Dragon Romance: Dragon Fire (Paranormal Shapeshifter Hero Protector Firefighter Romance) (Fantasy Shifter Werewolf BBW Pregnancy Women’s Fiction Short Stories) (52 page)

Dallin weighed his words carefully before speaking, knowing that now was not the time for him to stumble over his explanation.

“I’ve almost enough saved up to run away.”  She turned and looked at him, but he continued before he lost his nerve.  “We could leave this place and find land of our own, as husband and wife.  No one will know us and we could live in peace.”

He turned to her, grabbing her hands in his and kissing each one.  “What say you, my love?  Shall we run away and find our happily ever after?”

Esther’s face fell a little, and Dallin held his breath, fearful of her answer. 

“And what of the men who my father will surely send to retrieve me?  Do you think they will just walk away when we tell them that we’re in love?”

“Then we’ll go further than the boundary of the kingdom, into lands where your family is completely unknown.  If we must, we can live a nomadic life, moving from village to village after a time.”

“But for how long?  Surely you don’t mean to live that way forever.”

“No one lives forever, My Love.  But at some point, your father will call off the hounds and realize that he does not own you.”

“One would hope.”  Esther sighed again and lay back, folding her hands behind her head and looking up at the sky forlornly.  “All the money a girl could want and I can’t even buy my own freedom.  How lovely it must be to live simply and not in the confines of class.”

Dallin propped himself on his elbow, staring down into her sweet face as she watched the sky above her head. 

“We can live that life if you will just trust me.  Or I can pay your father a portion for you, it matters not to me.”  He stroked her face and smiled down at her.  “I would move the heavens and earth to see you smile.”

She grabbed his collar, pulled him down onto her and kissed him passionately.  He hovered above her, his legs straddling hers.  He tried to keep his body under control, but his erection was evident against her.

Esther giggled and it was the sweetest sound.  She bit her lip and looked at him, her expression quite wicked.

“Dallin Upchurch, show some restraint.  I’m a timid virgin after all.”  She laughed at her own joke, grinding her pelvis into his through her heavy clothing.

“Foolish woman, you’re playing with fire.  I can only control myself so much.  I’m merely a man.”

His expression got serious and he looked deep into her eyes.  “I only want for you to be happy, sweet Esther.  If you don’t wish to run away, I will honor your heart, even if it breaks my own.”

She reached up to him, cupped his cheek in her soft hand and smiled at his kindness.

“Perhaps if you will rid me of this wretched virginity, then no one will want me and I’ll be free to marry for love.”

“And your father will have my head on a stake.”

A twig broke in the forest, no more than a few yards away from them.  Dallin quickly rolled off her, pulled her and their blanket into the deep shadows of a low bush that grew at the base of a gnarled tree.

“I thought I heard something over here,” a man cried out, from the other side of the thicket.  He pushed around in the leaves, but didn’t walk through the dense brush. 

Esther trembled in Dallin’s arms but she was silent, holding her breath as well.  After several harrowing moments, the man’s companion hollered at him to move on.

“We’ve much ground to cover tonight and not a moment to waste on chasing ghosts.  If there had been a vampire in that thicket, you’d be a dead man by now.”

The men were silent, but Dallin and Esther could hear their footsteps fading into the distance.  Esther let out the breath she’d been holding and relaxed against Dallin.

“That was close,” he whispered into her ear, sending shivers up her spine.  “You’d best get back before your mother awakens to find you gone.”

Esther groaned, but Dallin was right.  They’d stolen their moment and nearly gotten caught in the process.  With the entire town abuzz about the possibility of vampires finding their way this far south, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that Hannah may awaken and check on Esther in the middle of the night. 

The entire town was on edge and the villagers hadn’t slept soundly in awhile.

***

Dallin climbed in through his bedroom window, moving quietly across the room and slipping into bed.  Unlike Esther, whose room had four walls and a door.  Dallin’s room was more of a stall.  A single wall divided his room from the living area, and the outer two walls from the corner of the house also made up the corner walls in his room.  The front was open, with only a large, shabby quilt strung from one wall to the other providing a small measure of privacy. 

He could hear his father snoring in the next room, the sound loud enough to cover any noises Dallin made as he crept to his bed, and reached up under the mattress.  In a small box was every last cent he’d earned.  He counted the coins as quietly as he could, happy with what he found.  When he added to that the money he would make turning out every wheel that the wainwright had ordered for this week, he and Esther could run away within a fortnight. 

Excitement built in him.  They were so close he could almost see their future together.  Images of long rides, with him in his chaise, his single chestnut horse pulling the small wagon through the woods on adventure after adventure made his heart swell to bursting. 

He didn’t care where they went, as long as Esther was by his side.  He closed his eyes, imagining her beneath him as he made love to her for the first time, and drifted off to sleep.  With only a few hours before the sun rose, he needed all the sleep he could get.  He dreamt of Esther.  Her smile, her tender, untouched body trembling beneath his touch.  In his sleep, he smiled softly.  Dallin had never loved another soul the way he loved sweet Esther, and societies feelings on class and love weren’t about to change that.  He would have Esther, no matter what.

Across the hills, on the other side of the village, Esther stopped quickly when she saw her home lit up like daylight.  Her stomach sank when she realized her mother had awoken and most-likely discovered that Esther was missing.  She was going to have a lot of explaining to do, so she’d best think quickly.

She altered her course, heading for the entry door rather than her window at the back of the house.  Better to acknowledge that she’d been caught out than to try and sneak through the window like some criminal filled with guilt.

As expected, Hannah was waiting in the living room for Esther, her face set in anger and her arms crossed over her chest.

“Where have you been?”  She asked without preamble, her voice low and angry.

“I had a bad dream and I needed some air.”

“You’ve been gone quite a while.  Where did you go?”

“Around the village.  I’m sorry, Mother.  I was lost in thought and must have forgotten myself.  When I looked around, I found that I had walked clear into the square.  It took me some time to return.”  She lowered her head in measured sorrow, hoping her mother would believe that she felt badly about worrying her.  “When I realized my mistake, I was hoping that you wouldn’t awaken in a fright.  I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”

Hannah’s face softened and she regarded her daughter gently, though she still wondered about her motivations.

“Good heavens child.  Why on earth would you
walk
alone in the middle of the night after a nightmare?”

“I felt I couldn’t breathe, and the only action that brought me relief was to be outside.  I only intended to walk a short distance, but the more I walked, the better I felt.  I found myself daydreaming and simply lost track of time.  Forgive me?”

Her eyes were imploring, and she was hoping that her mother found her sincere.  She
was
sorry that her mother had woken up, but only because she’d been caught.  She loved her mother dearly, but after the way she’d tried to justify selling her only daughter off to the highest bidder, Esther wasn’t about to tell her mother the truth about where she’d been.

Hannah stepped forward and pulled Esther into a warm embrace, hugging her tightly to her.  Hannah was not one for emotional outbursts and Esther immediately felt badly for frightening her mother. 

Hannah pulled away and pushed down imaginary wrinkled from her skirts.

“I was so worried,” Hannah said, smiling for the first time since Esther had arrived home.  “I had no idea what I was going to tell your suitors if you never returned.  Imagine having to explain to them that you simply vanished.  Our family’s reputation would be ruined.”

Esther lowered her eyes to the floor, but the gesture had nothing to do with feeling ashamed.  Had her mother really just stated the thing that scared her most about Esther’s absence, was the effect on their family’s status? 

Esther whispered good night to her mother and forced herself to walk calmly to her room.  Whatever guilt she’d felt, had left the moment her mother had spoken those words.  For the first time in her life, she understood her worth, and her heart was broken.

***

Dallin worked quietly in his shop, focusing on his creation and not the pounding headache that was only exacerbated by the blinding sunlight.  He kept his head down, trying to keep his mind on the task at hand.  If he could push himself to produce more in a day than normal, then he and Esther could leave sooner than he’d planned.  He wasn’t a patient person by any means, but being so close to his goal motivated him that much more.

He heard her voice before he saw her, and ducked his head just in time.  Esther was walking briskly beside her mother while Hannah talked quickly and practically dragged her daughter toward the square.

Hannah changed her direction abruptly, walking straight toward Dallin.  Only a wheel and several feet of packed dirt separated them, but he could feel her gaze as if she was poking him violently in the chest.

“Boy are you deaf?”  Her voice was loud but not harsh, and Dallin said a silent prayer that Esther hadn’t revealed him to her mother.

He didn’t look up to meet her eyes, only raising his head enough so that his voice could be heard. 

“Begging your pardon, my lady.  I didn’t hear you.”

“They’ve called all able-bodied young men to the square for a meeting.  Your father is much too old, but they’ll be needing you immediately.  Now, head to the square with you, Boy.”

Without waiting to see if he followed her, she took off for the square, all but dragging Esther behind her.  Esther caught his eye and winked, and Dallin let out a huge sigh.  Whatever was happening, Hannah had no idea where her daughter had been the night before.

Dallin set his work aside and stood.  In the distance, he could hear a single bell ringing to signal that there was indeed a town meeting being held.

With trepidation, Dallin headed off after the throngs of young men chatting amongst themselves, as they hurried along in groups to find out what was going on.

The square was packed.  Nearly everyone had turned out, both young and old, to hear what was the matter.

A portly man stood on a small stage, his belly protruding in front of him as he walked to the end of the small platform and held his arm up for silence.  The crowd hushed and waited with bated breath.

“As you know,” he began, his voice booming in the still air, “we’ve sent men out nightly to ensure the safety and security of our humble village against the threat of vampires.  The King’s army has kept them at bay in the kingdom, far north of here.  But we’ve encountered more than one vampire since the war’s beginning.  Two in the last fortnight, in fact.  We’ve lost a man and now we’re running short on volunteers.”

A murmur went up within the crowd and the man held his hand up for silence once again.

“Since we’re lacking in volunteers, we will institute a compulsory draft.  Start tomorrow evening, if I read your name from this list, you will join the rotation.  Will the following men report to the stage for further instruction:  Cecil Biggins, Dallin Upchurch, Dagon Smith-”

Dallin’s heart sank and his head began to spin.  He was not a fighter, and he was certainly in no shape to go after vampires in the woods.  He’d never held a sword in his life.  Dallin was certain he would be a liability in the field, despite his muscled physique.

He waded through the crowd in a haze, passing right by Esther without really seeing her.  Her hand brushed his arm and he looked over his shoulder, his eyes meeting hers.  Dallin wanted to touch her, to hold her in his arms and let her know that he would find a way to make this all right.  But Hannah, who was talking animatedly to the woman beside her and hadn’t noticed Dallin, was still too close for comfort.  Anything they had to say, would have to wait until later.

Esther touched her hand to her heart and smiled, letting him know without words that her love was his for the taking.  Her beauty warmed his soul and lightened his steps.  So close to victory, he had to believe that he would survive the next few nights until they could run away together. 

Though, with the vampire threat looming, they would have to rethink their initial plan of running in the night. 

Dallin got into line behind the other young men.  As the line moved forward, each man was handed a stake and a large hunting knife.  When it was Dallin’s turn to receive his weapons, he opened his mouth to speak, but the man stopped him.