He cupped her cheek and leaned in close. His lips ghosted over hers but did not touch them. She inhaled his breath and closed her eyes, waiting for the tender touch. She felt at once desire and fear for what could transpire here. The burning fire built in her gut, radiating to all her limbs. I am his bride; did he not declare me so? This is an even more fortunate placement. I am above the emperor himself, as the bride of a dragon! Her body betrayed her and she trembled beneath his touch.
He pulled away and she felt the loss of him and mourned it. She slowly opened her eyes and looked into the deep depths of his inhuman eyes, brown but ringed with blue. He hosted a crooked smile on his face.
"How did you release me?" he whispered.
His voice was coaxing, and lulled by his touch and the burning desire in her gut, she found her usual quick wit muddled and slow. She opened her mouth and words escaped her. She swallowed and then tried to coerce her dry tongue into working. "As I said before, the seal was weak. I sensed that and released you."
He tilted his head and his smile grew wider. "Then I owe you a debt of thanks, let me." His hand brushed along her collar and her trembles became shivers. The cold from his touch brushed against her skin, and if any frost thought to linger, the fever of her skin melted it. His hand slid along her collar and moved down to her chest, pushing aside the heavy fabric of her white kimono. She was short of breath and every inch of her trained on him, wondering what he would do next.
He pulled her close and snaked his hand around to her back. He pulled on the cords around her sash, which kept it in place. It pulled loose easily and with it the sash underneath came undone. She felt as if she too were losing control, unraveling as he pulled off each layer, a bit of her reservation sliding away with it. He undid the layers of sash that had belted her into the robe. They fell to the ground and pooled there. If his hand had not been on her waist, she would have joined them. Her knees felt like water.
He turned her around and unwound the outer layers of the robe. Her entire body was made of flame at this point; she was surprised she did not burn him to cinders, she felt so hot and malleable. Her heart beat erratically in her chest. He could do anything he wanted with her as far as she was concerned. It was the anticipation that was killing her.
His gazed burned upon her and she felt the need to disrupt the silence. "What you said before about killing lovers, you were teasing, were you not?" She hated how afraid and weak she sounded.
He stopped pulling off her layers of robes and turned her to face him. He cupped her hands in his face.
"I am serious, my bride, but since you have strong spiritual power, you will be able to shield yourself, so it does not matter."
Suzume's eyes grew wide. Does he suspect? How could he? There's no way he could know. The Dragon slid the second to last layer off her, leaving her in only a thin underlayer. A breeze from the open doors blew through her and she hugged her arms close to her body, afraid to let him near. She was cold suddenly; the fire had ebbed and the foggy intoxicated feeling had sharpened into suspicion. What is wrong with me, I never let myself get carried away like this before. When he leaned in to kiss her, she turned her head away, in case his kiss too could be deadly.
"Why so shy, my bride? This is our wedding night. Are you not meant to give yourself to me?" He grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes. Once more he had that infernal smirk.
He does know! He is testing me! She would not let this go further, not if she were to keep her purity. Now that the haze of desire faded, she could see clearly. The Dragon thought to play a trick on her, take her purity, play with her as he will. Whatever it was, two could play at this game.
"I was thinking about what Zakuro said." She lowered her lashes in a perfect imitation of a demure woman. It had always been a favorite of General Tsubaki. Playing the shy maiden had practically won her the marriage contract. Men love a weak woman.
"Forget what that hag said," he replied. "You gave yourself to me with a pure heart and freed me from my prison; you are my bride."
He pulled her close again, but Suzume pushed him away and ran towards the open doors overlooking the valley below. This was also a long-practiced tactic. The chase had always stirred the general's desires while giving her the space to keep him at bay, and malleable as clay in her hands.
The wind that came blowing off the mountains had a bite to it. Wearing nothing more than a thin underlayer, her flesh prickled or maybe that was his touch on her shoulders that caused that. She never knew someone's hands could be so cold.
She ignored him for a moment, staring at the mountains. The clouds had rolled back and the snowcapped peaks looked iridescent under the full moon. She turned to the side, letting moonlight fall on her skin, lending it the same ethereal glow. Manipulating natural lighting to her advantage had become an art form at the White Palace.
"This is all so quick." She covered her mouth with her hands as if she was stifling a cry. She lowered her hand. "And I am afraid." Her voice wobbled as she spoke.
He squeezed her shoulder. "That is fine."
She pulled away from him, taking a few steps to the edge of the veranda. She kept her head turned away to hide her smile. "I'm glad you understand," she said.
"The fear only makes it that much more exciting."
Suzume spun to face him in surprise, and as she did, he grabbed her hard and held her against his chest. She thrashed about, wriggling away enough to beat his chest with her fists.
"Let me go this instant!" she shouted.
He laughed that same mad laughter and a chill worked its way up her spine. She tried to summon the power she had felt in the shrine. Even the sparks of energy did not seem to deter him. She scrunched her face and tightened her muscles and balled her hands into fists in an effort to summon that same power that had broken him free. If I can release him, perhaps I can seal him.
His laughter turned from maniacal to amused as he pushed her away. She fell to the ground. She braced herself with her palms and glared up at him past the curtain of her dark hair, which had fallen forward.
"You look like a fool. Stop before you hurt yourself," he said.
Suzume glowered at him and kept her hands bunched at her sides. "Do not play with me, Dragon, or I will send you back from whence you came!" She pointed a finger at him.
"You must be a fool to think you can trick me." He placed his hands on his hips and regarded her with his head tilted to the side, just as he had in the shrine.
"You knew! Then what was the need of this?" She motioned to the discarded robes strewn about the room.
"I told you before, you entertain me. I wanted to see how far you would let the game go. I must admit I have never met a woman who could withstand my charm quite as well as you."
How dare he threaten my purity in such a way! "I suppose you consider that a compliment," Suzume said as she sat up and straightened her robe to conceal her exposed flesh. He stared at her collar and she decided she did not care what he saw. Never let them see your true feelings. That's what her mother always said. He might think he had the upper hand, but he was mistaken if he thought she was beaten. She sat up straighter, taking on a regal pose.
"It is what it is; you may interpret it however you like, Priestess." He smirked again and settled on the floor across from her. "Now tell me truly, how did you break the seal?"
She lifted her chin in a haughty dismissal.
"I am not adverse to eating you, though I am sure you will be dry and foul tasting."
"You're joking." Suzume raised a brow at him, but her heart beat faster in her chest. She had no doubt he would, given half the chance. She would need to be more careful in the future.
"You're right, I am sure you'd be delicious." He licked his lips. Her stomach flip-flopped and the tingling sensation danced across her skin. She refused to look away, however. Doing so would admit defeat, and that was not an option.
Pressure built behind her eyes and a heavy weight burdened her breathing. She lo
cked gazes with the Dragon. Her breaths were short and painful as if with each breath she was taking water into her lungs. Sparks ignited along her skin; the slow burn she had felt in the temple returned and it coiled in her stomach and began radiating to her limbs.
Then it stopped. Like water being poured from a jar, the river of energy halted as if the jar was righted once again. As the pressure ebbed away, Suzume's breathing was freed and she panted to regain a regular rhythm once more.
"Interesting," he said. He stood up and paced around her in circles. "When you are sitting here, I cannot sense any spiritual energy about you. Yet, when I lower my own barriers and release my spiritual energy, your body goes into the defensive."
"Are you saying my power is only awakened when threatened?" Is that what that feeling was? It made sense that she only felt it when she was around him, he seemed to be a constant threat to her life. Why have I never felt this before?
"Possibly, it does not explain why you would have broken the seal. Tell me what happened at the shrine." He continued to pace about with his hands folded behind his back.
Suzume pondered the incident a moment before replying. She had no reason to answer his questions other than to sate her own desire to understand why these powers had manifested now. "We were in the middle of the ceremony and I walked into the temple. I felt like a wave came over me and was pressing the air from my body, and then a burning feeling built into my gut and in my limbs, and eventually it just came out and went straight towards the holy object."
He paced away from her and stood in the doorway. He looked out across the valley. The stars were out and they blanketed the blue-black sky, adding twinkling light. He stood very still, like a statue. From her vantage point she could see nothing but the twinkling of the night sky beyond him and he appeared to be a bird about to take flight and never return.
After several minutes of pensive silence Suzume said, "Do you know what happened to me? How did I break the seal?"
He turned around and regarded her as if just noticing her for the first time. "You are still here, then? You should return to your chamber; a young woman like yourself should not be out sneaking into a man's room."
She jumped to her feet. He acted as if their conversation had never happened. "You dragged me in here!"
He waved at her over his shoulder, dismissing her once more. She thought of several curses she would like to fling at him but decided she valued her life too much to risk awakening the darker side of his personality. Instead, she stormed out, slamming the sliding door after her.
When she was alone in her bedchamber once more, she found that sleep eluded her and she wondered what had caused this sudden awakening of her spiritual powers. Could it be as he suspected: a defense mechanism? Living in the White Palace, she had not had much opportunity to get into trouble. She was always surrounded by guards and ladies and lords of the court.
She sighed and rolled over. It was best not to think of what she had lost. Perhaps tomorrow would be a better day. She could only hope.
4
"I heard the Dragon took her to his chamber last night."
Suzume pushed herself up on one arm and scowled at the offending sound of twittering voices. She was no stranger to gossip, it was common fare at the White Palace. Gossip was a way to pass the time and it was also a way to control those around you. She was curious to hear what these shrine maidens thought of her.
A second girl gasped. "She must realize that she is not really his bride. It is just a title!"
"She's from the palace. Maybe they don't understand northern customs?" the first woman asked.
"I am shocked she would give her virtue so lightly."
"The way I heard it, she's had countless lovers. I don't think there was any virtue that remained for her to lose."
Suzume had enough. They were nothing but a couple of prattling idiots. She stood up and poked her head through the open window that looked unto a garden where the two women were conversing. They spotted her as she rested her head on her upturned palms, her elbows resting on the windowsill.
"I've had one thousand lovers. One for each night of the week, and they would shower me with treasures from countries you can only imagine, the finest silks, and poems were often written comparing my beauty to the changing of the seasons. That was until a warrior stole my heart and I forsook all other lovers for him. My father, the emperor, however, had already chosen for me one of his best generals: General Tsubaki. When the general learned about my lover, he challenged him to a death match. They fought and lost their lives to win my love. That is why the emperor banished me here, because his favorite general died." She smirked.
The two women cowered and lowered their gazes to the ground. The girl on the right wrung her hands together and the girl to the left fidgeted as she stole glances at her companion. They're brave when they are talking behind my back. They would not last two minutes at the palace.
"What, nothing more to say? I thought that would make for much better gossip than what you were saying."
"We did not mean any offense," the girl on the left said.
"Oh? I suppose I sound favorable having spread my legs for hundreds of men rather than thousands and being foolish enough to believe a dragon would be my husband?"
"No, that is to say…" The girl on the right raised her head to try to defend herself, but Suzume's glare had her staring back at her feet the moment she made eye contact.
"Get out of my sight before I call down the Dragon's wrath upon you," Suzume said. She sliced the air with the hand, miming what she would have the Dragon do to them. They both scattered like maple leaves in the wind.
Suzume slid down from the window and sighed. She gathered her knees up to her chest and stared at the blank wall across from her. She was used to gossip. She had grown up surrounded by it, but somehow Suzume had hoped this far from the White Palace, her reputation would not have preceded her. It seemed her mother's legacy was stronger than she expected. It doesn't matter. I don't care what they think.
Suzume got up and dressed in her everyday clothes: a pair of crimson hakama pants, a white haori tucked into them and cinched at the waist. The long billowing sleeves got in her way as she tied her hair back in a low tail with white ribbon. Learning to dress herself had been a challenge, she had always had lady's maids to do these things. And the clothes itched and rubbed against her skin, which was used to silk. There was no looking glass; such a luxury item would not be found here. She imagined she looked as every other priestess at the shrine did, dull. A part of her had hoped when the Dragon had claimed her that she would not have to go about her menial duties, but after last night, she doubted the Dragon would spare her from anything. If anything, he was likely to make her life worse.
After a quick breakfast, during which none of the other shrine maidens even so much as looked her in the eye, Suzume went to meet with Zakuro to get her morning assignments. It was an unfortunate side effect of being a shrine maiden. She was expected to clean and learn about what it took to serve the god of the mountain. I don't even know why it is necessary when the god is a fake. She sighed and then when she looked up again, the Dragon stood across the garden beneath a maple tree. His head was tilted back as he stared at the crimson leaves.
He wore a long white outer robe that hung down past his knees over a pair of billowing black pants, and his long hair had been tied up in a topknot. He looked like a proper courtier from a distance, the only thing that was missing was a hat. She had never seen a man without one before now. He would have caused a scandal at court, with his charming smiles and apparent disregard for social norms. From a distance, he appeared handsome. But Suzume knew beneath that pleasing outer veneer was a monster and a maniac.
He spotted her and waved her over. At first she considered pretending not to see him and walking away, but he did not give her the chance. He crossed the garden, jumping over a small decorative pond before landing gracefully beside her.
"Good morning, my bride," h
e stage-whispered.
A few of the shrine maidens looked in their direction, but when Suzume scowled at them, they ducked their heads and went back to sweeping or carrying linens to be washed.
"I thought we had established that I was not your bride," she said with fake sweetness as she fluttered her eyelashes at him.
"Mmm," he said and cupped her cheek, running his thumb along her high cheekbone. Sparks rose where his hand touched her. "Isn't it fun to pretend, though?"
She scowled at him. The air crackled around her and she felt the burning pool of energy rumbling in her stomach. Now would be a good time to learn to master this power and burn him to a crisp.
The Dragon pulled away from her and laughed. "You are so predictable. I am glad I chose you."
"You did not choose me, my power unleashed you!" she countered.
"How do you know I did not give you that power?" he asked with a quirk of his lip.
She glowered at him and had no appropriate response. It seemed these newfound abilities only manifested around the Dragon; could it be nothing she could control but her body's reaction to his presence? She refused to give him credit; it would only go to his head.
"There you are!" Zakuro shouted and bustled over to the pair of them. When she saw Suzume with the Dragon, however, she faltered. She folded her hands in front of her and bowed low to the Dragon. "My lord Dragon."
He looked down at her with a narrowed gaze and the crackling sensation tinged the air and made Suzume's skin itch. Zakuro did not seem to notice. She did maintain her averted gaze as she spoke to Suzume. "The head priestess wishes to speak with you."
"We will be there in a moment," the Dragon replied for Suzume.
"I can speak on my own," Suzume snapped.
"Can you now? Since you were not able to answer my earlier question, I thought perhaps you had lost the power of speech."
The Dragon Saga Box Set Page 3