The Dragon’s Treasure (8 page)

“Did I hurt you?” he said after a few long moments. She could still hear the breathlessness in his voice. He sounded vulnerable and almost frightened of her answer. She considered telling him that everything was fine, but chose honesty instead.

She shrugged and tried to act casually. “It stung at first, but I’m fine now.”

He was quiet. “I’m sorry that it was uncomfortable though.”

Isabelle nodded and turned away. She rested her head on her arms and breathed deeply. “I was thinking…”

“Yes?”

“This child…I’ll be carrying a half Draconian child, right?” she asked quietly.

“Yes,” he instantly sounded tense.

He was such a strange man. Not at all sure of himself. It was far different than the few princes that had tried to court her in the past. Faolan, with his strong muscles and quiet demeanor, could probably beat them at any hand-to-hand fight within minutes, the pompous feather-wearing idiots that they had been. The thought made a quick smile flash across her lips.

“But I’m sure they are longer than human infants, since you seem taller than most men that I’ve seen. How is this possible?”

“Lucky for you I already asked Kylin this question,” he replied quickly as he rolled out his neck and shoulder muscles, stretching them.

“And what did he say?”

“That because you are human, you will give birth to a physically human baby. It is only later that its other half will show itself.”

“Well that’s a relief. When both sides are obvious, what will the child look like?” Isabelle tried to sound light, tried to sound like she didn’t care. But it was still a child from her, still something part of her. She didn’t want to think about what it would look like, who it would take after physically. It was already too painful, despite what she might have thought when she agreed to Thadius’s demands.

“I have no idea,” he replied casually.

“Will you show me your natural form someday?”

“Possibly, but definitely not right now. There is no way that I could gather the strength and energy needed to change right now,” he replied with a yawn.

Isabelle giggled softly. “Okay then,” she said, her voice growing quiet. “Thank you for not hurting me, Faolan.” She could feel his dark eyes on her, scrutinizing her.

“You don’t have to thank me for that,” he replied seriously, his voice hard.

“I’m a little tired, too. May I rest here next to you?” she asked, quickly changing the subject. To her surprise, she heard him chuckle.

“I would like that very much.”

Isabelle slowly turned to face him, brushing large chunks of hair off her face. She yawned softly and watched him as his eyes began to slowly close. Within minutes, he was sound asleep. She pulled the covers up around his shoulders and quickly joined him.

Isabelle awoke hours later to a loud rapping at the door. She had been having the most wonderful dream, holding her brother in her arms as they walked through the sunlight. Her mother had even been there to greet them for a picnic. The knocking continued though despite her silent protests. Beside her, the bed shifted as a still naked and quite annoyed Faolan sat up.

“Damnit,” he growled, running a hand through his long messy hair.

Isabelle was blushing heavily at the realization that she had woken up next to a man for the first time. And that he was naked, the same as her.

The knocking persisted.

“Go away!” he yelled, tossing a pillow at the door for emphasis. It landed with a soft thunk but still whoever it was seemed undeterred as they continued tapping.

“I have a message from Lord Thadius!” the male voice on the other side of the door called out loudly.

“Oh alright, come in then if you must,” Faolan replied, crossing his arms over his slim chest in the way Isabelle had seen Caden do hundreds of times.

A guard came in as Isabelle hid herself under the thick blankets “Lord Thadius, high ruler of—”

“Get on with the message,” Faolan barked irritably.

“Yes, Sire,” the man humphed. “Your father wishes for you to have a meal with him in the great hall in an hour.”

“Fine. You’re excused,” Faolan snapped.

“Both of you,” the guard said with a pointed look in Isabelle’s direction. Her eyes went wide and her gaze darted to Faolan’s who also seemed surprised.

* * * *

He nodded once and dismissed the man with a casual wave of his hand.

After the door was closed, he stood up and stretched, noticing with a small smile how Isabelle buried her face in the pillow to hide her blush after getting caught watching him.

Once he had pulled on a pair of pants, she opened her eyes and turned to him. “Why would your father want to see me, too?” she asked.

“I would assume he would like to get to know you better. You are my wife, after all,” he replied, tossing a clean white shirt over his head.

“In name only,” she reminded him quietly. With her eyes focused anywhere but him as he finished dressing, she didn’t notice the slight frown that her comment brought forth.

He tried to keep his tone light as he said, “Then perhaps he is just curious to see if humans really are beasts as we are all taught to believe.”

Her gaze turned to him and he froze, hoping that his playful jibe would not start an argument. But instead of the lashing he was prepared for, she merely smiled at him and lightly tossed a pillow that he neatly caught.

“But what am I going to wear?” she asked.

He chuckled lightly and went to the large wardrobe. “While you were asleep the tailors were busy making you a few pieces. I guess they assumed you’d take my father up on his offer. Hmm…This one will do nicely.” He tossed a dark blue floor length gown onto the bed beside her. “And these,” he said, adding a pair of slipper style shoes to the pile.

“It’s so plain,” she said, holding the dress up against her chest while still staying seated on the bed.

With his back to her, he heard her slip out of the bed with the sheet wrapped tightly around her.

“We do not indulge in frills and lace here,” he replied defensively. He stiffened slightly at the sudden pressure of her hand on his back. It was a testament to how distracted she made him that he hadn’t heard her coming towards him. Faolan turned around slowly, an eyebrow raised in question at her bright smile.

“I did not mean that as an insult,” she said gently, her eyes warily searching his as a frightened animal might. “In Nuer, all of my dresses that I had a say in were simple in style. Caring for Caden left little room in my life for parties and pageantry so I got used to simplicity and function.”

He nodded, the feeling of her touching him willingly making all speech impossible.

“I…” Her cheeks were tinted in a faint blush.

She stood up on her toes, her hand tightening on his arm for balance. Her breath was warm on his cheek as she planted a little peck there with her lips. With a quiet, “Thanks,” she was back on the floor and stepping away from him.

Before he could register what had happened, she was in the bathroom and closing the door behind her as she said, “Wait for me please so that we can walk down together.”

He could only manage a faint nod as he stood there, touching his cheek dumbly.

By the time she emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed and with her hair in neat loose curls down her back, Faolan had already sent the same impatient guard away twice, saying, “Go away and tell my father that we’re coming.” Truthfully, he was getting frustrated, too, but when he saw her in the dress, he forgot all about that and gave her a short bow, delighting in her soft chuckle as she curtsied. He offered her his outstretched arm, which she eagerly took as he escorted her to a meal.

At the door though, they met Zorin, dressed in all black as usual and wearing a deep scowl across his face.

“Zorin,” Faolan growled, instantly stepping in front of Isabelle to shield her from his view.

Zorin smirked and tilted his head slightly, his onyx eyes trained solely on Isabelle. “Your father needs to see you for business. She is not to come this time after all.”

“But he said—” Faolan quickly argued.

Zorin’s harsh eyes shot to him and narrowed. “Your father told me to tell you. It’s an order by him. Leave the girl here and come on. I don’t have time for this.”

“Selfish bastard,” Isabelle spat at him. “I wouldn’t want to go anyway if I have to breathe the same air as you.”

Zorin openly grinned at her. “I can make it so that you’re not breathing at all then, Princess,” he suggested casually, placing a hand on his hip, just inches from the hilt of his sword.

“Leave her alone,” Faolan snapped at him.

“Then come with me,” he replied, his attention once again fixed on Faolan.

Faolan nodded and sighed loudly, running a hand through his long hair. “Fine.” He turned to Isabelle and stroked her gently on the arm. “Go back to your own room for now. I’ll tell them to bring you and Caden something to eat.”

He watched her smile at him before he walked away.

Caden was resting peacefully so she kissed his cheek and left him alone.

Back in her room, Isabelle slumped warily into the closest chair. Despite their budding connection, Isabelle felt as if she shared a bed with a complete stranger, which did very little to help her sleep at night. Even if they did have separate rooms. To add to it, the mountain itself set her on edge. This was the dragon’s territory and although she had yet to see one up close, she knew they were out there somewhere, just waiting to snap her up.

While it was true that the worst stories she had heard about dragons had come from Andrew, it was also true that no one had ever said anything kind about the beasts to contradict him either. By all accounts, they were giant, highly intelligent predators that could outrun even the fastest horses and had a taste for young women. Not the sort of thing she wished to meet at night, which was why she never ventured onto the ledge.

A knock from the open doorway caught her attention and she turned to look at the guard standing there.

“Lords Thadius, has changed his mind and he and Faolan wish to invite you to a late meal to be served in the great hall in precisely one hour,” he said. With a stiff bow, he was down the hall before Isabelle could even open her mouth to reply.

She didn’t feel up to having a formal meal, or any meal really, but by the way the guard had made it sound she had little choice in the matter. With a sigh, she pushed herself up from the chair. After slipping her feet into the matching shoes and quickly twisting her hair up into an elegant knot, she was ready to go.

A different guard, she was happy to see, was waiting patiently outside her room when she emerged. After giving her a small bow, he silently escorted her through the many corridors until they were standing before a stone archway.

Isabelle took a breath and nervously smoothed her dress. A chuckle behind her caused her to turn toward the guard.

“You should relax,” he whispered. “Lord Thadius likes to make meals sound like a more formal affair than they really are. Just remember to eat slowly and don’t speak unnecessarily. You’ll be fine. Now get in there, our lord hates to be kept waiting.”

“Thank you,” Isabelle whispered gratefully before smiling at him. “You aren’t like the other guards,” she quickly told him.

He smiled politely. “Unlike most of the guards, I am a Draconian that has chosen to look human for the moment.”

“Oh, are you related to Faolan then?” she asked.

He shook his head no and spoke quietly. “My line was killed. I came to Thadius to exchange my services as a guard for his protection. Alone we are vulnerable, but in a clan we have safety in numbers.”

She nodded in understanding and smiled at him. She took another deep breath and then walked confidently into the room with her chin up and her shoulders back. Her mother, the lady that she was, would have been proud.

As the only other people in the room, Thadius and Faolan were not hard to miss. She waited patiently for them until they had finished speaking before approaching them though. By Thadius’s large grin, she could tell that the dress met with his approval, but it was Faolan’s slight smile and the soft blush of his pale cheeks that made her heart flutter. He rose from the table and came to her. Then, with two fingers resting gently on her elbow, Faolan led her to the table and pulled out a chair for her. Once she was seated, Faolan took his place by her side and Thadius sat across from them. Seconds later a group of men brought forth glasses of wine, a loaf of crusty bread and bowls of soup and they began eating in silence.

Halfway through the roast pheasant, Isabelle felt a strong wind against her back from the open archways along the back wall. A moment later, there was a thud that shook the stone beneath her feet and nearly toppled her untouched glass of wine. Curiously, she turned to look over her shoulder. In an instant, she had bolted out of her chair, nearly toppling it. She stood facing a very large green dragon.

Her hand reached behind her for the butter knife resting beside her plate, but as the beast’s large yellow eyes flashed to her and his nostrils flared, she thought better of it. Absently, she felt Faolan’s fingers press into her upper arm to steady her as she continued to stare helplessly up at the dragon.

“D-D-Dragon…” she finally managed to whisper after a few more minutes of unbearably tense silence.

Foalan’s grip on her arm tightened. His lips brushed against her ear as he whispered, “Isabelle, please, stay where you are, he will not harm you.”

Thadius cast them both disapproving glances before stepping around the large table and coming to stand in front of the beast. He held his arms out and smiled widely and said, “Ah, Lysander, so good to see you again.”

Isabelle tensed and turned toward Faolan. “Your father has a pet dragon?” she hissed at him, a second too late realizing how loud her voice was in the silent room.

The dragon’s head swung away from Thadius as he took in her figure before him. “Pet?” Surprisingly fast and graceful, he was standing in front of the couple in an instant. “How dare you!” he roared at her. “I am no one’s pet!”