Soulbound to a Dragon

by Kurtis Eckstein

  I quickly slipped my arm out from hers and turned on my heels to face the bastard.

  “Stop!” I yelled. “We don’t want to talk to you. Go away.” I tried to look intimidating, but he didn’t even seem remotely fazed by my five-foot stature.

  “Ha! I knew it was you!” He announced, getting a better look at Risa. “I’m glad I ran into you, I was just thinking about the special times we used to spend together!” He started laughing, and that’s when I realized he was slightly intoxicated. I could smell it on him. He wasn’t going to take a hint, no matter who gave it. I suddenly wished Eli was here. I knew I could handle this guy myself, but I didn’t want to cause a scene.

  “Go away!” I yelled at him again.

  We were already causing a scene though. The crowd was much thinner now, but everyone who was outside was glancing in our direction.

  The guy ignored me completely, looking over my head at Risa like I wasn’t even there. “Now come on babe, how about you join me for another good time? I really miss the times I spent with you in Calish. I’ll even pay your master of course like usual. Where is your master anyway?” He paused to look around like an idiot.

  Mira finally chimed in. “Right here,” she replied firmly. “And her time isn’t for sale. Now leave us alone.” Her voice was the closest to hatred I had ever heard it.

  The guy finally turned his attention to her. “Oh, but I’ll pay you really well for her! Really, she owes me one anyway. She cut me once – I still have the scar.” He held up his forearm, but there was nothing visible – at least nothing of any significance. His attitude then quickly became indignant. “Really, you should be paying me for the damage she did! That little bitch almost took off my arm!”

  That was crossing the line for me. I walked right up to him and shoved him hard in the chest, causing him to fall down on his ass. “Now who’s the bitch?!” I yelled at him, ready to punch him in the face the moment he got back up.

  Mira quickly grabbed my arm. “Let’s go,” she whispered. But I was too pissed now. No one was going to insult Risa like that and get away with it. Especially not someone like him, who had abused her before. But Risa grabbed my arm too as the bastard tried to get to his feet in an outrage.

  Her expression said it all. She just wanted to be away from him as fast as possible. My anger didn’t dissipate in the slightest, but her eyes convinced me. I whirled back around, grabbing her arm, and took off running.

  I expected the guy to be too drunk to keep up, but surprisingly he did. It didn’t help that we were running slower than we were capable, not wanting to leave Mira behind. Which meant it quickly became clear he was going to end up following us all the way back to the inn, and none of us wanted that. The last thing we needed was for this guy to know where Risa was staying for the night.

  Just as I whirled back around to knock the guy out, a heavy hand appeared on his shoulder and yanked him on his ass again. I looked at Eli in shock, having been too infuriated to realize he had heard me wishing for him to come running after us.

  Eli stood over the man with his arms slightly curled, his hands balled into fists. “What in the hell are you doing chasing my pantherians?!” He demanded.

  The guy looked up at Eli in shock for once, before his indignant expression returned. “Those bitches were harassing me! And Serene almost took my arm off!”

  Eli abruptly glanced back at me with a questioning look, so I pointed towards Risa, mentally pushing through to him how this guy knew her. His expression immediately became infuriated, glancing just briefly at her before turning his attention back towards the guy.

  Eli then glanced around at everyone in the street. I wasn’t sure what he was doing at first, but then realized he was looking out for law enforcement.

  When he looked back down at the guy, his tone was unexpectedly friendly, stunning us all. “You know what? You’re right. Let me help you to your feet and we can discuss it.” He then held out his hand to help the guy up.

  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, too baffled to even say anything.

  The guy immediately swatted at Eli’s hand, his irate expression seeming worse with the vindication of his complaints. “Damn right!” He started saying, but the moment his hand connected with Eli’s, his entire body spasmed sickeningly and he fell limp to the ground, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

  “Huh,” Eli said calmly, his voice extremely loud. “I guess he was so drunk he passed out.”

  But the guy hadn’t passed out – that much I knew, and Risa could sense it too. Eli had just killed him, sending a lethal dose of electricity through his body in less than half a second.

  When he turned towards me again, I just stared at him. Not because I was upset or afraid – I had wanted to kill the guy too – but I just couldn’t believe he had done it so quickly and discretely. He was more skilled as a mage than I realized.

  His eyes then fluttered to Risa, and he quickly closed the gap between us, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, followed by hers. I wasn’t sure what he had seen in her expression to make him so bold to touch her, but sure enough she let him without hesitation. But then, I realized what it was when I saw her eyes. He had just gotten revenge for her, which was something she probably didn’t think possible. And she trusted him all the more for it, even if it was only one person out of hundreds.

  “Let’s go,” he whispered to us. “Landon and Theo will catch up.” He then nodded to Mira, and we all hurried away before anyone realized the guy was dead.

  “So, you’re Serene?” Eli finally asked, looking down at Risa. I could tell he was hesitant to question about it.

  Her face flushed, but she didn’t look away. “Yes,” she admitted in a whisper, but then she quickly clarified. “It’s not my real name – just a name they used at the…” She hesitated. “Brothel…”

  For a moment I didn’t understand why she hesitated on that last word, but then realized she had never actually talked to him about it before. Everything Eli knew had come from me.

  He nodded slowly. “I like the name Risa better anyway, although I was wondering if that’s your real name.”

  She gasped. “Of course! I wouldn’t tell you a fake name.”

  “But we would understand if you did,” I quickly added, feeling like Eli was digging himself into a hole. “After all, you haven’t known us for long, so no one would blame you for hiding your real name.”

  Risa immediately shook her head. “I would have told you by now if I had.” Her head then dropped slightly. “You’re the only friends I’ve ever had, so of course I’d want you to know my real name.”

  I reached over across Eli to grab her hand. He seemed to think that was a hint, so he let go of us both and pulled away. I really hadn’t been going for that, already missing the warmth of his arm on me, but we were almost back to the inn anyway. I moved closer to Risa and wrapped my arm around her instead.

  She spoke up again. “Although…” She paused. “My full name is actually Risarae, but I prefer Risa…if that’s alright.”

  I smirked at her. “Well, I like the longer version too, but I’m already pretty attached to the shorter nickname.”

  “Me too,” Mira agreed with a warm smile.

  Risa nodded in appreciation.

  When we got back to the inn, Eli headed to the guy’s room to tell Tobias about what happened. We likewise went to our room next door and took turns rinsing off in the bathroom. It was nice to have access to warm water. I had practice ‘roughing it’ in the forest when I lived with the elves, because my godmother warned me the humans didn’t have the same comforts as they did, like running and heated water. However, thus far, I had been pleasantly surprised to find that they mostly did.

  I was also still amazed by how nice the room was. Everything appeared to be made of wood, including the thick wooden door with three locks, but the walls were covered in a decorative paint that reminded me a lot of the farmhouse. Mira explained it was a material they used to cover up the
wood called wallpaper.

  The walls were a light gray with black lines on them that resembled vines. There were two beds in the room. Granted, since one of them was large enough to hold all three of us, I suspected the other would end up empty. The boxes of supplies were in the far corner.

  Each room also had a fireplace against the far wall, next to a window covered with curtains. The room smelt faintly of firewood because of it, even though the chimney likely hadn’t been used in months.

  Once we were each done in the bathroom and beginning to get ready for bed, Tobias checked in on us before wishing us goodnight. We then all got into bed together, pleasantly surprised that there was still so much room, and quickly got comfortable. After a long day full of stress, we were all exhausted and desperately needed the reprieve from consciousness.

  Their warmth helped calm my mind and I found myself drifting off to sleep with a smile playing on my lips.

  Chapter 17: Dream

  I watched Risa sleep for a few minutes in the dark, her face barely an inch from mine. I must have flipped over, since I was facing her now. Her expression was so relaxed and peaceful, even despite the incident earlier. It made me happy to know she was alright, and would be from now on – at least, if I had anything to do with it. I would always protect her.

  Slowly, very slowly, I began wiggling out of her embrace, not wanting to wake her up. I then got to my feet and began walking methodically towards the door leading to the hallway.

  ‘Where…am I going?’

  As I opened the door, it squeaked slightly.

  I froze. Waiting. Listening. But no one woke up. I opened it more and slid out into the hall.

  Looking both ways, my gaze fell briefly on the door next to us, trying to listen for the men inside. Trying to listen for Eli. I couldn’t hear anything notable.

  I turned and began walking away, slowly, methodically.

  ‘Where am I going?’

  I stopped towards the end of the hall, next to the stairs, and leaned against the wall with my arms crossed, waiting.

  ‘What am I doing?’

  After a few minutes, someone walked up to me unexpectedly. Someone who had been returning to their room for the night. I looked up with a grin to see a handsome man standing in front of me. He had stopped when he saw me, smelling faintly of alcohol.

  ‘Why am I smiling at him? I don’t want to smile at him!’

  “Are you lost girl?” The man asked. He had a look in his eye I didn’t like. The same look Theo gave me – like I was a piece of meat.

  I smiled wider and nodded. My lips parted then, and words came from my mouth quietly. “Yes sir, but it looks like you found me.”

  ‘No! Why did I say that?! I don’t want to say that!’

  Without another word, the man smirked while wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling me in close. His body was warm like Eli’s, but it wasn’t Eli’s. I didn’t want this man. I didn’t want him to touch me.

  ‘Why isn’t my body listening to me?!’

  We walked down the hall, him holding me tight to his side, his embrace possessive. His expression was hungry. Just as we began passing the room I’d come from, I looked up at him again with another grin. In the corner of my eye, my vision focused on the door where Eli was. I wanted to call out to him, but was unable.

  ‘Why won’t my mouth obey me?!’

  The man stopped in front of a door further down, unlocking it. He pulled me inside and turned the lights on, revealing a room similar to the one where I had been a few minutes ago, staring at Risa.

  ‘Am I dreaming?! I must be dreaming! But I don’t want to have this dream! It’s a nightmare!’

  I tried to slap myself to wake up, but nothing happened. My body wouldn’t move when I told it to. The man closed the door behind him, bolting it shut with three locks. He then grinned down at me, my own smile encouraging him, and he scooped me up in his arms, walking me towards the bed. My hand ran over his muscled chest, and I felt his lips press against my forehead. They were warm like Eli’s, but they weren’t Eli’s.

  Eli…help…

  ‘Why can’t I think about him clearly?! Why can’t I call out to him?!’

  The man laid me down on the bed, climbing on top of me. His grin sickened me. My own smirk sickened me.

  ‘Stop it! I don’t want this!’

  My mouth opened to speak, but those words didn’t come out. “What are you going to do to me sir?”

  ‘No! Eli…help! Wake me up!’

  The man grinned at me, sitting up to pull off his shirt. My eyes fell unwillingly on his chiseled torso. It reminded me of Eli’s…but it wasn’t Eli’s.

  ‘WAKE ME UP!’

  The man began lowering himself slowly. My own hands moved to his stomach, feeling his abs, before running up to his chest. I wasn’t enjoying it though. I didn’t want to feel this man’s abs or chest. I wanted to feel Eli’s.

  Abruptly something smashed, and my head snapped over to see Eli standing in the doorway, the wooden door shattered into several pieces. His gaze was hateful as he looked at me. It terrified me. I didn’t want to ever see that look on his face – not directed towards me.

  This really was a nightmare.

  Unexpectedly, I started laughing as the man climbed off me in shock – hysterically laughing. The man was about to yell at Eli, but then looked down at me, his expression confused.

  “Well now, Eliakim,” my voice said. But that wasn’t right. I didn’t call him by his full name. My voice continued. “I see you heard her after all. A pity. I was having sooo much fun. This enslavement magic really is a nuisance.”

  Eli’s expression became even more abhorrent, which I didn’t think possible.

  ‘Please don’t look at me like that.’

  But he didn’t listen. Instead, he spoke with a level of hatred that mimicked his expression. I saw Risa and Tobias appear at the doorway behind him. I suspected Mira and Landon were in the hallway now too, having heard the commotion. Eli’s voice was as cold as ice as he took a step forward. “Let her go, right now!” He shouted.

  I laughed again. I didn’t want to laugh at him, but I couldn’t stop myself. “You have no power over me! I don’t have to listen to you!”

  Eli didn’t respond right away as he contemplated those words. The man standing at the end of the bed cursed, looking from me to him. “What in the hell is going on here?” He demanded. “She came onto me!”

  Eli ignored him. Instead he raised his right hand, his expression pissed. Was he going to hit me?

  ‘Please don’t hit me.’

  “Maybe not,” he announced, his voice firm. “But she does.” As he spoke, a blue ethereal chain connected from his right forearm to my neck appeared. It was more vivid than I had ever seen it before, and I knew everyone else could see it because the strange man reacted to it, backing away and up against the wall. It wasn’t every day normal people saw magic.

  Eli grabbed the blue chain in both his hands, his expression fierce. “Riel, wake up!”

  It was a demand. A demand I wanted to listen to, but was incapable of. I started laughing again.

  ‘Stop it…stop laughing…’

  I laughed harder. It sickened me.

  Eli’s expression changed then. He relaxed, his eyes no longer angry, but his expression somehow harder – more determined. It was like he was looking directly at me now, instead of looking at…me? I wasn’t sure why it was different, but it was. His gaze softened as he stared at the real me. When he spoke this time his voice was quieter, but firmer. This time it wasn’t just a demand. It was stronger. More powerful.

  A command.

  Eli pulled the chain taut between us, and he gave it a small tug as he spoke. “Riel. Wake up.”

  I gasped, sitting upright and looking down at my hands. My head snapped up towards a shirtless man leaning up against the wall in our room. His expression was a mixture of confusion and fear. But then as I looked around, I realized it wasn’t our room.

  My
head snapped towards the doorway to see Eli standing there next to a shattered door with a blue ethereal chain in his hand. A chain that connected to me. His expression was hard and reserved.

  It wasn’t a dream.

  “No, no, no!” I screamed, grabbing my head and shaking it furiously. “This isn’t happening! This isn’t real! It’s a nightmare!”

  A voice laughed inside my mind, enraging me.

  “Shut up!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Don’t laugh at me! It’s not funny!” I was quickly becoming hysterical as the laughing continued. “Stop laughing!” I shrieked.

  Suddenly I was in Eli’s arms as he lifted me off the bed, his proximity breaking through my anger. “No…” I whimpered against his chest. “It’s just a dream…it’s just a bad dream…” But it wasn’t a dream, and that realization shattered my soul. Tears blurred my vision.

  I heard Eli whisper to Tobias as he passed him. “Tell him that someone used magic to control her body. Don’t mention the demon. And I’ll pay for the door.”

  Tobias grunted in acknowledgment.

  “I’m sorry,” I heard Risa whisper. “I didn’t feel her get out of bed.”

  Eli shook his head, but I barely noticed. I was sobbing again, desperately wanting to wake up to discover I was still in Risa’s arms…to find that I was still dreaming.

  “No…” I sobbed. “This isn’t real…” But when Eli tightened his arms around me, I knew it was real. I began crying even harder, my heart breaking into a thousand pieces.

  Eli brought me into one of the rooms and sat down on a bed, leaning against the wall. He then did something he had never done before. His wings wrapped around me like giant hands, holding me even tighter in the most absolute embrace I had ever experienced in my life. It calmed me more than I would have expected.

  I looked up at him through a blurry lens. “I’m sorry…” I whispered, my voice quickly becoming more desperate. “I’m so sorry…” I pleaded.

  He immediately brought his forehead down to mine, pressing it firmly against me, staring into my amethyst eyes. His hot breath caressed my lips as he spoke. “I love you,” he whispered. “No matter what, I love you.”