She couldn’t think like this.
“Could you turn around please?” His words sounded laboured, like he was struggling with the same kind of thought that she was. It pleased her to think it, even if it wasn’t true.
Slowly, she did as he asked, anticipation building within her. She’d been in this position before, just a couple of times, to try it out when her curiosity had gotten the best of her. But this was different. Something undefined charged the air, and she was excited for what that could mean, even if she didn’t dare think it.
He tugged at the laces of her corset, but instead of growing looser, it went the other way, squeezing her chest and making it difficult to breathe. “You might need to be a bit gentler,” she gritted out.
“Sorry,” he grunted. “I can’t seem to work it out.”
“You just pull the laces,” she pointed out, and felt him try out her request. At least he was willing to listen. That was always a good sign.
“It’s not working. How attached are you to this dress?”
“Not at all. Why?” she responded.
She was answered with a sharp ripping sound as the material tore and cold air hit her bare skin. The shiver passing over her had nothing to do with the cold.
The fabric fluttered to the ground, pooling around her feet in a tattered mess. A small smile lifted the side of Aledwen’s mouth. That was more like it. The dress was back where it belonged. No one would have to look at it ever again. Other than Johanna if she wasn’t back in time to clear it away.
More chill air swirled around her bare skin as she realised he’d ripped through her slip too. Feeling a surprising amount of confidence for the situation, she let that too fall to the floor, and stepped away, turning to face the dragon.
“What should I wear then?” Her voice came out lower than she expected it to. Kind of sultry. And nothing like she’d ever sounded before. Just one of the strange effects the man seemed to be having on her.
“Do you have anything more...form fitting?” He cleared his throat as his eyes trailed up and down her body taking her all in. That put her at the advantage. Why she was so determined to be that, she wasn’t all that sure, but the determination was building by the second, and she’d long since learned to listen to her instincts when those things came to pass.
“I think I have something, yes.” She smiled to herself as she turned away, but didn’t sway her hips as she walked. She was almost certain the game they were playing wasn’t one of seduction, and she didn’t want to make it one. That would come later. No. As far as Aledwen could tell, this was more a game of control. Not in a negative way though. It felt like more of a game to her than anything. One she could have fun with.
Then they could turn it into a game of seduction. And she’d have great fun doing just that.
Her dressing room was annoyingly far away from the balcony. Apparently the architects hadn’t considered someone might end up outside and naked. Though she was surprised they’d built a balcony strong enough to support the weight of a dragon shifting. It must have been enchanted at some point, that was the only way she could see it working.
His eyes burned into her back, and she moved extremely carefully as a result, conscious he was constantly watching and appraising her.
She bent over, rummaging around in the back of the dressing room for the package she’d hidden there nearly a year ago. Pulling it out, she shook out the forest green fabric and smiled. This dress would be perfect. It was yet another purchase from her human shop, and one of her favourites. Though until now, she hadn’t been brave enough to even put it on, not wanting to know what would happen if she was caught in it. Her mother might even have disowned her if she’d discovered it. There was a chance she might not succeed, had she tried. It was virtually impossible to disown a princess unless there was a spare one too.
Luckily, make-up was a human thing, and she had no need of it. Which would save time at least. Though she did think to tie her hair back in a bun. The only way she could think of to sneak out of the palace was going to be on the back of a dragon. Conducive to having her hair whipped around her face, but not so much for anything else. Zipping up the dress was all she needed to feel ready, and once she’d turned around, she nodded to Drey. He smiled and shifted back into his dragon form.
Aledwen approached slowly, not because she was worried about what he’d do to her. More because she was so in awe of the amazing creature in front of her. Logically, she knew it was just Drey, the man she’d danced with just over an hour ago, and the one who made her feel the weird pull towards him. But equally, he was magnificent.
This close up, it became clear that his scales were midnight blue, and they shimmered in the dim light. Slowly, she reached her hand forward and brushed them against the surface. The scales felt like polished glass to touch, smooth and unblemished, with an undeniable warmth beneath them. He wasn’t like anything she’d ever touched before, and she imagined she’d never touch anything like him again.
“Wow,” she muttered without realising, getting a soft nudge from the dragon’s head in response. “Is this okay?” she asked, conscious he may not be used to people touching him, nor wanting them to if they did.
Again, the dragon nodded its head.
“I guess I need to sit on you then?” A blush rose to her cheeks as she realised she’d need to be straddled on top of him for this to work. Exhilaration soon made the uneasiness disperse. She was going to ride on a real life dragon. Not many people would be able to claim that. Not very many ever would. It didn’t seem likely that dragons would let a lot of people ride on them.
As carefully as she could, for fear of hurting him, she hoisted herself onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging on as tightly as she could. Heights didn’t scare her, but the fall from a dragon would certainly land her on the dead side of hurt.
Once she was settled, she felt his wings begin to beat beneath her, the rhythmic movements surprisingly soothing. He lifted into the air, hovering for a few seconds so she could get used to the sensation of the air rushing against her skin.
Then, without waiting a moment longer, he sped off, heading in the direction she knew led to the human realm.
A joy unlike any she’d ever known flowed through her as they flew. No wonder dragons kept this for themselves. If she could fly like this every evening then she would.
A part of her didn’t even want to get to Earth, and to the party he’d promised. It wouldn’t matter so long as he kept flying her around like this.
Five
“Why can’t we fly again?” she grumbled as the contraption Drey had called a car rocked from side to side.
“It would raise too many questions if any of the humans suddenly saw a dragon, don’t you think?”
“Not the point,” she responded instantly, despite knowing that he was likely right. It would likely raise more than a few questions. She just wanted to fly again. But her own wants probably couldn’t outweigh the needs of the entire paranormal community. Not if she wanted to retain the little respect she’d actually managed to build as heir to the throne. Which wasn’t really much considering she’d only just been introduced to them.
Drey chuckled deeply, making Aledwen pout. She wasn’t used to being laughed at, and she hoped he wasn’t going to make a habit of it.
“Where are we actually going?” she asked, trying to ignore the annoyance of him laughing.
“The Shifter Council is holding a ball to honour something. Though I’m not sure what. I don’t keep up with politics enough.” Something dark crossed over his face, and she figured that it was something like guilt causing it. Maybe she’d have time to get it out of him later.
“The Shifter Council?” She’d studied other paranormals hard. She’d had to in her lessons. But this one had escaped her. She was actually pretty clueless on how any of the paranormals on Earth ran their people. The thought of prodding Drey for more information filled her with excitement. She loved learning. She lov
ed talking with others and finding out how things worked. Making this a perfect opportunity for her. Or maybe that was just the good feeling about the evening over all. It was definitely preferable to being stuck in the damn awful dress.
“Most paranormal communities have a Council. This is the shifter one.”
“And they rule all the shifters?”
“Not really. Most of them, yes, but you tend to find that the various prides and packs sometimes have their own rules.”
“Like the wolves that live with the fae?” she asked, thinking of the pack that’d lived with her people since childhood. As far as she knew, there were similar packs with the other fae, though rumour had it that the autumn wolves were out hunting their missing princess..
“A little. The lions seem to be the same, their prides have sub-rules, as do the dragon flocks.”
“Dragons have flocks?” She cocked her head to the side, considering the information. She’d never considered what a group of dragons were called. In fact, she’d thought they were mostly solitary creatures.
“Some do. Others are much more...grumpy around other dragons. There’s actually one of the lone ones on the Shifter Council. He hates just about anyone and everyone though, so maybe stay away from him if you can.” He laughed as he finished speaking.
“I hate to point this out, but I’ve no idea how to tell if someone’s a dragon.” Or any other kind of shifter for that matter. But she wasn’t going to admit that yet.
“If he’s glaring at me, it’s likely to be Drayce. We’re...uh, from rival flocks, even if he chose to leave his.”
“That makes it sound very Romeo and Juliet.”
“It is a little. You’d have thought it’d die off after a couple of centuries, but no such luck.”
Centuries? Just how old was he? Was it creepy for her to be out with a much older man? Or was it okay because he was a dragon? She had no idea how any of this worked.
“Don’t look at me that way. I’m not that old.” He smiled reassuringly at her.
“How old?” The question came out like a whisper, and she dreaded his answer a little bit. Though him being older probably wasn’t a big deal. Most paranormals were long lived, herself included, so it shouldn’t be looked down on or anything.
“I’m thirty-three,” he replied, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “But really, does it matter once you reach eighteen?”
“Not really, no,” she replied, impressed that his thoughts echoed her own. They were right though. Paranormals aged a lot slower, and lived a lot longer, than humans did. So an age gap like theirs meant next to nothing. “I don’t actually think about age much. Other than that this is the year I start doing the Birth.”
“I’ve heard of that, it’s a big ceremony, right?” It was his turn to look particularly curious. Aledwen liked that. It put them more on a level playing field in her mind.
“Yes. It’s the transition of control between the Winter Court and us. I’m not sure how much it actually makes a difference. I think it’s just the magic that needs guiding, but I don’t know for definite.”
“Why has no one ever told you?” he asked, before glancing out of the window, possibly to check where they were.
“I’m in the dark about a lot of things.”
The car shuddered and she gripped onto the handle next to her seat, hoping nothing was going to go wrong with it. Drey chuckled again, and she threw him a glare. He shouldn’t laugh at her. It wasn’t her fault she knew nothing about the human world.
“There’s no need to worry, Dwen. It’s supposed to do that.”
“And how am I supposed to know that?” she flung back at him. “I’ve never been here before, I’ve no idea how anything works.”
She could have almost sworn that a tingle of magic passed over her skin as the anger rose. But she was probably imagining it. She couldn’t do magic, and she’d been angry enough times before to know that wasn’t what brought it on.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t...”
“Yes, well.”
The vehicle rolled to a stop, and without waiting for him, she flung open the door and got out of the it. Glad to have her feet back on solid ground. And glad she’d kept on her flat shoes. They were covered by her dress anyway, so she didn’t need to worry about how they looked.
She glanced around, and a smile crept over her face. She could already tell how different this was to any of the parties back home. There was laughter about, and shouting. As well as a lot of different colours. And not one sight of a ball pink dress. Or a corset for that matter.
The women’s dresses were sleek and elegant, fitting to their bodies closely and looking both comfortable and beautiful. Unlike the one she’d been wearing just hours ago.
“You okay?” Drey asked, coming to stand beside her and straightening the sleeves of his suit. There was something about a man looking as smart as he did that she appreciated. It spoke of effort, and pride, and a certain level of awareness of how he was presented.
Maybe it was the dragon in him. They could be particularly prideful creatures from what she’d heard. Then again, she wasn’t going to complain about entering the ball on the arm of a one of the most handsome looking men in there. Though she didn’t know that for sure. There were probably other attractive men here. Maybe even an incubus or two. Everything she’d read about them, they oozed appeal, even if they weren’t classically attractive.
“Just taking everything in,” she replied, before turning to smile at him. For all his teasing, she really was grateful he’d brought her here. It was an adventure like she’d never had before.
“I forgot what it was like the first time.” He smiled softly, and she almost forgave him for the earlier laughter. “You ready?” he asked, holding out the crook of his arm. She slipped her hand into it, smoothing her hand down the soft fabric of his suit coat.
“As ever.”
Slowly, they made their way up the red velvet carpet leading up to a pair of grand double doors. Aledwen smiled to herself, anticipation building within her and causing a bounce in her step and a a soft hum to escape from her lips. She could feel satisfaction emanating from Drey, and it only sent her higher.
Coming here was a good decision. She had a feeling deep within her that it’d be one of the best decisions she made in her life. And that this was a turning point. Maybe she was imagining it. Or it was just wishful thinking. But ignoring a gut feeling never ended well according to just about anyone that’d done it. And Aledwen wasn’t an idiot.
“Your names, sir?” the man besides the door asked. He was smartly dressed, in burgundy and burnished gold, looking every part the old world tradition. She tried to ignore the disappointment it caused. She didn’t just want this to be another party like the fae.
Drey handed the man a card with something scrawled on it. She hoped it wasn’t her actual title, that could cause a stir if it got back to the wrong people. Then again, the dragon shifter seemed smarter than that. He wouldn’t do anything to out her so completely.
The doors swung open, and Aledwen’s disappointment vanished. This was nothing like the fae balls. No one was really dancing for a start, rather, they were standing around talking and building alliances, filling the room with an enticing buzz. She wanted this. She could actually meet people.
An auburn haired woman over to the left, seemed to have attracted a large group of people around her, but was mostly ignoring them while choosing to talk to the darker skinned woman next to her. Their body language suggested they were friends, though maybe that was just the norm here.
“Dreyfus of Flock Kinnon, and companion Aledwen.”
She breathed a sigh of relief at the introduction. No hint of her royal status meant she could just be a normal person here. There were no expectations, or extra eyes or anything.
“Is that okay? I didn’t think you’d want to have everyone know?”
“Yes, thank you. It was very thoughtful,” she replied with a smile. “I don’t want anyone treating m
e any differently.”
“I’m glad. What do you want to do first? There’ll be dancing later. Or there’s food. We can go talk to people. It’s your choice.”
He was so relaxed that it set her at ease too, and she leaned into him slightly. He unhooked his arm, and placed a hand against her back, sending her the reassurance she didn’t know she needed.
“I’m not really sure. What do you normally do at these events?” She glanced up at him, only to be greeted by a slightly uneasy expression. But she said nothing. If he wanted to tell her, then he would in time. It wasn’t on her to rush him. At least, not yet. Maybe later in their relationship it would be.
“Not come,” he responded.
“Oh.”
“They’re fun and all, but dealing with Drayce...let’s just say I’d rather not.”
“Dare I ask?” She tried not to laugh, but a small giggle still escaped.
“He doesn’t really like me much. Believes my grandfather stole a woman from him in the sixteen hundreds.”
He shrugged nonchalantly and Aledwen tried not to freak out over how flippantly he spoke about so long ago.
“I don’t see why that should make him hate you.” It didn’t make any sense to her. Not in the slightest.
“Me neither. But a lot of dragons, especially the older ones, keep vendettas for a very long time. It’s how the wars just kept going.”
“Like the fae war?” She thought back over what her tutors had taught her about the war between the Summer and Winter fae a few centuries ago. Well, really it was a war only played out by the Summer fae themselves. The Winter fae had tried to stay out of it.
“No, not quite like that. Actual fighting rather than battling it out with the weather,” he responded.
“That’s not what-”
“I’m sure it’s not all that happened. Your people are private at best, and damn secretive at worst. Don’t try and deny it, Dwen. You know I’m right.” He was riled up, and probably not completely aware of what he was saying, not that it hurt any less to hear.
Chasing Aledwen: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Novel (Fated Seasons: Spring Book 1) Page 3