The Crime of Protection

by Gloria Martin

  Cadmus stood just as Geneva reached down to pick up her bow. Thinking better of the short space between them, she reached for the long knife hanging on the side of her pack as well.

  Notching an arrow, she drew back and aimed at the dragon. “Why did you attack Haven?”

  “I didn’t have a choice,” he said. “I had to.”

  “You’re a dragon,” she spat at him. “No one can force you to do anything.”

  Cadmus turned to face her. His face looked hollow, a pain that she did not think came from his shoulder. Geneva was caught between her own savage anger and her numb feelings for this angelic face of agony.

  “You’d be surprised how little freedom I have,” he said.

  The light caught the bracelet around his wrist and Geneva was distracted for a moment as she noticed that the amethysts had darkened in color and were almost black now. In this moment, Cadmus crossed the space towards her. The bow was useless and her arrow ricocheted off of the stone and clattered on the floor of the cave as Cadmus pushed her roughly against the stone wall, knocking the wind out of her.

  In her mind, Geneva knew she was going to die. Furthermore, she would die a fool who had aided her own enemy. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to surrender herself to her fate.

  Cadmus’s good forearm was pressing her up against the wall. She wondered briefly if he was going to kill her in his human form or if he was going to turn into the dragon. Which way would be faster? Which way would be less painful?

  Geneva felt his whole body press against her and his hot breath whispered in her ear. “I don’t want to do this.”

  She opened her eyes and found herself staring into his. They were as blue as the clear summer skies, and they pleaded silently with her. She didn’t know what to do and remained silently stunned.

  “He’s been watching you,” Cadmus said cryptically before Geneva remembered and her hand gripped the long knife she’d tucked into her waistband. She thrust the knife forward, not sure where it would connect.

  Cadmus let out a sharp yell of pain and released Geneva. The knife was sticking out of his side as he stumbled backwards and fell down. Geneva felt a smug sense of satisfaction as he lay there gasping, but at the same time a twinge of guilty curiosity nagged in the back of her mind. She walked out to the mouth of the cave.

  He had made it seem like his actions were not his own. She wondered if he was telling the truth. It hadn’t come off as the desperate lie of a man, or rather dragon, who didn’t want to die.

  In her mind, Geneva heard Winda’s rational voice telling her about the dark magicians who appeared in noble bloodlines and would take control of rulers. Perhaps dragons, being noble creatures of magic themselves, were not immune to dark spells. There was rumored to be a good magician who lived in the Citadel, but that was a week long journey at least.

  Still, if she took him there and he was not under a spell, all of the people of the land would probably enjoy the public execution of a dragon. It was probably a bad idea, but she had nothing to lose, except for Cadmus.

  Begrudgingly she gathered up some sparse sticks and some dry grass from the rocky mountainside and returned to the cave. She threw the pile down in front of Cadmus’s writhing body and set it up as a proper structure for a fire. Rummaging in her pack, she found her flint stone.

  “What…what are you doing?” Cadmus gasped as he tried to sit up, holding the knife in place in his side to minimize the flow of blood.

  The sparks caught on the tinder and Geneva blew on it, encouraging it into a small flame. Looking back at Cadmus she responded, “Not killing you yet.”

  He gasped and let out a small sarcastic laugh. “So stabbing me is not killing me.”

  “Of course not,” she said as she grabbed the linen bandages she had removed from his shoulder. She wadded them up and placed them along with his hand atop the wound. “Not a mighty dragon like yourself.”

  She yanked hard to remove the knife while pressing his hand down to stop the flow of blood that spurted forth. She laid the knife in the growing flames and waited for it to heat.

  “Why?” Cadmus’s breathing was becoming labored and irregular.

  “Because I’m taking you to the Citadel. They’ll sort out whether you’re innocent or not.”

  “They’ll execute me just for being a dragon,” he said.

  “That’s not my problem,” she said as she pulled the knife out of the fire. Cadmus’s eyes widened and his jaw set as she placed her free hand over his and he prepared for the cauterizing.

  He let out a yell as the knife pressed against his skin and sealed the wound closed. Geneva pressed hard until no heat remained glowing in the knife and Cadmus passed out.

  Throwing the knife across the cave, she let out her own scream of frustration.

  *****

  Geneva was washing the blood off of Cadmus with her hands when he awoke.

  “Can we not do this again?”

  “Not do what?” she looked up at him as she applied pressure to the fresh scar on his side.

  His sharp intake of breath did not stop her hard scrubbing. “Can you stop trying to kill me and then changing your mind and saving me? I know you just want an excuse to have your hands all over me, but you can just ask.”

  “Next time I really will kill you.” Geneva stood and tossed the blanket at him. “Here, you can cover yourself with that, unless you enjoy walking around naked.”

  “Can’t have you distracted now can we,” he said as he stood and fumbled, trying to tie the blanket around his waist in an acceptable fashion. At least his injured arm was working a little now.

  Geneva packed up her things and slung the pack across her back, ready to head out. Looking back at Cadmus she saw him standing there awkwardly holding the blanket around his waist, lest it fall down.

  “Well at least we know how bright you are,” she grumbled as she walked over to repair the situation. Her disgust was as much with Cadmus as it was with her own decision to let him live and take him to the Citadel.

  She grabbed the end of the blanket that he was holding roughly from him.

  “What, now you want me naked?”

  Geneva hissed a sigh of frustration. “No, I do want you to be able to move though. I’m not carrying you down the mountainside.”

  “What makes you think I’m going to just go willingly with you?” he asked as she tied two ends of the blanket over his shoulder.

  “Where else do you have to go? I have medicine in my pack and you’re injured, quite badly.” She tied the other two ends of the blanket together where they reached just far enough to have him somewhat modestly covered. “Big, strong dragon or not, I doubt you could get anywhere on your own.”

  Cadmus laughed. “Oh really? You don’t even know where you are.”

  “Some godforsaken cave in the mountains.”

  “This cave is a gateway,” he told her. “It’s the entrance to Althelus, the dragon city of the mountains. All I have to do is walk straight back there and I’ll have a whole court of dragons to attend to me.”

  “Oh yes,” Geneva scoffed as she pulled a length of rope out and began binding his hands, noting that the jewels of his gold band were light purple still. She figured she must have imaged the color change from earlier that morning. “You’re what, a lord of dragons?”

  “Prince, actually.”

  “Well then, your highness, why don’t you play diplomat and come to the Citadel with me. You can explain how it’s not your fault that my village is destroyed and my friends are all dead.”

  Cadmus’s eyes fell away as he realized their banter had not lightened the mood at all. “Geneva, I’m sorry, but you don’t understand-”

  “You’re right,” she snapped, “I don’t understand how you could burn a village full of innocent people, but you can explain that to the lord of the Citadel while they decide the best way to execute you.”

  Cadmus decided to keep his mouth shut as she pulled the knots tight around his wrists and then
turned away. She pulled the length of the rope behind her to lead him outside and he followed without a struggle. He felt truly sorry for what had happened, but she didn’t understand. Sometimes he wasn’t allowed to have control over his actions, no matter how terrible they were, the band around his wrist ensured that.

  They made their way down the mountainside in the heat of the afternoon. A couple of times Geneva slipped on loose pebbles and Cadmus caught her. The second time this happened she almost thanked him and caught herself. Their faces were inches apart as she looked up into his blue eyes.

  Clearing her throat, she pulled away without a word. Cadmus sighed and muttered under his breath, “You’re welcome.”

  The sun was hanging low by the time they reached the tree line. They had not exchanged words since leaving the cave. Geneva was wrapped up in her thoughts, questioning herself and rationalizing again and again that it would be better to take him to the Citadel rather than killing him. Cadmus on the other hand, was both bored and anxious.

  “So, we’re not going to make it to the Citadel tonight. When do you plan on making camp?”

  Geneva didn’t turn around as she answered. “Don’t worry, your highness, only top notch establishments for you. Can’t have you sleeping on the forest floor.”

  Cadmus almost retorted, but thought better of it. Instead, he followed obediently as she led him deep into the forest and tried not to step on too many brambles.

  In the waning light of the evening, they finally reached their destination. It was a small tree house that Geneva and Winda had built years ago when they started hunting together. It overlooked a small clearing and was a handy place where they could stay when they were on extended hunting trips and couldn’t get back to Haven with their kills.

  “Cozy,” Cadmus remarked.

  *****

  Geneva sat quietly staring into the campfire they had built on a stone slab that had been incorporated into the tree house for just that purpose. The flames were warm but she felt incredibly cold. Everything here was infused with memories of Winda. Every memory made her regret saving Cadmus, twice. The grief was so near that even the stored food in the tree house reminded her of her lost best friend.

  Still, Cadmus hadn’t tried to flee, he was calm and accepting of being her prisoner. And aside from their brief encounter this morning, he didn’t try to attack her. In fact, he had caught her when she nearly fell on the way down the mountainside. It didn’t quite make sense that he would do that if he had malicious intent. She had even decided to leave his hands untied after giving him something to eat.

  She was starting to believe more and more that maybe he didn’t have full control over his actions. Specifically, Geneva thought about the gold band on his wrist. It seemed odd that he’d be completely naked except for that. Perhaps it was imbued with some sort of dark magic that controlled him.

  If that was the case, he was still dangerous. She still couldn’t let him go. Their only option was to get to the Citadel so that the magician there could help him.

  Reaching towards the fire, she pulled out a branch that had a nice sized ember on the end of it. She let it cool and began to write on one of the floorboards of the tree house.

  “So, almighty Dragon Prince,” she said to get his attention, “what’s it like in your magical dragon city?”

  Cadmus looked up from where he sat leaning against the trunk of the tree. He saw that she was writing with the coal end of the stick and moved over. It was only a simple question: Band is magic?

  “It’s built inside of the heart of the mountain,” he said as he took the offered stick from her hand, “and it’s more lavishly decorated than all the castles of the land combined.”

  “I bet.” She took the stick back and read his answer: Yes.

  Geneva looked over into his eyes. He was sitting incredibly close to her and she felt her throat close as she fumbled with what to say next.

  “Everything is decorated in gold and silver and jewels,” Cadmus continued on. “Beds are wider than this tree house and covered in the softest furs and linens, and pillows stuffed full downy feathers.”

  “Well, I’m sorry that the finest we have to offer here is somewhat soft deer skin leather.”

  Cadmus smirked. She understood now and some of the tension had eased between them. He chuckled and said, “Well you look pretty soft.”

  Geneva let out a short laugh. “Don’t push your luck just because I’m emotionally vulnerable. You’re still the bad guy here, and the prisoner.”

  His arm was around her and she thought briefly that she might even want to kiss him on those soft pink lips. The tied end of the blanket left most of his side exposed and his flesh was pressed up against her bare arm. He was very warm; much warmer than the fire they had built.

  Cadmus gently touched her cheek, “I am your prisoner, and you can do whatever you want to me.”

  Geneva laughed out loud and gave him a playful shove. “I’m sorry, your highness, but I’m not going to sleep with you.”

  “Ouch,” he grabbed his wounded side in mock pain. “I thought you said you weren’t going to try to kill me again. I’m mortally wounded by your words.”

  “Good,” she said and they laughed together. For a moment, she forgot about her burned village and dead friends. She even dismissed the looming threat of dark magic wrapped around Cadmus’s wrist. She needed the laugh.

  Geneva fell back into silence, but there was far less tension now. She was almost at ease sitting there watching the fire with Cadmus’s arm around her. In fact, she began to relax enough that she unconsciously leaned her head against Cadmus and eventually dozed off for a spell.

  When she woke up, it was to find herself alone. The embers of the fire were burning low and one of the soft hide blankets was draped over her. She looked around in a panic. Cadmus was nowhere to be seen.

  She was about to get up and look for him when she heard a soft rustling on the ground below. Geneva stiffened. There were wolves and bears in these woods. It was not safe to be on the ground after dark. She held her breath, hoping that if it was a predator that it would move on.

  She waited until the sound of Cadmus’s voice made her jump. “I didn’t expect you to be awake.”

  “Where have you been,” she hissed.

  “You’re not much of a guard,” he pointed out as he climbed up into the tree house. “You leave me untied and let me wander around wherever I want. You must be new to this whole business of keeping someone prisoner.”

  “You didn’t answer me.”

  “Were you worried about me?” his eyes lit up playfully and Geneva felt that same disgruntled annoyance she always felt when she had to talk to children.

  “Actually I was hoping you’d been eaten by the wolves.”

  Cadmus laughed as he came to sit next to her. “They actually ran off after I started eating the first one.”

  Geneva rolled her eyes, but then caught sight of fresh blood on his hands. “Did you really-”

  “I’m a dragon. I eat a lot more than you do.” A look of horrified surprise was etched all over Geneva’s face so he added, “Don’t worry, I won’t eat you.”

  *****

  In the morning, Geneva woke up much more relaxed than the previous night. She hadn’t had any nightmares of Winda. Yesterday had been a whirlwind of finding out about Cadmus, nearly killing him, and finding out about the magic that controlled him.

  As she woke up the rest of the way she felt Cadmus cuddled up against her. His body was warm and his arm was draped lightly across her waist. It was comfortable and she breathed in deeply for a moment, wishing she could stay here in this tree house forever, forgetting about everything else.

  Cadmus groaned in his sleep and his arm tightened around her, pulling her close against him. His breath was warm and tickled her neck with every exhale. His hips pressed against her and Geneva had to bite her lip to keep from letting out a low moan.

  His hand moved and slipped under the rough material of h
er blouse. Geneva let out a sigh. His hand was soft as it moved across her abdomen. She reached up with her free hand and began to loosen the lacings and the front clasps of her bodice. On her neck she felt Cadmus’s soft lips as he nibbled down towards her collarbone.

  Geneva turned over and Cadmus lifted her on top of him, his hips thrusting with need while he helped her lift the bodice over her head. He was already naked, and pulled her body tight against his while he kissed her deeply. Their arms wrapped tightly around each other.

  Cadmus held her close as he turned her over to lie on her back. He kissed her down both sides of her neck and down her sternum. His tongue glided over her skin as he explored her breasts. Her nipples hardened as his fingers lightly pinched and teased.

  Geneva gasped softly. The feeling was exquisite. His nails gently raked down her sides, giving her goose pimples as he kissed down her abdomen toward her leather breeches. His fingers gripped lightly around the top and yanked them all the way down to her ankles in one swift movement.

  One at a time he lifted her legs up in the air to rest on his shoulders. His kissed the soles of her feet and ankles and all the way up to her knees. Geneva moaned with her need for him.

  Teasing, Cadmus ran a finger lightly across the shining wetness between her legs as he mumbled, “Now what do we have here?”

  Geneva was breathing heavily as his fingers lazily explored her clitoris, sending her body into miniature convulsions with every motion. Her eyes were closed and her brows furrowed as her voice quietly begged, “Please.”

  In one swift moment Cadmus was inside of her and Geneva let out a deep moan as he held her legs up and began thrusting deep and rhythmically. His grunting joined her moans as they met each other’s thrusts and pushed the rhythm faster and harder and faster again.

  Geneva’s moans climbed in pitch and Cadmus dropped her legs, pulling her up to sit on his lap as he pushed deep inside of her. Her fingers knotted in his silvery hair as she raised and lowered herself, eager to finish.

  Cadmus held her hips tightly as he also neared his end. As he came his moan was almost a roar, and those final driving thrusts sent Geneva over the edge as he filled her and she clung to him, trembling with her ecstasy.