Dragon Red: A Fire Unfed (The Dragonlords of Xandakar Book 2)

by Macy Babineaux

  “It’s perfect,” she said. This was the place where he had regained his memories, all the while retaining the feelings he felt for her. It made sense that this would be where they would spend the first night as a wedded couple.

  He walked up to her. “Here,” he said, reaching down to grab the hem of the dress. “Let me help you with that.”

  Kal slowly lifted the dress up, further and further, over the top of her head. She was naked underneath, but she was neither cold nor shy. Not anymore.

  Her heart was pounding. Kal tossed the dress on the sand and reached out to cup her breast. It felt tender under his touch, her nipples hardening.

  She had never been with a man, and she had never imagined it would be like this. She would have thought she would be frightened.

  There was a fluttering in her stomach, but it wasn’t fright. She was no longer worried. Their love was so strong, whatever happened next would be wonderful. And it was.

  Kal’s other hand reached out to cup her jaw. He leaned in to kiss her, their lips tasting one another, the tips of their tongues touching. Even though she was far from cold, Thalia felt goosebumps rise up across her body.

  Kal stepped back, and she instantly missed his touch. But he just needed to pull off his armor. He reached up to the neck and stretched the scaled skin out and down, revealing his hard, bronze chest. Then he pulled the armor down around his waist, and revealed what was below.

  Thalia let out a little gasp. Now she was a little afraid, but her excitement eclipsed all other emotions. She smiled and walked backwards, wading into the warm waters of the lagoon.

  He smiled and kicked away his armor, following her into the water. She was up to the bottoms of her breasts when he caught up with her, taking her by the arms and pulling her close.

  He leaned in, kissing up her neck and along her jaw, then putting his warm lips near her ear. “I finally get to thank you for everything you have done for me,” he said.

  She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, exposing her neck to him. She felt his steely body pressed up against her. His shaft bumped against the inside of her thigh, sending a jolt of electricity up through her stomach. He reached down to take hold of it.

  “It was the least I—” she began.

  The thick head of him found her and pushed in. She never finished the thought, her mind jolted. He slid himself further inside. Thalia felt a mixture of pain and joy like nothing she had imagined.

  He put his strong hands at the small of her back and pulled her even closer as he pushed into her, filling her up. Her head was thrown back as he kissed her neck. She was moaning, gasping, trying to catch her breath.

  Kal plunged deep into her, then slid back. She was slightly relieved, but missed the feeling of him filling her. But within a heartbeat he slid forward again, slowly falling into a rhythm.

  The warm water buoyed them, rocking along with them as they moved their hips into one another. Her breasts pushed against his hard chest with each slow thrust. Her hair floated around her head as he sucked on the tender flesh of her neck.

  Thalia thought she had reached the heights of pleasure. Surely she could feel no more euphoric that she did as their intertwined bodies fused into a single nexus love and warmth.

  She was wrong.

  The feeling rolled in slowly, building like a thunderstorm in the distance. It moved in, crashing over her and rising up inside her. She lost control of her body and mind.

  Thalia let out a primal cry that echoed off the surrounding jungle. Birds fluttered up into the sky in surprise. A white hot bloom of pure ecstasy flowed up and out of her.

  As if in the distance, she heard Kal’s breath quickening. She felt his body begin to shudder. Then he threw his head back and cried out.

  A second warm bloom, this one from Kal, plumed inside of her. She opened her eyes to look at him. His face was flushed. His eyes had a dazed, faraway look. But then he focused on her and smiled, his expression one of pure love.

  He put his hand at the back of her neck and lifted her face up to his. He kissed her, fresh drops of water on both their lips.

  “I thought perhaps I could fly back over the ocean and hunt us up some fish for dinner,” he said. “We can build a fire on the sand and lay under the stars. How does that sound?”

  “Good,” Thalia said. “And then we can do that again?”

  He laughed and hugged her tightly. Then they kissed as the sun set low over the tops of the jungle trees.

  Epilogue

  Miranda woke, gasping. The chamber was blue, the moonlight streaming in through the gauzy fabric that hung from the canopy bed.

  For a moment she didn’t know who or where she was.

  I’m Miranda, she thought. Miranda Betts.

  No, that wasn’t right. Miranda Everfrost. She looked beside her and saw the shadows the moonlight cast across the muscular back of her husband king as he lay on his stomach.

  Corban was snoring softly, but that wasn’t what had awoken her. It was the dream. Actually, a nightmare.

  Something had escaped, something dark, malevolent, and hungry. A shadow swept across the land. The snow-capped pines curled black with decay as the shadow fell upon them. The snow became rancid.

  It hadn’t taken her long to make the Icelands her home. She loved Corban. She loved the people. She loved the way the crisp, cool air felt in her nostrils when she took a deep breath each morning.

  But in the dream, all that was gone. Everyone and everything was dead.

  She got out of bed and pulled on a blue silk nightgown. She walked to the balcony doors and opened them wide, stepping out. The night air was still and quiet. Miranda looked out across the moonlit hills, the tall trees, and the mountains in the distance. Everything looked the way it should. It was just a stupid dream, wasn’t it?

  She heard footsteps behind her, and her heart skipped a beat. But it was just Corban, walking towards her with a sheet wrapped around his waist, scratching his head.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I mean, I am well, my liege.” She let out a nervous laugh, but it felt jagged and fake in her throat.

  “No need to try to talk as we do,” Corban said. He stepped up to her back and slid his arms around the front of her waist. He put his lips to her ear. “I like the way you speak.”

  He must have felt the little flinch when he touched her, then the stiffness in her body.

  “Are you sure everything is well?” he asked.

  “Sure,” she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. “Just a little trouble sleeping, that’s all.”

  But that wasn’t all, was it? She thought about telling him about the nightmare, but what good would that do? She had some gut feeling that everything that had happened to Corban recently and to his father before might be linked to that sickening darkness she had felt. She could still feel it, like an oily, poisonous residue on her skin. But she didn’t want to seem like a crazy person. She was just apprehensive, that’s all. After all—

  “If you come back to bed,” Corban said, “I could sing you a lullaby.”

  “Funny you should bring that up,” Miranda said. “You might want to start brushing up on your lullabies.”

  “What?” Corban said. “I don’t—”

  She took his hands, wrapped around her waist, and slid them up to her belly.

  “I’m late,” she said. “I mean, really late. I’m pretty sure I know what that means.”

  It took another few moments for the tumblers to fall into place for Corban. He spun her around in his arms. “Truly?” he said. “You are with child?”

  “I am truly with child,” she said. She was happy to see a smile light up his handsome face.

  Then his brow furrowed in worry. “Oh,” he said. “I didn’t harm you just now, did I?”

  She laughed. “You would have to treat me a lot rougher than that to harm me.”

  His shoulders relaxed. Then he leaned in to kiss her. She wrap
ped her arms around his neck. The kiss was nice, but all she could think of was the creeping shadow, sliding across the world. She felt as if it were coming for her. For her child.

  He pulled back, the worried look on his face again. “Something is wrong,” he said. “What is it?”

  She almost told him again, but she really didn’t want him to worry, and that’s the only thing telling him would accomplish. She smiled the best she could and shook her head.

  “Nothing,” Miranda said. “Everything’s fine.”

  “Well,” he said, hugging her. “I have trusted you with my life. I would not doubt you.”

  That actually made her feel a little crappy. She was holding something back, but she really did feel silly burdening him with a bad dream. Then again, it was possible that dreams in this place meant more than they did back on good old Earth. This was a realm of magic, and a dream might be a sign. She opened her mouth to tell him, but he held her at arm’s length, then put his hand back on her belly.

  “In fact,” he said, “I would say everything is more than fine.”

  She smiled, hoping the worry wouldn’t show through too much. She really was happy, too. A year ago, living in her trailer and working at the diner, having a baby was the last thing on her mind. But now she was married to a loving man, a dragon king, and in some ways it felt like everything was falling into place. But then, there was that nagging, sickening feeling that everything was lining up just to be knocked down. Whatever that shadow was, it wanted to take everything away from her.

  “Will you come to bed now?” Corban asked.

  “You go ahead,” she said. “I’ll be there soon. Promise. I just want a little more fresh air.”

  “Very well,” he said, giving her a quick, soft kiss. “You have made me a very happy man this night. My love grows deeper for you each day.”

  Miranda felt the tears well up in her eyes. She almost wondered if all this were a dream, if she would wake up back in Oklahoma in her shitty, rumpled bed, as if the universe were setting her up to be the butt of some incredibly cruel prank.

  But she wanted to believe. She reached out her hand to touch his face. He definitely felt real.

  “I love you, too,” she said, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

  He smiled, and there was worry along with the love in his eyes. But he had said he trusted her. She just hoped she wouldn’t let him down.

  Corban nodded and walked back to the bed, leaving her alone on the balcony.

  She sighed and leaned against the cold iron railing. She didn’t feel the cold though, not like she used to. She reached up to the base of her throat, to the spot where the magical stone had been absorbed by her body.

  Then she remembered something else from the dream. She saw a giant tree consumed by flames. And she saw a great open plain filled with two opposing armies. She saw a dragon of each color all in a row on one side. On the other were the armies of the shadow, dark, twisted, and obscured.

  Miranda closed her eyes to focus, and when she did she jumped. A voice spoke in her mind, a voice she had never heard before. It was that of a woman, resonant and strong, speaking low.

  They will come to you, the voice said. One by one, they will come. The green will come first, seeking your help. In the end they will all come. And you will lead them.

  You will lead them, or the gilded line will end.

  And the world will be as ash.

  Author's Note

  Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this one, you'll be glad to know I'm already hard at work on the third book in the series, tentatively entitled Dragon Green: A Vision Unseen.

  Once again, please consider signing up for my newsletter to receive updates on new releases.

  Take care, dear readers. Hopefully we'll meet again soon.

  Macy Babineaux

  October 17th, 2016