Dragon Wish by Judith Leger

dare he insinuate she needed him? The constant
    agony in her head increased. She clenched her hands into
    fists to keep from slapping his cheek. She narrowed her eyes
    and glared at him. “I don’t need anyone.”
    “If this is so, why did you seek me out?”
    Seren sighed, unable to remain furious with his quietly
    asked question. She lifted a hand to her pounding head. Even
    that small motion caused her pain. Every muscle in her body
    ached fiercely. She couldn’t think. Her brain refused to come
    up with any other reason for her action other than the truth
    which she blurted out with her last bit of defiance. “You’re
    my stability here. There, are you happy?”
    Paladin didn’t crack a smile. He didn’t even look pleased
    “Is this all I am to you?”
    She gritted her teeth, determined not to reveal how much
    she wanted him. Never again. The pain was too fresh in her
    mind. When she didn’t answer him, he shifted away and
    stood.
    “We dock in Dene in an hour. Your clothes are there,” he
    said, pointing to the foot of the bed. “Once we arrive, I will
    66
    Dragon Wish
    come for you.”
    After he closed the door, she laid there for a long time,
    her body refusing to relax. This wasn’t her world. Her life.
    Why was this happening to her?
    Her entire body ached worse than when she’d had the flu
    a couple of years ago. He said she’d almost died. If she died,
    so would the child he claimed she carried. She placed her
    palm on her abdomen. The fluttering came again. She bit her
    lips and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to control the sudden
    rise of tears.
    A surge of warmth mingling with a sense of peace raced
    through her. Her eyes shot open and she clasped her belly
    over the spot from where she sensed the emotions rising.
    Her vision blurred, blackening along the edges. The first
    physical sign of her psychic abilities. Her mind floated away,
    and then, just as fast, returned with a jolt.
    She glanced around at the white marble walls and
    columns lining the portico. Sunlight slanted between the
    columns to produce a ladder effect. Broad slants of shadows
    interspersed with light on the floor and the back wall. Pulse
    throbbing, she realized she stood inside a tomb. She touched
    the side wall. Upon contact, she jerked away. Smooth cold
    stone, solid and real, surrounded her.
    Dream of a death meant news of a birth.
    The old meaning appeared in her mind. But whose death?
    Why was this vision so real? She actually felt the solidness of
    her body. Was that wind coasting over her skin? She rubbed
    her hands over her bare arms, and took a step toward the
    entrance. The soft cloth of a simple white shift covered her
    body, leaving her arms and calves bare. She tingled at the
    gentle caress of the material against her skin.
    “Why do you not want me?”
    A bolt of fear zagged up her spine. Her skin erupted with
    goose bumps. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the
    bottom half of a tall stool in the far corner of the tomb. Boot
    heels hooked over the last rung. A man sat in the shadows,
    67
    Dragon Wish
    facing her. She saw nothing of his face except for where the
    light cut across his eyes, revealing the clear, bluish-gray hue.
    The shock of color in the white place surprised her. She
    returned his stare, trying to comprehend who and what he
    was to her.
    “Oh, God,” she muttered, “I’m psycho. I just know I am.”
    Light-hearted laughter came from him. She shivered. The
    sound of his laughter reminded her of someone, but she
    couldn’t quite place it. Years ago, Mandy’s laughter always
    brought a smile to her face. This strange man’s joy made her
    want to smile too. But why? What was it about him that put
    her at ease when she should have been tense?
    She wanted to leave this place, to return to the present,
    but as with all her visions, she had to stay until the end. With
    her fear lessening, curiosity sparked. Her hand slipped to her
    abdomen, tightening over the spot. Unsure what to do,