dragon archives 03 - loved by a dragon

by Linda K Hopkins

  “Something is wrong between Aaron and Keira,” Anna said as Max worked.

  “I noticed,” he said.

  “What do you think it is?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure they will work it out.”

  “Keira looked so unhappy.”

  “So did Aaron. I saw him watching her when he thought no-one was looking. He looked so … lost.”

  “Lost?” he said. “Aaron?”

  Max was silent as he pulled the brush through Anna’s hair.

  “Max?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Do you think love can last forever?” There was a long silence.

  “Yes,” he said, his voice low.

  “Have you ever been in love?”

  “Just once.”

  “And do you still love her?”

  “Forever, Anna. Forever.”

  Anna was silent as Max finished brushing her hair. He placed the brush on the table and went to the chair near the fire.

  “I’ll just sit here for a few moments.”

  Anna nodded and snuggled into the quilts, lying on her side facing him. He had stretched out his legs and crossed his arms, but she saw in the light of the flames that he was watching her. She met his gaze for a moment, then closed her eyes.

  “Goodnight Max,”she mumbled, but she was asleep before he replied.

  Chapter 24

  Keira sat at the edge of the bed, looking out the window. The moon was on the wane, little more than a sliver of light, but the stars shone brightly in the night sky. The fire had burned low in the grate, and she shivered slightly as she pulled the quilt tighter around her shoulders. It had been many hours since the household fell into silence, with only the occasional hoot of an owl outside the window to note the passing hours. Was Aaron going to stay away all night, she wondered? Phrases from their argument played through her mind, over and over again: “I love you too much … you are a sickness … poison …” She could feel the tears starting to flow down her cheeks again, and she scrubbed them away, pushing her fists into her eyes to stop new tears forming. When Aaron returned – if he returned – she did not want to be a tangle of tearful emotion. She looked out the window again, focusing her mind on the long watch ahead of her.

  A flash in the sky caught Keira’s attention, and she looked up to see a golden light slowly dissipating in the dark sky. The source of the light was beyond her line of sight, but she knew it was Aaron, landing on the roof of the Manor. She smoothed down her gown with her hands, suddenly nervous. A long time passed before she heard footsteps in the passage outside their chambers, but when they did come, she turned to watch the door as it opened slowly.

  At the sight of Keira sitting on the bed, Aaron paused.

  “Keira,” he said. Her name sounded stilted, unfamiliar on his tongue, and Keira looked down, twisting her hands in her lap. She felt the weight of his gaze as he took a step closer. “Keira, you were never meant to hear my conversation with Favian, and I should never have said what I did. Please accept my apologies.”

  She looked up as she responded. “You said I was a sickness.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “You should never have said it,” she said, “but you still believe it is true.” Aaron looked away for a moment, then turned back to look at her.

  “Yes.” He paused for a moment. “Maybe weakness would be a better word.” Going to the bed, he sat down with a sigh, careful to maintain a few feet of distance. “Keira,” he said, “I know you believe that love makes you stronger, and maybe in the human world it does, but I have seen firsthand what can happen when you love too much.”

  “You are not your father, Aaron.”

  “No? Perhaps not. But I am the Master of my clan, as he was before me. And you, well, you make me vulnerable. As much as I love you, you are also a liability.”

  “No,” she whispered, “you are wrong.”

  “I have already made choices I shouldn’t have, Keira.”

  “Like saving my father?”

  “Yes.”

  “And tell me, Aaron, do you regret saving him?” Aaron turned to look at her as he answered slowly.

  “No.”

  “So how is it wrong?”

  “It’s wrong because my first responsibility lies with the clan, with my own kind. This may seem like a simple thing to you, but if every dragon showed himself to humans, saved their lives, it would be disastrous.”

  “And yet you only saved one human.”

  “One is too many for a Master.”

  “So now what? Are you going to go and kill my father?”

  “No. I’m going to give up Mastership of the clan.”

  “What? No!” Jumping up from the bed, Keira turned to face him, horror written across her face.

  “Keira, it has to be one or the other. I cannot stop myself from loving you, although God knows I’ve tried. As soon as this problem has been sorted out with Jack, I will let the clan elders know my decision.”

  “Aaron, you are the Dragon Master! This is not something you choose to walk away from. Who else is as strong as you? Who else has the level of power that you have? Owain said he could see you are growing even more powerful – there must be a reason for that.”

  “What reason, Keira?” Aaron rose to his feet and clamped his fingers around her arm, his face bent down as he glared at her. “I don’t have an answer. But I will not be like my father. I will step down before the clan is left leaderless.”

  “Aaron, no. This is wrong. Your father was weak, but you are not. This is not a choice you have to make.” Releasing her arm, Aaron turned away, placing his back to her.

  “The choice is already made, Keira. Unless you want to send me away and return to your family, I will follow through on this.”

  “Well, maybe I should, Aaron Drake,” she shouted, stomping around the bed and climbing under the covers.

  “Carry on like that, and perhaps I will send you myself,” he said in a low voice. She pushed the covers back to glare at him. She was being immature, she knew, and this was not the time for childishness. But he was already gone, leaving nothing but a trail of light that disappeared out the window.

  Aaron did not come back again that night, but he made an appearance when the morning meal was served. He took a seat beside her, and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her, but then he looked the other way and said something to Favian. Keira longed to reach out and touch him, but a river of angry words lay between them, like a physical barrier that she couldn’t cross. She picked at her food, aware of him sitting only a few inches away, but when the meal was done, he rose and left the table, and the opportunity was gone. Owain and Favian did not leave the Manor that day, and often during the day, Keira looked up to see one or the other watching her. She was sitting in the library, a book in her lap, when the door opened to admit Favian.

  “Ah, Keira. I didn’t know you were here,” he said.

  “Liar,” she mumbled under her breath, flushing when he laughed.

  “Is it that obvious?” he asked.

  “Yes. But don’t concern yourself, I am quite fine.”

  “Good,” he said, settling himself down on a chair opposite her. She looked at him pointedly, then put the book down with a sigh.

  “I know my father spoke to you,” he said, “but I wanted to add my own weight to his words. You don’t know how changed Aaron is because of you. There was little joy in his life before, but he is different now.”

  “He doesn’t seem very happy with me in his life at the moment.”

  “Only because he fears being happy. Don’t give up on him, Keira.”

  “Cathryn said the first dragon she saw in dragon form was Aaron,” Keira said after a pause.

  “Yes,” Favian said. “I was very annoyed with Aaron.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he was trying to force Cathryn away. He thought if she knew what I was, she would want nothing to do with me.”

&nbs
p; “But he was wrong.”

  “No, he was right, actually. At least at first.”

  “Well, she must have accepted you eventually.”

  “Eventually,” he said with a laugh. “But when I thought our relationship was hopeless, it was Aaron who found me, lectured me and told me to go back to Cathryn. He knew, deep in his heart, that Cathryn and I were meant for each other, and that her love made me a better person.” Keira looked down at the book on her lap, her fingers tracing the delicate patterns around the page.

  “Thank you,” she said. Favian nodded, and rising to his feet, left her alone with her thoughts.

  Keira woke the next morning to the sound of Aaron moving around the room. She opened her eyes to see him pulling on a pair of trousers. Beside her the bed felt cold, which meant he probably hadn’t even slept in it.

  “Aaron?” she said.

  “I’m going out,” he said.

  “Please, Aaron, talk to me,” she whispered. He had been striding towards the door, but paused at the sound of her voice. He stood there for a moment, as little wisps of flame curled around his body. Slowly he turned around and looked at her, his gaze capturing hers, and then he was by her side, kneeling next to the bed, his knuckles white as he clenched the wooden frame.

  “Oh, Keira, I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I’m angry at myself, but I am just hurting you.” He reached out a finger and trailed it down her cheek. His hand slipped around her neck and tangled in her hair, and then his mouth was on hers, hard and desperate. His other hand slipped down her back and he rolled over her, holding his weight on his elbows as he pulled her hard against his hot skin. His legs tangled with hers, and when he pushed up her chemise, his lips left hers and trailed a fiery path over her body. She moaned, lifting herself up to him, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her weight. She felt a stirring in the air, and knew he had unfurled his wings. She opened her eyes and she saw them, huge and golden, hovering over them. She felt them brush against her hand, and she reached up to stroke them as he moaned her name. His eyes were bright white flames, and she could see the blaze just beneath his skin. “I love you,” he growled, and then he took her, body and soul.

  They lay in a tangled heap afterwards, his fingers hot against her skin. “I can’t stay away from you,” he said. “You are a drug running through my veins and I just want more.” She rolled onto her stomach and looked down at him.

  “Don’t stay away,” she said. “When we joined together we became one, and we are stronger together than apart.” Aaron stared at her for a moment, before turning away and rising from the bed.

  “I really do have to go. Owain is waiting for me – I think he wants to lecture his Master before we leave tomorrow.”

  “He just wants what’s best for his nephew,” she said.

  Aaron gave her a bleak smile then turned towards the door.

  “I’ll see you later, my sweet.”

  Keira watched as the door closed behind Aaron, her eyes blurring with tears. What would it take for Aaron to love her freely, as he had done before? Was it only at Storbrook that he could be truly happy? Was this going to be the pattern of their lives? She could not allow Aaron to give up the clan, but she found she had no wisdom in how to negotiate the snares that seemed to be set around them. Rolling over onto the bed, she buried her face in the quilts and allowed the tears to flow.

  Chapter 25

  Anna couldn’t wait to reach the city. She knew it was going to be the most wonderful place. So many people. So many buildings. And maybe Aaron would allow her to go to court! Max had told her that Aaron knew the prince. His Royal Highness Prince Alfred, first in line to the throne, to be exact. And it was because the prince had summoned Aaron that they were going to the city.

  “Aaron will have to present himself at court,” Max had explained one evening as he sat behind her on her bed, brushing her hair. “And if you behave,” Max continued, “I’m sure he will take you, too.”

  “Have you been to court?” she asked.

  “Once or twice,” he answered. She was about to ask more when he pointed out a brightly shining star through the open window. “Look, the North Star,” he said. “Do you know that the North Star guides mariners when they sail the oceans? A sailor told me once that without the North Star to guide them, mariners can become hopelessly lost when the sun is hidden behind cloud, sailing aimlessly towards the edge of the ocean. And that is not the only danger. Sailors can also fall victim to a siren’s song.”

  “A siren?” Anna asked.

  “Yes. A man cannot resist the call of a siren, and she will lead him to a watery grave.”

  “That’s terrible. What do sailors do?”

  “There is little they can do, because as soon as they hear the first note, all is lost.”

  “Did your friend ever hear the siren’s call?”

  “Anna,” he laughed. “You aren’t listening. If he had heard the call, he would not have lived to tell the tale.” Anna had blushed as Max continued.

  “Should I tell you some other stories?”

  Anna had nodded, smiling contentedly as Max spoke, all the while pulling the brush through her hair.

  Every night since arriving at Drake Manor, Max had crept into her room through the open window. He would sit on the bed and brush her hair, then move to the chair while she fell asleep. He would be gone in the morning, the chair where he sat looking empty. She knew he was risking Aaron’s wrath if he found out, but she could not bring herself to tell Max to stay away. Thinking about Max made Anna pause in the self-appointed task of repacking her trunk. Would she still see Max at night when they were in the city? The thought that she wouldn’t made her feel a little sad, and she laughed at her silliness. Really, what did it matter if she never saw Max again? Sometimes she noticed him watching her during the day – like this morning, before he and Favian went out together. She never spoke to him during the day except to pass insults, all of which, she thought, were quite true. He really was annoying, arrogant, and rude. Except at night, when he talked softly to her and answered her questions, his fingers in her hair. She sighed, pushing the thought from her mind. Max would have things to do once they reached the city, and she would be free of his annoying presence.

  The small party that left Drake Manor the following morning consisted of Anna and Keira, Aaron, Max, and Thomas. Anna and Keira rode on horseback with Thomas, while the two dragons flew overhead. It wasn’t far to the city, Aaron assured them. They would be there in the early afternoon.

  At the first sight of the city, Anna gasped. They had just reached the summit of a small hill, and the city lay in the valley below them, stretching into the distance on the other side of a wide river. A road led across a bridge to the heavy wooden gates of the city, which stood wide open. It was crowded with people, pushing and shoving as they made their way into the pulsing heart of the city, a tangled mass of alleys and lanes, twisting this way and that without any plan. Steeples rose above the low wooden dwellings that crowded the streets, while in the center of the city rose the cathedral, its spire reaching almost as high as the surrounding hills. It was built of golden stone, and it glittered in the pale winter sun. A low hum rose into the air, and despite the pall of smoke that hung over the buildings, it seemed to Anna that she had never seen anything so wondrous. The two dragons landed on the grass a little way behind the riders, their transformations flashing through the sky. Anna turned to Max as he walked up to them.

  “Have you ever seen anything so amazing?” she said.

  Max laughed. “This is my home, Anna,” he said, his eyes meeting hers. She blushed and looked away, turning back to look at the city again.

  “It is incredible,” Keira said beside her. “I didn’t think it would be so big,”

  “Come along,” Aaron said. “If we stand here gaping, the gates will be closed before we get in.” He turned to his steward. “Thomas, lead the way.”

  “Aye, Milord,” Thomas said, urging his horse into motion. />
  They reached the entrance before the heavy doors closed for the night, joining the throngs of people crossing the bridge, pushing and shoving as they tried to get ahead of others. All manner of people and beasts flowed through the gateway – peasant men and women on foot, lugging heavily laden baskets and huge bundles on their backs; farmers driving carts pulled by mules. Anna saw a knight, his chestplates of iron glittering in the sunlight, striding ahead on his steed while a page boy trailed behind leading a pack horse. A gentleman stepped lightly around piles of refuse that littered the road, handkerchief held delicately to his nostrils, while street urchins weaved between the crowds, bumping against unwary travelers before running away with their fists closed around the prize of a coin or some other valuable. Soldiers stood at the gates watching the people enter, and occasionally they made a grab at one of the young pickpockets, but all except the youngest were too slippery to be caught, and the soldiers would shrug their shoulders at the disappearing figures before stepping back to watch the seething mass once more.

  The streets immediately beyond the gateway were dirt, tramped down to a surface as hard as rock by thousands of passing feet. Buildings blackened with soot crowded into every available spot, leaning against each other haphazardly. Anna ducked just in time when some foul-smelling liquid was thrown out the window of one of the houses, and Max threw a quick grin in her direction. Further down the road a main artery forked from the dirt road, leading into the center of the city, and it was onto this street that Thomas led them. It was paved with cobblestones, but Anna could see narrow dirt alleyways stretching out in every direction. Bells chimed every quarter hour, reaching Anna’s ears from all sides, and each time the city dogs started barking in chorus. Every quarter of the city seemed packed with people as they passed: hawkers shouting out their wares, washerwomen stringing laundry between the buildings, and children darting around the ankles of passersby, causing them to trip and curse.

  A woman approached Anna with a small posy in her fist, which she thrust into Anna’s face. “Keeps you safe from the plague, my dear,” she said, but Anna shook her head, and the woman passed by with a muttered curse. The mingled smells of smoke, sewage, and food prepared on the streets hung heavy in the air, while the odor of unwashed bodies added to the mélange.