dragon archives 04 - dance with a dragon (39 page)

Lydia nodded. “It doesn’t smell so good when Peggy gets scared.”

Anna looked at Lydia in surprise. “It doesn’t?”

Lydia shook her head. “You know, she smells all … smelly.”

“No, I don’t know,” Anna replied. “I cannot smell what people are feeling.”

This time is was Lydia’s turn to look surprised. “You can’t? Why not?”

Anna laughed. “Because I’m human.”

Lydia’s forehead furrowed a little as she thought about it. “Humans can’t smell?”

“Humans can smell some things, like the scent of a flower or a tasty dish, but we cannot smell if someone is happy, or sad.”

“Oh!” Lydia took a moment to absorb this, then turned to Anna with a shy smile. “You smell happier when Uncle Max is here.”

Anna gave Lydia a startled glance as a blush rose in her cheeks. “I do?”

“Yes.”

“And Uncle Max? Does he smell happier?”

“Oh yes! And he shines more too!”

“He shines?” Anna said weakly.

“He goes all glowey and shiny,” Lydia said with a giggle. She grabbed Anna by the hand. “Come, let’s run,” she said.

Returning to the castle with Lydia sometime later, Anna was passing Aaron’s study when he called her name. She turned to enter his study. “Thomas has been in the village and brought back a letter for you.” Anna took the missive from him, clasping it in her hand. “He also brought back news that Matilda has made it safely back to the city and has been reunited with her children.”

“And how many of the men returned?”

Aaron shrugged. “It’s difficult to say, but we heard that Terran has about fifteen hundred prisoners. Some of them have been ransomed and returned to their families.” Anna nodded as Aaron continued. “John has been crowned king, and Matilda has been named one of his advisors.”

“She has? I wonder how she managed that?”

Aaron grinned. “You should know Matilda’s skill in getting her own way! The Lord Chamberlain has also been named to the king’s council, as well as his great-uncle Eastwich.”

Anna left the room, pressing the letter against her chest. She had known immediately who it was from, and she smiled at the thought of reading his words. She left the castle and quickly walked to the bench in the corner of the gardens, where she took a seat. She slipped her finger beneath the wax seal and spread the page open wide.

‘My darling Anna,’ she read. ‘I have just arrived at my home in the city, and every thought I had as I traveled here was of you. By the time you receive this, a few weeks will have passed since I saw you last, but you have been in my thoughts every day and in my dreams every night. I long to see you again, and hold you in my arms. I almost turned around when I saw you standing at your window when I left, but knew that if I did that, I would be unable to make the attempt again!

‘You will be interested to know that young John has been crowned king. His coronation was not as grand as Alfred’s, but it was very solemn, given that he is just a boy of eight and still mourning the death of his father. Of course, the kingdom will be ruled by his advisors until he comes of age. I saw Matilda, who looks well, but did not exchange any words with her. Your friend, Kathleen, was not in attendance.

‘I count the days until I can once more be at your side. I dreamed of you dancing last night. Will you dance for me, my darling, when I see you again?

‘I remain, for now until eternity, yours.

‘Signed, Max Brant’

Chapter 50

Anna and Keira visited Jenny every week, watching as she slowly declined in health, until she was no longer able to leave her bed. She smiled whenever she saw her daughters, and reached out her hand to her grandchildren as Keira pushed them closer. Zach would escape the sickroom as soon as he was able, creeping into Richard’s workshop to watch him carve his wooden pieces, but Lydia would sit with her grandmother, a silent sentinel to her passing. Richard had started teaching Zach how to carve, and after a while he gave Zach his own piece of wood and a small knife, and they sat carving together in silence at the long bench where Richard worked.

Anna waited for a letter to arrive from Kathleen, but week after week passed with no letter. “Did you see the letter I left on your desk?” Anna asked Thomas one morning. “It was a few weeks ago.”

“The letter addressed to Lady Kathleen?” he said. “I sent it with the other city communications.”

But the weeks passed, and there was no reply.

One late summer afternoon, Anna and Keira were seated in the parlor, laughing over something Aaron was saying. He had just joined the ladies, bringing Corbin with him, as they sat together in the afternoon sun, while on the floor the children were trying to figure out a puzzle that Corbin had made for them. As they sat together, Peggy came into the room, searching for her charges so she could give them their supper.

“There they are!” she said with a relieved sigh, and Anna and Corbin swapped an amused glance. Peggy seemed to spend her whole life searching for the children. She stood in the doorway for a moment, staring into the room as if unsure whether she should enter, but Aaron waved her in with a smile.

“Join us for a glass of wine, Mistress,” he said.

Peggy looked startled, and for a moment she hesitated, but when Corbin gave her a smile and a small nod of encouragement, Anna could see her uncertainty melting.

Like all dragons, Corbin made a handsome man. He had light hair, which had been braided in a single braid down his back, and his eyes shone with a color that was neither gray nor blue. He did not appear older than thirty-five or so years of age, although Anna knew he topped Aaron’s one hundred and ten years. He caught Anna’s glance and pulled a wry smile, shrugging slightly.

A clatter in the passage outside the parlor had Anna pulling her attention away from Peggy and towards Thomas as he stepped into the room. His boots were dusty from riding, and he held a small pouch in his hand. He passed the pouch over to Aaron, who took it with a nod.

“Any news?” he asked.

“A few soldiers took up at The Bell Inn a few days ago, causing a ruckus amongst some of the villagers who wanted them gone. They feared for their daughters’ safety, and I cannot blame them! Richard sent a message to Warren, and he sent some men to deal with them, and they have since moved on.” Richard Carver, Anna’s father, was the reeve of the village in the service of Lord Warren, earl of the county. Aaron gestured towards the flagon of wine on the table. “Anything else?”

“No, milord,” Thomas said, pouring himself a glass and taking a seat on the bench beside Corbin. Aaron nodded and opened the package that Thomas had given him, pulling out a small handful of letters. He flipped through them quickly, separating them into piles. He handed Anna two of the letters and passed the rest back to Thomas. Anna took hers eagerly and glanced at the writing on each. One was from Max, and the other from Kathleen.

“At long last! I was beginning to wonder what had happened!”

“Is that the letter you have been waiting for?” Thomas said, placing his pile beside him, and she nodded. She slipped the letter from Max into her pocket, to be read later in private, but then turned the letter from Kathleen over in her hands, slipping her finger beneath the seal. She glanced at Keira.

“Do you mind?” she asked. Keira shook her head with a smile. Anna opened the missive and spread it over her lap, her eyes skimming the page as she read in silence.

‘Dearest Anna,’ it read, ‘I was very relieved to receive your letter and learn that you had not run away with Master Brant as we had been led to believe, although I am shocked that the prince could have treated you so. Since I last saw you, I have married Lord Giles, whom you may remember from the march, and have retired from court life. I believe my father was very relieved to see me so happily united. I thank you for the kindness you showed me at court, and am sorry that we can no longer pursue our friendship, but you will understand that as a wife and future mother I cannot be too careful about my reputation, and by extension, the reputation of my friends. I trust you are well, and wish you a long and happy life. Yours fondly, Lady Kathleen Giles’

The chatter in the room had resumed as Anna started reading the letter to herself, but Keira was watching her sister, and she touched her arm as she finished reading. “Is everything all right?” she asked quietly. Anna pressed her lips together and passed the letter over to Keira, who read it with a frown. “I’m so sorry, Anna,” she said. Anna nodded.

“I thought Kathleen was my friend.” She took the letter back, and folded it into a tight wad before stuffing it into her pocket. She turned to Keira and forced her lips into a smile. “I have all of you,” she said, indicating with her hand around the room. “What more do I need?”

“And Max,” Keira added softly. Anna smiled. Yes, she had Max too, and that was the most important thing. But until he came back, she would not claim him as her own. But soon, she hoped, he would be back, and then he would be hers forever.

Chapter 51

Anna was in her chambers when she first became aware of Max’s presence, like a soft hint of musky fragrance in the air. It was early afternoon, and she had been sorting out some ribbons for Lydia. She closed her eyes with a smile, and waited as the knowledge of his presence grew stronger, before finally rising to her feet and heading to the window. He was still just a smudge against the horizon, but as she stepped into the opening, she felt a flare of heat, a burning awareness that surged towards her, and she knew he had seen her, too. She watched him grow closer, his huge body cleaving through the sky, held aloft by his glorious, massive wings. She lifted her feet over the window ledge and sat down. She could see the blazing fire in his eyes as he raced towards her. Flames poured from his mouth, rolling over his body before dissipating in the air. He drew closer, but instead of pausing at her window, he circled around and snatched her with his tail, lifting her onto his back.

She grabbed his neck as he plunged through the air, immediately heading away from Storbrook. She leaned forward and stroked his scales, resting her cheek against his neck, and when he turned to look at her, the breath caught in her throat. They gazed at each other in silence, before he turned his head back and leaned into the wind. He dropped lower, below the tall mountain peaks, and Anna saw a splash of green in the distance. He headed towards it, landing with a soft thump on the mossy grass. She slipped off his back, and before she even had a chance to completely turn around, he transformed. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her around to face him, and then his mouth was on hers. His kiss was hungry and savage, and he pulled her closer as he groaned into her mouth. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her hands into the small of his back. His hands were all over her, as if he was reacquainting himself with the shape of her body, and she could feel his heat caressing her skin. She was panting when she finally pulled away, gasping for air, and he laid his forehead against hers.

“I love you,” he whispered. “I’ve missed you so much. Marry me.”

“Yes,” she said.

He pulled back to look in her eyes. “Now?”

“We need to find a priest.”

“Only for a human marriage. For a dragon mating, we just need to share our blood.”

“What about witnesses?”

“We can repeat the vows with God as our witness. Any dragon seeing us together will know we’ve mated. Humans may not see the bond, but dragons can sense it, as tangible as an iron chain that locks my heart to yours. Once formed, it cannot be unbroken.”

“I thought you wanted a ceremony?”

“I only want to take you as my mate, which means creating a blood bond. I didn’t want you to bond with me before I left, knowing that it would make the absence harder for you to bear.”

“You could have taken me with you to the city instead of leaving me at Storbrook.”

“I could have. But you needed some time to grieve for Garrick.”

She stared at him, then slowly nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“But now I am impatient to make you my own.”

“And we can do it now? Here?”

“Yes. And we will have a nuptial mass on the morrow to make it humanly official, too. In the meantime, we will be handfast.”

Anna nodded. “Yes. Is there a special dragon vow?”

“Just these words: I choose you to be my lifelong mate. As your blood runs through my veins, we are bound together until parted by death.” Anna repeated the words under her breath as Max drew out a short knife. He flipped it in his hand and offered her the handle. “I don’t have a chalice, so you will have to drink the blood from my veins.”

Anna looked up at him, startled. “From your veins.” She shuddered slightly.

“We can wait, if you prefer,” he said.

“No. Where do I cut you?”

“Anywhere you want.” Anna lifted his hand, but he drew it away. “No,” he said, “too impersonal.” He pointed to his chest. “Cut me here.”

“On your chest?” A feeling of horror swept over her. “I can’t do that!” Max lifted her hand which held the knife, and wrapping his over hers, pressed the blade against his skin. She stared at the point for a moment – the area around it was draining of color – before looking up into his eyes.

“Are you sure?” she said.

“Yes! I’m eager to know that you have tasted me. Are you ready?” She nodded, and he pressed the blade into his flesh. There was a moment of resistance, but then it slid in, silently, immediately drawing blood. Anna tried to draw her hand back, but Max held it fast on the handle of the knife and pushed the blade in deeper. He grunted slightly as the blood gushed from the wound, and allowed his hand to fall from hers.

“Taste it,” he whispered.

She looked at the blood that was staining his chest, and slowly brought her finger up to it, dipping the tip in the red liquid. She raised it to her lips, and cautiously licked her finger. The blood was hot, and as soon as it touched her tongue, she could feel it spreading through her. It tasted like a thick brandied sauce, sweet and delicious. Her eyes flew up to his, then returned to his chest. She leaned forward and licked his skin, running her tongue over the blood that was trailing a path to his stomach.