A Strange New Breed

by Wendy Stone

  “The witch killed her and now,” he shook his head sadly. “Now my son is denied his fate, one that would help your people.”

  “You used this weak tale on the other two dragons and they believed you?” She shook her head sadly. “It is a sad day when an ancient one is so easily bemused by a sad tale.”

  “It is no tale!” Bregowine growled. He pulled three scrolls from inside his tunic, laying them out upon the table. “I have the king’s own word that everything I say is God’s truth.”

  Elspeth glanced impatiently at the scrolls. Her eyes narrowed as she read the words. She moved one and then read the other, this one proclaiming the prophecy for Bregowine’s child. With a heavy heart, she made her decision. “You know of the danger? Not only to me, but to my village?”

  “I vow to protect your charges myself,” Bregowine said, his fist against his heart as he made his vow. “I won’t let harm come to anyone here. If you are successful, you will not only have my gratitude but the King’s also.”

  Elspeth ran her hand down Kadian’s hair one more time, tugging teasingly upon the ends. “Kadian, my love. Tonight we sleep in the village. If you’d like and it is okay with his father, you can stay with Aelbert. But no scaring his sister like you did the last time, my son.”

  “Where will you be, Mother?”

  “I have to help Sir Bregowine.” She shrugged her elegant shoulders. “You stay here in the village, my son. I don’t want you involved with the ceremony. It is too draining on our kind to work easily.”

  “But…”

  “Kadian! Do not argue with me. Finish your stew and then take your bowl into the kitchen to Magda.” She rose, motioning for Bregowine to come with her, and headed out of the small inn. “Take me to your wife, Bregowine.”

  The cart was covered, sprigs of rosemary hung around every opening and from the wheels. Even so, she couldn’t help but smell the whiff of rotting flesh. “She’s been dead how long?”

  “A fortnight,” Bregowine said.

  “Twill make it all the more difficult. I need to prepare.” Elspeth didn’t notice the small shadow that followed her every footstep. If she had, she might not have been in such a hurry to perform the ceremony. “Wash her body in rosewater and place rosemary around it. I need something of hers, something that she cherished.”

  Bregowine held out a long golden chain, a large amethyst hanging from it. It glittered and gleamed. Elspeth reached out and put it in the palm of her hand, closing her fingers around it and letting her eyes flutter shut.

  “I do not feel her on this,” she said slowly. “I need something else.”

  “Like?”

  “A lock of her hair would work. This could be why the other two dragons failed. Bring her to the center of town. I’ll be there and ready. Remember your vow.”

  “Of course.”

  Elspeth left him, crossing the rutted dirt road and heading to the center of the village. She stripped off her shift and skirt, laying them carefully across a small stump. Then she changed.

  She was stunning. Her scales were an iridescent blue, changing to green at the edges. They glowed with light, sparkling and drawing the eye. Her neck was long, curved and graceful, holding up a large head. Her lizard-like nose spread into horned fans, surrounding her face and protecting her.

  Fully changed, she was huge, her wing span wide. She had one scar, a long one that ran down her side, a souvenir from Kadian’s father. She had won that battle and had torn his head off, leaving him to rot in a distant field.

  On her side, close to where her heart beat, a small glow grew, blotting out the iridescent colors of her scales. She gritted her teeth, prying up one scale with one sharp taloned finger. The pain was terrible and she barely held back the scream that wanted to rip from her mouth. Reaching into the skin underneath, she pulled out a small gleaming gem shaped like a tear. It took her a minute, but she managed to push the scale back into place, stopping the bleeding.

  The other dragons had bled to death, blood seeping out of their wound. They hadn’t been able to control it and the gold chain was probably the reason. It was important to have a connection with the one being brought back to life. Even then, it might not work and the dragon paid the price.

  “Momma?” Kadian called softly, not wanting to interrupt his mother. “I want to help.”

  “Kadian, what did I tell you before. You have to go back to the Inn.”

  “I can help, Momma. I want to help.” Kadian stripped quickly before his mother could stop him and changed. He was nowhere near her size, but he was growing. His scales were green, his body rugged and his eyes the same emerald of hers. “I can help,” he growled, his voice much deeper as a dragon.

  “Yes,” she said. “I think you can.”

  They smelled the body before they saw her and Elspeth quickly lost hope as she saw the advanced state of decomposition. It would take a lot of dragon magic to bring her back to her prior state. Reaching out with one taloned foot, she used her claw to pluck a lock of hair from the woman’s head.

  “Place her upon the table, scatter the twigs of rosemary and then leave us, Sir Bregowine. My son and I will need to concentrate upon your wife’s form if we are to bring her back. Any noise or questions could be fatal.”

  “I shall stand and guard your back, Mistress Dragon.” Bregowine drew his sword and Elspeth shook her head.

  “Men,” she uttered under her breath.

  “What was that, Momma?”

  “Nothing, my son. Go and stand to her left side. I know she smells foul, Kadian, but you wished to help.” She almost laughed at the expression of distaste that was on her son’s handsome dragon face. But now was no time to poke fun. Placing the tear gem she’d taken from her own flesh upon the woman’s pale lips, she held the lock of hair between her from claws and closed her eyes.

  “Powers of the four, I call to thee.

  Send me the strength I need to see.

  Take this gift of dragon’s tears,

  In trade for her soul, subdued of fears.

  Powers of the four, please hear my plea.

  Release her soul, send her to me!

  The last words were roared, a gout of fire splaying to the four winds. Around them the earth began to shake and Elspeth reached over the girl, holding out her hands to Kadian. “Don’t let go!” she shouted above the rising winds that swirled in from all directions. The two were battered, bruised by the flying debris; but they stood strong over the girl.

  Somewhere close by, a tree fell with a crashing thud. There was a shrill shriek that seemed to undulate with the wind, growing louder and then louder still. Kadian wanted to hide, to throw his front feet over his eyes and bury his ears in his arms so he didn’t have to hear it.

  Just as it got to the point where he was ready to fight to be rid of his mother’s clinging hands, everything stopped. The noise, the winds, everything. It was almost too quiet, save for the sound of his mother’s labored breathing. She stood on shaking limbs, looking down at the girl between them.

  Kadian felt the soft hand touch him first and he glanced down. “You did it, Momma!”

  “We did it,” Elspeth said, heaving a tired sigh.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, alarmed by how pale she seemed to be, her scales dulled, even her gem green eyes seemed lighter.

  “I just need rest. Call Sir Bregowine and tell him that his wife lives.”

  * * * *

  The woman had lived, Kadian remembered. But he also remembered how changed his mother had seemed after that. She’d tired more easily and had succumbed to her weakness some eighty years later, while trying to save the village she’d looked after most of her life. She’d died fighting for the purity of a village maiden against eight knights. But her strength was nowhere near what it had been and she’d been brought down quickly.

  He looked at Marissa, recalling the look on Lukah’s face. It was worth his life to rid Lukah of the heaviness that had been inside of him. The pain and the grief were just
too much for Kadian to accept.

  Concentrating, he picked at a scale on his side. It ripped free with a searing burst of pain. He forced himself to reach inside his own flesh and pull out a small tear-like gem. Replacing the scale didn’t ease the pain though he found that by concentrating upon Marissa, he could ignore it. He walked to where he’d left her, placing the gem upon her lips.

  “Please, God, let this work,” he prayed hoarsely.

  Then he cut a lock of her fiery hair, bent his huge head over her and began the ceremony.

  * * * *

  Lukah sat in the clearing, staring around at nature’s seductive scene. Flowers perfumed the air, vines trailed, giving the clearing a sense of privacy. The small stream gave off a bubbling sound that seemed like music. It had been this way the one night they’d spent here as well, the night when she had walked back into his life.

  Raising his head, he saw the stars shining above him. They were bright, sparkling points of fire. A scream of rage, of sorrow, of mourning burst from his lips. He felt as if his heart was being ripped from his chest.

  There was a rustle in the underbrush. It startled Lukah, causing him to leap to his feet. When he saw the figure emerge from the forest, he stood, backing away. He changed quickly to a man. “Who are you?”

  Marissa smiled. “I am your one and only true love.”

  “B-but I saw you die. You were dead. How is this possible? You aren’t real.”

  She stepped over to him, a vision; fiery hair around her shoulders, the white satin of her dress clinging to her curvy figure. Her hand reached out, love shining in the warm heather of her eyes. “I am as real as you are,” she said, laying her palm against his chest and feeling his heart thundering there. She took his hand with her other, laying his palm against her chest, knowing he’d feel her heart racing in time to his. “I love you,” she whispered softly. “I’m not sure what happened. One moment I was feeling myself float into space, fighting tooth and nail to get back to you. The next, I’m standing outside our clearing and I hear you scream.”

  Lukah closed his eyes and dropped to his knees before her, his face buried against her belly. “Please, if this is a dream, don’t let me ever leave it.”

  She looked down at him, stroking her hand through his hair, holding him to her. “If it is a dream, then we are both having it, my love. Come, kiss me, let me be in your arms.”

  Lukah stood, tears falling unashamedly from his eyes. With the utmost gentleness, he pulled her to him, bending his head to find her lips. The kiss was tender, gentle. His tongue slid over her lips, barely parting them. He seemed afraid.

  Until Marissa took matters into her own hands, that is. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him ever closer, opening her mouth under the silky smoothness of his tongue. A groan shook Lukah, drawn from the bottom of his soul. A soul made newly whole now that she was back with him.

  Her clothes flew off, his hands roaming frenziedly over her. He stepped back, holding her at arms length, searching for signs of the brutal attack that had been bestowed upon her. There was nothing but smooth skin, sweetly rounded breasts and the tiny triangle of red fire that covered her sex.

  “You really are here,” he groaned, pulling her back into his arms. “You aren’t dead.”

  “I’m not dead,” she moaned into his mouth.

  He lifted her, fingers tracing the softness of her slit before sliding inside to feel the heat of her arousal. “Oh, thank God,” he groaned. “I can’t wait.”

  “Don’t wait,” she growled, nipping at his neck as he lifted her higher, impaling her onto his hard shaft. She wrapped long, slender legs around him, holding onto his shoulders for support as he moved her over him, fucking her with long, slow thrusts that made her pant with need. Her nails dug into the skin of his shoulder and he retaliated by turning quickly and forcing her up against a tree. There was a branch just above her head and she used it, holding onto it and moving on him.

  It was a quick, frantic mating. Later would come the love and tenderness, the long, slow lovemaking. Now they needed to reaffirm their love, their trust that they weren’t separated forever, his need to be with her making her jerk.

  He pushed his hand between their bodies, finding her clit and mashing it roughly. She screamed out her pleasure, begging for more. His orgasm built quickly and he frantically rubbed and pinched the tiny kernel until he felt her arch, grinding against him, her inside muscles fluttering madly against his cock.

  Nothing more was needed, and he gave a loud roar, throwing his head back and pushing himself as deep as he could, the heat of his spunk sending another spasm of bliss rushing through her.

  * * * *

  Standing just outside of the clearing where he couldn’t be seen or scented, Nashe stared in amazement at the scene in front of him. Marissa was dead, wasn’t she?

  But if she was, then who was the fiery-haired woman moaning in Lukah’s arms? She lifted her head off of Lukah’s shoulder and he gasped. It was Marissa. But how?

  The two in the clearing sank slowly to the soft grass, Lukah rolling to his back to pull Marissa on top of him. His hands began to roam over Marissa’s exquisite curves.

  “That’s your clue to leave,” Kadian said softly.

  Nashe jumped.

  “You had a hand in this, didn’t you?”

  “Me?” Kadian acted surprised, but the silly grin on his face told the story.

  Nashe clapped him soundly on the back. “I owe you, man. More than you know. Let’s go find Terry and I’ll take you out to Abstracts for a late dinner. You can tell us everything.”

  Kadian walked along with Nashe, only glancing behind him once, a satisfied smile on his lips.

  A Strange New Breed

  Chapter Nineteen

  Nashe checked the flame under his pan. The temperature had to be perfect for this dish. Dropping in a small pat of butter to mix with the olive oil, he moved it around for a moment, letting it mix and heat.

  He heard her before she entered the kitchen, a smile lightening the serious expression on his face as she stumbled in and sank down on one of the kitchen chairs. “Do I smell coffee?”

  Instead of answering her, he reached above him for a cup, pouring the dark, murky brew that he knew she considered almost better than sex in the morning and taking it to her. He glanced back at the stove, stopped and picked up the milk out of the refrigerator and handed it to her before going back to his cooking.

  Adding onions to the mix lent the kitchen a heavenly smell and he flipped his wrist expertly, mixing the ingredients.

  When her hands came around his waist and she pressed herself against his back, he smiled even more. “I’m making you breakfast,” he said, feeling her nod. “I think we need to talk about a few things.”

  She nodded again but still hung on tight.

  “We can talk, but I don’t want to fight with you, Nashe. After seeing everything Marissa and Lukah have been through in the last few weeks, I don’t want to feel that kind of pain, ever.” Terry kissed his back between his shoulder blades. “You are all I’ve ever wanted in life. Any problems we have will never be so bad that I will ever want to walk away from you again. I love you.”

  He turned, hearing her words and feeling a happiness he hadn’t known possible. “I feel the same,” he said. “Your past is just that, past. What we have now is more than I ever expected to have in my life.” Lifting her chin, he kissed her quickly. “You’re my mate. You’re the only woman in about three hundred years that I’ve felt like this for. If you were taken from me the way Marissa was from Lukah…” he paused, the thought creating a maelstrom in his gut that made him pull her into his arms and holding tight. “I can’t lose you,” he whispered in her hair.

  “You won’t, baby. You’ll never lose me.”

  They clung to each other for a moment, seeking the strength of the other to garner their hopes and dreams for their future. “But you’re going to have to do something for me,” Terry added.

  “Wh
at’s that?” Nashe asked, lifting his head to stare down at his beautiful mate.

  “Fire that bitch, Marta.”

  Nashe chuckled, hearing the hint of jealousy as well as rage in her voice. Yesterday’s late dinner with Kadian had been a nightmare of comedy, starting with Marta dropping ice water on Terry when she brought their drinks. She’d done it on purpose. There’d been no doubt of it, especially considering her tone of voice when she’d been so apologetic, helping dry Terry off in ways that just brought more embarrassment to his mate.

  “I did that yesterday, Terry,” he chuckled. “Now I’m short one hostess. I thought maybe you could fill in. It’s one of the things that I wanted to discuss with you this morning. Now, go finish your coffee and then check outside the door and see if they’ve delivered the paper yet, would you?”

  He watched her walk away. A tall, winsome blonde, dressed in only one of his tee shirts which came down to her thighs and a pair of tiny cotton panties that he could see peeking out from under his shirt when she moved. Her hair was mussed from sleep and their lovemaking the night before, her lips still slightly swollen from his kisses. Her blue eyes sparkled as she looked back at him before leaving the kitchen and heading toward the front door.

  Nashe turned, just in time to save his onions from burning. He added fresh mushrooms to the mix, flipping them with a quick turn of his wrist. When she came back, he was just getting ready to add the eggs. Thin slices of ham and cheese were cut close to hand, so that he could add them when the eggs were ready.

  Slapping some bread in the toaster, he took the pot of coffee and filled her cup, snitching it to take a drink before she could doctor the brew with her twelve spoonfuls of sugar and the gallon of milk she always added.