Dragon Aflame

by Leela Ash

  “Never fear us, Lassie,” Alexander said. “We have much to explain and a lot to arrange before the day is through.”

  He led her across to her mother’s horse and John helped Bonnie’s mother up onto its back and then Alex lifted Bonnie at the waist and placed her delicately behind her. He lifted her with such ease that she felt tiny in his hands, and then he stood back and smiled with his incredible eyes glinting in the misty light.

  “We shall ride together,” John Campbell said. “And we shall all return to Castle Grant safely.”

  Bonnie noticed her mother nodding her head and she decided that they had no other option but to trust them.

  Maybe her father had known what he was doing all along by dismissing the help of Lord Drummond… Bonnie’s mind started to race as she thought of the possibilities of where the truth may lie.

  They rode quickly across the field and up the hill toward the drawbridge. Bonnie looked back over her shoulder as the loch disappeared into the fog behind her, but she smiled when she realized she had something even better to look at. A view that, although she had never seen before, was one that she also never wanted to forget…

  A view of Alexander Campbell riding up behind her, so close she could almost feel his hot breath reaching out to her and skimming her skin.

  They thundered across the drawbridge and Bonnie couldn’t believe her eyes, as not one guard attempted to stop them.

  What was happening?

  Surely, after all of the rumors and legends, they would be fearful of what it may mean to have these wild highlanders and their wolves coming into Castle Grant and dispersing amongst them.

  Up ahead, she could see her father. He stood with his legs wide and his arms folded across his chest, a warm smile spreading out across his cheeks.

  “These two are forever causing me trouble,” he laughed as they all came to a halt before him.

  He looked up at Bonnie and her mother, and the two women scrambled down and threw themselves into his arms.

  “Father!” Bonnie gasped. “What is happening? Are these not the men we should fear?”

  “No Lassie,” her father soothed. “They are the ones who are going to save us all.”

  Bonnie couldn’t help but be confused, but as she looked around at all of the men who had come storming down the mountainside and found them by the loch, there was no malice in them and they all looked down on her kindly.

  “I don’t understand…” she said as her eyes found Alexander again, and she realized he was watching her intently.

  Whoever he was, she had certainly caught his attention and she was pretty taken with him too. He had a dangerous demeanor that was edged with a sexy roguish charm.

  “We have been duped,” her father said as he took his wife’s face in his hands. “Lord Drummond is a liar.”

  Bonnie’s stomach dropped at the news. It had been less than twenty-four hours since Lord Drummond’s visit when he had told them that they were all in danger. How had he lied to them and why?

  “He’s in cahoots with Clan Rose,” John Campbell stepped in and spoke up. “The real clan who has been travelling Scotland and destroying castles and the people within them for many years.”

  Bonnie shivered. They had been so close to trusting Lord Drummond. But what had changed?

  “I knew from the moment he arrived that something was afoot,” her father said. “And I also knew the legends of the men and wolves and of the reality of how the Rose Clan had spread them to cover their tracks over the years.”

  “So how did you get Clan Campbell here?” Bonnie asked with intrigue.

  “I sent men out in the dead of night to find them,” her father smiled. “And now we have to formulate a plan…”

  The men all looked to one another, and Bonnie could sense the heightening tension between them. It was almost too much to bear.

  “Come,” her father said as he wrapped a welcoming arm around John Campbell’s shoulders. “Welcome to Castle Grant, we have much to talk about.”

  They all made their way inside. Bonnie’s head was spinning with all of this new information… But not as much as it was spinning from the fact that she couldn’t take her eyes off Alexander…and she was pretty sure the feeling was mutual.

  11.

  She wanted to follow the men and listen to all of their plans, but Bonnie and her mother were kissed goodbye at the entrance to the main hall by her father Lord James Grant and told to return to their bedchambers. Bonnie crinkled up her nose as her eyes flitted to Alexander. She wanted to be close to him… to learn more.

  And she also wanted to know what was going on with them and the wolves.

  She nodded and accepted her father’s wishes and then she reluctantly made her way back to the grand staircase where two guards were waiting.

  “Mother,” she whispered as they reached the foot of the stairs. “Do you really think that Clan Campbell is telling the truth?”

  Her mother turned to her and smiled at her warmly.

  “Och Lassie,” she said as she swept a strand of her daughters beautifully red hair behind her ears. “I have never known your father get it wrong…and if you think about it, it would explain why he was so dismissive of Lord Drummond’s help. He did have me worried there for a moment, I thought he had gone quite mad.”

  Her mother smiled and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

  They parted ways at the top of the staircase and Bonnie began her walk down the long, dark corridor back to her bedroom. When she reached the door, she turned and glanced shyly at the guards who were following her, then made her way inside. At least with them standing watch over her bedchamber she would be safe inside. But a long, boring night was drawing out ahead of her, especially now that she knew a man like Alexander Campbell was in the same vicinity. It was exciting to think that they were under the same roof and yet she had no idea how close to her he would be.

  The fire in her room was burning brightly and Ariane was sitting by the fire, making a quilt with her little hands and a long stretch of fur.

  “Are you all right, m’lady?” she asked as Bonnie stepped wearily inside. Her shoulders were hunched and she was exhausted. Her mind was running from one thing to another, and although she knew she should lay down and rest after having been awake all night, she also wanted to wait and see if anything transpired from having the Campbell’s at Castle Grant.

  “Ariane,” she sighed as she flopped down on the bed and wrapped her arms around herself. “What a day I’ve had, you have no idea.”

  Ariane rushed to her side and looked down at her. “Are you all right? Do you need me to get you anything?”

  “No, but thank you,” she smiled. “I think I would like to be left in peace.”

  “As you wish, m’lady.” She smiled as she backed away and moved toward the door.

  Bonnie closed her eyes but she heard the sound of Ariane heaving the heavy wooden doors open and closing them behind her. She had a hushed few words with the guards and then Bonaventure heard her footsteps carry on down the hallway.

  Bonnie was glad to be alone. Her body ached and her mind raced, but they couldn’t keep up with each other. All she could think about was Alexander… Of his intense eyes and his rich, red hair… Of his muscular arms and of the way his eyes had searched for her across the highlands… The way he had come to her and helped her to her feet… The way he had lifted her at the waist and placed her delicately on the back of her mother’s horse. Her skin prickled with heat as she remembered it all, and she felt her heart begin to race. She was aroused and ready for something she had never experienced, but she didn’t know where these feelings had come from. She was a writhing mess on the top of her bed and she thought, for a flitting moment, whether she should let her hands wander down underneath her billowing dress and up into her underwear. If she found her sweetest spot, would it be warm and moist and ready for a man?

  She felt herself blushing and she rolled onto her side.

  Alexander.

>   She didn’t know anything about him, and yet, she was certain of one thing…

  She was going to have him…one way or another.

  She was going to make him hers and let him deflower her, right there under her parents’ roof.

  A wicked smile flashed over her lips and she had to pull the blankets over her face to stop herself from laughing out loud. She had no idea where these naughty thoughts were coming from. She had always been such a good girl, such an innocent. But one look from a roguish highlander like Alexander Campbell and she was a mess of want and desire.

  She thought of all of the times she had heard the servants and chambermaids speak of how they had let men love them and it had made her tingle all over, and her mind and body become curious. But no one had ever stirred those feelings in her properly…

  Until now.

  As she lay back in her bed and looked up to the ceiling, and her eyes weighed heavy, it was almost as if the decision to pursue Alexander Campbell was the release she needed to drift off into a blissful sleep.

  And within a matter of moments, that’s exactly what she did.

  12.

  Her dreams were wild and untamed… And in them, she was chased by wolves. Big, black wolves that ran behind her and snapped at her heels. Ones that sank their teeth into her as they rolled her down on the ground and snarled and thrashed above her. The wolves were so strong and powerful, Bonnie knew that she didn’t stand a chance of escape… But it didn’t matter, because she didn’t want to. She wanted them to ravage her, she wanted them to tear at her delicate skin with their sharp fangs, and she wanted them to consume her so fiercely that she would never be the same again.

  When she woke, her heart was racing and she was glistening with sweat. She sat bolt upright in bed and looked around her. Night had fallen and the stars were shining bright in the sky. She was alone, Ariane had not returned and for once, she was glad of not having to speak to someone, and relished the opportunity to get up and stoke the fire herself.

  She stopped by the window and let the cool air blow in and calm her down. She had gotten awfully worked up dreaming of those snarling wolves and now she didn’t know what to do with herself. She looked out at the night sky and at all of the stars twinkling bright, and the big swell of moon shining through the clouds.

  She couldn’t stay locked up in her room, no matter what the dangers held. She had to get out there and experience the night like she was used to, and like she craved.

  She listened as she stood there, and below her, from elsewhere in the castle, she could hear the sounds of music drifting up to meet her. A bard was playing and men and women were singing and laughing. She knew that the main hall would be filled with drunken lords and ladies, and even though she had never partaken in any of her parents’ parties, she had the overwhelming desire to see what was happening right there below her.

  She moved over to the silver vase and picked it up from above the hearth. She looked at her reflection in it, using the light from the fire, and smiled as she saw how rosy her cheeks were against her pale skin. She reached over to a box she had hidden away, one she had been given by her mother, and she reached inside and looked at the small amount of make-up she had stored. There was a rouge for the lips, and even though she had no idea, really, how to apply it, she smoothed some onto her top and bottom lip and hoped for the best.

  When she looked back into the vase, she smiled with delight as she saw how the color made her face light up and it emphasized her beautiful eyes. Bonnie had never seen herself looking so womanly and, for the first time in her life, she felt as if something really was about to happen for her. She knew that the man she was supposed to be with was close by. She knew that she had found him.

  She made her way to her clothing and sifted through her dresses. She had one that she had been saving for some time, and even though it was much lower cut than most of the others, she felt it was appropriate, considering that it was the evening. She slipped her blue velvet one off over her head and pulled the rich berry velvet gown down over her soft, supple body. She felt like a true princess, and as her hair tumbled perfectly down her back, she could not help but smile and clap her hands together.

  “This is it,” she said aloud to herself. “This feels right.”

  She checked her reflection once more and then she headed toward the door of her bedchamber. She hoped that the guards would leave her be, but even if they insisted on following her, she would gladly accept their escort down to the main hall.

  She laughed to herself, her mood had certainly lifted considerably since earlier in the day.

  As she opened the door, as expected, they both turned and looked down at her.

  “Evening,” she said cheerily as she swept past them and waited for them to follow.

  They picked up her signal and dutifully followed, keeping just enough distance between them as to not anger Bonnie, and to keep it looking as if she wasn’t being completely guarded and flanked by two soldiers.

  As they made their way down the grand staircase and continued down the hall, Bonnie felt the nerves rising up from her belly and into her throat. Her heart was beginning to race and she felt herself go dizzy.

  What if he had left?

  Or even worse… What if he was fooling on with another woman right there in the castle?

  Both were likely concepts, but Bonnie felt inside of her that surely Alexander would do neither. She had felt something when she had looked into his eyes, and she was certain that he had felt it too.

  The guards walked beside her as they approached the tall, open doorway to the main hall, and she took a moment before she sucked in a lungful of air and took another step forward.

  This is it, she thought. One way or another, you’re about to find out.

  She made her way, slowly and demurely, into the main hall, and without looking up, she could already feel the eyes on her. She cast her eyes seductively around the room and when they fell upon Alexander Campbell, she felt a surge of something that only confirmed what she had already thought.

  This man was meant for her.

  He got to his feet and looked back at her with lust and affection in his eyes. He took a step forward, not taking his eyes away from Bonnie, his mouth hanging slightly open.

  He wasn’t with another woman, and he was very much still in Castle Grant!

  Now all Bonnie had to ensure was that he made his way to her… and never left.

  13.

  She smiled to the familiar faces of the clan as she passed through the crowds and looked nervously for her mother or father. She knew that they would be there somewhere, but she had no idea how to find them when the hall was so busy.

  Up until the Campbell’s had arrived earlier that day, she had had no interest in being involved in the late night affairs of Castle Grant. Bonnie had always retired to her bedchamber early, and had been more interested in escaping into the night for a secret look at the moon and stars than drinking wine with her parents and family members and dancing to badly played music.

  She felt nervous and out of her depth, but as she moved deeper into the crowd and the room buzzed around her, she found herself relaxing. She noticed her father out of the corner of her eye and skipped over to meet him. He held out his arm and she nuzzled into the crook of it, just like she had done when she was a little girl.

  “My lovely Bonaventure,” he smiled. “What a day, eh?”

  “It has been father,” she smiled. “But I couldn’t stay upstairs and not see what fun was happening down here in the hall. What a lot of people and what a party!” she laughed.

  “Indeed Lassie,” her father slapped the side of his leg and picked up an overflowing tankard of wine. “Indeed. Here, get my daughter some wine!” he called to one of the servers.

  The boy quickly hurried over with a large glass and filled it to the top with deep red wine. Bonnie looked at it, and although she had never been so keen on the taste, decided that having the warm feeling of relaxation wash over
her on a night like this wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.

  She sipped it slowly but it quickly got hold of her and as she drank it faster, she was soon motioning to the boy to bring her more. Her father laughed and slapped her leg and her mother joined them and drank alongside them too. It was the first time Bonnie had spent a good deal of time with her parents in a long time…and she realized how good it felt to enjoy being in her family’s company. But she also couldn’t help but feel that it was, in some way, symbolic. As if this was both the first and last time they would be together in this way, and soon, Bonnie would be off on her own properly and living her own life.

  After all, she was more than an adult. She was nearly twenty and it was practically unheard of for a girl in her position to not be married off and have several children under her belt. She glanced around the room and smiled to herself. Maybe now really was the right time for her. Maybe this is why she had waited, and her father had waited. Maybe, in some way, he had wanted her to choose her own path. She looked up at her father and smiled at him fondly. He wasn’t so bad for a grouchy old highlander.

  “M’lady?” The familiar voice broke her train of thought, but when she looked up and her eyes met with Alexander Campbell’s, she was filled with joy.

  “Alexander,” she whispered as she placed her hand inside his.

  Her parents were on either side of her, engrossed in their own conversations, but as Alexander came and took hold of their daughter’s hand, they both turned their attention to them with beaming smiles.

  “And what do we have here?” her father asked as he slapped Alexander affectionately on the shoulder. “Isn’t she beautiful?” he asked him as he looked down at Bonnie.

  “She is simply exquisite,” Alexander smiled, his own eyes falling onto Bonnie’s delicate face. “I have been quite taken by her…” he continued.

  “Many men are,” her father said, “but not many are worthy enough of her affections. However, I think I see something in her here tonight. And I’m pretty sure I saw it down by the drawbridge earlier today…” he trailed off and looked down at Bonnie and winked.