by Sky Winters
“Heath!”
“Alva, my love.”
His voice was weak and he had a look in his eyes she couldn’t quite describe as she ran back to him and pulled him into her arms. He held her tightly, holding onto her as if she were a much needed life source. They remained that way for quite some time, just trying to regroup and sort what happened in their heads and hearts before finally pulling apart.
“I’m so sorry, Heath.”
“It’s not your fault, Alva. It’s done now.”
Heath glanced over toward the dragon that lay just beyond them and cast his eyes downward for a moment in prayer.
“Will he change back?”
“No. His heart is stopped. He will remain that way.”
“Then it will just appear that you have killed a dragon.”
“To the outside world, I will have slain a dragon, but my family will know. I will have to explain to them what has happened and accept their punishment.”
“Why? It wasn’t your fault. He came after you.”
“He came after me because I committed adultery with his wife.”
Alva looked at him. He was right. In the end, they would be the ones judged. Their love for one another was the most wonderful thing she had ever felt, but in the eyes of others, it was wrong.
“We were going to run away. We can just go. We can get far away from here.”
Heath looked at her and smiled a knowing smile. Brushing her hair away from her face, he kissed her forehead and held her some more.
“Let’s get back. It will be dark soon and we’ll have a lot to deal with. When we get back to the castle, you need to go directly to your chambers. Don’t speak to anyone. I will come for you as soon as I can.”
“What do you mean you will come for me? What are you going to do?”
“It will be okay, Alva. Just let me take care of it.”
They made their way back to the castle in silence, riding side by side through the woods and back into the stable before returning to the castle separately. Alva did as she had been asked, taking to her bed and crying throughout the night. When the morning sun began beaming into the window, she flung herself from bed and dressed hastily before heading downstairs in search of Heath, but he was nowhere to be found. Days passed and he was still absent. Alva’s fears grew and her heart faltered. By the end of the week, she had taken to the bed completely, unable to raise her head.
“Lady MacEwan, please eat some soup. You have to keep up your strength.”
Alva looked at the nurse wearily and nodded. She had no appetite. Truly, there was nothing really wrong with her but a broken heart. She could only assume Heath had gone to confess to his family and paid a price from which there was no returning. There was nothing left for her here. The only thing she wanted was to join him.
In her dreams, she could hear his voice calling to her. He was holding her hand and smoothing her hair softly, whispering her name.
“Alva, my love. Come back to me. I love you.”
“I’m coming, Heath. I will be there soon.”
She could feel herself getting closer, nearing the darkness at the edge of where life ceased and eternity began. It was here that she would find him again. Here that she would find herself in his arms. Their love had been fleeting, but it had been true and she would take it with her when her mortal coil fell free and released her from this hellish life without him.
“Alva, I’m here. Don’t go, Alva. Wake up. Wake up!”
His voice was so far away. How could she ever catch him? She was drifting along, nothing to speed her along the path to him. It felt like the most awful torment to be so near and not be able to get to him.
“Alva! Stop this! Wake up!”
He was louder now and all around her, coming from another direction. Why had he moved when she was getting nearer? She tried to call out to him, but no words would come and then everything seem to move, her body shook though she was standing still in the nothingness that seemed to be all around her.
“Alva! I need you to listen to me! I need you to come back to me. Follow my voice. Alva! I love you!”
There was something wet on her face. Was she crying? She didn’t think she was. There had been no tears for a while now as she refused food or drink. Her eyes fluttered open, barely slits as they met those of Heath, looking down at her. His tears fell on her cheek as she realized he was here, not in her dreams, but by her bed.
“Heath.”
It was all she managed to whisper before collapsing again into the darkness. Her body tried to pull away, return to the dream, but her head and her heart screamed, waking her back into the light.
“There you are. There is my love.”
Alva smiled weakly. He was here. He was really here.
“Are we okay?”
It was all she could manage. All the questions she could ask.
“I am okay. You are not. You have to eat and drink for me now, Alva. I need you. We are going to be okay.”
Weeks later, Alva was back up and around, her body recovered from the days of not eating and drinking she had forced upon yourself. Heath stayed by her side, never leaving her for a moment, bringing her back to him. When she was well enough, they left for his home. His family had understood the nature of his love for Alva and forgiven him for his brother’s death, one they considered self-defense, despite the circumstances from which it evolved. Heath had left as the new leader of the dragon clan, his rightful place with the demise of his brother.
This was what love was meant to be, Alva thought to herself as they set on the cliffs surrounding their new home and admired the sun sinking deep into the canyon below. She put her hand to her midsection. There was not yet anything to tell, but she knew that there soon would be. She could already feel a certain warm springing forth from their earlier lovemaking. A tiny dragon seed had been planted and a new generation would emerge.
The End.
DRAGON FIRE
Adair McKordia scowled off into the distance. There was smoke rising from the trees to the north, and he was concerned that it would somehow affect his clansmen. This was alarming, but he wasn't sure if he should sound the alarms, or investigate it himself. However, if he went alone, the clan could be left vulnerable. He summoned his most trusted friend to him.
“What is it, Adair?” he asked, his eyes flashing with concern.
“I have a potential situation to the North, but I don't want to alarm any of the men. Do you think you could keep an eye on things until I come back?”
“Of course. If they ask where you've gone, I can just say you had something to tend to.”
“Atta lad,” Adair said, patting him on the shoulder before bounding off. As soon as he was out of sight, he gritted his teeth and allowed himself to shift into his dragon form. He kept his head down low, because he didn't want anybody to see him, but he knew that in his enormous dragon form he could cover more ground quickly.
He raced to the scene, sniffing wildly for some indication of what might be causing the smoke. Nobody entered the north woods without his knowing about it. This was his turf, and anybody who was there uninvited was a threat. He was the last of his kind, and his clan carried on a special bloodline. If he wanted any chance of keeping his blood line of dragon shifters alive in the future, he would have to give his life for them. The key to his form was somewhere in his clan's blood, and unless it was unlocked somehow, there would be no dragons left once he was gone. It was a tragedy worse than anything else he could have ever comprehended.
He closed his eyes and felt the cool air rushing under his wings. To imagine the end of the McKordia clan was a fate worse than death. There was nothing he loved more about life than the fact that he could change whenever he pleased, and provide the ultimate protection for his people. If there was a threat, he would find it.
***
Iona Carmichael trotted pleasantly through the forest. It was much better than being back home, where everybody treated her like a burden. She was j
ust the female pup in her family, and her brothers constantly spoke over her and got all of the attention. She was constantly frustrated by their tendency to act as if she wasn't important, simply because she didn't have the same depth of howl that they had. She couldn't stand how self-important her brothers had turned out to be. They were a rather large family, and most of the time she felt like just another mouth to feed.
The one rule she and her brothers had all been told to follow was to stay within their limits in the south. They hadn't been told why, only that it wasn't their territory and it may be unsafe for them to travel far. It was much better for them if they could all just stay safe and sound in the area they had already secured for themselves. Iona felt that this was extremely boring and longed for something to set her apart from the rest of the pack. They all just listened to the leader's instructions, and never questioned it. The whole unexplored world summoned her and brought excitement to her soul.
That morning, she had been trying to tell her father about something that she had been thinking about–her marriage prospects in the clan–but nobody wanted to listen to her. Her brothers were speaking over each other over their breakfast and interrupting her any time she tried to get a word in edgewise. Her father had looked at her with patient tolerance, but it was clear that he wasn't interested in what she was saying either. He would choose her betrothed and nothing she had to say about it would make one little bit of difference.
After she ate, she decided to get some fresh air by herself. She thought of her mother, who had passed away a few years earlier. There had never been a more beautiful wolf shifter, and her form was unbelievably strong and powerful. Iona remembered being impressed by her mother and hoping to grow up to be just as strong and majestic. She'd been getting far too much male attention from the clan lately though, and wondered why in the world she would ever have wanted that type of attention in the first place. She caught the leering stare of one of the men in her clan and clenched her teeth. She didn't want to marry any of them, and she didn't want to go back home where she was constantly ignored by her brothers and father.
Suddenly, an idea struck her–she would go off on her own. Nobody would notice her absence anyway. They were all so obsessed with themselves that it wouldn't make any difference. And she would go in the direction she had always wanted to go. North. With a heart full of adventure, she hurried off into the trees and transformed into her wolf form, galloping north as quickly as she could go.
Chapter 2
The smell of smoke suddenly struck Iona's sensitive nostrils. Her ears perked up as the sound of a fearful cry reached her. Her heart swelled with panic, and she raced off as quickly as she could toward the sound. As she neared it, the smell of smoke burned her nose and eyes, and she squinted to find the source of the loud cries. A child was sprawled out on the ground, a small hut behind him in flames. She lunged toward him, her teeth bared, and transformed quickly into her human form so she could grab him. Before she reached him though, she was hit by a huge burst of air, and a huge black dragon intercepted them, roaring ferociously.
She shrank back, intimidated.
“There's a boy!” she yelled, trying to match his volume with her voice. She quickly became annoyed, feeling exactly the same as she did when she was trying to speak over her loud brothers. The dragon made no indication of hearing her, and quickly transformed into his human form. They stood facing each other, both completely naked and breathing heavily in front of the small boy. The man pointed at her and backed away, not turning his back to her, until he was cradling the small boy against his broad, muscular chest.
“Don't you harm a hair on this lad's head!” he cried, lifting the child gingerly. “You're coming with me, you're officially a prisoner of the McKordia clan.”
Her jaw dropped in disbelief and she felt the hackles on her skin rising.
“If you dare to think about shifting against me, I will have you for a snack!” he snarled, preventing her from acting before she realized it was exactly what she had intended to do. She groaned and knew he would have her beat easily and powerfully, and didn't want to make a scene in front of the child, who was shivering and crying in the man's strong arms.
“Fine,” she said. “I was just trying to help him though.”
“I'm sure you were,” he said, blowing her off. She was beautiful, but he had known many beautiful creatures to contain a fierce venom that could bring a man to his knees. He would not try to listen to her based on beauty alone. That was for sure.
He glared at her and gestured in front of himself, silently ordering her to walk ahead of him as he lifted the boy and cradled him against his chest. Iona sighed to herself, knowing that anything she said would be ignored. She was a stranger to these lands, and if she were to try too hard to prove her innocence, she would never be able to do so. It would be worse than if she had kept her mouth shut. At the very least she could keep herself from appearing to be too guilty.
They marched for a long time until finally they arrived at a settlement. She suddenly became acutely aware of her nakedness. It was a normal state in her wolf clan, but in a new place, where people had never seen her body before, she was apprehensive.
“March forward and meet the eyes of nobody,” the man behind her said in a low voice. She was surprised by the softness of his tone, despite his fierce appearance. She realized it must have something to do with the boy nestled against his chest. She would have been angry but she was touched by his protectiveness.
She could feel the eyes of the men and women of his clan upon her as they walked. It made her somewhat uncomfortable, but she lifted her chin high and squared her shoulders, walking confidently. Adair watched her move gracefully in front of him, his eyes roaming her perfect proportions, unable to help himself. Her confidence was alluring but he could not let himself be swayed. As far as he was concerned, she was the enemy. Who knew what happened between her and that boy, and he had seen her in her wolf form himself, coming toward him as if to attack. He gripped the child more tightly in his hands. He had been whimpering the whole time, and Adair was frightened for him.
“I need the healer,” he ordered loudly, looking down into the boy's face. The boy would be able to tell him what had happened, so he would have all the evidence he needed to bring down the woman who had destroyed his home and killed his family. He couldn't believe somebody so beautiful was capable of something so treacherous, and yet nothing in the world surprised him. He was the leader of the clan, he had seen many evils in the world. One woman's petty vengeance was nothing to him, and yet she had destroyed the life of this child.
“Lock her up somewhere out of sight, I will deal with her later," He said viciously as an elderly man with a long white beard rushed forward from the crowd and took the child from Adair's arms.
Iona glared at him as two men gripped her shoulders and wrists on either side of her body and whipped her around. She faced the Dragon man head on, and a deep electricity was exchanged between them. Her eyes bore into his, and he watched as she was dragged off by the arms, staring at him steadily with a look that was hard to pinpoint until she disappeared behind the flap of a tent.
He felt it shake his confidence. What if she truly was innocent? That would change everything. She would have to really earn his trust if that were the case though, there was no other explanation for what he had witnessed in the forest. She was very aggressive, and had lunged at the child as if to strike. Upon remembering the child, he followed the healer to another tent, where he laid the boy down and was examining him.
“He has breathed in much smoke, and his voice is raspy, but he is going to be okay. I would give it a couple of days and make sure that he drinks plenty of fluids. Do you know this boy?"
“Yes,” Adair said quietly. “I met his parents a few years ago when they wanted to settle in the north. They did not know that this was Dragon territory, and I had to make sure that they were well prepared for whatever may happen here. There is magic in these woods, and m
any types of shifters all over the world. Our prisoner happens to be one as well. This family was not magical, but they were kind. I wanted people just like them to populate my land. They were very hard-working, and they built their settlement in the hopes of building a new future for their young son. They had escaped war and poverty, and chose to be self-sufficient here. I will have to go and look for them to see if what I fear is true.”
“And what do you fear, Adair?” The healer asked, his voice drawn and concerned.
“I fear that the wolf shifter I've imprisoned killed his family and set fire to the home, and was about to go after him as well. Through some quirk of fate I was able to save the boy, but I was not able to save his parents.”
“That's truly a shame," the healer said. “Fortunately, his injuries are slight. He was able to escape somehow, and with your help and mine he will be fine. If what you fear is true, he will be safe in our clan. He won't know any of the different. We will keep the memory of his family alive for him, and he will soon grow accustomed to our ways.”
“Yes, that is very true. Thank you for your words and your service to this child. I don't know what I would do without you.”
Adair gave the healer's arm a firm pat and headed out the door. The boy gave a weak cry as he left, and so he turned and gave him a confident smile. The boy returned the smile and he left to go talk to the wolf shifter. His blood was boiling at the thought of anybody who could harm such an innocent and kind face.
Chapter 3
“I'm not the kind of person you seem to think I am," Iona said with a groan.
She was tied up to a stake in a tent that was guarded by two burly men in kilts. They had not given her anything to wear yet, and she gritted her teeth down at the ground before looking back up at the man who had brought her here.