Etienne placed his hands firmly on his hips and pushed out his chest.
“I burned my way out of my egg and was born in flames,” he said proudly.
“Sounds painful,”
“It was not, my dragon’s hide was strong from the beginning, it was said I burst forth in a raging inferno and glowed like the devil’s embers for an entire lunar cycle-”
“All seems unnecessary if you ask me,” Brianna said looking to inspect her nails as if bored. “Couldn’t you have just pecked at it a little or something?”
“I was the first dragon of my kind born for millennia, and no other Devil’s Kaleidoscope dragons have been birthed since,” Etienne said firmly his voice rising slightly.
“So, you’re a dying breed?”
“Do I look as though I am dying?” Etienne stood proudly over her, his entire body flexing for her perusal.
She couldn’t hold it in any longer and a laugh burst from her, much to the dragon’s consternation.
“I’m sorry Bigfoot, I just couldn’t resist. You’re quite easy to tease, you know that?” She held her hands up and continued to chuckle, “You are an extremely impressive specimen, trust me, you don’t need to start preening your feathers.”
“I do not have feathers,” He replied grumpily, “And why did you call me ‘Bigfoot’?”
“Why do you call me ‘Little One’?” She countered.
“Because you are small.”
“Well, can’t argue with that, I’ve been teased about being short my whole life.”
“Bigfoot?” Etienne prompted.
“When I first woke up in here and you were gone the only sign I could find of anyone else having been here was a footprint in the ash by the fire. It was huge, so I decided that Bigfoot lived here,” she paused and looked down at his feet, “and you do.”
He wriggled his toes under her scrutiny, and she looked up to see a slight smile on his usually stern lips.
“Well, I can’t argue with that,” he replied before turning and inspecting the meat, “Will it offend you if I eat this in your presence?”
Brianna thought about it for a second. While she didn’t like the smell or the thought of eating it herself, she couldn’t exactly criticise an apex predator for eating meat.
“It’s fine,” she finally said, waving her hand in front of her face to effectively dismiss the subject.
“I have a small selection of fruits that I can offer you, should that be more to your liking?”
“Fruit sounds good.”
She could’ve killed for some pasta or a baked potato, but she wasn’t about to push the subject further when she had already refused his first food offering.
“Tell me, Brianna, I have answered some of your questions, perhaps you will answer one of mine.”
“I suppose that's fair, what did you want to know?” She asked, happy to engage in a little ‘tit for tat’.
“You took a piece of wood from my pile, why and where is it now?”
Really? Did he want to know about some firewood?
Brianna screwed up her nose,
“I needed to make a torch the other night so I could see where I was going, Mr. Flamey served me well until he fell to his untimely death.”
“Mr. Flamey?” It was Etienne’s turn to screw up his nose, “You named a torch?”
“Yes, I was lonely, and I needed a friend. He was the best friend a gal could’ve had… until I had to drop him.”
“Do you usually create friends out of inanimate objects?”
“Do you usually keep an exact count on the number of logs you have for the fire?” She countered.
“Yes, a dragon always knows what is in his possession in precise detail.”
“OCD much,” Brianna snorted.
“OCD?” Etienne questioned; his brows lowered in confusion.
“Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder,” Brianna explained, “Or in this case, I’d say Obsessive-Compulsive Dragon was more appropriate.” She snickered at her own joke.
“You have merely listed two common traits of a dragon, I do not see what it is that you find amusing,” he pouted as he continued to poke at the fire.
Damn did he look cute when he pouted, his lips looked plumper and just begged to be nibbled. Brianna rolled her eyes at herself, who was she kidding, the man- or dragon- was cute permanently. She had honestly never seen a finer male specimen in her life. It should’ve been illegal for a male to have so much muscle, and his eyes were possibly the most incredible shade of violet. They were so unique, and she never quite felt like she had seen enough of them.
Etienne cleared his throat awkwardly.
“I will prepare you a bath in my grotto, you may bathe while I eat. Your fruit will be ready for when you are finished.”
The thought of a bath sounded like pure heaven and Brianna immediately bounced up onto her feet.
“I would love a bath,” she beamed.
“Then I shall prepare it for you,” Etienne replied and instantly his tanned torso became covered in new skin made of dark scales that shone in the firelight like oil on water.
“Oh my,” Brianna, stepped forward and ran her hands over the surface, marvelling as the multiple hues flexed and flowed beneath her fingertips.
She traced the lines and let out a small gasp as the surface twitched and shuddered. She had never seen anything more fascinating; she ran her fingernails lightly back up the way she came and noticed how the surface felt rougher than before.
A scaled hand closed around hers followed by a polite cough. She looked up straight into Etienne’s hooded and intense gaze, his lips were parted, and she could’ve sworn she saw smoke curling out of his mouth.
“Little One, you are brave to stroke a dragon’s skin,” his voice was a deep and husky baritone that sent shivers all over her.
“I’m sorry if I shouldn’t have touched, I’ve just never seen anything like it,” she said quietly, “you’re beautiful, Etienne.”
“You were not so pleased with my scales last night, what has changed?” His voice mirroring her quiet tone, as if their conversation were private. Perhaps it was, Brianna had no idea what the etiquette was when it came to touching and discussing the beauty of a dragon’s skin.
“I was scared, I was more worried about your sharp claws and teeth,” she answered honestly.
“I wouldn’t hurt you, Little One,” Etienne lifted his other hand and tucked it beneath her chin and ran his hand over her jawline, the smooth texture of his scales elicited another shiver from her, “I have never held any desire to harm you.”
Brianna wet her lips and leaned in closer to the strange and alluring man, she felt a tingling sensation low down in her stomach and wondered why she had never felt that kind of immediate attraction from another man before.
“I believe you,” she whispered, willing him silently to close the distance between them and kiss her, she wanted to know the feel of his lips on hers.
Etienne swallowed hard, his eyes blazing right before he closed his eyes and a rumble reverberated from his chest into hers.
“Brianna, please allow me to prepare your bath,” his voice was pleading.
Shit, had she crossed a line?
She backed away immediately and he let her go.
“I’m sorry-”
“Don’t, please, it is my error,” Etienne shook his head and bent to shove his hand straight into the fire, pulling out large stones and piling them within his arms. “A dragon can be a vain creature and your admiration was extremely appreciated by mine,”
“Oh, well, he’s welcome, I guess,” Brianna stammered, “so, is he within you all the time?”
“Yes, we are one, he feels what I feel, and we share our thoughts and needs with each other. It’s a bond like no other.”
“How does that work? How are you a man now but sometimes you’re a dragon?” Brianna asked, following him as he stood and walked towards the wall, he pulled aside another curtain of furs and walk down another tunnel.
“I think to change my form and it happens, we ebb and flow into each other, where one ends the other begins in a continuous circle, we are forever, inextricably linked.”
“Like two souls sharing one body?” She asked, trying to get her head around the concept.
“More like, one soul sharing two bodies,” He replied, before spitting a fireball across the dark open space and igniting a torch that hung on a surprisingly ornate sconce.
“Oh my God, that’s incredible!” Brianna stepped back in surprise and clutched her hand over her heart.
“Thank you, but it is a simple dragon’s trick,” Etienne continued to light a few more torches until Brianna could make out a glistening pool in the small cavern.
“Oh, Etienne, this place is stunning,” she gaped at the large stalactites that hung from the ceiling that sparkled in the firelight. The whole cavern seemed to glow and glisten as the trapped molecules of water that clung to the smooth rocky surface reflected the light like a sea of twinkling stars.
“I’m glad you like it. It is a place most special to me,” Etienne followed her line of sight and took in the view before he shook himself from his daze, “I will need to warm the water, there is no hot spring here, so the stones will heat the pool for you.”
Brianna watched with fascination as he unloaded the stones into the water. She was dubious at first, but gradually small wisps of steam began to curl upwards from the surface of the pool.
“It will take a few more moments to be at its warmest,” Etienne explained, “I will fetch you a towel.”
He walked away leaving her to marvel at what she was seeing. She had enjoyed a few spa days in her time, and many had tried to create a magical grotto feel with their styling but none of that compared to the real deal. The ceiling glowed a light and sparkling blue, with the occasional flicker of a whole rainbow of colours. She walked closer to the walls and gasped.
The entire surface was covered in gemstones of varying sizes. She gaped in awe at what was before her, to her untrained eye it looked as though a million tiny opals danced in and out of the shadows as the flame from the torches flickered. Brianna turned and looked over at the pool, steam was steadily rising, and the condensation was running down the walls leaving little trails in its wake.
The light tinkling sound of water flowing freely out of a small outlet along a crevice in the floor and into a gap in the cavern wall, drew her attention. By the wall, a large stone had been carved as a dish on the ground, and Brianna supposed that would be her toilet. She shrugged, while she preferred her creature comforts, she’d make do. The glamour of the rest of the bathroom made up for it.
Etienne returned and placed a large towel down upon a stone near to some steps that looked as though they had been carved out of the rock. He bent at the waist and splayed his hand over the surface of the stone. A moment later a bright glow travelled from his armoured chest down along his arm and across the surface of the rock.
He withdrew his hand and stood to face her.
“What did you just do?” Brianna asked.
“I warmed the stone with my inner fire so that your towel might stay warm and dry for when you are finished,” he explained.
“Is there anything you can’t do?” Brianna asked, unable to hide her awe.
“There are a few things,” he replied with a shy smile, a small dimple appearing in his cheek and, good lord did that dimple make her heart skip, “Do you require anything else?” He asked politely.
“This is perfect, Etienne, thank you,” she said earnestly.
“Then I shall leave you, I will be by the fire when you are done.”
With that, he left, and she took a moment longer to admire her surroundings before shucking out of her clothes and stepping into the blissfully warm water. She dipped her head below the surface and ran her fingers through her hair as best she could. She breached the water and slicked back her hair before swimming over to the ledge.
Brianna leaned her head back against the stone, there was a slight dip in the surface that looked as though it had been worn away after years of use. It made her smile to think she was sitting in Etienne’s favourite spot. She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh as her muscles relaxed. Brianna had never felt this good on any of her spa days.
While Etienne’s style might have been caveman chic, which she decided was definitely a thing now, he sure did know how to unwind.
Chapter Ten
Brianna
Brianna sighed and sat up in her bed of furs. She couldn’t sleep. It was likely due to having slept so much already that day. Usually, when she couldn’t sleep, she would head up to the rooftop of her apartment building to sit and watch the city. Armed with a blanket and a notepad and pen, she would often jot down flashes of poetry or short stories inspired by whatever was going on around her. It either helped her unwind enough to be able to trudge back to her apartment and catch a few hours of sleep, or her mind would take off on a creative rush and she’d be buzzed about her ideas for the rest of the day.
No doubt, under more normal circumstances, she would love to be able to sit and soak in all that the forest and mountain had to offer, but all things considered, her head was in no fit place to begin creating anything poetic.
She picked up her bag and decided to have another poke around for clues. She had switched her phone off again considering it was next to useless and what little battery she had, she wanted to preserve. She pulled out a few half-chewed ballpoint pens and put them aside, along with a small notebook. After quickly scanning through the pages, she soon realised there was nothing in there that could help her remember the past three days.
She found a comb and a few hairpins and let out another sigh. At least with the help of her compact, she could try to tame the beast that had become her hair. When her fingers brushed against a silky, plastic wrapper she let out a disbelieving gasp. Pulling out a candy bar she squealed in delight and immediately tore into it to get to the nutty, chocolatey goodness within.
The dried fruits and nuts that Etienne had given her had been fine, but this was a little piece of heaven. She closed her eyes and savoured every sweet mouthful, letting her mind focus solely on the taste of bitter dark chocolate, sticky caramel and earthy hazelnuts. The momentary respite was short-lived, however, and Brianna took her time slowly folding the wrapper and placing back into the bottom of her bag. She doubted dragon’s dens came with trash cans.
Her hand hit against a clumpy, solid plastic lump, she pulled it out of the bag and swallowed hard. Her Dictaphone. She always took it with her to record her interviews so she could listen back and check her notes. She pressed the power button and watched as the small LED screen lit up and began flashing. The memory card was full.
That card could hold eight hours of content and she always wiped it after her last job. Eagerly she pressed the replay button and listened with bated breath as the sound of muffled voices greeted her ears, along with the familiar sound of her shoving the device into her bag.
Her eyes grew wide as she listened to the voice of a snarky man as he started to snap out orders to her. Telling her to keep to the shadows and to move more quietly in case someone heard them.
What the Hell had she been doing?
Another couple of quiet minutes passed with just the odd sound of shuffling about before she heard her own voice whisper: ‘This doesn’t feel right, I think we should go.’ She was hushed loudly again by the obviously agitated man and told to quit her whining.
Etienne chose that moment to come sweeping into the room his eyes glowing a toxic shade of purple.
“I heard voices; Brianna are you…”
He paused when he looked at her where she sat, with her knees tucked up under her chin, on the furs. She stared into his furious and confused face and didn’t know what to say. He immediately came to her side and knelt to sit beside her; his brow remained furrowed as they continued to listen to the dismembered voices that filled the room.
“Mr
. Daxton, with all due respect you’ve had just about all of my time that you’re going to get. I’m ready to drive back now.”
“We’ll leave when I say we leave-”
“You don’t get to order me around; you are not my editor. Feel free to trespass for as long as you like, Mr. Daxton- I’ll be by the car.”
“Your editor will drop you if you don’t turn in a front page soon, what else you got up your sleeve?”
Brianna looked at Etienne and saw his deeply furrowed brow, he was listening just as intently as she was, staring at the Dictaphone. She had no idea who this man called Mr. Daxton was, nor how she had wound up working with him, but she already didn’t like what she was hearing.
Her gasp suddenly sounded followed by some incoherent mumbling from the man.
“I would very much like to leave now, Mr. Daxton.”
Her voice was quiet and shaky, and Etienne growled next to her. Brianna jumped a little and scooted slightly away from him.
“Sorry. My dragon doesn’t like your fear,” he said by way of explanation, his violet eyes flicking to hers before focusing once again on the Dictaphone as if he could will it to continue. She watched as his eyes took interest when a well-polished British accent joined the recording, introducing himself as Lord Nightingale.
“Who is Lord Nightingale?” She asked, watching Etienne for a reaction, only to be hushed by him.
She frowned but continued to listen as the shady Mr. Daxton made a ridiculous demand,
“Ah, I see. Blackmail. It’s a classic, I’ll give you that but tell me what exactly am I to be exposed as?” Said the British man.
“A vampire,”
“A vampire? Seriously, this Lord guy is a vampire?” Brianna scoffed, “As if I would write an exposé on-”
Brianna was silenced as she heard her voice on the recording.
“It seemed far-fetched, but he promised me irrefutable evidence and witness statements in addition to his own.”
Her mouth popped open as she listened to her former self admit to agreeing to such a ridiculous and suspicious lead. What on earth had made her even consider it? Had she been that desperate for a story?
Broken Slumber: A Darkhills Romance Page 7