Read Dragon Wish for Free Online Page B

For the briefest moment,
    their eyes met. She murmured a thank you as she slid onto
    the seat.
    Calis’ eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “Now,
    Cap’an, I’m not one to complain about yer preferences, but I
    draw the line at bedding children.”
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    Paladin laughed out loud. The woman gasped, her eyes
    wide.
    Not giving her time to respond, he slapped Calis on the
    shoulder and grinned. His tension slid away under Calis’
    comment. He would rather have her ire turned on him than
    his first mate. “Well, my friend, I happen to agree with you,
    but this is no child. A bit small, but she is indeed a grown
    female. This I can attest to.”
    She glared at him. Without remorse, he smiled wider.
    Calis leaned over the table. He gave her a hard stare.
    “Why is her hair so short? She’s not marked for a crime, is
    she?”
    “No, she isn’t marked. She was a gift to me from the
    Cosmos. A shooting star brought her,” Paladin replied,
    keeping his voice low.
    Calis sat back, frowning at him. “Bah, ye and yer
    mysticism. It’s enough to make me sick.”
    “Do you mind? I’m hungry,” the woman said. Tension
    and perhaps fear more than any other emotion spoke
    through her clasped hands with the white knuckles and the
    tightened jaw. Paladin curled his fingers into a fist to keep
    from touching her in hopes of reassuring her.
    “What’s her name?” Calis asked, waving a serving wench
    over.
    Paladin had neglected to ask her. At the time, it hadn’t
    been important. While he stared at her, a strong premonition
    filled him. He’d caught a flicker of life within her, separate
    from her own force. His stomach threatened to empty into
    his throat. The sensation grew until he knew without a doubt
    the truth to it.
    “I’m Seren.” She held out her hand to Calis. His first mate
    cocked a brow at her hand. She pulled back, clasping hers
    together in her lap. “Never mind.”
    “Yer name is Seren Nevermind?”
    Struggling to keep the bile down, Paladin forced a chuckle
    past his lips. “No, her name is Seren. Nothing else. My sweet,
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    this strapping gent is my first mate, Calis Mer. And of course,
    you know who I am.”
    Calis grunted. “Ye dern right she knows. Probably why
    she sniffed ye out. Any woman in her right mind would want
    bragging rights on bedding Captain Paladin Fulcan.”
    Paladin grinned and winked at Seren. She rolled her eyes,
    her lips twitching. Well, she took that comment in fine form.
    With another grunt, Calis stood. “I suppose I’ll leave ye
    two for a bit. I’ll tell Alice, that lazy wench, to bring a platter
    for the mite here. Remember, Sire, we don’t have much time
    before we sail.”
    At Calis’ slip of the tongue, Paladin stiffened. Calis dipped
    his head, pivoted on his heels, and hurried to the counter.
    Paladin stared at his retreating back, knowing his first mate
    realized his error by the slump of his broad shoulders.
    Fool, what was he thinking to call him by his long
    forsaken title? He’d given up his royal vestiges many years
    ago, yet Calis seemed to forget the fact. He glared at the man
    disappearing amid the occupants and tables. The woman
    cleared her throat, bringing his attention to her.
    She laid her palms flat on the table, angling a look at him.
    “Do your men call you Sire very often?”
    “You have discovered a secret. Not many know of it,” he
    said, lifting his tankard and taking a sip. He watched her
    over the rim. Calis’ misled loyalty might cause complications
    with her.
    “So I screwed royalty last night.” She closed her eyes,
    swallowed, and then faced him. “Look, I want to go home. I
    have friends, people I work with who’ll worry about me if I
    don’t contact them.”
    He set the tankard down, relieved that the fact he was of
    the royal line did not affect her. His interest caught on her
    smooth features. The soft curve of her lips tempted him to
    lean close enough to cover her mouth with his. She