“I’m still not sure what you think you can do.” She asked, her voice more acerbic than usual. “My Gift isn’t a strong one. There’s no way I can use it for defense, let alone a strong offense. It’s why I carry a sword.”
“Ah, my dear, you leave that to me.” He winked and brought out a small box from his pocket. It lay in his palm, encrusted with jewels and inlaid with gold.
She gasped. “It’s lovely.”
“Yes, it is. But it’s what’s inside that’s important.” He took the lid off. Coiled on a bed of purple silk lay a tiny silver dragon, small enough to fit in her hand.
Its tiny emerald eyes sparkled, looking almost alive. She had to restrain herself from snatching it off of his palm and seeing if it moved and breathed its own dragon fire. She frowned, keeping her hands by her sides. “Thank you, but I don’t need any jewelry.”
He laughed. “If I thought it would get you to move a little faster toward my bed I would shower you with jewels aplenty, but that’s not what this is.”
The heat of his words crept up her cheeks and his smile grew deeper.
He held the box out toward her. “Look again.”
She opened her Gift. Doyle’s aura sprang into bright blue white light, nearly blinding her with his power. She’d known he was strong, but he was strong enough to be a full lord, maybe even take over one of the courts as king. She shielded from his aura, instead, studying the little dragon in the box. “I don’t see anything.”
“Well, that’s not right.” He frowned. “Give me a minute.” He waved his hand over it and suddenly more bright blue white magic glowed in the little silver dragon than she’d ever have in her life.
“That’s got some zing.”
He took the dragon out of its nest. “Here, take it.”
She cautiously held out her hand, palm up, and he placed it in the center. She froze, expecting it to jump up and hiss, but it lay there, quiescent and unmoving but with a banked magical cold heat that tingled on her palm.
“I’ve imbued it with a little of my own power. With some practice, you should be able to draw on it at will.”
The heat crept up her cheeks again. “You must have been up all night.” While she’d tossed and turned thinking of his kiss, he’d done this for her. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad you appreciate the effort.” He smiled, his eyes twinkling. “But it wasn’t as much work as you might think.”
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but why would you do this for me? Why divert some of your own power into this?” She frowned. “I’m not changing my mind. I don’t think you and I are a good idea right now.” But looking at his smile and the way he’d done something so nice for her, she wished they were.
“I’ll change your mind, wait and see.” He winked. “I’m not a quitter. But, no, this is a gift, plain and simple. It’s for you to take with you wherever you go, for your own protection.” He nodded toward the sword. “And maybe you’ll feel more secure without dragging that thing everywhere, once you know you can defend yourself, no matter what.”
“I don’t understand why you care.”
“Frankly, I shouldn’t. You take up too much of my time and I have other concerns. But I can’t be worried about you when I need to be taking care of other things. This will ensure your safety when I can’t be here.”
The thought of being here, by herself, was scary. She knew there were dark, dangerous things in the tunnels. And there was the dragon himself. What if Atavantador changed his mind about eating her? She hadn’t specified what type of servitude she’d be giving him. Dinner might be on the list. Damn, she should have been more careful.
“Can Atavantador come in here? He’s so big, he can’t possibly make it through the doors or hallways. Can he?”
His brows lifted and he laughed, a huge belly laugh that was so large she felt it shaking the floor. “That! That’s exactly why I’m enjoying spending so much time with you.” The laughter rumbled out, deep from his chest. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes and he gasped for air. “I can just picture a dragon shoving his giant head into the hallway, nostrils flaring, trying to ferret you out.” His laughter wound down. “Definitely amusing.”
“Not amusing to me!” Her chin went up and her shoulders were stiff. “I’d be dinner for him.”
“You’d only be a small snack.” He laughed again and he pulled out a clean white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his eyes. “No, he won’t be coming in to eat you. Actually, he doesn’t eat elvatians, so you don’t have to worry. You don’t taste very good.”
“Really? What does he eat?”
“The same things you eat: reindeer, fish, carrots. Dragons are omnivores.”
The tiny dragon stirred in her hand. “It’s moving.” Its eyes flashed green and it moved, crawling up on the base of her hand to her wrist. “Doyle, stop it!”
“Ah, this is it. Are you ready to try the magic?”
Nervous, she nodded. “I think so.” The dragon slithered up her wrist and under her shirt. “No, no I’m not ready.” It crept along her arm to the hollow of her neck, its tiny claws scratching the skin under her chin. She jumped.
“Steady. It’s finding its spot. I wasn’t sure where you would work best with it.”
It slithered to the front of her neck, resting for a moment in the hollow between her collarbones. She ripped open the top three buttons of her shirt. “Get it off! I want it off.”
“Shh.” His voice was low and soothing. “It’s just fine. Let it find its spot.”
The dragon moved again, slithering around her neck and settling finally at the top of her spine, tickling the spot just below her hairline. “Doyle!” Her voice cracked.
“Do you trust me?”
Did she? Her brother was gone. Her childhood sweetheart a hand of the queen and her frost fae friends were a hundred years gone. At best, her parents had thrown her brother to the queen’s predations without knowledge of what would happen. At worst, they’d turned over their son for the ease of sleeping without worry about the queen. Shouldn’t they have known? Did they know? She still didn’t know how she felt about her parents and she wasn’t even sure she wanted to go home and discover what the truth was.
But Doyle? He’d fed her and taken care of her. Now he said he was trying to protect her. If she didn’t trust him, she had no one else left to trust.
“Yes.” As soon as she said it, with a rush of relief, she realized it was true. It felt good to trust him, like a burden was off of her shoulders.
“Okay.” He waved his hand over where the dragon had stilled. Heat grew, burning into her skin.
The dragon sank its tiny claws into her flesh. A hot searing smell rose from her skin. “Doyle!” She reached to brush it away. “It’s digging into me.”
He grabbed her hands, holding her down, his pupils mere slits in glowing blue eyes. “Hold on. It’s nearly done.”
The burning grew worse and she struggled against him. Just when she thought she would scream, it slowed down to an ache. “Is it done?”
“It’s all over.” He let her go. “It should stop hurting in a few days or so. And you might lose some skin.”
“What just happened?” She lifted her hand to touch the ache at the base of her neck.
He grabbed her hand. “Why don’t you wait until it heals?”
“What do you mean, heals?” Her voice rose, escalating to a high pitch. “Is it embedded in me? What the hell did you do?”
He handed her a small hand mirror, picking up another larger one so she could see behind her. She rolled down the collar of her shirt and looked at the spot where the dragon had settled. On the skin at the base of her neck, she had a very shiny tattoo of a silver dragon with gleaming emerald eyes.
Chapter Ten
The new dragon etched into her skin hurt, but the pain was bearable. Other than that she didn’t feel any different. “I don’t know about this. I want it out, whatever the hell it is.” Without thinking, her hand wan
dered up to touch the shining silver scales.
Doyle’s hand shot up and caught her wrist and tugged it back down, this time releasing her quickly. “Remember, it’s too new to touch.”
The gleaming green eyes followed hers in the mirror. She shuddered. “It looks like it’s watching me.”
“It’s not alive.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very. It’s merely filled with magic.”
She gave a small shake of her head and craned her neck to look from a different angle. “That might mean it’s very alive. Is it—” she worked at keeping her voice level “—permanent?”
“It won’t come off in the bath, if that’s what you’re asking. It won’t come off at all.” He gave her a bland look. “Unless I remove it.”
A rush of relief filled her. “You can take it out.”
His eyelids dropped down, cloaking his expression. His voice cooled. “Why don’t you practice with it for a few days. You can decide later if you want it gone.”
She wished she knew what he was thinking. He’d spent all night pouring his personal Gift into the piece of...what was it? It wasn’t jewelry anymore. It was flat on her skin as if painted on. But it was way more than any tattoo. And he hadn’t given her any warning.
She swallowed. “All right. I’ll try it out for a few days. But if I don’t like it, you’ll take it off?”
“You have my word.”
She waited for the magic of his vow to rise and bind his actions to his words, but nothing came. Despite her attraction to him and her sense of gratitude for everything he’d done for her she found herself, once again, questioning his motives.
Where was he from? Too tall to be a Fir Bolg and too muscled to be Tuathan, he was shaped like an elvatian with pointed ears like hers. But what was he really? With his slit pupils and immense power, she wasn’t sure. And with unpredictable actions like this, no matter how charming he was, he could be dangerous.
“Siobhan, I will remove it if you ask.” His voice was low and reassuring. “I have said so.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” She shook out her arms and legs to get the tightness out of her muscles. It was now in her skin. She might as well see what it could do before throwing his gift away. If it really was a gift. “I’m ready to test it out. What do I need to do?”
The tension she hadn’t even realized was in his face relaxed. “Here’s where the practice comes in. Draw on your Gift, like you usually would.”
She hesitated. She’d never thought about her Gift. It was just there, like air. When she ran, she just breathed harder. And when she used magic, it just came.
“Try something simple. Something you can do without thinking.”
She looked at the mirror still in her left hand. “Alright.” They were still underground in the cave system, no matter how sophisticated the furnishings of the library. Feeling self-conscious, she pulled moisture from the air and pointed at the mirror, drawing circles on the glass. Power flowed into her finger, more power than she’d ever dreamed of flowed through her, just as if it were her own. Fine lines of frost spread out, dancing across the glass, tiny flowers and patterns growing from her magic more easily than she’d ever felt.
“Well? How does it feel?”
“Amazing. Like...I can do anything.”
Then the frost melted away leaving the same design of tiny flowers and scrolling lines etched into the glass. She began to shake. “It’s never done that before. It’s always melted away with the frost.”
The power rose, running through her, lifting the tiny hairs all over her skin. “Doyle, how much power have you given me?”
“I only gave you a small amount. Just what you need to protect yourself.”
She stared at him, the power pouring through her. This was a small amount? She was now as powerful as a full lady. Maybe even as powerful as a queen.
A deep sense of elation filled her as she thought of the possibilities. She’d be able to find Bosco now. And maybe, just maybe, she’d be able to take her revenge on the Winter Queen.
THE AWE LIGHTING UP Siobhan’s face entranced Doyle. He wanted to crush her to him, to taste his power on her lips. He wanted her here. Now. On the floor, on the table, on the tall stool where she lay the hand mirror down. But he’d seen the flash of mistrust in her eyes and he knew, if he took her now, she’d see his gift as a bribe for sex.
And while he would love the sex, it wasn’t what the present of his magic was about. Not at all.
“It’s incredible.” She wiggled her fingers, staring at the pale blue of his magic glowing on the tips. “How could you give me this much and still have any left for yourself?”
“Don’t worry about me. I have plenty to spare.” And if he’d known how beautiful she’d look with his power coursing inside her, he’d have given her even more, until she shone with the bright light of a northern star.
“Is it because of the dragon? Does he feed you power?”
He hesitated. For the first time since he’d made his vow, he wanted to tell someone his secrets. In an odd way, it almost felt dishonest not to tell her. But he and his brethren had sworn when they came to this world that they would never reveal their shifting powers to anyone. The secret gave them too big of an edge, and with the protection of the queens and the loss of their home world, they needed every edge they could get.
He decided on a half-truth. “Underhill is steeped with magic, young magic. So much, in fact, that it pours from the land.”
“You’re talking about the mists.”
“Yes. Unlike witches, and elvatians, and many of the magical creatures born to magic, dragons know how to increase their power by feeding on magic.”
“And they can then share it?”
“Yes. Just as I’ve shared with you.”
“What are you?” Her lips pressed together and a small furrow creased her forehead.
“I’m Doyle. And that’s enough questions for now, you need to practice using this power. Why don’t you try something else?”
“Really?” Her eyes flashed. “You hand me enough power to take on the queen herself, and you still have power oozing from you, so much so that when I look at you with my Gift, you’re blinding. No elvatian I’ve ever met, or even heard of, can do this. Yet you refuse to tell me what’s going on?”
He gripped the side of the high table, his fingers digging hard into the wood. “You should be grateful with such a gift. I can leave you alone now. You’ll be safe from wolves, trolls, maybe even the queen’s patrols.”
He eased his fingers off of the table, making a mental note to come back and magic away the deep grooves he’d left in the surface, and faced her. Taking one slow step, and then another, he closed the distance between them. Her eyes widened and she pressed into the other table, shrinking back from his anger.
“Just look at you.” He snorted at her fear. “You aren’t even reaching for a defense. It will take time for you to learn how to wield this power, and in the meantime, you can screw up badly. Lose control, burn things down. Don’t think it was just handed to you and you can walk out of here and face all your enemies. It will take time for you to learn to use it. Maybe even years to master.”
She pulled away from him like a snowflower’s wide white face shrugged away from the shadows, instead choosing to trace the path of the sun.
Damn it. He didn’t want to scare her. He wanted to—before he could continue that line of thought, one of the tiny lines of power he’d placed all over his side of Cairngloss tugged.
“I have to go.”
The bright enthusiasm in her face was gone, replaced by thin lines of stress. “Of course.” She dipped her knees and gave him a quick curtsy, making the few feet between them feel like miles.
He wanted to stay. He wanted to apologize for his temper, to show her all the things they could do together with that power. The pleasure they could have.
He bowed back and headed for the door. “Practice your magic, Siobhan. See how it fee
ls. I think you’ll realize quickly it’s not as much power as you think.” And then he added bitterly, “And if you still want me to take it back, I will.”
He left before she could argue with him anymore and headed quickly to his den.
Damn woman!
He’d have to leave her here and fly when the egg hatched. He’d stayed up all night thinking about how to keep her safe and finally come up with a solution. And did she appreciate it? No. She questioned his motives—questioned his very state of being.
He entered his treasure chamber, paused to strip his clothes and shift on his way out. Once past the force field, he launched into the air. Following the tug of his magic he traced it to the spot where the queen’s messengers typically waited for him on a cliff side far from where he actually lived. There, he found a bedraggled frost fairy, her tiny white fingers clinging to the rocks. Her voice so fast it sounded like merely musical notes, he listened to her tell him of the queen’s summons.
Rage shot through him and the cold of his fire rose. “How dare she!”
He let out a roar, the flames rushing out and catching a nearby pine tree. It burst into fire and the frost fairy fell to the ground, a pitiful wet sight huddled against the snow. She trembled, her little wings fluttering with fear. But she didn’t leave. Maeve had bound the little fae so tightly to her with magical bonds that he doubted she could flee, even if she truly faced death.
“You tell Her Majesty that I’m not coming. No, tell her to fuck off. She dares to summon me like a lackey after withholding my proper tithe?” The fairy nodded, and she rose to go. “Wait—don’t tell her that.”
He gnashed his teeth together in frustration. He had to go. The egg was too close to hatching and Maeve was getting not only more powerful but more headstrong with each day. He had to figure out what was happening in the court, before he lost any chance at rescuing the tiny queen locked below.
Caged: A Fae Fantasy Romance (Fae Magic Book 4) Page 7