In hindsight, Charlie regretted the deal she had made with the prince. She would rather be on the streets, begging and whoring for food and shelter.
“And what a sweet way it will be to get rid of the tension boiling inside me.” Magnus brought his other hand up and Charlie closed her eyes.
She waited for his armored fist to connect with her unprotected face.
It didn’t, though. Instead, the familiar baritone reached her ears. “Your Highness, my Prince.”
Charlie’s eyes snapped open and landed on Cassiel standing behind Magnus, his hand on the prince’s shoulder, a very daring move. She feared the consequences. Glancing behind Cassiel, she saw Reed wiping the blood from his nose.
Magnus closed his eyes and took a very deep and calming breath.
Cassiel drew his hand away before he was reprimanded for it. He lowered his head as he waited for Magnus to speak. He knew how to deal with the prince when he was like this, but it was still a risk.
“What. Do you. Want?” Magnus hissed through his clenched teeth. His cold blue eyes narrowed in anger.
“With all due, highly deserved respect, Your Highness, do not let your anger cloud your judgment. We are so close now, you should cherish these moments. Bask in the glory of what is to come. I do realize we have not fulfilled the task for today, but you have waited for so long, what is another day compared to that? Feed on your anger and use it tomorrow against the monster. Channel it then. It will be more useful than taking it out on a weakling like the girl… Your Highness,” Cassiel said, looking Magnus straight in the eyes. He knew the prince admired honesty and that he loved peering into people’s souls. A few moments of silence after his last words were spoken, Cassiel bowed his head again.
Magnus considered the knight’s words carefully. He knew Cassiel was his best tactician and the words he spoke made sense. His dark knight was a wise and cool-tempered warrior. The dragon was, after all, a much better opponent than Charlie. None of them, neither the men nor any woman, were worthy of his time, but the dragon was worthy of his sword.
He breathed in deeply, reining in his anger, putting it back inside the box and locking it up for another day. With reluctance, he released his hold on Charlie’s red curls and settled his hand on her cheek. He wiped away the tears with his thumb and leaned in to kiss her, a show of tender affection.
Charlie kept her eyes open as she trembled, his lips touching hers. The swift shift in his mood and behavior carved the dread of him deep into her bones.
Magnus stepped back. He plastered his well-known smirk on his face, gave Charlie a wink and walked off. Cassiel nodded his head in acknowledgment of her grateful look and followed after Magnus.
At that moment Theo and Damien returned. They saw Magnus walking away from Charlie, leaving her frozen on the spot, her eyes dulled with fear and filled with tears, all color drained from her face as if Magnus had just drained her of life. Her hands shook, her whole body quivering.
Theo’s mind clouded with a crimson layer of fury. Damien was not far behind him, and both were itching to confront Magnus. Charlie looked at them in distress, shaking her head no.
She didn’t want them on Magnus’ bad side, not now when he was in this sociopathic mood. They didn’t deserve his wrath. When Theo continued striding towards Magnus, the tears gathered in her eyes and she threw him a pleading look.
Damien laid a hand on Theo’s shoulder. “Go to Charlie. She needs you, and the One God only knows you’re in no condition to talk to Magnus now. I’ll report to him and then join you.” He gave Theo’s shoulder a gentle squeeze and watched him walk away.
When he was sure that Charlie was safely in Theo’s arms, Damien headed toward Magnus. He had to put on a cold, indifferent expression, ignoring the feelings that Charlie’s distress had caused in him, as he went to talk with the prince. He didn’t like talking to others, especially Magnus.
“Good. You’re back,” Magnus said, noticing Damien’s approach.
“Is everything alright, Your Highness?” Damien inquired in a cool voice.
“Just perfect.” The sadistic grin on Magnus’ face made the hunter uneasy. “Hopefully you have good news for me, eh?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, Your Highness.” Damien bowed his head as usual, even though he didn’t have an ounce of deference for his prince. “We found tracks, human, small and presumably female, and what we think might be the tracks of the dragon. We followed them a bit and they led to a grassy clearing where we found even more tracks and signs of them. It seems they frequent the place so they should be within close walking distance.”
“It was a good idea we set up camp here for the night, a little distance away, so they wouldn’t stumble upon us. I recommend we stay in the dark, no campfire tonight and keep it quiet,” Cassiel said as he helped Magnus take off the breastplate of his armor.
“I agree. Tomorrow we kill him and I will get to sample some new female flesh.” Magnus dismissed Damien with a flick of his hand and took the rest of the armor off with the help of his knight.
Chapter 19
Magnus and his men crouched low, hiding behind trees and bushes, a safe distance away and downwind from the entrance to the cave. An evil grin stretched across the prince’s face as he eyed his Ophelia with lust-filled hunger, watching her play-chasing with a wolf pup.
He wondered where the dragon was lurking while she ran around. Dark curls danced around her innocent face, which was adorned with a wide happy smile. The sun was shining through the trees, worshiping her features as the fresh air painted her cheeks a rosy color.
A black wolf pup was chasing her around, jumping over some boulders, pursuing her around the trees and nipping at the ends of her dress. The pup’s efforts paid off when it managed to get a good grip of her dress in its mouth, thus sending Olivia toppling over. The little wolf then jumped on her and started showering her face with wolfish kisses as she tried to push it away, laughing the whole time.
Her laugher echoed throughout the forest. The sound of it reached Magnus’ ears and pulled at his lips, a different kind of smile making its appearance. He was enchanted. Her innocent laugher gave him peace, even if just for a moment, before he shook his head to dispel her enchantment as he scowled in her direction. The softness she invoked in him was disturbing, not what a future King, or any man should be. His father was “soft” for his mother, and look where it got him after she had died; ruining his mind.
Soft. Magnus scoffed. The only softness he approved of was that of the female shape.
He saw her lips moving as she spoke to the pup, a squeal escaping her as the little wolf licked her cheek again before she managed to push it off.
Magnus looked back at his men, scanned their faces and gave them a nod of his head, conveying that he was ready. They were going to leave Charlie here. She was already gagged and bound to a tree, leaning against it as she was seated on the forest ground. Her face was tilted up. She stared at the sun and the wind swaying the braches, as she ignored everybody. This was not the first time he had done it. Magnus didn’t want to take any chances with Charlie, afraid she would use the opportunity to run away from him.
Again.
Turning back, he put his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it out when he saw the woman stop and spin around, towards the cave, smiling warmly at someone. She spoke back and her head bounced up and down in excitement.
Then, he saw the beast appear.
The dragon.
It peeked out of the cave and gave something to the woman.
Magnus unsheathed his sword.
Olivia had spent the day before resting and catching up on sleep. She had been feeling quite uneasy, and Kaden had kept a close eye on her, hovering with worry.
She did love Kaden but he had been overbearing and overprotective so some time after midday, she had asked him to go out and fetch them some food.
Of course the dragon declined, not wanting to leave her alone for one moment, no matter how m
uch Olivia tried to assure him she would be fine, and that the Pup, as Kaden had named the little wolf, would keep her company and make sure she was not bored and mischievous.
A compromise made, they went to the stream together, avoiding the place of the previous day’s encounter. Olivia had never seen anyone catch fish so fast. Kaden didn’t want to linger, so they returned to the cave even before the sun reached its midday peak.
“Urgh…” she whined as she scrapped off the fish-scales and pulled out the guts. “More fish. Yay!” she said, sarcasm dripping through her voice, her cheeks gaining a slightly green tinge. “If I have to eat one more fish after today, I would honestly rather starve myself to death,” she said, eyeing the fish with disdain.
“Tomorrow, I will take you shopping.” Olivia’s eyes snapped up at Kaden, filling with hope that she heard him correctly. “We have more than enough goods to trade with,” he continued. “I can take you close to a village where you can buy the food you want. Or anything else you might want or need.”
Olivia squealed, jumping up and down. She did love the forest and its peacefulness but she missed the quirks of civilization, a warm bath, a soft bed, and a decent meal… oh, and a clean dress. Yes, all those would be marvelous. As she danced around in celebration, Pup joined her with excited leaps and bounds, wagging his short black tail with glee.
“Thank you!” She tackled her dragon around one scaly forearm, and he didn’t budge one inch. “That would really be lovely.”
“You think of what you need, and I will buy it for you… I mean, provide the resources for the exchange.”
Olivia beamed and nodded, the shopping list in her head growing longer and longer… Soap! And tea!
“Love?” Kaden chuckled at dazed look on her face. “Olivia?” He nudged her.
“Huh?” She looked up. “Oh… I apologize, I got lost in thinking what I might need.”
“Of course you did. I was saying that you might want to consider visiting your parents. Letting them know you are alright.”
Olivia bit her lip, her gaze falling to her shuffling feet. “Do you think they will be glad to see me?”
“They will be relieved and happy at first, from what you have told me about them.”
“I guess you are right.” Olivia shrugged. “I know they will still be disappointed…” She swallowed, and sighed. “Probably angry with me as well.”
“Probably.”
Olivia’s gaze shifted back to Kaden and she tilted her head to the side. “That is not comforting.”
“I know, Liv, but in the end, they are your parents, and they love you very much. That love will prevail, so you have nothing to worry about.”
“Except that I will be leaving again, with a dragon none the less… Oh goodness!” She ran a hand down her face. “What a mess I have made.” She started pacing. “They might not even believe me and then I will have to show you to them and then I—”
Kaden lowered his head in front of her, halting her frantic walk back and forth. “Olivia,” he said as he gazed into her eyes, “We cannot know what will happen. No sense in worrying that pretty head of yours just yet. We will just let things happen, and react when there is something to react to.”
Olivia sighed. “You are right.”
While Magnus spied on Olivia outside the cave, inside it, Kaden rummaged through the piles of his treasure, gathering trading goods for their shopping trip. He wouldn’t let Olivia help because this meant braving the unstable mountains of man-made implements, including the sharp and dangerous ones. He had agreed, rather reluctantly, for Olivia to get some fresh air only if she wouldn’t wander away from the cave. Pup was just happy to have a playmate.
As he was digging through his hoard of treasure, Kaden kept an ear out for Olivia. Her happy laughter and playful squeals reached his ears, making his soul light. He could live on that sound alone. Olivia had him completely under her spell. And what a wonderful spell it was. How ironic, he thought to himself with a shake of his head as he concentrated on his scavenging endeavor.
He pulled out two beautiful cloaks; one lined with velvet and the other with silk, and thought them perfect for Olivia since her last one had been burned to bits when he had saved her from those men. Neither was entirely suitable as an all-weather travelling cloak, but the velvet-lined one would keep her warm, and the other would match her eyes. He heard her laughter echo inside again as she scolded Pup lightheartedly. By the sound of things she was obviously trying to get him off her. Kaden took the cloaks and decided to show them to Olivia.
“Liv?” Kaden called out as he neared the cave’s mouth.
“I am just over here!”
He saw her turn around at the sound of his voice, a smile of adoration stretching across her face. When her eyes locked on his, Kaden’s breath hitched and his heart sped up. God, she’s beautiful. The cloaks went clean out of his mind. Just my luck to meet her now, when I’m wise enough to appreciate her and unable to do anything about it…
“Yes, Kaden?” Olivia prompted him, as Kaden just stood there, not showing any sign he would move or speak any time soon. She bit her lip, holding back her mirth and his eyes snapped down to her mouth.
Kaden cleared his throat and took a deep breath to slow his racing heart. “I found these. I thought you might have use for a new cloak, and these seemed… ummm… pretty? Not all that practical for every day, I know, but -”
“Oh yes!” Olivia nodded her head enthusiastically. “They look wonderful.”
Kaden leaned toward Olivia, handing them over to her. As the whisper of silk cut the air, Olivia spinning with the lighter one about her shoulders, he noticed that the birds had stopped singing. Pup had stopped bounding around, and was sniffing at the breeze. Kaden watched the little wolf cub freeze, his hackles rising. His little head pointed in the direction of a dense patch of brambles screening the trees. Then Kaden’s keen ears caught the unmistakable sound of metal on leather, a drawn-out rush, part whistle, part hiss. It was a sword being unsheathed, or he was a rock lizard. Then came the same sound, like an echo, one after the other, and he went rigid. He scanned the trees but the whole band were well hidden. One, however, the owner of the first sword, was not bothering to keep himself out of sight. Kaden’s eyes narrowed when he spotted him, hidden by the bushes and the branches, the same man that had almost taken Olivia away from him.
Their eyes met.
“Olivia, get in now!” Kaden barked, his gaze never leaving Magnus’s face.
Olivia jumped back in fright, the cloaks slipping from her fingers onto the grass. She gathered them up in a hurry, stumbling backwards towards her dragon and the safety of the cave. She hadn’t spotted Magnus, but she feared the worst, and the color left her cheeks.
Magnus and his men moved forward. Kaden snarled. The wolf pup bristled, flattening his ears back to his head and crouching low. His snarl betrayed his age, too high-pitched to be really threatening, but the little fangs were sharp enough. He moved closer to Olivia, stepping in front of her, prepared to defend his new pack.
“Kaden, what is wrong? What is happening?” Olivia asked, panic settling in. Her eyes darted around frantically and when the sun glistened off weapons and armors, she saw the men.
Kaden growled, a low, rumbling sound thundering through the forest.
“Liv, get in. Now!” he commanded in a tone that had her scrambling into the cave as fast as she could.
“Pup! In!” Kaden nudged the pup towards the cave with his tail. Pup snapped towards the offensive limb, which caused Kaden to turn on him, snarling. The wolf pup didn’t need to be told twice and he hurried inside after Olivia.
Kaden stepped out of the cave, head low, fangs glistening, eyes narrowing. Ten men moved like a harmonious unit, spreading out around the cave mouth, but two men stayed near the leader, flanking him. The dented, well-used armor, weapons handled with ease, bodies poised, wary and ready to spring into action, spoke of experienced warriors. Kaden wasn’t sure if he could take them all do
wn. He had never had to fight off that many capable men under circumstances such as these. Sure, pitchfork-wielding mobs had come after him on occasion, but he hated killing so he either scared them away or went away himself. However, killing was sometimes inevitable and he could do it if needed to be done.
With these men, he didn’t want to take chances; it would be very challenging for him to fight them, with the cramped conditions in front of the cave not in his favor. He couldn’t fly up to attack them from above and there wasn’t much maneuvering space for him to slap them all away with his tail or wings; the trees were in his way. He would have to depend on his fire, bite and claws. Those were quite deadly and efficient, but there were ten of them against one of him. If he failed to fight them off, Olivia would be in danger. He couldn’t risk that. He couldn’t risk anyone slipping by and reaching her.
He didn’t know what to do.
Magnus kept his eyes trained on the dragon. Intelligence shone in those fiery orbs, appraising, predicting their actions. Much to the prince’s delight, it seemed this beast was going to be an interesting and challenging confrontation.
“Stop!” Kaden called out, anger lacing his voice, and the men froze.
They didn’t expect the dragon to speak. Their composure faltered, eyes widened, and they were left speechless and in awe as they looked back and forth between each other.
“What do you want, humans?” Kaden snarled at them again, his voice low and rumbling. He stretched his neck out, making himself bigger, and with his fangs bared, he exhaled slowly, the smoke drifting out of his nostrils, swirling around his snout.
Magnus was the first one to shake off of the shock. He took a step back, bumping into a tree. He leaned against the trunk and rested his sword over his shoulder. Cold blue eyes studied the dragon, its protective stance in front of the cave, the barely suppressed twitch of its tail. It has something to lose.
“You speak,” Magnus quirked his head to the side, “that is… unexpected, but it will make killing you only sweeter.” A malicious smile spread across his face.
Dragon's Treasure (Dragons Awaken Book 1) Page 17