Taming the Dragon Collection (12 page)

Alek staggered backwards away from the table, collapsing into his chair as he looked up at her. “You will no longer clean or do anything the other maids do.”

“What will I do?” she asked, sitting up and trying to cover herself.

“I don’t know,” he said, looking at the fire. “But you need to save your strength to do that again.”

Again Mara smiled. She had grounded the dragon and his taming was just beginning.

Chapter 15

Spring drew nearer with each passing week. Mara knew it wouldn’t be long before the snow below the mountain melted and the birds sang again. She hoped the birds wouldn’t be joined in the sky by a white-winged death.

Every night they ate dinner and then had sex that Mara could only describe as wild and out of control. Eventually, after several days in a row of lovemaking, she had to demand a break from Alek. She was at the point she could barely walk or sit down. He was insatiable and his stamina was endless.

But the more they enjoyed one another’s company the less she heard about pillaging and plundering, until one day at dinner Alek finally broached the subject, hopefully for the last time.

“So, I have been thinking about what you said to me when we first began our sexual dalliance,” Alek said, setting his spoon down.

“What’s that?” Mara asked, trying to remember back several weeks.

“You did not want me to leave the cave and bring terror to humans because you felt it was wrong. You were not pleased with the loss of human life that would result and you did not seem pleased with the idea of me being hurt.”

“Or killed.”

Alek laughed and shook his head. “That is not something you would have to worry about.”

“Alek…” she said, giving him the tone she always did when he started to become too cocky.

“I digress,” he said, putting a hand up to stop her from continuing. “I have considered it and it has brought a question to my mind. Would it upset you if I did this?”

It was Mara’s turn to put her spoon down and consider her words. Of course it would upset her if Alek did this. But what would upset her more? The fact that he would be wantonly killing innocent people or the fact that he could die? She had to confront the fact that their relationship was more than just sexual gratification; she was developing feelings for the dragon. Her father would never approve.

“Yes, it would upset me,” Mara said.

“And you would want to end our sexual relationship?”

Is that all it is to you?

“Yes,” Mara said. “Plus if you were killed, there wouldn’t be anything left anyway.”

“Again, that is not something you have to worry about.”

“But I would. It’s not fair that you go off seeking glory while I sit here wondering if you will ever return. That’s what shield wives do, Alek. They stay home and tend to the house while their husbands ride off to battle. But do you know what happens when their husbands don’t come home? They take up their husband’s arms and they go to battle themselves. Alek, I won’t go to battle in your stead. If you die, your death will not be avenged. You will just leave behind three very sad maids who believe you’ve brought prosperous times to their homes and a very sad lover who might not be able to go on without you.”

“I would never want you to continue without me,” Alek said matter-of-factly. “I do not know why you would want to continue without me in your life, anyway. Human men could never compare. I imagine without me you would waste away and die.”

“You’re so romantic. Do you say this to all the women?”

“I’m beginning to learn your human sarcasm. Did I say something wrong?”

“Yeah, you know what? Just forget it. I’ve beat my head against this wall long enough.”

“Very well.”

Things grew quiet again except for the clanging of spoon on bowl and the slurping of a delicious stew prepared by Raylene. Mara was getting sick of eating the same thing every night, but she had begun to notice that her clothes were getting looser and her muscles were becoming more toned as she ate the hearty stew and spent her days climbing over piles of treasure and inspecting it with Alek. Sometimes he let her go into the study and read books, but he always pre-approved what she could read and would never allow her to view the dragon book she had previously seen.

“What would you do if I died?” Mara finally asked as the meal drew closer to its end.

“What do you mean?” Alek asked. “I would continue to live my life.”

“You wouldn’t be upset? You wouldn’t be sad?”

“I suppose I would miss you,” Alek said. “But my life is so long. I would eventually grow to forget you.”

Mara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could he be so hard-hearted? She blinked back tears as she let her spoon fall into her bowl, making quite a racket as it rattled around.

“What did I say now to offend you?” Alek asked.

“You would forget me? Alek, you may think the time we’ve spent together is fun and just a bump in the road for you, but it’s been pretty damn special to me. I’ve never given myself to a man before and I gave myself to you. You! The first man I ever shared my body with is a dragon. I hope you’re the only man I ever share my body with. Is my life so meaningless to you? Does the gift I’ve given you mean nothing?”

“It means everything,” Alek said, straightening up. “More than you can imagine.”

“Then why are you so cold?”

“I’ve taught myself to be this way over the years. Human lives are so fleeting compared to my own. You do not know what it’s like to try to remember over three thousand years of life and know you have at least that much more to go.”

“How do you know so much about our lives? How do you know I will not impact you enough to make an impression? You have said it yourself before: you would not lower yourself to lie with a human.”

Alek made a fist and rested his forehead on it with his eyes closed. Mara had never seen him do something like that before. Finally he opened his eyes and she saw something in them that she had never seen: sadness.

“Mara, I have not been entirely honest with you.”

Mara shifted in her seat and tried to hide the smile she knew was trying to form. This was it: he was finally going to discuss his past. She had been waiting so long for Alek to tell her something, anything about himself.

“It’s okay,” she said, reaching a hand out and placing it over the one he had left sitting on the table. “You can tell me anything, Alek.”

“Can I?” he asked, then stood up and walked to the fire. She jumped back; he was so abrupt in his movements, like he was afraid of being touched by her.

“Yes. Please, Alek, tell me.” She felt like she was begging, but she had to know.

“Very well,” he said, keeping his back to her. “Seven hundred years ago I had a wife—a human wife.”

Mara took a deep breath and tried to still her beating heart. He had only said one thing and already she was feeling faint.

“I loved her like I had loved no other. My entire life to that point had been spent avoiding contact with humans and honing my power. But I found her on the road, alone and scared. Her family had been killed by goblins and she was alone. I approached her in human form and offered my assistance. She readily accepted it and I brought her back to my lair at the time. She wanted to know what kind of man lived in a cave and I immediately revealed myself to her. She was not scared; no, she was intrigued. It was the first time I had ever lain with a human and I enjoyed it. I kept her around and eventually I began to call her my wife. We never had a formal ceremony, but she knew it as well as I did. Over time she began to grow old while I retained the look I have now. Her skin grew paper thin, her veins protruded from it and her eyesight began to leave her. Her once beautiful, creamy skin was now wrinkled and her once flowing blonde hair, much like yours, was now gray and thin.”

Mara couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but she still waited for him. She reminded herself to breathe and exhaled deeply. He turned back to her, his eyes red and stung with tears. Mara could feel her own tears welling up as she looked at the great and powerful dragon now looking so vulnerable. He was baring it all to Mara and all she could do was sit there and watch.

“Eventually her mind started to slip. She started to forget who I was. She thought she was in a cave she used to play in as a child. Then one day her life force slipped out as she looked at me and asked, ‘What is your name again, dear?’” Alek was now visibly shaking as he walked back to the table where she sat. He balled his fists up and covered his eyes as his body began to shake. Mara finally couldn’t hold back anymore and she rushed to his side, wrapping her arms around his lean waist and holding him tight.

“It’s okay, Alek,” she whispered. “I’m here.”

“But for how long?” he said. “Do you know what it’s like to have someone you’ve given your heart to forget you? Do you? It’s the one thing in my life I’m sure I’ll never forget. When I found you and rescued you from your husband, I had similar feelings that reminded me of that day seven hundred years ago. I knew I had to keep you at an arm’s distance. Besides, it had been so long since I had treated a human as anything more than a servant and I knew that you would not take to my personality anyway. It all combined for me to keep you away, but then I started noticing you. Your beautiful eyes, your luscious curves, your wonderful breasts and the way you stood up to me. I knew I had to get away from you when the winter ended, but here I am with you not wanting to leave ever again.”

“I don’t want you to leave, Alek,” she whispered, kissing him on the arm. It was the only part of his body she could reach from where she stood. He was just so tall and so statuesque. She was blown away that he would have feelings for a girl like her.

“But you have a husband,” he protested. “I know humans take their marital vows seriously.”

“Some do and some don’t,” Mara said.

“Do you?”

“I have to be honest with you now,” Mara said, stepping away from him.

Alek wiped his eyes clean and then plopped down into his chair before grabbing Mara’s arm and pulling her down into his lap. He put one large hand on the small of her back while resting the other on her leg. For the first time in her life Mara felt small as the giant man held her.

“Tell me,” he said. “I have told you my story.”

“I’m not married to Val,” she admitted. She closed her eyes and expected a string of curse words and anger to explode out of Alek’s mouth. Instead, he sat there expectantly, waiting for her to finish the story.

“Go on,” he said softly.

“I was promised to him by my father,” she said. “I didn’t have any problem with it, though. He came to my village for the express purpose of slaying you. He asked my father for a guide to take him through the mountains. My father offered him many of the men in town but he demanded me. I was so blown away by the fact that a handsome knight from Atherny would want me to be his bride that I didn’t see the absurdity in the fact that he had turned down some of our best hunters and trackers. They know the land like they know their own bodies. Still, I went with him.”

Alek was sitting back now, nodding along with her story as if he had anticipated every word she said to him.

“It became pretty apparent that he didn’t need me when we started going through the forest. Instead, he used me like a pack mule and forced me to carry sticks for him. He wasn’t nice to me, not by a long shot. He spent most of the time putting me down and calling me stupid.”

When she said that Alek shifted in his seat and let out a long, deep sigh of disapproval. His sad eyes were now replaced by ones of fire and war.

“After that he came after me,” she said.

“Came after you?”

“Yes,” she said, remembering the horror she had felt as Val spread her legs. “He tried to force himself on me, Alek. He tried to rape me.”

Alek’s sigh of disapproval now had more venom and rage behind it. He was even beginning to shake as she spoke. “Did he succeed?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head quickly. “We were stopped by a goblin attack. It was terrible, Alek. He destroyed them so easily, like they were children challenging a giant. A goblin got close to me and injured me with his dagger. That’s how I got the wound you had to save me from. Val didn’t care. He didn’t do anything to stop the bleeding or mend the wound. Instead, he marched me right up the mountain and told me he was going to use me as bait to lure you out so he could kill you. God knows what he would have done if he had been successful in ending your life.”

Alek slid Mara off his lap and stood, putting one hand on her shoulder as he looked down at her. She could see how much he cared for her by the way he looked at her, but at the same time she could see the anger and hatred in his eyes.

“I will not leave this lair to kill any humans in the spring except for one,” he declared. “Val Woodshadow will die by my hand for ever daring to harm my wife. He has started a fight he cannot finish and as a result his life is forfeit. From now on you will join me in my bed chamber. I will see you there. I must do some reading now.”

Mara stood, completely stunned as he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead before turning to exit the room. Val was finally going to get what was coming to him, something he had deserved for a long time.

“Wait a minute,” she said to the empty room. “Did he say
wife
?”

Was that how Alek viewed her? She had ascended to a position in life she had never thought she would ever find herself in: wife to a great and powerful ancient dragon.

Her father was either going to be proud or mortified.

TAMING THE DRAGON PART 3

Chapter 16

It had been a whirlwind week for Mara. Her relationship with her great dragon captor, Alek, had grown to something beyond companionship. First it had grown sexual and now it had grown to something that Mara could have never dreamed. Alek had called her his wife and declared she would move to his bed chamber and no longer perform the duties of a maid. She was relieved not to have to clean anymore, but still wasn’t sure what being a dragon’s wife entailed. There certainly wasn’t a manual in Alek’s library on this.