Dragon Count

by Kendal Davis

  This was what I had searched for all the thousands of years that I had been alive.

  She was what I wanted, above all else in any world.

  As she recovered her equilibrium, she pulled my face to hers, kissing me thoroughly. My senses were so heightened that I felt every touch between us as if each molecule of our bodies was enchanted by dragon magic. Her heartbeat pounded in her chest, drumming against mine.

  “Indigo, you amaze me,” she said.

  “Oh?” I could not help pretending that I was immune to the wild fantasy of the mood we had created together. Giving up my game though, I laughed and sank down next to her. She reached for me again, running her hands along my body, finding the parts of me that strained for her touch. I leaned backwards, holding her against me in the circle of my arm. It felt like I could protect her with just one of my strong arms. She was under my wing.

  “My dragon Count,” she said. “How do you know so well what it is that I want?”

  “Through our bond, as I said to you in the Great Hall. I can read your thoughts.” She frowned, and I hastened to add to that. “But it is not that I’m lurking in your mind, or intruding on you. It is as if you are shouting all your feelings to me.”

  “Like a fishwife?” She snorted at me in wry delight.

  “Like a beacon of truth.”

  “Aha, now you are trying to flatter me.” She snuggled closer to me, resting her hand on my chest. “But if you can read my mind, why is this place we are in so blank? So empty?”

  I cleared my throat. “It is only because I was in a hurry to get you to safety. We are not protected indefinitely here, but I am strong enough that I could hold it against any dragon for a while.” I ran my hand along the soft shape of her breast. “A while longer than this.”

  She moved her own hand, teasing my hard cock. “I think that would be just fine with me.” Pushing herself up so that she rested on her elbow, she looked at me, her bright eyes promising more to come, while also daring me with a devilish light.

  “Would be fine with you? If...?”

  “If you can make this place into the place that I’m dreaming of right now. Can you read that in my mind?”

  I could tell that she was partly playing with me, but partly in earnest. There was something that she missed terribly, someplace in her mind that even a few hours in our desert world had made her long to see again.

  I saw it. I knew what she yearned for, where she belonged.

  And while I was confident that I could create it in this illusion, it made me wonder how we would go forward together.

  How could I ask her to join me here, to become a dragon of a desert land?

  All she wanted was the ripple, the sparkle, the softly slipping waves...of her world’s ocean. She wanted water. And while I could create an illusion of it, the truth was that I had none here in the reality of Elter.

  Chapter 13: Olivia

  Indigo’s expression was searching as he looked into my eyes and focused on reading my mind. It was disconcerting to know that he was lifting through my thoughts, as if he was looking for something in a stack of papers. His care for my privacy showed in the concentration in his face. Just as one might do when asked to collect something from a colleague’s desk, he sought what he needed without turning over any unnecessary documents.

  His smile, and the ghost of a frown that followed it, told me that he’d found the answer to my small riddle. What would I like this safe haven to look like, if I had the choice? I sighed, coming up against the same problem that I knew had caused his look of uncertainty.

  Our differences were fundamental. We could not ignore them forever.

  “You’re right,” I said. “Your world is an endless desert. There is no water anywhere. Just the sand, the heat, the relentless sun. How do you stand it?” I was still propped on my elbow, looking at him, as we lay in the clouds together.

  Indigo sat up and swiveled around, surveying the mist that surrounded us. As he turned his gaze in each direction, the clouds wavered and vanished, resolving into a new scene. He smiled at me, eager to show me that he understood. “I love the desert. But you would rather have this, right? You crave the ocean.”

  I sat up as well, feeling my spirits soar at the sight of what he had created for me. All around us was a scene of water. We were on a tiny island in a sea cove, with lush greenery growing at our feet. Our bodies were no longer entwined on a puff of shapeless clouds; now we rested on beautifully patterned blankets spread on soft sand. Brightly colored butterflies wafted through the air, moving upwards toward the gentle sunlight. On every side of us was clear, turquoise water.

  “It is perfect,” I breathed. “How did you do that?”

  “It is dragon magic,” he answered matter-of-factly. “I told you already that our world is built on it. I have the power to create the furnishings of the scene around us, as well as anything we want. I could make refreshments, if you desire them.”

  As he spoke, a tidy rattan table appeared next to us, bearing a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses. I shook my head, trying to clear it.

  “I don’t know what to say,” I spoke stumblingly. “I knew you could do this. I suppose I understood that your life, your castle, all of that was powered by your magic. But this seems different.”

  “You dined with us at the castle,” he reminded me. “All that we enjoy in the physical realm is created by dragon magic, just as we choose.” He paused, thinking it over. Then he threw his head back in a bellow of laughter. “Olivia, I believe you are more impressed with this conjuring trick that you were with our lovemaking! How am I supposed to respond to that?”

  I giggled with him. “No, believe me, that’s not true. That was something...very special. I think that they are the same, actually. It’s not a mere ‘conjuring trick,’ because the thing that amazes me about what you’ve done is the way you show that you understand me.” I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. “That goes for both this beach scene and the lovemaking.”

  Indigo was sitting up straight, at my side. He lowered his head down to mine to kiss my neck. His hot breath on my skin made my head swim with desire. We were not finished with this, not by a long shot.

  As he kissed my neck, he murmured his agreement. “You’re right, you know. In a way, this magic is indeed different from what you saw at the castle. That’s because it is just for you. I’ve seen your thoughts, and I know your desires just as I know my own.” He took my hand in his, interlocking our fingers. “I can make all of this as you want it.”

  The notion of a world made just for me was so seductive that I wanted to go on without asking any more questions. But a small part of my mind remained aware that this was still no more than an illusion. It did not solve any of our real world problems. We were still at odds about the political ideals of his people. We were still rooted in utterly different traditions and life environments.

  “I know this is a gift, I really do,” I protested gently. He now had both my hands in his, and he watched me with eyes that held the joys and sorrows of thousands of years. He was an immortal. He was wise and experienced, and also foolish and stubborn.

  How could he ever be mine?

  An illusion might be all we would have.

  “But?” He waited patiently. His thumb rubbed my palm, arousing me so that it became hard for me to breathe.

  “But it isn’t real. It can’t last.”

  “My darling Olivia, what would last long enough to make you happy? Yes, we are very different, but we can still find happiness. I swear it.” He was as serious now as I had ever seen him. “Tell me what your heart desires the most in the world. I will find a way to give it to you. Not like this.” His nod indicated the beach scene around us. “Not as a parlor trick, but as a permanent reality. Our happiness can last, if we let it.”

  I ducked my head, embarrassed for him to see the depth of my feelings. Only a few short minutes ago, I had been lifted to the clouds by his sexual prowess. Now, in a mood swing that was not unlike
flying atop a dragon’s back, I had plunged into a certain sorrow that had been mine to bear for years.

  I tried to speak, but had to clear my throat first. My voice came out as an awkward squeak. “You want to know my heart’s desire? It is to have a family. A normal, loving family of my own. I wanted children, but I will have none. I wanted to marry somebody that I loved. And…”

  His eyes were sad for me, but I could see the small beginning of an understanding smile at the corner of his perfect lips. “And? The person you love is not normal?”

  My lips quivered in something that was a smile and a sob all at once. “No. You certainly are not.” I lifted my eyes to his, pleading for him to understand. “And you can’t give me children. It was all I ever wanted.”

  Indigo reached his strong hand to caress my cheek. “I cannot be other than what I am, Olivia.” His touch made my nerve endings jangle with the unfinished business of our coupling. I knew he was being honest. I loved him for it.

  “I buried myself in my work because I couldn’t have the other things that I wanted. I am barren, you know that.”

  “As a human, yes.” He touched my hair softly, as if marveling at it. “I know what it is to immerse oneself in work, avoiding connection. I have done it myself. For so many years, I looked for my mate, but nobody was right for me. I did not think I would find what I was looking for. But now I have.” His blue eyes were intense, shining with emotion as he went on. “What if I told you that I could make every obstacle we’ve named disappear?”

  “That would take more magic than I’ve seen yet,” I spoke ruefully.

  “And I have more. Would you become a dragon and stay with me forever?”

  A silence stretched out between us. I could only blink at him in surprise. How was it possible that I had not seen this coming? Nobody had ever asked me anything like this before.

  Well, obviously.

  But an invitation to be something completely other than was I was, to live with him in immortality...it was too overwhelming to know what to say. It was tempting. But it was all too much to take in.

  Indigo saw my struggle. His eyes were piercingly direct as he watched me, but they were not unkind. On the contrary, he was the most loving man I had ever met.

  As well as the most ruthless.

  It was too much. I wasn’t ready to change everything about myself.

  I know, my love. Not yet. But let me show you.

  I met his eyes, and in doing so, met his soul in them.

  Let me show you what it could be like.

  Indigo drew my face to his, cradling my head in his hands as he pressed his lips to mine. At first, his kiss was tender. As our attraction caught fire, his mouth on mine grew urgent. His hand in my hair was insistent, keeping my lips on his, even as I pressed myself against him, wanting nothing more than to be one with his body.

  He drew me down to the bright, soft blankets and leaned me back onto them. With infinite gentleness, and at the same time, a force of will that made me long for him, he moved his body over mine. He held himself above me, looking into my eyes with care and comfort, lust and steely passion.

  His hands roved everywhere on my nakedness, finding every place that needed his touch. He was tender and then firm, bringing me almost to the edge of climax again. I was limp with wanting him, but at the same time, so energized that I thought I might tackle him if he did not make me fully his right now. The wetness between my legs awaited him, no longer patient.

  I felt the hardness of his cock pressing against me. With a moan, I parted my legs, inviting him into me. The thick tip of his maleness touched my pussy lips, sliding against me, leaving me breathless with wanting him inside my body.

  As he plunged into me, I held his broad back with my hands and gasped with unutterable pleasure. This was a sensation like no other. A whisper of a feeling that his girth could not fit within me lasted only a moment, then was resolved. His hard cock filled me completely. Our hips were locked together as we merged into one being.

  All that he had offered me had been what I thought I wanted.

  But this, this was my true heart’s desire.

  Chapter 14: Indigo

  Olivia’s smooth body under my own was a heaven I had never dreamt of visiting. She gasped my name as I thrust deeper within her. Hearing her calling out to me with such abandon made me wild for her.

  “Indigo! Like that, oh, do it again…” Her whispered pleas for more were music to my ears. I could last longer than any man in her world. I was in a category by myself as a dragon, as an immortal. I would go on pleasuring her as long as she wanted it, over and over.

  “Olivia,” I groaned. “My love…”

  I might have been wrong. Without warning, I suddenly doubted that I could hold myself back any longer. I was a dragon, but I was still in some ways a man. This body had limits. The pleasure coursing through my veins was too exquisite. No, if I remembered what she meant to me, what her own ecstasy was worth to my heart, I would spend all day treating her like my queen.

  She was my mate.

  She was my dragon Countess.

  Even if she was not yet prepared to become a dragon, she would be ready soon. I would wait for her, forever if I had to.

  I slowed the movement of my hips against hers. My lips sought her kiss. She met me with a passion so fiery that I couldn’t believe she was not yet a dragon. How could any human have so much heat to her?

  I spoke softly into her ear. “Olivia, we will have forever, I promise. When you are ready, you will have all that you’ve ever wanted.”

  She arched her back, achieving the height of her climax as I slid my cock into her again and again. The softness of her pussy was almost unbearably tight against me, holding me, caressing me as I thrust inside her. The tiny squeal that she made as she surrendered made me think of a small bird, flying ever higher, reaching freedom from the earth.

  I could hold back no longer. When I was buried to the hilt in her sweet wetness, I released my hot seed into her, filling her with my essence. She would not yet bear dragon children, but someday we would find that happiness together.

  Today was bliss as it was.

  We had left all the cares of the politics of my House behind us, seeking refuge in this tiny pocket of reality. I had not known it would end this way, with the passion and then ease we’d found in each other’s arms, but now that it had, it seemed that there could have been no other possibility.

  “I want to give you everything,” I said simply. We lay on the blankets that she had chosen in her thoughts, spent, as we caught our breath and returned to the world.

  Time passed, perhaps time we did not have. There was no sign of the changing of the daylight here, as this place was nothing but a fantasy. But I knew that outside our carefully constructed magic haven, the day on Elter was growing late.

  I was painfully aware that as the shadows gathered over the town that I, the Count of House Caeruleus, governed, my own doom was threatening me. If I did not fulfill my duties by nightfall, I would lose the respect of my people and the honor that I had always guarded so closely by following our laws.

  And if I did go through with the ceremony, sacrificing two humans that did not even belong in this world, I would lose Olivia. I would be forever without the one thing that mattered to me most of all.

  Olivia finally stirred from her rest. It gave me a sense of pride, although I knew it was foolish, to see that I had tired her with our lovemaking. There had to be a way that we would have more times like this. If only I could find the answers that I sought, I could make that a reality.

  As if she had heard my unspoken words again, she had her own thought that was uncannily like my own. It was not possible for a human to hear the mental voice of a dragon by accident. She should only have been aware of my thoughts if I sent them to her intentionally. Perhaps it was a sign of how closely we were bound together now.

  “I will have to return to my own world, you know. I can’t stay here, and I will not put my fri
ends in danger.” Her tone was even, without emotion. I knew what it cost her to pretend that her heart was unbroken.

  I felt the same way as I recognized the truth of her statement.

  “No, I won’t have that.” She flinched slightly at the vehemence of my words. I had not meant to sound so harsh, but every molecule of my existence was united in needing to refute what she had said.

  “This is only for today.” She gently touched my hair. “Today is all we have.”

  I sat up, tensing with the energy that welled within me at hearing that she had given up hope. “What happened to all we talked about? All you said about feeling that I understood what you wanted in your most secret thoughts?”

  She looked agonized. “You do. It’s just all the other humans on this world that you don’t understand.”

  “It’s not the same thing at all.”

  “Isn’t it? Your perfect oasis that you made here for me was so special because it was just what I wanted. Right? You could read my mind. But you also could have asked me what I wanted more than anything. I would have told you.”

  “Of course I could have asked.” I was growing frustrated. Why were we spoiling the time we’d spent here together? “We don’t have to argue. Please don’t do this.”

  Olivia touched a tear that was slowly trailing down her cheek. “It’s just that I was thinking. As we lay here, after…” She was barely holding back a sob. “I was thinking about the people you rule.”

  “Whatever for? That is not something that should trouble us right now.”

  “On the contrary, it is troubling me very much.” Olivia was sitting directly facing me now, pulling on her clothes with jerky motions. “Here’s what’s bothering me, Indigo. If you could make all this so wonderful for me, why is it out of the question for you to take better care of your townspeople?”

  “I take perfectly good care of them, thank you.” My pride as Count of my House was offended. None but an off-worlder would dare to say that.

  “No, you don’t!” Olivia exploded. “I allowed myself to get caught up in this moment with you, because it was what I wanted. But I have more honor than to set myself up as better than every other human on this world. I don’t deserve to be treated so differently from them.”