A Dragon's Honor

A Dragon’s Honor

By Dahlia Rose

Copyright © September 2012, Dahlia Rose

Cover art by For the Muse Designs © September
2012

ISBN 978-1-936668-70-0

This is a work of fiction. All characters and
events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights
reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in
any form.

Sugar and Spice Press

North Carolina, USA

www.sugarnspicepress.com

Chapter One

The
sounds of the night filled the air—chirping crickets, hooting owls, howling
coyotes, the rustling of tree limbs in the breeze, and the occasional crunch of
dried leaves and twigs under wild animals’ feet. While these sounds would cause
most people to become fearful, they comforted Raven. Being the daughter of an
archeologist meant that by the age of five she had slept in more tents than
beds and she’d played with children from Egypt to Peru. She never went to a
regular school like most people. Her studies were done via laptop at whichever
dig site her mother was on at the time. She left for college when she was
eighteen and was further advanced than most students in her classes at Yale. At
twenty–three
, with all accelerated class
requirements under her belt, she was working on her final project and thesis
for her Masters and Ph.D. in Wisconsin at her own personal archeological dig
site. While other students
were
heading to the usual
digs in South America and the Middle East, she took a different route since she
had seen all those before. She was going to chart and find the last few
remnants of a tribe long gone. Her thesis was aptly named The Last Traces of
The Mohican Tribe. She was going to prove they migrated to Wisconsin over one
hundred years ago.

Sitting
outside her tent in front of a roaring fire, Raven looked up at the sky. There
were so many stars she lost count in the inky black sky. She could’ve had
interns to help her with her project, but she chose to travel alone. She didn’t
want anyone ruining her trip with beer drinking and late night parties.
You’re an old soul in a young body.
Raven chuckled, thinking of the words her mother often told her. Raven had no
time for keg parties or dating. Most men were put off by her intelligence and
her lack of naivety when it came to the games they played. Yet, she was as
innocent as a newborn babe having never had sex in her life.

A
long, high-pitched screech broke her from her thoughts and she looked up at the
full moon that hung in the sky. What she saw next made her think of the hallucinations
that people described when they took peyote. Peyote is a paste made from cactus
that American Indians used to facilitate visions in their religious ceremonies.
Yet she’d had none. The only thing she’d had that night was a cup of hot
chocolate loaded with marshmallows as a treat.

In
the sky two large silhouettes were locked in battle. Raven quickly grabbed for her
backpack and dug out her binoculars and focused them on the sky. She had to be
dreaming, just had to. But when she pinched her leg hard she winced from the
pain of it. She was certainly awake and watching what looked to be two mythical
creatures fighting. One was a dragon with emerald green scales that caught the
moonlight
;
a majestic Nordic beast of legend living in
the Viking realm from Greenland to the North Pole. She focused on the other
beast, which had an elongated body and a wingspan smaller than its opponent.
Its scales were brownish black. It looked to be a serpent dragon, probably from
the Asian mythological lore of dragons. While Nordic lore did have serpent
dragons, the scales and markings on this one suggested it to be of Asian
descent. Raven watched in horror and fascination as the two beings made the sky
their battlefield.

For
a long time it looked like the dragon was winning, but the serpentine beast
reared back and caught the dragon squarely on the neck with a bite. The pained
roar that came from him seemed to echo through the night. The dragon began to
fall from the sky and locked its jaws onto the serpent’s body, taking it with
him. She heard them as they crashed through the night, hitting branches and
then the ground, causing what felt like an earthquake from the force. Raven
didn’t even think to be terrified. She picked up the shotgun she always packed
with her for her projects and ran in the direction she saw them fall. This was
even better than all she knew of the Mohicans. She had just seen creatures that
weren’t technically supposed to exist fall from the sky.

When
she came to the clearing, instead of seeing two dragons, she saw men, one of
which was lying on the ground. The other was advancing on the naked man lying
in the middle of the destruction. This man was Asian and she immediately knew
she was correct in her previous assessment. He had a knife in his hand and the
malevolence on his face was evident. He was going to kill the other man and
somewhere inside her she knew that it couldn’t happen. Raven raised her shotgun
and fired one shot in the air. The Asian man suddenly turned, looked at her and
smiled. Her stomach turned.

“Step
away from him now,” she ordered.

“Really?
Are you going to stop me, little girl?” His voice had a slimy quality to it
that gave her the creeps.

She
lifted her head and looked at him bravely. “Let’s just say I’m a crack shot
with this rifle, and from what I’ve read about Asian serpent dragons, you have
two hearts. One is hidden somewhere in your body and one is right in the front,
under a hard fused rib cage, so a chest shot would be of no use.” She leveled
the gun at his head and said coldly, “But one of these bullets in your brain
will make that a moot point; no head and you’re dead.”

“You
think you can shoot me before I get to you, silly human?” he snickered.

Raven
didn’t give him a chance. She shot and the bullet hit his shoulder. The serpent
man howled in pain and anger and she waited until he fell quiet.

“I
hope you see that I don’t bullshit,” she said calmly. “The next shot will take
your head off and that’s really messy.”

“I’ve
got your scent, human, and I’ll find you. That is a promise,” he said.

“Promise
of vengeance, yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that before,” she muttered.

But
she kept her eyes on him as he moved quickly into the tree line. Even injured
he was faster than a human and when he took off into the sky from between the
trees, she gasped. Obviously, she hadn’t injured him enough, or they
regenerated quickly. She turned her attention to the man lying naked a few feet
from her. She moved towards him quickly and pointed her pocket flashlight down
at the prone figure. He was built like someone carved him of granite, his medium
length dark hair was a stark contrast against the grass and she could see blood
on his skin.
What are you doing? He could
be as
dangerous as the Asian one
,
she thought. Raven nudged him with toe of her boot and he rolled over with a
groan.

“Have
some care, female. I’m an injured man for Christ sakes,” he said. His accent
was delicious and she placed him from somewhere in the Scandinavian region.

“I
just saved you from a not-so-nice serpent slash human guy; I’d have a care of
how you speak to me,” Raven snapped. “I just saw two beings that do not exist
fighting in the sky and now you’re lying here.”

“We
usually keep our presence in the human world unknown, but while I was on patrol
I was attacked.” He winced as he sat up. “He got a good bite in though. No
worries; he’ll pay eventually. I think his bite dislocated my shoulder.”

Raven
held back the urge to laugh like a maniac. Here she was talking to a man who
had obviously been a dragon moments before, yet he was speaking like they’d
just met for an evening stroll.

“What
are you anyway?” she asked. “And do I need to shoot you too?”

He
laughed as he stood and she saw his true height. He had to be at least six foot
six to her five-three
stature
and obviously had no
problem with being nude as a wide grin was plastered on his face.

“Female,
I mean no harm to you, but if the
Shen
abomination
comes back, he certainly can do damage to a body such as yours.” He inclined
his head. “My name is Raul and I am one from the Paladin Court.”

“First,
if you call me female one more time—” she began.

“Are
you not female, or are you one of those people who aren’t quite sure?”

“Are
you asking if I’m transgendered? Because, let me assure you, I’m all woman,” Raven
snapped.

“I
certainly wouldn’t mind finding out for myself,” Raul answered.

“You
choose to flirt with a girl who’s holding a gun,” she snorted. “And what is a
dragon from the Paladin Court, by the way?”

“We’re
protectors of your realm while we reside in ours, but enough of this for now. We
must take our leave before the
Shen
dog comes back
with a few friends.” Raul passed by her. “Do you have a vehicle?”

“Yes,
I have a vehicle, but wait. I need to know more…more about all this.” Raven
waved her hands. “I need to take care of my campsite before we do anything.”

He
looked back at her. “And you shall know more, but not here. First, I need clothes
and hopefully you can treat my wounds,” Raul said as he began walking away
again. “At your home, preferably.”

“Of
course,” she snapped and ran to keep up with his long strides. “Because I’m
just so accustomed to bringing strange men—not to mention dragons—to
my home. What did you mean by that
Shen
thing would
do me more harm?”

“They
are known for taking women for breeding. Their cocks have barbs that tear women
apart and the eggs are no better. The women die either way,” he explained. “He
has your scent, so now you’re under my protection which is good for you. Direction
to your car, please.”

“I
seem to be stuck with an obnoxious, pompous dragon,” she muttered. He turned
and raised a tapered eyebrow at her in question. She pointed through the tree
line facing west where she had watched the sun go down earlier. “My truck is
that way.”

“Truck.
How very tomboyish of you. I take it you’re not a corvette kind of girl?” Raul
grinned.

“You
can’t drive a corvette onto an archeology dig site, hence my truck,” Raven
retorted. “Are all dragons such jerks?”

He
frowned. “Jerk?”

“Mouthy,
insulting, rude, a cad. All of that equals jerk.”

He
stopped and faced her. She was even more aware of his nudity when he was only a
few feet from her, and the thick flaccid length of him that hung between his
legs.
If he’s this massive now,
imagine when he’s erect and…

His
words cut off her thoughts. “I apologize for being rude; I am, of course, in
your debt for this.”

They
reached her campsite and she broke everything down easily and packed up, taking
care to make sure all the hot ember of her fire were out. She was so accustomed
to camping that in fifteen minutes she had everything rolled up and secured.
Without even asking, Raul picked up the pack and another bag and threw them
over his uninjured shoulder.

“How
about saving your ass in the clearing?” she pointed out, pouring another bucket
of water over the now steaming fire pit.

A
slow smile spread across his face and he spoke. “I heard the whole thing, and,
if necessary, I would have acted. Sometimes it’s best to let the enemy think
they have the upper hand until you’re ready to strike.”

“So
you were playing possum? He could’ve attacked me with some kind of barb thing.”
She stomped away in the direction of her truck, frustrated. “Maybe I’m having
some kind of mental break down and all of this is happening in my head and I’m
actually asleep or hallucinating.”

“You
are not hallucinating and I am certainly not a sleeping rodent who likes to
hang from trees,” Raul caught up to her easily.

She
stopped when she saw the silver gleam of the rim of her truck and reached in the
back to grab a blanket she always kept there for emergencies.

Raven
threw it at him and he caught it easily. “Use that to cover up so I won’t have
an imprint of your junk and ass on my leather seats.”

“Hey,
many women would not refer to my manhood as junk,” he said, offended, tossing
her belongings into the back of the truck.

I have no doubt of that
, she thought, but kept her mouth shut. She
pulled her keys from her pocket and slid behind the wheel as he climbed in the
passenger side. Her truck was roomy, but Raul filled up the space and dominated
the cab of the truck. She silently started the vehicle and pulled away while he
leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes. She took that time to
take in his features, letting her gaze glide over him. His chin-length hair was
dark, his face lean but chiseled and his thin goatee enhanced his debonair
look. His eyes, though closed now, were a startlingly bright green against the
dark contrast of his hair. His mouth was full but firm and she wondered what
those lips would taste like.

Stop this mess right now. He is some kind
of hybrid—not human—and you shouldn’t be thinking like that
. Still, Raven made a mental note to ask
him about human/dragon sexual relations for scientific purposes, of course. She
smiled, excited about the possibility of learning of a race that was completely
unheard of to people in her field. She’d gone to learn about a tribe lost to
history and a new one—albeit a devastatingly handsome one—fell into
her lap. In her mind, many questions began forming and she made a mental list of
things to ask him later. While she drove towards home, a man who could become a
dragon slept in the seat next to her.