by Bianca D’Arc
“Like you and Xanderanth?” Lizbet dared to send her thoughts back to the dragoness. If Shara was going to butt into Lizbet’s love life, turnabout was fair play.
“Maybe,” Shara said, considering. “I do like him an awful lot. But there’s Leo to consider. The land dragons bond to their knights and make certain sacrifices to do it, or so I’ve been told. I’m not really sure how it all works. That is something I will need to ask Xanderanth about…if we decide to move forward. I mean, I only just met him.”
“But you feel the attraction, don’t you?” Lizbet didn’t wait for an answer to her question. “I thought so. I felt little sparks around the two of you all night. Even when you were in so much pain from the wound and apprehensive of the humans. They turned out to be nice, though, right?”
“You sound as surprised as I was,” Shara said, humor in her tone.
“I’ve never met a human before,” Lizbet confided. “Though I’ve heard many tales about them. Some are good, like Leo and Seth, but some are very bad indeed.”
“Just like your folk. And mine, too, if truth be told.” Shara sighed, and Lizbet could hear the gentle exhalation even outside the cave. “There are always a few bad squid in the sea.”
“We call them bad apples, but I get your meaning.”
The easy rapport with Shara was unlike anything Lizbet had ever experienced. She and Shara were friends, but it went deeper than that. Somehow, Shara always sensed what Lizbet was thinking, and when she wasn’t with her friends at sea, they spent a lot of time together here on the far side of the island, away from both Lizbet’s and Shara’s people. They were happy together, as they weren’t among their own kind, which was odd, when Lizbet stopped to think about it.
But she didn’t question it much, really. They enjoyed each other’s company too much to wonder the why of it. Lizbet had just come to accept the fact that the being most close to her heart—other than her family, which was a different sort of bond altogether—was Shara. Their friendship was like a family link, but closer, because they each had chosen to be the other’s friend. They hadn’t been forced together by an accident of birth.
They may wear totally different skins, but they were sisters at heart.
Lizbet sat quietly by the fire, warming up while Seth took Leo off somewhere. When they returned, they each held a big pack in their hands. She watched while they both bent to open the packs and pulled out the makings of a campsite.
She was amazed, really, at the ingenuity of some of the items. They folded up to almost nothing but, when open, were useful items. Bedrolls. Even a tent. A pot for cooking. Foodstuffs and other supplies.
Lizbet offered to help, but both men told her to sit and relax. They claimed to have everything well in hand, and watching them, she believed the claim. Although Seth wasn’t a bonded knight, he certainly shared all the skills Leo displayed in unpacking and using the supplies that seemed to be standard among dragon knights.
When Leo stepped up to the fire to set up a small metal grate over the top of the burning coals, Lizbet offered to help once more. This time, Leo smiled at her, giving her the pot and water skin, along with the makings for tea. Lizbet boiled the water and herbs as she watched the men move around, setting up tents and creating a little home away from home for them.
The two tents were set up just inside the mouth of the cave, one on each side of the entrance, tucked behind the outer wall for both protection from the wind and anything that might try to sneak up on them in the night. One wall of each tent was against the inner wall of the cave, while the entrances to the tents had been situated a few feet back from the cave opening.
With the dragons inside, between the two tents, there would be plenty of warmth. The dragons also made for fierce guards, even with Shara injured. She still had sharp claws and teeth, along with a mobile tail that was one of her wickedest weapons. And Xanderanth could fry anything approaching that had nasty intent. They’d be safe enough.
Leo walked back to the fire, and she handed him a cup of tea. There were three cups. Seth had put one of his potion cups into use along with the mug that had been in his camping gear, so they could all drink at once.
“You can have my tent, Lizbet. The one on the right. I’ve also set up my bedroll for you, so you can sleep comfortably. Seth and I will switch off on watch,” he told her as he sat down beside her. “We’ll share his tent and bedding since only one of us will be sleeping at a time.”
“I can stand watch too,” Lizbet offered.
She’d been raised in a warrior family. She understood the need to keep watch in uncertain situations. The island had been attacked. Everyone would be posting watches all around the island for the foreseeable future, just in case it happened again.
“That’s all right,” Leo told her. “I doubt I’ll be able to sleep much anyway. This is my first real adventure with Xander…and maybe our last. The leaders of our Lair didn’t exactly sanction our trip out here. When we go back, there will be some consequences to face, I’m sure.”
“Really?” That was the first Lizbet had heard of it. “I’d wondered why there were so few of you. It’s just the three dragons and four humans, right? I thought you had a lot more dragons and knights in your land.”
“We do,” Leo told her. Seth was inside the tent the men would share, fixing something, so for the moment, it was just her and Leo by the fire. “We have almost a hundred at the Southern Lair alone, and we’re not one of the real fighting Lairs. The Border Lair has more, and the Northern Lair has been fortified since all the fighting started up there. I think the largest concentration of dragons and knights, though, is probably in the capital.”
“What do you mean about your Lair not being a real fighting Lair?” she asked.
Leo made a face. “Some call it the retirement Lair. Where old knights go when they’re too old to fight and want to spend the rest of their days in the balmy weather by the seaside. It’s also where they send the really good young fliers to learn how to skate on the tricky air currents we have along the coast. That’s part of why they sent me and Xanderanth here. He’s going to be one of the best fighters in the land one day. He just has to grow into his powerful frame and learn how to best utilize his strength, and his wings. Plus, my family is from the Southern shores. My parents actually picked up and moved closer to Dragonscove when they heard I was going to be stationed there for the first part of my career. We’re very close.”
“Do you come from a big family?” she wanted to know. She was intrigued by the things he was telling her about the land of men.
“I’m the oldest of a brood,” he said, laughing. When he smiled, his whole face lit up, and she could tell he really loved his big family. “My folks thought it best if I could still see my younger siblings on my days off, and Xanderanth is a big hit with the little ones. They climb all over him, and I’m always surprised how patient he is with them. Of course, Xander’s young, too, for a dragon. I’m his first knight. We’re learning together.”
“That’s really beautiful,” Lizbet said, and Leo felt a flush run along his cheekbones. “It must be so amazing to share your life with Xanderanth.”
“I’m truly blessed,” Leo agreed, feeling a bit more comfortable seeing that she wasn’t making fun of him. Far from it, she seemed truly impressed, which swung his emotions back the other way, from embarrassment to pride.
They talked a bit about the bond between dragon and knight. Lizbet seemed very interested in how it all worked, so Leo did his best to explain it, though some of it was beyond his ability to put into words. It just…was. The bond that had formed between Xanderanth and Leo was stronger than anything he’d ever felt before and joined them on a level he hadn’t known existed until Xander had come into his life.
Lizbet was a good listener, and when Seth returned to share a snack with them, the talk turned to her life on the island. She told them about the small villages and towns dotted around the island and how everyone deferred to Gryffid’s rule, though th
e wizard seldom interfered much in anyone’s lives. The fair folk lived and worked alongside the gryphons in much the way the knights lived and worked with their dragon partners, only on a much larger scale. There were almost as many gryphons on the island as there were fair folk, and not all were suited to be warriors. Some were artisans in their own right, and some were strategists, teachers and poets.
Leo was fascinated by talk of the gryphons and listened raptly, even after Seth excused himself to check on the dragons one last time before turning in for a short sleep shift. Leo was on first watch, and Lizbet seemed to want to share it with him. Leo didn’t object. He liked her company and figured she would turn in when she got tired enough.
Oddly, she didn’t. She sat with him for the long hours of his watch and didn’t leave until Seth came back to relieve Leo. Only then did Lizbet get up and go into the tent Leo had set up for her, but not before leaving him with a parting peck on the cheek.
Leo held one hand to his cheek long after she disappeared into the tent, marveling at the strange turn of events. He was wildly attracted to the fey woman, but he had no idea how—or even if—such a thing could ever come to fruition.
Still, he was smiling as he lay himself down on the bedroll Seth had vacated, in the tent just across the way from Lizbet’s. Leo lay his sword within easy reach and then shut his eyes, knowing he would dream of the fey woman who had captured his imagination…and just maybe…his heart.
Livia snuck out of her bedroom deep in the night and tiptoed next door, where she knew Gowan would be. They’d only just arrived back at their rooms after a long discussion of the day’s events with the crowd still in the great hall. It seemed the battle had made more than one fey warrior unable to sleep. Many were talking and sitting quietly all around the hall, which Gryffid seemed to keep open at all hours for guests.
Discreet servants kept food and drink flowing, but few drank to excess, and those that did were cared for quietly by their brethren. Livia had been impressed with the way the fey handled themselves. A few bards played quietly in one corner. Calming tunes. Sad tunes, to remember the dead and mark their passing. The fey seemed to be respectful even of their enemies’ deaths. There was no joyful celebration. Only sober remembrances and quiet comradeship.
Livia and Gowan had stayed late into the night, talking with the fey. Livia thought she understood better now why they seemed to want to spend time in each other’s company after such a tumultuous day. She felt better for having shared time with those somber warriors.
But now, she wanted to spend time with Gowan. Nobody saw her in the corridor, though she suspected her father would have set a watch had he been allowed to bring any of his men into the keep with him.
As it was, Gryffid’s people had put her father in a guest suite in another section of the massive keep, and she felt secure enough to sneak over to Gowan’s room for a few hours. She didn’t want to be alone. Not after all they’d been through today.
More importantly, she didn’t want Gowan to be alone. She couldn’t help the fact that Seth was on duty, his healing skill much needed in the aftermath of battle.
She opened his door, sneaking in quickly, lest someone come down the corridor and see her. Leaning against the closed door, she caught her breath. Gowan was looking at her, and it was clear she’d startled him a bit, though he reacted well. He was shirtless, wearing only his trousers and socks. It looked like she’d interrupted while he was caring for his sword, honing the edge and inspecting the dully gleaming blade.
She had an entirely different sword in mind to care for herself this night, but she had to admit, he posed a dashing picture, standing there, one foot resting on the chest at the foot of the bed. His blade rested on his knee, his muscles gleaming in the candlelight as he bent over the sword, inspecting it. He had a cloth in one hand, a sharpening stone in the other, but he put both aside when their eyes met.
He straightened, placing the blade carefully on the lid of the chest before he walked toward her. She felt very much as if he was some exotic mountain cat, stalking her…in the best possible way.
“Should you be here?” he asked in a low, rumbly voice.
“There’s no place I’d rather be,” she replied, giving him what she hoped was a sultry smile. She felt like her insides were melting into a puddle of need as he prowled closer. Her mouth went dry as she watched him, knowing that, in mere moments, she would be in his arms.
She’d missed him so much since her father had come home. The stolen moments on the beach had been incredible, but she missed talking to Gowan and just being around him. He’d become a needed presence in her life in such a short time. It almost scared her to think about it, because she knew the whole situation was difficult, at best…impossible, at worst. And since her father had returned, it had been the pits most of the time.
“What about your father?” Gowan persisted, closer now, taking his time as he crossed the large room.
“He’s in another wing of the keep. It seems either Gryffid has some sympathy for our situation or luck is on our side.” She tilted her head to look up at him as he stepped into her personal space, only the width of a heartbeat separating them now. Thank the stars!
“Or perhaps a little of both,” he mused, smiling in that lopsided way that lit her on fire. He was too sexy for his own good. Too sexy for her peace of mind, to be sure.
He leaned closer, and then, his lips were on hers, possessing gently, like the first time they’d come together on the sunny cliff top above Dragonscove. They’d been on a picnic. No hint of the danger that was to come. And Gowan had been the perfect gentleman—until he hadn’t—and she’d practically pounced on him, making love to him in the soft grass, his dragon partner sleeping nearby.
She’d only been with the men she was coming to think of as hers together and separately a handful of times. Each was a glowing memory in her mind, brought out in the dark of night when she was alone, wondering where they were and what they were doing.
Tonight, she wouldn’t have to wonder. At least not about Gowan. And she knew where Seth was and what he was doing. He was safe, in the company of dragons and gryphons, where she knew he loved to be. He had genuine affection for all dragons, and they seemed to respect him in turn, from what she had observed.
She came up for air when Gowan raised his head.
“How long can you stay?” he whispered.
“A few hours, but I should leave before dawn, just in case. My father was always an early riser, and I wouldn’t put it past him to come find my room to make sure I was in it.”
She felt very naughty defying her father, but it couldn’t be helped. He insisted on seeing her as a child, when she hadn’t truly been a child since her mother’s death.
Gowan reached behind her as he held her gaze, and she heard the click of the lock catching on the door. “As you say then, just in case, we’ll throw the latch so we won’t be disturbed.”
She smiled up at him in total breathless, eager agreement. His head dipped lower, and he was kissing her again, taking his time with her. This promised to be a thorough loving, where neither of them would have to rush. They had hours to spend together, and the stresses of the day to work through.
She needed to be held so desperately. She needed to feel alive after all the death and danger that had been visited on this island today. And she’d heard about how soldiers got keyed up during a fight and needed the release of sex after.
She felt the same tension in her own body. The need to be close to someone special. To reaffirm life in the most basic way. To enjoy the time they had together, for life—as had been proven over and over today—was uncertain, at best.
Gowan continued to kiss her as her head spun, and then, she realized he’d lifted her up and turned with her in his arms, giving the appearance of the room rotating around her. She felt a moment of giddy dizziness, brought on by the combination of Gowan’s most excellent drugging kisses and the unexpected motion.
Then, he began walki
ng, slowly, toward the large bed on the other side of the room. Livia rubbed her palms over the hard muscles in Gowan’s chest and arms. He was built like a god from some ancient pagan cult. His body had been honed, like the sword he’d been working on, until it, too, was a fine-edged weapon of war, but it could also be used to protect and defend, not just attack.
Gowan, for all his warrior-like ways, was a man of peace, and that part of his complex personality appealed to her. He trained and kept himself in optimal condition so he could protect the people of Draconia, and—as he had done today—allies and innocents who suffered an unprovoked attack. He had a noble streak a mile wide, and she admired him as well as desired him.
Gowan placed her gently on the bed and helped her remove her clothing, placing her garments carefully aside as each piece came free. Once again, he was showing his care for her, knowing she might be seen in the hallway when she left in a few hours and making sure her things would be presentable.
He was such a sweet man. So protective of her. And if he’d known she was thinking of him as sweet, she knew he’d scoff, but it was true nonetheless.
He lowered her blouse and freed her breasts, his large hands covering her, his calluses rasping against her soft skin in a way that made her shiver. He played with her nipples, watching them, then watching her expression as he squeezed and tugged, as if gauging her reaction and learning what she liked.
They’d never really had the opportunity to make love at such a leisurely pace. Not alone, without Seth. And though Livia felt Seth’s absence, she also relished this time alone with Gowan. She loved them both, strange as it seemed. Livia thought maybe she understood how the Lair families made such a different arrangement work. If love bound the triad, then it felt like nothing was odd or wrong with it.