by Mary Auclair
Something dark and fierce bared its teeth inside Aldric at the mention of the end of the contract. She had been in his life but a few moments, and already the beast inside him claimed possession of her, refused the idea of letting her go. Aldric contained himself, but he knew what that possessive streak meant. And what dangers it might entail. Still, there was no choice, no turning back. It was already too late.
“I cannot allow it.” He stepped back from Endora, better able to control himself now that she wasn’t so damned close. “You are now the target of every enemy of the Darragon House.”
Endora’s eyes flashed, and he wasn’t sure if what he saw was anger or determination in her face.
“Then I want my payment, immediately.” She pursed her lips and flipped her head up in defiance. “I’m not negotiating the amount. Half in cash, half in precious stones, the morning after the Mating ceremony.”
Aldric blinked at the request, then his jaw clenched and his hands curled into fists at his sides. The payment. How could he have forgotten about it? She wasn’t here for any other reason. All she wanted was to go back to her lover, richer than she had ever dared to dream.
Cold poured down his veins, extinguishing the part of him Endora had awakened. Rhyl might have been smitten by her, but the dragon was mistaken.
Still, he couldn’t deny the strength of the attraction, or deny that it would only grow in power. He had to make Endora his mate, or risk losing control.
“Agreed.” He turned and walked back to the throne, feeling every step he took away from the woman. A few quick, harsh words in Delradon made Rhyl climb back behind the throne, but not before the dragon cast him a long, resentful look. The beast wanted to keep basking in Endora’s company, under Endora’s touch. How Aldric understood.
“You will have your payment sooner than expected. The ceremony will be performed in two days.”
Chapter 3
The wind blew in the cold stone hallways, making a permanent whispering sound in the background, like a thousand voices talking all at once, just too low to be heard. It was a haunting house, full of lonely sounds. It made Endora’s pounding headache spiral into a cacophony behind her eyeballs. It made her skin crawl with goosebumps. It made her want to run away back home, to the thrumming heat of the fire and the comforting sounds of the farm.
She hugged herself, dragging the folds of her woolen shawl tight against her shoulders. She was so tired, it felt as if her head was filled with lead. Every inch of her limbs screamed in agony, but she knew she couldn’t sleep. She had traveled all night in the strange Delradon hovering transport, to arrive at the Darragon castle in the early morning, to meet the man who had paid a fortune to use her body to produce offspring for his bloodline.
Closing her eyes against the unfamiliar decor, Endora summoned the memory of the thatch roof house, the smell of firewood in the chimney, Tallie’s sleeping body at her side in the large bed they shared. That was where she belonged.
“Don’t listen to Whispering Castle’s complaints,” a woman’s voice said, startling Endora. “The old house is always grumpy when there’s a storm.”
Endora blinked as the old Delradon woman strode into the room with her arms full of what looked like folded clothing.
“Whispering Castle?”
“That is what the servants call it.” The Delradon woman’s mouth stretched in a smile, making the wrinkles around her face spread out like a flower. “Because of the wind in the long hallways. It sounds like whispers. It reaches every corner of every room. There’s no escaping it.”
She turned to face Endora. She had deep lines around her mouth and eyes, and her pale skin looked like the ancient pages of a book, fine and friable. Her hair was a blinding white, tucked at her nape in a tight bun, exposing her pointed ears. Her eyes were a kind amber, slightly larger and rounder than those of a human, with irises that covered almost all the white. Eyes no human could ever have.
“It’s a good name.” Endora forced a strained smile. “My name is Endora Papineau, but everyone calls me Dora.” She extended her hand, and the Delradon woman took a step back, staring at it as if she were holding a knife instead of making a simple gesture of friendship.
“I am Junco, Lady Endora.” She bent her head slightly forward in greeting, her eyes still wide. “It will be my honor to assist in your well-being. Let me fetch you some refreshment, you must be thirsty after such a long journey.”
“Yes, thank you.” Endora let her arm fall down at her side and rocked on her feet uncomfortably. She had never had anybody serve her, but she didn’t want to offend the older woman. “I must be dehydrated, my head hurts.”
Junco smiled briefly, then nodded and exited the room, leaving her pile of clean laundry behind on the bed.
While Junco was gone, Endora stood in front of the over-sized square bed flanked by four golden pillars, staring blankly at the pile of snow white, soft blankets. She had never slept in anything like that before. It didn’t even look like a bed. She could never truly rest in it. She’d be afraid to roll over and fall.
Mostly, she was afraid to like it.
She didn’t want to get used to the luxury of Delradon life. She couldn’t enjoy it, not when Tallie’s life was hanging by a thread. There was nothing in life that could be good, or comfortable, until her baby girl was out of danger.
Forcing her breathing to return to normal, Endora summoned Tallie’s features before sickness had etched lines of sorrow in her young, smooth skin. Her heart swelled with love, and she knew she had made the right choice, no matter the cost. Her fingers strayed to the heart-shaped pendant, and her thumb rubbed the smooth surface.
“Nobody else matters like you.”
“Are you talking to me?” Junco walked back in, her steps completely silent on the cold white stone floor. Between her wrinkled hands was a tray full of strange food and even stranger drinks. Delradon food and drinks.
“No, I was talking to myself.” Endora offered Junco a small smile, and the other woman walked to the round table in the corner of the room, then laid the tray down.
“Everyone is excited about the Mating ceremony,” Junco said as she continued to arrange various items on display for Endora’s use. “Lord Aldric has been alone for too long. We are all so happy for the both of you.”
Yes, Lord Aldric had been alone. She could easily believe it.
Endora was swallowed in a whirlwind of feeling. Everything had gone too fast for her to process. Like her meeting with Lord Aldric and his dragon. She hadn’t expected him to refuse her demand to communicate with her family. It was cruel, and it was wrong, but she had no power over it. She’d signed the contract, and now her body didn’t belong to her anymore. She was effectively trapped.
The thought of Lord Aldric made her stomach fill with what felt like the fluttering of angry moths. The Mating ceremony was to take place the very next day. She knew what it meant, and it made her breathing suddenly faster.
The man was as cold and unyielding as a rock.
Closing her eyes, Endora was surprised to realize she could easily picture him. Her mind had committed to memory every detail of his features. He’d looked like a sculpture, remote and perfect, waiting for her on his throne. It had been only pure, sheer determination that had allowed her to walk up to him and state her demand.
Everything in him was hard and poised. The curve of his mouth was cruel and sensual at the same time. The shine of his silver eyes, a Draekon’s unnerving stare. The alabaster skin of his face, lined with the hard bones of a masculine, unforgiving nature. He was fashioned of icy strength, from his prominent nose to the square of his jaw. Even his almost white, blond hair was severe and tamed, falling on his shoulders in a disciplined mass.
With a surge of sensations she decided she didn’t want to recognize, Endora remembered the way his arms felt as he’d pulled her into him when the dragon approached her. A thrill traveled down her spine at the memory of the strong muscles and hard flesh as he stood just behi
nd her, his regal height overshadowing her smaller frame. He had a well-built body, strong and agile like a panther, with lean muscles she could feel through his leather clothes. He put every fiber of her body on high alert.
Tomorrow, she would be his mate.
Endora was pulled from her thoughts about Lord Aldric when Junco filled a gold-rimmed glass with a gleaming purple drink. It was unlike anything she had ever seen.
“This will help you.” Junco gave Endora the glass and saw her hesitation. “It’s a herb concoction. It’s sweet and it’ll help with your headache.”
Endora nodded and smiled. There was no helping it, she would have to get used to the Delradon way of life for a long time. The drink was surprisingly good, sweet and tart like blackberries. In a matter of seconds, her headache lifted and she smiled at Junco with gratitude. As soon as the pain stopped, Endora’s stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten since leaving her home, and she realized she was famished.
“Thanks. The pain is gone already.” She eyed the food on the tray with new interest. There were brown meatballs in a bright red sauce smelling strongly of unknown spices, and flat pieces of what looked like bread, only it was a deep green, much like spinach.
“Yes. It’ll give you an appetite, too.” Junco smiled with satisfaction and began piling food on a gold-rimmed plate for Endora. It seemed everything Lord Aldric owned was gold-rimmed.
“You are very pretty.” Junco stopped and looked at Endora with hesitation. “You are courageous to accept the offer of mating. It will mean a lot to all of us if Lord Aldric has an heir.”
Endora looked away, a fast burn spreading across her cheeks. She didn’t want to think of the child. She would have to leave him behind, and would probably never be allowed to see him again. She had avoided thinking about it until now, because she knew it would tear her heart apart. There would be no other choice, though. This child was going to grow up pampered and safe, but it was going to grow up without her.
The thought alone planted a dead weight in the pit of her stomach, stifling the hunger she’d just felt.
She still had a small victory for herself. She would get her payment in just two days. It didn’t matter how much the Draekon was giving her. It was going to be enough for Tallie’s cure. It made no difference if there was some money left after the cure was bought. It only mattered that it got to Tallie in time.
That left Endora with an enormous problem to solve. She needed to make sure it got to Henriette safely. Since Lord Aldric forbade her any contact with the outside world, she would have to find herself an ally. With a weight in her belly, she wondered if Junco would be inclined to take pity on her pleas as a mother.
“Do you have any children, Junco?” Endora plastered a smile on her face.
“Me?” Junco chuckled. “No. I always hoped, but my mate and I were never blessed that way. But I had the little Lord to take care of, so it wasn’t all bad.”
“You knew Lord Aldric as a child?” Endora couldn’t picture him as anything less than a towering, all-powerful lord.
“My family has been in the Darragons’ service for four generations. I began my service the year Lady Ela mated Lord Dierno. She was Lord Aldric’s mother, and a great beauty.”
“How old were you then?” Endora asked.
“I was a mere twelve years old.” Junco smiled gently, as if contemplating the length of time she had labored for the ruling family of Katanie. “The little Lord was born the very next year. It was an extraordinary birth, so fast to conceive.”
Endora frowned. That didn’t make sense.
“How old is Aldric?” The man she’d met didn’t seem a day older than thirty, yet if she was to believe Junco, he should be nearing his seventies.
“He is still a young man—for a Draekon, of course.” Junco shot her a puzzled glance. “I was once told humans believe the Draekons are immortal.”
“No, of course not.” But some did. Endora always found the concept preposterous, but now that she had seen and touched a dragon, she wasn’t so sure. “Nobody is immortal.”
“No, they are not.” Junco sighed. “They simply live a dragon’s lifespan. This gives them three centuries, most of the time. Sometimes more, and often less, especially for the ones without a Draekarra.”
“Draekarra?” There was a whole world Endora didn’t understand, a world humans were seldom invited to. A world full of dragons and silver-eyed Lords, ruling for centuries. A world she was being forced to share.
“A true dragon-mate. One who gives their long lives meaning.”
Endora nodded, then swallowed. She didn’t want to know about the Draekon and Delradon world, about Lord Aldric and his childhood. All that mattered was Tallie.
Junco gathered a few items, preparing to leave. If Endora was going to ask her question, it was now or never.
“I have a little girl,” Endora began, and when Junco’s hands froze on the food tray and her eyes widened, she knew she had her attention. “She’s ten years old.”
“I see.” Junco straightened, putting the tray down.
Endora knew she was taking a huge risk. She had lied to the Delradon clerk at the liaison’s office. Women who already had children were often denied the offer to mate. It wasn’t as clear-cut as the law about married women, but she had heard of young mothers who were refused by their Draekon compatible mate. Endora didn’t take any chances, and had lied when the clerk asked her if she had children. She knew she couldn’t hide Tallie’s existence forever, but she figured that once she was pregnant, Lord Aldric couldn’t refuse her. He might refuse to pay the remaining half, or ask for his payment back, but by that time, Tallie was going to be cured, and that was all that mattered.
She could face the Lord’s anger. She couldn’t face the consequences of his rejection.
“Why do you tell me this?” Junco stared at Endora with steady eyes. “You risk much.”
“Her name is Tallie, and she’s very sick,” Endora blurted out, deciding to throw caution to the wind. “She’s going to die if she doesn’t go to the Delradons’ hospital. That’s why I accepted the offer. That’s why I need your help.”
Junco stood still for what felt like hours, her pale amber eyes betraying nothing.
“If she is sick, then of course she should receive the best treatment possible.” Junco nodded, but her words were still careful. “Your best option is to tell Lord Aldric of your predicament, and he will surely help.”
“I can’t risk it.” Endora stepped closer and grabbed both of Junco’s hands between her own, gripping them when the woman instinctively tried to pull away. “I’ll receive half the money from the contract right after the ceremony. It needs to get to my grandmother in the village of Helbon. Tallie doesn’t have long. She will die if she doesn’t receive the treatment soon. Please, you have to help me.”
“It’s impossible.” Junco pulled her hands out of Endora’s, her eyes wide and fearful. “Disobeying Lord Aldric is a serious offense. You should trust in his good nature and ask him for help.”
“What good nature?” Endora’s voice was reduced to a thin thread and her eyes filled with unshed tears. She had no other options, she needed Junco’s help. “I already asked him to let me talk to my family, and he refused. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. He’s unfeeling and cold. He won’t understand, and even if he does, he won’t care. Please.” This time, Endora’s voice broke. “If she dies, then all this is for nothing.”
Junco stood frozen, uncertainty clear on her weathered features.
“Yes.” Junco inhaled. “I will send your money to your human family, for your daughter’s sake.”
Endora jumped and hugged the frail old woman close. Junco stiffened in her arms, but Endora was too overwhelmed by gratitude to care, and she kept the other woman close until, finally, two hands patted her back.
“Thank you.” Endora had never meant the words more. “I owe you more than my life.”
“All I ask in return is that you don’t judge L
ord Aldric too fast.” Junco, whose cheeks had flushed and whose eyes brimmed with moisture, quickly stepped back. “He wasn’t always like he is now. When he was a little boy, he was the loveliest child, so warm and sensitive, full of love. It’s life that has hardened him this way, but if the right woman came, she could melt all that ice he carries around, and she would be lucky for it.”
“I’m sure,” Endora lied. “I’m just not that woman.”
Junco chuckled, then stared at Endora enigmatically for a few more seconds. “I wouldn’t be so sure. A dragon’s heart can see what a man’s eyes cannot.”
And with that, Junco left.
A few hours into the afternoon, Aldric found himself unable to appreciate the bite of the wind like he usually did as Rhyl flew at blinding speed beside Myral. Soon, the village came into view. It was one of the most remote outposts of Delradon settlers in his kingdom, in a wild land of meandering lakes and rivers amid tortured mountains. He loved this part of his territory, covered in dense forests just south of the vast tundra. He understood the appeal for the Delradon settlers who came here to build a life for themselves, but they didn’t always understand the dangers.
Human resistance was vastly reduced in the more populated areas, but it was still very present in the wild regions of the North. While two hundred years had passed since the Delradon came and saved the Earth for both the humans and the rest of the intelligent species in the known universe, there were still those who resented them. Those humans were known to live outside the laws of their Lord, surviving by preying on the weakest, less well-defended Delradon population. It made Aldric furious to think about the settlers, who fought daily for their survival in a harsh environment only to have their meager possessions taken away by thieves.
His punishment would be severe for those who dared to disturb his peace.
Dalgo gave a sharp signal of his arm and Rhyl followed Myral down in a fast spiral, too fast for any ground shooter to take aim. Rhyl landed on a large outcrop of rocks beside his mate.
