by G. A. Aiken
“Your sister scared the centaur shit out of me!”
Ghleanna easily hauled Rhiannon back into her room window. “She’s as skittish as a colt, that one. Thought you were leaping to your death.”
“I haven’t become that human.”
“I’m very glad to hear it.”
Maelona shrugged. “Sorry. I had a moment of panic.”
“She has lots of those,” her sister joked.
“No I don’t! I just saw her sitting out there and became worried.”
Kicked open, the door slammed against the wall and Bercelak strode in. “Why were you hanging off the ledge?”
Glancing at Ghleanna, Rhiannon said with forced seriousness, “I couldn’t take it anymore. I decided to end it all.”
He frowned in confusion. “What?”
Ghleanna grabbed Maelona and pulled her from the room. “We’ll just leave you to it, eh?”
The door closed and Rhiannon looked at Bercelak. “Do you really think I’d do something stupid? Do you think so little of me?”
“All my father said was that he saw you falling off the building.”
“If he saw me, why didn’t he help?”
.Bercelak snorted. “My father? Do you have any idea how many times the old bastard’s thrown me off the roof while I was human? For him that’s a test of courage and speed.”
“Your father is . . .”
“Frightening? Horrifying? Disturbed?”
“Interesting.”
Bercelak rolled his eyes and gave a short shake of his head. “Forget him.” His voice dropped impossibly lower as his black eyes locked on her. “Come to me, Rhiannon.”
Stepping around the bed so that it stood between them, she murmured. “Why should I?”
“Because I ordered you to.”
Rhiannon laughed out loud. “As if that means anything.”
Picking up the cuff still chained to the bedpost, he held it up to her. “I see it will be the hard way again this eve.”
“You’ll have to get that on me first, Low Born. And I don’t think you can manage.”
He grinned, apparently more than eager to take her up on her challenge, but another knock at the door had him cursing instead.
“What?”
One of Bercelak’s brothers pushed the door open and looked in. “We need you downstairs, brother.”
“What is it?”
“The queen’s guard are here to speak with you.”
Rhiannon held herself still, unwilling to react to this news, but she saw the color drain from Bercelak’s face. It wasn’t fear for himself but for her that brought that reaction.
“Tell them I’ll be right down.”
His brother nodded and left.
Bercelak turned to Rhiannon. “Come to me, Rhiannon.”
She did without question this time and he put his arms around her, holding her tight. “Stay here until one of my kin comes for you.”
She nodded and felt his lips brush against her forehead.
Then he released her and was gone.
Chapter 10
The full moon had come and gone and still Bercelak had not returned to her.
She knew he’d intended to Claim her on the night of the full moon as custom dictated, but she’d spent the night alone in her room, staring out at the battlements and praying to the dragon gods for her lover’s safety.
His family had done what they could to keep her spirits high, but even she could see how they’d begun to worry as the days passed. Even his father had begun to look serious.
Now she sat in their dining hall, a book in her lap but unread while she stared blankly across the room. Bercelak’s kin kept themselves busy by sharpening weapons, reading, talking, or setting things on fire with small bursts of flame. Still, they always stayed close to her, protecting her as they no doubt had promised Bercelak before he left.
Shalin sat near her studying the book the old dragonwitch had given them, but as far as Rhiannon knew, she still hadn’t found any way to reverse the queen’s spell. Although Shalin did think she’d found the spell the old bitch used on Rhiannon in the first place. At the moment it looked as if Rhiannon might have to kill Addiena in order to break the spell . . . like she had a chance in hell of that. Not with her human and her mother surrounded by her damn guards.
Part of her had given up hope she’d ever be able to shift into dragon again. But that concern paled against her fear of what may have happened to Bercelak.
“Lord Bercelak has returned!” one of the human servants yelled from the courtyard.
Rhiannon stood up so fast, she knocked her chair back, the book falling from her lap, completely forgotten. She pushed past Bercelak’s kin as they all made their way to the dining hall doorway. As dragon, Bercelak released his battle armor so that it clattered loudly to the ground. He stepped over it and shifted to human without missing a step.
Her knees weakened at the sight of him alive and seemingly unmarked. But she saw the look on his face. Something was wrong and she could only guess what.
Naked, Bercelak took the steps leading to the hall two at a time. With only a brief nod to his mother, he took tight hold of Rhiannon’s hand and dragged her toward the stairs. Glancing back at his confused family, she followed because she had no choice. He led her up the stairs and back to their room. He pulled her inside, closing the door behind them.
Once inside, he released her and strode to the window. He stood where she’d stood night after night waiting for his return. She’d even slept in a chair because she couldn’t bring herself to return to the bed without him.
He clasped his hands behind his back, his legs braced apart.
For many minutes, Bercelak said nothing and she waited while staring at his human body. She’d never seen his muscles so tight and tense before, even when he was fucking her.
Finally, he said, “You were right. About your mother. And, apparently, about my reputation among most of her court.”
She still didn’t speak, letting him get this out in his own way.
“She wants me to break you, and then . . . I’m certain . . . she’s going to demand I kill you. To prove my allegiance to her. And,” he choked out, “she seems to think I will.”
Bercelak cleared his throat, then went on. “The first thing she asked me was whether I Claimed you already and when I said no, she seemed relieved. She knows it would be hard for any dragon to kill their mate. That’s why she kept coming up with excuses to keep me there so that the full moon would pass. From what I could tell among the court gossip, she thought the fall would kill you.” He looked over his shoulder at her and Rhiannon saw the love and pain in those beautiful black eyes. With a soft smile, he said, “She underestimated your will to survive, I think.”
He turned back to again look out the window. “She wants me to bring you to court in three days time. Broken and chained. I think then she’ll expect me to kill you.”
Rhiannon walked up to Bercelak. She ran her hands across his strong shoulders and down his back, enjoying the feel of his flesh and muscle. Leaning forward, she kissed him between his shoulder blades. Sighing, Rhiannon wrapped her arms around his waist and rested against him.
“I’ll go back tomorrow. One of your brothers can—”
Bercelak turned around so fast, she almost fell flat on her ass.
“You’ll do no such thing!” Grasping her upper arms, he pulled Rhiannon hard against him. “You’ll stay here with my family is what you’ll do! I’ll take care of your mother.”
“No! She’ll destroy your family just to get to me and I won’t allow that!”
Lifting her so that she had to go on tiptoes, Bercelak leaned in close. “Who said I was giving you an option, Princess?”
“Who said you had to, Low Born?” she snarled in return. “This is my problem to deal with. Not yours. And definitely not your family’s!”
“Unless we decide it’s our problem.”
Startled by the presence of a third, the pair
pulled apart and looked at Ailean. He stood in the open doorway, leaning casually against the frame with his arms crossed over his massive chest.
“Neither of you will face that old bitch on your own.”
“This isn’t your problem, Father.”
Bercelak was using all his control to hold in the rage he felt. It had been growing day by day, especially as he played the oblivious fool for that bitch queen. All that kept him going was the thought of getting back to his Rhiannon and making sure she was safe.
Now, with his father staring at him and acting like all this was some meaningless diversion, he didn’t know how much longer he could keep this up before he snapped like so much dry wood.
“You’re my son,” he said calmly. “That makes this my problem.”
“Actually,” Rhiannon interrupted, “she’s neither of your problems. She’s mine. And I’ll deal with her.”
“Like hell you will!”
“Don’t bark at me!”
“You’ll do as I tell you!”
“Like hell I will!”
The lash of flame came out so quickly, they almost missed moving in time. But Bercelak pulled back, his arms around Rhiannon, and the flame slammed into the wall behind them.
“What the hell are you doing?” Bercelak yelled at his father, his control gone.
“Getting fed up with both of you!” Ailean yelled back, stunning Bercelak into silence. His father never yelled. Ever. He never had to. He found it much more annoying to mock people than to yell. Only one being ever forced him to yell . . . Bercelak’s mother.
“I hate to break this to the both of you, but this has very little to do with either of you. True,” he motioned to Rhiannon, “she wants you dead all right. But she could have done that at anytime. And the way her court fears her, no one would dare question it. And you,” now he motioned to Bercelak, “she doesn’t use to get to her daughter. She’s using you to get to me. And dumb ass that you are, you fell right into it. I’ve been telling you for years to watch your back with that bitch and you refused to listen. Now she’s found a way in. And she knows if she hurts you, if she destroys you, she destroys me. Because, as much as it pains me to admit it, you’re my son.”
Ailean took a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly. He let it out and that silver gaze focused back on Bercelak’s face. “She’s right. Whether you go to her or Rhiannon goes, whether you kill her or not, they’ll come here to destroy the rest of us. And I plan to lose none of my offspring to that slag bitch or any other. Have I made myself clear?”
Rhiannon opened her mouth to speak, but Bercelak covered it with his hand while his other hand held her in place. He nodded at his father. “Aye. You have.”
“Good. Now, you’ve got tonight. Fuck until you’re both raw, but when the two suns rise, we decide how we handle this. Together. As family. You’ve got some of the meanest, scariest, battle-ready minds at your disposal, boy. Use them.” He turned and headed to the door. “I’ll have food sent up. I’ll see you in the morning.”
The door slammed shut behind him.
Rhiannon pulled Bercelak’s hand off her mouth. “Well, that was . . . interesting.”
Bercelak’s eyes narrowed as he stared down at the top of Rhiannon’s head.
Rhiannon glared at Bercelak. “Why did you put this back on me?”
Bercelak fingered the collar around her throat and she punched his hand off. How dare he!
“I don’t want you to do anything stupid. I don’t want to wake up in the morning and find you gone. Off to martyr yourself to that bitch.”
She pulled at the chain, but it was as strong as the pillar Bercelak had wrapped it around. “This is ridiculous! Let me go!”
“You heard my father’s orders. We are to fuck.” He grabbed her around the waist and tossed her onto the bed. “It’s best we obey him. You saw how angry he was.”
“You son of a—”
“Ah, ah, ah. Watch what you say to me.” He grabbed her hips and flipped her over onto her stomach. She heard his sharp intake of breath, felt his fingers tighten on her body. “I’ve been thinking about this ass for days now.”
The flat of that palm slammed across her rear and she froze. Good gods! Some low-born dragon had just slapped her ass.
And she had enjoyed it!
As if to prove it, Bercelak’s big palm came down on her other cheek.
She kicked out, trying to strike the big bastard in the balls, but he pinned her legs down with his own.
“I can’t believe you tried to kick me. Your lord and master.”
“My . . . oh, you insane bastard!”
Another slap rang off her ass and she squealed. Like some weak human, she squealed!
“Be nice to me, Princess.”
“Get off me!”
“Interesting. I’m not actually hearing the right word. I wonder why?” His hand slid under her body, and his index finger slid inside of her. She bit her lip to keep from moaning, but Bercelak chuckled anyway.
“Why, Princess. You’re dripping wet!” Teeth nipped her backside. “I guess you like me slapping your ass then.”
“I do not!”
Another slap bounced off her cheeks and, unable to stop herself, Rhiannon moaned.
“Oh, yes, Rhiannon,” he whispered in her ear. “I love when you moan like that.”
“Let me go.”
“Not yet, Princess. I don’t think you’re nearly wet enough.” His hand returned to her pussy and Rhiannon squirmed as his fingers played with her clit.
Fingers circled and circled and circled. One more touch and she’d come all over his hand, and that’s when he pulled away.
“No!”
“Oh. You want me to stop?”
“No!” She took a deep breath. “I mean . . . don’t stop.”
“All right then.” He slapped her ass again.
“Ow! That wasn’t what I meant!”
“It isn’t up to you, Princess. Your pleasure, like your safety, is up to me. Once we make you queen, you’ll have bigger concerns. Like making sure the dragon kingdom is safe from enemies and controlling the elders. You’ll negotiate with the kings of other races and destroy those who would dare question your reign.” He leaned in close, his tongue flicking her ear while his finger went back to caressing her clit. “But when you come to our sleeping place, when you lie beside me at night . . . then you’ll belong to me. The worries of your day will be left outside because you will give yourself over to me and I will make you scream in pleasure until all of Devenallt Mountain thinks I must be killing you.
“Do you understand me, Princess?”
She nodded, unable to speak as she desperately sought the release he kept just out of her reach.
“That’s not a clear answer, Princess.”
Another slap on her ass had her screaming into the pillow, “Yes! I understand, damn you! Yes!”
He said nothing else as he flipped her onto her back and buried his face between her thighs. As soon as his tongue touched her clit, Rhiannon screamed in release. Her entire body shaking at the strength of her orgasm. But Bercelak didn’t stop. He sent her over and over again and again, until she was sure she’d die from the pleasure of it. Then he was over her, his hard, throbbing cock shoved inside her.
He slammed into her, making sure—she knew—that her sore ass rubbed against the animal skins covering their bed. He fucked her with powerful, forceful strokes until she sobbed in absolute joy. Then her Bercelak roared as he came deep inside her.
“Son?”
Bercelak forced his eyes open. His mother stood at the foot of the bed, looking much too sweet to have ever spent a night—much less hundreds of years—in his father’s bed.
“Aye?”
“We’re waiting for you two downstairs.” She smiled as Rhiannon stirred awake next to him. “I think we have a plan.”
Chapter 11
Bercelak, in his finest dragon armor, led a still-human Rhiannon to stand before her mother, while Queen A
ddiena watched them in smug silence. As always, her dragon guards hovered close, watching the pair with wary eyes.
A collar around her neck, and cuffs around her wrists and ankles, with a silver chain running through the loop on each and clasped firmly in his claw, kept her in complete control.
Bercelak bowed low before the queen, resisting his urge to look at Rhiannon. The family had decided that any eye contact between the lovers would be a bad idea. They said the couple’s feelings for each other showed too brightly to hide from Addiena.
“My Queen. I present to you, Princess Rhiannon.”
“Ahhhh,” the queen sighed out while staring coldly at her own daughter. “I knew you’d be the right one for her, Bercelak. Look how she’s finally learned her place.”
“No female comes to my bed, Majesty, without learning that I am master.”
Rhiannon’s head dipped even lower and he knew she was doing her best to hold in the laughter. Mad bitch, he thought with a hidden smile.
“Good. Good.” She walked closer to the pair. “I knew you’d never disappoint me, Battle Lord.”
The queen slithered closer—and it was a “slither,” Bercelak noted—causing Rhiannon’s body to tense up.
“We have much to discuss, you and I, Bercelak.”
“Of course, my Queen. But first, as tradition dictates, I’ve brought my father with me to meet my intended mate’s . . . kin.” Gods, he’d almost said “victim.”
At his words, Addiena’s head snapped up and her eyes found Ailean immediately. Human, the older dragon wore a lush, blue cape that covered him from head to toe and matched his hair color.
Once the old bitch saw him, she couldn’t turn away. She was mesmerized by him and Bercelak realized then that his father had been right . . . all of this had very little to do with him and Rhiannon and everything to do with the love one dragon had for another.
He understood that feeling. He had it for Rhiannon. The only difference . . . Rhiannon returned that love. Ailean had love only for Bercelak’s mother, which was why Addiena hated them all.
Rhiannon peeked up from under her hair and watched her mother walk around them to face Ailean.
