Read Determined Prince (Captured by a Dragon-Shifter) for Free Online Page B

think I’d rather be crazy.”
    Crossing to the narrow window, she tried to peek outside. All she saw was the tops of trees below in a valley, as if the home stood on top of a mountain.
    Leaving the giant dressing room, she tried the next arch. It led to another long room with a desk and several thick chairs. Rolled parchments of paper filled wooden boxes along one wall. A blue feather quill and a jar of ink were on the desk. It appeared to be someone’s office.
    The third archway held an enclosed stairwell. Running her fingers over the cold stone, she walked down the dim stairwell, following the curve of the steps. The floor was cool against her bare feet. The light from above made it easy to see. She neared the bottom and hesitated.
    “Hello?” she whispered. “Is anyone there?”
    No answer.
    Eve stepped into a large, open room, and gasped. The domed window in this section was bigger than the bedroom’s and the arched ceiling seemed to spiral up toward it. A curtain covered most of it to block the majority of light. Two thick columns came down on either side of the dome. Between the columns, the floor sank into a large oval. Circular gray couches surrounded a gigantic pit fireplace in the middle. Blue throw pillows with the embroidered insignia of a dragon rested neatly on the suede-like material. The black grates in the center surround a fire that was left burning.
    Kyran slept on a couch. Orange firelight framed his face and danced erotically over his flesh. A blanket covered his legs, but his arms and chest were left bare. The curve of his smooth hip teased her with what lay hidden. The sculpted muscles formed a strong stomach, the indentations like the product of an artist. Now, sleeping, his breath rising and falling, he looked very human.
    Eve bit her lip. This wasn’t so bad, this surreal moment standing in an alien’s home. Kyran really was a handsome man. It was no wonder she’d been attracted to him from the first. She actually preferred him out of the cowboy attire. Then, blushing, she wondered if he wore the Polynesian style, plain-colored lava-lava around his waist all the time. Probably not. The other men had been in tunics and laced shirts.
    Tiptoeing past him, she continued exploring. A partial stone wall blocked a bathroom from view, though it technically had no door. The long bench with a hole and a lid appeared to be the toilet. She didn’t see any paper, and the place didn’t smell like a campground outhouse. A huge stone tub dominated the center of the room and was filled with bubbling, steaming water like a natural hot spring.
    The next room was a small kitchen. It had a red stone sink with running water and a matching smooth stone countertop with the black insignia of the dragon inlaid on the top. There was a stove grate over a fire pit, a brick oven and a variety of appliances she would never know how to use. Pulling at a hatch in the floor, she felt cold air hit her. It was the refrigerator.
    “We usually take our meals in the common hall, so I don’t have much in here. But if you’re hungry, I’m sure I can find you something.”
    Eve jumped at Kyran’s voice and dropped the hatch. It slammed shut with a heavy thud. He stood in the door way. Her gaze automatically traveled from his bare feet up to his startling blue eyes. He wore a loose pair of linen pants and nothing else. Seeing him, so perfectly male in appearance, she was sure the dragon shift had to have been her imagination.
    When she didn’t move or speak, a provocative smile curled his lips. “Or perhaps you’re hungry for something else, m’lady?”
    Heat flooded her cheeks and she was mortified to realize she was blushing.
    “There is no need to be self-conscious.” Kyran took a step toward her then stopped. “Though it pleases me that you are nervous. It means you care about pleasuring me.”
    Huh?
    Eve stared at him, taking a moment to process his words. When they finally made it from her ears to her numbed