The Dragon Fighter's Witch: A Paranormal Romance (Separated by Time Book 7) Read online

  Maybe that was her problem. Maybe she just didn’t know how to put herself in others’ shoes.

  “You should apply for some vacation time,” Katrina continued. The princess’ eyes narrowed slightly as she studied Audiv. “You look like you're running yourself ragged. Nobody wants to see you go down, you’re too important to the palace. You need some time to step back and have a break. Stop going at full throttle all the time.”

  Audiv snorted. “Alright, sure. I’ll do that right away. When there is nobody to take my place even for a few hours.”

  Katrina rolled her eyes. “Byrelmore isn’t going to fall apart without you. And I’m serious. Take some time. Otherwise, I’ll have to get Indulf to give you a forcible vacation, and you know that you’re not going to like that!”

  Audiv frowned at Katrina. She wouldn’t do that… Or maybe she would. Katrina had taken to her part as a princess naturally, taking charge and giving orders like she was born to it. Which she was. She might have given up her right to the throne in exchange for her younger half-brother, Erik, but she was every bit a member of the royal household.

  Maybe a change of topic would distract her. “How is that FBI man doing? What’s his name… Anthony?”

  Katrina smirked. “Why is it that you always remember his name except when you’re asking about him directly?”

  Heat flared to Audiv’s cheeks, and she looked down at her plate. Okay, maybe subtlety wasn’t her strong suit.

  Katrina’s eyes twinkled for a moment before she sighed. “He’s having a hard time. I mean, more difficult than the others. He seems to have accepted his place here, but I don’t think he knows what that place is, or where he’s going to go from here. He still refuses to shift voluntarily.”

  That made Audiv frown. They had done quite a bit of studying on the matter, and without voluntarily shifting, there was an increased risk of accidents with new dragons. Normally they’d be strongly encouraged to voluntarily shift and often, but she had only heard a handful of incidents with Antonio. Not that she was actively searching out news about him… it just surprised her. She’d have thought that there would be more incidents since he was suppressing such a natural part of himself.

  Katrina began eating with gusto as Audiv nibbled at her own food. Antonio was an unusual case. She remembered going to him with the offer of bringing him to Byrelmore to be tested for the possibility that he might become a dragon. She had sensed something in him then and tried to insist when he refused, but there was something about him that, when he said no, she just couldn’t argue. Which was highly unusual for her. Normally she could find an argument in everything.

  After his shift, the rest of his family had come in to be tested. His grandmother had cried and prayed and begged her to take the ’curse’ off him and his cousins. Audiv had been ticked off at the little woman over that but tried to be understanding. His four cousins, however, had all by this time returned to their families. Most newcomers had family here with them during their transitions.

  Audiv knew exactly what made Antonio different from the others, though, and it had nothing to do with his family and everything to do with those soulful amber-brown eyes that seemed to pierce straight to her core when he looked at her. His chiseled jaw, the pride, and confidence he held himself with… And the fact that she hadn’t dated or had a kiss since she had caught her fiancé in bed with another woman.

  “It’s your own fault for being such a prude,” he had told her when she kicked him out of the house.

  “Speaking of Antonio.” Katrina tapped Audiv’s hand. “He’s headed this way. I think I’ll pack up… Gotta go see Thonis anyway.”

  She winked and Audiv stared at her as she left. Then Antonio was there. He slid into the chair beside her, setting down a tray filled with protein-rich foods and plenty of greens.

  “Mind if I sit here?”

  Audiv shook her head. “Nobody else is.”

  Antonio gave her a relaxed smile as he sat. There was visible tension in his shoulders as he took a drink of some sort of smoothie, then frowned at her coffee. “Don’t you think it’s a little late for that? It’s not even decaf.”

  “Uh…” Audiv glanced at her coffee. “I was up early this morning and I’ve got a lot left to do today.”

  “Anything I can help you with?”

  The offer startled her. Sitting this close, his scent was as strong as the coffee in her hand. That peculiar scent of smoke that clung to all dragons, but with him, there was also the smell of hickory and something else she couldn’t quite name. It was familiar enough that it wasn’t something utterly unique to Antonio, but she just didn’t know what it was.

  “Uh…” Right, he asked a question. “I don’t think so. It’s mostly paperwork and reports and that sort of thing that only I can do.”

  “Paperwork. I know what that’s about.” He grinned and shook his head. “I’d say that’s the only thing I don’t miss about my job. The paperwork was brutal. But it’s necessary for smooth running, I guess.”

  Audiv nodded. “I heard that you quit your job at the FBI, rather than just take a sabbatical. Do you mind telling me why?”

  “Because I didn’t want to get fired.” Pain flashed over Antonio’s face. “Historically, humans aren’t so great with things and people who challenge their internal beliefs. I very much doubt that I’d be allowed to do my job, the way I want to do it… even if I went back.” He glowered at his plate for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m sure I’ll find some use for myself here, though. No use crying over what can’t be changed.”

  Audiv didn’t respond to that, even though her heart ached to comfort him. What could she say? She turned back to her plate, and they finished their meals in silence.

  Chapter Three

  Antonio

  He wasn’t sure what it was about Audiv that made him feel more comfortable. More like he belonged in this place. God knew that she shouldn’t be any different from any of the others around here. And yet, somehow, she was. There was something he couldn’t describe that made him relax around her, in ways that he just couldn’t around the others. Maybe it was the peppermint scent that clung to her.

  After their awkward lunch together, he had managed to work up the courage to ask her to go for a walk with him. A girl like her must have dozens of takers, and his confidence had taken quite a blow when he found out he was a dragon. It made him beam when she said yes.

  The palace grounds were extensive, including a large meadow, gardens, and a sizable pond that was just a shade too small to call a lake. The air was crisp and clean, a bit chilly for this time of year, but Antonio relished it. His fires smoldered hot in his belly, and he didn’t mind taking the edge off them. He breathed in deeply, his eyes sliding closed as he inhaled the scent of greenery and the lake.

  Audiv slipped her arm through his. “So. I’ve heard that you’re having a bit of a rough time. Want to talk about it?”

  Antonio smiled wryly but shook his head. “I suppose I do. I feel like I’ve settled in well enough. It’s just that I still can’t really…”

  “Accept it?”

  That was as good as any way of describing how he felt, so he nodded. He hadn’t accepted it. He didn’t want to be a dragon. He knew he didn’t have a choice in the matter, but that only served to make him even more upset about the whole thing. It wasn’t fair that something this momentous and life-altering was thrust on him, rather than something he took on himself.

  “Is it because you’re Catholic?” Audiv peered intently at him.

  Antonio winced a little at that. It was a question that he had asked himself multiple times, whether he would have reacted in this way if it wasn’t for his religion. “I’m not a super-practicing Catholic,” he said. “I believe in God and that faith has sustained me in my life. That doesn’t mean I agree with all of the teachings of the church. But maybe if I didn’t believe in anything before now… Maybe it would be easier. Since there would be no faith to shake. I just don’t understand w
hy it had to be me.”

  Audiv nodded, looking thoughtful. “So, when you say you don’t agree with everything that the church teaches, does that include all that stuff about witches and witchcraft? ‘Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live’ and all that?”

  “Until I learned about Byrelmore, I didn’t think witches were anything but a pagan religion, and I didn’t put much stock in their magic. But I guess Wiccans have more to them now, huh? Now that magic is real and all that.”

  “It was real before, just not as powerful. Besides, Wiccans worship a god and goddess and that’s not necessary for magic. I mean, look at me!” She spread her arms and gave him a look that was most challenging. “I’m not Wiccan, and I don’t count myself as a witch, but I use magic. From what I’ve heard there are a lot of people who don’t see the difference between magic and witchcraft, or mages and witches.”

  Antonio shook his head. Part of him wondered if he ought to be insulted, but this was just so like Audiv that he didn’t have the heart for it. Somehow her straightforward approach was less offensive to him than if she had tiptoed around the issue. It was clearly something she had strong feelings about.

  “I have always felt like what other people do with their lives, as long as it’s not hurting others, was none of my business. That includes magic. But if you want to know the official stance on it, the pope has said multiple times over the past couple of years that magic and witchcraft aren’t the same things. That there are passages in the bible that are no longer relevant to our time, and that what matters is how the mage uses their magic, whether for good or evil, and that it’s up to the laws of the land, no individuals and not the church, to deal with it as they see fit.”

  Audiv dropped her arms with a knowing little smirk on her face. “And what has he said about dragons?”

  Oh, he saw what she was doing. He couldn’t help but grin at her, making her smirk widen. “He’s said that it’s nothing to be ashamed about or condemned for. That it’s something that God decided and those of us who are dragons just have to learn what God wants us to do with these abilities He’s given us.”

  “And is that something that you disagree with?”

  “No…”

  Audiv continued walking, headed for a low bridge over a small stream. “Well, then. What excuse do you have to not be shifting, then? If this is a gift that God gave you, who are you to tell Him that He gave it to the wrong person and He should take it away from you?”

  Her tone was a little flippant, a little sarcastic, but the message came across clear enough. Antonio pondered for a moment, and when she paused and glanced back at him, he picked up his pace so he could be walking with her instead of behind her.

  “If this is about me not wanting to shift into a dragon… I’m not ready for it. Maybe I will be someday, but it’s got to be my choice.”

  Audiv nodded. She smiled at him and looped her arm through his once again. “I wish it was as easy talking with the others as it is with you. There is this one man in the latest batch of mages to be brought in. He’s so angry all the time and has no control over his magic because of it. It’s like he doesn’t want it… I’m worried about him, actually. Worried he might actually do something…”

  Antonio frowned. “Against you or himself?”

  She shrugged, then gave him another smile, although this one seemed slightly more unsettled than her usual carefree grins. “I shouldn’t be talking about this with you. You are, after all, relatively new here yourself. And I don’t want to have rumors spreading and there’s all that confidentiality stuff, too.”

  “Audiv, if you’re concerned for yourself—”

  “I’m not.” She patted his arm, that grin blossoming once more. “I’m a big girl and trust me when I say I know how to look after myself. I didn’t get a position as a royal mage for slacking off in the magical department. And when it comes down to it, when it comes to magic, experience always trumps everything else, even pure raw power. So there is nothing to be worried about, I promise.”

  Antonio considered her a moment longer before he nodded. If she was confident, then it wasn’t something he was going to press.

  “I just think it’s sad.” She continued to walk again, pulling him with her. “That someone who has been given magic hates it so. I don’t know what my life would be like without magic.”

  Antonio had to smile at that, even though it was more of an ironic smile than anything else. “Think about that feeling… now imagine that it was taken away from you. How difficult that would be for you to adjust to. It’s exactly the same for us.”

  “I suppose.” Audiv’s tone was flat now; not wanting to talk more about it?

  Antonio chuckled as he rolled his eyes. “Don’t want to know the other side of things, huh?”

  Audiv shrugged. “I guess I just don’t understand, and I’m not sure it would make a difference if I did. I’m supposed to be training them, not being their psychiatrist. But that’s enough shop talk, don’t you think? Let’s talk about something more fun… Do you watch that new Star Trek show?”

  They walked and talked for several hours, until the sun was going down, and then they retired to dinner. Once that was done, they ended up going to the movie theatre that had been installed, catching a movie, and by then it was so late that there was nothing left to do. Still, Antonio walked her to her apartment in the palace not wanting this comfortable companionship to end just yet.

  As she paused outside her door, her hand on the knob, he suddenly hoped that she would invite him in. So the day didn’t have to end but could continue into the night. When she turned to look at him, he saw desire raging in her eyes. It nearly took his breath away. He couldn’t stop himself from kissing her.

  Her lips were warm, plump, and pleasing against his. He drank in her scent and taste, closing his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her tight against him, grinning as she tangled her fingers into his hair. A low moan escaped her throat. Her lush, full-figured body molded against his perfectly. As he teased her mouth open to slide his tongue into her mouth, a pressure built in his pants, a pressure he wanted to release deep inside of her.

  But as his hands started to roam over her body, Audiv stiffened. He was familiar enough with women to know it wasn’t a good sort of stiffening. He stilled his hands and made his kisses gentler, but she still pulled back. Her cheeks were pink and there was disappointment on her face, but she still shook her head.

  “Earth is somewhat freer with their sexual appetites than Byrelmore.”

  Antonio rose his brows. From what he had seen, he would have said the opposite.

  “It’s always been my wish that I’m a virgin on my wedding night,” Audiv continued. The flush in her cheeks deepened. “So, I am going to have to ask you to go.”

  Antonio’s eyes widened. He wasn’t sure what he was more surprised about; Audiv admitting that she wanted him right now, or admitting that she was a virgin, or that she had stated so plainly that she wanted to be a virgin on her wedding night. He knew that it shouldn’t have surprised him so much, to think that a woman from thousands of years in the past would have the same ideas of chastity as they did these days.

  “Uh… Right. Okay. I understand.”

  Audiv’s shoulders fell slightly. Had she been hoping that he’d insist?

  “I had the same thing. Before I married my ex-wife.” He put his hands in his pockets and shuffled nervously on the spot. He’d been divorced for almost five years now, from a teenage marriage that was thankfully not complicated by children. It was still a sore spot, though, and something that his family still wouldn’t talk about. “Wanted to be a virgin on my wedding night.”

  Audiv’s eyes went as round as saucers. “Were you?”

  It seemed too odd to be talking about this, but he plunged ahead. “Yeah. I was.”

  Audiv bit her lip, then squared her shoulders. “And was it worth it?”

  “Uh…” How was he meant to respond to that? He considered for a
moment, looking everywhere but directly at her, then shrugged. “I suppose it’s a personal choice, and why you’re waiting, what you’re hoping from it… and who you marry. It wasn’t worth it for me.” Audiv’s eyes widened further, but he was done talking about it. He smiled weakly, kissed her cheek, and turned away. “Goodnight, Audiv. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Chapter Four

  Audiv

  Dawn’s grey light woke Audiv far earlier than she would have liked. She lay in bed, staring through the screen window at the light beyond. It was really her own fault for not closing it the previous night, but the fresh air had just been too delicious to pass up. The coolness of the night had helped keep her in her bed, too, rather than getting out of it and running off to find Antonio’s room and undoing all the years she had spent keeping herself pure for her wedding night.

  Sometimes she wasn’t even sure why she was waiting. After all, she didn’t think it was any big deal for her friends and others to have casual sex. To sleep with people that they found attractive, rather than the people they loved or were in a relationship with. Sometimes she thought that marriage itself was an outdated practice that shouldn’t have quite so much weight put on it.

  But at the end of the day, in her heart of hearts, she wanted to wait. She wanted her first time to be with someone she planned to spend the rest of her life with. To be certain that it was true love.

  She sighed as she rolled to her other side and buried her face in her pillow. Thinking of Antonio had been a mistake. The taste of his lips remained on hers, and it felt like a fire burst to life in her core. Her insides squirmed, and she could almost feel his fingers on her thighs.

  Well, that had erased any possibility she had of going back to sleep. Audiv rolled to her back, heaving out a sigh. She thought about easing her desires herself, but that would only make her long for another’s touch even more. So, she swung out of bed, shivering in the cold morning, and moved about the room, gathering up what she needed for an early morning workout.