by Julie Wetzel
***
Patrick could hear the tears in Kathryn’s words as she raced away. Her heart breaking was almost as audible as the jar of salve that had crashed on his floor.
Turning his attention back to the wanton woman in his grasp, he finished shoving her away. “I want nothing from you. Leave.” Turning on his heels, he raced after the woman he did want. He would deal with Lillian later.
“Kathryn!” Shouting after her, Patrick ran down the corridor. He saw the hem of her dress disappear around the corner leading to the great hall. Man, she could move when she wanted to.
Bursting into the hall, he paused until his eyes caught her skirting around the end of the tables, heading for the main door. Ignoring the men who were still having dinner, Patrick leaped onto the table and ran across it, closing some of the distance between them. Oh, there would be rhymes about this tomorrow! But he didn’t care.
Kathryn was halfway down the steps by the time he made it to the door. She’d grabbed up her skirts and was taking the steps three at a time. Without anything in her way, she had really poured her heart into her flight.
Kicking up his heels, Patrick bounded down after her. The thrill of the chase had heated his blood. She was fast, but he was faster. She had only gotten a few yards from the steps when his arms closed around her, halting her flight.
“No!” Screaming, she stomped her foot down on his, trying to get away from him.
Patrick turned her in his arms and kissed her hard on the lips, crushing her to him. Even in his excited state, he remembered how he could affect a woman. He kissed her passionately, but he kept it shallow.
Under the caress of his lips, the fight washed out of Kathryn, and she went nearly limp in his arms.
“Shhhh.” Soothing her, he shifted his hand into her dark locks to turn her face into the crook of his neck. He supported her as she clenched her fingers into the front of his shirt and sobbed uncontrollably. “I’m here.” Patrick kissed the hair at the side of her head.
Anger drove her to struggle in his arms, but his hold was unrelenting.
He shushed her again as he held on, waiting for her to calm.
“I saw… I saw…” She stuttered, sobbing too hard to speak.
“You saw me caught in an unwanted advance,” Patrick whispered softly as he nuzzled her hair. “She came to me, but I turned her away.”
Kathryn drew in a sniffling breath.
He kept a light hold on her in case she decided to run again, but he let loose of her head so she could lean back and look up into his face. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and her skin had gone all blotchy. She was definitely not a dainty crier, but he couldn’t help but smile at her. The fact that she wasn’t perfect at this made it that much more endearing.
“I want no other.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips before leaning back to look into her eyes. Through the tears, he could see her desire, as well as the fear that marked her as a maiden.
She sniffled. “Truly?”
Patrick threw back his head and let out a laugh as he squeezed her tighter to him. “I just ran across the dinner table for you.” He smiled. “A feat I’m not likely to live down anytime soon.”
She looked slightly appalled.
He pressed another light kiss to her lips before cuddling her to him. “And I would venture to guess half the castle is standing behind me on the steps as we speak,” he whispered into her ear.
The color drained from her face as she glanced over his shoulder to the crowd staring at them. He chuckled as she buried her face into his shoulder in embarrassment.
He glanced past her to the rest of the crowd on the castle grounds. “And the rest are here in the bailey.” No matter how much he should, there was no denying his feelings now. Everyone would hear about this before dawn. “Come.” Patrick pushed Kathryn away to stand on her own. At least her face was no longer blotchy from crying. It was bright red with humiliation.
Folding her hand over his good arm, he gave her an encouraging smile. “You still have a wound to dress.” He held his hurt arm up to show her. The bandage hung loose where it had been pulled away in her struggles. Guiding her towards the castle, the crowd parted to let them back into the hall. Eyes followed them as they took a more leisurely route around the tables. He distinctly remembered there being a part in the middle of those tables when they had first arrived. Whoever had decided to push them together was going to get an earful when he found them.
Patrick glanced around the quiet room. They were probably waiting for him to confess his love to her, as if chasing her through the castle weren’t enough. But he couldn’t give her words of undying affection yet. There was much they needed to discuss before he could give his heart to her. Dragons mate for life.
…And there was that one, little issue of him being a mythical, shape-shifting being that might give her reason to rethink her feelings. Yes, they definitely needed to talk.
***
“I’m sorry.” Kathryn's hand slipped from Patrick’s arm as soon as they reached his room. Lillian was gone, but there was still a mess in his doorway. Dropping to her knees, she started to gather the things she had dropped in her hasty retreat. She could feel Patrick’s eyes on her, so she kept her head down and her hands busy with her task. She didn’t know what to feel.
A jumble of emotions swirled through her. Her heart still hurt at the memory of Lillian in Patrick’s arms, her body burned with desire from his kisses, and she was mortified that she had made them both look like fools in front of the whole castle. To top it all off, he’d said he wanted her, but he hadn’t said he loved her. She sniffed back the tears she felt burning at the corner of her eyes.
Patrick sighed behind her. “It’s all right.” His hands smoothed down her upper arms, caressing her. “I do care about you.” His fingers caught her elbows, and he lifted her to her feet. She sniffled again as he pulled her back against him and circled her with his arms. “I have for a while now.” His breath was warm on the side of her face as he held her.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of him. They fit together so perfectly. Too perfectly. There was going to be something to keep them apart—Kathryn just knew it. He talked of caring, but not of love. Was there another? Was he married? Was he really a dragon? She tensed in his arms, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Kathryn.”
Here it comes.
“I care for you, and I want no other, but there is more to me than what you see. I can’t just give my heart to anyone. There are things you need to know.”
Kathryn held her breath, waiting for it. She felt Patrick draw in a ragged breath.
“The woman I choose is not in for an easy life. I’m the adopted son of King Mylan.”
And there it was. He was royal. She blew out her breath. So, it was her station in life he had an issue with. She felt her ire rise, burning through the hurt. “I see,” she said, embracing the anger and stepping forward, breaking his hold on her. “So I’m not good enough for you.”
“What?” Patrick asked.
Was that shock in his voice? Oh, he was good. He would woo her, ravage her, and then leave her. Her anger peaked. “I think I understand now,” she snapped as she turned on him.
Patrick backed up under her fury.
“I am not a toy. I have a heart and feelings, and I will not let you play with me!”
He took another step back. “What?”
“Good night, Lord Mylan.” With that, Kathryn turned and stormed out of his room. She would have preferred to leave the castle entirely, but going back out past all those people was out of the question. She had already embarrassed herself enough.
Slamming her door, she locked it before dropping herself onto her bed to cry. First impressions are always right, she chided herself. She should never have softened her heart to him. He was nothing but a self-serving, pompous ass.
***
Patrick stared at Kathryn’s door, trying to figure out what had just happened. He had brought
her back to lay out his life for her, and she had stormed away before he had even gotten started. What had he said to upset her? He ran both his hands through his hair, ruffling it up. Maybe if he got more blood up there, his brain would work better.
“What did you do?” Daniel asked as he looked from Patrick’s befuddled face to Kathryn’s closed door.
“I have no idea,” he admitted, looking to his friend as if he might explain the inner workings of women to him. “I was going to tell her, but she stormed off before I could.”
Pausing, Daniel considered him. “You love her that much?”
“She plagues my every waking thought and haunts my dreams.” Patrick leaned against his doorjamb, staring at Kathryn’s closed door.
Daniel grinned at him. “And here I thought you were avoiding her.”
“I was,” Patrick snapped, “but you kept sending her to tempt me!” Turning back into his room, he kicked the tray of supplies Kathryn had dropped.
Chuckling, Daniel came in and shut the door. “If I didn’t know better, I would say you were brooding.”
“I haven’t had a brooding in over ten years,” Patrick snapped again. He dropped himself into a chair and glared at Daniel.
“Oh yes, definitely brooding.”
Patrick glared harder at him.
“You’re moody, impulsive, and unpredictable. Love can do that to you.”
“How can I be in love?” Patrick growled. “I’ve only known her for a few days.”
“Instinct, my good man.” Daniel snickered. “Your dragon knows what it wants and will give you trouble until you let your heart follow.”
Patrick let out a deep sigh. “Fine,” he grumbled. There was no way logic would win out against instinct. That had been tried, and it led to some crazed dragons. “So what do I do about her?” He was more than willing to give in, but it was convincing the girl that was turning into an issue.
“That, my friend, is the biggest mystery of all.” Daniel grinned. “Figure out the mind of a woman, and you could be the wealthiest man in the world.”
“What do I do about her?” This time Patrick’s voice held a note of pleading.
Daniel sighed and brushed his fingers through his hair. “Let her calm down for the night,” he offered. “Try again tomorrow.”
“What if she won’t talk to me?”
“Then I’ll talk to her. Just let it be for now. Tend your wound and try to get some rest.” Patrick opened his mouth to protest, but Daniel cut him off with a raised hand. “If you can’t sleep, go take a flight. It will ease you mind and help you work things out.”
Patrick nodded. That was a great idea. Being in scales would clear his rational mind so he could sort through the conflicting emotions. Then tomorrow, with his head on straight, he would face Kathryn and clear up whatever misunderstanding they were having.
7
Shaking his head, Patrick watched the dragon fly away again. The creature had returned with a larger bag of gold, demanding maidens, and he had turned it away again. What else could he do?
The scouts had ridden out to the edge of the forest at sunrise so they would be ready in dragon form to follow the creature when it returned. They had to find the lair soon. The dragon was getting more desperate, and Patrick could not think of anything that would make him want maidens.
The day was not turning out well. Kathryn was avoiding him. He’d seen her across the hall at breakfast but had been stopped with a question before he could reach her. When he was done, she was gone. He had tried to ask where she went, but the other maidens were giving him the cold shoulder as well.
The morning had been a disaster. At breakfast, his porridge was cold, his cheese was moldy, and his bread was soggy. There was even horsehair in his drink! Giving up, he had gone back to his room to find someone had doused his fire and stolen the wood from his hearth. Grumbling, he’d dropped himself down across his bed to regroup but found that, too, had been watered. Thank goodness he hadn’t used the chamber pot in the night. They might have used that instead.
After getting back up, he changed his shirt and went to find something he could do in the bailey. Most of the rubble had been cleared, but the men were working on rebuilding the stables and storerooms. Surely they could use a hand.
No such luck. Two groups turned him away, claiming he couldn’t work with his burned arm, and a third group snapped and growled at him enough that he just left. Everyone seemed to be mad at him for what he’d said to Kathryn, but no one would tell him why she was upset!
The only useful thing he had done was turn the dragon away, but even that had gotten him scornful looks. Apparently, the maidens had taken offense when he’d claimed them as his. Great!
No one in the castle would let him help. He couldn’t forge his shield anew without turning dragon. He couldn’t find Kathryn to clear up their misunderstanding. Even his horse had attempted to take a chunk out of him when he’d tried to clean a rock from its shoe. Everything was starting to make him grouchy and bitter. Seeing the downhill slide, Patrick grabbed some field rations and two flagons of mead and went to find a place where no one would look.
***
“There you are.”
Patrick cracked a very drunken eye at the voice. He knew to whom it belonged, but the name wouldn’t come to him at the moment. Scowling, he raised the second skin of mead to his lips. The first lay empty next to his untouched food.
“Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?” the man asked as he sat down next to Patrick.
Rolling his head over, Patrick considered the man, but answering the question took too much brainpower, so he just shrugged.
“A long time.” The man took the skin from Patrick’s hand and took a long pull of the mead.
“Hey!” Patrick protested. His brow furrowed as he made his brain work. “Gif tat bak… Danel,” he slurred.
Laughing, Daniel took another pull of the mead. “You, my friend, are well and truly soused.” He capped the flagon and set it out of Patrick’s reach. “How long have you been up here?”
Patrick shrugged. It’s not like anyone cared that he had squirreled himself away. The castle had probably run better without him anyway.
Daniel sighed. “I’ve been in every nook and cranny of this castle from the dungeon to the tallest tower, and if Mathew hadn’t mentioned seeing movement up here when he flew over, I would still be looking,” he said, exasperated. “I didn’t even know this tower had a door in it.”
Patrick had found his way up to the top of one of the smaller towers. “Shood’v gonn hep,” he slurred.
“What?” Daniel asked.
“Shood hev gotn hep.” He tried again, but his tongue was too thick.
“I should have gotten help?” Daniel questioned.
Patrick nodded, making his friend laugh.
“Help! I couldn’t get anyone to volunteer. And the men I did order to find you might have spent maybe ten minutes walking through the main rooms of the castle before coming back and telling me you weren’t here. I thought you might have gone out for a ride, but your horse was still in the bailey.”
“Mmm bit me,” Patrick grumbled.
“He bit you?” Daniel asked.
Patrick nodded and leaned over against Daniel’s shoulder. “Nuun wats me.” He sounded so pathetic. He had been up here for hours, and the castle hadn’t exploded. In fact, it had probably run better under Daniel’s supervision. Just that thought had Patrick sliding further down into depression. He wasn’t just unwanted, he was also unneeded.
Daniel sighed. “Of course we want you, Patrick.” He was starting to get the hang of Patrick’s drunken ramblings.
So, the depression part of brooding had set in. Of all the things Patrick could have come up with for getting wasted, not being wanted was a poor excuse. He was, after all, supposed to be the lord of the castle.
Patrick just shook his head pathetically.
“How do you think Kathryn would feel seeing you like this?” Da
niel asked, trying to reach him through the alcohol.
“Sheee dunt car,” Patrick nearly sobbed. “Hats mme.”
Daniel tried to keep the grin off his face. This really shouldn’t be funny, but it was. “She doesn’t hate you,” he soothed. “You’ve had a misunderstanding that can easily be fixed if you would sit down and talk it out.”
“Hats me.” Patrick oozed over farther, making Daniel’s grin widen.
“Oh, Patrick.” He put his arm around his near-unconscious friend. “What the hell am I going to do with you?”
Gentle snores answered him.
Letting out a deep sigh, Daniel looked around. The first thing he needed to do was get the man down from here. He had picked a fine place to get smashed. The view was incredible, yet the wall Patrick leaned against hid him from anyone looking down from the tallest tower. Daniel knew. He had climbed up there to search for the missing man. Twice. The only access to this tower was through a small hatch in the back of one of the storerooms. A long, rickety ladder reached up through an aviary to the small rooftop. Apparently, someone in this castle had kept homing pigeons at one time.
There was an impressive drop to the bailey below. Patrick could probably have watched Daniel run around searching for him if he hadn't been wallowing in self-pity. It a good thing the man hadn’t tried to get down after drinking himself silly. It would have made one hell of a mess if he had fallen, and that was not a conversation he wanted to have with Kyle. Not to mention what it would do to Kathryn.
As it was, she was probably going to feel guilty over this. Daniel had talked to her and found out what Patrick had said. He could see that she had taken Patrick’s words wrong. She hadn’t let him finish. Daniel tried to explain that there was more to the lord’s story and she needed to hear him out. She had begrudgingly agreed to listen. That had been nearly six hours ago, when Daniel had begun his search.
Daniel looked up to the twinkling sky. Full night had fallen some time ago. That gave him an idea. A dragon would have no problem plucking them from the perch. He pulled Patrick around until he was lying flat on his back. He hated to leave the drunken man there by himself, but the landing was too small for him to shift.