15. Bella

Weeks passed as we avoided each other and found other things to do in other castle areas. We only ran into each other once or twice before we quickly found other places to be. At night, after the sun dipped into the horizon, I heard his dragon roaring as if it called to me, and I desperately wanted to go to it. Only I couldn”t risk it. I couldn”t risk the havoc that would follow if I let myself get close to Lore.

I knew I wouldn”t survive because we would kill each other—or something even more frightening—care for one another.

I found my way to the library, taking my quickly procured dinner. It had been days since I”d heard Lore”s footsteps in the hallways and had hidden in an alcove until he had left, and even more days since we”d bumped awkwardly into each other in the hallway. Both of us had jumped back as if we had been burned before muttering about places we had to be as we fled.

I sighed, curling my legs beneath me as I looked out the window. The moon had already breached the sky, and the last tenders of blue sky that reminded me of Lore”s eyes disappeared into the distance.

I scowled at the moon and cursed under my breath as I muttered, ”Forget about him. He isn”t important.” But even the words felt hollow to my ears. I had escaped the others to find a quiet area because they reminded me of Lore every second of the day.

It was frustrating, to say the least. I couldn”t trust this thing building between Lore and me. Not just because of the curse but, also, I refused to hope for something or give in to emotions and feelings that could be used against me later.

Besides, it was utterly ridiculous to even be considering feelings when the man had literally taken me prisoner. Not to mention his awful personality. He was hot one minute and cold as the coldest winter night the next. No, I couldn”t even fathom the almost kiss or the soft, gentle way he had touched me.

I had to focus on the curse and getting out of here. Yet, I kept thinking about the way his face changed for just a moment. As if all that ice had cracked, and he’d let me see for just a moment the man beneath it all. It sent a pang to my heart because I’d seen what he hid, and it was as sad and lonely as what I felt deep inside. It longed to be free just as I did.

I groaned, running a hand down my face and forcing these traitorous, sympathetic thoughts from my mind.

I stared at another kind of chicken stew, bread, and a steaming cup of tea. As the sun dipped low on the horizon, I prepared for a cozy evening in front of the fire with a book. The talk of curses and my encounter with Lore had my thoughts and emotions tangled. My hand had healed enough to take the bandage off, and the slathered poultice had healed faster than anything I”d seen as if there were magic in it.

Only an angry, jagged line remained where the vine”s thorns had cut me, taking its blood sacrifice with it. I chuckled at my dark thoughts and then sat to eat my food. It had been so long since I”d had so many meals throughout the day. It was still hard to eat much without feeling sick. For the first time in a long time, my stomach no longer ached.

For that, I began to feel that maybe this wasn”t such a bad deal after all—at least not for now. There were worse fates than being stuck in a magical cursed castle that fed me and kept me warm. I could easily get used to it—except that there was Lore.

I sighed, leaning back on the settee and staring into the warm fire that crackled nearby. Lore had created feelings I”d never had before. A desire that still made me warm to think about the way his hands had felt against me, the desire I had as his hard cock pressed into me, and the kiss that had destroyed me. Then there was his body…

”Goddess dammit!” I muttered to myself and the rows of books. I could not afford to allow my thoughts to go in that direction. I”d made up my mind to kill him. Hadn”t I? A dark thought invaded my thoughts. What better way to do that than to seduce him? You might as well have some fun in the meantime.

I grimaced. ”If only it were that simple.” I sighed. Because I knew if I succumbed to the passion that I knew existed between us, I”d lose a piece of myself I”d never get back. Especially when, one day, his true love showed up. If I didn”t kill him before then.

The roar of the dragon in the distance suddenly had me sitting up. I remembered the red in his eyes and how the dragon had looked at me—gods, it was hot. Another roar sounded, only this time it was closer than I”d ever heard.

I stood up and moved toward the back of the library, past Lore”s room, until I found the window. As the moonlight illuminated the land before me, a dragon high in the sky circling above me came into view. He was descending. Soon, he slammed into the ground close to the window and turned his head toward me as if he sensed me there.

So, I did precisely what Alysha told me not to do. I went outside.

He was massive, staring back at me with the same red eyes as earlier. He pushed his enormous snout into my body and breathed in before huffing. He proceeded to rub his face into me. His crimson scales were rough against my skin. I lifted my hand, unsure what to do, before placing it on his face… or snout. The dragon purred as I caressed it.

My finger trailed up his left horn, and he shuddered before huffing his hot breath on me as it fanned my hair.

The dragon stared at me with ancient crimson eyes as if trying to tell me something. I felt the pull toward him, the desire to spend all night by his side. Something in his nearness felt familiar as if I were being pulled to this creature that had saved me the night I had run into the forbidden woods with nothing but survival on my mind.

My savior said nothing as he nuzzled my hand with his scaly head as if he, too, was content to spend forever just like this. He huffed, turned, and, with a giant sweep of his wings, took off into the night sky, leaving me staring up at him in wonder as I wished I could fly right alongside him.

He hadn”t spoken one word in my head or out loud, which made me think I was going crazy and had imagined his words from before.

I retreated back into the library, my mind a jumbled mess. Collapsing onto the settee, I stared blankly ahead, more confused than ever. My eyes landed on the small table before me, where I had abandoned Isla and Adrian. Its crimson spine peeked out from beneath another book, beckoning to me. I reached for it with trembling fingers, the tale of a star-crossed vampire romance that had set me on this path.

As I cradled the book in my lap, I traced its gilded letters, recalling the hefty price I”d paid for this frivolous story. Loss of livelihood, fat hovel house, my father…which, in retrospect, wasn”t much of a sacrifice now that I thought about it. Yet, I”d risked it to possess this fanciful fiction. What cruel irony that it led me to a castle cursed by true vampire betrayal.

I opened Isla and Adrian, its pages soft and worn beneath my touch. Losing myself in their epic tale of love conquering hatred, I felt the vice around my heart loosen. If only Lore would see me as more than his ancestral enemy. Even then, anything that bloomed between us would be doomed from the start because of the curse.

Exhaustion overwhelmed me as I read on into the night. I stifled a yawn, my eyelids growing heavy as lead. The fire”s warmth enveloped me like a hypnotic lullaby, its flames dancing in twin pools of crimson blood. I imagined those fiery eyes guarding me as I drifted into slumber.

Just before oblivion claimed me, I thought I heard the dragon”s faint call from afar, confirming that he would keep me safe and that I was his to protect. A traitorous part of me thrilled at the thought of belonging to him. The world faded to black.

Golden rays caressed my face, coaxing me awake. Blinking against the brightness cascading through the glass ceiling, I felt the scratchy weight of a blanket tucked around me. The fire had faded to ashes, and my book lay splayed open on the floor, its pages rumpled.

Had I dreamed of the dragon”s nocturnal vow? I couldn”t deny the magnetic pull I’d felt, even knowing his flames could end me in seconds. Yet some primal instinct insisted he would not harm me. I was his...for better or worse. The intensity of my yearning for him terrified and exhilarated me.

I burned to investigate Lore”s inner sanctum, to see him unguarded in slumber. Like a moth to his flame, I was helplessly drawn. Still, I proceeded with caution down the shadowed corridor. My pounding heart betrayed my eagerness as I approached his bed chamber. The door stood slightly ajar, sunlight spilling through the crack. Hardly daring to breathe, I peered inside.

The man was exactly where I knew he would be—laid out flat on his back, his chest bare, and the golden bronze of his skin on full display. I studied his body”s dips and valleys. My mouth watered.

He was perfect. At least his body was. The rest of him, well, he was an ass. I almost snorted at the thought. Instead, I held my breath, afraid to wake him from his slumber. My eyes drifted to the journals behind him, curious to know if, somewhere in there, the answers to my question could be found. How did I break the curse?

I took a tentative step into the door, letting out a slow exhale when nothing happened, and then I stepped further into the room. I thanked the gods. I was quiet but cursed myself for being a fool and even attempting this.

I made it to the bookcase, and just as my hand grasped a journal, the wood floor beneath my feet creaked, and I stilled. The room seemed to hold its breath as the air became thicker. I knew.

I knew pale blue eyes would be on me if I turned around. My hand dropped from the bookcase and the journal I had almost liberated.

Slowly, I turned. Only he wasn”t in his bed anymore. His cerulean eyes stared penetratingly into mine, but he stood a breath away from me. He was not happy.

He slammed me back into the bookcase, a sharp pain shooting into my back as I cried out.

”I”m sorry, I just?—”

”You just what. Decided to kill me in my sleep?”

”No,” I gasped. His body pressed harder into mine, forcing an acute pain into my back. There was death in his eyes. My death.

”So you decided to steal from me, then?” His eyes flicked to the bookshelf and then back to me. His lips twisted into a snarl.

”No…” I trailed off. That had been exactly what I had been doing. I was such an idiot. ”I just wanted something to read.”

Lore studied me, studied my face, and then he released me, stepping back. ”Get out,” he snarled through clenched teeth.

I turned to leave, but then, as I looked over my shoulder, Lore looked to be warring with himself as his eyes turned red again. When they did, everything changed. Lore stalked toward me with an intensity I had only seen once before. He was a pure animal, led by his primal instincts, a creature peeking out from beneath the surface. He rumbled, only this time it wasn”t in a threatening way. He spun me around and dropped me on his bed before he moved above me to stare down at me with those eerily red eyes.

“I told you that you are mine,” that deep, gravelly voice said.

I knew then. This wasn’t Lore; this was his dragon.

“I don’t understand,” I squeaked as I turned to get away, confusion ripping through me for the first time.

Lore reached gently, taking my face in his hand, his thumb caressing my jawline with soft strokes. He placed his hands on my hips as he bent down, breathing me in deeply as his nose lightly traveled up the skin of my neck.

My body responded, the traitorous bitch arched, and a moan slipped from my lips.

Lore smiled. ”I”ve waited for you for a very long time,” Lore”s dragon said, replacing his nose with his lips. He released my hands, sat up, and stared at me.

”How are you appearing in Lore? I thought you were separated and were…” I trailed off, unsure of the correct term. ”Not piloting the ship together?” I asked with a lilting inflection in my voice.

”Things are different now,” his deep voice answered as he studied me. His voice went heated as he took in my form, still only clothed in a thin robe.

”What is different?” I demanded as his hands trailed up the side of my body.

”You.” He dipped down and rubbed his face on my lower stomach.

Gods, I didn”t know a simple act such as that could be so erotic. My head fell back, and I felt my legs part a little. The robe had hiked up, revealing my upper thighs. I was now kicking myself for wearing little more than a thin chemise and robe when searching the library because now, with him above me and his body on me, I felt everything. I wanted more.

”May I touch you?” he asked, uncertainty in his tone.

I nodded because, apparently, I was an idiot. I couldn”t allow myself to feel for him. I couldn”t let my heart or body fall for something doomed from the beginning. Lore—or rather Lore”s dragon—parted the robe, untying the sash and revealing the thin chemise that now showed my marbled nipples poking through the thin material at my arousal. Lore looked his fill, then as he moved down my body, he lifted the chemise higher above my legs and my core, my most intimate spot.

Before he did anything, he lifted his eyes to mine, the red shining within them telling me the man was not in control, but the monster was. Oh, my goddess, did I want him. Maybe I was perverse to desire a dragon, but he was a far cry better than Lore had been to me.

I felt the need, the want, the desire to feel passion for once to the very core of my soul. With his face so close to my intimate parts, his warm, rough hands on my skin. I wanted to feel him there, damned be the consequences.

I nodded. ”Fuck it,” I said, realizing belatedly it had been out loud.

I put my lips to his, taking the pleasure he offered while still seeing the red eyes of the dragon as he met my kiss. It wasn”t a sweet kiss, but one meant to conquer and claim. To war with each other until one of us conceded to the other. Only we didn”t. Instead, our passion soared higher, and I was soon moaning, rubbing against his hard length like a cat in heat.

The dampness between my legs grew until it was unbearable. I longed to feel him, to touch him. It was all wrong.

”Wait. Lore, does he know what is going on? That you are using his body?” I asked, terrified of the answer. Horrified at the fact his consent could be taken from him.

”He is here, he knows, he is…” the dragon trailed off, kissing the side of one of my thighs as he caressed me. He moved teasingly across to the other thigh until I was panting. ”He wants this, too, even if he is being a stubborn… How did you put it? Ass.”

His lips left a trail all the way to my breasts as he licked and treated me until my head began to spin. His lips took the pink nub of my nipple into his mouth and suckled until I was a panting, begging mess and up again.

My back arched again as I threw my head back, his lips cascading over my collarbone to my jaw, teasing me before he claimed my lips again. Hot wetness pooled between my thighs, and a burning need hit me as I trembled.

As suddenly as it happened, Lore tore himself away from me, his gaze no longer crimson as he stared at me. ”I”m sorry. I didn”t…” He looked around before he narrowed his eyes. ”You tried to get out of stealing my book by kissing me?”

”No, you kissed me!” I scooted further from him, my fists balling up at my sides as the desire to knock him out crossed over me. Instead, I gave him a taste of his own medicine. ”Stay away from me, you fucking beast!”

I stormed out, angry and confused once again.

***

Lore and I trained keeping ourselves busy as we were reserved, cold, and distant to one another as we pretended the kiss had never happened. It was much like when we initially avoided each other, except this was different.

There was a charge between us that seemed to pull us to one another despite everything we did to fight it, like magnetism, where the magnets were doing everything to resist the inevitable pull of their attracting ends.

We trained in the yard with weapons and basic combative moves and found ways to be busy away from each other. Until dawn set one night, and a pained roar shook the castle walls. I ran to investigate, only to find Lore shifting into his dragon form… only his shift had stopped halfway through. He was half man and half beast.

I”d seen the magic of the shifters many times, and it was fast and seamless. When the magic took them, it was almost in the blink of an eye. This was painful to look at. I could only imagine what he was feeling.

It was slower as he shifted into his form as if the human side knew that the transition to a dragon would soon be permanent, and it was fighting it however it could. Lore”s time was coming soon. The dragon”s face contorted in deep pain as it finally finished its transition, bones snapping and popping slowly as flesh gave way to scales.

”Lore, are you okay?” I asked, approaching him slowly. A garbled grunt escaped him, and all fears dissipated as I rushed forward. ”What is wrong? How can I help?”

I remembered what Nan would do when I was hurt or scared. She would sing me a lullaby or tell a story as she stroked my hair.

Lore”s gaze, still blue in the fading light, locked onto mine. He shook his head as if to tell me there was nothing I could do, but the pain was etched in every plane of his features. I reached out, stroking the visible scales, and began to sing.

A song told of the dragon prince that loved his kingdom. With each note, I moved closer, stroking his scales and the areas where skin remained. He seemed to relax, and slowly, he began to change as the dragon took shape. He pushed me away as the shift finally finished, but I kept singing. As crimson eyes turned toward mine, I saw gratitude in their depths before the dragon took off into the night sky, leaving me to stare after him.