Her Captive Dragon: Howls Romance

by Marianne Morea

  “Misogyny at its worst.” Hanna frowned. “Women brutalizing other women.”

  “I was hunting near the Theradian Woods when I met Ligeia. Her song held me like no other. I camped alone in the cold woods for the chance at a simple glimpse. I didn’t eat, I refused to listen to my family or—”

  “Aggie.”

  He nodded. “I was completely absorbed. I wanted nothing but Ligeia. I had to have her. Finally, she came to my camp and I followed her to her sanctuary. She stripped her clothing and bid me do the same. She danced for me, and in the end I promised to love only her, to take her to the palace and make her my queen if she let me have her.”

  “And?”

  He shrugged. “I had her for one solid night. When I awoke, the spell was broken, but I had promised in blood to do what I swore. I refused. Ligeia laughed, giving me until the next moonrise to come for her. I went back to my family. They blamed Aggie and banished her to the surface when she could see no way out of my dilemma.

  “I tried to reason with Ligeia, but she wouldn’t hear it. No amount of gold or promise of power would sway her. She wanted me, and if she couldn’t have me, then no one would.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “She must have known what I would say, because all the tools of her dark trade were in place, ready and waiting. She cursed me that very night, and every night since.”

  “How did the book find its way into Draic Gorgóna’s hands? We should’ve asked Aggie last night.”

  Soren shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. At first, Ligeia kept it for centuries, and would let her siren sisters and high paying customers summon me for sport. Sometimes, she would even watch.”

  “Ew. I mean, to each their own, but yuck.” Hannah frowned, but then put her hand on Soren’s cheek. “We will confront her like Aggie said. In her own sanctuary. If the sirens of Oloris are anything like the sirens of mythology, then a little beeswax will go a long way in protecting us from whatever comes out of her mouth. I’ll put the book in a safe place here, so she can’t get to it.”

  He shook his head. “You can’t. The book has to stay in your close possession.”

  Sitting up, Hannah considered this. “Then we take it with us. Whatever we have to do, we’ll do.”

  Soren sat up as well. “You amaze me, Hannah. Such a small woman with the power of a dragon inside her tiny body.”

  She laughed, handing him his plate before picking up her own piled dish. “Tiny? Maybe where you come from, but here I have a healthy appetite and the curves to match.”

  Soren dipped a finger into the top of one of the chocolate cupcakes and held the frosting to Hannah’s lips. “Your curves match my body perfectly. I wouldn’t change a thing about you, to thávma mou.”

  She rolled her tongue over the chocolate, sucking his finger deep before he slid it from her mouth.

  “Any other questions?” he asked, dipping his finger again.

  She nodded. “Plenty, but right now I just have one.”

  “What?”

  “How about you put some of that chocolate on your cock and let me lick it clean?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Welcome to Greece.” The immigration officer watched Hannah through the smudged glass. “What brings you to our country?”

  Hannah smiled in reply, but the man’s beady eyes made her sweat. “Vacation.” He stamped her passport, giving her an absent nod.

  She exhaled, watching Aggie sail through immigration right after, joking in Greek with the same creepy little man.

  “That was horrifying,” she said, gathering their carry-ons before hooking her arm through Aggie’s elbow.

  “We’re not entering the country illegally, Hannah. I have my papers, thanks to you and New York State, and you have yours.”

  “Not illegal. Just insane.” She picked up her pace, towing the old woman toward baggage claim. “If anyone knew the real reasons for this trip, they’d have greeted us with strait jackets.”

  “What happened? You were so calm the other night. Did Soren upset you?”

  Hannah shook her head. “No. I took him out to Montauk Point. We spent the day enjoying the beach.”

  “The beach?” Aggie raised an eyebrow as they rounded the baggage carousel. “It barely got above sixty-eight degrees yesterday, and it had to be chillier by the water.”

  Soren stole behind Hannah, greeting Aggie with a wink while holding a finger to his lips. “It was a little on the cold side, but we managed to stay warm rolling around in the dunes.”

  Hannah jerked around, slack-jawed. “Soren! How did you beat us here?”

  “I flew.”

  Hannah’s brows knotted, but then she realized he didn’t mean on an airplane. “Dragon style.”

  “Yup. Being granted a fortnight away from my captive state has its advantages. I haven’t felt this free in centuries.” He slipped an arm around her waist in a side hug, kissing her temple. “Want to find out what sex feels like beneath an Amazon waterfall? I could have us there and back and still be on time for tomorrow, but that would mean a quickie.”

  “Ugh, why did I introduce you to television.”

  Aggie laughed at their banter, which made her embarrassed flush burn even hotter.

  “Okay, then—” Hannah dug in her carry-on for her itinerary. “I have us booked into the Electra Palace for one night. They had the most choice when it came to excursions to Santorini, but we’ll have to make reservations asap. Soren, our bags are right there—grab them and let’s get a taxi.”

  “I’ve already arranged for a dive boat to take us to Santorini,” Aggie replied. “We leave the dock at seven am. It’s five hours to our rendezvous point.”

  “Rendezvous? Is someone meeting us?” Hannah asked, dodging porters while pointing the way to the taxi stand.

  “No. I should have said our jumping off point. I had to be careful who I booked this time. Dive companies tend to frown when you don’t return to the boat at the prescribed time.”

  “You think?” Hannah chuckled, but then jerked her eyes from Soren loading their bags into the taxi. “Wait, you said dive company. Aggie, you never said anything about diving.” The idea of the old woman in a wet suit with air tanks seemed ludicrous, but stranger things had happened already.

  “It’s not as bad as it sounds. I’ll help you. Soren will most likely free dive. Dragons can hold their breath for a very long time.”

  “Aggie! I can’t swim.”

  “Well, how else did you think we were getting to a deep water canyon?”

  “I don’t know, some sort of manned deep water submersive, maybe?”

  Aggie grinned. “Such a smart cookie.”

  “That was so not cool.”

  “I thought it was rather clever. We will have to hike down the craggy side of the cliffs to get to the caves. Once we get to Oloris, you might want to learn how to swim. It being underwater and all.”

  “Funny. You’re an amusing old broad, you know that?” Hannah crouched to slide into the cab, but then stopped to glance back at Aggie. “Wait…did you say caves?”

  ***

  Soren stood at boat’s railing and inhaled the briny air. He lifted his face to the sun as Hannah slipped her arms around his waist from behind.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” she asked, resting her cheek on his back.

  “I was thinking how much this smells like home.”

  “The sea or the boat?”

  He smiled, caressing her hand on his stomach. “The air. It tastes of salt and foam.”

  The water was so clear and blue it didn’t seem real. A sharp contrast to the islands in the distance. They rose from the sea like volcanic gods, bronzed and rocky with forbidding cliffs.

  “The Aegean is so beautiful. I can see why you missed it so much. Though, it’s much calmer than I expected.”

  “Water is a fickle mistress. She’s calm now, but I’ve seen her rage. Even at our depths, Oloris felt her wrath.” He grinned, squeezing her hand on his stomach. “
I have missed it, but I’d give up the sea forever if it meant I could stay with you, free as I am now.”

  Hannah kissed his back before letting go to join his side at the railing. “Well, that’s the plan. Without the giving up the sea part.”

  “Did you know there’s a natural electromagnetism in the air here?” He slid his arm around her shoulder, tucking her beneath his collarbone. “The entire Aegean sits above powerful ley lines. It’s why the gods favor this place.”

  She looked up, squinting in the sun and wind. “Aggie teased me about diving to the canyon, but she never said how we were getting to Oloris other than a hit about an underwater submersive.”

  “The last time I was on the surface of my own free will, I came via a water portal. I can only assume it’s the same now.”

  Aggie made her way to the railing from the wheelhouse. “Captain says we’ll arrive in about fifteen minutes. We’d better prepare.”

  Their belongings were pared down to fit in hiking backpacks. Hannah sat on one of the wood benches outside the wheelhouse and pulled her pack between her knees. She unzipped the top for a quick inventory, but kept her eye on Aggie, as well.

  The old woman no longer seemed, well, old. She still looked like the same Aggie, but there was a spring in her step. She seemed agile and healthy.

  Maybe it was the Aegean and its magical ley lines or being so close to Oloris. Either way, any doubt she had about Aggie making the journey was long gone. Hell, the old woman was in better condition that her curvy ass.

  The boat slowed as it approached a small pier at the base of a rocky cliff. The water was shallow and shimmered in shades of aquamarine. Hannah moved to the bow to watch the approach. The sea’s bottom was twenty meters down at most, and crystal clear. No wonder Aggie booked such a small vessel. Anything bigger would have run aground.

  The boat’s engines cut to neutral as the captain maneuvered the vessel toward the pier. He yelled orders in rapid Greek, and the boat was quickly docked and tied.

  Soren was the first to disembark, holding out his hand for Aggie to climb over the narrow step to the planked pier.

  Hannah stepped onto the dock and glanced at the imposing cliffs. “Jesus. How are we supposed to hike that?”

  Soren pointed to the narrow goat path crisscrossing the rocky face. The crash of the gorgeous blue-green water against the cliff base punctuated her stunned response.

  “You’re kidding, right? That’s not a path, Soren. It’s a goddamned Zorro sign!”

  Aggie motioned for Soren to help her with her pack. “It’s not as bad as it seems, love. We’re not going to the top. We’re following the path around to a cave on the south side of the island. The rocks are too treacherous for boats on that side, so we have no choice but to hike.

  She slipped on her backpack as well, taking up the rear with Aggie in the middle. “Aggie, when you said it would be a bumpy ride, I figured you meant the boat.”

  “I meant the reality of Oloris and our situation, honey. It was a metaphor, though looking at this path, I probably should have warned you about it ahead of time.”

  “Warned me? You should have told me to go into training.”

  Soren glanced back with a laugh. “If you want me to carry you, love, you just have to ask.”

  “Looks like you got your wish.” Aggie winked.

  “Right now I’m wishing this was an escalator.”

  “Your man’s man. A throw you over his shoulder and kick down the bedroom door type.”

  “Jesus! Is nothing sacred?”

  The three hiked for the better part of an hour before the path began sloping downward toward the edge of the sea. From their vantage point it looked as though the narrow route ended where the water met rock.

  “Looks like we’re going to have to swim for it,” Hannah said, shielding her eyes from the bright sun. “The path ends there.” She pointed to the drop off.

  Aggie pulled her pack around and opened the side zip for a bottle of water. She leaned against the warm rock and took a sip. “We won’t need to swim..”

  Soren lifted his foot to a boulder. “We have about thirty minutes before the tide is out. We should rest here.”

  Hannah sat on a rock watching Soren and Aggie. They seemed so at ease. At home. For the first time since this whole business started she felt like an outsider.

  “You look miles away, to thávma mou.” Soren slipped in beside her on the flat boulder. He opened the top of his pack and pulled out a small bag of trail mix. “What is it you said to me? Penny for your thoughts?”

  She smiled, taking the nutty chocolate mix from him. “Nothing. It hit me now how much I am not a part your world. This hike isn’t the only uphill climb I’ve got to face.”

  “Pish.” Aggie waved her off. “That’s exactly the kind of talk that will stack the odds in you know who’s favor. We’re too close to speak the bitch’s name out loud, but you get my meaning. You are a part of this world by virtue of your love for Soren and his love for you…and don’t give me that slack-jawed look. I know you’ve only known each other for a few days, but you wouldn’t be here, Hannah, if you didn’t have deep feelings for him.

  “You’ve taken on much more than this piddly goat path. You’ve opened your mind and your heart to a world most would dismiss as fantasy, not because they’re too dense to believe, but because they’re too scared to let themselves believe. You are stronger than you think, and together you and Soren can face anything.”

  Hannah blinked at the old woman. Not because the sun was high, but because she’d never seen Aggie so fired. She was right, of course. She had fallen for Soren. More than fallen. She’d cartwheeled her way into a real-life fantasy complete with a real-life book boyfriend.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you, Hannah. I hope you know that to be true.” Soren’s eyes searched her face.

  “Funny how we sometimes fail to see what is so clear to everyone else.” She lifted a hand to his cheek. “Of course, I know.”

  “Eísai I zoí mou, I kardiá mou kai I fotiá stin psychí tou drákou mou. Me to sóma mou latrévo, me to aíma mou timó, me ti zoí mou thysiázo ti dikí mou gia ti dikí sas.”

  “I don’t know what that means, but I like the way it sounds.” She kissed him back. “Tell me later?”

  He brushed a soft kiss to her lips. “Definitely.”

  Soren zipped up his pack and then got up from the rock. Aggie’s eyes followed him, and Hannah didn’t miss the look on her face, unsure if it was apprehension or approval. Whatever he said certainly got a reaction one way or the other. If it was apprehension, then why did she make the whole love speech thing?

  “Tide’s just about out.” Soren motioned for them to follow. “We can make our way into the cave.”

  Aggie got up as well, her expression pensive. Or maybe it was just focused on the task at hand. She didn’t know much about tidal pull, but she did know it took six hours for the tides to shift, but that meant lowest to highest. Who knew how quickly the cave filled to the point of drowning?

  Soren helped them both down from the path to the narrow crevice that led into the cave. It was barely three feet wide, but the water marks and moss on the rock rose ten feet. High tide marks. They slipped single file through the opening and the light faded to pitch blackness ten feet ahead.

  “Unless dragons can see in the dark, we’re going to need a flashlight.” Hannah followed behind Aggie as before, their footsteps soggy in the wet sand.

  Soren pulled a torchlight from his backpack and shined it into the cave depths. Water dripped from the ceiling and the walls, the sound a metronome tick as they made their way into the gloom.

  Ancient symbols carved into the cave walls winked in the swath of yellow torch light. They reminded Hannah of hieroglyphs, but not. They were the same type of runes she’d seen on the book, only these seemed technical rather than storytelling. Map quest directions for the ancients.

  A dull hum resonated from deeper in the cave, and the damp air ma
de the hair on Hannah’s arms stand on end. “I think we just located the source of the area’s electromagnetism.”

  “It’s not the source, but it definitely serves our purposes.” Aggie’s answer was unconcerned as they continued farther into the darkness.

  The sound of water grew, and instead of a slow, steady drip, it was a soft gush. The kind you hear over rocks after a heavy rain.

  The cave opened into a wide expanse, where the damp sand looked like finger waves in an old-fashioned hairdo.

  Stalagmites and stalactites sprouted from the cave’s floor and ceiling. Soren propped the torchlight on its base, shining the yellow light upward into the small cavern.

  The light illuminated white lichen deposits on the walls, brightening the inner grotto so they could see.

  “If this place didn’t promise certain death by drowning, it would be super fun to explore.” Hannah scanned the impressive cavern, running her fingertips over a stalagmite.

  “Keep that thought,” Soren said with a wink. “Exploration and fun.”

  He beckoned Hannah closer, and she watched Aggie run her palm over the last of the wall carvings. At the end of the row, there was a symbol unlike the others. She pressed her hand to its center, mumbling in what sounded like ancient Greek.

  The sand waves undulated as if alive, and Hannah took an involuntary step behind Soren’s hip.

  “There’s nothing to worry about, dear.” The sands parted, slipping back to reveal a rock circle marked on the cave floor.

  Aggie stepped toward the smooth rocks. Standing on the edge of the ring, she reached into her pocket for a small flip knife. Closing her eyes, she murmured more words in the ancient tongue. Without hesitation, she sliced her palm, squeezing her fist so blood welled.

  Crimson drips spilled in tiny drops into the silt, dispersing into the fine sediment. The sand swirled in a whirlpool, forming a funnel to whatever hid beneath the surface of the cave floor.

  Water rose from the center of the vortex, blue and as iridescent as Soren’s dragon scales, its glow spreading across the rock circle like Aegean itself.

  “Have you ever been on a waterslide, dear?” Aggie asked, and as if on cue, the water at the center of the eerie pool darkened to near navy in color.