Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon--A Novel of the Embraced

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  “Shall I continue?”

  She hesitated, then nodded. As he swiftly unbuttoned her shirt, he noticed there was a white camisole underneath, edged with lace and decorated with tiny pearl buttons. So feminine. His fingers trembled, fumbling with the delicate buttons.

  Finally. He swept the camisole away to reveal her breasts. So soft against his fingertips. The pink nipples pebbled, the tips hardened. And his groin tightened.

  “Gwen,” he whispered as he lowered his head.

  She let out a deliciously sweet moan when he drew her nipple into his mouth. He suckled a moment, then flicked his tongue against the hardened tip. Now the sound she made was more like a whimper.

  Was she wet? Was she ready for him? He returned to her mouth to ravish her lips once again. By the Light, he wanted her now. He squeezed her thigh, then smoothed his hand up to her hip.

  “Gwen.” He leaned back to look at her.

  Her lips were rosy and swollen, her lovely lavender-blue eyes dazed with desire.

  “I want to touch you.” He slipped his hand between her thighs.

  She stiffened with shock, but when he pressed gently against her, she closed her eyes with a groan.

  Yes. As he reached for the buttons of her breeches, he heard a thundering noise like a racing horse. His heart, no doubt.

  His hands grew still as a horse whinnied. Dammit. That wasn’t him.

  Footsteps sounded on the porch outside. Then a loud pounding on the door.

  Gwennore gasped.

  “Don’t come in!” He lifted Gwen off the table.

  “Silas!” Dimitri yelled. “I need to talk to you.”

  “Dammit to hell,” Silas growled.

  Gwen’s hands shook as she refastened her clothes.

  “Wait here.” He adjusted his too-tight breeches and strode toward the door.

  This had better be important. Hell, even if it was important, he might still clobber Dimitri.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  While Gwennore fumbled with her buttons, she eased up close to the shut door to hear what was going on outside.

  “Aleksi captured the priest right before he crossed the border to Woodwyn,” Dimitri said.

  “Woodwyn?” Silas sounded surprised. “Romak was spying for an elf?”

  “We don’t know. Aleksi took the priest to the army camp. He thought you might want to talk to him.”

  “I’ll leave right away.” Silas’s voice grew too quiet for Gwennore to hear.

  She quickly checked her clothes to make sure everything was in place. Her hands were still shaking, her heart still pounding. Goddesses help her, she’d completely lost herself in a moment of passion.

  What had come over her? She’d always been the calm and rational one among her sisters. But then, she’d never met a man like Silas.

  Obviously, she had no control whatsoever when it came to him. She glanced at the table, recalling all the liberties he had taken. All the liberties she’d allowed him to take. And she’d known the man a total of five days?

  Could she trust a passion as sudden and explosive as this?

  She took a deep breath and made sure she had erected a strong mental shield. It would be too embarrassing for anyone to hear her thoughts now.

  Feigning a calmness she didn’t feel, she opened the door and sauntered outside. “Hello, Dimitri.” She hoped he wouldn’t notice the blush warming her face.

  Thankfully, he barely gave her a nod as he tied the reins of Silas’s horse to the back of his saddle.

  “Gwen, I have some business to take care of.” Silas led her to her horse. “Dimitri will take you back to the castle.” He leaned close to whisper in her ear. “I hate to leave you now, but I’ll see you later. Don’t work too hard. Get some rest.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she murmured as she slipped a foot into a stirrup. “Be careful.”

  “I will.” Silas hoisted her up onto her horse, and she noticed that he refrained himself from touching her more than necessary. He gave her horse a light slap on the rump to get it moving.

  As she rode off with Dimitri, she glanced over her shoulder and spotted Silas slipping back inside the cabin. Was he planning to undress so he could shift into Puff?

  So much had happened today that her thoughts were swirling. Her suspicion had turned out to be true. Silas could shift into a dragon. Dimitri, Aleksi, and King Petras could, too. But their true nature was kept secret.

  The dragons were not only hated by the trolls, but feared and hated by people in the neighboring countries. If the news ever leaked that the dragons were men, there would be assassins who would try to kill them while they were in their more vulnerable human form.

  She would have to be careful not to let anyone know that she knew the truth. Silas was trusting her to keep the secret, and she didn’t want to let him down. Besides, if any of the dragons found out that she knew, she wouldn’t be allowed to leave the country. She would never be able to return to her sisters.

  Her heart clenched in her chest. Did she even want to leave now? How could she leave Silas? But how could she abandon her sisters? She’d lived with them for twenty-one years. How could she leave them for a man she’d known for five days?

  But Luciana and Brigitta had fallen for men quickly, too, and they were very happy now. Silas had warned her that if they became lovers, he would insist on marriage. Good goddesses, she’d almost become his lover today!

  She shook herself mentally. She had too many other things to worry about, like keeping the queen alive and curing the plague. For now, she needed to focus on work. And she had better act as if she were completely ignorant about the dragons.

  She glanced at Dimitri, who was riding beside her with Silas’s horse in tow.

  She cleared her throat. “How will Silas get around? Shouldn’t we have left him his horse?”

  Dimitri looked taken aback for a moment, then waved a dismissive hand. “He’ll be fine. It’s a short walk to the castle. Besides, he wanted me to return the crown as soon as possible.”

  “I see.” A shadow fell over them, and she peered up at the sky. “Oh, look!” She pointed as Silas flew over them in dragon form. “Is that Puff?”

  Dimitri glanced up. “Could be.”

  Gwennore waved at the dragon. “It’s good to see him. I haven’t seen him in a few days.” There, that should convince Dimitri she was still in the dark. She spotted another movement in the sky. An eagle, and it was flying straight for them. Brody?

  “Why did you and Silas take the crown into the forest?” Dimitri asked. “He didn’t have time to explain, but he said you could.”

  She nodded, grateful to have something to take her mind off her relationship with Silas. When she started describing how the giant redwoods had helped, Dimitri held up a hand to stop her.

  “You’re really communicating with them?”

  “Yes, they said only a few elves can do it.” As she continued with the story, the eagle swooped down and landed on the saddle of Silas’s horse.

  “Hi, Brody.” Gwennore smiled at him, and he gave her a small squawk.

  Dimitri snorted. “Isn’t he a little obvious with his spying?”

  “I’m sure he’s just curious.” Gwennore finished her story about the crowns and tainted jewelry. “So all the madness and suffering that was attributed to the so-called curse was actually caused by a poisonous metal.”

  “Do you think the Ancient Ones knew they were poisoning us?” Dimitri asked.

  Gwennore nodded. “We believe so. But the good news is once we get rid of all the poisonous jewelry, the curse will be gone.”

  “But what about the plague? Isn’t that part of the curse?”

  Gwennore explained everything that had happened in the troll village. “People expect me to find a cure, but I’m not really sure how to go about it. Brody, could you go to Luciana and Brigitta and find out if their royal physicians have any advice for me? I need all the help I can get.”

  Brody gave a squawk, then took off
.

  “Thank you!” Gwennore called after him.

  “I guess he has his uses.” Dimitri watched the eagle flying south.

  “Definitely,” Gwennore agreed. “I don’t know what we would do without Brody.”

  For the rest of the trip, Dimitri was silent. Gwennore wondered if he was thinking about Annika. With the curse gone, there would no longer be a reason for him to avoid her.

  Unfortunately her relationship with Silas was not that easy to resolve.

  * * *

  The sun was setting by the time Silas landed at a cabin close to the army camp. While getting dressed in the cabin, he sent a mental message to Aleksi that he had arrived.

  Aleksi met him on the outskirts of the camp and led him toward the tent where the priest was being held.

  “Has he said anything?” Silas asked as he returned salutes of soldiers they passed by.

  “No, but I haven’t actually questioned him yet. We’ve left him alone since this morning, so he should be feeling anxious by now. Oh, he had a pouch of gold on him, and this.” Aleksi handed him a rolled-up piece of paper.

  Silas unrolled it. The message was written in Elfish. “Damn.” There was no one here who could read it. Maybe Gwennore could. He glanced at the setting sun. It was too late to fly back tonight. He slipped the note into a pocket inside his breastplate.

  So the priest hadn’t planned to report to Lord Morris after all, but to an elf? And since the Chameleon had killed Romak to keep him from talking, did that mean the Chameleon was also working with an elf? Maybe the Chameleon was an elf. No one knew what he really looked like.

  “Here we are.” Aleksi stopped next to a tent surrounded by half a dozen armed soldiers.

  Silas lifted the flap to look inside. A lit lantern, hung from a hook on the tent frame overhead, cast a golden glow on the priest. He was a thin, elderly man, slumped in a chair with his hands tied behind him.

  “I’ll try the nice approach,” Silas whispered to Aleksi. “Lend me a knife and bring a tray of food.”

  “All right.” Aleksi handed him a dagger, then strode toward the galley tent while Silas jabbed the dagger under his belt.

  “Good evening, Father.” He stepped inside the tent, lowering the flap. “My apologies for keeping you waiting.”

  The priest straightened in his chair, giving Silas a wary look.

  As Silas approached, he suddenly whisked out the dagger. The priest flinched.

  “Such a shame, keeping a servant of the Light tied up like this.” Silas stepped behind the priest and sliced through the ropes.

  With a relieved sigh, the priest massaged his shoulders. “Bless you, my son.”

  “It’s the least I can do.” Silas tucked the dagger under his belt. “I was raised to respect those who serve the Light.”

  “Bless you.” The priest pressed his hands together and bowed his head. “May the Light shine upon you always.”

  Silas sat in the chair on the other side of the table. “You have an Eberoni accent. May I ask why you are traveling in my country?”

  “I am but a humble priest, ministering to those who follow the one true god. The Norveshki are also among the Enlightened, so it is my duty to serve them as well.”

  “I see.” Silas noted that the priest’s sun pendant was made of gold, and the chain it was hanging from was also pure gold. Not exactly humble. “And how, may I ask, were you serving my people? Did you heal the sick or feed the hungry? Perhaps you were giving alms to the poor with the gold you were carrying?”

  The priest’s eyes darted nervously toward the flap. “I am but a humble servant of the Light.”

  “I understand. Why were you going to Woodwyn?”

  “The elves are also Enlightened. It is my duty to serve all—”

  “You were seen bribing Lord Romak for information and paying him to assassinate me.” Silas noted the priest’s hands suddenly clench. “You must be surprised to see me still alive.”

  “I am but a humble priest. I do not know of this lord you mention.”

  “I see. Then you needn’t be concerned that he was arrested as a spy. Or that he was stabbed to death in his jail cell.”

  The priest grabbed hold of his sun pendant.

  Silas leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “The Chameleon sneaked into the dungeon, disguised as one of my soldiers, and murdered Romak so he couldn’t talk.”

  The priest’s face grew pale as his hand clenched tighter around the sun pendant.

  “I wonder what will happen once the Chameleon learns that you’ve been captured?” Silas sat back. “An interesting dilemma, isn’t it? If I left you tied to that chair and called off all the guards, do you think you would survive the night?”

  The priest gulped, then flinched when the flap swung open.

  Aleksi strode inside with a tray holding a bowl of soup, a hunk of bread, and a cup of water.

  Silas leaned forward and whispered, “What if he’s the Chameleon? He might have poisoned the soup.”

  Aleksi gave him a wry look as he dropped the tray on the table.

  Silas narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve seen this soldier before.”

  Aleksi bit his lip to keep from smiling and quickly left.

  “I bet you’re hungry.” Silas looked over the food. “Would you feel better, Father, if I tasted it for you?”

  The priest nodded.

  Silas tore off a piece of bread. “You know who Lady Gwennore’s parents are, don’t you?”

  The priest shrugged.

  “I heard she was a princess. But a half-breed. I’m surprised the elves want her back.”

  “She is but a pawn.”

  Silas tensed inside. A pawn? He would never let her go to Woodwyn. “Then we’ll just have to keep her here. After all, she’s half Norveshki.”

  The priest’s eyes widened, but he remained silent.

  “Her father, Lord Tolenko—does he want her back?” Silas continued his bluff.

  The priest smirked. “You don’t know everything. Lord Tolenko is dead.”

  Silas paused for a moment, then slowly ate the piece of bread. So Dimitri’s uncle had died in Woodwyn. But not before fathering Gwennore with an elfin princess. “Good news, Father. The bread is safe.”

  The priest broke off a piece.

  “You know, we’ve been watching you ever since you entered the country. After you talked to Romak, I assumed you were headed to Eberon to report to Lord Morris. But it looks like you were planning on meeting an elf.” Silas retrieved the rolled-up note from his pocket.

  The priest’s hand shook, and his piece of bread tumbled onto the table.

  “So is the Chameleon allied with the elves?” Silas slipped the note back into his pocket. “I wonder what I’ll learn once I have this note translated.”

  The priest grabbed on to the golden sun pendant.

  “Are you worried you’ll be in trouble?” Silas motioned to the bowl of soup. “You haven’t eaten. You should enjoy one last meal before the Chameleon tracks you down, don’t you think?”

  “You cannot defeat him,” the priest whispered.

  “Maybe you should question why you serve a master who murders his minions once they’re captured.”

  The priest lifted his chin. “It is an honor to serve my masters. They will bring enlightenment to the entire world.”

  “They? Who are they? How many?”

  The priest gulped. “You won’t get anything else from me. I will serve the Light, even in death!” He twisted the bottom half of his sun pendant off and lifted it to his mouth.

  “No!” Silas lunged across the table to grab the man’s hand. As they struggled, a white poisonous powder was scattered across the table and the tray of food clattered onto the ground.

  Suddenly the priest ripped the knife from Silas’s belt. He scrambled back. “You will never defeat the Circle of Five. They will conquer the world!”

  “Who are the—No!” Silas jumped toward the priest as the man slic
ed the knife across his own throat.

  Blood gushed out, splattering Silas on the face and chest as he caught the falling priest.

  “No!” Silas knelt beside the priest, pressing his hands on the bloody gash. “Who are the—” He stopped when he saw the priest’s eyes glaze over.

  Aleksi ran into the tent. “What’s—” He stopped with a jerk at the sight of the dead priest and Silas covered with blood. “Damn. That was the nice approach?”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The next morning, on Garneday, Gwennore was eager to begin her work. Even though she had yet to receive any advice from other physicians, she and Annika both agreed they would need more verna leaves.

  After eating breakfast in the workroom, they hurried to Karlan’s office to see if Silas had returned. Gwennore hadn’t heard any noises coming from his dressing room, so she suspected he was still gone.

  When they spotted Dimitri inside the office, Annika halted outside the door and Gwennore dragged her inside.

  “Do you know when the general is returning?” Gwennore asked, and Karlan shook his head. When Dimitri turned his back to them to look out the window, she was tempted to kick him in the rear. “The general promised he would help us collect all the materials we need. Since he isn’t here, I expect his second in command to honor that promise.”

  Dimitri glanced back at her with a wary look. “What do you need?”

  “Verna leaves, to start with. We’ve depleted the supply here at the castle. Is there another place nearby that has a large garden?”

  Dimitri shifted his weight. “My family has a manor house not too far from here. There’s a garden there.”

  “Excellent.” Gwennore smiled, grabbing on to Annika’s arm when she tried to slip out the door. “When do we leave?”

  Dimitri tugged at his shirt collar. “You’re both going?”

  “Of course,” Gwennore told him. “You’ll need us to identify the correct plants. And please bring as many men as you can spare.”

  “All right.” Dimitri strode toward the door. “Be in the courtyard in five minutes.”

  As he headed down the hallway, Annika groaned. “I can’t believe you’re dragging me into this.”