“Vika, ‘tis perfectly safe. I fear these woods be filled with strangers, so we must head to our cottage, and bar the door. Please?”
Evan kept still, and waited to see if she would trust him. If she did, he might be able to trust her with his secret.
“You must come with us, sister. You can tell me how you came to be swimming in the sea near a pirate ship.”
The thought of such a conversation must have tipped the scales in his favor, because she grabbed Orin’s open hand, and joined her brother on his back. As they settled and grabbed his neck, Evan took a big sniff. He could smell the pirates Vika mentioned. They seemed to be heading north. He’d had to push away Vika’s fragrance to smell for them, but returned his attention to her. Even covered in salt water and sand, she was a breath of fresh air to his lonely dragon heart.
He rose into the night’s sky, and headed south. He dare not fly straight toward their farm until he was sure it was safe to do so, then he would return for his discarded clothing.
His passengers were silent, and huddled close to his scales. The sleet continued to pound them from the cloud-filled sky. Normally, Evan would shake his body to remove the thick coating of ice that was weighing down his wings but he did not want to accidently knock his passengers from his back.
Me decision might not have been wise, because I be losing altitude!
CHAPTER 17
“Home,” her brother said. The longing in his voice made Vika raise her head. She had grabbed hold of her brother and held on for dear life on the back of a dragon. She had changed from a captive who had contemplated ending her life by throwing her body into the raging sea, to a woman who wanted to live. If that meant making friends with a real fire-breathing dragon, she would do it. Orin seemed fine with their strange mount, which made her think of Spark. Where was he?
Their farm was suddenly beneath them, and they landed with a thud. Vika screamed as she rolled off, and landed in the crinkly meadow grass. A sheep trotted closer and licked her face, then must have noticed the dragon within striking distance. It bellowed, and ran away.
“I know the feeling,” she said, with a sigh.
“Be you well, Vika?” Orin asked. He dropped from the creature’s back to the ground and knelt beside her.
The sleet had stopped and the moon peeked from behind two dark clouds. Its light was welcome, giving her an opportunity to study the dragon closely.
As if aware of her scrutiny, the dragon snorted, and trudged toward the barn, his brown wings folded tightly to the back of his purplish-scaled body.
She pushed up to her elbows. “Where does he think he be going?”
“I suspect to hide in our barn. We need to get inside the cottage, bolt the door, and gather our weapons.”
Orin was correct, and she scooted to her feet. The dragon would never fit in their small cottage, even if she allowed it. After she helped Orin roll a barrel of rainwater inside, she bolted the door.
Orin grabbed an older crossbow, where it hung over the hearth. “I had this when I hunted with da’.”
Vika swallowed, plucked a sword from a large trunk, and pulled another bow from the wall of weapons. The bow, older than her missing hunting bow, which she’d packed on the cart, was better for launching an arrow through the cottage’s small windows. The sword would help if the pirates managed to break down the door.
“I wish we had some food laid by,” Orin’s stomach growled.
“I be hungry as well. I could make some bannock, but I be thinking that we should make our cottage look abandoned.”
“Once they find the door bolted, they will know ‘tis untrue. We should wait a bit, though they might be on their way to the village, or to the caves beneath the Cuillin Hills.”
“I can prepare the dough, at least.” She set her bow and quiver where she could get at them quickly, and proceeded to gather ingredients. She mixed flour, baking soda, fat, salt, and oatmeal in a bowl, and set it aside to thicken into round cakes of bannock.
“It be dark and the sleet has resumed, so I don’t think anyone will see smoke or smell the fire. I be so hungry…” Orin kept glancing out the window, but she doubted he could see anything.
“I hope they be wet, cold, and uncomfortable.” Vika ran her fingers through her drenched hair. She loosened her braid and started a fire in the cooking hearth. Cooking a simple meal would go a long way to calm her nerves.
“I be waiting for your story.”
Vika stirred the burning kindling, and added a block of peat. Once the flames grew, she set the round oatcakes close enough to bake, then sat at the scarred kitchen table. Orin placed a tankard of water in front of her, and leaned his elbows on the table. When had his forearms grown so muscular?
“Toal be a toad,” Vika mumbled.
Orin laughed, but his laughter died and he stared into her eyes. “Continue.”
She took a deep breath. “He slammed me to the ground, and I lost me weapon. He tied me hands, and dragged me to his estate. When he forced me into his bedroom, I kept me wits and got him talking. He even admitted he had planned to make us lose the wager all along.”
“We assumed that was his plan.”
She nodded. “He’d sent his man, Ranald, to steal our catch. He must have been the one who whipped Spark. Since he knows not what became of Ranald, the man must be dead,”
“Good riddance!”
“Toal wanted us to lose the wager, all our meat, and our ability to survive the coming winter. He assumed I would wed him to keep from starving. He underestimates me!”
“I never would. How did you escape?”
Her cheeks burned, and a rush of pleasure teased her womb. The image of her vine-climbing savior stirred her senses like they had never felt before. Orin’s eyebrows rose, his patience waning.
“Evan Brown had climbed to the balcony of Toal’s bedchamber. When Toal described what he planned to do to me, Evan attacked him. We fled out into the night, and when all I wanted was to curl up into a ball and cry, he kept me going.”
“You? Cry! Why? Did Evan Brown kill Toal?”
“Why would I cry for that bastard? Nay, I had bruised me ribs when Toal attacked me, and I stumbled over logs in our flight through the dark. I be unsure how Evan managed to run through a dark forest without missing a step.”
“We can ask him the next time we meet him, unless you feel he has left for greener pastures.”
Glancing at her tankard, she was shocked to feel sad at the thought of never seeing him again.
“How did you get in the water? ‘Twas sheer luck that a friendly dragon found you.”
She smiled, recalling how quickly her choice to kill herself had turned into hope. “The pirates were not as scary as Toal MacMorgan, and they did not believe Toal’s story about seeing dragons. ‘Twas during their argument that I found the opportunity to throw meself at the mercy of the sea. I planned to die.”
“But, why, when there be hope on the horizon?” Orin smashed his fist onto the table, and she and her empty cup jumped.
“Orin, I saw no hope. Either Toal would keep me in his cabin as we voyaged to some foreign land, or the pirates would toss him overboard and have their way with me.”
He nodded, then sighed. “I be very tired, lass. Me fingers be cramped from holding onto Spark’s mane, and--”
“Spark? You found him?”
“And I lost him.”
“What!”
Orin smiled. “He found me. Seemed he understood I was looking for you, and all the other horses had run away. We heard you scream, and followed until we reached the beach. Spark took off the moment you screamed, and I spied the ship. I can only assume the dragon heard you, as well, and swam underwater so that the pirates would not see him. Did you know dragons could swim?”
“I barely knew dragons existed! This whole adventure has been eye opening, to say the least. If we survive the night, what shall we do come morning?”
Orin scratched his chin.
“Be those wh
iskers I see?” Incredible! He was turning into a man before her very eyes.
“We should find our cart, and talk with the elders. They saw both our kills and Toal’s, so a verdict must be at hand,” Orin said, and sighed.
“Too bad Toal bribed an elder. We might have already lost.”
Orin jumped to his feet. “Bribed an elder? That bastard! His reach be far, indeed. With luck, the pirates will kill him and throw his carcass into the sea.”
“Calm yourself, brother. I cannot believe we have worked so hard to lose now. Where exactly be our borrowed cart?”
Orin glanced at their clasped hands.
“You don’t know?”
“I asked the dragon to hide it. And guard it. Since he be here…”
“Bloody Hell!”
Orin stared at her, wide-eyed and speechless.
“Don’t talk to me of cursing, not when we might have lost everything. We need to find that cart before ‘tis stolen, or the meat spoils.”
Orin scratched his bristly chin. “Well, the weather be with us. ‘Tis powerful cold. I say we wait until first light, then get the dragon to show us where he hid it.”
“And if he disappears before then?”
Orin’s shoulders slumped. “Bloody Hell, indeed.”
Vika felt all the blood fade from her face.
***
The barn smelled of damp straw and horse blankets. Evan felt at home, though ‘twas a bit warmer than his cave in the Cuillin Hills. Ducking his horned head, he set it on a thick pile of fresh hay inside an empty stall, and nestled the rest of his too large body outside the stall. Vika must have readied the area for Spark’s return.
Should he stay in his dragon form? She was afraid of him, but not Spark. As the human Evan Brown, she might welcome him into her bed.
He shook away the thought, and accidently scorched the stall’s wall with his hot breath. Settling down, he thought of her brother. The lad was in the cottage with her, and she would never shower her favor on a man with the lad at hand. He knew enough after watching humans to know that mating was done in private.
He sighed, and smoke poured from his nostrils. A chicken squawked from a beam above him, and Evan reminded himself not to accidently burn down the barn.
Or, eat their chickens.
He was worried that bad humans might storm the cottage, but weariness from flying with two people on his back caused his eyelids to droop, and his muscles to relax. He hid his plaide and belting beneath a mound of hay, slid his snout beneath a wing, and let sleep take over.
A loud banging brought him out of a deep slumber, and he swore. Whoever woke him had better run for their lives. When the fog in his head cleared, shouts and clanging weapons drove him to jump to his feet, and race out the back door of the barn.
Nearby sheep bleated in surprise, and the sun blinded him. How had he slept so long, and so peacefully? Slowing, he searched the meadow, but the noise came from the direction of the cottage.
He wanted to rush to Vika and Orin’s rescue, but stealth was in order. Other humans need not know of the existence of dragons, if it could be helped. Until he knew what the trouble was, he would keep quiet, and stay hidden.
Padding softly to the side of the barn, he peered around the corner and spied two men. They banged on Vika’s door. The larger and burlier man held what looked like a blacksmith’s hammer. The other man, who he recognized as Elder Kinnon, carried a horse’s halter.
“Vika, please. You must open the door and talk to us!”
Were these men, who seemed rather harmless, only wanting to speak with the lass? The hammer was not a weapon, but it could reduce the cottage door to kindling, so he waited and prayed for a peaceful solution.
The door creaked open, and a bleary-eyed lad stood blocking the doorway. “Elder Kinnon? Why be you here, on our doorstep, far from the village?”
“You disappeared last eve, before we had a chance to verify who had won the wager between you and Toal MacMorgan. We’ve come to--”
“Nay!” Orin slapped the halter from the older man’s hand. “You shall not take Spark. Toal cheated, and--”
“Calm down. Your sister has been declared the winner. Mistress MacFingan showed us your laden cart. The pile of meat was incredible, especially the huge boar, and we decided to give you this gilded halter and declare Vika the winner.”
Orin looked dazed, until a smile broke, and he hugged the older man. Where was Vika? She should be beside her brother, rejoicing in their winning of the wager. Was she dreaming of him? Was she dreaming of the dragon, the horse, or his human form? Whichever, he sensed she would enjoy a visit from Spark the most.
Trudging quietly to the rear of the barn, he morphed as quietly as his powers would allow, until he stood in his horse form. Nudging open the front door of the barn, he trotted toward the gathering. When he spied Vika brushing her long braid back off her shoulder, then hugging the older man, he trotted closer.
When she finally noticed him, Vika threw her hands in the air, and ran to his side. As she scratched him behind the ears, his thoughts traveled to an image of her, naked and satisfied, stroking his…
“Spark, you naughty boy! Where have you been? I was so worried for your safety.”
He swung his head into her chest, and snorted. When she laughed, he pawed the ground, then turned his attention to the men.
“I be glad the beast will reside with you and Orin, lass,” the old man said. He and the blacksmith walked closer, and he settled the finely braided halter on Evan’s head. He did not flinch, and was assured by the smiling men that he was in no further danger.
“What about Toal?” Orin asked, joining them beside Evan. “He kidnapped me sister, and tried to win by cheating.”
“The Council of Elders has decided to hold a board of inquiry this afternoon. Please join us, and we will discuss the options. If Toal be guilty of actions unbecoming a lord of our clan, he will be punished.”
Evan listened quietly as Vika and Orin promised to attend the meeting at the tavern, then Vika grabbed the old man’s tunic.
“Elder Kinnon, may we bring a friend?”
“Does this friend have anything to add to the proceedings?”
“Aye, he helped save me and our cart full of meat. He also overheard Toal confess to several sins. Please?”
The old man nodded, and he and the quiet blacksmith disappeared down the trail toward the village.
Orin grabbed her elbow. “You wish Evan Brown to join us? I don’t know where he be. I was told he raced out of the tavern, bent on finding you. Oh! I must check on our dragon friend!” Orin rushed toward the barn, and Vika returned to Evan’s side. Her hands were soft, gentle, and highly arousing. If she gave him any indication she wanted more from the human, Evan Brown, he would change into that form instantly.
“Vika!”
“Now what be wrong with that lad?” Vika sighed, then headed to the barn.
Evan knew the problem. Orin assumed he’d find his dragon, but Evan had shifted into Spark. He didn’t want the lad disappointed, but getting closer to Vika was more important. He must not forget that the survival of their clan rested on his shoulders. Surprisingly, he could not smell his brothers nearby, but he hoped they were watching over Vika’s farm. He was strong in either the horse or human form, but the pirates he had seen aboard the ship were too numerous to fight alone. He’d smelled at least six others heading north on foot.
Would the sailors come ashore and finish what MacMorgan started? If not for the men MacMorgan had sent after Vika, he assumed his relationship with her might have moved far beyond their kisses and touches. The young female shifter they had found was another distraction, and he wanted to find out what had happened to her. The last he’d heard, Orin was caring for her.
The old man mentioned that a woman had found the hidden cart. How was that possible? He’d hidden it deep beneath low-hanging trees that still hosted a thick mantle of leaves. There was barely any smell, since the cold wind and sleet cove
red the pile of meat in a protective layer of ice. He should get to town and discover answers to everything, but how?
Vika and Orin returned from the barn, but she stared at the ground. “I cannot lie. I be happy the dragon has gone. Now I shall not worry about the sheep and chickens.”
“Vika, you be crazy! He has not eaten our beasties, and probably hides close by, though I asked him to guard the cart. I have no idea how Mistress MacFingan found it, but Elder Kinnon said our cart be fine. You won the wager! Why the frown?”
“So many things filled me head last night that I barely slept. I was worried about Spark, the young lass, and even…”
“Evan?”
Vika’s cheeks pinked.
“What little I know from just meeting him, he seems nice, and attentive,” Orin added.
“He saved me life!”
“As did the dragon, so please don’t hate the beast.”
Vika sighed, and patted Spark’s furry rump. “I cannot hate him, but I can fear him. Spark be different. There be no chance he will eat me for dinner on a whim.”
Evan whinnied and reared up.
“Be you sure?” Orin asked, then walked away laughing.
“He be making fun of me fear, but I flew on the back of a real, live dragon! Aye, I feared for our lives. Would I have felt safer if Evan Brown was with me, instead of me brother?”
Vika walked toward the cottage, leaving Evan with a problem to solve. Since she might like to ride into the village, he should remain a horse. Once in town, and tethered in the village stable, he would search out his brothers.
Where be those darn dragons?
CHAPTER 18
“Ready, Vika? We must not be late to the council meeting, but you be dragging your feet. This be your chance to rant about the toad’s treatment of you.”
“Orin! Do not call him that nasty name in front of the others. Aye, he be a toad, and smelled as bad, but he be a powerful lord. If the pirates have not killed him, he might show his face. We must hold our heads high, speak of his despicable acts, and pray the elders will not make him wed me.” She wrapped a wool blanket around her shoulders. Although a fire burned in the cooking hearth, she was freezing. Her world had turned upside down and all she wanted was to rest her head on Evan Brown’s shoulder.
Spark (Clan of Dragons Book 1) Page 14