“Zoran,” she said softly, waking him.
Her imaginary gremlin giggled.
Instantly, Zoran’s eyes were open. Seeing her face leaning over him, surrounded by the waves of her blonde hair, he smiled.
“The king and queen wish to see us. I’ll be right outside.” Pia stood before he could react and was out of the tent.
* * *
Zoran sat up, scratching his stomach. He’d spent the night dreaming of family. He wanted children desperately, many fine warrior sons that would make both parents proud. The evening before he had decided not to press the issue of children with his wife, as there would be plenty of time for that, but apparently his dreams had not let the matter go so easily.
What did matter was that his life had transferred into her, connecting them. Maybe not completely, but it was a start. Soon their souls would join and he would be able to feel her as if she were his own heart beating inside his chest. And they would be able to telepathically speak to each other, even over long distances. Such was the way for dragon-shifters. His life was now hers. It really was that simple.
He absently grabbed a shirt from the pile of clothes on the bed next him. Blinking as tried to pull it on, he realized it wasn’t a shirt at all, but Pia’s dress. He frowned to discover his boots on the floor and none of his other clothing.
He was wrong. There was nothing simple about the woman he’d married.
“Pia,” he called, keeping his fur loincloth on as he crossed to the tent’s opening. His little bride was nowhere to be seen. By all the gods! “Pia!”
* * *
Pia smiled and kept walking as Zoran yelled her name. A light bounce entered her steps. Heading toward the campgrounds, she ignored the other tents. Soon, she was where the giant bonfires had burned so brightly the night before. The flames were low, almost out.
Grinning like she didn’t have a care in the world, she ignored the stares she received. Somehow the adverse attention was comfortingly familiar to her. She was at ease under the obvious scrutiny and judgment.
Pia found the platform in the front of the crowd. Councilmen stood to the side of the royal couple, who were seated in the middle. King Llyr and Queen Mede’s crowned heads shone pleasantly. They were dressed in matching purple tunics.
Noticing her attention, the king stopped in mid-sentence and bowed his head regally at her. His eyes clouded in confusion as he took in her attire. Soon all the council was staring at her too. Pia slowly stepped up the stairs and bowed while tugging up the waist of her oversized breeches. Her bare feet poked out and she tapped her toes absently on the wooden planks.
“Where is Zoran?” the queen asked, after taking in the woman’s masculine attire.
Pia smiled and gave an impish shrug. Her voice clear, she said, “In bed. I guess he overslept.”
The crowd laughed. The king muttered, sounding discontent. The queen stiffened, her brow knitting ever so slightly in worry.
Pia’s smile wavered at the sound of amusement. She expected to be amusing at best, but the sound of the crowd’s laughter was becoming mocking. She glanced behind her at them and then back to the king and queen. The crowd grew quieter, edging closer to hear anything she might say. “I was told I was to come and—”
“There he is!” someone shouted behind her.
Pia closed her eyes, suppressing the grin that tried to spread over her features. She wondered if he wore the dress. When she had control over her expression, she turned to see. He still wore the loincloth. His armband sparkled in the sunlight to contrast his tanned flesh.
“Excuse me,” Zoran announced, giving a quick wave to the crowd. They cheered him like he was a hero, even as their laughter turned to good humor. He stepped up arrogantly to join his naughty wife. He eyed his tunic on her.
“We will be back to report in a moment,” Zoran announced. The crowd laughed louder, enjoying the great comedy of the morning event. The king’s eyebrows shot up in question and Zoran gestured dismissively. King Llyr looked at his wife. Queen Mede’s eyes widened and she tossed her hand. She shook her head, as if at a loss for words.
Zoran gave his wife a bemused look. Then, with a decisive grunt, he leaned over, picked her up off the ground and threw her over his shoulder. Pia yelped, her shout of displeasure causing the members of the crowd to fall over each other with laughter. The sound of merriment grew by leaps and bounds until all teasing was lost in a sea of gasping breaths and sharp sighs.
Zoran didn’t say a thing as he carried her back to his tent. Through the tunic, she felt the press of his shoulder to her stomach. If he turned his head, he could take a playful bite of her tender hip.
Before Pia knew what he intended to do, he dropped her to the ground and stripped the tunic off of her in one swift movement. His eyes gleamed as he looked at her naked breasts. Pia frowned, turning to hide them from him. Zoran instantly pulled the loose breeches from her hips to bare her backside.
Pia gasped in outrage. She would’ve run, but he pulled her to him, causing her to tremble and weaken. He was naked and pressed intimately against her backside. The hard length of his morning arousal burned into her flesh.
“I’ll have to punish you publicly for that stunt, wife,” he said darkly into her ear before biting the tip. She shivered anew. His nearness stirred and heated her blood. “It’s a matter of honor.”
“Do and I won’t finish the ceremony,” she swore, hardening her tone to hide her body’s reaction to him.
“Oh, you’ll finish it wife,” he promised, bending his knees and nestling his arousal into the cheeks of her ass. “Then, we’re going back to my home and we’re finishing what we started last night.”
“I would rather die.” She was frightened by the strength in him. Pia had seen his anger, barely constrained beneath his simmering surface. “I’m not going back out there with you and I’m not putting on that dress. I hate dresses. I want my own clothes.”
“Either you put that dress on, or so help me I’ll drag you out there naked,” he swore. Zoran set her away from him. Despite his affectionate caresses, he was clearly furious.
When Pia peeked over at him, his face was red with contained anger. She shivered and hurriedly put on the dress. Zoran took the tunic for himself.
“Come,” Zoran ordered, as he tugged on his last boot.
“No.” Pia was outraged, too, as she thought of what public humiliation he might plan. Suddenly, she saw that thin ties were in his hands. “I don’t want to and you can’t make me.”
Zoran leapt, pouncing on her as he tackled her to the bed amidst her cries of protest. Within seconds, he had her bound and gagged. She cursed him, a muffled sound full of fire and vinegar. He ignored her, smiling down at her with a terribly aggravating sweetness.
“You must be punished,” he said by way of an explanation. “I’ll not have my reputation destroyed because you hate dresses. I’ll not be humiliated by my wife.”
* * *
Zoran eyed his handiwork, but didn’t feel pleasure in it. Pia wore the gown he’d ordered for her, a gag, and ties around her wrists and ankles. He hated the necessity of his actions and knew this was not the best way to privately start their marriage. However, publically, it was what needed to be done. He couldn’t have her threatening not to finish the ceremony, or pulling any more stunts that would question his honor and his manhood.
Pia glared insolently at him. As she stood before him, she looked positively miserable in the gown and black dress slippers. Her jealous eyes had looked at his boots in longing. After today he would buy her a thousand pairs if it made her happy. Though, he doubted boots would make up for what he was about to do.
Zoran lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder before carting her back out of the tent. Pia tried to kick and jerk free. Zoran was glad he’d gagged her, for her words were heated as she muffled curses at him. Her arm hit into his temple, trying to strike him any way she could. He leaned his head to the side, away from her wrath.
It ap
peared as if no one had moved away from the platform in his absence, as the crowd waited for Prince Zoran to return with his bride. He knew they would be most anxious to see what he would do to her, and they were not disappointed. A tittering laughter resumed amongst them.
Zoran came through their depths carrying his bride. A smile shone widely on his face, a joy he did not feel deep inside. He waved politely to acknowledge the crowd before turning around to wink at his mother. She shook her head in maternal disapproval. The king chuckled despite himself, causing the queen to turn her look on him. Zoran took the stairs as if his burden were no heavier than a leaf.
With a measured toss, he set his wife on her feet before the watching Draig. Her hair bounced and flew around her head. Pia glared at the crowd. They laughed and pointed at her.
“Queen Mede. King Llyr. May I present Lady Pia of the Earthen people,” Zoran introduced loudly, twirling her around to face them. To the crowd’s growing merriment, Pia tried to bounce away across the platform. Zoran grabbed one of her ties to keep her still. Her body jerked to a stop and she growled.
The queen waved her hand regally for him to proceed.
Slowly, Zoran reined his bride back to his side, twirling the tie in one hand. Pia growled and shot daggers at him with her eyes. He winked back at her causing a long, muffled string of curses to be thrown at his head.
“Allow me to help you,” he murmured gallantly to Pia.
Zoran smiled as he took the crystal from his neck and dropped it on the ground. Then, lifting his angry bride up, he brought her tied feet down on top of it and forced her to smash it. She swayed as the stone broke and the fog of the crystal was lifted from her mind. She stumbled to the side with a little hop. Zoran steadied her.
The queen looked at the king, who just shrugged his shoulders and motioned for her to continue.
“Welcome to the family of Draig, Lady Pia. I hope you will enjoy your new home,” the queen said, her voice not as strong as it usually was.
Pia nodded at her before blinking rapidly. She swayed on her feet.
“She says thank you, queen,” Zoran said. “Now, if you would excuse us?”
With a weak moan, Pia blacked out. Zoran caught her in his arms and held her.
“Certainly,” Queen Mede said, still shaking her head at her wayward son.
With little effort, Zoran carried his bride from the platform. Her eyes were closed and her bound wrists bounced limply on her chest as he walked. He nodded to the crowd. They nodded back, smiling at their leader and his audaciousness. He continued away from the tents to the front gate of the mountain palace and didn’t stop until he reached his wing of the castle home.
* * *
Queen Mede looked at her husband, using her thoughts to communicate with him so none of their people could hear them. “You need to speak to your son when this is over.”
The king chuckled and answered in kind. “I will tell him we are pleased with him.”
“The gag wasn’t necessary,” the queen debated. Out of all her boys, Zoran was the most stubborn. But he also had a lot to prove. Being the leader of the soldiers, he couldn’t have his honor or his position called into question—especially not by a woman. When Pia stole his clothing and indicated he was lazy and sleeping in, she’d insulted him. It wasn’t a great insult, but it was enough to demand action be taken.
“Perhaps he didn’t want to give her leave to speak. Wives can be very—” The king stopped talking, and looked guiltily at his wife. Aloud, so all could hear, he said, “You are very beautiful today, my love.”
“And you are very lucky today, my love,” she thought in his direction. Her eyes flashed golden, threatening a shift. She was the only female born Draig on the planet, and as a dragon-shifter, her temper could rise just as fiery as the men of her kind—if not more so. “For today I get daughters and am inclined to pretend you didn’t speak.”
Chapter 10
Pia’s eyes popped open, her fists automatically balling in outrage. She swung at the air, causing a great laugh to echo over the bedroom. Her chest heaved with her unspent anger, as she pushed herself up on the soft mattress. Her hands were no longer tied and the gag was out of her mouth.
“Where...?” she began, glancing around the bedroom to gauge her surroundings.
There were white, paper thin sliding doors with decorative wooden boxes over the sides. The room looked heavily influenced by the Lintianese style. Light shone through from the other room. The bed was low to the ground, covered in fur. There were potted plants on either side of a long dresser. Through a cracked sliding door to her side, Pia saw a walk-in closet. A large dome overhead let the sunlight in, though it was tinted to give the room a soft, comfortable haze. Two swords hung on the wall as decoration, dragons emblazoned on the hilts.
On the bed was a black dragon-head emblem on a sea of deep red material. Its color was as dark as blood. The fierce creature stared at her for a moment. She shivered. Then, hearing the laughter lessen to a chuckle, she turned.
Her eyes met with a gaze she didn’t readily recognize. The woman’s movements followed her startled ones. It was her reflection staring back at her through a circular mirror atop the dresser. She touched her cheek to remind herself that the image was really her new face.
“You’re in our home,” came the belated answer to her question.
Zoran clearly had been watching her confusion as she awoke. At the sound of his voice, her eyes narrowed in on him and she tried to jump up. The gown tangled her feet and she fell back on the bed, kicking and fighting the long skirt as she tried to be free of it.
“It’s only a dress, Pia,” Zoran said wryly. “It’s not attacking you.”
“As soon...as I get...out...of...this,” she threatened, fighting all the harder. With a huff, she finally managed to work her way off the bed. Her chest heaving, she opened her mouth to finish. He held up his hands to stop her.
“I know, you will behead me, skewer me...yeah, yeah, yeah.” Zoran yawned.
“You keep it up,” she warned, her voice rising.
“So much talk, so little action.” He shook his head.
“Ah,” Pia gasped in open-mouthed outrage. Instantly, she lunged at him. The skirt tangled around her feet and she tripped. Zoran caught her up in his embrace, subduing her easily.
“Sweet Pia, you didn’t need an excuse to fall into my arms. I’ll open them willingly for you,” Zoran murmured annoyingly in her hair. He received the response he expected. She tried to punch him. He dodged her shaky blow.
“I’d tear your arms from you before I’d fall into them,” Pia said, trying to kick. To her satisfaction, she hit his shin and he frowned, letting her go. She stumbled away from him, out of breath. “I want to call the royal council. It’s my right to do so.”
Zoran froze. His jaw tightened, as he inquired, “On what grounds?”
“On the grounds that you forced me to marry you,” she said, a smile spreading over her face. She swiped at her nose, regaining some of her composure as she sniffed. “I did my research before coming here. You can’t force a bride to choose you. It has to be her free will. It wasn’t my free will. I told you no and you forced me to take off your mask. When I told you to put it back on, you burned it.”
His face turned red. He said nothing.
“And then, this morning,” she lied. “I was going to go tell the council that I didn’t choose you, but then you kidnapped me...”
His brow rose on his forehead in warning.
“Fine, you apprehended me, tied me up, and forced me to stomp on the crystal. I would say I have a pretty strong case and plenty of witnesses. I want to speak to the royal council. Now.”
A bitter look lined Zoran’s face as he took a menacing step toward her. “Did you happen to research, wife, that the royal council is particularly busy this time of year with important matters of this kingdom? Did you also happen to discover that marriage disputes can only be claimed after a full year of marriage has been achiev
ed, and when the bride can prove that nothing of a sexual nature happened between the married couple for that full year? Furthermore, a decision usually takes another year to be reached, considering the royal council will not always agree, and the dissolution of a marriage is a very serious matter to the Draig people. So I would say, you have at least two years as my wife, and that’s only if I don’t contest the divorce. And I’ll contest. Believe me, wife, you’re stuck whether you like it or not.”
“I don’t care if it takes five years. I’m not staying married to you.”
“I felt how you melted in my arms, Pia,” Zoran said in a tone that sent chills over her spine. He came closer. His brown eyes held hers. His knuckles stroked her face. “Do you think you could resist me every night for five years and never succumb?”
Pia shivered. To her shame, she didn’t move away from him. Already a fire blazed from his touch and she knew she couldn’t—not if he looked at her like that. She’d relent in less than a week.
“I’ll get my own place. I’ll find a job and support myself. I won’t even see you.”
“What job?” Zoran asked with an amused smile. She didn’t trust the look. His eyes were hard and angry.
“I’ll join your military,” Pia announced, pleased with herself until she saw his expression. He stayed his hand on her cheek, not moving and yet not leaving her soft skin. “Soldiers usually get free room and board.”
Zoran grinned and his eyes lightened. However, he didn’t let her in on the joke, as he said, “Women are rarely allowed to fight in the military—especially wives. Only widows can join.”
Her eyes rounded, as if to say, that could be arranged.
“Don’t even think it,” he said, his hand fisting next to her cheek. “I would snap your neck in an instant if you so much as tried.”
Pia backed down, finally managing to get the strength to pull away from his disarmingly gentle fingers. She scowled. “Then I’ll pray to every one of your gods for your death in battle.”
Dragon Lords Books 1 - 4 Box Set: Anniversary Edition Page 82