Kiss of the Dragon (30 page)

“What is it, stepmother?” she asked as she turned, only to
have the older woman grab her arm in her claw-like hand to hold her within her
reach.

“There is no reason for you to be flippant. I will not
tolerate your disrespect.” Her grip tightened to be very painful for Bianca but
she refused to react to her stepmother’s viciousness. When Heloise understood that
Bianca was not going to be threatened even with physical abuse, she released
her hold and took a step back. “You have a suitor waiting in the great hall.”

Her announcement was not what Bianca wanted to hear at the
moment. She was tired and ill and she just wanted to get back to Theron to sit
with him until he showed some improvement.

“What time is it?” She glanced out the nearby window to
determine the time of day or night. It was dark except for the bright moonlight
that beamed through the opening, and a most inappropriate time for a suitor to
be calling as far as she was concerned.

“It is just past supper time. The prince was most
disappointed that you could not attend the meal, but I promised him that you
would make an appearance later. I suggest you do not disappoint him or me. He
is the ruler of the principality of Kiev and a very prestigious match for you.”

“I am in no mood to meet this prince or any other man right
now. There is an injured child lying in that bed up there, perhaps dying. I am
not about to go socializing when my help is needed here.”

The look that her stepmother gave her was so cold that
Bianca shivered. The woman’s face was unreadable and then she merely nodded.
“Fine. If you do not want to make a good first impression, then you only hurt
your position with the prince. Perhaps you can afford to waste your time
mooning after some bastard who will do no more than sniff about your skirts. He
will never marry you, you know. He will never settle down.”

“It matters not, stepmother. I know that Draco has no
intention of marrying me or any other woman.” But even as she said the words
out loud, her heart cracked and bled just a little. Her time was running out
and she had made a promise to her father.

“Then he will have you in his bed and leave you soiled and
worthless when he leaves here,” Heloise challenged her. She did not seem to be
too offended by the prospect of her stepdaughter’s ruin. “Bed him then. Ruin
yourself for a match of good standing. But in the end, you will end up with a
gypsy for a husband and no social standing to speak of. But at least you will
return to a place where you are actually wanted.”

Heloise turned and walked away. She was gone as quickly as
she had arrived leaving the sting of her assertion hanging in the air like an
unpleasant smell that would not dissipate and from which Bianca could not flee.
The words hurt more than she cared to admit. She had thought herself immune to
Heloise’s poisonous barbs by now. But this time she had hit too close to home.

Bringing her feelings for Draco into the open with her
lethal insinuations of his withdrawal from her after the great lord used her,
was the most toxic venom Heloise could have chosen. Within seconds, doubt began
to rise in Bianca and a part of her died a slow, painful death. Could Heloise
be right in this matter? She shook her head in attempt to dislodge the doubt
before it took hold. She would trust in her knowledge of this man that she
loved more than life.

Bianca admonished herself for considering her stepmother’s hateful
words, even for a moment. She glanced at the empty doorway and shivered once
again. “At least she is gone now.” But it did not matter. Her upbringing would
not let her disappoint her father by not welcoming visiting royalty. After all,
she was the daughter of a duke. It was her duty to her father and to her
heritage.

So Bianca knew that she would indeed make an appearance in
the hall to meet the Eastern prince. From experience, she knew that if she did
not, Heloise would find another way to hurt her for disregarding her demand by
going directly to her father and upsetting him with her complaints.

But first, she had to be sure that no further danger would
befall the child who lay so ill in Galen’s chambers. She would look in on
Theron before making an appearance below stairs. Draco had placed guards at the
healer’s door but she still needed the assurance that all was well while the
boy recovered.

* * * * *

The Black Dragon of Normandy ordered a thorough search of
the castle and its grounds for any suspicious characters who may have been
lurking around in the bailey or the castle proper in that last few days. The
duke had agreed to his help in the matter when he heard about the attack on one
of Lord Draco’s pages. Every knight, workman, stable boy and servant who had
been in the inner bailey just prior to the discovery of Theron’s brutalized
body was asked to come forward and give an account of what they remembered
while they were there. It was endless hours of questions and answers, only to
acquire little or no useful information.

Lord Draco had sent men out to scour the countryside for
strangers, halting all travelers and questioning them, but to no avail. Weary
from the long hours of work with no useful results, Draco gave up for the
evening when the light had faded from the evening sky and he could do no more
until the morrow.

Having missed the evening meal and his belly rebelling at
the abuse, Draco made his way to the kitchens looking for some sort of
sustenance. The cook’s assistant was gracious enough to set him up with a tray
loaded with cold fare and all the ale he wanted. He sat at a small table near
the kitchen hearth and ate in silence.

As he sat there, he went over what he had learned, which was
not much. In fact, nothing had come from his search for the attacker of his new
page. In the beginning, he had thought that perhaps the chimney sweep had
returned to take revenge for losing his small slave. But he threw that notion
out and looked for other possibilities.

He found it hard to believe that such an incident could have
happened in such a busy community as Castle Neige without someone taking
notice. But so far, not a soul admitted to having seen anything. The only
witness was the older stable boy who had found the child. And he had not been
much help. What little information he had obtained from anyone who happened
upon the scene after the outcry of murder was of little use. He hated to accept
the fact that he had discovered nothing to help find the suspect. Not a soul in
the castle had seen anything before the incident that he considered pertinent.

He did not consider that there might be a concealed agenda
to the occurrence. Grown men, knights, soldiers of the king’s army had been
known to spill every detail of their life and more when being questioned by the
infamous Black Dragon of Normandy. After his fierce investigation today, he
doubted that the lesser knights and soldiers, servants and peasants of the
estate could have been able to keep their tongues from wagging.

“Ah, well, tomorrow.” With that resolute sigh, he took a
deep swallow from his cup of ale. He would find the answers he sought before
the sun set on the morrow, he vowed to himself. He sat the cup down and
thanking the cook’s assistant for the fare, moved to the back stairs. He wanted
to check on Theron’s condition and, perhaps, speak to his sweet Bianca. The
memory of her mouth under his had his body responding eagerly to what lay
ahead.

Bianca stood before her wardrobe wearing only a thin silk
dressing gown as she tried to select an acceptable gown to wear. She had given
Leia the evening off since she had expected to spend much of the evening and
night sitting with Theron in the sick room. Her maid had been most appreciative
as she had recently found a new beau with whom she had been spending a great
deal of time with lately.

So this evening she would be dressing her hair and getting
into her gown with no assistance. Fortunately, she felt much better since the
potion Galen had given her earlier had finally taken effect, giving her some
relief. Her headache had all but disappeared. Now at the thought of spending
the rest of the evening in the company of a new suitor, particularly a royal
suitor, she suspected that her headache would be returning about the time she
made an appearance below stairs.

With a sigh of resignation, she fingered the smooth fabric
of a green satin gown that unfortunately reminded her of the frog prince. She
chuckled at the memory of the round little man sitting in the middle of the
lily pond with a toad atop his head. Perhaps she should pick a different gown.
If by chance, the German nobleman was still in residence it might not be
sensible to show up in the Great Hall in his favorite color. It might give him
the wrong impression. She set the gown aside and fingered a deep blue velvet
gown trimmed in black ribbons. It was her favorite, but she hesitated, wanting
only one man to admire her when she wore it.

No, she would save that gown for a special occasion. The
only other choice left was a gown of rust-colored silk with dark brown insets
in the skirt and billowing sleeves. A dark-brown velvet overdress set off the
gown to perfection. It was a perfect foil to her dark hair and white skin. She
reached to untie her dressing gown when there was a knock on her door. Bianca
paused as she glanced apprehensively at the wooden barrier.

A bit uncertain about answering it, she walked slowly across
the room and put her ear to the door. After awaking only last night to find an
intruder in her chambers, Bianca had quietly changed sleeping chambers. There
were only a few who knew of this move. The closest and the most trusted people
in her life had knowledge that she now slept in these rooms that were directly
below hers. This was the room into which Draco had pulled her when he found her
dangling from her bedclothes-ladder. The remembrance of that and what happened
between them when he carried her up to her chambers above brought a rosy blush
to her cheeks.

Another light rap sounded beneath her ear causing her to
jump back. What a ninny she was! Whoever happened to be on the other side of
the door was most likely a friend not some overly zealous suitor lurking about,
trying to force her into a compromising position.

Still she eased the door open only a crack keeping her foot
behind it so that whoever was in the corridor could not thrust their way in.
But the sight that met her eyes was not what she had expected.

Opening the door, she stepped back and motioned for a very
somber faced and world-weary Draco to enter. It crossed her mind that maybe she
would have rather had one of the overexuberant suitors at her door in that
moment. She could have disposed of one of them by screaming for the guard. But
here she found the one man she wanted most in her life wanting entrance to her
chambers and she could not bring herself to deny him.

“How did you know I was here?” It was an inane question,
really, but she could think of nothing else to say when he stepped inside the
room, closing the door behind him. He said nothing for several moments as he
stared down at her, his dark eyes drinking in the sight of her. He leaned his
broad frame against the inside of her door and stood there for several moments
as if debating some great problem.

“I ran into your maid as I was leaving the kitchen. She told
me where to find you.” His voice was deep and rich as it flowed over her.

“Did you find out who attacked Theron?”

“No, it is as if a phantom walks amongst us. No one saw
anything they considered suspicious. With so many new faces arriving every day,
a stranger in the castle is a common occurrence.” He stopped and thrust his
hands through his hair and then shook his head in frustration. “It is
altogether possible that we may never find out who did it, let alone why.”

Bianca’s heart went out to this large man who had spent the
greater part of the day trying to solve the mystery of the assault on his young
page. It was obvious that he was exhausted and in need of the kind of attention
only she could give him. She had considered what she would do the next time she
had him to herself and now that she was given the opportunity, the rest was
left to her imagination.

She wanted him more than she cared to admit. If only he
would ask her, she would wed him in a moment. For now she was willing to accept
him on his terms. At least he was attracted to her and his need for her was
very evident in the way the front of his breeches bulged.

Even if he stubbornly refused to accept that she would make
him a good wife, he could not hide his obvious need for her as a woman. And she
was not about to let this chance for the moment’s happiness, no matter how
sinful, fly out the window.

Always at the back of her mind, there was her unerring
optimism burning like a single candle in the window during a snowstorm.

A shiver of anticipation skittered down her spine leaving
her weak in anticipation for what she knew for a certainty was about to happen
between them. Her gaze flew to his firm, sculpted lips, and then to his large,
calloused hands, which were hanging at his sides.

She wanted to feel his mouth on hers. She wanted to feel his
hands on her body.

The very thought left her breathless and a burning throb
began deep down inside her. She swallowed the moan that rose in her throat, as
she tried to gain some control of her riotous emotions. What would he think of
her wanton behavior if she were to fling herself into his arms and kiss him
full on the mouth? She flushed red at her lustful thought.

Draco watched the array of emotions that crossed her very
expressive, very lovely face. He’d found out early in their relationship that
she was not a woman to hide her emotions beneath the façade of polite words and
pretty blushes. She was open about her feelings and, at the moment, it was
obvious she wanted him as much as he wanted her. The thought nearly brought him
to his knees. To have this lovely maiden desire him so deeply was indeed a
miracle.

“I cannot deny that I am more than a little pleased Leia had
the good sense to give you my direction.” Her husky admission brought a deeper
blush to her cheeks. Smiling a bit shyly, Bianca stepped back, unconscious of
how tempting she looked standing there in nothing but a flimsy robe.

“Please come and sit.” She motioned toward the bed, but when
he did not move, she raised her eyes to his, questioningly. What she saw there
stilled her breath in her chest. The heat in his dark gaze was enough to melt
her very bones were she stood. Unconsciously her hand reached out to him,
invitingly. Draco looked at her outstretched hand and he shook his head as he
warned her.

“Know this, Bianca. If I take one more step into this room,
there will be no going back.” At her puzzled expression, he clarified his
meaning. “I will take you to that bed and I will make you mine in every way.”
He stopped and took a deep breath. “The decision is yours to make, little one.”
This last came out in a harsh, deep voice as if he were in terrible pain. With
her next move, Bianca answered him. She went to stand in front of him, gazing
up at him.

Bianca did not hesitate to reach forward and grasp his hand.
It took very little coaxing to draw him across the room to the warmth of the
blazing hearth. Once there a surge of shyness overwhelmed her because she was
unsure about how to proceed. Even as she hesitated, he took control of the
situation by moving to stand at her back. He moved so that it was he who
reached for her hand and he raised it to his lips where he placed a hot, moist
kiss in her palm. The gesture brought a gasp of pleasure from her lips as she
looked back at him. No words existed to express what they were both feeling at
that moment. Bianca found herself trapped in the warmth of his dark eyes as his
gaze moved over her upturned face, devouring her.

Draco enfolded her slender form in the warmth of his embrace,
his great arms pulling her against his hard, needy body.

With a sigh of contentment, Bianca laid her head against his
chest and welcomed the security and strength he offered her. Closing her eyes,
she relished the feel of his touch as his strong hands slipped over her
shoulders and slowly, tenderly down her arms drawing her even closer. His warm
lips touched the sensitive spot below her earlobe and he placed light, warm
kisses down the slender column of her neck.

“Ah, sweet lady, do you know what you do to me?” His breath,
hot against her skin, sent chills of desire racing through her leaving her
tingling all over.

“Feel how much I desire you, how much I want to be deep
inside you.” He guided her hand between them and placed it over the hard
evidence of his arousal, moving suggestively against her hand. Bianca’s eyes
widened and her mouth formed a silent “O” at the size of his desire. It was at
that moment she wondered if her impulsiveness had gotten her more than she
could handle. But the soft murmur against her ear had her knees turning to
water and, if not for his arms holding her up, she would have collapsed.

“Invite me into your bed tonight, dearling. Do not make me
wait longer.” His soft pleading words were her undoing and with a soft sound of
surrender, Bianca turned in his arms and offered up her lips in a silent
pledge.

A moan of pleasure rose in her throat as his mouth captured
hers in a kiss. The way he loved her with his mouth, tongue and teeth left her
feebleminded. Even if she had wanted to blurt out her true feelings for him at
that moment, it would have been impossible. Her soft body moved against him in
a natural rhythm, needing his touch. His groans of satisfaction and her moans
of pleasure broke the silence of the room as his lips moved lower to gently
tickle the sensitive flesh at the base of her neck.

“Give me more, Bianca, give yourself to me,” he breathed
against her lips.

Draco wanted her naked and needy beneath him, now, but knew
he had to go slow with her. She was an innocent and he wanted to make this
first time good. With trembling hands, he slowly pushed the flimsy fabric of
her garment from her shoulders, savoring the sight of the soft white flesh that
was exposed to him. A deep growl of possessiveness rumbled in his chest. His mouth
found the slope of her shoulder where he savored the sweet, smooth flesh with
his tongue and lips, taking his time.

“Oh, oooh! That is so nice!”

Her soft gasps of pleasure encouraged him to move lower
until his mouth found the gentle swell of her full, ripe breasts. With
practiced skill, he eased her back over one muscular arm while he pushed the
garment downward with his other hand, never taking his mouth from her heated
skin.

Draco raised his head to gaze down at lovely sight before
him. His breath seemed to stall in his chest and he swallowed the hard knot
that formed in his throat. He raised one trembling hand to touch her delicate,
soft flesh, cupping one breast, rolling her nipple between his thumb and
finger, drawing a low moan from her lovely lips.

“So beautiful, so beautiful,” he murmured just before he
swept his tongue over the hard rose-colored peak of one breast.

“Draco!” The exclamation tore from her lips as he proceeded
to lick and nip and then drew her pearled nipple deep into his mouth to suckle
it. The sensation was so exquisite she thought that she might faint from the
pleasure of it.

The low whimper that escaped her lips became a cry of
pleasure as his mouth moved to her other breast. It was nearly more than Bianca
could stand and in her near unconscious state, she felt the world move beneath
her feet as he lifted her effortlessly in his arms. Bianca opened her eyes and
watched the hunger in his eyes as he carried her across the room and placed her
gently in the middle of her bed. How long had she waited for him to do this
very thing? The large form of the Black Dragon loomed over her for a moment
before backing away. Instinctively she cried out in protest.

“No! Do not leave me.”

“Have no fear on that count, my Beauty. I have every intention
of joining you in that bed.” With that, he quickly removed his garments. Then
he paused.

Glancing at the beautiful woman who lay on the bed like a
pagan sacrifice, Draco was suddenly unsure of himself. His huge body had taken
much abuse over the years and his scars were many, some disfiguring. Would she
find his great scarred body repulsive? But as he watched her gaze travel the
length and breadth of his ill-treated form, he saw no repugnance, no shock or
disgust. Only hunger and passion. He straightened from removing his boots and
moved to the side of the bed where he deliberately hesitated before joining
her. He wanted her to see clearly what she was getting. If his scars disgusted
her, he wanted to know now.

Bianca’s eyes devoured the sight of his magnificent body
with a hungry boldness that shocked her. When had she turned into such a
lustful wanton? As her gaze took in the hard, smooth planes of his massive
shoulders and sculpted chest, his corded arms and thick, muscular legs, a
quiver of anticipation swept through her. He was a warrior in every sense of
the word, powerfully built and rock-hard like some ancient Roman god.

But it was that part of him that rose so proudly from the
tight black curls of his groin that held her mesmerized. His arousal was
magnificent. His manhood was thick and turgid and as she stared at it, it
jerked impatiently as if it had a life of its own. Bianca’s mouth parted
slightly and her breathing accelerated.