by Lexi Lane
“We both know there’s only one way to stop this madness, Eva.” He gazed off at the burning village, the orange hues flickering in his glistening eyes. “You are the only one who can put an end to this.”
Eva lowered her eyes. “I know, Father.”
Josiah tipped her face up, his fingers beneath her chin. “Daughter, if there were any other way, you know I would search for it. But there isn’t. You are the sacrifice the dragon demands; you are the right age, you are a virgin and you are the Princess.”
Eva looked out the window. Villagers displaced by the fire were lining up at the castle gates; the castle would be responsible for food and shelter now for these people. She could see women carrying small crying children, fathers leading cows and donkeys, carrying bundles of belongings, everything they’d saved from their burning homes in a matter of minutes. Everything that was important to them.
In the distance, Eva could see the dragon, making slow circles in the sky, as if awaiting the kingdom’s next move. Eva shuddered with the knowledge of what she needed to do.
***
The small wagon arrived at the burned village at dawn. Eva was dressed in sacrificial robes, a simple white linen dress knotted at the waist with lush red cord, her long black hair held back in a single braid. That morning, her father had held her a long time.
“You look so much like your mother, with your green eyes and black hair. I miss her daily and I’ll miss you as well, daughter. My two loves of my life are now gone.”
Finally, he kissed her forehead before turning away. Eva thought she saw tears in his eyes. Two castle guards took her then, helping her up into a small wagon, riding the short distance to the village, finally carefully picking their way through the rubble of the burnt buildings to the center of the town. The acrid stench of the fire hung heavy in the cool morning air, the horses whinnying and stamping, spooked and jumpy.
One guard helped Eva down from the wagon. He took her to the center of the empty square, where the only thing still standing was a tall sign post from one of the shops that had ringed the village square. He stood Eva in front of the post, quickly tying her to the charred ruin with thick ropes.
“Princess, I thank you.” He bowed deeply, rising up to meet her eyes. “Your sacrifice is honored by all of us. We will not forget you.” He bowed again, turned quickly and trotted back to the wagon. The driver clucked to the horses and Eva was alone.
She looked up at the pale sun rising over the horizon. The day was cloudy, the sky a pearly gray. Mists hung over the fields, trailing away where the forest started. She sighed; hopefully the villages would rebuild here. It was a lovely spot.
A shadow crossed her face and she looked up. Her heart skipped a beat and then began thudding in her chest. The dragon was approaching the village, flying toward her from the east. She heard the flap of his huge wings, watched, as his shape grew bigger in the sky, his shadow racing ahead of him, his body blocking out the sun. Eva shivered, mesmerized by what she was seeing.
The dragon landed in front of Eva, his massive wings stirring up dust and ash. She looked up at the massive beast. His scales were deep black, so black they seemed to absorb light. The massive talons on his feet dug into the charred ground as he walked toward her. He cocked his head, looking at her with one glowing red eye.
He gazed down at her a moment, then bent his long neck, bringing his face close to hers. She could feel his hot breath on her body as he sniffed the air around her. She cringed; his snout was covered with spikes, complex patterns of bony scales and spines running up over his head. His wings stirred restlessly, moving the air around her, chilling her even more. She glimpsed his tail, wave slowly behind him, long and sinuous, ending with a set of wicked looking spikes.
“You are quite beautiful, Princess.”
Eva’s head snapped up, looking up at him, startled by the deep resonance of his voice, amazed that he spoke. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but this beautiful sound wasn’t it.
“You’re staring, dear. Close your mouth.”
Eva snapped her mouth shut, horribly confused, her face flushing. Dragons weren’t supposed to speak, they were just supposed to burn and destroy.
“You’ve never heard a dragon speak? Well, we all do, just not all that often. Especially not to humans.” The dragon walked around her, folding his wings against his body. Eva was amazed by his grace; for being such a large beast, he was completely silent as he circled the post.
He stood in front of her, reaching out with one front foot, gently capturing a strand of hair with a talon. Eva flinched. Before she could react, his forked tongue slid out of his mouth, briefly licking her cheek.
“You’ll do.” He released her hair. With one quick cut, he slashed through the ropes with his talons and they fell in a pool at her feet.
“Come. I’ll carry you.” He held out his front legs, his talons winking in the dull light.
She hesitated. Snorting with impatience, he quickly scooped her up in his claws. They were cold against her skin and she didn’t know where to grab to hang on. Everything looked sharp and deadly. But with surprising gentleness, he curled them around her, holding her securely.
He took off, flying toward the north, cradling her against his chest. Eva watched the countryside below grow distant, the hills and trees tiny, the farms and villages like child’s play things.
She looked ahead. They were flying toward a range of mountains, heading for the largest peak. As they drew closer, she could see a cave opening. The dragon banked, circling the peak, coming to land on a shelf of rock in front of the cave opening. He set Eva on the ground and walked into the mouth of the cave.
“I’d rather this be a civil arrangement, that you come to this situation rather willingly. I do not really wish to force you into anything, but know that if I must, I will.” He walked into the cave.
“Come. You will stay here.” He disappeared into the dark.
Eva hesitated. There was nowhere for her to run; the ledge was wide but surrounded on three sides by sheer cliffs falling away into fog below. Somewhere below her she could hear the crashing of waves against rock. Above, the mountain rose in a vertical wall. There was no escape, save throwing herself from the ledge. But that wouldn’t save her kingdom.
She walked into the cave, hearing the sound of footsteps ahead of her. It wasn’t completely dark; there was a dim light ahead. She walked toward it, the light growing bright. It was a torch in a bracket mounted on the cave wall. There were others ahead; she could see pools of pale yellow light on the cave floor. She crept ahead slowly, trailing one hand along the cool stonewall.
Rounding a turn in the cavern, she was surprised to find a small chamber. And she was more surprised to find a man standing in the chamber, one hand holding a torch. She stopped, hand to her throat, an involuntary cry on her lips.
“I am sorry to startle you, maiden.”
Eva gasped again: it was the voice of the dragon. But there was no dragon, only this man in front of her.
“Come. I won’t bite…yet.” The man smiled, gesturing her to come forward. She took a few hesitant steps toward him. In a very gentle manner, he took her arm, pulling her into the small space.
In the dim light she saw chairs and a table. The man lit a set of candles in holders and the room sprang to life. The walls were covered with rich brilliant tapestries; a thick rug in a complex knot pattern covered the floor. The chairs and table were dark and richly carved, inlaid with silver and precious stones.
“Not what you expected, is it? Please, have a seat.” The man held a chair for Eva and she dropped into it. She looked more closely at the man. He was tall, with long black hair tied back away from his face. The light caught his high cheekbones and straight nose. The shadows from the candles played around his mouth, giving his smile a cruel cast. But she drew a sharp breath; he was exquisitely handsome. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she felt her face grow warm.
He wore a long black coat over a white linen s
hirt and black breeches tucked into tall black leather boots. The coat almost reached the floor, of some material Eva had never seen. It shimmered and caught the light; she realized with a start it looked just like the scales on the dragon.
“Your face says it all, my dear: confusion, bafflement, exhaustion. I suspect you didn’t sleep or eat well last night. And now, all this.” He waved his hand, indicating the room around them.
He sat in the chair opposite her at the small table. “Here, you must be hungry.” Set between them was a plate with bread and cheese. The man poured a goblet of wine for each, placing one in front of Eva. She looked at it with longing, and suspicion.
“It’s not poisoned, if you’re worried. I have no reason to kill you.” He cut slices of bread and cheese, took a bite of each and washed them down with a swallow of wine. Eva watched him a moment, then reached forward, taking a small piece of cheese. She bit off a corner of the slice, closing her eyes at the wonderful flavor. She hadn’t eaten since the day before; her nerves had gotten the best of her. She took a drink of the wine. It was an excellent pale golden drink, smooth and sweet, tiny bubbles bursting on her tongue.
“A bit about myself. You’re probably curious.” The man took another drink of wine.
“I am Lord Galef Evered. This is currently my home, although not my kingdom.”
“But…where is the dragon?”
“Oh, you’ve found your voice. Good. One sided conversation is so dull.” Evered leaned forward, his voice a low growl.
“I am the dragon.”
Eva blinked. The world was suddenly fuzzy, the man far away. She blinked again, shook her head. He was leaning toward her, a smile curling the edge of his mouth.
He rose, moving toward her, sitting on the edge of the table. He looked down at her goblet.
“Well, my girl, you seemed to have enjoyed your wine.” He held the goblet out to her. It was empty. Eva shook her head again; she remembered taking only a sip.
Evered leaned forward, tiling her face to him with his finger.
“The wine wasn’t poisoned, my dear. But it was drugged. Didn’t your father tell you not to trust strangers?” Evered threw his head back, laughing. “Poor naïve girl.”
He slid gracefully from the table, walking behind Eva’s chair. She felt his hands on her shoulders, his fingers massaging her. Her mind had gone empty, the bubbles from the wine filling her head with a golden light, but making thought impossible.
But the feel of Evered’s fingers on her body soon became her entire focus. His fingers were warm, softly skimming over the fabric of her gown. She leaned back in the chair, tipping her head back against Evered’s body, her eyes closed. She felt Evered’s fingers sliding up her neck, running over her chin, her cheeks. She smiled, vaguely wondering why, when she should be screaming, running from the cave. But all she craved now was the touch of his fingers on her body.
Evered moved his hands lower, sliding them down her neck, over her breasts, cupping them as he leaned over her shoulder. She felt his hot breath in her ear.
“So beautiful you are. But you haven’t told me your name yet, my dear.”
“Eva…” she sighed. His hands were doing things to her body, wonderful things, starting a fire deep in her belly. She reached up, covering his hands with hers as he squeezed her breasts.
“Eva. Lovely name.” She felt him kiss her neck, his lips warm and soft as he trailed kisses over her skin. “Lovely girl. I sense a dragon’s fire smoldering in you, Eva, just waiting for the right breath to set it ablaze.”
She felt him lifting her, holding her gently around her waist, pulling her out of the chair. Turning, she found herself looking up at Evered.
And for a moment, she thought she was looking into the glowing red eyes of the dragon.
Evered bent his head to hers, claiming her lips in a brutal kiss. His hands seemed to be everywhere on her body: her back, cupping her breasts, clutching her ass, pulling her toward him.
She felt the hard contours of his body pressed against hers; his muscular chest beneath the fine linen shirt, his flat stomach. And then the hard bulge of his erection, insistently pressing into her stomach.
Evered’s tongue was probing her lips, seeking entrance. She hesitated only briefly, opening her mouth, letting his tongue explore the soft recesses of her mouth.
Eva had little experience with men; as a princess her life had been sheltered, her access to anyone so very limited. And her father had considered men undesirable, had made sure she would remain a virgin as a condition of her sacrifice.
And now, as Evered plundered her mouth with his tongue, every cell in Eva that had been held in suspension until now came alive. Eva wound her arms around Evered’s neck, pulling him closer, tentatively thrusting her tongue against his, the feeling of his slick warm tongue against hers sending shivers down her spine.
Soon she was moaning against his mouth, as his hands pulled and tugged at her robe. As if from, a distance she heard fabric tearing, felt the coolness of the cave air on her flushed skin.
And then she was naked, Evered holding her in his arms. He broke away from their kiss, looking down at her, his eyes traveling over her body.
“Oh, my, Eva, you are beautiful, more than I had ever hoped for. They’ve sent me some very ugly princesses over time; no wonder they were virgins. But you, how have you remained pure with a body like this?”
Not waiting for an answer, Evered bent his head, kissing her neck, trailing a line of kisses down her shoulder. He cupped her breasts, running his thumbs across her nipples. She looked down, watching them grow hard at his touch, gasping as a whole array of sensations flooded through her body.
Eva had never been with a man, but she had discovered on her own how much pleasure she got from her own body. She’d spent many nights in her room, her hands exploring her naked body, touching herself, hands fondling her own breasts, squeezing and pinching them. But the sensations she’d created were nothing compared to what Evered was doing to her now. She tipped her head back, gasping softly.
Evered lowered his head to Eva’s breast, licking her skin, kissing her flesh. He flicked his tongue over her hard nipples, kissing them, pulling them into his mouth, over and over. Finally he took one hard nipple into his mouth, at first sucking softly, then with more force, finally greedily pulling her breast into his mouth.
Eva was moaning now, holding Evered’s head against her breast, winding her fingers through his hair. She was dizzy from the wine and excitement, her mind filled with scattered images: lying with Evered in a large bed, his handsome face above hers as he entered her body, his kisses in the candlelight, seeing his naked body in the dim light. Watching his face as he took his pleasure in her body.
But suddenly Evered broke away, gasping. Eva looked at him, his image fuzzy, fading away from her. She felt herself falling, caught in a set of talons, lifted and carried out of the cave, her mind drifting away. Dizzy, she closed her eyes.
Then she was dreaming she was flying, the wind caressing her naked skin, rushing past her ears. She opened her eyes to the night sky, a million brilliant stars suspended against the black velvet of the heavens.
She was cradled in the talons of the dragon, held gently as he circled higher and higher in the sky above the sea. Her body thrummed with excitement as they rose, so high Eva thought she could reach out and touch the stars.
Red eyes filled her dream, as the cool night air rushed past her skin. Then she felt something warm and wet probing between her legs, the delicious sensation of having her clit licked making her squirm. She looked down, seeing the dragon’s talons rising around her, holding her, looking down at the snout of the dragon between her spread legs. She watched as his forked tongue flicked out again, brushing against her clit, felt her body arching in response.
Over the rush of the night wind she heard her own voice, crying out in time to the probing of the dragon’s tongue, as he licked her clit, probed between her legs. She ran her hands over her own breasts, p
inching the nipples until they grew hard, thrashing and twisting in the dragon’s hold.
The dragon’s tongue was driving her wild; suddenly she was arching her back, her hips rising, her body wracked by waves of pleasure. Opening her eyes, she looked up at the dragon’s face, as he looked down at her, those red eyes glowing against the night sky. She felt his hot breath against her skin, heard his voice from a distance.
“Oh, my dear. You are quite a tasty morsel. But I’m only getting started with you.”
Eva heard the words, but they slipped away from her before she could understand them. She was flying again, her mind filled with those damned tiny bubbles from the wine.
And then the dragon was holding her beneath his body, his sinuous tail sliding between her legs, spreading them apart. The talons that held her relaxed, and she was lying on her back on the dragon’s tail, the scales hard but flexible beneath her, surprisingly warm. She wanted to run her hands over them, to feel the hard muscles she sensed beneath the scales. But she was distracted by something hot and slick that was prodding her, sliding against her thighs, seeking entrance to her body.
And in her dream, Eva wanted whatever it was that was touching her, wanted it desperately, wantonly, to repeat the sensations the dragon’s tongue had produced. So she spread her legs further, rolling her hips up as the hot hard thing thrust into her. She cried out, a brief pain flaring through her body, soon replaced by a liquid heat, a heat that grew and intensified as the thing in her body began moving, thrusting into her over and over, stretching her, the friction inside her building, taking her to an incredible peak.
She opened her eyes; the hazy image of the dragon’s body was above her, smooth black scales stretched over her, his massive head thrown back, wings beating the air. He opened his mouth and Eva saw flames against the night sky. She heard him roar, a deep sound that echoed through her mind.
The thing inside her pulsed and throbbed, suddenly filling her with exquisite warmth. Her body reacted, arching up as she cried out, thrashing, twisting from side to side, her own liquid heat melding and flowing with the thing that prodded and pushed inside of her. Looking up, she saw the dragon’s eyes, glowing red, as he filled her with his dragon seed. Then she felt the scales of the dragon sliding out from beneath her, felt her world tilt and spin.