Chapter Eleven
Drake landed in a small clearing near the trail they had been following from above for most of the day. They’d left Taten after getting their fill of breakfast and flown the entire time, except for once, when Elda had needed to relieve herself and stretch her legs.
Dusk was settling over the sky and the trees around them were filling with dark shadows.
It was later than he’d preferred to stop, but they didn’t need to hunt this evening.
The king and queen of Taten had shoved a sack of food at them—including two whole chickens—before they left, so their eating this evening would be pleasant.
After spitting a ball of flames into the spot Elda cleared and starting a small fire for light, Drake laid down and Elda leaned against him, eating her supper. She began to hum and he felt entirely at peace, curling his tail up to drape over her legs.
A noise in the trees made his body snap to attention. He lifted his head and listened to the sounds of the forest around them. Hearing nothing else and assuming it was an animal, he lowered back down.
Suddenly, his ears were filled with sounds as a group of men emerged from the trees, weapons drawn and pointed at them.
Elda gasped and dropped her supper before scrambling backward into Drake’s side.
He growled at the men, unhappy that their lovely evening was being interrupted. He slowly rose, ready to pounce.
“See, I told you,” one man said, looking at another. “I saw a dragon flying overhead days ago. I wasn’t crazy!”
“Not now,” the man spoken to replied, lifting his sword toward Elda. “Little lady, I suggest you move away from the beast. For your own good. He’s ours now.”
“Get the hell away from us!” Elda shouted. “We haven’t harmed you or anyone. Leave us be!”
“You’re welcome to walk away but this monster is ours.”
“We’re putting his head on a wagon!” the first man said with a cruel grin. “People will pay a fortune to see this beast’s mouth full of fangs.”
Drake used his tail to move Elda behind him, but she still wasn’t safe as they were surrounded even on that side by this group of men.
He didn’t want to hurt them—despite their evil intentions—especially in front of Elda.
He’d hate for her to see that side of him so soon in their matehood.
However, he wasn’t going to allow them to hurt her or be parted from her either.
Baring his fangs, he snapped at the closest man, who jumped back and swung his sword in terror.
Good. Be afraid, human. Unfortunately, there were too many of them to fight at once without unleashing his fire.
He dodged one sword and another got him in his cheek, though it didn’t cut him.
Using his tail, he knocked three over, but another two men crept closer to Elda than he liked and he spun around, his throat filling with fire, ready to fry them to a crisp.
Before he could open his mouth, a bright light flashed across the sky and hit one of the men, knocking him into the forest, then another. Drake held back his flame and watched as a wizard flew into the clearing and began to attack the men with fireballs.
The mage was a flurry of movement around the campsite, his dark clothing making him appear like a shadow as he attacked each and every one of the men surrounding them.
Elda grabbed onto Drake’s head as she too watched the wizard dispatch the hunters. Once all of the men were either out of sight or writhing on the ground in obvious pain, the wizard stopped and dropped to the ground.
“Oh!” Elda gasped, running toward the mage.
Drake used his tail to try to hold her back, but she pushed past him.
“He saved us, Drake. We have to help him.”
Changing to human form, Drake knelt down beside the wizard and looked him over. The mage wasn’t dead, just weakened, and he didn’t seem to have any visible wounds.
“What can we do?” Drake asked the wizard. “We owe you a debt, mage.”
“Happy to help,” the wizard wheezed. “Out of… power now.”
“You’re out of magic after only that?” Elda asked, confused. The wizard didn’t respond, though. His eyes rolled back into his head and he was out cold. “Oh, no. What do we do? We can’t leave him here, Drake. What if any of those men survive or return and kill him for protecting us?”
“Don’t worry,” Drake said, forming a plan. “We won’t abandon him here. I can’t help him regain his magic, though. We will take him with us. Manny will know what to do.”
“Back to Athera?”
“Yes, but it means flying straight home. No overnight rest tomorrow. You will have to nap on my back, and we will fly until we reach home.”
Elda nodded and ran over to grab her things, shoving them into their bags. Drake changed back into his dragonite form and waited for his mate to climb on. Then he gently picked the wizard up in one of his claws and flew into the night.
~*~
Brenna stretched her neck up when the sunlight entered the cavern and woke her.
She heard a grumble and looked down to see Kai was cuddled up next to her, her belly at one side and her tail wrapped around to his other.
She remembered laying down on the ground next to his pallet but how had this happened?
“Dumb sun,” he mumbled to himself and curled around her tail a little tighter.
She took a moment to study him in his slumber. His skin was a curious shade of brown, a little darker than what her brother Drake’s had been when he’d visited her several days ago. She assumed her own skin was like her brother’s, but Kai must spend a lot of time out in the sun.
His hair was an even darker brown and had been smooth when he’d first arrived.
Now, it flopped down over his eyes and partially hid them from her.
His eyes, though, were not brown. Not exactly.
They were an odd mix of brown and green and maybe even…
gold? She couldn’t remember what it was called but she was sure there was a name for it.
He started to stir then stretched his legs out and lifted his arms above his head. She saw his shirt pull up and her gaze caught on the muscles on his stomach. Did she have those or was it something only men had?
She was sure her chest looked different from his because when Drake had brought his mate to see her, the woman had breasts. So that meant she also had breasts. Why couldn’t she remember what she looked like in that form? She would get flashes but then they would disappear.
“Morning, Goldie,” Kai said, looking up at her.
She looked down at him and blinked. He absentmindedly reached up and rubbed the bottom of her chin before he rolled over her tail and jumped up, dusting off his pants. Her chest warmed for some reason. Had he pet her? Was that a sign of… affection? Should she be offended by the petting?
Rasa popped in to bring food, and Kai opened his mouth to speak to her, but she disappeared before he could utter a word.
“Right,” he grumbled. “Never mind.”
He whistled to himself while taking turns between eating and feeding her. She watched him, trying to remember what Drake had said about the curse. He’d broken it. Or rather, his princess had broken it. How had she done that again? Oh, right. By kissing him.
Kissing?
She froze in place. Did Kai need to kiss her? How was she supposed to get him to do that? In this form? As a dragonite? How had Drake done it?
“You alright up there?” Kai asked, noticing her stillness.
Brenna nodded slowly and he went back to eating. He seemed to really like the jam-filled rolls that were also one of her favorites. He tossed her another couple rolls and she tried not to stare at him, forcing herself to look around the empty cavern but her eyes were always drawn back to him.
“What?” he asked, confused. “Do I have jam on my face?”
She quickly shook her head, but he just continued to study her.
“Am I starting to look appetizing to you?” He laughed when she reared back in disgust. “Alright. Just checking. You would give me a head start if you changed your mind and decided to eat me, right?”
Rolling her eyes, she sat and turned her back on him. He was being ridiculous. She wasn’t going to eat him. He probably tasted like arrogant ass anyway, the same way he sounded.
“Oh, come on,” he purred, stepping closer to her. “I’m only joking.”
She looked in the opposite direction when he approached her side, then spun away from him when he tried to walk around to her front.
“I said I was sorry,” Kai said, trying to pet her jaw but she lifted it up.
He might have said he was sorry, but she could hear him trying to stifle a laugh underneath.
Yes, she was pouting like a child, but he wasn’t making it any better by smiling so darn much.
Like he was amused by her. Maybe it was a little amusing.
She finally stopped moving away but kept her head lifted, turning her eyes down at him to see if he was still watching her.
He was, so she quickly looked away again.
“Goldie… don’t act this way. I was only joking. I didn’t mean anything by it.” He smiled when Brenna relented and lowered her head back down again. He grabbed her giant jaw with both hands. “See? You can’t stay mad at me, can you? That’s my girl.”
He leaned forward and rubbed his nose against her snout.
That’s when she felt it. The realm shifted and so did she.
Where his hands had been holding scales, suddenly he was holding her face instead, as he continued to rub his nose against hers for another heartbeat before his eyes shot open and met her human ones.
They both screamed.
~*~
“Ahhh!” Kai yelped and jumped back. “Who in the Everealm-loving hell are you?”
“I’m—” the woman started to say before he interrupted her.
“And why are you completely naked? Where is Goldie? Gnomes! Gnomes! Come here, now!”
A handful of gnomes appeared and rushed over, jumping up and down at the woman’s feet, seeming to be in celebration, but he didn’t understand what they were saying. They spoke all at once. However, one of them said ‘princess’ several times and he caught that part.
“Princess?” he murmured in shock as a gnome grabbed his hand and teleported him to a room somewhere. It had sofas and chairs, and he sat down on one without realizing he was moving.
The woman from the cavern wasn’t there with him. She had disappeared and the gnome who brought him there had already run out of the room before he was even able to ask where he was.
What had just happened? Who was that woman? What happened to his dragon? Where was he now?
Those questions rolled around in his head as he took in the room around him.
There was a fire burning and it felt different from the cavern.
Warm and dryer. It was easier to breathe too.
He realized that when he took a few deep breaths and stood, walking around the room and looking at the items on the wall.
There was a large family portrait above a mantle, and he stopped to study it.
It looked like a royal family, crowns and all.
The king and queen were not familiar, and neither were two of the three children, except for one.
The daughter. She was definitely the woman from the cavern.
Her face in the portrait might have been younger and slightly rounder, but it was her.
She had a small smile and a head full of golden curls.
Golden curls? Gold. Goldie?
He blinked in disbelief. There was no possible way that woman—this woman—was his dragon.
Was there? Yet, there was no other explanation that made sense.
Goldie had disappeared and a woman had replaced her.
A very naked and very beautiful woman. He’d been in such a state of shock that he hadn’t even been able to appreciate her nakedness fully. Which was a shame, really.
Kai wasn’t sure how long he stood there, staring at the painting, but noise coming from the other end of the room caught his attention and he snapped his eyes over to see the woman walking in.
She wasn’t naked anymore. She was wearing a long gown in purple, just like her eyes. The same eyes as the dragon. He shook his head, still unsure that this entire thing wasn’t some elaborate dream. Suddenly, he had a strange urge to test that theory.
Maybe it was a dream. Sure, dragons were not his usual nighttime fantasies but naked women sure were. This could just be a very long and very detailed dream.
Strolling across the wide room, he saw the woman’s eyes go wide and her mouth open to speak, but she didn’t have time to protest before he swept her into his arms and dipped her down, placing a kiss on her lips.
Her soft mouth was still for just a brief moment before she moaned under his lips. Either that or she was trying to talk. He couldn’t tell. He made sure the kiss was a strong one. He never liked to leave a woman wanting, after all.
He straightened back up and smiled but his grin disappeared just as she raised her hand and smacked him across the face. He certainly felt every bit of that.
“Ow,” he said, rubbing his cheek. “So not a dream. Not a dream at all.”
“No, it’s not a dream!” she shrieked. “You idiot! What were you thinking? You can’t just go around grabbing women and… and…”
“Kissing them?” he asked, peering at her. His face was warm, not just from the smack but also from embarrassment. He’d never done that before. He might be a cocky bastard, but he’d never touched someone against their wishes.
“Yes!” she shouted.
He knew she was angry, but he was distracted by how beautiful she was, even in her rage.
Her curls were plentiful, falling all over her shoulders and her face was just absolutely perfect.
Plump lips, pink from his kiss, a little round nose that he remembered rubbing against in the cave, and smooth skin that was now flush from her anger.
Kai couldn’t help it. He smiled.
“What?” she balked. “Why are you smiling?”
“You’re just so pretty,” he replied, grinning wider.
He watched the mix of emotions cross her face. Surprise. Annoyance. Uncertainty. And maybe even a hint of a smile before she went back to annoyed again.
The gnome called Manny appeared beside them. He looked back and forth between the two of them, as if he wasn’t sure if he should speak.
“Princess alright?” Manny asked.
“I’m fine,” she said, looking down at the gnome. “It’s fine.”
“You heard her. She said it’s fine,” Kai mumbled when Manny leveled an accusatory glare at him.
“Baths ready,” Manny said. “Upstairs. Come.”
“Thank you, Manny,” the princess said, sending a quick glance Kai’s way.
He just bit his tongue as the gnome guided them upstairs to two different chambers in the same hallway, separating them.
It was for the best, probably. This way, he couldn’t do anything even more unwise.
Like pulling the gorgeous princess into his arms and putting that blush on her face again. Might be worth another slap.