She shifted so that her mouth was merely inches from his. Right now, you want to kill. Youd kill me if you could.
I would.
You wont. You want to make me happy.
She was nude, beautiful, and so very close. But that couldve described any woman. The Sun, however, was hypnotic. Every time Tallis thought he could peer through the soft rays of light that surrounded her and blurred her features, she shifted. He saw only what she wanted him to see. She was the ultimate mystery, even when she presented herself as a vulnerable, stripped goddess.
Ill make you happy, too, Tallis. Let me show you.
She kissed him.
Lip to lip.
Then deeper .
Without words she gave Tallis permission to unleash his gathering violence. They kissed like Pendray in the midst of a berserker rage, where pleasure and pain merged into a ferocious dance of push, pull, scratch, claw.
He had her in his arms. Yes .
He had her stretched beneath him. Yes.
But as Tallis gripped his ready cock and positioned the head between her wet folds, she was gone. He thrust into nothing. He bucked and fought, howling his frustration, spitting with anger at her and at himself. Shed taken him so far. Shed given him so much.
Shed snatched it all away.
He couldnt see himself from that dream perspective, but he felt the embarrassment of kneeling and being unable to hide his erection. Shame burned his cheeks as he looked up. The Sun was hovering again, clothed again, smiling as if she hadnt just teased him within an inch of insanity.
Get back here, he growled.
Youre not giving orders, Tallis. We have so much to do. And I have more to do than show you my bare skin.
He blinked and looked at her againand froze. She was no longer hovering but riding a dragon as real as anything hed ever beheld while conscious. The creature was even more real than the Sun, who continued to shift though myriad colors and forms.
Do you see? You and I are bound. I will tease you, cajole you, even pity you. You will hate me and worship me. And in the end, you will do as I bid because we have both been chosen by the Great Dragon.
The magnificent creature turned its face toward Tallis. Strong ridges outlined its brow and hid small, dark eyes. It wasnt scaly but layered with what appeared to be endless varieties of fabric, in shades of black, orange, blue, purple, a fiery redanything a waking eye could behold. The effect was radiant. Every movement rippled across its long torso and forked tail. It bared its teeth in a wide grimace. A lolling tongue appeared just before a burst of flame and a snort of smoke escaped.
Elegant and eternal, the Dragon was so humbling that Tallis hugged the ground in a deep bow. He shuddered. He could no longer look upon the creature that had birthed their race, knowing his eyes would burn to cinders and madness would follow.
The Sun rode the Dragon. A true goddess.
You know what I say is true and just. Our people are dying.
He didnt lift his head. The dream had become the most astonishing nightmare. We can reverse that?
Yes, we can. The Chasm isnt fixed.
Chilly air rippled across his back, accompanied by the swish of flapping wings. The Sun traced two fingers beneath his chin, lifting, so that
they looked each other in the eye. The Great Dragon was near yet far in that way dreams could warp perspective, yet she still rode upon its back like Boudicca into battle. No mist or light or golden silk swirled between them. He clearly saw the color of her eyes. Amber. The swirling amber of a consuming firethe fire breathed by the Dragon as it began to fly away.
I will let you touch me every time we meet, she said, her voice receding. One day, I will let you unleash that monstrous temper and take what you want from my body. Take from me . I will be yours completely.
Fix the Chasm. How?
You kill for me. Whenever I ask. No matter who it is. Youll behead one Dragon King after another. We will rid our people of those who sow discord and hatred. Only when we achieve unity will we be able to heal what has been bleeding for thousands of years. Our people. I command you just as the Dragon commands me.
Shed won. Even without the miracle of witnessing their Creator, the tingle up his spine whispered that she wouldve won anyway. She always would.
Ill be hated. Ill have to flee. Leave my family. Ill never have a home after tonight.
The Sun blew him a kiss before fading into darkness. Yes, dear one, but you will always have me.
CHAPTER 
ONE
She was especially heartened to feel so many assembled from the Indranan, one of the Dragons sacred Five Clans. Her clan. The telepathic Indranan had been divided for three thousand years of civil war. Northern versus Southern factions. And for reasons every Dragon King knew too well, they were collectively known as the Heartless.
Although physically sluggish from bearing the mantle of her duties, Kavya cleared her consciousness of outside thoughts. She would need the full extent of her limited telepathy for the task awaiting her. Today was special. Intimidatingly so. She would make her first appearance before these hundreds whod traveled the globe to see her in person.