Elam (5 page)

She laid her head on his chest again and Elam wrapped his arms around her. “I’m not so sure that it will. I’m set in my ways. I have things I like to do, most of which do not involve sharing my life with another person.”

“Casdon and I can give you space. I’m not sure how much we can, because like you, we’ve been alone—well, mostly alone—for a long time as well. With only our brothers to keep us company.” He looked around the room. “We had this house built because while we love our families, we like our quiet as well. There is a lot of noise when you have that many under one roof, and even being out of doors all the time like we are, it’s still nice to have a place to call our own.”

“I have a brownie. He keeps me company.” He knew of the brownie, had talked to him actually. There were to date several dozen of them living on this property, and more coming in all the time. They served the dragons in ways that they could not. “He and I, we thought me to die when I came here. I’m having a hard time getting the thought out of my head that I will die now.”

“To see the king and queen again, they told you. I think perhaps you will someday as well, but I think that’s sort of funny.” She said nothing but lifted her head again. “You were there when they died. I’m guessing you assumed that when you died, after this I mean, that you’d be with them? In the afterlife?”

“Yes.” She shifted on the bed and he felt her pain at it, and knew that they’d been too rough with her. He was about to suggest a bath or a long hot shower when she continued. “I thought the guard was joking when he summoned me to the castle that day. I was...still am…nothing compared to the other witches of that time. There was Helena the black, of course, and Caroline the white. They were not...either of them would have been better at the job than me, and I think I knew that even then. I even suggested to them that they should call for their help.”

“Helena is dead.” She nodded, and he guessed that she’d know that. “Caroline, she comes here sometimes to help us with issues. Even Gobi, do you know her? She owns a shop in town that we call to for answers as well.”

“Gobi, she is a new witch. Neither good nor bad because she’s made no such decisions on what she wants to be. I am gray, I guess you could say, neither white nor black. Just because of the clothing I wear people think me white, but I make choices to be good over evil when I see things. I saw what evil magic does to a witch when she is on the wrong path, so I have not gone fully to that point. And I have no title either, as does Caroline. I simply practice the white arts of magic, not the black. But Helena is not the only evil person in the world. Once one of them tried to murder me when I meant no one any harm.” Casdon, who was awake now, asked her what had happened. Instead of answering him, she stood up and turned her back to them.

The long jagged scar that ran from her shoulder to her thigh was white with age, thin now that her muscles were no longer damaged. Unless you were looking for it, it would be something that a person would miss. But Elam saw it now and stood up beside her to touch it. The heat it gave off nearly took his breath away, and he turned her to look at him so that Casdon could see it closely as well.

“The slayer, the dragon slayer that you have here now, is trying to kill your beasts. His family has a long history with the death of the majestic ones. The reason that dragons have taken to hiding is because of his family. For generations they have been killing dragons for no other reason than to line their pockets. I did not know this until today. Izic told me before...before we...you know.” He told her that they’d made love. With a short nod, Ariannona continued. “I was in mourning then. So many had been lost to the great war after the king and queen were slaughtered, and he caught me unaware. In a matter of days order was gone. Brothers were killing brothers. Houses were burnt to the ground. Nothing was ever going to be the same again, I feared. The body of neither of them were found for so long it was assumed that they might have escaped.”

“My mother was hidden away with us, in the caves, and my father, he went down with the castle walls, we think.” She told Casdon that that was what she knew to be true. “I forgot. You were there. When they lived.”

“I was. They were good people. Better leaders than any one of us had ever had before.” Elam asked her about the scar. “Someone gathered a small army, telling them that the queen still lived and that she needed to be killed before she came to avenge her mate’s death. Many were not willing to leave their homes in the event that she returned. Even more of them packed up, deciding that to stay would mean their certain death. I remained to watch over the lady of the mountain so that no harm came to any of you.”

“The slayer found the hiding space.” She told him that he had not, but she did make him think that he had. “You were hurt, helping her then. Keeping the hatchlings safe, and thus myself and my brothers as well.”

“I knew nothing of you. I only had just found the babies when I stumbled upon her dead body. I was trying to lead him away, you see. To make him think that I was the one that he hunted.” Casdon asked her if she could shift. “Nay, but I could make him think that there was a large dragon he was seeing in the sky. And while I concentrated, his son, a young man, came up behind me and stabbed his pike though my back and left me there. Izic saved me by bringing one of the larger animals, a bear by the name of simply Bear, to come and free me from it and take me to Izic’s pasture to heal.”

“And he’s been with you since.” She nodded, and Elam sat down. She was deliciously naked and he felt his cock harden, but she picked up a shirt that was on the chair and he saw again the pain she had with simple movements. “You should take a long bath. The tub down the hall has jets and the hot water is endless. Then if you wish, there is a new hot tub out back that Casdon and I will ready for you when you come out.”

“You mean to join me?” Her voice was nervous, her body stiff. He told her that she was going to bathe alone, and they had only just gotten the tub so it would take them time to fill it for her. “Oh. Well, okay then. I was.... Could you please leave the window open a bit? I’m expecting Izic to return soon with more information. And he might return while I’m bathing.”

He could hear the relief in her voice. The embarrassment was apparent on her face and neck as well. Nodding once, he waited for Casdon to open the window and then leave by it as his dragon before handing her two towels, as well as a shirt of his and a pair of boxers that were Casdon’s.

He was moving down the stairs when he thought that now that Ariannona was with them, Casdon would be wanting to sleep with them too. Instead of being embarrassed about what his brother might think, he asked Asher to enlarge the bedrooms and to make all the beds in the house larger by a great deal as well.

I have done the others. I thought since Casdon told us that the woman was his mate that she’d be yours as well. Let me know when to do your room. When you disappeared for so long, we all assumed you were working things out.
He told him that they had, for now, and he told him Ariannona’s name.
I know that name. It has a meaning. Let me think.... Ah yes, musical and artistic abilities. Sound judgement and responsibility for others. Do you suppose her parents knew that when they named her?

I have no idea.
Elam found Casdon staring at the instructions that had come with the tub. He didn’t blame him much. After reading them in the city, he’d discovered that they were written for someone much smarter than he was.
Asher, about our hot tub. Can you help us out a little?

Laughing, he watched as the tub not only unwrapped with unseen magic, but filled with hot water within seconds. He promised Asher he’d let him use it, but his brother told him he had one now as well. He and Casdon cleaned up the mess, neither of them saying a word about the naked woman bathing in their house.

Chapter 4

Ralph knew that he’d hit someone when he’d shot at the house. The scream that had accompanied his shot had made it clear that he’d hit a mark. He only hoped that it was the woman, and that he’d killed her before she told the men and women there what he was about. Ralph didn’t want anyone trespassing on his work. The money was going to be all his. He was mad enough at her now to go and piss on her hopefully dead body.

He’d only just figured out what she’d done to his films. Ralph had no idea how she’d done it, but was sure that she had been the one to do it. All of his work, to capture a dragon on video, was ruined. No matter how many times he reprogramed his cameras and other equipment, it went back to the same loop, the same twenty-four hours that had nothing to show for it. Had it not rained the day before he’d sat down to look at the activity, he might never have known. But the bright sunny day and the night showing the same five deer coming out to play had him fast forwarding through several camera angles to figure it out.

“Damned woman.” He moved about his camper trying to figure out what was missing there too. He had locked it up when he’d gone out, but now there seemed to be all sorts of things missing. And moved. His laptop had been placed on the floor, and all of his food had been tossed onto the ground. The only way for someone to have gotten in was to have crawled in the inch-wide space at the open window, and he knew that wasn’t possible.

Sitting down, trying to get his head elsewhere for now, he looked at the map that was on his table. That too had given him some questions, but the answers weren’t readily available for him. He brushed again at the tiny, what appeared to be footprints that walked around the entire map.

“Footprints, of all things. What the fuck is doing this?” He looked at the now closed window before going to the map again. “Ink stains. That’s all it is, ink stains.”

He studied the map. There was one area that he’d yet to check, about two thousand acres right in the middle of the valley, which he’d been avoiding. Ralph had gone there twice recently, and had been run off by a fucking bear of all things. And before that, he’d been so violently ill when he’d gotten there it had been all he could do to get back to his camper. He had no idea what would be making him sick, but figured it was some sort of toxic gas and that was why no one went there. Until a few days ago.

It was then that he’d not just seen the people living there, the new and old houses, but he’d seen that woman too. He’d not been able to go onto the nicely kept lawn. It had been surrounded by some sort of force. Not really a force field, though that had been what it felt like, but like he knew if he crossed over, he would die. Not be sick this time, but dead.

“Stupid notions.” This, like the bear with the woman, had been something he had tried to erase from his mind. There was no way that she had commanded a bear to come after him that day. “I’m just tired. I need a long break.”

And yes, he just realized, he was talking to himself. Again. He’d been doing that a lot lately as well, and tried to tell himself that he was just lonely and that he had been in the woods too long without another human to talk to.

He laid out his guns and tried to think what he should take with him tomorrow when he breached the area. Ralph was going to do it too. Go to the first home on the property and have himself a look around. If they were there, which he was hoping they wouldn’t be, he’d ask to come in. If not, then he was going to have himself a look-see all on his own.

“I want that woman to know that she messed with the wrong guy.” He knew that he was taking a chance going there. She might recognize him on some level, but he’d shaved his beard off last night and had had a go at his hair. He thought he looked enough different that in her hurt state, there was no way she would know it was the same man.

After he gathered up his weapons, gloves, and anything else he could fit on his person and in his backpack, he laid it near the door and went to his bedroom. After stripping down, he lay out on his bed and thought about what he’d been doing the last few years.

He’d been traveling around for nearly two years now. His wife of ten years had left him three months ago. Well, she’d filed for divorce three months ago. She claimed it was because he had spent all their money on this craziness. Not that he really cared anymore, and he was sure there were other things in the paperwork that he’d only just skimmed over. Like he’d not been home in months. That he’d been out of work longer than that.

Yes, he had spent the money, but as he’d worked for most of it, he felt that for once he shouldn’t have to pay for nails to be done, streaks in her hair, and every new article of clothing that showed up in the window at the local expensive shops. He wanted to do this, and damn her for trying to tell him he was a fool for it.

Boots, socks, even sweaters in the summer would be purchased, stashed away, and only brought out when the weather was perfect. The kind that allowed a sweater to be worn but not a coat to cover it up. It was one of the many stupid things she did that bothered the fuck out of him. And now, as of a few months ago, he no longer had to care about her. There wasn’t any need for support either, as she’d taken his home.

She had fifty—and he knew that it was a factual figure, not a guess—fifty pairs of shoes, each of varying colors but for the most part, the same shoe. And this did not count her boots, slippers, and sandals. Sandals, she told him once, had to be clean and new looking or they simply looked trashy. He told her at that point that he thought her trashy looking anyway. That statement didn’t go over so well either, he thought with a laugh. And now here he was about to be famous. He wondered what she’d think of that, and found like the rest, he didn’t give a crap about her.

“But she’ll regret it now that she didn’t give me a little more time when I asked for it. Once the bucks start rolling in for the shit I’m going to be able to sell off my dragon, the money won’t be spent fast enough. Yes, sir, she is going to be shitting herself then.” He reached behind his head for the list that he’d made up of the parts he was going to sell and their worth. He regretted not having his book that Helena had given him, but he’d get that back as well when he went to the house.

Every single part of a dragon could be used. Not just for magic, because while he really didn’t believe it, he knew that there were enough nutballs around that did. Even the scales were worth more than he made in a year’s time. And they were so versatile, as were all the parts.

Selling them whole netted a great deal. Grinding them into a powder brought in more per ounce than gold did. Pieces of wings were nearly priceless, and if you were lucky enough to find a blue dragon or a red one, then the amount of money for each nearly tripled for some reason.

He hadn’t a clue how many scales were on a dragon. The one that he’d killed had been pretty good sized. But without even knowing how big each one was, he was still clueless as to how many he could sell. Ralph was thinking five hundred would be a good number.

“I’m going to be fucking rich. And famous.” He grinned as he rolled to his side. “Fucking amazingly rich and famous.”

As he drifted off he heard something in the kitchen area. Peeking around the corner he didn’t see anything, but he had left the light on. Getting up, grumbling about it the entire time, he entered the area and stood staring at the table he’d left the map on.

The footprints were still there, all around the area that he’d yet to go to. But in addition to it, there was what appeared to be blood and a crudely drawn picture of a man. He knew it was him without even getting close enough to see the clean-shaven face and the camo jacket that he always wore. Walking closer to it, he saw the words printed there.

Leave or die
.

He sat down on his chair and stared at the map. When a cool breeze touched the back of his neck, he grabbed the gun off the table and shot four times in the general direction behind him.

He stared at the damage for several seconds before he realized what he was seeing. Christ, he was off his rocker. He rubbed his eyes several times before he looked again.

The footprints moved across the counter and to the now open window, like whatever it had been had walked in fresh ink. Or blood. Glass all over the counter as well as a broken curtain rod sat in the mess there. But it was the tiny little hat that had him shaking as he reached for it. It was blue, as blue as the sky was in the late evening. And so small that it didn’t fit on the tip of his littlest finger when he’d picked it up.

He sat there, for how long he had no idea, but he kept staring at the mess he’d made and the hat. The hat that he was sure hadn’t been there before. The little prints that seemed to just materialize, and which he knew there could have been no way for someone to get in and put them there.

And if they hadn’t been there before, then where had they come from? Why were there prints on his map? Who had drawn a picture, a little bitty picture of him dead? And most of all, how the fuck had they gotten in to do all this shit?

~~~

I’m going to ask you something, and I don’t want you to get mad at me. Well, not mad, but testy, like you have been lately.
Elam looked at Casdon and nodded. His own mind was a mess of questions, but he wasn’t even sure if he knew how to ask them. Or for that matter who the fuck he should ask.
Do you think that we did this really quickly? I mean, I know that as mates we’re supposed to be right on top of things. You know, propagate the world and all. But there was an urgency there that I’ve never felt before. I didn’t just want her, but I felt like I’d die if I didn’t have her.

Yes, yes. I feel that way as well. Like touching her isn’t enough. Being near her just won’t cut it. And we both seem to be all right with all of a sudden having a mate.
Casdon said there was that too.
I’ve been thinking the same thing. I mean...I’m not saying that she tricked us into this relationship. But we went from not even wanting to think of a mate to picking out plate patterns.

They weren’t really, but he’d been thinking that was what they’d be doing next. He looked over at his brothers with their mates, both of them swollen with a child, and he wanted that too. But he wasn’t sure that it was the right time, or this was the right woman. Something was wrong with this.

He looked at the castle now, trying to get his mind off Ariannona and onto anything else. There were things going on here too that he was concerned about. Things that he’d been thinking about all day but had kept it to himself. Not even going over it with Casdon, who up until now he’d never kept anything from. As Casdon moved away with more rubbish, he thought of what Asher had said just that morning.

“Someone has been down to the vault.” He’d wanted to ask him how he knew but he’d continued before he could. “There are footprints in the dust and the place where the key is has been touched. No one has moved anything around that I can tell, but we’ve set some traps to find out who it might be.”

“You think it’s the slayer?” Asher had looked at Ariannona, then at him before he nodded. There had been a moment, just a small moment, when he’d thought his brother was trying to tell him something. But what, he had no idea. When Casdon returned, Elam sat down on the large stone that had yet to be placed with the other broken stones and tried to get his mind straight.

If he was honest with himself, all he could think about was going back to their house and fucking Ariannona again. None of them had left the bed for any longer than they’d had to since she’d moved in with them. This morning, however, Casdon had left them to go out flying. He said he’d needed to stretch his wings.

Elam wanted to lay there and just touch her. He’d been so relaxed that he must have fallen asleep. After making love to her all morning, he was exhausted and let sleep simply take him under. But the moment that he felt her mouth over his cock, he woke up with a roar and his hand holding her to him.

“Christ, yes.” Elam had watched her bob her head up and down over him for several minutes, just fucking her slowly, not wanting to rush anything. And when she touched her fingers to his balls, then cupped them in her hand, he sat up quickly and felt his cock empty inside of her.

His heart had been pounding so hard that he was sure that he was going to have a stroke. His body, no longer fully aroused, felt like he’d been given a gift…not just with the sex, but with her as well. Elam thought he sounded sappy when he thought about it later. But then she moved, her body so close to his that he could smell her heat, and he wanted to take her again. Taste her as she flooded his mouth with all that she was.

“My turn.”

Ariannona nodded, and when she lay down beside him he moved down her body, tasting any part of her he could until he got to her pussy. Christ, even the smell of her now could make him hard, and he adjusted his cock through his pants as he thought about eating her.

She always let him know either by coming or screaming out her release that she was enjoying herself. Twice while he’d eaten at her this morning, he paused to watch her play with her breasts, squeezing her nipples until they were as pink as her nether lips. But when she begged him to fuck her, to slam his cock into her, he could no more not do that than he could have not come inside her.

“You’re very hot.” Her nod had him laughing. Taking her breast into his mouth, he had suckled it hard, then chewed on her nipple as he teased her pussy with the crown of his cock. “Do you want me?”