Dragons Don't Love

by D'Elen McClain

  The change in Ashrac happens so fast it surprises me. Regardless of Sarn’s hold, the boy fights like a demon and lands one kick after another. “Don’t call me little. I remain the mightiest dragon to ever live.” He somehow manages to get close enough to sink his teeth into the top of Sarn’s leg.

  “Ohhh, you brat,” Sarn yells out. He releases Ashrac’s neck and lifts his hand to strike him. Ashrac throws himself backward over the cliff.

  I don’t breathe as terror squeezes my heart. I finally inhale when I see the child rise in his dragon form. He flies away from Sarn as fast as he can. I breathe easier when Sarn doesn’t give chase. He shrugs and turns back to me.

  Sarn crosses his arms and stands facing me. He raises his chin and his evil smile remains in place. “You’ll be in my lair and my bed before the little brat finds help. I would think Laryn of all dragons would guard his bride more closely.”

  I shake my head. “My dragon knows I can take care of myself. He has no reason to fear a dragon as puny as you,” I say with a casual glance at Sarn’s member. Truthfully, Sarn isn’t puny in the least. I need him angry and stupid, not one or the other.

  His lips part and his evil leer grows substantially. A faint trail of smoke seeps from his nostrils. “I will take the defiance out of you in the first bedding. Come over here now and I may go easier on you.”

  I don’t wait. This is it. I quickly charge separating the space between us. I bring the halberd down as hard as I can. He’s tall and it slices through his upper arm. I hit bone, but it upsets me that I didn’t remove the appendage. I spin while lifting the halberd again. Sarn catches the upper pole where it meets the blade and stops my swing. I’ve already slipped a blade from my arm sheath and I jam it as hard as I can into his stomach.

  He cries out and throws himself over the cliff. I know little damage is done, but I’m thankful I still have my halberd. I back up and widen my stance preparing myself for a dragon’s attack. What I don’t expect is Sarn’s roar. I feel the flames before I see them. Fire sweeps up and over the ledge. I have no time to do more than throw my arm up futilely covering my face. The pain is agonizing. My skin burns as if I’ve touched the sun. My flesh boils. I drop to my knees. I’m barely coherent and all I can do is whisper to Laryn. “My dragon, I am so sorry. My greatest regret is not telling you that I love you.” I fall forward and curl into a ball. It hurts and I realize the screams in my head are actually coming from my throat.

  “What have I done?” A voice sounds from far off. Nothing really matters at this point I just want to see my dragon one last time.

  “Laryn?” I manage to whisper. More pain surrounds me as I float. If I’m dead, the pain should go away.

  “No, my lady, it’s Sarn. I am so very, very sorry.”

  I pray for death.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Laryn

  I see Ashrac flying to me as fast as his small wings will pump. What is he doing here?

  “Uncle Laryn, Uncle Laryn. Uncle Sarn has your bride,” he screams as he draws closer.

  I’m so stunned I drop the chalice and painting and don’t think of them again. “Where is my bride?”

  “At the cliffs. Uncle Sarn wanted me to go with him to his castle. Your bride got angry and then Uncle Sarn got angry.”

  My heart is beating double time. “Go find your parents and send them here. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Uncle Laryn. Please rescue her. She is very brave for a human.”

  She is, but I don’t have time to answer. Have I not been punished enough for what I did to Bastian and Acasia? If Sarn has harmed one hair on her head, he’s a dead dragon.

  Thirty minutes later, I see the purple dragon speeding toward me. I charge.

  “No, I have her,” he screams into my head seconds before impact.

  I turn my body and barely stop my strike. “Give her to me, you son of a bitch.”

  “I cannot transfer her while we fly, she’s hurt.”

  “I will kill you for this,” I say with a guttural roar.

  “As you should.”

  Sarn flies past me heading for my castle. I mentally try to connect with my bride. Nothing. She must be unconscious. My rage sizzles. I want her away from Sarn. I know something is horribly wrong or he would not bring her back. My bride is the greatest treasure of all the realms and a prize for any dragon.

  We reach my highest tower perch. Sarn drops his behemoth head as soon as we land. “I’m sorry, Laryn, so very sorry.”

  “I will deal with you later. Give me my bride.”

  What rolls onto the perch is almost impossible to decipher. “Ahhrahhaa,” blasts from my throat. What is left of her arm is melted to the bone. Her entire upper right side is nothing but charred bone. Most of her hair is singed away along with the lower part of her face. I shift and fall to my knees. Her heart beats, but it’s so faint I know she must be moments from death. I’m afraid to touch her because of the pain it will cause.

  I look up at Sarn, my grief, fury, and desolation flowing with my tears. He’s not looking at me. “Go. Go now. I do not have time to kill you. Just go.” I’m not even yelling. She groans quietly. I use my dragon’s magic to mentally place her in a temporary sleep so she doesn’t feel the pain as death takes her. I don’t hear Sarn fly away and I don’t care that he’s gone and I cannot kill him immediately. The only thing I care about is dying in front of me. A hand on my back startles me, but I don’t move.

  “Laryn,” Acasia’s gentle voice whispers. “She still lives. I don’t know if that’s what you want.”

  I lie down beside my bride only able to touch the side of her face that still has flesh. Acasia doesn’t understand. I could love my bride like this no matter her injury. No arms, no legs, her smile would carry me forever.

  I know the truth of it, though. She is a warrior. She would not choose to live such as this and I know there is little chance of it happening anyway. She is also a fighter and her death will not come as quickly as it should.

  “I will kill him, Laryn. I will bring you his head.” Bastian’s voice is soft but deadly.

  “No. Please go into my rooms and gather the silk sheet from my bed.” I know what I must do. I just don’t want to leave her for the time it takes to prepare. Her breathing is shallow, and even in her current state of sleep she gasps in pain every few breaths.

  A short while later, the sheet is laid beside us. I can’t look at Acasia and Bastian. I gather the sheet around my bride and tie it above her. “Acasia, please hold the knot up so it doesn’t touch her and cause more pain.”

  I back up a few yards and shift. I take the top of the knot in my teeth and fly off without saying another word to my friends. I fly to our spot. This is where I fell in love with my bride. We stood above the ocean for the first time and she cuddled into the warmth of my dragon legs while the wind whipped at her face. I love her and I’m the most foolish man alive to think for one second that I don’t.

  I know this is where she battled Sarn and that is fitting also. My bride. The warrior. I lay her gently on the ground. I shift and gather her one last time into my arms. I cannot allow her to suffer any longer.

  “I love you, Roxanne. I will always love you.” My tears fall on her scorched flesh. “I will never forget you, but I promise you this,” I take a ragged breath so I can get the words out. “I will love each bride from the day I choose them. I will cherish every moment we have together and they will always know I love them. That’s how much I love you. Thank you.”

  The muscles of my arms bunch as I lift her higher. Her death will be instant when she lands against the jagged rocks. I’m completely unprepared when her eyes flutter open. I almost drop her. I blink once, then twice. What I’m seeing does not disappear.

  Roxanne stares back at me with eyes of the purest blue I’ve ever seen. “Laryn, I hurt.”

  I can’t speak or breathe.

  She screams. I back away from the cliff as her body goes so hot it burns me. She writhes in my arms
and I have no idea what to do. I run to a patch of grass about twenty feet away and set her down.

  “Make it stop, Laryn, please.”

  She’s still burned so badly I’m afraid to touch her. A blue light shines from inside her body. The heat actually makes me step away. Her eyes close and I think she’s passed out. A scream unlike anything I’ve ever heard bursts from her throat. I cover my ears at the horrible pain she bears. She continues writhing and I can’t stand it.

  The blue light explodes. It spikes into the clouds and covers me, blending with my dragon’s inner blue light. The pulsing waves continue until a blue dragon lies in my bride’s place.

  I fall to my knees. My heart has stopped and started again. I’m looking at the most glorious sight in the universe. It can’t be.

  An eerie female voice comes with the wind. “You have proven your worth as a dragon.”

  I look around and see no one.

  Roxanne opens her large, luminescent blue eyes.

  My bride is dragon.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Roxanne

  I am sitting on Laryn’s knee wearing an indecently tight gown with practically nothing holding my breasts in. My dragon lifts my hand and brings me to my feet. “Roxy, baby, go and find another lovely to share our bed tonight.” He slaps my ass and I jump away from the gaming table with a very feminine squeal. Laryn said he would give me an excuse to leave the room and steal my treasure. Two women, though. He knows I’d cleave his cock right off. I giggle and the men give me wicked leers as I leave the room.

  Dancing and revelry fill the entire downstairs of the huge mansion. Laryn has taught me well and I start my search in the owner’s bedroom. When I don’t find what I need, I search for the office. A massive safe takes up one entire corner. “Gotcha,” I whisper with glee.

  My hearing is such that I have the old safe open in less than three minutes. There are trays of jewels, stacked gold bars, and even some jewelry. I scan the items until my eyes fall on a large blue amethyst that matches Laryn’s eyes. It’s exactly what I want. I grab a few other baubles to wager against Ashrac so he doesn’t win my finest pieces.

  I need to hurry back to the gaming room so Laryn can finish taking money from these fools and we can leave without anyone the wiser. When I turn the corner into the ballroom, a servant is in front of me. She’s old with gray hair tied back in a severe knot. She smiles politely and I know she’s perfect because she’s missing several teeth and she doesn’t smell so great.

  “Put the tray down and come with me.” I take her hand as soon as she rests the tray on a nearby table.

  “My lady… please.”

  “Hush. I just need you to make googly eyes at my mate. He won’t harm you, but he’s really into older chicks.”

  She tries digging in her heels, but I won’t release her. Right before we enter the room, I place a gold coin in her hand. “Sit on his knee and touch his shirt collar. A few kisses on his cheek will earn you another one of these.” I show her my other coin and watch her eyes light up. “What is your name?” I ask.

  We enter the room and all conversation stops. I lead her to Laryn and nod toward his lap. His eyes are practically glowing and he bites his lip to keep from laughing aloud. I ruffle his hair and take my voice to a husky level. “Sweetness, this is Mildred. She’s perfect for tonight and I know how much you enjoy a woman without teeth sucking you off.”

  Several men cough as Mildred gives Laryn her biggest smile and proceeds to do exactly what I paid her for. The men feel so sorry for Laryn that they don’t seem to mind that he wins all their money. I have the best time and Laryn throws me covert death glares when Mildred drinks a little wine and becomes bolder in her pursuit.

  I can’t stop laughing as we cross our second realm heading back to our own.

  “You will pay for that, bride,” he murmurs into my mind. It’s all he’s said since we left. Another round of laughter rumbles from my chest and fire shoots from my mouth.

  I’m still unused to the ability to make fire and actually have a little trouble controlling it. This wouldn’t be so bad if I could forget the agony to my flesh caused by fire. My transcendence to dragon magically repaired the damage caused by the flame. It did not remove the memory. I’m still furious at Sarn. Not because of what he did to me, I know it was an accident, but because of his rough handling of Ashrac. We haven’t seen Sarn in six months. He’s not at his lair and I’m not sure if he will return until it’s time to choose a bride.

  Like Acasia and Bastian, we are now unable to cross to the bride village’s realm. I don’t think I would wish to see my parents age and die while I remain the same. This is easier. I also realize each dragon must break the curse in their own way. I heard each word of Laryn’s promise at the top of our cliff. He was doing the right thing by ending my life. The bravest thing. And by promising to love his brides every day for as long as they live, he broke his curse.

  We enter our realm and Laryn puts on a burst of speed. I’m just about to follow when he suddenly curves his neck up and flies over me upside down until he’s behind me. I know what his plan is and it involves his large blue cock. Dragon form is the only way to mate and produce a child. We’ve worked diligently at it. Our time will come. I’m not looking forward to the two years of nesting. I enjoy our forays into other realms and the treasure we bring back. I have my own treasure room now and I’m slowly filling it.

  Bastian recovered the chalice and the painting that Laryn swears he will steal away someday. I want no reminders of the day I burned. Though being dragon is the best possible outcome, the memory of the pain is too great.

  Laryn comes down low and covers me. Ecstasy floods my senses. When the blue light of our release explodes, the entire sky fills with different shades of blue flame. This time the light is slightly different, but I just can’t place my finger on it. One thing I absolutely know is that Laryn will need to begin constructing our nest.

  “I love you, Roxy my fearless warrior,” he whispers into my mind.

  “I know, Laryn, and I love you,” I whisper back.

  Chapter Thirty

  Sarn

  The bottle tips over and the whisky spills to the floor. No worries, I have another within reach of the bed. One of the two women lying naked beside me mumbles in her sleep. I pick up a lock of her hair and let it fall back to cover most of her face. The women are faceless anyway. If I drink enough, their memory is fleeting too.

  Bastian came a few weeks ago and tried to talk me into returning home. It did no good. I could see his anger at what I had done even when he explained that Laryn’s bride is now dragon. Lucky Laryn. After my behavior with Ashrac and almost killing Laryn’s bride, I will never break the curse. I don’t deserve to.

  As I lie in my drunken haze, the image of a wolf shifter enters my mind. I try not to think about her. She avoids me, but I catch her watching me at odd moments. In this strange realm of wolf, bear, and cat shifters, not to mention vampires, I’ve made a semi-home below Dmitri’s club. The wolf I’m thinking of works the bar with her twin brother. The only person she seems shy with is me. I’ve heard her take on a group of drunken men with calm authority and a few curse words thrown in. I want her. I look at the women in bed with me. The wolf could do much better than me fumbling at her body. I’m no longer even good at sex. Drunk is better.

  I open a full bottle of whisky and drink a fourth of it down in one swallow. The burn is exactly what I need in order to forget. I fear the smell of Laryn’s bride’s scorched flesh will haunt me forever. I take another drink and sink back against the pillow*s.

  Through my bleary eyes, I gaze at the door when I hear it open. She’s lovely. She also appears angry when she looks from me to the two women. I think her name is Sierra.

  Sarn’s story continues in Dragons Don’t Forgive… coming soon.

  D’Elen Gets Real,

  Kim Benser won the baby dragon naming contest in the Fang Chronicles Reader Group. Thank you Kim, I love the name As
hrac!

  It’s funny how a book develops in my mind. In this one, the cover was vital. I always order the cover as soon as the story begins forming deep inside my brain. I have no idea how Fantasia Frog Designs does the perfect graphic artwork based on the half-sentence I send. In this case, “Blue dragon, warrior woman.” That was it. Roxanne was born and I wrote her physical characteristics to match the cover. I truly love what the cover inspired in my writing! I wrote Laryn to match a gorgeous muscle-bound, blond, demi-god I have a picture of. The man in the photo is arrogance personified and matched Laryn’s SOB attitude perfectly. I’m a very visual gal and youza.

  Poppy Flowers by Van Gogh, worth $50 million, was actually stolen from the Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Palace in Egypt about five years ago. Of course it will never be seen again because it now resides in the dragon realm. And all my dragon believers know this as truth. There is a $175,000 reward that will go unclaimed because I trust my readers implicitly.

  “Oh Tiger, Oh Tiger,” is also truth and that’s all I will say.

  Now I need to speak quickly about Sarn—my poor devastated dragon. Even my editors are asking questions. Can a dragon mate with an earth shifter? Umm, like I’m really going to answer that! You need to read the next book to find out. I’m just cruel that way. I do promise Sarn will find his happy ending, though it may not be what everyone expects. Right now the story is working itself out perfectly in that deep dark cavern called my mind.

  Now, let’s talk money… Indie authors are a phenomenon that’s here to stay. Mostly because our readers are incredibly faithful fanatics. I love you from the bottom of my heart. We’ve broken down doors together and changed the publishing world. Amazon, and no I don’t speak of them with devil’s horns because I would be nowhere without them, but there is a problem called Kindle Unlimited. I could handle the 40% loss of revenue per book download if Amazon didn’t require me to be exclusive to Amazon which makes that 40% more than 50% or even more on a new release. This means my Nook, and other non-kindle readers would not be able to read my work. I will be moving some books into the KU program, on a revolving three-month basis which is the minimum time Amazon requires. I won’t have more than one series in at time (I write six series) and I won’t place any series in until the most recent book has been out for several months so all my readers can purchase. If you have bought into the KU program there is something you can do. Read the first 10% of all books you download so the authors get paid. It’s vital and we thank you. The number one thing everyone can do for me is leave an honest review where you purchased my book. I thank you with a huge hug and sloppy kisses.