Dragon's Prize (Dragons Awaken Book 2)

by Maya Starling

  “Yes.” He tightened his hold on Theo. “Now tell me everything.”

  “Kaden…” Damien lowered the bow and arrow. Kaden nodded, still sizing him up.

  “We will talk, but we must move further away from the camp. I don’t want anyone seeing us talking to you.” Damien’s voice was quiet and soothing, an attempt to pacify the dragon man.

  “I’m not letting go of him.” Kaden narrowed his eyes at Damien and pushed Theo forward with his body.

  They walked through the forest in silence. Damien turned his back on them, showing Kaden that he wasn’t a threat anymore. It didn’t go unnoticed.

  When they neared Mousse, Pup walked out of the shadows and growled at Damien. The man jumped back and pulled his sword out.

  “Pup, down!” Kaden’s command had the cub lying down. “No need for weapons.”

  Damien lowered his sword. “As much as you love Olivia, I love the man whose life you hold in your hands. I wouldn’t risk his life for anything in this world,” Damien kept his eyes trained on Kaden’s, as he spoke slowly and carefully, not even daring to look at Theo.

  “Olivia got away from Magnus yesterday. She stabbed him. She escaped, with Cassiel and Charlie, further into the forest. Charlie is the redhead you saw with us at the cave.” Kaden nodded for Damien to continue. “She befriended Olivia. Charlie was not… keeping Magnus company entirely willingly. Cassiel is… was one of Magnus’ knights. They went into the forest, hoping the barbarians wouldn’t harm them as much as Magnus had… No…No… don’t get upset… Olivia is fine… remember… she stabbed him and ran away… and before you ask, we know all this because we helped them.”

  Damien finished, hoping that the truth in his words reached Kaden.

  Kaden took a few moments to process the information. He did remember now, these two being there at the cave. He also remembered their arrows missing him, and not for lack of skill.

  He nodded slowly, “Alright. I will believe you for now. But any aggressive moves, and I’ll snap his neck before you can blink.” Kaden warned as he slowly let go of Theo.

  Theo moved cautiously away from Kaden, now keeping eye contact with Damien until he reached his lover.

  Damien took Theo’s face into his hands, “Are you alright?” he said, desperate.

  Theo nodded. Soft lips touched his own.

  “I am still here you know.”

  They pulled back at the sound of Kaden’s voice and now stood side by side.

  “He told you the truth. We befriended Olivia, we were already friends with Charlie. We couldn’t go with them, we had to distract Magnus and lead them on a false trail. Let’s just say he’s not really happy with us at the moment.” Theo took Damien’s hand in his own.

  Kaden was still wary. “I finally catch up with you, intent on saving her, and now you tell me she’s already saved herself?”

  “Well… seems like it. She saved Charlie, too.” Theo said.

  Kaden laughed. “Should’ve expected that from her. I’m glad she did it on her own.” He sighed. “Very well, I’ll follow them. You said they left last night? … Good, I can still catch up.” Kaden put his weapons away and walked toward them. They immediately stepped aside, clearing his path to the horse.

  “Oh, and if you’ve led me astray, you will wish you had Magnus chasing after you instead of me.” He mounted Mousse and called Pup over. “Which direction did they take?”

  After Theo explained where Olivia and the others had gone the night before, Kaden nudged the mare forward in a fast trot with Pup following closely.

  He rode all through the night, hoping he hadn’t gone too far off their path. At dawn, he found himself surrounded by a group of men and women. They were dressed in leathers and furs, pointing their weapons at him.

  He asked about Olivia, but the leader of the group wasn’t forthcoming, keeping an ever suspicious eye on Kaden. He lost his temper when he explained that he wasn’t one of Magnus’ men and they still hadn’t believed him.

  They saw his eyes, and heard his voice. With a few murmurs among them, they agreed to take him to their village, their weapons never wavering and keeping a safe distance from him.

  It took them a few more hours, seeing as Kaden had left the trail a little, before they reached the tribe’s village.

  As they headed deeper into the village, the people who saw them looked extremely surprised. They had never seen so many strangers visit them before.

  Once they reached a little clearing, Kaden’s breath caught. There she was. Sitting on a bench next to one of the tribe’s men, with a knight protectively standing by her side and the redhead sitting on the floor.

  He jumped off the mare and started forward. “Olivia!” he called out before he was stopped by many weapons pointed at him.

  He saw her head turn toward him, her eyebrows furrowing with confusion. She stood up and was about to take a step forward, when the knight beside her stopped her with his hand on her shoulder.

  “Take your hands of off her!” Kaden roared, making everyone step back.

  “I am Marok – ” the tribe man approaching him said.

  “Olivia… Please…” He was barely holding himself back from snapping all those weak necks whose owners were preventing him from pulling her into a hug.

  She said something to the knight, who bowed his head and followed her as she made her way toward the group surrounding Kaden.

  Olivia was confused by this strange man calling her name. His voice was slightly familiar… maybe not his voice, just the way he spoke the words. He looked a dangerous, rugged mess, and yet, she didn’t feel threatened.

  For an unknown reason, her heart pounded in her chest, butterflies tumbling in her belly.

  “Who are you?” she said when she came close enough.

  A smile appeared on the man’s face. He no longer looked dangerous. He seemed so happy to see her, as if he had been holding his breath until now. He was beautiful.

  “I told you... even death wouldn’t be able to keep me away from you.”

  Olivia paled. She battled losing consciousness, she resisted. She examined the man. The scar above his left eye… and a missing finger on his left hand.

  “It cannot be…” her voice trembled.

  A whimper drew her attention. She saw a black wolf cub lying by the man’s feet, gazing up at her.

  “Pup?” It was easier for her to recognize the cub than the man.

  She looked back into the man’s eyes and saw them flash into that familiar yellow she had come to love.

  “Go to her,” the man told the cub, never taking his eyes from hers.

  Pup didn’t waste a second as he bounded toward her.

  “Pup!” Olivia exclaimed happily as the people of the tribe let him through. Everyone was quiet, not wanting to disturb the scene.

  She crouched as the little wolf ran into her wide open arms. Tail wagging, he rained kisses all over her. “Oh Pup, how I missed you!”

  Kaden knew she needed a few moments to process everything, so he waited. He was comforted by the light of recognition he saw in her eyes.

  When she tried to extract herself from the overly ecstatic wolf, Kaden called him back.

  Olivia took a deep breath and lifted her gaze toward Kaden.

  “Kaden?” she asked hesitantly, even though she already knew the answer.

  He nodded. Gasps spread around them, but both ignored them.

  Olivia smiled first, and then tears flowed. She couldn’t move. She was paralyzed with happiness. The only thing she could do was bring her hands up to hide her crying face in her palms.

  Kaden didn’t waste any more time. He approached her, slowly at first, picking up his pace when everyone let him pass. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest.

  “Liv… it’s alright. I am here now. I’m never letting go again. I’ve missed you so, so much.” he mumbled into her hair as she sobbed against his chest, his own tears drenching her dark locks. “I love you so much.”
/>   At these words, Olivia wrapped her arms around his waist, burrowing her face into his shirt.

  Kaden held her as she cried. Nobody around them existed; they were in their own little world. As they had been in his cave.

  “My love, you need to slow down the tears. I don’t want you to make yourself sick.” He kissed the top of her head. “Let me see that beautiful face of yours…” He leaned back slightly, put his palms on her cheeks and tilted her head up, so he could gaze into those bright blue eyes.

  The smile that he loved so much spread across her face. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs in vain, as new ones quickly followed.

  “I missed you so much,” Kaden repeated as he kissed the bruises on her face. He wouldn’t ask about those now, he didn’t want to upset her.

  “I have missed you too, Kaden.” Olivia couldn’t stop smiling.

  “Now,” he grinned, “I can finally do this …” He barely finished saying the words when he leaned into her. A whisper of a breath, a soft touch of lips, tentative. Grabbing a fistfull of his shirt, Olivia trembled. Kaden kissed her gently, careful to be tender as he poured all his love into their first kiss.

  The kiss was slow, eager, wanting. It was everything she had ever dreamed it would be and Olivia let her hands roam over his chest and up, tangling her fingers in the hair at his nape. His lips were dry and slightly chapped. His stubble was scratching her, but she didn't care. She didn't even care that she was kissing a stranger... this strange man was the dragon she loved. She knew, at that moment, it didn't matter what he looked like, she knew his soul and she loved him.

  Kaden could hear the shuffling sounds of people dispersing around them. He was grateful for the privacy as he let his lips dance with Olivia's in a beautiful slow symphony. He didn't dare deepen that dance. It was neither the time nor the place for it. Not with the audience that lingered.

  Slowly, hesitantly, he pulled away from the kiss that had left them both a bit breathless. Looking at her face, though, he couldn’t resist one more soft peck before resting his forehead against hers. They cherished the moment, the contact, the peace they both felt enveloping them, just like the smoke of his fiery breath had.

  Olivia's arms were wrapped around his neck, her fingers nervously playing with his black curls while Kaden's encircled her waist, keeping her close, as though afraid she would suddenly disappear.

  “I cannot believe I have you in my arms…” Kaden whispered as he opened his eyes and broke the contact between their foreheads to gaze down at her.

  Olivia smiled sweetly up at him. “You do... and I am not letting you go, or letting you let me go…” She frowned a bit, confused by her own words.

  “I won’t.” Kaden promised, leaning to kiss her forehead.

  “They told me they’d killed you.”

  “I told you. Not even death could keep me away… in a way, they did me a favor,” Kaden said. He brushed a stray lock off her face, tucking it behind her ear.

  Olivia looked confused and Kaden smiled down at her, adoration in his eyes. “I don’t think I would’ve been here… holding you in my arms, kissing you,” Olivia’s cheeks turned rosy, “if what happened hadn’t happened, do you understand?”

  “I think so.” She smiled at her dragon. Not a dragon anymore, but her Kaden, nonetheless. Her eyes, though red-rimmed with tears, were bright and happy. She was glowing.

  Kaden couldn’t hold back his own beaming smile, nor could he resist fusing his lips to hers again, feeling her melt into him. He smiled against her lips.

  Olivia let the kiss linger. She just couldn’t keep away. She had to touch him, and discover what it felt like to kiss him, again and again. She loved the tingles it brought, how it made her heart race and butterflies soar in her belly. Still, curiosity got the better of her. “What happened?”

  Kaden looked down at her, unwavering love shining in his dark, brooding eyes. He couldn’t believe she had accepted him as a man so easily, but he would never argue it.

  “It’s a long story, for which I think we should sit down. I will tell you everything…”

  “My head is already buzzing with questions.”

  Kaden smiled, “I love your head.”

  Olivia couldn’t help the silly grin from spreading. She reached for his face and pulled his head down. Kaden eagerly obliged when she tugged his face lower. He was rewarded with a gentle kiss on his scar.

  “I love you, too…” she said, letting go of his face to bring up his left hand. He tried to hide it but she wouldn’t let him. Sadness entered her features as he let her examine his stump of a finger.

  She kissed his palm. “I am sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault, love. I’d gladly give my whole hand just to have you by my side… I’d give more.” Gently, he caressed her cheek.

  Nudged forward, Kaden bumped into Olivia. He turned around with a scowl and found himself face to face with Mousse.

  “What do you want?” he snapped. Mousse rewarded him with a snort, hitting him with a face full of spit.

  Olivia laughed, “Is that how you talk to your horse?” She turned him around and wiped the goo off his face with her sleeve, his scowl disappearing with it.

  “She interrupted a very special moment. Old hag,” Kaden muttered the last part under his breath. Mousse tried to bite him but he was used to her ways by now and easily avoided her snapping teeth.

  “I think she’s trying to tell me that she and Pup,” he looked at Pup who was now asleep on the ground next to where the mare had been, “want to sleep… probably eat as well. We’ve been up since yesterday morning. They only managed to get a few hours of sleep.”

  “Oh, you didn’t! Poor animals.” Olivia reached a hand towards Mousse who obliged and lowered her head in acceptance, expecting a scratch. “It is a miracle they made it this far.”

  “I was in a hurry to get to you. I’ve been looking after them well enough,” Kaden said, earning him a raised eyebrow from Olivia and another snort from Mousse.

  “I like her,” Olivia smiled.

  It was then that they noticed their audience; chief Marok, his wife Kamil, Cassiel and Charlie were mumbling among themselves near the hut, trying not to intrude.

  “Cassiel?” Olivia called. The knight quickly came to her side.

  Kaden narrowed his eyes at Cassiel at first but before Olivia could speak further, he held his hand out toward the knight.

  Cassiel clasped the offered hand with a confused expression on his face.

  “Thank you for looking after Olivia.” Kaden’s gratitude was sincere. They exchanged a look as they had back in the cave and Cassiel, recognition dawning, shook Kaden’s hand.

  “It was my honor. I wish I could have done more,” Cassiel said, bowing his head to Kaden. He turned to Olivia and asked, “My lady?”

  “I know it is not your duty, but could you please take this mare to where Starlite is settled? Make sure she is well treated and fed?”

  “Of course. What is the mare’s name?” Cassiel took the reins.

  “Mousse.”

  “Mousse?” Olivia repeated.

  “Yes, Mousse.” Kaden couldn’t hold back the smile at Olivia’s amusement. “In my defense, she was already named that when I bought her,” he said. “I think she is the best horse I could possibly find… even saved my life.”

  “She did?”

  Cassiel was already leading Mousse away as Olivia and Kaden made their way toward the others. They intertwined their fingers as if they’d been doing it their entire lives. It felt natural and it made Olivia smile. The butterflies never stopped their beautiful dance.

  “As I said… I have a lot to tell you.”

  “Wait! You said you have been on the road since yesterday morning. When was the last time you slept? Ate?”

  “I slept last night. I mean… the night before, and ate sometime during the day yesterday.”

  “You must be starving!” Olivia said, “That needs to be remedied. Eat, sleep, and then we will talk.
”

  “I don’t think I can let you go for that long.” Kaden pulled Olivia closer and wrapped his arm around her waist as she leaned into him.

  “I will nap with you. I miss the snuggling.”

  “I miss it, too.” Kaden planted another kiss on the top of her head and looked into the sky in her eyes. Some clouds were dimming their light but it seemed that the sun was finally shining through after being hidden for some time. “You have changed….”

  “I have been through a lot,” Olivia answered with a sad lilt to her voice.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Why? It is not your fault,” she said, embracing him, snuggling in deeper.

  “I should have protected you better.”

  “You were ready to sacrifice your life for me, how could you have done more?” Olivia wrapped her other arm around him as well.

  Kaden was silent as they reached Marok, Charlie and Kamil, pondering whether to tell her that he had in fact briefly sacrificed his life for her and, moreover, believed this sacrifice had been the key to breaking the curse.

  “This is my Kaden.” Olivia introduced him, beaming with pride that the man was hers.

  The chief frowned but performed his official greeting, “I am Marok, chief of this tribe, and this is my wife, Kamil, the weaver.”

  “I am Kaden… the… umm… until recently, a dragon.” Kaden said curtly but didn’t return the greeting gesture. This earned another scowl from the chief, though his expression softened somewhat on hearing that Kaden had been a dragon. Kaden kept holding Olivia, not wanting to let her go even for a second.

  “And this is Charlie.” Olivia introduced her red-haired friend. “She has become a very dear friend of mine.”

  Charlie squealed, “This is sooo romantic, you make a very cute couple! I cannot believe you were the dragon.” She even had some tears in her eyes, ever the romantic.

  “A dragon! A dragon, here!” Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the shaman’s voice. Bast and Koda escorted him towards the group.

  Disa followed along lazily, sniffing the air. She smelled the intruder, her eyes landing on the sleeping wolf cub. She bristled.