The prince’s guards had failed to locate her. If his father said no, Attor would keep looking for her on his own. However, the Draig royals would be able to find her much faster and would save him the headache of a search.
“You want my blessing to go to the dragon king and ask him to send the Draig-born woman to be your bride? That is not how they do things. They wait for their crystal glow to show them their path.” The king grunted and moved to the table to grab a drink. “King Tared won’t command someone to marry you just because you’re a Var prince who wishes it to be so.”
“I did make her crystal glow,” Attor lied. He didn’t remember seeing a stone, but then he hadn’t really looked for it. The Draig were primitive, superstitious people. He would hardly bow to the will of their make-believe gods.
That caused his father’s expression to change. “It did? You’re certain?”
“Yes.” Attor braved a step closer. “Their gods have already blessed the match. Now I just need your blessing, my king.” He knew his father’s ego would like being on the same level as gods, even pretend dragon gods.
It worked, because his father slowly nodded. “Why not? If it is to be so, let it be so. You have my permission to retrieve the Draig woman and make her your mate.”
“I’ll leave for the Draig palace at once to make my request.” Attor tried to leave but his father stopped him.
“No. If it is as you say, you will go to their Breeding Festival when night comes to the land, and you will claim her there. If you want to marry a dragon you’d better make sure that you follow their custom, so they can’t dispute the match later and use it as an excuse to declare war. After the ceremony, you bring her back here and then it will be your responsibility to make sure she knows how to act like a Var lady, not a heathen dragon.”
It was a small concession, but Attor hated making it nonetheless. The one night a year? That wouldn’t happen for weeks yet. He didn’t want to wait for her. He wanted to claim her now. He ground out between his teeth, “As you wish, father.” Unable to stand the man’s presence any longer, he quickly moved toward the door.
The king snorted with laughter before calling after his son, “But let us hope the children don’t look like her. I’ll have the ugliest grandchildren in the entire Var kingdom!”
Attor stormed away from the mocking sound. Seeing a guard at the end of the hall, he grabbed the unsuspecting man and threw him into the wall. The surprised man stumbled, dazed from the impact of stone to his head. Attor took advantage of the moment and began punching the catshifter in the stomach and face as hard as he could. Only when the guard was a bloody mess on the floor, did he stop. Seeing the stunned face of a nearby maid, he flicked the blood off his fingers so that it splattered on the floor.
“Don’t just gawk at me,” he growled. “Get this cleaned up!”
Chapter Eight
Llyr stretched his legs, the muscles stiffening though he barely moved. A deep relaxation had settled into his bones. He let his mind drift, contemplating letting it fall back into dreams or waking up completely. Something tickled his chest and he opened his eyes.
Mede.
He lifted his head, expecting to see her hand on him. Instead, several of the stardust creatures had landed on his naked skin, covering him with their soft lights. Careful not to startle them, he slowly turned to Mede who lay next to him. They had collapsed after sex and slept deeply—so deeply they apparently hadn’t moved much in the night. He expected the mines to be cooler, but the temperature felt nearly perfect.
“Mede, don’t move,” he whispered. “Open your eyes.”
She obeyed, blinking several times as if she woke from a deep sleep, but her breathing didn’t change. The fact impressed him. It was an old soldiers’ pretense to wake from sleep without revealing the fact to an enemy. Though they had little use for the deception, it was a tradition soldiers passed on to young soldiers. Someone had trained Mede very well. He guessed it had been Axell.
Llyr’s gaze drifted down the length of her naked body. The stardust covered her breasts and stomach and he imagined if he sat up to look they’d be on her wonderfully athletic legs. Thin transparent bodies were lined with cords of light and he saw wings flutter atop the bioluminescent frames.
Mede let go of a long breath. A smile curled her mouth as she looked at him. She slowly lifted her arms to see them. A couple of the lights flew away.
“Beautiful,” she whispered, her eyes filled with wonder as she tried to bring her arm closer to better study the tiny being. “I guess this means we’re in for some good luck.”
Llyr couldn’t resist any longer. He leaned up and ran the back of his hand down the center of her chest. The stardust flew off their bodies toward the ceiling. Mede gave a small laugh and finally stretched her limbs.
“I think I’m already lucky,” he said.
She started to speak but instead ended up turning her head in a yawn. “Mm, I think I hear someone.”
“The miners coming to work,” Llyr answered.
Mede sat up and looked around the floor. She reached for their clothing. “Hurry. Get dressed. The last thing I want is for someone to find out what we did.”
Llyr frowned. “Would it really be so bad if people knew?”
Her unamused expression was answer enough. She tossed his shirt at him. He turned his head, not bothering to catch it as it hit his chest.
“I don’t think they’ll come this way,” he said, though his attention was more on her legs than his words. She turned and he saw her healing scar. The lines were still tinged with red and he well remembered how sore the marking could get. One sweep of a medical unit would have healed it, but he knew she wouldn’t let him help.
“I don’t want to risk it.” She frantically turned in circles looking for her boots. Finding one several feet away, she went after it and gathered it in her arms with the rest of her clothes. “I like not having the idea of mating and marriage over our heads, but if people find out what we’re doing, then the expectations start. They’ll expect us to be destined. Then they’ll expect us to be married. And when they see I don’t make your crystal glow—where is my other boot?”
He slowly pulled on his shirt and watched her hurriedly jerk on her clothing as if the enemy was at the gate waiting to invade.
“I’ve spent way too much time earning my place. I don’t want to be a bride. I don’t want other men thinking of me as a potential lover.” She fumbled with the drawstring at her waist. Suddenly, she stopped, “Oh, then there is my mother. Did you know some idiot told her about the Dead Dragons and that I was a member? Idiots frustrate the netherworld out of me.”
“Frustrate the what?”
“The netherworld. It’s something my mother says. Victorian cursing at its—” She suddenly stopped. “I know my boot did not just walk away on its own. Anyway, anyone who’s met my mother should know better than to gossip about things like that to her. I can just imagine news of us getting back to her. She’ll cry for a century over my maidenhead.”
“Really? Why?” Llyr frowned. “I’m sure you exaggerate.”
“It’s her culture. They’re big into the virginal bride thing.” She slipped on one boot and began walking around looking for the other. Llyr reached behind his back, pulled out the missing footwear and held it up. She didn’t see it right away, so he merely waited for her to look in his direction. “Oh, there it is.” Mede crossed over to him and took the boot.
“So all men and women are untouched when they marry?” Llyr asked, strangely fascinated by the custom.
Mede gave a small laugh. “Just the women, not the men. Men are not held to the same virginal standard as women. They have very set gender rules. Men rule the outside. Women rule the home. If you think the Draig are strict as to male and female roles, you haven’t met the Victorian colonists.”
“That hardly seems fair.” Llyr didn’t bother to stand as he pulled his pants over his legs. He lay on his back and pushed up his hips before lac
ing the ties at his waist.
“Exactly.” She turned her back to him, not looking at him, but not really doing anything else as she added, “It’s not like you’re going to be a virgin groom at your wedding.”
“Not anymore,” he agreed.
“I mean, you’ve probably had more woman than you can…” Her words stopped suddenly and she turned to look at him. “Did you just say ‘not anymore’? Was last night…? Was I…?”
Llyr chuckled at her surprise. He’d known his whole life he was meant to be with her. How could he have gone to another woman? Yes, aliens had offered, but he’d never been tempted. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“But you’re the prince. I know for a fact Rolant has been with—I mean, I overheard him talking to some of the other men about the women who offer themselves to the royal males.” Mede looked confused, as if she wanted to believe him but didn’t see how it was possible. She picked up his shoes and carried them to him. “And you were so good at it.”
“Thank you,” he drawled, reaching for the footwear. “You were good at it, too. Should I suspect I wasn’t your first?”
“Of course you were,” she dismissed. Then, smiling, she said, “You think I was good?”
Now dressed, he stood and crossed to her. He touched her cheek. “Yes, Mede, very talented.” Llyr moved to kiss her, wanting her again. His cock twitched with the reminder of their shared pleasure.
Mede pulled back. “We should pack up the gear and get out of here.”
“You weren’t concerned about what other people thought yesterday when you came here with me.” Disappointment filled him.
“That was before we became lovers. It’s different now.” She rolled up the bedrolls and shoved them into his pack. “And I did tell you I didn’t want my reputation ruined.”
“It’s not like anyone will know unless you tell them…or unless they caught us in the act.”
“They’ll smell it,” she said, sniffing her arm. “We should bathe. Or go running to erase the scent.”
She had a point. Her scent lingered on his body. It was glorious and he wasn’t ready to wash it off. A part of him was hurt by her insistence they hide what they were. How could she not feel their connection? Shouldn’t she have suspected his crystal was a fake?
“There’s a waterfall that way. Just follow the path. We can clean up there. The miners are working in a completely different section.” Llyr gestured to an opening opposite the way they had entered.
Mede carried the pack and followed his direction. With a small laugh, she called, “Your pocket is glowing. Some of the stardust are hitching a ride.”
Llyr looked down. The crystal had become unwrapped. He pulled it out of his pocket and tried to lift it up to show her, but she’d gone on ahead. Sighing, he placed it back in the dark cloth and once again hid it. Mede needed to come to the realization on her own. Something deep inside him knew it for a fact. It was the only way she would trust her feelings and accept their fate. Otherwise, she might do to his crystal what she’d done to hers—destroy it to stop the mating process from completing. As much as he wanted to trust in fate and the gods, he was too scared to show her the truth.
* * *
Mede wasn’t sure why she walked so fast through the cave. For some reason she found it hard to breathe when she stood too close to Llyr. She focused her shifted eyes forward, ignoring the fat six-legged insects that hid in the crevices, and only jumped out to snack on the smaller pale lizards that ran across her path. It didn’t take much concentration to hear the water, and without any turns it was easy to find her way. Llyr’s footsteps behind her caused her to walk faster.
The sound of the water became louder, a steady thundering rush. Llyr’s footsteps increased their pace. Mede’s heartbeat quickened slightly. Light greeted her and she no longer needed her shifted eyes to see. Cool air kissed her skin as she entered a chamber.
The waterfall she’d detected outside the cave spilled over the chamber’s opening, creating a moving wall illuminated by outside light. Most of the water flowed down the side of the mountain, but some rained into the cave to feed a pool that covered most of the floor. Moss hung in thick ropes from the walls and natural columns. They were green and thick near the water spray where the sun shone through the cascade.
Llyr captured her from behind. The bag slipped from her shoulder and fell on the hard stone floor with a thud. He wrapped around her waist and pulled her tight against him. A shiver worked over her body and she closed her eyes.
Mede didn’t understand their connection. Her rational mind would try to reason it, but when he touched her, she forgot herself. Maybe it was the newness of having a lover. Maybe years of her mother’s hoping had finally wormed its way into her brain without her knowing it. Maybe now that she finally became a Dead Dragon, her mind needed a new adventure and it had chosen Llyr.
They were not fate.
They were not chosen by the gods.
They were not meant to be forever.
But then…
“Don’t run from me,” Llyr whispered.
Mede’s heart raced at his words. There was a softness to them, almost a plea that stirred deep emotion. Trying to sound confident and pretty sure she was failing, she managed, “Why? Don’t think you’re up to the chase?”
He slid his hand upward to her neck, so that his arm rested between her breasts. The arm around her waist became a steel vice as he held her tight to his body. The evidence of his desire pressed into her backside.
“I feel your heart racing.” He splayed his fingers over her neck. His voice lowered to a seductive timbre. “I feel your lungs heaving for breath. I don’t think you want to run, my lady.”
“Mede,” she corrected automatically, as breathless as he’d indicated.
“I think you want to feel me again.” Llyr rocked his hips. “You want me inside you. You want my scent on you. You want that pleasure. Say it. Tell me to release you, my lady.”
“But if you release me, prince, then you won’t be able to do all those things. I might escape,” she teased.
A low growl revealed the sound of the dragon in his tone. The hand from her waist instantly slid down so his fingers pressed between her thighs, up to her sex. He massaged her through her pants. She trembled as pleasure worked its way through her.
Forget her rational mind. What did it know anyway?
“You want the release of my cock.” Llyr burrowed his face into her hair and his breath fanned the nape of her neck. She shivered and tiny bumps rose up on her skin.
She nodded, barely able to eke out, “Yes.”
Llyr pulled her shoulder, forcing her to spin around in his arms. His chest stopped her momentum as she crushed up against him. Warm lips pressed to hers. Their hands became a frenzy of movement as they undressed. Clothing flew around the cave. She vaguely heard a splash behind her but chose to ignore it. Whatever it was could wait.
She wanted more of him. The feel of his hands and mouth weren’t enough. He wrapped his arms around her as if he would devour her whole.
* * *
Llyr couldn’t control himself. He’d meant only to go after her so that they may bathe and leave the cave, but his body acted outside the will of his mind. One look at her by the water and he’d been forced to capture her.
Soft flesh mingled with defiant will to create one frustratingly perfect woman. How could he resist? Llyr might be the future king, but he’d bow to this woman every time. If she would but have him, she would control the Draig half of the planet, because she would control him.
Llyr knew this as certainly as he knew anything. Of course these were words that would never be spoken. A king couldn’t admit such things. But he felt the truth of them.
Grabbing her by her naked ass, he lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist. Llyr tried to keep kissing her as he looked for a good spot. The ground was a course combination of damp sand and patches of mud. It clung to his feet and made for an unworthy
bed. Without testing the water, which he imagined would be fairly cold, he didn’t want to take her swimming and risk killing the erection now pressed between them. Opting for a cavern wall, he carried her to it and pressed her back to the moss-cushioned stone.
Llyr kept hold of her legs. Mede grasped at the vines hanging behind her head before wrapping the thick cord around her wrist to help support her weight. Within seconds he had himself aimed to take her. Seeing a breast close to his lips, he moaned. He opened his mouth wide and took a gentle bite. The nipple puckered against his tongue as he sucked it. The moist heat of her sex called to him and he thrust hard. A high-pitched noise escaped her at the claim.
He moved inside her, unable to help the frantic drive of his hips. Desperately, he needed her to feel what he did, to know what he knew and to admit to her feelings. That desperation manifested as wild passion.
The slick hold of her body sheathed him perfectly. Everything about her was made for him. Her breast slipped from his mouth.
Llyr gripped her thighs and leaned his forehead to touch hers. Mede panted. Her gaze held his, her eyes swirling with a shift.
The pleasure came over them hard, climaxing in a dizzying explosion that nearly dropped him to his knees. He pressed her back into the stone as his muscles stiffened. Mede pulled on the vine. He saw her arm flex seconds before the plant snapped. The sudden release of her weight caused him to stumble backwards. His foot slid in the mud and she rode his body to the ground.
The hard grit of sand scraped his naked ass. Mede straddled his waist, bouncing on his cock when they landed. She made a strange groaning noise as her body jerked violently. Her hands pressed to his chest as she shook again, still finding release.
A stunned, short laugh escaped her. “Are you injured?”
“I don’t know.” Llyr shifted his hips. The movement on his cock still inside her caused a tiny spasm of release. He closed his eyes and moaned at the pleasure.
The Dragon's Queen (Dragon Lords) Page 10
