Chapter 15
A fine mist covered Keira as she sat with Aaron behind the waterfall, her legs dangling over the edge of the ledge as she leaned against him. His skin was steaming as the moisture came in contact with his heat.
“Aaron?” said Keira.
“Hmm?”
“I was wondering about the wedding ceremony,” she said. “Does the priest know what you are?”
“No.”
“So he believes you’re just like any other man?”
“Yes.”
“So there isn’t anything different that happens because you’re not … human?”
Keira had been gazing at the stream of water rushing before them as she spoke, but when Aaron didn’t reply, she turned to look at him. His eyes were narrowed and jaw clenched as he looked out at the water.
“Aaron? What’s wrong?”
He let out a sigh as he turned to her. “There’s something I need to tell you, Keira,” he said. “I should have told you before, but I didn’t know how you’d react.”
“What is it?” A sense of foreboding passed through her, making her voice sound high and thin. “Can’t you marry me?” He didn’t reply. “Are you already married?”
“Goodness, Keira,” he said. “What do you think of me? Of course I mean to marry you.” He had been leaning back on one hand, but he straightened himself and turned to her with a glare. “And I don’t have a wife hidden away. What kind of man do you think I am?”
“How would I know?” she snapped. “You’re not a man, you’re a dragon.” The words were barely out of her mouth when she wished she could take them back. His mouth curled sardonically as he looked away.
“I’m sorry, Aaron,” she said, touching his arm tentatively. “I didn’t mean it like that. But please tell me what’s going on. You’re making me nervous.”
“No,” he said, his expression softening as he turned back to her, “I’m the one who should apologize. You’re right, of course, I am a dragon, not a man. And I should never have hidden anything from you.” He took her hand in his as he continued. “The thing is, Keira, for a dragon marriage to be recognized, there needs to be a dragon ceremony as well. We’ll still have a regular human ceremony, at the church with a priest, but later, at Storbrook, we’ll have a dragon binding ceremony.”
“A dragon binding ceremony?” she said. “What’s that?”
“Well,” he replied slowly, “it’s more of a blood binding, actually.”
“You mean like pagan ceremonies?” Relief crept into her voice. She’d heard of people who still had a pagan blood binding after getting married by the priest. The bride and groom would each cut their wrist, then hold them together so that the blood could mingle.
“A little like that. But instead of putting our bloodied wrists together, we’ll drink each other’s blood.”
“Drink each other’s blood?” She stared at Aaron in horror. “I must drink your blood?” Surely he didn’t mean that!
“Yes.”
“You want to make me into a monster?”
“No! Of course not!” Aaron frowned. “Drinking each other’s blood will bind us together in a way that two humans can never be bound. Your blood will run through my veins, and mine through yours. For as long as we live, nothing can separate us. But you won’t turn into a dragon, although my blood will affect you. It’s very powerful, so once you drink it, you’ll be stronger. You’ll heal faster, and be less susceptible to disease. Your senses will be more acute, and my transformations will no longer damage your eyes. And you will also live longer.”
“Live longer?”
“Yes,” he said. “Each time you drink my blood, years are added to your life. Human mates usually drink their dragon’s blood on a regular basis, so they’ll live as long as their mates.”
She stared at the sheet of water rushing before her. “How?” she asked. “How does it happen?”
“I’ll cut you here,” he said, trailing a finger over her wrist, “and you blood will be spilt into a cup. When there’s enough, the cup will be given to me to drink. Then you’ll cut me here,” he continued, placing his hand over his heart, “and drink my blood.”
Keira could not mask a look of revulsion. “Will you be in human form?” she asked. “Or a dragon?”
“A dragon.” He paused. “Do you still want to marry me?” he asked softly.
She looked away. “I want to go home,” she said.
He nodded and rose to his feet, then held out a hand to help her up. She ignored it and instead used a rock to steady herself. He leapt off the ledge, through the curtain of water, and the light of his transformation shimmered through the drops. His tail snaked around her a moment later, and he placed her on his back. She sat stiff and silent as Aaron flew her back to the village, and when he landed, she slipped off his back without a word.
“Keira,” he said as she started walking away. She stopped, but didn’t turn. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I know that what I’m asking you to do revolts you, but it will not turn you into a monster. I’d never do anything to change you. I love you.” She began to walk away. “I’ll be at the lake every morning, waiting for you,” he said.
Keira stumbled away, not noticing the surrounding woods. The man she loved wanted her to drink his blood – only savages and monsters did that! And to make matters worse, he’d kept this from her. How could she agree to marry him, now? What other terrible secrets had he hid from her?
She’d reached the end of the forest and was crossing the field towards their house when her mother came rushing out.
“Keira!”
Keira flinched at Mother’s harsh tone. “Where have you been?” Mother said. “Wasting away the hours when there’s work to be done.”
Keira turned away, but not before a single, unbidden tear slid down her cheek. Mother’s face softened, and she took a step towards her daughter.
“Oh, Keira,” Mother said. “Have you been fighting with Edmund again?”
Keira looked at her mother in shock. “Edmund?” she repeated. “I want nothing to do with Edmund. Why can’t you understand that, Mother?”
“Keira!” Her tone sharpened again. “What has gotten into you? Ever since Milord Drake arrived in the village, you’ve been acting strangely. A man like that is not to be trusted. Besides, what do you think you could offer him, a simple girl like you?”
Keira stared at her mother, astounded at her outburst. “What do you have against him, Mother?”
“What do I have against him? I’ll tell you.” Mother made a wild gesture towards the mountains. “He lives in Storbrook Castle, that’s what. Everyone knows that the dragon lives beneath the castle, so he must be in league with that monster. And anyone in league with the dragon is not welcome here.”
“The dragon has done nothing to harm us, Mother,” Keira replied heatedly, not bothering to refute her mother’s assumptions.
“That’s what people said about the last dragon that decided to live in these mountains,” Mother said, “until he burnt down half the village and killed our men.”
“Maybe the last dragon was provoked.”
“The last dragon killed my grandfather, Keira, leaving behind a widow with three young children to raise on her own. So tell me that you’ll stay away from Aaron Drake.”
“I cannot do that, Mother,” she flung back, before storming towards the house. Her words caught her off guard – had she really just said that? She wasn’t even sure that she wanted to see Aaron again.
Before reaching the house, Keira heard Father’s heavy footsteps rounding the corner. She avoided his gaze, but slowed down when she heard him addressing Mother.
“Leave her be, Jenny,” he said. “She’s no longer a child, and we’ll not force her into a marriage she considers abhorrent. Despite your reservations about Milord Drake, he may prove to be a man of worth and honor.” Keira held her breath as she waited to hear Mother’s response.
“I only want
what’s best for her, but I’ve lost her.” Mother finally said. “She sees me as the enemy.”
Keira could imagine Father taking Mother into his arms.
“Sshh,” he said. “I know you love her. Perhaps if you just listened, instead of railing against her, she’d know it too.”
As the sun rode through the sky, Keira threw herself into the task of mending, seeking distraction from the chaotic thoughts whirling through her mind; but when she lay down that night, her mind refused to be quiet. Simmering just beneath the surface were a thousand conflicting emotions: anger, horror, hurt, disgust, shock, awe, love. She thought again about what he expected her to do – how could she ever drink someone’s blood? Just the thought of it made her feel sick to the stomach.
She looked at her wrist where Aaron had said he would cut her, her finger tracing the purple vein running just below her skin. On an impulse, she grabbed a knife and scored her skin over the vein so the blood welled up on her wrist. Tentatively, she placed her mouth over the wound and sucked the blood from her arm. It had a faintly metallic taste that she didn’t find completely unpleasant. She blew out the candle at her bedside and closed her eyes. In her dreams, the rivers had turned to blood, and she tossed and turned restlessly as she sought just one spring of fresh water to quench her thirsty soul.
Keira’s first thoughts on waking were of Aaron, and she smiled, only half conscious, before she remembered the conversation of the previous day. She rolled onto her back as she played it through in her mind. Aaron wanted her to drink his blood. And he’d kept that information from her when he’d asked her to marry him. She covered her face with her hands as it occurred to her that her reaction was the very reason Aaron had been reluctant to tell her about the blood binding ceremony. Still, the idea of drinking his blood was by no means pleasant. He’d said that other human mates drank their dragon’s blood regularly, but if she only had to do it once, could she?
Keira pushed herself out of her bed and glanced at Anna’s sleeping form. She knew Anna could spend the entire day in bed, given half a chance. Creeping to her sister’s side of the room, she pulled the covers down with a hard jerk, making Anna jump up in fright. She grabbed the covers and slumped back on the bed, glaring at her sister. Keira laughed and pulled on her clothes, then headed into the kitchen to start the fire. Mary hadn’t arrived yet, and the house was cold. She raked out the cinders and carefully added fresh wood from the stack against the wall. The spluttering sparks made her think of Aaron, and how he could get the flames roaring with a mere breath. Of course, he was a dragon, not human. Her smile slipped a little as she considered that. He had never been human, and never would be. She could never expect him to act totally human. She already loved the man within the dragon, but could she love the dragon within the man? Could she bind herself to a beast, and be willing to suffer the consequences?
The thoughts niggled throughout the day as she plied a needle through her father’s torn tunic, and later when she walked to the miller’s to place the weekly order of ground wheat. Her mother had been right when she said that dragons were not gentle creatures – they were wild and primal. The most powerful of all beasts. How could she take such a creature into her arms and into her heart? Could a dragon ever be tamed?
Keira’s head was pounding when she finally fell into bed that evening, as the questions continued to swirl through her mind. She didn’t have many answers, but there was one thing she knew. She loved Aaron. And maybe the love between a human and a dragon was enough to withstand the wildest and most primal instincts.
Keira was up early the next morning, once again creeping out of the house before the birds had taken up their chorus. She raced towards the lake, only slowing down as she drew near the clearing. She stopped a few feet away and took a deep breath, then rounded the last tree.
As promised, Aaron was waiting. As usual when she met him alone, he was wearing a loose pair of trousers, but this time a tunic covered his bare chest. His eyes lit up when he saw her, but he approached her warily, his hands held tightly at his sides. He stopped a few feet away, waiting in silence.
“Tell me,” she said, “in detail, exactly what happens at the binding ceremony. Will there be other dragons there?”
“Yes,” he replied, “my clan will all be invited.”
“Dragons have clans?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“And will your clan leader be there?”
“Keira.” He took another step towards her but stopped when she raised her eyebrows. “There is something more you need to know.” He glanced into the distance, towards Storbrook, then brought his eyes back to hers.
“I am the clan leader,” he said. “The clan serves me and follows my bidding.”
Keira nodded. That seemed right to her. “And what do they call you?”
“I’m the dragon master. They call me Master.”
“I see. And will anyone else will be involved with the ceremony?”
“One of the elders will lead it.”
“Elder?”
“Yes,” he said, “my uncle.”
“And all the dragons at the ceremony will be there as ... dragons?”
“No, they wouldn’t all fit in the room if they were there as dragons.” He smiled wryly. “They will be in human form. And there will be humans there as well. Many of the dragons are married to human mates.”
Keira nodded slowly as she took this in. “And what else will happen at this ceremony?”
“Once the blood binding is done, there’ll be feasting.”
“Feasting? Will you be serving roast pig or roast human?”
He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. “Keira, there won’t be humans on the menu, but ...” He paused, clearly uncomfortable.
“Yes?” she prompted. Aaron’s face was tense, but he met her enquiring gaze steadily.
“Keira, I’m a dragon, you know that. And dragons live under a curse. To ensure our survival, we need to eat some human flesh. Not often, and not for pleasure. We eat the flesh of animals as much as we’re able. But there are times when we need to feed on humans, or else face death.”
The color drained from Keira’s face as she took a step back.
“Keira,” Aaron entreated, “you know I don’t go abducting maidens from the countryside. The humans are prisoners, men already condemned to die. We offer them the choice – if they choose to be killed by a dragon, we provide for their families. Many prefer this way over the noose, and it is very quick – the men do not feel a lot of pain.”
Keira turned away, her face a mask of horror. She knew Aaron was a dragon, and she knew what dragons ate, but somehow she hadn’t connected them in her mind. He was a beast, a hunter that preyed on her own kind. Wild and primal.
She either had to accept all of him, or nothing at all. The thought of losing him, the man who had captured her heart, made her chest tighten in pain. She took a deep breath, then turned slowly around to face him. His expression was strained as he stared at her, unmoving.
“Very well,” she said.
“Very well?” he asked, his voice cracking.
“Yes,” she said, a slight smile hovering around her lips. “Very well.”
He took a step towards her, then paused. “Very well?” he repeated again, the question still heavy in his voice.
“Yes,” she said. “I love you, Aaron Drake.”
The words were barely out of her mouth when he pulled her into his arms, his mouth covering hers as he kissed her passionately.
“Are you sure?” he asked, when he lifted his head.
“Yes,” she whispered, her hands pulling him closer as she wound them around his neck. He wrapped his arms tighter around her, the heat of his body searing through her clothes, reaching the very center of her being. Aaron’s lips moved along her neck, leaving a burning trail. “We should go tell my parents,” she said.
He drew back in surprise. “I thought you wanted to wait.”
“Well,”
she said, “I’ve already accepted the beast. What’s the point in waiting?”
His expression was exultant as he bent his head down to claim her lips once more.
Bound by a Dragon Page 15
