Dragon Touch (Soul of a Dragon Book 1)

by Ashley Frost

  “Who is your mother, boy?” the Black Menace asked. Black smoke simmered from Rayse’s nostrils. She could sense his anger.

  The boy whimpered, “Lo-ord Rayse.”

  “Answer me.”

  He shook his head as hard as he could. “You’ll hurt my mother.”

  A woman ran out from the shadows and threw herself between Rayse and the boy. “Please, m’lord. Don’t hurt my boy. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

  Rayse narrowed his eyes. “I recognize you. You’re Ranwynn’s mother.”

  Constance watched, afraid. He was back to being the man she first met when she arrived. Cold. Hard. Tense. “Rayse,” she said, “let’s go home.”

  He shrugged her hand away.

  “This family has hurt you enough,” he growled.

  She wiped the dirt from her cheek and presented it to him. “It’s just dirt. It’s harmless.”

  The woman avoided Rayse’s gaze. “It’s not just me, you know.” Her voice was shaky. “Everyone’s talking about your mate. They say she’s bad for the village. They say she’s making you weaker by being selfish.” The woman’s eyes met his glare for a fraction of a second, flashing hate.

  “I do not appreciate having rumors about my mate spread around,” Rayse said with a low voice. His soft, threatening whisper sounded scarier than if he were yelling. He stepped forward, hunching over like a predator. The woman fell backward as she was cornered, tripping over herself, and she groaned. Her son knelt next to her and started sobbing.

  “What are you doing? Stop scaring her, Rayse!” Constance begged.

  He wouldn’t actually hurt them, would he? Was he really the monster her inner voice told her he was?

  “I will not have her spout lies about you. Her sons are the first to act out against you. She’s a threat to your safety. She might be a woman, but she is still my subject. I will discipline my subjects.”

  “And will you hit me if I do wrong?” she asked, gripping his arm. “I’m your subject, too.”

  “No, not you. Never you.” He stepped forward. Rage seethed around him.

  She hugged him. “Stop, Rayse. You’re scaring me.” A tear escaped to her cheek. He was reminding her of the man who murdered her mother again. That man liked to use brute force, too.

  Rayse was almost next to Ranwynn’s mother now. Hand raised, ready to strike.

  Constance scampered over to his side and pulled his arm back. She was bawling. When did those waterworks start? The memories of her mother’s abuse sounded like huge alarms in her mind. She did not like seeing women hurt. “For me, please. Do not be one of those men I hate. Don’t hurt her.”

  His shoulders slackened. A hand circled her waist and another cupped her head. “I’m sorry, Constance. I didn’t mean to.” He pulled himself away and returned his attention to Ranwynn’s mother. “I’ve decided. I’ll refrain from using violence,” he said. “But your son will have an extra ten years to his imprisonment.”

  The woman knelt in front of Rayse. “Please, my son was brash, but he doesn’t deserve this.”

  “He attempted murder.”

  Ranwynn’s mother was crying. Her face was red and already covered with streaks of tears. “Take me. Imprison me.”

  Rayse grabbed Constance’s hand and led her away.

  The woman circled her fingers around Rayse’s ankle, but he pushed her hand aside. “You test my patience, dragon wife. If you speak any further, I will give him a hundred years.”

  The woman silenced herself at once. Her crying turned to squeaks.

  Constance felt sorry for her. “Rayse, let’s listen to her pleas.”

  “No. My decision is final.”

  He pulled her away from the sobbing mess of Ranwynn’s brother and mother. She allowed herself to fall behind, not wanting to stay too close. Sensing her tension, Rayse allowed her to. Constance stared at Rayse’s back. At that moment, he proved to be everything she was afraid of. Heartless and violent. He might never hurt her, but she couldn’t stand to see him harm others.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Accounts have noted, although Rayse can be known as “the Messiah,” he is no saint. Records retrieved from some survivors state that when villages failed to comply with his terms, they were scorched. Some accounts allege he burned even the children, although others argue against it. The entire regions of Yvrdeen and Falron have to trade with the Everstone dragons. Any who opposed such an arrangement were destroyed long ago with the Black Menace’s cruel decisiveness.

  Constance was intoxicated by Rayse’s scent. A week had passed since Ranwynn’s imprisonment, and the events of what had happened after hadn’t left her mind. But being next to the black dragon still managed to distract her. She found herself forgiving Rayse despite not wanting to.

  As Rayse’s body shifted on top of hers, she had to ask herself why. Why did her body make her feel this way, even after she knew he would hurt another woman?

  “Rayse…” A soft mew came from her throat. He bit her ear, sending shivers to her toes. “Touch me.”

  It wasn’t her voice. It was the voice of her lust. It was worse than usual this time. It hadn’t come for a week, and right then, it hit her harder than a storm. Her fingers seemed to have a mind of their own as they explored the ridges and edges of Rayse’s body.

  “You’re mine,” he said, before his wet tongue traveled down her neck.

  Her instincts screamed yes. Tears watered her eyes.

  She was willing, but she didn’t know if it was because of her lack of control over her own actions. If he took her, then it might cause the same kind of turmoil as the first night.

  “Rayse.” Her second vocalization of his name was a plea. One part of her begged for him to continue. The other wanted him to stop. Regardless, doing either would not stop the resistance she felt. Her conflicting emotions were tugging a war inside of her. It felt like torture.

  And yet, so very sweet.

  His hardened erection pressed onto her thigh. It sent anticipation whirling through her mind. Giddiness swirled in her head.

  His wanton demeanor broke for a moment, and he seemed to pull himself back. “I’m sorry.” He sounded just as conflicted as her thoughts.

  Then his mouth crashed upon hers. She opened her lips, allowing more intimacy. Their tongues fought, and he was winning. He went deeper, and deeper.

  She was going to explode if this kept on.

  Every single inch of her heated, as if in flames. Her fingers traveled to the inner corners of her thigh. She needed release.

  “No, love.” A glint shone in Rayse’s midnight eyes.

  She hadn’t realized he had stripped the fabric from her breasts. They lay bare for him to touch. A hand cupped a breast. She shook with pleasure as his head dipped toward her other breast.

  Rayse flicked his tongue over her nipple. She stiffened.

  The tight, building sensation was torturous. Her own hand still lingered over her pussy and began to stroked her center.

  Rayse brushed her hand aside. His finger entered her already-wet core.

  “No, no, no,” she begged. Her back arched. The pleasure made her body convulse. It consumed her.

  A growl sounded from her dragon’s throat as he suckled on her breast.

  He’s not going to stop, she thought. He’s as much into the lust as I am.

  Rayse suddenly pulled back. Her eyes widened. She assumed he had finally managed to regain control, but then she saw his fingers wrapping around the hem of his pants.

  “Please,” she said. The black of his eyes had turned into slits. The yellow his eyes had turned into sent a jolt through her. She was with an animal. There was no bargaining with animals.

  He was going to take her. She sucked in a breath.

  The door swung open and Nanili entered. The mishram walked by without batting an eyelid, then picked up the shirt that Rayse had thrown onto the floor. Nanili’s lifeless gaze met the bed. The soulless creature didn’t even flinch as she took in the sight of
the both of them half-naked.

  Constance blushed as she dragged the sides of her dress back over her breasts.

  Rayse blinked. His lust seemed to have faded away, just as much as hers had. “Nanili, what are you doing in here?”

  “Cleaning,” the mishram said unwaveringly. Constance noticed a bucket and towel laid next to Nanili.

  “Try not to enter when the both of us are in here alone,” Rayse said.

  “Okay.” Nanili stood there for a moment. Constance thought the mishram would leave, but the creature didn’t. Instead, Nanili bent down, picked up the cloth, and dipped it into the bucket.

  Rayse coughed. “Nanili, that also applies to right now. You should leave.”

  “Understood.” The mishram threw the rag back into the wooden bucket and left.

  Rayse scratched his head. “I forget that they need to be given such specific instructions sometimes. Any other servant would have the common sense to not enter.”

  Constance laughed nervously. “That wasn’t too bad. Her entering, I mean. It managed to stop us in time.”

  Rayse made a half smile. “You’re really afraid of mating with me, aren’t you?”

  She wavered. She grabbed Rayse’s hand and pulled him down from his kneeling position. Soon, he was cuddled up next to her. She could feel his warm breath on her, and smelled his smoky scent. “It’s not that, Rayse. I can trust you more now. You’ve proven to me last week that you won’t hurt me.” She remembered the way Ranwynn had lunged at her and how quickly Rayse had come to her rescue. “I’m just… I have a troubled past.” She was likening him to the men she had known, even if she knew how unfair that was to Rayse.

  “I hope that one day you can trust me enough to share it,” Rayse said.

  She could tell him about it. She bit her lip. If she told him about her childhood, the main challenge would be controlling herself from bawling the entire time. “It’s irrational.” The details came back to her. The blood. So much blood in her mother’s bloodshot eyes. She remembered the veins showing on her mother’s bluish face. “A part of me thinks that once you’re done with me, I’ll be dead.”

  Rayse kissed her. His thumb trailed over her shoulder. It felt nice and managed to calm her tears to a soft sniffle. “Why is that?”

  “My mother… she was a courtesan. I saw her die at the hands of a man I trusted. I didn’t know it was him at first, but the other courtesans identified him. They saw him leaving the room right after my mother died. He visited my mother more than any other client. He showered her with gifts. He even treated me like his own daughter and took me out for treats.”

  Rayse made a hushing sound. She felt herself crying.

  But she continued. “Then one day, for no apparent reason, he raped and killed her. I watched through the small opening of a cabinet. He strangled her like a madman. He was a noble, so the officials never bothered to arrest him. He’s still out there. God knows how many women he’s killed.”

  She didn’t cry as much as she thought she would. Letting Rayse know about her trauma seemed to help.

  “That’s why you’re scared to trust me even though you do,” Rayse said, nodding. “You think I might suddenly change and decide otherwise.”

  “I know not everyone is like that madman. You won’t kill me, will you?” She laughed dryly. “But that memory continues to haunt me, Rayse.”

  He brushed a tear away from her cheek. “I know. Experiences like that don’t go away so easily.”

  A brief silence settled between them. She heard his heart thumping as he continued to stroke her shoulder with his thumb. The pause gave Rayse time to absorb the information.

  “I let my mother die,” Rayse said. He chuckled, although it sounded sad. “I guess we have a lot in common, mother issues included.”

  “How?”

  “You know how dragons are known for being lazy?”

  “Well, yes.”

  “I was the worst of them.”

  She frowned. “I don’t believe that. You’re the one always uptight about hard work.”

  “This is what made me like that.” He brushed his hand through his cropped, black hair. “You have to understand that I hate to admit my mistakes. It’s hard for me to tell you this.” He sucked in a deep breath, then continued. “I was on guard duty in our clan that day. I lived in a small clan. There were no clans like this one I created centuries back. All of them were scattered. Raids were common, and quite often the young warrior dragons perished in fights. I didn’t wrap my head around their deaths. Why did they let themselves get defeated so easily? Winning battles was easy for me. So, because I thought I was sharper and quicker than the other dragons, I assumed I’d sense an invader’s presence immediately because of my talents.”

  “But you didn’t,” she guessed.

  “That day on guard duty, I slept. I often slept when on guard duty. Patrolling was too boring. Time seemed to inch by at the speed of a slug whenever I patrolled. Thus, I took naps to let the time pass by quickly. I think the enemies realized this after a while. One night, an assassin snuck in. My father was clan leader and my mother was his dragon wife. The assassin wanted my mother dead so my father would suffer from the pain of losing the bond.” He swallowed, as if he could gulp down his grief. She placed a hand on his chest, sensing his regret.

  Rayse continued,”I found my mother’s body the next morning, inside my father’s embrace.” He breathed in deeply. The story must have been hard for him to remember. “I still can’t forgive myself, and that was more than four hundred years ago.”

  Her heart ached for Rayse. She hugged him tighter, hoping to comfort him.

  “After that,” he said, “well, life wasn’t easy after that. My father blamed me. He blamed everyone he could, and I was the most deserving of it. He tried to kill me a few times, but he never had the strength to. Then, when he couldn’t take the pain of loss anymore, he threw himself off a cliff in his human form.”

  “That’s horrible.” She cupped his cheek. “It’s not your fault, Rayse. You didn’t know. You can’t blame yourself for centuries on end.”

  He smiled, placing a hand over hers. “But it is, love. If I was awake that day… if I hadn’t been such a fool, my parents would still be alive today. I could have beaten that assassin. And if I didn’t, the commotion would have given my father enough time to send my mother away. She would have been safe.”

  “It’s not your fault. The killer might have snuck past even if you were awake. That’s what assassins do.”

  “I would have sensed him.”

  “You can’t be sure.”

  He dragged her hand to his mouth and brushed his hot lips over her fingers. “You don’t have to worry about me, love. I’ve learned how to cope with the memory. That day, I promised myself to never let anyone I love come to harm again. That’s you, Constance. You’re the only person I truly love. I’ll always be by your side. I’ll be vigilant and work hard to protect you.”

  “Rayse,” she breathed.

  He kissed her tenderly. She circled her arms around his neck. Her heart wept for his past.

  “I suppose we’re both quite scarred from our mother problems,” she said in a half-joking tone, breaking from the kiss.

  “That’s why we’re perfect for each other.” He grinned.

  “I’d assume that just makes us melodramatic and festivity downers.” She snuggled more deeply into his chest.

  “I beg to differ. I’m happiest when around you.” His lips caught hers again. She could taste his fire as his tongue explored her mouth. He gave her more and more of him. She embraced his touch and the emotions he was pouring into her.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t be kissing so much,” she said, gasping as she pulled away.

  He tilted his head. “Why not?” He licked his delectable lips. “I enjoy it immensely.”

  “The lust, it might take control of us again.” She could already feel it rising within her.

  Dejection brushed past his features. “Th
en you’re still not ready.”

  She swallowed nervously. “No… I’m not.” She couldn’t get the image of Ranwynn’s cowering mother out of her mind.

  His hand trailed down her hair to cup her cheek. “You don’t have to rush yourself, Constance. I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes. And when you finally feel safe enough with me, I’ll have you all to myself.” Sincerity poured from his beautiful eyes.

  Her emotions grew so much it made her almost burst with the intensity of them. She was starting to feel for this man so much, to the point where it felt dangerous.

  “I’m sorry, Rayse.”

  He rested his chin on her head and hugged her tightly. “You don’t have to worry about anything.”

  “Thank you.”

  ***

  The village had started to look eerily like her hometown on the day of the Offering.

  “Flowers, flowers everywhere,” Constance muttered. She had nothing against flowers, but she wondered why they had suddenly popped up all over the place.

  She was strolling along the edge of the cliff with Rayse. He had given her a luxurious coat made from lamb’s wool to keep her warm. The mountains were notoriously cold in the winter. Her cheeks numbed as the mountain winds breezed past her.

  Rayse merely wore a thin shirt. She stuck close to him. He had increased the heat emanating from his body to keep her warm. He almost warmed her as much as a fireplace would. The lamb wool was even beginning to make her feel too hot.

  Being loved by aa dragon had its perks.

  “Why are there flowers everywhere?” she asked.

  He shot her a mock, accusatory glare. “Because of you dragon wives.”

  “Me? What does that have anything to do with me?”

  “Your fellow lowlanders have forced my dragon-men to collect flowers for the upcoming festivity. They only grow near the ground.” He shook his head regrettably. “You’ve brought your customs along with you. My dragon-men aren’t happy about it, but they do it anyway since they love their wives. But can you imagine how unbecoming they look, prancing about with flowers?”

  “I’d like to see that.” An image appeared in her mind. It made her laugh.