by G. A. Aiken
Ailean headed toward the land below them but, tricky bastard dragon that he was, he waited until the last moment before flipping onto his back. Shalin slammed hard into the soft lakeside dirt, the weight and speed they’d been going pushing her until she slammed into ancient trees half-circling the lake.
Yet even after all that, Shalin still refused to release his hair.
Ailean scrambled off her, not wanting to crush her. She was small for a dragoness and he was bigger than many dragons. Add in his armor, and he could easily crush her.
But still…his hair!
Yet when he went to stand, he realized she still held on to his hair with both claws and kept yanking. Not only did it hurt, but he could feel hair ripping from his head.
Mad cow!
“Release me, Shalin!”
“Not until you tell me what you did! I’ll rip every hair from your enormous head if I have to!”
To prove it, she did just that, strands of hair tearing right from his scalp.
Snarling, Ailean slapped at her claws. When that didn’t work, he grabbed hold of her wrists and slammed her forearms to the ground, using his weight to pin her into place. Startled, she released him, but he knew she might go for his hair again if he didn’t calm her.
“Shalin, stop this. Now!”
“Tell me what you did, Ailean the Whore!” she spat into his face. “Tell me!”
Sitting back on his haunches, he released her, holding up his claws. A placating gesture. Seemed the little innocent had quite a temper. “Just…calm down.”
“I won’t calm down,” she promised, scrambling back to her feet and away from him. “Just tell me.”
“Someone told Adienna about the kiss I gave you outside the school. She seems to believe you’ve betrayed her.”
The rage went out of her, replaced with confusion.
“I don’t understand. What do the North dragons have to do with Adienna? Or with me for that matter?”
“We can talk about this later.” He wanted to get her back to his home, where he knew she’d be safe.
“No. You’ll tell me now.”
Gods, where was the mouse he was used to? The shadow who silently followed Adienna? The female calmly ordering him around was far from the Shalin the Innocent he’d heard about all these years.
“Fine. Adienna sold you to the Lightnings.”
“She…” Shalin sat back on her haunches and stared at him. “She sold me?”
“Aye. To old Tinig. I’ve fought him in battle. I took his eye. It just made him look crazier.”
Taking in a deep breath, Shalin nodded. “She sold me.”
“Shalin—”
Shalin held up a claw to silence him. “And you,” she looked directly at him. “You took me from the Northerners.”
Ailean nodded solemnly, completely comfortable with his role as hero and rescuer. “I couldn’t let this happen to you, now could I?”
Years later he’d admit—he never saw that tail coming.
Covering his jaw where the sharp tip of her tail had slashed him, Ailean glowered. “Is there a reason you did that?”
“You brought war to our people and you stand there looking smug?”
“I brought war?”
“Yes. You.” She shook her head, turning as she did. Ailean took a step back to avoid that tail. He wasn’t frightened, but he wasn’t stupid, either. “I have to go back,” she finally said and looked as if she were seconds from taking flight.
Ailean grabbed hold her arm. “What are you talking about?”
“I have to go back, Ailean. It hasn’t been that long.” She glanced up at the sky to confirm. “And if your brothers haven’t killed them yet, I can fix this.”
He knew from her words and her expression what she planned to do. Sacrifice herself for the greater good of her people.
“You’ll fix nothing, Shalin.”
She tried to walk away from him. “Ailean—”
Ailean yanked her back, harshly, making sure he had her attention. He did.
“You’ll. Fix. Nothing.”
“Get your claws—”
He gave her a hard shake. “Listen well, Shalin. I’ve created this, but I’ll fix it. But I’ll be damned if I let you sacrifice yourself because of that mad bitch.”
“She’s not mad, Ailean. She’s mean. Meaner than you or I.”
“I don’t care.”
“You have to know she won’t stop. She won’t stop until I’m gone or dead. I think gone is better.”
“So you’ll…run?” The word was foreign on his tongue. Male or female, young or old, his Clan never ran.
“Why not? I’m quite speedy. And I have this odd love of having my neck attached to my body.”
With a growl, Ailean turned, dragging her behind him.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re going to my home, if I have to drag your pretty ass there myself.”
“But won’t your family be there?”
Finally, his full anger snapped and he turned on her. “You think you’re not safe with my family?”
Now Shalin held her claws up in a placating gesture. “That’s not what I mean at all.”
“Then what do you mean?” he demanded.
He watched her gather her courage before saying, “You’ll be putting them at risk, too. Adienna will stop at noth—”
Amazed she seemed more concerned with everyone but herself, Ailean calmly cut in, “If Adienna crosses my family, she’ll soon learn how little her royal title means.”
“Ailean—”
“We’re not discussing this any more. You’ll come with me.”
Her mind turned. He could see it, see her trying to figure anyway out of this. Her gold eyes furtively glanced around, desperate, but he only had to flash a fang to make it clear how far he’d go.
“Fine,” she said with an absurdly tragic sigh. “I’ll come with you. But…my father. He’s not safe.”
“I’ve already sent two of my cousins’ mates to protect your father.”
“Only two?”
“Trust me. These two…your father will be fine.”
“Knowing my father, he’ll want to go to the queen. To see if he can fix this.”
“And they’ll go with him when he’s ready. His own personal guards. No one will get near him.”
Shalin sighed again, and Ailean knew he’d won. At least he’d won this particular argument. He sensed other fights wouldn’t be so easy.
“I’ll go with you.”
Ailean forced himself not to grin. He sensed she wouldn’t appreciate it and his scalp still stung. “Thank you.” With that, he took several steps back from her and extended his wings in preparation to take flight, but stopped a moment, compelled to make something very clear.
“Shalin?”
She’d just unfurled her wings, ready to follow, when she looked up at him.
“There’s something you should know.”
She merely tilted her head, waiting for him to continue.
“I am sorry this happened, and I’ll do what I can to fix it—but I’m not sorry I kissed you.” He winked as her eyes widened in surprise. “She’ll not make me regret that.”
3
Shalin had so many things that annoyed her at the moment, she wasn’t sure what topped her list.
Perhaps the dress she had to wear? A brazen dark red that was much too big for her, since it belonged to one of Ailean’s cousins. Big enough that she constantly tripped over the hem and couldn’t seem to keep both sleeves on her shoulders at the same time. Every time she adjusted one side, the other slid off and every male eye in the house seemed to focus right on her.
Or perhaps the fact she wasn’t in a lovely cave. No, she was in a…a…
Shalin glanced around and barely contained her annoyed growl.
She was in a castle. A bloody castle. What dragon willingly lived in a castle? A nice enough castle, to be sure, but a castle. If she shifted and spread her wings here, she
’d take out a good portion of the Great Hall.
Or perhaps that, because she was in this castle, she had to remain human—all the time. When they’d first arrived, Ailean had actually shown her to a bedroom…with a bed in it! A bed he expected her to sleep on!
Now, true enough, she’d been living among humans for quite some time, but that had been different. A necessity. The sacrifice she’d been willing to make to further her knowledge. But to live this way on purpose irritated her.
And although all those things annoyed Shalin to the point of distraction, she’d begun to realize that what annoyed her most of all, what had her teeth grinding, her hands tightly clenched in her lap so she wouldn’t unleash her claws, and kept her gaze focused on the floor to stop herself from showing the growing rage and annoyance in her eyes…
What annoyed her—was them.
Not just Ailean’s brothers. Or an uncle or two. But all of them. The entire Cadwaladr Clan from within a league. And, even worse, they never shut up. She’d never heard anything like it. Like a tree full of hungry crows, but with much more rough language and abrupt changes of topic. Now Shalin understood why Ailean cut her off so often…they all did it to each other constantly. If one wanted to be heard among this brood, one literally had to scream.
Since Shalin didn’t scream, she merely kept her hands in her lap, her head bowed, her eyes on the floor, and her mind as far away from this place as she could imagine. While they all shouted at each other, Shalin flew in the bright bronze skies of Alsaindair. She’d only gone once to the desert lands with her father, but she’d never forgotten. And the desert dragons themselves had fascinated her. The same colors as the dragons of Dark Plains but there was a shiny bronze overlay to their scales she absolutely adored. They’d looked like jewels to her, and she’d been fascinated by their history and language and lifestyles.
So focused on her own thoughts, it wasn’t until someone gently tapped her shoulder that she realized they’d all finally gone silent. Yet she sensed that was only because they were waiting on her to say something. What exactly, Shalin had no idea.
Clearing her throat, she looked up and found them all watching her. Good gods, what exactly had they asked her?
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Now, no need to apologize, lass,” one of Ailean’s aunts told her while patting her hand. “This isn’t your doing, now, is it?”
Before Shalin could respond, the entire room erupted into angry shouts about Adienna, and Shalin lost the thread of conversation yet again.
Frustrated, Shalin pulled her right dress sleeve onto her shoulder. Of course, that only meant the left fell off the other side, hanging low on her arm. Knowing he watched her, Shalin glanced over and, as she suspected, Ailean stared at her from behind several rows of his kin. He smirked and raised an eyebrow. If she could have reached him, she would have slapped his face.
She wished she’d aimed her tail lower. Perhaps cutting his vocal chords would have eased her growing resentment.
Enjoying that vision more than she should, Shalin let her gaze slide back to the floor and back to the images of her flying.
Flying anywhere but here.
“You’ll need to leave her be, Ailean.”
Surprised, Ailean glanced at his aunt. One of his mother’s bloodline. When his mother had died, his Aunt Briaga had done what she could for Ailean and his brothers, when not dealing with her own offspring or in battle.
“What are you talking about?”
“You and the innocent. Stay away from her.”
“Why?”
His aunt gave him that look she used to when he’d bang his head into walls to see how long before he could actually break through. “Look at her. Poor, shy little thing.”
“Shy? Her?” He watched Shalin for a moment and saw how his aunt could make that mistake. Sitting there with her back straight, the dress she wore slipping off all the best places, but still managing to look innocent and untouched, hands in her lap, eyes downcast. But Ailean was no longer fooled by Shalin the Innocent. “She’s not shy.”
“Och! Deniela, tell him.” One of his father’s many sisters, Deniela had two things to her name. Her lethal way with a battle ax and that she was the mother of the Cadwaladr Twins.
“Tell him what?” Deniela asked, chewing on what better be dried cow. Ailean forbid the eating of humans on his territory. He’d already had to clear up a few things for Shalin when she’d casually asked, “Is she dinner?” as one of his servants had walked by with two water buckets from the kitchens. The buckets hit the floor, and water went everywhere.
And then there had been the hysterical screaming…
That was when Shalin realized the humans in his territory knew exactly who and, more importantly, what he was. That had confused her, which he had to admit, he enjoyed doing. The look on her face was comical and adorable all at the same time.
Briaga leaned across Ailean and said to Deniela, “Tell him he can’t be bothering the little dragoness. Look at her up there.”
“Och. I know. Isn’t she a sad little thing.”
“What are you two looking at?” Because all he could see was the viper who ripped the hairs from his head. And the discovery of some bald spots did nothing but make him want to return the favor to the little royal.
Deniela pinched Ailean’s arm lightly and it took all his strength not to scream out in agony. “You stay away from her, Ailean the Blue. Look at her. Poor wee thing.”
“Oh, come on! She attacked me, you know?”
“Aye,” Briaga agreed. “Threw that ax at you to protect her innocence.”
“That is not what happened, and that’s not what I’m talking about. Just today she attacked me. Pulled hair from my head.”
“Why do you lie to me?” Deniela laughed. “We both know I’m smarter than you. That wee thing would never attack you, so stop making up stories. Don’t you feel bad for her?”
“No!”
“Ailean! I expected more from you.” She leaned in closer and whispered louder, “Look at her face. That deformity.”
“What?” Ailean looked at Shalin. “What are you talking about?”
“Those horrible things on her face.”
“Oh, no, no,” Briaga explained, incorrectly, “that’s just mud. She needs a bath.”
“It’s neither. It’s freckles.”
“Then I was right. Deformity.”
“And you know,” Briaga whispered, “she’s probably a virgin. And you, Ailean the Slag, are not the dragon for virgins.”
“What does that mean?” And was Shalin a virgin? Ailean shuddered a bit. He didn’t entertain virgins. Much too much responsibility for his liking.
“She must be. How else would she get such a name?”
“Especially living at court,” Deniela muttered, pulling more dried beef out of the little carry bag she kept tied to her sword belt. “All the fucking that goes on there.”
“So you just keep your claws and your cock to yourself, Ailean the Whore,” Briaga warned him, “or I’ll be pulling your father out of his cave to deal with you and he’ll be none too happy.”
He definitely wouldn’t be happy. For other dragons—a normally unsocial group—to call Ailean’s father Afton the Hermit said a lot. Still, it was better than his earlier name. Afton the Murderer. But there had been a reason for that. A very good reason.
“Fine. I’ll stay away from her.” At least while she was at his home, under his protection, since that could easily be misunderstood. And how hard could it be? Once this had all been straightened out and Shalin went back to her school and Kyffin, he could finish what had been started that night in the royal archives. “But you two hags leave me be.”
He covered his head with his arms as soon as he said the words, laughing while both his aunts slammed fists into his head. He didn’t appreciate the kidney shot from Deniela, though.
Sneaking away had been a lot easier than Shalin thought it would be. No sneaking really involved; she
simply stood up and walked out. So engrossed in their own disturbing conversations, none of the others even noticed her leaving.
Thank the gods.
She really didn’t know how much more she could take. Her first thirty winters it had been only her, her father, and mother. Thirty winters of reading, quiet contemplation, and soft-spoken discussion on any topic from politics to religion. Her parents had taught her how to think, how to reason. They’d taught her how to survive without lifting a weapon. Good thing, since she was as hopeless with a weapon as Ailean was with a book. That thrown battle ax being nothing more than a lucky shot.
But the Cadwaladr Clan didn’t really have quiet contemplation or soft-spoken discussions. There was nothing soft or quiet about these dragons.
Now, all Shalin wanted was some time to herself. Blissful silence. But would she ever find it?
“Need some help, m’lady?”
Shalin looked at the sturdy woman before her. One of Ailean’s servants but, Shalin had quickly noticed, none of them looked downtrodden. She’d never seen servants who seemed happy and comfortable with their lot in life. Simply going about their day without misery.
“Yes…uh…”
“Madenn, m’lady.”
“Shalin. Just Shalin.”
“As you wish.”
“I know this may be a tall order, but is there anywhere that I can…some place I can…”
“Get some quiet?”
Shalin almost dropped from gratitude that the woman so immediately understood her. “Yes.”
“Just the place.” She held one finger up and quickly went into the kitchens—with a clan this large, Shalin wasn’t surprised Ailean needed more than one. When Madenn returned, she had a basket of warm scones, a chalice, and a wine-filled pitcher. “This way.”
Madenn silently led Shalin down a winding path of hallways. The castle was enormous and Shalin wondered how Ailean could afford it. The Cadwaladr Clan was not born of wealth or title and had no inherited riches the way most of the royals and nobles did. Anything they had, they stole from humans. But Shalin couldn’t imagine Ailean attacking some unsuspecting caravan.
“Here you are, luv,” Madenn said while she pushed a door open with her foot. She’d gotten comfortable quickly and Shalin didn’t mind. “Will this do you?”