Honey Wine

by Brieanna Robertson

  She had nothing now, not really. Now that Uncle Sal was gone all she had was a useless degree and a trade that could get her by in a world she felt out of place in. Maybe it made no sense, but she felt more at home in her medieval, maroon dress, holding an ale horn and idly talking about fighting dragons with a mythical man than she ever had back in New York. The thought of remaining with Gabriel was more appealing than thoughts of returning home. In all reality, everything that had been home to her had died along with Uncle Sal. She had nothing left to return to. Nothing that mattered, anyway.

  Running her palm up Gabriel's chest, she looked into his eyes and smiled. “Do you know what I wish?"

  He frowned in question.

  Her smile morphed into a broad grin. “I wish I could have another taste of that honey wine."

  He looked surprised for a second before a ravenously beautiful smile split his lips. He grasped the ale horn from her again and tipped it up to take a long drink from it. Then, he turned to her with a wicked smirk and lowered his lips to hers. She lost herself in the taste of the wine, and of him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed against him. Electric fire tingled between them, and she surrendered to the magic of everything that made Gabriel who and what he was. She knew in that moment that she would gladly turn her back on her sad excuse for a life in the real world to live something else at his side. A life that Uncle Sal would definitely have been proud of.

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  Chapter Seven

  Gabriel swallowed hard. An overwhelming stench, originating from the immense cavern in front of him, twisted through the air. An orange-yellow glow pulsated from it, and the growls from within shook the cracked, parched ground he stood on.

  "Gabriel.” Autumn's voice was strained and fierce, and she gripped his hand with vehemence. “Are you sure you want to do this?"

  He closed his eyes and tried to will some kind of calm to return to him. No, of course he didn't want to do this. Fighting a dragon was not on his list of plans, but if he ever wanted to find some answers about his life, and about what he was, he had no choice.

  He hated the fear he heard in Autumn's voice. The night before had been exquisite. He had held her while they slept beneath the canopy of roses he had created, basking in the sultry light of the red moon. He had never before felt so content. His meager existence had awarded him few pleasures. Autumn was a treasure he never wanted to relinquish. He wanted to always feel her soft body pressed to his, her warmth against his skin, her lips on his own. He could never have any of those things if he became dinner for the king of the dragons.

  "Gabriel?” she persisted.

  Steeling his resolve, he drew in a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He was strong, and he was more than capable of handling himself. And if he really wanted to make some kind of lasting future for he and Autumn, whatever that might entail, he couldn't do it as half a man. He needed to figure out who he was, completely, and in order to do that, he needed to find his people. This was the only course available to him.

  He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly in one hand and turned to face Autumn. “Listen to me,” he said. “I want you to stay out here where it's safe."

  She snorted and gave him a ferocious scowl. “Like hell, Gabriel! I am not going to twiddle my thumbs out here while you fight a freaking dragon!"

  He shook his head adamantly. “I won't be able to concentrate if I am worried about your safety. Please, Autumn, stay out here where it is safe. I promise, I'll be fine."

  "You can't make that kind of promise! No one has ever beaten him before!"

  "He's never had to fight an Elemental. I have advantages others don't.” He took her firmly, yet gently, by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “I would only be thinking about you if you came in there with me. You have no means of defending yourself.” His lips turned up at the corners. “Perhaps if he was one of your instructors your killer instinct would kick in, but as it stands now, I would be too concerned for you."

  She did not look amused, and she folded her arms across her chest. “Nice, Gabriel. Make a joke. I'm laughing so hard."

  He couldn't stop his chuckle and he reached up to cup her cheek in his palm. “Please, lovely one,” he said softly. “I need you to listen to me."

  Worry mirrored in her eyes and she tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth. His heart twisted at her discomfort and he took her face in his hands. “Do not fret. It will be all right.” He really wished he believed his own words. He wished he could be more convincing, too, because she looked anything but relieved.

  "Gabriel,” she rasped, her voice thick with apprehension. “You told me last night you wanted me to stay with you when all of this was over. You made roses grow out of the ground in a second and swept me away in the intoxicating taste of honey wine. You seduced me with the thought of something so much more than the life I have known. How can I obtain that if you get eaten?” She grasped the fabric of his shirt in her fists. “There has to be a better way than this. There has to be some kind of other option!"

  He sighed. “You want to wait around for fifty years for the Elemental chieftain?” Her eyes darkened, and he stroked his thumbs back and forth across her cheeks. “Autumn, you said yourself that I need to know who I am. You were right when you said it, but it's so much more important now. I want to be with you. I want to learn about you and teach you about me. How can I do that if I don't even know about me? How can we ever really know one another?"

  Tears hovered on her lashes, and her bottom lip trembled. “I just don't want you to get hurt."

  His heart melted, and he gathered her in his arms, bringing his lips down on hers with tender passion. She reached her arms around his neck and kissed him hungrily, thrusting her tongue inside his mouth in an aggressive way that tore a groan from his throat and made his blood turn molten. Waves of heat pulsated off him, and primal, driving instincts ripped through him, shouting to claim her as his, make her his mate. He didn't fully understand it, as he didn't fully understand himself, but it was all consuming. Fire blazed through his veins and he ached to the point that he trembled. It was different from the lonely ache he'd experienced before. This was need. Raw and unadulterated. He needed Autumn in his life. He needed her to survive.

  She tangled her fingers in his hair, and he plundered her mouth while he felt each one of the elements that made up his body rage in turn. It was like a volatile tempest, releasing each and every one of his abilities in the most violent way, tore through him. Infernal heat poured off him in a way that he feared would hurt Autumn, but it seemed to only heighten her passion.

  She trailed her fingers down his neck and to his chest, then delved them beneath his shirt, and caressed his skin. It was the final straw. He felt like something within him exploded. Flames burst from his wings and formed three columns that whirled around them like tornadoes, creating sinful, decadent, sultry heat that fanned their desire.

  Just as quickly as it had happened, the fire was doused by torrential, driving rain that soaked them instantly. Pulling away from Gabriel, Autumn gasped in surprise and looked around in bewilderment. He growled low in his throat and felt empty without her lips fused to his. He needed to touch her, needed to feel her along every inch of him. His pressed his lips to her throat and tilted her head back so that he had free reign of her neck.

  The rain abated, and wild wind whipped at their hair and clothing. He nibbled along her jawline, placed searing kisses to her flesh, and nipped at her earlobe before returning his mouth to hers. He felt a strange, pulling sensation. Like his heart was trying to climb out of his body and give itself over to her. He tightened his arms around her, and she fit perfectly against him, melded against him until he felt like they were one person.

  Slowly, his uncontrollable, volatile desire dissipated into a warm glow that caused him to soften his kiss and hold her like the precious gift that she was. The burn of his craving for her simmered just beneath the surface. He had no doubt that, with a
little coaxing, it would rage into an inferno once again.

  When he finally pulled away, she let out a little sigh and rested her head against his shoulder. “What was that?” she whispered.

  He shook his head as he stroked her hair. “I have no idea.” He opened his eyes and tried to pull back, but something halted his progress. Bewildered, he glanced down to see that vines, not unlike the ones he had created for her the night before, had sprouted out of the ground and woven themselves up around their legs. They twined all the way up to their waists, binding them, tying them together.

  "Whoa,” Autumn murmured, discovering the same thing Gabriel had. “What's this all about?” She tried to step back, but the vines held and kept her connected to him.

  "Again, I have no idea.” This was why he had to fight the dragon. He knew nothing about his own abilities, his own heritage. What if he had hurt Autumn with his out of control display of passion? He never would have been able to live with himself. He had to get to his people. He needed to know about his past so that he had the ability to build a future.

  Slowly, Gabriel reached down and snapped the vines binding them together. With each one, he felt like his heart was breaking. It was another thing he didn't understand, but deep within him, something told him that what had happened between he and Autumn was extremely important.

  When he had freed them, he stepped back and took Autumn's hands in his. “Wait for me out here,” he said, reaching up to caress her cheek. “I will return to you."

  She looked terrified, and he couldn't deny that he wasn't feeling half as confident as he wanted her to believe he was. He hadn't fought anything in five hundred years. What if being a statue for so long had dulled his reflexes, or damaged his memory?

  He shook himself mentally. He couldn't think that way. Failure wasn't an option. He needed to succeed so that he could find his people. He needed to succeed so that he could make a life for himself, without pieces missing. He needed to succeed for the wonderful woman who had set him free.

  Pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead, he turned and strode toward the mouth of the cave while gathering his courage and pulling his blade free of its sheath with a resonating ring.

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  Chapter Eight

  Gabriel was enveloped by heat as soon as he set foot inside the cave. It pulsated off the walls, matching in time to the deep, rumbling snores he heard from within. He swallowed hard, gripped his sword tight, and closed his eyes for a moment to tame the rapid thundering of his heart. He drew in a deep, calming breath and thought of Autumn, of the strange and fascinating exchange of passion they had experienced outside. This was for her. This was for them.

  Sucking his breath in, he opened his eyes and squared his shoulders, drawing strength from the five-hundred-year-old warrior's heart within him. At one time, he had been a force to be reckoned with. He could be that again. He would be that again.

  "Dragon!” His voice echoed off the walls around him. “You have a challenger! I am in need of your assistance!"

  The rhythmic snoring ceased, and all was unnervingly silent for a long moment. Then, the ground began to shiver, and an enormous red and gold dragon, looking irritable and not amused, loped out of its hiding place. Blowing puffs of smoke out of his nostrils, he snorted in what sounded like disdain and sat down on its haunches. His beady, yellow eyes scanned over Gabriel critically.

  Gabriel gripped his sword tighter, waiting.

  The dragon rolled his eyes and made a groaning noise. “Oh, not another one of you,” he grumbled. “You are the third challenger in four days. I am getting too old for this. A dragon needs his sleep too, you know."

  Gabriel raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

  "What is your name, young man?” the dragon yawned.

  "Uh ... Gabriel,” he replied in bewilderment.

  The dragon nodded and picked absently at his teeth with a hooked talon. “I like to know the names of my victims before I devour them. It makes it, oh, I don't know, so much more personal."

  Gabriel frowned and raised his sword in preparation. “If that is so then I would like to know your name. Since it is you who will be defeated this day."

  "Right, right,” the dragon muttered, hoisting himself back up on all fours. “Well, tell me, what is your driving motivation to best the king of the dragons? Where are you trying to get to? The Far Shore? The Elven Wood?"

  "I need to get to the realm beyond the red moon. It is where my people are."

  "The Elementals, yes. I should have known. All right, then. Arm yourself!"

  Before Gabriel could even think fast enough to move his weapon, the dragon shot a stream of fire from his nostrils. It engulfed him in a cloud of searing heat, and even though he was immune to the burning effects, it still felt like needles were stinging all over his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, gritted his teeth, and waited for the fiery prison to release him.

  It stopped as abruptly as it had started and Gabriel shook his head, opening his eyes to see the dragon grinning at him. “Now, see, if you were a human you would be burnt to a crisp right now. Your sword would be useless.” His grin faded and his eyes narrowed. “Don't underestimate me, boy. That was a warning. Rest assured, I have other things that can kill an Elemental just as quickly."

  Gabriel didn't wait around to see what the dragon was going to unleash on him next. It was obvious that the conversation was a distraction technique. Realizing his elements were going to be much more beneficial in this battle, he lifted his sword and sent it hurtling hilt over point toward the dragon. The dragon had to dodge the projectile, which gave Gabriel the opportunity to slam his palm down onto the hard cave floor.

  The earth shuddered violently, sending dirt and rocks tumbling from overhead. The dragon hissed and took a swipe at Gabriel, but a huge fissure split the ground, rending the cave in two and heading straight for where the dragon stood.

  The dragon sidestepped the crevasse easily and directed another plume of fire toward Gabriel, this one hotter than the last. Gabriel held his hands up and shot a stream of ice toward the dragon to combat his flames. The fire melted the ice, and the ice caused the fire to turn to steam. Neither jet hit its intended target. The two elemental paths converged, held the other at bay, and created a massive, steaming ball that grew the longer the two of them stood their ground.

  Neither one of them backed down. Sweat began to drip down Gabriel's forehead from the strength he was exerting, and his arms ached. He squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated, trying to drive the power of his ice farther, to neutralize the effects of the dragon's fire.

  The ball of steam exploded and shot upward through the roof of the cave and into the air like a geyser.

  * * * *

  Autumn jumped and let out a little shriek as steam erupted from the roof of the cave, sending debris and dirt crashing to the ground. The thunderous roaring from the inside of the cave did nothing to ease her frayed nerves. She stared in horror and tried to block out the image of Gabriel being ripped limb from limb.

  How was she supposed to just stand out there and act like everything was fine? This was ridiculous! Gabriel was in danger! Her thoughts traveled back to the hot kisses they had shared right before he'd gone into the cave. Nothing in her life had ever felt as intense as that moment. She felt like he'd staked his claim on her, made her his in some unseen way. It was a strange, surreal feeling, but she also felt more complete than she ever had before. It was almost as if some part of her had been waiting for Gabriel.

  Her eyes narrowed and she squared her shoulders. She refused to lose him to a dragon! Not while she stood idly by!

  Trying to ignore the sick churning in her stomach, as well as the horrendous noises coming from the depths of the cave, Autumn charged forward. She had to be able to help somehow, some way. She couldn't just leave Gabriel in there by himself.

  * * * *

  Sweat dripped from Gabriel's hair and dampened his shirt. He was tiring quickly from the exer
tion it was taking just to keep himself alive. There was no chance to launch any kind of attack. The dragon kept striking fast and furious, giving Gabriel the only option to defend himself. If things kept up at this rate, the battle wouldn't last very much longer.

  The dragon gave a snort that sounded very much like a laugh as he circled Gabriel slowly. “Did you honestly think you could best me, boy?” he scoffed. “Hundreds of creatures have challenged me. No one has ever succeeded. I am the king of the dragons! Your elemental abilities hold no sway over me!"

  The dragon lunged, and Gabriel jumped and rolled, narrowly escaping his snapping, hungry jaws.

  "I will give you credit for valor and skill,” the dragon continued. “No one else has ever lasted his long. Usually I'm feasting by now."

  He snapped again, and Gabriel jumped out of the way, his chest hurting with his labored breath. There had to be some way he could get an opening, some tactic he could use to attack. He was just a creature. He wasn't invincible, even though he seemed to think that he was.

  He scanned the area for his sword, but couldn't seem to find where it had landed. He dodged another lunge by the dragon, but his weariness made his reflexes sluggish. While he evaded, he missed the swiping claw that came from the opposite direction, knocking him to the ground with a powerful force. He landed on his back with a wince, and with his talons, the dragon pinned him in place.

  The dragon lowered his snout toward Gabriel, sneering in a vicious kind of triumph. “Almost a shame to eat you,” he snarled. “You at least gave me a decent fight."

  Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut as the dragon opened its mouth and let out a hideous screech. A vision of Autumn flashed in his mind, and his heart ached with the knowledge that he had failed. He had failed her. He had failed them. The Elemental who had at one time been a warrior had failed to do the one thing that mattered to him. For five hundred years, he had existed in a state of nothingness. His loneliness had been so great that he'd turned to stone. Autumn had changed all of that. How many people had he must have encountered during his sleep? Only Autumn had been able to bring him back. She made him feel so much. He wanted to understand it. He wanted to understand everything about his own abilities that confused him. He wanted so badly to know about himself, to be complete, so that he could give her all of him. Now, he would never get that chance.