Dragon's Prize (Dragons Awaken Book 2)

by Maya Starling

  “Not because of you, but what if someone else walks in?” Olivia’s gaze flickered to the doorway, then back at Kaden. Her eyes ran down his body, lingering on his behind.

  “Eyes up, Olivia,” Kaden said and smirked, making Olivia blush. “Here,” he picked up his shirt and tossed it in her direction. “Put my shirt on, I don’t want anyone else seeing you naked either.” He pulled on his pants, leaving his chest bare as he continued digging through his saddlebags.

  Olivia pulled his shirt over her head, smiling once she was enveloped in his scent. “And you are alright with others seeing you naked?” She rose to her feet, his shirt reaching past her mid-thigh, and sat on the bed. She covered her bare legs with the blanket.

  “Ha! Found it!” Kaden exclaimed and strode back to Olivia. “And the answer to your question is no… but it was just an accident… and a funny one at that. I know you don’t want others to see me that way, so I don’t want it either because it would upset you.” Kaden sat next to her. “Give me your hand.”

  Olivia obliged and Kaden laid the bone comb on her palm.

  She looked down at the comb and then back at Kaden, tears welling in her eyes. “You brought it with you?”

  “Yes, I remembered that you really liked it. I wanted to give you a reminder of those days in the cave.”

  Olivia jumped up and threw her hands around his neck in a tight hug. “I love you so much! You are so thoughtful,” she said.

  “I would offer to help you comb your hair but I don’t want you bald by the end of it.” Kaden nudged Olivia and she laughed. “I prefer you with some hair on that pretty head of yours.”

  Kaden settled on the bed, sitting cross-legged, and Olivia sat across from him, mirroring his position opposite him.

  “You seem so much more carefree… peaceful,” Olivia said as she combed her hair, wincing slightly when she tried to untangle some of the more difficult knots.

  “I do feel that way. My head is no longer a mess, I don’t feel that deep anger anymore. And I have you and you love me, that part makes me extremely happy.” Kaden winked.

  Olivia stopped combing her hair. “Oh, no!”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Órva’ar!” Olivia said. “Where was he when we were… together??”

  “I forgot about him.” Kaden frowned and paused. “I think he’s asleep now.”

  “Did he witness it? Feel it? This is so bizarre!”

  “I don’t think he did,” Kaden said, “At least, I… don’t think he did.” He finished, somewhat lamely. “I’ll have to talk to him about that, somehow. He struck me as being too respectful of others to do that.”

  “I hope curiosity did not get the better of him.” Olivia groaned. “It was my first time, too!” She hid her face in her hands, the comb forgotten in her hair.

  Kaden concentrated and tried to contact Órva’ar with his mind. After a few unsuccessful tries, he felt the dragon waking.

  “I’ve got his attention,” Kaden said and Olivia raised her head, fixing her wide eyes on Kaden. “I don’t even know how to ask him.”

  “Hmmm…” Olivia thought as she looked around for her comb, thinking it had fallen out of her grasp.

  “It’s easier to communicate with him when we react to something immediately.” Kaden explained, snickering at Olivia’s search. When she looked at him with a raised eyebrow, he reached over and gently untangled the comb from her hair.

  Olivia offered a sheepish smile, taking the comb back as she continued to work on the knots.

  “He’s already sensing my worry and he worries in return.”

  “Kiss me,” Olivia said as she leaned forward.

  “I could never refuse a demand like that.”

  Kaden leaned in and before their lips touched, Olivia added, “I cannot believe I am suggesting this, but it seems like a viable solution. I just cannot stand the thought of asking him myself. Keep your connection to him open. Try to discover what he feels, if he… remembers?”

  Understanding now, Kaden nodded and leaned in for a kiss. At the first touch of their lips, Órva’ar snapped shut the connection; Kaden himself felt suddenly alarmed and embarrassed. He chuckled against Olivia’s lips.

  Olivia leaned back and said, “What is it?”

  “We don’t have to worry about it. He didn’t witness anything.”

  Olivia smiled with relief and went back to combing her hair, while Kaden sent out a sincere apology to Órva’ar and gratitude for the privacy he provided.

  Olivia’s stomach was rumbling by the time they cleaned up and headed for lunch. She wore a simple, dress of beige cotton, with a wide, dark leather belt. Her sleeves were rolled up and she’d decided to be bold by not putting on her shoes but walking barefoot. It felt… liberating, and she wiggled her toes every now and then to feel the grass and ground underneath. Kaden simply added a shirt to the pants he had been wearing. Today, he picked the yellow shirt. Olivia said she loved that color on him and it made Kaden happy.

  They walked hand in hand to the eating area. When they had each filled a plate of food and got a cup of fresh water, they spotted their friends and walked over to join them.

  Olivia’s eyes met Charlie’s, and she blushed, the color deepening with each step that brought her and Kaden closer.

  By the time stopped at the low wooden table, Charlie had a wide grin on her face, but she didn’t say a thing. Olivia hid her face in Kaden’s shoulder.

  “Is everything alright, Olivia?” Cassiel said, standing up when they approached.

  “I, umm…” Olivia stuttered as she peered out at them.

  “Yes, Olivia, are you alright? You seem a bit flushed…” Charlie teased.

  “That’s enough, Charlie.” Kaden warned. The smile on Charlie’s face disappeared and she lowered her head. Kaden still scared her a bit, especially when he scowled the way he did now.

  Olivia kissed Kaden’s shoulder. “It is alright. We will talk later,” she said to Charlie and winked.

  Charlie expelled a deep breath, and smiled back.

  Cassiel didn’t ask for any clarification as he sat back down as well. If they wanted to explain and thought it was something he ought to know, they would.

  Olivia called Pup over and apologized to the little wolf, much to Kaden’s amusement.

  Charlie told Olivia about her newly discovered talent for weaving and sewing. Olivia was glad to see the sparkle in Charlie’s eyes and her genuine excitement as she told her about a dress she had started making.

  The discovery meant the world to Charlie, as she explored now what she wanted to do in life, what she was good at instead of what she used to do. No longer, she promised herself, I won’t sell my body again. She had a purpose now, and friends to help her along.

  It wasn’t long before others joined them; the chief and his wife, shamans Nahane and Ma’ad. It was a much larger gathering at their table now, and when Koda judged that it was an appropriate time, he joined them, sitting next to Kaden.

  Charlie was talking to Kamil, while the others listened to Kaden recount his experience of meeting Órva’ar and explain how they communicated.

  “Can he take over while you’re in human form, like right now? Do you think he would be able to talk to us in our language then?” Ma’ad placed his hands on the table and leaned slightly forward. He was eager for more interaction with the dragon. The other shamans joined them as well, listening intently.

  “I guess we can try that, he has certainly been paying attention the whole time I’ve been talking with you… and he agrees.” Kaden squeezed Olivia’s hand in reassurance.

  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, concentrating on his connection with Órva’ar, relinquishing control.

  The air shifted only slightly this time. It was not as obvious as when Órva’ar was in his dragon form, but when he opened his eyes, they were that familiar slitted yellow. The posture of Kaden’s body changed as well - he straightened up, pushed his shoulders back, and though he was not the t
allest among them, he appeared to be looking down at everyone else. Kamil and Charlie stopped their chatting to see what brought the sudden tension to the air.

  For Órva’ar, everything was changed. Much bigger, for a start, but colors seemed less vibrant. He couldn’t see as far, and he missed tiny details and nuances that he usually perceived in the world surrounding him. To him, the human silence was deafening. For a moment, he wondered if he’d lost his hearing. But there, a quiet intake of breath, chatter in the background, feet shuffling on the dirt ground, Olivia’s dress shuffling beside him. The sounds were there… just somehow distant. He wasn’t sure whether he liked that or not, the constant buzz of the nature around him subdued.

  A squeeze of his hand drew his attention back to the people at the table. Looking down, he saw Olivia’s hand in his. She had squeezed his hand. He raised his eyes to gaze upon her face. He tilted his head to the side as he studied her features.

  She was a cute little thing for a human, very sweet looking indeed, with an aura of innocence and loveliness, but her eyes promised more.

  Olivia’s lips quirked up, her smile tremulous at first. Órva’ar tried to reciprocate. The result was more of a grimace, but the effort was rewarded with a wide grin from Olivia.

  He hummed a bit, opening and closing his mouth a few times, trying to figure out how to speak non-dragon.

  “I… ummm… Everything...” Órva’ar spoke slow, prolonging each word. He cleared his throat, “everything is so…” he frowned, “big.”

  Olivia gave his hand another encouraging squeeze.

  He cleared his throat again. “Good den,” Órva’ar said, the old speech coming to him more naturally at first.

  “Den?” Koda’s furrowed his brows.

  “Den is day, Koda, the old speech.” Ma’ad explained.

  “How do you feel?” Nahane said, gaining Órva’ar’s attention.

  “’Tis … odd. I have no wings or tail… no fire sleeping inside me. Everything is big and vast.” Órva’ar looked around and above him once more, awestruck. “It is tiring, too. I will need to… adjust.” He nodded and regarded the faces around him once more. His gaze dropped to Olivia’s hand holding his. No claws, no scales, and soft human touch. Soft skin, so vulnerable, so smooth. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

  It was all very peculiar to Olivia. It was Kaden, but then again, it wasn’t. The touch was familiar, and yet foreign. She didn’t know how to feel about it. Would Kaden mind her providing the comfort of touch to Órva’ar? She just wanted to help him adjust.

  She sighed. Órva’ar’s eyes snapped to her own.

  They stared at each other for a moment. He could read the confusion, discomfort, worry, even a hint of regret in her eyes, but it seemed that her need to give comfort and help was greater.

  Olivia didn’t want him to feel dejected or upset if she pulled away, so she kept a hold of his hand, but didn’t reciprocate the gentle brush. Watching the emotions play across Órva’ar’s face, turning from a frown of confusion to a soft look of gratitude; Olivia smiled slightly and nodded her head in understanding.

  Órva’ar did the same and turned his attention back to the shamans.

  Everyone was quiet as they observed the exchange with intense interest.

  “Do you speak in your minds, you and Olivia?” Koda broke the silence.

  “No.” Órva’ar said, making Koda frown.

  “But you just…” the boy started again.

  “Communicated without words, yes. But not in our minds. You will learn, boy.” Órva’ar patted Koda’s head, amused.

  “Ask.” Órva’ar said to Nahane.

  “Why did the dragons leave us?” Nahane asked the question foremost in everyone’s minds.

  Órva’ar cleared his throat yet again. It was slightly dry. He gulped. He raised the cup in front of him and brought it to his lips. The sweet taste of milk and honey exploded on his taste buds. His eyes widened.

  “That is… so…” He paused, searching for a word.

  “Sweet?” Olivia added.

  “Yes, sweet.” Órva’ar said and he drank his fill. He turned his attention back to the shamans. “We did not leave you. We were… chased?… pushed away.”

  “Chased away?” Nahane said, his brows halfway up his forehead.

  Órva’ar took a bite or two of each of the various food on his plate, sampling everything, exploring the variety of tastes. He spoke between bites.

  “Aye, chased away. The people you now call the outsiders and your tribe used to be one and the same. But as humanity progressed, some people chose luxury over the simple life your own ancestors opted for, which is another extreme.” Having emptied his own, Órva’ar turned his attention to the food on other people’s plates. He enjoyed the new tastes, having mostly consumed raw meat and plain water as a dragon.

  “People became smug and bold beyond their abilities. We only tried to help. We are not violent by nature. But people accused us of blasphemy. Dragons behave like gods, they want to control and rule over us, people said. And of course, there were people who wanted to prove themselves with a sword. Suddenly, we were hunted. Not by all humans, mind you, but enough of them to disturb our peace. We lost our will to help since humans were doing well enough without us, and the gratitude –” sarcasm laced his words now, “we got for our help…” Órva’ar scoffed.

  He continued to talk, his words measured and slow. “There were not many of us. Our females were even fewer in number. So when one of them was attacked and killed as a trophy, it was too much for us. We retreated. Even some of the dragons became corrupted with greed and power, we had to intervene with our own as well. Those were hard times. We did not want to have anything to do with humanity anymore. We decided it would be best for us to rest until we should be needed again.”

  Órva’ar looked around at all the faces watching him, listening with rapt attention. “Once you have lived as long as we have, seen as much, done as much, life slowly loses its meaning. That is why we initially turned to humans. I am proud of the people here, glad to see that not all of you are corrupt, although you do not need to be so… hmmm… to adhere too much to the old ways. Progress is good, as long as it is controlled.”

  He finished his speech by taking a bite from an apple, scrunching up his nose at the sour taste. “This is not sweet.”

  Órva’ar slowly blinked and when his eyes opened again, they were no longer slitted yellow but a deep dark brown.

  “Why did he have to eat so much?” Kaden groaned, rubbing his stomach, making Olivia giggle.

  The sound brought everyone out of the trance they had been pulled into when Órva’ar spoke. More people had gathered around them, listening, even some that Olivia hadn’t seen before.

  Marok saw the slight confusion on Olivia’s face so he explained, “People have been coming in from the other tribes; they want to see the dragon before you leave.”

  “Oh…” Olivia nodded, leaning into Kaden’s side, and he instinctively wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

  “You did well,” he said as he kissed the top of her head. Olivia exhaled relief.

  “Why did Órva’ar go?” Koda piped in on the other side of Kaden.

  “He was tired,” Kaden said and grimaced as his stomach complained at the assault it had gone through.

  “When do you leave?” Marok said.

  Kaden looked down at Olivia as she gazed up at him. “Tomorrow?” he asked.

  Olivia glanced at Cassiel, who nodded and Charlie, who just shrugged but Olivia could see her friend’s internal struggle. She would have to talk to Charlie about it. She knew Charlie feared going back out there. that she didn’t want to leave the new life, one she had just begun discovering, behind.

  Looking back up at Kaden she confirmed, “Yes, please. I just want to go home as soon as possible.” Kaden nodded and kissed her forehead. He was glad to see that her bruises had been healing nicely, the natural healing process accelerated by Ma’ad’s lingering magic c
oursing through her. It wouldn’t be good for him to bring her home to her parents all beaten up.

  Marok spotted Bast coming back from her morning patrol. “Bast!” he called to his daughter and Charlie’s head immediately swiveled towards where he was looking.

  Charlie couldn’t hold back the smile forming on her face and Olivia then understood what her struggle was really about.

  “Yes, father?” Bast approached, and at the sight of Disa, Pup made his presence known with a low warning growl, curled next to Olivia.

  Marok stood up and excused himself. Kamil gave him an encouraging nod as he motioned to Bast to follow him. They didn’t go far, stopping just out of earshot for privacy.

  When the chief turned to face his daughter, Bast saw a flash of apprehension on his face before the strict mask was back on.

  “They are leaving tomorrow.” He nodded towards the table with Olivia, Kaden, Charlie and Cassiel.

  Bast nodded, feeling slightly disappointed that they would be leaving so soon. Even though she had been very wary of them and had disapproved giving them sanctuary, , in the end she had come to enjoy having visitors, with new stories and refreshing views of the world.

  “You know I have taught you all I can…” Marok continued as he shifted on his feet. Unusual for a stoic man. Bast nodded again, not understanding how his two statements were connected.

  Did he mean to hand over the title to her, now?

  “Father… I don’t think I’m ready to take over yet.” Bast frowned. She didn’t want to sound unappreciative, but she really didn’t think she was ready, no matter how much she desired to be.

  Marok chuckled. “I know you’re not, that’s…” He took a deep encouraging breath before continuing, “… that’s why I want you to go with them.”

  “Before you protest –,” he added when he saw the scowl on his daughter’s face deepening as she opened her mouth to argue, “ – you will listen to my reasoning.”

  Bast swallowed her protest and nodded at Marok to continue. She knew better than to show disrespect or argue with her father. It seemed he was both in father and chief mode at that moment, so she must respect both.