Starbeam

by Adrienne Woods

  Who would have thought that I had awoken a beast? I didn’t even have to play with her to get her in the mood. She was greedy each night and just wanted me inside of her.

  I hated the days and wished we could just lie in bed all day, making love all day until the feeling would pass, but I doubted it would ever pass with her.

  Then one afternoon when my own need was too much, I got a surprise knowing that her need was just as bad.

  She pushed me against a tree and riled me up just there.

  She was daring and everything I ever wanted in a woman.

  We made love beneath that tree and she left me spent as she walked away whistling.

  Flustered and hungry for more, I had to wait till night.

  I couldn’t wait to retire.

  And that night, she made sure we both got enough.

  It carried on for hours. I was beyond tired but I couldn’t say ‘no’ to her, and the next morning, it just carried on.

  “What did you do to me?” She cried animatedly as she lay in my arms.

  “I told you, it’s addictive.” I kissed the top of her hair.

  “Addictive,” she looked at me. “This isn’t addictive Al, it’s worse. I can’t stop.”

  I chuckled. “I’m not complaining.”

  “You should. It’s all I can think about.”

  “It’s all I think about too.”

  “It’s not normal.”

  “It is normal. Relax.” I chuckled.

  She kissed me again. There was no stopping her. I was one hell of a lucky man.

  * * *

  KATIE

  “I never see you anymore,” Maggy complained.

  “I’m sorry.” I felt like crying. I didn’t care what Albert said, this wasn’t normal. Tears welled up in my eyes.

  “Hey what is wrong?”

  “I don’t know.” I started to cry.

  “Come here,” she hugged me tight. “Is it Albert, is he treating you good?”

  “No,” I sniffed. “It’s not Albert, it’s me.”

  “Katherine there is nothing wrong with you. What is going on?”

  I shook my head. “I have never felt this way about anyone before, Maggy.”

  She smiled. “You should, he’s your husband.”

  “Goran says his dad won’t accept this.”

  “He is a grown man for crying out loud.”

  “I can’t lose him, Maggy. I would die if I did.”

  “Okay, now you are scaring me. What did you do to my friend and who are you, because the Katie I know doesn’t need anyone to define her.”

  “I know. I just don’t know what to do if this isn’t going to last.”

  “Katie? He loves you. For some reason he can’t keep his eyes off you.”

  “Yes, and I can’t keep off him. I’m like, I don’t know, one of those tavern girls with him.”

  Maggy gasped. “Katherine Malone Squires.”

  I laughed. It was the first time she had called me that and I wiped off a tear. “It’s the truth. I need distance from him. I feel sorry for him, really I do.”

  “So, you are enjoying it?”

  “Maggy. It’s addictive. The first time was not like that at all, but it gets better and better each time. He struggles to walk for crying out loud.”

  She snorted. “He doesn’t complain.”

  “He should. I’m a menace.”

  “Men like that. Helmut is begging me and I told him we are not married yet. If he wants me that bad he will put a ring on my finger first.”

  “Good. Something changes when you do that with a man. He needs to be your husband. You make sure of that first, Maggy. Promise me.”

  “I promise. I’m not that easy. I don’t care if he is the prince of Tith.”

  I hugged Maggy again.

  “Don’t feel bad, Katie. A war is coming. And something tells me that anything can happen.”

  “Don’t say that please. I can’t even think about that.”

  “It’s Albert Malone, Katherine. The crown prince. He has a dragon, and he will not perish in this war. Neither will you. Everything is going to work out just the way it should.”

  I smiled and nodded breaking our hug.

  I got up. “I need to go and hunt. Clear my head. Or something.”

  Maggy snorted again. She thought it was hilarious. I didn’t.

  I picked up my bow and arrows without looking for Albert. He needed a break too.

  I darted into the woods and tried to clear my mind, but it was no use.

  Still, I wasn’t going to give up.

  I quieted my mind by listening to the forest, trying to hear the scurrying of a small rodent or a big one.

  Two arms grabbed me from behind and I shrieked.

  Albert laughed and my heart eased immediately.

  “What are you doing here, I’m giving you a break.”

  “A break from what?” He grinned.

  “From me. I’m a menace.”

  “Oh, Katie.” He said. “You are the last person I want to take a break from.”

  “Albert I’m serious. It’s not normal.”

  “Then we are both abnormal as I can’t get you out of my mind.” He lifted me up and we kissed each other.

  He fiddled with my pants and put me down to take them off.

  My undergarments covered my buttocks as he was starting to pull of his pants.

  We were like animals, didn’t care where we did it.

  It wasn’t normal!

  But when he was inside of me, I didn’t care anymore. I just didn’t want him to stop.

  I muffled my complaining against his shoulder. I hated the material as he took me against a tree.

  This feeling was aching good and I was close to exploding.

  “I’m close,” I said and kissed his lips.

  He moved faster and we both reached it at the same time.

  He stilled inside of me and grunted in the nape of my neck leaving my body again with goosebumps and fully satisfied.

  I started to laugh. “Someone is going to find us.”

  “No, they won’t. They know to keep their distance from us.”

  I laughed softly.

  “You are going to be the death of me woman.”

  “Don’t say that. I’ll die if you are dead.”

  He chuckled. “Feeling is mutual then.”

  “You have no idea.”

  He slipped out of me and put me down.

  “See you tonight Mrs Malone.”

  “Excuse me it’s your highness.”

  He roared. “How rude of me.” He bowed in front of me as I pulled up my pants.

  “Go, before I attack you again.” I pushed him away and I heard his laughter as I tried to take up my hunting once more.

  I couldn’t get the stupid smile off my face and kept focusing on what I had seen in the pond. A girl. She would be in our lives. With the way the two of us were carrying on, something told me it would be soon.

  Chapter 28

  KATIE

  * * *

  The war was getting closer and closer.

  Tanya came back and was forced to stay.

  She made sure that she wasn’t in the same vicinity as me though.

  She hated this arrangement as much as I did. I should’ve never fought with her that day in the forest. It broke her. But I thought she was going to kill me.

  It was so stupid, I should’ve just walked away.

  I wished that was the case. I really didn’t want a dragon. I wasn’t like Albert thinking it was a jolly ride.

  He still promised me one on Bob when this war was over. Talking about making a saddle for Robert for various reasons. He didn’t like his skeletal features and it was always messing up his pants whenever he climbed off.

  I laughed so much at that, but he was wearing a leather suit now whenever flying on Robert.

  I could feel Tanya’s eyes on me again. What didn’t she understand about me not liking it anymore than she did.

&
nbsp; She had no choice but to stay put.

  We had a meeting. Goran send word that they were starting to move in.

  The scouts, the hunters, everyone was coming back to base camp and more and more dragons and humans were showing up.

  They all took Albert’s news of taking a wife great and I hated that they all bowed in front of me.

  “I need my kernels Al.” I said to him one night as I sat on top of him.

  “Katherine.” He moaned.

  “I need Andrew’s strength. You know what your dad might do.”

  “He will find out that they are fighting against their sons, sons they thought died, sons that riled them up enough to go into an actual war.”

  “Andrew shoots farther. I need him as much as I need you.” I kissed him in his neck.

  He moaned again. “You are going to give my father a heart attack.”

  I chuckled. “Just think how relieved he will be when it wears off.”

  He laughed. “I know that feeling.”

  “Oh come on, stop talking nonsense. You weren’t in love with Andrew.”

  “I was. I promise. I fought so hard against it, woman. If I knew that you were a woman behind his manly features, it would’ve been a different story.” He sat up with both of us.

  “Please.” I begged him.

  “You are strong enough.”

  “Please.” I begged again kissing him in the nape of his neck.

  “Fine, just stop begging me.”

  I laughed. “Thank you.”

  We kissed again. That’s all we had been doing lately. I couldn’t get enough of this man. He was seriously turning into my everything too.

  “I didn’t know you had so many men fighting for you.”

  He smiled. “Many of them are dragons, but yes, most are tired of this war that never leads to anything and the conditions they are living in Katie.”

  I smiled. He had a good heart, a pure heart. I couldn’t wait to see what sort of a king he was going to be one day.

  “And with you by my side, nothing is going to stop us.”

  “I love that. Me by your side.”

  “Well you are whether you love it or not.”

  I laughed as our frolicking continued.

  He was everything that I ever wanted. I never thought that I would find it in the boy I used to despise with my entire heart.

  Meetings were held every single day. I got my assignments under Andrew and was going to become him soon again.

  Albert gave me my bow back. I couldn’t even pull back the string with my strength, and the one I made was good, but Andrew would break it with his strength.

  I made more and more arrows for myself on a daily basis, carving my initials into them.

  “You really have a talent for making those.” Albert came behind me and kissed me on my ear.

  “What can I say, I’m a Viking.” I teased.

  “No, you are a princess, don’t forget that.” He kissed me on the tip of my nose and went back to what he needed to do.

  The days were flying by now and to be honest I was nervous as hell with everything that was going to come.

  I remembered the vision of the boy in the Cavern and was worried about what he meant.

  I pushed it to the back of my mind and carried on with making my arrows and just trying to not worry too much about things that were still to come.

  * * *

  ALBERT

  The scouts were coming in. The army was close and we all retreated to the mountains where we were going to fight this war.

  There weren’t going to be any negotiations.

  Katherine wasn’t going to be close to me. I made sure that she was well hidden, fighting with her bow and arrows, taking lives to save her own. It was war.

  She changed into Andrew early this morning.

  “See you when it’s over.” Andrew said as he hugged his mother. I already missed Katie and it felt weird to hug him.

  Maggy had tears in her eyes. “Just take care, Katie, Please.”

  “I’m Andrew, Maggy.”

  “Oh stop it you are freaking me out.” She scolded and Andrew laughed as he picked up his quiver. I might never see her again.

  “Katherine wait.” I said before Andrew disappeared and I didn’t care. It was Kate.

  I grabbed him and pulled him in for a hug. “I miss your breasts.” I said and he laughed.

  “I’ll be fine. Al. Don’t die.” He said.

  “I’m with Maggy, this is weird.” I kissed him on the head.

  “It’s me, idiot. But I understand.” He smiled and touched my cheek before he looked at Robert. “You take care of him.” He spoke in Latin.

  “Always,” Robert said and ran after the team of archers.

  So weird.

  I climbed on Robert’s back, Helmut on Emanual and Yvonne said that Caleb could fight with her.

  “Hey you,” Constance said. “Stay alive, please.”

  “I’m not planning on dying, Connie.” I said and put on my mask.

  Robert took off and we were in the sky in two ticks.

  We landed a few moments later on the mountain. They were already fighting. Robert blew on some of my father’s men, and Emanual breathed fire from the other side.

  I jumped off Bob’s back and started to fight with my sword. Slashing through one after the other.

  I had to get to my father, to make him see that this needed to stop before more died.

  I was fighting with more than one, and they boxed me in. I needed to stay alive.

  The three men grunted one after the other as they fell down. Arrows sticking from their backs and neck. Katherine’s arrows or Andrew’s. She was keeping an eye on me.

  The fight carried on as more and more of my father’s men fell. I saw a glimpse of him on Jako’s back.

  I whistled for Robert and he caught me in mid air as Jako was flying with my father.

  He flicked me onto his back as we followed in pursuit.

  He did a reroute, took us into a trap. I should’ve seen it coming.

  A net covered Bob’s entire body and he was going down.

  I tried to cut the net, but nothing worked.

  It was dragon magic.

  Jako caught the net and threw Bob with me lodged on his back against the mountain hard.

  He was stone cold.

  We were going to lose badly.

  He hit the ground hard with me and everything went black.

  * * *

  KATIE

  I tried to stay hidden and keep an eye on Albert too but when he disappeared on Robert’s back, I knew it was a mistake.

  A dragon on the horizon caught my eye.

  It had a rider on it’s back. Long hair flapping in the wind.

  Whoever they were, they weren’t from our party and I pulled my bow’s string back and aimed for the rider.

  That dragon was the biggest I’d ever seen, and I let the arrow fly.

  I saw the rider fall.

  The dragon darted down to the ground fast, and just like that disappeared from my sight.

  The fight was coming to us and we tried to outrun it.

  I had my part to play in this too, I needed to stay alive.

  Archers with arrows overpowered us on the run and one of the arrows struck my side.

  I was losing a lot of blood as I tried to get away.

  A dragon’s call made me more afraid but it lifted me up and its paw closed as it flew with me.

  Was it Robert?

  “Hold on, human.” Tanya’s dragon voice said.

  She was saving my life, why?

  I passed out and woke up as the sun rose.

  We were at a river bank.

  “What happened, where is Albert.”

  “I don't know. It’s over, that’s all I know.”

  “Oh,” I touched my side.

  I was a woman again and Andrew’s clothes were too big.

  “Where are my kernels?”

  “I don’t know. Here are some
clothes.” She threw pants and a woman’s shirt at me. “I can’t heal you, you have lost a lot of blood.”

  “You didn’t have to do this.”

  “I didn’t want to do this. Something made me save your life. I’m not happy about any of this.” She yelled at the sky.

  “Why did you lie and tell everyone that you couldn’t speak English?”

  Her head snapped at me. “I’m not speaking English, you are speaking Latin.”

  “What? Don’t be absurd. I can’t speak Latin. I suck at Latin.”

  “Well, you speak it fluently now.”

  “I’m talking English.”

  “Think again.” She looked at me. “Probably the idiots that want this are giving you a gift.”

  “Who are you talking to?”

  “Whoever is out there wanting this.”

  I closed my eyes and shook my head.

  There was goo and shit on my wound with a leaf or two numbing the pain.

  She was really resourceful.

  “If it’s of any consolation, I didn’t ask for this either, you know.”

  “Just shut up.”

  “For what it’s worth, thank you.”

  “I don't need your thanks.” She snided.

  “You are unbelievable, you know that. Sulking around about shit. People are dead, Tanya. I don’t even know if Al is still alive.”

  She looked at me. “I didn’t see what happened to him, all I know it’s over.”

  “Who won?”

  “I don’t know but we were outnumbered by far. Albert was naive to think he could put an end to anything.”

  “Hey, that’s my husband you are talking about.”

  “I don't care. It was stupid. We can take care of ourselves, we don’t need humans.”

  “You idiots don’t think so.” I pointed at the sky.

  “You are so annoying, just shut up.”

  “What don’t you understand I don’t like this arrangement either.”

  “You humans will say anything.”

  “I’m not like them.”

  “Sure, I don’t care.”

  “Fine, you want proof.” I said, and she nodded.