Dragons Don't Love

by D'Elen McClain

  Dragons Don't Love

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  D’Elen Gets Real

  Bibliography

  Dragons Don’t Love

  D’Elen McClain

  Fire Chronicles: Book II

  Dragons Don’t Love

  D’Elen McClain

  Fire Chronicles: Book II

  Copyright 2015 D’Elen McClain

  Edited by Michelle Kowalski

  All rights reserved including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

  This is a work of fiction. ALL characters are derived from the author’s imagination.

  No person, brand, or corporation mentioned in this Book should be taken to have endorsed this Book nor should the events surrounding them be considered in any way factual.

  Chapter One

  Hera’s Curse

  One hundred thousand years I curse your kind

  Each century you will find

  One human woman, not your mate

  This curse is now your fate

  Laryn

  I risk my life for one glimpse of a treasure so precious it’s worth the danger. I’ve heard Bastian’s rumbling when I enter his territory and my heart breaks for our destroyed friendship. The blame is on me and no one else. I stole his mate, Acasia, who at the time was Bastian’s most valued possession. It doesn’t matter that I released her or that a dragon’s very nature covets the greatest treasure of others. Bastian hates me. Now Acasia has become dragon and the two guard the first dragon egg laid in thousands of years. I only want a simple glimpse to wash away a small bit of the loneliness that endlessly eats my soul.

  I miss Tahr and Sarn too. My friends forsook me after I kidnapped Acasia. It’s been over a year now and they still don’t trust me. I know they understand my grief over the death of my bride—they’ve lived it. They would have kidnapped the human Acasia too and they know it. But none of these thoughts take away the fact that I can’t be trusted around their women.

  The sun heats my mighty wings as I soar quietly closer to Bastian’s lair. “What are you doing here, Laryn?” Acasia’s weary voice enters my mind.

  My heart thumps faster. “I need to be close.”

  A long sigh preempts her speech. “We’ve been over this before, Laryn. Bastian doesn’t want you here. He’s not a dragon to mess with right now and neither am I. Go to Sarn and Tahr and ask them to resume their monthly card games.”

  “They don’t want me near their brides; you know this.”

  This time her voice is tinged with steel. “Go. Away. Laryn.”

  It’s her wariness not her anger that makes me return home. What else can I do?

  ***

  Six months later…

  The clouds shroud the glow of the two dragon realm moons making this night perfect for my needs. I must see the egg… just once. I’ve waited until midnight to make the journey. My hope is that Bastian and Acasia are exhausted from their vigilance and they won’t notice me.

  I hear nothing as I streak through the sky. Suddenly, I collide with another dragon. It’s Acasia, and my substantial teeth painfully clamp together at impact. Her talons do little damage to my scales as her tight grip and downward attack send us hurtling toward the ground. She releases me seconds before I hit the sharp rocks. She somehow manages to avoid impact and fire erupts from her throat that ignites the sparse vegetation around me.

  Her voice blares into my pain-filled mind. “You stupid dragon. What are you doing here?”

  I pick myself up and shake my head to try to rid my brain of the cobwebs that now fill it. I’m not so shook up that I can’t beg. “Please, Acasia, just one glimpse. Only one. I won’t touch the egg.”

  Fire shoots over my head as she roars her displeasure. “I should kill you, Laryn. My dragon’s instinct is screaming for your blood. The fact I was once human is the only thing that saves you. Bastian will kill you!”

  I hear the emphasis on “will” and the thought scares me not at all. Death is preferable to the hell I live in. I hang my head and try again. “Talk to Bastian. I swear I just need to see it once and I will leave you alone. I would not harm a child, especially one unborn. I beg you.”

  “You’re pathetic, Laryn.” She breathes heavily as she flies around me in circles. “I’ll see what I can do, but stay away until you hear from me. If Bastian was awake tonight, you’d be dead.”

  Hope flutters within my chest. “Thank you, Acasia.”

  Her harsh laughter isn’t reassuring. “Don’t thank me yet.”

  She flies away with a heavy flap of her majestic red wings. I’m alone again. Alone in thought and spirit.

  ***

  Two weeks later…

  For two weeks, I roam the halls of my castle and barely sleep. My human servants stay out of my way as much as possible because my temper is on a hair trigger. I nearly took my manservant’s head off for dropping my morning food tray.

  I’m currently lounging in my human form on the large couch in my great room when a tentative knock at the door spikes my anger. “Enter,” I bark.

  Peter, the one unfortunate enough to drop the tray, walks in without looking at me and places his hand out. A small slip of paper rests on his trembling fingers. I grab it. “Get out,” I yell. He turns and runs to the door as fast as his spindly old legs will carry him.

  I unfold the paper.

  Come an hour after the sun goes down.

  Do not be late.

  Acasia

  I stare at the short note and reread it several times as adrenaline pumps through my veins and my palms go sweaty. “Fuck,” I yell as I jump up. I need a shower. And, for the first time in months, I have a voracious appetite. I slam my demands into Peter’s head and run for the bathing chamber. I must ready myself.

  Two hours later, a strange sense of worry fills me as I fly closer to Bastian’s lair. My spikes bristle and my scales harden in response to an unknown threat that never materializes. I fly to the top of Bastian’s large tower and rest my talons at the edge. Even after eating a full meal, I have a fluttery empty feeling in my stomach.

  During my childhood, I heard stories of dragon eggs. There were several eggs in gestation at the time. I was told I couldn’t go near them because dragons are unpredictable and quite possessive of their young. I was curious but young, and I spent little time thinking of procreation and all it entails. Two centuries later, all but four dragons were dead. Now, thousands of years have passed and only a glimmer of the stories hold a place in my memory.

  Ever so slowly, I peer over the side and behold the grandest treasure of my life. I gasp at the sight of the egg’s dazzling brilliance. It shines halfway up the high tower walls—swirls in every shade of red.

  Acasia, in human form, gazes up at me. She appears incredibly tiny as she kneels by th
e nest. “Fly to the upper perch, shift to human, and walk down the stairs,” she orders in her no-nonsense voice.

  I don’t question her command and quickly drop from the ledge and fly to the perch. I brought clothes with me and scramble to dress myself after shifting. The stairway circles the inner tower walls and my feet skip three steps at a time as I run down.

  When I reach the bottom, Acasia’s hand comes up with her palm toward me. Her voice resonates loudly throughout the chamber. “Stop where you are.”

  I don’t move a muscle or even breathe.

  The glow from the egg causes Acasia’s almost silver hair to shimmer. She stands and takes a defensive stance with her hands on her hips. I feel her magic. She is only a pint size bit of fluff in human form, but I don’t doubt her ability to shift to dragon and end my life. A female dragon with child is fearsome and I have no intention of testing her.

  She blinks slowly. Her blue eyes are now an amber fire and flash hotly. “If you obey my rules, you may visit once a month. If you disobey my rules, I will tear you limb from limb, save your bones, and feed them to my child when he is born. Do you understand?”

  I take a breath and place my trembling hands in my pockets to lessen her apprehension at having me near the egg. “Yes, thank you for allowing my visit. I will follow each rule.” I’m also in shock that this will be more than a one-time event.

  She gives no sign that my words register at all. “First rule—in dragon form you will never get closer to my child than the ledge atop the tower or I will kill you.” After a slight pause, she continues. “Number two—in human form, you will stay ten feet away from the egg or I will kill you. Three—fifteen minutes per visit is all the time you have. If you refuse to leave when your time is up… I will kill you. And four,” her stare penetrates my soul with its intensity. “Most likely, during one of your visits, I shall kill you. Prepare yourself for death, dragon.”

  I can no longer handle her red, glaring eyes. I turn my attention to the egg and look away from the death sentence I see in her gaze. Acasia is a different person. She’s always been strong, but now the dragon side of her makes her fierce. I nod and still don’t look at her.

  “May I ask a question?”

  Her voice lowers just a bit. “Your fifteen minutes started the minute you landed on the upper ledge, so be quick.”

  “Bastian doesn’t know I’m here, does he?” I dare to peek at her from the side of one eye.

  Her nostrils flare and a thin stream of smoke rises from them. I’ve asked the wrong question.

  “Yes, Bastian does,” Bastian shouts from above and a mighty roar fills the tower. Bastian’s red eyes sizzle with hatred. “You have five minutes of your allotted time remaining. Use it wisely.”

  The strange feeling I had when entering Bastian’s territory makes sense now. He was behind me, not in his castle. Acasia’s power was so strong it overpowered my senses and I didn’t know it was Bastian.

  My eyes travel back to the egg. Its glow is iridescent. What’s strange is that it doesn’t hurt my eyes. I can see just the outline of the small dragon form beneath the almost translucent shell. The red glow comes from the child within.

  Without taking my gaze from the egg, I speak softly. “Does it move within the shell?”

  “All the time.” Acasia’s voice is lower still as she too looks at the miracle before us.

  I keep the rules in mind as I take two steps closer. I ignore the loud grumble from Bastian and kneel in order to have a different view. The piles of soft cloth cradling the egg shimmer with the glow from the child. A tear rolls down my face. I don’t bother wiping it away. I’m not ashamed. “He’s beautiful, Acasia. I’ll come back next month. Thank you.”

  She remains silent as I turn and walk back up the way I came. It’s hard to describe my feelings. One part of me is in complete awe and rejuvenated with the one small glimpse at a new life. The other part… the purest form of my dragon… wants to grab the egg and run—take Bastian’s child and keep him for myself. We are born with the undeniable instinct to possess treasure. At this moment, the egg resting one-hundred feet below me is the greatest treasure of all.

  “I will kill you slowly,” Bastian says with deadly conviction. He knows exactly how I feel.

  I give no response; it’s pointless. I strip off my clothes and leap from the perch. I shift and immediately pull myself upward. Bastian’s red eyes glow as bright as the egg. I will return next month. Even if it means my death, I cannot stay away.

  Chapter Two

  Twenty-four years later…

  Laryn

  I admire my nakedness in the looking glass, flex my muscles and watch them ripple with undeniable power. I am more than a mere human. I’m faster—stronger—deadlier.

  I am dragon.

  “Why are humans so inferior?” I ask myself aloud. Their weak bodies give them no advantages. And they are ugly, even their females. Their puny appearance and sickly skin tone only enhance their frailty. At least some of the women are decent companions if they don’t nag too much. I grumble loudly. Chances are I’ll be stuck with a whiner again. I’ll not put up with it and I’ll quickly teach her to fear me.

  As amazing as I am in my human form, it holds no comparison to my dragon, which is superior to all others. My mind flashes to Acasia, Bastian’s mate. Yes, she is beautiful, but all her damn rules ruin it. It doesn’t matter that she is the only female dragon in existence. Today, I choose my new bride at the claiming ceremony. The bride’s training will begin immediately after our return to my lair. The sooner she stops the waterworks and settles in, the better it will be for her.

  I turn and walk through the large doors of my bedroom and stand on a rounded stone ledge looking over my kingdom. I gaze down at smaller mountain tops, valleys, and higher mountains in the distance that block the view of the ocean. The wind whips across my naked body and blows hair into my eyes. It needs trimming. I will gift my bride with the privilege, if she cooperates. It will be her first reward, well… after I fuck her, of course. Fucking always comes first. Bastian had no clue how to control a human female and now he’s stuck with Acasia. I always show the bride who’s boss and immediately put them in their place. My way works best.

  I spring from the ledge and dive off headfirst in my human form. I pull in the magic and my dragon bursts free—the small amount of pain completely overshadowed by my majestic form. I spread my wings and admire their fifty-foot span of beautiful blue against the morning sky. Fire erupts from deep in my chest and shoots more than one-hundred feet in front of me. My roar echoes through the canyon and reverberates off the cliffs.

  In all my blue glory, I fly to claim my bride.

  Chapter Three

  Roxanne

  I sharpen my two-foot steel blade before holding it up against the morning sun. The light shines off the blade, which fractures it into multiple beams of brilliance. Soon it will bathe in blood—the magical blood of a dragon. I will clean off the gore using my white bride’s dress and dance in the red puddles after I kill him. No sister of mine will become a dragon’s bride today. My death for this deed will be satisfying—the ultimate sacrifice.

  I’ve spent most of my life preparing. No one in the village knows my true intentions. My parents think I’m reconciled to my fate. I was born during the span of years that established me as a claiming bride. A week ago, a proclamation went up throughout town informing the brides that our time has come. Our duty to keep the peace between dragons and humans demands our presence at the claiming. Today.

  Early on, I used my family’s need for fresh meat and my father’s disability as the reason for learning to hunt. Every minute of every day that I could safely get away from home, I sharpened my skills. If the men of my town won’t defend the women, I will.

  Slipping off my dreary daily garments, I don the beautiful, white, sacrificial gown required to entice my enemy. I secure the sword into the hidden back sheath knowing I can remove it and use it before anyone stops me. The vir
gins of this town will truly have something to celebrate tonight. I adjust my dark hair so it completely covers the blade’s grip. I walk from the glade with my shoulders back and my head held high refusing to acknowledge my racing heart and shaking knees.

  I have a dragon to kill.

  Chapter Four

  Laryn

  From the distance, I see the white gowns of my frightened brides. My tail twitches in anticipation. Only one is the chosen and I almost feel sympathy for the ones who will continue their dreadful human existence without me. Almost, but not quite. I’m waiting for the inner epiphany that declares my bride.

  Finally, an indescribable thrill travels across my scales. It shoots into my gut with the intensity of a hurricane. It’s been one-hundred years since I felt it last. I will know my true bride the second I see her.

  There are four dragons remaining and twenty-five years separates each bride claiming. The village has grown since my last quest for a bride. I swoop down low and watch gleefully as the villagers cower in fear. My brides stand shivering as I make another pass expecting to zero in on one blessed bride. It’s strange that I have not singled her out yet. Suddenly, I feel a jolt to my right leg. I can’t see the goliath appendage beneath me, but I feel a sudden downward tug. A flash of billowing white swings up from a rope that must be attached to my foot. I’m so surprised that I don’t react.

  The delay costs me nothing as a sharp blade hits my scales. I would laugh at the puny attempt to wound me if I wasn’t so instantly furious. Who would dare? I will kill them slowly and roast the flesh from their bones with my dragon fire.

  The villagers scream and run for their homes leaving their bride daughters behind. Not that running will stop my wrath. I will kill them all.