Kissed by Fire

Caught up in the supernatural slave trade, mermaid Mila Sealight needs saving, not promises of undying love from a cursed dragon. But allies are scarce, making a down-on-his-luck fire breather her only hope.When dragon Niall MacTeine boards the slaver boat with his brothers, he knows they are going to save people, he just never expected to be rescued himself. He's been cursed a long time and has started to give up hope.

Everything changes when Niall is thrown overboard while fighting the slavers and Mila gives him the 'kiss of the sea' to save him from drowning. That's when it hits him—she's the key to his freedom.

But breaking the curse that locks him in his human form requires trust and an open heart. Neither of which Mila gives lightly. Niall will have to prove he's worth the risk in order to claim his fated maiden. And he will pay the ultimate price in the process.

This is book 2 in the Maidens series but it stands alone. You'll have more fun if you read book 1 Kiss the Dragon (which was a USA Today bestseller) but it's not required.

~*Excerpt*~

Niall turned back toward the surface and then glanced back at me, torn. He needed to breathe, but I needed him to stay under water. I cast a quick song, a lure that forced him to me. As he came closer, unable to resist my call, I saw the panic in his eyes.

I kept singing, not nearly as heartless as he might have imagined me to be. Together, we would survive this. He just had to do what I asked. I lured him down to the bottom of the ocean, until we were face-to-face. Then, before he could think twice and make an escape, I leaned forward, capturing his lips with mine.

He was hot enough to make me gasp. A fire ran through his flesh, warming mine. I drank it in, relishing the added heat in these cold northern waters. He tasted good, too. Like salt mixed with something sweet. I couldn’t quite place where the sweetness came from, but I liked it so much, I kept darting my tongue into his mouth for more, even though that was not required for the magic I sought to cast.

Niall fought me at first, not much, but enough that I could tell he didn’t understand what I was doing. Which was mostly saving his life and mine. The fact I liked kissing him so much was immaterial. I hummed a soothing tune to relax him and deepened our kiss. Once I was satisfied the magic had taken, I sealed my lips around his and blew as much air as I could into his mouth. He gulped it in, his eyes widening as the life-giving air hit his system.