Broken Slumber: A Darkhills Romance

by Elizabeth Greene

  Etienne huffed and forced the shift, his dragon’s rumble of amusement echoed around him as the creature once again withdrew into his inner self.

  As I said, it was an expression of shock, NOT an invitation, he chided his animal as it curled up within him wearing a decidedly wicked smirk.

  Etienne shook his head at the overzealous beast, plucked his discarded clothes from the cavern floor and pulled them on. He supposed he ought to dress appropriately so as not to offend Brianna with his nudity again.

  But we do have ‘one Hell of an ass’, his dragon smirked.

  That is enough from you. Etienne huffed as he drew an internal veil down between him and his dragon.

  He didn’t like to separate himself from his other half often but sharing a consciousness could sometimes be claustrophobic and there were times when it was better to think as just one mind. Etienne got the feeling the less interaction his dragon had with the female, the better.

  As he entered his home the warmth of the room greeted him, causing a pleasant ripple to flow over his skin. The fire was low, almost out but that was easily fixed. He glanced to his bed and saw that Brianna was still deep in her slumber, the furs remained pulled up under her chin. A sense of ease filled him as he felt glad that she had slept well in his bed.

  He crept on silent feet over to the fire and added more wood to the pile. The bathing stones were warm but could be hotter for a good bath. As he dusted his hands off something caught his eye. He counted the log pile and frowned. A piece was missing. A dragon always kept a close inventory on his possessions, and something was missing. He turned suspicious eyes back towards the sleeping woman.

  Why had she taken it?

  Etienne tried to suppress his possessive instincts and think rationally. For all he knew, the female had been cold in the night and decided to add another log to the fire. But he hadn’t heard her stir once. Perhaps she had taken it and stashed it elsewhere, intending to use it as a weapon against him. Surely his dragon would’ve sensed the potential threat.

  Nothing else appeared to have been taken. He closed his eyes and focused on his treasure hoard that lay hidden deep within the mountain. The entrance was blocked by a boulder too heavy for the human to move, yet he needed to reassure himself that his belongings were secure. He mentally cast his eye over the piles of coins, precious metals, gemstones, artwork, jewellery, armour and trinkets. Everything was as it should be.

  Etienne breathed out a sigh of relief and returned his attention to the fire, blowing out a steady stream of flames to bring it back to life.

  The female must’ve taken the missing log, and he would ask her why when she awoke. He could forgive her for taking it if she had good reason. But if she were a thief then he would need to be on closer guard. A piece of firewood he would share, but Etienne’s treasure was his and his alone. A dragon never shared his treasure, not even with a queen.

  He stood and stalked along the walls to his home, watching the woman while she slept. He would fetch some items from his food store and prepare a meal for them both, then she could bathe, and he would begin to question her on her motives and what she remembered.

  Chapter Nine

  Brianna

  Brianna stirred lazily in her soft furry cocoon. She had no idea how long she had slept, but her head no longer pounded and the cold that had permeated her bones had gone. She was nice and toasty. She stretched her body out and felt the complaint from her aching muscles, she moaned low in her throat as she continued to stretch out.

  “Brianna, are you well?”

  Oh, Shit!

  She opened her eyes to see Bigfoot staring down at her with his unusual violet eyes. She immediately yelped and jumped from the bed, flattening herself against the wall behind her.

  “What are you doing?” She demanded.

  “Enquiring after your health? You were making noises… moaning,” The man-dragon replied, looking confused.

  “I was stretching, and I ache, so it hurts a little,” she explained.

  “If your body aches, I can assist, I am fairly competent with my-”

  “No! No, thank you, I’ll be fine,” Brianna said hurriedly, ignoring the way her body lit up at the suggestion of him touching her.

  Thankfully, something resting in the furs caught her attention, distracting her from her embarrassment.

  “My purse!” Brianna pounced on it and immediately clutched it tightly to her chest, her face beaming. “Oh, my precious baby, I thought I’d lost you,” she purred at it.

  “You value this treasure greatly,” Etienne nodded his understanding.

  “I thought I’d lost it, but it was here all the time.” Brianna placed a smacking kiss on her beloved distressed fake leather purse.

  She turned it over in her hands inspecting it for damage. Thankfully, any additional scratches just added to the look, she’d lost a few of the tasselled key chains she had collected but at least she had her purse.

  “My phone!” She suddenly gasped and went searching inside the bag for it.

  “You will not be able to use such technology here. I specifically chose this cave for its seclusion-”

  “Shh! Stop raining on me,” Brianna hushed him as she gave up searching in her bag and instead patted down her denim jacket, “Yes!” She squealed excitedly as she found it in her top pocket, doing a happy dance from one foot to another.

  “Why didn’t I think to find my phone sooner?” She muttered to herself as she tucked her bag under her arm and hurriedly fumbled with the screen. “Oh, thank you, God!” She sighed loudly as it instantly came to life.

  Etienne huffed and moved away towards the fire.

  Brianna’s excitement soon left her in a wave of disappointment. No signal. She waved the phone about, walking from one side of the room to the other, then pulled the animal hide back and stormed through the tunnel.

  “Brianna, where are you going?” Etienne’s voice was close behind her and his arm snaked around her waist pulling her back.

  “I’m trying to find a signal,” Brianna huffed and shoved at his arm, “Come on big guy, I’m not going to try and climb down again.”

  Reluctantly he loosened his hold, allowing her to slip free and make her way out into the cave and the open ledge beyond.

  “Woah!” She exclaimed as she looked out across the vista.

  She was really high up, the view across the tops of the forest was as breath-taking as it was terrifying. Etienne’s arm came around her waist once again and this time she allowed it, even going so far as to step back into him. If she were going over the side, she would be taking him with her.

  Brianna held her phone out in front of her and frowned. She moved her arm about from one side to the other and sighed in defeat.

  “I did try to save you the disappointment,” Etienne’s voice was low and soft from where he stood behind her, somehow the man managed to make ‘I told you so’, sound endearing.

  “I know,” she sighed again before turning and slipping from his hold, her feet plodding back into the cave, “but I had to try.”

  “What would you have done?”

  “Called mountain rescue, called my mom to tell her I’m OK, gone back home and carried on with my life,” she shrugged.

  “What were you doing before I found you in the forest?” He asked as he followed her back into the warmth of his cosy inner cavern.

  “I don’t know,” Brianna shook her head and flopped back down on the makeshift bed of furs. “I wish I could remember.”

  “Explain, Little One, what don’t you remember?” Etienne came and perched by the edge of the furs.

  “I don’t know what I don’t remember,” she sighed and threw her head back onto the furs and stared up at the ceiling of the cave. “You missed a spot, what happened did you run out dead animals?” She said petulantly as she noticed there were no furs lining the roof of the cave.

  “I have plenty,” he replied curtly, “Brianna, what is it you cannot remember? What is the last thing
you can think of?”

  “The forest. I was running and I was…” she swallowed hard, “I was petrified, but I don’t know why.”

  “You don’t know why you were running? Do you run often in the forest?”

  She snorted out a laugh, “Do I look like a go running on a regular basis?” She sat up again and ran her hand over her hair trying to smooth it in place, “I can’t remember what happened immediately before I was running. It’s like there is this dark empty hole in my head and there’s just nothing there.”

  “Do you have other memories, you mentioned your life before, what can you recall of that?” He asked gently.

  “I remember everything about my life up until I fell asleep in my apartment after working late on an article for my editor,” she looked up into his frowning face and offered a small smile, “I’m a journalist,” she explained, “or at least I was, my editor said if I didn’t turn in a decent story soon, I’d lose my job. I don’t know how much time I’ve lost, so I could be out on my ass.”

  “Does your device not tell you the date?”

  “Yes! Etienne, you are brilliant! I might also be able to figure things out from my messages and calls!” She clutched her phone eagerly only to feel her beaming face draining of colour instantly.

  “What is it?”

  “Three days. I’ve lost three days.”

  Brianna’s hands flew frantically over the screen as she searched her calls and messages. There were none. She checked her contacts, her internet search history, her gallery: nothing. She didn’t even have any social media apps installed anymore. Her phone had been completely wiped, just like her mind. Brianna felt tears brimming in her eyes as she began to panic.

  “Brianna, you are shaking, please talk to me?” Etienne’s voice was laced with genuine concern.

  “Everything’s gone,” she said quietly, “why is everything gone? I don’t understand, what’s happened? I don’t know what’s happened to me.” Her voice rose as her fear grew.

  “Perhaps your memory will return in time?”

  “God, I hope so, or do I? I mean what if I’m better off not knowing. What if I experienced something so traumatic that my mind has shut it out?” She sucked in a shuddering breath, trying hard to stop herself from crying. Crying wouldn’t help her right now, she needed to put her fear aside, look at the facts and find a way back to normality.

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  Brianna looked up at his worried and pained eyes and she could’ve wept. She couldn’t go back to normality. Dragons existed and they turned into humans, her perception of the world had been turned on its head and she honestly couldn’t even begin to know what she needed, to be able to feel OK again.

  She shook her head lamely and lay back down, clutching her phone and her bag tightly against her chest.

  She felt the furs being pulled up around her as she remained still and vacant, her eyes staring straight ahead.

  “Rest, Little One,” Etienne hushed, “I will keep you safe.”

  ◆◆◆

  Brianna woke to the sickly-sweet smell of meat roasting. She covered her nose to try to block out the smell and peered over the top of the furs. Etienne was crouched by the fire turning some huge lump of dripping dark meat over a spit. Her stomach rebelled but she successfully fought down her nausea.

  She hadn’t meant to fall back asleep, but she had to admit it was what she needed. She had lost three days of her life and she had no idea what had happened to her during that time. Her head had hurt just contemplating the possibilities and she had clearly needed to escape into the quiet sanctuary of mindless sleep.

  Did she feel better for having rested some more? Not particularly, but she wasn’t panicking or on the verge of tears so that had to be a good thing. She needed to keep moving onwards, but the thought of jumping back into her life without knowing what she’d done or what she might’ve said to people, was a daunting prospect. For all she knew, there could be a warrant out for her arrest. She needed to tread carefully and feel her way steadily rather than jumping straight back in.

  Brianna raised herself from her prone position and scrubbed a hand over her face, she needed a shower or a bath. Her eyes took in the primitive surroundings of the cave once again. Or maybe just a wash. But first, she needed to figure out what poor, defenceless creature was currently roasting on a spit and provoking her gag reflex.

  “What is that?” She asked pointing at the fire.

  “It is deer meat, the leg of a fine male deer, I am roasting it for our meal, I imagine you are hungry, and your body could use the sustenance,” Etienne replied without turning to look at her.

  “A deer? As in Bambi?” Brianna swallowed down the bile that instantly rose in her throat.

  “I do not know this Bambi, but I assure you this will be most succulent, it has been stored for weeks so will be tender,” Etienne stood and brushed his hands off as he faced her.

  “Oh my God,” Brianna’s hand flew to her mouth and she turned her face away so she could avoid looking at it.

  “What is wrong, Little One?”

  “It’s just I can’t… I can’t eat that Etienne, I’m sorry. I really don’t mean to be rude or ungrateful-”

  “Are you unwell?” He strode across the room and couched to her level where he continued to scrutinise her with worried eyes.

  “I’m fine, really-”

  “But you say you cannot eat. Little One, you must eat to remain strong, I need you to be well-fed-”

  “Why? So, you can fatten me up, to eat me later?” Panic flooded her, was this kindness act all fake? Was this some kind of sick Hansel and Gretel situation?

  “I’ve already told you I don’t want to eat you, Brianna, I just need to see you flourish,” Etienne tried to explain, his brow creasing.

  “Why then? Why do I need to eat Bambi?”

  “My dragon demands I care for you and I am unable to go against the instinct to provide and protect,” he huffed out finally.

  Brianna shook her head and felt even more guilty. Bigfoot was just trying to take care of her, but she couldn’t put her beliefs aside for the sake of appeasing him.

  “I’m sorry, Etienne, but I can’t eat the deer meat, I don’t eat meat or animals of any kind. I’m vegan.”

  His violet eyes stared blankly at her, making her wonder if he had heard her at all.

  “You don’t eat meat?” He asked finally.

  “No, haven’t you heard of Veganism or Vegetarianism?”

  The man shook his head.

  “Well vegetarians don’t eat meat but will eat dairy, but vegans don’t eat any animal product, so no milk or cheese or eggs even,”

  “Now that we can agree on.” Etienne became serious suddenly and strode back to the roasting animal to turn it.

  “But if you agree then, why are you eating deer?” Brianna frowned.

  “Not about the meat, I am carnivorous, and it forms the main part of my diet, but the eating of eggs is something that I cannot abide.”

  He shook his head solemnly and continued to prepare his meal.

  “Why is meat OK but eggs aren’t?” Brianna asked.

  “As I said, I am a dragon, I am a carnivore,” Etienne said over his shoulder, “this is my natural source of food, I need the meat to gain muscle and strength.”

  “No, I get that part, I still think eating animals is wrong but you’re kind of a predator I suppose so I guess that makes sense for you,” Brianna rationalised it in her head, and she decided she could make her peace with it, in the same way she wouldn’t expect a lion or a wolf to go without eating other animals, “I’m talking about eggs, why not eggs?” She was genuinely curious; it was such a strange exclusion from his diet.

  Etienne looked at her incredulously.

  “Younglings are born from eggs. It would be like feasting upon the lives of unborn children.”

  “Dragons really lay eggs? That’s how you have babies?”

  “Youngling’s, yes,” Etienne
corrected.

  “How does that work exactly? Are you born as a dragon and then turn into humans later? Or do you come out of the egg in human form? And how big are the eggs?!” Brianna’s mind went into curiosity overload.

  She had always had a thirst for discovery, she supposed it was why she loved to travel and had ended up working in journalism.

  “Why do you wish to know?” Etienne narrowed his eyes at her and folded his arms across his chest, his muscles bulged even more, and Brianna had to remind herself to focus on his question.

  “I’m just curious, it’s such a foreign concept, I can’t quite get my head around how that would work,” she shrugged and hoped he would answer her questions.

  “An egg is laid by a female; it is then cared for by the female and her males until it matures to the point where it will hatch. Some of my kind hatch as dragons, some in their human form.”

  “Woah, hold up, that is a lot of information,” Brianna stood from the furs and walked over to join him, “You said a female and her males, as in plural?”

  “Females are rare and have multiple mates to ensure the greatest chance of producing young.”

  “Wow, OK. And just for curiosity’s sake, do all dragon males look like you?”

  “I do not see why that would be-”

  “Never mind, I went off-topic,” Brianna continued, “You said that not all eggs hatch as dragons, why is that? Why do some come out human and others as dragons?”

  “Why do you need to know? Are you intending on rearing a dragon’s egg any time soon?” Etienne frowned.

  “Erm…no.” Brianna laughed, “I’m not a dragon, so we both know that won’t be happening, I’m just interested. If it’s a touchy subject, then you don’t have to answer.” She knew she was being sly, but she had a hunch that the dragon wouldn’t appreciate the implication that he was being oversensitive.

  “The strongest and most powerful are born as dragons, the weaker, lesser of our kind are born in their human form and do not learn to shift until they are much, much older.”

  “And what did you hatch as?” Brianna suspected she already knew the answer, but it was fun to poke at him.