by Kate Rudolph
“Give me his status,” Healer Gerin ordered as she bent over to examine him. Only as she got close did I realize it was a little weird that I’d crawled into the bed beside him and still clutched his arm. But every time I tried to move away Drikal started to groan, and I wasn’t moving until someone physically forced me, not if I wasn’t hurting Drikal.
Healer Gerin spared me a glance and I saw the curiosity on her face, but she dismissed me with little more than a raised eyebrow.
One of the warriors explained what she’d seen as she and her fellows flew towards Drikal and his battle with the wyverns. Apparently he’d taken a blast of fire and had fallen to the ground before Veyne and the others could join the fight.
“Why aren’t there any burns?” I asked. My hands were warm over Drikal’s skin, but I was pretty sure he just ran hot. It must have been a dragon thing.
“The shift heals a lot,” Gerin explained, “though there is likely internal damage. I will return with something that may help.” She turned to me and looked at where my hand was resting against Drikal. “Would you pull away from him for a moment? I need to see something.”
I didn’t want to. Everything in me screamed not to. It was like my body was convinced that I was helping him. But other than offering his injured mind the solace of knowing another human cared, it wasn’t like I had healing powers. I lifted my hands up and could have sworn they glowed for a moment, but it must have been a trick of the light.
Immediately Drikal tried to curl in on himself and let out a pathetic and heart-wrenching groan. He was the alpha here and he wouldn’t want anyone to see him like this. But obviously Healer Gerin knew what she was doing, so I forced myself to keep my hands off for the moment. Whatever she was doing couldn’t take long.
I lasted thirty seconds. I know because I counted every damn one.
Finally I latched onto him again and the pained noises stopped and Drikal settled back into his fitful rest.
Healer Gerin was watching me with a look in her eye that I couldn’t decipher, but she just nodded as if she’d expected what I’d done. “You’re not hurting him,” she assured me. “I’ll return shortly.” And then she left us alone.
And we were alone. I hadn’t realized it, but the two warriors who’d helped me get him to the room were long gone.
Even with me touching him, Drikal started to shift around and seemed to be trying to undress. Given how hot his skin was, his shirt couldn’t have been comfortable. I helped him get it off and looked my fill, feeling only a little guilty at ogling the mostly unconscious man. He settled back down once his shirt was off and tugged on my arm, startling me enough that I tipped down next to him until I was lying on my side. My hand came to rest on his chest and Drikal let out a satisfied sigh.
And my hand was glowing.
There was no doubt about it this time. The light in the room had shifted as afternoon slid closer to evening. That wasn’t a convenient shaft of sun and it had nothing to do with the dim glow of a wall sconce. My freaking hand was glowing like it was covered in burning embers. I held up the hand that wasn’t touching Drikal and it looked completely normal. It even felt a bit cooler than the glowing freak hand.
This had to be one of those weird dragon things. More proof that I wasn’t the normal human that I’d always thought I was. Proof that part of me was alien.
I wanted to freak out, but Drikal was finally sleeping and his presence was enough to keep me calm. He needed to heal and having a woman freaking out about her magical glowing hand wasn’t going to help with that.
But what if it was hurting him?
It couldn’t be, right? Every time we lost contact he sought me out. Healer Gerin had said it was fine to touch him. So maybe glowing hands was just a dragon thing.
Was I really accepting this dragon stuff so easily?
Healer Gerin came back in carrying a small tray with a mug of something medicinal steaming out of it. She looked at my glowing hand and hummed, but said nothing else about it.
“Should this be happening?” I kept my voice down so I didn’t risk waking Drikal. This clearly meant my hand.
“It’s rare,” Gerin said. “But not unheard of. And now is no time to get caught up. If he doesn’t wake in half an hour, wake him and see that he drinks this.” She set the mug on the bedside table. “He hates healing draughts, but if he argues remind him that it’s an alpha’s duty to be whole and hearty to defend his people.”
“You’ve known him for a long time, haven’t you?” She looked at him with real affection and a touch of exasperation, not the expression you’d expect from someone talking about her king.
Gerin nodded. “Since he was a boy. And he’s always been a terrible patient. Enjoy it while he sleeps.”
She left me there to contemplate my glowing hand and the man beside me. Things were getting stranger by the minute, but for now all I could do was cuddle up next to Drikal and hope whatever I was doing was helping.
Chapter Twelve
Drikal
I curled into the pleasant heat beside me and startled awake when it moved. As I sat up my side protested, and the memory of the fight with the wyverns washed over me. I’d survived. Taking the hit of flame and plummeting to the ground should have seen me laid up for days, but now all I felt was a bit of stiffness in my muscles and a seductive warmth pressed against me.
I looked at the warmth and saw Kristen laying there, her eyes closed and chest rising and falling in a gentle sleep. The first burst of sunlight was trickling in through the window and I knew it had been at least a full night since I’d taken my injury. I ran my hand across my face and let out a sigh of relief. Given the growth of my beard, it hadn’t been too long since I was brought back to the keep.
Had Kristen stayed beside me all night? Had she felt the same urge I’d felt when she was in the infirmary?
Her hand rested against my arm and I blinked twice before I realized what I was seeing. A glow, the embers of her dragonflame warm on her hand, which rested against me like it belonged there. Dragons had no power to heal, but true mates could draw strength from one another, and a true mate’s flame was said to wash away the hurt of their beloved. I’d never believed it. I’d never met anyone who’d claimed a true mate, but the stories were repeated when enough wine had been drunk that we all knew them.
We were taught as children to keep our flame to itself, should it ever manifest. Accidental burnings as youths went through their first shift were common injuries which only reinforced those early lessons. If Gerin could manage to summon embers of dragonflame like Kristen seemed to have subconsciously done, they would have left me bruised and burned. The glow of her hand might have been faint, but prolonged contact could easily cause damage.
And yet there was no damage to me. As best I could tell she’d been touching me for hours and I felt rested, if a bit stiff.
A true mate. A true mate who’d been summoned from another planet and delivered to my door by a mail-order mate service. They’d said she was a match, but could they have known how perfect?
Kristen’s eyes fluttered open and when she saw me looming over her she smiled. “You’re awake.” It came out muffled and full of sleep, as seductive as sin.
“So are you.” For a moment I wondered if I should tell her. It would be unwise to keep the development from her, but there was still a wariness in her eyes. I was almost surprised that she hadn’t run straight home after witnessing the battle. Though maybe she’d been scared to traverse the path to the portal when dragons and wyverns clashed in the skies overhead. She was sensible above all else. She’d already dealt with so many changes in such a short amount of time that I didn’t want to put this on her, not yet. To know that fate had decreed a partner for her might cause her to run again, or it might be the thing that finally cracked her composure and sent her over into panic. I didn’t want either of those things for my mate. So the only thing to do was to treat this as I would have before. To seduce her into my bed and find my way into
her heart so that when the time came she would know this was her real home. And if that didn’t work, I could reconsider keeping quiet about our bond.
“You’re thinking hard.” She pulled her hand away from me and wiped at her eyes. The glow faded as soon as we lost contact. If she’d been doing it on purpose that would have taken a lot of skill; that she was doing it instinctively spoke to the power she would soon be able to harness.
“An alpha’s job is never done,” was my reply. My duties were surely piling up seeing as I’d dedicated most of yesterday to Kristen and then to injury. My lieutenants would have information about the wyvern attack and there were decisions I would need to make about our defenses and contacts with the wyvern alpha. But I had a warm mate in my bed and I wanted to steal a little more time. I’d dedicated every day of the past three years to my people, surely they could spare me one morning.
“You look good.” Her eyes roamed over me and I could feel them like a caress. What would it take to bring her hands back? “I didn’t think that was possible after…” She took a deep breath and shook her head, pulling her legs up to clutch them tightly as if they were a shield. She was still wearing her clothes from yesterday, which probably meant she’d stayed with me since I was brought back. “You looked really bad,” she added in a whisper.
I reached over and cupped her cheek. She leaned into the touch without thinking. “I’m tougher than I look. Three wyverns never stood a chance. They’d need an army to take me down.” The bluster came naturally, though I could remember my certainty in those moments before I fell that it was the end.
But Kristen smiled, even if we both knew I was lying. “What’s the difference between a dragon and a wyvern?” She leaned into me and I had to stop touching her face, but it allowed me to put an arm around her.
It felt so good to touch that I didn’t know how I’d pull back once we were no longer alone—and I didn’t know if I would care. “They’re smaller than us, and their wings are somewhat different.” I could break down the physiological differences in a very dry lecture, but I didn’t think she would care. “My people came through the portal to the dragon lands, and the wyverns came through their own portal. Whatever caused our ancestors to change, their ancestors were a little different. It shouldn’t stop us from living in harmony, we’re all people, after all, but for centuries we were at constant war. We’ve been at uneasy peace, but the wyverns no longer seem satisfied with that and I fear we will be dragged into conflict once more.”
“Oh.” She didn’t pull away, but she grew quiet. Perhaps the thought of war wasn’t always in her mind like it lived on here. It was a reality and one I could not and would not hide from her. I wanted her to stay, needed her as my mate, but except for that little fact of fate, I would not keep the harsh truths of this world from her. When she chose to stay, it had to be well thought out. Or at least considerate of all the facts.
“We aren’t going to war today,” I promised. I brushed my lips against her forehead as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I still hadn’t tasted her lips and I wanted to lay her down on the bed and feast. But she wasn’t ready for that. Not yet. So I would offer her something else. I would give her my entire kingdom for a smile, and once she learned that I feared I was doomed.
Chapter Thirteen
Kristen
When Drikal said he wanted to show me something, I was almost sure it was going to be his dick. I mean, why not? We were in his bed, I was cuddled up next to him, and he’d just hit me with the fact that his people were on the verge of war. With disaster possibly imminent, it seemed like as good a time as any to take that next step.
Instead he’d rolled out of bed and offered me his hand before leading me down a secluded staircase that seemed to go on for ages. Then the air grew humid and I got an idea of what might be happening.
Finally the staircase opened up into what looked like a natural cave. Sconces on the wall lit the place with a romantic light and a giant pool of steaming water sat in the middle of the room just inviting us to dive in.
“The pool is warmed by a natural spring,” Drikal told me as his hands worked at the clasp of his pants. “There are several such pools on the grounds, but this one is reserved for the use of the alpha.” He dropped his pants and my mouth went dry.
He didn’t seem to realize that I might be shocked with his nudity and casually grabbed a towel from a rack I hadn’t noticed. He placed it on the edge of the pool before easing himself in and as the warm water swirled around him he let out a sound so damn sensual that my body reacted.
“It’s plenty warm,” he assured me, swirling the water in front of him with one hand.
I couldn’t talk. My mouth had disappeared somewhere—I’d possibly swallowed it—and my brain was still fried, the imprinted image of Drikal’s naked flesh burned there for all eternity. If I’d thought he was doing it to show off I would have had a defense. But there was nothing overtly sexual to the way he’d moved. I hadn’t seen people running around naked anywhere in the past few days, but maybe they were all used to these communal baths and thought nothing of it.
Well. When in Rome.
I tried to be as matter of fact as he’d been, shucking my top and pants as if the thought of standing naked in front of the hottest man I’d ever seen, a man who was actually a dragon, was just an every day thing. And with a jolt I realized that it could be. If I chose to stay here, he’d be mine. No other woman would get to see him like this. This was the first time I realized the positive side of choosing to stay, where I realized it was an option.
What was waiting for me back on Earth? No friends, no family, no job. Nothing.
And I knew my brain was still scrambled by the too hot, too naked man that was looking at me with a covetous heat in his eyes, but maybe I didn’t need to make a hasty decision about leaving. Yes, this place might be on the brink of war, but it wasn’t like Earth was some super peaceful place. And yes, they said I would turn into a dragon, but maybe that could be cool. I’d liked flying on Drikal’s back. What would it be like to fly beside him?
“Join me,” Drikal urged.
I realized I’d been standing there completely naked and frozen in thought. He must have gotten an eyeful, but whatever he saw hadn’t turned him away yet. I wasn’t exactly about to win any beauty competitions, but I knew I didn’t look terrible.
I dipped my toes in the water and was surprised at how warm it was. He’d said it was fed from some spring, but I’d expected tepid at best. Instead it was practically boiling. As I lowered myself into it I had to bite back a moan. It should have been too hot, but I could feel all my muscles relaxing and turning to mush.
“Leave me here,” I groaned. “Never make me leave.” My eyes slid closed and I tilted my head back to enjoy the heat around me. There was a little bench that ringed the pool and I sat down, letting my limbs float around me.
Drikal’s chuckle was closer than expected and as I felt the water swirl around me I realized that he’d moved. Should I have expected it? I don’t know. I opened my eyes and saw him standing in front of me, not quite boxing me in against the side of the pool, but close. I sat up straighter and had to curl my legs under me so I could push up and be nearly as tall as he was. Doing so popped my breasts out of the water and the contrast in temperature tightened my nipples. That, or imagining all that Drikal could do to me if he just leaned forward a little bit.
Oh hell, was I really going to wait for him to take the initiative? He’d been a gentleman, gentledragon, whatever. I was beginning to realize he didn’t want to push me. Or maybe he’d thought my hesitation yesterday meant that I never wanted to be in his bed. Well, we definitely weren’t in his bed now and he’d almost died. I wasn’t going to let another moment go by without tasting him.
So I reached out and he came forward and our mouths met in a gentle kiss. It was sweet, exploratory, and almost painfully sensual. His hands cupped my waist and pulled me flush up against him. I could feel everything, and t
here was a lot of him to feel. Getting a glimpse hadn’t been enough, but feeling his hard flesh against me was a little intimidating. Just a little, because now that I’d had a taste there was no way that I was letting him get away until I had the real deal.
I pulled him closer, as close as I could manage. The water made the whole thing a bit surreal. We were almost floating together and sliding against each other on slick surfaces and with slick skin.
There was a hint of smokiness to the kiss, though I couldn’t tell if it was real or imagined. Maybe my brain was reminding me that this guy wasn’t like any I’d ever encountered before, or maybe he actually breathed fire when he got horny. Damn, that shouldn’t have made this hotter.
I wanted to touch him everywhere, to surrender to this sensual assault and just feel. And for the life of me I couldn’t think of why I shouldn’t. No matter how this ended between us, we were here and together right now. We were alive. And we had to cling to that for as long as we could. I didn’t want to think that Drikal could have died, didn’t want to imagine him falling in battle when he was so warm and solid in front of me. I dug my fingers in tight, probably hard enough to bruise, and didn’t let up. I wanted to devour him, wanted to leave my mark until there was no one but me in his mind.
“You are full of surprises,” he murmured against my skin as he kissed his way down my jaw and over my neck. His teeth teased, just enough to make me wonder if he really planned to bite. It hadn’t looked like he had sharper teeth before, and I sure hadn’t been extra cautious when my tongue was in his mouth, but with him pressed up against my neck I remembered that he was a predator. My mind flashed to those wickedly sharp claws of his, but I wasn’t scared. Drikal wouldn’t hurt me. That certainty settled deep in my bones and I didn’t think it would ever be banished.