Free Warrior Lover (Draconia Tales) by Karilyn Bentley Page B

backdrop of clouds and sky. Instead of being reconnaissance specialists, today he and Thoren turned into rescue specialists. First Jamie, then Keara and finally a grown male Draconi unable to change from his dragon form.
    They found the dragon in a titanium-lined cell deep within the cellar of Lord Simon’s house. How a mere human managed to capture and keep a Draconi for years defied belief. And yet, the male sat behind titanium bars, unable to perform magic to free himself. The bane of Draconi, titanium rendered their magic useless.
    Good thing Enar possessed no such failings. If he got screwed over, it was his own stupid fault.
    “I want to fly!” Jamie pointed up, waving his arm at where the dragon presumably soared.
    “Boys don’t fly. And since you’re a Halfling, you might not ever fly.”
    Jamie turned and snarled. “I will so fly. My daddy said so. Just you wait and see.”
    “Who’s your father?”
    The boy’s eyes narrowed. “No one.”
    “No one? Everyone has a father.” Even though some of us wish we didn’t.
    Jamie looked down at the ground and sniffed. A couple of sniffs later and Enar gave up expecting an answer. Plenty of time remained to discover Jamie’s parentage. Two whole weeks of walking, in fact.
    By the time they arrived in Draconia, Enar would know everything about Jamie’s life.
    He hoped.
    As they approached the campsite, Enar heard the faint hum of the wards. Would his woman be where he left her? Of course she would. As a non-magical being, how could she be elsewhere?
    But what if somehow she managed to get through the wards? What if she wasn’t all right?
    She will be where you left her.
    So where was she? Scanning the campsite, he saw a lump on the ground. He squinted, trying to see if Lily hid under the invisibility blanket.
    The lump squirmed, Lily’s too-thin body coming in view as she dropped the blanket, running toward them. Enar rubbed his chest as she ran, exhaling a breath he didn’t realize he held, and sent up a prayer of thanks she remained unharmed. He shoved Jamie through the wards and took a deep breath before thrusting himself through the invisible barrier.
    Pain erupted from his pores, dragging at his body as he broke through the magic. He should have waited for Thoren to touch him as he walked through the wards, but he wanted to hold his woman, to ensure she remained unharmed. Looks could be deceiving.
    She apparently had other ideas as she veered toward Thoren.
    “Keara!” Lily ran to where Thoren placed Keara on the ground, touching her friend lightly on the arm, peering into Keara’s vacant staring eyes. “Dear Goddess, what happened to her?”
    “She’s been drugged and can’t move,” Thoren said.
    Enar walked to Lily, meaning to hold her in his arms, to feel her against him. Before he could reach her, a loud blast of dragon song rent the air, followed by a thud as the male Draconi landed in the middle of their camp, dropping his invisibility shield.
    The wings might be a little underused. The dragon’s voice thundered through their minds as he shook the grass off his scales, flinging it against the wall of the wards. Lily screamed, leaping up and running to Enar, who caught her, clamping a hand over her mouth.
    “Shh, woman. It’s just, um...I didn’t catch your name?”
    The dragon paused, as if he didn’t know his name. Which, after being locked in a magic-prohibiting titanium cell, might well be the case. The male took a quick breath, a twitch crossing his lips. Fafnir. And yours?
    Guess the dragon knew his name after all. Although from his expression, Enar swore the dragon lied. “Enar. And this is my woman, Lily.” Enar wrapped an arm around Lily’s bony shoulders. It took all his will not to run his hands over her, to ensure she truly was unharmed. Eyes could make mistakes.
    “My apologies, friend, for not asking earlier. I’m Thoren. The Halfling female is Keara, and you’ve already met Jamie.” Was that a blush on his friend’s