“Where is Thorn?” The horn hadn’t been sounded in nearly a hundred years. I hadn’t visited this site in just as long. If there was an emergency fit to summon me, it was the alpha who would explain why.
“Out, my lord,” the gray-haired man said. “He took a group of men on a mission that he said was for you.”
Thorn was collecting samples of vegetation affected by blight, which meant he wasn’t here. He likely had no part in this. I ground my teeth. “Did Thorn command you to blow the horn?”
The man cowed, shrinking lower to the ground. That was a no.
“Only my warrior has the right.” I growled, my voice booming over the hilltop for all to hear.
The stink of fear carried across the breeze, and with it the shiver of stillness.
Let them fear, lest they repeat their folly.
I approached my father’s dais. Aldrych the Creator was father not only to the guardians, but to the island itself. It was said that the land, the rivers, and life itself were born of his essence. The shifter clans had prayed to Aldrych for steady rains and harvestable crops, for fair weather and sanctuary from the outside world. I remembered those days from my youth, before my father had split the island between his sons.
Before his death.
I regarded the bound woman. There was a softness to her shape paired with sharp features. She had a quality to her that stirred something completely new inside of me, a draw that was foreign to my entire existence.
Instead of with fear, she now stared back at me with cold defiance. No one looked at me like that.
“Who is this woman?” I asked.
Someone from the crowd answered, “We found her on the beach. She’s human.”
Human. I’d never encountered one before. She must have come from the outside world, a worrisome revelation.
“We were hoping if you ate her, it might help you cure the blight,” said another.
Ate her?
The woman struggled to free herself, making deep feral sounds as she writhed against the ropes.
I looked into her eyes. “I do not eat humans.”
She stilled, only for a moment, but her indigo eyes were soft and searching as she looked over my face. Her irises were a sea at storm, dark and dangerous yet beautiful. On the edges were tiny flecks of sky-blue hope.
If she belonged to the lands outside, the first thing I should do was deliver her to my brother Kaelestis, whose duty it was to conceal the island from the world. Our barrier, our secrecy had been breached. But when I stared into the storm of her eyes, I didn’t fear. I felt a need to protect, to covet, to keep. I couldn’t bring this woman to my brother, at least not until I knew why I felt this draw to her.
I pulled the cloth from her mouth. Her lips were supple and pink, even as she turned them in a frown. I waited to hear her voice, to see what language she would speak. The world around us was all but forgotten. There was only her.
“Get the fuck away from me.” Her eyes narrowed and she squirmed.
English. She spoke English. Gasps came from behind me, whispers of disbelief at the harshness of her words. It didn’t bother me. Instead, I was only further intrigued.
I reached a hand toward her and she flinched away. I wrapped my fingers around the rope and pulled. The bindings snapped, and the woman dropped to the ground. She poised herself to pounce. I watched as she darted past two of the villagers. I watched as she ran like her life depended on it.
I wouldn’t harm her. She would learn.
Two of the men started after.
“Let her go,” I commanded.
The two stopped and looked at me, confused.
There were a few options to carry another through the sky. I could squeeze her in my claw or carry her in my dragon mouth. Neither seemed appropriate, given she had been expecting me to consume her.
I summoned my wings, half shifting into dragon form, and took off from the hillside. She ran fast for her limitation of human legs, but not nearly fast enough. I swooped down and swept her off her feet. She punched and kicked and tore at my arms, but I held her close and didn’t yield an inch.
As my wings carried us higher into the sky, she stopped struggling. Her heart raced in her chest and her breathing was as rapid as that of a cornered rabbit. She was caught—mine—but she need not fear.
Her dark locks whipped in the wind, battering my face. I slowed, carrying us gently over the forest, gliding with the breeze.
“What do you want with me?” Her voice was soft and breathy.
She was so close, too close, her body melding to mine. My cock stiffened in response.
“I haven’t decided yet.” It was the truth, and all I had to give her.
Up to this point, my entire life had revolved around fulfilling my duties. In a single moment, my life had changed. Duty required I turn the human woman over to my brother. But I wasn’t flying toward Kaelestis’s mountain. I was returning home.
Time—I needed time. Then I would do the right thing.
I carried her down to the forest floor. Upon landing, I released the shape of wings from my back. A soft white glow surrounded me before disappearing once more along with my dragon wings.
Safely on the ground, I felt the woman’s body tense in my arms. She meant to fight. She meant to run.
“If you flee, I will find you,” I said, slowly easing my hold on her.
“Is that what you tell all the girls before you kidnap them?” Her voice was laced with disdain.
The challenge was strange and invigorating.
“There are no other human women here,” I said. “And I never bring anyone to my home.”
I took her wrist and led her through the familiar forest paths to the edge of my cave. Not even Thorn knew it was here. Only me and my brothers. And now this woman. Why had I brought her here?
“Tell me your name,” I commanded.
“Like hell.”
“Strange name,” I said. “Is it common in the land you are from?”
“You’re not serious, are you?” She looked over my face. “You are. Wow.”
The path underground was twisted and steep at times. Dirt was replaced by granite floors and walls. Like Hell’s human eyes did not seem to offer adequate sight in the darkness. She held her hand out, feeling for obstacles. I was careful to go slow enough that she wouldn’t lose her footing and fall.
“What brings you to this place?” I asked.
“You do, asshole. Clearly.”
“My name is Celedon, Guardian of Land,” I said. “I meant, what vessel carried you to the island, and what is your purpose here?”
“An accident led me here,” she said. “It was a shipwreck, and I came alone.”
There was more lie than truth to her words, though I couldn’t blame her for not trusting me. I would give her the time she needed to tell me the truth before speaking to Kaelestis. No human had ever reached the island from the outside. There was no way to know for sure what he would do to her, though I expected her arrival would cost Like Hell her life. For reasons I couldn’t seem to understand, I wanted to shield her. She was mine to protect.
“We have almost reached my home,” I said.
“Joy,” she replied in a flat tone, her feet dragging across the granite path.
“You will remain here until I say otherwise. Know that there is no escape from the island.”
Chapter 5
Astra
A nightmare—I was trapped in a fucking nightmare.
It was the only reasonable explanation for what was happening. First there was a freak storm and non-conventional pirates, then a bunch of crazy cult people. Now a dragon man—who’d carried me in his very human-like, very large arms—was dragging me deep into his lair.
No chance this shit was real.
Any moment I’d wake up. I’d open my eyes and find myself in my cot on the Keepin’ it Reel. And Dad and Polly would be…
I squinted my eyes shut, willing myself to wake.
My feet
kept on moving, Celedon’s massive hand still wrapped around my wrist. I opened my eyes, but couldn’t see a damned thing. What if it was all real?
If it was real, I was in some seriously deep shit. Chin deep, drowning in trouble. If this was real, what happened when we reached the belly of the dragon’s cave? Is that when he’d decide to eat me? Or worse?
I pulled back, fighting against Celedon’s firm but gentle grip. He kept walking, slowly dragging my boots across what seemed to be smooth ground. When had the dirt floor changed to stone?
Soft light carried from the path ahead. I squinted, trying to see around the dragon man. All I really got was a reminder of his massive stature by the blackness of his silhouette.
“You’re going to make me fall,” I said, jerking my arm back.
Celedon stopped walking and turned to me. I couldn’t see his face, but the way he stood so still made it seem like maybe he could see mine. “When you lie, I can tell.”
I trained my features, giving away nothing. “Yeah, sure.”
Really though, I was wondering if what he said was true. If he could tell when I was lying, did he know that I’d lied when I told him I had been alone on my ship? It wouldn’t matter if I was the only survivor. I hoped I wasn’t.
We stood there in deafening silence. I stared into the darkness, and he stared back at me. I had no fucking idea what he was thinking, but I wished I did.
He let go of my wrist. “You walk first, Like Hell.”
“What?”
“So you won’t fall.”
He placed his palm on the small of my back, and my breath hitched at the contact. Warmth spread from his touch, and for a moment I forgot that I was cold and wet and that I was supposed to hate him.
His hand a gentle guide, Celedon ushered me around him in the tight space. My gaze was locked on his face as he moved me. I tried to make out his features in the shadows. Once I was in front of him, I could actually see.
His face was as hard as the rest of him, lineless, unreadable stone.
“Walk.” His voice was dark and commanding, a reminder of our roles. He was a dragon, and I was his captive.
I did as he said and started walking. Even though he wasn’t pulling on me anymore, or even touching me at all, I felt even less in control than I had before. He was blocking the exit, and like walking the plank, I was using my own two feet to meet my fate.
My stomach was a ball of nerves, but I kept walking closer and closer to the glowing light. Every step I took allowed me to see more of my surroundings. The ceiling, the walls, and the path beneath my feet seemed to be not just stone, but granite. The color was sandy beige, with dark patterns marbled throughout.
Was the path carved out of stone or was the stone added to the walls in decoration? I didn’t know anything about geology, but the surfaces weren’t polished like countertops. My guess was that the island was naturally full of the stuff. If it wasn’t, how would he have gotten it in, anyway?
The path grew brighter, and I finally saw where the light was coming from. Some sort of bioluminescent moss grew here, giving the massive space a soft emerald glow. It was pretty, really…not that I was supposed to be admiring the view.
“Bryophyta lumios.” Celedon’s voice cut through the silence.
I jumped, startled, then stared at him.
“The moss that lights the cave,” he said. “That is what it is called.”
It’s beautiful. I kept my mouth shut instead of engaging. We weren’t friends, and I didn’t need a lesson in underground botany. What I needed was a chance to escape.
I started walking again, memorizing the paths for later. The granite part would be easy. It was bright and straightforward. The hard part would be the winding turns in the darkness. If I got lost, I wouldn’t be able to make it out.
The tunnel ended at the edge of a cliff. Beyond was a huge, open space. White crystalline stalactites hung from the ceiling, which had to be at least thirty feet high. Below, an aquamarine river flowed gently from somewhere out of sight. It was so clear I could easily see the underwater rock formations that rose from the cave floor.
The only way forward was across a suspension bridge that seemed to be made entirely from living vines. I imagined the plants snapping under my weight, and my flailing body plummeting and being impaled on the stone spikes below. It wasn’t a pretty picture.
“I assure you the bridge is safe.” Celedon pressed his palm against my back, ushering me forward.
“I’m going,” I bit back.
The bridge swayed, but didn’t break, even after Celedon stepped on behind me. I took a step forward, and another, following the twists and turns of the bridge and the river as they wound their way deeper underground.
At some point, with as long a distance as this was turning into, I expected that we’d be knocking on the gates of hell. Instead, the serpentine waterway ended in a vast underground lake which stretched for at least several hundred yards.
Overhead hung thousands of white crystal spikes. Just like the river, the water in the lake was so clear I could see straight to the bottom, which looked to be at least fifty feet down. I stopped for a better look. The lake bottom appeared to be a convoluted series of small, underwater caverns. Polly would love to dive here.
This time Celedon didn’t prod me forward. He just looked at me, reading the emotion that I’d clearly let show on my face. “What troubles you?”
“Nothing,” I said, but my voice came out cracked.
“Why are you attempting to deceive me?”
“Fine, you want to know what troubles me?” I put my hands on my hips and turned to him. “You do. Your cult tied me to a rock so you would eat me.”
“I mean you no harm.” His response was quick, and so matter-of-fact, like everything he said.
I looked into his narrowed eyes. They were a shade of dark green, or at least that’s how they looked in the moss-light. And I believed him. It was foolish, but deep down I had this feeling that I could trust him. Stupid gut.
“Come, your place will be on the eastern shore,” Celedon said, waving his hand toward the rightmost part of the lake.
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I walked to the end of the bridge and let him show me what he was talking about. As far as I could tell, there was nothing but sandy soil and mossy walls. Did he expect me to just lie in the dirt by the water?
I guessed it was better than my original expectations of what a dragon cave was supposed to look like. It wasn’t dark and dingy. There were no piles of gold coins or bones of adventurers littering the floor. The water was actually pretty, and if this was where I was supposed to stay, it was close enough to the bridge that I could make a run for it when he turned into a statue or whatever dragons did when they slept.
Celedon turned toward the cave wall that was a few yards away. He raised his arm with his palm facing out. It was like he was waiting to catch a baseball. I’d have assumed he was crazy if this whole day hadn’t been completely nuts.
Celedon was a dragon, which meant he had to be some kind of genetic anomaly, or maybe even a science experiment gone wrong. This could be some kind of dinosaur island straight out of Jurassic Park. If Celedon was going to shoot fire or laser beams out of his hand, I’d take it in stride. Why the hell not at this point?
If this was a bad dream, why couldn’t I wake up?
I watched as he stood there, waiting for him to say or do something, anything. “So, is this it?” I asked. “Are you trying to wave goodbye or—”
Celedon’s hand began to glow a brilliant shade of green. The entire cavern shook, and cracks began to appear in the wall next to us. Thick vines burst from his palm, lashing and writhing, tilling the earth and stone. Within moments, a room bigger than my whole apartment had been carved from the cave wall.
How? I realized I hadn’t actually spoken, even though I’d meant to ask how the hell he was doing what he was doing, but my mouth was stuck gaping.
Smaller woody vines, much like
those that the bridge had been made from, wound their way up from the floor. They wove themselves together into the shape of a bed, a table, and two chairs. Thick coverings of leaves unfolded on the bed and the seats of the tables. The vines continued out from the furniture and climbed the walls. One massive leaf grew out on the far wall. A hole appeared and a stream of clear water poured into the leaf and then into a newly formed hole in the floor. The vines then spread across the ceiling and flowers as long as my forearm bloomed in seconds. They glowed and cast the room in soft azure light. First there was the glowing green moss, and now glowing blue flowers, too?
Celedon lowered his hand and turned to me.
“What was that?” I continued gaping a bit, but mostly staring with what probably looked like the wide eyes of some kind of freaked-the-eff-out nocturnal animal caught in headlights.
“Have you never seen magic before?” Celedon quirked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes.
I sucked in a deep breath and forced myself to blink, hopefully alleviating the weirdo staring I was doing. “Magic isn’t real.”
Celedon looked even more puzzled. “What a strange, sheltered life you must have lived before this.”
“Said the man who lives in a cave in the middle of freaking nowhere.”
He took a step toward me. I took one back. My foot slipped at the edge of the water. He grabbed my wrist, stopping me from taking an unintentional dive.
I stepped to the side, still feeling the echo of his touch even after he let me go. This cave was too small. I needed more space, all the space.
He towered over me, a giant of hard mass, with only a tiny cloth covering his nether bits. But not everything about him was hard. His hair was light and wavy, and it curled behind his ears. His green eyes were soft as summer grass, with flecks of dark brown, like the marble in the granite path.
“Like Hell—”
I cut him off there. “That’s not my name.”
It had been amusing at first, but if he was going to keep calling me that, it would drive me mad.
Dragon Guardian of Land Page 3
