I hadn’t passed a house or a gas station in a while. I was just driving thirty miles an hour down a dirt road going nowhere. There were fields around me with cows and goats surrounded by fences, but any human life must have been tucked beyond the hills that hide the horizon from me. All I could see was trees and fields and cows. My arm starts burning all of a sudden, and I sigh and brake the car. I put it in reverse, and slowly backed up on the road. The throbbing subsides, and I groan dramatically and throw my head back. I guess it would be a little silly to assume I would be able to drive right up to this mysterious magical entrance to my dream world. I shake my head as I maneuver my car off to the side of the road. I had no idea how long I would be gone for. There was a good chance my car wouldn’t be here when I got back. While there were no people around now, these fields of cows obviously belonged to someone and eventually they’d notice an abandoned vehicle. I sit in my seat
I was woken up almost twelve hours later by sunlight burning through my eyelids and stirring me back into reality. I groaned, blinking and sitting up. I had fallen asleep after my snack leaning against the tree, my head leaned back against it and my legs stretched out in front of me. My neck was pretty stiff, my mouth tasted weird and was very dry, and to top it all off, my butt was soaked from the morning dew on the ground. I stood up, stretching my arms above my head and sighing in satisfaction at the sound of my joints popping and cracking. I brush leaves and sticks off my backside, and bend down to pick up the empty water bottle off the ground. I crumple it up, throw it in my bag, and pull a full one out. I use it to rinse out my mouth a little, sighing as I think about my lovely electric toothbrush in my bathroom at home.This place had better be worth it. After peeing by the tree, making sure I had everything back in my bag, and tying my knotty hair into a bun on top of my he
Oh my God, everything hurts.I'm not exactly awake yet, I'm kind of just laying here. My eyes won't do what I say quite yet, so I'm not fully conscious.But I can sure as shit feel everything. My chest hurts, my throat burns, and my body feels like it's been steam rolled over.What happened?I remember... finding that pond. Swimming through it... voices. Someone must have pulled me out.But who?After a few minutes, I could finally feel my body beginning to stir and my eyelids cracking open. I groan as light assaults my vision and I bring my hand up to rub at my eyes."She's waking up!" I jump at the sound of a yelling voice and footsteps suddenly, snapping my eyes open to find the source. A thousand different things assault my senses at once.I'm in a bed, a really, really, nice bed. Shiny, pearl colored silk sheets cover my bare legs. My bare legs stick out to me, too. I look down and feel my face burning with embarrassment as I realize I'm in nothing but a short, satin nightgown. W
The hallway we're walking down is about twelve feet long, no other doors line it, no pictures or decorations or rugs. Just holes carved into the walls about six feet high with glowing light emitting from them. I couldn't see high enough to tell what was creating the glow, but it didn't look like a lightbulb or fire."Come my Lady, this way." I focus back on the room we're entering.The floor of this room is made of pink material, the same as the rest of the place by the feel of it, but with a dusty rose color and white swirls in it. The room is as big as my mom's living room, with a giant bath carved into the middle of it. It's deep looking, maybe six feet? Steaming water flows through square spouts that line the back edge of the tub. Bubbles float on the surface of the water, occasionally making it into the air, and the room smells like lavender and mint.I'm practically drooling at the thought of a steaming hot bath, especially one as enticing as this.I hear the older lady next to
I was standing in the hallway now, waiting for someone to "collect me." I wanted that someone to answer the million and a half questions I had.Where am I? Where is the boy I came to find? Who "saved" me?I found myself wondering yet again if I was currently with an enemy or a friend. They had given me a comfortable bed and clothes and an amazing bath, but what if they were just preparing me for sacrifice or something? Were they going to start fattening me up to eat me next? If I see anyone coming my way with cooking string and a big red apple, I’m running the other way."My Lady?" I look to my left where two different women in the same dressings as the ones before appeared, one holding a wooden box about the size of a book with a shiny gold latch keeping it shut. "Come with us. It's time to begin." I hesitate for a moment. Time to begin...what? Time to throw me into a burning ring of fire to appease your god? "My Lady?" The woman not holding the box has stepped closer now and is hold
I glance behind me when we step into the trees and am surprised to see the whole group standing back, watching me and the woman with the box proceed deeper into the trees. The other lady that was walking with me stayed behind, smiling with the rest of the group and waving me on."Where are we going?" I ask after a quiet few seconds of walking down the trail that winds through the trees. More silence. I walk for a few more steps, and then put my foot down.I stop, turning to stare at the remaining woman. She's peering up at me nervously through her lashes."Where are you taking me?""Please, my Lady, no one is going to hurt you." She begs, bowing her head deeply and staring at the ground. I furrowed my brow. I felt like a bully, even though my request wasn't really all that unreasonable.I sigh, and turn back around, continuing with my march towards death.A million thoughts were going through my head, but none matched the scene that was in front of me when we finally reached the end o
The boy in his eyes certainly looks like a younger version of the man in front of me. Same white blonde hair, shorter for sure. Not as much furrow in his brow. But definitely the same person. I feel his hand on my lower back as my knees start to grow weak. I can't break his gaze, even to swat off his hand as I normally would when a man touched me without the greenlight. I'm completely locked onto him, unable and unwilling to look away.I can see him as a young child, sitting in a tree, watching the sunset on the horizon while he chews on a bushel of mint leaves. I can see him as a teenager, getting scolded by an older man with a red beard. I can feel the shame and embarrassment flowing through my chest as the man's mouth moves, but I can't quite tell what he's saying."What is this?" I choke, still staring into what I assume are his memories. Him learning to fight with a sword, him having his first kiss with a small framed blonde girl, him learning to read and write."Only two people
"I told you, I'm Erik." I roll my eyes at his somewhat flippant response to my question of who he was."Who are you to me? You're acting like I'm supposed to know you." I sass. I bite my tongue at the satisfied look he shoots me. "What was that before? How were we seeing each other's memories?"He rolls his head to look down at me and smirks a little. "I can answer all your questions, but I don't know if you'll believe me. You don't seem to trust me very much." That reminds me of something very abruptly."Why should I? I haven't forgotten, you've got that boy locked up." I glare at him as I lean forward a little and point an accusing finger towards him, scoffing enterally and falling back at the chuckle that comes from his lips. How patronizing."I let him go, six hours ago." My brows shoot up. "You were out for a while. Twelve whole hours. It seems you are not accustomed to using magic, because you also fainted when coming through the portal in the pond.""Why would I be accustomed t
Erik and Larkin talked for another hour. I got bored halfway through and started organizing Erik’s desk. He had glanced at me curiously when I’d begun, but now I think I had mostly faded into the background of this conversation. Erik’s idea was we should go to where the remaining Gud species reside, confront them head on and get this over with. He said he didn’t want to wait around for him to attack, always looking over his shoulder. Maybe I was stereotyping here, but I found it interesting how Larkin argued against doing that. I guess from looking at them, you’d assume Larkin was the brute, the one who wanted to charge in head first, swords drawn, ready to die. Unfortunately for me, it seemed my new husband fit that role more accurately. Erik’s eyes were alight with passion and anger as he spoke of his plan to sneak onto their land. Then Larkin would point out the only idea Erik even has on what their territory looks like is based on a fifteen year old sketch of a map his father h
“All good?” Erik asks as we walk inside and join him again. He really had been waiting close by; just past the entry way, standing there like he was a guard himself. As soon as I turned the corner, he had gently grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back against his side, like me not being there had been physically paining him. More like letting me talk to the one man who amounted as my ex, but I was trying not to focus on all the awkward tension rolling between the three of us.“Yup.” I nod and smile up at him, standing on tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. He seemed to visibly relax, which was kind of cute. “He wants all of us to talk about the Gud now though.” I say, tilting my head to where Larkin was lingering behind us, awkwardly looking anywhere but at us.Erik nods. “Yes, yes we should. I would go as far to say it’s impossible to think he’s not hunting you.” His hand that had moved to wrap around my waist as he guided us all somewhere tightened a little at his words. I could te
“I came down here for a reason other than breaking up your cat fight.” Erik calls after me as I walk away from him and back towards the main estate. “Someone is here for you.” I stop then, my heart jumping. “Who?” I ask, not turning to look at him yet. He’s quiet for a moment, then says, “Larkin. He wants to talk to you about Bacudal’s death.” I nod, and take a deep breath. “Okay, take me to him.” Erik walks beside me as we head towards the main estate together now. We don’t say anything at first, then I ask, “how did he… seem?” I glance at Erik.He sighs. “Tense. Angry, impatient. I worry another war with the Gud species over this.” I furrow my brow. Another? “Would you like me to remain with you while you talk?” He asks, looking down at me. I shake my head a little. “I feel like you being there won’t help his irritation any.” “Very well. I will remain close by, just in case he attempts to take you back with him again.” I can hear the edge in Erik’s voice when he talks about L
"Can you believe her?” I huff as soon as Reni is out of earshot, turning to look at Erik. “I’m not entirely sure what just happened.” Erik says, looking at me carefully, like he was trying not to piss me off more. Smart man. “Your favorite and most trusted guard wants me to make my dragons into slaves, like she does to everyone else around here.” I say, gesturing around at nothing in particular. “I see.” Erik nods a little, looking up to where the dragons are now flying in a circle above me. They had come over when the tension had started between me and Reni. I almost wondered if they would’ve done anything had she returned my attack. “She was insulting me, implying I couldn’t handle my dragons properly, and just being a plain bitch.” I finish, crossing my arms angrily at the memory.“Perhaps you misunderstood what she was trying to get at…” he says, and I narrow my eyes at him. I take back what I said before. He wasn’t a smart man, he was a very dumb one. “Seriously? You’re goin
“Your dragons are proving to be quite the challenge for everyone.” Reni says to me as she closes the distance between us. She has her arms crossed, making her forearms look more defined, and is staring down at me like a kid looking at an ant under a looking glass. I nod a little, looking back up to the three dragons, who are still bickering playfully in the air above us.“Do you have any plans for them?” She continues, still watching me. I have no idea why her words make me prickle a little, but they sure do. Maybe it’s the way she said it, the way she looked up at my dragons like they were some prize. Or maybe it was because I knew for a fact she was perfectly okay with branding people as slaves. Keeping in mind Bacudal’s warning about people wanting to use dragons for their own purposes, her words made me a bit defensive. “No.” Is all I say, meeting her gaze. Even though I had only said one word, she seemed to pick up on my hostility, because her brow raises and she looks a littl
“Lady Delilah, did you enjoy your time with your new husband?” I was back in Erik and I’s room now, getting changed into something more practical. I’d been wearing loose, mostly see through dresses during my time with Erik. I’m sure that was his choice, but it wasn’t exactly appropriate attire for everyday life.It was still early in the day when Erik and I made it back, maybe noon, so I planned on doing something today. At the very least, I wanted to see my dragons. Honestly I was a bit surprised when they didn’t crash into me on my walk up here. I’d been keeping an eye out, bracing myself almost constantly. I was weirdly disappointed when I made it to the main estate without any dragons attacking me. I turn to look at Chepi, and as soon as I see her, guilt floods me. Her hair was frazzled and unbrushed, she had lines under her eyes, and despite the smile on her face, I could tell she was overworked and tired. “Hey, babe.” I say in a concerned tone. “You look like you need a break
The days after Erik and I’s wedding were mostly filled with us glued to one another, touching, kissing, talking and laughing. I couldn’t keep my hands off him now that I’d had a taste, and he was no different. I wasn’t even embarrassed to say, we had learned every inch of each other’s bodies in the five days we spent locked up together. I’m not even sure we came up for air sometimes.I would’ve stayed locked up in that cabin with him forever, because I knew as soon as we stepped out, it would be back to work. He’d get super busy, especially since he’d been gone for a minute now, and I would get wrapped up with my dragons, trying to uncloak myself, and getting used to this new life I was about to start living.We may not get another minute alone like this for a while.Eventually though, our five days were up, and we left the little house Erik had built for us, and made our way back to the main estate. Erik was already ticking off the things he needed to do, and I was walking beside
Despite my inexpierence, something about the nervous way Erik is looking at me makes me feel more bold than I ever thought I could be. I sit up on the edge of the bed and grab the back of his hair, gently pulling him down so I can whisper in his ear, “are you going to make love to me now?” I ask him softly. He grunts, and I feel his hands moving to push my mouth against his own, my words forcing him into action. I feel him moving to pick me up by the ass and move me to the center of the bed so he could hover over me. “I can't believe you are my wife.” He mutters, running a finger along the metal plates on my breast. His finger moves up the hem of the see through part of my dress above my boobs, and I gasp when I feel him dig through the material and start tearing it down the middle. “What are-” His hand over my mouth forced me to stop talking. “I want to see all of you, my flower. I want to lick you, everywhere.” I shudder into his arms, white hot pleasure shooting all the way dow
I smiled against Erik's mouth at the yells of congratulations from the watching Alva at the top of the path. I pull away, resting my forehead against his and back up a little. I stared into his sea foam green eyes, thinking about how crazy this was that I did this, but also feeling... happy. As I've said, I hadn't any luck with men in the other world, so I wasn't sure I was ever even going to get married. To be standing here now, a crazy handsome man in front of me looking down like he was the lucky one? I couldn't help the excited skip in my heart.“What now?” I whisper, searching his eyes. I laugh and squeal when he suddenly picks up and throws me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I can hear cheering and whooping, encouragment from all the watching Alva. At least no one was booing us, demanding to know why'd he'd marired some wanna be Mann from another world.“Now I get to show you what I’ve been building for you this week.” He flips me around once we start walking throu