The woman shivered as she sat on the chaise, her head swiveling side to side to follow the sounds his minion made as he prepared the room.

She was lovely, skin like ivory, hair like burnished gold, lips…

Lovely, yes, but did she have the one thing he needed to end his curse for a time. He shifted his stance, his boots scuffling softly on the floor.

Her head jerked toward the sound. “Is this necessary?”

“I told you his requirements.”

“Why the blindfold? Is he hideous?”

Drago, Lord of Drakkenberg, snorted. Most women found him desirable. So much so, they threw themselves into his path, heedless of any dangers. But he was careful to hide his true nature, successful most of the time in suppressing the monster inside him.

Guy pulled the leather restraints from beneath the bolster pillow and laid them silently behind the girl, then nodded to Drago and faded toward the stone wall of the bedchamber, his duty done.

Drago stepped toward the girl, halting just in front of her. “You wished an audience?” he said, trying to keep the dry rasp in his voice hidden.

Her head tilted, exposing her slender neck.

He sniffed, smelled a citrusy perfume and the one aroma only his sensitive nose could detect…virginity. It was fresh and elemental like sea water. His body stirred, his cock hardening beneath his robe.

Why she was here didn’t matter in the great scheme of things. Why any of them surrendered their chastity to him didn’t matter. The ancient hunger had to be fed to keep the world safe from his fiery wrath. One virgin sacrificed every hundred years, hundreds in all. Their blood and tears didn’t touch his soul. Long ago, he’d discovered he needn’t actually kill the girls, that another sort of devouring would serve the same purpose. With relief, he’d continued to exist, not because he didn’t like to kill, but he hated the waste. A virgin could be turned to serve him for her lifetime.

He’d have a companion until she died. The last, Sarah, had been gone for nearly thirty years, and although he’d dreaded watching his lover age and die, he’d cared for all her needs until the end. Or rather, he and Guy had seen to her comforts.

Faithful Guy. The knight who’d vowed to vanquish him when he’d faced him atop that atoll where the virgin had been left to fill his appetite, had hesitated when he’d discovered the nature of the sacrifice. Thereafter, he’d vowed to serve the creature and keep his secret, trading his vow to the church for a higher calling as they’d worked together to use Drago’s curse for good.

“Are you Lord Drakken?”

“I am.”

“I asked for an interview. Can we dispense with the blindfold?”

“Not yet.” His ability to maintain a human form was compromised. He didn’t want to frighten her. Gazing down at his hands where the green scales covered the backs, and his nails had stretched to sharp talons—no, he’d frighten her to death if she saw him now.

“Did Guy explain things to you?”

“That you’re a recluse and didn’t grant interviews? Yes. Why did you make an exception for me? I’m not the most experienced reporter on the Tribune’s staff.”

“You met one of my prerequisites.”

“What was that?”

“You are a virgin.”

Her breath caught. “How could he know that?” she said softly. “And why would it matter?”

“Because I will ask for something in exchange for this interview. How ambitious are you?”

“I’ve been writing classifieds. I’d do most anything to get a chance to write features.”

“So you told him. Would you sacrifice your chastity?”

“You want me to sleep with you?”

“Is it so very alarming? I’d compensate you—with pleasure, as well as put in a good word for you with your editor. He’s a friend of mine.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Are you saving yourself for some purpose? Marriage, perhaps?”

“No. I…um, no. I just haven’t found someone I feel comfortable enough with to share that.”

He leaned close and let his breath stir the hair beside her cheek. “Or maybe you didn’t find a strong enough purpose,” he murmured. “Or maybe, the men you’ve dated haven’t found the secret to seduce you. I am a patient man.”

Her breath wheezed inward and her head snapped back. “Lord Drakken! I’m not going to trade my body for a story.”

“Then what will you trade it for?”

Her mouth opened, ready to serve him another set down, he had no doubt, but her brow furrowed as she paused. “This room is very large. There’s an echo. Why is it so very large?”

“Perhaps I like the space.”

“The workers who rebuilt the castle weren’t very chatty. But they did mention there were unusual accouterments.”

“Do you have theories about their purpose?”

“Is this a dungeon?”

He drew back, a dungeon? There was one beneath the house, but… “Do you think I have a dungeon for sexual play?”

“Why else?”

“Does that intrigue you?”

“I’ve been doing some research into places like this. But I haven’t managed to get through the front doors.”

“Why is that? Do you think they can guess your innocence just by looking at you?”

Her blonde brows furrowed. “Do you really think they can?”

“An experienced man would know.” He drew in her scent. “He can smell it on you.”

“Then maybe we have something we can bargain for. If you’re into the scene, that is.”

“I would need a sample of your innocence.”

“A sample?”

“Nothing that will compromise your virginity, but I would taste you.”

“Taste me?” She licked her lips. “Why would you want that? Where’s the pleasure for you?”

“Your innocence is an elixir.”

“I know you’re from England, but you have a very strange way of putting things.”

“My dear, you have no idea.”