“Is that the end of our meeting?”
“No, he’s just gone inside for some reason. He’ll be back soon.”
“Okay, while he’s gone tell me what he said about me. I’m guessing by the way he sighed it wasn’t very good.”
“He didn’t say very much other than there is nothing untoward about you. He also said you are part elf, and I had not mentioned that possibility to him. I think he likes you.”
“Are you telling me everything? He seemed to say a lot of words for just those couple of remarks.”
“That was it,” Dreydon had no concern about saying this untruth. He had no intention of repeating his friend’s other information, now or possibly ever.
They waited in silence for Narrak to return.
* * * *
Esther was fascinated by the dragon. He was somewhat menacing, but also superb. His body was covered in green scales, but his long neck and his head were smooth. There was a horn a short distance from the outer side of each eye, also one at the top and one at the bottom of his snout. He had long, green fangs, some of which jutted outside his mouth from both the upper and lower jaws. His folded wings were a darker shade of green and she imagined they must be huge if opened. When he’d brought his face so close to her, she had an overwhelming desire to touch him, even though she’d also felt afraid. Only the fact that Dreydon had said Narrak disliked humans deterred her from placing a hand on the side of his head. Inwardly, she made a promise to bring a dragon into her next fantasy tale. She would be able to give such an accurate description of one.
While they waited for Narrak to return, Esther looked at her surroundings. There was more of the mountain above the lair with rocks, several shear faces, and snow a distance further up. She would love to explore the crystal cavern, but doubted she’d be invited inside. Dreydon’s attention was on the entrance, anticipating the dragon’s reappearance, so she silently moved away from him and went to the extreme end of the ledge. She looked down and was astonished at how high they had flown. The trees and rocks below were like miniature replicas of their true size and form. From this point, only those who could fly would be able to soar aloft and not plummet down to a broken end. It was definitely frightening to look over the edge, but she was glad she’d dared to do it.
Strong arms wrapped around Esther and dragged her back. “What are you doing? If you fell off this ledge, you would meet a bone-crushing death.”
“I know, but I just wanted to take a peek. I’m not afraid of heights.”
“Are you crazy? I cannot believe you went to the edge just to look down.”
“I was curious.” She attempted to break free from his hold, but his arms remained firmly around her.
“You can let go. I’ll behave.”
That assurance didn’t work. His grip only lessened slightly. Esther tried digging her elbow into his stomach, but his only response was what sounded like a curse in his own language. So she dug both elbows into him and earned a bite on the shoulder. She could feel the sharpness of his fangs through the thickness of her shirt and top.
He warned, “Don’t fight with me. You cannot win.”
“You just bit me. You’re a beast.”
Dreydon pulled her around to face him. Both his facial expression and raised scales told her he was angry, but she was, too.
“Do not forget I am half demon.” His voice was low and almost menacing.
“Is that a threat? You’re a big bully. Let me go!”
“Are we having a quarrel?” It was Narrak. They hadn’t noticed him come back out of the cave. Esther was surprised because he’d spoken those words in English.
In that language Dreydon explained, “She went to the edge and looked down. If she had slipped, she would be gone forever. I pulled her back and she is angry because I won’t release her. I have no idea what other crazy thing she might do.”
“She can come into my lair. Menil has given her permission for this little one to enter.”
Dreydon pushed Esther through the entrance and kept one hand on her waist. Narrak brought up the rear. They had entered a vast cavern that was lit by some unknown source. It was also surprisingly warm in there. The lair boasted walls of fluorite’s cubic and octahedral crystals together with wide streaks of calcite. The purple, green and blue of the fluorite contrasted pleasingly with the calcite’s opaque whiteness. Esther stared in awe. She loved the astonishing beauty of minerals. Anna kept a small collection for sale in her store and together they’d learned some scientific and metaphysical facts about crystals.
They moved deeper into the lair and came to a section that branched off from the main cavern. Sitting in the center of this area was a second dragon that must be Menil. She was golden from head to tail and was of an equal size to Narrak. Her magenta eyes claimed Esther’s attention and she felt unable to look away. A similar sensation to the one she’d felt when Narrak stared at her coursed through Esther. This energy felt more powerful than his but also soothing and nurturing. She knew instinctively she could be friends with this dragon.
Menil spoke a number of words in the dragon language and Dreydon nodded.
“What did she say?”
“She confirmed what Narrak told me about you.”
“So she thinks I’m part elf?”
“Yes, you are. Dragons can see aspects of a person that no one else can because they look deep inside you. You are most definitely fae.”
It was going to take time for Esther to think of herself as not fully human.
Menil spoke again. It was Narrak who translated her words.
“My mate has invited you to see our eggs, but do not touch them.”
The female dragon moved to the side in order to reveal what her body mass had hidden from view. There was a round depression in the cave’s floor in which lay the six eggs. Esther stepped close and looked at them.
“They resemble solid geodes. That’s amazing. You must be so excited, but anxious too.”
“We are. In about another week they should hatch,” answered Narrak.
“I’ll be gone back to Earth before then, but I’ll give you my best wishes now for a healthy brood.”
“Thank you. If Dreydon keeps in contact with you, he can tell you how they are progressing.”
Esther couldn’t imagine inviting the demgel to drop by now and then. If she did and took him to meet her friends, Celia would certainly run away screaming when she saw his horns, fangs, and claws.
“I would like to meet your friends.”
He’d been mind-snooping again. Obviously, he could also talk to her while he was in her head. That was something new she was learning about demgels.
Dreydon expressed, “We should be getting back to my home, but I shall visit you, my friends, before your eggs hatch.”
Addressing Esther, Narrak said, “If you want to touch my scales before you go, you may.”
She moved close to him, reached out, and stroked the scales on his front leg. They felt less rigid than she’d expected. He lowered his head so that she could also touch that part of him. Esther put her hand on his neck and moved it forward. She slowly inched her way up to the horn at the side of his eye and gently stroked it. A small billow of flame rose up from one nostril and Narrak closed his eyes. Reluctantly, she took her hand away.
“You are making my Narrak feel content. Even though you look human, you have the curiosity and charm of the fae.”
To Esther’s surprise she realized this was Menil talking to her telepathically.
“And do not be angry with Dreydon. He was concerned because you could have fallen from the ledge.”
Esther wasn’t sure how the dragon knew about that incident. She wondered if she could answer Menil in the same way, so she put out this thought, “But he wouldn’t let me go, and then he bit me. That made me even angrier.”
“Biting is an innate action for demgels. Dragons breathe fire, demgels bite. When they make love, there is plenty of biting.”
In Esther’s
opinion that sounded somewhat kinky.
“Do not misjudge Dreydon. He is a good demgel, unlike many of his kind. Narrak and I would be sad to see him made unhappy for any reason.”
“Are you ready to go?” This question came from Dreydon.
“Yes.” To Narrak and Menil she offered, “Thank you for inviting me into your home.”
Narrak said something in the dragon language to Dreydon and he replied. Then the demgel steered her toward the entrance. Once they were outside, he pulled her close and took wing. As they journeyed back down the mountain, she told him,
“I’m still upset with you for biting me.”
“Don’t make me angry again and then I will only bite you when we make love.”
“That will never happen, demgel. I don’t plan to have sex with a mythical creature.”
Chapter Twelve
Once they were back inside Dreydon’s home, the thick shirts vanished. She attempted to move away from him, but he held onto her arm.
“Does your shoulder hurt from my bite?”
“A little bit. Why?”
“I can heal it.” In an instant, Dreydon was pulling off her top. She struggled against him but was hampered by her vision being blocked. He threw the top on a nearby chair and looked at her shoulder.
“There’s bruising, but I didn’t pierce your skin.” He held his left hand close to the injury and she felt the now familiar healing power passing into her.
“Thank you, but once again you’ve taken my clothing off without my permission. I thought I’d made it clear you shouldn’t do that? How would you feel if I suddenly pulled off your pants?”
A smile that was definitely demonic graced his face. “I would be delighted. Is it something you want to do?”
“Of course I don’t want to do it. I was just trying to make you understand. You are impossible, Dreydon.”
“Ah, you said my name again.” His line of vision moved down from Esther’s face to her bra. “Your breasts are what I would really like to bite.”
In shock, Esther backed away from him in the direction of her top. She grabbed the garment and quickly pulled it on.
He moved over to her and looked contrite. “That remark was made by my demon. Sometimes I cannot control him.”
“Yesterday I thought you were kind because you gave me food and shelter. Today I’ve changed my mind. You’re an unpleasant, uncouth beast. I want to go home.”
“As I explained, I cannot yet take you there. I will try to make my demon keep silent. He is focused on you because you are so lovely.” He walked away from Esther and toward the front door. “I’m going to collect some berries for us.” The door opened, he stepped onto the porch and was gone.
Esther looked at the door that stood ajar. Has he forgotten to close it? The thought of going outside to explore was tempting. If she stayed on the porch, Toldo might protect her if there was any danger. She moved toward the door, but it slammed shut. Apparently, he could close it by magic even from a distance. She was confined to the cabin, but at least for a while there would be no more of his surprising comments.
Esther felt sure Anna would like Dreydon. She had a thing for the men she called “bad.” Strictly speaking Dreydon wasn’t a man, but Esther felt sure her friend would forget about his extra bits if she saw his gorgeous body.
She went over to the armchair and sat down. Despite the demgel’s disquieting behavior, she did feel at home in his cabin. It was homey. Esther snuggled into the chair and thought about everything that had happened since Zortek first abducted her. She was always on the lookout for fresh ideas from which to create a story. Her friends had suggested writing about demons or angels. How about a novel built around a character that was both demon and angel? There would be a constant battle between his good and bad sides. Presumably, Dreydon was plagued with the same affliction. Without realizing it, sleep overtook Esther.
A sound woke her. She sat up and saw Dreydon putting two bowls on the table.
“Come and have some berries.”
She yawned, stretched, and stood up. “I don’t usually take a nap in the middle of the day. I think the air on Kurbridor must be too relaxing.” Esther went to the table and looked at her bowl’s contents. Some fruit, like strawberries and raspberries she recognized, but others she didn’t. Sitting down, she began eating the berries and they were very sweet. Dreydon had poured some water for both of them and she gratefully drank hers.
There was a platter of round cookies in the center of the table. Dreydon picked it up and suggested, “Have some of these cookies. One of the centaur’s mates bakes them. I think you’ll like the taste.”
She took a couple and bit into one. It tasted like an oat cookie. “It’s good.”
“I only eat lightly in the middle of the day. I hope this is sufficient for you?”
“I usually have a sandwich and sometimes nothing, so this is fine.” After his surprising comment about what part of her he would like to bite, Esther was feeling uncertain what to say to this demgel. So she asked, “Do centaurs have more than one mate?”
Dreydon paused in his eating and replied, “Yes, some have many.”
Her curiosity prompted the next question. “What about demgels? Do they have plenty, too?”
“No, they only have one, but many of them have their sex slaves as well.”
“Why are you different? You don’t seem to have sex slaves or even a demgel mate.”
“Are you genuinely interested or just making what humans call small talk?”
“I think you don’t want to answer my question and that’s okay. Sometimes my curiosity makes me pry.”
“Curiosity is an elven trait. I don’t have sex slaves because I don’t serve a mejin. No female demgel has ever become my mate because I have never, as yet, loved one. What else would you like to know about me?”
“Well, I would like to know why you don’t serve a mejin.”
“When most male and female demgels are born they live with their parents in a garrison until they are six. Then they are given to whichever mejin their parents serve. Other demgels train them in serving that mejin and fighting for him. At the age of sixteen they are ready for a life of servitude. They capture humans and other species for their mejin’s use, or fight other mejins’ soldiers. When I reached that age, I escaped while I was sent out on my first assignment. That was in a part of Kurbridor that lies at a great distance from here. I made my way across land and a sea to finally settle here. I built this home with the help of some centaurs.”
“So you’re separated from your family?”
“I have no family. A demgel child loses its family when it’s given to the mejin. However, I did learn before I escaped that my mother died giving birth to my brother who was stillborn. Although I was young when my parents gave me away, I remember them. My mother was distant and rarely gave attention to me. My father was always ruled by his demon. He was violent to both me and my mother.”
“Was your mother ruled by her angel?”
“I believe so. I think that part of her could not accept what her life was like with my father, so she retreated into her own world and stayed separate from everything.”
“She was probably distant with you because she knew when you were six she would lose you forever. If she didn’t allow herself to become attached to you, it would be less upsetting when you were gone.”
“Perhaps that is why. I don’t know.” The pain of what he’d suffered was evident on Dreydon’s face.
Esther’s compassion welled up inside her. She wanted to hug him and commiserate. Tears were threatening to fill her eyes. “Oh, Dreydon, that’s so sad. Compared to your life mine has been easy. I’m sorry I called you a beast. You’re not.” The tears overflowed and ran down her cheeks.
“Are you crying for me?”
She nodded. “Can you magic a hanky?”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s a small, square piece of cloth. It’s used to wipe eyes or blow
noses.”
“Oh, you mean a handkerchief. Is this acceptable?” A close replica of a handkerchief appeared in his hand.
“Yes, that’s fine.” She reached over and took it from him. Esther wiped her eyes and asked, “Why didn’t you want to serve your mejin?”
“I knew what was required of me was evil. When demgels reach what you call puberty, either their demon or their angel takes control. Their lesser half remains, but can only be in charge if and when the dominant half allows it to do so. For me, it was my angel half that took command. Of course, as you have seen, my demon half is always ready to rule me and sometimes I allow it.”
“I guess he takes charge when you’re angry?”
“Yes, and when I make love.”
Esther suddenly giggled. She was thinking about what Molly had said when they were sitting outside the café.
“Why is that funny?”
“I was remembering something one of my friends said the other day. You see, I write books. They’re stories about vampires and werewolves. She suggested I write about a demon whose love-making curls the heroine’s toes. I thought about you making some female demgel’s toes literally curl and it made me giggle.”
“If I made love to you, would your toes curl?”
“Dreydon, it’s just an expression. It means it’s something special like a little bit of magic. And of course, you wouldn’t be making love to me, I’m not a demgel.”
“Demgels take other species as their mates and sex slaves, so it’s possible I could make love to you. My demon would be more than happy to show you what he can do.”
“Well, it’s not going to happen so we won’t talk about it.”
“Let me say one more thing. I have never had a complaint about my love-making, so I’m sure my demon could curl your toes.” Once more that wicked smile was beaming at her.
“You’re incorrigible and I’m going to change the subject. Just before we left your dragon friends, Narrak made a remark and you answered him. He didn’t speak in English so I’m assuming he said something about me. Was it negative?”
Stolen Away Page 9
