and could kill or not depending on his own choice.

At least, he’d had control before his powers had disappeared.

He’d been so shocked by that sudden avalanche—and so hard-pressed to get out of the way—that he hadn’t realized Petra had been similarly in control.

“I thought you just started it,” he said cautiously. “Then nature took its course.”

Her lips tightened. “I finished it, too. To do any less would be irresponsible.”

Damien was so shaken by the way she challenged his assumptions that he couldn’t hold her gaze. “I don’t even know what you can do.”

“So, you ran away, abandoning me and your son, rather than finding out.” Petra’s tone was scornful. “Some dragon you are.” She pivoted and began to march deeper into the underworld, leaving Damien searching for a good answer to that. “But then, you aren’t one anymore, are you?”

Annoyance shot through Damien at the reminder and he shouted after her. “Why did you take the ferry early?”

Petra spun to face him, an answering anger making her eyes flash. “I didn’t! Your son was too stubborn to be born.”

“He came by that honestly,” Damien muttered.

“He did!” Petra replied. “Like father, like son.” She turned to walk onward as Damien struggled against his guilt.

“It wasn’t my fault!” he roared, not entirely certain that was true.

Petra just gave him a pitying glance before she continued on her way.

Damien set his teeth and strode after his mate.

This argument wasn’t half done.