Dragons Don't Cry (11 page)

It didn’t matter; he came up from below and
captured my waist in his hands, bringing me to the surface.

“Have you cooled down?” he said while
nuzzling my ear.

“I hate you.”

“I know, but you love me too. I’m sorry.”
His arms squeezed around me while we tread water.

I was glad I faced away from him. “It hurts,
Bastian. Even knowing Jonathan will be well and live a long life,
it hurts.”

His chin rested on my shoulder and I let him
hold me. After a long while, I finally shivered from the cool
water, and Bastian began kicking his feet and moving us toward the
shore. Water dripped from my clothing making me cold and
uncomfortable. Bastian wasted no time removing my garments. He
wrung them out, laying them on a large rock a few feet away from
the water’s edge. He took my hand and pulled me higher up the bank
so we could rest in the grass. He gathered me close, his warm body
stopping my chills.

I looked into his beautiful dark eyes. It
was past time we had this talk. “Why have you never had
children?”

He looked off in the distance. “I think it
was an unintended gift from the goddess when she cursed us. It
takes two dragons to produce dragon offspring. If our brides could
have children, they would be human and we would watch them die as
we do our brides. It’s hard to think of never having children as a
gift, but I don’t think I could survive it. The human parents are
much stronger than I am.”

I would never have a child. It hurt deep
inside me, but my pain for Bastian was more intense. I held him
tightly. “I am sorry. It was very hard to see Jonathan taken from
his parents and I wish I hadn’t, but I would not want you to go
through it alone. Love me, dragon, so we may both forget.”

Chapter Seventeen

Bastian

Months passed and we settled into our life.
Acasia was my blessing and I cherished our time. It hurt me when I
felt her sadness. She would offer a smile, but I knew the sadness
was there. Often, making love would take the feeling away, but
sometimes she went into a melancholy that lasted days. It
frustrated me because my other brides rarely did this once they
settled. Acasia was different. She loved deeper than any human I’d
ever met.

I flew to my bedroom perch and shifted to
human form. I could hear her in the library, her soft breathing an
ever present part of me. I showered and changed into jeans and a
t-shirt because I liked the look in her eyes when she saw me
thus.

I needed to speak to her about a raid I had
planned with Laryn. The dragon’s foul moods were too much for me,
and I wanted to take his mind elsewhere. I could not bring Acasia
with me, and dreaded her being alone. This was not a conversation I
looked forward to.

She sat at the end of the table at the back
of the library engrossed in a book. I walked closer, and my heart
stopped beating. It was my book of sketches. I noticed the ladder
from the corner of my eye and its placement at the space where my
book should reside.

Acasia looked up. “These are your
brides?”

I could garner nothing from the look on her
face and it worried me. My brides did not like speaking of those
who came before them and neither did I.

“Yes.”

“You drew these?” She flipped the pages
gently.

“Yes.”

“Why have you never shown me?”

This was not what I expected from her, but
that was what I loved so much about Acasia. She was different.

“It hurts to look at them. I draw a sketch,
but never look back. I did not think it something you would
like.”

“That’s so sad, Bastian. They are beautiful
and deserve your memories. I saw my picture and someday there will
be another ahead of me.”

Anger began to simmer deep within me. “Do
not say that,” I replied harshly.

“Why? Maybe I’m selfish, but I want you to
remember me. I know you’ll love again, but I still wish you to
carry a small part of me with you. I think you owe it to all your
brides.”

I could not take her mentioning the time
after her death. I exploded and swiped the book from in front of
her, sending it flying across the room.

Anger sparked in her eyes, but her voice was
calm. “Do you feel better, dragon?”

Smoke came from my human nostrils; I had
very little control at this moment and could feel the fire build in
my chest. I turned away.

“Bastian, even death is not stronger than my
love for you.”

She said it so quietly, I almost kept
walking, but I turned back toward her. Tears rolled down her
cheeks. My fury deflated. “Talking of this hurts, Acasia. Thinking
of you dead is more than I can stand. With all my posturing and
ego, I am but a man with a human’s heart. Losing you will break me
completely.”

She stood up, but instead of coming to me,
she walked over and picked up my sketchbook. She carried it to the
couch we usually shared and sat down. Her eyes met mine. “Sit with
me, Bastian, and tell me of your brides. We don’t need to travel
all the pages in one afternoon, but you need to talk about them.
Remember them. I know they loved you as I do.”

What could I do? I could refuse her nothing.
I walked over and sat down. She turned to the first page of the
book and ran her finger over the sleeping face of my first
bride.

“That is Tarita.”

“Tell me something about her. What was her
favorite food?”

The thought of her favorite food broke
something open in my chest where I’d buried her memory. “She loved
apples. Green only. I had to look far away to find a green apple
tree to plant here.”

Acasia turned the page. It was Tarita naked,
lying back on the bed looking at me with hungry eyes.

“Did she know you drew this?”

“No. She would have hit me upside the head
with a great log.”

Acasia laughed, and against my will, I could
feel my lips tilting up. “She had an awful temper.”

“You drove her to tantrums, I’m sure.”

Other memories came forward. We spoke of my
first three brides before I finally asked to stop.

Acasia laid her head on my shoulder. “Thank
you, Bastian. We will talk of the others another time. We have many
years.”

I lifted her from the couch and carried her
to our room, the book forgotten. Slowly, I released her as her body
slid down mine. I removed each item of her clothing, kissing every
inch of her body until she was standing on tiptoes and clutching my
shoulders.

“You are torturing me, Bastian.”

I kissed her thigh and looked up. “I’ve only
begun, bride.”

“I cannot take any more.”

I stood, lifting her at the same time. “Wrap
your legs around me.” I carried her through the double doors,
outside to my perch.

“We cannot do this out here.” She giggled,
and I knew she would do it anywhere I took her.

“Hold on.” I impaled her on my cock,
supporting her back while rocking my hips. She was wet, tight, and
perfect. I loved when she raked my back with her human claws, and
she never disappointed in giving me what I wanted. The fire grew
inside me, the energy building as I felt her body quake. She threw
her head back, screaming her ecstasy so even the gods could hear. I
roared, fire exploding from my human mouth, the red glow bursting
from both of us.

“I love you, Acasia. Thank you for being my
greatest treasure.” I held her tightly to me, my cock still within
her warmth, my fingers threading through her hair.

“I didn’t know you could breathe fire in
human form.”

“It doesn’t happen often.”

“Will you take me for a ride, dragon?” She
smiled mischievously because she knew she’d just ridden her
dragon.

I made her fetch clothes and we rode until
the sun went down, watching the different colors spread across the
horizon. I loved this woman. Knew I loved her more than any
previous bride. Acasia had my entire heart.

Chapter Eighteen

Acasia

I felt as if I won a major battle. Finding
the sketchbook was heartbreaking and eye opening. Bastian’s pain
was so incredibly deep, and I would do anything to ease it. He
needed to trust that I knew what was best. Stubbornness was the way
of men and it didn’t matter if they were human or dragon.

We ate lunch in the library and I realized
something else was wrong. He wouldn’t look at me when he finally
spoke.

“I am going away with Laryn. We will be gone
a few days and you are staying behind.”

I calmly rested my fork beside my plate.
“Where are you going?”

“We are raiding a neighboring realm.”

Fear made my voice tight. “And I have no say
in this?”

“It is the way of dragons. A bride’s place
when her dragon goes hunting treasure is at the hearth. You will do
as told.”

One step forward and one-hundred steps back
when dealing with a pigheaded idiot. “When do you leave?”

“In an hour.”

I wanted to hit him, and I could tell by his
refusal to look at me that he postured for the sake of his dragon’s
pride. I had pride too, and if I was to do as told, I would show
him that he better choose carefully when giving orders.

I slowly stood from the table and entered my
chamber, which I rarely used. The door didn’t have a lock, and I
hoped Bastian would leave me be while I stewed. An hour later, he
entered the room. I didn’t look at him.

“I meant to tell you yesterday.”

If this was his apology, it wouldn’t cut it.
I refused to roll over. He strode from the room and within minutes,
I knew he was gone. I was too angry earlier to cry, but no longer.
My stupid dragon hurt me so badly. If he’d spoken to me about his
leaving, I’d have been apprehensive and definitely sad, but I
wouldn’t feel like this. I finally managed to wipe the tears from
my face and get up.

I wandered through Bastian’s room and the
library. I finally decided to go exploring outside on my own, so I
changed my clothes. The problem was figuring out how to get out. I
walked through the long hallway where the door separating me from
the humans was. It was locked. I walked back to my room and picked
up a heavy gold goblet. I then proceeded to beat on the solid door
until finally it was answered by a young woman, approximately my
age.

She looked fearful but curious. I decided
not to explain as I walked past her, but turned to offer a smile. I
noticed a key on the backside of the door. I didn’t think about
what I was doing, just grabbed it. I refused to be locked within
the dragon’s love nest any longer.

No one stopped me, though by the looks on
their faces they wanted to. I wasn’t sure what I would do, but I
wasn’t past violence if needed. I would not be stopped. Finding a
door leading outside was harder than I expected; after forty-five
minutes, I finally escaped. Seeing my surroundings from the air was
much different than walking them. I took off on my adventure.

Twenty minutes later, going from
geographical memory, I found the stream I always noticed when
flying with Bastian. I soaked my feet and enjoyed the breeze. I
moved on and found an outcropping of rocks about a mile downstream.
They weren’t too large, so I decided to climb. On the other side, I
noticed a dark opening in the rock and walked over to it. Looking
inside, I could see the back of a small cave. The space inside was
about six feet wide and four feet deep. An idea began to form. I
hiked back to the lair, walked in the humans’ door, and made my way
back to the library.

Relief showed on every face I passed. Once I
was back in my rooms, I began gathering the things I would need. I
wrapped items in blankets and clothing, tossing them over the side
of Bastian’s perch. There was no way I was making multiple trips
through the main section of the castle and tipping them off to what
I was doing.

I always had more than enough food served
for my meals, and there was a basket in the library kept filled
with fresh fruit. I made a food bundle, but decided I would carry
this one out the following day. I didn’t want an animal eating what
I would need to survive on my adventure.

I slept fitfully that night in Bastian’s
bed. I had his smell around me, but also needed his warm body that
I’d grown accustomed to. My miserable night only made me angrier
when I woke up. I dressed before peering over the side of the perch
to assure myself my things were still there. I counted all five
bundles. My breakfast waited at the table, and I wrapped it in a
cloth and stuck it in the food bag I would carry.

The startled servants didn’t stop me and
seemed less inclined to stare. Once outside, it took three trips to
get my things to the cave. I was exhausted, but decided to hike
back to the lair and spend a last night in Bastian’s bed. I knew he
would find me and bring me back, but I wanted to make a point. He
could discuss things with me or I would revolt. I left the food
hanging from a nearby tree so animals couldn’t get to it. I’d bring
more in the morning in case Bastian took longer than I
expected.

By the following morning, I still hadn’t
managed much sleep. My anger completely boiled over before I left
for my cave. I decided to throw a temper tantrum worthy of a
dragon’s bride. One after the other, I tossed Bastian’s gold and
jewels off his perch. It took two hours, but every minute was well
spent. All three rooms off the library were devoid of treasure.

I looked over the side and saw piles and
piles of discarded treasure. Drawing my anger in, I wrapped a few
more items up and carried them through the lair and out of the
castle. When I was outside, I walked around the dented gold and
jewelry, some of which was broken. A part of me cringed over the
damage, but another felt satisfaction.

I soaked my feet in the river before
arranging my cave how I wanted it. I brought several books, and
once everything was put to rights, I lay down to enjoy an afternoon
of relaxation. I had no idea how much time passed before I fell
asleep.