Mated to a dragon.
And not just any dragon … one of the oldest of the Were-Hunter breeds. Illarion Kattalakis.
This was most definitely not the way Edilyn had seen this day ending. Not in her worst nightmare, and given the fact that her mother had once been a warrior of nightmare demons, that said a lot.
They knew nothing of each other. Not really.
Yet here she was. Feeling stupid and vulnerable. And wishing she’d chosen a better outfit.
At least one that matched.
That sensation wasn’t helped as Illarion righted the horned helm on her head and reminded her of her intentionally matted hair and the brambles in it, while he patiently waited for her response. He arched an expectant, teasing brow.
Gracious, he was the handsomest man she’d ever seen.
For a dragon.
“Father!” Morla wailed. “’Tis unfair! He’s supposed to be my husband! My dragon! I want it!” She stamped her foot. “I did everything to win him and get rid of her. Do something! Now!”
The expression on Illarion’s face said it would be a mistake for the brenin to try.
When he started forward, the other dragons kept him back.
“My lord?” Tarius approached Illarion respectfully. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
Illarion’s features turned to stone and all humor and friendliness fled his eyes as he turned toward his brethren drakos. This was the cold countenance of a killer. A lethal beast who hated them all.
How peculiar that he had no greater fondness for the dragons than she did.
At her delayed answer, sadness darkened those enchanting eyes. Very well. I shall bother you no more, my lady. Good life to you. He pulled his hood up to conceal his features again and turned to leave.
“Wait!” Edilyn spoke before she even realized it.
Illarion stopped and turned back toward her.
You hate dragons. You hate them all, she reminded herself.
And yet …
She saw in her mind the way he’d rushed to protect her. Remembered the way he’d teased her and made her feel warm, even while the others mocked her during the trials.
This was all kinds of stupid. She knew it.
Even so, she couldn’t stop the words from leaving her lips. “I’ll come with you.”
With a hesitation that seemed incongruous for such a powerful creature, he held his hand out to her. But he made no move toward her, letting her know that the final decision was entirely up to her and her alone. He would not encroach on her choice in any way.
That made this much easier.
Illarion wasn’t like the others. He seemed as uncertain of this as she was.
Her hand shaking, she took his and stepped into a most uncertain future with the last creature she’d ever thought to meet.
The moment she made that tiny physical contact, a bright flash blinded her. Everything spun until she couldn’t gather her bearings. She floated in what appeared to be a dream. Or was she falling? She couldn’t quite tell what was happening.
Not until she found her feet on solid ground in the center of a huge, dark cave.
A massive cavern, really.
Yet it wasn’t cold. Rather it seemed a pleasant temperature. Nor was it overly dark. Especially since torches lit themselves the moment they appeared inside it.
She turned around slowly so that she could examine the glistening black walls. “Where are we?”
My home.
“Which is?”
Where I live. His tone was flat and dry.
As well as irritating.
She gave him a peeved stare. “And that is?”
In a place where no one can find me. He lowered his hood to stare at her. Are you afraid now?
Edilyn knew what he wanted and she refused to give him that satisfaction. “Should I be?”
One corner of his mouth lifted. Most would be terrified.
“I’m not most.”
Nay, you are not, especially for such a tasty little morsel.
For some reason, the note in his voice warmed her, in spite of words that could be construed as a threat. “And I still wish to know where this place is.”
Where I cannot be disturbed or attacked.
Or found.
Someone even less trusting than she. Had she not borne witness to it, she wouldn’t have believed it possible. Truly, this was amazing.
And that made her curious about another matter where he was concerned. “Are you incapable of speaking?”
I have no vocal cords, if that’s what you’re asking. They were severed by a cruel hand when I was a small dragonet. He slowly drew near her, stopping just as he reached her back. Yet he didn’t touch her. Not that he needed to. His presence was so fierce and intimidating. Overwhelming. The power of him bled and filled the room to capacity.
It electrified her.
And terrified her in spite of her bold words and resolve to not let it. He was a savage beast, even in the guise of a man. No matter how hard she might want to pretend otherwise, she couldn’t deny it. There was something innately raw and commanding about him. Something so sinister and cold.
He didn’t have to say he held no value for human life, it was as if the very fiber of his being telegraphed it for others.
With a gentleness that belied the bloodthirsty dragon she’d seen rip apart her enemies, he lifted a lock of her hair from her shoulder. A light smile hovered over his lips as he brushed her hair against his skin and inhaled its scent. In that moment, she was grateful she’d listened to her brother, who was being uncommonly quiet through all of this.
Which led her to a much more awkward thought.…
“Do you wish to rut with me now?”
He let out a peculiar scoffing sound of air rushing from between his teeth. Is that what you want?
She swallowed hard at his question and the fear it wrought. While she knew he would expect it, she had to admit to her reluctance. Not that he was unappealing, but rather … “I’ve never been with a man, my lord.”
Illarion froze as those unexpected words slapped him. He would have thought a woman with her zest for living would have tasted many. The fact that she hadn’t …
He was dumbfounded.
More than that, he was at a sudden loss. There was only one reason he could think for it.
Are you not old enough?
She laughed, then caught herself. “Sorry. I guess compared to someone who’s over ten thousand years old that’s a legitimate question. And aye, I’m more than old enough. Rather long in the tooth for most human women.”
Then why—
“Personal choice. Have you seen the idiot men in my village?”
“As if that!” Virag shouted. “She’s a pain in the ass. Men tend to notice.”
Edilyn cringed as her brother finally announced his presence in the most rude and annoying way possible.
Illarion arched a brow. Should I ask?
Sighing, she shook her head and lifted her bottle up for his gaze. “Nay. But since you have … Illarion, meet my brother, Virag.”
Virag manifested from the bottle into a full-sized man. Blond and muscular, he stood eye to eye with Illarion. While most were intimidated by Virag’s intensity, Illarion merely folded his arms over his chest and postured bored tolerance.
He swept a bemused stare over Virag’s body that said he was unimpressed. Kikimora. Rare to see a male of your kind in the world. You must be highly sought after.
Now it was Virag’s turn to be caught off guard. “You know what I am?”
Illarion nodded. Been around a long time. Seen many unsavory things.
Virag laughed at the way he said unsavory and the small dig it carried. “I can imagine.”
Well, as you are as capable of transporting your sister out as I am, then I shall leave you both to your futures. Good day.
Edilyn passed a scowl to her brother. “Good day or good-bye?”
They are the same, are they not?
“Nay. One is brief. The other quite permanent. Are you saying you bid me adieu?”
You’re the one who said you’ve no wish to be mated to a dragon. Nor have you been with a man. I’ve only one use for a woman and it’s a very brief biological exchange. He glanced to Virag. And I’ve no use whatsoever for a male kikimora. So I see no reason for us to remain together. Better we part cordially than wait for ill feelings to kick in and the roasting to begin.
More hurt than she should be, she forced herself to remain as callous about it as he was. “I see. Very well, then. Virag?”
Her brother shook his head. “Nay. I won’t do it.”
Illarion turned a harsh stare toward him. Pardon?
“I concur,” she growled, wanting to kick him for not getting her out of here before she betrayed the pain that was so hard to swallow and not show.
Virag stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest and took up a defiant stance. “You’ve no idea how they treat her at Penllyn. I won’t take her back there to their cruelty. Not after the spectacle you made in claiming her and snubbing the princess. They’d be merciless to her now. Much worse than before. She doesn’t deserve that. Better you should have let her die than save her life for such a fate.”
When she started to protest, he held his hand up to silence her. “Don’t you dare argue with me, Eddie. There’s plenty of room in this hole for the three of us. I take up a thimble’s space. Your human’s life span is but a blink to his. He won’t even remember it in time. He can suffer you a few decades to live out your life here in peace while he mopes about in silence. He can ignore us. We’ll ignore him. Everyone will be happy.”
Maybe not everyone.
Something proven as Illarion rumbled a sound that didn’t come from his throat. She wasn’t sure exactly what the source of it was. But it was terrifying.
Do not mistake your powers, kikimora. I’ve picked my teeth with the bones of far greater creatures than you. I’ve devoured gods.
“Yet it was a god who turned you into your hybrid existence, was it not?”
This time, there was no mistaking the hiss Illarion let out. You go too far! And you know nothing of what you speak! He moved to attack her brother.
Without thinking, Edilyn stepped between them.
Illarion collided with her.
She wasn’t sure which of them was the most stunned by the unexpected contact. Or why it left her so breathless.
Illarion put his arms around her to steady her. Are you all right?
She nodded. “You didn’t hurt me.”
Relief lightened his features, but there was an unmistakable heat in his eyes. Along with a pain so profound that it made her ache deep in her stomach. She had no idea the source of her feeling or his look. But something haunted him.
Stepping back, he let go. There’s a bedchamber above. It’s yours. There are also chests of silks and jewels. Use whatever you wish for your comfort. But nothing is to leave this cavern.
And with that, he transformed back into a dragon and lumbered off into a dark recess where he vanished from her sight. An unbelievable feat, she would have thought, given the vibrancy of his colors and size. Yet he made it appear easy and effortless.
Stunned and angry, she scowled at Virag.
He was completely unrepentant over his actions. “Don’t give me that pout.”
“I’m not pouting.”
“Aye, you are. And you should be thanking me and celebrating.”
“For what? That you’ve imposed on a poor soul who doesn’t want us here?”
“That you’re not returning to the hovel your parents damned you to by their thoughtlessness. Besides, your dragon could use some company. This is a dismal existence. Just look at it.” He gestured around the stark cave. “It actually makes your crappy place look like a castle in comparison. And it takes creepy to a whole new extremity.”
She hated to admit he was right. Still …
Was this all there was to Illarion’s existence? To his life? It was so … so …
Bleak.
Barren. A thousand adjectives went through her mind. But the ones that haunted her were the last two.
Sad and lonely.
Feeling bad for the dragon, she pulled her helm off her head and handed it to her brother. “Wait here.”
“Why?”
She let out a long-suffering sigh. “Because I asked it and you’re an ass.”
“Fine.” He propped her helm on his head and went to sit on a nearby stalagmite.
With one last glare at Virag to make sure he was staying put, she headed after Illarion.
The walkway he’d ventured down was long and winding. Terribly narrow. How he’d stayed on it given his great size, she had no idea. Maybe he’d flown over it. It certainly seemed more likely than his walking down without slipping and falling.
Biting her lip, she tried to settle her nerves over the danger of the path. She’d never liked heights. She liked darkness even less.
It was also a lot colder down here. Frigid, really. Why would he want to stay here when he could be in the warmer, brighter part?
What are you doing?
She let out a brittle shriek at his unexpected voice that intruded on her thoughts. “Where are you?”
A subtle sigh filled her head. In my bed.
She heard a deep shuffling before the torches lit the darkness around her. Her jaw dropped as she realized that the walls weren’t black, after all. Rather it was a deep, sparkled green that shimmered with the light. And as much treasure as there had been above, it was nothing compared to what filled the chambers here. Everything glimmered and shimmered with gold, silver, and jewels. Treasure even littered the floor. She could practically swim in a sea of it.
On his side, Illarion took up most of the room. He apparently made his bed on straw scattered over a river of gold coins. That did not seem to her as if it would be particularly comfortable. But who was she to judge? Her straw tick mattress wasn’t what she’d call luxurious, either.
Lifting his head, he was so large that he met her on the ledge without moving any other part of his body. Did you need something?
She ignored his question as she stared aghast at the supreme wealth surrounding her. “May I ask why, with this”—she gestured at the treasure—“fortune around you, you sleep on a floor and hide in a cave? I don’t understand. You could live like a king in a palace.”
I’m not a man, Edilyn. I am drakomai. Do you know this word?
She shook her head.
We are born the cursed children of demon mothers. Abandoned at birth and left to die, only a handful of us survive. Because of what we are, we are extremely solitary and territorial. I am not like those hybrid creatures who come to your Winnowing to pick mates. I’m much older and much more feral.
“Is that why you can’t talk?”
Nay. That is a result of your kind and it’s why I hate your race so vehemently. What was done to me was done quite intentionally and with enough venomous vim that it is all I can do to restrain myself from becoming the very monster they think I am.
Those words and the brutal torment they betrayed brought tears to her eyes. “I’m sorry.” And before she could stop herself, she reached out to lay her hand against his leathery snout.
Illarion froze at the unexpected kindness. No human had ever laid a gentle hand to him while he’d been in his natural form. For that matter, they’d seldom done so in his human one.
While it was true that women were initially drawn to his prince’s body, their ardor was often cooled the moment they realized he couldn’t speak. More times than not, they assumed him addled as well as mute. Especially since he seldom spoke to them with his telepathy as that would betray his preternatural powers.
But Edilyn didn’t hesitate or withhold her kindness. It was as innate to her as breathing. She couldn’t seem to help herself.
Closing his eyes, he savored the warmth of her hand as she rubbed his scales.
“If it’s any consolation, dragons ate my father.”
He grimaced at her. How could that ever be consolation for me?
“It’s not. I just wanted you to know that I understand your hatred. That it’s hard for me to be with you whenever I think of it.”
Yet here you are. He opened his eyes to find her staring at him with a peculiar expression he didn’t quite understand.
“Why did you protect me?”
You gave me kindness first.
“And that’s all it took?”
Sadly, when you’ve been given as little of it as I have in my life, aye. I fear I’m a cheap whore whose affections are easily bought.
She laughed out loud at his unexpected comment. “It’s a good thing the brenin didn’t know that, then. He could have bought you from me.”
Indeed. Illarion sucked his breath in sharply as she moved her hand to rub him beneath his chin. It sent shivers the length of his body and fire through his veins. A part of him wanted to purr in response to it.
“You still haven’t answered my question about all the treasure.”
He sighed contentedly and wagged his tail. It’s not mine.
“What do you mean?”
Others bring it to me for safekeeping. Gods and heroes. Those who want it protected from the ones who would misuse it in your world. Unfortunately, many of them die before they reclaim it and so it accumulates over time.
“You never get rid of it?”
Too dangerous. While I may hate dragons and mankind, I share this world with you. Last thing I want to see is one of the others use it to rise up and take over. I shudder at the thought of paying homage to a gallu or Charonte or one of the other billions of possibilities—such as your brother.
Laughing again, she nodded. “I can see your point. He would let such go to his head and be even more impossible to suffer.” Much to Illarion’s chagrin, she let her hand fall away as she glanced about his chamber. “And this is enough for you?”
How do you mean?
“This life? You’re content to live here among your treasure and do … what is it dragons do?”
We exist.
“And?”
He shrugged. And what? There’s nothing more for my kind. Anytime we leave, we’re hunted. We’re so large, we cannot hide. Every species born, including the gods, wants to enslave us for our powers or slay us to use our parts in their potions or to mount as trophies. We dare not gather. So we exist in our dens and wait for the day when death finally spares us from our loneliness.
Edilyn swallowed hard as his words brought a lump to her throat. Strange how she’d never given thought before to what a dragon might actually feel. ’Course, she’d never really cared. Never really thought about them being sentient creatures. “But you don’t have to be a dragon.”
The look he gave her then terrified her. His breathing turned to ragged, angry gasps. The serpentine pupils of his yellow eyes narrowed in warning of his fury. Think you I wanted this done to me? To become a weak, pathetic, helpless man?
Those words struck her like a blow. “We’re not that weak and we’re certainly not pathetic. We at least live. And we fight. We don’t hide like cowards in dark caves, feeling sorry for ourselves.” And with that, she got up and left him to wallow in his self-pity.
Illarion drew back in shock as he watched her storm away. No one other than Max, Xyn, or Falcyn had ever spoken to him in such a manner.
Fear? Yes. Even when the humans had held him for torture when he’d been a child, they’d been terrified of him.
No one, especially not a human, had ever told him off before. Not when he wore his dragonskin. Even his younger mandrake brother, Blaise, backed down from him.
I don’t feel sorry for myself.
He was quite happy being a dragon. Happy with his solitude and his cave. He had no other needs whatsoever.
Except a suddenly incessant one to set the record straight with an irritating woman who thought she knew things she didn’t.…