The Dragon's Appraiser: Part One (6 page)
Read The Dragon's Appraiser: Part One Online
Authors: Viola Rivard
Sevrrn growled his displeasure as he slipped from inside of her. He hated that part of mating. Leaving his human’s body was his least favorite part, right after all of the nonsense that led up to the part where he entered her.
He had been mating with her for a week now, and he still did not understand why she needed to be touched and fondled so much before he could be inside of her. Why couldn’t she always be ready? He certainly was.
“You can’t always be inside of me,” she said, resting her head on his chest.
“Is that a challenge?”
She poked his chest. “I know better than to challenge a stubborn dragon.”
Ignoring the offensive finger, Sevrrn grabbed two of the blankets from her pallet, using them to cover their bodies. Even in his human form, Sevrrn was perfectly capable of regulating his body temperature. Madja’s body was much less efficient than his and he liked to cover them both in order to trap his own body heat, thus ensuring she always stayed warm.
She would not freeze to death on his watch.
Her finger began to trace circles around his nipple. He liked that.
“Sevrrn, I’ve been thinking. Since you don’t seem all that interested in having your treasure appraised anymore, maybe I could leave the lair from time to time. You know, go to the marketplace, or something.”
His mind immediately conjured a thousand ways that she could meet her demise between the mountain and the market.
“No.”
A thousand times no
.
She lifted her head to frown at him. “Why not?”
You are too frail. You are not to go anywhere where I cannot protect you
.
“Do not question me.”
She rolled her eyes. He hated that.
“Look, how about you come with me? You could take your human form. No one would even know who you are.”
He scoffed. “Human form or not, I am still a dragon and dragons have no business associating with humans.”
Her brows rose. “What about me?”
“What about you?”
“I’m human and you associate with me.”
Sometimes, she made no sense at all.
“You are mine. It is different.”
As usual, she did not seem to understand his superior logic.
“You can’t just lock me away in here forever. I’m not one of your stupid trinkets.”
Sevrrn coiled a strand of her hair around his finger. “Why wouldn’t I? You are far more valuable than anything I possess.”
It was a calculated statement; one that Sevrrn knew would please her. He was right. She smiled.
He closed his eyes, pleased that the matter was settled. He opened them again as she climbed on top of him to straddle his hips. He felt himself begin to harden and was pleased to know that he would soon be ready to mate again.
His pleasure was short-lived as she began to speak.
“We’re never going to find a way to make me immortal if we just stay sequestered in your lair. We should really get a move on it. My human life will be over before you know it.”
Sevrrn strongly disliked it when she discussed her mortality.
“And you know, I’ve been thinking, we should probably ask around. Maybe someone at the marketplace will have heard of an artifact or something that grants immortality.”
Sevrrn knew of many such artifacts, all of which were either hidden away or closely guarded by his kin. Obtaining one would be no small feat, but he would manage. He was, after all, the most powerful being in existence.
Still, he decided to humor her. “I will take this into consideration.”
“They also have peppered beef on a stick.”
Now that was intriguing. “Why do they put it on a stick?”
“It makes it easier to grill and eat, I suppose.”
“They grill it?”
“Yes, and it’s very juicy.”
He rubbed his chin. “Perhaps we will visit this marketplace. We will force them to surrender all knowledge of artifacts, as well as their beef on a stick.”
Madja laughed. Why? He had not made a joke.
“You know, we could just pay for the beef.”
Sevrrn felt the beginnings of a headache. “You mean to give away my gold in exchange for goods?”
Her smile widened. “If you think getting tribute is fun, just wait until you try shopping for the first time.”
Placing a hand on the back of her head, he pushed it down so that she lay on his chest once more. He would have her later, he decided, after his headache was gone.
“I am tired. Be silent and rest now, Madja O’aer.”
She complied, as she always did when he used her name. Within moments, she was sound asleep, her small body curled against his.
Though he’d intended on sleeping, Sevrrn found that he could not. He lay beside her as evening turned to night and night gave way to morning, listening to the soothing rhythm of her breathing, a sound that he found to be most invaluable.
When Madja manages to convince Sevrrn to take her into town, hilarity ensues. But so does the realization that Sevrrn will never fully understand her or her needs.
Can an ancient dragon god ever possibly love her?
And if he can’t, can she live with that?
Does she have a choice?
THE DRAGON’S APPRAISER: PART TWO
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