Page 10 of Dragon Lord
Be brave.
She managed.For a breath.Then the dragon’s lips curled back, and she blanched.
A smile was a fearsome sight on a full-grown dragon.For certain, Einin would have happily gone her whole life without facing such fright.She hadn’t realized he had quite that many wicked teeth.
She could barely squeeze out the words, “May I have a last wish?”
The beast stared at her with a speculative gleam in his all-seeing eyes.“What would you wish for, Einin of Downwood?”
“That you make it quick.”
“Such I cannot promise.”His lips curled back once again.
Ack, those teeth!Another shudder ran through her.In fact, once she started, she couldn’t stop shivering.
He looked up at the full moon that slipped under clouds as gauzy as a funeral shroud.
“Wait here.”And with that, he pulled back into his cave, disappearing into the shadows.
Cowardice pushed Einin to run.Honor made her stay.She drew deep breaths and prepared herself for the imminent bloody violence.
I chose this.
Not the stake and fire in the village.
Not the slow starvation in the hills.
I chose.
She’d made her own choice, which meant she was free.She would die, but she would die free.The thought gave her courage.
The man striding forth from the cave a few minutes later startled her.
She skipped a quick step backwards.Where did he come from, so sudden like, in the middle of the night?
He stood a full head taller than she did, as wide in the arms and shoulders as a blacksmith.He wore black leather, reinforced with dragon scales in the front.His hair was the dark silk of the night, his teeth gleaming white as he flashed a predatory smile.His eyes, the color of a moonless midnight, traveled over her.
Unfamiliar sensations suffused Einin’s limbs.Invisible flames that licked her unexpectedly.They stopped her shivering.
The black knight stepped closer while surprise rooted Einin to the spot.He had a slightly smoky scent, not unpleasant, similar to her father’s when he smoked sausages in winter.The knight’s features were rough and scarred.His eyes seemed immeasurably old, belying the obvious virility of his body.
He stood closer than was proper.Yet Einin could not protest, even had she found her voice.She was a mere village wench, and he was obviously a knight.
A knight as powerful as he… Hope unfurled inside her chest.“My lord, Sir Knight—” She wasn’t sure how to address him.She’d never before had the occasion to speak to a man of such high station.“What have you done to the dragon?”
A smile curved up his sinful lips, lips such as were created to make maidens weep.“I’m one and the same.And I have a powerful hunger to slake.”
Einin was too stunned to move.She could do naught but stare at the dark fires that burned in the man’s eyes.
“I am the dragon Draknart,” he said as he reached for her.“And you are mine, Einin of Downwood, by your own promise.”
Chapter4
Draknart expected the wee maiden to tremble with desire in his arms.
She kneed him in the groin.
“You black-hearted bastard!I’m not here for swiving!I’m here to die for my village.”
