Dragon Quest

by Heather Walker

  Moonlight streamed through the window to brighten the room. It cast an eerie square of blue light on the carpet, but Elle no longer feared to look out into the night. No ghouls or demons hunted her out there.

  She stumped forward a few steps to the bed. To her surprise, the thin figure laid out under the coverlet turned to stare at her. The moon glittered on two bright eyes in the darkness. “Elle?”

  “Hazel!” Elle exclaimed. “You’re awake! Oh, thank goodness! We’ve all been so worried about you. We thought you might never wake up.”

  “What happened, Elle? Where am I?”

  “You’re in the castle, Hazel. You did it. You cast that spell, and you sent all those ghouls to Atlantis, or wherever.” Elle couldn’t hold back her laughter. Sheer relief burst out of her. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  “Where are the others?” Hazel asked. “Is….”

  “They’re all okay. Everybody’s okay. You’re the last one to come out of the woods. You’re a hero, Hazel. You saved us all.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you, Elle,” Hazel replied. “You kept me going, and you and Carmen and Ewan and….”

  “It was the least we could do to help you,” Elle told her. “I just can’t believe you actually did it.”

  “Neither can I,” Hazel replied. “To think I could have cast that spell all along and sent myself back home, and I never did it. I tried, but it didn’t work until now.”

  Elle froze. “You what?”

  “I wanted to go home. That’s why I cast the spell that let those ghouls through in the first place. I never really knew I had that kind of power.”

  “You can’t think about casting the spell again,” Elle told her. “Don’t try again to send yourself back.”

  “Why shouldn’t I?” Hazel asked. “I don’t belong here. I thought I did, but I just don’t fit in. Carmen keeps trying to get me out, but not even she can understand what it’s like here for me. I don’t want to be around the Urlus. They make me sick.”

  “Do you still feel that way, even after everything Fergus did to help you?”

  “Fergus!” Hazel shook her head. “I don’t want to have anything to do with Fergus.”

  “He defended you, just the way Carmen and Ewan and I did. He believed in you when no one else did. You should be thanking him.”

  “I should be thanking him for turning me into a freak?” Hazel shot back. “No, thank you. He encouraged me to cast that spell for his own purpose. He didn’t do it because he liked me or cared about me. I don’t see how the Urlus can like or care about anybody.”

  Elle narrowed her eyes at Hazel. “You better take that back. Don’t you dare say anything against the Urlus.”

  Hazel’s head shot up. “What?”

  “Anything you say against the Urlus, you’re saying against Rob. If you ask me, Carmen’s been way too soft on you. How can you be so ungrateful to Fergus and Angus and…and all of them?”

  “How can you stand to go near one of them?” Hazel shuddered. “I could never touch one of them like that. I don’t understand you and Carmen at all. They’re monsters.”

  “I’ve seen these Urlus up close and personal in their dragon form,” Elle replied. “They’re not monsters. Rob certainly isn’t a monster. He’s beautiful, and I love him. If you don’t want to have anything to do with the Urlus, you better leave. I’m sure Fergus will help you do that, too, because you certainly don’t deserve to live here.”

  Hazel stared at her with wide eyes. “Elle!”

  Elle let out a shaky breath. She had to keep control of herself. She came here because she cared about Hazel. She didn’t come here to tell her off. “Don’t you see, Hazel? If you succeed in sending yourself back as a result of this, you’ll have Fergus to thank for that, too. When are you going to understand how fortunate you are to have them helping you? Do you know all four of the brothers with the exception of Angus got injured in that battle? They got hurt protecting you, the same way Ewan and Carmen and I did. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

  Hazel sighed and turned back to the window. “Of course it does. It means the world to me. I don’t know how to show them how grateful I am, but I can’t get over how I feel about them. I can’t go in the same room with Fergus, not even after what he did. He…. he makes my skin crawl.”

  Elle regarded the frail form lying on the bed. Hazel was unconscious for weeks, and now she woke up. Elle sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. She had no idea how to get through to Hazel.

  Maybe it wasn’t possible. If Hazel couldn’t stand the Urlus, that was her own problem. Hazel would never know the bliss of giving herself to one of them. She would never enjoy the exhilaration of riding on a dragon’s back when he zoomed over the landscape. She would never know the intoxicating bliss of pleasure rushing over her when he loomed over her.

  Elle froze. She stared down at Hazel. Of course! That was it. It had to be. Hazel said the Urlus made her skin crawl. She must be talking about that squirrely sensation of intense passionate desire creeping all over her skin when she looked at one of them or came near one of them. What else could she mean?

  The whole situation exploded in Elle’s brain. Hazel wanted…. she wanted something, someone. Who could it be? Maybe Hazel herself didn’t even know. She feared her own desire. That’s why she refused to have anything to do with these Urlus. She didn’t want to admit to herself how she really felt.

  Elle gazed down at her friend. All her anger and frustration melted away, and heartbreaking pity took its place. Poor Hazel! She would never know the depth of love Elle felt for Robbie. She would never know the beauty and power of overwhelming belonging to one of the Urlus.

  Elle got to her feet. “Okay, Hazel. If that’s how you feel, I won’t try to argue with you anymore. You made your own decision. If you want to leave, it’s up to you.”

  “Don’t walk away like this, Elle,” Hazel begged. “Don’t leave mad at me. You and Carmen are all I’ve got here.”

  “That’s your choice, too, Hazel. Don’t you see? There are thousands of people in this country. You could connect to any one of them whenever you wanted. You could have anybody you wanted. You don’t have to confine yourself to Carmen and me. If you’re lonely or cut off here, it’s your own doing and no one can stop you.”

  Elle sniffed and turned away. “I know! I want to, but I can’t!”

  “Oh, Hazel,” Elle groaned. “What are we going to do?”

  “Will you tell them for me?” Hazel asked. “Will you tell them I’m grateful for everything they’ve done for me? I can’t face them.”

  “I won’t tell them for you,” Elle replied. “I won’t thank them for Fergus believing in you when no one else would. I won’t thank Angus for defending you when Jamie and the others wanted to kill you for putting us all in danger. You’ll have to do that yourself. No one is going to do it for you.”

  Hazel whimpered under her breath.

  “I’ll tell you something else, Hazel,” Elle went on. “If you keep going the way you are, you’re going to make enemies of the few people that still want to help you. If you don’t thank everybody for defending you and helping you all this time, if you don’t make some effort to reach out to these people, they’ll turn against you. If you keep saying these horrible things against the Urlus, Carmen and I will turn against you, too. No one will want to be around you, either, and you’ll be alone. Just think about that while you’re lying here recovering.”

  Elle stomped out of the room. She didn’t try to be quiet when she shut the door. Once out in the passage, she leaned against the wall to close her eyes and rest. This simple trip down the hall took all her strength. She wanted to cry.

  More than anything else, she wanted to turn against Hazel right here and now. She never wanted to have anything more to do with her. She wanted to teach Hazel a lesson. How could anyone be so dense?

  She made her way back to her room and snuck into bed next to Robbie. He roused in his slumber and
put his arms around her. She settled into his embrace, but she didn’t fall asleep for a long time. She lay awake and thought about Hazel.

  What could snap Hazel out of her stupor? What could break down the barrier separating her from the Urlus? If Hazel really did harbor secret desires for the dragon people, why didn’t she let them out?

  Maybe that was the solution. Hazel needed a boyfriend. She needed to feel for one of these Urlus the way Elle felt for Ushne on the mountain. She needed to feel that overwhelming passion taking over.

  The question was: who? Who could Hazel love that much? Which of the Urlus would put up with Hazel’s ridiculous hang-up long enough to let her fall in love with him? A man like that would have to be a saint. The only person who showed anything close to that kind of consideration for Hazel was….

  Her heart beat faster. Could it be? Could this really work? Should Elle stick her nose in someone else’s business if it meant bringing peace to Hazel’s life?

  Then again, maybe Elle wouldn’t be doing Hazel any favors by hooking her up with an Urlu. If the curse ever lifted, all three of them would disappear. They would lose the men they loved so much. Elle couldn’t stand that, and she wouldn’t wish that on her worst enemy, let alone an innocent fool like Hazel.

  Chapter 37

  Robbie led a horse through the fields beyond the castle walls. Elle sat astride the animal, and they wandered at a leisurely pace to the river beyond. Robbie paused to let the horse drink before he guided it across the gravel bed.

  They ambled here and there. Wherever the horse decided to stop and nibble the grass, Robbie stopped, too, until the animal decided to move on. Elle gazed up at the sun-drenched sky and sighed.

  They worked their way through the woods to another open plane beyond. The hills rose to flat land far away, but Robbie had no intention of going there. When the country opened out again, he stopped the horse and lifted Elle to the ground. He sat her down and helped her arrange her cast in front of her. Her dress covered it, and she folded her good leg under her skirts. A sling still supported her arm.

  Robbie tethered the horse to a tree and let it graze. He sat down next to Elle. “Weel, lass, ‘ere ye are.”

  “I love it out here,” she exclaimed. “Who knows how many more days we’ll have like this before winter sets in.”

  “Aye. Ye can feel the frost in the air these mornin’s.”

  “At least we’ll have the castle fixed up before it gets too cold,” she remarked. “I wasn’t sure, but now I am.”

  “Aye. All the country’s rallyin’ tae Angus’s banner. He’s a great King.”

  Elle cocked her head. “You don’t regret coming here, do you?”

  “Why should I regret it?” he asked. “I’m happy tae be with me brothers again, and I’m glad we’re allus livin’ in peace instead o’ fichtin’ all the time. That was sheer hell.”

  “I mean the part about Angus being King. You don’t wish you were King in his place?”

  “Not fer an instant,” he replied. “I’m glad I’ll ne’er be King, and I can serve him the way a King ought tae be served. I’m richt glad o’ that.”

  Elle looked away.

  “What’re ye thinkin’, lass? Do ye no believe me, that I serve Angus, even if he is me own brother?”

  “You asked me….” She stopped.

  Robbie waited. She always came out with it eventually. “I asked ye what?”

  “You asked me if I wanted to be your Queen. I can’t be, as long as you serve Angus.”

  He laughed out loud. “Is that what ye’ve been stewin’ on allus time? You want tae be me Queen?”

  “I never said that,” she replied. “I asked if you didn’t regret not being King. Do you regret not being King and having me as your Queen?”

  He leaned in to kiss her. “Ye’re still me Queen, now as much as e’er. Dinnae ye ken that, lassie?”

  She blushed and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m not a Queen. Carmen’s Queen.”

  “Ye’re the ainly woman in me ‘eart. Ye’re as much a Queen tae me as if ye were and I were on the Throne. That’s all I care aboot.”

  “I just don’t want you to be unhappy here. I don’t want you to secretly resent serving Angus if you really want to be King yourself.”

  “Weel, I dinnae want tae be King. I couldnae be happier. He carries allus responsibility, and I’m free as a bird tae tak’ ye out ridin’ whene’er I wish.”

  She laughed.

  Robbie took a deep breath. He saved this up long enough. He wouldn’t get any happier sitting on it when he wanted it out in the open. “The real question is ye.”

  “Me!” she exclaimed. “Why is the real question me?”

  “The real question is, are ye happy here?”

  “Of course I am. You know I am. I love it here, and I love being with you.”

  “Ye’re no worryin’ aboot the curse bein’ lifted and bein’ sent back, awa’ from me?”

  Elle thought about that for a moment. “Well, it seems like the curse won’t be lifted for a while. It looks like you’re stuck with me for now.”

  “That’s no what I asked ye.”

  “What did you ask me then? You asked if I worried about the curse lifting and us being torn apart.”

  “Exactly. Can ye live wi’ that?”

  “It looks like I’ll have to.”

  He shook his head. He couldn’t get a straight answer out of her.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked. “I don’t understand what you’re asking me.”

  He turned toward her and picked up her hand. He pressed it to his lips. “I’m askin’ ye tae marry me. That’s what I’m askin’.”

  “What?” she gasped. “Marry you?”

  “Aye. Ye’re no goin’ anywhere and neither am I. We’re taegether. We live taegether in the same room and….” She watched him with her hawk eyes. He had to say it. “And we sleep taegether in the same bed. We share each other’s bodies. We’re bound tae ha’e a few bairns one o’ these days.”

  Her cheeks colored and she turned away. “I guess so.”

  “Marry me, Elle. Gi’e yer all tae me.”

  She gazed up into his eyes. “I have given my all to you. Have I ever held back from you? I worship the ground you walk on.”

  “Then gi’e yer all tae me in this, too. Marry me and put allus ghosts behind ye.”

  “What if I get sent back? What if we have children and then we get separated? What will happen then?”

  He bent low to murmur into her face. “Ye said ye wanted tae be there when it happened. Ye said ye wanted tae see me face and touch me and hold me richt up until the last moment. Ye said ye wanted tae spend e’ery moment wi’ me that ye could. Ye said if we’re tae be tore apart, no tae let it happen afore time. Ye said all that. Do ye still feel that way?”

  She buried her face in his neck. “You know I do.”

  “Then marry me. Let us be taegether until the very last moment, and dinnae make it happen afore its time.”

  She whispered the answer into his ear. “All right.”

  He cupped her chin and raised her mouth to his lips. They swam in a blissful kiss under the shimmering sun. She reclined back against his arm, and he supported her in gentle swaying rhythm.

  Robbie stretched out on the ground and scooted closer to Elle. In the weeks since the battle, he learned to take everything at a snail’s pace to accommodate her broken arm and leg. Her injuries made love-making a special challenge, but he managed it without hurting her. He took his cues from her, and he never did anything she wasn’t ready for.

  He lifted her into the crook of his shoulder, and they relaxed. He hungered for her right now, but he didn’t want to take her right here on the fresh grass. No, scratch that. He did want to take her right here on the fresh grass. He wanted to peel her dress off and see her naked body gleaming in the sun. He wanted to see her shining all over with vibrant pleasure and flushed excitement. He wanted to lie back on the ground and let her ride him into
an explosive climax.

  That would never happen with her leg in a cast. He knew better than to ask. He loved her too much, and now that she said yes, he cherished her even more. He held her close. She was all his. How long before they had children together? Carmen was already pregnant. For all he knew, Elle could be pregnant right now, too.

  He leaned forward to kiss her, and she collapsed back into the bend of his elbow. He pressed his body against her and felt the supple softness of her desire under her dress. He could just touch her here. He wouldn’t take her—not now. He would wait until he got her in their own comfortable bed.

  He ran his hand up her sides and caressed her cheeks down to her neck. She breathed her fragrant sighs into his nostrils. Her tongue danced around his mouth and woke his deep passions. He hardened against her, and she whined into the pressure.

  She stroked his chest through his shirt. She pushed back the collar, and her delicate fingers grazed his skin. She traced the outline of muscle over his heart and down to the cleft where his ribs joined his stomach.

  Robbie gazed at her face. Her cheeks shone with inner light. Her hair waved over his arm. He dragged his fingertips down her collarbone to the frilled outline of her bodice over her shapely chest.

  She mewed into his mouth, and her breast heaved into his hand. He massaged her breasts until she moaned out loud. She arched her back to thrust her pelvis against his hardness.

  He never intended to take her like this, but he needed her beyond words. He outlined her hip where it curved behind her. He followed that swooping expanse to her legs hidden under her dress.

  He never went near her cast. He squeezed her good leg through her dress and pulled it over his hip. She panted through their kisses. Her saliva took on that fruity taste that told him she ached for this. Her skin vibrated all over for it.

  He grabbed a handful of her ass in one hand and crushed her against him. He raked his bulging manhood across her tender tissues. He reveled in the quaking shudder coursing through her at that wicked spike.