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Aurdyn’s head snaps to me. “What do you think I am?” he asks incredulously.
Is this a trick question? “You’re a Dragon.”
“My kind do not eat yours.” He lifts one brow as he studies me. “And if we did, you’d have nothing to worry about anyway. There is barely any meat on your bones.”
Oddly, I’m both relieved and mildly insulted by his answer. “Is this your… lair?” I’d always heard that Dragons live in caves in the Ice Mountains, not in cottages or homes.
“My lair?” He scoffs. “As if a Dragon would live in a hovel like this.” He studies the room with a look of disdain, his gaze dropping to the pile of dirt near the door. “I did what I could to clean this nest while you slept.” He looks up at the ceiling and the cobwebs spanning the rafters. “But there is still so much more to be done.”
That was… rather thoughtful of him. Despite his somewhat abrasive manner, my fears are rapidly disappearing with each question he answers. He saved me and as I look at the fire burning in the hearth and the furs draped over my body to protect against the chill, I think he’s trying to take care of me, but I do not understand why. I’d always heard that Dragons had little love for my kind.
He turns his attention back to the fireplace, adding more wood to the flames.
I open my mouth to ask another question, but my stomach growls loudly.
His head whips to me, and my cheeks flush in embarrassment. “You are hungry.” He shifts his gaze to the entrance. “I must go hunt. I will return with food shortly.”
Before I can say anything, he crosses the room and opens the door. A gust of wind blows into the cottage, nearly smothering the flames in the hearth. Snow falls heavily outside in sheets so thick I can barely see anything beyond his crowded figure in the doorway. “Wait!” I call out, and he halts, turning back to me. “You cannot go out in that weather.”
“I am a Dragon of the Ice Mountains.” Irritation shifts into his gaze. “This is nothing to me. You will see when we reach my home.”
He’s taking me to the Ice Mountains?“Why did you save me?” I blurt without thinking.
His emerald-green eyes study me with a piercing gaze. “Because you are mine.”
My heart seizes in my chest.Oh gods above, he’s taken me as his slave.
Before I can say anything else, he steps out the door and closes it behind him, disappearing into the storm outside.
CHAPTER4
AURDYN
Frustration burns through me as I stalk across the ice and snow, searching for prey. Curling my hands into fists at my side, I curse the humans once more. If not for their poisoned arrow, I’d never have injured my wing. It will take at least a week to heal enough that I can fly again, which means we will have to make our way to my kingdom on foot.
My thoughts turn to my fated one—my T’kara—the Princess Freyja. If I were alone, travel would be no issue. But I wonder how she will fare in these conditions. She is human, and as such her body is fragile and intolerant of the cold. My grandfather knew this about their kind. It is the reason he chose to move our people to the Ice Mountains. After the last Great War with the humans, he believed it was the only place they would not dare try to attack.
Clenching my jaw, I lift my gaze to the sky, seeking answers. Why did the gods choose for my mate to be human instead of Dragon? Her kind have a long history of animosity with mine and they are weak. They have no wings nor any natural defenses that I am aware of. Instead of fangs, she has flat, white teeth, and her claws are short and blunt.
I glance down at my own claws which could so easily shred her petal-soft skin. What purpose does it serve for the gods to have created my T’kara in this soft and delicate form? Why could she not at least have been born with some sort of protective scales?
Despite all of her disadvantages, she faced me, unafraid. Most humans cower in fear when I approach, but not her. There is a fire in her eyes that speaks of a fierce heart. She kept her gaze locked onto mine, brave and determined—all traces of her fear scent gone as she demanded that I acknowledge her as an equal.
A low growl rumbles deep in my chest. If she were a Dragon female, I would have thought her ready to challenge me to the mating battle. But she is not, and I know nothing of her people’s courtship and mating rituals. Given how soft humans are in general, I doubt it involves any sort of battle between potential mates.
Even though she is human, I cannot deny that she is attractive. Her face is heart-shaped and her features fine and delicate. Her cheekbones are high enough that, if not for her curved ears, she could easily be mistaken for a High Elf.
My thoughts keep returning to the plush bow of her pink lips. I wonder if they are soft and warm, or as hard and unyielding as her brave spirit.
Although I’ve not seen her undressed, she appears rather thin and I wonder how long she was mistreated by her people before being tied to the stake for execution.
I’ve seen enough of her kind to know she is rare. Her hair is the color of flame and soft as the finest of silks. Her blue eyes remind me of pale blue skies, and I am fascinated by the tiny spotted markings that cover her flesh. Spread out in irregular patterns, they are just a shade darker than her otherwise pale skin.
Very few among my race are blessed with the fated bond, and I have heard that it is intense, but I never expected it to pull at me so strongly. Even the thought of her makes my possessive instincts heighten. The need to protect and provide for her are all-consuming.
Anger fills me as I think of her raw and angry wounds. Her skin is red and blistered from her feet to her calves. Rage burns in my chest as I think of what could have happened if I had not arrived when I did to rescue her.
Yet, despite that I saved her, she does not trust me. And from the questions she asked, I suspect she feels nothing of the bond that exists between us. If she did, she already would know the power she has over me.
