Page 5 of Heart of Fire
Scales rasped against the walls. That alluring scent of cinnamon-spice flushed through her as he came closer. Freyja’s head swam, her body shifting toward it. That scent. Calling her. Filling her with a liquid heat that pooled low in her abdomen. She shook her head to clear it, forcing herself to breathe through her mouth until she could thinkagain.
“You smell… delicious. Like something I used to know of.”A pregnant pause.“What areyou?”
“The woman whose ram you stole—”She stopped the thought there, but he caught some of it because that purring rasp sounded again, as if he were laughing ather.
“Come out.”Shadows danced on the wall. His head, darting suddenly around one of the enormous rocks nearher.
Freyja looked up. Sharp, dagger-shaped rocks clung to the roof far above. Did shedare?
Shadows rippled over the wall. Stalking her. Coming closer. Swallowing hard, she pressed her hand to the rock and closed her eyes,reachingout.
The cavern trembled, just enough for a few tiny pebbles to rain down. Freyja stretched her senses out, reaching further, trying to meld the earth to her touch. One of the enormous jutting stalactites shuddered above thedreki, and then she felt the tiny crack snake through it, breaking off theend.
Gasping at the sudden exertion, she snatched a breath as rock rained down from the ceiling, directly where she thought the wyrm to be. A rumble of surprise greeted her, and Freyja took her chances. Sword in hand, she darted back toward the entrance she’d comethrough.
Something lashed toward herfeet.
She saw the whip of his tail too late, and screamed as her feet went out from under her. The sword skittered across the floor as she fell, staggering into a pile of golden krone and silver rigsdaler coins that cut her hands. They scattered everywhere, one of them rolling with mocking slowness toward the feet of the great beast behindher.
Freyja scrambled onto her bottom and hands, shoving backward with her feet toward the sword. Her breath caught as the dragon loomed over her, faint light playing over the iridescence of hisscales.
Freyjafroze.
She didn’t dare take her gaze off him. He’d tricked her with his shadow, making her believe he’d been far closer to her than he was, and now he loomed over her, golden wings stretching out as if to intimidate, the enormous head stretched forward with eyes narrowed and dagger-teethbared.
Beautiful and horrific and terrifying. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, could barely breathe at the sight of such lithe magnificence, dancing around the cave on surprisingly quick feet. Savage death dwelled in his amber eyes. What a beautiful fury he was, like the storm outside. If she had to die, then she could almost think of no better beast to fellher.
But dying had never been herplan.
Freyja’s hand closed over the sword and she wrenched it forward, pointing it at him pathetically. One last defiant act as she lay tumbled on her sealskin on one of his piles ofgold.
“You think me beautiful?”His head lowered, resting on his forelegs, those razor-sharp claws flexing.“You arefierce.”
Freyja’s arm grew heavy as a low rumbling purr filled the cavern. Her eyes narrowed and she slowly let the sword fall to her lap, suspicion creeping through her. She was right! He was laughing ather.
Without taking her eyes off him, she climbed to her feet, dragging the sword with her. The futility of it struck her. She could see from the polished gleam of those scales she would never have been able to pierce it. Still, it gave her something to lean on as she stared at the mightywyrm.
“What do you intend to do with me?” Freyja asked defiantly, her nerves itching. Why was he justwaiting?
The pupils of his eyes were slit like a cat’s. The eyelids lowered a fraction, an almost smug gesture that wasn’t lost on her.“What do you think the penalty should be for stealing into mylair?”
He wasn’t going to kill her? Freyja’s shoulders slumped. Suddenly she wanted to cry. As if the thought spurred them on, hot tears flooded her eyes. “I don’t care,” she said. Her voice lost its edge. “Do what you will and be done with it. I’m too exhausted to waste words withyou.”
The wyrm rumbled deep in his chest.‘Words are all youhave.”
“I have cold steel too,” shemuttered.
“And it provided such wondrous protection for its previousowner.”
Freyja stared at the wyrm mulishly. Not only did he laugh at her, but that was definitely sarcasm. She tossed the sword aside and crossed her arms, blinking away hertears.
“Better.”He settled again, entire body relaxing into a lazy sprawl on the floor.“I do not like it when humans try to stick sharp things inme.”
“I don’t like it when wyrms steal mysheep.”
The wyrm yawned, exhibiting an array of wicked-sharp white teeth.“Make more ofthem.”
Freyja actually took a step of startled anger toward it. “I would, but that was my last ram. I don’t have another, hence I cannot breed more. I hope your belly’s full, for you shall be getting no more lambs from me!” Again the tears threatened. “And neither shall I. My father and I shall starve for yourgreed!”
