by Bianca D'Arc
“Were you paired with a knight?”
“No.” The black dragon shook his head. “I will never do so. Black dragons are different from other dragons, Tor. We not only fight with the dragons and knights, we lead them. I and my brothers each lead factions of our kingdom’s armies of fighting dragons and their knights.”
“So there are lots of dragons where you come from?”
“Oh yes. Many hundreds. They are the protectors of the land and partners with the humans who live there.”
“Is it very far away?”
“A few days flight over the mountains to the south.”
The huge silver head swiveled to the woman. “Lana, can we go there? I don’t think Salomar could find us there.”
“I can guarantee he won’t. It’s illegal to intentionally hurt a dragon in my land. You would be welcome there, Tor. As would Lana. The ability to heal dragons is a rare and wondrous gift.”
Lana sat back, resting familiarly on Tor’s bent knee. “I’ve been wanting to leave the Northlands, but I didn’t know where we could go.”
“I can lead you away from here and to my land. You’ll both be safe there.”
She turned to the silver dragon, hugging his long neck loosely. “Do you really want to go? It would be a long journey.”
“I want to go, Lana. I can fly a long time now. You know that.”
She laughed and kissed his nose. “You fly longer and longer each day, Tor, and if you get any bigger we won’t fit in this cave!”
“He is big for his age, isn’t he?”
“I only saw Tor’s mother once before Salomar and his witch ran her off, but she was huge. I think he’s nearly her size now, so I guess he’ll stop growing soon.”
“You’re going to be a mighty dragon when you’re fully grown, Tor. I know you would do well in my land.”
“Then we’ll go with you when you’re ready to fly.” Lana’s voice was a little frightened, but firm. Roland rejoiced silently at how easy it had been to convince them. Now all he had to do was heal enough to fly home. The sooner, the better.
Roland contemplated when to reveal his true nature to the petite beauty who kept fussing over his injuries when the attack came. Pain kept him awake while both the woman and the young dragon slept, and it was a good thing. For it was Roland’s sharp hearing that alerted him to the fur-clad soldiers making their way toward the mouth of the cave.
“Lana, Tor, wake up. Don’t make a sound. We have company.”
“Where?”
The beauty was already slipping from the furs, crouched with a rough blade in her hand that should have been much too big for her small body. But the sleek muscles in her arms said she knew how to swing a sword and Tor had told him how she scrounged their few belongings from the soldiers they had felled. The dragonet had told him how Lana had taught herself how to defend them both as best she could.
“They’re on the slope just in front of the cave opening. They’re trying to set traps, I think.”
“Can you fly?”
“If I must, and I think we must. Get your pack and get on Tor’s back as quietly as you can. I’ll move up to the opening and block the light. They can’t see past my black hide, I’ll bet.”
“Good thinking. Tor’s silver scales reflect even the smallest amount of light. That’s why they come at night.”
“Sneaky bastards.”
Roland moved up to just behind the mouth of the cave, watching the enemy soldiers. They didn’t see him, he was sure. There were advantages to having a black hide.
“How are we going to do this?”
Roland liked that the woman deferred to his expertise without even realizing she did so. Over the past hours she’d come to trust him just a little. On some instinctual level she recognized him, as he did her.
“Are you two ready?”
“Yes, Roland.” Tor sounded eager and just a bit nervous.
“Good. Tor, I want you to wait for my signal. I’m going to torch the hillside where they’re setting traps for us. When it’s clear, I want you to take to the sky as fast and as high as you can without dropping Lana. Can you do that?”
“I can, Roland. I can do that.”
“Good. Now just give me a minute to get into position.”
Roland timed his blast as best he could. He breathed in deep, preparing to flame the humans and their traps. He let loose with a mature roar of fire, incinerating everything within fifty yards of the cave entrance. There was plenty of room for the young dragon to escape while the flames roared high. His silver wings protected his rider from the heat and flame as he roared into the sky, the black dragon following close behind.
Roland kept himself between the big silver and the ground, hoping to mask the glinting sparkle of his wings as much as possible from the hunters below. It seemed to be working, but Roland was tiring far faster than he’d hoped. They cleared the first mountain and were nearing the second peak when Roland made a rough landing on a craggy spire of rock. There was a small ledge, just big enough for the two dragons. Tor circled and finally landed when Roland did not rise again.
“Are you all right?”
Tor’s young voice sounded through Lana’s mind, though she knew he addressed the black dragon panting on the ground. She jumped off Tor’s back and went to Roland, her hands outstretched to stop the new flow of blood from the wound in his side.
“I will be. I just need to rest.”
“Can’t stay here, though. It’s too cold up here for Lana.”
“Between the two of us, we will keep her warm enough for tonight. This is the safest place for us right now. There’s no way Salomar’s men can climb up here after us.”
Tor seemed to consider. “You’re right! You’re smart, Roland.”
The black dragon chuckled while Lana worked on his wound. She was tiring fast, giving him a great deal of her energy, but he really needed her help.
“It’s not as bad as I’d feared. You need to rest though, and this place is a good one. I’ll make do with the furs.”
“If you can drag that dead wood over here, I’ll start a fire for you. They won’t see it way up here and even if they do, there’s nothing they can do about it.”
Lana smiled and made a dash for a good-sized, fallen pine log, but it was too heavy for her. Tor plucked it up in one talon and dropped it neatly in front of the black dragon. Lana scooted out of the line of fire, and within moments, Roland gave her a roaring fire that would last a few hours at least. She made a bed for herself from the few furs she’d managed to bring with them in her travel pack.
“Come here,” Roland told her quietly, “closer to me. I’ll keep you warm.”
Lana shook her head and laughed. “No, thanks. Tor has nearly squashed me too many times for me to sleep near a dragon ever again.”
“I promise I won’t move a muscle. I’m fully grown, Lana. I do have some control over myself, contrary to when I was Tor’s age. He’ll learn to settle down as soon as his bones stop aching from the growth spurts.”
“So that’s why…”
“When dragons are his age, they are growing fast, particularly while asleep. The bones ache slightly as they expand and movement is the only way to relieve it. He doesn’t even know he’s doing it. It’s instinctive.”
“There’s so much I don’t know about dragons.”
“You’ve done very well with him for a novice, Lana. Your love has guided him. That’s the most important thing. He has a kind heart, even after all he’s been through.”
Lana couldn’t respond around the lump in her throat. She moved her furs closer to the black dragon and jumped slightly when he raised his good wing over her head. It was starting to snow lightly.
“Under here, Lana. I promise I won’t hurt you and you’ll be warm and safe while you sleep.”
Lana was skeptical, but it really was freezing at this altitude. She could barely feel her feet as it was. Snuggling into the furs, she allowed Roland to wrap his good wing around her, tu
cking her into his side. He was right. It was toasty warm next to his hot body and the snow sizzled into steam as it touched the wing over her head. She looked out on the snowy sky, the small fire burning steadily in front of her, and realized, in that quiet moment, she was comfortable and completely warm for the first time in years.
“You’re a good dragon, Roland. Thank you. After I sleep a bit, I’ll try another treatment on your side. I’m too tired now.”
“That’s all right, little one. Sleep now. We’ll worry about everything else in the morning.”
Roland dozed, careful of the woman at his side. She felt right, cuddled next to him. She unconsciously stroked his flank with her face and hair as she moved slightly, her hands coming to rest in the ticklish spot just where his wing met his body, but he didn’t move. He liked the feel of her small, gentle hands on him. Perhaps too much.
He became aware of warmth seeping from her into him that should not be. Taking quick stock, he realized she was reaching out to him with her healing ability, even in sleep.
“Lana, sweetling, wake up. You have to stop trying to heal me. I don’t want you wearing yourself out on my account. It could be dangerous.”
“What?” Her voice was drowsy, still half-asleep as her hands subtly stroked him.
“Pull your power back, little one. Do not expend your healing energy like this.”
“But I’m not doing anything.”
“You are. I feel it, Lana.”
“No.” She faced him, coming out from under the shelter of his wing to meet his gaze. “I feel no power drain.”
“But I feel your heat. The heat of your healing power.”
“That can’t be.”
Roland remembered then, a legend of his family. It didn’t seem possible that this little, unexpected woman could hold the powers his family had thought lost for generations, but then, stranger things had happened since he’d flown north. This would require a great deal of thought on his part and he didn’t want to trouble her with the magnitude of the discovery until he was certain.
“It’s all right, sweetling. Go back to sleep. I must have been mistaken.”
She moved back under his wing, settled back against him and was soon asleep once more. Roland watched carefully, gauging the energies flowing once more from her to him and back again. He knew then he wasn’t mistaken.
Relaxed and out of immediate danger, they were feeding off each other in an endless loop. Neither would suffer ill effects from this kind of innate healing, or so the legends held. This was a rarity among rarities. No pair had formed this kind of bond in centuries, but it seemed this big-hearted, self-trained healer was doing so. It was a miracle. Or perhaps, he thought with a dragonish snort, it was magic.
Chapter Three
“You’re much better this morning.” Lana moved constantly, trying to stay warm as she examined the worst of Roland’s injuries. He loved the feel of her little hands, so gentle on his hide. “I thought you did a lot more damage than this when you blasted out of the cave.”
“So did I, but I guess we got lucky. I feel fit to fly, as long as we take it easy.”
Tor bounded over, pushing snow everywhere. “How long will it take us to get to your land now?”
“A few days, I think, but it’ll be warmer as soon as we clear the mountains. I hope we can do that by tomorrow afternoon.”
“So only one more night of snow?” Lana’s teeth chattered as she ran her hand down to his groin injury. He did his best to concentrate on anything but her tender touch in his most private areas.
“If we’re lucky. There may be snow on the ground in the foothills as well, but it won’t be quite this cold.”
Lana sneezed daintily as she stepped back from him and moved to his side. “I’m almost done for now. I think you’ll be fine as long as you take it as easy as possible. No acrobatics, all right?”
“Yes, Mother.”
Lana chuckled as Tor laughed and played in the snow. Roland could easily see she’d been a good mother to the orphaned dragonet. He was happy and his innocent heart was full of laughter and fun, as it should be. After hearing what they’d both been through at the hands of Salomar, he knew it could have turned out quite differently.
Roland felt the tingling heat in his sore side and then the easing of his pain, accompanied by her expenditure of energy. She leaned against him a moment and he pulled his good wing around to steady her.
“Are you all right?”
“That’s what I should be asking you.”
“You’re swaying on your feet. You need to stop feeding me all your energy, Lana. We have a long flight ahead of us.”
“Not too long, I hope.”
“I promise I’ll stop when I need to stop.”
She straightened in the embrace of his warm, enveloping wing. “All right then. That’s about all I can do for now. Make frequent stops, Roland, and I’ll check you over each time we land.”
They did not encounter any more of Salomar’s men on their way out of the mountains, though Roland moved much slower than he would have wished. Still, he found them a secure perch for the night and the temperature, while still well below freezing, was just a touch warmer the further south they flew.
Lana curled up at his side again, seeking his warmth and sharing her energy with him unconsciously as she slept. It was another sort of energy—one that wouldn’t drain her—or he would have put a stop to it. She gave so much of herself to heal his grave wounds when she was awake, he wouldn’t stand for her doing the same while asleep. But this was different. This was an exchange of energy on a whole other level. She fed from his vast strength as she returned healing energy to him. He powered her and she healed him. It was slow, but it was definitely beneficial.
When he woke in the morning to find her tucked against his side, he felt much, much better. Roland liked the feel of her close to him, sharing his warmth, and he realized he just plain liked her. A lot. After waking like a sleepy kitten next to his warm body, she examined him, giving of her own energy in the only way she had known to this point, to help speed his healing even more.
They reached the foothills by afternoon and were able to fly lower, where the air was warmer. Tor enjoyed the comparatively warm updrafts, frolicking like the enormous child he was as Roland looked on with indulgence. Riding securely on his back as if she’d been born a knight, Lana screeched and laughed with her young friend, enjoying every swoop and dive the agile youngster put her through.
Roland was getting stronger too, but it was slow going. Without Lana and her care, he would have died of his wounds, so grievous they had been. Recovery was going amazingly fast with Lana’s attentions, but he was still not in the best shape. He had them stop on a grassy hill, only partially covered with dots of snow so he could rest. Tor pounced on a rabbit for Lana’s lunch and Roland obliged by lighting a fire in the kindling she gathered so she could cook the rabbit to her liking.
Tor ambled off to hunt and brought back a wild goat for him. Roland tore into it with hunger. He realized only then, it had been days since he’d eaten. While dragons could survive for weeks, when necessary, without food, it wasn’t easy, and though raw mountain goat wasn’t his favorite dish, it would do in a pinch.
He polished off the goat while Lana daintily ate the rabbit she’d cooked, throwing the bones and bits she didn’t want to Tor. They were a good team, he realized, recognizing the habits of old friends who had a familiar routine.
“We could stay here tonight,” Roland sent the thought to his companions.
Lana shrugged. “I could do with a rest and the fire is nice.”
“It won’t keep you warm all night, though.”
She smiled up at him. “But you will, won’t you? I like sleeping at your side, Roland. It’s like sleeping next to an oven.”
“I like it too, little Lana. You are welcome in my bed anytime.” Only Roland knew the full implication of his words, but the time was coming when he would reveal himself to her. Soon.
<
br /> She laughed and settled her small pack on the ground, setting up her version of camp. It was sparse—just a few furs she’d managed to pack into her bags when she realized they would have to leave the cave. Thanks to Roland’s warning, she’d had time to grab the bags on her way out of their lair, so she had a few of her meager possessions.
She’d kept a lot of her smaller items in a bucket that had been scrounged from somewhere. It seemed to be one of her most prized possessions for she treated it carefully when she used it to fetch water from the nearby stream. Roland was still too sore in his side and groin to walk much on land, so she set pail after pail of water in front of him until his thirst was sated.
Roland watched her with his keen dragon sight as she peeled off one layer of clothing at a time down by the small stream. She washed economically, used to washing one part of her supple body at a time because it was so cold where she lived. It wasn’t too much warmer here, but it was better.
Roland idly wondered what she would think of the heated baths in his Lair. Would she dive in, her graceful body gloriously naked, and revel in the ability to wash her whole body at once? Or would she be afraid of the water, since it was doubtful she knew how to swim? Either way, he would enjoy showing her his home’s amenities and seeing more of the lithe, feminine form he could only really guess at, though what he could see, a piece at a time, piqued his interest greatly.
Roland felt strong stirrings of desire that should have been blocked by the immense pain of his wounds, but the desire wasn’t of the body alone. It was a stirring near his heart that was totally unfamiliar. He wanted to pamper this poor girl, dress her in the finest silks and satins and let her play free from worry and fear. He wanted to cherish her.
And he wanted to fuck her. There was no denying it, but his body had to heal first. He stayed in dragon form because these wounds—even half-healed as they were—would have killed his human body. A day or two more, he figured, and it would be safe to shift. Then he would take her in his human arms and kiss her with his human lips. He would take her and make her his own.
