Dragon's Quest (Dragon Princes Book 1)

by Cyci Cade

  Wei changed into dragon form and flew to the bamboo forest, only that peaceful place was able to bring relief to him, yet even from that distance, he still heard the words of love that Kate whispered to his brother, and their groans. Sometimes he wanted to be a deaf dragon in order not to hear things which hurt him so badly. He was already a forgetful dragon, another deficiency wouldn´t make any difference.

  Sometimes that place seemed familiar to Wei, then he looked around, examined it thoughtfully, but when he forced his memory, pushed it hard, the forest seemed unrecognizable. Every night was the same, a flash of memory passed through his mind but he wasn´t fast enough to grasp the thread, untangle the knot, and remember his past.

  He dove into the lake. The cold water muffled the sounds and anesthetized his sore body but not his sore soul. He had kept his distance from Kate. She was Liu´s girl; however, it was difficult, and he didn´t know how long he´d be able to hold himself. His feelings grew stronger, and he couldn´t deny them or hide his feelings for her. It was the real curse; to love a woman who belonged to another, his brother, what could be worse? Live in the same house.

  Wei slept after hours of self-punishment. Almost at once he found himself in another place, another era. He walked across the cobblestone street, the streets empty and the houses closed. It seemed like a ghost city lost in the middle of nowhere. He kept moving. He didn´t recognize that place, but his feet knew where to go.

  Leaving the city, he reached the jungle and went through the dense forest. Wei had marched for hours, but he wasn´t tired, quite the opposite, he felt reinvigorated. He knew that the prize was worth the sacrifice, so he kept walking for many hours. He opened a pathway with his bare hands, broke branches and bushes with his arms and legs. He walked through mazes, glades, jumped over streams, climbed rocks, and tore his arms on a tree full of thorns.

  When the dense jungle cleared, he found himself in a natural paradise lost in the center of the forest. A cold breeze stroked his sweaty body. He closed his eyes; the waterfall spray refreshed him.

  A moment later he reopened his eyes, his quest wasn´t over, he didn´t cross the ghost city and the jungle to refresh himself in a lake. He looked around; a woman sat on the rocks of the waterfall on the other side of the lake, brushed her hair. He couldn´t see her face, only her naked back and her long golden hair.

  He took his shirt and shoes off, dove in the lake and swam as fast as he could toward the waterfall; his feet movements coordinated with all his body maintained a constant rhythm. Swimming like a human was totally different from swimming like a dragon. He didn´t possess the scales to protect him against the cold water, but the sensation was good.

  That woman waited for him. He couldn´t explain how or why, he just knew that he was there because of her. The crossing appeared endless; he tensed his muscles and moved his arms and legs faster. When he reached the rocks, the woman was gone. Was she a mirage? No.

  “Hi. Where are you? I won´t hurt you; show yourself, please. I´ve traveled just to meet you,” he called and staggered on the rocks while he looked for her.

  “Why were you so long? I was waiting for you,” a female voice came from behind him.

  Wei turned to the lake. She smiled from the water and signaled to him to join her.

  “Kate?” The question remained in his mind or he didn´t ask loud enough because she didn´t answer. It wasn´t supposed to be. What was she doing there? She was with his brother.

  She moved her arms; with a small synchronized kick she swam to the middle of the lake and signaled to him again. Wei continued in the waterfall uncertain if he should enter the lake. She called him. He walked almost all day to meet his love, the woman of his dreams; what was he waiting for? He reasoned with himself.

  Without wasting any more time, he jumped in the cold water, swam toward her, and emerged face to face with Kate. Their eyes made contact for a short time. He wanted to say so many things, but she approached him, their faces touched and his lips stroked her wet soft cheek while his hands glided on her arms. Her lips found his; a wild, long, passionate kiss blew away his doubts. He didn´t have any idea how long they were kissing, he just knew that it would end soon.

  That time she had a different reaction. She craved for more, her nails dug in his back, her lips moved with desire, ardor, and delight against his. He could spend eternity with Kate in his arms, feeling her smooth lips against his, caressing her skin. His lips left hers for a second or two to trail her neck, and then he led her back to the rocks. He helped her out of the water; her long wet hair covered her bare chest, her eyes blinked twice when he lay with her on the warm ground and his lips covered hers.

  The first sun´s rays hurt the dragon´s eyes and roused him. He rolled to the other side to protect them, his claws searched for Kate´s body, his mouth yelled for hers. He blinked and found only leaves. He closed his eyes, he wished he could continue from the interruption, but it was impossible.

  Kate, come back to me, don´t stay away from me! his thoughts pleaded. It was just a dream, a sweet, lovable dream; now, it was time to face the reality. Only in his dreams might she search for him because in real life she sought another man. Would the dream be a signal? Maybe not.

  Wei fluttered his wings and flew toward the palace. He landed behind a demolished building, returned to his human shape and ran to his room. With breakfast served as he had asked, he ate the bowl of congee (oatmeal), you tiao (crullers), shandong shao bing (cake), dou jiang (soy milk), and jian bing (omelets). After all that food he still wanted more. He had said to Fu Chow that human food was insufficient to support the dragon´s body, but the master insisted on “family dinners” and to hunt during the day was inadvisable, he didn´t know how those people would react to seeing a dragon flying over their houses.

  After breakfast, Wei took a long cold bath. He rubbed his skin to remove the scent of Kate that burned his body. He didn´t want anything that could remind him of her and cause an uncontrollable desire. He spent many hours with her during the day; he wished he could do something else during his lonely time instead of thinking about her.

  Wei dressed in satin pants, went to the private garden and started the sequences of movements he had watched Fu Chow practice for centuries. The master had explained that those exercises were good to keep body and mind´s balance and relax. It was another attempt to forget Kate and bury his feelings. He closed his eyes, visualized Fu Chow´s movements and mimicked his master.

  To begin with, he coordinated his breath with the movements. He felt his muscles tense and then relax, his mind calmed down. He was able to control what to think, or just keep it quiet. Energy coursed through his entire body; the dragon´s power became stronger and blazed inside him. His fingertips tingled and electrical sparks caused an unusual sensation.

  It was good. He had never lived such an experience. He felt alive, healed, and happy until he sniffed Kate´s scent. He sensed her eyes burning his back and coming closer. What did she want? This was his place, his time. How could he control his instincts if she was always near him, keeping her image alive in his mind?

  He tried to maintain focus on the movements, but she was too near, her hot body was heating his and the internal flame grew up causing an explosion of sensations and desires, unbalancing his energies.

  He veered toward her, his hands already clasping her waist and his lips finding hers without giving time for Kate to protest. His lips moved with ardor against hers, experiencing each inch of her mouth. At the same time his hands pulled her closer like his dream that night, as if she had asked. She belonged to him at that moment.

  At the beginning, Kate corresponded, but then she noticed that he wasn´t who she expected and punched his bare chest fiercely. He held her tight, like talons dug in a prey. He kept his lips on hers. The more she struggled and tried to escape from his grip the more he liked it. Without shadow of a doubt that was the best kiss he had ever had. His lips continued to move against hers.

  She lost her strength and s
topped fighting, then his forehead touched hers, he breathed deeply and said, “I fell head over heels with you, Kate. This love burns me, kills me. You are my air, my water, everything I need to survive.” He sighed. “Without you I am a sky with no constellation, with no direction, I´m lost.”

  “What are you doing here?” she protested, trying to escape. “I thought you were Liu. I didn´t want to disturb you, sorry.”

  “This place doesn´t belong only to the love birds,” he replied sarcastically.

  “Wei, please, let me go,” she cried. “This is a misunderstanding. I thought you had figured it out.” Her heart thumped fast.

  He liked to hear his prey´s heart on the verge of working to escape from his claws. It was exciting and increased his desire to hunt.

  He approached her a little more. “No, listen to me, I need you. You don´t have any idea how difficult is for me to watch Liu stroking your smooth skin and kissing these soft lips. I ask you for a chance to prove that you can love me more than you love him, and that my feelings for you are stronger.”

  “I cannot date both of you at the same time, don´t do this, please.” Her breath became shallow, short, and heavy; her body´s signals revealed that she didn´t have any chance to escape from that situation.

  So, he went on. He´d press her and get all the answers he wanted. “If you don´t feel anything for me, why didn´t you tell him about our kiss in the cave, about that misunderstanding?” He confronted her. He really wanted to hear her explanations. He was curious about this fact; she had a reason to hold this secret.

  She stammered and cleared her throat. “I didn´t find the right moment. I thought I´d make things difficult for you, only this.” She gave a flimsy excuse that didn´t convince him, her mouth said one thing and her eyes another.

  He pressed her a little more. “I don´t believe you. I feel your heart beating as fast as mine. You are shaking in my arms, your body´s signs you cannot hide. What is this?” His lips glided across her cheek and mouth while he spoke. “Fear? Regret? Desire?”

  She stayed there, motionless, and without responding to his caresses, completely paralyzed as her predator savored her.

  That was disturbing. Wei lost his mind. His body yelled and he didn´t know how long he could hold himself. What stopped him dragging her to his room? His lips left hers. He shook his head, pushed her away, but held her shoulders with his arms stretched.

  She opened her watery eyes and he looked straight in them. “I´ll win you over. I´ll fight for you, and I won´t rest until you belong to me. You can take note in order not to forget; YOU WILL BE MY WIFE, YOU WILL CHOOSE ME.” He released her and turned to the other side; leaning his head back, he screamed with all his force. He released his suffering and flooded the atmosphere with smog.

  Yes, the dream was a presage, he concluded. She liked him; she had feelings for him. If he insisted, she wouldn´t be able to resist and might fall in his arms, but Liu couldn´t suspect. When she least expected, she´d be in his claws. He was a conqueror, there wasn´t one woman who didn´t surrender to his charm, with Kate it would not be different. He got what he desired.

  Wei bowed and leaned his throbbing head against his palms. He didn´t know the reason for those thoughts; where they came from? He didn´t recognize them. He didn´t recognize himself.

  Chapter 24

  Kate

  Kate walked through the corridors trying to pull herself together. How could she have known that very well built, tanned, muscular back moving vigorously belonged to Wei, not Liu? How could she mix the princes? And, how could she kiss Wei again? It was insane, inappropriate, disturbing, and immoral. Wei took advantage of her distraction and crossed all boundaries. Distraction? She really believed that? Might Liu believe?

  She was becoming a great kisser. First Phillip, second Liu, third Wei, who might be the next? Mr. Fu Chow? That thought was repellent; to kiss Mr. Fu Chow was like to kiss her father or another ancient being from the village.

  How could a simple mortal manage that situation and distinguish the princes if she only saw those monuments of nature in front of her? She knew the answer, it was easy, Liu had gained a brown spot on his nose from their first encounter, but Wei had his back to her. Those Chinese princes would drive her crazy.

  She sauntered through the palace seeking Liu. She visited so many rooms that she didn´t have any idea where she was, each room had different patterns, decoration and ornaments. She should ask Liu for a tour because she only knew their rooms, the kitchen, the dining room, and the gardens. The palace was huge and, like she imagined when they arrived, Liu´s room was just a small part of that incredible building.

  Kate found a servant and said slowly, to make herself clear. “Where is Liu?” The woman smiled but kept silent. Kate repeated her question. “Liu, where is he?”

  Kate thought about some kind of mime that might be able to demonstrate what she wanted, her hands waved in the air, though it seemed to be insufficient. She didn´t have a way to describe Liu using her hands.

  The woman continued to smile and signaled for Kate to follow her. She hesitated a little; without any other option, she followed the woman. At least she´d get a tour if she didn´t find Liu, or maybe finish up out of China if they walked too long.

  They took a lengthy corridor. The woman´s short legs moved quickly; she looked back once in a while with the same smile on her face and rushed a little more when she noticed that Kate followed her closely. They left the main building, went around it and walked to a small building. It was at that moment Kate wondered if the woman was guiding her to Liu or somewhere else.

  Smiling, the woman signaled and said, “Liu.”

  So, Kate presumed that the woman led her to the right place.

  They stopped near the door, the woman pointed to the building. Kate examined the entrance, unsure what she may find there. She thanked the woman, who bowed and left with the same smile on her face. When the servant was far enough away, Kate entered through a short hall, sluggishly, uncertain if permission was required first, then she went upstairs.

  There was Liu wearing the same kind of pants that Wei wore. Kate sat on the floor to watch his practice. He did a sequence with two swords; his movements were fast, accurate and deadly. His back muscles tensed and relaxed simultaneously with his arm movements. Definitively, Liu and Wei were identical except for the brown spot on the nose.

  No one could blame her confusion. She kept saying it mentally, trying to accept it as a fact. But would Liu believe? She didn´t want to kiss Wei, in a normal circumstance it would not have happened; however, it was wrong to leave Liu not knowing the truth. Now, she needed to pay attention, in order not to kiss the wrong brother again because she wouldn´t have an excuse.

  Liu finished his sequence, hung the swords among dozens of weapons, moved toward her and kissed her as if she was a prize for his effort.

  “How did you find me here?” He sat down comfortably beside her.

  “A gentle woman guided me. I told her ‘Liu’ and she brought me to this place. Is this where you store the army weapons?” Her eyes raced across the walls full of weapons imagining how many soldiers had made use of them centuries ago.

  For some reason, to pronounce the word ‘century’ had become common, it didn´t sound strange or bother her anymore. This word didn´t exist in her vocabulary before, or she just never said it, at least until two weeks ago when she discovered that the legend that obliged Sam to live in another place was a lie and that she had a centenary boyfriend.

  “No. This is our private gym; on the left side are my weapons, on the right Wei´s.” Liu grasped her hand and leaped, pulling her to her feet. “Let me show you.” He strode to the wall and explained about the swords, “My favorite kind of weapon is the sword. I own all kind of models.” He took the first. “This is called Liuyedao, it has a slight curve throughout the length of the blade; it is able to cut or slice efficiently, and it is very precise. It is also used by military as well as civilian people.”<
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  Kate held the sword. “People keep this kind of weapon in their houses? I mean, it seems too dangerous.” She imagined what her father would say if he saw it in their house. He might not agree with that.

  Liu laughed, took the weapon from her hands, hung it in its wall hanger and moved to the next. “It was harsh times, Kate.” He took another one. “This is the Yanmaodao; the blade is straight until the curve begins around the center of its strength along the last one quarter or so of the blade approaching the tip. The center of its strength is the point on the blade with the least vibration on hard contact, the spot on the blade that transmits the most power to the target in a hard chop.”

  “I think it is difficult to hit the enemy with that curved blade. I have always used straight blades.” She shrugged; her consideration seemed nonsense because Liu narrowed his eyebrows and studied the weapon a little more, without getting any conclusion.

  Liu continued, “This is Dadao; it is a great weapon and is used with two hands. It is very intimidating. Dadao has a blade that ranges between two to three inches becoming broader toward the tip. The forward weight and balance of the Dadao gives it considerable slashing and chopping power, making it an effective close combat weapon.” He demonstrated how to use it; he showed a combination of attack and defense movements.

  Kate forced her jaw up to close her mouth. “I get goose bumps only thinking about a close combat with this kind of weapon.” Kate couldn´t blink in front of the demonstration; it was very intimidating. She thought that her practice with Phillip was hard, that they went to the limit of their bodies; big mistake.

  Liu went on, “This is the Niueweidao, it is a heavy bladed weapon never used in any military, but is used by civilians.”

  “Why don´t the military use this?” Kate took it and examined the sword; her fingers traveled across the blade as if she was able to read it.