by Ripley, Meg
Kaylee couldn’t answer if she wanted to, considering the thing was holding her by the neck. She scraped at his wrist and tried to pry his fingers back, but her efforts were futile. The world was beginning to darken around her, and once she passed out, she’d have no defenses left at all.
But a black form barreled into the side of the green beast, knocking it away and leaving Kaylee to fall to the ground. Her instincts told her to run while she could, but her body had been tapped. Between the spell, the run, and the encounter with that horrific green beast, she was barely conscious.
She watched through half-lidded eyes as the two creatures battled each other. Her captor went down with a few blows from the newcomer, slinking off into the woods and yelling over its shoulder. It was only as the victor approached her that she realized it was Archard.
Without a word, he scooped her into his strong arms and stalked off through the woods. She didn’t fight him at first, knowing she didn’t have the strength. After a few minutes, she coughed and told him to put her down, but he only held her tighter.
It wasn’t until they’d reached a clearing where the ground was hard rock that he finally put her on her feet, but he held one clawed hand at her back to make sure she was steady. “Stay here,” he grumbled.
Kaylee wasn’t in the mood to argue. She looked around, noting that they were on the edge of the woods and getting into the foothills of a mountain range. Judging by the red rocks that surrounded her, this had to be part of the same mountain chain she’d seen in the vision just before Archard and the others had come through. Just behind her, the boulders and bluffs formed a small, unoccupied cave.
Archard returned with his arms full of wood. He arranged it just in front of the mouth of the cave, took a step back, and spewed a line of fire at the pile. It erupted into flames, and it was only as the warmth reached Kaylee that she realized just how cold she’d been. Archard didn’t look at her as he slunk back into the woods.
She parked herself near the fire, leaning against the stone behind her and realizing how much of an idiot she’d been. They were lucky to survive the trip from Earth, something that her father and Varhan would be happy to hear if they ever saw her again, but there were so many other bad decisions she’d made besides running off to another world.
When Archard returned again, he’d shifted back into his human form. Kaylee glanced at the fish he set down near the fire and the pile of berries he emptied from one of his pockets, but she studied his face with much more interest than she had in the food. Her stomach rumbled, but she’d angered him. In the short time they’d known each other, she’d pissed him off plenty of times and he’d done the same to her. But this seemed completely different.
“I’m sorry,” she finally admitted, her words sounding strange after such a long silence. “And thank you. I’m sure you saved my life back there—from whatever that thing was.”
Archard had been wrapping the fish in leaves and setting them at the base of the fire where several hot coals had formed. He looked up at her, his jaw still hard. “It was an ogre. You have no idea how dangerous it can be here.”
“Clearly,” she retorted. “I really am sorry, Archard. For everything. I haven’t exactly been fair to you. I’m not sure I’ve been fair to anyone else, either. I’ve been selfish. You said you didn’t want me to come here because the spell might kill me. I knew I could make it, and I didn’t think past that for one second.”
“It’s all right.” His gaze was focused on the fire again, and he kept his hands busy by pulling tiny stems off the berries.
The distance between them was so great that they might as well have been worlds apart, with one of them still on Earth. It irritated her that he’d been right all along. “No, really. It’s not.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, too.”
This surprised her, and though Archard didn’t look at her, she continued to watch him. “For what?”
He shrugged. “Everything. I should’ve trusted that you knew what you were doing with the spell instead of treating you like an impudent child. And maybe there’s some other stuff, too.” He looked almost sad as he poked experimentally at the fish.
Kaylee sighed. She’d been such an idiot. “You were dragged out of the only life you’d ever known, and then I put my problems ahead of yours.”
“If we’re both apologizing, does that mean we’re both forgiven?” he asked.
She smiled. “I hope so.”
“Sounds good to me. It’s getting dark, but the fish should be ready soon.”
Kaylee looked up at the stars that were beginning to peer down at them. “It’s strange. It was the middle of the night when we left Earth.”
“I don’t think the days are the same length,” Archard replied. “Varhan said something about it, and it seemed right to me.”
Eventually, Archard removed the wrapped fish from the fire and handed one to her. “The leaves are from the wyssandra tree. They have a lot of water in them, so they don’t burn in the fire, and they add some flavor. Mind the bones, unless you feel like shifting.”
Kaylee took them gratefully, realizing that she had just as much to learn about his world as he did about hers. “And the berries?”
His eyes met hers over the fire, and he smiled a little. “They’re not my first choice, but I got what I could on such short notice.”
They were tart and didn’t hold much flavor otherwise, but Kaylee was still grateful for them. The meat of the fish peeled away from the bones easily, and it’d been cooked to perfection. “I didn’t realize you knew how to cook.”
“Just because I live in a more primitive world than yours doesn’t mean we eat raw meat off the hoof. I’m fairly certain all dragons prefer their meals thoroughly cooked.”
Kaylee finished off her fish and licked her fingers. “I never thought about it before, but thank you.”
They sat in companionable silence for a long time, watching the flames lick at the logs. Kaylee had a million thoughts racing through her head as she wondered if they would encounter any other dragons, if they were safe from the ogre, and what they would do next. But she also remembered how tiring it was to educate someone on your entire life all at once, and she kept her mouth shut.
Archard broke the silence instead. “Do you remember, back at your house, when I told you there were two forces pulling me in different directions?”
“Of course.” It had been a moment of clarity for Kaylee, and she’d been surprised to find that he felt the same way.
“One of those forces was demanding that I return here. I think you understood that part.”
“Yes.”
He stood and came around the fire until he sat next to her, his eyes blazing into hers. “The other force that pulled me was you.”
“Me?” Being in such close proximity to him was difficult enough, but hearing him talk that way was hard to handle. Her body craved him in a way she’d never felt about anyone before, and she longed to taste his lips again. She realized she was staring at them, and she whipped her eyes back up to his.
“I don’t know how much your parents have told you about our kind, and…finding our mates?” Archard looked almost shy as he asked the question.
“They told me how things worked here, when there were still a lot of dragons left. But I guess they probably didn’t think they would happen on Earth, because the only other ones of our kind were my relatives.” She licked her lips and looked away. It was hard to say these things out loud, but she knew she needed to. “It’s different with you.”
“How different?” he pressed.
Kaylee smiled coyly at him. “Maybe you should tell me first.”
His eyes were blazing orbs as he tipped her chin toward him with the gentlest of touches. “Being near you is almost unbearable. You make me angrier than I’ve ever been in my life, and if you ask my aunt, that’s pretty damn angry. But in the next instant, you make me so happy that I can’t remember any part of my life that doesn’t have you in it. You make me
want to shift, and I don’t know if it’s because that’s my natural form or because I think it will impress you, but it’s very hard to control. It’s like both sides of me are fighting, and they don’t realize they’re on the same side. There’s a lot I don’t know, but the one thing I understand is this deep compulsion to protect you. I want to stand between you and anything that might hurt you or make you unhappy. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how hard that is when one thing could do both.” His hand grazed down the side of her jaw, his thumb brushing her earlobe.
Kaylee’s insides imploded, her body reacting to his words. “That’s very sweet of you.”
“It’s not sweet,” he argued. “If you knew what I want to do you, you wouldn’t think I’m sweet at all.”
She kissed him then, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him toward her. It’d been on her mind since that first, intense kiss they’d shared in her kitchen, and there was no better time than now to live it all over again. Kaylee closed her eyes and let herself dive in, immersing herself in the bond that had formed so instantly between them. She needed him, and for so much more than protection on Charok.
Archard responded, his lips demanding but soft as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap. His thumbs explored her hips before his hands wrapped around her back and slipped up her shirt. She arched forward, encouraging him to continue. He fumbled with the snaps on her bra for only a moment before releasing them, and when his warm hands embraced her breasts, she thought she was in heaven.
“Archard,” she whispered as she finally broke the kiss. “I really do need you.”
That was all it took for him. He pulled her shirt up over her head and set it aside. She did the same for him, sucking in her breath as she took in the width of his bare chest and the dark curls covering it. His abs were solid and tantalizing, and she wanted to see the rest of him. She’d seen the power he held in the reptilian version of himself, but she was pleased to find that he had that same power in human form. He was so much bigger and stronger than she was. With those bulky arms, he could snap her in half. But Kaylee knew he never would, and she reached for the button of his pants.
The two of them were soon naked in the firelight, the heat of their desire for each other keeping them far warmer than the fire. Archard laid her back against the cool rock, covering his body with hers as he resumed their kiss once again. His lips trailed down along her neck as his fingers stroked and explored her body.
Kaylee reached between his legs and found that he was hard and ready for her. She wanted to spend all night like this, but knowing what he had waiting for her made her impatient. She wrapped her leg around his waist and pulled.
Archard accommodated her. Neither one of them had to ask if the other was sure, because their hearts and souls had already bonded in a way that their minds and bodies couldn’t truly fight. He pierced her gently and started to pull back when she gasped, but she kept him in place with a tug of her leg.
He smiled as he moved his hips against hers, caressing her neck and shoulders with his lips, gathering her hair in his hands. Kaylee’s body picked up his rhythm, and the two of them moved as only those who are destined to be together can. She knew what he meant when he’d said what it was like to be around her; that it made him fight against himself. She realized she’d been feeling the same way, even if her dragon side wasn’t as strong as his. Now that they were melding together, she felt a peace come over her, like she was finally able to rest.
He was the other half of her she’d been looking for.
She’d known she needed to come to Charok, but it was because they needed this place for the two of them to finally understand they were soul mates.
Most of her body was relaxed, but she felt a spasm starting deep inside her. Kaylee tightened her core, encouraging it, and the ripples began building to waves. Archard sensed it, his own body responding as he became even more engorged, and he continued to bury himself within her. Kaylee grasped at his shoulders and his back, trying to keep him as close as possible as she pressed herself against him. Her breath shortened until she was panting, and when her entire body seemed to shatter into stardust, she never wanted it to end. Archard’s soft moans in her ear were enough to keep her going until they were both done, and still Kaylee hated to be separated from him in any way.
They lay next to each other, their arms entwined as they caught their breath.
“I’m glad we came here,” Kaylee said softly.
“Me, too.”
14
Archard sprang up from the ground the next morning as soon as the sun began peeking over the horizon. He hadn’t felt this good in weeks. He knew part of it was because he was back home, but it was also because of Kaylee. They’d both fought so hard against themselves and each other, but spending the night together was exactly what he’d needed. His muscles felt alive and vibrant, and he had so much energy, he almost didn’t know what to do with it.
Kaylee was still asleep, her chestnut hair a cloud around her head and her face peaceful. He could’ve stood there and watched her until she woke, but his stomach rumbled to remind him he had important things to do. He scrounged up a quick breakfast for them, and she awoke to the smell of roasting meat.
Her sleepy eyes looked happy as she stretched and stood. “I never thought I would be comfortable sleeping on a rock,” she commented with a yawn. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever slept so well in my life.”
Archard smiled. “I know. The bed at your house was comfortable, but in a different way. Now eat up. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.”
“We do?” she asked with a blink.
“Absolutely. We’re going to the royal caves. There’s a lot I want to show you while we’re here, but I want to start there.”
“Whatever you say.”
Three hours later, when they’d made love once again after breakfast and then taken a long hike up the mountain, Archard stopped in front of a massive cave. “I never thought I’d see this place again. I spent so much of my life here.”
Kaylee peered into the darkness inside before retrieving a flashlight from her bag. “How come?”
Archard realized he’d never actually told her much at all about his life on Charok. She only knew that he lived there. “My family has had the honor of being royal guards for as long as anyone can remember. There aren’t any members of the royal line left, but I still feel an obligation to learn about this place and make sure it’s safe. I guess that seems silly, but I can’t help it.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t sound silly to me at all. I understand. I don’t have the same kind of attachment to the archeological digs that I go on, but I still want to see everything from them preserved. It’s something I really love about my job.”
The cave floor was smooth and hard. The winds had only brought a few dry leaves inside, but it appeared to have otherwise remained untouched in the time he’d been gone. “Look at the walls. You have your libraries on Earth, but this is like ours—well, one of them. There are other caves as well, but this one carries everything about the royal family. I’ve spent so much time looking at these walls, I think I practically have them memorized.”
“They’re beautiful,” Kaylee said as she leaned forward to examine them. “You told me about this, but I couldn’t have imagined the detail and the color.”
Archard saw the cave drawings with a new appreciation. She was right. Even though they were drawn on rough rock walls and with limited tools, they were just as impressive as the paintings he’d seen back on Earth. The main difference was how much these meant to him, since they were all about the people he’d spent his life wanting to protect. It left a hole inside him to know that he’d been born too late and had missed the last of the great Kings and Queens. “Can you read them?”
“Yes.” She touched the wall, careful not to put her fingers on the delicate writings. “This section speaks of the birth of a child. It’s so loving; so tender.”
“Some of
the birth announcements are a little more boastful than that, but the royals seemed to love their children as more than just the continuation of their line.” He pointed to another section on the other side of the wall. “There are tales of war, peace, and everything in between. They continue the further you go into the cave, and it goes on for miles.” He realized as he spoke that he’d brought the perfect person back to Charok with him. “It’s this part that I’ve always wondered about the most. Maybe you can help.”
“I’ll do my best. What is it?” She traced her flashlight over the wall to the section he indicated.
Archard sighed as he once again studied one of the most recent writings. It was still as old as he was, but so many of the scribes had been eliminated by the Great Curse. “The prophets wrote it here as the War broke out. I asked Lucia about it, and she always just brushed it off as nonsense.”
“The Awakened One shall return when the time is ripe,” Kaylee read easily. “You shall know her by the mark of the Queen.”
“I always hoped that meant there were would be more dragons who would come back here, maybe even with the Awakened One. I don’t know where they’d be coming from, and I can’t say what it means to be an ‘Awakened One,’ but it gave me some hope.” At that time, though, it’d been because he hoped to find his mate. He’d found her now.
“And the mark of the Queen?”
He gestured to the underside of his chin with three fingers. “Three scales, right in a row, and completely clear. It’s a trait that was passed only through the sovereign bloodline.”
Kaylee had turned pale. “Surely, someone else could have that birthmark, right?”
“No. It was passed down through the female line, so it always stayed in the family. Lucia saw it on the Queen herself before she died. Why?”
But Kaylee didn’t answer. She stepped away from the script and headed for the opening to the cave, her flashlight making a circle of light next to her on the floor.
Archard glanced at the wall again before following. When he caught up to her, she was sitting on a small boulder just outside the cave entrance, bending forward and clutching at her stomach. “Are you still stick? Or maybe those berries didn’t sit right with you. You’re not used to eating them.”
