by Marie Daye
She felt Theron suddenly dive, nearly losing her grip on his back when Berodach soared higher into the dark clouds with a roar. Her vision was becoming blurry, and she wondered what the sudden commotion was about. Theron slammed into the courtyard of Uppsala, sending large waves of snow into the air around him.
Libelle gasped, the force of the impact sending her sliding from his back and onto the cold stone slabs. He rumbled a throaty growl, moving to stand over her while glaring up at the sky. Berodach glided down to stand beside Theron, and moments later Eskil landed in the courtyard before his brethren.
“Step away Theron.” Eskil snarled.
Theron barred his teeth, “I will not. This slayer is not yours to kill, not today.”
Eskil snapped his teeth at the lieutenant, shifting his weight onto his hind legs and spreading his wings as he roared. Berodach growled low in return, protecting the she-elf who had saved his life once before. She had formed a close bond with both of the dragons, each one coming together under unexpected circumstances. They had promised each other, that if they ever called: the other would answer. Today, they held that promise and answered her.
Libelle laid beneath Theron unmoving, the smell of her blood filled Eskil’s nostrils, and the pain within her body wracked his. “Theron, step away. Now.” He took a step towards him. “I will not ask again.”
Theron didn’t step away, he knew he wanted to protect Libelle from the malicious acts of Eskil’s fury. His throat began burn with sparks of fire, when his mouth opened and explosion of flames burst from his mouth and struck the black dragon. Berodach roaring and rushing forward to try and clamp his yellow fangs onto Eskil’s flesh. Eskil bellowed out a shaking roar, lunging forward to snap back at his kin.
“Enough!”
They stopped their attack, turning to look at Vegeir who was lowering himself onto one of the stone pillars in the courtyard. The aged dragon glowered at them both, “Now is not the time to fight!”
Eskil nodded at him, turning his attention back to Theron and Berodach. “Step away from her.” He said again.
Theron looked worriedly between Eskil and Vegeir, when he continued to hesitate, Vegeir spoke again. “It’s alright Theron, he will not hurt her.”
Berodach snarled, “Do not trust him. Eskil is the reason our kind are dying every day.”
Theron hesitated, then he grumbled and stepped away from Libelle, her pale body trembling from the cold. Eskil took large steps towards her, pushing his snout against her side. His breath causing warm steam to wrap around her, his deep voice gentle as he called out her name. She coughed, her eyes slowly opening and she smiled at him.
Her palm rested against his snout, “Hello there.”
He chuckled, “Can you stand beloved?”
I think so. She held onto the scaled horn on his snout while he slowly raised her to her feet. Everything hurts, I feel so weak.
“You’ve lost a lot of blood, you need to get warm and get some rest.”
She steadied herself on her feet, trying to balance herself as her calf ached in pain from. She looked at Theron and Berodach, nodding at them while they observed the situation with curiosity. The dragon’s looked to the temple’s doors when they were pushed open, and the four elderly priests stepped out. The looked between the dragons, then towards Libelle who was slumped across Eskil’s muzzle.
Davyn rushed towards her, Kirk right behind him. “What happened?” He asked.
Libelle looked up, “The usual.”
Vegeir spoke to the men, “Take her inside and treat her wounds.”
They nodded and begrudgingly Eskil allowed them to take her from him, they took her arms and wrapped them over their shoulders, carrying her towards the monastery. Eskil watched them disappear behind the closed doors, his worry going with her.
“Would either of you care to tell me what that was all about?” Theron asked. “Why would you help her Eskil?”
Vegeir sighed heavily, “The slyer is mated to Eskil.”
The red dragon’s voice shook the stone around him, his surprise coming honestly. “That’s not possible!”
Berodach growling as well, “A slayer cannot mate to a dragon, they are cursed creatures and deserve death.”
Theron glared at him, “I know you don’t feel that way about her.”
Berodach snorted and Eskil growled at him, taking a step towards his kin when Vegeir spoke. “Eskil, brother, calm yourself. Your lifemate is alive, the men inside will tend to her wounds.”
He hissed, turning around and walking across the courtyard. He could feel Libelle’s pain, and it infuriated him. The priests were trying to be gentle with her, but they had to tear the two barbed arrows from her body. She tried not to cry out, she tried to be strong; however she had experienced so much over the last day. He wanted to be by her side, and he couldn’t reach her right now.
Theron’s surprised turned to amusement, his body shaking with each laugh. “I cannot believe it. The first dragon, our prince, the vessel of the gods, you! You are mated to a slayer?!” He laughed more. “How, how is this possible?”
Berodach forcing himself to not chuckle at Theron’s words. Eskil grumbled, and Vegeir spoke for him instead. “It’s a rather long and complicated story.”
Theron rested himself further back on his legs, “I have time.”
Theron and Berodach could not control their laughter as Eskil became the center of the conversation, as well as the reason for their enjoyment. The four dragon’s had spoken with each other for most of the afternoon and well into the evening. The red scaled dragon had laughed harder than he had in years, finding the joy in Eskil’s latest adventure. Berodach snickering at Eskil’s unfortunate round of events. Vegeir even chuckled, knowing his brother felt some embarrassment in the situation.
They turned their head to Davyn who exited the monastery, his expression relieved as he approached them. “The slayer will survive, she just needs time to rest to replenish her strength.”
Vegeir sighed, “Good. Very good.”
Theron nodded. “I’ll stay here until she wakes, I would very much like to see her.”
Eskil glared at him, baring his teeth.
“I mean it in all ways innocent, I have no ill intentions brother.”
“I would like to stay, however I must return home. I answered the slayers call, I have repaid her. Tell her that when she is well.” Berodach snickered again, pushing himself up to the sky to return to his home.
He snorted at Berodach, shuffling to look at the mortal man. “Thank you for tending to her.”
Davyn’s eyes widened in surprise, however he nodded and bowed to him; then turned and walked away back to the warmth of the temple. Eskil sighed, he wanted to call out to Libelle yet knew better, she was resting. He should probably rest as well, but his brother’s incessant harassment seemed like it would not stop. For the first time in his life, his brethren teased him as if they were equals. They did not act as if they were his fearful subjects, instead they joked with him like the brothers they were. He wasn’t used to it.
Theron subsided his chuckle, “Eskil, if you two are mated… how you are two going to, ehm. Mate?”
He didn’t want to share the fact they already have, in his mortal form the two had made love numerous times and he enjoyed every minute of it. He had asked himself the same question once he had returned to his true form, and he didn't have answer for it. He wanted to hold her within his arms, feel her drift off to sleep against his chest; however none of that was possible in this form.
Theron chuckled again, “I assume that if you were cursed and took the form of a mortal, in that form it would be easier, don't you think?”
Eskil turned away, keeping his thoughts to himself. Instead it only peaked Theron’s curiosity more.
“You mated with her, didn’t you? In your cursed form, you mated?” Theron laughed, stretching his long neck and shaking the snow from his back. “What was it like? Do mortals mate like our kind? Is it even pleasurable?”
“It’s not something you need to know.” Eskil said, but he wouldn't stop with his questions.
“I am curious though. Do they mate like dragons where their females claw at our backs?”
His mind drifted to the image of Libelle’s delicate hands wrapping around to his back where her nails dug into his skin. Her moans of pleasure stinging his ears as he ground himself against her while they made love, the warmth of each other’s arms. He growled, his tail slamming against the frozen ground.
Theron chuckled again, “Alright, I won't push further.”
“Eskil, perhaps you’ll still be able to hold your lifemate.” Vegeir said calmly, catching his attention.
“How Vegeir? If I were to hold her as a dragon, I would kill her.”
He shook his head, “I am not saying to mate with her as a dragon, I am saying to mate her as a man.”
Eskil’s head tilted in confusion and Theron laughed again, “How? The curse is broken, I have my true form again. How can I possibly return to the form of a man?”
Vegeir’s voice carried over the wind. “You told me you returned to your true form when you felt an intense desire to protect her. Perhaps you can remember those feelings, the emotions, and take the form of a mortal.”
It sounded possible, he had broken the spell so simply when all he wanted to do was to protect her, it was worth a try at the very least. Vegeir spoke again.
“Focus on the feeling you had when you broke your curse.”
He sighed, but listened to his brother’s advice. He remembered every emotion he had felt when he returned to his true form, and he remembered how much he had wanted to rip Gaalin to pieces. Anger, frustration, love, and the desire to protect his lifemate: he felt them all at once when Gaalin had nearly killed him. He closed his eyes and focused hard on those emotions, reliving the experience though his mind again. His blood boiled, and rage raced through him at the memory, but nothing happened.
“Keep trying, perhaps it is a specific emotion or thought.” Vegeir said.
Libelle, he wanted to protect her. He never wanted her to leave his side, to be touched by another man. She was everything to him, and the anger he had felt when she was left crying and her soul felt torn apart, it nearly broke him. He was so frustrated with himself, he couldn’t protect his lifemate, his precious little elf. He loved her so much, he never thought he could love something like he did her.
“There!” Vegeir said hastily. “Whatever you just felt, that is what you need to focus on!”
Eskil looked at him confused, he had been feeling a rolling sensation of mixed emotions. Which one had he just felt? His desire to protect her, his anger and jealousy, his frustration…?
His love…?
His heart ached when he thought of her, when she wasn’t by his side he didn’t feel complete. She was always on his mind, and he always craved her touch. Her beautiful features, dimpled smile, gentle eyes and the way her hair teased his chest when she… Eskil growled low to himself, yes he loved his lifemate with every fiber of his being. He wanted to be with her now, he wanted to comfort her. He wanted to hold her and never let her go.
Warmth rushed through his body, and he felt a familiar energy engulf his body like ticklish electrical currents. It felt strange, yet pleasant. He heard both Theron and Vegeir inhale, the sound of the air being sucked in their nostrils piercing his ears as he focused on his emotions, his eyes tightly closed. He didn't know if he body was undergoing a transformation, yet he felt like he was changing. What would he look like when he opened his eyes?
Soon the warmth around his body faded, he exhaled slowly, and blinked. He looked at Theron and Vegeir, noticing his stature was much shorter than theirs now. Lifting his wings, he stared into two human palms and he sighed in relief. He now knew that changing between the forms was possible, and he now knew how to control the change.
Theron laughed hysterically, and Eskil glared at him. “What?!” He snapped.
The red dragon could hardly contain his bellowing laughter, gasping for air while choking out his words. “Why is your tail so small?!”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Eskil walked through the warm halls of Uppsala while ignoring the odd stares he received from the elderly men who resided there. Despite his nudity, he proudly carried himself through the temple as he made his way towards Libelle. He could sense her, feel the hurt that wreaked havoc through her soul as her mind carried her through a horrific nightmare. The images of her assault would haunt her for a long time, and he wanted to do everything in his power to prevent that.
His lifemate needed him, and he wanted to be by her side. Even if it was just to hold her, to let her cry and silently comfort her. He had left Theron and Vegeir in the courtyard, relishing in the newly discovered ability to change between forms with little focus. His brothers had tried to taunt him, to tease him; yet he turned and stomped through the snow towards the building. Leaving Theron to mercilessly laugh at his ‘small tail.’
Hesitating behind the heavy door, he inhaled and exhaled slowly before pushing against the wood planks. It groaned open, and in the dim candle light he saw Libelle asleep on a pile of blankets and animal skins. The simple life of the priests brought them little luxury, and apparently a soft bed was too much to ask for.
Her wounds had been healed with skill, her life was no longer in danger, yet she was still bruised and in pain. Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, her skin was pale, beneath her eyes were dark. She was moving about in her sleep, quiet mumbles passing her lips as her nightmare progressed.
Eskil knelt down beside the make-shift bed, lifting the heavy bearskin from her before resting on his side next to her. He wrapped one arm behind her back, gently pulling her closer to him. Even in her sleep, she sensed his presence and he felt the tenseness within her fade ever so slightly. Rolling onto her side, she rested her head on his arm and her nose brushed against his chest. He heard her sigh and he held her tightly, laying his head down onto the pillow and listening to the crackle of the fire in the room.
The pain in her body, her mind, her soul; gradually faded as she relaxed in his protective hold. He knew she had endured so much, and it was all because he had failed to protect her. He had failed as her lifemate. It was his duty to protect her, to keep her safe from all harm, to make sure that she spent every day in blissful happiness with him.
Instead, he fell prey to the hands of a bastard dark elf and he had allowed himself to be defeated by the man. If he had chosen to fight the pain that shook his body with each one of his attacks, if he had chosen to snap his neck earlier, Libelle never would have had to experience such a traumatic event. She never would have had to suffer through rape, by a man she considered a friend and ally for years. She never would have been hurt by the men of Edinburgh. She would have only needed to be happy and by his side.
He ground his teeth together, clenching his eyes shut. He had failed his beautiful lifemate, and the feeling crushed him.
“You didn't do anything wrong Eskil.”
His eyes fluttered open and he saw Libelle staring up at him, the swirling colors of her eyes made his heart skip a beat; he wrapped both his arms around her and pulled her onto his chest while he rolled onto his back. She nuzzled the skin of his throat, twisting her arms behind his neck and simply watched him. He was fighting his own demons, his own emotional turmoil.
“Eskil, you did not fail me. You saved me, you’ll always save me. That is what matters.”
For the first time ever, she heard his voice break. His golden eyes squeezed shut, and a single tear fell from the corner of his lashes. Libelle unwrapped her arms from around him and pushed herself up, cupping his cheek in her hand and kissing his pinched lips.
“What happened, happened. There is nothing you nor I can do to change it, we can only move forward from here. I am not angry, I don’t think you did anything wrong and you could never disappoint me.”
“Libelle, you're too good to me.” He said slowly. “If I hadn’t�
�� If I had fought against him, you wouldn't have these horrible memories. These nightmares, I could feel your turmoil. I could see what you dreamt, it's all because I couldn't protect yo-.”
She kissed him again, interrupting his sentence. “Then make me forget those memories, make me forget his touch.”
His eyes widened with surprise, her words shocking him and making him lose all trail of thought. She would never blame him for what happened, but she was offering him a way to make it better. Even if all the gods tried to stop him, he would do anything to help ease their pain.
He sat up abruptly, causing her to stumble backwards away from him. He wouldn't tolerate that, she wouldn't be away from him, not even for a second. He grabbed her arms, pulling her upwards and into his lap where her bare waist straddled his. She stared into his eyes, her pouty lips tempting him to capture them; and he did, his own lips seeking hers in a rough and hot kiss that caused his loins to stir.
Her fingers dug into in hair, scraping against his scalp and a soft purr passing her lips when his tongue slipped into her mouth. The warmth of his hands running up and down her slender back, leaving trails of fire from his touch. He kissed her chin, her cheek, down her neck to her collarbone.
The sensation of his touch, his steamy kisses, sent a shiver down her spine. She could feel his desire for her, his lust making her own even stronger. The slight pinch on her skin when he nipped her, then when his tongue eased away the sting made her moan. Her nails dug into his shoulders when he lifted her upwards by her hips, allowing him room to adjust himself beneath her.
His hands rubbed her outer thighs towards her waist, when his touch eased closer to her core she tensed. Eskil froze when he felt her grip on his shoulders tighten, she sharply inhaled and her eyes widened. How could he take away her pain, if she panicked when he touched her?
“Libelle.” He said gently.
She shook her head, “I’m sorry. I didn't mean to.”
He rubbed her cheek, “Don’t apologize.”
She wanted him, he could feel that; however he needed to work past the fear that Gaalin had instilled into her. He laid back down onto the pile of blankets with a sigh, glancing over the features of her face while she stared at him confused and concerned. Libelle didn't know what to do, but she felt the warm tingle in her core that told her what she wanted.