Chapter Ten
Bloodaxe stared down at the tempting morsel who was now sleeping soundly in his arms. Georgiana. How was he to keep her safe when she addled his senses? How was he to let her go when his dragon heart cried out to keep her by his side for all eternity?
He watched in fascination, unable to take his eyes off her beautifully expressive face. He’d watched her earlier as he’d roused the passion dormant within her all these years. Her eyes had taken on a gem-like sparkle, those deep green orbs shining as brilliantly as any star that ever shone in the English night sky. Even now, the upward tilt of her pink lips taunted him with their lush softness and tempted him to kiss her again.
And again.
Her breaths were calm and steady now, but he took pride in recalling her breathy moans and the urgent movements of her inexperienced body as he suckled the rosy buds of her breasts and tasted the heat of her essence.
He’d needed to savor her, to brand her into his memory.
No, that wasn’t quite right. He needed no reminder of Georgie. She’d been branded into his heart from their first meeting. What he’d felt was the dragon urge to mate with her and claim her for his own. “Get up, Georgie,” he said in a whisper. “Night is falling. Time for us to move on.”
She purred and stretched her lithe body that was curled around his hard torso. “So soon? But I just fell asleep.”
“You’ve been snoring for hours,” he teased. “Honking like a foghorn.”
“Oh, dear. I have? Did I keep you awake?” She drew the blanket primly about her as she hurriedly sat up.
“Don’t cover yourself, my beauty. Let me see you.” He drew her hands off the blanket so that it fell away from her body. Her skin was warm and pink. Her golden hair was a cascading mess, sticking up in spots and flat where she’d burrowed her head against his chest. Her eyes were heavily lidded and her lips were pouty.
She looked rumpled and deliciously sleepy.
His gaze moved lower and his dragon lust ignited.
Georgie had the ability to send him into a mating frenzy simply by being her innocent self.
By the Stone of Draloch! Did a more beautiful female ever exist?
A rustling sound directly outside had him rolling to his feet and grabbing Georgie along with him. Damn. Her clothes were in the kitchen. She had nothing but her soggy boots and the blanket she was once again hastily wrapping around her body with awkward and trembling hands. “Who’s out there?”
He shook his head to silence her and then motioned for her to put on her boots. She did so immediately, but didn’t have time to securely lace them before a foul scent began to permeate through the wood-planked walls. Brihann’s scouting party. They’d somehow picked up his and Georgie’s scent and it had led them straight here.
How many were there?
Perhaps eight demons in all, assuming this was the same scouting party they’d avoided earlier.
He donned his boots and grabbed his battle axe, noticing Georgie’s eyes widen at the sight of the massive axe he so casually held in his grip. He put a finger to his lips to warn her to keep silent and then placed one of his daggers in her hands before drawing her behind him. It was his smallest weapon and wasn’t enough to keep her safe. But she hadn’t the strength to wield a bigger one.
Yet, he had to give her something with which to defend herself, for drawing her behind him wouldn’t be enough to assure her safety. He didn’t know where else to put her. There was nowhere to hide in this simple cottage.
He heard more rustling as the demon scouts surrounded them. They’d burst through the door and windows to come at them from all directions.
He was ready for battle when they did just that, shattering glass and splintering wood as they lunged for him and Georgie, their howls and screeches filling the air, along with their foul odor.
“Georgie, do your best to keep behind me,” he ordered, knowing it was no easy task, for he was whirling and smashing his axe into soft, demon heads and frog-like bodies, leaving a splattered mess. Three downed with his first swings. He swung again and killed two more.
Only three left.
They sprang at him all at once, their talons and sharp teeth bared. He stunned them with one hefty swing that struck all three of them, and then dispatched them with precise, killing blows.
In less than a minute, all eight demons lay dead at his feet.
He could have killed them faster had he transformed into a dragon and released his fire, but he had no need to use his magic. He’d done it easily with mere brute force. He was not even breathing heavily as he turned to Georgiana to make certain she was unharmed.
She gaped back at him, her eyes wide and filled with fear. He reached out to touch her, but she surprised him by drawing back. “I didn’t have to raise my dagger.” She emitted a ragged breath. “They never got near me.”
Was she complimenting him for his prowess? In truth, it wasn’t much of a battle. His daily training took more effort. But no, she regarded him with horror, as though seeing the beast within him for the very first time. “This is what I am, Georgie.”
“I know.”
“No time to clean up this mess now. I’ll send Thomas here afterward.” He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the kitchen where her clothes and his shirt were still draped over the chairs untouched. “Get dressed. Grab a little of that sausage fruit to break your fast. Eat it quickly. We need to get as far away from here as possible.”
She obeyed his command, but was slower than he would have liked. It wasn’t her fault that her hands were shaking and she was obviously distraught. He didn’t understand why this attack should leave her pale and feeling worse than the others before it. He wanted to ask her why, but not yet. They needed to run and would only be slowed down if she were tearfully chattering and stumbling along.
Most of all, he didn’t want to dwell on her revulsion of him and what he’d just done. She was in the wrong. He’d saved her life. Those demons would have ripped her sweet, innocent body apart. That she now looked upon him as no better than their attackers wounded his heart. Curse the fates that had left him a tattered shred of that feeling organ. Well, his heart was truly beyond mending now.
He turned her none too gently to face away from him and quickly laced up her gown. Then he turned her back toward him and bent to securely lace her boots. Her hair was still a glorious tumble, but there was no time to secure it now. He tucked his dagger into the belt of her gown. She’d need that weapon later. “Let’s go.”
While she had struggled to don her clothes and grab a bite to eat, he’d quickly slipped his shirt on, cleaned off his battle axe, and belted it to his hip. He now grabbed his crossbow and quiver of arrows and slung them over his shoulder.
Losing patience in the face of her continued silence, he scowled and lifted her into his arms once more, carrying her over the kitchen floor that was strewn with shattered glass and splintered wood, to the threshold.
He set her down once they were outdoors and then took her hand. The red sky was darkening and would be ink-black within moments. He’d brought her this far along and did not intend to lose her on this leg of their journey. That she might flee from him hadn’t crossed his mind until now, and it curdled his insides to know this thought was surely rattling around in her brain.
So much for her talk of love.
Love was not all powerful and eternal.
Love wouldn’t change a damn thing.
They walked in silence for hours until she finally broke it with a sigh. “You’re still angry with me.”
No, he was angry with himself for believing there could be a happy outcome to his fate. He was even angrier with himself for stubbornly wanting her with an ache that filled the empty cavities of his heart. “I’m not angry.”
“Then you’re disappointed in me.” Her voice was soft and ragged with remorse.
He grunted and paused in their hike. “It doesn’t matter how either of us feels now, does it? The damage has been done, Georgie. We had our moment and are both eager to move ahead to our separate destinies.”
“Separate?” She inhaled lightly. “You don’t want me?”
“By the Stone of Draloch, why are we discussing this? You’re the one who showed utter disgust with me. You’re the one who now cringes at my touch.”
She tugged on his hand. “Are you mad? How can you possibly think that?”
He shook his head and grunted again in disbelief, knowing they should stop talking and move on. The sooner they reached the Razor Cliffs, the sooner she’d be rid of him. “You gave it away by recoiling as I approached you. The look of horror mingled with disgust that you graced me with after I’d slain those demons was another clue.”
“I was horrified by my own ineptitude and disgusted with myself for allowing fear to numb my limbs and render me useless to you. What if you had needed my help? I couldn’t lift that small dagger much less thrust it at any attacker. I wasn’t prepared. Fortunately, you protected me once again. I was, as I said, useless to you. I’m so sorry, my lord.”
His heart shot into his throat. “Don’t apologize to me, Georgie. You have nothing for which to be sorry.”
She tugged lightly on his hand again. “But I failed you.”
He held back the urge to roar with laughter. He was a fool. So much for reading her thoughts. He’d read her completely wrong. “Your strength is not in your physical might. You’re little and have no muscles to speak of. But don’t ever doubt that there is a remarkable power in you.”
She pursed her lips and tsked to dismiss his words. “I have no idea what power you are talking about. I certainly haven’t shown any. Are we friends again?”
He arched an eyebrow. “We were never friends. I doubt a word exists to describe what we are to each other.”
“No, I suppose not. But I don’t know what else to call us.”
He resumed walking, making certain to keep her hand securely in his as he once more hurried their pace. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me. We are more than friends but less than dragon mates. I’m not even a dragon. And I don’t know that I would count as an innocent now that… what we did earlier. You know. I liked that part very much.”
It was dark, but he could see her cheeks glow like crimson torchlights in the night. The last of his bile and anger fled from him, quickly replaced by his stirring dragon lust. She’d been so exquisitely responsive to his touch. “Ah, that part. So did I, my beauty. So did I.”
*
Georgie was exhausted by the time the two moons began their ascent into the red sky. They must have been walking for close to ten hours, much of it over hills that felt more like mountains during the upward climb, and climbing was difficult to do in her gown. Not to mention having to struggle all the while in the dark.
She didn’t know where they would hide today, but was tired enough to drop down anywhere and promptly fall asleep. Fatigue even overcame her hunger. “Where will we stop?”
Lord Bloodaxe scanned the horizon, his gaze keen and assessing like that of a hawk. Or a dragon on the prowl. “There,” he said, pointing to a crude, stone outcropping that made the hunting cottage they’d left hours ago seem like a great manor house in comparison. “This is all the shelter I dare risk. There’s another of my hunting lodges not too far from here. I had Thomas quietly clean it out and stock it with food. But I think it’s too dangerous to sleep there now. I’ll settle you beside the outcropping first and then go to the lodge to retrieve our food.”
Despite her fear of being left alone even for a short time, she nodded. “Any chance he hid a lavender soap and a clean change of clothes for us there?”
Lord Bloodaxe managed an upward twitch of his lips. “Perhaps a change of clothes, but there shall be no scented soaps for you, my beauty. Brihann’s demons are prowling all over my lands and will easily pick up the scent of lavender on your body. You smell far too delicious as it is.”
She shook her head and laughed. “I must reek as badly as those demons. And kindly do not refer to me as delicious. I have no wish to be their next meal.”
He kissed her lightly on the lips. “Hmm, tasty.”
“I’m little and bony and will starve if I don’t eat soon.” She would have to content herself with another cold meal to fill her belly, but didn’t mind. They were being hunted and needed to remain hidden. Perhaps he might return with a pouch of water. She could use a little of it to rinse away the demon stench that pervaded the air around them.
“Georgie,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her closer. “The Razor Cliffs are just over that distant rise. We’ll reach it by tomorrow, unless we’re caught.”
“We won’t be.” She had faith in him, although it seemed he was less confident at the moment.
How many demons had he noticed lurking about? They had altered their course several times over the past hours, and at times he’d put his finger over her lips to warn her to be silent. If not for his naturally keen senses, they would have walked into one of Brihann’s raiding parties long ago.
“These past few days have been easy in comparison to what lies ahead for you. You and I will part ways soon. You’ll have to make the climb alone while Mordain and I distract Brihann’s forces. There is no other way to get you to safely back into your world.”
She nodded. “I can do it.”
A fabrication, of course. But he needed her to be strong and she did not wish to disappoint him. However, the thought of returning to her familiar surroundings, to the Lake District she adored, left her feeling empty. She did not wish to be anywhere but by Lord Bloodaxe’s side.
He wanted her gone.
She would comply for now. She still had matters to attend to once she’d made her escape. First, to call upon his brother, Saron. Next, find her way to the Stone of Draloch.
These visits weren’t quite the same as calling upon a friend or attending a tea party. She did not know what would happen when she confronted Saron.
She was afraid of what would happen when she confronted the Stone of Draloch.
She shook out of the troublesome thought.
Mother in heaven, she would not back out of her plans. Whatever the danger, she would face it. After all, dangers existed even in Polite Society. No one knew what might happen to them in the next hour or the next day. Indeed, anything could happen at any time to anyone. Brihann could even die of old age.
He wouldn’t though.
The wicked never seemed to die early deaths. Their rage and bile seemed to keep them going for years.
She glanced at the dagger she carried in her belt.
“Use it on yourself if Brihann captures you,” Lord Bloodaxe said, following her gaze and understanding the bouncing trail of her wayward thoughts. “Don’t hesitate. He will not go easy on you.”
She swallowed hard. “Hopefully, it will not come to that.”
They had just walked into the outcropping when they heard the distant sound of barking. Georgiana regarded him curiously. “Your dogs?”
He nodded. “They’re chasing demons. I’ve had them doing so ever since we left my fortress. That they’re so close is not a good sign. I warned you that Brihann’s armies are closing in on us.”
“And where are your armies?”
He cast her a mirthless grin. “Not far either. They’re positioned in and around the Razor Cliffs but will not attack Brihann’s forces until I give the word. For now, they will only fight if they are attacked first. However, I hope that war between us will be avoided.”
“Why? Don’t you want to defeat Brihann?”
“Yes, if I can.” He nodded. “However, if one succeeds in deposing a king, one has no choice but to kill him. It is not an easy thing to do while Python and Necros remain loyal to him. As for Mordain, he may be willing to join forces with me, but the Stone of Draloch may stop him from interceding. If the prophecy is true, the outcome must be determined by me and Brihann alone. We’re the two black dragons.”
“Or your brother.”
He frowned. “I’ve told you. He will never fight by my side, no matter how mad and dangerous Brihann might be. He believes I am just as mad and dangerous. If forced to make a choice, he will choose Brihann over me.”
She shook her head and sighed. “Men can be such stubborn fools.”
“Women can be just as foolishly stubborn. Don’t think of returning here once you’re safely back home.” As the sun began to peek above the treetops, he led her into a cave hidden in the outcropping. They’d had to crawl through the almost unnoticeable entrance, but once inside, even Lord Bloodaxe was able to stand to his full height.
“Is it safe to light a torch in here?” Georgiana had spent the last few days walking in total darkness. One would think her eyes would be accustomed to it by now. Alas, no. She still had to cling to Lord Bloodaxe as he led her deeper into the cave, guiding her with care over the bumps of packed dirt, jutting rocks, and loose pebbles that abounded on the floor.
“No torchlight, Georgie. It’s too dangerous. The faintest glimmer will be noticed.”
She’d expected his answer, but still felt disappointed. “I feel like a mole wandering blindly in its hole.”
“Sit here,” he said, helping to ease her onto a long, flat rock. “It isn’t a goose-down mattress, but it will serve as a bed for now. Close your eyes and rest. I’ll be back in a little while.”
“Arik, I–”
He growled, the feral sound arising from low in his throat. “Don’t call me that.”
She sighed. “Lord Bloodaxe.”
“What is it?” He spoke quite gently to her now, no doubt realizing he’d been unnecessarily cross with her.
“I lied to you before. I’m not very confident that I’ll make it up the Razor Cliffs. I’m scared, but I’ll do my best. If I fail–”
He knelt beside her. “You won’t.”
She shook her head. “We both know it is likely I will. I’m just sorry that I’ve put you to so much trouble.”
He rested his palm against her cheek. “Aye, you’ve been nothing but trouble from the moment you appeared in my tower bedchamber. It now lies in ruins. So does my south bedchamber. And my hunting lodge, although it was already fairly run down.” He caressed her cheek. “It is a good thing Dragon Lords like trouble. We thrive on it.”
“Do you love it?” Of course, she was asking if he loved her.
By his low growl of annoyance, she sensed he understood precisely what she was asking. “When the time comes, just start running up that cliff face. I’ll be watching out for you, ready to shove that dainty arse of yours upward if you falter. Understood?”
He turned and strode out of the cave before she could answer.
She sighed and stretched her exhausted frame upon the hard rock. He would never admit he loved her. Should she confess she loved him? It felt right to do so.
She yawned and closed her eyes. It was nonsense to think about these possibilities. They could talk about it until the end of time and he would resist her all the while.
They would mate if it was meant to be.