“Richard! Richard!”
And then it was there. The mouth of the cave, fifteen yards ahead of her. But Richard. What if he were hurt? What if he were injured or unconscious? She could not leave him to die. She turned in a desperate panic to go back for him - and froze.
Sigurd towered over her, smiling down into her eyes, and as she gazed upon him she began to see him, for the very first time, as he really was. She frowned, then smiled. She whispered, “Good heavens…!”
He said, “My dear Emma, I have been right here all along.”
And he took her up in his arms and carried her to the glowing mouth of the cave. They emerged and a deep thunder seemed to shake the earth; and as he carried her down the slope towards the banks of the river, behind them the tunnel collapsed in great billows of dust and rubble.
In the short while of her absence a dense cloud had descended from Mount Tåke and engulfed the valley in a tenuous shroud. Now, as he lay her down on the blanket by the riverbank, the fog turned to a warm drizzle. She gazed up into his face, wiping rain from her eyes, and began to laugh.
“Richard, how is it possible…?”
He silenced her with a kiss.
It was not brutal, diabolical or bestial. He gently removed her clothes and his own, so that the soft rain bathed them both in their nakedness. She lay bank, languid and luxurious, feeling the water trickle on her skin, and he kissed every inch of her, tenderly, taking his time, lingering exquisitely on her nipples, running his tongue slowly down her belly. gently drawing his teeth across her hips. She smiled and writhed with deep pleasure, running her fingers through his wet hair as he opened his mouth wide and buried his face between her thighs. He bit her softly, in big, succulent mouthfuls, and licked the rainwater from her tender thighs.
She moaned, sighed and laughed with pleasure. But soon her excitement began to build as his tongue moved from long, moist licks to deep, penetrating rapid flicks, sending burning tingles through her loins into her belly. She cried out and pushed up into his face. She looked down at him across her naked, saturated body. His hair hung in wet curls and rain glistened on his back and his shoulders. he cupped her buttocks in his hands. He growled as her excitement infected him, flicking his tongue harder and faster, sucking on the hardening nub of her sensitivity, until the spasms of pleasure suddenly exploded and wracked her body. He plunged his tongue deep inside her, biting at her with his teeth and she screamed.
Her legs parted and she dilated, groaning for him to enter her. She felt him, hard and long, slide inside her. He bent down, licking the rainwater from her nipples, sending shards of exquisite tingling pleasure through her breasts. She arched her chest to him. He gripped her waist in his arms and bit into her neck. She cried out and whispered his name, and he withdrew and pushed inside her again; then withdrew and plunged hard inside her again, and again. She felt him growing bigger and harder with every thrust, going deeper, growing faster. Their moist skin rubbing and slipping together was intoxicating. She groaned and cried out, clutching him with her arms, encircling him with her legs. He smothered her face with kisses, driving into her with a savage rhythm. His face grew savage. His neck swelled up and suddenly he was roaring, exploding inside her and she was clawing at his soaking back, opening wide to take him as deep as she could, as wave after wave of orgasms wracked their bodies.
Ten
They stood on the deck of the Norse Maiden and watched the high, snowy peaks of Norway slowly withdraw into a gentle summer haze. Richard put his strong arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. She leaned against him and encircled his waist with her arms.
“So,” she said, “Are you Richard, Lord Pastern?”
“Yes, of course I am, darling.”
“Then, who was Sigurd and why…?”
“Sigurd,” he said patiently, “was someone I once was. Everything he told you was perfectly true.”
“But then,” she said, turning to face him and gaze up into his face. “How could you be in two places at once?”
“I couldn’t, but think about it, my pet. Did you ever see us together?”
Her mind flashed back. “No, I never did. You had a trick of disappearing whenever he was around and reappearing after he’d left.”
“I needed a moment to transform, to shape-shift. One of the powers granted by eating a dragon’s heart, my dear.”
“So your father, Lord Ranulff…”
“Not my father at all. He is – I should say was – my guardian.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him.”
He smiled. “It is the mist that hides the treasure from us, dear Emma. Love can be right there, but we do not see it. We can spend our whole lives not seeing it, because we are gazing so hard at the things that don’t matter.”
She shook her head, “How can we have known each other so long and I never saw… And who has been looking after the treasure while you have been gallivanting around Mayfair?”
“We have known each other seven years, darling Emma, and for seven years you have been carefully ignoring me. Months on end would go by and you would not so much as look at me. How could you see anything about me when you were so studiously ignoring me?”
She sighed. “I suppose so. I have been stupid.”
“And as for the treasure, well, I had seven years in which to find true love. If I didn’t it was back to the cave for another millennium. In the end, desperate times called for desperate measures. So the mighty Sigurd appeared on the scene. Vordr was not amused.”
At the mention of his name she looked at Richard anxiously.
“Richard, darling, I hope I haven’t…”
“No,” he shook his head, “It takes more than a pinprick like that to stop a troll. But he won’t be coming back to Wormholt Square. You have set me free, my love. No more guardians for me. The price I pay is to die of old age, but that is a small price, my love, to pay for you.”
“And you have set me free too, dear, darling Richard.”
And standing on her tiptoes she took his face in her hands and they kissed, under the full, glorious light of the morning sun.
Owned By The Dark Dragon
~ Bonus Story ~
A Dragon Shifter Paranormal Romance
Anne only had one focus in life for the last two years: completing her law degree in New York City and landing a position at a prestigious law firm. But when she takes the same route she always uses through Central Park to her apartment from school, Anne is blinded by a bright light that will change her destiny forever.
Soon Anne is whisked away by brute warriors to a different realm where dragons exist in the form of humans. She’ll be thrown into a war between a Dark Lord and a rebellious group that aims to see his destruction. But when both sides of this war fight for both her claim and body, she will have to decide for herself what is rule and what her body is truly wants.
* * *
Something needs to be done about that low-life, Anne thought disgustedly as she made her way hastily through Central Park, the same route she took every day after her last class in hopes of making it quickly to her apartment. But she couldn’t help but slow her pace as she watched a group of teens walk slowly by Zee, slightly extending their hands towards him as he reached out and slipped a small packet of acid tablets into the first hand and took the money from the last. If Anne hadn’t taken this same path home for the last two years, she probably wouldn’t have noticed it like everyone else walking through the park at this hour. But now she recognized the action clearly, the filthy drug dealer from the Bronx and the same type of people who always meet him at this time; young kids who are looking to simply escape from their lives.
“You need some’tin, chica?” Zee called to her once he noticed her staring. Anne’s face burned with embarrassment as she readjusted the messenger bag of books on her shoulder and hurried on her way, her high heels clicking on the pavement as she held her head up high. Anne tried to focus on something else, like her univers
ity finals next week instead of the sight that disgusted her, when a massive flash of light blinded her.
At first Anne had thought she had stumbled across one of the many photographers in the park, having walked in front of their shot and being blinded by the flash, but soon her ears were filled with the sound of galloping horses. Anne blinked several times as she tried to clear her spotted vision, taking a step back from the path to hopefully avoid running into anyone. But as she looked up towards the noise of clashing steel and yelling voices, her breath was taken away from the sheer sight of it all.
This has to be a movie set I’ve just walked onto, Anne tried to reason with herself as she backed up further, watching men in knight’s armor fight against those who wore thick animal skins that barely covered their bodies, exposing their thick muscles underneath. Despite the lack of protection, the barbaric lot seemed to hold their own against those who seemed more prepared for this battle as their long blades came down heavily onto the shorter blades of the armored riders, sending sparks into the air. It was when a knight defeated his attacker and shifted his gaze towards her that she remembered she needed to get out of here.
Anne turned and started to run as she heard the pursuit of a horse behind her. She abandoned her high heels and cursed herself for wearing a pencil skirt to class in hopes of appearing more businesslike. After all, no one would take her seriously as a lawyer if she didn’t dress the part. But now as she ran, her skirt ripping up her thigh, all she was now worried about was getting away from the crazy scene behind her, like many of those in the park already had.
Besides her best efforts to dodge her pursuer at all costs of her decency, she felt a forceful tug on her arm as she was stopped and forced to look up into the eyes of a handsome man, his face glistening in the late afternoon sun like many attractive men she had spied jogging through the park on her walk home. Though his dark hair and bright blue eyes were momentarily distracting, Anne pulled against the man’s grip, not wanting anything with the stunt they were trying to pull, likely for some sort of media exposure. Anne stumbled back as she lost her balance, the rest of her tattered skirt slipping higher up her waist. She watched as the knight quickly dismounted his horse to come after her but was distracted by a long sword swinging inches in front of his face as it struck the pavement.
Anne took the opportunity to stand and run in the opposite direction, hoping to further herself from the chaos. As the noise of fighting died away, she slowed her pace and placed her hands on her hips, trying to regain her breath. She couldn’t help but laugh as she walked up to a small pond and looked at her reflection in the water’s rippled surface. Her long, dark hair stuck to her face as she panted, her chest rising and falling, pulling against the tight blouse. Anne knew the city was a crazy place to live in, but she never thought she would run into something like this. Now she would have to back track, hoping the movie scene was over and she could regain her things.
But as she turned to walk back through the park, she was met by two warriors with dark faces and thick furs across their bodies, the sight of them startling her. But as she went to speak, to insist she wanted nothing to do with whatever they were trying to accomplish, one of them quickly came forward and wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders, pinning her arms down while the other began binding her legs and arms with thick cords of rope.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Anne shouted as she struggled against the attackers with no success, beginning to wonder if this all wasn’t for show? They didn’t answer her as she was forced onto one of their saddles, the large warrior filling the saddle behind her as he reached around her and grabbed the rains. He shouted, sending the horse into a running pace immediately, Anne then forced to look ahead and keep her balance, afraid of falling from the animal even if that meant her escape.
Anne watched in horror as a strange, dark portal appeared in front of them, not giving Anne a moment to rationalize what was happening as the horse ran through, shades of green and black warping around them before the scenery stabilized to complete night.
Before Anne can take in her new surroundings and try to contemplate what is happening, she was tossed to the ground, the sudden jolt forcing her to her side as one warrior dismounted to cut her bindings while the other approached a group of men that are sitting around a fire, thick trees and bushes on either side of them, giving her little option to escape. Anne glanced behind her, hoping to see the way she had come, but whatever method they had used to get her was long gone, only given Anne the view of a dark valley below. It was obvious that there was no way back home this way, so she inched closer to the fire, hoping to seek warmth from the bitter cold that began to soak into her skin.
“I’ve brought the girl like you wanted, Sinome. Now pay me my dues,” her capture demanded as he approached the man that had risen the moment they had arrived. The man called Sinome eyed her momentarily before handing over a large leather bag, the sound of coins clinging together as the warrior quickly clasped it to his side, mounted his horse, and took off down the path behind her; his campion quickly following suit.
Silence seeped into the area as all the men around the fire slowly stood and approached her, causing Anne to reconsider running, but when each of them came bowed down before her, Anne could do nothing but stare.
“What the hell is going on here?” Anne demanded as she stood and wrapped her arms around her body, shacking from the cold and the shock of being kidnapped.
“Please, beloved Daughter of the Sun, bestow upon us your blessing,” Sinome spoke as he titled his head towards her, hope filling his eyes as he watched the tanned beauty before him. He had expected her to be dressed more nobly, but the clothes she wore would absolutely tempt his master.
“I don’t know who you think I am, but you have made a terrible mistake!” Anne yelled as she took a step back. “Now take me home, or…or,” Anne stumbled for words as she eyed the man, wondering who she really thought she was. They looked like men of wealthy means, all dressed in dark leather and cleanly shaven unlike those who had taken her.
“Your travels must have exhausted you, my lady. Please forgive us simple men for demanding so much of you upon your return. But we’ve waited for this moment with much earnest knowing that one day the prophecy would come true and the Daughter of the Sun would come from the Isle of Apollo and aid us in defeating the Dark Lord,” Sinome explained as he stood and walked towards her slowly, his hands outstretched by his side. As he neared, he realized how much she did shake, and with a flick of his wrist one of his trusted men came form with a wool cloak which he did quickly wrap around her shoulders.
“Better?” he asked softly as he rubbed his hands over her arms to help warm her.
Anne nodded as she kept shifting her eyes between them all, wondering if this was some sort of game they were playing before they attacked her. She wasn’t falling for any of their tricks, but might have to follow along if she was going to survive. “What do you want from me exactly?” Anne said softly as she focused her gaze on what she assumed to be their leader.
“We only want an end to a war that has plagued us for generations. We have sent scouts to the Isle of Apollo in search for you, and as you saw my paid comrades defeated those who would take you away from us. It’s been one thousand years since news of your arrival first came to my ears, and after seeing you I can tell our wait was worth the effort to have you amongst us finally. And it’s through you that a ruler will be born to conquer our enemies,” Sinome continued to say as he put his arms around her and lead her back to the fire.
Anne was lost in her thoughts, trying to make sense of everything that was being explained to her, but she had a sinking feeling that they wanted her to stay for some cause she wanted no part on. But before she could speak, Sinome continued, “Please, we must take you to our castle in the region over so that the Wyrd Sisters can confirm you are the one. There you may rest and we can finally gain some answers in a more comfortable settings. And of course, if m
y calculations have been wrong and you are not the one we’ve all been looking so forward to seeing, I promise I will return you personally to your home.”
The way Sinome spoke made Anne trust him, or at least believe he was being sincere in the way that he spoke. Passion was laced in his words, and the more Anne stood in his presence, the more curious she became of where she was and what type of people she had been taken too.
“Anywhere would be better than this forest,” Anne decided, a smile crossing Simone’s face once he heard she would comply with his requests.
“I promise we won’t disappoint you, my lady,” Simone replied as he took her hand and placed a soft kiss over her knuckles before taking a few steps back from her. “Now, I know those from your realm are not familiar with my kind, so please do not fear from viewing our true forms.”
Anne’s brows came together as she peered at the man, suddenly aware that the men around her had vanished. The sound of beating wings filled the air above her as a gush of wind swept her cloak about her bare legs. Anne looked up to see the night sky filled with the sight of dragons, there scales ranging in deep colors of red and green. Anne covered her mouth with her hands as she looked back to the ground, a dark red dragon now in the place of Simone, the creatures body four times the size of normal man.
“Let me have the honor of taking you to our stronghold in the valley below,” Simone’s voice spoke from the mouth of the dragon; the creature’s long tongue flicking between two rows of sharp teeth that folded neatly together. The dragon pressed its belly to the ground and outstretched it’s wing, giving Anne the perfect method to climb on its back.
“I must be dreaming,” Anne spoke out loud as the group of dragons took off for an unknown destination in the distance.
“All your dreams are about to come true, my lady,” Sinome replied as Anne neared and did her best to mount the creature. She was presently surprised to feel the warmth of the dragon between her legs as she leaned her body down along its neck and tried to wrap her hands around its body.
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