Page 4 of Dragon’s Rogue

Zane knelt on the concrete and peered through the gap in the curtains.

At first he didn’t see anyone, just a wall of shelves and glass-fronted cabinets, stuffed full of ancient, leather-bound books and rows of glass jars—large ones full of herbs and smaller ones holding different-colored liquids. Other shelves held handmade candles in a rainbow of colors; antique chalices of silver and gold, pewter and wood; crystals and colored stones in all sizes and shapes, from huge spheres a foot across to bowls of tumbled and polished pebbles.

He gave a soundless whistle. This was the private workroom of a powerful, well-trained sorceress.

Now that his attention was focused, he could sense the accumulated magic of everything in the workroom, pulsing against the protective wards designed to mask the power. There were other wards, too. Magic to keep away thieves. Sorcerers. Vampires. Shapeshifters.

Unfortunately for her, they wouldn’t keep him out.

The large table in the middle of the room looked like it had been sliced from a giant tree trunk—a huge irregular oval with the bark still on the edges, and the inner rings polished to a high gloss. Its four thick legs were carved in the form of dragons.

That made him smile. At least she had good taste in decorations.

But dealing with a human of power could be… difficult. If she’d collected the Seal because she knew what it was, things could get complicated. Especially if she belonged to one of those cults who wanted to free ancient Draken Lords like Vyrkos, hoping to get on their good side and share their power.

Unfortunately for them, ancient Draken Lords didn’t have a good side.

Zane shifted over, changing his angle of sight, trying to get a glimpse of her. The mysterious Blaze McKenna. The woman without a past.

According to Thorne’s background checks, Blaze McKenna had only existed for five years. Before that, nothing. No early history. No court records of a name change. She was either in the Witness Protection Program—which was highly unlikely—or she really was a vampire, starting a new life every twenty years or so.

That would suck—in more ways than one.

He slid a few more inches to his left, straining to see the far end if the table… and felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

She was the woman of his dreams.

And not only in the woman-I-have-sex-fantasies-about sense.

He’d literally dreamed about her for over a century.

Chapter 3

Zane stared at Blaze McKenna, reminding himself to keep breathing.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.

But his chest felt constricted, as if he couldn’t get enough air. It was like a piece of art or a character from a book had come to life right before his eyes. Something too magical to be true.

She was even more beautiful in person than in his dreams. Copper hair, with golden strands that made it shine like precious metal, and pale creamy skin. Even though most of her lush, curvy body was hidden behind the table, he knew every inch of it.

He knew details he couldn’t even see from here. Like the light dusting of freckles across her cheeks.

He knew the curve of her breast, the deep pink of her nipples, the heat of her body. The beauty mark above her left hip. The way she looked, naked in the candlelight. Her eyes were cast down, focused on the table in front of her, but he knew their color better than he knew the color of his own. Deep blue-green, that could glint with anger or blaze with passion.

Blaze. For the first time, he knew her name. A perfect name for a fiery, passionate woman.

He was so riveted by the sight of her that it took him a minute to realize she was casting a spell.

Before her on the table was a small golden idol, surrounded by one hell of a circle of protection.

As he watched, she picked up a Tarot card lying inside the circle, holding it between her hands. Her lips moved, and he could hear her chanting.

Golden light streamed out of the card, coalescing into a 3-D image of a man’s head and shoulders. Zane strained, trying to get a good look at his face, but it all he could see was dark hair, slicked back, and a sculptured cheekbone and a strong nose, like a hawk. He couldn’t see the man’s eyes, but there was an aura of intensity around him that made a slight shiver ripple over Zane’s skin.

Blaze was gazing intently at the image, as if she were trying to memorize it—or maybe recognize it? Then, very slowly, she moved the card toward the idol, the image hovering over it.

She touched the card to the idol.