Hope

by Tia Wylder

  “That’s my final answer. Have a drink then be on your way. I won’t have you ruining this night.”

  Cecilia backed away to avoid her father’s gaze as he hurriedly returned to the proceedings. The other man stepped into the light of the tent. He was dressed in a trench coat. His hair was an icy white and his skin was pale like fresh snow. He had incredible blue eyes that pierced through the distance between them. He plucked one of the drinks from the table and drank it in a single gulp. He seemed nervous and angry. He had also made her father angry. Cecilia was interested in anyone who had that effect on him. She approached as he took another drink from the table.

  “I don’t believe I’ve seen you before,” she said.

  “That’s because you haven’t,” he said.

  “I’m Cecilia.”

  “Good for you. Did you need something?”

  He stopped and looked at her. His eyes cut right through her resolve. They had a deep mystery to them, once that she found incredibly alluring.

  “I’m sorry if I bothered you. I don’t want to be here, and you seem like the only interesting person in a five mile radius,” she said.

  The man stared at Cecilia for a long while before a smile started to crawl across his face.

  “You're his daughter, aren’t you? I’m guessing this whole shindig is to set you up with someone?”

  Cecilia nodded. “Yeah, how did you know that?”

  He shrugged. “Dragon shifter traditions die hard. Sorry lady, but I shouldn’t be talking to you.”

  He started to walk away, but Cecilia stepped in front of him.

  “I heard you talking to my father,” she said.

  “Yeah? Well then you know it didn’t go well.”

  “Look, I don’t want to be here, and neither do you. Maybe we could go grab a drink somewhere else?” She asked.

  Ragnar’s eyebrows shot up. “That would make your father very, very angry.”

  Cecilia smiled. “That’s the idea.”

  Ragnar took another drink from the table and drank it all in one gulp. He set the glass down and looked back to Cecilia.

  “You’re crazy, but I like it. Come with me.”

  Chapter Three

  Ragnar was more than a little buzzed as he made his way across the dark clearing. Cecilia was young and beautiful. After his botched attempt at attacking the Dragonslayers, he returned to his village only to find a barren and burned wasteland at the peaks of the Scandinavian mountains. There were no bodies, only a note left in a place where only he would look.

  It didn’t say where his clan had fled to; it didn’t even ask if he was alright. It simply told him he had been excommunicated for his crimes against the clan. There was no telling how many died when the Dragonslayers attacked. First his family, now his clan; Ragnar truly had nothing left.

  He shifted and flew high above the clouds where he could be alone with the stars. He thought long and hard during his travels. He knew he wanted revenge against the Dragonslayers, against the ones who killed his family. Apollo was the worst of them, but he wanted to see them all suffer for what they did.

  Ragnar sought refuge with the dragons in the west, but Lucius Roven denied him sanctuary. Word travels fast among dragons, but Ragnar was no less infuriated. What he had done, he did for the good of all dragon shifters. When Cecilia offered to give him company, he took it. Shamelessly and willingly, he took it. No one would give him the time of day, let alone spend time with him.

  Ragnar stopped when they were far enough from the celebration.

  “Have you ever ridden a dragon before?” He asked.

  Cecilia shook her head. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if my father or my assigned husband sees?”

  Ragnar chuckled. “Let them. You wanted to spite them as well, didn’t you?”

  Cecilia nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”

  Ragnar shifted into his dragon form. The process was fast and after so long, painless. He stood proudly on his four legs and spread his black wings into the night. He leaned down as Cecilia climbed onto his back. She dug her hands into his neck, reaching between the scales. He heard her shock as her hands touched the icy skin beneath the scales.

  When she sat still he drove his wings down and shot upward into the sky. Cecilia screamed with excitement as the night wind rushed past them. Ragnar flew above the clouds and leveled out. He glided across the surface of the sky.

  “This is incredible!” Cecilia shouted.

  Her wonder and excitement; Ragnar recalled the same tone in his son’s voice when he first rode upon his father’s back. Ragnar found another clearing near the downtown portion of the city where the nightlife was at its peak. He needed more drinks, and fast. He swooped downward and landed. Cecilia climbed off as he transformed back into his human form. When he was finished, the realization that he had no clothing to call his own hit him.

  “I, uh, this is embarrassing,” he said.

  Cecilia looked at him with pure desire in her eyes. He hadn’t seen such a lustful look from a woman since his wife.

  “No, don’t be sorry. It’s quite the view,” she said.

  “Perhaps you could fetch me some clothes? I will buy the drinks for the rest of the night,” he said.

  Cecilia shook her head. “With what money?”

  She had a point. “I’ll find something.”

  Cecilia smiled. “Admit it, you knew this would happen.”

  Ragnar honestly hadn’t considered it. He was too swept up in the moment to know better. He was also borderline drunk.

  Cecilia approached him as she softly bit her lower lip.

  “Well, now that I’ve seen you naked, I think it’s only fair that I know your name,” she said.

  “It’s Ragnar, but Cecilia, honestly, I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

  She shook her head as her hands reached behind her dress. Ragnar heard the zipper slowly descended. The cold sweat on her dark skin glistened in the moonlight as she peeled the dress off of her skin. Ragnar’s heart raced as she slowly revealed her form.

  “Cecilia, we can’t,” he said.

  “I would rather my first time be with you, than with someone I could never love,” she said.

  Ragnar’s head spun. Her first time? He couldn’t imagine the trouble he would be in with her father. Her clothes slowly fell away. Underneath she was wearing a black lace bra and panties. She unclasped the bra and let it fall to the ground below. Her bare breasts shimmered in the light. She slowly pulled down her panties and walked over to him.

  “If we’re going to do this, there are some things you must experience,” Ragnar said.

  Cecilia smiled. “Oh, and what did you have in mind?”

  “Lay on the ground.”

  Cecilia draped herself across the grassy surface of the ground. Ragnar knelt between her legs and spread them apart. He laid flat on his stomach and pressed his lips between her legs. His hot breath on her skin made her moan instantly.

  His tongue slid out and gently explored the lips between her legs. Cecilia cried out as his tongue wandered upward. He moved in circular motions, stimulating and pleasing her in way she had never before experienced. She dug her fingers into the back of his head as her moans echoed all around them.

  Ragnar took a quick breath and returned with renewed vigor. He gripped her legs and held her still as he worked his tongue deep into her. She cried out as her body shook and thrashed beneath him. She screamed in ecstasy as a climax washed over her. Ragnar climbed on top of her, slowly kissing his way up her chest until he reached her thick breasts. His hands cupped them, massaging slowly as he tongue swept over the nipples, gently flicking and suckling.

  He positioned himself over her and grasped the bottom of her right thigh with his hand. With his body steadied, he thrusted himself into her. She cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure.

  “Are you okay?” He whispered.

  “Don’t stop,” she replied.

  Ragnar pulled out slowly and th
en thrusted into her once more with all of his force. Her fingernails dug deep into his skin. He thrusted again, and again. Each time he felt waves of pleasure he hadn’t felt in what seemed like eternity.

  He pulled out of her. “Get on your hands and knees.”

  Cecilia obeyed. Ragnar positioned himself behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist. He slid into her slowly, tightly gripping her backside. He found a rhythm, thrusting into her with passionate movements.

  He brought one hand up to her shoulder and gripped her tight as his hips rocked back and forth. She moaned with each impact. Ragnar knew he would come soon. To impregnate her would be the ultimate insult, not only to her father, but also to her betrothed. Her cries fueled his passion, he dug his fingers into her waist again and thrusted into her one final time as he climaxed.

  Cecilia collapsed onto the cold grass. Ragnar laid beside her, desperate to catch his breath.

  “Incredible. I didn’t know it could feel so good,” she said.

  “Me neither,” Ragnar said.

  Cecilia rolled over and laid against him. He felt her breasts pressed against his chest, felt her heartbeat racing against his. There was a moment where he felt something more than a primal lust for her. Was he falling in love?

  “Ragnar?” She asked.

  “Yes?”

  “Will you stay here with me for a while? I don’t want to go home yet.”

  Ragnar was filled with conflicted emotions. He laid his head back on the cool grass and looked upward at the stars in the sky.

  “Yes, I will.”

  Chapter Four

  Cecilia’s head was spinning. Ragnar took her home and left before her father found out she was with him. She carefully opened the massive and ornate front door of her father’s mansion and stepped inside. The foyer was dark, she was hoping he was gone, or had gone to bed.

  The lights came on all around her. Lucius was standing in the center of the entryway. His arms were crossed and his eyes glared into Cecilia with a furious rage.

  “You left a celebration organized entirely for you, and then I have to find out from Sebastian that you’ve been fooling around with another dragon? And Ragnar of all people, he is exiled, Cecilia! He is lower than dirt, and you let him touch you?”

  Cecilia didn’t know where to begin. For starters she wanted to know how Sebastian knew she had eloped from the party with Ragnar. He had no right to spy on her, but she didn’t know how to handle her father either. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she gripped the fabric of her dress.

  “Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” Lucius asked.

  “He was kind to me; he wasn’t full of himself like Sebastian. I just wanted to be with someone who wasn’t a fake.”

  “I’m not doing this with you, Cecilia, you can answer to Sebastian. He will decide what to do with Ragnar. I for one hope he’s executed for his crimes.”

  “Father, no! He didn’t do anything wrong! It’s my fault, not his!”

  Lucius chuckled. “Tell that to Sebastian, I’m going to bed. You’ve embarrassed me enough for one night. He’s waiting for you in the bedroom.”

  Cecilia slowly made her way up the stairs to the bedroom. She was still reeling from the shock of everything. She didn’t know how Sebastian would react. He didn’t seem like the forgiving type. She reached her door and slowly opened it. Sebastian stood on the far side of her room. His shirt was unbuttoned and dangled from his sides. The window was open and sent a cold draft through the room. He held a glass of scotch in his hand. Judging by the way he was wavering, it wasn’t his first.

  “Sebastian, listen, I didn’t do this to hurt you,” she said.

  Sebastian gulped down the last of his scotch.

  “Really? Then why?” He asked.

  “I don’t believe in this arranged marriage shit, I just wanted to be with someone who actually cared about me. I wanted to be loved.”

  Sebastian turned around and looked down to his glass. He gripped it tightly and threw it at Cecilia’s head. She ducked out of the way as it shattered on the door behind her.

  “I could have loved you!” He screamed.

  Cecilia froze in fear.

  “Sebastian, I’m sorry. I just don’t have feelings for you. Not like that.”

  He stepped forward and she instinctively stepped back.

  “I don’t care how you feel! The dragon shifters are dying out! It’s so difficult to bear a shifter, and the Dragonslayers are killing more and more of us by the day!”

  “Sebastian, you’re scaring me,” Cecilia said.

  “Did he impregnate you? Did he?” He asked.

  “I don’t know,” she said.

  Sebastian slammed his fist down on the surface of the nightstand next to him.

  “Answer me!”

  “No, alright no! We had sex, but he didn’t come inside me. I didn’t want him to. Is that what you want to hear?” She asked.

  Sebastian nodded. “Good.”

  He reached up to his pants, unclasped the belt and then pulled them off.

  “What are you doing?” Cecilia asked.

  “I’m making you an offer,” he said.

  “What is it?”

  Cecilia watched as he stripped naked. He had a chiseled body and smooth dark skin. Physically he was attractive, but even seeing him naked she still felt nothing for him.

  “I will get dressed, hunt Ragnar down, and execute him myself.”

  Cecilia’s heart stopped. “No, you wouldn’t!”

  “Don’t test me! He’s been exiled. As far as the dragons are concerned he’s already dead.”

  Cecilia felt something when she shared that special moment with Ragnar. She felt the seeds of love planted in her heart. She couldn’t lose him.

  “Maybe I can convince you otherwise?”

  Sebastian grinned. It was a smug and satisfied expression. It made Cecilia sick to her stomach.

  “Just let me take care of you. By the time I’m done, you’ll forget all about what happened,” she said.

  Cecilia walked over and knelt before his naked body. She took him into her hands and gently guided him into her mouth. She took it in slowly, but Sebastian wasn’t satisfied with that. He wrapped his hand around the back of her head and pushed her down onto him.

  Cecilia gripped his legs and pulled him out of her mouth. She wanted to get up and walk out, but there she knew she couldn’t. If she was going to do this, she had to channel her anger. This didn’t mean anything. It was the only way to save Ragnar.

  She wrapped her hands around his muscular thighs and took all of him into her mouth. He gripped her hair and held her head in place as he thrusted forward. He moved with a swift and vengeful rhythm. She closed her eyes and focused on Ragnar. After several minutes he stepped away. She wiped her lips and looked up at him.

  “Walk over to the bed and bend over,” Sebastian said.

  She stood up and walked to the edge of the bed. She leaned over the railing at the bottom and wrapped her hands around the metal bar. Sebastian pulled her dress up and ripped her panties off. He grunted like an animal as he positioned himself behind her. His hands gripped her waist as he slid into her.

  He thrusted forward with a loud grunt, he wasn’t gentle like Ragnar. He was angry and it came through in the way he made love. Her entire body shook with each powerful thrust. He didn’t last long before she heard him roar and felt him finish inside her. He stepped back and she stood to her feet. He was satisfied, she was not.

  “We’re done here.”

  Cecilia was disgusted; she could never love someone like him. She left the bedroom and held back her tears. She didn’t want Sebastian to see her cry that would let him win. There were other bedrooms in the house, but she didn’t want to sleep there. She ran downstairs and out of the front door.

  The tears flowed like water as she stepped out into the massive front yard. A hand wrapped around her mouth and gripped her tightly. She struggled by the person was too strong.

&nbs
p; “Cecilia Roven. How nice to finally meet you. You’re going to stay right here with me while my friends go fetch your father and your future husband. We have some talking to do,” a man said.

  He let her go and she stood perfectly still. Four other men appeared from the shadows and made their way into the house. The man in front of her was dressed in what looked like the armor of a medieval knight. He had a golden bow and arrow with a quiver hanging from his back.

  “Who are you?” Cecilia asked.

  “I am the Dragonslayer Apollo. Those other men you saw are my associates Jason, Cadmus, Perseus, and Heracles. We’re here to simply do some business, and then we’ll be on our way.”

  Cecilia eyed him suspiciously. “You’re not here to do business; you’re going to kill them!”

  Apollo shrugged. “In our work they are one and the same. Don’t worry though; I’ll kill you first so you don’t have to watch.”

  He reached down and plucked a dagger from his waist and walked toward Cecilia.

  “This will only hurt for a moment,” he whispered.

  She considered running, but knew she wouldn’t make it far before he used the bow on his back.

  “Apollo!”

  He stopped. Cecilia looked over and saw Ragnar standing at the entrance to the mansion grounds.

  “We have unfinished business!” Ragnar shouted.

  Apollo dropped his dagger on the ground and grabbed the bow from his back.

  “Yes, we do indeed!”

  Ragnar shifted into his dragon form. He was a majestic beast covered in shimmering black scales. He charged forward on foot and let loose a column of icy wind from his gigantic mouth. Apollo rolled out of the way and Cecilia ran toward the entrance of the house. Her father and Sebastian came out, escorted by the other four men that had arrived with Apollo.

  Sebastian immediately broke free of the others and shifted himself. He was a smaller dragon than Ragnar, but still incredibly large. He had coarse leathery skin. He swung his tail around and knocked over the Dragonslayers as he flapped his wings and hovered above them. He released a torrent of fire upon them.

  One of the Dragonslayers was badly burned. His skin was blackened and raw from the blast. He cried out in pain. Apollo rushed to his aid and miraculously healed his wounds with a simple touch of his hand. Cecilia realized that he was the leader. Without him they would fall with ease.