dragon archives 02 - pursued by a dragon (20 page)

“So …?” she prompted, reluctant to put her question into words.

“So the answer is yes, sometimes, and no.”

“Yes, sometimes, and no? What does that mean?”

“Yes, dragons eat human flesh; I sometimes enjoy it; and no, I would never think of you in that way.”

“You would never want to eat me?” she asked dryly, crossing her arms against her chest. “That is … comforting.”

“Cathryn, I am a dragon. Not a human. A dragon. I may have a human mother, but I am still a dragon. Nothing can ever change that.” He lifted his hand and held it out in front of her as a flame flared up from his palm. “I am created from fire. I may wear a human guise, but that does not change who I am. Dragons need the occasional human flesh to survive. But that does not mean I view you as my next meal. I love you.” He buried his nose in her hair and breathed in deeply. “I carry your scent in my mind, but it is not the scent of my prey. It is the scent of my lover.” Cathryn shivered at his words, her emotions warring within her. She turned within his arms to look at him.

“And what about when you are a dragon? What do I smell like then?”

“I am always a dragon. Taking on my natural form does not mean I view you any differently. I still want to feel you, and breathe in your scent, and love you. I want to touch you, and feel you touching me too.” At his words, Cathryn could feel a twist of warmth snake through her belly. She lifted her hand to his face and stroked his cheeks as the yellow flecks in his eyes started to glow.

“Why is it that your eyes are sometimes blue, and other times filled with flame?”

“I was born with blue eyes,” he said. “But the stronger my emotions, the closer the flames rise to the surface. I can usually keep them in check, but with you,” he shrugged, “you are already too much a part of me for me to hide my feelings.” He smiled as the blue of his eyes started to burn away, leaving only black pupils surrounded by brightly burning flames.

“Your skin feels so much warmer,” she whispered.

“That’s because my human skin is wearing thin. The flames are closer to the surface.”

“Show me the dragon,” she said. He stared down at her for a moment, and then slowly pulled himself away from her.

“You will have to close your eyes,” he said. “There is an explosion of light that your eyes cannot yet handle.”

“Yet?”

“I’ll explain soon,” he assured her. “Now turn away and cover your eyes.” She did as she was bade, but even so, she could see the light spread around and then suddenly disappear. She pulled her hands from her face and turned around to look at the creature standing before her. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stared at the huge beast. She drew back slightly when he raised sharply curving claws, then gave a nervous laugh when she saw her silver bangle wrapped around a sharp talon.

“So that’s how you wear it,” she said as he dropped the claws back to the ground.

“You’re still scared of me,” he said with a sigh.

“No,” she replied. “It is just that you are so … big.” Slowly he dropped down onto the ground, folding his legs beneath him and dropping his head down to her eye level. His wings were folded against his back, but he opened them, spreading them to their fullest extent.

“Come, my love,” he said, “I know how much you admire my wings. Come touch them.” She eyed him dubiously, and he shifted himself slightly, bringing one of his wings closer to where she stood. With a deep breath, she stepped towards him and ran a hand over the taut span of his wing, watching as the smooth surface rippled with her touch, glimmering in the light. A framework of bone fanned out from his back and ran through the wings, supporting the huge appendages. The bones ended in sharp points at various intervals along the outer edges of his wings, and she ran her hand over them, feeling the pointed tips.

“I love it when you touch me,” he breathed, a stream of flame flowing from his mouth as he watched her over his shoulder. She moved along the edge of his wings tentatively, and he slowly brought his tail around, curling it around her legs. She glanced back at his face, and then reached down to touch the tail, running her fingers along the thick scaly length, following the curve he had made around her legs. When she could reach no further, he slowly unwound it, giving her space to trace it towards his body. The tail was armed with sharp, bony spikes, and she ran her finger over one of the tips. It was as sharp as it looked, and she pulled her finger away to look at the blood staining her skin.

“Cathryn?” he said softly, and she turned towards him, holding up her finger. “Come here,” he said, his voice dropping even lower. She looked at her finger, and then back at the rows of sharp teeth lining his mouth. Slowly she walked around to his face, and after another momentary pause, lifted her hand. Slowly, his bright gaze holding hers, he flicked his forked, reptilian tongue at her finger, first licking off the drop of blood and then slowly trailing it down the finger’s length. He closed his eyes and shuddered, pulling in his tongue and closing his mouth. A moment passed before he opened them again.

“I’ve tasted your blood,” he said, “now you should taste mine.”

“No,” she said, stumbling back a step.

“Cathryn.” His voice was low and demanding, and she stopped to stare at him. She nodded after a moment, and he turned his head, pointing with his talon to a spot near his underbelly. “Do you see that gap?” he asked. Cathryn moved closer to look, and saw that there was a scale missing in the space he had pointed out. She lifted her hand to her pendant as her gaze flew to his. He nodded, and then using his talon, pierced the skin exposed by the missing scale. A large drop of blood welled up in the spot when he pulled his talon away, and Cathryn stared at it, mesmerized. She stretched out a hand to catch the liquid as it slowly fell towards the ground, and it splashed onto her palm. It was warm, she noticed, just like the rest of him. She lifted her gaze to his and raised her hand, bringing her palm to her mouth and licking off the single drop of blood. Her eyes widened as the blood hit her taste buds. It was unlike anything she had expected — sweet, like strong mulled wine — and even though it had been just one drop, it weaved its way through her, exploding through her veins.

Without another word, Favian wrapped the smooth side of his tail around her and lifted her onto his back. She gasped, and then threw her arms around his neck as he rose into the air. He spiraled up towards the heavens, and then dived down toward the ground. The speed took Cathryn’s breath away, and she could not even scream as the earth got closer at an alarming rate. When she was sure they were about to crash, he pulled himself back up into the air, spiraling back up towards the mountain peak where they had been sitting.

“What was that?” she gasped when she was finally able to draw in a breath. He laughed, spewing out flames that warmed the air around her.

“You are marrying a dragon, my love,” he said. “I thought I should show you just what you are in for.”

“If that is what I am in for, then perhaps I should reconsider,” she retorted. He laughed again as he landed once more on the rocky ledge.

“Cover your eyes, my love,” he said. She turned around and covered her eyes, turning back again as the light faded. He was pulling on his trousers, and she felt the blood rush into her cheeks. He walked up to her and pulled her into his arms. “No need to be embarrassed,” he said. “Soon it will all be yours to enjoy.” The blush deepened as he dropped his lips to hers, capturing them in a deep kiss. He led her back to the edge of the ledge once more, again wrapping himself around her to keep her warm.

“There’s more you need to know about marrying a dragon,” he said as she leaned back against his chest.

“Oh?” she said, bending her head to look up at him.

“In order for a dragon marriage to be recognized, there needs to be a blood-binding ceremony.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“It is an exchange of blood.”

“What kind of exchange?”

“Well,” he said, “we will have to drink each other’s blood.”

“And how exactly do we do that?” she asked warily.

“I will spill your blood into a cup, and you will do the same.”

“And there will be witnesses?”

“Yes. And the ceremony will be conducted by the Dragon Master.”

“Dragons have a master?”

“Yes, like a clan chief.”

“And where does the Dragon Master live?”

“Actually, you’ve already met him,” said Favian. “The Dragon Master is Aaron.”

“Aaron? Aaron is the Dragon Master? But how is that possible?”

Favian shrugged. “The Dragon Master has to fight for the position, but Aaron’s father was master before him, which made it easier for him to win the support of the clan. There was only one other contender, and he did not survive the contest.”

“So I need to drink your blood? I think I can manage that — I’ve tasted it already.” She turned to look at him suspiciously. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Favian shrugged, unrepentant.

“I didn’t plan it, if that’s what you mean, but I took the opportunity when it presented itself. It seemed to me that you might accept the news better if you had already tasted my blood.” He grinned. “Did you like it?”

“Why do we need to drink each other’s blood?” she asked, ignoring the question.

“The drinking of blood binds us together. Your blood will be in my veins, and mine will be in yours. But there is an added benefit for you. Drinking my blood will imbue you with some dragon qualities.”

“Am I going to start growing a tail?” she asked, only partly in jest.

“No,” he smiled, “and no wings either. Your senses will be heightened, so you won’t need to cover your eyes when I change form, you will heal faster and you will live longer.”

“Live longer?” she looked at him in confusion for a moment, and he waited as comprehension soon followed. “How old are you?” she demanded.

“About one hundred,” he said.

“About?”

“Ninety-five,” he clarified. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to accept this new revelation.

“How old is your mother?” she whispered.

“A hundred and twenty-seven,” he replied. The air seemed to suddenly turn to liquid as she struggled to pull it into her lungs, and she sucked at it in short, shallow gulps as the blood pounded in her ears, creating a roaring sound that blocked out everything else. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “Breathe deeply,” he said softly, and somehow she heard him through the roar. She gulped, forcing herself to suck the air into her lungs, until finally she felt her pulse starting to steady. “All right?” he asked. She nodded, still uncertain of her voice, and took in another deep breath.

“How long will I live?” she asked when she finally felt she could breathe.

“Longer than humans, but not as long as me. The more blood you drink, the longer you will live.” He watched her face intently as he spoke. “It is a lot to take in, I know. Are you all right?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’m … fine. At least, I will be.” He waited in silence, watching her as she stared unfocused into the distance. Finally she turned to him with a small smile. “We’ve discussed the ceremony, and the, uh, benefits to me. Perhaps we should talk about what happens after.”

“After?”

“Yes. This has all been quite a shock for my father. Apart from him, there is no-one that knows the business as I do, and from the time I was young, my father has groomed me to take over the reins. I cannot abandon him now, during the busiest season.”

“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully. “As long as I am with you, I will not stop you from doing what you believe you should. After all, I will have you for many more years than your father will. But I will not tolerate it if the business becomes more important than me. You already know that I can become quite unreasonable when aroused to jealousy. And,” he added with a grim smile, “a jealous dragon is never a pretty sight.” Cathryn nodded.

“This is important to me, but not as important as you. I will do this only if I know I have your support. But if I continue to work with my father, then he will have something to leave his grandchildren.” She smiled up at Favian impishly as he laughed.

“A masterful maid of manipulation,” he said. “No wonder I love you.” He bent down to nibble playfully at her ear, but she swatted him away.

“We haven’t finished.”

“Enough talking,” he coaxed. “Give me a kiss.”

“No. We still need to plan where we are going to live.”

“As long as I am with you, I can live anywhere,” he said, his breath tickling her cheek. “A cave in the mountains, perhaps. Under the stars in a field? No?” he said when she started to pull away. “Drake Manor? We can have the wing above the kitchen, and build on additional rooms when the need arises.”

“But Aaron has those chambers,” she said, her line of thought momentarily distracted.

“He has plenty of his own estates,” said Favian. “He only stays at Drake Manor to be close to us.”

“But we shouldn’t force him away.”

“There are plenty of places Aaron can sleep, and if he wishes to have a bed, he can use the guest chambers.”

“Regardless, Drake Manor is too far away from town.”

“It is only a short flight,” he protested.

“Yes, you are right. I am happy to inform my father about our mode of transportation.”

“Very well,” he said with an exaggerated sigh. “We can rent a house close to town. Not too close, mind you, but close enough to satisfy your father.”

“Thank you,” she said. She turned to look at him. “I know many other husbands would not show such generosity to their wives.”

“I love you,” he said in surprise. “Why would I not want to see you happy?” He pulled her to her feet. “Ready to go?” he asked. He stood behind her, and as she nodded yes, he wrapped his arms across her chest and threw both of them off the rock face, tangling his feet around hers as they left the ground. The wind whipped a scream from her mouth, and he buried his lips in her hair as it flew around his face. “I won’t let you go, I give you my word,” he said. His wings spread like a canopy above them, and Cathryn could see the red tips as they curved through the air, strong and powerful. His arms held her close, and she clenched her hands around them, taking comfort in the tight sinew and muscle that was taut beneath his skin. She was not about to perish, she realized, and as that thought took hold of her mind, her body began to relax. Slowly she began to loosen the death grip on his arms, opening her fingers one by one and letting her arms hang limp. She stretched out one arm to her side, and then the other, reaching with her fingers so they brushed against his wings.