Dragonfae & The Soul Catcher (17 page)

Thalia stared at him in disbelief. “This is
my
body, Lumos. Don’t you think you should have given me the consideration of asking me first? What if I don’t want wings?” She pushed him away from her. “And, goddess, dragons lay eggs, don’t they? Very big eggs?” She grimaced “I won’t even consider laying eggs—not even for you. I want to go home. Look, I don’t expect you to help me. I
know
you have more pressing things to do in Drakka. I‘ll wait here until the King of the Fae returns and then I’ll ask him for his help. I’m sure he’ll understand. I’ll ask him to change me back.” She tried to calm down. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? You should have offered me a choice. You know, I might have agreed. You said I could trust you. How many more deceits have you told me, Lumos? Will I find later you already have a mate in Drakka?”

“I don’t have a mate. Thalia, gods, do you have such a low opinion of me? When we met, you were in no state to discuss the implications of my love.You needed me…called to me.” Lumos stared at the floor. “And I wanted you, too. Gods, Thalia, you are acting as if I’ve hurt you… Don’t you understand being Fae means forever. Mating binds us—we will remain like this and never age.” He drew a deep breath. “Dragonfae have babes, not eggs, little one. We are in our Fae bodies most of the time.” He shook his head slowly. “I’m sorry I didn’t explain things better. Look, I know you’re angry with me but please don’t do this. Don’t leave me—not in anger and believing that I’ve deceived you. By the goddess, Thalia—I would perish without you.”

A pang of pain radiated through Thalia—Lumos’ pain. She gazed at his bowed head, the long lashes masking his incredible eyes. The deep feeling of rejection exuded from him, hit her in a wave of anguish. He lifted his dark head and Thalia gasped at the pain trapped inside his eyes. Blue magyck crackled around his hair, the long strands spilling down his back like black water. Thalia touched his cheek—gods, he was the most magnificent male she had ever seen. She ached to hold him, but how many other things had he withheld from her?
I must have the truth.

“Will I grow wings?”

“If you leave me now…no. You’ll require more of my seed to complete the transformation. After a while, you will return to being a witch.” Lumos’ voice hardened. “But once you have wings, they’ll stay forever and the transformation will be complete.” He glanced towards the open window. “My dragon needs to be free. He is deeply hurt by your rejection and, well, he is angry with me, too.” Lumos slid off the bed. He stood, looking down at Thalia, his face etched with pain. “I’ll ask Pyro to return you to the Singing Forest if that is your wish. I would accompany you if I could, but, as you know, until this problem with the Magus is resolved, my duty is to Drakka.”

Thalia sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “Do you usually give up so easily? Or do you believe a female has no right to ask questions?”

“No, of course not.” Lumos’ eyes flashed with anger. “Fae never touch an unwilling female let alone take one for their mate. Damn it! This is not what we do, Thalia. Why would anyone want a hostile mate forever?” He ground his teeth. “If you reject me then I must accept your refusal without question, no matter if my heart is breaking into a thousand pieces. I’ll never take another, Thalia.
You
are my mate and nothing will change that fact.”

“Do you love me?”

“Love is such a simple word for how a Dragonfae feels towards his mate.” Lumos dashed a hand through his hair. “I am consumed by you. My body burns for you. Damn it, Thalia, we are two parts of the same soul. Yes, I
love
you, but what good is love without trust? And you don’t trust me, do you?”

Thalia got to her feet. The pain in her heart increased with the thought of losing him. Did she trust him? In truth, he confused her. She cupped his cheeks, wanting to stop the sorrow in his eyes.

“I
love
you and I want to stay with you, but we are very different, Lumos.” She sighed. “I want you to remember there are many things I don’t understand about Fae ways and customs. I will always ask questions and expect you to answer them honestly, no matter what the cost.” Thalia rubbed her thumbs over his cheeks. “I do understand this may upset your dragon but I’ve been honest with you from the start of our journey, and I expected the same from you. Perhaps you should let the Nightdragon free and explain to him that a witch is much different from a Faerie. Ask him what he expects from me. Set him free, Lumos. I’ll wait for you to return.”

“Gods, Thalia, I can’t leave you like this.” He dragged her against him. “I beg you to be patient with me—this mating heat is new to me, too, little one.” He pressed kisses to her face. “I fight a constant battle with my dragon. His desire to mate is strong, yet I know you are fragile in this form and I must take time to prepare you.” He rubbed slow circles over her back “As you are now, you would not survive moonfire. Although my body will mate you, my dragon will drive me. Moonfire is the only time I won’t be in complete control. The dragon will be insatiable and will be satisfied. I‘ll become aggressive and more demanding. You must trust me to know what’s best for you.”

Thalia shrugged. “Men have betrayed me, my father, the soldiers entrusted with my safety, but you are so different. I want so much to trust you.” She closed her eyes, then opened them and examined Lumos’ handsome face. “In truth… Aye, my love, I do trust you but it is a fragile trust. I fear one day you will betray me, too, and cast me aside.”

“Do you need more from me, sweet butterfly? A commitment?” Lumos brushed his finger down Thalia’s neck.

The heated gaze from Lumos took her breath away. “You would do that?”

He bent his head and his silken hair brushed her shoulder. He pierced the vein in Thalia’s neck with his sharp fangs then growled deep in his chest, and lapped tenderly at the broken skin. A shot of erotic euphoria spiralled through her. Boneless, she sagged against him.

“There, I have marked you, and now the world will know you are mine.” Lumos rested his forehead against Thalia’s brow. “Rest now, little one. I’ll let my beast feed and he’ll leave us undisturbed for the rest of the night.”

Bereft of the heat of Lumos’ body, Thalia wrapped her arms around her chest. The Dragonfae unfurled his wings. How strange to see them burst from his back then unfold like rose buds opening to the sun. So wide, the huge, black moth-like wings spread out on each side of him. They were magnificent. Lumos turned, and ran towards the balcony, every muscle in his body flexing. With a graceful leap, he flew into the air. Thalia ran after him and peered into the moonlit night. In a flash of white magyck, the Nightdragon appeared. She gasped at the sight of the beast, so much larger than Pyro’s dragon. The beast’s wings opened like the sails of a warship and he soared into the midnight sky, only to bank around in a wide circle and dive towards her. She gripped the wooden handrail, mesmerised by the awesome beauty of the Nightdragon. The beast landed on the plateau below the palace in a powerful gust of wind, and lifted its impressive head to meet her gaze. With the dragon’s wide snout not a hand span from the balcony, Thalia trembled. Steam surged from the wide nostrils and curled around her in a swirling mist.

Drawing a deep breath, Thalia focused on the iridescent green eyes and saw Lumos within. She reached out to touch the velvet snout and her fingertips caressed skin with the softness of a horse’s muzzle, not the scaled hardness she had expected. Her gaze travelled over the head. From the bridge of the nose, the great beast had the glossy scales of a black snake, each scalloped edge reflected the moonlight. The shimmering skin replicated Lumos’ clothes exactly.
Dragon skin?
Above the dragon’s almond eyes, arched, bony brow stood out against a wide forehead. A row of spines protruded between his floppy ears and continued down his back to the tip of his tail. This close, she could see the leathery texture of his wings, a pure white crescent moon glistening on each. The Nightdragon remained motionless as if waiting for her approval. Only the longing in the beast’s eyes betrayed the man within. All fear gone, she smiled and opened her arms wide. She noticed a change in the beast’s expression as the Nightdragon took in her nakedness. Gods, the beast had raised his brow. With a giggle, Thalia curtsied.

“You are most wonderful, Nightdragon, but I crave Lumos. Go now and hunt and then bring him back to me.”

The dragon dropped off the plateau and hovered in a thermal updraft, the glossy wings glistened under the moon’s glow Thalia stood engrossed with the dragon, admiring the beauty of the beast. With a roar of triumph that shook the palace, followed by a long trail of orange flames, the Nightdragon soared into the indigo twilight sky, and disappeared over the mountains.

Thalia remained on the balcony for some time, her body humming with the thrill of seeing the Nightdragon at last.
Oh, Cymbeline, how can I thank you for sending Lumos to me?
She turned, chilled by the night air, and went in the bathroom. Hot, bubbly water began to fill the impressive tub the moment she walked inside the room. Fragrant oils and potions filled a small alcove beside the bath. Thalia sighed in delight, stepped into the deliciously hot water and sank down. She opened each bottle and sniffed the contents.

“I love honeysuckle.” She poured the contents in the tub and giggled. The contents of the bottle replenished at once. Such wonderful magyck—she would enjoy her stay here.

Her thoughts drifted to Lumos. She had hurt him and pangs of regret curled in her conscience.
I’m sorry, Lumos, but I needed answers.
At dinner, the Fae females had been very attentive to him and this had angered her. Perhaps, this blind devotion was their normal behaviour towards visitors—indeed, they were so very different from a witch like her. A female who asked questions might be new to Lumos. She shook her head.
I will never stop asking questions. I will never be like them.

Thalia rubbed the mark on her neck—it itched and the moment she touched the two puncture marks, pleasure shot straight to her core. Gods, what would his kiss be like if this was the result of one drop of his aphrodisiac saliva? Her thoughts went to their argument and Lumos’ explanation. How could she blindly trust him? She hardly knew him.
I wish I had someone to talk to, another woman, perhaps, someone who knows about the ways of the Dragonfae.

There was no one here she could confide in—the Faeries at the palace had ignored her. After dinner, all had swarmed around both Dragonfae for stories about Pyro’s imprisonment and the upcoming battle at Drakka. One had sat boldly on Lumos’ lap while another had draped herself over his shoulder, yet the infuriating man had acted as if this female attention was normal. She had sat alone and, in truth, had wanted to blast them all away from him with black fire.
I wish Nell were here. I could talk to her about anything.

* * * *

“The moods, distrust and the anger, it’s all part of the onset of moonfire.” Pyro peered at Lumos over the rim of his goblet. “Although it is obvious to me, there is more to Thalia than meets the eye.”

Lumos leant back in the chair and lifted his foot to rest one boot on his knee. His gaze travelled around the opulent private sitting room. The Fae had made them welcome, although they had been confused by their refusal of the offered females for the evening. He considered Pyro’s words. What had the man or his dragon discovered about Thalia? He would never divulge Thalia’s rape. He shrugged.

“I know she’d been alone for some time with only the company of the cat. The first day we met, she ran from me and hid under a bush. I’m afraid Thalia fears all males.”

“What do you know of her background…her bloodline?” Pyro twirled a goblet in his fingers.

“Nothing at all. I do know she was a foundling discovered by King Garro of Broclarre during a hunting expedition.” Lumos lifted his drink from the ornate table beside his chair. “The man brought her up as his own daughter. When the queen died mysteriously, Garro blamed Thalia and banished her to the Singing Forest.”

“Hmm, that’s very interesting.” Pyro rubbed his chin. “You know, if Cymbeline hadn’t chosen Thalia for your mate, I’d be wary of the girl.” He smiled ruefully. “My dragon warns me that your terrified mate carries the magyck of the fallen, yet somehow the dark force has been altered, I’d say by a sacrifice of some kind.”

Dropping his booted foot to the floor, Lumos leant forwards in his chair. “Are you telling me your dragon has the ability to discover the origin of a being’s magyck?”

“Yes, of course. All dragons have that power but many never use it. Tell me, how many times have you used your dragon to search for the origin of a spell? It’s the same thing…although, after so many battles together, my dragon uses this ability to decipher between friend and foe.” Pyro sipped his wine and let out a sigh of appreciation. “My dragon sees Elf magyck in the girl. I doubt the mother abandoned her babe. More likely, she became the love slave of a dark Magus and used her own magyck to protect the child. Look at her name, Lumos—Thalia—the butterfly and a new beginning—this was the wish of a desperate mother.”

Lumos examined the gold goblet in his fingertips. He considered Pyro’s words. Thalia had perfected spells with ease and incapacitated the Lutwych Hag without breaking a sweat.

“To overcome such evil would take an Elf’s life force, but why would Thalia’s mother sacrifice her life and then leave the child to perish?” He rubbed his chin. “Thalia has told me the tale of the king finding her. If she had been found beside a dead woman, surely she would have been informed.”

“Perhaps not, but remember—Magi are male and they take female slaves as breeders in their culture. For example, a female child born into a line as powerful as the Magus of Fullmount would not be allowed to live unless they planned to trade her to another clan for breeding.” Pyro gestured with his hand. “If a slave had no chance of escaping with a female child to safety, would not an Elf mother give her life to protect her child, knowing the father would leave the babe for the wolves? The Magi leave the female babes to the wolves as a blood sacrifice to Lucifer. That is the usual practice, is it not?” He met Lumos’ gaze. “If the mother did indeed give her life to protect Thalia, Cymbeline would offer her protection to the child and then make provisions to ensure the girl’s magyck joined with the Dragonfae.” Pyro placed his chalice on the table. “And who better for a mate than the next king of Drakka?”