Seeing Tristan’s curious look at Drust, and then at her, she put a hand to her chest.
Did the Lupine know Drust’s secret?
Perhaps Drust sensed it as well, for he sniffed. “My friends, I wished to refresh myself and quench myself at this well, but I fear the water is … befouled. Let us retire to the castle for refreshments in my quarters.”
Knowing he did not mean the words did not make them hurt any less.
Especially when Hugh laughed and nodded.
“Tempting morsel though, eh? Even if she is a dragon who wallows in the dirt as her class does.”
Temper soaring, she scowled at him. “At least I have class. And if my hands are dirty from farming the land to put food on your silver platter, at least I have an honest life, unlike you.”
“Watch it, girl,” Hugh warned. “Your people are so arrogant. Know your place.”
“Of course.” Minda made her voice sweet and contrite. “Would you care for some water?”
She caught Drust’s alarmed expression, but it was too late. Hugh had mocked her once too often. As the Fae came forward to take the dipper from her, she threw the water at him.
“Oh dear.” Minda pursed her lips. “I suppose my people are too clumsy as well.”
Hugh lunged for her, but she was quicker. Minda shifted into her dragon form and started to fly off, but not before she heard Drust.
“Never mind her. That homely dragon is of little consequence, Hugh. Do you wish to dirty your hands with her? Come, let us retire to my apartments.”
Feelings hurt, she soared far above the castle Drust and Tristan called home. Was it her fault she was born to a poor peasant family of dragon shifters? If Drust and Tristan truly cared about their people, they would realize the cruelties the Fae inflicted on the lesser shifters, those who were not born of noble blood and served King Emer.
Eventually, she must return to her chores. An hour later, the well was clear again, her bucket still lying against the stonework. Minda filled it in a hurry and hurried home to finish her chores. Like many of the lesser shifters, she lived in a village outside the castle, farming the land and raising animals for King Emer and his nobles.
Unlike many of the lesser shifters, she had witch blood and liked to practice spells in her spare time. Spells that usually went awry, a source of her lover’s tender amusement. Today she tested out a spell for baking bread.
Sadly, the bread turned into a mushy mess that failed to rise.
As the sun dipped below the tree line, she slipped away, murmuring excuses to her parents about needing to exercise her wings. Minda shifted into her dragon form and flew to a small wooded glen a good hour away from Castle Baldwin. When she landed, the thicket of trees surrounding her seemed to rustle their leaves in approval. The air was fresh and smelled of pine, not the farm animals and manure of her home.
Ruins of an old stone structure lay a few feet away. She clothed herself by magick and sat on the steps to wait. Today would be the last day, she promised herself.
I deserve better than these clandestine meetings.
Sensing movement overhead, she glanced down to see a shadow circling on the forest floor. Minda did not look up as Drust landed.
Still did not glance up as two doeskin boots appeared in her line of vision.
But she would not stay silent and pretend it no longer mattered. “Did you come here to dirty your fine hands with a peasant girl, sir? A homely one at that?”
An inward hitch of breath. “I am sorry,” he said, his voice low and deep, the husky timbre making her shiver. Such a beautiful voice Drust had.
Such nasty words spoken in it.
Minda did not move as Drust said next to her. When he reached for her hand, she drew away. “I grow weary of these games, Drust. It is best if we finally part ways for good.”
Another inward hitch of breath. “Minda, my Minda, I told you I cannot acknowledge you in public. My feelings for you are true, but if I voiced them, you would become a target for the Fae.”
“Excuses,” she muttered.
“Anail na beatha,” he murmured, cupping her cheek. “Breath of my life, do not forsake me. I meant no insult, only to protect you and distract Sir Hugh. You are my heart, my only love.”
Though her heart belonged to him, she couldn’t help wondering if he only used her for sex and to relieve his body’s urges. Drust had told her he had taken only two lovers after his mate died, leaving him with six children to raise. The affairs were brief, for he had too many duties at the castle claiming his attention, as well as his fatherly duties at home.
And then came the day when he saw her singing at the village well, and he’d fallen for her as if tumbling headfirst into the well itself.
They arranged to meet in this glen, where she lost her maidenhead to him. They had been lovers for six months. Always he was careful, for he did not desire to father any bastards, so she took the herbs he gave her to prevent pregnancy.
The dragon lord was charming, handsome and as they tumbled together naked on the forest floor, he made her cry out in pleasure time and again, until she lost all her senses.
She loved him.
With all her heart.
I am a fool.
Finally she gazed at him, studying those incredible blue eyes that blazed with passion when he’d tutored her in the art of love, and softened with tenderness each time they first saw each other.
“Are you certain I am your heart, Drust? Or tis it another organ that concerns you more? Perhaps one tucked into your trousers?”
His mouth twitched with good humor. “You are impudent, Minda. That other organ belongs to you as well, my love. I cannot imagine even desiring another woman after having you. You are my heart and my soul.”
Pulling down the collar of his tunic, he pointed to the dragon-shaped birthmark, a mirror of the one on her chest. “From the first moment we kissed, I knew we were destined bondmates, true mates meant to be together forever. Nothing will ever part us. Not even death, for we shall find each other again.”
Minda shivered. “I like that kind of talk less than I like talk of how we must keep our feelings secret, Drust. Do not jinx us by mentioning death. Times are too perilous.”
“Hush,” he soothed. “Nothing will happen to you, my sweet.”
He slid a hand around her neck, massaging the tension from her tired muscles. Desire shivered through her again, but she checked it, for this conversation was too important.
“What do you hear of talk in the castle, Drust? Is the king willing to give more rights to shifters?”
He pulled her against him, and she breathed in his heady scent of wood smoke. “No. Emer is stubborn and will listen only to his Fae advisors. Tristan has a unique place at the king’s table, but even his position is tenuous.”
Drust nuzzled his bearded cheek against hers. “This is the true reason why you and I must remain distant to each other in public. Every day the tensions grow stronger. Tristan and I are doing our best to be diplomatic and avoid war.”
“You diplomatic?” Minda stole a peep at him. “That is rare. You are as diplomatic as Father’s old mule when he wishes it to work faster.”
Drust threw back his head and laughed. Oh, she adored his laugh, so filled with life and humor.
“Such insults from such a lovely mouth,” he murmured, his gaze turning heated. “I should kiss it and that would make you stop.”
But as he bent his head to kiss her, she drew back. “I need more, Drust. I can’t keep doing this. It isn’t fair to me, always having these snatched moments in the forest when I want us to be together for good.”
Forever, if what he said was correct. She felt it deep inside her that they were meant to be together.
“No, it isn’t fair.” Drust touched her mouth with his index finger. “Tis not fair for me as well, living without you close to my side. I never felt this way for a woman before. I would die if I lost you, and plead with the goddess to wipe all memory of you from me, for
I fear I could not draw another breath without you in my life.”
Now it was her turn to hush him. Deep inside she felt a growing feeling of dread, as if this were too good to be true and something terrible awaited them in the future. Maybe this was why she had a sense of urgency to gain a commitment from him.
Because she didn’t know how long they had together.
“No more talk like that. I don’t like it. What is Emer’s latest plans for hunting in the forest? Will the moratorium be lifted?”
Minda listened patiently as he revealed the king would not only lift the ban to hunt for food and game in his woods, but execute on the spot any shifter caught doing so.
When he finished, she shook her head. “You must convince the king that such actions will only cause the lower classes to rebel against him.”
“He will not listen.”
She chewed her lower lip. He smiled. “You are thinking of a plan, for you always do that when you are engaged in deep thought.”
Minda nodded. “Then suggest to the king that he lifts the ban temporarily and enlists the help of shifters to put more fresh game on his table. Lupines are excellent hunters. Our people are dragon and can pinpoint game from the air. The peasants are often swifter than the fat nobles who have less need to pursue game. This will ease the peasant shifters need for fresh game, for we can hunt for the king and save a small portion for ourselves.”
Drust kissed her hand. “An excellent solution. You are my helpmate, Minda. Your wisdom goes far beyond your years.”
At his praise, she smiled, but her smile dropped as she thought of their future. “When will we be together for good?”
“Soon,” he promised. “Soon as I can arrange it so we will be wed and Emer does not know. I will make you my mate and no one will separate us. Now, tell me about your day. Have you tried any more spell-casting?”
With a sigh, she told him about the failed bread. Drust chuckled and kissed her cheek. “You have not failed at one spell, my love. You put a spell on me, on my heart, for it belongs to you only, always.”
Then he kissed her and as they reached to undo each other’s clothing, Minda forgot everything except the urgency of baring her body next to his… feeling him deep inside her…the incredible bliss of her Drust making them one.
Nothing would ever part them.
Not even, as he said, the sting of death. And yet after they made love, Minda could only lie in his arms, fearing for the future, their future. A sense of doom hovered in the air.
She could not fight it. They did not have long to be together…
“No.” Tears streamed down Lacey’s cheeks as she struggled to free herself from the heaviness of dream sleep. “No, don’t go! Please don’t leave me!”
A light snapped on, illuminating her bedroom. And then two strong arms wrapped around her, holding her close.
“It’s only a dream,” a deep voice soothed. “Just a dream. Hush. Wake up. You’re here now and all is well.”
A warm palm wiped away her tears amidst more soothing words. Lacey blinked rapidly and gradually became aware of her surroundings, as well as the man who held her.
Drust.
“You were in my dream,” she blurted out. “We were lovers, only I wasn’t me, I was someone else. We were in the woods, there was a structure made of stone, with lots of moss covering it…”
Blue eyes, blue as the sea, regarded hers as he blinked as well, as if the realization startled him.
Or not.
“I had the same dream,” he said quietly.
Heart racing, she scrubbed her face free of the tearstains. “It couldn’t be. I thought wizards were immortal and needed no sleep.”
“Most times we do not. But it is different for me, as I am fairly new to my powers. I do sleep at times, especially when I am relaxed and comfortable.”
Lacey licked her lips and stared at him, trying to clasp at the cobwebs of memories that faded even now. Dream images that she wanted to cup in her palms and hold close, and remember.
She knew by morning everything would fade.
“You were nice to me,” she whispered.
A smile touched his own mouth. “I can be quite nice…. when I wish.”
The dream had been exhilarating and joyful, but the thought of his leaving brought tears to her eyes. She’d lived her life now celibate and shunning men. Lacey never wanted a man in her life. Until now.
Not a man. A wizard. Judging from the heat in his gaze, he wanted her as well.
When he cupped her cheek, she leaned into the caress, not fighting her feelings anymore. Drust wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. Lacey felt herself respond, her breath quickening, her heart racing with delicious anticipation.
His gaze locked to hers and she saw the desire flaring there in his blue eyes. Lacey skimmed her hand over his taut jaw, feeling the bristles of his short beard, then trailing her hand down his throat to the blue dragon mark. Matching marks. It must mean something. Perhaps they had been united in the past.
The past no longer mattered.
Right now, right here, did.
Drust tilted her chin upward and lowered his head. Yes, she thought. This.
His kiss came on a hushed whisper. “Lacey.”
Then his mouth found hers, a sweet, bare brush of his firm lips against her trembling ones. He sampled her mouth leisurely, as if they had all the time in the world.
When her lips parted beneath the gentle pressure of his own, he plunged inside, deepening the kiss. Lacey kissed him back, sliding her arms around his neck.
Drust fisted a hand in her long hair and feathered tiny kisses down her neck, making every cell in her body sing with pleasure, He found her mouth again and claimed it, tangling her tongue with his, coaxing more quiet moans from her as the pleasure mounted.
This wasn’t the passionate, possessive kiss back in the restaurant. This was a kiss from a man who intended to arouse and impassion, who led her in a dance that would end up with only one goal – both of them naked in bed together.
I can’t do this. I can’t fall in love with you. Not again.
Lacey jerked away, tearing her mouth from his. “Stop, stop it!”
Immediately he stopped, pulled away and looked at her with concern. “What’s wrong?”
Wrong? Everything was too right. Drust was devastating and she suspected an excellent lover. Temptation galore.
She couldn’t afford to have him in her bed. Not when so much else was at stake, especially her wounded heart.
Lacey closed her eyes, fisted her hands. “I can’t do this, Drust.”
A warm hand cupped her cheek, and then a gentle kiss on her forehead. Chaste, almost. Disappointing.
She opened her eyes as the bedsprings creaked and he rose. At the door, he turned.
“Good night, Lacey,” he murmured, closing the door behind him.
For several minutes, she tossed and turned in bed, wondering. Who exactly was Drust and had they shared something special and wonderful in the past?
And if so, what did that portend for their unpredictable future?
Chapter 9
All her good intentions vanished after last night. Lacey paced in the kitchen the following morning.
Tormented by her feelings for the wizard who was her worst enemy, she didn’t know what to do about them.
And yet, in the dream he’d been her best friend, for she was Minda, the woman Drust loved.
Shivering, she hugged herself. What happened to the woman in the dream? Was she Minda reborn? Lacey touched the dragon birthmark on her neck. Surely it seemed there was a connection between them. A connection so strong it made her cry out in her sleep.
When Drust held her like that, she never wanted him to let go. And that was the danger she faced. Falling for a powerful wizard was never on her agenda.
Drust was a handsome, sexy guy. But so were hundreds of other male dragons. She’d dated some, and felt nothing like the electrifying passion she’d felt f
or Drust.
And that dream! Had they shared a past life and that was why they were drawn to each other?
I don’t care about the past. Not when I’m trying to survive the future.
Maybe she should simply do as he requested and go with him to destroy the book. But the rebellious part of her that resented authority screamed against it.
Or maybe at least test out one small spell from the book before she watched it disappear from her life, and all the potential within it.
The cobweb memories of the dream faded as she thought of her plans. The potential for finding Melanie and giving her foster monster a taste of her own cruel medicine.
Drust had left after their kiss last night, promising to return before she left for work. She showered quickly, and dragged the book out from its hiding place inside the wall of Evie’s bedroom.
Lacey flipped through it, hesitating as she came to the dark spells in the back of the book. Miles, the proprietor who gave it to her (your father!) had also advised her to avoid those spells, for the magick was potent and though they could bring a person much power and riches, they opened a door one did not want opened.
He’d been vague about exactly what kind of door.
About to shut the book, she saw a spell for increasing one’s riches. Hope surged as she scanned the ancient language.
Did she understand the language because, as the dream indicated, she had lived during that time period? No matter. She understood it now.
All her money troubles could be solved with this one spell. All of them! Lacey stroked the parchment and her fingers tingled. The words began to glow, as if brought to life by her touch.
“Oh dad, why didn’t you tell me more? Why couldn’t you have found me and we could have had more time together?” She stared at the book, torn between using the spell and destroying it forever as Drust wanted.
And yet it was the only connection left to her father, the man she’d sought to find her entire life. Everything else he owned had been donated to charity and scattered so far that when Lacey made inquiries, she realized it was pointless.
THE MATING CLAIM: Werewolves of Montana Book 14 Page 9