The Dragon's Lover (2 page)

The elf was surprised that the stranger had correctly
interpreted the ancient markings on his clothing and nodded to her
with newfound respect. Raine nodded back, the restrained
recognition of one killer to another. She moved to the bar.

“I'll have an amber sting.”

The humans within earshot turned in surprise while
the bartender blanched. An amber sting was a deadly drink, causing
convulsions, blindness, severe vomiting, and various other maladies
to those who could not handle the cinnamon liqueur. Those who could
successfully ingest the drink generally turned violent upon
swallowing the liquid fire, and for that reason, the drink was
banned almost everywhere.

But not here.

“Very well,” the barkeep said. He reached up onto the
top shelf and pulled down the honey and spice concoction, blowing
the dust from the seldom-used bottle. His actions caught the
attention of everyone in the bar and resulted in raucous cheers
from the dwarves who began pounding on the solid wood table. The
bartender carefully poured out a shot glass full of the dark yellow
liquor, giving his customer a once over. She actually looked like
someone who could handle the drink, but she also looked like
someone who could destroy the entire room if this went sideways. He
glanced over at the knight, who had gotten to her feet.

Raine lifted the shot glass, swirled the dark amber
liquid so that the red highlights spiraled in a miniature vortex,
then drank the deadly concoction in one swallow. She set the glass
down solidly, enjoying the rush of fire that suffused outward,
reddening her cheeks, giving her a flush of pleasure that went to
every extremity. The barkeep watched her nervously, but when it
appeared she was experiencing no ill effects, a roar erupted in the
pub. It had been years since anyone had even tried the amber sting,
and no one had ever drunk one so effortlessly.

“Here you go then,” the barkeep said, able to finish
the ceremony surrounding the drink for the first time in his life.
He lifted a sconce from its holder and held the flame in front of
Raine, who forcefully exhaled the fumes from the alcohol. A pyre of
flame shot from her mouth as if she were breathing fire and another
roar erupted from the crowd. The flames subsided, fortunately doing
no more damage than singeing the hair of those closest to her, and
she was surrounded with well-wishers who pounded her on the back in
congratulation.

“By the gods,” the bartender said, “that is a feat
that would do even a Scinterian proud.”

Raine smiled mockingly. “That is a myth, my friend.
There are no more Scinterians, and maybe there never were.”

Suddenly, the shadowy elf was at her elbow, and he,
too, was mocking. “So you don't believe in Scinterians, ancient
allies of the dragons, the most skilled and invincible warriors of
all time?”

Raine laughed at the handsome elf. “Well, I sure as
Hel don't believe the dragons gave them amber sting so that they,
too, could breathe fire.”

This produced much more laughter from those around
her and Raine became aware that the knight was heading in her
direction. She leaned down conspiratorially to the elf, winking at
him. “Got to go,” she said.

The elf grinned. He understood exactly. The stranger
was much like him and it was always a little dangerous to attract
too much attention. He shifted his position, shielding her from
view, and Raine slipped through the crowd and to the door. She gave
one last wave to the handsome elf, who watched the skilled
departure with admiration and a little regret. The Alfar were
rarely attracted to humans because their own kind were far more
beautiful. But that young woman was gorgeous and he would have
taken her to bed in a heartbeat, given the chance. The devilish
glint in her eye as she headed out the door would long haunt his
dreams.

Raine jogged down the back alleyways feeling
remarkably refreshed. The amber sting invigorated more than
impaired, at least for her, and where before she had considered
stopping for the night, now she thought she would continue forward,
meandering toward her destination.

CHAPTER 2

The terrain was incredibly steep. Raine had already
inadvertently created two rock slides and was thankful she was
traveling alone because the slides would have killed anyone
climbing below her. There were stretches so impassable she had to
wedge her double swords into crevices and pull herself up entirely
by arm strength. The ascent itself was a feat of physicality that
few could have matched and for that reason, Raine was again glad
that no one saw her. She could perhaps attribute it to magic, but
then she would be hard-pressed to produce any other act or
spell.

She paused on a ledge no wider than a foot, resting
for a moment and allowing her legs to dangle over the side. The
drop was thousands of feet yet she felt only exhilaration looking
down into the abyss. She glanced up, estimating she had almost
another thousand feet to go before she reached the pinnacle. She
was not quite certain why she was climbing this mountain but
somehow she felt compelled to continue, as if something was drawing
her in. She had felt the sensation while in the lowlands, something
unidentifiable yet totally intriguing. It seemed familiar, yet
unknown, and now she could not have stopped if the entire mountain
collapsed in on her. She simply would have dug her way out and
started climbing again, so driven had she become.

She stood, balancing on the narrow ledge, and chose a
path of ascent. She continued to climb effortlessly, her strength
and endurance excessive even for her impressive physique. In a very
short time, she reached the rock ledge she was climbing toward.
This ridge was far wider, however, and as she pulled herself over
the edge, she saw the entrance to the cave she had suspected was
there.

Raine examined the gaping hole in the mountain,
nonplussed. This was what she had been looking for, what she
expected to find, yet she still wasn't quite certain what was
driving her. She strolled toward the entrance and without
hesitation, entered the cavern.

And cavern was an apt description. This was not some
hole in the wall, some dark, dank cave. It was well-lit by the sun
streaming down through a gigantic opening in the ceiling and the
enclosure itself was enormous. It even had a lake of sorts, so
large was the opening inside the mountaintop. It was quite a
stunning sight, with elaborate rock formations on the shores of the
lake.

A stone clattered to the ground and Raine froze.
Whatever had compelled her climb, whatever had drawn her in,
whatever had so attracted her to this place…

Was now behind her.

A scratching, abrasive noise, like stone-on-stone
emanated from the rocks she had just passed. It was like the scales
of an armored reptile scraping across rough ground, a very, very
large reptile. Raine slowly and methodically turned around as the
dragon's head rose above a jagged rock formation in a sinewy,
serpentine fashion. The creature then moved its massive body out
into the open with a lithe grace that nothing that size should
possess.

Raine gazed at the creature in wonder. It was a
deeply saturated red color, the heavy plated scales reflecting
light in millions of tiny rainbows. There were hints of a brilliant
yellow which would flash in the light as the dragon moved, creating
an illusion that the creature was made of fire. The skin in places
was rough with sharp, protective spikes protruding that could
easily impale a man. In other places, the skin was supple and
smooth, the muscles flexing and rippling beneath the scaled
surface. The dragon had a mouthful of wicked looking, razor-sharp
teeth and stunning gold eyes also flecked with red. The golden eyes
examined her as the dragon came completely into view. A long
silence ensued as Raine simply stood there, then at last
exhaled.

“You are beautiful,” she said.

The dragon was taken aback, yet also clearly
amused.

“You are a strange little creature,” the dragon said.
“Most come into my presence in terror or with fake bravado, yet I
sense no fear in you at all.”

The dragon was female and it was clear to Raine that
she was very old and very powerful. Her voice was low, with a
dangerous but sensual edge to it. Raine bowed low, making no effort
to go for the weapons at her disposal.

“I apologize,” she said formally, “it was rude of me
to disturb you simply to satisfy my curiosity.”

“So you sensed me,” the dragon said, now even more
intrigued by the little creature before her, and Raine realized she
had revealed more than intended. She also realized there was
probably very little she could hide from the creature in front of
her.

“Yes,” Raine replied.

“Hmm,” the dragon said, the scales scraping across
the rock as she moved to examine the girl from a different angle.
“So what should we do to compensate for this transgression, this
trespass of my domain?”

The dragon leaned down close and Raine could feel the
heat of the monster's breath. The sensation created an odd disquiet
in her, a fluttering twist located in her abdomen, an
extraordinarily odd reaction more akin to pleasure than fear. The
dragon sensed the reaction and thought she must be misinterpreting
the response because it felt more like desire than anything
remotely appropriate for the situation.

“What is it you wish from me?” Raine asked,
struggling to focus and remain calm under the dragon's now
pronounced scrutiny.

The dragon drew back, pleased. “You have a secret,”
she announced. She again examined the girl at length, both
physically and mentally. “I want you to show me.”

Raine sighed. She had known this was fairly
inevitable from the moment she had encountered the dragon. She
began methodically removing her weapons, laying them on the ground
one-by-one. The dragon was impressed with the weaponry, but her
attention was immediately diverted when the girl also began
removing her armor. This was truly unexpected, but not necessarily
unwelcome. The ancient creature wondered if the girl was going to
strip naked and could not imagine what the outcome of that
potentiality would be. The young woman turned her back to the great
drake and the dragon now wondered if this were a sudden attack of
modesty. But the girl removed her long-sleeved jerkin with a
flourish and the dragon instantly understood.

There were elaborate, beautiful markings on the
inside of the girl's forearms and spread across her upper back.
They were mythical, unmistakable, less tattoos than inlaid
filigree, a brilliant royal blue and gold woven beneath the skin in
a process so painful and permanent that only one race could survive
the process.

The dragon exhaled. “You are Scinterian,” she said
with immense pleasure.

“Yes,” Raine said simply, “I am.”

The dragon drew back, still unable to believe her
eyes or her fortune. “The closest allies of dragon kind in all the
world. But I have not seen a Scinterian in hundreds of years and I
did not think there were any left.”

“I may be the last of my kind,” Raine replied.

At this comment, the very space around the dragon
shifted as she began to transform. The great creature shrank as
bones, tendons, and ligaments transitioned into their alternate
phase, then re-formulated, re-spawned into human-like form. The
dragon was now a stunningly beautiful older woman dressed in
imposing red armor that also at times appeared to dance with flame.
Her hair was silver and brushed back from her face. Her cheeks were
high, chiseled into her face, and her eyes were still a deep gold
color filled with wicked amusement.

Raine stood dumbfounded, then swallowed hard. She
normally was master of every situation but at the moment, she was
at a complete loss. This was very unexpected.

Weynild stared at the girl, slowly grasping the
effect she was having and quite surprised by it. As a
shape-shifter, she could morph into any form she wished, young,
old, ugly, beautiful, voluptuous, spare. But her current form was
the most similar to and consistent with her dragon form in all
ways, age included. And the girl just stood there, stunned.

“Is it possible,” the dragon-human said, “that I am
more dangerous to you in this form than my other?”

Raine again swallowed hard, a deep flush spreading
out across her cheeks. “Not just possible,” she murmured, “but
highly probable.”

Weynild stepped forward, a matching desire flaring
within her. But she was far more in control than the one in front
of her and there was something else here. She placed her hands on
the slender hips and pulled the lithesome frame to her, gazing down
into eyes that were now having a hard time meeting hers.

“You have another secret,” Weynild said with growing
certainty, “and you will show me this one as well.”

Raine's eyes sought refuge anywhere, the lake, the
rock formations, the entrance that now beckoned so invitingly. But
they could not evade the golden eyes that were seeking her deepest
secret. Very slowly, the dragon leaned down and touched her lips to
the girl's, and a shock of electricity went through them both,
causing Raine to jerk backward and reveal what she could not hide
from the dragon.

Weynild stared down into eyes that were a deep
violet, a color so beautiful it would make the flowers in the field
weep with envy. They were deep purple, a color that would put
royalty to shame.

“You are Arlanian as well,” Weynild whispered, unable
to fathom the creature she was holding. What kind of improbable
union could have created this being? And had there been any doubt
as to the outcome of their meeting, it was now removed. She took
the girl to the ground, shredding and stripping her clothing with
nails that had lost none of their sharpness in the transformation.
The armor that hugged the curves of her body retracted, revealing
magnificent breasts that occupied all of Raine's attention for a
brief moment before Weynild bit into the side of her neck, creating
intense pleasure. Then the tongue was in her mouth, gentle but
insistently dominant, and although she had kissed few in her life,
somehow Raine knew exactly what to do and matched the dragon's
passion.