Then she opened her eyes and the nightmare was in front of her. A stunningly gorgeous nightmare with the ability to scent her arousal. Ugh!
She pushed the thought aside and picked up a sandwich. It was rare roast beef and tasted sublime.
"The marks," she said between bites, "tell me about them."
"What do you want to know?"
"How are they made, who made them, why did they make them? When?"
"They're not made. They're a birthmark of sorts. I was born with mine. So were you."
"That's not possible."
He smiled slightly. "Lily, anything is possible."
She had a horrible thought. "So, are we related then?"
He shook his head, and a wave of relief washed over her. "Maybe it's more accurate to say we share common ancestors."
She pursed her lips. This was way past weird. "You're telling me that we both have birthmarks that just happen to be in the shape of dragons." She shrugged her shoulders. "But why? Why me, and what are they for?"
"They show who you are, what you are."
Lily stared at him transfixed. "And that is … ?"
"You're a dragon princess."
She bit back the almost hysterical laughter that bubbled up in her throat. It was not the reply she'd been hoping for. What had she been expecting? The answer to her childhood dreams? Then again, what little orphan girl doesn't want to discover she was a princess? But a dragon princess?
He sat relaxed, a slight smile on his face as though he knew what was going through her head. Maybe he did. Maybe he was used to people thinking he was a raving lunatic.
What was he involved in? Could it be some sort of cult, some mystical religious fanatics who tattooed their children with mythical animals using tattooing techniques never even heard of?
She couldn't make sense of it and she wanted to deny she could be involved. "I'm an accountant for God's sake. A nice, boring, normal accountant."
He studied her, head cocked to one side. "I'm guessing, deep down, you've never felt ‘normal' in your life."
Maybe not, but that had just made her want it all the more. "Right, my mark says that I'm a dragon princess. Got it so far. What about you?" She looked him up and down. "Because I've got to tell you-you make a crap princess. So presuming you are not a dragon princess, just what are you?"
He smiled. "I'm a dragon."
She should have expected that one. "Yeah, right. A dragon, of course you are. You know, give a guy a tattoo and he gets delusions of grandeur."
Resting her head against the back of the sofa, she glowered at the ceiling. More food. That's what she needed. Just in case it should become sparse again at any time in the immediate future. Sitting up, she ate two more sandwiches. Drank another cup of coffee. Searched around for something else to eat. The truth was, he'd stumped her. She had no clue what to say next. What was the point in asking questions when all you got was gibberish about dragons and princesses?
"No more questions?" he asked.
She sighed. "I don't suppose you have any chocolate?"
He stared at her as though she was the mad one. It looked like no chocolate was on the menu. She sighed again. The fact was, it might be gibberish, but it was deadly serious gibberish. Deadly being the operative word. Those guys last night hadn't flinched from killing two cops. And this man was the key. Did he believe what he was telling her? Had he been brainwashed? She had to find out what he knew, even if it all turned out to be rubbish.
"Let's say I suspend reality for a moment and-"
"Lily," he interrupted.
"Yes?" she said warily.
"What do you think has been happening since you visited Taryn Carnack?"
"Taryn Carnack?" He'd mentioned that before, last night at her apartment.
"The standing stones. Don't tell me you haven't noticed changes. What about the fires?"
She glanced at him sharply. "What fires?"
"You start them without thinking, when you get emotional. You will learn to control it with training."
"So that's something dragon princesses do, is it? Light fires?"
"No, I've never heard of one who could do that. Just dragons."
"Right, so I suppose you can."
He raised his left hand. Flickers of blue-black fire sprang to life from the tip of each finger. She reached out and touched one of the flames. It was hot, and she snatched back her hand. The flames vanished.
"Pyrokinesis," she muttered.
"You've been doing some research."
"Either that, or a really great magic trick."
"You're a skeptic."
"Well, who wouldn't be? Say I do believe you-you're a dragon. What does that mean exactly? That you're a member of a club called the dragons, that on weekends you dress up in dragon suits? Or that you're a genuine bona fide dragon somewhere under all that human skin?"
"The latter-sort of."
She scrutinized him for a long moment. "Show me."
"Show you what?"
"You know, your true self, your dragon within. Show me your dragon."
"It's not allowed."
"By whom?"
"It's the oldest of our laws, punishable by death. We may not take up our dragon forms on Earth."
She rolled her eyes. "Well, isn't that the best fucking cover story I've ever heard. You're a dragon, but you can't show it on pain of a no doubt agonizing death. And what do you mean ‘on Earth'? What are you-an alien dragon?"
He ignored her sarcasm. "I come from a world called Ankesh."
"So, why don't you go back there?"
"I would. All my people would."
"Jesus, you mean there are more of you? Why don't you all go back?"
"Unfortunately, the portal has been closed."
"Then open it."
"We can't."
"Then find someone who can."
"I have."
"Good."
He was silent for a few minutes, and she glanced into his face. A small smile curved his lips. She had a horrible feeling she knew where this was going. "You mean me, don't you?"
He nodded.
"Why should I be able to open your stupid portal?"
"Because you're a dragon princess and the only people who can open the portals are dragon princesses."
"Then find another one."
"There are no more. You're the last. Look Lily, you went to the stones. What happened?"
"How do you know I visited the stones? Have you been watching me?"
"Not before that. We picked up a disturbance, and it was easy to trace it to you. Tell me what happened?"
Lily frowned. But what harm could it do?
She rested her head back on the soft leather and relived that moment. "I heard something. It came from the arch behind the altar. A sort of buzzing sound-calling to me. I wanted to reach out and touch it. The noise got louder the closer I came to the arch, but Joe couldn't hear a thing."
"Who's Joe?"
"He's a farmer. His family owns the land around the stones, and I met him up there. He's also the man who found me, when I was a baby, actually on the altar at Taryn Carnack-though I didn't know that until then. Anyway, I reached out to the altar and … nothing. Joe said I fainted. He carried me down the mountain. That's it."
"And how do you account for it?"
"Not by believing in dragons, that's for sure."
He rubbed at the spot between his eyes. "It doesn't matter," he said. "You'll be pleased to know you won't have to see me after tonight."
"Why? Are you letting me go?"
"Not quite."
"What the hell does ‘not quite' mean?"
"I'm handing you over to someone else."
A ripple of alarm ran through her. "Who?"
"Your mother's," he paused, as though searching for a suitable word, "husband."
Lily's mind went blank, then started working furiously. "But not my father, I presume?"
"No, he's not your father. But he has been searching for you, for a long time."
"And he's … " She couldn't bring herself to say the word dragon-it was too silly. Instead, she finished, "like you."
"If you mean, is he a dragon, then yes. He's the King of our people."
"Wow," she said. "A dragon King. You know, I'd be honored, except for the fact that I'm apparently royalty myself. And he wants me to open this portal you were talking about?"
"Yes."
"And that's all?"
He nodded again.
She didn't like it. "And what if I don't want to go?"
He smiled then, but didn't answer. He didn't need to. It was obvious she was to have no choice in the matter. "Is opening the portals dangerous?"
"No."
She peered at him suspiciously. "Why have you gone all monosyllabic, all of a sudden?"
He rose to his feet. "Vortigen will tell you more. I've fulfilled our deal, and told you of the marks. You'll have to wait until tonight to hear the rest. Now, I must arrange the meeting. Make yourself at home, but you'll find the apartment impossible to leave, so don't bother trying."