Kiss of the Dragon

by Nicola Claire

  It fitted like a glove, as I suspected the rest of the clothes in the dressing room would. The Dökkálfa couldn't have expected my arrival, but then they could have used magic to fill the closet as soon as I turned up in their Court. I'm not the sort to play dress-up, so I hadn't tested that theory, but I was sure it was right.

  Sora fussed with the buttons, I was vaguely relieved not to have to twist uncomfortably in on myself to achieve it, and then she attended my hair. I usually wear my hair down, I always have. It was what landed me in hot water with Queen Sofiq. Among other things. She was the only one who was permitted to wear her hair down when in her presence. I'd waltzed on into the throne room, ignoring Sora's warnings, with my hair loose and down past my shoulders. When I left the throne room and the Dökkálfa Royal Court, my hair was half the length and brutally blunt. I was sure Aliath wouldn't be as picky, but for some reason I allowed the fīfrildi fairy this small moment. Maybe it was an apology for last time, I don't know, but she seemed to want to play with my hair. And truth be told, I was craving contact. Any contact would do.

  The finished product was equally as elaborate as the dress, my hair curled delicately in thin strands to frame my face, but the bulk of it was swept up making my neck look longer than it usually did, accentuating my cheekbones and finishing off my appearance with an almighty full stop. Wow. Even I didn't know I could look this good. I wondered briefly, what Michel would think if he saw me now. How hard would it be for him to ignore my neck? Michel liked me to be covered up, with just a hint of flesh showing here and there. It was the enticement, the possibility, the fact that his imagination could fill in the blanks, that did it for my beautiful vampire. I was thinking this outfit, my hairdo, everything about me right now, would feature in his fantasies for sure.

  Somehow that gave me confidence and bolstered my courage, so much so, that I knew the instant I walked into the dining hall to meet Aliath, he would be mine. I am not a vampire, I don't focus on prey. I hunt, sure, but I have never really considered a rogue to be my prey. I am capable of those thoughts, but it is not natural for me like it is for a vampire. Tonight though, the Fairy King was most definitely my prey.

  I followed behind a silent Sora, with four hyrða guards as escorts, as she led the way. Tapestries hung on the walls, colourful and detailed. Depicting battles and landscapes, pretty women and men. A mixture of strength and serene beauty. The Dökkálfa might dress in black, but with their colourful skins and their vibrant interior decorations, they could not be confused with something Dark. There is a brightness to their lives. They are the Dark Court of Faerie, but they have as much Light as the Ljósálfar. And more honour than their lighter brethren could ever have. That was why I had aligned myself with Aliath. Even though at the time it appeared I had little choice, I wouldn't have done it, if I hadn't seen some good in the Dökkálfa Prince. I hadn't considered an alliance with Lutin. It had simply never entered my mind as a possibility at all.

  I tried to focus on those thoughts now. I needed to believe Aliath would not be like the former Queen. She had been cruel and sadistic, I couldn't see my Grey Lord being as bad as that. But power can corrupt. I've seen it before. It's like a festering wound, it eats into the psyche of the one in power, until very little of the man - or woman; think the Champion here - is left. I prayed Aliath was stronger than that. He was definitely more intelligent, so there was still hope.

  We entered the room to an amazing chorus of chimes. The Fey chime when using power, but I couldn't feel any magic on the air now. It was simply an announcement of my arrival. Beautiful, captivating, entirely uplifting and I soon realised, already trapping me in its enchanting grasp.

  So much for no magic.

  I stood swaying slightly in the centre of the room, aware that none of the multitude of black clad, colourful fairies present were moving at all to that compelling and intriguing sound. I wanted to dance, to throw my arms out and twirl. It would be so easy to spin here, to fly around the room on winged feet. I felt the thin material of my dress move; a swish, a flash of reflected light off the crystals...

  ...and then I was spinning.

  Laughing and spinning in a dizzying flight around the room. My dress flew out behind me, sparkling, flapping in the breeze created by my movement. The chimes escalated higher and faster, so I made myself increase speed to match that musical peal. The room was a blur, the fairies all watching transfixed on the outer edge of the large expanse of space we were in. I was vaguely aware they had been positioned intentionally. Rimming the perimeter, leaving an open space free for me to perform.

  And I was performing. Like a puppet on a string, Aliath was directing my moves from where he sat, vivid green eyes blazing, watching me with an intensity I had not witnessed on the Grey Lord before.

  There was more space here than my chamber, more room for me to fly. I was impressive in my bedroom when I practised my spin, but here I was on fire. My joining to Michel shouldn't have given me an obvious boost in speed. I already had gained so much when I matured at 25. It wasn't my connection as such to a vampire that made me flash in such a fashion. It was all Nosferatin. But whatever my recent re-joining to Michel had created, it had given me a boost, I was sure. I was moving faster than I had ever moved before. The world a hazy blur of magical colours and wonderful sounds. My heart rate matching my speed, my breaths coming in such quick succession I was sure I would faint.

  But the true beauty of it all, was I was aware.

  I could see every single detail that flashed past me as though I was standing entirely still. I could tell exactly what Aliath was wearing; black trousers and shirt, undone at the top showing a little too much cream perfect skin at the base of his neck. How he looked; silver hair flowing out as though picked up by a breeze, framing his perfectly god-like face. Not to mention where he was sitting, what he was sipping in a tall stemmed glass, held in the long delicate fingers of one hand. I could even smell his scent. Ginger and caramel. Huh. I'd never really noticed his scent before, but I must have. Because although all the other fairies had their own individual scents, it was Aliath's alone that I recognised now.

  I could also tell how many fairies were here, how many were blue skinned, or red or green or yellow. How many weapons were visible, who held what and then how those armed fairies could potentially act. What threat they could pose to me. It was like my normal Nosferatin skills upon walking into a room, but magnified by fifty, a hundred even, and all of this done while I was twirling at a speed that rivalled a child's spinning top.

  It was mind boggling, but despite this revelation, I couldn't stop spinning. As long as the fairies chimed I was theirs. I never did take nicely to being controlled and by now several minutes had passed, and I really felt Aliath had made his point.

  I got it, he's powerful and quite capable of making me jump through hoops. I had been displaying my courage, my abilities as a Nosferatin, in an attempt to trap him in my web whilst confined to my room. He was now shouting to the world that he was a bigger spider. A bigger threat.

  I couldn't stop spinning, I was subject to that enthralling chime, but part of spin fighting is landing a blow. The dance doesn't stop when I come out of my spin. I am still dancing when I approach my target, just not in a twirling fashion anymore. Aliath wanted me to spin for him, he'd used the chimes to pull this reaction from within. I could have sung, done a tap dance, rollie-pollied my way across the marble floor - if that was what he wanted. But he had wanted to see me spin fighting. He had wanted to see that talent that can cause my enemies to quake in fear, displayed and controlled by him. The skill that I had exhibited so meticulously in my room, watched and coveted by him from the shadows. He didn't realise, though, that part of the dance was the final blow. Stake meets chest. The performance wouldn't finish until we were all coated in dust.

  There'd be no dust now, but I could still land a blow. I didn't want to attack him - how would that help my cause? Besides, I was unarmed. My bare hands alone would not be enough to kill th
e Fairy King, nor did I want them to be. Despite his show of prowess right now, I still had hopes Aliath wanted me as an ally. But I could use the magic of the chimes to finish my dance, to complete my spin. It just needed focus and determination - and conveniently, a hell of a lot of courage.

  I blocked out all other sensations - not an easy task - and concentrated on the execution of the next dance motion. The final step to my spin fighting routine. Just like the rituals I'd been repeating in my chamber for the past week, spin fighting is ingrained within me. I could practically do it in my sleep. Or when under the magical influence of a fairy chime.

  I waited for a variation in the chiming; an increase in speed, a hitch to the tone. It took forever. I couldn't break my current spin without some sort of change to stimulate my actions. I was on a perpetual loop; same spin, same speed, same direction, until the chime dictated differently. I was at Aliath's mercy, I'd known this, but not as much as I knew it right now, as I waited for a shift in that blasted, yet beautiful, chime.

  Finally, it took on a resonant tone, slightly lower, slightly faster, an altogether most unexpected variance than before. It was perfect, I needed increased speed to break from the spin, like the force of an object flung out of orbit from the moon. But the lower tone, the deeper echo provided the exact combination required to direct my movements towards Aliath, but also to slow down enough not to rock him off his chair. It wouldn't last long, a split second, a moment out of time, before the chiming made me spin again.

  I spun out from my current trajectory and twirled through the space towards the Dökkálfa King. It happened so quickly, the guards didn't have time to intercept. One second I was spinning and they were all delighting in my puppet-on-a-string actions, the next I was perched on his lap with my arms around his neck. The force of my arrival making him twist slightly in the seat where we both now sat.

  The chimes stopped immediately. Silence reigned. Well, silence from the fairies, I was breathing too rapidly to be silent at all. Aliath sat stunned, his eyes flashing all manner of shades of green, his hands automatically resting on my hips in an effort to stop my forward motion. There was a gentleman under that fairy guise, he hadn't wanted me to tip off the chair and land on my arse.

  "Your Majesty," I said breathlessly. "That was fun!" I smiled winningly at him, still frantically trying to catch my breath and slow my heart. I hadn't realised how far my body had been pushed, spots were flashing in the corner of my eyes, accompanied by a haziness that could only mean one thing. I was about to black out from exhaustion.

  Had Aliath planned to dance me until I fell at his feet? He'd almost succeeded. And now what would he do? I had interrupted his plans, I had fought back.

  I took a deep breath in and held his gaze, the knowledge that I had bested the Dökkálfa King giving me courage. I grabbed that courage and wrapped it around me, let the feeling build inside me, swelling higher and higher, filling me up, washing over the sides of whatever shields emotions naturally have. I knew the instant Aliath felt it, the moment he could no longer ignore it. He closed his eyes, let out a breath through parted lips and pulled me closer.

  I felt him feeding on me immediately. I recognised the sensations from when he had fed on the same emotion - my courage - before. I felt weightless, drifting serenely on a cloud, floating in a buffer of wellbeing and calmness. Aliath didn't hurt when he fed, he set you free. I moulded against his chest, my body becoming compliant, relaxing further and further the more he fed from me.

  I don't know how much time passed, but not enough to make me pass out or fall asleep. I became aware of movement around us, the hyrða guards had formed an impenetrable wall. Not to protect Aliath from me, strangely enough. But to shield him, while he fed, from the prying eyes of the rest of the Dökkálfa Royal Court. I hadn't expected that. The Ljósálfar had been very open in their enjoyments. Sharing Light, considered an intimate and sacred thing, was done without shyness. Much of how they interacted intimately was done on display for all to see. The Dökkálfa obviously did not behave in the same fashion as their fairy cousins. Another point in their favour as far as I was concerned. Even if Michel had helped to lower my walls and encouraged me to participate in public shows of affection more now than ever before, I was still a very private person, when it came to things that made me blush.

  And the way Aliath held me right now was making me blush. He was no longer feeding, but his sated look and steel hold around my waist, made me realise he had gained more than just a full belly from feeding off my courage. He wasn't ready to release me, which was a good and a bad thing. I would have preferred a little distance, entirely too uncomfortable for my liking right now. But, if he kept me close, then maybe he wouldn't punish me for my transgressions today. And lets face it, I had just challenged the new Dökkálfa King. How could he not use me as an example to the rest of his Court?

  But what choice did I have? Spin until I passed out? I'm not that kind of girl. I'm Nosferatin. I fight back when cornered. I may have won the first round, getting Aliath to let me out of my cell. But right now, I was fairly sure I had just given up any ground I had gained. I had acted as Aliath would have expected, it may have caught him off guard, but it wasn't something I wouldn't normally have done.

  Had he predicted I would make this kind of mistake? Had I just walked right into his trap?

  He'd let me know he was the bigger spider, that he had the bigger web. I didn't truly believe him then. With hindsight, I was forced to change my opinion of that now.

  Chapter 3

  The Dökkálfa King

  I sat motionless on his lap, waiting for the spider to attack. But he didn't. He simply held me tightly and firmly, and leaned back in his chair with half lidded eyes.

  Obviously my courage had tasted divine.

  I glanced around our make-shift hollow, a private haven in the middle of a fully occupied throne room. Not that Aliath was sitting on his throne, but I was sure that's what this room was. Where he received his Court and any visitors. Everything on display with a good dollop of fairy pomp and circumstance.

  I had obviously been the entertainment. I wondered what his intentions were once my performance was completed. I could hear the fairies in the room talking quietly, calmly, as if his moment of indulgence hidden behind his Hyrða guards was all very acceptable. No one seemed to be surprised. Not even Aliath, if his relaxed and happy demeanour was anything to go by. But I couldn't help feeling I had thrown a spanner in the works, upset his plans. Me sitting on his lap and him feeding off me had not been on the cards.

  So, the longer it took for him to act, the more unsettled I became. Aliath was not one to be indecisive. I had never seen him hesitate to make his move before. But this moment, this halt to the proceedings because of something I had done, was unusual. Disconcerting even. My heart began to beat faster and my breathing was determined to keep pace.

  It took everything in me not to outwardly show my fear.

  Finally, after several minutes, Aliath shifted beneath me.

  "You must be careful, Princess," he whispered against my ear. "I may be quite replete, but if you continue to wantonly throw your courage about, I can not be held responsible for my behaviour."

  His words took me so much by surprise, I didn't temper my response.

  "I am what I am, Aliath and you are more than capable of saying no."

  His chest rumbled beneath my body as he quietly laughed at what I had said. I crossed my arms before me. He laughed a little more.

  "We have a problem," he said, once he'd managed to get himself more or less under control.

  I twisted to look at him, thinking a small glance at his face was all I'd do, but his eyes were flashing those hypnotic greens again and it was several seconds before I realised I'd lost all train of thought. He was smiling at me, watching my reaction, smirking at how easily I had fallen under his spell.

  Crap. I was better than this. Way better. I flicked my glance away when he let me and looked resolutely at the floor
. It was marble and patterned prettily with colourful gems here and there. Everywhere about them the Dökkálfa were determined to have colour and light.

  "You said a problem," I reminded him, ensuring no questions were asked. It was harder than it should have been. I was feeling exhausted all of a sudden and I was sure it wasn't entirely to do with the frenetic spin dance I had just done. This exhaustion was familiar though, but right then, faced with Aliath and his green eyes and his obvious agenda, I was having trouble focusing on anything other than not returning his gaze.

  He shifted me again on his lap and I knew the repositioning was intentional. Aliath had never shown an attraction to me before, in fact when we first met he had been appalled to have to work alongside me at all. Somewhere along the way we had formed a type of friendship, at least we had become allies. But my proximity right now, or watching me spin fight, or maybe the memory of tasting my courage, meant he was feeling rather amorous. I couldn't miss it and it just made me suck in a breath and freeze. He ignored my reaction.

  "My court will expect me to punish you. You challenged me after all."

  "It wasn't a challenge." At least not intentionally. "You requested a spin fight demonstration, part of the dance of spin fighting is to land the final blow. I was merely giving you the complete performance."

  He was silent for a moment, digesting that I think.

  "You would have been aware how my Court would react to such a movement."

  "I had hoped to please them all. To entertain." It wasn't exactly the truth, but as I wasn't Dökkálfa, I could get away with a little white lie or two.

  "Even so, to approach me at all was taking a risk. You could have approached one of the guards and still given the Court a performance that would entertain."