Free B00CGOH3US EBOK by Lori Dillon

he only imagined it. Either way, it was bliss to know another's touch after all this time. As he watched her expressive face, he realized she had no idea of her effect on him.
    "Wow. They fold flat against your back, just like a bird's. And with your cape dyed the same color as your wings, they practically disappear underneath it. I can hardly tell they're there. Great illusion. David Copperfield would definitely be impressed."
    Baelin knew a moment's pride that she—and whoever this David of Copperfield might be—approved. All too soon, her attention was drawn away from him and to the food he'd arranged on the platter nearby.
    "Oh, thank God. I'm so hungry, it feels like my stomach is touching my spine."
    "Then by all means, my lady, break your fast."
    She snatched a small loaf of dark bread and took a bite, closing her eyes as she moaned. His gaze caressed the delicate line of her throat as she chewed, following the curve of her neckline to where the tempting swell of her breasts threatened to spill out of the snug gown. Baelin stifled a groan, his mouth watering from an all too different type of hunger.
    Her eyes flew open, startling him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want some?" She held out the bread to him.
    "Nay. I broke my fast earlier while you slept." He coughed into his fist and backed away, lest the dragon in him grab her and attempt to sample more than she what offered. "I am pleased the bread is to your liking."
    "It's a little grainy, but good. Of course, as hungry as I am, it could be made of sawdust and I'd still think it tasted like a buttery croissant."
    She picked up the platter of food and walked over to sit by the dying fire. She broke off a piece of the cheese and was about to pop it into her mouth when she stopped and turned those large, inquisitive eyes on him again.
    "So, are you going to clue me in on the specifics of this curse thing and exactly what it has to do with me or not?"

CHAPTER 6
     
    How much do I tell her?
    Baelin didn't want to make the mistake of frightening her, as he had done with the others. If he'd learned one thing in all his years of taking the sacrificial maidens, it was that women's sensibilities were delicate. It was probably best not to overwhelm her with too much at first.
    He walked over and joined her by the dwindling fire. "As a young knight, I was cursed by the Dark Witch to live as a dragon eleven months out of each year."
    "Right. I remember that much."
    "The curse also requires that each year, on the day of the first full moon of summer, a maiden from the village be offered as a sacrifice to the dragon."
    Lady Jill held up her thumb and forefinger, leaving a tiny gap in between them. "Um, we might already have a teensy, weensy problem there."
    "What is it?"
    "I'm not actually from the village."
    "What?" Baelin stood as he felt the first flames of anger churn in his belly.
    "Yep. Sorry, but it looks like they pulled the old bait-and-switch with you, buddy."
    "I do not understand."
    "Like I told you last night, I'm not from around here. I'm not even from this century." Lady Jill sighed. "I don't know how it happened or why, but somehow I traveled through time and landed in the village. Those people were all set to give you another girl but—lucky me—when I fell in their laps they decided to use yours truly instead."
    "How dare they?" He stiffened as rage and betrayal tore through him at their deceit. "For over two hundred years, they have offered up a maiden with the understanding that the dragon would leave them in peace. In return, I have kept them safe, allowing no harm to befall their people from outside attack or oppression. It is the way it has always been. They know this!"
    He stalked to the mouth of the cave, his fists clenched and his fury rising to dangerous levels—levels he might soon be unable to control.
    "Did they not think I would find out?" he growled, the sound more animal than human. "Do they not realize with one breath I can burn all their huts to