Dragonborn (The Jade Lee Romantic Fantasies, Book 1) (24 page)

He brightened at that, his smile warming. Behind them, the Copper rumbled a contented purr. "Are you sure you want to hear such a dry, boring tale of cycles gone by?" His response was a token protest that Natiya was happy to brush aside.

"Of course I do. Please, tell me what you did."

He grinned, obviously relishing the telling. "I was young when I found the egg, but I rapidly grew, as did the egg. Ah, it was a dark time, all those years ago. We heard daily reports of dragons eating children. Babies by the dozen. Of the crops destroyed by dragon fire, of the acres and acres of farmland fouled by the beasts. And with every report, I swore I would see it change. I vowed with every breath that I would end the destruction."

"And you did," she said, caught up not by the tale but by the animation in his face, the light that seemed to glow from inside him as he spoke.

"It was my dream, and yes, I have seen it fulfilled. But it cost me greatly."

She nodded, though in truth she could not imagine the price he had paid. She only knew of the secrecy and daily fear that came with incubation. "How did you hide the egg?"

"Ahh," he said with a sweet smile, "that was the easiest part of all. As I said, my parents knew what we were doing—my sister and I. When the time came, they simply went on one of their research trips near the clutching caves. My Copper was hatched there."

"Did... did it hurt?" She hadn't meant to ask that, but the words slipped out, and his eyes softened as he turned to her.

"It is not painful so much as..." He wet his lips, searching her face for something. Whatever it was, she apparently didn't have it, because he soon patted her hand. "I will help you through. Truly, it is much easier—much safer—with someone who understands."

She nodded to cover a tightness in her chest. The hatching was fast approaching, and she was not at all sure she wished to be around Dag Racho when it came. But if he were the only one who truly understood the process, then where else could she go? Who would help her? Her only thought was Kiril. As a dragon-hunter, he probably understood more than most exactly what was in store. Except, he was dead. By her own order. So she had best learn as much as she could from the only other person who would know.

"Please tell me about it," she urged.

The Emperor shook his head. "It is not a tale I wish to recount tonight. Suffice it to say that..." He sighed. "Well, my parents did not survive. They did not know how violent the hatching can be. How difficult." He twisted to stroke the side of his dragon. "But I had my Copper, and we did just fine together."

"I am so sorry. That must have been terrible for you both."

"Hmm?" He turned back to her, but his gaze lingered on his dragon.

"Your sister. At least you had your sister."

He frowned. "Oh yes. Well, she had her Coral, but that is a much lower dragon, you know, nothing like the metals. My Copper." He focused on her. "Your Golden Queen."

She nodded, uncomfortable with the way his gaze caressed her. It was so soon after Kiril and she... She pushed away the memories. She simply wasn't comfortable with sexual overtures of any nature, and so she shifted position, gently easing her leg away from his touch even as she kept her eyes trained on him. "Tell me more about after the hatching. They say it takes a while for the man and dragon to adjust to one another."

His eyes flashed a moment in frustration, but it was quickly covered as he reached out, this time to stroke her cheek. "My dear, you know—"

She caught his hand, startled by the heat that abruptly arced between them when their palms touched. She gasped, trying to pull away, but his grip was strong, and he held her hand in place—palm to palm—while his eyes seemed to blaze.

"Please," she whispered. "I'm so confused."

His eyes seemed to gentle, but he still held her hand imprisoned. "I know you are," he said softly. "Just give it a moment. We must become accustomed to one another."

Inside her belly, the egg twisted, seeming to churn and move. She felt her stomach muscles contract, trying to fight the egg's agitation, but its contortions were too strong.

"Let it happen," the Emperor urged.

She had no choice; she couldn't pull away no matter how much she tried. Power—she had no other word for it—pulsed between their palms, and she heard her breath come in stuttering gasps. Her body tingled with the energy coursing through her, and one look at Dag Racho's face showed her that he, too, felt the waves that crashed through her body. Behind them, the Copper also tensed, his tail and wings twitching, his body beginning to undulate. She watched in frightened horror as Dag Racho's prock thickened inside his pants, the bulge clear even in the shadows of the Copper's wings.

Then Dag Racho leaned forward, his hot breath fanning her cheeks, sending ripples along her neck and shoulders. "I know it is too soon for you," he rasped, "so I will not take you now. But we are fated to be together, Natiya. My Copper. Your Gold. It cannot be any other way. You need to understand that."

She did. She did understand, and if she didn't, the clench of lust that twisted with the egg in her belly more than explained matters. They were two dragonborn—male and female—and the draw between them was undeniable.

"Not now!" she gasped, planting her feet and hauling back on her arm. Her move was abrupt and violent, but even so she sensed that she did not escape of her own power. The Emperor released her, allowing her to scramble backward only to be caught between the Copper's foreleg and belly.

"As I said," Dag Racho continued, his breaths absolutely even, his expression completely calm, "it is too soon for you, but I have been so worried for so long. You cannot know what fear I labor under daily." His shoulders drooped slightly as he looked at her. "And you cannot remain a child forever, especially since the hatching time approaches. Natiya, you must see that we will be mated. For the good of the land I serve and for your own safety."

"How?" she whispered, fighting to calm her racing heart. The power had lessened the moment their hands separated, but its aftereffects remained like tiny rivers of fire still burning in all parts of her body—some areas more than others. She swallowed, forcing herself to focus on her questions. "How is this for the good of Ragona?"

He sighed as if he were looking at an especially stupid student. "You cannot wish to return to the dark days of the dragonlords! Even my fight with Dag Jaseen devastated the area for two cycles. Some parts are only now returning to their full crop production. You cannot want that. Think of all the people who will starve in another dragon war."

She looked away, her mind in turmoil. She didn't want that. She couldn't want that. But Dag Racho was evil. He needed to be overthrown. And a war...

"There are other ways, Natiya. A dragon is a powerful weapon. And a Queen almost matches my Copper. Think what would happen if we joined together. No country would dare attack us—"

"None attack now."

"Exactly!" he said as he straightened to his full height. "That is because of me. Because I ended the dragon wars of a century ago. I ended the rampant greed, the destruction, the violence that tore Ragona apart until even the invaders didn't want it." He leaned forward, passionate in his vision. "But we are no longer a poor country. Our lands are fertile, our cattle fat. Many amass armies even now. Those druting Gambis to the north for one. Only my Copper keeps them at bay, and not for long."

He dropped to his knees, reaching out for her. She shrank away, so he did not press her. Instead, he slumped back onto his heels.

"I know I am pushing you too fast, but the need is urgent. Natiya, our two dragons—allied—will buy Ragona some time. But if you and I go to war, then the Gambis will sweep in and destroy everything while we are occupied with each other."

"How can you know this?" she asked, her voice high and weak.

"I have seen it with my own eyes. The Copper and I travel far and wide on his wings, and dragon eyes see much."

"An army on our border?" The very thought chilled her.

"A huge one. Poised to attack. Your native city—Dabu'ut—will not be the first to fall, but it will eventually. There is much wealth in any city next to a sea, and the Gambis will stop at nothing until they have it all."

Natiya bit her lip, imagining an invasion. She bore no great love for Talned or Monik, nor even for the many rough sailors that frequented the bar. But neither did she wish them to be slaughtered by an invading army.

"They won't attack if you and I join together. I think we have enough time for the hatching and then a mating, but not much more."

She felt her eyes clench shut as she tried to sort through his words. Could it be true? All her life, she had lived under martial law. Soldiers patrolled the streets, creating as much havoc as they ended. But they were manageable. If you knew how to stay out of their way and pay the right bribes, you survived. Some even thrived. What would happen if the soldiers disappeared? If they weren't around to prevent an invasion? She sincerely doubted the Gambis would accept a bribe. Rape and pillage was more their style, or so she had been told. The thought of the Gambis invading her home terrified her.

"There is more," he pressed. "Think of our children."

Her eyes flew open as she gazed up at him in shock. "Our children? Yours and mine?"

"New eggs. A new dragon clutch. To be raised under our tutelage, our guidance."

This time he did reach for her, grasping not her hands but her arms. She felt the power skate along her skin, but knew he restrained it this time, carefully managed the flow. And all the while he kept talking, kept trying to persuade her.

"An army, Natiya. An army of dragons—our children—guided by you and me. We can defend Ragona, keep everyone safe." His hands gentled on her arms. "Think on it, Natiya. We could do it together. You could be the mother of a new age, a golden age."

He waited, searching her face. She did not know what he sought in her expression, only that he grunted softly, abruptly leaned down and pulled her to her feet.

"Think on it," he whispered. Then, before he left, he once again reached out and stroked a finger across her cheek, leaving a trail of power. He touched her lips slowly and with infinite tenderness. "We are fated, Natiya. But more than that, our joining makes sense. Simple, logical sense."

He gave her one last speaking look before gesturing to his guards. Four stepped forward, coming to either side of her. She was being dismissed, the guards obviously there to escort her to her room.

"Wait!" she cried, giving voice to something that was only now seeping into her conscious awareness. "I keep feeling like there's something more to the bonding. Something I'm missing." She struggled helplessly with thoughts that weren't clear. "As if there's a purpose to humans and dragons. And an endpoint."

For a brief moment, a strange expression like terror flashed across his face. He masked it quickly, but she saw nonetheless. And then he laughed, loud and too long. "That is just your fear, little Natiya," he said when he could draw breath. "Dragons are like pets to us. Like very large dogs that can fly."

Inside her belly, her egg twisted in disagreement, but Natiya kept silent. She would question it later in the privacy of her own room.

Dag Racho stepped forward, patting her cheek in a condescending motion. "Dragons are our servants—nothing more, nothing less. Do not confuse the voice inside you as intelligence. Haven't you noticed how it echoes what you think and feel?"

She nodded slowly, using the motion to pull away from his touch. The power that always arced between them confused her. "It seems like the egg thinks what I do, only more so. It feels what I do—"

"Only it exaggerates it. Exactly! It is a magnifying glass for your thoughts and emotions, but it does not think on its own. We do. We control." Then he leaned forward, his entire presence expanding with threat. "
I
rule."

She frowned, her thoughts shifting until she saw a pattern in his words and actions. "Then... if you are afraid of assassination, you would feel that threat a hundredfold and surround yourself with guards at every turn. If there were bandits to the north, your dragon would magnify that fear, creating an entire country ready to invade Ragona."

His eyes hardened, and she felt anger roll off him in waves. "Experience and intelligence, my dear. Those things keep everything in perspective. And they are sorely lacking in you."

"But—," she began.

He waved her into silence. "Enough of this. You need rest. After all, you have a big day tomorrow."

She looked up at him, feeling more than dazed; she felt drunk with possibilities. "What?"

"Tomorrow your tutelage begins." And with that, he gestured. The guards took her arms gently, but no less firmly, and she was forced to go with them. At the last moment she turned, a question on her lips.

She never voiced it. The Emperor was preoccupied. He had another five guards around him, all assisting as he latched a strong iron chain around the Copper's neck. The dragon twisted, but not much, as he tried to face the Emperor. In fact, Natiya had the distinct impression the dragon wanted to touch his human—forehead to forehead—but she had no understanding of why. And there was no time to ask, for the guards led her firmly away.