by Cynthia Sax
He was above her touch, out of her circle. She smoothed down the skirts of her second best gown, vividly aware of its shabby fabric and sturdy construction. Those two faults had been pointed out by her aunt, the criticisms echoed by other maidens.
She normally feared little, but the other maidens terrified her. Even the sturdiest maiden had floated across the chamber as though treading on air. They had spoken cutting words in sweet tones -- asking her about her dowry, family, embroidery skill, knowledge of dancing. All of her answers had been found lacking.
The landless lord rested his slender fingers once again on her upper thigh. Celestria pushed his hand away. The friar continued to talk about the differences in wine from region to region, not requiring or wanting her opinion.
There was no reason for her to be here. Grau had ruined her for marriage. After spending time with him, every other male seemed dull and weak in comparison. Celestria chewed on her bottom lip, a habit her lady aunt called unrefined. There weren’t many other alternatives for a lady of her class.
“His Majesty, King Torsten,” a pompous voice boomed.
The hum of conversation faded and people stood. The landless lord eagerly assisted Celestria, brushing one of his arms against her right breast and running his hands over her hips. She gritted her teeth, tempted to stab him with the dagger she’d concealed in the folds of her skirts.
He took her silence as consent, squeezing her ass.
“Sir.” She straightened, glaring at him. “Kindly keep your --”
A big scarred hand clamped down on the back of the lord’s neck and a heartbeat later, he sailed across the banquet hall.
“Do not touch my mate,” Grau roared, his face dark, his eyes as black as night. The lord thudded against a stone wall and slid to the floor, his eyes wide, his mouth opening and closing.
Grau took a step toward his perceived rival. Celestria hurriedly put her body between the two males. “It was naught, Lord Starke.” She raised her hands, trying to pacify him. “I am unharmed.”
“He touched you.” Grau’s nostrils flared, smoke drifting around his battle-marked face. “She is mine.” He glared over her right shoulder.
“S-s-she is yours,” the landless lord squeaked. “I-I-I did not know. I-I-I --”
“He is a boy, Starke.” A large man clad in furs and rich fabric grinned. “Leave him be.” The stench of urine filled the air, and his nose wrinkled. “He has already pissed himself.” A gold collar encircled the man’s neck.
“Your Majesty.” Celestria sank into a clumsy curtsy.
He flicked his fingers. “Rise, Lady…”
“Lady Celestria, Your Majesty, of the North Mountains.” As she straightened, her slipper caught in the hem of her skirts, and she stumbled. Grau caught her, his grip possessively firm. Metal clinked against stone, and she stared with horror at the dagger on the floor.
“She truly is your mate, Starke.” The king howled with laughter. “She comes armed to a banquet.”
Celestria’s face heated. She glanced up at Grau.
“She is my mate, Your Majesty.” He gazed down at her, his eyes glowing, his lips curled into a small smile. Grau was clad in all gray; his garment was well-made and simple. He didn’t need any adornment, his presence enough to capture all of her interest. “Her place is beside me.” He retrieved her dagger and slid it into one of his sheathes, her weapon absurdly small compared to his.
Celestria frowned. “I disagree with Lord Starke, Your Majesty. I am of a lower rank, and my place at the table has been set.”
“You disagree with my fiercest warrior, Lady Celestria?” The king raised his eyebrows, and Grau’s clasp on her arm tightened. “I will hear more of your thoughts.” His unusual purple eyes sparkled. “You will sit between us.” He strode forward. The nobles at the high table hastily changed seats, creating an additional space.
I will be sitting at the high table. She glanced at the important people seated there. Both her aunt and her cousin scowled at her, and Celestria gulped. “Lord Starke --”
“Nay.” He placed her hand on his arm, his muscles hard as stone. “No one denies the king, mate, and you will not deny me.” He walked with her, matching his long strides to hers.
“I will embarrass you.” She tucked her body into his, aware of the lords and ladies staring at them. “I know nothing about embroidery. The only sewing I do is of wounds.” Her thoughts redirected. Grau would be concerned with his men. “Your warriors are well tended to, my lord. They wished to leave their sickbeds.” She shook her head. “I convinced them to focus on their recovery.”
“Convinced?” he drawled, placing his hand over hers, his palm coarse and calloused.
“I… ummm… threatened to cut off their man parts if they moved.” She supposed a lady would not make such a threat. “It was idle talk. I would not presume to discipline your men.”
His shoulders shook, brushing against her. He smelled of smoke and man, and he was deliciously warm. She loved him, falling in love at first sight as her parents had, but he didn’t love her. He was an honorable man, trapped into matrimony by his battle lust.
She would free him.
“I know no poetry. I have seen servants in this keep with prettier gowns,” she listed her imperfections. “I dance but to my own steps.” Her panic increased as they stepped upon the dais raising the high table. “I sing only battle songs.”
Grau listened to his mate’s list of achievements. He would like to see her dance, hear her sing, remove the pretty gown she wore. He guided her to her seat and pulled her closer to him when she would sit too far away from him.
He glanced toward the far wall. The worthless lord who had dared touch Celestria no longer slumped there. Grau had wanted to remove his smirking face from his torso. She was his and his alone.
“You are smoking once more, Lord Starke.” His mate narrowed her brown eyes at him, her silent challenge baiting his beast. Grau wanted to rip off her dress, spread her naked on the table, and claim her here in front of everyone, binding them together forever.
She edged farther away from him. He slid her into his lap, and his cock hardened.
“Lord Starke.” She wiggled, grinding her pert ass into his groin. “Release me. This is a banquet, and I am a lady.”
“You are my lady,” he corrected. She muttered and moaned. Grau held her tightly until she stilled, sinking into his body. He rested his chin on top of her head, her curls tickling his skin, and his dragon rumbled with happiness.
The king, his friend and fellow drakon, turned to them. “Starke is your mate, Lady Celestria. Why do you feel your place is other than by his side?”
Grau glared at the king, wondering why he sought to aggravate his feisty mate. His friend met his gaze with a smirk, raising his goblet, his purple eyes glinting with amusement.
“Lord Starke could reach higher for a mate, Your Majesty.” His mate stiffened, her spine snapped straight, and her head smacked against Grau’s chin. Pain shot along his jaw. “He is your best warrior. He has vast holdings and wealth.” She counted his strengths on her tiny fingers. “He is big and strong and pleasing to gaze at.”
The king sputtered, wine spraying from his lips. “Indeed?” He gazed at Grau.
Grau’s lips twitched. His scarred face had scared maidens in the past. He didn’t scare his mate, however. He splayed his fingers over her stomach. She was fearless.
“Indeed.” Celestria nodded, her brown curls bouncing. “Any maiden would be honored to have him as her lord husband. She would be safe and protected and loved.” She bent her head, shielding her face from him. “He deserves better than the daughter of a minor lord, Your Majesty.”
The king’s face darkened. “None of my lords are minor, Lady Celestria. If the Ubel army attacks, your seven brothers will provide a valuable addition to our army.”
“I would fight also.” His mate lifted her chin and warmth spread across Grau’s chest. She was a little warrior, her inner strength matching his.
The king chuckled. “I suspect you would.” He studied Celestria.
“She would fight by my side.” Grau reinforced his claim on her. He would battle his king to keep her.
She turned her head and smiled up at him, her beauty taking his breath away. “We defeated the bandits together, Lord Starke and I. I guarded his rear,” she told their king. “While he fought. He was magnificent.” His female placed her small hands on his biceps, and he flexed his muscles. “I have never seen any warrior fight as Lord Starke did. Not even my father equals his prowess.” Her eyes shone with admiration and pride filled Grau.
“Your father is a skilled warrior and a good, honorable man.” The king raised his goblet. “I am fortunate to have his loyalty.”
Grau raised his goblet also, honoring the father of his mate. “Aye.” They drank.
“He is the best of fathers.” Celestria beamed.
“And he was the most besotted of husbands.” The king chuckled. “The troubadours tell tales of how your father, the mighty Northern warrior, fell under the charms of a tiny maiden. One glimpse of your mother’s face and he sank to his knees, declaring his love.”
“He muddied his best tunic, and my mother rolled her eyes, telling my father he needed a wife to care for him.” Grau’s mate laughed, the heart-lifting sound resembling a bubbling brook. “She then glanced around her, saw no one else, and appointed herself to that role.”
“And from that moment on, the old king could not pry your father from your mother’s side, not for all the gold in the treasury. Even to this day, your father lingers by your mother’s final resting place,” the king added. “It is a tale of love any maiden would want for herself.” He looked pointedly at Grau.
“Aye,” his mate agreed, her voice soft and dreamy.
Does Celestria want such a tale for herself? Grau straightened, staring down at the top of her head, her brown hair curling over her shoulders. “We met in the midst of battle.” He turned her so he could see her face. “I could not sink to my knees.”
“Instead you fought to protect me.” Pride edged her voice. “But what you felt was battle lust, not love.” Her face colored a delightful pink, her gaze sliding from his. “And I was a lady, not a serving wench. You are too honorable to do other than claim me.”
“If you had been a serving wench, I would have still claimed you.” He cupped her cheek, raising her gaze to his. “You are my mate.” Grau saw the doubt in her eyes. “Come.” He set her on her feet and stood, grasping her hand.
“Where are we going?” She followed him to the middle of the banquet hall. “We should not leave the table.” Lords and ladies watched them, stopping their private conversations. “They will not serve with us strolling to and fro.”
Grau turned and faced her.
“I do not dance, Lord Starke, and there is no music.” Celestria nibbled on her bottom lip.
He longed to soothe that abused flesh with his tongue. “I do not wish to dance.” He sank to the floor, the stone hard against his knees. A collective gasp filled the large room, and his warriors filled the doorway. Grau knelt for no one, not even his king, but he would kneel to his mate.
He gazed up at her. Her fingers trembled in his. She was so beautiful, so perfect. “Celestria.”
“Lord Starke,” she whispered, fluttering her long eyelashes.
Grau’s mind went blank, completely blank. He stared at her, searching her face, seeking inspiration. She stared back, her eyes wide. He opened his mouth. The poetic words didn’t come. He pressed his lips together.
“You spoke the truth, Lord Starke.” Celestria’s laugh was shaky. “This hall is very grand, grander than the hall at the North Mountains.” She gazed at him. He shook his head, having nothing to add. “We could not fit half of the nobles this hall holds.” She paused again. “Is the hall at Starke as grand?”
“Aye.” That he did know. A noble sniggered. Grau cast him a hard look, and the room fell silent once more.
“A grand hall deserves a grand lady.” His mate’s sweet voice filled the quiet. “You must have fancy banquets with dancing. Noblemen and distinguished warriors will ask your lady to dance and she should --”
“I would kill any male who touched you,” Grau blurted, his face heating.
“Would you?” Celestria stilled, her gaze fixed on him. “How?”
He stared at her. Any other female would ask him why he would kill his rival. Not his mate. She wanted to know how the male would die. A smile stretched across Grau’s face, and nobles shifted nervously in their seats. “I would cleave him in two from skull to belly.”
A stout lady in a blue gown whimpered.
Celestria frowned. “That is a very quick death.” She chewed on her lip some more. “Would you not wish to torture him first?”
Would he not wish to torture him first? Emotion rushed over Grau. “I love you.” The words burst out of his mouth.
“What did you say?” She rushed forward and grasped his shoulders, shaking him.
“You are my mate.”
A male behind Grau groaned. Celestria released him and stepped backward.
“I love you,” he hastily added, placing his hands on her hips, stopping her retreat. “When I say you are my mate, I am pledging my love to you forever.”
“You called me your mate on the forest battlefield.” She rested her hands on his arms.
“Aye, I did.” Grau held her gaze, allowing all of his feelings to reflect in his face. Some of the maidens sighed.
“You fell in love with me at first sight?” Hope lilted Celestria’s voice.
“Nay, I loved you before that.” He rubbed his fingertips into her hips. “It was not chance that brought me to that forest.”
“What brought you there?” She swayed into him, her musk teasing his nostrils.
“You. I felt you here.” He placed one of her palms over his heart. “And I had to find you, to protect you, my mate, my forever love.”
Maidens sniffled into lace-edged squares of silk. A male snorted.
Grau swept his gaze over the room. Smiles faded.
“Do not kill them.” Celestria captured his face between her rough palms, her slender fingers holding him as securely as a thousand chains. “They will tell tales of this night, of how a maiden from the North Mountains brought the mighty Lord of Starke to his knees.” Her brown eyes glowed. “How he earned her undying love and devotion.” She brushed her lips over his, and his dragon roared with happiness. “And how he swung her into his arms and stalked from the hall, unable to wait another moment to claim her fully.”
“Aye.” Grau sprang to his feet, his boots ringing on the stone, and he lifted his clever mate into the air, cradling her in his arms. “You are my mate.”
His warriors cheered, stepping aside to allow them to pass.
“I am your mate.” She linked her fingers behind his neck, a smile lighting her beautiful face.
Chapter Four
“Are your chambers situated in a tower?” Celestria gazed up at Grau, the fierce warrior who loved her. He’d fearlessly shared his feelings before all in the king’s court. It was the most romantic gesture she had ever heard of, surpassing even her parents’ love story.
Grau grunted. He carried her easily up the stairs, the silver fabric of his fine tunic pulled tight over his broad shoulders. Heat rolled off his body, warming her thoroughly.
“We cannot use my chambers,” Celestria told him. “I am to share a chamber with five other maidens, and our encounter would surely shock them. One maiden is considering joining the religious orders. I considered doing the same. It would be a peaceful life as they take a vow of silence.”
Grau’s shoulders shook, and his lips twitched.
Celestria tossed her head. She knew she was ill-suited to take religious vows. “I am too bloodthirsty for a peaceful life.” Grau’s eyes sparkled. “I am more likely to reach for my sword than pray for a solution.” She frowned. “Can nuns have swords? Surely they are ex
pected to defend themselves.”
They exited onto the battlements. The cool night breeze whipped her skirt. “Are you claiming me here?” She peered up at the stars twinkling in the black sky, the moon hanging full and low over her head. “Will the warriors guarding the keep not hear us?”
“We are flying.” Grau set her on her feet.
“Flying?” She swayed, and he put one of his arms around her waist, steadying her. “Oh.” Her eyes widened. “I will ride your dragon this night.”
“You will ride me this night.” He stepped away from her. “I will never hurt you, little warrior, whether I take warrior or dragon form.” He gazed solemnly down at her.
“I trust you.” Celestria raised her chin, swallowing her fear. “You are my mate.” She loved him.
“And you are my mate,” he replied.
She grinned at her serious dragon lord. She liked that they had a secret language just the two of them understood. “Then show me the dragon.”
Smoke swirled around them, thickening, his unique scent filling her nostrils. He stretched out and his body grew in size, splitting the seams of his tunic, bursting the leather of his breeches. Tanned skin became silver scales. His arms extended, legs, neck extended, his muscles bulging, undulating. Wings sprouted from his back.
Celestria winced, the shift painful for her to watch yet fascinating. She could not look away. Deadly talons curled from his four feet. He roared, the sound deafening. His giant teeth glistened. Flames lit the darkness, reflecting in his dragon eyes.
Warriors positioned lower in the keep yelled, and a maiden screamed. Celestria gazed up at him with awe, unafraid. “You are magnificent, Grau.”
Grau moved toward her, his talons clicking on the stone. As he neared her, he lowered his head, staring at her with his big silver eyes.
She saw the man inside the creature, the man she loved. Celestria held out her palm. “Come to me, mate.” He bumped his snout against her fingers, his scales soft and warm.
“You are a handsome beast.” She petted him, exploring the primitive shape of his head, the scars on his cheeks, the lines along his neck.