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
My body shakes so hard my teeth rattle. I can't get warm and don't remember being warm for so long now. I've been in this dark cold room for weeks and much of that time I've had a fever.The night my world changed, Henry and another man came and took me from my bed about an hour after Tahr warned me of the punishment. I wasn't asleep when they arrived and I was almost relieved to find out so quickly what my penance would be. The relief faded after a few days with nothing but straw on a cold floor. Well, two buckets in the corner-one with water and one for waste. Tears ran down Henry's face as they escorted me here. I shudder with another chill and feel heartache over what he was made to do.I've been fed regularly, but two days ago my illness took away all desire for food. I hear mice skittering around as they enjoy the last tray that was slid under the door. This tiny cell has become a living nightmare. I won't survive much longer and I've made my peace.Henry hasn't checked on me
"Meagan, I'm sorry," the soft whisper wakes me."What the hell," I mutter into the semi-dark room as I look around for the person who spoke. I roll over and of course Meagan isn't there. The voice was so real-husky and melodic at the same time. Maybe I'm losing my mind. I laugh and the sound echoes off the walls. It's been a month since my visit to Bastian's lair. I need to go there again. Occasionally, I fly around my territory, but it doesn't relieve the loneliness as much as I would like. Seven months without Meagan and now I'm hearing damned voices.For some reason, Pepper enters my mind. I've seen no sign of her since I told Henry to keep her away from me. I'm hoping she's been put on laundry duty and too tired to sneak through my chambers. Whatever her punishment, a month is probably long enough for her to suffer. I'm sure she's learned her lesson by now. I hate to admit that I actually miss the scurrying glimpses I caught every so often.Since the night I banished Pepper from
Finally, an older woman arrives. Her hair gray, she's short and bosomy wearing a blue mid-calf length dress. I've seen her before but don't remember her name. She stares at the floor and nervously wrings her hands. I can smell her fear and my ire intensifies. I treat my people well and I would swear she thinks I kick puppies on a daily basis. I have no time to waylay her qualms, though I try very hard not to growl as I speak. "Start a bath and be sure the water is tepid. I need to lower her temperature and get her clean." The woman's eyes shoot upward and go directly to the bundle I hold in my arms. I see the moment she recognizes Pepper in my arms as tears slide down her cheeks and she doesn't move. I don't have time for this either. I pull Pepper a little tighter against me, hold back the flames that are working their way up my throat, and try a gentler tone. "She's in bad shape and I need your help. We must hurry."The woman jerks her gaze from Pepper to me. Her eyes narrow and I s
I'm warm... and it feels so good. The heat at my back reminds me of one of the large stoves used in the kitchens. I take a deep breath and my chest aches slightly, but not as bad as it had. If I were dead, I don't think it would continue to ache at all. My head feels fuzzy and I'm very tired. It doesn't stop me from remembering the nightmare of the dungeon cell. Whatever nice dream I'm having needs to continue. This is so much better than the dark and cold."Meagan," someone whispers in my ear as a large, warm hand covers my breast.My eyes pop open and I notice three things at once. I'm in the dragon's bedroom, his hand is covering my breast, and something hard is poking into my back. I'm lying beneath soft linen and it's Tahr who's causing the heat."Meagan?" It's a question this time.I have no way to answer and I'm very frightened of what he will do when he discovers I'm here in his room and that I'm not Meagan. I don't have long to wait because he jumps from the bed which shif
Betty's arms loosen and she leans away a bit. She rubs her fingers gently across my cheek in reassurance. Her tender smile lightens my shame as she places a finger out and gives me the sign to wait. I nod and watch her leave the room. I can't look at Tahr again. The last thing I want is his pity.Betty returns a moment later holding my most precious possession. I stare at the delicately shaped gold with an uncomfortable burst of emotion. I love it because Meagan gave it to me and it's always hid my lack of hair. I lift the gold from Betty's hands and simply hold the cold metal for a moment.The dragon clears his throat and I look at him. "You're beautiful without the hair covering, don't let it bother you."I don't believe him. Meagan was beautiful. I look nothing like her. Slowly I lift the headpiece and place it over my baldness. It's cold and familiar. This isn't the first one Meagan had made for me. As I grew, she had the piece resized or another made from scratch and always had
I used my magic to put her to sleep because I needed time to gather my thoughts. With her awake the strange magical current between us intensifies. There is a similar connection between a dragon and his bride, but nothing this strong. No matter how crazy it sounds, she has her own magic and it resonates with mine. This should be impossible.I remove my pants and jump from the bedroom perch. The imbalance I feel sends my thoughts back to the time before the curse. A time I rarely think of because it causes such deep pain.My parents loved me and as the humans of the earth realm would say, I was raised with a silver spoon in my mouth. I was repeatedly told I came from the mightiest lineage of dragons and had to live up to my birthright. I was third in line to the throne-a royal child by right of royal birth. My parents were protective and also spoiled me rotten. Bastian, Laryn, and Sarn were not in my life when I was younger. My uncle Drakon, who ruled the silver dragons, felt other,
"Hah," Bastian said as he launched himself. "Blue is a sissy color, red is better."I stood with Sarn as we watched them streak around, charge each other, and then miss by mere inches in an astonishing display of dexterity."I suppose it was your father who put the silver-is-better crap into your head," Sarn said beside me."It was actually my Uncle Drakon," I replied."I've heard of him. My father doesn't like him much." My father didn't like his brother much either, but I wasn't going to tell Sarn that. "Drakon is a mighty warrior."Sarn only grunted. "Do you want to fly?"As much as I wanted to breathe. "Yes.""Then let's join them. Do you breathe smoke yet?""Yes.""Well at least you have that going for you. Bastian thinks he's hot shit because he can do it better than me and Laryn. Let's see what you got."We took off and when I was higher, I pushed out more smoke than I had previously had luck with."Not bad," called Bastian from above me. "I think you're better at