Dragons Don't Forgive (7 page)

“
Bastian came to earth’s
realm months ago and told me Roxanne, the bride I burned, has
transcended to dragon. That’s impossible for you. I am dangerous
and out of control in a rage. You cannot trust me at those times.
Please promise you will leave when I say.”

I can’t accept this. “And did you lose
Calista shortly before this disastrous event happened?”

He doesn’t answer. He flies to the
clearing where we started our flight and lands in the center of the
copse of trees. His shift is so sudden I have little time to find
my balance as my feet hit the ground. I place one hand down to
stabilize myself before I stand and face him. His violet eyes blaze
from his human face.

Smoke trails from his nostrils and
he’s clenching and unclenching his hands. He no longer speaks into
my mind and shouts aloud instead. “It matters not. I tried to
kidnap Bastian’s son. The only dragon child alive. When Laryn’s
bride discovered what I was up to, she tried to stop me. I offered
to exchange her freedom for the child’s. And, my intentions were
not good. After the child flew away, the foolish woman thought to
fight me. She almost paid with her life.” His breathing is deep and
heavy as additional smoke escapes his nostrils. “I’m a despicable
man and an evil dragon. You should not be my friend or anywhere
around me at all. There is no good…” he slams his fist on his
chest, “left inside this heart.” He turns and heads toward his
cabin.

My poor Sarn. I decide to give him
some time alone. He shared many truths with me and we’ve made
headway into our friendship. His pain is so deep the least I can do
is let him come to terms with all he has told me. Even knowing what
he’s capable of, I have no fear of him. I want him like I’ve never
wanted another man. My wolf shivers inside me and I feel her
yearning too. So, I will never transcend to dragon. We are of two
different worlds, but we have time. I would hate to lose out on
what we could have. That includes being more than friends. I never
thought it would be easy to seduce a dragon, but I will
persevere.

Chapter Seven

Sarn

She vexes me so and I need a drink.
She has no idea the danger she faces when around me. Until I told
her what happened, I’d forgotten for a short time. Forgotten the
look and smell of Roxanne’s burned flesh—her whimpers and the
devastation on Laryn’s face when he saw what I’d done to his
bride.

“
Damn she-wolf,” I mutter
again. I finally locate my sweats and storm back to the cabin after
pulling them on. I’m not at all happy when I see her brother
waiting. Are all these beastkind animals without self-preservation?
I need my dragon realm where everyone but other dragons fear and
bow to me. They wouldn’t dare be waiting in front of our homes with
an attitude.

Roland blocks my path when I attempt
to charge past him. If he wants to play, I’ll be happy to oblige.
He’s not quite as tall or as broad as I am, but he’s still a large
guy. Before he suspects what I’m planning, I grab his arm and twist
him around. A firm shove sends him to the ground face first. He
gazes up from the ground with fire in his eyes and blood streaming
from his nose. He spits out a few pine needles and with no
hesitation, he’s up instantly and attacking me. We pummel each
other because it feels good. I could easily win, but I want the
pain his fists offer. And I want to feel my fists sink into flesh.
I’m not experiencing rage; I’m having fun and relieving some of my
hostility.

He doesn’t give up even when he
realizes he can’t possibly win. He’s bloodier than I am and in
obvious pain. He’s scrappy and manages to twist away. His foot
flies up in a kick to the side of my head that I have no time to
block. Blood flies from my lip when his fist makes contact. I shake
my head and he kicks me in the belly. I grab his foot and pull it
upward so he falls to his back with a loud thud. He twists in an
attempt to pull away. If I don’t release his foot, I’ll break it.
It would serve him right if I held on, but I have no intention of
causing severe damage. He takes my momentary lapse and swipes my
legs, which sends me crashing down beside him. I’m ready to jump up
and start again, but his hands fall limp at his sides and I allow
mine to do the same.

“
She’s my sister and I
don’t want her hurt,” he says between gasps for breath.

I’m breathing just as heavily. “I can
understand that and I don’t want to hurt her.” We are both looking
up at the bright blue sky as we speak.

“
But you will,” he says
softly.

Goddess help me stay away from her.
“Yes, I most likely will.”

I turn my head so I’m facing him and
he turns to me. His eyes are raw and I hear the pain in his voice.
“You expect me to stand by while this happens?”

“
No.” I turn away and peer
back at the sky. “She’s worth protecting.”

He growls low in his throat. “So what
the hell am I to do? I doubt I can kill you.”

My loud sigh fills the air. “It might
help if you could keep her away from me.”

Roland laughs, and from the corner of
my eye, I see him flash a true smile. “No one has ever been able to
stop my sister when she sets her mind to anything.”

I wanted her the first time I saw her.
I was drunk off my ass and still she affected me. I also knew she
wasn’t like the women who threw themselves my way. It was a
conundrum I rarely faced as a dragon. I wanted her, but I did
everything I could to stay away. Now, her brother’s words make
taking her to bed more real. I’m well aware I’ve only been delaying
the inevitable. It’s also not the time to develop a
hard-on.

I roll over, gain my feet, and hold my
hand out to Roland. “We might as well get to know each other. Why
don’t you come inside and get cleaned up. I’m hungry and need to
eat. I don’t promise the food will taste any good, but I’ll
share.”

Roland takes my offered hand and
rises. We walk inside and he uses the bathroom while I clean the
blood from my face at the kitchen sink. When I’m presentable, I
check the refrigerator. There’s a huge slab of bacon and a dozen
eggs. I begin preparing all of it. I also make another pot of
coffee.

Roland comes out of the bathroom and
stops on the other side of the small island that separates us. “You
need to know that my sister loves deeply,” he says while holding a
wet cloth to his nose, so his voice is muffled.

Being able to see only his eyes above
the cloth, they remind me of Sierra’s eyes. A dark brown chocolate
that has a way of reaching into your soul and twisting just a bit.
“I love deeply too. I’m sure it’s too deeply.” I have no idea how
Roland will take my next question. “Have you been in
love?”

He lowers the cloth and regards me
intently. “Did she tell you?”

I nod. It’s nice that my hair doesn’t
fall in my face any longer. Sierra’s fingers running through my
hair was more than nice. What the hell is wrong with me? I regard
Roland while trying to control my lust because I’m thinking about
his sister. “Yes, if you’re asking if I know that you’re
gay.”

I see dread in his eyes but also hope.
“It doesn’t bother you?”

I let out a laugh. “Not at all. I’ve
found that men and women have trouble resisting my beauty, but if I
were you,” I give him a wink, “I would try.”

His smile is like his sister’s too.
I’m becoming jealous that they shared a womb.

“
Thank you, Sarn,” he says
with an appreciative look up and down. “Somehow, I will strive to
keep from molesting your gorgeous body.”

I raise my eyebrows appreciating his
sense of humor with a subject so delicate for him. “That’s all I
can ask. It will be a trying feat, but you need to control yourself
as much as possible. Now why don’t you set the table?”

A while later, we eat burned bacon and
runny eggs. In a deadpan voice, Roland speaks up after we’ve
stuffed ourselves. “We make a good couple.”

In his same level tone, I reply, “If
your sister refuses me, you’re next in line.”

He bursts out laughing. “I like you,
dragon,” he adds after his laughter subsides and he can speak
again.

I’ve enjoyed my time with Roland, but
the craving for alcohol is creeping up on me once more and I feel
restless. I point toward the door. “Tell me what there is to do
around here so I don’t go crazy.”

I think he understands what I’m
asking. “The bears seem to get off on chopping wood for no other
reason than it’s there. That’s one of the reasons I remain at the
nightclub as much as possible.”

The club is the last place I need to
be. “I have a sudden aversion to the nightclub atmosphere, so I
think it best that you show me the closest ax and wood
pile.”

“
I can do that, but I’ll
leave you to chop wood alone. I need to head back to the club. I
work this evening.” He hesitates a moment, but I can see he has
something else to say. “I saw my sister riding you earlier.” His
face turns scarlet and I bite my lip to hold back my smile. “That
sounds horrible... you know what I mean.”

Even his embarrassment reminds me of
Sierra. I let him off the hook after a shout of laughter escapes my
throat. “Yes, I know what you mean.”

He looks at me, his gaze pleading.
“She was happy. I could hear her laugh from far below. I only want
her happy.”

I can’t go there because what can I
say? I will hurt her, I know it. “She wants the same for you.
Living a secret is no way to live.”

Roland studies the floor for a moment
then meets my eyes again. “Thank you. Beastkind are not known for
tolerance.”

I shake my head. “They still have a
lot to learn. From what your sister told me, that is why your kind
could not produce children for so long without human
interaction.”

“
True,” he responds with a
hopeful look.

We clean the kitchen and Roland walks
me to the nearest wood pile before leaving to go to the club.
Chopping wood takes some getting accustomed to. I’ve never chopped
wood, but I wasn’t going to reveal that to Roland. It seems fairly
straightforward—wood, tree stump, ax. My first few pieces don’t
quite look like the ones resting in the existing wood pile, but I
get the hang of it quickly. Strange that such a small thing like
cutting up wood with an ax gives me a sense of satisfaction.
Usually I need a bride’s cry during her release, a stolen treasure,
or at the very least—looking out across my realm and knowing it’s
mine. I’m not sure what’s happening to me, but I feel good about
what I’m doing.

A few hours pass as I chop until my
arms are too weary to lift an alcoholic drink. In the distance,
I’ve noticed a few she-bears walk out of their way to avoid me. I
know they are shy around men. I’d learned this tidbit from the male
bears who worked the nightclub. I only met two she-bears working
there and they avoided me too. Those bears seem to be smarter than
the average female. I was known for sleeping with any willing
woman, drinking too much, and knocking down a few walls when things
were at their worst. It’s surprising that Dmitri put up with me as
long as he did.

With a solid chop to the last piece of
wood in the pile, I put aside the ax. I’d seen a good sized lake
while I flew over the bear territory, so I head there to wash the
sweat from my sore muscles. I like this mountainous area even
though it’s not home. It takes me about thirty minutes to walk
overland to the lake. I could shift and be there in a matter of
minutes, but I begin feeling melancholy. I have no right to be
happy. I deserve the suffering that comes from fighting the desire
to shift.

I finally make it to the tall grass
that surrounds the lake. It’s a peaceful area with a stunning view
of trees and mountains. I shuck my sweatpants and wade in. The
water is cool and refreshing. Exactly what I need. I swim out to
the deeper section and float while thinking on my sins. There are
so many that I’m not even sure where to begin. Burning Laryn’s
bride is always at the top of the list. Trying to take Ashrac away
from his parents a close second. But my mind wanders to all my past
brides. Each beautiful in their own way—forced to be with me and
make the best of their fate. I know they loved me, but what choice
did they actually have? They couldn’t escape me and I’m sure
loneliness guided their hearts as it did mine. Because they are
born in claiming years, they are raised differently than other
girls in their village. A group of potential brides must wait until
the actual claiming to see who the special chosen virgin is. The
others go on about their life while a single woman is flown away by
me or one of my brother dragons.

We’re not actually brothers by blood
but by circumstance. During our lives before the curse, our
families were feudal overlords of each realm. Male dragons took
women as brides against their will from different realms. It was
common to kill any female who wasn’t a virgin. Or if the woman was
lucky, she was cast aside and lived in service to the dragon. A
dragon’s destiny was to find a mate and produce children to
propagate the line. Up until a dragon found a true mate it wasn’t
unheard of for dragons to have dozens of brides of varying ages to
fulfill their lust.

One piece of the curse was designed to
punish the remaining dragons for the sexual excess of our fathers.
Bastian, Laryn, Tahr, and I came up with the claiming idea after
the curse was put upon us. We, the younger generation of dragons
and the last of our kind, had no desire to kill innocent women. It
was easy to put the fear of the Goddess into the village. Burning a
few buildings and breaking a few legs with the swish of our tails
did the trick. It assured that the women who came to us were pure.
It was our only hope of breaking the curse.