“Did you wake up comfortable? Did you wake up warm? Were you safe from the harsh mountain winds?” The man continued.
Brianna bit her lip stubbornly. OK, so maybe all those things were true.
“I have not harmed you in any way, rather my actions have been purely for your protection and safety,” the man said with a gruff tone, “based upon my actions, you have no reason to think ill of me. You have made your assumptions as to my intentions based upon my being a different species.”
Was she being prejudiced against dragons?
Brianna found herself questioning her own perceptions before she reminded herself, they were talking about mythical, fire breathing dragons.
“Will you put me down already? This caveman routine is giving me a headache,” she snapped instead, not willing to admit that Bigfoot might have a point.
He pushed through the next set of furs and stomped straight towards the fire where he placed her down on some furs in front of it. She looked up angrily at him, sweeping her hair out of her face only to be greeted with a full-frontal view of his manhood before he stepped away.
“Oh my God! Could you at least put some clothes on?” She cried out.
“What do you think I’m doing female?”
“Well, it’s about time,” she snapped back.
“I apologise for not having been able to adorn myself more appropriately sooner, however, I rather had my hands full,” he said from behind her, with a voice dripping with sarcasm.
Brianna turned around to tell him she didn’t ask to be carried, only to catch him bent over as he shucked on some loose pants.
Good lord, he had one Hell of an ass.
“I thought my nudity offended you, female,” Bigfoot called over his shoulder to her as he continued to tie the pants at the front.
Damn it, he could read minds.
“I never said that,” she flustered, “it’s just easier to be able to think straight without you being all… you know-”
“Naked,” he supplied as he grabbed a box from a wooden chest and made his way back over to her.
“And can you stop reading my mind, please? It’s very intrusive.” Brianna snapped.
“I agree, it can be, which is why I don’t make a habit of it. Some thoughts, however, are louder than others and harder to ignore. I will endeavour to ignore such thoughts in the future, female,” he replied.
“Why do you keep calling me ‘female’? I have a name you know.”
The man knelt and held out his hand to her.
“If you would care to tell me it, I will gladly address you as you would like,”
“Can’t you just pluck it from my mind?” She asked petulantly.
“I could, but I’d prefer if you would tell me,” he replied, his violet eyes, looking to her hand and back up to her face, “your hands please, female, I would tend to your cuts if I may?”
She reluctantly placed her hands out for him to turn over and examine. Now the adrenaline was leaving her body, she had to admit the numerous scratches and grazes she had received stung something fierce. He was surprisingly gentle as he turned her hands over and placed them palms up in her lap before pulling out some cleaning fluid from what appeared to be a first aid kit.
“I’m Brianna,” she said with an awkward cough, “Brianna St. Clare.”
“Thank you, Brianna, you have a lovely name. Now I’m afraid this might sting but I need to clean your wounds,” he explained softly, his strange eyes filled with gentle kindness.
She winced as he tended to her cuts and scrapes and assured him she could take care of the rest as he looked down at the bloodied grazes on her skin where her jeans had ripped in places. After a silent battle of wills, he finally agreed to allow her to look after herself.
He stood and paced to another side of the strange room, pulling aside another curtain of animal skin to reveal a shallow inlet. He returned to her side with a ceramic cup filled with what looked like water.
“Where did you get water from?” Brianna asked as she tentatively took it from him.
“There is a natural spring that runs through this mountain. This, I use for drinking and cooking,” the man gestured to where he had just disappeared to, “there is another, larger, source deeper within the mountain which I use for bathing.”
Brianna eyed the cup warily.
“It is perfectly safe for you to drink, Brianna, I give you my word,” he reassured her.
She took a sip and then another, and another. The cool clean crispness was like a lifeline of bliss amongst a shit storm of a night.
“Easy, little one, you have been through a lot, I wouldn’t want for you to make yourself ill,” Bigfoot, reached out for the cup and drew it away from her lips.
She nodded her understanding, even if she did want more. She licked her lips and noticed how his eyes tracked the movement. She supposed a predator’s eyes missed nothing.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. She had to admit, Bigfoot was being nothing but kind to her. “What’s your name?” She suddenly asked, she should probably stop thinking of him as Bigfoot.
The man looked down at his feet and a ghost of a smile played upon his lips.
OK, so he might have already heard her calling him Bigfoot.
“Etienne, my name is Etienne,” he replied with a slightly amused look to his eye.
“Etienne,” Brianna tested it on her tongue, “that’s French isn’t it?” She watched as his eyes lit up with surprise.
“Indeed, yes, it is.”
“I’ve always dreamed of visiting France, or Paris really, I’m a city girl at heart. I’ve wanted to tour around Europe for so long, but it’s expensive -”
“France is beautiful. Paris has its charm, but it's become so crowded, the air full of pollution.”
“Just like most cities then,” Brianna replied, feeling defensive of her lifelong dream to walk along the river Seine and marvel at the view from the Eiffel tower.
“Touché,” Etienne smirked, “if you want to experience the real France then you need to go deeper, explore the countryside, the fields, the forests, the mountains to the south. There, the air is clean, and the people are charming, the pace of life is easy and respectful to all that exists there.” His eyes became glassy as he talked, making Brianna curious.
“So, are you French or have you just visited?”
“I was born in what is now known as France, it was a marvellous playground for my youth. I haven’t returned in a long while,” he explained patiently.
“What is now known as France?” Brianna, swallowed hard, “what was it called when you were young?”
Etienne chuckled and shook his head, “I do not remember what it was called when I was very young but, in my adolescence, there came some humans who declared the territory as Gaul.”
“Gaul?” Brianna cursed her lack of interest in history, but it sounded familiar like she’d heard it in a film or something.
Etienne chuckled again, “France was once called Gaul by the Romans.”
“Fuck me, you’re old!” Brianna blurted out before she could stop herself. She immediately clasped her hands over her mouth and blushed furiously.
Thankfully, he laughed, and the sound was the warmest, most rich and luxurious noise she had ever heard.
“Forgive me, but I must decline your invitation,” he smirked his eyes filled with humour, “I’m afraid you should rest, Little One, you’ve had quite a night.”
Brianna felt her cheeks heat to an insane temperature, and it had nothing to do with the fire.
“I didn’t-” she stammered before he interrupted by taking her hands gently away from her face and lifting her to her feet.
“Come, you should sleep. You shall have my furs,” he led her towards the plush pile of animal skins again.
“About the furs,” Brianna ventured, “don’t you have a regular, modern bed?”
“Why would I need one? The furs from my many kills provide me with the warmth and comfort I need when
in my human form.” Etienne answered without any hint of humour.
Brianna hummed her understanding, “that makes sense, I guess,”
“Were they not comfortable for you earlier?” His violet eyes searched hers for the answer and she didn’t have the heart to break it to him and was careful to think only of the warm satisfaction she had felt when she had first stirred earlier that night.
“I was really cosy, I’m just surprised that a dragon would need so much animal fur to keep him warm,” she bluffed and hoped he hadn’t picked up on her reticence.
“My dragon is impervious to most conditions, but as a man, I enjoy my comforts, just the same as you,” he explained, his eyes looking more guarded than before.
Brianna dutifully climbed into the makeshift bed and paused as a sudden nervousness overcame her.
“Are we supposed to… I mean, where are you intending-”
“I would not dishonour you by sharing your bed, Little One. I will sleep within the cave in my dragon form to guard you against any harm.”
“You mean guard me against trying to escape again?” She cocked a brow at him.
The man merely chuckled and shook his head, “you attempting to scale down the mountain would result in harming yourself, so if I must, I will guard you against that also.”
“Are there other things out there that I need to be worried about?” She asked, looking up at him where he stood, her eyes going wide.
If dragons were real, what else was out there that he felt she needed protecting from? Images of vampire bats, slathering werewolves and ghosts filled her mind. Etienne coughed, drawing her attention once again.
“With me protecting you, there is nothing for you to fear. I promise you that,” he said with a kind smile.
“That didn’t exactly answer my question, you know that right?” She asked, pulling a fur over her lap.
“I know,” Etienne smiled at her again, before offering her the most unexpected bow. His fist pounded on his magnificent chest and he lowered his eyes to the ground, “Sleep well, Brianna.”
With that, she sat slightly slack-jawed as she watched the broad expanse of his muscular back disappear behind the curtain and through the tunnel. The fire popped and crackled in a friendly and encouraging way, casting the room in a comfortable glow. She supposed that this was better than roughing-it in the wilds of the forest, with mountain lions and goodness knows what else lurking in the shadows.
OK, so there was no plumbing or heating system, and the skins of slaughtered animals were the dominant feature for both decor and soft furnishings. Oh, and her gracious host was a man-dragon, thing. There was that minor detail. But she had to admit, he had been gracious, and the room was warm and comfortable.
There was also something special about having a real fire to provide both heat and light. It was humbling and simplistic yet majestic all at the same time. She stared across the room into the flames that continued to lazily dance and flicker, lost in thought when she yawned loudly once again. Brianna scrubbed her hands over her tired face and through her hair that was still making a visual protest against being exposed to so much raw nature and exertion. Her entire body ached just thinking about running or climbing along a mountain pass. She was not an athletic woman, and her body was going to make her pay for what she had put it through.
Brianna groaned and wondered why she was still awake when she had the promise of sleep right there for the taking. She just had to ignore the fact she was lying in the remnants of dead animals and pretend that it was faux fur, just like the jacket she had hanging up in her closet back in the city. She loved that jacket; it was warm and looked divine with anything and everything she chose to wear it with.
Brianna lay her head down and closed her eyes, stifling another yawn.
She remembered how good it had felt when she had first tried on that jacket that she’d spent her first paycheck from her job as a journalist on buying it. She had lived on rice and beans for a whole month so she could afford to keep the jacket and pay her rent. She really loved that jacket.
Brianna remembered a slight flash of light flickering over her eyelids right before the warm soft cocoon that was her bed, enveloped her in a deep and heavy sleep.
Chapter Eight
Etienne
Etienne huffed out a frustrated plume of smoke and watched it with disinterested eyes as it curled upwards and wrapped around the stalactites before dispersing along the roof of the cave. The sun had risen, and the fog was lifting, by the length of the shadows that were cast by the mountain out upon his landing ledge, he supposed it to be early afternoon. He had spent the remainder of the night with his eyes trained on the mouth of his cave. His dragon insisted he took his guarding duties seriously. Of course, nothing had happened. He doubted it would. If anything had managed to find its way to his lair, there were not many creatures that would attempt to take on a dragon.
He hadn’t slept, and it wasn’t as though Etienne could enter The Long Sleep now that he had a human in his lair, yet he was still aggravated that he had been delayed in his plans. He just hoped that his dragon wouldn’t seek to prolong this momentary distraction in a bid to avoid the long and peaceful rest that Etienne so desperately craved.
He would admit that the female-
Her name is Brianna. The chastising rumble of his dragon cut in across his thoughts.
Etienne mentally rolled his eyes at his dragon. Brianna, he corrected himself, was an interesting sort of human. She was a strange and unique combination of courage and fear and when she felt under attack, she could become defensive and very forward in speaking her mind. She was also rather entertaining, sometimes not having control of her wayward thoughts and exclamations.
She told us to fuck her. His dragon rumbled, a self-satisfied tone to his voice.
I believe that was more of an expression of surprise, rather than a request, Etienne replied with a chuckle as she remembered how Brianna had blushed when she realised what she had said.
The warmth it brought to her cheeks had been lovely to see. Her skin was beautifully smooth looking, and such a rich tone that reminded him of cocoa. He wondered if she would taste as earthy and sweet if he were to run his tongue over her body, or if her lips would feel as soft and pillowy as they looked.
Don’t forget her hair, his dragon pitched in, prompting Etienne to think of the thick and strong strands that he had felt beneath his fingers the night before while she slept. It was wild and free and would be spread over his furs right now as she continued to sleep.
You could wake her, and we could enjoy her beauty-
Enough! Etienne snapped at his dragon, stopping its lascivious thoughts.
Brianna had been vulnerable and in danger, he had done what was required to rescue her and he would ensure she was kept safe. Allowing himself to entertain any physical attraction or pleasures of the flesh with the woman was not part of his agenda.
He needed to ascertain how much she remembered and whether she was the threat to his kind and other paranormal species that Lucian claimed her to be. He had to admit that thus far she did not appear to be in any way capable of being a danger to anyone other than herself. She had foolishly tried to scale down the mountain’s rocky surface without any apparent knowledge of how to climb or any of the necessary safety precautions that a human would need.
At no point had she mentioned being a journalist. Etienne was no expert, but he assumed that she would’ve used that as one of her weapons in her battle of words with him. Yet she hadn’t threatened to expose him to the world through means of her profession.
Either the vampire had taken the memory of her career from her or she didn’t have intentions to use that particular tool in her arsenal and had no desire to ‘out’ the paranormal world to the rest of humankind.
Etienne knew he needed to speak with her more to investigate the woman’s intent. Once he had a better understanding of what she knew and what she had planned, he would be able to make a judgment on whether he
needed to send her back to Lucian for further…tinkering of her mind.
The prospect was abhorrent to him. His dragon let out a quiet growl as he considered handing the woman over for more harm to be done to her fragile mind. It went against his belief to respect all life. But he wasn’t the only one at risk from her. The entire paranormal world would bear the consequences should he make the wrong judgment of her character.
For once, he could appreciate the vampire’s desire to simply wipe her mind again and send her on her way, regardless of the impact it would have on the woman’s sanity. It was the easiest and simplest way to preserve the secret. However, Etienne wouldn’t submit Brianna to that if it could be avoided. There were, after all, some humans who knew about the paranormal world and lived harmoniously alongside it. The vampire’s mate was one such human.
Etienne hoped that Brianna might prove to be just as open-minded and respectful. His dragon rumbled his approval and stretched out its body along the floor of the cavern. It was time to shift and return to the female. He would allow her to sleep a little while longer, but she would require food and would most likely appreciate the opportunity to bathe. He would lend her the use of his grotto; he was extremely possessive of that quiet inner sanctum. He had entertained the odd visitor to his cave before, but none had ever seen his grotto. He supposed he didn’t have much choice. He needed to gain the female's trust and he was honour bound to see to her wellbeing.
Dragon females were rare, queens of his kind and were treated as such. Although females were more prevalent amongst other species, he remained true to the values of respect and subservience towards all females. It was his duty to provide, protect and bring peace to a female. While he was nobody’s slave, there were very few requests made by a female that he would refuse.
It is also a male’s duty and privilege to pleasure a female, should she request it, his dragon spoke up again.
Broken Slumber: A Darkhills Romance Page 5