Touch of Ice (Dawn of Dragons Book 1)

by Mary Auclair

  Rhyl fumed and shook his head, then glanced at Endora with what she could have sworn was a glint of humor in his pale moonlit eyes.

  “He can see in total darkness as well as in daylight.”

  Aldric moved to face her, and his hair seemed made of pure silver under the pale light. His stare turned to shock when he saw how little she was wearing, and his eyes slid down her barely clothed body as she wrapped the blanket around herself. He swallowed, hard. His face was set in hard lines, and the intensity of his stare made her squirm.

  “His hearing is also very keen. Dragons and Draekons share that trait.”

  Endora’s eyes widened and her cheeks suddenly burned. So he had heard her? She bit her lower lip, then lifted her head.

  “I’m not sorry.” She stood up, moving away from Rhyl’s warmth, and immediately wished she hadn’t. The cold near the opening of the cave had a biting grip, and she tried her best not to shiver, but to no avail. She knew she couldn’t risk telling Aldric about Tallie, but she couldn’t accept the cost of the contract without telling him how much he was hurting her. “It’s wrong to prevent me from contacting my family until the end of the contract.”

  “I gave those orders for your safety.”

  Aldric stepped closer and ran his hand against Rhyl’s muzzle, not taking his eyes off her. Endora watched as his long, strong fingers ran over the smooth scales, and heat spread in her body despite the cold. Those hands would soon touch her. Would he be sensual and generous, or cold and unforgiving? She had no idea, she only knew that thinking about it made her feel hot in all the wrong places.

  “The ends don’t always justify the means. Nobody knows how long it will be before I can go back home,” she said.

  Aldric’s jaw clenched and his pale eyes shone with a dangerous glint. The hand on Rhyl’s scales folded in a tight fist. He turned his face away and stared at his hand, then slowly opened it again.

  “I am sorry this is an inconvenience to you.” His voice was a steady flow of frozen flames, scorching her skin and cooling the night air at the same time. No feelings were showing on his stony features. “The amount I offered should be enough to compensate you for being unable to speak with your lover.”

  Endora blinked, then turned away from him to face the night. So Aldric thought she wanted to talk to a human lover she’d left behind for the duration of the contract. The idea was so far from the truth, she was tempted to laugh it off and tell him how wrong he was, but she refrained. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing he thought she had someone out there, lovesick for her. It was much safer than the truth. Most women who signed the contract had a lover they planned to go back to—if they survived. Endora had always judged them as callous and cowardly, allowing the woman to bear the risk by herself, but she understood. She wondered if he was angry at the thought, or even jealous, perhaps?

  No, certainly not. Theirs was a business relationship, not a loving one, and she’d better not confuse the two.

  “Whatever the price, I’m the one taking the risk.” Endora’s voice was faint in the wind and she hugged her blanket closer, the night’s air penetrating bone-deep in her body.

  “I am aware of the risks to you.” Aldric’s voice sounded closer, too close. “I will do everything I can to protect you.”

  “That’s just like a man, thinking he can fix everything.” She chuckled softly. “I’m afraid you will have no power over this one.”

  Aldric didn’t answer, but Endora could feel his gaze on her.

  “What is this room? Is this where Rhyl stays?” Endora kept staring at the view, battling her desire to turn and look at Aldric.

  “No.” He came to stand just behind her, and she could see the outline of his shoulder from the corner of her eye. “This is the dragons’ landing strip. They need the space to open their wings when they take off and land. Their lair is deep inside the mountain.” Aldric paused, then spoke again. “You shouldn’t be wandering the halls at this time of the night. It’s not safe.”

  “I couldn’t sleep,” Endora told him truthfully. “There’s too much rock—over, under, around me. I needed some fresh air. That’s why I came here. Rhyl kept me company. He’s not what I thought he’d be. I was sure dragons were dangerous and savage, but he’s so sweet.”

  “Rhyl would never harm you. He would sacrifice his own life for you.”

  Endora turned her head to stare into Aldric’s breathtaking eyes. He was so close he could kiss her if he wanted to. All he had to do was bend his head. She found that she couldn’t look away from the hard, cruel curve of his lips.

  “He’s smitten with you.” Aldric glanced at the dragon, and his eyes warmed with an uncharacteristic glow of humor. He went back to looking at her and his face became serious again. “Don’t take his affection for a sign of weakness. He’s the fiercest, most powerful dragon of his generation. His kills on the battlefield amount to the thousands.”

  Endora glanced at Rhyl, who glared at Aldric with what could only be described as reproach. Remembering the long, curved talons that closed gently around her body, she could easily believe the placid beast was also a deadly weapon.

  “Just how much does he understand us?” she asked, forcing herself to look away from Aldric’s mouth. What was wrong with her? She had to get a grip on herself. She wasn’t the blushing, flustered type of girl. Not since Wilmer had broken her heart.

  “As much as me,” Aldric said, chuckling. “He’s perfectly sentient. He understands every word you say. Sometimes, I even think he could answer if he wanted to.”

  Rhyl growled humorously and blew a soft cloud of steam into Aldric’s hair, making the mass of silky blond strands move softly in the moonlight. Aldric smiled as he lifted his hand and pushed his hair back behind his pointed ear.

  The smile completely transformed Aldric’s sculpture-perfect face, and Endora was left gaping. It morphed his hard features from a mask of cold, unfeeling glory to a warm, inviting expression. She stared, mesmerized, as his bright liquid silver eyes settled on her face and his lips stretched, creating a dimple in his left cheek. He was so handsome, so perfect, she felt the fire in her belly spread. Her hands itched to pass her fingers through his silky hair and trace the hard line of his jaw. Aldric almost imperceptibly came closer, and their bodies almost touched, the cold of the night air making her even more aware of the heat of his body.

  Endora stopped herself from inching toward the comforting strength of his chest. She mentally shook the delusion of affection away. He didn’t want to kiss her. He hadn’t chosen her out of desire, he’d made a business deal with her. For all she knew, Draekons didn’t even know what love was, they only reproduced via contracts.

  “You sound like you’re very attached to him.” She swallowed and tried to look away but found out she was unable to.

  “Rhyl and I were born linked. This is how it is for Draekons. Our lives and our dragons’ lives are connected from birth to death. We are born and we die together.”

  Aldric’s stare went from her eyes to her mouth. A hurricane of feelings agitated her stomach as she watched him, so very aware of every inch of his strong male body. Time seemed suspended in a surreal wait.

  A gust of wind blew inward, and Endora’s entire body shivered under the intense cold.

  “You’re freezing!” Aldric exclaimed.

  Arms closed around Endora’s waist, and she was pulled into Aldric’s chest. Surprise froze her, and her initial reaction was to pull back, but Aldric’s hold only tightened. His masculine smell invaded her nostrils, clean and good, like saplings after the rain. His arms were hot and strong, and her breathing became faster, shallower.

  His hands on her waist moved, molding her to his body.

  “Let me warm you,” Aldric said in a changed voice. It was deeper, huskier, like the end of a growl.

  Endora moved and Aldric gave her just enough space to lift her head, but his arms were locked around her. She was instantly trapped in his gaze, like prey. Unable to move, unable to re
sist the magnetic pull of him, she lifted her chin. Aldric’s breath caressed her lips and she felt light-headed. Heat spread low in Endora’s belly, where her most intimate need roared to life.

  “So, you think I won’t know how to touch you?” His eyes were heavy lidded, and his fingers dug into her lower back, splaying out on her skin to pull her into him. “How to kiss you?”

  He bent, not giving her time to answer, or to protest. His lips found hers and her mind was wiped clean of thoughts. He kissed her like a drowning man—desperately. His touch was an all-consuming possession, his tongue hot and demanding, taking hers by assault. Passion filled her body and she answered the kiss, joining her tongue to his. He tasted like a winter storm, cold and pure. Endora reached behind Aldric’s neck, spreading her fingers in the silky mass of his hair.

  Their kiss deepened, swallowing everything in its wake. There was nothing in the world but Aldric and her ever growing need for more of him, more of his body, more of his touch. She was a puddle of want, pure woman’s need.

  “What are you doing to me, woman?” Aldric pulled back just enough to speak. His voice was a low growl, vibrating deep in his throat. “I have never felt this for any other before.”

  “Kiss me again,” Endora answered, out of breath.

  His mouth closed on hers with purpose, bending her will, making her blind with desire. Endora moaned softly, and Aldric growled in her mouth. The hands on her back moved; one hand grabbed her nape and tilted her head back to give him better access, and his lips closed on the fragile skin at the base of her neck. He kissed and nipped the taut skin, just where her jugular was beating a frenzied beat, while his other hand slid down and closed around her ass, pulling her into his hard erection.

  “Oh, Gods,” Endora moaned.

  Her moaning seemed to set Aldric afire, and his hand on her ass slid down to grab her thigh, then lifted it, pulling her closer into his hardness. Fire spread between her legs, and she was aching for his hard flesh, for the possession of a man.

  “I’m aching for you,” Aldric talked against her skin, his breathing fast and his voice husky. “You’re an addiction, I can never stop wanting more of you.”

  “But this will stop.”

  Endora had to say it. She had to tell him. She was only there for a short while. After that, she would go back to her life. To her real life. This was just an illusion, something that would leave a deep scar which would close eventually.

  Aldric pulled back, breaking the kiss. Endora blinked, and the glory of the winter’s night reappeared. She lifted her head and locked gazes with Aldric.

  “Your eyes…” She couldn’t finish. His eyes were wide, his pupils vertical fractures in the reflective silver of his irises. He looked like a beast forged of fire and death. He looked like a dragon.

  Aldric’s stare hardened and something dark and savage showed on his face. Endora was suddenly scared, but it was gone fast. Aldric’s hands left her, and the cold of the night enveloped her again. He stepped back, then blinked, and his eyes returned to normal.

  Without another glance at her, he stalked away, the sound of his steps echoing in the vaulted ceiling like hammers.

  Endora’s breath condensed in front of her as she watched him leave. Too soon, he disappeared in the total darkness of the cave and she was alone again. Something stirred behind her, and she was reminded of Rhyl’s presence.

  Endora turned and locked eyes with the dragon. Rhyl watched her with his knowing gaze, unblinking. Whatever the dragon knew, he kept to himself.

  Aldric walked on the snow-covered rocks into the depths of the night. His blood boiled with unfulfilled lust, and he had to clench his teeth so hard it hurt to prevent himself from turning back and hunting Endora down wherever she was.

  He shouldn’t have let himself touch her. Not when he knew full well the dangers, but he hadn’t been able to resist.

  Everything about her was intoxicating, the feel of her full, soft lips under his mouth, the way her waist bent as he pushed her softness against his painfully hard cock. He wanted to possess every inch of her. He wanted to hold her close and never let her go.

  Control was slipping out of his grasp more and more every time he was in contact with her.

  He knew what it meant. Even before the physical change, he’d known. Endora had only seen the exterior manifestation of his inner beast, but the implications were much deeper.

  The dragon inside him had almost taken control when he’d kissed her. Lust and passion were lowering his grip on his instincts, and it wouldn’t be long before it was fully unleashed. There was no going back, no ignoring the call. Endora was his Draekarra, his dragon mate, the only one who could bring his beast to the surface.

  Rhyl had sensed it the first time he saw her, but Aldric hadn’t been convinced.

  It took only one kiss, though, and he knew it was real.

  This made all the difference. A Draekon met his true mate only once, and that was if he was incredibly lucky. This fact, coupled with a Draekon’s long life, was a blessing as much as a curse. For those who found their true mates, life was good and filled with happiness. For the rest, it was a harsh, lonely existence, full of resentment. A living nightmare, one that was inevitably leaked to the children unlucky enough to be born under that light.

  His own parents had been genetically compatible, brought together by the testing every Delradon man and woman underwent as they passed into adulthood. The mating contract had been signed, and soon, children were born between the ice walls of Ela and Dierno Darragon’s marriage.

  Aldric braced himself on a tree trunk as memories flooded his mind.

  He was eight years old, walking in the long, cold hallways of Whispering Castle, Rhyl leading the way. The small dragon was barely tall enough to reach his knees, but Aldric couldn’t keep up with him. He jumped every few steps to speed up, but always fell behind.

  The castle was eerily silent as he made his way through the maze of rooms. Fear and loneliness had made him desert the warmth of his bed and he went looking for his mother in the dark of the night.

  Finally, sobs at the end of the hallway pushed his feet forward. He knew that voice.

  The door was open by a sliver, and he ordered Rhyl to stay behind as he peeked through the opening.

  There, lying on the bed under a sea of blankets, was Ylmira. His sister’s face was small and pale, even more so than usual, and she looked infinitely younger than her six years. Her scrawny chest heaved with fast and shallow movements as she struggled to breathe. Next to her on the bed was her purple dragon, its scales dulled by sickness, its life hanging by a thread.

  Aldric watched, paralyzed with fear, as Ylmira slept while his mother wept, her back turned to the door. He could see how thin Ela had become, the bones of her spine showing under her light nightdress. Dread filled the room as Ylmira coughed, the sound hollow and deep, like the rattle of bones.

  “Don’t just stay there, boy.” A large hand closed on his shoulders and Aldric turned, eyes wide with fear, to see his father standing tall behind him. Metallic eyes locked on him, and an old fear gripped his young flesh. “Go in, say goodbye to your sister.”

  Aldric shook his head frantically. That shriveled, scary thing on the bed wasn’t Ylmira, and he wanted nothing to do with it. It was a hollow monster wearing the loose skin of the lively girl who had once been his playmate, his constant companion.

  “You’re going to have to face your fears someday. Might as well be today.” The large hand still gripped his bony shoulder and he was dragged toward the bed as his mother turned black-rimmed, red eyes toward him.

  “He’s just a boy, Dierno,” his mother said with the raspy voice of a crone. Her tone had its usual scorn as she spoke to her mate, but this time it was layered with a loathing of an entire new depth. It made Aldric nauseous, and he suppressed his impulse to cry. His father always got mad if he cried. “It’s okay, little darling. Your sister is going to be okay.”

  “Don’t lie to him.”
His father’s harsh voice slashed through the air, and his mother recoiled as if she’d been hit. “Aldric is going to be High Lord of Katanie one day, he might as well act like it.”

  “You won’t even let me mourn my daughter in peace, will you?” Hatred filled his mother’s eyes, and her dainty fists gripped the blankets until her knuckles turned white. “You don’t deserve your son, and you didn’t deserve your daughter. It’s your fault she’s dying.”

  Dierno’s back straightened and his jaw clenched, but he didn’t answer the cruel words. Instead he pushed Aldric closer, forcing him to come to the very edge of the bed. He could hear Ylmira’s breathing from this distance, the wheezing like the whispering of the wind in the long hallways. He could smell her, too. The nauseating, acrid smell of fever lingered around, nothing like it used to be. She smelled like long forgotten memories, already far away.

  “If you don’t say goodbye to your sister, you will always regret it.” This time, Dierno’s voice was nothing like the usual, harsh crack of a whip. It contained something dangerously close to a sob, and that in itself was the scariest thing Aldric had ever heard.

  Aldric turned to look at his father. The hard lines of his weathered features were deeper than he remembered, and there was a faint trace of wetness at the corner of his eyes.

  This was the face of grief to come.

  A hand grabbed his and Aldric turned away from his father to look at his mother. She smiled, trying to comfort him, but it was a lopsided grin and it made him shiver with mindless fear.

  Before anyone could stop him, Aldric twisted away from his parents’ grasp and ran.

  The flapping of wings pulled Aldric from the painful memories of his childhood. He opened his eyes to see Rhyl landing right in front of him. The dragon’s knowing eyes settled on him and he folded his huge wings on his back.