I ride naked as he shows me his realm. It's more beautiful than any place I've ever seen. He flies me through the mountains, across great rivers, and over the ocean that he says separates his realm from Laryn's.As the sun rose this morning, Roxanne took me to her castle where the other dragons waited. They made me eat before taking me to Sarn. I met Ashrac. He was such a handsome boy and full of questions."You are part wolf?" he asked with excitement dancing in his eyes."Yes and you are part dragon," I replied.His chest puffed out. "I am all dragon."I smile at the memory as the wind flows through my hair and my legs clasp Sarn's neck. He lands in soft grass and shifts once I'm down from his back. We make love for hours. It's only my rumbling belly that finally calls a halt to our activities."I can offer nothing but meat," he tells me. "I must hunt and we can build a fire to cook it.""I wish to hunt with you. You be my eyes and we will find our dinner together." I shift to
I fly to the village without the usual burning joy that I've always felt before. The white gowns of the brides flutter in the light wind. My heart doesn't increase its pace at the sight. I don't want one of these women, I want Sierra.I wait for the crashing sensation that usually tells me who the one special bride is. And I wait. I fly over once, circle, and fly over again. Sierra wants me to love this bride. Those were her final words. I stop fighting fate and open my heart to my next bride. "I will try," I tell the wind.I'm not sure what's happening when the clouds above me begin to spin. Several humans are walking toward the center of town where they will kneel to me as I claim my bride. They stop walking. No, they actually freeze in mid-step. Everything but the clouds swirling above my head stops. Not even the gowns of my brides move with the wind.A beautifully winged Pegasus carries a woman as they charge from the clouds. I shake my head and look again. They're real... I thi
She is my true mate. My power builds and my violet light passes from me to her until we are one flashing glow of perfection. Her wolf's power blends with mine in seamless harmony. I have never felt this degree of rightness. I could only share a small part of this energy with my brides. Nothing like what is taking place right now. Sierra's cry floats on the wind and my shout follows. The light explodes around us. It reaches over a hundred yards in all directions and the ground shakes with the power of our release. We are mates. We are one. We are forever.I hold her long after our bodies calm. The glow around us dissipates slowly. If we were in the dragon realm and she my bride, she would have already transcended to dragon. It matters not. She is my mate-a wolf with a dragon's heart."I love you," she says against my chest."And I love you. I'm sorry it took the extra days to get here. I had to say goodbye.""I am sorry for everything you've lost." She's leaning up gazing at me with
PART FOURHera's CurseOne hundred thousand years I curse your kindEach century you will findOne human woman, not your mateThis curse is now your fateAlone.This should be easier after losing so many brides, but it's not. Each memory presses harder into my soul and I drown a bit deeper with each one. I can't even walk through the halls of my castle without remembering Meagan's sweet giggles. Meagan never lost her sense of humor even at her advanced age when death finally claimed her. I miss her laughter, her smile, her sense of humor and ability to brighten my life. It's only been six months but each wretched day feels like a lifetime of loneliness.A noise to my right has me turning my head. I catch a glimpse of just the top of a human head. Pepper. I'd recognize that crazy gold headpiece anywhere. Meagan gifted it to her when Pepper was a young child. She's a strange girl, or I guess a strange young woman now. She lost her hair as a child before she left the earth realm
My heart is beating rapidly and a fine sheen of sweat covers my skin. The dragon almost caught me in his room. My fingers hum where I ran them across Tahr's chest. I bring my fingers up and run them over my lips while I inhale his scent to calm my nerves. He's incredibly alluring even in sleep. I could bypass his silky shoulder-length brown hair, strong jaw, blue eyes that change to the most stunning silver, a single dimple in his cheek that I saw one day when he smiled at Meagan, and a body that no human male could ever rival... if not for the inexplicable energy.It's the energy that attracts me.I'm hidden within an alcove in the dragon's main wing. It's one of my favorite tucked-away spots to observe him without him knowing. Meagan asked me to watch over him after she died, she was most adamant about it. I owe her everything and never told her that I would have done it anyway.I think about the day Meagan and the dragon brought me here as a child. I'd lived in constant pain for
I creep up the stairs, thankful when I make it past the children's ward monitor. Charlotte is a few years older than I am and she has found her permanent job within the castle. She's kind and softhearted, especially with the children, but she would not approve of me going anywhere near the dragon's tower now that Meagan is gone.She also knows it's far past time that I find my place within these walls and settle into a job. Meagan was the only person who never rushed me into a decision. I miss her tremendously. With a small sigh, I begin climbing the stone tower stairs and for the hundredth time think on the options open to women. I could work in the kitchens, which are hot and uncomfortable most of the year. I could ask for a cleaning assignment, which would be incredibly boring. I could even work with the children or the elderly, which I've given serious thought. There are a few caretaker positions open to feed and water the animals, but those are usually held by the men. A few of t
Damn female. I can't get her large green eyes out of my head. She's such a cute little thing with her small features and lithe body. Even the stupid headpiece she wears appeals to me. She's tall for a human female and I still tower over her by a foot. When I touched her, a spark of energy traveled through me. It was then that I remembered the same weird sensation when I grasped her hand several years before. I wanted to run my fingers up and down her arms to keep the current flowing and I had a difficult time releasing her. These are dangerous thoughts and they lead to the forbidden.Humans serve dragons and Meagan never understood that. I know my bride gave Pepper the courage to scamper mindlessly through my lair instead of finding responsibilities to keep her busy and out of my way. And now her scent consumes me with a need I can never fulfill. It must stop now.I cast my voice into my manservant's head and demand he attend me at once. Henry is in his thirties and will be with me f
I dress in the offered clothes. I should have brought my own. I've forgotten about Acasia's many rules and no nudity when having tea is one of them. "I can't wait to see this great invention, Ashrac. You must tell me all about it and exactly what it was built for."Ashrac takes my hand and leads me inside. Even his hands have grown and it gives me a melancholy feeling to think of what will happen when he is a man. Will the curse guide his life as it has ours? It's such a horrible thought and I'm here to escape those.We walk down the stairs and enter a long hallway that takes us to a set of rooms that are used for entertaining. Acasia throws herself into my arms much like Ashrac did. I look over her shoulder at Bastian and he only rolls his eyes. I return her hug before stepping back."We've missed you, Tahr," she says in a husky voice as she tries to fight tears. She and Meagan were great friends."I've missed you too and I hear you have tea and sweet cakes to entertain me. We bes