Asher: Dragon's Savior (13 page)

The touch to her arm was soft, almost like a kitten’s breath. When the woman stepped back, the scene she’d created disappeared and she was standing in an open field. Essie looked around and knew this place. The woman followed her when she went to the edge of the mountain and found the opening of the small hut that she’d been born in.

“She still lives here?” The woman nodded. “Why? I mean, she had so much when I lived here. Money out the ass, jewels that she’d stolen off the people she…we killed.”

“Money means as little to her as the men and women that she has killed. It runs through her fingers and pockets, like it is water from yonder lake. She knows not the meaning of keeping for a rainy day; the concept of getting things that will keep her warm and safe are not a part of her thoughts when she has money to line her wallet. She will forever be on the verge of being broke or near starvation. She will never be anything more than she is right now.” Essie could see that.

“When I left here I was shocked by the difference in our lives and those of the people nearby. It was as if she’d shut herself off from anything modern and things that would have made our lives so much better. She was…I didn’t even know what indoor plumbing was, or electricity. It was as if she’d been born in a time where there was only what she has now, and she’d never made her way to come into this century.” The woman nodded, and Essie looked where she knew there were graves. “All those lives lost, and for what gain? None. I helped her kill those people, and for that I will forever be guilty.”

“You did nothing to expedite their deaths, Lady Esmerelda. You were but a pawn in the larger picture of things. You may have thought yourself alone, but you were not. The food provided for you, the earth, our earth, gave to you. Once you were able to move beyond the doors of the house we helped you more, and you, in return, helped us. Do you not remember that?” Essie started to shake her head but stopped to think.

“I planted this tree. I mean, the seeds that were from the apple that was…that I’m assuming you gave to me.” She nodded and smiled, the brightness of it making her warmer. “There were other seeds as well. A pear and a melon. Sometimes I had no idea what the things were that I was eating, but I planted what I couldn’t eat.”

“You did. And now the earth is rich with plants just ready to burst forward. Many of them are long since gone, their only life in the seeds that you planted.” Essie went to the tree, full now with apples, and reached up to touch one. It fell into her hand as if she’d pulled it free. “It’s giving back to you in hopes that you will plant more.”

“How does this answer my question?” Essie smelled the fruit before putting it into her pocket to save for later. “I mean, who am I that makes me so special?”

“You are the queen of the dragons, my dear. As Asher is the king. It was written many years ago that a king and queen of great power would come to us and save us all. You are that woman. And the love that you have for Asher makes your blood, your bond with me stronger.” She asked her who she was. “Why, I’m the lady of the earth, such as you are the queen. I am here to serve you and to help you when you should desire my help.”

“You can help me take the witch of the mountain on and keep the others safe?” The lady nodded. “Then I want you to show me how. I want you to give me all the information you have on me, and what I can do to use the powers that I have.”

“It will be my pleasure to serve you, my lady.” It was too late; Essie knew it as soon as the lady’s hand touched her. The power surged through her in such a way that she felt as if she had put her wet feet in an electrical socket. Then when she thought it was finished, her body bruised inside and out, she was lifted from the earth and something else touched her. Essie couldn’t speak, couldn’t scream when it became too much. As she was gently laid back to the earth, she noticed that Asher was beside her. “You will need to rest now. There is much to come as yet, and you will need your strength.”

Essie nodded and closed her eyes. A hand touched hers and she knew it was Asher. When someone else curled his fingers around hers, she looked over at Kiaran and smiled. Whatever the hell had just happened, they all got it.

“The next time someone offers to give you something powerful like that, could you please warn me?” She nodded at Kiaran and looked over at Asher when he laughed.

“That was fucking amazing, but I’m exhausted.” She was too, and closed her eyes again. “We’ll deal with this later, okay?”

“Yes.” Essie felt the darkness swallow her up. It was gentle in the way that she knew she’d be safe, but it was consuming all the same. As she let her body drift off to sleep, she thought of something else but didn’t voice it. But the woman laughed a little, and she knew that she’d heard her.

“I will take care of it, my lady. Immediately.” Essie thanked her and let sleep roll over her. She thought that she’d told her that she loved her, but Essie was too sleepy to ask her to repeat herself. Rest. Once she rested, she’d ask her then. The twinkling sound of laughter made her frown, but this too took more effort than she wanted to expend to ask her about.

Chapter 12

Asher woke hard as stone. His need to take Essie was making him salivate, and he reached for her. Her body came to his as if he’d summoned her, and she was gloriously naked. And so was he.

“Ride me.” She settled over his lap in seconds. Her nipples were as hard as his cock, and he leaned up when she sat over his hips and suckled at one while she rode his body. He wanted to be inside of her, having her riding him while he fucked her, but she was holding his cock to her pussy and he knew she was going to come without him.

Her release had him pulling her tighter to him. She cried out, her body still rocking against his, as he rolled her to her back. Moving down her body, Asher nipped at her hot skin and then kissed the wound only to do it again lower, making his way to her pussy. When he touched his tongue to her navel, sucking on the indentation until she begged him to take her, Asher looked up at her and fisted his cock.

“I don’t know which I want to do more, fuck you or eat you.” She told him both. “My pleasure.”

Not wanting to miss a drop of her hot cream, he buried his mouth over her clit and sucked hard. She came, screaming out his name even as she flooded his mouth. Drinking her down, lapping as much of it into his mouth as he could, Asher slid his fingers into her and fucked her like he wanted to do with his cock. As she came again, then again, he knew that if he waited much longer, he was going to come himself.

Moving up her body, he took her breast into his mouth. They were lovely and probably the sexiest part of her as far as he was concerned. Then there was her pussy. He didn’t want to forget that. But as he moved up her, taking her mouth with his, he decided that there was nothing about her that wasn’t his favorite part of her. Sliding his cock into her, he lifted his body from hers as he moved in and out of her.

“I love the way you feel wrapped all around me.” Nodding, she put her legs up around his hips and he slid deeper. “That’s it, baby, take me. Christ, you have no idea how much I want to come inside of you. But I need to bring you again.”

“Asher, as soon as you come, I’m going to scream again and come too.” He fucked her harder, his cock seeming to have a mind of its own. “Please. More, I need more.”

Not one to disappoint his wife, he took her harder, using some of his strength, some of his magic to bring her again and again. When she begged him to stop, she had nothing left, Asher used the last push of his magic to bring her again, and he came roaring out her name.

Asher tried not to simply drop on top of her, but he was drained. He did roll to his back, bringing her with him at the last moment so as not to crush her. He looked up at the sky when he could manage to open his eyes finally. She was looking at him with her chin on her fist.

“I love you.” Smiling, he told her he loved her as well. “I mean, I really love you. Not that ‘damn that was a good fuck, I love you for it,’ love, but a serious I am in love with you.”

He was at a loss for words and pulled her to him for a long, consuming kiss. “I love you so much that I have no idea how to express it to you.”

Nodding, she laid her head on his chest as she spoke. “The lady of the earth, she gave us some powerful shit. I think maybe Kiaran got it as well.”

“He did. I think he’s a little overwhelmed by it as well.” He felt her nod. “What do you suppose we’re supposed to do with it? I mean…really, I have no idea what we got, but it was a lot of power and information.”

“I think….” She lifted her head up again and looked at him. “This thing with us being the king and queen of dragons, I think she gave us what we’ll need to deal with that too.”

“Yes.” He lifted his hand from her back and looked at his arm. There was a mark there that had never been there before, and before he could ask her about it, Essie answered his unspoken question.

“I have one too. It’s just like the one on Kiaran. But ours are gold and his is silver.” Asher remembered it now and put his hand back to rubbing her back. “Asher? I want to get this thing over with concerning Helena. I don’t want to be there making her have sex again.”

Asher laughed and she did too. “I can imagine that it would be weird. But as Caroline said, it was necessary to make her unfocused.”

“I know.” She sat up then and reached for the pants and shirt that was lying next to a pile for him. “Someone thought of us being naked. And so you know, I’m sort of disconcerted that we’re forever in this state of undress in the open.”

He watched her dress, thinking that he would have her naked all the time if he could, but she had a point. There were his brothers here as well as his dad now, and Elbert. When she told him she was going to the house, he told her he’d be along shortly. A nap sounded really good, and he had no qualms like she did of doing so naked.

Closing his eyes, he felt his body, already sated and relaxed, start to slip under the spell of sleep. But before he could get into the deeper part of it, a shadow fell across his face and he smiled.

“Come back to play some more? I have to tell you, you’ve sort of worn me out.” When Essie didn’t answer, he opened one eye and tried to focus on her. But the sun was too bright, and she was in shadows. Before he could say anything else, the pain in his head exploded, and he saw who it was.

I’m hurt. Helena has me.
It was all he could send out before darkness, painful black inky darkness, took him under.

~~~

Kiaran staggered under the pain. He grabbed for something to keep him upright and pulled Essie and his brother Zak down with him. The pain, the sickening pain, made him reach for his head, thinking that something had driven a pike through it.

I’m hurt. Helena has me,
echoed into his head over and over. Sitting as still as he could so as not to hurt any more, he reached for his other half, only to hit a hard wall. When something was shoved into his hand, then pushed to his mouth, he drank it. The harsh liquid of alcohol stripped the pain in his head with its surprise taste. As he coughed, trying to catch his breath, he realized that Essie was sitting beside him, and that she knew what had happened.

“We’ll get him from her. Now.” Essie nodded, but she looked…well, she looked as pained as he felt. “Honey, he’s not going to die. Not so long as we’re here to get him back. You have to believe me.”

“She hurt him.” He nodded and had to hold his head to stop the pain. “She hurt you too. I didn’t know that would happen.”

“It’s never happened before. I have felt his pain in a sort of soft way, but nothing like this.” Zak handed him a glass of juice, something he wished he’d had the first time. Drinking it down, he felt marginally better but not completely healed. He could only imagine what Asher was feeling.

When Essie stood up, so did he. Dizziness swamped him, but after a few seconds it passed. Holding onto the counter where they’d been standing when he’d been hurt, he looked around the room. Someone must have called them all to him, because everyone was in the room now.

“I’m going with you.” Before Kiaran could tell Jacob that was a bad idea, Essie did. “He’s my son and I’m going with you.”

“And I said no.” Kiaran might have laughed, but he was sort of too busy trying not to throw up. A feeling he’d never had before either. “If you get hurt again and leave us, or she puts some of her mojo shit on you and we never see you again even in the afterlife, I will never forgive myself. We have no idea what sort of crap she can do. I can whip her ass, but not with me worrying about you.”

Kiaran could see that Jacob was pissed, but he nodded. Essie helped the situation out by hugging the man tightly in her arms while she told him that she loved him too much to lose him now. Jacob sat down and held a tissue to his face. The man was worried, there was no doubt about it. And so was he.

“She must have come upon him just after I left him. I should have stayed, but I know that had she gotten us both, we might not be able to get him.” Kiaran watched Essie pace as she worked things out in her head. “I’m going to kick her ass when I see her. Mark my words. And if any of you beat me to it, you’re going to have to deal with me.”

“I won’t touch her.” Zak laughed. “However, if you can see your way clear for me to kick her around a bit, I’d be much obligated to you. She hurt all of us by taking him.”

Essie told him fine. As she continued to pace, Kiaran reached for Asher again. There was still a hard wall, but he knew that he was still alive. The only way he could die was if she beheaded him or stabbed him in the heart…something that he’d seen Helena do in the dream. When Essie seemed to come to a decision, he stood up. She had her game face on, a perfect description for the way her body and face were set.

“We go now. Not later when she’s had time to hurt him, but right now.” Casdon started to speak and she cut him off. “I need you all there with me. Without all of us, we’re going to lose him. I don’t want to even think about that.”

“We have the element of surprise on our side.” Kiaran looked at Essie as he continued. “She has no idea what sort of power you have now. Hell, it’s so much I hum with it, but she won’t expect it. And she has no idea that you’re bringing us.”

Nodding, she didn’t look so sure. He started to ask her what she was thinking when he realized that she was trying to reach Asher. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he let some of the power he had move over her. He knew that Asher could connect with her, and he was completely blown away when it worked for him.

She wasn’t trying to reach Asher as he’d thought, but looking into the mountain where he was. The chamber was just as he’d seen it in Asher’s dream, but this time it seemed to be cleaner; the walls even seemed to shine a little. Then he realized it wasn’t shining so much as it was pouring water over the large stones.

“The mountain is flooding the chambers beneath the one that they’re in. He said that it will take him a few more hours, but I asked him not to stop. Asher has a better chance of swimming out of there than he would going up against her.” Kiaran nodded. “I’m going to go into the dining room. I don’t know if you can touch anything when I do, but help me if you can. I have to do a few things to scare some of the meanness out of Helena.”

“I’ll do whatever you need.” They moved around the chamber. There was something else that he noticed while walking with her; someone had moved the dais. He had no idea why that was going to be important, but he made a mental note to keep an eye on it later.

As they moved into the room where she was headed, Kiaran saw Asher. He was slumped against the wall, chained there with the gold paint that had been on him before. Essie touched Asher, but she didn’t disturb him as he might have.

The king was where he’d been before, with the exception that now there were fresh flowers in the vase and steaming meats and vegetables on the table. It was a feast fit for him, and Kiaran wondered where they had found some of the things there. He’d not seen dragon’s cakes in a long while, and felt his mouth water for one or two. But there was work to be done, and he’d yet to figure out why Essie was here.

“I have to see who is here.” She answered his unspoken question. “I need to know where all the people are and how many there are before we go in. And I want to play with her mind a little while I’m doing it.”

The huge necklace that was around the king’s throat was moved. He had no idea if he could have done that as well, but followed her when she laid it near Asher. Then when she returned to the table, she picked up several of the dragon’s cakes and slipped them into her pocket as she picked up one of the wine glasses that was filled to near overflowing and put it in the king’s hand. She had just stepped back from the king when Helena entered.

He knew the moment she saw the king’s necklace. As she bent to take it from Asher, Essie bumped against the table and sent several of the other glasses tipping. When Helena turned, she looked right at them. Kiaran moved out of her way when she came at him, and it was then that he realized she was going for the king. She couldn’t see them.

Helena was clearly terrified. She stared at the glass in King Ruben’s fingers like he had something more heinous than a simple glass. As she backed from him, the king, Kiaran got a good look at her.

“She looks horrible.” Essie nodded but said nothing. “Christ, she looks every one of her years right now. Is this what you’ve been doing to her?”

“Sort of. Caroline showed me how to mess with her mind. She thinks that Ruben is coming for her and that when he gets here, he’s going to do all sorts of things to her. I don’t know what she thinks right now, but I’ve been searching her mind, looking for the best…or I guess worst, things he’d done to her when he was alive and using those thoughts against her. I don’t think she’s slept in a day or so.”

She looked it too. When Essie told him they were leaving, he stayed with her when she talked to the mountain and then returned them to the house. He sat down, staring at the woman who would be his queen.

“You knew that he was hurting and you’re going to help him.” She nodded. “The mountain, has it always talked to you?”

“I think, in some way I guess.” He nodded while she continued. “He’s going to help us. When we get there, we’ll have the path lit for us so that we won’t alert her when we get to her chamber. The man of the mountain wants her gone.”

“And what did he thank you for?” She flushed brightly, and he smiled. “Oh, I have to know now. Anything to make you that embarrassed.”