Dragon Lords Books 1 - 4 Box Set: Anniversary Edition

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “Since you have so much energy, lead these men through a march of the east field course,” Zoran commanded.

  “Yes, Draea Anwealda,” Hume said, instantly calling out orders.

  * * *

  Pia trembled, seeing how all the men stood at attention, only to solute Zoran at the order to march. She’d thought he’d be off guarding something. Her heart hammered in her chest as she watched her husband. Instantly, she took in his authoritative pose. He wasn’t a guard. He was the commander. How could she have missed it?

  The men filed into an orderly line and jogged off without giving her a backwards glance. Zoran stared hard at her, clearly trying to control his anger. Agro, who watched Pia’s stubborn expression from behind him, slowly slipped away, grinning like a fool.

  Pia swallowed nervously when they were left alone on the field. Unable to come up with a single thing to say, she forced a tight smile and turned to go gather the knives from the post.

  “Don’t you move,” Zoran said. His tone was soft but there was no doubt that it was a command.

  Pia froze, despite her instinct to run away as fast as she could. She kept her back to him. A grimace purposefully formed on her features as she waited.

  Zoran took a slow step toward her. Pia tensed. He continued past, grabbing his knives from the post. Clenching them in his fist, he marched back to stand in front of her. His arm rose, motioning to a nearby guard, who was passing, to come to him. He handed the knives to the man and ordered that he put them in his office. The guard bowed and obeyed, leaving the couple once more alone on the field.

  Pia looked Zoran in the eye while she waited for him to speak.

  “Who let you out?” he demanded after a long, hot pause in which he glared at her.

  Pia frowned at his hard tone, growing evermore irritated with him. She’d been having fun until he showed up and ruined it. Bitterly, she said, “Don’t you mean to say, how did I escape my prison?”

  “Pia.” His eyes narrowed.

  “Warden,” she said insolently in the same tone. She crossed her arms over her chest and mimicked his militant stance.

  “Do you think this is a game?” Zoran asked.

  “It’s your fault I’m out here,” Pia said. Her brow rose on her face, daring him on into a fight.

  “My fault?”

  “I asked you nicely to let me out of the house during the day. I wouldn’t have needed to sneak out behind your back if you hadn’t forbidden me from throwing your knives. I tried to reason with you, tyrant.”

  “I told you no!”

  “I’m not your pet. I’m not one of these men you can order about.”

  “You are my wife,” he said, as if that one thing gave him the right to be angry.

  “This is all I know how to do, Zoran,” she proclaimed waving her hand about the field.

  “I thought you could sew,” he answered with a dark snarl.

  “And I thought you were a royal guard, so I guess we’re even. I only told you I could sew to try and get out of the house.” She uncrossed her arms and put them on her hips. She took a menacing step forward. Poking him defiantly in his rock-hard chest, she added, “I’m sick and tired of you, Zoran, and your macho, controlling attitude. Either you get your act together and resign yourself to the fact that you didn’t marry a homemaker, or give me my divorce. The choice is up to you. But I’ll not be kept a prisoner anymore.”

  As she screamed the word “divorce” at him, he glanced around. A few villagers were gathered below them, pointing and watching the royal couple in awe. He saw Agro, a frown on the man’s lips, as he tried to usher the curious onlookers away.

  Pia wasn’t concerned with the villagers. She was too mad. Zoran’s eyes flash with a golden fire, as he shot forward and grabbed her arm. Tugging her behind him, he began leading her away from the field.

  Pia stumbled, tripping over her feet as she tried to dig her heels into the ground to stop him. When that didn’t work, she jumped and landed on his back. Her arm wound around his neck as she squeezed.

  Zoran stumbled in amazement that she actually tried to attack him in public, though he shouldn’t have been surprised. She’d warned him she was a fighter. Her long legs wound around his waist. Zoran jerked, throwing her over his body.

  Pia flipped over his shoulder, through the air, and landed hard on the ground. She grunted as she fell forward, bruising her knees. Zoran descended upon her. Wrenching her arm behind her back, he hauled her to her feet.

  Pia struggled against him, moaning slightly when he pulled her arm higher. She refused to scream. Her body tensed waiting for any opening to escape. Her lungs heaved for air.

  “Behave,” Zoran ordered, giving her a hard shake. He pulled her back into his chest. Pia tensed. His mouth came close to her throat and she felt his teeth on her neck, biting lightly.

  “Let me go,” she ordered.

  “Do you concede the fight?”

  “Never,” she said. “I’ll never concede to you, you lying bastard.”

  Zoran pulled back from her throat. With a swift jerk, he twirled her into the air. Pia screamed in surprise. He caught her easily over his shoulder and stormed into the castle.

  “Draea Anwealda,” the guard said at the front gate. His eyes were wide as he saw the struggling, screaming woman over the commander’s shoulder. Zoran nodded at him as if nothing was amiss.

  Pia glared at the soldier as she was carted away. Suddenly, she dug her nails into Zoran’s back, clawing him.

  Zoran flinched, arching as he loosened his hold. Pia kneed him in the chest and pushed up, falling over his back to the floor. Hitting the ground in a summersault, she rolled, hopped instantly to her feet, and ran for the castle entrance.

  “Stop her,” Zoran ordered the guard, striding after his wife.

  The guard instantly moved in her way, blocking her. Pia smiled cruelly. This man was obviously underestimating his prey. She ran faster. His arms widened as if to catch her. Pia ducked at the last possible second, kicking his legs out from under him. The surprised soldier landed on his back but sprang forward to grab her ankle as she tried to rush past.

  Pia fell to the ground, bumping her chin on the hard earth. Her teeth jarred in her head and she kicked at the soldier’s head, barely missing.

  Suddenly, Zoran’s hand was on the back of her hair, hauling her up. Pia moaned loudly, more in outrage than in pain.

  “On your feet,” Zoran bellowed to the soldier, who instantly obeyed and stood back up.

  This time Zoran wasn’t so pleasant in his restraint. He hooked a large arm around her neck and dragged her before him. When Pia tried to bite at his arm, he flexed his muscles and cut off her air. She struggled for breath, clawing at his arm to be free. Her head spun and her arms weakened. When her scratches lightened, Zoran loosened his hold. Pia gasped, clutching at his arm. He marched her down the long hall, dragging her when her feet stumbled at the awkward angle. He turned the corner to his home.

  The door was still wide open and he frowned. He threw Pia inside, automatically noticing the hole in the wall and the panel that had been tampered with.

  “Shut,” he hollered. The door slid closed. He seemed momentarily relieved that it still worked.

  Pia stumbled forward but didn’t fall. Panting, she glared at Zoran. Bitter hatred shone in her gaze. She wiped her sore chin. There was blood when she drew her hand away.

  They stood for a long time, staring at the other. Slowly, Zoran took a deep breath.

  “What am I to do with you, Pia?” he asked softly.

  The gentleness of his tone took her by surprise, but she quickly recovered. Her jaw throbbed, as she said, “You tell me, Draea Anwealda. That’s your title is it not, oh prison guard.”

  “It means Dragon Lord,” Zoran answered, as if not liking the way the title came out of her snarling lips. It wasn’t respect in her voice. “I’m a guard. My official title is Captain of the Guard. I control all the Draig armies. It was you who assumed I was of lower
ranking.”

  “You let me assume.”

  “You never asked.”

  Pia’s mouth tightened.

  Zoran relaxed. He took in her bloodied face and seemed almost sorry for it. “How’s your jaw?”

  Her answer was a stubborn scowl.

  “Gods’ bones, Pia,” Zoran said in frustration. “I’m not trying to be a tyrant. I’m trying to protect you. It’s not safe for you out at the training ground. Accidents happen all the time. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “Have you ever thought that I don’t want your protection,” Pia said. “And if it’s the men you’re afraid of, don’t be. I can handle them. It’s not like they see me for anything more than one of the guys.”

  “What, then, what do you want from me, Pia?”

  Pia hesitated. As she looked at him, she didn’t know how to answer. A myriad of emotions flooded her. She wanted his respect. She wanted his...

  She took a deep, trembling breath. She wanted him to look at her with longing. She wanted him to think her beautiful—even when she knew she was not. She wanted him to touch her, to kiss her.

  “Freedom,” she answered simply.

  Mistaking her request, he turned his tortured gaze to her. “I can’t give you a divorce. I told you that already.”

  “I meant freedom to leave this house, to be myself, and do what I want to do. If you want me as your wife, Zoran, then treat me as a wife, not one of your men. Respect me as your wife. Respect that I’m not some simple woman who is content to cook and clean and stay home all day. That’s not who I am. I was raised on a military training base. I was taught to fight and defend myself. That’s who I am. It’s what I do. It’s all I know how to do.”

  “You wish me to treat you as a wife,” Zoran murmured. He braved a step forward. She didn’t run. He watched her carefully, as if ready for her to strike at him. She didn’t. He stopped before her, not touching her, as he said in a low tone that gave her whole body chills, “Yet, you do not act as a wife.”

  Pia knew he meant that she didn’t go to him as a wife goes to a husband. She stiffened, too afraid to answer. What could she say?

  “You do not kiss me when I ask for it,” Zoran continued. His eyes bore into her, as intimate as a caress of his hand, though he didn’t move to touch her. “You do not look at me with pleasure or desire. You don’t ask me to touch you. You don’t come to touch me.”

  With each sentence, his words became softer.

  “There’s more to marriage than...” Pia frowned, looking at the floor. She couldn’t say it.

  Zoran brooded in silence, waiting for her to speak.

  “You ask that of me, yet there’s no honesty between us. I didn’t even know what you do all day until I sneaked out and discovered if for myself. We’re strangers, Zoran. Don’t you see? How can I...? How can we...?”

  “All right,” Zoran said, lifting his finger to her shoulder. He trailed his touch lightly down her arm, not pressing forward with his whole hand. “Here’s the deal. You want something. I want something. You give me what I want. I’ll let you have what you want. You’ll be given full freedom to roam outside these walls, so long as you let me know where you are, and so long as you listen to me and heed me. This is my world, Pia. I know the dangers in it.”

  Pia froze, instantly rejecting the deal in her head, but agreeing to it in her body.

  “What do you want?” she asked, shaking.

  “I want you,” Zoran said seriously. Pia gasped at the bold statement. He drew his hand down her side to her quivering ribs. “I want you to answer two questions for me.”

  Pia’s expression fell. She wondered at the disappointment curling in her limbs. “Is that your only stipulation?”

  Zoran edged closer, letting his hand fall full on her side. Taking his free hand, he brushed at her bloodied chin, wiping it partially clean. “Do you want there to be more?”

  “No.” Pia shook her head. It was a lie.

  “You’re sure?” he persisted. He worked his hand beneath her black shirt to her waist.

  Pia tried not to tremble. Was it just her or did his mouth draw closer? She stared at it, wishing he’d force another kiss on her. “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “Do we have a deal then?” Zoran asked. “You’ll answer two questions—fully and honestly?”

  Pia thought of her freedom. Slowly, she nodded her head. Her voice was weak, as she answered, “Deal.”

  “Tell me how you got this scar.”

  Pia blinked. The question took her by surprise and she jerked away from his searching hand. She said simply, “It was a knife. Next question?”

  Zoran’s arms fell to his sides, away from her. He tried to hide his disappointment. He wouldn’t be put off. “Whose?”

  “Is that your second question?”

  “No, it’s part of the first.”

  Pia would’ve sworn his eyes again changed to a golden hue. The genetic anomaly made it hard for her to think straight.

  “The deal was for fully and honestly,” Zoran said. “Whose knife?”

  “My father’s,” Pia answered. Her jaw and her eyes hardened against him.

  “Your father,” he repeated, somewhat awed. “Why did you call it a gift?”

  “It was the last thing he ever gave me,” Pia said. Her short hair had come loose in their fight and she nervously pushed it back behind her ears.

  “Why?” Zoran’s hand reached to touch her again but she barely noticed it. Her mind drifted into deeper thoughts.

  “I answered your question,” Pia’s voice wavered and her eyes cleared. “What is the second?”

  “How did you come to owe so much money to Galaxy Brides? Was it gambling debts?”

  Pia’s lips tightened and her eyes watered. She looked at him for a long time. When her mouth finally opened to speak, she clipped, “I’ve changed my mind. Keep your freedom. I don’t want it. If you won’t let me out, I’ll just have to try and find a way to escape again.”

  She tried to pull away. Zoran tightened his hold on her waist. “Why won’t you trust me?”

  “Could it be because you don’t trust me?” Pia asked. “You keep me prisoner in this house all day. I honestly have no idea why you wanted to marry me. You won’t tell me who you are or what I am—”

  “You’re a princess. I’m a prince. We live in a castle with the royal family,” he stated bluntly.

  Pia blinked, waiting for his face to break into a teasing grin. It never came.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Extremely,” Zoran mused with a dry smile that held little pleasure. “You are a princess of the House of Draig. The queen is your mother, the king your father, your husband a prince. This fortress we live in is a palace. I’m the second oldest which makes me the leader of the military and in charge of security and defense.”

  “Second?” she asked, listening very intently to everything he said. She could see the truth in his eyes. She was a princess.

  “You also have three new brothers,” Zoran continued. His face gave nothing away. It had been his request for honesty and he would seem he could be true to his own word. “Ualan, the oldest will be king when my father dies. Yusef, beneath me in age, is the Captain of the Outlands. Olek, the youngest brother, is ambassador.”

  “That’s why the queen was so concerned with my hair,” Pia said. “I didn’t understand it earlier, but she was afraid I was going to embarrass the royal family. That’s why you don’t take me anywhere, isn’t it? You’re ashamed of me.”

  Zoran didn’t answer as she rushed on.

  “Prince Zoran,” Pia said, shaking her head. “I should’ve known. That’s why you don’t want to divorce me. You’re a prince and it would disrupt your precious family honor and reputation. You’d much rather hide your hideous, ugly wife away from view.”

  “That’s not true. I’m not ashamed of you. I just don’t know if I can trust you. You don’t seem to care about my family’s honor or your own. You have no concern about h
ow your actions will reflect on our reputations. You just do whatever you want, never listening to what I say.”

  “That’s because you haven’t said anything to me,” Pia said. “You didn’t tell me I was a princess and that my actions affected a kingdom.”

  “Would you have cared?” Zoran eyed her hair. “I asked you not to cut your hair, and you did anyway.”

  “No, you ordered me not to do it. Everything you’ve said to me has been an order not a request. There’s a difference, Zoran. If you would’ve spoken to me reasonably, I might have listened to you. I might not have done it.”

  “I told you it would be considered a disfigurement,” Zoran defended. “I told you it would shame both of us.”

  “Can we get over the hair already?” Pia asked in despair. “I know it’s ugly. I’m ugly. I get it. There’s nothing I can do about it. It will grow back. Now let the matter drop!” Pia lost some of her fight. She shook her head at him, turning to walk away. “Just leave me alone, tyrant.”

  * * *

  Zoran watched his wife go. Her dejected expression tore at his chest and an unfamiliar anguish overcame him. No one had ever dared to stand up to him like she had. She aggravated him, made him mad with lust, and taunted him to the point of explosion. She was bold, cunning, smart and strong.

  When he’d seen her on the field, openly defying him in the place he commanded, he’d never wanted to kiss anyone as badly in his life. At that thought, he frowned. He’d seen the look on Hume’s face as well as the others. They were all smitten. And why wouldn’t they be? She was absolutely ravishing.

  Zoran lowered his head, sighing. He could tell she really believed what she said. She truly didn’t know the effect she had on his men, on him. She had no clue as to her own feminine power. She had no idea what her bright, open smiles could lead men to believe. He’d been young once. He knew the hormones that raged within the younger soldiers. If they thought they had a chance with such a woman, married or not, they would take it without thinking.

  Zoran began to follow her. He had to touch her, needed to, even if it was the barest of caresses. But, remembering her parting expression, he stopped. Perhaps it would be best if he left her alone like she asked, at least for the moment. Their tempers were too hot and they’d best cool before attempting, yet again, to figure out how to communicate.