Dragon Wish by Judith Leger Read Free Book Online Page A

head toward her. A seasoning? Ah, to flavor
    foods. “They have brine sticks. Some prefer to take a lick
    before each bite. I’ve never cared for them.”
    “It’s okay. I’ll pass,” she murmured, ducking her head
    after another small bite.
    He studied her, calculating the changes due to occur in
    her body from this babe she carried. Her rich human blood,
    untouched by magic, would affect the child’s magic. In what
    manner, he dared not begin to imagine.
    He narrowed his eyes, assessing her slender frame above
    the table, watching the vein pulse in her neck. Her blood
    carried no magic. He tried to understand why the dragons,
    knowing this, granted his wish. She had mentioned a white
    dragon. Lior, leader to his clan, was the only white dragon he
    knew of who possessed the ability and power to implant
    visions.
    If Lior wanted to give him a child, why do it this way? The
    baby would battle against Seren in his effort to survive.
    Paladin stared into his tankard. Sorrow mixed with guilt over
    touching her.
    For all Lior’s help, the great white dragon chose the
    wrong female for his child’s vessel. No matter her reasoning,
    Lior should have found a different woman, another
    dragonseed, to carry his child. Not a full blooded human. He
    intended to assist Seren in her search to find a different way
    home, yet he dreaded the idea of having to approach the
    dragons to request help. The overlarge beasts were at the
    best of times temperamental. He never knew what to expect
    from them.
    There was also the strong possibility of her miscarrying.
    This weighed heavy against her. To his memory, no woman
    without dragon blood had ever transfused their human blood
    for dragons in order to give birth, nor to his knowledge, had
    one carried a full-term dragonseed babe.
    These other women had been born and lived on Avaris all
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    their lives. Their blood soaked in the magic from the planet,
    but even this had little effect on the outcome of their terms.
    The babes had always died, taking the mother with them.
    Seren had human blood from Earth, a place where magic lay
    dormant under the inhabitants’ disbeliefs. He cringed. Their
    child had little to no chance of survival.
    Yet another son of his was destined to die. He had been
    careless. Last evening, with all the drink, he’d allowed his
    staunch guard to slip. He had needed a woman, any woman
    to fill the emptiness inside him. For just once, he had desired
    a woman to want him, not because of his ancestry, but
    because of him. Now, he’d have their deaths on his
    conscience.
    She set her tankard on the table. The sound pulled him
    out of his morose thoughts. He smiled at her. Her eyes
    widened, and then she lowered her gaze to her plate.
    When he saw she had eaten a sizable amount and showed
    no sign of partaking more, he stood, offering her his hand.
    She looked at him, watching his every move.
    His stare wandered over the fragile length of her neck to
    the sweet slope of her breasts where her shirt gaped. “I travel
    to the Black Dragon stronghold of Velhavin. We will detour
    to Dene and speak with Leo, the other off-worlder. He is a
    close friend with a powerful wizard there. Perhaps, we can
    discover from him another pathway to Earth. From there, we
    will decide what to do next.”
    A spark of hope flared in her eyes. She stared at him,
    chewing on her bottom lip. From the expression on her face,
    she considered reaching the other off-worlder. For now, that
    was fine. She had enough to worry about with her arrival on
    Avaris. He, however, had decided. Her future and his were
    tied to each other. He refused to let her slip away from him.
    He slid his fingers under her arm, and helped her stand.
    “Come, we must be off. The winds are picking up. The time is
    best to depart while they are strong.”
    “I get sea sick easily,” she blurted out a second before
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    they reached the front door of the common room.
    He chuckled, her innocent