Dragon Lords Books 1 - 4 Box Set: Anniversary Edition

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Pia tried to slap him with her other hand. He caught that one too.

  “Come bathe with me,” Zoran invited. His tone dipped as he made a show of ogling her breasts. There was nothing she could do to stop him.

  “I already had a bath,” Pia said, wishing her voice was more forceful. “I don’t need another.”

  At that, Zoran smiled. Pulling her forward into his arms, he crushed himself to her cotton pants and white shirt. Mud plastered their clothing together as if they wore nothing at all. Pia shrieked in dismay. Her eyes narrowed angrily.

  “You need one now,” Zoran said, leaning down to catch her lips with his. She turned her head and he hit her cheek with his mouth. He pulled back disappointed. “One kiss, wife, and I promise to let you go.”

  “Let me go and I promise not to beat the ever-living sh—” Pia’s gaze shot daggers, but her words were cut off with his swift mouth. He pressed his lips firmly to hers in a dry kiss. She froze, wide-eyed, not knowing what to do. As suddenly as he began the kiss, he ended it with a loud smack of his lips to hers. Zoran let her go, seeming very pleased with himself.

  “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” he mocked.

  “You’re right,” she answered carefully. She made a great show of looking him over before wrinkling her nose in disgust. “It was nothing at all.”

  Zoran’s grin turned sour. “Well, as long as I have no effect on you, you should have no problem helping me out of these clothes.”

  Pia saw the challenge. He was daring her to run away in fear. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

  “No problem at all,” she tossed back lightly, turning to walk into the bathroom first. “It’s not like looking at you would do anything to me anyway.”

  “Oh,” he said, following her. “Then you wouldn’t mind helping me wash up, would you? I couldn’t tell how deep my cut was. It may need to be bandaged.”

  Pia wasn’t so quick to respond.

  “No,” she squeaked at last. “No problem at all. It will be like washing the dishes.”

  “Good.”

  “Fine.”

  “Fine,” he mimicked, his voice dipping ever so slightly.

  Pia’s jaw stiffened, as she ground out, “I’ll start the shower.”

  “Fine,” Zoran repeated.

  “Ah...?” Pia looked at the shower for a handle. There was none. She looked for a spout. There wasn’t one of those either.

  “Here,” Zoran said from behind her. He came close to her back and waved his hand in front of one of the tiles. It read his palm and automatically went to his preference settings.

  Pia watched as little doors opened in some of the tiles. Water sprayed out at waist level and at shoulder level. One spout came down from the ceiling and rained softly overhead.

  “Would you mind helping me with my shirt?” Zoran asked, his tone sultry.

  Pia lifted her jaw. She couldn’t force herself to do it.

  “You should get in just like that,” she said. “That way you can rinse most of the smell off your clothes. Besides, that blood looks dry and if I rip the shirt off your arm, it might start bleeding again.”

  Zoran smiled, as if knowing she stalled. Stepping into the shower, he let the warm water run over him without shutting the door. He turned around to look at her and placed his hands on either side of the shower. There was enough room for her to join him.

  “What about your clothes?” he asked, his accent rolling thick over her. She shivered. He directed a pointed look at her white shirt. It was stained from where he’d touched her with his chest. When she hesitated, he challenged, “You’re not scared of me, are you?”

  “No,” Pia said. She boldly stepped before him into the water.

  Leaning forward, he purposefully drew closer to her as he leaned to pull the door shut behind her. Pia jolted at the sound.

  How did I get myself into this? she thought, briefly closing her eyes.

  “Are you all right?” Zoran asked when she swayed lightly on her feet.

  “It’s just this stuff smells awful,” she lied. In truth, it was the way the water made his clothing cling to his muscular flesh that made her nearly swoon. The material adhered to his every muscular curve, lifting and shifting with each breath he took. The large shower didn’t seem so big with him looming close to her. She swallowed nervously.

  Scowling at him, she commanded, “Move, let me rinse off.”

  * * *

  Zoran complied, as he sat down on the stone bench in the corner. He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Pia turned her back to him. She had no idea how the wet material of her pants clung to her backside, outlining every lush curve, or else she’d never have done it. Of course, he was too much of a gentleman to point it out to her. He hid his smirk.

  She pulled out her shirt, letting the stream of water beat against it until all the mud was gone, leaving a faint stain. Then turning, she took out her hair and leaned back to get it wet, raising her hands to push the shorter locks from her face.

  Zoran tensed. It was clear she had no idea how the thin shirt was displaying her naked chest underneath. The shirt clung to her chest to reveal the shape and muted color of her breasts. When her hands lifted to her head, it pushed her breasts up and out. Her darker nipples shone through the transparent barrier. His fingers twitched. His shaft became achingly erect.

  He knew she’d scream if he touched her, but he wondered what she’d do if he touched himself. The water hit upon her flesh. He blinked, his mouth suddenly dry. Her darker nipples were budded against her wet, clinging shirt—hard, erotic. His mouth bit at the air, almost tempted to...

  “What are you doing?” Pia demanded. Her wide eyes had found his and she was staring at him like he had just developed boils.

  “My jaw hurts,” he lied, reaching up to rub his chin as he flexed. “I was punched.”

  “Punched?”

  “There’s nothing to tell, so retract your fangs my bloodthirsty ruffian,” Zoran mused. Gently, he added, “Now move so I can rinse off.”

  Pia stepped aside. She eyed his sleeve. “Here, try to lift your arm.”

  Zoran watched her, as her tone became most businesslike. She worked her hand beneath his sleeve, the fingers gliding over the ridges of his muscles as she lifted the material carefully up from the wound. Zoran thought with wonder that she had an amazingly delicate touch for someone with such a wicked right hook.

  “There,” she murmured, pulling it free. “Lift up.”

  Zoran lifted his arms, letting her work his tunic off his chest. He tossed it outside the shower stall. She leaned to the side, taking his rigid biceps and moving his arm to the water to rinse it off.

  Probing the wound with her fingertip, Pia said more to herself than to him, “It’s not so bad. I’ve had much worse.”

  Zoran’s injured arm flexed beneath her hand as he moved to touch her face. His broad shoulders dwarfed her in size.

  Pia looked up at him, momentarily surprised by the contact.

  Zoran drew his hand down to the bottom of her shirt. His eyes narrowed slightly. He longed to see her, to touch her, to drink the water off her parted lips. Lifting the edge of her shirt, he kept his gaze steady.

  Lightly, his fingers spread across her stomach to her side. He found the long, jagged scar puckered by her ribs.

  “Like this one?” he asked.

  Pia blinked, transfixed by him. Leaning forward, he gently kissed her. He slid his fingers along her long scar, moving up one side of it and down the other.

  Zoran’s head angled down, persuading her to fall against the waterspout buried in the tile. Water rushed over her back onto his fingers. His lips were wet as they glided over hers. He opened his mouth wider, trying to consume part of her as he deepened his intent. He dipped his tongue forward, drawing a taste. He moaned into her, letting her hear his desire for her.

  Pia trembled. She tried to touch him but held back, too afraid. When he pulled his lips away, she wanted t
o follow them and urge him on.

  Zoran waited for a reaction. She hadn’t really kissed him back, only allowed him to take his taste of her. Her wide eyes stared at him through the thick set of her lashes and he felt her quivering beneath his fingers. He had to remind himself that she was innocent, pure. It wasn’t hard looking down into her hesitant eyes.

  Zoran’s body lurched with rough ideas, with bold and fiery longing. However, he couldn’t just back her up into the shower wall and have his way. He had to be gentle. It took a lot of effort to hold back. Warriors weren’t exactly known for their gentleness, and he was one of the best.

  “How did this happen?” Zoran asked softly, keeping his forehead drawn close. The water beat a hard, steady rhythm around them.

  Pia stiffened, as if remembering herself at the question.

  Even though she still stood before him, Zoran could tell she’d pulled away from him mentally. Little droplets of water sprinkled her downturned lashes. Her breath deepened and she edged away. When she opened her eyes, she was no longer looking at him.

  “It was a gift,” Pia said, her voice coming out in a quiet whisper. She turned and his hand was forced from her waist. She quietly stepped out of the shower, shutting the door behind her.

  Zoran sighed, watching her trail out of the bathroom in her wet clothes. She didn’t look back. The water hit his body as he leaned his forehead against the side. He could still feel her softness under his hands and against his lips. Letting her walk out was the hardest thing he’d ever done.

  At moments, when she looked at him, he thought she wanted him. Then, an instant later, it was as if she felt nothing at all. He couldn’t figure her out. All he knew was that she was driving him mad every waking moment, and tormenting him every sleeping one.

  He checked the wound on his arm. It was as he’d said. It had been an accident. One of the men lost his footing on a high perch. When Zoran caught him, the man’s knife had nicked his shoulder.

  He was weary from the two grueling days, though he was much better off than the men were. He’d have to reward them with a lighter workout tomorrow morning. He should give them a day of rest, but he needed an excuse to leave the house. He couldn’t sit in her presence for a day and not strangle her or kiss her.

  “Shower cold,” he mumbled to the shower. The shower instantly sprayed cold water onto his heated body. It didn’t help. “Shower freezing.”

  As the cold took effect, his head cleared enough to recall how she relaxed a little when taking care of him. Looking at his wound, he’d dug at it to get the gash to bleed.

  Chapter 13

  Pia looked at her naked body in the bedroom mirror. Her skin was damp from the shower. Her short hair clung to her face and she pushed it back. She tried her best to be objective, but she didn’t see anything worth looking at.

  Closing her eyes, she felt shame. She knew what she looked like. Even before the fire scarred her body, she’d been a gangly child. Now, she was a gangly, ugly woman. How could he even look at her like that? How could he kiss her with such sweetness?

  Touching the long scar on her side, her finger traced over the wet path Zoran had made around it. She couldn’t understand why he picked her for marriage. Sure, her skin was improved thanks to the doctors. But now she was back to being the unattractive girl all the boys on her training base home had made fun of. Her face was narrower, but her eyes were the same wide hazel. Her body had filled out, but she was still too muscled and too skinny.

  Pia shrugged, having long ago learned to live with her imperfections. Not wanting to get caught naked by Zoran, she hurried to the closet and grabbed some pants and a shirt. Eyeing the bra the doctors had given her, which she was still trying to get used to, she threaded it on under her shirt.

  Zoran came into the bedroom, a towel around his naked waist, to the sight of Pia struggling underneath her shirt. A smile lit his face at the scene.

  “Do you need rescuing?” Zoran asked with a good-natured laugh. He held the up.

  Grumpily, she said, “I’ll...ah...never understand...ugh...the need...oh...for these stupid contraptions...ah, got it.”

  With a heavy sigh, she weaved her arm though her sleeves. Registering that he was standing wrapped in the towel, she hurriedly forced her eyes away. “Sorry, I didn’t think that you’d be out so quickly. I’ll get out of here.”

  “Actually,” Zoran said in his low spine-tingling voice. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you’d take a second look at my arm. It started bleeding again.”

  “Oh,” Pia said, instantly coming forward to look at it.

  “It doesn’t hurt, but I have to work tomorrow—”

  “Are your hours always so long or are you covering shifts?” She tried not to sound dejected by the news but she didn’t want to spend another day alone and trapped.

  “I work every day.”

  “My father was the same way, so it’s perfectly fine. I mean I understand. It’s just...”

  “What?” His voice again dipped and her breath caught in her throat.

  “You’re too tall, come sit on the bed so I can see what I’m doing,” Pia said, changing the subject.

  Zoran nodded and obeyed. He handed her a bandage he’d brought with him. As he sat down, she took an edge of the bandage and tried to wipe the blood from his wound. She was firm but gentle in the task.

  Studying the gash, she said, “You got hit with a knife blade, huh?”

  Zoran’s brows furrowed at the obviousness of her statement. “Yes.”

  “The blade depth isn’t bad, too shallow for a sword unless it was done on purpose with the tip.” Pia bit the corner of her lip, trying to figure it out. “The angle is strange. Was the man taller than you?”

  “No,” Zoran said, watching her carefully. She concentrated on the wound.

  “I have the answer,” Pia smiled brightly, as she achieved victory. “The man fell, you reached to catch him and his blade nicked you.”

  Zoran’s eyes widened in surprise, as he asked, “How did you guess?”

  Pia shrugged, slightly embarrassed. “It’s just this game we used to play. It’s not hard. You just have to be observant and logic your way backwards. Then you’ll see how it happened.”

  “Guessing at knife wounds was a game you used to play?” Zoran watched her face for changes so she made her expression completely blank. “Where exactly did you grow up? In a prison complex?”

  Pia stiffened. This conversation was getting too personal and she didn’t want to go there. Her eyes dipped down over him, realizing how intimate the situation had become. He was sitting before her on the bed with only a towel between his naked body and her. She made quick work of wrapping up his arm.

  “You shouldn’t have any problems with this,” she said. “I know it might itch, but don’t scratch at it anymore. That’s why it was bleeding.”

  Zoran gave her an idle grin.

  “There, you’ll be fine.” Pia tied off the end and turned to leave.

  “Wait.” Zoran reached out to grab her hand. Pia blinked in surprise, turning around to study him. There was a lot he wanted to say to her. She could see it in his eyes, but he held back. “Is there anything you need? You seemed...concerned that I was going to be working.”

  “Oh, no, it’s fine,” she answered. His brow rose in disbelief. “Well, it’s just that I’m not used to being trapped in a house all day and there isn’t a lot of food in the kitchen. I don’t wish to be a burden and, since I don’t plan on staying married to you, I’m more than willing to get a job to pay my way until we can get this mess fixed...”

  Pia let her voice die off. His face had darkened with her effortless denial of their marriage.

  “Pia,” Zoran said. His jaw was very tight and worked against his flesh as he clearly tried not to yell at her. He took a deep breath, standing to tower over her. “I’ll only tell you this one more time. You are my wife and that’s the end of it. If you need something, I’ll provide it for you. If you n
eed food, I’ll buy it. If you desire new clothes, I’ll buy them. If you want to leave the house, I’ll take off early tomorrow and show you around so you don’t get lost. But, make no mistake. This is your new home. I’m your husband and there will be no divorce.”

  “That’s what you say,” Pia said. There was a distinct finality to his words and she felt like she was a soldier being given a command. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. “I’m sorry, but I will convene the royal council. It’s nothing personal—”

  “Nothing personal?” he bellowed in disbelief. “You talk of divorcing me and you say it’s nothing personal?”

  “Zoran.” She tried to keep her tone soft, though there was a definite edge to her words. “You are a very nice man and you will make someone very happy—”

  “You have no grounds for divorce,” he declared, cutting into her placating speech with a slash of his angry hand. “To even bring it up to the council will dishonor us both. I can provide for you. I can give you sons. What will be your reason?”

  “I... “Pia hesitated. How could she explain when she wasn’t sure herself? I’m scared of you and how you look at me. I think you’re too handsome and strong and I want a wimpy husband who doesn’t have such a striking voice, or a devilishly wicked grin. I want a man who can’t give me children because I’m scared of being touched or looked at.

  “Well?”

  “I,” she tried again. Her eyes dotted with moisture.

  “Out with it!” Zoran yelled, waving his hand through the air.

  “You are just impossible,” Pia screamed at him instead. “You’re nothing but an overgrown child who has to have his way. You don’t want me, and you’re only mad because I don’t want you. Well, get over yourself. I’m getting a divorce and there is nothing you can say or do to stop me!”

  Pia stormed away.

  * * *

  “What about your contract?” he asked, as a last effort.

  Pia stiffened, stopping in the doorway.

  “I received a copy of it,” he said. In fact, he’d requested it. The way she’d referred to it in the tent, he’d been curious to know what the corporation had on her to make her follow him regardless of how she felt at the time. It’d been clear she wanted to leave the tent, but was too scared to.