Dragon Fire (Dragons of Perralt Book 1) Read online

  Her heart jumped at the sound of him saying her name. It sent a warmth down her spine. Who knew that a simple word could hold so much power?

  He smiled at her. The bastard realized the effect he had on her. “I am your guide,” he said. “Not your slave, not your servant. If we are to survive the next few days, you must do what I say, when I say it. No arguing. No complaining that the task is too hard. I am in charge in all things. Can you do that, Princess? Can you surrender control?”

  Her stomach curled up into a tight ball at the thought of surrendering control to this man. Her mind immediately thought of what it might be like to surrender her body to him. She couldn’t push aside the visions that danced into her mind. Allowing him to take her. His big arms holding her next to him.

  What would it be like?

  No, Elsbeth, she thought, that is not what he meant. Stop being silly.

  She swallowed hard and nodded her head, “I understand, Mr. Drake. When it comes to the trail and crossing through the forest, you are in charge.”

  He smiled. He’d recognized her tight definition and why she had been so specific. A spark jumped into his eyes and for some reason, she was sure that he was having the same visions as she. The thought turned her insides to mush.

  For the first time, she realized, this trip was going to be so much harder than she had anticipated. A sense of dread mixed with anticipation washed over her. She looked away, less he see what she was thinking.

  He chuckled and asked, “When do you wish to leave?”

  “Now,” she said, glancing at him from under her brow, waiting for an explosion at the quick timing. “Once they discover I have left the castle, my uncle will send the King’s Guard to look for me.”

  He didn’t explode, instead, simply nodded his head, as if she had asked him to step across the street.

  “Well then,” he said as he pushed himself up from the table, holding out a hand for her, “we should get started.”

  Her head barely came to his shoulder. The man was tall, and very strong. His arms looked to be the size of small tree trunks.

  Swallowing hard, she began to make her way to the tavern door.

  They had barely made it two yards when a greasy giant stepped into their way. He was almost as big as Drake. With small beady eyes, and long, lanky hair that hadn’t been washed since last summer. She gasped when she saw the lecherous look in his eyes as they traveled over her body.

  “Where you going?” the man asked Drake, his stare never leaving her breasts. “I thought we’d share.”

  Drake stepped in front of her and shook his head. Then, with a movement so fast it barely registered, he struck the man in the throat. One quick hit and the man was on his knees, his hands wrapped around his injured throat, gasping for air.

  She blanched at the quick violence. How dare Drake do such a thing? There had been no call to act so violently.

  “Thank you,” Drake said as he reached over the now kneeling man and retrieved the man’s pack. “We will be borrowing this for a few days. I’m sure you won’t mind.” Drake dumped the contents onto the table and slung the empty pack over his shoulder.

  He grabbed her elbow and started guiding her out the door, all the while keeping himself between her and the other men in the room.

  Once they were outside, she yanked her arm from his grasp and turned to give him a piece of her mind.

  “Why did you do that?” she demanded. “He hadn’t struck at you. He hadn’t touched you. Why hurt him like that?”

  He looked back down, his brow knitted, like he was trying to figure out a strange new puzzle. At last, he leaned back and laughed.

  “You are serious,” he said with disbelief. “The man wanted to pull you into a corner and rape you. What is more, there were five other men willing to hold you down while he did it. As long as they got a turn afterwards.” He shook his head, obviously unable to believe someone could be so naive.

  Her insides hardened. The coarseness of his words struck her. Was that what the man meant? Had she really been in danger? She had been so set on getting help that she had never really examined her surroundings. A fact that must not be allowed to happen again. This world was different. She no longer lived in a high room of a strong castle.

  “Come on,” he said as he took her arm again, “we have to hurry. Knowing you, you probably left a trail a mile wide for the King’s Guard to follow.”

  She hurried after him as he marched quickly across the yard to the barn.

  “Where are your things?” he asked.

  “There,” she said, pointing to the three bags in the corner, “The bay in the next stall is my horse. And, the roan next to her is for the bags.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, Princess. You are special.”

  She frowned as she tried to understand what he meant. The frown was quickly replaced by a sense of shock as he started pulling things from her bags. Some he stuffed into the new pack, other he threw aside.

  When he tossed her underthings into the mud, she screamed and tried to pull him away.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded, as she tried to put her things back without him seeing. She pushed at his shoulder. It was like trying to move a barn. The man didn’t budge.

  “We have to travel light,” he said as he continued to transfer things. At last, he finished. Stepping across the barn floor, he retrieved another, much larger pack, from a dark corner. She knew instantly that this was his.

  “But, the horses?” she said. “I am sure Benjie can carry your pack as well,” she said.

  He just looked at her and shook his head. A new fear began to build inside her as she waited for him to explain. A coldness gripped her as she realized what he was going to say.

  “We’re not taking the horses,” he said, giving voice to her worst fear.

  “Why not?” she asked. Her hands on her hips, she needed to get to Sinstra. She was not going to walk all the way.

  “Why not?” he parroted back at her. “Because horses draw dragons like honey draws bees.”

  The air left her lungs. He said it like it were real. As if he truly believed in dragons.

  “Come on, Princess,” he said as he took her arm once again. “We have a long way to go.”

  She almost fought him then and there. But, she remembered her goal. Julian. She needed to reach help, and this was the only man who could get her there.

  They continued on. She thought back to the way he had called her ‘princess.’ She hated it when he called her ‘princess,’ she determined. He said the word almost with a sneer, using it like it was an insult or something. She much preferred it when he called her Elsbeth. The word rolled off his tongue, like it was important.

  Sighing to herself, she skipped to try and keep up. The idiot’s legs were too long. It was going to be a rather frustrating trip if he kept this pace. Her heart raced - the pace of their journey was the least of her problems.

  She would be alone with this man. What was more? It would be impossible to stop him if he wanted to take her. The next thought that jumped into her head was to wonder why she would want to stop him.

  Chapter Three

  Drake shook his head. It was going to take forever if she didn’t keep up. It was still early afternoon. They needed to make the forest before nightfall. He refused to make camp in some farmer’s field. They’d be easy prey for the King’s Guard.

  “Come on, Princess,” he said over his shoulder. He heard an angry harrumph behind him and smiled.

  Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. Stopping, he turned and grabbed a good section of her dress and petticoats.

  “What are you doing?” she squealed as she hit at his hand.

  He ignored her and began to lift her dress.

  “Drake,” she yelled.

  “I’m just checking your shoes,” he said with a smile. Thankfully she was wearing good boots. Not those silly slippers the high born ladies wore. Satisfied, he released her dress.

&nb
sp; The look on her face was priceless. She was embarrassed that he had gotten a good look at her legs. But, behind the embarrassment was a little excitement.

  Interesting, he thought. The woman wasn’t a cold fish. Very interesting. His insides reacted as he smiled to himself. It was going to be a very interesting trip.

  Turning, he began for the forest once again. Princess had to run to keep up. The thought of her following the pace he set amused him. It was time she learned that he wasn’t one of her boot licking lackeys.

  They continued on for almost another hour. Not stopping, constantly moving, as fast as he thought she could handle. He had to give her praise, she didn’t complain, didn’t whine.

  He thought about telling her how well she was doing, but decided not to. Why make her feel good? It’d just come back to bite him in the ass later.

  The dark green of the forest slowly came into view. His heart began to relax. Once inside, no one from her world would ever find them.

  Glancing over his shoulder, he checked the back trail. It remained empty. No one from the tavern, no King’s Guard. Maybe they might make it, he thought.

  Only minutes later, though, his hopes were dashed as five men, dressed in King’s Guard armor stepped onto the road. Placing themselves between them and the tantalizing close, Forbidden Forest.

  He heard Princess gasp behind him. She had seen their new obstacle. He glanced over his shoulder at her. She looked as white as a nun’s habit. Her eyes darted up at him, apologizing for leading him into such danger.

  Oh, ye of little faith, he thought as he shook his head, dropped his pack, and removed his sword. The sharp schwing sound made his heart swell. Battle, it was what he was meant for.

  He could feel her flinch behind him, she really had no idea how this world worked. To her, violence was some unseen event. Now, she was about to witness it first-hand.

  “Stay out of the way,” he said to her without taking his eyes off the men approaching.

  There were five. Lead by a large fellow with a steady and firm gaze. The gold chevron on his upper arm indicated he was a sergeant of the King’s Guard. A position only obtained after repeatedly proving himself on the battle field.

  This was not going to be easy, Drake realized.

  The beast inside of him began to clamber to be released. Demanding to be set free to deal with this minor hindrance.

  Drake pushed the beast back down. Not all the way though, he allowed enough to remain to draw on its speed, to use its strength. If he were going to survive this, he would need every advantage imaginable.

  Gripping his sword with both hands, he approached. This would be over quickly, either they were down, or he would be dead.

  “Don’t hurt them,” Elsbeth yelled from behind. Her voice tickling the back of his neck.

  “Stay there,” he yelled over his shoulder. What was the woman thinking? Don’t hurt them! How did she think he was going to convince them to step aside if he didn’t hurt them?

  Should he ask nicely? Maybe if he got on his knees and begged. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. His ancestors would disown him.

  No, there was only one thing he could do. Attack.

  The men didn’t expect it. Most people ran when the King’s Guard came after them. They were not used to someone attacking them. The smart ones gave up without a fight.

  It was the time he needed, their hesitation allowed him to get in close enough. He swung at the first swordsman while twisting to bring a foot to the second’s knee.

  Drake’s muscles hummed, his eyesight narrowed to just these men and their weapons. His blood pumped the strength of his ancestors into him.

  The beast came alive. It must if he were to survive.

  Twisting, turning, he fought. Sword ringing against sword. Fist against face. He parried, and thrust, always remembering, the princess’s words, ‘Don’t hurt them.’

  Several times, he refrained from a killing blow. Choosing to wound. Or better yet, disable. He pulled a bunch that would have crushed the man’s larynx. Instead, settling for a blow to the chin that lifted the man from the ground.

  He shifted his sword and brought the pommel down on the third man when he should have run him through.

  They were good. They fought as a team. Even the sergeant joined them. But, they were no match for the beast that burned inside of him.

  He slipped a sword thrust and brought his own sword down against the man’s wrist, separating hand from arm.

  She said not to hurt them, but there were limits. He needed to end this quickly. He could not continue to fight like this and not let the beast emerge completely.

  Once that happened, there would be no going back.

  Twisting one last time, he grabbed the last soldier by the head and brought the man’s face down to meet an upcoming knee. There was a satisfying crunch, and the man dropped like a sack of potatoes.

  Drake stepped back. All five were down, three out, probably for hours. Another moaning on the ground, grasping his shattered knee, and the sergeant looking at the severed hand lying next to him.

  Taking a deep breath, Drake fought to get enough air, all the while, pushing his beast back under control.

  He glanced back at the princess. She stared at him with a strange expression in her eyes. Probably wondering what kind of monster he was. If she only knew the truth, she would know real disgust.

  Sighing, he grabbed her hand and pulled her past the men.

  “We must hurry,” he said. “There might be more.”

  She didn’t resist, but continued to stare at him. Shaking her head, unable to understand.

  “You could have killed those men, but didn’t,” she said, as if trying to solve a complex puzzle.

  “You said not to hurt them, but I had to hurt them a little to get us past.”

  She slammed her heels into the ground and pulled her hand free from his.

  “I said, ‘Don’t hurt him.' Him, not them. I was telling them not to hurt you! There were five of them. I thought if I went back to the castle with them, you wouldn’t be injured.”

  His jaw dropped for a second as he stared at her. She was telling the truth. She really would have gone back to save him.

  Women! He would never understand. Besides, there had only been five of them. What kind of man did she think he was, that he would allow them to take her?

  Shaking his head, he took her hand and started for the forest. This time, he made sure not to go too fast, as they hurried, side by side.

  Chapter Four

  Elsbeth felt the approaching forest like a dark green menace, waiting to swallow them whole.

  She still couldn’t get past what she had witnessed on the road. The man moved so quickly, so confidently. He seemingly flowed into every action. It was like his muscles knew what to do without being told.

  Swallowing hard, she remembered the fear that had bubbled in her heart when she thought that he might be hurt. Although they had been together but a short while, there was something between them that spoke of something more. Or, at least the possibility of something more.

  Pushing the thought away, she focused on the wall of trees standing ready to greet them.

  The forest was a mixture of both pine and hardwoods. A clear demarcation from the grass fields of the Kingdom. Dark, and foreboding, she could not see into its depths.

  Her heart raced as she thought about what they were to do. Since she had been a child, she had heard stories of this place. Home to monsters and dragons.

  Taking a deep breath, she followed Drake into the trees. It was like being consumed by a giant animal. The darkness enveloped her. The sounds of the earth changed, became muted.

  The tall green canopy hung over them like a cloud. Blocking out the sun. Damping the wind.

  It smelled of wet, moldy leaves, rotting wood, and age.

  It was older than the Kingdom. This forest had been here since time began and would be here long after there was no longer time itself.

  She
shivered and wished that Drake would take her hand again. She felt safer, stronger, when he held her hand. Even if that meant getting pulled along like a toy wagon.

  Sighing, she lifted the hem of her dress and followed him.

  His wide shoulders seemed to relax once they were inside the tree line. It was as if he had come home. A slight smile creased his lips.

  What kind of man was he? she wondered. Who could find joy in such a place?

  “Come on, Princess,” Drake said over his shoulder. “You’re as slow as my grandmother’s horse.”

  Elsbeth grit her teeth, “You didn’t have a grandmother,” she mumbled under her breath as she scrambled up a small hill. “You were probably hatched under a rock on the devil’s farm.”

  “What was that?” he asked with a curious frown.

  “Nothing,” she replied quickly.

  He, harrumphed and started walking again. Ignoring her.

  They continued on. Within a short while, they came to a well beaten trail and turned to the right.

  Would this trail take them all the way to Sinstra? she wondered. Would Julian help her? He had said that he would move heaven and earth, if she but asked.

  She remembered the way that Prince Julian had smiled at her. As if she were beautiful. As if he liked her.

  The man in front of her would never look at her that way. No, not him. He’d just grunt and huff as he ordered her about. Like some beast determined that he knew best.

  But then, Julian didn’t have shoulders like the man in front of her. And, he most definitely didn’t have such a fine butt.

  Elsbeth blushed as she turned away. What was she thinking? Granted, the man’s butt was as about as perfect as you could want. And, he was right there in front of her all the time. She couldn’t exactly miss it.

  No, she thought. Remember, Julian is refined, sophisticated, and gentle. Nothing like the small mountain striding in front of her. Of course, Julian didn’t have that silly smirk that Drake had. The one that made her mad every time he used it.

  I wonder what Julian would have done if attacked by five men? she wondered. She couldn’t imagine him fighting them off. But then, few men could have.