Fire Heart: A Dragon Fantasy Romance (The Dragon of Umbra Book 1)

by Emma Hamm

  “I can see you,” he said. His deep voice rumbled through the cavern. “Beauty, the dress isn’t hiding you at all.”

  She sighed and came out of her frog-like pose. “I really thought it would work. I blend in with the coins!”

  “You do indeed. And you shine like one, too.” He rested his head on the pile of gold beside her and blinked. “You aren’t afraid of me?”

  Beauty smoothed her hands down the brightly colored skirts and shook her head. “Not really. I’ve met many people in my time here, and I can’t imagine that you’re as terrifying as everyone says. The King sent us here to gather up something from your hoard, and I thought... Well, if anyone knows what the King might like, then it’s you.”

  Did he? Not really. Zander was just as confusing to Abraxas as he was to everyone else. But he wanted to help this little girl who refused to show fear, even in the presence of the dragon.

  “Hmm,” he hummed out the sound long and low. “The King is not a very complicated man. He likes wealth and shows of his own power.”

  “But he must like something other than that. Everyone has something they enjoy that’s outside of the norm. The King is exactly who I expected him to be, but if you’ve known him since he was a child, what did he like back then?” She blinked up at him with those gigantic eyes and he realized of all the brides, this was the one all the girls should have been worried about.

  She was a thinker. Beauty could wiggle her way underneath Zander’s skin without him even realizing it.

  “When he was a boy, he used to like puzzle toys,” he replied with a narrowed gaze. “There may be some around here. They would be a little dented from use.”

  “But I could get it for him and ask if he would mind fixing it. In my experience, people who like those kinds of toys are also the kind who like to know how they work.” Beauty straightened her shoulders and nodded. “May I have permission to find such a thing?”

  “Permission?” He was so surprised that he reared his head back, forgetting such a movement might startle her. “The King sent you here to steal from me, little mortal.”

  “I know that. But stealing is exceedingly rude and I feel the right thing to do is to ask.” She tucked her hand into the voluminous skirts and shrugged. “So if you don’t mind, might I take a broken toy from your hoard?”

  Abraxas blinked, but then slowly nodded. “You may, Beauty of Tenebrous. You are more than welcome to whatever you find in my hoard. You may even take something for yourself if you are so inclined.”

  “I have no need for wealth or pretty things.” She smiled. “But thank you.”

  Curiouser and curiouser. She didn’t want wealth, and she didn’t want power or jewelry or money.

  Abraxas narrowed his eyes on the young woman, who suddenly seemed rather suspicious. “Then why are you here, Beauty? You’re not afraid of a dragon, you’re not interested in coins or jewels. There has to be a reason why you are here and suddenly, I don’t think it’s for the King.”

  She met his gaze without flinching. “I think you should probably be more concerned about the woman scaling the mountain of coins behind you, instead of keeping your attention on the daughter of a dressmaker with the wrong name.”

  Who should he be focused on?

  Abraxas turned his enormous head around, only to find that while he was so focused on Beauty, Lorelei had made her way halfway up the largest pile of coins. She was going right for the eggs, the damned woman. Her eyes saw everything, and he knew without a doubt that she would try to steal one of them.

  His heart stopped. His stomach dropped out of his body and all the air in his lungs ceased to be. She could die. She could die doing that and then all the light would go out.

  How dare she take that risk?

  “Excuse me,” he snarled.

  “Good luck!” Beauty called out while she dropped onto her hands and knees, swallowed up by the fabric as she searched for her own treasure.

  He beat his wings, propelling his reptilian body through the cavern so he could get to Lorelei faster. Sure, he knocked over a few of the coin mountains in the meantime, but he would gather them all up again later. His ridiculous elf had decided to take her own life in her hands. He couldn’t knock down that mountain now without killing her underneath a landslide of gold, so the best he could do was hover behind her like some kind of overgrown chicken.

  “What are you doing?” he snarled. His voice was much larger in this form, and he’d expected it to startle her. Instead, she sank her feet into the coins even deeper and continued pulling herself up inch by hard fought inch.

  “I’m getting to the box,” she grumbled. “Isn’t that the whole point of this?”

  “You and I both know the King has no intention of giving anyone a prize. This was a test to see what people would bring.” He arched his neck, trying to see if he could lean forward and grab the back of her with his teeth. But if he did that, he feared he would bite right through her entire body, and then she would be dead and he’d be the reason why she was dead.

  He couldn’t grab her like he wanted to. And these damned wings didn’t make for very good hands.

  “I know that,” she snapped in response. Lorelei released her grip with one hand and leaned back to look at him. “But he left the box up there for a reason, didn’t he? You’re over here thinking you can guard anything, but then you went all puppy dog with Beauty and gave me the chance that I needed.”

  “Were you two working together?” He was in danger if they were.

  “No, of course not. She’s just adorable and you’re a sucker.” She blew out a breath at the hair that fell in front of her face. “Now, would you stop distracting me? I have to get up here so I can jump onto that ledge.”

  “You will do no such thing. You’ll fall to your death and I will not watch that happen.”

  He could already see it now. She would tumble, the scream cut short by a dull thud as she landed on metal and shards of earth.

  Lorelei rolled her eyes and continued her climb. “Right. So you’re fine watching my mother die, but me? That’s an entirely different story. Couldn’t stand to watch another elf die.”

  There it was. He should have known this would come up, even if he hadn’t been so certain she’d return after fleeing into the forest.

  Abraxas knew he needed to handle this situation with care and purpose. He could not afford for her to think he was the monster, because she meant something to him. He found himself captivated by her wit and her determination. How she gave up so much to save others. This was a woman he wanted to know more about. He wanted to delve into her mind and... well. He liked her.

  Abraxas hadn’t liked anyone for a very long time.

  Clearing his throat, he tried his best. “Your mother was an entirely unique situation. There are circumstances unknown to you that have led me to this point. I understand your anger at me, and that anger is justified. But my hope is that—”

  He didn’t get to finish his speech.

  Lorelei reached the top of the mountain and moved her body with effortless grace. She gathered all her power into her thighs, launched off the gold, and reached for the stone. He swung his wing underneath her in a final attempt at saving her, even though he knew she’d bounce off the membrane.

  Her fingers connected with the jagged stone edge. She grunted, swinging too much, but then got her momentum under control.

  He held his breath the entire time, certain that she was about to die. But Lorelei was far too impressive for that. Dying was never an option for her, not when she wanted to get to the top of this mountain and find out what was inside the box.

  Damn, she was impressive.

  Lorelei scrambled to the top of the cliff and then sat down on the edge. Legs dangling over open air, she leaned her elbows onto her knees and looked him over. “I prefer you as the man.”

  “Many do.”

  She nodded. “Just so that we’re clear. I don’t like you as the dragon.”

  “Under
stood.”

  “Good. Now I need you to listen to me. I’m sorry for how I acted when I found out what you were. That was cruel and callous of me. I know better.” She cleared her throat, obviously struggling to find the right words. “I need you to know that I don’t want to hurt you. Or anyone else. And that I’d appreciate it if you continued to be my friend.”

  “Your… friend?” he repeated, his breath caught in his throat. Why did those words hurt? He didn’t… he didn’t want to be her friend.

  “I thought we were friends.” Her eyes widened a little too much. “Are we not?”

  Abraxas thought his heart might break. But if that was what she wanted, a friend, then he’d take it. “Ah, yes. Yes, Lorelei. We’re friends.”

  She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Even though I was... wrong?”

  “You weren’t wrong,” he replied, lowering his voice so it was soft. “I killed your mother, Lorelei. You should hate me.”

  She stared into his dragon eyes and shook her head. “I don’t hate you.”

  And if that wasn’t all he’d needed to hear. Abraxas felt his chest swell, hoping she might still see something other than this scaly beast. “Good. I would be quite upset if you hated me, and that’s a new feeling for me.”

  “Any reason it would bother you so much?”

  She was fishing. And he supposed in a strange way, he was as well. Abraxas didn’t know what she thought of him now, but he still remembered their afternoon and the taste of her on his tongue. He wouldn’t get that thought out of his mind for a while yet.

  Ah well, if she wanted him to say it, then he would. “I like you, Lorelei of Silverfell. You have a better hold on being a good person, I think, and I’d like to know how you do that.”

  “Be a good person?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t.” She stood up, feet dangerously close to the edge, and shrugged. “It’s all a matter of perspective, Abraxas. You think I’m a good person, but I’m just surviving.”

  “You do it well,” he replied.

  Except then she went ahead and did everything she shouldn’t. Lorelei turned, sprinted toward the box, and grabbed it with both hands.

  His roar of outrage and fear shook stalactites free from the ceiling.

  Chapter 26

  Lore

  Lore had taken one look at the box and knew the King was hiding something. Not because it was right at the top of the mountain. She’d already noticed the stairs hidden in the stone. Sneaky, but the King obviously came down into the cavern whenever he wanted.

  And it wasn’t the box itself. The faint scratches on the side of the wood meant there were many years of people opening and closing that box. Lore always appreciated history attached to an object like that.

  No, she knew the box was important from the magic radiating off it. Someone had put a very powerful spell on it to make sure its secrets were kept quiet and impossible to discover. She intended to find out what the King was hiding, and why he had sent so many of his potential brides into this place. He risked their lives stealing from a dragon. For what?

  Abraxas would try to stop her. He was supposed to do that, she assumed, but also the magic surrounding the box was insanely strong. She hadn’t felt a spell like that in ages, so it was probably from the time of the King’s father. Not the current king. Few magicians remained who were so mighty, and even then, it was unlikely they could conjure up a spell like that.

  She sprinted toward the box, arms pumping through the air, and then leapt for it. If Abraxas thought he could knock her back with a wing, then he’d have to hit the box too. And she didn’t think he’d want to do that.

  Her hands slapped either side of the box and the dragon’s roar pierced through her skull. His anger sparked through the air like lightning, but she couldn’t stop now. She’d already done the thing he didn’t want her to do.

  Curiosity had her thumbs moving and gently lifting the lid.

  Magic punched her in the chest like she’d been struck with five arrows at the same time. They hit her so hard that she flew backward. Her shoulders and spine hit the ground before her legs. Dust puffed up around her and she tried to inhale, but couldn’t at all.

  The magic clung to her, scrabbling at her skin. It grabbed onto her shoulder and sliced down her ribs to her hip as though it wielded a blade. She let out a soft wheeze with the last air in her lungs, but her mind wasn’t on the pain.

  That box had contained two eggs.

  Two perfectly preserved dragon eggs that glowed even in the dim cave light. A sapphire egg with diamond shaped scales covering it. And an emerald egg with rounded scales that looked so real she wondered if it was actually stone.

  She arched her back as the magic sawed deeper into her skin. Lore dug her heels into the ground and regretted every moment where she thought she could touch that box. She knew what magicians did with their magic. She knew how dangerous they were.

  But she couldn’t regret seeing the eggs. They were the last lingering hope that someday, the magical creatures would return to the life they had lost. There were still dragons out there. Still the possibility that someday she would see more than the one who had tormented them for years.

  She stared up at the ceiling as another sawing motion of magic tore through her body. Her physical form jerked again, but her mind was elsewhere. At least this made the pain easier to manage. The magic waned, and Lore thought perhaps she might survive this. Perhaps she wouldn’t die.

  Stones skittered on the other side of her, tiny pieces of the ground coming up as someone slid onto their knees beside her. The person lifted her entire weight rather easily, shifting her into their lap so she could finally see the hard angles of the face peering down at her. His hair covered one side of his sharpened cheekbones, hanging over her like a curtain of night.

  “Breathe,” Abraxas said. “You need to breathe, Lorelei.”

  As if his words were a command, she sucked air into her lungs. Finally. Even the damp, warm air of the cave was a blessing as she inhaled again. But with that breath came a rush of sensation. The pain of the wound from her shoulder to hip. The ache where her back had hit the ground, and her skull felt a little rattled as well.

  Abraxas sighed and touched a hand to her shoulder. Once his fingers were in her sight again, she could see they were slick with dark red blood. His eyes widened and for a moment, his hand shook.

  Was he frightened? A dragon shouldn’t care about the sight of blood. He’d seen countless wounds and unnumbered deaths in his lifetime.

  But apparently the sight of her in his lap, nearly cleaved in half by magic, was enough to make his hands shake.

  “I’m going to do something that you can tell no one about,” he muttered. “But it will hurt.”

  “Will it help me live?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then go ahead and do it.” She was no stranger to pain. If it meant that she would see another day, then he could do whatever he wanted to her.

  Abraxas pressed his palm against her shoulder and she felt his skin heat. As if he had fire inside of him, or wielded it in his palm. Her skin singed, then burned together as he stopped the bleeding by searing her flesh.

  Lore bit her lip, back arching once again into the pain. But this time, at least, she knew it would not end in her death.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, wincing as he peeled away her leather clothing so he could see more of her flesh and stop the bleeding. “I didn’t know that it would do this to you. I thought... Well, the last time I touched the box, it didn’t make me bleed.”

  “The last time?” She stared at him with hope in her eyes. “Please, distract me.”

  He nodded. “The box was enchanted a long time ago. I’m sure you know that. But when I tried to touch it, the pain was internal. It took me nearly a week to recover, and I still have scars on my wings from laying on the gold for so long that some of the coins had embedded in the membranes.”

  Magic strong enough to
take down a dragon? It shouldn’t exist. She’d only heard of it once before, and even then, the magician had been sent to his death long before this mortal king had lived.

  “Why?” she gasped.

  But she already knew.

  He stilled, his palm cooling for a moment before he resumed his work. “Now you know,” he growled. “Now you understand why I have done what I have done for a hundred years.”

  “The eggs?” She had to know. She had to know if they were real or if she had imagined them. “They’re really in there?”

  “When his father first found them, there were four.” His lips twisted with a sorrow that made her entire soul scream. “Now there are only two.”

  Two eggs.

  Two beings who would become the hope of the entire kingdom if they succeeded in their plan.

  She didn’t know what fate had placed in her lap, but here was another layer proving that she had to get rid of this king once and for all. What person was so heartless that they would trap two innocent souls like that? Two dragon souls who could have changed the entire fabric of the world if they hatched?

  Lore coughed, her lungs still aching from the fall and seizing every time he shifted his hands. “How?”

  “His father found them before I did.” Abraxas shrugged. The heat of his palm moved down to her ribs, and when she winced, he cupped her torso with his free hand. As though he wanted to comfort her, even though she had thought him incapable of that. “We were both searching for the eggs, all rumors at that point. But he found them and was quicker to enchant the box than I was to find him.”

  “Why can’t you kill him?” That’s what she would have done. Remove the person who had harmed her so.

  Abraxas snorted. “The King is the only one who can open the box. You’ve seen what happens when you or I try to open it. If the King dies, the box will remain locked for all eternity.”

  “Dragon fire?”

  “I’ve tried that. I’ve tried other magicians, and I’ve even buried it in molten gold. Nothing changes the magic enchanting that box. No matter what I do, how hard I try, or who I get involved, only the King can get me those eggs.” His hands turned to claws against her skin before they returned to the mortal hands that slowly healed her wounds. “He will stop at nothing to control me. Just before the brides arrived, he’d killed one of the other eggs. A dragon who would have become like me. A crimson dragon who could have protected the other two.”