The Dragon’s Throne 1

Walking through the dark house, Anna noticed all the windows that were made from actual glass.  It was something she had only seen in the mayor’s house, and even then, they weren’t as beautiful as the windows in this home.  Three feet wide, they spanned from floor to ceiling.  There was a window every ten or twenty feet, and she could see in the distance that the sky was already starting to turn gray.

She took note of which windows faced east.  She planned to keep tabs on that information so she could escape when the opportunity presented itself, and it had to be soon.  They were much further north than the village, which meant that winter would come earlier.  It was only a few weeks until fall, and the snow usually started by mid-October. 

If she had any hope of living through an escape, she had only about six weeks to get away and back to the village.  After she got there, she didn’t know where she would go, but she knew she couldn’t stay in Aldeia.  The villagers were convinced that their prosperity depended on her being gifted to the dragon.  If she showed up, she would not be welcomed.  But her house was so far out of town, she could retrieve her money and pack a small bag without anyone noticing her.

If my house is still standing, she thought miserably.

Tears threatened again, but before they could take hold she was lowered gently onto a large, soft bed.

“It’s been a long day,” Eli said in the darkness.  “Rest and we’ll talk in the morning.”

“I don’t want to rest.”  She attempted to sit up, but even that was a struggle.  “What’s wrong with me?  Did you drug me?”

He chuckled softly.

“Drug you with what?  I told you, you basically have altitude sickness.  I went too high and that’s my fault.  You’ll feel better when you wake up, but it can’t be that bad because you’re just weak and not hallucinating.”

“I can’t sit up,” she said, discouraged.  “That’s a little more serious than just a little sickness.  And who says I haven’t hallucinated.”

“Have you?  Have you been seeing men who can change into dragons and handsome kings standing nude in open fields?”

“You’re an ass,” she said, laughing despite her reticence.

“It was hard to resist,” he admitted.  “Look, we have so much to talk about tomorrow; I feel like you have been told a lot of lies about my kind throughout your life, and then there’s us.”

“There is no us,” she said without missing a beat.

“I won’t argue with you over that, because it’s pointless.  The point is that you need to rest and you won’t feel better until you rest.  When you wake up, I’ll cook you whatever you want to eat and I’ll show you around.”

“Don’t you mean that you’ll have servants cook me something?”

“There are no servants here.  It’s only you and I, and I promise that I’m an excellent cook.  My mother was afraid I would stay a bachelor forever and taught me how to cook a few years ago.  I really have a knack for it.”

“You know what?  You were wrong.  I’m hallucinating right now, because I can’t be having this conversation with you.  You kidnapped me and you’re talking about cooking like this is some sort of social meeting.”

“To be fair, I didn’t kidnap you.  I rescued you from an angry mob.”

“The angry mob that was coming for me because you demanded I be given to you.”

“Technicalities,” he shrugged.  “The point is that there’s no one here but you and I.  I want to get to know you without anyone interfering, and I can’t think of any place better to spend some quality time with you than here.”

“Forgive me if I’m not excited about that,” she said, deciding against declaring that she would run the first chance she got.

That was better left as a surprise.

“Rest, sweet Anna.  We’ll talk more in the morning.”

She felt his hands on her boots, carefully unlacing them both and sliding them off.  Then, he put his hand beneath her and lifted her bottom with one hand while he pulled the blankets out from under her.  He covered her so tenderly so almost didn’t feel the blankets settle over her. 

“Are you too hot with that dress on?” he asked, his voice soothing.  “I can take it off if you are.”

“I’m fine,” she said tersely.  “I’ll keep my clothes on, thank you.  And you should also put something on.”

“You keep saying that, but I’m going to pass,” he said with a laugh.  “I am king, after all.”

She shrugged.  It was no skin off her nose, since he would be in another room and-

She felt the bed move beneath his weight and the blankets lifting as he slipped in beside her. 

“Before you say anything, I promise that I’m just sleeping.  You’re not the only one who is exhausted.”

“Remind me to pity you later when I care.”

His sudden laughter echoed off the ceiling and filled the room.

“You are a little spitfire,” he said.  “I like that about you.”  His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer.  “Let’s sleep.  I can’t wait for you to see the rest of the house in the morning.”

And I can’t wait to leave, she thought angrily.  The sooner, the better.  It was obvious that this king had no idea who he was messing with.  Anna didn’t care what kind of deal the mayor had struck with Eli.  As soon as she got a chance, she was gone, and Eli would never see her again.

He was asleep almost instantly, arms wrapped around her so that she was cradled against him as she would be with a lover.  Except, he wasn’t her lover, and she didn’t know how much longer she could stand to be that close to him knowing that he was completely naked.  

She closed her eyes, ignoring how warm he felt against her back, and the way he’d pulled his legs up to nestle against the back of hers.  His position had forced her knees to bend slightly, and her dress had slid up to exposed her bare legs to his.  Heat radiated from him, and warmed her tense, sore muscles. The feeling was almost soothing, even as she wished that she wasn’t lying in that bed with him.  If only she’d kept going and not let Gabe convince her that he was there to help.  But she had fallen for it, and now she was trapped in a mansion with a WereDragon.  The King WereDragon, no less.