Cara looked around her little cave and realized he was right. There was a place for her and one for the Witch, who was also small of stature, but nothing for anyone as large as Zaven.
Her embarrassment was evident as she spoke again.
"My apologies, Zaven ... I simply did not realize."
"'Tis nothing, little one ... nothing of consequence. If you don't mind, though, I will bring a chair for me to use when I visit."
He took a seat on the floor beside her little fire and they began the exchange of stories again. Laughter and good feelings filled the afternoon as they shared her little pot of stew, filling their plates frequently. Zaven stayed until twilight and kissed her hand lightly when he took his leave of her.
She prepared herself for bed, humming softly as she slid into her bed and then caught herself. Humming? Then she chuckled to herself, surprised but happy that she had met this wonderful man. She was smiling softly as sleep claimed her.
Next day, he appeared with a large carved chair at her cave entrance. When she saw the size of the chair, she wondered at how he could possibly have gotten it there without help ... at least a cart, but there was none in evidence. And then ... it was inside the cave and in place near her fire pit. She didn't recall how it got inside, didn't recall how he carried it in ... none of that seemed to matter. It only mattered that he was there and comfortable as they shared food and lively discussion.
As the days passed, Cara became more and more comfortable with the large man in her little cave. He was intelligent, charming, and handsome and seemed interested in every little thing she did. More and more, thoughts of her husband drifted further and further into the deep recesses of her mind.
One day he appeared at her cave without his usual smile. When he was seated in his large chair, he held out his hand to her, beckoning her closer.
"I have brought news, Cara, and I fear it will make you sad again."
Cara had been smiling when he came to the cave but her face had fallen into one of puzzlement and confusion as he sat down. She took his hand and he pulled her into a hug before he spoke again.
"I bring word of a proclamation in the realm, sweet little fox. It has been posted in each village for all to see."
"What is it, Zaven? I confess you are scaring me a bit now."
He pulled her from the gentle hug onto his lap and held her against him as he began the sorrowful tale.
"This is how it was stated it in the proclamation—Your husband, your darling William, has posted notice of ‘a divorce from the woman known as Cara.’ It has been signed by him and by the bishop of the church for all to see. Your disappearance has been cited as the reason and it would seem that all are in agreement with this. There is much talk in the villages as well."
He had been cuddling her against him and he felt her trembling in his arms. When she leaned back and looked up into his face, he saw the tears and then a flash of anger as the lie penetrated her sorrow.
"It wasn't my fault, Zaven. I didn't ask the dragon to change me. I only wanted to love William and give him the sons the Witch foretold."
"I know that, Cara. I really do not know this dragon, but perhaps he did it because he loves you. It must mean something that he would go to such an extent to have you for himself."
Cara stiffened in his arms and looked up again.
"Love me? Zaven, I barely know him. How could he love me?"
"Stranger things have happened, sweet little fox. Perhaps he saw you from afar and you captured his heart with your lovely smile and winning ways."
Then he pulled her close again and cuddled her, tears stinging his eyes at her obvious pain and confusion. He rocked her gently in his arms as she wept against his broad chest.
Soon he was speaking softly, beginning another of his tales of adventure, hoping to use it to bring an end to her tears and sorrow.
Then came the day when the Witch returned to visit and was surprised to find the large man there. She had just entered, her eyes adjusting to the dusky light that was the norm for the cave, when she gasped slightly at his sudden rise from the chair.
"Who are you that you are in this place? Where is Cara?"
"I am called Zaven and am a friend of the little Cara. She has gone to bring back some flowers she found. And you are?"
"I am the Witch of Wolstad. Do I ... know ye?"
The Witch peered at him closely. Something about him ... something seemed familiar. Was it the way he carried himself? Even simply rising from the chair there was a grace about him, an attitude that said he was more than he seemed. And he was so big!
"I don't believe we have met before."
Still, something was familiar about him. She cocked her head as she studied him.
"Aye, I'll take ye at yer word, but ... it seems to this old head of mine that we have crossed paths before. It will come to me anon."
His eyes were darting between her and the entrance, as if he were thinking of escape from a foe and that made her even surer that she knew him. She wracked her brain, going through a series of faces in her head to try and match him with one she had met before.
What is it about him? What is he hiding behind that smile, she wondered. If he hurts the lass, he will find out about the wrath of the Witch of Wolstad, she thought.
Then a wide, bright smile lit up his face and she knew without turning that Cara had returned. It was obvious that he cared for the little fox, so perhaps she should let it be ... for now. But the emotions flitting across his face wouldn't dispel her search for his name and face in her vast store of knowledge. When she turned to greet Cara, she almost gasped at the change in her.
When last she had seen the little fox, Cara had appeared pale and washed out; her fur was scruffy and patchy. Now she appeared to glow, had gained weight and her fur was silky and soft as the Witch hugged her. The Witch held her back and looked her over from head to toe.
"Well, I see yer in a better frame, little Cara. Stomach all better now?"
"Aye, it is. It must be the company I've been keeping."
She smiled up at Zaven as he took the flowers and found a small vase while she hugged the Witch. It seemed that he made quite a show of stepping back from the two females, thereby distancing himself a bit from their greeting.
Cara whispered to the Witch as she held her close.
"He's such a good friend. He tells me stories and keeps me busy during the day thinking of stories to tell him in return."
"I'm glad to see yer well, child."
She watched Zaven as he moved comfortably in the little home, a soft smile on her face. The Witch watched too ... sure she knew the man but not able to place him. Not yet any way.
She watched Cara as well. The young woman seemed to be taken with the tall man ... a good thing, in its way, to keep her thoughts from William and his treatment of her. Her heart beat with gladness that the little creature seemed happy again, and then her eyes flashed with anger at the actions of the ‘lord of the realm'.
They dined together, chatted about her travels and as they did, she became more comfortable with the stranger. Still, the sense lingered that she knew him.
The Witch took her leave of them, and looked back just before she left the cave. The two were so engrossed in their discussion that they barely noticed her departure, but something had flickered at the edge of her vision. What? What was he doing here? Was he using magic on the child? She tarried another moment watching them and then went on her way, planning to read the leaves when she reached her home. Something was amiss here and she was determined to find out what it was.
Chapter Five
Cara sat in the small pool of water, rinsing the soap root from her hair when she heard a crashing behind her. Her body jerked at the noise and she turned to face it. What she saw made her gasp in surprise and seethe with anger. A towering presence had pushed its way between the trees and was grinning down at her.
Very pointedly, Cara turned her back to the dragon and finished rinsing her hair. S
he was trembling as she squeezed the water out of her hair.
"What do you want? Why have you come here to torment me?"
His large head dropped down a bit at the scorn in her voice. The sunlight filtering down through the leaves turned his iridescent scales to shards of scintillating color as he moved. When he spoke again, each movement of his head and body caused more colors to bounce around the glen. He was fairly small for a dragon, the scales covering him rippled with the thick musculature under them. His wings were tucked against his sides but she could see them quivering as if he was anxious to take flight. His clawed hand reached down and plucked the delicate chain from where it lay on the little pile of clothes on the bank of the pool.
"Were I you, lovely Cara ... I wouldn't lay such a pretty bauble on the ground where it might be lost."
"It wasn't on the ground. It was with my shift ... until you bothered it."
The dragon towered over her, shaking his head.
"Sure you won't change your mind and come with me, pretty Cara? Everything you ever thought of could be yours, even more baubles like this one."
She stepped from the water, walked toward him and took the necklace from his claw. She put it with her little shift, reached for a towel and stared up at him as she dried herself.
"You ruined my life, dragon ... and you think I would willingly go with you? I thought dragons were supposed to be wise and knowing. If you think that, then you are lacking."
"Ruined your life?"
"Yes! You cursed me ... caused me to look like this! You took me from the love of my life!"
"Nay, little one ... you may not see it now but I am truly the love of your life."
"You love the power you have over others and that is all you love. Not me, not anything else. Only the power."
Cara's words were bitten off in anger and bitterness at what he had caused for her.
"Now go away and leave me alone. Being in your presence tasks my patience."
By this time, she was dry and had pulled her little shift over her head. When she reached for the necklace and raised up to put the chain over her head, she saw that the dragon was gone. She smiled at that idea and let the delicate chain fall, the pendant dropping down between her furry little breasts.
"Is the little fox decent in the dell?"
She started at the soft words, and then smiled broadly when she called her response.
"Aye, she is decent, my friend. Would that you had been here a bit earlier. That dragon was here."
Zaven pushed the bushes aside and strode into the shadowed glen, looking around as he heard her words.
"Dragon? I've seen none such, my sweet Cara, but I would have protected you from him if I had. After all ... I could do nothing less for my friend."
His brave words touched her heart and she marveled at the way he showed no fear of the thought of meeting a dragon face to face. The words weren't new, he had said them before, and yet ... something was different this time. She stepped closer to him, her eyes never leaving his and when she was close enough, she reached up and caressed his cheek, her furry fingers sliding over the bronzed skin of his face. At her touch, he leaned down and briefly brushed his lips across hers.
Cara gasped softly, but it was difficult to tell if it was with surprise or pleasure. She pressed closer to him and slid her arms around his chest, feeling his heart beating faster as she leaned against him. Her heart speeded up to match his as she clung to him. Her breath was caught in her throat as she breathed in his scent and her words were soft.
"You have been a good friend, Zaven. It has meant a great deal to me."
He tilted her head up with a finger under her chin and smiled down at her.
"If truth be told, little Cara ... I think it's more than friends I want to be."
She felt as though a bubble of fear and sadness burst inside her at his words. Her heart was pounding now and tears of joy filled her eyes. After the bad time with William, she had thought never to feel like this again ... wanted ... cared about. That was the feeling that had been growing inside her ... that was the happiness that had been building. He was more than a friend now and she was finally realizing it. He had touched her heart as even William had not done.
"I think, Zaven my friend ... that is something I would like as well."
He laughed with her and grabbed her, swinging her up to sit on his shoulder as he turned from the glade. In only moments they were at her little cave and he ducked inside carrying her. Once in the little home she had made, he lifted her down and held her in front of him, her feet barely touching the ground. As he looked into her eyes, he leaned down and kissed her again, softly, tentatively, then with a bit of added pressure as he pulled her small body against his.
He heard no gasp this time, but a soft moan escaped into the kiss. Cara's nipples hardened against his chest as he held her. When their lips parted, she gazed up at him and smiled a soft smile. His heart leapt with the thought that she had voiced the same wishes he had. To finally be able to hold her as more than a friend ... to actually show her his love was more than he had hoped for.
Cara clung to him as she gazed up. The idea that she wanted more from him than mere friendship hadn't crossed her mind until he said it in the glen and then it was as though that had always been the way of it. His closeness, the tender way he held her was something she had not felt with William who had only expressed his lust with her. She snuggled against him and felt a dampness start between her furry thighs.
She hadn't felt like this since that day with William ... no, not even then. Zaven made her feel so much more than William had that day. The softness of the lips pressed against hers ... the quickened beating of his heart as he held her against him ... She opened her eyes slowly and gazed up into his. Her eyes opened wider as she saw a flash in his eyes ... a kaleidoscope of color she had never noticed before. Then she felt his lips again and all thoughts of the strangeness of his eyes were gone.
His mouth was so sweet to her as his tongue slipped across her lips. When he pressed his tongue into her mouth, she suckled it gently, wiggling in his arms to get even closer. Wonder surged through her mind ... she was feeling things she had never felt before. She had gone to William because it was ordained, told in the tea leaves but she hadn't felt a love for him. This though ... this must be love. This quivering in her heart as her body trembled. This surge of joy that moved through her at his simple kiss.
He broke the kiss then and gazed down into her eyes.
"Little Cara ... tell me now if you wish this to stop for if it continues, I'll not swear I'll be able to stop."
Cara looked up at him, a soft smile on her lips, and a gleam in her eye and she shook her head. Was he mad? Couldn't he tell from the way she trembled how much she wanted him?
"No, Zaven ... don't stop. I don't think I want you to ever stop."
A broad grin split his face as he hugged her against him.
"My little lady ... it will be my utmost pleasure to grant your wish."
He held her up higher against him so he didn't need to bend down to reach her and pressed a deep, intense kiss against the sweetness of her lips. With one large hand, he held her against him while the other slipped through her fur, caressing every part of her body he could reach. When his fingers grazed her sex, she gasped in the kiss and wiggled against his fingers. Then it was her turn to break the kiss and she leaned her head back and gazed up at him.
"You take my breath away, Zaven. And you torment me with your touches. Is this your intent, sir? To tease me to insensibility?"
He chuckled softly as he gazed down at her and then kissed her quickly.
"To tease you? Perhaps to some extent my little furry lady, but only to some extent for I want to bring you pleasure, Cara. I want you to feel the pleasure that only seeing you brings me."
His words were so unexpected that her heart leapt in her chest. Her hands went to the sides of his face and she lifted her head, pressing her lips to his again. Breathless, almost
senseless, she felt him carry her to her little bed at the back of the cave and then she was on her back looking up at him. She watched every movement of his hands as he undressed, her tongue gliding across lips suddenly dry from her quickened breathing. She had been a virgin when she went to William and had only seen him naked and had not enjoyed their one coupling. As Zaven's trousers dropped to the floor of the cave, she gasped at the size of him, standing out from his body, hard and throbbing, twitching as she watched.
Because her bed was of a size for her, he nudged her to the side, sat down with his back to the cave wall, smiled and lifted her up, holding her in the air facing him. She marveled at his strength and grinned broadly, trembling in his grasp. With his eyes locked to hers, he began to lower her body over his rampant shaft.
"Guide me, sweet Cara. Guide me to your treasure and let me please you beyond your wildest dreams and I will be careful of you, be assured of that."
She reached down between her outspread thighs, closed her fingers around his shaft and pulled it until it rested against the outer lips of her heat. Moving it gently back and forth, she felt it slide between the outer lips and gasped as it pressed against her clit. A shock of lightning surged through her body and her eyes opened even wider. There was a gleam of delight in his eyes as he saw her response. Her hand moved another fraction and then he was at the entrance to her treasure. His hips moved up just as his hands moved down and she felt the tip of his shaft begin to penetrate her.
A long, low, soft moan escaped her lips as she felt him stretching her heat. This was the feeling she had wanted with William ... this gentleness, but it was something she hadn't experienced with him and never would.
Zaven held her tenderly, lowering her slowly on his shaft, filling her completely as he gazed into her eyes. Then she was leaning her face against his neck, inhaling the scent of him, her enjoyment at each touch showing in the way she squirmed over him. She trembled and sighed happily against his neck, her lips moving over his throat and shoulder. The muscles of her back quivered under the fine fur as his hands moved down, finally cupping her ass, one cheek in each hand. Her hips were moving with a graceful undulation.
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