by G. A. Aiken
Now Shalin wanted her to believe that Bercelak loved her. Could he? Could anyone? She wasn’t exactly the easiest being to get along with.
Bercelak’s mother reached over and grasped her daughter’s hand. “We’re here for you, love. If you let me, I can help you,” she said to Ghleanna.
Ghleanna shook her head and looked out the window, but her grip tightened on her mother’s hand. But they were startled from their silent moment when the bedroom door opened and Bercelak entered.
Rhiannon stood up as soon as she saw his face. “Gods, what happened to you?”
“Nothing,” he grumbled as he walked across the room. “Just a little discussion with my father.”
“You promised me you wouldn’t fight with him anymore,” his mother accused, standing up so she could get a closer look at her extremely tall son.
“I didn’t. I was arguing with someone else and he decided to end it.”
Rhiannon reached up and touched the black and blue mark around Bercelak’s eye. It startled him, and he turned to her so quickly she snatched her hand back and turned away from him.
“Um . . . we best be going,” Shalin said as she made a hasty retreat. “Come along, Ghleanna.”
Rhiannon heard mother and daughter leave and it took all her strength not to demand they stay.
“Rhiannon?”
“She’s very sweet, your mother.”
“I know.”
“She brought me food and wine. Made sure the collar wasn’t too tight.” Gods, she was babbling.
“Rhiannon—”
“Ghleanna can actually talk to her mother. That must be nice.”
“Rhiannon.” He turned her around to face him. “Stop.”
“Stop what?”
“Avoiding me.”
“I’m not.” Yet she wouldn’t look him in the eye. Really . . . exactly how was she supposed to rule a kingdom?
Bercelak’s big hand gripped her chin and lifted her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.
“Then why are you looking at me like that?”
Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore. Her hand reached up and she gently ran her fingers over his wounded eye. He stared down at her in wary shock, but she couldn’t stop herself.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
Gods!
What had the bastard done to her?
This had to be some sort of trick. Some sort of grand trick she thought she could play on him for her own amusement. But her eyes looked so sincere, and her fingers on his face were gentle and so careful.
Gods, was she actually concerned about his welfare? About his health? This had to be progress. Yet, she looked appalled at herself for even asking.
“I’ll be all right. I’ve taken worse hits. Growing up in this family, you learn to deal with surprise attacks.”
She pulled her hand away. “Good. Yes, very good.”
Rhiannon tried to turn away, but he pulled her back around again. “Aren’t you going to greet me?”
“Greet you?”
He nodded and leaned down until his lips hovered over hers. “Anytime I return from defending your throne you should make sure to greet me like this so that the entire court knows you care for me.”
“I don’t care—” But he cut off her denials with a kiss.
Gods, for someone who didn’t spend much time as human, Rhiannon truly knew how to kiss like one. Her warm tongue teased his, her throaty groans slowly destroying his control.
Somehow, he pulled away from her and Rhiannon looked up with absolute frustration. “What now?”
Bercelak pulled the thin silver chain he currently wore around his neck out from under his shirt. He kept the key to Rhiannon’s bondage on it. He unlocked the collar at her throat while she watched him with narrow eyes.
“What is this? What are you up to?”
Taking her hand, he pulled her onto the bed with him. “One of my brothers told me he got word from one of his friends at court . . .” Gods, how did he tell her this? He looked into Rhiannon’s clear blue eyes. They stared at him, waiting. No. There would be no delicate words for his female. She deserved nothing but absolute truth.
“Rumors are flying around court, Rhiannon.”
“Rumors? What kind of rumors?”
“Some are saying your mother wants you dead.”
She shrugged. “I already knew that.”
Rhiannon said it so nonchalantly. Whereas his kin would never believe in a million lifetimes Shalin would ever harm them in anyway, Rhiannon took it for granted her mother would.
“You are handling this much better than I did.” That was actually how he got the black eye. His brother told him the news. He called him a liar. They pushed, they shoved, they yelled, and then the hitting started. It wasn’t until their father, who tolerated no fighting among his offspring, jumped in. With one punch he snapped Bercelak out of his rage, and with one solid backhand across the face, Ailean controlled his younger son.
“What’s there to handle? This is the way of my life. Always has been. My father warned me long ago this time would come. That’s why he made sure I was trained.”
“Trained?”
“Aye. Whether human or dragon I can handle sword, mace, dagger, bow, and whip. I also know many forms of hand-to-hand combat.” She smiled and he saw pride light up her eyes. “And I can do things with flame that would amaze even you.”
He wondered if she even realized he still held her hands while they talked. “Amaze even me, eh?”
“Well . . . as a battle-dragon you must have seen many amazing things.”
Rubbing the back of her knuckles with his thumbs, he said, “Nothing as amazing as you, Rhiannon.”
Startled, she cleared her throat and looked away from him. “So what does this change?”
“Maelona knows a witch who may be able to help you now that you have your full powers. Tomorrow we’ll go see her together.”
“I don’t need you babysitting me, Bercelak. I think I can talk to a witch on my own.”
“She’s a very old dragon, Rhiannon, who will no longer shift to human. And I’ll not risk you.” Old dragons could be a bit unstable. Catch them on the wrong day and they would rip the scales from your body without a second’s thought. And what they were known for doing to humans. . . .
Sighing, she nodded. “Fine.”
“We’ll go in the morning.” Bercelak finally released her hands so he could push the fur from her shoulders. “Tonight I have other plans.”
She tried to hide her smile, but she didn’t do a very good job. “And I wonder what plans those could be.”
Chapter 8
“A white dragon, too. Haven’t seen your kind around in a bit.”
Rhiannon sighed heavily, mostly from boredom, as Bercelak stood in front of her, trying to get the old bitch to help them.
Donnfhlaidh, an old brown dragon—I didn’t even know their kind still existed—had been keeping her waiting for nearly half the hour.
“Mistress,” Bercelak tried again with a patience Rhiannon had become well acquainted with, “we truly need your help.”
“She can’t shift back to dragon, can she?”
“No. She can’t.”
“Well, I can’t help her with that.”
“Fine!” Rhiannon’s patience ran out. She stormed around Bercelak. “If you won’t help me, I’ll find someone who will!” she yelled up at her.
The old dragon cackled hysterically. “Gods, Bercelak! Do you know what you’re getting yourself into with this one?”
Rhiannon, uncaring she had no protective scales, growled and moved forward. But something grabbed hold of the back of her gown and she turned to see that the tip of Bercelak’s tail had caught hold of the thick material and held her in place. She glared up at him and he winked.
She really should hate him, except he looked so regal in his full battle-dragon armor worn to impress the old bitch dragon. The metal breastplate,
used to protect not only a dragon’s chest but his vulnerable underbelly during battle, fairly glowed with the fire coming from the pit. Bercelak’s was an intricate design of past battles. The detail of the work showed his rank. Then there were the scars covering a good portion of his body. . . .
Gods! What had he done to her? When did she become one of those lovesick females? How did she allow this to happen?
“Mistress, I ask you again . . . will you help us?”
“I can’t change her mother’s spell, Bercelak. The queen either has to die or your lady love will have to reverse it on her own.”
“And how do I do that?” Rhiannon sighed dramatically.
“Try this.” The old witch lobbed a book at her. Written by dragons, the book was enormous and with Bercelak’s tail holding her in place, she could only cringe as it neared her head. But one black claw reached out and snatched the book from the air.
“Ahh. Thank you, mistress.”
“Keep it. Soon I’ll need none of this any longer.” The dragon slowly turned and headed back deeper into her lair, but over her shoulder she said, “You do know that you two are well matched, don’t you? You, Princess, allow him to be kind rather than just a killer. And Bercelak allows you the ability to be a right bitch whenever you want.
“Aye,” she continued, her voice echoing in the cavern as she disappeared into the darkness. “You two are perfect together. And one day . . . one day your children will change everything.”
Bercelak watched his sister and mother work with Rhiannon to find the spell that would break the queen’s hold.
They’d been at it for hours, and he could see his female’s patience begin to wane.
When she literally roared in frustration, shaking the table they were all working on, he knew she badly needed a break.
“This is useless!”
“Come, Rhiannon.” He grabbed hold of her wrist and dragged her toward the exit. “Mother? You’ll be all right?”
“Go, go.” His mother didn’t even look up as she shooed them away. Except for one other brother, his poor mother was the only scholar of the clan. Deciphering ancient text was the kind of thing she lived for. “I’ll be fine.”
Using that to his advantage, Bercelak dragged Rhiannon from the castle and toward the woods.
“Where are we going?”
“You are dangerously tense, my love. I fear for my family’s safety.”
She dug her heels into the soft ground and he turned to look at her. “What?”
“Don’t say that again.”
“I know you’d never hurt my family, Rhiannon.”
“Not that. Never call me your ‘love’ again. None of that.”
“You’re unbelievable, Princess.” He headed back off, yanking her along behind him. “You argue the most insane things.”
“I think not. I need none of those insipid endearments from you.”
“Oh, you’d prefer them from another?”
“There is no other.”
He stopped again and looked at her. “And it will stay that way, Princess. There will only be me. There will only be you.”
Shaking her head, “I don’t understand you, Bercelak. Truth told, you could have anyone. Low-born or royal. Do you truly wish to be consort to a queen so badly?”
“I don’t want ‘anyone,’Rhiannon. I only want you. Since I saw you that first time I’ve only wanted you. That has never changed. That never will change. Whether you take your mother’s throne or leave it to one of your siblings, it won’t change how I feel about you . . . and I think you know that. I think you fear it.”
She pulled her arm out of his grasp and took several steps away. “I may never be dragon again. I may be trapped in this weak human body forever. I may never be queen. I may never rule. And one day you may have to choose between my mother and me. One day she’ll make you choose.”
“There is no choice. It will always be you, Rhiannon. You will always be my first and only choice. Your wellbeing is all I care about. Human or dragon, queen or lowborn . . . I will make it my life’s work to protect you and any offspring we have. I will not let anything harm our family. And I will definitely not let anything harm you.”
He grabbed hold of her hand again, bringing it to his mouth so he could kiss her knuckles.
“My heart belongs to you, Rhiannon. It will always belong to you.”
Frowning, she looked away, then down at the ground.
He knew she’d reject him again. That fear of her feelings would make her run, but he was willing to wait for her. He had no choice. No other female would ever do.
Then, to his shock, she slowly reached her free hand out for him while she kept her eyes on the ground. He grasped it and gave a small tug. She shuddered once, then she was against him. Her arms wrapped tight around his waist, her head on his chest.
He closed his eyes and sent up a silent prayer to the dragon gods who protected him in battle and life.
Big hands smoothed up and down her back. He didn’t speak. He made no triumphant proclamations. He merely held her tight and let her be part of him.
She let his strength flow through her. He gave it to her gladly, with no regrets and without asking for anything in return.
When the silence became too much for her, she said, “Where were you taking me?”
“Come. I’ll show you.”
Gently, he unwrapped her arms from his body and, taking possessive hold of her hand, again guided her away from the castle. After several minutes, she heard the sound of rushing water and her heartbeat sped up. Soon they came upon a river, the water not so rough a human could not use it.
“Water,” she sighed. “It’s been ages since I bathed in anything but a tub.”
“I know. I meant to bring you here yesterday, but I became sidetracked by that chain.”
She smiled while Bercelak moved behind her. There was no surprise when his hands came around and began to untie her bodice. “You know, Bercelak, my hands work quite well.”
“I’m sure they do. But one thing they teach warriors of all breeds is how to tie and untie knots.”
He made quick work of the ribbon holding her bodice together and soon his hands slid across her exposed breasts.
Rhiannon sighed again and leaned back into Bercelak’s hard body.
“You know, Princess, I think your being so tense is what has made banishing your mother’s spell that much harder.”
“Oh, you do, do you? And where did that tenseness come from? Perhaps because some mad bastard had me chained inside a bedroom for hours?”
“No. That’s not why.”
She grinned. He really was mad. And, apparently, all hers.
“I think that’s what we should work on today. Getting you to relax.”
The dress slipped off her body and down her legs, pooling at her feet.
“Is that right?”
“Aye. I want you relaxed and calm. The Magick will probably just flow from you then.”
She had to admire his ability to spin centaur shit into fine gold.
Soft lips kissed her neck. Strong teeth nibbled the flesh beneath her ear. Large calloused hands kneaded her breasts before slipping down her body, rubbing soft circles into her skin.
“One day, Rhiannon, you’ll be dragon again. I won’t stop until we make you whole once more.”
Pulling from his arms, she smiled up into his handsome face. “We’ll worry about that later. There’s a river waiting for us.” This time, she took his hand and brought him to the river’s edge. She pulled off his shirt and unlaced his breeches. He toed off his boots while she dragged his pants down his legs. She teased his screaming erection with the tip of her nose and he groaned.
“You truly are evil.”
She laughed. Bercelak was the only living being she could name who made her laugh with him as opposed to at him.
Dragging her hands along his powerful thighs, she stood up. Leaning in she kissed his bare chest. Bercelak sighed and muttered her nam
e. His arms again wrapped around her, pulling her tight against him. She had to admit, she did like feeling his naked human flesh against her own.
Rhiannon dragged her hands down his lower back and across his ass. Her fingers dug into the flesh of his cheeks and gripped him tight. Chuckling low, he grabbed her shoulders and held her away from him.
“You don’t play fair, Princess.”
“I didn’t know I was supposed to.”
“Good point.” He lifted her up easily, tossing her over his shoulder. “I truly hope you can swim with that human body of yours, Princess.”
“I can learn.”
They swam for a good while. Rhiannon continued to tease him, torment him. She seemed to enjoy it. She actually smiled. He loved seeing her smile.
When she moved up behind him in the cold, clean water and took firm hold of his balls, he’d had enough. He dragged her out of the water and into the trees. Laying her out on the ground, he stretched out beside her.
“It’s time I teach you who’s in charge.”
“That would be me.”
“So sure are you?”
Her hand reached out and took firm hold of his cock. Bercelak groaned, his head dropping forward and rubbing against her.
“Yes,” she muttered smugly. “I am sure.”
But two could play this game of hers.
While she slowly stroked his cock, he eased his hand down to her sex. He slid a single finger inside her and she arched into his hand.
Grinning, he watched as she bit her lip and pumped her hips against his hand.
“Want more?”
She nodded, a small whimper coming from her throat.
He thrust another finger inside her and she cried out. He continued to fuck her with his hand while his mouth wrapped around her breast, his tongue teasing the nipple.
Rhiannon’s strokes on his raging hard cock became a little more fitful, not nearly as graceful as before, but she didn’t release him. She stroked him with one hand and dug the other into his hair, clutching the back of his head, holding him to her.
