Chapter Eight
Rosalyn
Spring was in bloom on the other side of Udora, and the sun shone longer during the day. The moss had crawled across the land, and the flowers sprang into action, sapping up every ounce of sun they could before the frost returned. The sky lit up with purples and blues as midday was upon us.
We’d been here for several days now, and the Vennolyn had decided to throw a great welcome in our honor. They took us to a stone carved estate out in the vineyards and lit off fireworks and colored smoke to celebrate the union between Galsthenn and their people. They seemed to have no idea about the attack that had happened in the city center. They were just happy to have an ally.
I was treated like royalty, and I found the dragons here to be laid back, charming, and fun. They wanted nothing more than to dance and tell tales around a great purple bonfire about the first human to come to Udora and how dragons used to roam many planets. They were healthy and in-tune with their powers. I was immediately enamored with their lifestyle and had every intention of insisting that Galsthenn and I live here when things settled down back home.
The party was grand in a different way than the buffets and champagne fountains back in the Koth district. They were more in tune with nature. Glow stones lit up the river in front of us, and they had a massive hedge maze in their castle garden. The party took place outside in a stone arena, and various shifters beat on old drums and sang a native song to their people.
I had almost forgotten about the bane of my existence that was Rilark when suddenly his friend came up to me. He wore a blue and gold suit that looked like it was plucked right out of the French Revolution. His hair was slicked back and for once, somebody in Rilark’s camp looked like an absolute gentleman.
“I would be absolutely remiss if I didn’t ask the most beautiful girl for a dance,” he said with a sweet smile and extended his hand to mind.
“But of course,” I blushed and took his hand eagerly. We didn’t know the steps but he twirled me in his grasp, and we jumped and danced to the festive music.
“I’m sorry about Rilark the other day,” he shrugged suddenly, leaning in so I could hear him over the wild music.
“Don’t apologize for him!” I snapped. “He’s his own man. He should be doing so himself.”
“Well,” he breathed and gripped my waist. “Don’t hold your breath.”
“And yet you defend him!”
“Hey!” He burst forth with laughter. “I thought you said I wasn’t supposed to answer for him!”
“Well, you’ve put your foot in your mouth now,” I giggled.
“He’s really not so bad. He’s just... been through some stuff.”
“Haven’t we all?” I said simply, and it seemed enough to give the man pause. He shrugged helplessly, and I sighed. “Let’s not let talk of him ruin our night.”
No sooner did the words leave my mouth did I see Rilark on the dancefloor with a scantily clad nurse in his arms. I tried to pay attention to Tardis’ conversation, but every time he spun me around, my eyes and thoughts couldn’t help but turn to that ridiculous red dragon.
He danced with Tianna, a beautiful girl from Riddell with long legs and dark, perfect skin. Her hair was up in wild curls, and her dress dipped down in-between her breasts like she was at some kind of awards show. I felt a hot disgust rise up in me that I couldn’t seem to silence.
My fury only seemed to fester as Rilark made his way over to us on the dancefloor with the woman. He slipped his hand down her backside and leaned in to kiss her. She reciprocated, and I watched as their tongues met, both leaning deeper into the embrace.
“Seriously?” I snapped as things looked like they were about to become X-rated. My outburst made both jump in surprise, breaking their kiss.
Tianna looked at me with confusion, and Rilark offered me his patented, arrogant smile. I pressed my eyes shut at the gesture and calmly excused myself from poor Tardis’ company.
I left the party and made my way to the endless green gardens. The dark of the night crept over the gardens, covering everything with a mysterious blue light and a thick fog that I was sure would make their hedge maze feel that much more difficult to navigate.
The more I thought about it, I realized I didn’t know why his exchange bothered me so much. A sharp twinge in my stomach reminded me of jealousy, though I couldn’t fathom why I would be. I could only chalk it up to missing Galsthenn.
Pink flowers that were bigger than my body blossomed and tilted toward the moons to catch the light in the dark. I touched them gingerly and took in their honey sweet scent before stepping farther into the flora and fauna.
I felt my dress sweep against the moss below and marveled at the vast gardens and Udorian flowers until I heard footsteps behind me.
The planet had been so welcoming to me, yet I was still taken aback by the noise. Startled, I turned without thought and saw Rilark approaching me. He wore a navy suit and had the jacket off and slung over his arm.
“Oh,” my face fell. “It’s you. Sorry, did I–”
“That’s a first,” he interrupted with a wry grin.
I narrowed my gaze at him and rolled my eyes. “I was going to say… did I interrupt your lay for the night? I didn’t know I had the displeasure of being in your company.”
The red dragon stared at me for a second before letting out an exasperated sigh, embarrassed somehow.
“What is it?” I frowned as he began to fiddle with something in his hands.
“I’m not on duty,” he said with a laugh. “Though I’m sure you’re well aware I feel just as much disdain being around you as you do me.”
“Great!” I exclaimed, spinning on my heel. “And you just said you’re not on duty so… Bye!”
“Well, not that you deserve it, but,” I heard him shuffle behind me and slowly approach until he grabbed my arm. He pulled a ring into view, cradling it delicately between his index and thumb. “I wanted to give you this.”
I gasped audibly and approached him, snatching the ring from his fingers and inspecting it closely. As I turned the gold against the glowstones that lined the rooftop, I could see the glimmer of my sister’s inscription. DO DECIDE. I stared at it in wonder and slipped it on, securing it at the base of my finger.
“I can’t believe you found it,” I breathed in awe as I stared down at the trinket I had convinced myself was gone forever, emotions overwhelming me. Something in my soul stirred that made me feel safe and secure once more. As though with the simple trinket I knew who I was again. I looked up at Rilark and saw his eyes soften in a way I hadn’t before.
“Where… where did you get this?”
“After I brought you to Galsthenn… I spent the night looking for it.”
My heart swelled with gratitude, looking at the shifter with pure, touched appreciation. Then I realized… he’d had it all this time. “That was five days ago,” I said with a dawning realization.
He shrugged uncomfortably.
“Five days ago?” I seethed and felt anger swell up inside my core. My brows lowered and seemed stuck there as I gave him a look of disgust. I’d been crushed for days, and he’d been sitting on this ring… to what? Make me sad or watch and secretly laugh as I moped around?
Without thinking, I reached over and slapped him clear across the face. I knew I should apologize, but as I looked into his deep gray eyes, I felt even more justified in my decision to hit him. “You know how much this stupid thing means to me and you’ve kept it in your possession this whole time when you knew I was freaking out? Why?!”
“I’d wanted an opportunity to give it to Galsthenn,” he said with some surprise as he rubbed his cheek. “Then once I saw what a spoiled brat you were being, I didn’t want to give it to you at all.”
My mouth gaped, and my eyes went wide with fury. I squeaked indignantly and snapped, “Then why give it to me now, hmm?”
“You seemed sad,” he said with an uncharacteristic softness, and he stared off into the tall walls of the hedged maze before us. My eyes followed his, and I shrugged helplessly.
“Oh,” I mumbled. “Well… that’s nice, sort of.”
“Sort of,” he laughed and crossed his arms. Letting out a sigh he gestured toward the maze and said, “Ever been?”
“No,” I said, still pouting.
“Come on; I’ll show you.”
I exhaled in protest but quickly followed as he walked into miles and miles of maze. The light began to escape us the further we got into the majestic gardens.
The maze took up half the side of the property and twisted on for miles. The Vennolyn said the first to come from Earth were often brought to the maze for a party or gathering where they would be made to try and figure out the puzzle.
Should someone not be able to get out of the walls of green, a Weredragon would protract his wings and swoop down to rescue them. Just another reason for humans or other creatures to tout the shifters as heroes who should be given positions on Earth.
We wandered deep into the gardens, and I looked over at Rilark with sudden curiosity. The scar that gashed his face could stop you in your tracks, but there was something appealing about the mystery behind it.
“Does it hurt?” I asked when he caught me looking at it.
He chuckled and gingerly pinched the bridge of his cracked nose. “Only when I remember how I got it,” he said with ease.
“What does it feel like?”
“My nose?” he asked with a humorous incredulity. “Like skin and bone.”
“No,” I laughed. “Y…you. Being a shifter, you know?”
He raised a curious brow and continued walked deep into the recesses of the green labyrinth. “What does it feel like being a human?”
“Hard,” I said. “Some days.”
“Okay, I’m confused. What are we talking about here? I swear I can participate in this conversation if I know whether we’re talking about physicality or a mental state.”
“Both, I guess.” I shrugged. “What do those feel like?” I asked, my eyes gazing at his red scales that suddenly seemed to glow. The illumination took me by surprise, and I looked to his eyes with a flushed giggle. I thought they only did that when they’d found a mate.
“Not to be improper but… shouldn’t you know this by now? I mean, you guys have done the deed, haven’t you?”
I blinked at the question, and I knew the answer was written all over my face. I couldn’t hide my annoyance as I neared the hedges and ran my finger along their soft brush as we walked.
“We’ve copulated, yes,” I said with a smirk. “But, he’s not exactly one for showing off.”
He laughed. “What does that mean?”
“He’s just not…” My face flushed red, and I batted the thoughts away, throwing my hands into the air. “Never mind. I’m embarrassed. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
I wasn’t just embarrassed; I was humiliated. I shook my head and raised my brows as I teased, “I’ll pay you a million dollars if you change the subject.”
My frustrations had become so palpable, apparently I was willing to voice them to soldiers; Rilark, of all people. He said nothing, which made me even more self-conscious of how inappropriate the conversation was.
We delved deeper into the twisting maze until we’d been walking for what felt like forever before I spun on my heel and looked around at the dark corner we’d ended up in. I could only vaguely see the blue up-lighting from the glowstones back at the porch. Now it was just us under Udora’s moons.
“You know,” Rilark began with the same, smug tones I’d gotten used to from him.
I immediately closed my eyes and waved my hand toward him. “Can we not?” I begged exasperatedly. “Please, I shouldn’t have said anything. Can we just let this one go? I’m not curious.” I paused, then corrected, “I’m an idiot, but I’m not curious. So, can we just head back now?”
“I think you are.” He smiled and raised his brows in surprise. “Want to cop a feel.”
“Oh my gosh,” I breathed in anger, covering my face with my hands.
“No, really! Now’s your time to ravage me like I know you always wanted to! And don’t worry,” he began to whisper, “I won’t tell the boss.”
“Will you stop it?”
“Seriously, come on,” he said plainly and walked up next to me. “If you’re going to be living here, chosen by a Weredragon, then you should probably know something about our makeup.”
I raised a curious brow to him and uncrossed my arms. He locked eyes with me with an expression halfway between smug and playful and rolled his sleeve up to reveal shimmering red scales that seemed to illuminate under the moon. Then he took my hand into his and set it on top of the skin-like plates.
I inhaled sharply and smiled as I ran my hands over the bumps. I felt them with my fingertips and rubbed my fingers back and forth. It felt just as I thought it would: like touching a snake. The skin was smooth and warm and rippled under my hands. After one pass, I found I couldn’t stop rubbing my hand along his bicep.
I felt heat course through my body now, and my breaths quickened, my heart moving faster. I looked at the way the light shone on his face and couldn’t help but notice how… attractive he looked.
His hair was a mess of deep red strands that seemed to have a life of their own. He was tall and lean, but built and as fiery as his color would imply. There was something dangerous happening. My foot took one step back, but my hand rested firmly on the scales beneath my palm.
“You don’t get to see this, do you?” he asked, genuinely curious.
“Not really,” I said, hoping I still sounded casual.
He nodded in recognition and monitored my eyes closely before he spread his black wings completely and let them glisten under the light. His wings were solid in their skin, unlike some of the other dragons I’d seen whose patagium were scaled or see-through.
I closed the distance between us and brazenly reached my hand up to touch the joint at the top of his wing. It felt entirely smooth and slippery as I glided my hand down the thick bone that led into the wing.
“What does it feel like?” I asked.
“It feels amazing,” Rilark said in a husky tone and looked at me in a way I hadn’t seen before, and I felt sexualized and vulnerable. It felt wrong but…good.
I swallowed, and suddenly our movements seemed to go slow as I focused my attention on the red skin that shaded across his eyes and temples.
“And…” I breathed. “Why do you have this discoloration that matches your scales when other dragons don’t?”
He shrugged, never seeming offended by my ridiculous questions. “Why do some humans have freckles and others don’t?”
“Touché,” I said coyly and continued to inspect the planes of his face.
He leaned in and kissed me. It wasn’t a peck or a curiosity. It was a deep kiss that left my lips warm and chapped the moment he backed away. His tongue deeply explored my mouth, and he set both hands on the sides of my face as he breathed, taking me in.
“Mm… Rosalyn,” he whispered as he backed away from my lips for only a moment.
I hated those words. I hated how tacky they sounded and the sincere way he’d said them. I hated what he did by kissing me. I wanted to tell him to stop, tell him he was disgusting and then stubbornly order him to take me back to the ballroom, but I didn’t.
My knees trembled weakly as his tongue found its way inside my mouth. I welcomed it with my own. I could taste him as he flicked his against mine and nipped and bit at my lips, pulling my bottom lip with his sharp fang and smiling as I winced.
He breathed passionately and ran his hands along my body without apologies. He steadied me, setting his hand on my lower back and his free hand found its way to my heavy breasts. He let out a deep moan at the touch and never stopped kissing me.
I reached my hand up the back of his messy hair, and he began unbuttoning my shirt in haste, taking my nipples into his mouth and smiling at the tease.
I grinned devilishly at the force he used with me. He wasn’t afraid to give in to his baser instincts, wasn’t afraid to spread his wings and let me touch and prod at what made him different. I took the length of him into my hand with excitement at the sheer size of it.
Rilark quickly dismissed the gesture and removed my pants, hoisting me up as we stumbled into the maze wall. He held me by my backside, and I gripped his shoulders for balance. He made his way easily inside of me and pressed his hands over my mouth with a genuine chuckle as I began to moan loudly.
Every action was a haze of urgency that seemed to pass by in an instant. My moans were muffled under his palm, but his groans of pleasure were eagerly whispered into my ear. His movements were hungry and quick. I moved my mouth from his hand and wrapped my arms around his neck, gripping his wings to steady myself and scratching them with my nails as my own form of ownership.
My breaths quickened, and I could feel my body growing weak and warm. The pulse of him inside me mixed with the smacking of our skin sent me over the edge, and I exhaled sharply, closing my eyes tightly as a blush washed over my body.
He finished immediately after.
Rilark bent over and set his hands on his thighs, exhaling in a fury and looking over at me with a bemused expression. He pulled his pants back up and began to dress, turning in a strange show of respect as I buttoned my breasts back into my dress.
“That wasn’t the thank you I was expecting,” he joked.
My eyes were wide as I stared out into the maze and I bit my lip. “That was a mistake.”
“Hey, give it a minute before you shut it down, at least!”
“It’s not funny,” I frowned and stormed away from him.
“Hey!” He chased after me and grabbed my arm, which I quickly jerked away. “I got you the ring, didn’t I?”
I raged. “So you were expecting a reward?”
“Trust me, I would never dream of getting a reward that good.”
My heart was conflicted. It was a good line, but I had just cheated on the future leader of the Koth. With some…some guy I barely even liked. My stomach went sick, and I held my hair away from my face as I dry heaved into the air.
“Hey, hey,” he cooed and took the bunch of hair from me, holding the massive curls to the side and looking overtly perplexed. “Relax. It’s…” He shrugged somewhat jovially. “It was a slip! No big deal, okay?”
I coughed and frowned in his direction, causing him to let go of my long strands in a swift motion. “Or it is a big deal, and you’ve just ruined your life. What do I know?”
“You’re not helping!” I said through clenched teeth, storming away once more and becoming immersed in the endless passages of the confusing labyrinth. He followed me stubbornly, and I stomped my foot as I came to yet another dead end.
I clenched my eyes shut in frustration and turned to face him. “Okay! This isn’t fun anymore. Can we just go? Let’s just go. Obviously you know the way out, and you’re just following me to mock me, or something, so let’s just… get out!”
He grabbed my wrist as I gesticulated wildly and said firmly, “I’m following you because I’m worried about you.”
“Is that right?” I mocked.
“Look,” he paused and then shrugged helplessly. “You and I are–”
“Are nothing!”
“Right. It was just weeks of sexual tension brought on by how much we can’t stand one another. All that passion has to go somewhere, right? A slip. I can live with a slip, so can you?”
“I guess,” I said, but I wasn’t sure if I could.
“Well you’d better be able to,” he scoffed. “Otherwise your mate there might have my head, literally.”
I nodded slowly and somehow, gruesome as it was, the statement brought me comfort. He wouldn’t tell on me if he also had something to lose, would he?