by Sophie Stern
“Are you?” She started, but then paused. She couldn’t quite believe she was seeing what she was seeing when she looked into his eyes. So many emotions rested there that Kaira wasn’t quite sure what to do: hope, fear, sadness, passion. She thought he looked lonely. She thought he looked brave.
She tried again.
“Are you… I mean, can you…”
“You want to know if I am a shifter.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.”
“What do you think?”
Kaira looked into his eyes. He had to be. It had to be him. She had never been with him or Sir at the same time. It was always separate. It was always different. And Sir, when Kaira started to get too close, had insisted that Kaira meet with Sanguine.
He had demanded it.
Kaira thought, at the time, that it was because the dragon wanted to see her. Now she wondered if it was because Sanguine could not separate the two. He could not have feelings for Kaira if she could not accept him in his true form.
Kaira again ran her hands over his snout, but this time, she stood and continued moving around his body. She traced her hands over his scaly neck, running her fingers softly over him. She then moved to his side, touching him as she made her way around his entire body. Sanguine was enormous, but he wasn’t terribly scary to be around, not anymore.
Kaira knew he had killed people, probably even girls. He had destroyed villages. He had fought many knights and many kings. She traced her finger along a small scar on his side and wondered how he had gotten it. She wondered if the memory still stung.
And then Kaira was back where she had started: at the beginning.
She placed her hands on either side of his snout and once again looked deep into Sanguine’s eyes. They flashed dark before turning back to yellow. She knew those eyes. She had looked into them many times during her time here. She had been punished by those eyes and ravaged by those eyes. She had been pushed and prodded and adored. She had been frightened and comforted. She had felt more emotions than she even knew existed.
And still she wanted more.
“Princess,” Sanguine said softly, waiting for her to finally speak.
Then Kaira did something Sanguine could only dream of, something no other princess had ever done before. She did something so shocking that it took every ounce of restraint for him not to fly around the room and shout and spurt fire with excitement.
Kaira knelt down in front of Sanguine and bowed her head.
“Sir,” she said quietly to him. “I am yours.”
24
Sanguine waited no time shifting into human form and pushing Kaira down onto the floor. He was naked, as he always was after a shift, but she didn’t seem surprised or shocked. If anything, she seemed relaxed as he pushed her dress up and slid a finger into her. She spread her legs eagerly as he reached for her. She was wet and aching, ready for him.
She wasn’t afraid.
He still wasn’t sure what to do with that knowledge.
So he did the one thing he knew he could excel at.
Sanguine curled one arm beneath Kaira’s neck, holding her up as he kissed her. His other hand continued to play her body like a harp, plucking and stroking all the right chords until she was coming unraveled in his arms. She gently arched her back as he pressed his mouth against hers. Kaira moaned loudly, gripping Sanguine, pulling him close to her body as she exploded.
Then she relaxed in his arms, melting into him with contentment and the grace of a well-exhausted princess. Though he wanted to lick her from pussy to throat, he knew he had given her a lot to think about. Taking advantage of Kaira's emotional distress was not something Sanguine was particularly interested in. No, when she came to him, when she wanted to be with him, when she was ready to forge an alliance with him, he wanted it to be because she loved him.
Not because she was comfortable with him.
Not because she was lonely and he was there.
Not because she was afraid of the darkness and Sanguine offered light.
He wanted her to want him, to need him, to crave him.
He wanted all of her.
He wanted her heart.
So Sanguine scooped Kaira up and carried her down the hallways. He twisted and turned, not needing torches to see, not needing light. He knew both the tunnels that nature created and the halls he had formed with every fiber of his being. He had been down here so long that he knew. He knew every twist, every turn, every rock.
He knew every stone.
He carried Kaira to her bed and tucked her in. She curled up on her side and fell asleep before he even left the room. He stood for a moment and watched her, sleeping peacefully. She was beautiful, for sure. Then again, the kindest princesses always were the prettiest.
Sanguine closed the door, not locking it this time, and padded quietly down the hall. He wasn't sure exactly how he ended up outside, but he did, and he was grateful for it. So much had happened that it was good to breathe the night air for a few moments. He stretched lazily, enjoying the cold air against his naked body, then leaned against the stone entrance to his home.
That's when he noticed it: the smell.
Someone had been here.
Someone, a man, had been at the cave and had stood at its entrance.
His scent lingered.
Instantly on high alert, Sanguine's eyes darted quickly around the area. No, his tracker was not here anymore, but he hadn't gone far. Why would he? Sanguine guessed that the man who had been here was close, probably waiting until morning, to enter the cave.
And Sanguine knew without a doubt that there was, in fact, only one man.
He took off into the woods, darting and leaping quietly until he found the small camp Edward had set up. Sanguine stood to the side for a moment while he watched the lone knight sleep and wondered, for just a moment, whether he should slit his throat or take him captive.
It was not an easy decision to make.
25
Kaira woke up and stretched before dropping right back onto her comfortable bed. Her blankets were kicked onto the floor in a rumpled pile, but she didn't mind. She hadn't been cold at all last night. In fact, she'd gotten herself off three times in the middle of the night, just thinking of Sanguine's touch and the way he had so beautifully shared the stories of his people.
His people.
Sir.
She thought about how the man she was quickly developing feelings for was also a terrifying dragon. She wanted to feel afraid of Sanguine. She wanted to feel petrified. She wanted to believe that he was a horrible, monstrous creature, but she couldn't because he wasn't. Despite her many mixed emotions at her new living situation, Kaira could not justify hating someone just because he happened to be a magical creature.
She couldn't.
She wouldn't.
Kaira had seen many things during her short life. Even as a young princess, she had not hidden when things got difficult or scary. She had never closed her eyes when the bodies of soldiers were returned to the castle. She had never looked away when she saw grieving widows. And Kaira, princess though she was, had never turned her back when one of her villagers was in need.
Yes, Kaira would make a good queen one day.
One day.
That is, if she ever went back. She wondered, for a moment, how she could ever look at her father the same way again. She couldn't, could she? She would always know now. She would always know that there were choices a king had to make that a princess might not understand, respect, or accept. She would know that there were choices her father had made that she could never undo. There were choices she could never accept.
Maybe it wasn't worth it, going back. Maybe it would be better just to stay, thought Kaira. She would miss the villagers, for sure, and Gladys and maybe even Ian, but her father? Kaira wasn't sure how she felt about her father anymore. Part of her never wanted to see him again for being so cruel. Another part of her wondered if she had heard the entire story. Maybe there was m
ore to his decision to kill the dragons than she knew.
Maybe there was more to this entire thing than she knew.
But so much thinking was giving Kaira a headache, so she finally crawled out of bed and walked over the door. It was strange that Sanguine hadn't come for her yet. Usually he was fairly quick to let her out.
"Hello?" She knocked on the door. "Are you out there?" There was nothing. With a sigh, she began walking around the room aimlessly, touching things and making the bed. She ran her hand over the perfectly polished wood, enjoying the way it felt against her skin. What was this place?
Though she had been living in Sanguine's lairs for awhile now, she hadn't spent much time thinking about how he had created such a beautiful place to live beneath the mountain. She felt like she was in a windowless castle. The carpet beneath her feet felt lush and perfect, and despite the stone walls, the room felt cozy.
She was comfortable.
She felt like she was at home for the first time in a very long time.
Since her mother's death, Kaira's father had tried to make her feel comfortable and cared for. He tried to make her feel provided for. The truth was, though, that no matter how hard Liam had worked to make Kaira feel safe, he had succeeded only in making her feel smothered.
Her mother was dead and Kaira wanted to explore the world around her.
The only thing Liam wanted Kaira to explore was the inside of her chambers.
Well, that and his plans for her life, which mostly included marrying the prince of Ellapor. She cringed as she thought about it. Liam had started bringing it up a few months after Kaira's birthday into adulthood and though he assured Kaira that it was her decision, she knew that the future of her kingdom might depend on her choice.
Kaira shivered as she thought about being forced to marry someone she had never met. Liam assured her that the prince was handsome and popular with the women in his village, but Kaira didn't want a handsome prince. She cared more about someone being a good person, about being a kind person, about being the kind of person who would push her to be someone more than she was.
She wanted adventure.
She didn't want sitting around with a prince.
She walked over to the door again, knocking louder this time.
"Hello? Sanguine? I'm still in here." She paused before mumbling, "I'm hungry." Seriously, where the hell was he? It wasn't like Sanguine to leave her alone in the mornings. Though she had no way of knowing exactly how late it was, she knew it had to be time for a meal.
She knocked again, but there was still no answer.
She placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it.
To Kaira's surprise, the door swung open into the empty hallway.
She was free.
26
She entered the hallway, wondering why Sanguine had decided not to lock her up last night. It wasn't an oversight: that much she knew for certain. If the dragon was going to make a mistake, it would not be like this. Not ever. Sanguine was too determined, too precise, too perfect to simply "forget" to lock her away.
No, something else was going on today, and Kaira intended to discover what it was.
Was Sanguine trying to see what she would do? Was he curious to see how Kaira would react to being free? Did he want to see if she would stay hiding in her bedroom? Was he wondering if she would be able to find her way outside of the caves?
And did he expect her to?
She walked quietly out of her room. There was a single torch outside the door, which he grabbed. Though Sanguine seemed to be able to navigate the halls quickly in the dark, Kaira did not have the same talent.
Not quite sure where she was going, she held the torch up and walked quietly down the hallway. There were no paintings, but the floor here, like in her bedroom, was lined with carpeting. She padded softly down the hall until it turned, then she continued.
Where was Sanguine?
She wondered how it felt to be him, locked away all the time for all these years. She wondered if he ever felt lonely up here, all by himself. It was a very lonely place, though Kaira. There were no parties, no laughter, no friends. There were no families. There were no groups for comfort. There were no other dragons Sanguine could talk to when he felt sad.
How long had he been here?
How long had he been alone?
Kaira felt sad for a moment when she thought about Sanguine and what it felt like to be him. Though she had felt isolated many times since her mother's death, she had always had the benefit of being surrounded by people. It was hard to feel alone for too long when you were a princess, surrounded by people. It was hard to feel alone in a crowded room.
Not that it wasn't possible.
But Kaira was first and foremost a princess. With that came many responsibilities. One of them was always socializing with her guards, her maids, and even stupid Ian. Kaira had learned long ago that part of being royalty meant not giving herself the chance to feel alone. Perhaps that was part of the reason she found that she didn’t mind staying with Sanguine. Though she was a prisoner, of course, she had the opportunity to finally, for once in her young life, be by herself.
She didn’t have to worry about parties or planning. She didn’t have to worry about corsets or dresses. She didn’t have to worry about making small talk with her father’s friends. Kaira didn’t have to worry about any of that. No, the only thing she had to worry about was finding Sanguine .
The only thing she had to worry about was pleasing him.
She kept walking. Eventually the hall she was in curved again and she could see light up ahead. Kaira felt her heart begin to race a little as she thought of finding him. Somehow, things seemed strange without him by her side. Somehow, she felt a little hollow without him. She knew it was silly, developing feelings for her captor. She knew it was wrong, forbidden. Kaira’s father would never let her mate with a dragon, would never let a dragon sit on the throne beside her, but part of her wondered, just for a moment, what would happen if things were different.
What if Sanguine could come with her? What if he could be King when Liam died? What if she could mate him and rule by his side, having his babies and sucking his cock? Her people would be safe with a dragon, that she knew. They would be cared for. They would be protected far better than if she were the only one caring for them. Sanguine could offer her people many things. One of those things was safety.
As she grew nearer and nearer the light emanating into the hallway, Kaira thought about Sanguine kissing her. She wondered if he would be man or dragon when she reached him. She wondered if he would push her down and ravish her. She wondered if she would fall to her knees and worship his cock with her lips.
Warmth radiated throughout her body as she crept closer and closer. Her thighs began to feel slick with her juices as she grew aroused at the thought of Sanguine. Though she had been with him before, something about him made her feel anxious and excited. Something about him made her feel just a little bit nervous. Maybe it was because he was so dangerous and edgy. Maybe it was because he was just so damn sexy. Whatever Sanguine’s allure, Kaira expected to take full advantage of it.
So when she turned the corner and saw Sanguine in the flesh, she ran to him and wrapped her arms around him.
"You didn't lock me up," she murmured, kissing him on the mouth.
"No, I didn't." He smiled lightly. Somehow, he didn't seem as happy to see her as she had expected. Was something wrong? Kaira looked around the room for a second, trying to figure out what was different. What was strange? Why wasn't Sanguine his usual self? No, he wasn't exactly a happy dragon, but he was never aloof.
Then she saw it.
Kaira's mouth dropped open when she noticed Sanguine's latest catch. In the corner of the room, where he had once held Kaira captive, Sanguine now had a different creature. This one was bigger, older, wiser, nobler. This one was different. This one was stronger.
This one she recognized.
"Edward?" She asked, taking a ste
p forward.
But the knight didn't move.
27
"Why?" She turned to Sanguine, barely able to peel her eyes away from the noble Edward. He looked horrible. She wondered if he had eaten. Then she realized he hadn't. Of course he hadn't. He was a prisoner, just like she was, but this was different.
Edward wasn't sleeping with the dragon.
"Why did you catch him?" She asked.
Sanguine's eyes blinked silently. She stared into them, trying not to get lost in his gaze. He was a man before her. She tried to convince herself that he was like any other man, but she knew it wasn't true. Sanguine was so much more than that. He was so much greater.
"He came to take you," Sanguine said. His eyes glowed as he looked at her, and Kaira knew there was so much more than lust. Yes, Sanguine found her beautiful. There was no doubt about that, but there was something more. Sanguine cherished her. He adored her. He was captivated by her. Sanguine thought that Kaira was fantastic and she felt the same way about him.
She looked toward Edward again before placing her hands in Sanguine's.
"He didn't just come to take me, did he?" She asked softly. If Edward, one of her father's best knights, had come in search of her, Kaira knew there was much more to the story. Her father would not be content with simply saving his daughter.
Sanguine shook his head. His hair shook softly as he did, and Kaira reached for it. She ran her fingers through his locks, loving the way he felt against her. She felt at home with Sanguine. She felt at peace with him. She felt like this was perfect, just where she belonged.
Edward was a reminder of where she came from. He was a reminder of her father, the man she had once felt was strong, the man she had once believed in above all else. Now, though, she saw who her father really was: a killer. She wondered whether he had sent Edward to save her or to kill Sanguine. Probably both. Which did he care more about?