by G. A. Aiken
The noose tightened a bit and she felt more of her life slip away while they continued to pile extra wood around the stake.
Funny how one’s mind plays tricks on them when so close to dying.
For instance, if she didn’t know better, she’d swear that was a giant silver dragon ambling out of the forest. An enormous, amazing creature, with a silver mane of hair that gleamed in the morning sunshine and nearly swept the shaking ground at its feet. Two massive white horns sat atop its head and a long tail, with what looked to be a dagger-sharp tip, swung lazily behind him.
Silently, he stood behind the townspeople. So focused on her, they were completely unaware of his presence. Who knew I could be so fascinating as to distract an entire town? Of course, they could also be ignoring the dragon because it was simply a figment of her imagination. A dream of a grand rescue that would never come.
Her fantasy dragon leaned forward and nudged Julius the baker with the tip of his snout. Julius glanced behind him, nodded and turned back to her. Then he froze where he stood…just before he pissed himself. That’s when his wife glanced at him and behind him. She screamed, grabbed her son, who had been seconds away from throwing a rather large rock at Talaith, and ran. Soon after, the rest of the townsfolk caught sight of her fantasy dragon, screamed and bolted away.
She frowned. Perhaps she still had enough of her power so she could conjure the image of the beast, but somehow she doubted it.
The dragon shot out a few flames at the retreating humans, but nothing to do any real harm. Finally, it stared at her for several moments, turned and walked off.
Unbelievable. Even my rescue fantasies are disasters.
But as she wondered if her afterlife would be as pathetic as her current life, the dragon’s tail whipped out. The tip cut through the rope that hung her from the tree, and she dropped.
Expecting her ass to hit the unforgiving ground at any moment, she tensed in surprise as the tail wrapped itself around her body and held her.
Now that the noose was not so tight, her senses slowly came back to her. That’s when she realized a tail really did have her. A tail attached to an enormous dragon casually walking through the forest. She tried to move out of its grasp, but the tail pinned her arms—with her still bound wrists—against her body. And her noose still tight enough she couldn’t call for help.
Of course, who would she call? Her husband? Probably not? Lord Hamish, ruler of these lands? If she had the strength, she would have laughed at that.
No. It looked as if she was going to be the breakfast of a monster.
As the dragon made it into a clearing and suddenly took to the air—with her still wrapped up in its tail—Talaith had only one thought…
Typical.
Briec the Mighty, second oldest in the House of Gwalchmai fab Gwyar, second in line to the throne of the White Dragon Queen, Shield Hero of the Dragon Wars, Lord Defender of the Dragon Queen’s Throne and, as far as he was concerned, the only sane one of his kin, headed to a nice, quiet spot. Some place by water would be nice. It would be at least two days before he made it back to his den, but he wanted to take a good look at his prize. Preferably without the puffiness that comes with being hung from a noose.
True, his sister awaited the information he had about Lord Hamish, which wasn’t much. But when he decided to stay in the village, he passed the minute bit of information on to one of the Garbhán Isle soldiers waiting outside Madron lands. As it was, Briec couldn’t believe he’d run an “errand”. For his brother’s bitch, no less. She’d actually sent him to find out if Hamish was preparing to make a move on Garbhán Isle. From what Briec could tell, Hamish wasn’t planning anything. Still, he was Briec the Mighty sent to do this menial task. Really he should have killed the woman when he had the chance. But his brother Fearghus seemed so fond of her. Although for the life of him he couldn’t understand why.
Scarred and insane that one, and Briec would rather spend his long years with a nest of vipers.
Yet, he’d never seen his brother so…well…happy. The crazy cow made him smile. Cranky, unfriendly, “kill you as soon as look at you” Fearghus the Destroyer smiling. It confused Briec.
Briec himself wasn’t unhappy. But he wasn’t that happy either. And lately he’d been wondering how one achieved that level of happiness. He wondered if it had to do with Fearghus’ human female and if the same would work for him.
When he saw his dark beauty in the village, Briec thought, Why the hell not?
He’d returned to the village early that morning to sniff her out, destroy her husband if he interfered and take her home with him. But Briec never expected to find the entire town trying to execute her while turning the event into a family gathering.
And they called dragons “monsters”.
Besides, he’d reminded himself at the time, if you rescue her she’ll be grateful. According to his younger brother Gwenvael there was nothing more accommodating than a grateful human female.
Briec looked down, the two suns glinting off a large lake catching his eye. A perfect place for taking a little break and getting to know his new human.
They landed by the water’s edge and Briec immediately released her from his tail. As he expected, she pulled herself into a tight ball. Her eyes tightly closed, her entire body shaking. Dragonfear. No, Briec didn’t understand it, but he respected it. Dragons were awesome beings, so humans should quake in fear. At least for a little while.
Briec yawned and glanced around the dark bit of forest he discovered. It was nice. Shame a cave wasn’t nearby. Although he hated the thought of moving. After two hundred and sixty two years, he’d collected quite a lot of treasure. Besides, he liked his den.
As he was wondering how long before the dragonfear might take to wear off, Briec saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head slowly, he watched the human, her hands still bound but hurriedly pushing her fingers between the noose and her throat, scrambling up to her feet. As she moved toward the trees, Briec whipped his tail out, slamming the tip into the ground right in front of her. She reared back and fell on her adorable ass.
“Going somewhere, little human?”
Talaith stared at the silver spike planted in front of her. That silver spike a mere tip to the longest tail she’d ever seen. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder at the dragon.
By the gods—he’s huge! She felt the panic again. The dragonfear. One of the most unpleasant feelings she’d ever experienced. It dug deep into her gut and spread out, immobilizing her limbs, her ability to speak and think. All she wanted to do was scream and cry and beg for eternal darkness so she didn’t have to look at it anymore.
“Take deep slow breaths,” it told her. “It will calm you.”
Calm her? Slow breaths? Instead she sucked in a breath to tell it to go to hell, but ended up sending her late-night snack spewing across the dragon’s foot.
Staring down, it muttered, “Oh, that’s just vile.”
Talaith’s eyes narrowed and suddenly she found her voice. “And yet, I feel remarkably better,” she sneered.
Ah, and look…she’d found her stupidity, too. You’re mouthing off to a dragon, Talaith. Well, she never could curb her tongue.
Although, she wasn’t lying. She actually did feel better. Perhaps getting sick relieved the tension the dragonfear caused. She didn’t know, but when the dragon’s violet eyes settled on her, she was grateful she hadn’t had a big snack the night before.
“Hhhmm. A sense of humor.” He cocked his head to the side. “That actually might annoy me.”
She frowned, ignoring the teasing sound to that oh-so-low voice and, with heavy sarcasm answered, “Oh, well, that’ll keep me up nights.”
Had she lost her mind? What was she doing? Her husband always said she had the most vicious tongue he’d ever come across. But she couldn’t help herself. Some days it was her only defense.
“Seems the dragonfear is wearing off, little human.”
“So it would seem, enormous dragon
.” She cringed when he showed rows and rows of large fangs. Good gods is that his smile?
“Well, we can’t stand here all day marinating in your sick.”
Sitting back on her heels, her stomach finally settling, she said, “Sorry. Does the smell ruin a good meal for you?”
“As a matter of fact, it does.”
“Well isn’t that just too—Aiyee!”
The dragon’s tail wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground. “So perhaps we should get you clean then, eh?” Then the bastard flung her into the lake.
She screamed until she hit the water and went under. Forcing herself not to panic or drink too much of the lake, Talaith kicked her legs hard trying to get back to the surface. As she broke through, she saw the dragon glide into the water, his head and body disappearing from her sight.
He was coming to eat her! Her lust for survival swept through her, knocking out any fear, and she turned and did her best to swim to the other side with her hands still bound.
She knew she didn’t have a chance, though, and wasn’t surprised when he grabbed hold of her waist. That’s when she started fighting, kicking and thrashing. He would still make her his morning meal, but she’d make sure she didn’t go down easy.
“Calm yourself, woman.”
“Let me go!”
“I said calm down!” He yanked her to him and Talaith immediately froze. That did not feel like any dragon.
She looked down and saw an arm wrapped around her waist. Although it was the biggest arm she’d ever seen in her entire existence, it was still not the forearm of a dragon. It was human.
Terrified of what she’d find holding her, Talaith turned her head and peered behind her.
“Feeling calmer now, m’lady?” he asked while grinning.
Talaith took a deep breath as she stared at her beautiful knight. “As a matter of fact…no. I’m not.” Then she growled, “So get your bloody hands off me.”
“But I like having you in my arms.”
That did it. She couldn’t take anymore. Not another second. This was all simply too much for one woman to take. With a feral snarl she swung her bound hands at his face. He roared in anger, but released her to cover his right eye. She took her chance and swam toward the shore. She’d just dragged herself out of the water when he came charging up behind her.
Talaith got as far as the line of trees before she felt his hands, still human thankfully, on her. They grabbed hold and yanked her back. She slid, hitting the ground, her knees scraping across rocky dirt. She tried to pull away again, but his firm hold merely tightened, then he flipped her over. She tried kicking him, but he pinned her down with his own body. As human, the man was simply enormous.
He grabbed her bound wrists and pushed them above her head, keeping her in place.
“Stop fighting me!”
“Not in this lifetime!”
He gave a short roar and Talaith froze. She closed her eyes, the dragonfear making a sudden and rather unpleasant return. Yet it didn’t last this time. Going as quickly as it came.
Once gone, she opened her eyes and looked at the dragon hovering over her in human form.
Oh, he’s absolutely perfect. Talaith blinked. Nice one, Talaith. Any other frightening thoughts about the dragon’s perfect body before he has you for dinner?
Yet she simply couldn’t help herself. He truly was perfect. His long silver hair framed a ruggedly sculpted face. A hard, square jaw with high cheekbones and a long nose that had clearly been broken before. He had a full bottom lip she could see herself spending hours sucking on and matched with his thinner top lip, she knew with all her heart it would feel absolutely wonderful having him kiss every inch of her. Add in those nothing-but-trouble violet eyes and Talaith felt herself slipping into a very dangerous place.
She fought for control. “Let me go!”
He stared down at her for several moments. Then he took his free hand and felt the not-even-swelling right side of his face, by his eye. “You hurt me.”
“Good.”
“Are you supposed to hurt the one who saves your life?”
She rolled her eyes. Am I actually having this conversation? “Probably not.” He raised one dark silver brow in question and she growled in annoyance. “You can’t be serious.”
“Of course I am.”
She glared at him, but said nothing.
“I’m waiting.”
Dammit. If she didn’t say anything, he’d keep her like this for ages. And having this fiend so close to her barely clothed body was making her extremely uncomfortable. Finally, she spit out, “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
“That was…better. I suppose. And yet—”
“Yet what?”
He settled down against her and that was when Talaith realized he’d placed himself between her legs. The only thing between them at the moment was her very thin and worn nightdress.
“I don’t feel you really mean it.”
“What?”
“You say the words, but you don’t mean the words.”
“Really? Well I mean these…get the bloody hell off me!”
“Yes. Those I do feel you mean.”
“What do you want from me?” He looked down at her face and that’s when she felt his oh-so-human erection pulsating hot and powerful against her sex. “Oh, not in this lifetime, dragon!”
“Perhaps. And yet—” He sniffed the air. “It smells as if your body has other ideas.”
“What you smell is fear.”
“No. I know fear. It has a subtle difference, a little more tangy. What I smell at the moment, however, is anything but fear. No, m’lady. I smell lust.”
“You do not!”
He leaned in closer, his nose brushing against her jaw, her cheek, the side of her neck. He took another deep breath, letting it out on a groan.
“Sorry, little human. But I most certainly do.”
Talaith closed her eyes again. She got the feeling she could yell at this dragon until the end of time, and he would still do what he wanted with her. So, she put her pride away and gave one last ditch effort.
Softly, she asked, “Please. Please get off me.”
Instantly, the dragon’s expression changed from laughing amusement to deep concern. He moved away from her, releasing her wrists.
Fighting back tears she would never allow to come, Talaith awkwardly pulled herself to a comfortable sitting position. Her arms hugging her knees tight, her wrists still bound. That’s when the dragon finally removed the noose from her neck and the rope from her wrists.
“I should have taken these off sooner.”
Startled, she looked up to see him toss the rope away before grasping her wrists and gently massaging them. I guess I could pretend that’s an apology. Although from what she knew of dragons…not likely.
“And remind me to put something on your throat, or that rope burn will hurt something horrible come tomorrow, if not sometime tonight.” He tilted her head back with his forefinger under her chin, examining her wounded neck closely. “It still may scar, though.”
It amazed her exactly how beautiful this man was. From his extremely long body rippling with well-defined muscles under smooth tan skin to his excessively wide shoulders and back tapering into a narrow waist. All of it the definition of male perfection.
Talaith’s eyes traveled farther down. She couldn’t help herself. And once she saw it, his erection, she couldn’t tear her eyes away. She couldn’t even be bothered to study those massive thighs of his.
He cleared his throat and her gaze snapped back to his face. His grin had returned, more powerful than the last time. Because now he caught her looking. “Like what you see apparently.”
That wasn’t a question.
She’d always heard dragons were arrogant, but she didn’t realize to what extent until this particular dragon. And she had to admit it annoyed the living hell out of her.
In answer to his question, she shrugged and lied, “I’ve seen better.�
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Now both eyebrows peaked in surprise, but he still said, “Liar.”
Oh, and she was. A big, fat, dirty liar.
“If that will help you sleep tonight, dragon.”
“Actually, m’lady, you’d—”
She cut him off as soon as she realized where the conversation was leading, “Don’t say it.”
He nodded. “As you wish.”
Carefully she pulled her hands away from him and again wrapped her arms tight around her knees. “What do you want from me, dragon? Honestly. No more games.”
The dragon stretched that long, magnificent body out on the ground beside her, resting on his side. He didn’t bother covering himself up, and she realized he probably wasn’t aware exactly how naked he truly was in human terms. Dragons may lay around naked, but not humans.
“I’ve never been with a human before. I’ve been with dragon females who were human at the time. But never a full human.”
She scratched her head in confusion. “Why would dragons…uh…be with each other as human?”
“We find it entertaining.”
Talaith nodded in understanding, then she realized exactly what the dragon was telling her. On occasion she could be a tad slow catching on to things.
“Are you saying…” She cleared her throat, but it didn’t help. That was panic choking her at the moment. Nothing to really do about panic. “You want to bed…me?”
“We can do it in a bed, if you wish. I told you all this yesterday.”
“No.” This couldn’t be happening. No, no, no.
“Why not?”
Think, Talaith. “Well, first off I’m bound to another.”
“Ah, yes. To the man who tried to kill you.”
“Well—”
“Let’s see…” He laid out flat on the ground, his big hands behind his big, fat head. “What were his exact words again? Ah, yes. ‘Kill the witch. Burn the witch.’ Didn’t he hand a child a rather large stone?”
“All right. All right.” Bastard. “Forget that.”
“Forgotten.”
“In the end, I am human. And you,” she looked at him from the top of his beautiful head to the bottom of his gargantuan feet, “are clearly not human.”