by KC Kingmaker
Her body had eased up and she now held a small dagger in her hand. It would have been laughable if not for the veil of wrath she wore across her face. Even I wouldn’t want to fuck with that.
“I assure you, we are entirely legitimate,” the gawky man said with an expression of superiority.
He was grating on me. Perhaps this was what angered Levia so much about my arrogance. And I could see why it was so annoying.
“Your ragtag armor says otherwise,” she said, echoing my suspicions. “I bet you’re paid enforcers from some unscrupulous guild of the city. Some corrupt arm of gangsters.”
I chuckled at her insight.
The soldier was taken aback, mouth falling open. “Why, y-you silver-headed bitch! You know nothing of what you speak!”
I stepped toward the man, closing the gap in an instant. His horse skittered back, neighing.
“Call her another word and it’ll be your head. We’re done talking. We won’t be paying your silly toll. I suggest you leave now. Think if it’s really worth harassing us over a few Scraps.”
The man opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off—
“Choose your next words wisely. If I don’t like them, they’ll be your last.”
His brow dripped with sweat. “Y-You’re greatly outnumbered.”
“False. I’m a dragon.”
He laughed hysterically. “Claims mean nothing. Boys, round these two—”
I leaped vertically as high as the horse’s head. When I was exactly level with the man, my right hand lashed out and my sword speared through his neck.
By the time I landed nimbly on my feet, he was slumping forward with wide, unseeing eyes, his lifeblood spilling over his horse’s mane.
The steed whinnied, reared on its hind legs, and spun around to take the bobbing dead weight back the way it had come.
The other men gasped and cried out in unison.
“Merlog’s balls, he killed ol’ Sniy!” one said.
“He flew! Did you see that? He really is a dragon!”
They all rounded and fled the way of their dead leader, leaving Levia and I in a cloud of their dust.
“Remind me never to talk that much again,” I grumbled, shaking my head as I watched them flee down the hill and grow smaller in the distance.
“We could have avoided killing the poor man.”
“Poor man? I thought you hated men.”
“I’m having second thoughts,” she said with a shrug. “And besides, he wasn’t worth hating.” She shouldered her backpack and marched past me.
Second thoughts about something she’s grown up believing?
Sounds like me.
I hurried to catch up to her as she descended the hill in the wake of the bandits. It was a bit pathetic of me, chasing after a woman like this. But Leviathan was worth chasing.
“He could have been every much a woman-beater as any other,” I said.
“He wasn’t. I’m sure you could sense his doubt and fear as much as I could. The worst men put off the worst auras.”
I crinkled my brow, mulling over her words. Did she have some sort of supernatural abilities she hadn’t revealed to me, or was she just speaking in abstract terms?
“You may be correct,” I said. “I let my rage get the better of me.”
“I have a feeling it gets the better of you more often than you’d like to admit.”
“I—”
She cut me off with a raised hand, stopping abruptly and swinging to face me. “Like Bastio, in Belfue? Did your rage overwhelm you then?”
I stared down into her hard, lavender eyes. She didn’t wilt or back down, but I couldn’t either. It wasn’t in my nature. “No,” I declared. “I let my passion overwhelm me then.”
“You . . . what?” Confusion twisted her features. “What’s the difference?”
“Would you like to know what Bastio’s plans were before I struck him down?”
She said nothing, eyes studying me.
“He was rounding up his gang to go find you and hurt you and probably do much worse things than that. He wanted to take out his frustrations on someone who had embarrassed him.”
Levia’s neck stiffened, the hollow in her throat sinking deep. Her eyes flashed wide. “You didn’t even know me.”
“And yet I wanted you, even back then. That is the difference between my passion and my rage.”
She took a step toward me, craning her neck to meet my gaze. The warm air from my mouth puffed through her hair, mingling with the breeze, and she seemed to absorb me with a sharply drawn breath.
My heart thudded against my chest.
“You have a lot of discovering to do, Coalt, if you don’t want your passion and rage to consume you,” she said breathlessly. Her beautiful face was only inches from mine.
“And what if I want them to consume me?” I replied, equally as low.
I couldn’t stand it anymore—the way she looked at me with such thrilling mystery and desire.
I craved my silver vision.
My lips brushed against hers as I dipped and she raised herself on her tiptoes. Our noses touched, battling harmlessly.
Our eyes locked.
I slanted my lips over hers and took her tongue in my mouth, letting my lust take over.
Our eyes closed and our lips molded together.
Her hand shot out and clutched desperately at my chest, wrinkling the fabric of my peasant’s shirt.
I wrapped my arms around her and brought her close, pressing her breasts against me to feel the warmth of her body. It scalded nearly as hot as the fire dragon inside me.
I swallowed up her moan as she writhed in my arms and our kiss deepened. The cinnamon taste of her essence filled my mouth—
Then she abruptly pulled back. The cinnamon lingered on my tongue.
She breathed shallowly, staring wide, seemingly close to tears. I was left confused, my eyebrows arched.
“We can’t,” she rasped.
“What’s stopping us?” I dared. We were out in the wilderness with rolling hillsides in every direction. No one needed to know.
“Me, I suppose.” Her sigh sounded dismayed. She ducked her head away and the spell was broken.
Realization dawned on me: She was right. I’d been a fool for letting my feelings get in the way of my mission. I couldn’t let silly romances get the better of me—not when my people were still at risk.
Not when Dyna was still a problem.
I owed it to the Summer House to get back with expediency.
Crashing back to reality, with the sun waning in the sky and my body no longer wrapped up in her warm essence, I started looking at things more logically.
“I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head.
“Don’t be,” I grunted. “It was a mistake.”
I pushed past her toward the next hill, not waiting to see if she’d follow.
I couldn’t keep the disheartened frown from my lips once she couldn’t see my face.
15
Levia
I felt so confused.
Coalt basically ignored me the rest of the night. I couldn’t believe I was so affected by it. He grew distant and cold—something I didn’t know a fire dragon was capable of.
He had let his passion boil over the edge and gush out, and I had followed suit. We had been lost in a moment that was now tormenting me . . .
Because I wanted to return to it.
Why had I pulled away?
Because I can’t do this. I have Blythe and the refuge to think about. He’s still my adversary in this damned search.
I have no time for men.
The truth was he’d been making me feel all sorts of things since we started traveling together. I was constantly fighting back my emotions, walling them in and stuffing them down.
Coalt Firesworn didn’t seem to have that same problem. As a fire dragon prince used to getting his way, he was likely just as confused as me when I’d pulled away from the smoldering kiss.
> It had been excellent. Our bodies had melded together perfectly, like they were meant to touch. My body had reacted blissfully, my knees growing weak and luscious fervor soaring through me.
And yet, in the midst of it, before I could get totally lost in the swirl of lust or love or whatever we shared, doubt crept in and ruined everything.
Doubt about my mission; doubt about Coalt and whatever game he was playing, if he was playing at all; doubt over the timing.
Most of all, it came down to trust. I still wasn’t willing to open up and trust someone fully.
Like I’d been saying all along, I barely knew the guy. He’d shared stories of his past, was somehow great with children, and I had immediately been drawn to him unlike any other man in my life.
He was changing my outlook of hate.
But that change couldn’t come all at once and when the gloried time came to shine, I clammed up.
If passion was his driving force, doubt was mine. They were two opposing forces that didn’t mix. I had a feeling they would battle it out until one was left standing, and I desperately hoped it was hot fervor that won and not lukewarm indecision on my part.
The next day we woke early and resumed our journey. I had slept in my miniature tent and he’d slept outside in a fur given to him by Clive.
I hadn’t dared ask if he wanted to join me and stay warmer inside my enclosure. I still had so many things to think about.
Day two of our travels started much the same way as the first day ended: in silence. I wondered if he was giving me room to breathe as a courtesy—to let me work out the things swirling in my mind.
I doubted it. He was definitely angry at me for denying him. Dragon shifter princes simply don’t get rejected, I’m sure.
I wished our quietness could have at least been companionable and peaceful, but that wasn’t the case. It was awkward and uncomfortable. I couldn’t think of the right things to say to fix it.
Eventually, I stopped trying. It would be pointless to push him.
One thing I’d said to him the night before was we’d likely need to sneak into Cerophus City now that there was a dead man on our hands. Guards would surely be alerted to look out for a tall, auburn-haired man and a silver-haired woman traveling together. We stuck out like a dragon in a herd of sheep.
My words of worry hadn’t elicited a response and I had a feeling he thought I was blaming him. I’d immediately regretted saying anything.
Perhaps his silence on the second day could be attributed to that as much as anything. We had taken two steps forward and three steps back in our tenuous relationship.
I needed to focus, though, to prepare to meet Chief Garnu’s associate, Manek. I had to keep my head on a swivel and just hope things would work out between Coalt and I in the end.
But when had hoping ever gotten me anything I wanted?
It hadn’t made my father stop—
No, I couldn’t think of that right now. It would only bring me to tears.
Near the end of the day, we made it over a final hill. The river that had snaked through Clive’s village abruptly appeared before us.
“Thank the gods,” I said, mostly to myself.
“Tired legs?” he asked.
My eyebrows shot up. He’d responded so quickly, I didn’t know what to say. Had he just been waiting for me to say something so he could speak? Have I been reading way too much into this situation, as usual?
“And tired butt,” I said, flashing him a quick grin while I kneaded the sore muscles near the base of my ass. My smile turned shy when I noticed the heated look in his eyes.
I peeled my eyes away and took a giant sigh of relief.
We were speaking again. Just like that.
I think our maddening thoughts had gotten the better of both of us, marching through the Wildlands with nothing to do but put one foot in front of the other.
It could seriously drive a person, well, wild.
I continued past him and he flared his nostrils.
Did he just smell me? I fought back a laugh. It wasn’t like I could say I hadn’t done the same to him—
“You smell ripe,” he announced.
Oh. Well . . . fuck.
I ran a hand nervously through my hair, which was getting greasy and stuck together, and made a disgusted face. He was right.
Neither of us had bathed while at Clive’s village and we’d been on the road almost three entire days. Normally, that wouldn’t be so bad, but the weather had been warm and stifling. I couldn’t smell much of an odor on me, but I knew he had heightened abilities.
“I’m sorry to offend your fragile senses, Coalt, but I’m sure you don’t smell much better,” I said, trying to sound droll.
“Of course,” he said, passing me and continuing toward the nearby river. “Not everything’s a competition, you know.”
I let out a guffaw. I jogged after him, heaving my backpack and trying to keep up with his long strides.
“The audacity to hear a dragon shifter say such a thing!” I called out in frustration.
“I know. I never cease to surprise, eh?”
“Truly!”
I was panting when we reached the edge of the river. It was shallow, weak, and skinny.
I frowned at the measly stream. “Clive told me when the river widens we’ll know we’re close to Cerophus.”
“Then we’re not close,” he said. “Come on, I think my fragile senses can put up with your stink for a while longer.”
I made an offended “gah” sound, somewhat jokingly, and followed him along the river’s edge.
“Let’s see where we end up by nightfall,” he instructed.
I WATCHED COALT’S PERFECTLY sculpted ass submerge into the river. His tight butt was a true marvel of the world—perfectly curved and muscled, indenting when he flexed and dropped in completely, the water coming up just above his waist.
It was a tantalizingly cruel thing to do to me.
I realized I hadn’t inhaled in quite some time and my breath came in a gasping hiccup. I made sure to wipe any errant drool from my lips and turned away before he twisted in the water with a satisfied sigh and faced me.
My cheeks burned hotter than the sun and I had no doubt he knew I’d perved on him as he’d plunged into the water.
We had traveled the rest of the day until finding a safe outcropping—a small cliff face jutting up from the grasslands to nestle into. The river had indeed widened, its flow stilling into something of a lagoon.
If Clive was right about the widened river being a landmark, it seemed we would make it to Cerophus in record time. Perhaps all that sullen walking and quietness had played to our benefit after all.
Beyond the outcropping, the prairie gave way to more high hills. Neither of us apparently wanted to brave that storm with the final remaining minutes of daylight.
The sky was painted beautifully pink and orange from the setting sun. My eyes wandered up to the stars, if only to keep them from drifting back to the sculpture that was Coalt’s naked body.
His casual nudity was such a shock to me, but a welcome one. I assumed when you were used to ripping your clothes apart shifting into a dragon, you became accustomed to nakedness. And, for a man like Coalt, he clearly had nothing to be ashamed of.
“Are you going to get in?” he asked me, splashing a bit of water. He submerged completely, soaking his auburn hair. When he stood, it was plastered against his scalp. “The water is warm.”
Oh, dammit. Nothing good could come of this.
“Maybe,” I said skittishly. “Is it warm for a fire dragon, or just warm?”
“Just warm.” He gave me a lazy smile.
I drew my knees up to my chest and bit my bottom lip.
Ugh. I was never this fussy back home. If anything, I was somewhat of a tomboy. I let Blythe play all the girly cards, which she had mastered.
I wasn’t as comfortable with myself as she was. With curves like hers, she had every right to be. I was skinnier and smalle
r in the chest and butt regions, but she had always told me I was beautiful.
Blythe was a great ego booster and excellent friend.
She had always told me my tits were a perfectly cuppable size, and my hips were wide and “looked like a lot of fun to squeeze between.” I used to try to cut her off before she got carried away with her salacious tongue, but I had to admit getting a little reassurance made me feel good.
“What’s there to think about?” Coalt asked.
I mean, I did have to get in eventually to clean up, but I had sort of hoped to do it after he was done.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” he coaxed.
“I’m not!” I snapped.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Leviathan.”
I flushed and felt the warmth spread from my belly to my core. My knees knocked together and my legs felt unsteady.
Shit.
Finally, I steeled myself, drumming my fingers on my knees. I could do this.
I stood and let my lungs expand with air. “Okay, well, turn around,” I demanded.
He quirked an eyebrow. “I thought you said you weren’t embarrassed?”
“Just shut up and do it!” I said, my whole body burning up.
He obliged with a chuckle, slowly wheeling around.
I focused on his huge shoulder muscles, the severe lines of his triceps and all the other little muscles that bulged on his body.
Before I could get any hornier, I flung my tunic aside, shimmied out of my pants, and scampered to the edge of the river. I tested it by dunking my big toe in. It was warm like Coalt had promised, so I unceremoniously stumbled in.
Coalt was turning even as I submerged, but I made sure to bar my breasts with my arms and sink down so only my head was above water.
“There, was that so hard?” he asked.
“Don’t patronize me,” I said with a frown. “You dragons might be free, but I’m not used to this.”
He swam over to me and I nearly backpedaled into the rocky bank.
Getting in close proximity with Coalt was a dangerous gambit.
“W-What are you doing?” I asked.
“This.” He grinned mischievously—
And then he slapped a wave of water directly into my face.