by Sadie Savage
It wasn’t cold but she shivered slightly, the images seemed so lifelike, and in the shadows and dancing flames of the fire light, they seemed to come alive. She had seen the images before and tried to recall where, and then she remembered; the sign of the dragon had been present in many of her dreams for as long as she could remember.
The entrance to the tent opened and James McGuire stood before her. Her heart gave a slight shudder as he looked deep into her eyes and smiled.
“You are awake, how do you feel?”
She certainly felt refreshed after her sleep and her ankle didn’t hurt so much.
“I feel much better, but a little hungry,” she had only eaten a small piece of bread and cheese all day.
“Can you walk? We can sit together by the fire and eat. Come, I have a surprise for you?”
Extending his hand he helped her towards the fire. It was a chilly night but the blaze was enormous and he brought her extra blankets and fixed them around her shoulder.
“Close your eyes.”
She did as she was bid until told to open them again. Standing before her was Bess, as good as new, her legs strong with no hint of injury.
Rushing forward she embraced the old grey neck and stroke the old head.
“Bess my girl, you are well, you save me old girl and I owe you my life”
The old horse shook its head as if understanding.
“But how..? Poor old Bess was almost lame”
James only smiled and shook his head.
“My men understand the old ways, the ancient magic; one day perhaps you too?”
The mutton stew was the finest she had ever tasted and the two sat in silence as they ate. James looked wistfully into the fire and she thought she saw sadness in his eyes. It was strange but she could almost feel what he felt, think what he was thinking, and his sorrow made her feel unhappy.
“What are you thinking Sir?”
James sighed as he turned to her. The shapes and colours from the fire played as a mask across his face and for a moment he looked altogether different, like one of the ancient creatures embroidered onto the tent.
“It is my father. He is dying. We think that he does not have many days left. Our clan has been weak since his illness and we have lost most of our powers. Lord Edmond, your intended, has seized most of our lands and he has taken control of our castle. If my father dies we have no-one to replace him, to lead and restore us to our former glory.”
He looked back into the fire, his eyes almost full with tears.
“But surely if your father is the head of the Clan then you will become the rightful leader. You seemed in control of your men this morning?”
His head drooped towards his chest. “If only that were true, things are more complicated than I can explain. You would never understand.”
He turned his head and she looked deep into his eyes.
“Try me.”
There was something about this beautiful girl that he could not explain; somehow he needed to tell her everything.
“My family are ancient, perhaps the oldest family in the land. The original clan name was not McCraig but McArach, Arach being the old Gaelic word for Dragon. My great ancestors were the last of the Dragon Shifters, a great race that could shift between human and dragon form at their will. As times passed and men began to toil the land and hunt and fight, there grew a wall of fear between the old ways and the new, and mortal men began to be afraid and hate the Arach. A hundred years war raged between the Arach and the Clans of the Highlands until there was only one family of Dragon Shifters left. My people were fearsome warriors when they needed to be, but they were starved and hunted and outnumbered, until finally my great ancestors were forced to live like animals, outlawed and alone in the hills. Many thought that we had died out all together, but we managed to survive and the clan quietly strengthened and we have lived in peace ever since. Not many know of our secret, but Lord Edmond is one of those who do, his ancestors were our main enemy, and knowing we are once again weak, he has used the knowledge to take our lands and castles.”
He thought that she would be shocked and stopped to let his words sink in, but she did not stir, but looked into his eyes as if she had always known that it was so.
“But why do you not lead your men, why do you grow weak.”
James looked at her and sighed.
“It is true that I am indeed next in line to be leader of the clan when my father dies, but before I can lead the clan I must shift into my true Dragon form.”
“And, what is to stop you?”
“I must first find my true mate. She too must have Dragon blood in her veins. I had thought that...” his voice trailed off and he gazed into the fire once again.
“Thought what?” her eyes were steady on his face.
His hands grasped hers as he turned to face her, a look of deep sorrow in his eyes.
“When I first saw you I was struck by your beauty, but then I felt something more. It was if I had always known you, there seemed to be some common bond between us as if we were joined by some invisible thread. My thoughts seemed to be yours. I thought perhaps that you were the one, but how can you be, you are not of my race and besides, you are betrothed to my enemy Lord Edmond.”
“I do not love Edmond, nor want to be his wife. It was a marriage of convenience only. I agreed to marry him only to save my aunt and uncle, they had looked after me from an early age and I am in their debt,”
“What happened to your parents?”
Lady Davina hesitated “I do not know, they were killed when I was but a baby. I tried to find out what happened but my aunt and uncle refused to speak of the matter and I gave up in the end. But I do know that I dream of dragons.”
James was now sitting up straight and gazing intently at Davina. There was something about the girl, the eyes, the way she looked at him, the way he felt. There had to be something.
“What were the names of your parents?”
“Isabella and Frances Drake”.
His grip on her hands tightened as he stared into her eyes.
“Drake is an old word for Dragon.”
Something in what he was saying was starting to make sense but she couldn’t be sure what it all meant.
“I remember stories of some distant cousins. Their secret was discovered and they were hunted by a group of evil men, hunted down like wild animals and killed; murdered in cold blood. There was talk of a child. A baby girl, but no-one knew what happened. It was presumed that she died too. Of course, there is only one way of knowing for sure. When I find my true mate and couple with her then I will transform into my true form, I will shift off this skin and become my inner being. I will be able to lead this clan once my father dies. I will become a true Dragon Shifter.
“So if I am your true mate you will realise your destiny, but if not, what will become of me?”
The girl was truly beautiful but he could not lie to her. “If you do not carry the Dragon blood then you will not be my true mate. I will not shift into my true form. I would carry on my search for my true mate, for the sake of my clan. Otherwise we will not survive.”
Her small hands were still clasped into his own. She could feel the blood coursing around his veins as if it were her own heart beating in his chest. Looking into his eyes she could see the flames of the fire flickering in the dark depths. She trusted her instincts, she trusted him.
When their lips met it was as if the world had exploded around them. Neither had experienced such an intense feeling of pleasure and emotion.
Wrapping her in his arms, he carried her to the tent and laid her down inside upon the blankets. He had never wanted anyone so much in his life and he burned for her. His hands reached down over her slim figure, his fingers wrapping around her soft and fleshy breasts. She gasped with delight. His touch was so different to Lord Edmonds, where she had shrunk at his touch, she now yielded to James’s soft and delicate fingers, as they probed and sought her soft curves.
; He had soon moved beneath the wool and silk of the riding habit, lifting it delicately over her head and seeking her firm young body beneath.
She could feel his finger stroke downwards from her belly and towards her soft mound. She had never before been touched so intimately and so gently and the feeling caused her to shudder with pleasure. She was wet, could feel her wetness as his fingers slipped easily across the soft downy hairs and into the moist and fleshy folds of her womanhood. Kissing her belly, he slowly parted her legs with his hands and nestled his head between her legs. He could smell her musky sweetness and longed to taste her; his tongue delving into the velvety depths of her hole as her back arched and she pressed herself towards him, his tongue delving deeper and licking her until she thought she would explode with pleasure.
Now it was time for him to undress. Lifting the tunic over his head, the full and thick cock stood erect before her. His body was magnificent, hard and muscular and she ached to feel him inside her.
Pushing her back towards the floor he straddled inside her legs, holding his cock in his hands to guide it inside her. She was a virgin and he knew his manhood was exceptionally large. He would have to be gentle, but he could hardly wait to thrust his shaft deep inside her.
The head of his cock was thick and he rubbed it against her wetness to make the penetration easier. Lady Davina was breathing heavily, almost panting, desperate for him to take her, but she gasped as the head entered her and she felt her muscles contract around his thickness
Thrusting gently he inched himself inside her, stretching her tight walls and almost exploding with pleasure. But he wanted to wait, make sure he was fully inside her before he came.
At first she felt the pain, but the pleasure was so hot on its heels that she did not mind or care, her head was elsewhere. His muscular thighs thrust towards her and she joined in the rhythm until he was buried tightly inside her. Now he picked up the pace, he could not stop and his thrusts became more urgent, more passionate, his thick cock throbbing until he exploded, dripping his seed deep inside of her.
Both lay quiet for a moment. In the heat of passion they had almost forgotten all thoughts of Dragon Shifters.
Her heart hammered in her chest, unable to think of the consequences.
And then it happened.
At first James started to groan, a low moaning sound as he rolled away from her and onto his back. Stretching out his arms and pulling back his head the groaning grew steadily louder until it was almost a loud roar. As his arms spread, skin began to form between his arms and body as wings formed. The legs stretched and great hooked talons appeared where his feet had been.
She was not afraid as the skin turned into scales, and the face distorted as the huge snout and fangs appeared.
He stood before her, a magnificent beast, a beautiful dragon in all its glory.
Her Dragon, her true mate, her love.
All would be well.
The End.
Alien Romance
Alien Lord’s Slave
CHAPTER ONE
Cynthia had been staring at the same spreadsheet for what seemed like too long. She was supposed to submit her analysis of the rolling budget her manager had prepared from the costings she'd provided. All she had to do was to simply cross reference the figures to see if they matched, nothing that should have taken her three hours, but it was hard to concentrate when her husband’s face kept popping to the forefront of her mind.
And it wasn't only his face, either, but the face of the woman she had caught him with as well. After five years of marriage, she had thought her life with him, though not perfect, was good enough to last a few more years. She certainly didn’t think it would end in this way.
“Cynthia!” she heard her boss call. His office was only three cubicles away, and he had a terrible habit of calling to his employees from there.
“Coming, Mr. Sloan,” she replied, and stood hurriedly. She would just have to wing it. She smoothed her skirt and gripped the file in her hand; it contained the same information as the one in the Microsoft Excel document.
Sloan was drinking coffee when she arrived. He waved her inside as he sipped and then put the cup aside. He didn’t speak as he took the file she handed to him. “So?” he asked her.
“Well,” she began unsteadily, “the performance variables show that more revenue is being generated than costs are being expended. If you look at the curve--”
“Right,” he said, nodding. “But how does the budget appear this year with respect to other years before? And are we accurately accounting for the time value of the dollars here? Miss Scott, I don’t want to allocate less than we need, nor do I want to overspend in areas I don’t need to.”
There had been times before when she loved her job, but this wasn’t one of them. Mr. Sloan was speaking, but most of what he was saying was going right over her head. She felt like a zombie, and Jeffrey’s image came to mind once more, and her eyes grew glossy. She bowed her head so he wouldn’t see the telltale signs of her heartbreak.
“Miss Scott?” he asked after a while.
“Yes, sir,” she replied, and tried hard to perk up. She swept her hair behind her ear, and licked her lips moist. She felt like all the liquid in her body had been diverted to her eyes.
“Are you all right?” he asked. He looked at her as if concerned, rested the file on the desk, and leaned into his leather chair.
She sighed. “Honestly, I am just going through some personal issues,” she told him without looking at him.
He bit the tail of his pen and scrutinized her. Then he opened his file and looked through it again. “I guess that explains why you didn’t get much done here. I see the notes section has been left empty.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” she said as she reached for the file. “I will look it over and give it back to you by day’s end.”
He held it suspended still, and then rested it back on the desk before him. “Cynthia,” he said, and pinched the bridge of his nose, “you are one of my youngest and brightest analysts, and I won’t have you here like this. My suggestion? Take a few days off and get your head together. I'll have someone handle this and hopefully, when you get back, you will be raring to go.”
He was smiling, and seemed sincere in his offer. “Are you sure, sir? I mean, I could--”
“Nonsense!” he bellowed. “I’ll expect you back in a week.
She asked, not wanting to seem too eager, but the truth of the matter was she could really use some time off. “Thank you, Mr. Sloan,” she said, and backed out of the office. She could feel the weight lifting from her shoulders, but another kind of pressure was taking hold of her heart.
She kept her head held down as she made her way out of the office, trying not to grab the attention of her nosy coworkers, but they seemed too distracted by the loads of work that accompanied the month's end that she probably appeared to them as nothing more than a blur in the distance.
When she got to her car, she flopped down into the seat, and took a moment to catch her breath and steady her heart before she turned the key in the ignition and headed home.
Home was where most of her demons lay. As she pulled into the driveway of her suburban home, the manicured lawn only served to remind her of their picnics in the park; her stoop was where they'd sat many nights and stargazed; her kitchen was where they'd shared delectable dinners; and her bedroom…that was a place she could hardly stand now.
She gazed up the stairs, decided against it, went to the refrigerator, and grabbed a beer, a six-pack she had bought and befriended over the past week. Cynthia went back to the living room and fell on the couch. This time she couldn’t hold back the tears, despite the beer.
She was knee deep in her salty lake of tears when she heard the phone ringing. She glanced at it, and groaned before reaching for the device.
“Hello?” she croaked.
“Is this Miss Cynthia Scott?” the caller asked.
“Yes,” she replied, already planning a respo
nse for the potential telemarketer.
“This is Sally, from Wildlife Reservations. Are you still interested in the cabin?”
That’s right! She had made plans to go there with Jeffrey, and completely forgotten about it. She was about to refuse when she thought that a week to herself was exactly what she needed.
“You know what? Yes, I'm still interested. Thanks for calling,” she said.
“Okay, Miss Scott,” the caller replied cheerfully, and hung up.
The timing was perfect, as she only now had a week to spare. Her trip would, hopefully, leave her rejuvenated for her return to the office. Her mind drifted to Jeffrey, and she wondered what he was doing. Her first assumption made her face grow red, and she stomped to the storage cabinet where she yanked her suitcase free and hauled it upstairs.
CHAPTER TWO
The air was crisp, kind and forgiving, and she held her head up towards the green and yellow blanket of leaves overhead. The sun forced its way through, hitting her arms and feet, projecting colored patterns on her clothes and body. She was barefoot at the moment, and she wriggled her toes in the cool grass as she enjoyed all that nature had to offer by way of comfort. She wrapped the shawl around her to stave off the morning's stubborn chill, and walked along the path. For the next few minutes her mind had completely forgotten the name Jeffrey, and her lips managed an upward slant.
She found the boardwalk at the beginning of the pier and walked to the water’s edge. She sat there and dangled her feet in the water, enjoying the coolness on her skin. Her eyes wandered along the water’s edge, all the way to the coast, until a glint struck her eye, causing temporary blindness.
“What the hell?” she asked. She held her head back this time, trying to avoid the effect, should it happen again, when she noticed what she thought was a piece of metal through the trees. “Now that’s odd,” she thought aloud. She had been there before, and technology was usually absent from this environment. A piece of metal through the trees was a virtually impossible occurrence, yet there it was now, distinct through the green and yellow foliage.
