Excerpt from Celestial Dragon

“Loneliness is not a welcome state.” He declared it as a statement of fact, as if he had prior knowledge of the emotion.
Her smile faded. “Nock, it isn’t.”
You would not be lonely as my mate.
“Please. Don’t . . . don’t come any closer. You’ve already overstepped what would be considered appropriate distance.”
He took another step, then another. Only one stone’s length kept them from touching. She should pull away, correct his slight, but his eyes kept her hypnotized. His nearness caused her heart to accelerate at an alarming speed. The air between them sizzled with vibrations she didn’t understand.
“Do you fear me?”
Her breath caught. Fear him? Not him, but what he made her feel. “Nock. You -- you should fear me.”
He leaned closer. “Mmmm. Deliphit. Shall we test your powers, fiol’ston?”
Agitated, she took a step away from his charismatic presence. “Why do you not fear me?”
He, too, took a step back. “My apologies. I did not mean to push so hard. ’Twould not serve my purpose to alienate you.”
“And what is your purpose?”
His arm swept wide. “To free you from this ghastly existence.”
“Do you presume to pass judgment on the people of Bastian? On me?”
“You would defend what they do to you? How they treat you?”
How could she answer such a painful question? With a lift of her chin, she chose to ignore his query. He had no right to assume they mistreated her. No right at all.