by Bianca D'Arc
“Delicious.”
Somehow she got the impression he was talking about more than just the meat. His hand lifted, covering hers gently and guiding the skewer back towards her mouth as he watched her.
“Eat up, sweetheart. We need to get moving soon.”
Nico jerked back suddenly, his head cocked toward the road a short distance to their left, behind the towering rocks. Nobody could see them from the road, nor could Nico and Riki see much unless they climbed a bit higher on the rocks, but they could hear pretty well. Sound carried over the barren landscape of this part of Skithdron.
Fright shivered through Riki as she became aware of frightening noises. The jingle of tack meant horses, and the galloping sound of their hooves indicated they were traveling fast. Metal clanks made her think of the swords, shields and light armor favored by some of Lucan’s guards.
Riki said not a word as Nico straightened. He climbed just high enough to see over the rocks to the road while Riki sat still as stone and worried. Her ragged fingernails bit into her palms as she clenched her fists in fright, every muscle in her body screaming silently in terror they would be discovered.
Nico dropped down on nearly silent feet. His face was grim, but his stance seemed mostly relaxed.
“We’re safe for now, but those were palace guards, which can’t mean good news for us. They’re heading for the town. That means you can’t be seen there, Riki, but we badly need supplies.”
“Then what can we do?”
“I’ll go in alone. There’s less chance they’ll recognize me. I have ways to blend in and I can fight them off better than you if they do catch me. But that means we’ll have to stash you someplace safe first.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It’s anything but, sweetheart. But we’ll make this work. Never fear.”
Riki caught movement out of the corner of her eye. It was slithering and it was huge.
“Nico!”
Her terrified whisper had him turning even before the last syllable left her lips. He faced the giant skith sliding toward them from across the small pond and morphed quickly and cleanly into his dragon form. Nico put himself between Riki and the deadly creature.
Nico breathed in a lungful of air and let loose with a torrent of flame that warmed her even from ten feet away. He advanced on the skith, giving no quarter as the giant creature tried to evade and spit its deadly venom at him. But it had little immediate effect on dragon scale. Riki knew Nico could stand against a single skith for some time before the venom would eat through even his tough dragon hide. One on one, dragons were usually stronger than skiths, or so the bards said.
But still, he had to be in some pain from the acid on his scales. The skith was wily, but Nico advanced, not allowing it to retreat or get in more shots than he could handle. With a final blast of powerful flame, he roasted the creature until it stopped moving, dead.
Nico, in dragon form, used his talons to stab through the carcass to be certain of its demise. Skiths were dangerous and hard to kill, even for a dragon. When he appeared satisfied the creature was dead, Nico immediately rolled his sleek black dragon body into the nearby stream, washing off the venom as best he could.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, sweet. The venom just stings a little. The water will wash it away and I’ll be good as new in a few minutes.”
Riki found her feet and scurried over to help him, splashing water from upstream, where it was clear, onto his glistening scales as he wallowed in the shallow water. She saw rough spots where the venom had begun eating away at his remarkably tough but flexible hide and concentrated her work on those spots first. After a few minutes, Nico stood, shaking off the last of the water.
“How do you feel?”
Nico transformed before answering. “Good as new.”
And he did indeed look unharmed as he stood before her, dressed once again in his leather breeches and shirt. His hair was wet, but his clothes seemed mostly dry.
“That was amazing.”
Weak now with relief, Riki began to sag, but Nico caught her in his strong arms and hugged her close for a moment.
“I’m sorry to have scared you, baby.” His words whispered into the hair by her ear. “I’m so sorry to have put you in danger.”
She pulled back to look into his pained eyes. “That wasn’t your fault, Nico. We’re in Skithdron. Skiths are a common enough hazard in this cursed land. You can’t be blamed for that. But I can thank you for saving my life, yet again.”
She reached up, daringly, and kissed his lips. She so wanted his kiss after what they’d just been through. He was such a good, brave and courageous man, yet so gentle with her. If she wasn’t much mistaken, she was half in love with him already.
Oh, this man was dangerous indeed.
Riki pulled away before either of them could deepen the kiss, knowing it was for the best. She couldn’t give up her virginity for anything. Not yet. Not until she was safely away from Skithdron and out of Lucan’s reach.
Nico watched her as if he would say something, but shrugged and let her go. He made a show of surveying their surroundings and gauging the time from the sun before turning back to her.
“We’d best be going. Anyone who sees this will know a dragon was responsible. And the smell will carry. Luckily the wind is blowing away from the town, or we’d be done for.”
She hadn’t thought of that, but realized he was right. “All right then, let’s go. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get out of Skithdron.”
“Truer words have never been spoken, milady.” Nico winked at her as they walked into the sparse trees that lined the road. “We’ll walk parallel to the road, but not on it. We don’t want to be seen until after I’ve found a place to stash you, then I’ll double back and enter from the road so any townsfolk who see me won’t be suspicious.”
“Good plan.”
“Hey, this is what I do, Arikia. Subterfuge is my job.”
“And I see you’re very good at it.” She smiled at him, truly glad for his presence on this journey. Without him she wouldn’t have made it three feet outside Lucan’s door. For that matter, she would never have escaped at all. She’d still be chained to Lucan’s bed, serving his perverse pleasure.
They arrived near the outskirts of the sizeable town before long, just as the sun made its journey toward the distant horizon. The sparse trees gave way to cultivated fields closer to town. Rows of tall corn stood against the pink-and-orange sky. Rays of the setting sun silhouetted Nico’s strong features against the bright orange and red horizon.
He was so handsome, she had to catch her breath every time she took a moment to think about how beautiful he was—both inside and out. So far he had been all that was kindness to her, and his valor was unquestioned. Nico had faced Lucan’s torture, his guards and a deadly skith without any weapon except his amazing ability to transform into a dragon.
Riki trusted him with her life and knew, deep down, she would give him her heart as well, with little protest, if he but asked. Still, she had to guard against letting him know how easily he could make her fall in love with him. Nico was a rogue. Worse than that, he was a prince of royal blood and no matter that he said she was some long-lost noble of Draconia, Riki would always be nothing more than a runaway slave. She could never have Nico in her life on a steady basis. Nor would he, in all probability, want her for more than a few precious days.
Better they remain friends and comrades. Better for her physical safety and the safety of her fragile, untried heart.
“This ought to do,” Nico mused as he looked at their surroundings. “It’ll be dark soon and these fields are probably your best bet for concealment, but I want you to have an escape route should you need it. If a skith comes along—”
“I’ll run like hell.”
Nico chuckled softly. “I like your attitude, sweetheart. That’s good. But skiths are pretty fast. Even your lovely little feet won’t carry
you fast enough. But what you can do is climb.”
“Climb what?”
“See that tree over there?”
They were on the edge of the cornfield closest to the town. In fact, the field backed up to the walls of the town, which were formed by the backs of barns, houses and sheds with plank walls between each structure, built to keep the skiths out. The tree Nico pointed to was on this side of the wall, right next to a barn with a slightly sloping roof.
“I see it, but I should warn you, I haven’t climbed a tree since I was eight years old.”
“If a skith is chasing you, you’ll climb, all right. Fear for one’s life is a wonderful motivator.”
That sobered her. She had lived the last years in nearly constant fear for her life. And Nico was right—fear was a good motivator. He must’ve seen her expression in the dimming twilight because he scooped her into his arms and hugged her for a quick moment.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He kissed the crown of her head softly, almost apologetically, and his tenderness made her want to cry. But this was no time for hysterics. They had to get in and out of here as quickly as possible.
“It’s all right, Nico. Really. So, you want me to climb that tree?”
He let her go with a final kiss to her hair. “Yes, but only if you need to. Climb the tree, then scoot back onto the roof as close to the peak as possible. No skith will be able to get you there, and you should be out of spitting range.”
“Then why don’t I just go up there now, while you go into town?”
“Because you might be seen. Even at night, some people travel the road and farmers keep odd hours to bring in their herds. Don’t go up there unless you need to, all right?”
She nodded as understanding sank in. The tree was a good ten yards from the edge of the field. “So you want me to stay here in the corn until I sense danger, then sprint for the tree and then the roof. Right?”
He beamed down at her, brimming with approval. “You’re a quick one.”
“Not really.” Riki felt her cheeks flush and ducked her head as Nico cupped her cheek.
“You’re a beautiful, intelligent woman, Arikia.” He spoke so earnestly, she had to look up into his sparkling eyes. “Don’t ever doubt that.”
He kissed her sweetly then, not taking the kiss deeper, just a tender salute to her lips that meant so much to her bruised, battered heart. Releasing her too soon, Nico stepped back and watched her, his gaze nearly burning her with its intensity.
“I have to go, but I’ll be back within the hour. I promise.”
Fear set in as she watched him backing away. “Hurry back, Nico.”
His expression softened for a moment. “I will. Stay safe and be alert. I’ll be back before you know it.”
And with that, he melted away into the darkening stalks of corn.
Chapter Five
Leaving Riki in that cornfield was one of the hardest things Nico had ever done, but he could see no other way. Backtracking quickly, he headed for the road, glad full dark was almost upon him. Nothing could delay him with Riki waiting in the cold, dangerous gloom of a Skithdronian eve. He had to move fast.
Nico offered up a silent prayer to the Mother of All for Riki’s safety and his own as he took the path to town, out on the road in the open for the first time in days. Nico was taking a very great risk, going into a town where he knew Lucan’s soldiers had already, no doubt, spread word of their escape.
Gates and walls around towns were standard in Skithdron to keep out the skiths. Unchecked, a skith could ravage a town like this in short order, but the resourceful people of this land had learned to build their homes in clusters, leaving strong, blank walls around the place, composed of the backs of buildings with tall fences in the spaces between. They were uncommonly good at keeping skiths out and people in, hence the need for a gate. The gatekeeper was supposed to watch for skiths and drop the heavy door at first sight, sealing the town and raising the alarm. The side effect, of course, was that a nosey gatekeeper could also regulate who went in and out of the town.
This gatekeeper, however, seemed more interested in watching the insides of his own eyelids than the road or environs. He was snoring softly as Nico passed, sprawled in his chair next to the rope and pulley system that would lower the gate swiftly if danger threatened.
Moving unobtrusively, Nico found a likely tavern in short order. The innkeeper was a rotund man with red cheeks and an overall jolly look to him. He eyed Nico suspiciously at first, but brightened when he saw the silver coin Nico offered for fast, efficient, discreet service.
Nico ordered a large basket of food. He surveyed the room, spying a worn, black, woolen cloak hanging in a corner behind the counter.
“That looks to be a warm cloak.” Nico kept his voice low so as to not be overheard. “I lost mine on the road and was hoping to find a replacement. Is it for sale?”
The man’s gaze shot to the bar across the room and Nico’s followed. Two young men manned the long bar, both sharing the innkeeper’s strong features. Undoubtedly, they were his sons and the cloak probably belonged to one of them.
“Losing one’s cloak is a sorry thing,” the man said, pursing his lips for dramatic effect as he frowned. Nico palmed another coin, allowing the innkeeper to glimpse the gleaming gold in his hand. “But I believe we could come to an arrangement, seeing as how the days are growing colder.”
“Do you have any sturdy rope? I could use some of that as well.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “I have some in back.”
The man was not only shrewd, but a bit opportunistic. Nico didn’t want to risk asking for clothes for Riki. He’d done well enough for now. He watched the room as the innkeeper bustled around behind him, packing the basket with food and the other items.
The innkeeper seemed more than happy to earn such a large sum for comparatively little and hustled everything together in record time while Nico tucked into a hot bowl of stew. He was about halfway through with his meal when two of Lucan’s castle guards came stalking through the door, taking seats at a table just a few feet from Nico.
He took the opportunity to listen in on their conversation, doing his best to appear calm and nonchalant. When the door had first opened, Nico thought he had been spotted—or given away by the avaricious innkeeper—but the guards seemed more interested in eating and drinking than rousting the patrons of the tavern. Thank the Mother of All.
Nico breathed a sigh of relief when the guards started eating their own hearty meals and the landlord returned with the cloak and basket. Beating a strategic retreat, Nico calmly left the tavern, one gold coin poorer but richer in both provisions and information. He’d heard quite a bit of the guards’ grousing and knew with certainty now the alarm had been sent up from here to the border.
Lucan’s fast action spelled trouble for their ability to cross the border easily, but Nico decided to take things one step at a time. First he had to supply them for the journey as best he could, then he would see about getting them out of Skithdron.
Spying a likely clothesline, Nico took the opportunity to pilfer a bit of clothing for Riki on his way out of town. She had to have been frozen after the long, cold ride the night before. Leaving a silver coin in payment, Nico felt no guilt for taking the unknown peasant woman’s dress.
He circled back cautiously through the cornfield, knowing darkness brought out predators in Skithdron the likes of which they didn’t see in his native land. Still, Nico was traveled enough to know how to avoid the worst of them, and he used all his skills now as he made his way quickly back to Riki.
Nico arrived back at the spot where he had left Riki, but she was nowhere to be found. Panic threatened until a rustle of leaves in the tall tree ten yards away caught his attention. Riki smiled down at him from between the leaves of a low branch. She hopped to the ground and ran to him.
Nico dropped the basket and caught her in his arms as she entered the camouflaging rows of corn. Hugging her close, he placed littl
e kisses all over her upturned face.
“You scared me, sweetheart.”
“I was too afraid to stay in the corn and I figured I could hide in the leafy part of the tree if I was careful.”
“Brilliant, Riki. That was good thinking.”
She beamed at him and he felt his heart expand. But they were in terrible danger from predators on the ground—both human and otherwise. Nico lifted the basket and led her away from town as quickly and safely as possible, rerouting only once to avoid a large predator eating its nightly kill.
When they were far enough away and out of the corn, Nico stopped.
“I have something for you.” He produced the peasant dress with a flourish and was gratified to see tears of happiness in her eyes. She took the dress from him and held it up to her skinny form. “Put it on over that shift you’re wearing for now. It gets cold in the night sky and I want you to be as warm as possible.”
Riki tugged the dress on with his help and his breath caught at her beauty. Her gorgeous auburn hair was coming back to life as her energy built with each passing hour of freedom. Riki was beginning to bloom like a flower after a long winter, and she was just as enchanting.
A healthy flush lit her pale cheeks. Nico felt better as well due to the way their energies fed off each other and multiplied while they slept. He was just glad Riki was starting to regain the health she should have had all along.
“Thank you, Nico!” Riki stretched up to kiss his cheek and the innocent touch sang through him. He pulled her to his chest and took her lips with his own, saluting lightly at first, then pushing in with his tongue.
When she didn’t resist, he took the kiss deeper—a long, slow exploration of her that drove him nearly wild with desire. Riki clawed at his chest, her hands digging into his muscles, kneading him in a way that made his cock harder than stone. Warnings shot through to his brain. He wanted to ignore the little voice that told him he was taking too much, going too far, but he had to listen. For Riki’s sake. Her safety depended on him and he had to put her first.
