by Sophie Stern
With a start, Sanguine realized it was time for him to stop moping and get his act together. It was time for him to step up and be the man he kept telling himself that he was. The Princess Kaira had fallen into the darkness and would inevitably be swept away in the underground current.
Only he could save her.
Only he could rescue his prize.
Sanguine knew that he would never make it down the narrow passageway if he stayed in his true form. Taking a deep breath, he transformed slowly back into his human self, cringing as the scales disappeared to give way to soft flesh. Although he had been shapeshifting for many years, it was still a strange feeling. It still hurt a little.
Sanguine ran down the hall, splashing through the small puddles and trying not to slide on the ground until he reached the hole that Kaira had fallen through. Without thinking twice, he jumped down behind her and fell into the icy depths beneath.
As he landed in the water with a splash, Sanguine came up for air and began to look for Kaira. The water was flowing quickly, and he began to make long strokes, heading for her continued screams. Though he was a man now, his eyes still held the strength of a dragon and pierced the darkness before him.
She was just ahead of him.
She was just before the waterfall that led to the pit of Anlaowi.
He had only a moment to save her before they would both inevitably perish.
And Sanguine had no plans to die.
11
King Liam had given up on the idea that his daughter would return to him of her own accord. It had been days since she vanished. If Kaira had managed to trap a troll, she would have returned by now. Even if she hadn’t, the girl would have run out of food and come home.
As it was, the King had heard nothing of his daughter’s whereabouts and could no longer spare the guards he had sent to search the edges of the forest.
Even if he could permit them to leave their posts for a longer period of time, the King feared that it would be a useless endeavor. The guards, after all, were even more superstitious than most of the villagers.
The young guards wouldn’t dare to wander into troll territory.
The older ones wouldn’t dare to wander into dragon territory.
It was on the third day of Kaira’s missing that the King called for his most noble knight: Sir Edward.
The Knight appeared before the King as requested, but did not know what was to be asked of him. When Edward entered the throne room, he was covered in dirt and sweat, tired from an afternoon of hunting and training.
“I need you,” King Liam told him, “to bring back my Kaira.”
The knight looked surprised. Though he considered himself to be valiant and brave, he had not assumed that he would be the King’s first choice for a savior. Edward was a determined soldier, but he was not as experienced as some of the other knights. He had seen battles, of course, but he had also seen great losses.
“It would be an honor,” he told the King quickly, before the wise old man had a chance to change his mind. Edward had been on many adventures and his own share of rescue missions, but never one so vital to the progression of the kingdom.
“I can leave at once,” Edward assured the King, but Liam held up his hand.
“There is something you must know first,” the King told Edward. “There is a secret in the forest, one you must know of before you begin your journey. Your discretion is of the utmost importance.”
Edward nodded as the King continued. He had heard tales, whispers of a creature: a hidden beast who lay within the darkness of the forest. Edward had often imagined, as a boy, that he hunted the beast and defeated it. When he had set aside his childish ways, however, he had given up on the idea of killing monsters.
It seemed foolish, somehow.
Until the King admitted that the tales were shrouded in truth.
“Many years ago, dragons roamed freely throughout the land,” King Liam told him. “They had the power to change their appearance into that of a man.”
The King stood and began to pace as he spoke, nervously wringing his hands together, as if he was about to divulge a terrible secret.
And he was.
“While most dragons prefer to live in solitude, away from other beasts, these were different.”
“How were they different?” Asked Edward.
“They didn’t want our land or our gold. These ones wanted our women,” the King told him. “It became commonplace for women young and old to seek the counsel and the company of the dragon men. It became too much to manage. Telling a human apart from a dragon is nearly impossible, especially to the untrained eye. They had to be stopped.”
“So they were killed?” Edward asked.
The King nodded.
“Banished or killed. All of them." Liam said. "Well, all but one,” he admitted. “The cleverest and youngest of the dragons: Sanguine. Even the bravest knights could not capture him. Even the most noble of steeds could not outrun him. Even the smartest noblemen could not outwit him. And even I,” the King paused, “could not defeat him.”
“What does this have to do with the princess, Majesty?”
“Kaira has been gone for three days. Sanguine has been without the company of a woman for a very long time. He would be able to smell her instantly, should she get close to his location.”
“Sanguine has her?”
The King nodded. “That is what I suspect.”
“How can I find this dragon?”
“I will tell you,” said the King, “but you must be constantly on your alert. The dragon is cleverer than you can possibly imagine: smarter than you could ever know. And a dragon will do anything to protect his prize.”
Edward rose and pushed his long, black hair back over his shoulder. He was taller than the King, though much younger. His youthfulness was marred with scars and regrets, of lost battles and won wars. He was determined, though, which was why King Liam had chosen him. What Edward lacked in experience he made up for in loyalty.
That would get him far.
Liam just hoped it would be far enough.
12
Sanguine pulled Kaira from the water and collapsed on her as they both came up sputtering and gasping for air. He made a mental note to practice swimming more frequently, as he was rusty and out of shape. In years past, he would have been able to capture a fair maiden without breaking a sweat.
Today things were different.
She was different.
Kaira lay on the cold stone ground, staring up at Sanguine.
"You saved me," she told him. "After I ran, you still saved me."
"I would never let anything happen to you, Princess."
He meant it, too. Despite the fact that he planned to use her as a bargaining chip for the King to reinstate the status of dragons and lift their banishment, Sanguine was beginning to grow fond of Kaira's unique personality and unusual charm.
“Can I please go home?" Kaira asked him, still lying on the ground.
"No," he told her simply. The girl's face fell, and he felt a pang of guilt. Perhaps she missed her family. Maybe she wanted her old life back. Maybe she just didn't like dragons very much.
"You still need to meet with the dragon," Sanguine told her. She nodded.
"Yes, Sir. I do."
Sanguine couldn't stop staring at her soft lips or her fleshy curves. He thought, briefly, about seeing her in the water earlier, about how she had allowed him to touch her.
Then he saw her start to shiver.
"We need to get you to bed," he told her. "Before you get sick."
Kaira nodded, grateful that she wouldn't have to spend the night in her cage. Sanguine led her slowly down the halls of the cave, through different caverns, up a small staircase, and around a bend.
She tried to keep track of where they were going, but everything looked the same.
Kaira would not have an easy time finding her way out of the cave again. Not that she did so well the first time.
&nbs
p; There were very few torches in this part of the cave. Kaira wondered how (or why) there were so many in the treasure room. Here Sanguine led her slowly holding his own small lantern, grasping her hand and leading her through the flickering darkness.
Then they reached a large wooden door.
It was his room.
She knew it immediately.
Sanguine pushed the door open.
The luscious bed stood in the center of the dark room called to her, begging her to come sleep, begging her to come play.
Sanguine turned to place the lantern on a small table. There was a wardrobe in the corner and he began to look for something suitable for Kaira to wear. It would not do to have her fall ill, not when she was underground. Finding something satisfactory, Sanguine turned around with a smile on his face, but it turned to surprise when he saw her.
Kaira was standing in the center of the room, completely naked. Her wet clothing sat in a pile near her feet.
"You saved me," she told him softly. She had said it so many times, as if she couldn’t quite believe that it had happened.
Sanguine nodded.
"Thank you."
Sanguine nodded again, unable to keep his eyes from her soft, supple breasts. Oh, he wanted to lick her nipples. Then, just for fun, he'd nibble them a bit.
Kaira took a step forward and leaned in, kissing Sanguine softly on the cheek.
“You didn’t have to,” she told him. “But I’m glad you did.”
Without another word, Kaira headed toward the bed, climbed beneath the covers, and fell fast asleep. Sanguine stood with the outstretched dress, still surprised. Then he slumped down into a nearby chair and sat there until the morning, wondering how he had ever gotten himself into this mess.
13
Kaira woke to the unusual feeling of warmth on her face. Prying one eye opened, she was surprised to look up and see a glimmer of light wafting down from a small opening in the cave’s ceiling. Enjoying the small amount of light, she rolled around on the bed for a moment, soaking up the sun’s rays.
“It’s why I chose this room,” a voice said.
Kaira sat up in bed and smiled when she saw Sir sitting in a chair.
“Afraid I was going to run away?” She asked with a smile.
“You might run away,” he commented, not allowing his eyes to drift from her body. Kaira seemed unaware of her beauty. He wondered if she had ever been told just how gorgeous she really was. Somehow he doubted it. If anyone had ever looked twice at Kaira, they never would have let her go.
At least, he wouldn’t have.
Kaira stretched out on the bed before sitting up. She moved slowly in the morning, as if she was still tired from the events of the week.
Sanguine didn’t blame her.
Kaira had been through a lot of personal changes in a short period of time. Life underground would take some getting used to, especially for a princess.
“Would you like your dress?” Sanguine asked, holding out the garment he had chosen the day before.
“Yes.” Kaira ambled slowly toward him. “Thank you, Sir,” she told him.
She took the dress and gingerly slid it over her head. Sanguine couldn’t look away from her body as she began to button the front of her gown.
“Allow me,” he told her, reaching forward. Kaira did not protest as he began to carefully button her dress.
Her chest rose and fell with each breath, accentuating her tender breasts. When he reached the top button, just at her breasts, he slid his hand softly over them and traced her skin softly up to her neck. When his hand reached her cheek, Kaira tilted her head into his hand and closed her eyes.
She suddenly felt very warm and very safe here: two things she had not felt in a very, very long time.
“You must be hungry,” Sanguine said.
Kaira nodded, and he took her hand. Sanguine did not speak as he guided her down the narrow hall to the dining room. Kaira sat in the same seat she had the day before. Her stomach rumbled as she sat there, quietly waiting.
Unlike the day before, there was no feast on the table.
There was only bread, and cheese, and wine.
Kaira wondered if Sir would chain her to the chair this time, to prevent her from trying to escape again. Somehow, without saying a word, they both knew that she would try no such thing again.
“Are you hungry?” Sanguine asked.
Kaira nodded.
There were no knives on the table to cut the bread with today, so he simply broke a piece in half and placed the two halves on her plate. He handed her a bit of cheese and poured a glass of wine.
Without thanking him or even looking up, Kaira dove into the food, shoving as much in her mouth as she could. She was hungrier than she’d ever felt in her life. It felt like she hadn’t eaten in months.
Sanguine looked at her with an amused smirk on his face. He loved watching her. Even though she was ravishing her food, there was still a quiet beauty about her. It had been a very long time since he had met a princess who still had an air of innocence about her, but he felt it in Kaira.
And it made him want her even more.
When she finished eating, he took her by the hand.
“Let’s go,” he told her.
“Where?”
“Anywhere you want. Anything you want to see.”
Kaira had grown used to the dimness of the cave, to the darkness of her dwelling, but she knew there was still more that she hadn’t yet had the chance to explore.
“How long have you been down here?” She asked Sir, cocking her head slightly.
“A very long time.”
“Do you ever wish you could go outside?” Kaira wondered.
“I do go outside.”
“May I go outside?”
“No.”
Kaira sighed. It was worth a shot. She knew that there was no way she’d ever get out of this cave, at least not unless something miraculous happened, which she wasn’t counting on.
“Then show me your favorite place within it.”
Sanguine hesitated only momentarily before leading Kaira down a hallway. He held her hand tightly, gripping it, as if he thought she might run away at any moment.
Kaira winced from his tight grasp, but knew he was well within his rights to hold her so.
After all, she had run away once before.
She might try to do it again.
She didn’t know, at that point, if she would try. She didn’t know if it was worth it. The cave was huge. The tunnels ran deep into the mountain and beneath the forbidden forest. What would she do if she got lost again? What if Sanguine wasn’t there to save her next time? Did she really want to die down here, cold and alone? Would death really be so much better than staying in the darkness with a dragon?
They kept walking.
Sanguine’s thoughts were loud in his head as he led Kaira down the winding tunnels. He knew each rock in the caves by heart. He knew every inch. He should, after all. He’d been down here long enough. He tried to focus on finding the spot he intended to show her, but it was hard with her hand in his. All he kept thinking about was how soft she felt in his hands, how delicate she looked in her dress, and how much he wanted to glide his body over hers until she screamed in ecstasy.
“It’s not much further,” he told her softly.
“Okay,” Kaira said agreeably. It surprised Sanguine a bit, just how demure she was being today. He had known from the first moment he found her that Kaira was different, that she was stronger than other girls. He knew immediately that she would keep him on his toes. He knew that he wouldn’t be eating her, at least not in the literal sense.
He knew that he wanted to give this once a chance.
It wasn’t often a dragon found a young woman he thought he could bond with. Dragons were notorious loners. They had to be, after all. They were big enough that more than one dragon in any place would draw unnecessary attention from the villagers. It was better for everyone if they lived alone.
But that didn’t mean Sanguine enjoyed it.
It didn’t mean he didn’t feel lost without a woman’s touch.
Could Kaira be more than a bargaining chip for the future of his race? Could she be the one he had been searching for? Could she be the woman he would live with? Could she be the princess above all princesses? Could she be the girl he hoped would change his life?
He glanced back at her, in the dark. He held the torch a bit higher so that the light shone on her face.
When his eyes caught hers, she surprised him.
She smiled.
14
Edward tromped through the forest, stepping on leaves and counting the number of rabbits he saw. If only he were hunting for supper and not for a dragon, he’d be in over his head. He wondered, briefly, why he’d never thought to explore the forest while looking for something to eat. It made sense that there would be more animals here than in the rest of the kingdom: no one ever came into the forest.
He sighed, knowing that he could not allow himself to get sidetracked. Hunting for a princess, while obviously a noble task, was also the most boring thing Edward had ever done. At least in war there were actually things to kill, but a shapeshifting dragon? Edward loved his king, but felt underwhelmed at the task.
While he had been excited at first to be charged with such a responsibility, he had been alone in the forest for two days with nothing to think about but Kaira and King Liam. Was the king serious when he suggested Edward defeat a shapeshifer? Did such a thing even exist? Had the king gone mad? Was this quest just an attempt to rid the kingdom of Edward?
The blundering knight wondered if he had inadvertently done something to anger the king. Perhaps he had. Perhaps he had said something wrong, behaved inappropriately, or simply failed to impress the king with his conquests. Edward wished he knew if he was wasting his time wandering about the forbidden wood. Was he actually going to find a princess? Or was the darling Kaira long dead? Was Edward walking into a trap?