Evalina turned her head to the side and reached up to Áedán’s face, pulling him close so she could kiss him. She parted her mouth when her lips met his. His warm tongue glided over hers, caressing it gently. She slowly turned around, never breaking away from his kiss; their tongues collided fervently.
Áedán broke off the kiss after a few moments and backed her slowly toward the bed. He stroked the hair out of her face and gazed into her green eyes. “He may get to claim you as his wife, but I will be your first,” he whispered hungrily. He leaned in and kissed her fiercely. “And I will be your last,” he said between kisses.
Áedán rolled off of her and onto the space in the bed next to her. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arm around her, kissing her forehead. “Did you enjoy it at all?”
“Yes,” she replied, closing her eyes sleepily. “Very much.”
“I don’t want you to enjoy it with him,” Áedán told her fiercely. “Unless you are picturing yourself with me when he makes love to you.”
“I don’t want to think about that right now,” Evie said sadly.
“Did I give you pleasure?” he asked curiously.
“You couldn’t tell?” Evie asked, laughing softly.
“I might have heard it. I just want to hear you say it,” he said teasingly.
“Yes. It was amazing,” Evie replied.
He held her from behind tightly, resting his face near the back of her head.
“Sleep,” he whispered. “Don’t think of any of the bad from today and sleep. I’ve got you like I always do.”
CHAPTER 6
The next morning, Evie’s father and Áedán went to town to sell and trade in the market. She and her mother stayed home doing simple farm chores and taking an easy day while their farmhands did the bulk of the work. Áedán had hugged and kissed her good-bye in secret. Things had changed completely and so quickly between them. He promised to talk to Áed about the marriage and fix the situation. She was counting on him. Her future rested in his hands. If he was not able to convince her father, then she was doomed to marry Edwyn and live a boring life.
Evie sat anxiously in her chair across from her mother by the hearth and tried to read, but she was too distracted. Her mother sat in a chair across from Evie with her old wedding dress in her lap. Freyda had already begun making small changes to the style, trying to make it look more like the current fashion. Evie was sick to her stomach looking at the dress. Crystal beads and fine embroidery adorned the white, simple dress. It was beautiful as it was. She almost told her mother to leave it alone, but she wanted her mother to be distracted.
Evie walked over to the small window by the door and looked out. The sky was dark from an oncoming storm and threatened to rain any second. What she would give to escape and run away. Where could I go? She glanced back at her mother who was working obliviously on the dress. Evie grabbed the blue cloak Islwyn had given her and snuck out the door.
The air temperature had dropped due to the approaching foul weather. Evie shivered as she wrapped the cloak over her shoulders, fastening it at the neck. She lifted the blue hood over her head and ran off in the direction of the meadow. She wanted to clear her thoughts and have a few moments to breathe without seeing any reminders of the wedding.
Thunder rumbled in the distance and Evie jumped. She was terrified of storms. Maybe this isn’t such a great idea. I should go back. Mother will worry. She shivered and crossed her arms over her chest as she glanced back at the farmhouse, deciding to keep going. I could just leave now and never come back. I could send word from another village to Áedán, and he can come join me. I won’t ever have to get married to Edwyn or any other boy my parents choose.
Evie wandered, trying to escape her thoughts, but they followed her until she didn’t know how far she had walked or where she was. I hope I am still going in the right direction. Before she knew it, she reached the meadow. She sighed with relief as she looked around the familiar place. She knew exactly where she was now and how to get home.
If she did run away, Evie knew she would have to travel off the main road. Otherwise, her father would be able to track her down in his cart. How can I run away now? I didn’t bring any supplies. This is poor planning.
Suddenly, she heard a screeching. Startled, Evie looked up and saw the red-and-black dragon flying overhead, circling her. “You again?” she yelled up at the dragon. The dragon roared robustly and swooped down for a landing. “This is perfect. I can fly you far, far away from here.”
The dragon landed beside her and walked forward. Evie reached her hand out to stroke his scaly neck. The dragon made a loud purring noise like a cat and let out a puff of black smoke.
“I’m happy to see you too, boy,” she cooed. “Can I ride you?” she asked, knowing the dragon could not verbally reply.
The dragon puffed again. Evie took it as a yes and walked to his back. She lifted her leg and carefully climbed on top of him. She held on tight as the dragon ran a few feet and took off into the air. Her stomach dropped as he adjusted up and down in the air as he climbed higher and higher. How do riders ever get used to this? I guess they train…a lot. As fun as it was, it was also terrifying to ride the dragon. Evie was still worried that she would fall off.
The air was cold and damp the higher up they climbed. Evie was grateful to have Islwyn’s warm cloak this time. She didn’t know if she would ever see Islwyn again. She decided to fly to Farryndell to say good-bye to him before leaving. There was only one problem. She didn’t know how to control the dragon. “East!” she shouted. “Farryndell!”
The dragon didn’t move in any specific direction but continued to fly in circles. Evie patted his left side and got him to turn. I can do this. She patted him again until he was heading in the direction of the forests of Farryndell, the elf kingdom. They flew for what seemed like an hour before Evie could see the edge of the elven woods, but the dragon would fly no further. He started circling the sky again.
“What are you doing?” she shouted loudly. She was frustrated that she couldn’t get him to keep going.
“I would ask you the same thing, Evalina,” shouted a male voice. Evie craned her neck and spotted Islwyn on a shimmery, metallic, pale-ice-blue-and-silver dragon. Its pointed horns jutted off its head and neck like a mane of icicles. The dragon’s piercing, ice-blue eyes were beautifully menacing. Islwyn kept his dragon at a distance.
“Wyn! You’re a dragon rider?” Evie asked in surprise. Why didn’t he tell me?
“Yes!” he replied as if it were a common occurrence.
“How do I get him to go back down?” she yelled across the sky.
“How did you do it last time?” Islwyn asked.
“I didn’t. He flew himself and took me for a ride,” Evie said, turning her head to look at Islwyn at the new angle her dragon flew.
Islwyn said something to his dragon, and the dragon dove softly to land. Evie held on tightly as her dragon followed in pursuit. When her dragon landed on the ground, Evie dismounted him right away.
“Did the dragon come to you again?” Islwyn asked, sounding apprehensive.
“I was walking, and then he just appeared. He circled above me a few times and then landed. I wanted to ride him. He let me on. I was coming to see you,” she answered, annoyed by his tone.
“Me?” Islwyn asked. The corners of his lips turned upward in a slight smile. “What for?”
“I’m going away, and I don’t know if I’ll ever return,” she said sadly.
The smile faded from Islwyn’s handsome face. He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Why, Evalina? What happened?”
Evie looked up into his mesmerizing ice blue eyes. “My father arranged to marry me off to a boy from the village. Edwyn Hult to be precise. He’s the son of the carpenter. My parents surprised me with the news yesterday at dinner. I met my betrothed, and they set the date for a month’s time. My mother is at home making my wedding gown as we speak.”
“And you don’t w
ant to get married?” asked Islwyn.
Evie shook her head no. “No. Not to him anyway. I don’t love him.” She intentionally left out the part about Áedán.
Islwyn’s brow furrowed with concern. “Don’t run away from your problems, Evalina,” he advised.
“But—” she protested.
“Go home to your family, Evie. I don’t think you need to worry about the marriage. I have a feeling there is a greater fate in store for you,” Islwyn said promisingly.
“How can you be so sure?”
“The dragon choosing is coming soon, and…you have already been chosen it seems,” Islwyn explained, pointing to the red-and-black dragon.
“Me? Just because I rode him a few times doesn’t mean I am chosen,” Evie countered doubtfully. “Besides, he doesn’t come from the breeders. He doesn’t know to choose a rider.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Islwyn agreed, eyeing her dragon. “But that dragon is drawn to you.”
Evie looked over at the red-and-black dragon. He was nuzzling Islwyn’s female dragon. The dragons got along surprisingly well considering that he was wild and had probably never interacted with a trained dragon before.
“I supposed he is,” Evie agreed.
“I believe he will come to the dragon parade before the choosing. He will be attracted to the presence of the other dragons and to you, and he will come to you.”
“I still don’t want to go home. Can’t I come with you to Farryndell?” Evie asked desperately. She had always been curious about the elves. She briefly imagined what it looked like inside the woods, dining with the elf king and queen at the palace, and envisioned faeries frolicking in the trees.
“Someday, I will take you to my home, Evie, but not today. It is imperative that you attend the dragon choosing,” Islwyn said encouragingly.
Evalina shook her head in agreement. “Fine. I’ll return to my home and wait out the dragon choosing. If you’re wrong about this—”
Islwyn interrupted her. “If I am wrong about this, then I will come and rescue you myself. I will fly in on my dragon and sweep you up and fly off to Farryndell.”
“And when my family comes to take me home?”
Islwyn stepped intimately close to Evie and stared deeply into her eyes. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His touch made her shiver delightfully. “Then we will hide in the caves behind the waterfall until they leave, and then we will have to keep flying forever. To the edge of the world if we must.”
“Promise me,” Evie said, so low it was almost a whisper.
“I promise,” Islwyn replied. “Now, time for me to get you home before your parents call out a search party.”
They mounted their dragons, and Islwyn commanded them to fly toward her village. As they got close, Islwyn landed them far enough from her home so that no one would see her riding a dragon. It was dark and stormy back at the farm. The thunder and lightning had increased. Rain was pouring down over the farm when they landed.
Evie was glad to be getting out of the storm. She was certain that they would be struck by lightning when they were flying. She raised the hood of the cloak over her head as she and Islwyn ran for the safety and shelter of her home.
“This is as far as I go,” Islwyn said, grabbing Evie’s hand to stop her.
“You should come inside and stay through the storm. It would be crazy to fly back in this weather. The storm looks like it’s headed east to Farryndell.”
“I don’t think that would be wise. Besides, I have flown through worse,” Islwyn stated with certainty.
“My family would gladly welcome you. Are you sure?” Evie was concerned for his safety.
“Positive,” Islwyn said confidently. He leaned over and embraced her. “Besides, you don’t really want to explain how we ran into each other, now do you?”
Evie shook her head no.
Islwyn chuckled. “See you soon at the dragon choosing.”
“Take care, Wyn,” Evie said to her new, dear friend. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, which was wet from the rain. Evie turned and ran the rest of the distance to her home. She knew her father would be back by now, and they would all be worried out of their minds. Evie wasn’t in the mood to be lectured by her father or Áedán or to see how much she had worried her mother. She felt guilty enough as it was.
Evie entered her warm, cozy home and shut the door behind her. Rain dripped off of her, soaking the floor and mat by the doorway. The smell of dinner and a warm fire in the hearth greeted her as well as three worried faces. Her father, mother, and Áedán were sitting at the table, waiting for her. They all looked up at her with looks of relief on their faces.
Evie spoke before they could. “I’m so sorry. I took a walk and wandered off too far. Then the storm hit, and I was scared. I tried to wait out the storm, but when I saw it wasn’t going away and it was late, I hurried home as fast as I could.”
Her father stood up and approached her. He kissed her on the forehead. “Well, that saves me the trouble of asking where you were.” He returned to his seat and began eating his food.
“I’m sorry for worrying you, Mother,” Evie apologized. “I’m sorry for making you all wait to eat.”
Her mother walked over to her. “Are you all right?” Freyda asked as she fussed over Evie, inspecting her wet attire.
“Yes, mother. Just cold and wet,” Evie replied.
“We need to get you out of those wet clothes before you catch your death,” her mother fretted. “Áedán, go boil some water to reheat the bath.” She turned back to Evie. “You may eat your supper after you change and warm up. I will not have you sick before your wedding.”
Áedán studied her quietly as he warmed water in the hearth. Evalina knew he would be full of questions. He was probably upset with her. She was sure he had figured out that she had tried to run away and was actually surprised that she was back.
Áedán went into the bathing chamber with the boiling pot and added hot water to the cold bath for her and then went back to the table to eat his dinner. He didn’t say a word to her.
Her mother sat down to eat as well.
Despite the storm raging overhead, Evie lingered in the bath, avoiding conversation with Áedán. Through the door, she could faintly hear her family talking as they ate their dinner. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of food. She was starving, but she stayed as long as she could in the bath. She waited until her parents said good-night and headed off to their bedroom. They usually went to bed right after dinner because they woke up so early; however, they sometimes stayed up by the hearth reading or playing wyrre.
Not long after, the door to the bathing room opened quietly. Áedán slipped inside, shutting the door quietly behind him.
“What are you doing?” Evie whispered angrily, feeling modest and trying to cover herself.
“Why bother? I have seen every inch of you already,” Áedán remarked, smirking as she scrambled to cover her breasts.
She blushed as she crossed her legs beneath the soapy water.
“You ran away didn’t you?”
Evie looked down. She was ashamed of her actions and didn’t reply. She knew she had acted foolishly and cowardly.
Áedán knelt beside the wooden tub and reached his hand out to her face. He lifted her chin gently, forcing her eyes to meet his. “You didn’t trust that I would fix this situation?” he whispered.
“I’m sorry, Áedán,” Evie finally said, looking up into his dark-blue eyes. “I panicked. I was sitting there watching mother sew my dress, and I couldn’t breathe. I had to get away.”
“Where did you go?”
“I just took off,” she said quietly.
“And…? Look, I know there is more. Just tell me,” he ordered softly. “You don’t have to keep secrets from me.”
“The dragon returned, and I rode it. It took me to the edge of Farryndell where I ran into Islwyn on his dragon.” Áedán’s face darkened when she mentioned the elf. “He is a dragon rider,
it turns out. Islwyn convinced me to come home.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Áedán remarked. “It wasn’t smart to run away. Remember that goblin we came across. It was tracking that dragon. It wanted to capture it. What if there was another goblin or, worse, a horde of orcs? You could have been killed!” he scolded her in an angry whisper. “Even worse, imagine how you made me feel.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry,” she apologized, knowing she had acted rashly.
Áedán grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her toward him, crushing her lips in a hungry kiss. She parted her lips, letting her tongue collide with his as his hand slipped down and cupped her right breast. Water splashed on his dry clothing as he leaned over the tub and pulled her closer to him. His fingers ran down her abdomen and stopped at her hip where he proceeded to trace a line down her thigh to her knee, teasing her slowly. She moaned quietly with desire.
Áedán pulled away and stood up.
She looked at him, confused and aroused.
“Why don’t you dry off, and we continue this upstairs?” he suggested. He crept out of the room quietly and went upstairs while she dried off and wrapped herself in her robe. She climbed the stairs to their loft quickly and was met at the top by Áedán, who stood before her naked. Áedán untied the belt to her robe and slid it off her shoulders. It fell to the floor soundlessly. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed, lighting up the tiny loft.
She could see the intensity of his desire in his eyes each time the lightning lit up the tiny room.
He grabbed her below her behind and lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He kissed her passionately as he carried her to his bed. He laid her down gently and climbed between her thighs, gazing deeply into her eyes.
“Don’t ever leave me, Evalina,” Áedán whispered.
He kissed her hungrily before she could reply. Evie moaned softly and gave herself to him completely.
Evie panicked when she realized he climaxed while still inside her.
“What are you doing, Áedán?” she whispered loudly. “I thought you didn’t want me to get pregnant.”
Dragon Chosen: The Dragon Riders of Eryieth Page 6
