by Loki Renard
* * *
“Easy!” Chak growled at Valkimer. “You deserved that, you fool!”
He pushed Valkimer away and turned to Brianna, who was sitting in the chair, her face red with rage and anger. He could not help but notice that more than anything, she looked hurt. He felt an uncomfortable twist of guilt in his gut. They hadn’t considered the possibility that the human woman would become attached to them—that the relationship would start to feel real, just as real as mating with a dragon female.
“Is he telling the truth?” she asked him in a small voice. “Did you always intend to sell me?”
“We are not good men, Brianna,” he said in a soft rumble. “If we were, we would never have taken you. We will find you someone who treats you as a jewel. For whom you will be the center of the universe. You will be a prized pet. You will live a life of riches…”
“You’re going to sell me to the sort of man who would buy someone,” Brianna argued back. “So he won’t be good.”
Chak pressed his lips together, hating the words he had to say. He noticed Valkimer was not even making an attempt to try to explain.
“You’re going to live a good life, pet. I promise you that.”
“You can’t promise me that. You can’t promise anything. Leave me alone.”
“I won’t leave you alone, pet,” Chak said, though Valkimer had already stormed away in a high temper. “I’m sorry this has hurt you so. We should have been more clear of our intentions from the beginning.”
“But I was just some dumb girl to steal and fuck,” she swore.
“No… I am sorry,” Chak repeated.
“I’m sorry,” she said bitterly. “I’m sorry for thinking you might like me. Maybe even love me. You only wanted me for something. Just like every man before you. I’m worthless. I’m sorry I ever forgot that.”
“You don’t understand. You are stunning. Men will fight over you. They will bid their fortunes for you. Our plan was not to sell you because you’re worthless. It’s because you’re priceless.”
“But you’ll put a price on me anyway,” she said bitterly.
Chak shook his head. He wanted to tell her that wasn’t going to happen, that he would never sell her, that the idea of being without her felt like a knife to his gut. But he stayed silent.
Chapter Ten
The following days were thunderous at the estate. Brianna was deeply hurt, Valkimer was utterly unwilling to face that hurt and Chak was somewhere in between, trying to comfort her though he was the very man she hated.
Valkimer hated feeling guilty. He would rather have been wounded than feel the awful nausea of having done wrong. He paced the estate over and over, telling himself that Brianna had no right to be angry at him. She was a human, nothing more. He had never pretended that she was equal to him. They had kidnapped her! She had no right to think that she had some claim to… to his heart…
He was growling and snarling to himself in the foyer when an all-too casual knock at the main doors heralded the long awaited return of Patch. He had been gone for two weeks, far longer than Valkimer had expected him to be gone, and far longer than he had wanted him to be gone. Several decades had almost certainly been shaved off his life expectancy, if not a full century.
Valkimer threw open the door to see the younger dragon standing there, dressed like a human, in blue jeans and a t-shirt that depicted a bird of some kind. His hair had grown out, longer and shaggier and the contact lenses they had given him to help hide his gaze made him truly look the part of a person. He could have easily passed for one of Brianna’s contemporaries.
Valkimer was very glad to see him.
“Patch!” He reached out and drew the younger man into an embrace. “You’re back!”
“Yes, sir,” Paix said, a slight tremor in his frame and his voice. “I have the information you need.”
“Good!”
“There is something else, sir. I made contact with Lord Lazarus as you suggested. It was he who provided the information. He sends his regards and he says you owe him a favor.”
“I imagine we do,” Valkimer said, wrapping his arm around Paix’s shoulders. “We will send him some goods from the realm. I am sure he misses the taste of his homeland.”
“That is not the favor he desires, sir,” Paix said. “Please, come with me to the portal.”
Valkimer followed Paix out to the walled garden where the portal had stood open day and night ever since Paix’s departure.
“Paix, you’re back!” Chak joined along the way, having heard Valkimer’s welcoming rumble.
“Yes, sir, thank you, sir,” Paix stammered.
Chak took a glance at Paix’s pale features as he hurried along in front of him.
“What’s wrong with him? Where are we going?” He murmured the question to Valkimer.
“There’s something he wishes us to see,” Valkimer murmured. “I hope he hasn’t bought a female of his own back to train, though I suppose we could hardly blame him if he did. He’s been there almost four human months.”
“Does he know what happened to Brianna?”
“He says he has the information we asked for. He also says Lord Lazarus wishes a favor of us.”
“So!” Chak beamed, rubbing his hands together as they stepped out into the warm sunshine of the afternoon. “What favor can we do Lord Lazarus?”
“I have already availed myself of it, gentlemen.”
Chak and Valkimer stopped dead in their tracks. Before them was Lazarus himself. The dragon exiled years earlier by King Casimer, the one who was never supposed to return. He stood there larger than life, his dark, craggy, scarred features twisted in a rare expression of joy. In the past, he had been referred to as the dark side of the king’s light. Now he was a more dappled figure, his once raven hair streaked with shafts of gray. He had been in his prime at the time of Casimer’s judgment and he had aged at least three decades since his exile, but though his skin was more wrinkled, his dark eyes were lit with an ageless malevolence that made him a fearsome figure still.
“Lord Lazarus…” Valkimer’s voice was hoarse.
“You no longer bow to me? No, I suppose not,” Lazarus chuckled. “A fallen dragon earns no respect, does he?”
“Sir…” Chak began to speak. “You cannot be here.”
“It appears I very much can,” Lazarus growled. “Thanks to the portal you gentlemen opened, and the young warrior you sent through to inform me of it.”
“We didn’t…”
“Ah, but you did. You must have known what would happen as soon as I realized a return was possible,” Lazarus laughed. “Do you truly believe I would die in the human realm? If you had waited another year or two on this side of the divide, perhaps I would have been too weak to take full advantage of this opportunity… it has been thirty long years, gentlemen. Thirty years in which I have been forced to live with those scurrying vermin who call themselves human. Thirty years in which I have never once been able to take my true form, let alone enjoy the simple pleasures like breathing real air.” He paused and took a deep breath. “Oh, yes. Even the oxygen tastes different. There is no hominid stink here.”
Valkimer and Chak exchanged worried looks. They both knew Lazarus well. For a time, he had been their commander in the royal guard. His shameful downfall had come about when he betrayed the king and attempted to steal the crown princess away. The scandal had rocked the kingdom and he had been sent to live on Earth until the end of his natural life.
It was chilling to see the effects of the passage of Earth time on a dragon. They were strong and vital, but he was beginning to shrivel and, yes, if they had waited another year or two, he would have met his end in that human realm.
Valkimer wished they had waited those years. This was an unanticipated turn of events that brought far too many uncomfortable chickens home to roost, as the human tomes often read. Seeing the man who once struck fear into every enemy he encountered, and quite a number of allies as well, standing there
withered with age was a shocking reminder of the forces they were toying with. The human realm was not a harmless place—and the wrath of the dragon king had terrible consequences. Many had thought Casimer was too kind to spare Lazarus’ life, but he could see now that the old dragon had suffered during his time among humans.
“You two have saved my life,” Lazarus said. “I am grateful for what you have done, even if you did not mean to do it.”
“Sir, we have not saved your life, and we cannot contravene the king’s…”
“King! Do not speak to me of kings,” Lazarus snarled, his wrinkled features contorting with disgust. “That is one thing I have learned among humans. Worshiping kings is pointless and foolish. Obedience to a monarch is a waste of life. Of course, you two know that already, or you would not have opened a portal against the king’s law.”
He was right. They were criminals just as he was. In different ways, and for different reasons, but the fact of their crimes remained the same.
Lazarus looked skyward and drew in a deep breath.
“It has been far too long since I have flown,” he growled. “These skies call me.”
“Sir…” Valkimer started forward as Lazarus began to pull off his human clothing. A leather jacket fell to the ground with a heavy thud as Lazarus began to disrobe.
“Leave the portal open,” Lazarus said. “I have secured it on the human side. I wish to make use of it as I please.”
“Sir Lazarus…” Valkimer began to speak in an attempt to convince the lord to return to his exile.
“Leave the portal open,” Lazarus reiterated, stripping himself of his clothing entirely, revealing a body touched by age but still strong enough to withstand the change.
They stood back as the exiled lord drew in a deep breath and flowed into his dragon state. In three seconds, there was no longer a man standing before them, there was a great dark dragon with streaks of red over his eyes and down the flights of his wings. The dragon Lazarus threw back its head and roared loudly enough to shake the ground moments before its wings unfurled and the great dark dragon took to the sky.
Valkimer watched with seriously mixed emotions: fear, concern, and even some joy. Lazarus did not deserve mercy and had not earned it, but seeing a dragon who had not flown for thirty years rise into the heavens set a lump in his throat. There was something rebellious and majestic about the moment, as terrible as it was.
“Well,” Chak said as Lazarus became a speck in the sky. “We have a real problem now.”
“I’m sorry,” Paix trembled behind them. “He insisted I show him the portal. He hurt me and threatened to hurt me more if I refused. And he did keep his end of the bargain. At least, I think he did. He had records on one of those human tablets that displays their information. He showed me it. I do know where your pet came from, and why she is able to live here without treatment.”
“Do not worry, Paix,” Valkimer reassured him, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. “Lord Lazarus is not one to be crossed lightly by anyone. You had no chance of resisting him. And likely, even if we had gone ourselves, neither would we. When we sent you to him, we should have anticipated this outcome.”
“We really should have,” Chak said, shaking his head. “We’ve… we have made a huge mistake.”
“Don’t panic,” Valkimer growled. “Lazarus is here, but that does not mean he intends evil. I saw a man who missed his home. Let him fly a while, drink the waters of this land. And when he grows tired, we can return him and close the portal behind him. He can’t fly forever. This is a setback, but it doesn’t have to be a big one. Nobody ever has to know that Lazarus returned for a few days to stretch his wings.”
“You believe that he’s just here to enjoy a quick flight?” Chak snorted. “Valkimer, you are more naive than Brianna if you believe that. Lazarus never does anything without a greater purpose.”
“He’s an old man,” Valkimer replied. “We can take him down if we need to. Two warriors against one withered exile?”
“Excuse me, Valkimer, sir, it may not be as simple as that,” Paix said, his soft voice intruding on their conversation. “Brianna is more significant than anyone thought.”
Valkimer turned his gaze back to Paix. “In what way?”
“You were right to be suspicious of her, m’lord. From what I have seen, I can tell you this. She was never meant to be born.”
Chapter Eleven
“Wake up, pet.”
Brianna resisted at first, but as Chak shook her gently, she rose through sleep and emerged into a reality that seemed stranger than her dreams. Every day she woke up in the dragon realm she could barely believe what had happened to her, at least, until she felt the ache in her bottom and her sex, the warm glow that suffused her body.
At least, it usually did. Since the scene in the hall, there had been no lovemaking, no fucking. She hadn’t seen Valkimer at all since her hand met his face in the most satisfying slap she had ever delivered.
They were both there now though, standing over her. She was starting to think of them almost as one man. A very complex, demanding man. A man who could split his skin and become two dragons… she shook her head to clear it of the strange thoughts.
No doubt they wanted her again. They had come to consume her one more time. Not because they loved her, but because they owned her. Because they wanted to prepare her for someone else to fuck, to make her the perfect little sex toy for some man she did not know and would not be permitted to choose.
She was so tired. She could barely open her eyes, even as large, strong hands lifted her up to a sitting position.
“I gotta sleep,” she mumbled, sliding back down into the welcome embrace of the blankets.
“We need you to wake up, pet. We have to talk to you about a serious matter.”
“What serious matter?” She rubbed her hands over her face and looked at Chak’s dark gaze with confusion. Valkimer was pacing back and forth in the background, not looking at her or at Chak. He seemed agitated and she wondered if it was her fault.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“You haven’t done anything wrong,” Chak reassured her. “We just need to talk to you about your life before you came here.”
“My life before I came here?” She squinted at him. “Why do you care?”
“Valk, would you get her some water?” Chak said over his shoulder. “She’s not alert enough to have this discussion.”
Valkimer actually went and got some water, which surprised Brianna. Valkimer rarely followed orders from Chak, and Chak rarely gave them. They were equals and Brianna knew that, but Valkimer was usually the one who tried to oversee things.
“What’s happening? Why do I need to be alert?”
Valkimer came back with water in a large goblet. He put it down on the table next to the bed and looked at her with an icy gaze that made her tremble.
“I have done something, haven’t I.”
“No,” Chak reassured her. “Don’t worry about Valkimer. He’s snarling for another reason this time.”
“What’s going on?”
“Well,” Chak said, sitting sideways on the bed, his body turned toward her as she sat cross-legged. “You know it’s almost impossible for humans to survive in this world without medical intervention. And you know that you’ve survived very well. You’re healthier now than when you arrived.”
“Well, I get to eat every day here,” she said. “And it’s real food.”
“That could be part of it,” Chak nodded. “But your physical abilities are enhanced too.”
“Yeah,” she admitted. “It is kind of weird.”
“Valkimer and I sent someone back to Earth to try to find out what happened to you to make you different from other humans.”
“…okay?” Brianna couldn’t imagine them having found anyone who knew anything about her. She’d never known anything. She didn’t even have a birth certificate.
“What do you know about your parents?”
&nbs
p; Brianna shrugged. “I don’t know. I was found at a bus stop when I was three years old. I grew up in foster care. There were no records of me at the hospital, so I probably never saw a doctor, and my probably junkie mother probably gave birth to me in a dumpster or something. I’m human trash.”
“No,” Valkimer said heavily from across the room.
“You couldn’t be further from the truth,” Chak said. “Your mother did give birth to you in secret, but not because she was too poor, or a junkie, as you say, but because she was on the run. She was trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
“From the military who had used her as an experimental subject in a process designed to engineer humans capable of entering the dragon realm and doing battle with our kind.”
Brianna stared at them. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “That can’t be true. That’s insane.”
“It’s not,” Chak said gently. “We sent someone to look into your background, and according to our information, your mother was a soldier in the military, chosen for a special medical program. It wasn’t until she became pregnant that she realized that the program was not about her, but about you. She deserted the military and managed to have you in secret. They came after her, and so she made the decision to leave you somewhere you would blend in. You were taken to a far city and you were left to be found.”
“This doesn’t even make sense,” she said, shaking her head. “Why would anyone want to invade this place? There are dragons here!”
Chak and Valkimer exchanged looks. “Humans are known for their arrogance and warlike temperament. Your species has developed weapons which harness the power of the sun and turn it against others. They have used harsh weaponry against one another for resources before. Our realm contains a great many riches, and your militaries are likely aware of that. After the first battle, they found the strongholds we created on your planet in the mountains. They know that we are linked with wealth. You have stories in your world about dragons and their hordes.”
