by S. E. Smith
Carly looked at him and started to shake her head. He released her hand and took a step back. His throat tightened when he heard her choked sob and saw the tears dampening her cheeks.
“I will be here when – if – you return. I will never forget you, Carly Tate. You are my greatest treasure, little thief,” he swore.
Drago continued backing away from her, knowing that if he didn’t, he would never let her go. Carly wavered on the steps, looking at the arched doorway she’d first entered into his realm and then back at him. She started toward him, but Drago shook his head.
“I’m coming back, Drago. I promise,” Carly choked out.
“I will be waiting,” he vowed.
Carly turned and slowly climbed the remaining steps. She paused under the arch, her hand on one of the dragon pillars. She glanced over her shoulder at him and her lips parted as she drew in a shaking breath.
“I love you, Drago,” she said before turning and disappearing into the corridor.
Drago stood frozen, gazing at the empty doorway. Pain radiated through him to the point that he almost sank to his knees. His fists clenched and the burning in his eyes increased until he had to blink in an effort to clear his vision.
“Come back to me, little thief. Please, if I could have only one wish from your genie, it would be to have you come back to me,” he whispered.
Chapter 17
“You can do this, Carly. You just have to put one foot in front of the other.”
Her loud sniff echoed in the narrow passageway. She wiped a hand across her face, but it didn’t help. The tears kept flowing.
Carly sniffed again. How could he let her go? True, she wanted to let Jenny know she was okay, but how could Drago just let her go?
I will be waiting.
His words echoed through her mind. It was that statement that gave her hope that she would be able to return to this magical world. She stumbled at the thought of not being able to find her way back to him – or worse, that the crack between the two worlds had already closed before she could.
“Please, if it closes, let it be before I go through. I’m so sorry, Jenny, but I can’t leave him. I can’t,” Carly said in a quiet voice.
Carly reluctantly turned the last corner that she remembered on her journey here. The rough stone opening to the cave should be at the end. From there, it would be a short walk across it to the narrow opening of the crack in the rock and then the trail.
Carly fumbled for her phone before she remembered that she had left it in Drago’s bedroom on the nightstand. Wiping at her face one last time, she drew in a deep breath. It wasn’t far to the opening, but it was still very dark. She stopped and reached up to pull one of the burning torches free. Holding it in front of her, she turned and continued down to the end of the passageway.
Drago paced back and forth on the platform. His body shimmered – changing from his two-legged form to his dragon and back again. The power of his connection to Carly and the thought of losing her were driving him mad. This wasn’t the same as the silence of losing his people, this was the desolation of losing a part of his soul.
“Now I understand my father’s cry,” Drago said, running his hands through his hair. “I have to stop her. I can’t let her go. No, I must think of her needs before my own. I must – but, I can’t.”
His gaze swept up to the arched doorway and he froze in mid-stride. Standing at the top was Carly. Her hands were tightly clasped in front of her and her eyes were wide. A trembling smile curved her lips.
Impatient to gather her in his arms to see if she was real, he shifted into his dragon and launched off the platform with a single, powerful burst of energy. He soared up the mountain of gold and jewels before landing in a spray of coins. His body slid to a stop at the bottom of the steps.
Drago lifted his head and shook it, sending pieces of treasure scattering in all directions. He followed Carly with his gaze as she walked down the steps. She paused on the step above him. Reaching out a hand, she caressed his left nostril.
“Can I keep you?” she asked in a soft voice.
“A dragon never gives up his treasure,” Drago warned.
“But – I’m not a dragon. I’m just a girl who loves one very, very much,” Carly vowed, gazing at him.
Drago shifted and reached for Carly’s hand. Pulling her into his arms, he held her against his body and buried his face in her hair. It took several minutes before he felt in control enough to pull back and look down at her. A dark scowl creased his brow.
“You were supposed to go. I set you free once. I won’t be able to do it again,” he warned in a fierce tone.
“There is a saying where I come from,” she said in a quiet voice. “If you love someone set them free; if they come back, your love was meant to be.”
“And you came back,” he said, cupping her face.
Carly giggled. “I made a wish for the passage to be sealed so I couldn’t go through it. I guess it worked,” she admitted with a sheepish grin.
“I wished it as well,” Drago confessed.
Bending, he pressed his lips to hers in a deep, passionate kiss. She eagerly responded, tightening her grip around his neck and stretching up on her toes to get as close as she could. Their tongues dueled while their hands roamed in a desperate attempt to make sure that they were both real and together.
Drago pulled away to sweep Carly in his arms. Turning on the steps, he shifted into his dragon form. He spread his wings and pushed off the stone step. Drago murmured the spell to open the ground and swept upward through the quickly widening gap.
Outside, the tiny paper bird flitted up to greet them as they emerged. Carly clung to Drago as he swept up the side of the tower to the balcony of his living quarters. High above, both moons shone against a canvas of black ink dotted with brilliant stars.
“I love it here,” she said, resting her head against his chest.
“Good,” Drago replied.
A smile curved his lips as he transformed back into his two-legged form – Carly still nestled in his arms. The paper bird darted around them. The doors opened to his living quarters and the three of them disappeared inside. Drago left the doors open to the gentle breeze and the sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs.
“I really need to talk to you about what you mean when you say ‘good’,” Carly complained with a teasing laugh.
“We can talk later,” he stated, the flames in his eyes dancing with mischief.
“Oh… Good!” she breathed when he turned toward their bed.
The next several weeks passed in a blur for Carly. She went on the twice-daily flights he made around the isle. They often stopped and had a lunch of fish, fruit, and nuts that he caught and gathered for them. Each day he would show her a new region of the isle.
“Is there any way you can create a spell to protect the isle without anyone getting hurt?” she asked, leaning forward as they flew over the remains of a shipwreck.
“If they are not smart enough to stay out of the mist, then they deserve their fate,” he retorted.
“But… What if they can’t, through no fault of their own? I mean, accidents happen and they might not have meant to come through it,” Carly argued.
“They should not have accidents near my wards, then,” Drago replied.
“I just think it would be better to help people,” she insisted.
“The last time I opened my isle up to help someone, she turned my people to stone,” he replied in a somber tone. “Besides, it is only those that ignored the wards and insisted on landing that met with disaster – I’m sure a few escaped unharmed.”
Remorse swept through Carly at his reminder of the dangers this world posed. Magic was just as powerful as the weapons back in her world. Still, she felt a need to protect those who were unwittingly caught in the pull of Drago’s spells.
“Not everyone is like the Sea Witch, Drago. You didn’t harm the monster lady and I’ve heard you speak of this Orion guy with respec
t. Surely, that counts for something,” she said.
“Why do you care so much about those who you know nothing about?” he asked.
“Every life matters. You know what it feels like to lose someone you care about; well, think of the poor families of those who died here. They have no idea what happened to them. They could be someone’s father or brother or uncle or… partner,” she explained in a softer tone.
Drago was silent for several long minutes before he released a loud sigh. Carly couldn’t keep the grin from her lips when he muttered under his breath that things were much simpler when he was just sleeping. She ignored his grumbling. Over the last few weeks, she had noticed he might grumble and growl in response to some of their discussions, but he always listened and tried to see it from her point of view.
“I guess now that I am awake, it would not hurt to lift them,” he finally conceded.
“I think that is a brilliant idea,” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a hug.
Drago chuckled, the huge body of his dragon vibrating with his amusement. Carly grinned and straightened. Lifting her arms up into the air, she laughed with delight at the freedom she felt whenever they soared over the forests and along the cliffs.
Closing her eyes, she imagined what it would feel like to be a dragon. She would fly beside Drago over the forests and along the cliffs. Maybe one day, they would think of having children.
There was so much hope for the future now, and Carly wanted to embrace it all. Drago had not mentioned finding and killing the Sea Witch since the day the Empress of the Monsters came to visit. Hopefully, he had given up on his need for revenge and could look to the future.
Chapter 18
“We need food,” Drago stated several days later.
“You mean, we can’t live on love?” Carly teased as she placed the last dish in the cabinet.
Looking over her shoulder, she gazed at him with twinkling eyes. Draco wiped his hands on the dishtowel he was using to dry the last of their morning dishes. He tossed the towel onto the counter beside the sink, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her back against him.
A smile tugged at his lips when she giggled. Bending, he pressed a kiss to the mark he had left on her neck. He was amazed at how ‘normal’ their routine had become. If any of his guards had told him that he – Drago, King of the Dragons – would be doing such menial work and enjoying it, he would have laughed at them.
“Fruit and fish are not enough. I need energy to keep up with you, woman. You are insatiable,” Drago groaned.
Carly laughed. “I know,” she quipped, turning in his arms, sliding her hands up over his shoulders to play with his hair. “I’m glad I claimed you, Drago,” she added in a more serious mood.
“I am, too, little thief. I regret that you could not assure your friend that you were safe, but I could not risk losing you,” Drago admitted.
“I feel the same way. I’m hoping Jenny will know somehow that I am safe and happy. So, what are we going to do about food? I’m pretty sure you don’t have a magical grocery store nearby. I have to agree that we need more variety. I like fish, but not for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Right now, I’d give anything for a pizza,” Carly replied with a sigh of longing.
Drago’s expression softened. He wasn’t kidding about needing food. Carly deserved more than fish, nuts and fruit. They had been eating it for weeks and even he was growing tired of it. What concerned him the most, though, was he could see that Carly was losing weight from their limited diet.
He lifted his hand and brushed her hair back from her face. “I do not know this grocery store, but I do know that we cannot live on fish, fruit, and nuts forever,” he said.
“I will see if there is anything preserved in the village. If there is not, I will have to negotiate with some merchants from another isle. It could mean a trip to another kingdom,” Drago said.
“Oh! I would love to see the village. These past couple of weeks has been wonderful, but I’d love to see more,” she admitted.
“I have been negligent in my care of you,” Drago stated, running his fingers down her cheek.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. If you want to call making me feel like the most special person in the world neglect, sign me up for it any day!” Carly retorted with a grin.
Drago’s body reacted to her teasing and he slid his hands down over Carly’s hips to cup her buttocks. Oh, yes, he would sign her up if it meant what he thought it did. He gently kneaded her cheeks with his fingers, enjoying it when she tightened her muscles and pressed against him.
“I think it is time to neglect you some more,” he stated, bending to capture her lips and pulling her up against him.
Carly was already working on the front of his shirt. His tongue danced along the inside of her mouth, caressing, teasing, and demanding her response. He shivered when he felt the cool air against his bare flesh and Carly’s nails lightly scraping across his skin as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders.
He released her lips and straightened, allowing his shirt to fall to the floor. He thought he was the one seducing Carly, but he was quickly discovering it was the other way around. He tilted his head back when she pressed her hot lips to his distended nipples.
How could something so small be so sensitive? he wondered, tightening his hands on Carly’s buttocks.
“Carly!” Drago hissed, staring down at her tangled brown hair and bent head.
“My turn… You promised…,” she said in a muffled voice.
“When…? Goddess, woman, what are you doing to me?” Drago groaned when her hands moved down his chest to the front of his trousers.
“Undressing you, kissing you, depleting your energy,” she replied, unsnapping his pants and sliding her hands inside.
“Please deplete me,” he groaned, lifting his hands to bury them in her hair when she pushed his pants down and forced him to step out of them. She bundled the material together and knelt on it in front of him. Her face level with his throbbing cock. “Goddess!”
Drago fought for control and willingly lost. The touch of Carly’s lips around his cock was pure ecstasy. Her hot mouth against his sensitive flesh sent shivers through him. He watched her slowly swallow his length before pulling back and doing it again.
His breath caught when she raised her hands to cup his balls. She gently massaged them as she turned her head from side to side. The pressure of her movement caused a friction that heated his blood. She was in complete control of his body. While he wanted nothing more than to release his tight control into her mouth, he wanted her pleasure to come first.
“No, you can make me come afterwards,” she protested when he tried to stop her. “Let me do this.”
“Carly…. Goddess, woman! How can any man deny such a thing?” he hissed.
“You can’t. This is my turn,” she insisted.
Drago clamped his teeth together to keep a curse from escaping. He wouldn’t last long at the rate she was going. He reached up and gripped the counter, spread his legs slightly, and leaned forward. The position gave Carly better access to him. She didn’t waste any time. Her hands stroked his long length at the same time as her lips and tongue did.
He watched his cock slide in and out of her mouth. His hips rocked back and forth, picking up speed as his balls tightened to the point that he thought he would explode. The tingling along his spine increased to fever a pitch.
Drago could feel the pre-cum begin to seep from him. Carly took advantage of it to help make him even slicker. Her hand fisted him, sliding up and down. A moan escaped him when she ran her tongue up and over him before he felt the scrape of her teeth down along his cock. She did that three times before he lost control and his body jerked with his orgasm.
Shock and fascination gripped him when she swallowed, refusing to release him. His body felt like it was melting into a puddle of hot, molten lava. Her skill at bringing such pleasure had to be a gift from the Goddess. He had n
ever experienced such an emotional connection in his life as he did when Carly and he made love.
“Now… Now, it is your turn,” he said in a hoarse voice. “I will begin by laying you out on the table.”
“Oh, boy!” Carly responded in a breathless voice. “Dinner will never be the same again.”
“I will make sure of that!” Drago vowed.
Later that morning, Carly hummed as she walked along the deserted street of the village. A smile curved her lips as she reached out to run her hand along the short wall of a fountain in the center of the street. Over the last week, she had explored more and more of the palace and grounds while Drago made sure that the wards that were protecting the isle were still in place. Her heart hurt for the residents who had once lived here.
The devastating helplessness of losing everyone you ever knew would have been more than Carly could have understood – if she hadn’t experienced it herself. Fortunately for her, she wouldn’t have to live through the suffocating loneliness that Drago must have felt – she had him.
This was the first chance that she’d had to explore the village portion of the kingdom. Drago explained that there were many small villages dotted around the isle, but Dragon’s Keep was the largest.
“Did you find anything?” she asked when he emerged from one of the buildings to her left.
“Flour,” he replied, holding up a large sack.
“Oh! I can make bread and biscuits – and pizza dough! We just need eggs, oil, spices – you have some, but I’d like to find some more....” Carly waved a finger while she was talking, her mind on all the ingredients she would need.
“I do not know where to find half of the items you are mentioning – except...,” Drago’s voice faded and he frowned.
“Except?” Carly asked.
“The Isle of the Pirates would have what you want. They have everything,” he grudgingly admitted.
“Pirates? You mean like real-live-honest-to-goodness pirates?” she asked excitedly.
