Chapter 10

After breakfast, Baldric retrieved my collection, and I spent some time arranging the various pieces on the vanity in my room. The purple geode was my best piece, and it sparkled in the light from the window. Baldric had kept every single stone, even the ones that were merely sentimental to me, and my heart brimmed with warmth.

I wandered through the house, subtly pulling residual dust from the rooms. I'd quit, and I'd meant it, but a guest doing a little tidying wasn't strange, right? Especially when it made the house's song ring clear and cheerful.

I stepped out of the third-floor library and nearly ran into Baldric. I jerked to a stop and swayed backward. He caught my shoulder to prevent me from stumbling.

"Oh, sorry," I said, "I didn't see you there."

"What are you doing?"

His glare was back, so I lifted my chin. "Nothing that concerns you."

"You are a guest, and guests don't clean."

"I'm a guest, so I can do what I want," I countered.

A low rumble rose in his chest, and I reached for him before I thought better of it. The sound vibrating against my palms was like a purring cat, only on a much larger scale. I peeked up at him, but he didn't seem upset, so I tried pushing my luck just a little further.

"Will you show me your dragon form again?"

"Most people run away screaming when they encounter a dragon." He dropped a pointed glance to my hands, but covered them with his own when I would've snatched them away. "You tried to pet me. Why is that?"

I winced. "Sorry about that. I was half convinced I was imagining you so I wouldn't die alone." When his glare deepened into dangerous territory, I rushed to add, "You've been nothing but kind to me. Why would I fear you?"

One eyebrow winged up. "Because I'm a dragon?"

"I did briefly wonder if you were going to eat me, but since I remain uneaten, I'm not too worried about it."

The rumble in his chest dipped into a lower octave as his eyes narrowed. The sound drew me like a moth to flame. I wanted to press my entire body against his to feel the vibration. I settled for glancing up at him, then letting my gaze drift to his mouth with pointed interest.

His hands tightened over mine, but he didn't move.

His expression, however, blazed with heat.

"You're no longer my employer. I'm a guest, here of my own free will. If I kiss you, are you going to eat me after all?"

One side of his mouth tipped up into a wicked smile. "You might enjoy it."

My smile matched his. "Why don't we find out?"

His head dipped, then his lips were on my mine, firm yet gentle, and my world narrowed until it only held the two of us and the places where we touched. Our breath mingled and sparks shivered down my spine. His heart beat steady and strong under my palms, and the rumble in his chest deepened until I could feel it in my bones.

I pressed closer, fitting my mouth to his, and he groaned low in his chest before carefully drawing away, his breathing harsh. He stared at me, a furrow on his forehead. "Have I enchanted you? I thought you were safe because you have magic of your own, but perhaps I was wrong."

I was more concerned with the shape—and feel—of his lips than what he was saying, so it took a moment for the words to sink through the hazy cloud of pleasure. "What do you mean?"

His hands fell away from me, breaking our remaining connection, and I nearly reached for him before remembering that he was putting distance between us on purpose.

"Dragons can lure humans, for the lack of a better word. Sometimes intentionally, but often accidentally. It's a survival mechanism. You might only want me because my magic is enchanting you."

I laughed, then laughed harder when he scowled in offense. "I'm sorry," I gasped with a placating wave. "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because you think I kissed you due to some sort of dragon magic. I can't be enchanted. You're welcome to try if you don't believe me, but I'll warn you, the last creature who tried was very upset when it didn't work."

That wiped all expression from Baldric's face and a dangerous intensity took its place. "Who tried what?" he demanded softly.

"I found a woman in a pond. Except it wasn't a woman at all, and when she tried to lure me into the water, I refused. I could feel her magic, but it slid over me without sticking. She was furious. I guess I was supposed to be her next meal. I offered to get her food from the village, but she just cursed at me until I was forced to leave. When I went back, she was gone."

"You went back to a water nymph's pond?" Baldric snarled in disbelief.

I shrugged. "She seemed hungry. And I know what it's like to be alone and hungry."

He pressed one hand to his eyes while the other clenched in a fist. "I'm not going to be able to let you out of my sight, am I?" he murmured, almost to himself.

"It's not that bad. Everything worked out." I paused, then stared at his chest and murmured, "But I wouldn't mind having you around." I peeked up at him. "You know, just in case."

His gaze bored into mine. "You can't be enchanted?"

"Nope."

"So you kissed me…" he trailed off.

"Because I wanted to."

He stared at me for a moment longer, judging my sincerity, then his control snapped. His arms banded around my back as he hauled me closer, then his mouth was on mine, fierce and demanding, and oh so delicious.

I moaned and sucked his bottom lip between mine before gently raking my teeth over it. His palm cupped my jaw, tipping my head to the side so he could return the favor. I clung to his shoulders, his neck, and time lost all meaning.

I was unprepared when he jerked back with a deep inhale and a muttered curse. I blinked at him. "What's wrong?"

"Dinner is burning."

"You can tell that from here?"

"Yes. Being able to smell smoke from great distances is helpful when your enemies can breathe fire."

"Can you breathe fire?"

His head cocked to the side. "Of course."

I huffed out a breath. "So dragons can breathe fire, but all my magic does is pester me when a house is untidy? Seems unfair."

Baldric smiled. "Hearth magic is more powerful than you might think. You can turn a house into a happy home—or a terrifying nightmare."

"Terrifying enough to get a landlord to stop being horrible to his tenants?"

Baldric's eyes narrowed. "That's a very specific example."

I shrugged noncommittally and turned to go rescue our dinner, but Baldric caught my hand. "Tell me."

I tugged him into motion, unwilling to let the landlord steal our dinner in addition to everything else. By the time we'd made it to the kitchen, I'd given him a brief overview of the situation, and Baldric's growl was back—and scary. Gone was the enticing rumble, and in its place was a sound that raised the hair on my arms.

I could finally smell the burning scent in the air. Baldric arrowed straight for the oven and pulled out two deeply browned loaves of bread. The top edges of the ears were blackened, and the smell of burning bread grew stronger. The loaves were fine, but another few minutes would've meant no bread for dinner.

"How did you smell that from upstairs?"

Baldric shrugged as he transferred the loaves to a rack to cool. "Magic."

It still stunned me how easily he spoke about magic. But I suppose if I could turn into a giant, fire-breathing dragon, I wouldn't be too worried, either.

Once the bread was safe, Baldric turned back to me and our previous conversation. "Your magic likely could terrify your landlord into better behavior, but it would take time, and you'd need to stay close to do it. It would be much faster for a dragon to land on his roof and threaten to burn his house to the ground if he didn't reconsider."

"Wouldn't that bring the king's knights down on you?"

A lethal smile touched Baldric's mouth. "Only if he is unwise."

I snorted. "He is."

"Then he will learn why dragons are not to be trifled with."

Worry pinched my belly. Baldric was undoubtedly powerful, but the king had a legion of knights. And once they came seeking the dragon, they'd overrun the village. If any of the other villagers were hiding magic—as I suspected more than a few were—then they'd be in danger, too. I shook my head. I couldn't risk it.

Baldric closed the distance between us. "What are you thinking?"

"Knights in the village would be a disaster. We need to drive off the landlord—or change his mind—without revealing our magic."

"Or I could kill him." At my shocked expression, Baldric's growl returned. "He planned to evict you in the middle of winter. My sympathy for him is nonexistent."

"True enough," I admitted. "But maybe we try something less permanent first. If that doesn't work, you can eat him."