Dragon Chains by Grace Goodwin

15

Dragon:

The black dragon’s chest pressed to Katy’s cheek. His talons cradled her like precious cargo. For the first few minutes, she’d closed her eyes in panic. Once the fear gave way to wonder, she watched the land flow beneath them like a river as the dragon carried her…somewhere. She had no idea where he was taking her, but he wouldn’t hurt her. That was the only thing she was sure of.

If he’d wanted to kill her, she’d given him the perfect opportunity while crawling up his neck to pull at the dragon’s jaw. Like that would have worked. I can’t bench press a hundred pounds on my best day.

“Where are we going?” She spoke aloud, experience over the last few hours proof that the dragon could hear her perfectly, for she had received the same one-word reply to every question she asked during the flight.

Mine.

Katy’s lips twitched. She wasn’t quite ready to outright laugh at the dragon, but she was getting close. “Okay. Mine. Mine. Mine. But where are we going?”

The dragon ignored her. There was literally nothing she could do but wait.

An hour could have passed, or three, she had no idea, enthralled by the most exciting ride of her life. Slowly, Ryker began doing lazy flips and turns for no other reason she could fathom except it made her scream and laugh. Katy suspected more than once that the big black dragon was trying to impress her, as if just being a dragon wouldn’t do the trick.

Ryker slowly spiraled down toward the ground. She peeked out from between his claws and spotted a tiny cottage sitting atop a cliff overlooking a vast expanse of ocean with nothing else around as far as she could see.

“Is this place yours?”

Yes. Ryker owns. Mine.

Okay, so Ryker owned a tiny cottage by the sea. And he was a dragon. A gorgeous black dragon the color of sparkling black diamonds on top and deep obsidian beneath.

“Are all dragons this beautiful?” she asked. “And you’re not allowed to say ‘mine’ again.” The long ride with the dragon had worked its own kind of magic, and her fear of him was entirely gone. Well, mostly gone.

The dragon preened. Dragon beautiful to mate.

Katy laughed out loud this time at his smug reply. Dragons, she was discovering, could be charming when they chose.

Smell other Draquonir magic on mate. Remove smell. Mine.

“What does that mean?”

Katy looked down at herself, looked at the jeans and sweater Erik loaned her along with a pair of very comfortable shoes. Nothing out of the ordinary there. She twisted her upper body so that she could check behind her. Nope. Still nothing.

The dragon didn’t elaborate as he flew lower and lower before landing just outside the cottage door. He opened his claw slowly, and she slid down his finger and talon like it was a child’s slide. The moment her feet touched the ground, Ryker transformed into his human self. “You reek of Erik’s magic.”

“I’m sorry?”

With a grunt that sounded like he was in pain, he took her elbow and gently escorted her toward the cottage. The door opened, and he pulled her inside. Built from peat or sod, the structure gave her the sense that it was hundreds of years old. Maybe older. “What is this place?”

“I was born here.”

“When?”

“We didn’t keep records back then. A long time ago.” He walked toward one corner of the room where a large, claw-foot tub rested next to the wall. There was no curtain and a hand pump for water. Ryker filled the tub.

Katy’s heart thundered. “How long ago? I mean, how old are you, exactly?”

He looked up at her, really looked at her for the first time since she’d discovered who and what he really was. She saw something in his eyes he’d never allowed her to see before. Pain. Fear. Regret.

“I lost track at twelve hundred.”

“Years?”

“Yes. I stopped counting after that.”

“Oh my God.” Katy looked around the cottage where Ryker had been born and took in the ancient, heavy wooden beams that held the ceiling. An old-fashioned stone firepit and chimney stood in one corner of the room with a bed in the opposite corner. The space was smaller than a studio flat back home and gave off a rustic feeling. A single dusty oil lantern hung from a hook next to the fireplace. It was daylight now, the door stood open behind them, but she could easily imagine how cozy the small cottage would be at night with nothing but firelight and candles to push back the darkness.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than Ryker waved a hand and closed the door, shutting out the cold. He turned to the firepit next. Katy gasped as a spark flew from his finger straight into the dry kindling left behind, burning hot and fast until the logs caught fire, flickering and crackling, no doubt for the first time in many years. Soft shadows danced along the wall and the scent of pine filled the small cottage.

She had no idea what to say as Ryker filled a tub with water, then tested the temperature with his fingertips. Leaning down, he placed both hands inside. They glowed black, like sparkling glitter beneath the water until hot steam curled languidly around them.

“I hope that’s for you. You’re a mess.” And he was. Covered in blood and gashes from his fight with Erik, she wasn’t sure how he was still on his feet.

“This is nothing. And no, this is for you, mate. Dragon cannot wait any longer to claim you.”

Katy frowned; her brow creased in confusion. “I don’t understand. What does that mean, exactly? To be claimed by a dragon?”

“Trust me.” Ryker’s tone was seductive now, his eyes growing darker as he closed the distance between them. He lifted his palms to pull her to his side, her cheek settling against his chest. “I would never hurt you, my mate.”

Warmth spread throughout her limbs. Desire. A languid sense of safety, of being cared for, protected, filled her heart. She was tired of fighting. Tired of struggling to survive. Tired of being alone and in pain.

Katy wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. She didn’t ever want him to let her go. Didn’t want to return to the daily struggle she’d faced before she knew him, alone and lonely. Fighting the whole world by herself every time her sister went off traipsing around the globe, leaving Katy to take care of everything.

She closed her eyes and breathed him in as the warmth turned to crackling flames. With a gasp, she looked down to see her clothing disintegrate before her eyes, black flames consuming the material yet leaving her skin untouched. Magic. She shivered, half afraid of the flames and half in awe.

“Much better.” Ryker lifted her naked body to his chest then stepped into the water, his eyes sparkling with mischief as his own clothes disappeared as well.

“You can make clothes?”

“We are dragons. Made from the magic of Earth itself. We can manipulate anything that is part of us. The elements. Earth. Air. Fire. Water. Spirit. You were covered in Erik’s magic, the clothing you wore created by his dragonfire. I cannot stand to sense his energy or catch his scent on you. It makes my dragon insane.”

Mine.The loud, insistent voice she’d heard repeatedly during the flight burst into her mind in agreement.

Ryker laughed as he lowered them both into the steaming water. “See? I told you.”

Katy relaxed in his arms and let Ryker have his way with her. He was gentle, soaping and rinsing her hair before running his hands over every inch of her body. His touch was careful, tender, and not at all what she wanted right now.

Turning in his arms, she pressed her naked breasts to his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, pleased to see that nearly all his wounds had healed. Taking the soap from his hand, she washed the remaining signs of battle from his body and kissed him. Hard. Deep. Demanding.

He answered in kind, taking control of the kiss, his arms moving to hold her closer. Tighter.

No! Mine!

“Damn it, Dragon.” Ryker tore his lips from hers and pressed his forehead to hers, staring into her eyes. “He is tired of waiting. I cannot control him. I took off my dragon chains.”

“Is he going to hurt me?”

Dragon’s telepathic denial came the same instant Ryker responded.

Never.

“Okay. Then I’m ready to meet your dragon. Officially. As long as he promises not to fly away with me again, especially when I’m naked.”

With a grin, Ryker stood, lifting her from the tub as he rose. The cooler air in the cottage made her shiver. A moment later she was covered in magical black fire. When it was gone, she was wearing some sort of gown, similar to the one she’d worn to the ball. Black. Shimmering. Beautiful. Her hair and skin were dry, her feet covered in thick slippers.

Ryker, still naked himself, set her on her feet, took her hand and walked her outside until they stood looking out over the cliffs. Together they watched the seagulls fly, darting into the water to catch fish. The surf was so far below them it was a quiet, rhythmic, peaceful sound. Katy remained quiet as Ryker looked pensively out at the sea far below.

Finally, he turned to her. “Long ago I dreamed of finding my true mate and bringing her here, to my ancient home, to claim her.” Ryker looked deeply into her eyes. “I love you, Katy. I am yours. Dragon is yours. If you’ll have us.”

Katy took in the sight of her gorgeous, muscled god of a lover looking at her with the stars themselves in his eyes. No one had ever looked at her like that; like she was everything. Her heart melted.

The magical blur she knew meant Ryker was changing into his dragon form filled her vision, and then it was just her and the dragon, staring at one another.

“Dragon.”

Mine.

“I don’t know what that means.”

The creature did not answer with words, but with visions. She saw herself enveloped in black flames, the magic becoming part of her. Then, a new life form growing within her, black dragonfire growing more powerful with every beat of his or her tiny heart.

Her dragon’s magic. Hers and Ryker’s.

“My children will be like you? What you are?”

I choose you. My soul. My power. Yours. I protect. Love. You become immortal. Dangerous. Powerful. Magic. My children. Mine.

“Why? Why me?”

Mine.

Katy allowed her question to fade away. Did the why matter when she wanted Ryker with every cell in her body? When she knew he wanted her? Would it be so bad to have their future children be powerful, immortal, magical creatures? Protected by not only this dragon, but an entire clan watching over them? They would be beautiful and strong. Fierce. Unafraid.

Something she realized she’d never been, not a single day in her life.

She looked into the dragon’s eyes. He watched her, waited for her to make a choice. “What if I say no? What happens then?”

We go.

She saw his intention clearly. He would carry her to safety and then disappear from her life. Forever.

She knew what he truly meant, thanks to Erik. He would sacrifice himself to the executioner’s blade. Some Dark Elf would stab him in the heart, and the black, magical blade would take the dragon’s life.

Tears gathering in her eyes, she watched in growing wonder as the dragon settled along the ground just as Erik’s dragon had done. His large, black head nearly within reach, his eye resigned and weary.

“Ryker.” She stepped forward and wrapped as much of the dragon’s head in a hug as she could manage, leaned her entire body against him. She rubbed his cheek and the ridge near his eye, smiling when he rewarded her with a deep rumble she felt not just through the ground, but everywhere she pressed against him. “I am yours, Dragon.”

The dragon shuddered at her words. Slowly he lifted his head and turned to look at her.

She stood perfectly still as the dragon’s jaw opened, fire visible in the back of his throat. If he was going to roast her, there was nothing she could do about it now.

“Go ahead, Dragon.”

The dragon took a long, deep breath and then…fire. Black flames. Magic sparkling all around her. Her body tingled, caressed by a hundred unseen hands, her very insides flooded with warmth and health.

She breathed deeply, every hurt, disappeared. Every scar, vanished. Life itself flooded her cells, and she felt the earth in her bones, sensed the very stars. The wind wrapped around her in a gentle hello, and she knew she would never walk alone again. She was dragon, one with all life. One with the earth and the stars, the mountains and the trees. Every bird in the sky spoke to her. The wind itself whispered in her ear.

Deeper still, she knew the moment the dragon’s magic touched her womb, left a spark that would ensure any future children would be dragon as well.

The black flames wove around her. Eternal. Dragonfire. She raised her arms to the sky as a feeling of joyous freedom filled her being.

Ryker appeared, strode toward her inside the flames. He was naked, his body hard and ready.

She reached for him. Leaped into his embrace. “What about the flames? Why didn’t the dragon stop them?”

Ryker threw back his head and laughed with pure joy. “The flames are coming from you now, love. They’re coming from you.”