Astrid looked her straight in the eyes, her demeanor changing from light and playful to dead serious.
“It’s very important that he likes you, Delyse. Details make all the difference.”
Delyse didn’t say anything and let Astrid make the finishing touches by applying a bit of cherry lipstick on her plump lips and just a speck of blush on her cheeks. Apparently, Eric liked natural beauty, and Delyse was fine with that. She had never been a fan of heavy make-up, like Avelyn and Amelia.
She then followed Astrid downstairs and into the courtyard. It seemed like all the servants were there, curious to see the future Alpha bride of Clan Drekinn as she was preparing to bring their Fyrstur back to them. Finn wished her luck and Delyse offered him a smile, but that smile faltered when she saw what was waiting for her in the middle of the courtyard. Actually, who was waiting for her, not what. She knew the silver-scaled dragon from Alma Venus. She had seen Viggo in his dragon form two times during the battle with the rogue wolves and foxes, but now that she saw him up close and knew she was expected to climb up on his back, it was all too overwhelming. Astrid took her hand and dragged her to the dragon’s side.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be careful,” she encouraged her. “Just hold on tight and shield your face from the wind, oka
y? Use the scarf.”
Delyse wrapped the scarf tighter around her. It was really cold outside.
Astrid smiled. “You won’t be cold, I promise. Come on, touch him and see for yourself.”
Delyse’s heart jumped. Touch him? Touch the dragon? Touch Viggo? There was nothing erotic about it, and Astrid had meant it in the most innocent way, but Delyse couldn’t help but feel slightly aroused at the thought. It just felt so intimate… Viggo’s huge head turned to her, and Delyse stared in his big, golden eyes for a moment. God, was he scary! She knew he would never hurt her, and that he would handle her with care once she was on his back, but the sheer size of the noble reptile was incredibly intimidating. She couldn’t believe she was about to ride a dragon. Her hand reached out, and she pressed her palm to the dragon’s ribs. The silver scales were burning hot.
“Okay, up you go!” said Astrid.
“How?”
The beast was so tall that Delyse couldn’t see how she was supposed to get on his back. Then, Viggo extended his right claw towards her, and Delyse understood she was supposed to climb between his talons and he would place her on his back. It wasn’t an easy task, and Astrid had to help her.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she whispered. The dragon-shifters probably heard her, but no one said anything. She just hoped she didn’t look like a fool. She hoped they couldn’t tell how frightened she was. Because of the ride ahead too, but mostly because of what was waiting for her inside that glacier.
Viggo propelled himself into the air, and Delyse had to hold on tight. The wide, leathery wings flapped with amazing strength until they were high up in the sky, then the dragon let his immense body float for a while before flapping his wings again. Delyse had thought it would be great to see the island from up there, but she soon realized it was kind of impossible. She was too busy holding onto Viggo for dear life and holding the scarf around her shoulders and head. From the palace, the glacier had seemed to be so far, but they didn’t fly for more than fifteen minutes. It was enough, though. Delyse couldn’t have been more grateful when Viggo landed and helped her down. She appreciated the feel of solid ground under her feet.
The entrance was wide enough for a dragon, so they made their way down the main gallery, Delyse leading the way and Viggo stepping carefully behind her, his hot breath keeping her warm. She soon realized she was more than warm. She was sweating. And she didn’t know if it was because they were approaching the ice cave where Eric slept, or because Viggo’s breath on her back made tiny shivers of pleasure dance up and down her spine until they settled between her thighs. It was embarrassing how aroused she was. The fact that her nipples were hard and her pussy was soaked because of Viggo when she was about to give herself to Eric made things awkward and uncomfortable. Right then and there, Delyse made a promise to herself that no one would find out her dirty little secret. She knew Claudia would never betray her, so all she had to do was hide her feelings and control her body’s reactions when she was close to Viggo. Actually, she could do more than that if she really wanted to: stay away from Viggo.
They reached an even taller entrance into a wide, well-lit room, and Delyse stopped in her tracks. The view was spectacular. She couldn’t understand how, but it appeared that the ceiling, which was made of ice, was thin enough for the sun to shine through it and send its cold rays to every corner of the dragon’s lair. Because there was a dragon in that room. A huge, black dragon whose chest and shoulders rose slightly with every breath he took. The dragon’s head faced the entrance, so every time he exhaled, the hot air sneaked around Delyse’s ankles, giving her a nice feeling of warmth and comfort. She heard Viggo move behind her, and she turned around to see if he was shifting back into his human form. She wouldn’t miss it for the world. To her disappointment, the dragon had turned around and was heading back.
“Hey! Don’t… don’t leave me here alone…” she called after him, but her voice was no more than a whisper. Theoretically, she knew she could scream her lungs out and the noise wouldn’t wake the dragon, but it didn’t feel right to raise her voice. When Viggo ignored her, Delyse sighed and turned back to the black dragon. “Well, here goes nothing.”
She stepped into the wide ice cavern, but made sure to stay close to the wall. She wasn’t particularly interested in getting closer to Eric. Soon, the moon would cover the sun and the sky would begin to grow dark in the middle of the day. As she waited, she admired the dragon’s sleeping form, his strong muscles, shiny scales, and long, elegant snout. It was hot in the room. So hot that Delyse had to wipe the sweat off her forehead a couple of times before it fell into her eyes.
She waited like that for a little over half an hour. Viggo had made sure to bring her earlier. Astronomers had calculated the totality of the solar eclipse and concluded it would last longer than usual. Still, 11 minutes wasn’t much, so Delyse was glad to use the time thinking of ways to convey what she wanted to tell Eric as quickly as possible. After such a long sleep, he probably wanted to exercise his voice too, so she wouldn’t even have those 11 minutes at her disposal. 5 minutes? Would 5 minutes be enough?
“I’m Lily Harington, my father is a councilor, and he has a pharmaceutical company which has been secretly working on developing cures for the types of shifter venom,” Delyse told the dragon. The beast didn’t move. The sun was still shining happily in the sky, and Delyse bit her bottom lip. “I’ve turned into Amelia,” she said. “Instead of telling you my favorite color, I’m advertising my father and his research. Business.” She folded her arms over her chest and looked at the sun through the transparent ceiling. Not long now.
When the moon started covering the solar disk inch by careful inch, the dragon stirred in his sleep. Delyse yelped and pressed her back against the cold wall of the cave. This was it. It was happening. The dragon stretched his wings, then opened his golden eyes, and Delyse’s mind went blank. What was she going to say?
Eric Drekinn felt as if he had been asleep for a few lifetimes at least. His body was heavy, his joints ached, and the truth was that he was dying to go for a flight. But that meant leaving the cave while the solar eclipse ran its course and ended, leaving him stranded in the real world. No, the cave would have to do. He would stretch his wings a bit, pace around, then find a comfortable position for the next couple of years. That was his train of thought before his nostrils picked an interesting scent. It wasn’t Viggo’s, nor Astrid’s. This one was new, different. Sweet and delicious. He raised his head and looked around. When his eyes met the woman’s sky blue orbs, he forgot how to breathe for a second.
“Hi…” Delyse whispered. It had sounded lame, so lame. She cleared her throat and tried again. There wasn’t much time. “I’m… I’m Delyse…” What was she doing introducing herself as Delyse? “Umm… I mean, I’m Lily Harington, the daughter of Councilor Arthur Harington, the representative of the human faction.”
The dragon didn’t make a move. He was just staring at her like he had seen a ghost. Delyse wondered if Viggo had really told him about what had been happening in the world in the past 700 years. The Annarr had assured her that his Fyrstur was aware of the war which had taken place well over 100 years ago between humans and shape-shifters, and of the Council of the Six Factions and the peace treaty. Still, Delyse wasn’t sure Eric had any idea what she was talking about, and she had no time to help him catch up. She took a step towards him and took a deep breath before speaking again.
“You don’t know me, but… I hope you will. Your Annarr bought me for you. I’m your bride and you are my husband, Eric Drekinn.”
Finally, that got a reaction from him. The dragon huffed almost angrily, and the hot air that escaped his flared nostrils hit Delyse like a scorching wave. She closed her eyes and waited for it to pass before she dared breathe again. She was pretty sure it was a sign he didn’t like what he heard.
“Listen,” she tried again. “It will be different this time. Viggo told me everything… about you, about your ex-brides… You won’t lose me like you lost them, I promise.”
The dragon stood up on all fours and took a couple of steps around the cavern. The moon had covered the sun completely, and now Eric’s golden eyes shined in the dark brighter than the sun itself. Delyse forced herself to stand her ground. It wouldn’t have helped if she had started backing up against the wall. She had to show him she wasn’t afraid of him. He had to see that his mighty beast form didn’t intimidate her, that she was made to be a dragon-bride.
“My father is not only a councilor with great influence, but he is also a man of science. He’s been working on a cure for shifter venom. Dragon venom… He might have even discovered it already. A cure, do you understand? A cure that can turn humans into hybrids and grant them the strength and long lifespan of shifters, but leave human brides the ability to have children.”
She couldn’t tell if any of what she had just told him had registered, because the dragon seemed distracted by something. He had stopped pacing the ice floor, and he was looking straight at her. Apparently, he was studying her face, and Delyse stood still. She gulped audibly when the dragon’s head floated closer to hers and his nostrils flared up to smell her hair. What was happening? Was this a good sign? Was he about to show his displeasure by turning her into a delicious piece of roast? She closed her eyes and waited. Even if she wanted to, she didn’t have the power to speak anymore. Her voice was gone, her thoughts were a mess. She was aware that she hadn’t exactly done her best to convince him, but her knees felt weak, almost like jelly, and the last thing she wanted was to fall to her knees before Eric Drekinn. She struggled to keep her traitor of a body upright.