by Lynn Best
On a chair beside the bureau, she found a new outfit, an expensive dress fit for royalty. She touched the silken blue skirt, her fingertips marveling at the smoothness of the fabric. She’d never worn anything but rough cotton unless you counted her Selection dress, but that was once a year. And now that hung off her form in tatters. The dress in front of her was made for royalty. Gold brocaid wound around the bodice in hand-stitched flowers and leaves. The skirt flared out, big and full. It was the most beautiful dress she’d ever seen.
But she couldn’t put on a dress that nice with how filthy she was from scrambling around in the caves. Seela eyed the pool at the back of the room. What would it be like to submerge herself in water that deep? The largest bathtub she’d ever been in was the little one her mother pulled out for special occasions and that always left her freezing, her legs and upper torso sticking out as she quickly scrubbed herself.
What would it be like to soak?
After making her way over, Seela dipped a toe in. The water was so warm.
Not able to resist, she stripped naked, glancing at the door to make sure it was still closed. Then she submerged herself in the water.
Warmth encased her body as she floated. The pool was deep enough that her head and shoulders stayed above the water if she stood up. It was wide enough that she could fit five more people inside if she’d wanted. What luxury. She leaned her head back, wetting her hair and marveling at the way it felt as each of her follicles swayed. The warmth made her body tingle like the water was a gentle caress. Seela dipped down, wanting to feel it touch every inch of her body.
It felt as good as she’d suspected.
When she popped up, Langdon was standing at the edge of the pool, staring down.
“Ah!” she screamed, covering herself.
Langdon’s eyes went wide as if surprised to find her there. Like a gentleman, he averted his gaze, though she was sure he’d gotten an eyeful beforehand.
“What are you doing here?” she shouted, covering her breasts with her hands.
Langdon cleared his throat, his eyes still on the gemmed ceiling. “I’m sorry, Seela. I came in to get a change of clothes. I knocked. When you didn’t answer, I became concerned.”
Of course. It was his room, and he’d knocked while she’d been underwater. He had every right to be here. She was the one using his pool without permission.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I wanted to wash before I put that beautiful gown on, but then it felt so good.”
“It does feel good,” Langdon said. There was something tight in his voice. If Seela didn’t know better, she’d suspect he was picturing her naked in the pool. To her surprise, she didn’t mind. In fact, she had a startling impulse to climb out and let him take his fill. But then, what kind of girl would do that? What had happened to her propriety? Sure, he was a prince and a handsome one at that, but how could he respect a girl who threw herself at a stranger?
Seela pressed against the rocky side of the pool, letting it do the lion’s share of hiding her body. “Sorry to be a pest, but if you wouldn’t mind stepping out again, I can get dressed.”
“Of course.” Langdon hurried to the door, opened it, and stepped out. When it closed behind him, Seela sighed. After getting out of the water, she quickly dried off and got dressed.
The silk felt nearly as good on her body as the water had. And the dress fit her perfectly, hugging her every curve and showing off her breasts in the style of ladies of the court. Next, she towel dried and plaited her hair. There was no looking glass in Langdon’s room, but from what she could tell, her appearance was much improved.
She found them sitting around the small kitchen table. Noticing her, their conversation stopped, three handsome faces turning her way. Langdon stood, offering her his chair even though there was another waiting next to his. She took it, feeling awkward and unsure of herself.
“How are you this morning?” Jerrard asked. His green eyes were dimmer today, almost as if she’d imagined their bright hue yesterday. But he was just as stunningly handsome. She let her eyes trace over his features—strong jaw, regal cheekbones, hair that fell softly around his forehead—before dropping her eyes to the pitted tabletop.
“I am fine. Thank you. What’s the situation with those monsters? Still at bay?”
Once again, the three brothers exchanged a look.
“We thought today I would take you to see the caves,” Langdon said, meeting her gaze. “Stenton and Jerrard have business to attend to, but we will meet up with them at dinner.”
“I see.” Seela could tell there was much they weren’t telling her, but she felt it best to play it cool. “Where are these caves? Will we be vulnerable to those creatures?”
Langdon shook his head. “Our domain extends further than these few rooms. Part of the pact between the human king and our father stipulated that we would need room. If we did shift into our dragon forms, we would need space or risk injury. It is quite beautiful, if you’re up for it.”
“Here’s something I don’t understand,” she said. “If the humans wanted to kill you, why give you luxuries, food?”
Langdon had an answer ready like he had been anticipating these questions. “When the human king was unable to kill us or our father, they formed a pact. We would go into exile here, and my father would leave the kingdom. But he would be free to roam and check on the pact, ensuring we were not harmed, were well-fed, and the like.”
“But they are trying to kill you now.”
“They sense our weakness,” Stenton added with a sardonic smile. “And I suspect Father hasn’t been around lately to keep the human king in check.”
“No. As far as I know, a dragon has not been spotted in many decades.”
“As I thought,” Stenton said, kicking his boots up on the table. “Dear old Dad is neglecting his duties.”
“Enough about that,” Langdon said. “Seela, are you up for doing some sightseeing? Want to stretch your legs? These two can be a bore.” He thumbed to his brothers, who rolled their eyes.
Seela nodded, not wanting to stay cooped up in this claustrophobic little room all day. She was used to wide open spaces, trees stretching up to scrape the sky. Being in this small room with these very large men made her chest feel tight.
“It’s settled then.” Langdon stood up, his chair scraping against the stone floor. “We’ll leave as soon as you’re ready.”
“I’m ready now,” Seela said, standing. “Lead the way.”
Langdon allowed a smile on his normally serious face. “As you wish, my lady.”
They left Stenton and Jerrard at the table, then headed to the door she had spied at the back of the room. Langdon held it open for her. As she slipped through the opening, a nervous excitement twisted below her bodice. Where were they going, and was it really safe?
Langdon moved around her, his body coming close in the cramped hallway. She smelled his scent—something earthy and masculine that drew her toward him before she thought better of it.
Alone with Langdon. What did that mean? Would he think of her in the bath? Would he try something? Tingles broke out along her arms.
They walked through a dimly lit cavern, glowing with small stones that seemed to be magicked like those in Langdon’s room. Seela wanted to stop and ponder them, ask where the source of their light came from, but Langdon was striding forward on such long legs she could barely keep up. She wondered why they were in such a hurry. Weren’t they trapped down here for who knew how long? What was the rush?
A change in air pressure let her know they were nearing an opening. Langdon slipped under a rocky arch and then disappeared. Seela felt a twist of unease as she peered into the dark ahead, so vast that anything could be ahead of them.
“This way,” Langdon’s voice said as she stepped into the space.
The darkness was palpable and thick. She couldn’t even see her own hand in front of her face. How could he show her something when there was literally nothing to see?
<
br /> Langdon began speaking in a language Seela didn’t recognize. The syllables were hard and clipped, almost like growling, and very similar to the words she’d heard Jerrard speak. At his command, gems began to glow all around them, illuminating the cavernous space.
The cave took her breath away.
Seela gazed up, amazed at what she saw. The area around her was huge, stretching up to the height of ten men. The walls, floor, and surface below the pool of water was a swirling blue. Seela had never seen so many variations on a color—sapphire, aquamarine, azure, indigo, navy, and many more flowing together the way a painter might mix colors. They blended in and out of every surface as if the very walls were a frozen liquid, though the cave wasn’t at all cold. The pool shimmered as drips from overhangs trickled onto the water’s surface. The sound of running water farther down the cave soothed her as she spun around to take in all its majesty.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Seela said, turning to smile at Langdon.
He appeared to be enjoying her as she reveled in the cavern. “It is magnificent. Sometimes I forget since I’ve seen it so many times.”
“How was it formed?” Seela stepped over to place her hand on a wall’s smooth surface.
“Thousands of years of wave erosion and sediment, though you’d have to ask Jerrard. He’s the historical scholar. I just like how lovely it is.” Langdon touched the wall with his broad hand, his eyes traveling to the soaring ceiling above. “We used to fly around in here. One of the places we would fit.”
“As dragons, you can fly?” Seela had known that, and yet, she hadn’t thought of the princes flying.
“Now, even when we shift into our true selves, we don’t really have enough power to fly. It’s been decades.”
Seela’s heart broke for him. How wonderful a gift. How terrible a thing to have it taken away.
If Langdon was sad about it, he hid it well. “We make do. Our curse will be broken someday.” His eyes lingered on her, an expression on his face that was expectant and all too hopeful.
She should tell him now why the Bishop of Danbury chose her. He’d cursed her as well—to a death sentence because she’d rebuffed him. That was all. She was no savior. She had no magic.
“Langdon—”
“Over here,” he said, gesturing to the water.
Seela followed him to the edge, noticing a slight metallic smell to the water, probably from the sediment Langdon was talking about. As she knelt, she spotted what appeared to be lights dancing around under the surface of the pool.
“Fish,” Langdon said, pointing. “They have bioluminescence to see in the dark.”
She stared at the fish, marveling at their boney structure, the way she could see through their bodies to their hearts and brains, and how they lit up in places along their body.
“It’s amazing how we can adapt to even the most unlivable of condition,” Langdon said.
When Seela glanced up, he was watching her, his eyes seeming to trace the contours of her face. They were close, only a few feet apart, and she could smell his scent again, the manly musk and warm earthen tones that seemed to draw her closer to him. Her eyes flicked over his features, so achingly handsome and yet so regal. She wasn’t worthy. And yet, here he was, glancing at her lips, eyes darting there and away like he was the one nervous in her presence.
“I’m so glad you’ve come,” he whispered, not moving closer, but not backing away. Seela could almost feel the sexual tension igniting between them. She’d never really kissed a boy. Well, if Mickey didn’t count. He’d stolen kisses here and there as they were growing up, as boys and girls did from time to time. But a real kiss, a kiss that bound one tight and sent them soaring all at the same time? Well, no. She’d never properly been kissed. And a handsome prince looked like he was about to do just that.
Her eyes closed as if they had a will of their own, leaving what might happen between them to chance. To fate.
She felt him move in, the air stirring between them, and then his lips were brushing hers.
It was the softest touch of skin on skin, but it stirred so much within Seela. His lips pressed in sweetly. A warmth radiated out from her chest just as a tingle began in her lower abdomen. Her lips pressed harder on his. How his lips were smoother than she’d imagined, as silken as the dress she wore. How would it feel to have his broad hands run down that silk? To draw her close and press their bodies together? The tingle between her legs intensified. She wanted more. Not just a soft brush of skin on skin. She wanted more of him.
Leaning into the kiss, she hoped he got the hint.
And as he deepened the kiss, she realized he had. She felt his tongue sweep across her mouth, a request, one she granted by parting her lips and letting him in. He tasted sweet and hot. The warm shivers radiated down her thighs. Having more of him just made her want to go further. She wanted his hands to skim over her breasts, which heaved against the fabric of her bodice. She’d never had a man do that before, and she wanted Langdon to be the first
Reaching out, she gripped the front of his tunic, yanking him closer. He groaned into her mouth, his breath pulsing into her.
He was the one to pull away, stepping back as he panted. Eyes burning, his expression was close to desperation, face tight, chest heaving.
Seela blushed, embarrassed. What he must think of her. Several words came to mind: harlot, strumpet, loose woman.
“I’m… sorry,” she stammered, turning from him.
“Seela, no.” He grabbed her hand, keeping her from retreating. “Please don’t apologize. That was…”
“Very forward of me, yes. I apologize.”
Langdon gently gripped her chin, tilting her head until she gazed into his emerald eyes. “I was going to say that was amazing. So… miraculous.” His lips spread into a shy smile. “I just didn’t want to overwhelm you. You’ve only just arrived. I don’t want you to think you owe me something.”
She nodded, wanting to believe him. What had come over her? Maybe the fact she’d never met a prince before? Or the beauty of the cavern? Either way, she smoothed down her dress and straightened her shoulders. “Let’s just forget it.”
His smile faded like that was the last thing he wanted to do. He opened his mouth to respond when someone called to them from the other side of the cavern.
“Langdon!” Stenton came barreling into the cavern, eyes wide, expression flooded with terror.
Langdon started toward his brother. “What is it?”
Stenton gripped his brother’s arm. It was clear something had happened. Stenton’s clothes were torn, and dirt streaked his normally clean face.
“It’s Jerrard,” he said. “The beasts have taken him.”
8
Jerrard strained against the sticky ropes at his wrists and ankles, taking turns shifting his feet and then his hands in a vain attempt to free himself. If there was one thing to be said for the beasts, they were good at making unbreakable ropes with their horrid spider-like mouths.
He lifted his head from the stone floor, staring around the darkened corner they had chucked him in. Darkness made it nearly impossible to see anything. The loose gravel bit at his cheek, and his body ached from where they’d attacked him. But the worst was his embarrassment at being captured. Never had the horde been able to abduct one of them. He was ashamed at being the first.
It had all happened so fast. One minute he and Stenton were slinking around the hallways outside of their protected cavern, trying to ascertain what the beasts had planned. The next, they were besieged, the horde seeming to drop from the sky, rising from the floor. They were everywhere, on top of him and swarming like locusts. He’d fought valiantly if he did say so himself, but then one of them had smashed something into his head.
It still hurt, the bastard.
And where was Stenton? In another part of the dark cavern somewhere, or free? He hoped his brother was able to escape. Stenton normally would have seen their whereabouts, been able to warn them if an
attack like that was coming, then get them all to safety. So what had happened this time? How were so many able to sneak under Stenton’s radar?
It was a bad sign. One that warned more was wrong here than just Jerrard not being able to shift.
Having shifting abilities in that fight would’ve saved them, but he wasn’t sorry he’d used his one chance at being a dragon to save the girl. They’d lost too many to the beasts who waited like seagulls around a feast. Those poor girls had been brought to the caves to be sacrificed to the dragons, only to find even more horrible monsters awaited. They’d attempted to save many, but the beasts were always there first. Like they could smell when the humans were coming.
Jerrard’s wrists ached. His back howled at the twisted way they had him tied. Inching along the rocky ground, he scooted himself forward until he could see past the rocky wall. A little bit of light from the hallway let him know where the beasts were gathered. Inching further, he could hear their whispers, rasped out in their horrible, ruined voices, all speaking as one.
“… the girl they keep. We mussst find her.”
“Ssshift, they can. Two of them.”
“But their power weakensss. We can tell,” the garbled voices answered.
“We will ussse the one we have asss bait. Draw them out.”
The monsters were scheming. He and his brothers had known their diminished power would become a problem, but he just hadn’t thought it would be so soon.
“We long to feed,” the voices chorused. “His blood callsss to usss.”
Jerrard twitched. The beasts desired dragon blood like a drunk desired booze. Why they hadn’t drained him dry yet was a surprise. But they were planning to use him as bait.
“We could drink a little?” the voices sang. “Leave him alive, but have a tassste.”
“We won’t ssstop,” the deeper gravelly voices replied. “We’ll drain him.”
“We won’t,” they responded. “He callsss to usss.”
Suddenly, there was the scrape of many legs moving over stone. They skittered in his direction sounding like giant spiders moving in unison.