Dragon Count

by Kendal Davis

  All at once, the room seemed to be filled with people. Indigo took a seat at a round table made of polished wood. Although the shape of the table suggested an aim of equality, as in Arthurian legend, his own chair was unmistakably the one belonging to the boss of the place. He had said he was a Count, right? The chair was designed in the style of a throne, with a high wooden back adorned with jewels and carving.

  Indigo indicated that I was to sit next to him. Other men in brightly colored cloaks chose their chairs. Three of them each brought a colleague of mine with them. We four travelers all sat at the round table, surrounded by dragon shapeshifters, apparently as their guests. We did not seem to be prisoners, but I didn’t want to make that assumption too soon.

  I had never been so glad to see my friends in my life.

  David looked thoughtful, albeit wide-eyed. He did not have any trouble with heights, I remembered. Years ago, when he had been on my dissertation committee, he had been a mountain climber. He would have loved to visit a place like this, back in his prime. Maybe he still climbed; I wasn’t really sure what he did in his spare time, when we were not working together.

  Kat was vibrant with energy, as always, but somehow simultaneously frozen with fear. I’d never seen her afraid of anything. Her brother, younger by no more than a few years, looked like one of my undergraduate students bracing for a test he knew he was going to fail. The two of them had been so at home on their boat, while David and I were the outsiders. Now, in a sea of fine, sweltering sand, they were cut off from everything they knew.

  As was I.

  Indigo cleared his throat as the last person took their seat. “Guards of my Council, welcome. Cobalt, as Captain of all my Guardsmen, you are my second in command, always.” His gaze swept the circle of the table. “You represent many different houses here. I am thankful for your presence and the wisdom you bring to my blue-cloaked Guards. We will all need to address the problem facing us, no matter which House we each call home.” He nodded dismissively toward the four of us who had just left our boat. “We have human visitors with us today. I do not know how they have arrived, passing through our portal, without our permission. However, I intend to find out.”

  Cobalt, who also wore a blue cloak, answered in a relaxed manner. I could see from the familiarity between them that he viewed Indigo as his superior, but also his friend. “Cousin, I will begin investigations right away. The honor of our House will not stand for this perfidy.”

  Indigo steepled his hands in front of him on the table. “House Caeruleus is honor, as you know, Cousin. That is our Gift, and we do not take that lightly.” His piercing gaze made its way around the table again, stopping at a sharp-faced man in a red cloak with a glare, then moving on to another man in green. “The other Houses may have planted a spy in our midst, but I will root him out.”

  The Guard in red leaned back in his chair, apparently unconcerned by the Count’s words. “Indigo, you have no evidence of any such thing. You merely seek to spread discord among your Guards with these high-handed accusations. Nobody will take them seriously. Or you, for that matter, if you overstep yourself, young Count.”

  The man in the green cloak cleared his throat, sending a censorious glance at the cocky red Guard. “You may be overstepping yourself, Brick. A more balanced approach would serve us all better.”

  “Aha! Balance,” Brick mocked. “Sage, you speak of nothing but the middle ground, ever. If I had never seen you in your House colors, I would still know without a doubt that you were of House Viridis. Your people are so fond of negotiation that you might as well never express an opinion. I often think that, in fact, you have none.”

  “Enough.” Indigo’s firm voice cut through the bickering. “You are here in my House while you serve me. All of you have sworn to leave your other loyalties at the door, have you not?”

  I knew that there were politics at play that I did not understand. That was fine. I didn’t need to understand them. All I wanted was to get us home.

  “Excuse me,” I ventured. My voice sounded alarmingly out of place at this all-male gathering of dragon shapeshifters. “We would like to go home. When will that be?”

  Indigo turned to me with an expression that was unmistakably courtly. No longer was he the brisk commander of his Guard Council. In a blink of an eye, he had become a host.

  Honor was his specialty indeed.

  “Tomorrow.” He spoke gently, but firmly. “For tonight, you four will be our guests at dinner. Please give us the great pleasure of your company, all of you, at a feast in your honor.”

  I blinked at him, mystified by the sense of anticipation that crept over me at the thought that I would spend the evening in his company. For the span of a second, and no more than that, I met his bright blue eyes. I felt a shiver run along my back. He wasn’t talking about dry political subjects, not any more. He gave every sign that he really wanted me to be his guest for the night. Would there be music? An opportunity to lean against him, feeling the touch of his hand on my back as we danced?

  It was a date.

  Chapter 4: Indigo

  I needed my head examined, getting involved in a social obligation with this group of humans. True, they were here on my land, and in my stronghold. I had admitted to myself that I planned to protect them.

  But did I really need to spend time with them personally?

  What was the point? When they returned to their world, they might speak of us. Humans had done so in the past, carrying tales of dragons back to their planet. Nobody would believe them, so it was of no concern to me. It would be fine if I never saw them again. They would flit out of my life when they left Elter, and I would be glad of it.

  For whatever reason, though, all I could think of was the boldness of Olivia.

  When I saw her at dinner, I blurted out that thought almost immediately. She entered the room with confidence, not one to hang back. She wore a gauzy, light blue evening gown that I knew she would have found laid out on the bed in her room. As was the custom here, in the perpetual dry heat, the panels of the skirt were long, but they moved apart as she walked. I noticed Olivia’s shapely calves and even caught a glimpse of the curve of her thigh. Her dark, curly hair was lifted in sections with blue, glittering combs. The effect was breathtaking.

  I believe I said that to her.

  Leaning toward her, as she sat again at my right, I spoke low enough that it was for her ears alone. “You look amazing. Your beauty takes my breath away.”

  She flushed pink, with a humility that was entirely at odds with the other thing I liked best about her. How could she be shy, and yet so forward in stating her every thought aloud?

  I continued. “And yet, although you look so feminine, with your arrestingly beautiful figure, you also speak your mind in an admirably unrestrained way.”

  She coughed on her wine. “Is that meant to be a joke?”

  “Not at all. Why?”

  Olivia blushed even more. “Nobody in my world ever says either of those things to me. Not as a compliment, at least. The way I look is never one of my strong points. Although…” She paused as she looked down with satisfaction at her silky gown. “Although, I never to get to look like this, so that might be it. And among my people, I am too outspoken for a woman.” Something about the last sentence caused a shadow to settle in her eyes.

  “Oh, here as well,” I said. “No woman of my court would dare to sit at my round table, for example. Let alone speak out loud there.”

  She spluttered. The fetchingly pink blush was gone, replaced by indignation. “That’s absurd. Do you mean to say that women are not involved in politics or business here? How positively medieval.”

  I cocked my head, considering her point. “You’ll allow that we are from different traditions, perhaps, my lady.”

  “Stop that,” she muttered. “I’m not anybody’s lady.”

  Her annoyance with me, perplexing though it was, had the side effect of making her rounded bosom heave as she huffed. I allow
ed my eyes to linger there until she noticed. She shot me a black look. In response, I looked at her with what I hoped was an expression of contrition.

  “I apologize, Olivia. I am not as well traveled as I might be, unfortunately. There are some dragons of Elter that have spent long periods of time in your world, but I am not one of them.”

  She looked somewhat mollified. “Never mind. Please, I would rather talk about something else. Not my culture; that is boring. Tell me about Elter.”

  I shrugged. “What would you like to know?”

  Olivia bit her lower lip in concentration. “There was something about the town that I saw at the base of the mountain. Is that part of your land?”

  “Of course,” I responded smoothly. “House Caeruleus owns all that you can see from here. You’ll remember how far into the desert the portal was, where you landed. All of that land belongs to us.”

  She looked thoughtful. “You use Latin terms. Has that come to you from my world?”

  “Not at all. The suggestion would be quite rude here; please don’t repeat it in polite company. All influence is in the reverse direction, you understand. Whatever you might call ‘Latin’ is merely an effect of some traveler from Elter leaving his knowledge and his traditions of speech on Earth.”

  “His?” Her eyebrow quirked, testing me.

  “Surely women do not travel in your culture?”

  Olivia’s eager expression of interest snapped shut. “Just when I think that I’m starting to like you, something dreadful comes out of your mouth. Honestly, Indigo, I can’t imagine living like you. You have amazing wonders here, but your attitudes are so backwards that it is embarrassing to sit here with you.”

  I stood in a swift motion. “Very well.”

  She looked alarmed. “I’m sorry. Perhaps I spoke out of turn.”

  Instead of answering, I gently held her elbow, guiding out of her chair, so we could move to a more private spot. As we left the table, I nodded at the other diners to continue without us. The other human woman looked worried. It did not matter. She was Cobalt’s charge, and of no interest to me.

  Olivia’s arm was trembling against me. I realized too late that I’d alarmed her. “Wait. I only meant to ask you to walk with me. I realize that we are very different, but there is...something. How can I say this? Your spirit speaks to me.” I had no choice but to tell her my real feelings, as plainly as I could. It was the way of a dragon.

  She heard me, I know she did. But she did not speak.

  Instead, she walked to the wide windows, stopping at the long curtains to look down.

  “Indigo, it’s the town. There’s something about it.”

  “You keep mentioning the peasants. Whatever for? They are hardly worthy of the notice of a dragon, even though they serve me.”

  “So it is a feudal system, then? You rule over their peasant town?” Olivia was studying the endless desert that stretched out below us. “Ok. Here’s my question. What do you all live on here? You have an abundance of food. I’ve tasted it, and it is marvelous.” She waved in the general direction of the long table we’d left behind. “But there are no crops down there. All I can see in any direction is desert or rocks. There’s no water, so that cuts out seafood as a possibility. Where do you get the food you’re serving so generously?”

  My mind eased. Her curiosity was unending, but this was an easy question to answer. “Is that all that you wanted to ask? I am happy to clear that up for you. Magic, of course. Our dragon powers give us the ability to create all this, everything that is around us, with magic.”

  “Of course,” she uttered faintly.

  “Was that not obvious to you from the beginning?” I had not meant to shock her. “We dragons have the power to alter everything about our world. Each House has its own special Gift. We rule Elter together in the Council of Counts, but we live in our own strongholds. Within our domains, dragon magic is almost limitless.”

  “And so you enjoy it up here, far above the peasants?” Olivia’s voice had gained strength. Now she was mocking me. Why was she so bent on analyzing the differences between the town and the mountaintop?

  Something about the way her dark eyes were sparking combatively at me made me tingle with an unfamiliar sensation. She was full of questions. She wanted answers, explanations, and social justice, I could tell. She wanted me to inform her, then right my areas of wrongheadedness.

  I merely wanted to kiss her.

  The heat that was rising in me was an entirely new feeling. I’d taken no mate, not ever, not even when I’d ascended to the Countship after my father chose to retire. It was perhaps a romantic idea, but I wanted a mate that I was sure was made for me. I had simply never been certain that I’d found the right woman.

  And now, here I was, making a fool of myself with an off-worlder, a human.

  I felt my hand twitch at my side, and then as if of its own accord, it rose to touch her hair. She started in surprise, but did not step back. My body was stirring with desire for this strangely outspoken yet vulnerable woman. I felt my cock harden under my cloak and I longed to bring her hand down to encircle it.

  She knew nothing of dragons, but I would show her.

  Instead, she moved first. She leaned forward, moving toward me with an initiative that confounded and thrilled me. She lifted her pointed little face up to meet my own, pressing her lips against mine in a soft kiss. It was the last thing I’d expected.

  In an instant, I was holding her against me, kissing her back with a passion that threatened to ignite into actual flame. No. She was not a dragon. That would be a disaster. I restrained my magic, keeping myself focused only on the taste of her sweet lips. I slipped my tongue into her mouth, exploring, tasting her. My hand brushed down past her back to cup her ass, bringing her against my hardness.

  It would be good, so right between us.

  This would be like nothing either of us had ever done before.

  As abruptly as she had initiated the kiss, Olivia stepped back. This curvy human, with her pixie face and her cloud of curls, thought she was calling the shots between us. I almost roared at her to tell her otherwise. It was only the awareness that every eye in the room was on us that stopped me. I need you now. I implanted the thought in her mind. I knew she heard me, but she pretended not to.

  “Indigo, I believe I’m tired. Thank you for a lovely evening. I will retire to my room now.” This upstart human walked us back toward the table, close enough that she was able to beckon to her blonde friend. “Both Kat and I will call it a night. I expect David and Andres might like to as well.” At her tacit instruction, the men rose as well. They nodded politely at the others at the table, taking their leave in an entirely appropriate manner.

  Except that they showed no embarrassment at having just taken their orders from a woman. It was the oddest thing I’d ever seen.

  They were happy to follow her.

  She did not roar at them, or issue orders in a barking command. She merely let them know that she was in charge of their expedition, and they seemed to see the wisdom in her ideas. I was going to have to think on this.

  Damn it, Olivia was going to be the only thing I thought of all night.

  Chapter 5: Olivia

  In the morning, we all met again in the Great Hall that overlooked the town below the mountain stronghold. Kat and I had been perfectly comfortable in our shared room, where luxury abounded. The bedroom had been perfect, with en suite facilities, the finest linens, and clothes sized just right for us laid out for the choosing. I had been glad to be close to my friend, not wishing in the least for my own room. I supposed that Indigo had read that in my mind and used it as a guide for the arrangements.

  That was going to take some getting used to. There had been many times that I’d wished a man understood me better, or even wanted to know what I was thinking. Now? Having a man arrange things just the way I liked them, because he’d seen my thoughts as I had them, was more than a little strange. Not in a bad way, though.


  Now that I understood that magic was the force behind this gloriously extravagant palace, it all made a bit more sense to me.

  Well, not sense, exactly.

  There was still the minor detail that I’d been quite sure only two days ago that magic was a fictional thing. And that dragons were the stuff of legend. Oh, and also that portals between dimensions were utter fantasy.

  There was, actually, a pretty long list of things that I had never expected to come across in my whole life but that now confronted me here.

  But if I could overlook all that, then I felt that it was perhaps time to admit that we were having an enjoyable stay here. Our night had been a miracle of comfort, and the dinner last night had been amazing. Being the honored guests of a Count was a pretty cushy situation.

  When a servant woke us with a gentle knock at our door this morning, and suggested that we meet the others in the Hall, we were happy to comply. Despite the terror I’d initially felt at seeing dragons flying through the air toward our stranded boat, I was now almost sure that we were safe here. If they had wanted to harm us, the dragons had allowed several excellent opportunities to pass by without doing anything.

  My fingers strayed to my lips as I thought of our host. Indigo was the ruler of this place, without a doubt. He was the Count of this House. I could see that his word was law among all the dragons here. My status here was less secure, though. I’d been aware of the curious stares from the banquet table, last night, when we kissed. He might be able to get away with whatever he wanted, but I wasn’t sure that I could.

  No matter how much I might want him.

  There was so much going on here that I didn’t understand. The part of my mind that was committed to scientific research strained to get more involved. If we stayed here longer, I could learn so much about this world. I was dying to classify the biology here, and to make some leaps about anthropological theories, although that wasn’t really my field.