“Why don’t you tell me about the Goddesses?”
“You already know everything you need to,” she told me. “You know their names and what they do. Isn’t that enough?”
Her tone piqued my curiosity. There was something she wasn’t telling me, but I couldn’t for the life of me imagine what. I was going to ask her for more information about the Goddesses, but then I turned the corner and saw the Military Councilor looming over People’s Councilor Danikel. One look at Warrald’s red face, wide eyes, and the bulging vein on his forehead told me he was pissed.
“This is foolishness, I tell you!” Warrald was shouting. “You are pinning the future of Windwall on one man!”
“One man with two dragons,” Danikel responded with surprising calm. It was obvious that the two men hadn’t seen us walk up behind them, and I decided to eavesdrop.
“Two dragons that could help us to put an end to Emroth’s minions and defend the wall,” Warrald insisted. “We have one week’s worth of oil, and the next shipment isn’t due for three weeks. The stonemasons are unable to keep us supplied with enough stones to drop on the ghoulins. But with him on the Windwall, we can use his power to stop more people from dying. People like your son.” He stabbed a finger into Danikel’s chest with bruising force.
“Of anyone, General,” Danikel said patiently, though I could see his face clenched tight at Warrald’s abrasiveness, “you should know that a defensive battle is no way to win a war. Especially not one against Emroth.”
“Yet we cannot see this dragon—” the Military Councilor began.
“So, we are going to find the magical item that will allow us to do precisely that,” Danikel cut him off, and a hint of steel echoed in the older man’s voice. “We will take the fight to the dragon and rid our city of the ancient curse of Vozaath in one fell swoop.”
“You base the hope of our city on a myth? A legend from the storybooks we read as children?” Warrald snapped.
“From what the priestess tells me, it’s pretty fucking real,” I interjected.
Military Councilor Warrald whirled on me, and fury flashed in his eyes. When he realized who I was, his jaw clenched.
“Sir Ethan,” he said through gritted teeth, “surely you can see that my fellow councilor’s plan is folly!” His voice rose to a shout. “He is throwing you into certain death or, even worse, endless wandering of an empty labyrinth. Ironfast has been sealed to us for five hundred years—”
“So, I’m going to unseal it,” I said with a shrug.
“And loose the demon Vozaath on our city?” Warrald’s face hardened. “Do you know how many men, women, and children you are putting in harm’s way if the myths are correct and the creature truly does exist?”
“Which is why I’m going to kill the demon for you.” I folded my arms over my chest. “I’ve already done what no one else could do by defeating two dragons. Why should a demon be any different?” I made sure I sounded more confident than I felt. The information Quailu had given me would help me defeat the demon, but it would be a hell of a fight. But I wasn’t about to back down now, especially not because of Warrald.
“Bah!” The Military Councilor threw up his hands. “You’re as mad as he is.” His eyes narrowed, and he stabbed a finger at me, then at Danikel. “Whatever happens now is on your heads. Remember this moment when your choice here comes back to haunt you.” He spun on his heel and stalked away.
I watched him go, and then I turned to Danikel. “He always this cheerful?”
“The General has a great deal on his mind,” Danikel said stiffly.
“Yet his primary concern is for the safety of Windwall,” a new voice cut in from behind me.
I turned to see a beautiful woman slipping between Arieste and Irenya to stand directly in front of me. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, with jet-black hair pulled back into an intricate braid atop her head. Her almond eyes met mine, and she batted long thick eyelashes as a pleasant smile stretched her narrow face and rosy red lips.
“My husband seeks to do what is best for this city,” the woman said to Danikel, but her eyes never left mine.
“That was never in dispute, Zhena.” I noticed a tight edge to Danikel’s words.
“Come, Sir Ethan,” said Zhena as she slipped a slim, silk-clad arm into mine and steered me deftly away from Danikel. “You must understand that my husband believes you are our best hope of survival against overwhelming odds. Your powers give our sons and daughters a fighting chance. My husband is simply willing to do whatever it takes for the wellbeing of Windwall.”
“Of course,” I nodded. The smell of her rose and lilac perfume was intoxicating, and I couldn’t help noticing the way her silk robes clung to her petite form.
“But what you do not know,” Zhena spoke in a whisper, “is that I, too, will do whatever I must.” She turned to me and gave me a look filled with barely concealed innuendo. “If the future of Windwall rests on your shoulders, I must be willing to ensure those shoulders can bear the weight.”
Her slim fingers traced my arm to the elbow, then slipped down my side toward my waist as she pulled me down to whisper in my ear.
“If you have need of anything,” she spoke in a low, breathy voice, “simply make your desires known. I will fulfill any request, Sir Ethan.”
“Ha!” Nyvea laughed in my mind. “She thinks to seduce you. Little does she know you’d actually be giving her the ride of her life if you put that big, thick, co--”
“That’s good,” I interrupted Nyvea. “She’s obviously trying to seduce me. I don’t need a play-by-play.”
“Awww,” Nyvea sighed.
Still, even though I knew the beautiful woman had an agenda, her breath was hot on my ear, and I gave a little shiver as I got a full breath of the perfume she wore. I could smell a hint of her skin beneath the floral scents, but I also saw Irenya and Arieste shoot her glares.
I mumbled something noncommittal and quickly extricated myself from the woman’s grasp. When I turned, Arieste stared at me with an expression as blank as the stone wall of the temple. Yet one look in her eyes told me exactly how she felt about what she’d just witnessed: She’d claw the face off the woman if I gave the order.
Irenya, however, was now occupied in conversation with Captain Daxos. I actually felt a little pang of envy as she laughed and tossed back her hair to expose one side of her neck. She seemed to enjoy talking to the handsome Blackguard captain, but as I watched, the redhead looked at me sideways and winked.
I hurried to Arieste’s side and reached for her hand. “Let’s get out of here,” I said in a low voice.
“Are you certain you want to?” she asked and moved her hand away from mine. “There are still Councilors whose wives you haven’t seduced yet.”
My jaw dropped at her words and the clipped tone of her voice. Anger blazed in her pale blue eyes, and I saw a slight tremble in her hands.
“In case you weren’t watching,” I said, “she was the one trying to seduce me.”
“And what a valiant fight you put up,” she snapped.
“You know she doesn’t actually care about me or what happens,” I told her with a sigh. “She’s only trying to get leverage to make her husband more powerful.”
“By sleeping with you?” she demanded with a raised eyebrow.
“Hey, I don’t pretend to understand politics any more than I understand how to put a rocket ship on the moon.”
Her expression grew confused, which seemed to add to her anger.
“Listen to me,” I said as I stepped closer until our bodies were nearly pressed together and my mouth was less than an inch from her ear. “There is only one person in this room that matters to me.”
This time, when I reached for her hand, she didn’t pull away, and she drew in a sharp breath as I whispered into her ear.
“Let me take you somewhere and show you just how much.”
I led her outside the temple, but instead of returning to the palace, I turned left
and pulled her around the corner and toward a shadowy nook between the stone cliff and the building. There, hidden from the world by the darkness, I pressed my lips to her and kissed her until she gasped for breath.
“Ethan!” She gave a little moan as she pushed away from me slightly.
I pulled her back into my embrace and crushed her to my chest. I flicked my tongue against her lips, and she opened her mouth to meet my tongue with hers. As we kissed, my hands ran down her sleek waist, over her hips, and down to her legs. I fought the urge to rip her dress off but instead lifted the bottom hem until I could feel the soft and smooth flesh beneath.
Her hands fumbled for my belt, and I felt myself going hard in anticipation. I let her tug my trousers down to mid-thigh before I pulled her dress all the way up to her hips. I lifted her off the ground, and she wrapped her left arm around my waist as I leaned her back against the stone wall.
We both gasped as she guided me inside her with her right hand. I could feel her eagerness as she pressed her hips down onto mine. Her pleasure built to a climax quickly, and she bit down on my shoulder to keep from crying out. I didn’t slow my pace when she peaked. Instead, I kept thrusting until she couldn’t restrain her moans of pleasure.
At this moment, I didn’t care that someone would overhear us. I just wanted to lose myself in the soft warmth of this beautiful woman.
Her eyes met mine as our bodies struggled to become one, and I saw craving had replaced her anger. She wanted me as much as I wanted her. For long minutes, we lost ourselves in the rhythm of desire, until wave after wave of pleasure washed over us together. Arieste let out one last gasp of joy when we both peaked together, and then she relaxed in my arms.
“Now do you believe me?” I whispered in her ear.
In response, she could only kiss me again, and then I put my clothes back in order, took her hand, and led her back to our room.
Chapter Seven
Our quickie beside the temple had done little to diminish the desire burning inside both of us, so we nearly ripped the bed apart in our passion once we returned.
“Goddesses!” Arieste gasped as she slumped atop my chest, breathing hard after our epic lovemaking session. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. I could feel the hammering beat of her heart against my bare chest and the soft warmth of her skin against mine. At that moment, I truly did feel like the luckiest man in the world.
“How could anyone want to live as a dragon and miss out on such pleasure?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a chuckle. “It seems a real shame to hide such beauty in the form of a forty-foot beast.” I ran my hands down the smooth, alabaster skin of her sides. “It makes me glad I figured out how to take the ice magic. I like Arieste a great deal more than I liked Frosdar.”
“I’m glad for that, too.” Arieste let out a little laugh and settled her face onto my chest. Her fingers traced the tattoos along my collarbone, across my shoulder, and down my arm.
“Are you, though?” I finally asked the question which had been nagging at the back of my mind all night.
“What does that mean?” Arieste’s head lifted, and she met my eyes with a questioning gaze.
“I really like what we have,” I told her, “but are you happy with it?”
“What do you mean, exactly?”
“You aren’t a dragon any more. You are a human.”
“Yes,” she sighed. “I’m fine.”
“Uh oh,” I said with a slight laugh.
“Uh oh?” Arieste raised an eyebrow.
“When a woman says ‘I am fine,’ it means that she isn’t,” I said.
“What would you like me to say?” Arieste asked as her eyes narrowed.
“Look,” I said. “You were once a dragon, now you are a human. You heard what Priestess Quailu said. I am the source of your magic, so you have to stay near me. I didn’t necessarily want to bind you to me, but--”
“My choice was simple to make,” she interrupted me. “You would have killed me if I didn’t serve you.”
“No,” I said. “You offered, and you have to live with the daily reminder of what you once had.”
“Should have I just let you kill me?” she asked with a shrug. She didn’t seem angry, but her eyes held their usual coldness.
“Well, think about it from my perspective,” I said. “You were a dragon that was terrorizing the people I swore to protect. If our positions were reversed, you--”
“Yes,” she interrupted me and a slight smile came to her lips. “I can understand why you are concerned. Perhaps when I first swore to you, my goals were to steal my powers back, and yes, I still want them, but things have changed now.”
“How so?” I asked as I felt the conversation begin to relax.
“I feel human,” she said with a shrug. “My memories of being Frosdar feel disconnected. It might sound weird, but the more time I spend as a human, the more I feel as if this is my natural state.”
“Hmmm,” I said as I thought through her words.
“I feel… bad?” she said with a sigh. “I remember building my empire, I remember killing humans and taking their land, I remember… things that I wish I didn’t.”
“You feel remorse?” I asked.
“Yes and no,” Arieste replied. “I feel as if it was someone else, and not me. But I know that is not the case, so I do feel sad that the thing I once was killed so many. It is hard to explain.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I can only imagine how weird it is to change from a dragon to a human woman. I know that has to suck, and the priestess’ words got me thinking.” I fixed her with a piercing gaze. “I’ve seen it in Irenya’s eyes. She’s with me for the magic only, even if she pretends otherwise. With her, I can be okay with that. But with you…”
“No,” Arieste said and quickly pressed a finger to my lips. “Never doubt my reasons for being by your side. As I said, things have changed within me, and they continue to evolve the longer I stay human. Ethan, I don’t blame you for what has happened to me. You were only trying to protect your people, and you gave me a chance when you could have killed me. For that, I am thankful.”
She kissed me, long and hard, a kiss filled with the same burning passion that had fueled our lovemaking minutes earlier. When she finally broke off the kiss, she pushed herself up so she could look me full in the face.
“I will admit I might have felt that way at the beginning,” she said in a slow voice. “I did not want to be bound to anyone, especially not the man who had stolen my power. I sought a way that I could take the magic back from you.”
“So, what changed?” I asked.
“The first night we slept together,” she said, “I intended to get close enough to you that I could figure out your weakness and use it to my advantage. But then I saw how you threw yourself in the way of danger to save the people of Whitespire. Something within me, the new human part, found it such a noble act, the act of a true hero. I felt drawn to that sort of strength of character. You make others around you safe. Now that I am no longer a dragon that is a comforting feeling.”
“I swear I will always do what I can to make sure you are safe,” I told her earnestly.
“I know,” she said, and I was surprised to find moisture glimmering in her eyes. “And that was the strangest part of it. You knew what I was, what I had been for so long, yet you never held it against me. You could see past everything Frosdar had done. You trusted me for me, and it made me want to prove you right. For that, and for everything else you have done for me, I stay with you. You are the magic I want in my life.”
She kissed me again, and I felt the intensity of the emotions roiling through her. I couldn’t help feeling the same thing. I had grown close to Arieste over the time we spent together. It seemed so strange to think that we had just met a few short weeks ago because it felt like we were old friends.
“Life as a dragon was boring and lonely,” she said in a quiet voice. “All I felt was desire for power, treasure, and
the hatred for Riamod and my enemies. You changing me into a woman was the greatest gift I could have been given. Now, I know what it truly means to be alive.”
We lay there for a long moment, content in the silence and the feeling of our bodies pressed together. Eventually, Arieste rolled off my chest and onto the bed beside me, but she didn’t rise to dress or leave. I doubted we’d have much private time together during our exploration of Ironfast, so I wanted to make the most of this night.
We must have fallen asleep, since I jerked awake when the latch to my door lifted. I tensed and instinctively reached for the fire magic flowing within me as the door creaked open. A dark figure appeared in the opening, and I prepared to say hello by giving the intruder a face full of fire.
“Ethan?” came Irenya’s quiet voice. “Ethan, are you awake?”
I let out a quiet breath as I released the fire magic. If Irenya planned to hurt me, she wouldn’t have spoken first.
“Yes,” I whispered. “What’s the matter?”
I heard the quiet shuffling of her feet on the carpeted floor as she slipped toward my bed.
“Th-the noise of the ghoulins attacking the wall,” she said, her voice hesitant, “I couldn’t sleep. So, I thought I’d come and—”
Her voice cut off sharply as I summoned a small wisp of fire to brighten the room, and her expression went blank at the sight of the blonde-haired woman curled up against my chest.
“Come and?” I asked.
“Uh, t-tell you we might want to start getting ready,” she stammered. Her eyes traced Arieste’s naked body from head to toe, and I saw a hint of envy flash in her amber eyes. “Dawn is just an hour off.”
“Of course,” I said in a flat tone. From the calculating look in Irenya’s eyes, I could guess why she had come into my room, since Arieste admitted to doing the same thing the first night we slept together. Finding Arieste in my bed had thrown a wrench into the red-haired woman’s plans. “We’ll be ready to leave by dawn.”
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