He needed to take a new mate. Needed to have another child. There was no getting Wildref back.
His eyes drifted shut, and he remembered the first time Warmund had held his sister. There was a look of protective awe on his young face. He had been afraid that there would be jealousy, anger that she, and not him, would one day ascend to the throne. But Warmund never wanted to be king. Never.
A shuddering sigh echoed from Indulf as he rubbed his chest. He had lost everything. His wife, both of his children. Wildref’s loss was a keen pain in his chest, but the ache of Warmund’s betrayal was even worse. If he had been more understanding, if he had considered his son’s feelings more, would this be happening? Warmund gathering people to his rallying cry… This was going to end up in a civil war. Fighting his own son.
God, how did it come to this?
The door flung open, startling him. He swung around, mouth open to release a jet of flame, but choked on them when he saw who it was. Anna fairly danced into the room, eyes bright with a brilliant smile on her face.
“It’s time for my fencing lessons,” she sang.
“Is it time for that already?” Indulf glanced out the window. The sun was still high in the sky. Funny, it had felt darker in his room. Perhaps that was just because of his melancholy thoughts. He retrieved his glass of wine and sat, gesturing Anna to do the same.
She knelt across the table from him and rested her elbows on it. “Wine? At this hour? Are you an alcoholic?”
“What’s an alcoholic?”
“Someone who uses alcohol to deal with the stress and anxieties of life, to the point where it’s a dependency and they can’t get through life without it.”
Indulf looked at his single glass. “I don’t think I am. Today just happens to be a particularly bad day… come sit next to me, Anna, rather than over there. Please, if you don’t mind.”
Anna gave him a suspicious look, but crawled around the table and sat next to him. Indulf had the sudden urge to lie down and have her cuddled in next to him. He wondered how she’d react if he asked her to do that. With a half-smile at his imagination, thinking about how red her face would be, he set the wine down and sighed.
“You know, I didn’t love Warmund’s mother.”
Anna chewed her lower lip.
“I didn’t even pretend like I did. I was curious about sex, and I found a woman who could introduce me to it… well, I didn’t find her. My father did. He said that it was high time that I became a man, so he set me up with a beautiful dragon lady. She was magnificent. Eighteen centuries, so much more experienced than my sixteen… she knew exactly what to do, and I was more than willing to let her teach me everything there was to know.”
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Anna. She wasn’t looking at him, instead glowering at the hearth. He almost laughed. Was that jealousy written across her face?
“After Warmund was born, I decided never to play around like that again,” he continued softly. “My father, he had several sons and daughters that were like Warmund—born to my father but not my mother, his mate. I hated thinking that my son would be treated that way. I loved him so much, from the moment I first held him in my arms. My father would have sent him away, but I refused. Perhaps if he had been raised by someone older, someone who wasn’t… me, he would have had a happier life.”
Anna turned back to him, her eyes widening. “What about his mother?”
“She didn’t want anything to do with him.”
“That’s… that’s terrible.”
Indulf scowled, remembering the way it seemed like nobody cared about the tiny, helpless child but him. He would have fought his father and all his uncles for Warmund. In some ways, he did. He shook those gloomy thoughts off and focused on Anna again. “What about you? Do you have children waiting for you in your world?”
“Um… no. I don’t really have anything waiting for me… I mean, there’s the new season of Game of Thrones, but that’s more me waiting for it. My folks and I… we don’t talk much. It’s not like we don’t get along, we just have nothing in common. And I think that I was a disappointment to them. They wanted an all-star prom queen daughter; instead, they got… you know, me.”
He nodded slowly. “And what’s wrong with you?”
“I’m not exactly the Prima Donna type. My mom was a cheerleader, my dad was a quarterback. They’re like, poster beautiful together. And then I’m… I’m short, fat and a huge nerd. They didn’t openly discourage me from being me, but…” Anna shrugged. “I know they wish I could have been more like them.”
Indulf nodded slowly, his eyes still intent on her face. “And are you married?”
“Hell no.” Anna snorted. “Don’t even have a boyfriend. I mean, I’m still young, right? I’ve got time to figure that all out. Besides which, I want somebody who’s into my stuff. And it seems like the nerd guys out there are only interested in nerd girls if they have porn star bodies… or if they are interested in a fat girl like me, they think that I must have terrible self-esteem and all I’m good for is a quickie. But I’m not into that stuff. I know that I’m not gorgeous, but I’m not ugly, either. I’m fat, that doesn’t mean I hate myself.”
“I see…” Indulf frowned as he tried to work out what she was saying. There were so many turns of phrase in there that he didn’t understand. He decided to pick out the most confusing. “What is a porn star body?”
Anna’s face flushed red, making him grin despite the heaviness in his chest. She looked so damn cute when she got embarrassed like that. If only he knew what it was that was embarrassing her so badly…
“Um… it’s, you know, a really hot bod. The kind of body that porn stars have.”
“What’s a porn star?”
Her face turned so red that he was surprised that blood didn’t start dribbling from her nostrils. She glanced away, glanced back at him, then looked away again. “Oh, well… Um… So, porn is… Porn is… Well, it’s when people are filmed having sex. And then they, you know, sell it. So that other people can watch them having sex so that they can…”
Indulf chuckled softly. “I think I’ve got it.”
“Good.” Anna snatched the wine glass and took a gulp. She seemed to remember afterward how much it affected her because she set the glass down again gingerly. “Anyway, only the really hottest of the hot are in that sort of thing. Girls without a belly like this.”
Indulf found himself leaning forward, unable to stop himself. He wanted to see her blush again, for her sweet scent to increase in the air. He kept a careful distance between them, but grinned all the same at her. A wicked thought came to his mind. If this was embarrassing, then a well-played lie would do even better. “You know, if that’s something you like, there are similar options here.”
Anna’s eyes became round.
“Not filming, but there are theaters where all they do is parade various couples in the act.”
“Um…” her voice squeaked. “It’s not. I mean, it’s not something that I want to do. I—I—I—I—I—"
The stammering was just too much to take. Indulf laughed, taking her hand in his. “I’m joking,” he said softly.
“What?” Relief broke over Anna’s face as she shoved his shoulder. “Jerk!”
“I just like making you blush. You turn such a shade of red. I’ve never seen it before. It’s quite…”
Words weren’t going to do this justice. He moved his hand from hers, cupping her face in both of his hands. Her eyes went around again, but she didn’t pull away. Indulf moved slowly, a thousand thoughts bursting through his mind. Anna tilted her face towards his. When her eyes fluttered shut and her lips parted slightly, he found himself unable to stop.
He kissed her, deep and passionately. His tongue swept over her lips and she opened them eagerly for him. The kiss deepened, their tongues tangling. His fires flared and flickered under his skin. His loins tightened. With a slight growl, he pulled her tight to his chest and shifted positions. Anna’s arms wra
pped around him, drawing him even closer.
Wait. He jerked away from her abruptly. She stared up at him with anticipation and guilt swamped him. He couldn’t do this. It had been ten years since his mate died, ten years without physical comfort. But what if she got pregnant? He was not going to bring another child into this atmosphere. He was not going to have another child when he couldn’t protect the two he already had.
Indulf scrambled to his feet. “I won’t be able to attend to your fencing lesson today. I’ll have Volcant take care of you.”
Anna stared from where she was half-reclined on the furs. “Um… okay…”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and then turned on his heel. He needed to keep himself focused. He could not let his passions carry him away. Perhaps if he had protection on him… With a groan, he dropped his face into his hands. What was he going to do?
Chapter Seven
Anna
The room she was in was a far cry from the cells that she had been held in thus far. It was quite large, though not as big as Indulf’s chambers. It came equipped with a large bed, a bench at the window, furs around the hearth and a low table surrounded by cushions. There was a private room off of it that had a chamber pot in it. She had been very embarrassed when a maid first came to clean it, but she didn’t have any other options but to use it.
Was she still technically a prisoner? She wasn’t certain. Her mind wouldn’t stay focused on that possibility. Instead, it kept returning to a certain kiss that had happened.
Alright, she’d say what it really was. She had made out with the dragon king. Her! Just plain Anna, the one nobody looked at, the nerdy girl with too many curves and not enough height for them. And Indulf, a king, a dragon, a man who had everything, wanted her…
Maybe not everything, she thought sadly, remembering the pain in his eyes when he told her that his son had betrayed him. How must that feel, to have someone you love turn on you like that? She knew there was more to the story than she knew, but still. It had been evident just how much this hurt him. The desire to go and comfort him burned in her chest, but how was she meant to do that?
The flash of heat, of his mouth against hers, left her breathless. When he had kissed her, everything else disappeared. She has tasted smoke on his tongue and it felt like a fire was kindled inside of her. Heat surged beneath her skin, fireworks going off in her blood. Even now, just remembering it, there was a throbbing need between her legs.
With a groan, she threw herself onto the bed, wondering if she’d need to take care of this herself like she always did. Before she could decide if it was something worth distracting herself from the kiss for, a knock came to the door. She hopped up and straightened the covers before she rushed over to the door.
Indulf stood on the other side. Her heart leapt, until she saw that he was dressed in full armor. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. The armor was made of stiff leather, a breastplate on his torso, greaves on his forearms. At first, she wondered why he didn’t wear metal, but then she remembered he was a dragon. He needed the space to shift, and burnt leather would do less damage than melted metal.
“C-come in,” she stuttered, a cold hand squeezing her insides.
Indulf nodded and stepped inside. He had a hand on the pommel of his sword. He had been attempting to teach her how to use it, but she hadn’t been serious enough about using proper techniques. Now she wished she had been.
“What’s happening?” she asked, wrapping her arms around her waist.
“Warmund has rallied several of my uncles and brothers to his side. They have extended an offer of battle. If I don’t accept it, then I risk them marching on our towns and cities. The damage would be… catastrophic.” He ran a hand through his dark hair and shifted on the spot. She couldn’t be sure with his dark skin, but it almost looked as though he was… blushing.
She wasn’t certain why he’d be embarrassed about any of this. It sounded horrible. “Do you fight as dragons?”
“Yes, when it is called for. It’s etiquette to try to resolve things without that level of violence, though. So, sword and shield to begin with. As Warmund isn’t necessarily trying to unseat me, I believe that there will be no need for shifting in this battle.”
His eyes flashed with some unspoken emotion and Anna found herself moving forward. “You look… nervous.”
Indulf looked startled for a moment before dropping his head to acknowledge her. “It has been over three hundred years since I last battled, and then all my brothers were on my side. Now we’re split in two. I had no idea they felt this way...”
Anna nodded. She wanted some way to reassure him, but her mind was reeling. Even though she was aware of how old he was and was content to reassure herself that they were, technically, about the same age as far as physical maturity went, being reminded of that took her breath away. After all, he wasn’t just old. He was a king, a dragon, and had seen more at this stage of his life than she would in her entire lifetime. Or at least, more than she had expected to before she came here.
“I… I know that this is not...” Indulf ran a hand through his hair again, stumbling over the words. “I know that this is, uh, unusual, considering how… When we saw each other last, I pushed you away...”
Heat rushed to her cheeks, but she managed to smile at him. “It’s fine. I know that it must be more, uh, complicated for you since you’re a king and all.”
Indulf gave her a small smile. “Then I might as well just come out and say it. It’s customary here for a warrior to take solace in a warm bed before going to battle...”
“And by a warm bed, you mean...” Her eyes widened. Heat flooded her cheeks, and a deep throb started between her legs. She wanted to just throw herself into his arms, but held herself back. “What are you really asking me?”
“I am asking for the honor of your bed… taking strength from your body before this battle. But if you don’t want to—”
“That’s not the issue,” she said quickly, then gulped. Was it? She kept her eyes on his face, though she longed to look over him. He was such a handsome man. She’d go so far as to call him beautiful. Muscles everywhere, that strong jaw, full lips, steely eyes. Her lips tingled with the desire to pull him in and forget about the bed altogether. The furs near the fire looked soft enough. But there was more she needed to know. She took a deep breath. “How likely is it that you’re going to die?”
Indulf’s eyes widened, then he smiled. “Is that what you’re concerned about? Let me reassure you, then. Dragons rarely die in battle. It’s merely a show of courage and devotion to the cause. And let me assure you, I have never had significant problems with my brothers or uncles. None of them are going to be after my blood.”
Relief washed over her—this wasn’t some final request situation. It wasn’t as though this was the last time she was going to see him. She was free to refuse, if that was what she wanted. But it wasn’t. Not by a long shot. With a small smile, she held out her hand to him.
“Then I am honored you chose me and I’d… uh… like to formally… accept?” She was certain her face was as red as a tomato.
Indulf laughed softly, accepting her hand. He kissed it, then pulled a small leather pouch from a hidden pocket. “Don’t worry, I have protection. You needn’t worry about having a child.”
“Oh! I… didn’t even think of that. Dragons and humans can have kids together?”
“Kids,” he repeated. “If you mean children and not baby goats, then, yes, we can. But I assure you, you won’t have to worry about it. We have second skins that men can wear, made from—”
“I don’t need to know what it’s made from.” She stepped in close, lifting her mouth to his.
He kissed her eagerly, greedily. Heat flared through her body as she once more tasted smoke on him. A pleased gasp escaped her when Indulf answered that heat with a fiery passion of his own. With a growl, he backed her into the wall, pinning her there. The armor between them was hard, squashing her breasts. Her ha
nds ran over it, trying to find a buckle or string that she could undo.
Indulf chuckled into her mouth. “Allow me.”
He took her hand and guided it to a buckle at his side. When she failed to open it with one hand, he flicked it open. She started on the buckle on the other side, but once the first one was open, Indulf merely lifted the armor over his head. Anna wasted no time in tugging his shirt off and letting her hands greedily explore the smooth contours of his muscles.
“You are beautiful,” she sighed and Indulf dove into her neck.
Her skin sizzled wherever he touched her, his hands as greedy as hers. They traveled up her back, around her waist, down her back. She gasped, arching herself to him. His teeth scraped along her collarbone. She couldn't stop her hips from bucking forward, grinding on him. She felt how hard he was with their clothes between them, and pushed at his stomach a little, so she could get access to his belt.
A growl answered her, deep and primal. He pressed against her again, catching both her hands. Indulf’s eyes glittered as he moved back and pinned her hands to the wall behind her. A wicked smile spread across his face, revealing pearly white teeth.
“Now, now. For tonight, you are mine. And I take care of what’s mine before I allow that sort of nonsense.”
Anna’s breath locked in her chest and her heart nearly stopped. She had never known a man to want to give her pleasure before he got his. Meekly, she allowed Indulf to lead her to the bed. Once there, however, a wicked desire came over her and she turned suddenly, pushing him down onto his back before she straddled him. Indulf’s eyes widened, and she pinned his hands beside his head.
“No,” she breathed. “Tonight, you are mine.”
Indulf slowly grinned at her words. He didn’t struggle against her hold as she started to roll her hips, grinding against him. Her angle sent shivers down her spine as she felt him harden. Soon she was panting, grinding herself harder into him between their clothes. He lifted his arms, but she pushed her weight on his wrists, reminding him she was in charge.
The Dragon King's Prisoner_A Paranormal Romance Page 4