Holly
Stefan at last touched down again, the massive claws of his feet leaving furrows in the earth. Holly slid down from his back reluctantly – she missed his warmth immediately, and she realized with a shock that she was still only wearing the bedsheet, tied fast around her body. With everything that had happened, she hadn’t even thought about what she was wearing.
Looking around the forest, Holly realized she had no idea where they were. The trees were thicker here, and the bracken and undergrowth far wilder. She guessed this wasn’t a part of the forest that people came to very often – it was obviously far off the beaten track.
She turned just in time to see Stefan shrinking back down to his human form, his glittering scales becoming skin once more, his clawed front feet becoming hands, his tail disappearing back inside his body. She marveled as she watched.
How does it work? she asked herself. Does even Stefan know?
As if in answer to her thoughts, he shook his head. “No. I’m afraid the origins of dragon shifters are lost to the mists of time. Maybe someone knows, but I’m afraid I’m not much of a historian.”
Holly shook her head. “Can you read my mind, too?”
Stefan smiled a little. “Not really – not the way you mean. But I can sense your thoughts, just a little. If you were a dragon, then the chances are I could make out a lot more, but since you’re human, I’ll need more practice.”
Holly watched him as he came toward her, totally naked now. As much as she tried to stop them, she couldn’t prevent her eyes from drifting southward.
“All right, smarty no-pants, what am I thinking now?” she asked, a wicked grin on her lips.
To her instant gratification, a blush immediately spread across Stefan’s face. It looked almost incorrigible, given how huge – and how naked – he was.
“I have some idea,” he murmured gently, drawing her to him and kissing her.
Holly gasped as their lips met, feeling searing heat gathering in her belly.
She wondered if Stefan being a literal dragon should have put her off him a little – or at least made her question her choices. But as it was, the only thing it did was make her want him more.
She opened her mouth to him, drawing his tongue between her lips.
You can’t have sex with him right in the middle of the forest, her rational, no-fun-at-all brain complained to her.
Sure you can, her much more fun inner voice countered. Dragons exist. I’m pretty sure that means every other thing you thought was true doesn’t matter either.
She wound her arms around him, pulling him close – only to have him pull away.
“Holly,” he said, his voice sounding husky. “We need to talk…”
“Can’t we do it later?” Holly whispered, standing on tip-toes to nip at his lower lip with her teeth.
For a moment, Stefan’s eyes glistened, turning an even brighter green – but in the next second he blinked, and shook his head as if to clear it.
“I’d love nothing more than to… well, you know what I’d love to do with you,” he said. “But there’s something I need to tell you. And it can’t wait. It may change how you feel about me – about what we do next – and I want you to have all the facts before we do anything else.”
Holly was silent as she followed Stefan to the base of a mighty old fir tree, before he gestured for her to sit on a fallen log. She recalled how she’d felt while up on his back – the strange unease that had filled her heart. And suddenly, she knew that it was somehow connected to the weird dream she’d had last night: the one she could barely remember now, but which had woken her up with its strangeness.
And then there’d been the sense of sadness she had detected when Stefan spoke of his parents…
Were all of these things connected?
Holly suddenly had a better sense of what Stefan meant when he said he couldn’t read her mind, but he could sense her thoughts. She wondered if that was just because they had slept together, or there was something more to it than that.
“I have so many questions,” she blurted out, before she could stop herself. “Are there more like you in the world? Dragons, I mean. How did you keep yourselves so secret? And… are we psychically connected because we slept together? Is that the reason I can –”
She cut herself off as Stefan held up his hands, saying, “Whoa, whoa – one step at a time. I promise, I’ll try to answer all your questions. But there’s a few things I need to get out of the way.” He took a deep breath, as if gathering himself. “You asked if there are others like me in the world, and the answer is yes. There are other dragons. But dragons belong to different clans, and the clans aren’t always… friendly to each other.”
Holly was silent. There were about five hundred things she wanted to ask, but she tried to remember what Stefan had said about getting to everything one at a time.
“I belong to the Novak Clan. Or at least… I did. Once.”
Holly felt a sudden piercing pain in her chest. She gasped, raising her hand and pressing it between her breasts. It felt like burning, like someone was squeezing her heart in red-hot pincers…
“Holly?” Stefan asked, sounding alarmed. All at once, his arms were around her, cradling her, his fingers stroking through her hair. “Are you all right? What happened?”
“It… it hurts,” Holly whispered, feeling tears in her eyes. “I don’t know why, but when you said that, my chest… my heart…”
Stefan continued to hold her, whispering gently into her ear.
“It’s okay. Just breathe. It’ll pass. I promise you.”
Slowly, the throbbing pain in her heart began to subside, and Holly looked up into Stefan’s eyes, blinking away her tears.
“They’re all dead, aren’t they? Your… your clan. That’s why I felt that pain. It was your pain. The pain you feel when you think about them.”
Stefan looked down at her, nodding.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d feel it so strongly. You must be very sensitive to… to dragons. If I’d known, I would have –”
Holly silenced him by reaching up and placing her fingers over his lips. “Don’t apologize. Please. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to carry that pain with you all the time.” She looked up into his eyes, wondering how he could bear it. “How did they die? Is it all right for you to tell me?”
Stefan swallowed, then nodded. “Of course. You need to know. They died because… because other dragons killed them. A rival clan, called the Lukich. It happened that there was a blood feud between us. The Novak Clan were the losers.”
Holly gasped, horrified. “A blood feud? What does that even mean?”
Stefan looked down at her, stroking his fingers through her hair before he answered. “It’s an ancient rite between dragon clans. Most dragons would never dream of declaring a blood feud now, even though they could. But Erik, the leader of the Lukich Clan… he’s not like other dragons.”
Holly felt a shudder pass through Stefan’s body as he spoke.
“He’s more powerful, to begin with. And completely tied to the traditional ways. If Erik told every dragon in his clan to go drown themselves in the sea, I’m not completely sure they wouldn’t do it.”
Holly stared at him, eyes like saucers. “Is that how dragon clans are usually run?”
Stefan shook his head. “No. At least, I don’t think so. It wasn’t how the Novak Clan was run, from what I can remember. It was a long time ago, but I’m sure things were more… what’s the right word? … more democratic than that. And if a dragon had a problem with something the leader said, they could voice their objections without fear. That’s what I remember, anyway.”
Holly reached up, stroking his face. She wasn’t ordinarily so touchy-feely. But with Stefan, she almost felt compelled. He half-closed his eyes, leaning into the touch and for a moment, Holly imagined she could hear his dragon purr.
“How old were you when… when they…”
“When they died?” Stefan smiled sadly. “The last time I saw my mother, I was thirteen. She hid me in a cave, not far from here. She promised she’d return, then she left with my younger sister. I never saw either of them again, nor my father, nor any of my cousins.” He swallowed thickly. “I know they must be dead, because otherwise they would have come back for me. And Erik Lukich… Erik Lukich isn’t a dragon to leave a job half-finished.”
Again, Holly felt the piercing pain in her heart.
“But you survived,” she said. “Maybe they did too.”
Stefan looked down at her, his eyes filled with sadness. “I used to hope that, too. But after so many years, I’ve given up hoping they might somehow have escaped. I know they would have found me, if they were still alive. My mother promised she’d return. But she never has. None of them have.”
Holly was silent, before she asked, “Didn’t you ever want to go looking for them?”
Stefan nodded. “Of course. But that comes with its own risks. And that’s exactly what I need to talk to you about now.”
Holly cocked her head, feeling apprehensive. “What do you mean?”
Stefan drew in a deep breath. “When I told you about the blood feud, I spoke as if it was in the past. But it’s not. As long as there’s any Novak dragons left alive, Erik Lukich will keep pursuing them. If anyone – any dragon – knew I was here, I’d be in danger. If Erik came to hear of it, he’d send someone to kill me. Until every last Novak is dead, the blood feud still continues.”
Holly knew she was staring at him with her mouth hanging open, but she couldn’t help it. “But that’s… that’s medieval,” she burst out, sitting up straight. “How can that be?”
Stefan shrugged. “Dragons are medieval, in a lot of ways. Maybe it’s because we’ve had to keep ourselves secret from the world. Or maybe that’s just the way we are. But that’s the way it is in clans like the Lukich. And unless they get a new leader who has different ideas to Erik, things won’t change.”
Holly shook her head, uncomprehending. “And… and this blood feud. What was it even about?”
Again, Stefan shrugged, pain glimmering in his eyes. “That’s the thing. I don’t even know. I was too young at the time, and my parents never explained. But I have no idea why Erik Lukich suddenly decided we needed to be wiped out. None at all.”
“And this Erik Lukich… is he as big as you?” Holly asked, though she was having a hard time imagining it.
“Bigger. I saw him once, when I was very small, at a meeting of the dragon clans.” Stefan looked away, as if reaching deep into his memories. “He was… huge. He dwarfed the other dragons around him, even my uncle, who was the leader of our clan. When he looked at me I couldn’t stop myself from shrinking away. It was like I was nothing more than a bug to him.”
Holly shivered. She could feel Stefan’s own terror sheeting off him in waves. “But you were small then. Now you could fight him, take your revenge –”
Stefan shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that, Holly, though I wish it did. But I haven’t told you what you need to hear yet.”
Frowning, Holly sat up a little straighter. “What is it?” she started to ask, when suddenly, the pieces fell into place in her mind.
As long as there’s any Novak dragons left alive, Erik Lukich will keep pursuing them.
Until every last Novak is dead, the blood feud still continues.
Erik Lukich suddenly decided we needed to be wiped out.
“He’s going to come after you, isn’t he?” she whispered, fear creeping up her spine on spiders’ legs. “If he finds you, he’s going to try to kill you.”
Stefan nodded, holding her gaze. “And that’s why… Holly, when you woke last night, and I was…”
“You were going to leave me.” In a sudden flash of clarity, Holly understood everything. “Because if I’m with you, I’m in danger too.”
“Yes.” Stefan’s hand found hers. “You’re my mate, Holly. That’s why we have such a connection to each other. That’s why it’s been so easy for you to sense my feelings. That’s why, when we touch each other…”
Holly shivered as Stefan’s thumb stroked over the back of her hand. She knew exactly what he meant.
“Your mate,” she said, trying the word out to see how it tasted. She decided she liked it. “Do dragons mate for life?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation in Stefan’s voice. “And that’s why I needed to give you a chance to walk away now. I can’t ask you to place yourself in such danger. Not for me. Not for anything. If you decide to leave now, then I completely understand. In fact, I’d encourage you to leave now. I hate the thought of –”
Stefan’s voice was muffled to a halt as Holly leaned up and kissed him. She held his jaw in the palms of her hands, pulling him close, her thumbs stroking over the high, perfect arch of his cheekbones.
“You think I could just walk away from you?” she asked, slightly breathless, when she finally pulled back. “You think I could just go back to normal life – to my shitty job, to my crappy little apartment – knowing that dragons exist? That you exist?”
She leaned forward, kissing him again. Fire ran through her veins, warming her from the inside out.
“Never.”
Stefan looked down at her, eyes heated, his hands covering hers.
“Are you sure? You need to understand how dangerous this could be. If Erik – if any Lukich ever found us – ”
“I don’t care,” Holly interrupted him. “I’ve seen your dragon form. I know your strength. And if you think I’m going to let any ancient dragon feud get in the way of us, then you have another think coming.”
Stefan stared at her as if he couldn’t quite believe what she was saying, but then he nodded.
“I want you to know you can take that back at any time,” he said. “I couldn’t bear it if any harm came to you because of me.”
Holly shook her head. “You said we’re mates. I don’t know what that means to dragons, but to me, that means sticking by each other no matter what.”
A small smile snaked its way across Stefan’s lips. “Well, it pretty much means the exact same thing to dragons, too. A mate is a partner for life. The bond is unbreakable. Once you accept a dragon as your mate, only death can separate you. There are even some dragon legends that say that fated mates will find each other in the afterlife, where they can never be pulled asunder…”
“And you honestly thought I could walk away from you, knowing that?”
Stefan looked away, his dark brows pulled together. “I wanted… I wanted to give you the choice,” he said after a moment. “I know it’s hard to understand, but Erik Lukich is dangerous. He will kill me if he finds me. And you, too. I wouldn’t ever expect you to take on that risk.”
“But I want to,” Holly said. “I choose to. And anyway, he hasn’t found you yet, so he can’t be all that powerful.” Leaning forward, she touched his face. “I know I can never replace your family. Your clan. But I want to be with you. I’ve never felt so connected with anyone before in my life. And if you’ll let me, I’d love to find out more about what it means. To be a dragon’s mate.”
Stefan turned to look at her, his eyes glowing green. Suddenly, he stood up, before reaching down a hand to help her up.
“Come with me.”
Wordlessly, Holly took his hand and followed him through the trees. Bracken caught on the hem of her sheet, scratching against her legs, but she barely noticed it. As they walked, she heard the sound of running water, splashing over rocks. It was a small waterfall, she realized, as they moved out from between two mighty trees, and found themselves standing in front of a flowing stream.
“Be careful,” Stefan said as he led her over the rocks, slippery with moss and algae. Despite his hold on her hand, Holly’s bare foot slid a little; but before she could fall, she felt Stefan’s strong arms around her, sweeping her up off her feet.
“Oh –!” Holly barely had time to gasp before Stefan had carried her across the stream, ducking both of them beneath the large bough of a tree.
Darkness closed around them, and Holly realized they were standing in a hidden cave, concealed behind the waterfall. It took a moment, but eventually her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
“Where are we?” she whispered, pressing herself close to Stefan’s chest.
“There’s something I want to show you.”
Holly licked her lips, letting him carry her deep into the darkness. He knelt down without jostling her, and Holly felt something cold that clinked when it moved against her back.
What is this…?
Stefan’s arms left her, and she heard a soft click as he snapped his fingers. She gasped slightly as she saw a small flame leap up between them.
“Show-off,” she laughed, even though she was genuinely impressed. She wondered what other fire powers a dragon had – apparently, they could call on them even when they were in their human form.
Stefan, cradling the flame in his hands, placed it down on a small pile of kindling by the wall. Despite the dampness of the cave wall, it didn’t sputter at all.
Maybe it’s magic fire, Holly thought vaguely, as she looked around – and then, all thoughts suddenly fled her head completely.
Because she was lying on a pile of gold.
Glittering and glowing in the light of Stefan’s fire, it sent radiant points of light over her skin, and over the walls of the cave.
Looking closer, Holly realized there wasn’t only gold here – there were precious stones, boxes inlaid with jewels, bracelets, scepters, even crowns.
“Oh my goodness,” she breathed. Along with the whole fire-breathing thing, she supposed this was another legendary dragon myth that had turned out to be true: the hoard of gold.
Reaching out, she dipped her hands into a pile of coins, lifting them up to her face. She still couldn’t quite believe this was actually real.
She glanced toward where Stefan sat to find him watching her avidly.
“Is it okay?” she asked. “Can I touch this?”
“Of course you can.” Stefan sounded slightly breathless. When Holly glanced down between his legs, she could see that the sight of her touching the coins was apparently having a pretty… large effect on him. “In fact, I want you to. I want you to touch everything – all of it.”
Holly licked her lips, her eyes running over the vast pile of gold. She barely knew where to start. She’d never seen so much treasure in all her life.
But then, that wouldn’t be hard, considering she’d never seen any treasure – at least, not like this – in all her life.
Her eyes zeroed in on a massive ruby, almost the size of the palm of her hand. Entranced, she lifted it reverently, hardly able to believe that anything of such beauty could exist in the world.
“This is the Novak Clan’s hoard,” Stefan told her, her voice suddenly very close to her ear. “At least, what’s left of it. My mother hid it here with me. It’s only a very small part of what we once had, but I’ve kept it hidden all these years.”
Holly swallowed, placing the ruby back. It felt scandalous to be touching it, somehow. This kind of thing wasn’t meant for the likes of her.
Again, Stefan sensed her thoughts. “But now, it’s ours. Yours and mine. Our hoard.”
Holly bit her lip. “Do you just keep it here in this cave?”
Stefan nodded. “I’m afraid that dragons can be possessive and secretive about their gold – but it really is important to us. We draw strength from it. And usually our hoards are family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation, guarded and protected, sometimes with lives. A dragon is connected to their hoard in a way that’s hard to explain, but it’s like a link to the past. To all the other dragons in your clan. All of them, going back to the beginning of time.”
Feeling dazed, Holly’s eyes fell on a small, delicate tiara of gold and diamonds. The gold was wrought into miniature leaves that curled over each other, holding the diamonds in place like tiny, shining berries. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt drawn to it, like her hands were itching to touch it.
“May I?”
Stefan’s eyes lit up. “Of course. In fact…” He swallowed, as if he was gathering his courage. “May I crown you with it?”
“Crown me?” Holly felt bewildered.
Stefan nodded. “As my mate. It was the tiara I picked out with my father when he was first explaining mates to me – the tiara I’d use to crown my mate when I found her. And now I have.”
His eyes were glowing bright green. Holly felt dizzy.
“Of course you can,” she heard herself say softly. “Please.”
The delight that spread across Stefan’s face took her breath away. He reached down, taking the small tiara in both hands, before lifting it. She dipped her head slightly, feeling him place it gently on her head. After he had carefully positioned it so it wouldn’t slip, he ran his fingers down over her face, cupping it between his hands.
She gazed up into his eyes, and found them glowing with warmth.
“Beautiful,” he whispered. “Perfect.”
Then he leaned forward and kissed her.