Touch of Flame

“How is he doing?” Ephraim asked the physician.

“He is recovering now with Darcy’s blood but he needs a different environment while regenerating. I will need to take him to the mountains.”

Ephraim nodded. “Do anything necessary to save him.”

The physician gave him a nod and with that, he left king Russell or Richard behind. He needed him alive, for Darcy’s sake more than anything but he was also curious if this blood transfusion would work on him and how it would change him.

Sensing something, he went to the west wing of the mansion. The air was filled with blood. Again. Last time Darcy’s crew had come back after a few two black dragons had come searching for her. He hadn’t liked hearing that at all. It couldn’t be the very ones who did bad things to her because he had killed them one by one over the years. So who was it? Someone who wanted to avenge them?

He had to find out to keep her safe. He arrived at the medical center and found his dragons injured.

“What happened?” He demanded to know.

“It seems like Lord Steele wants to do things differently,” one of them spoke as he pulled a bullet in his leg where he sat. “This is how he wants to deliver his weapons.”

Really?

“He doesn’t want to trade unless you meet him in person.”

Daring man.

“Also he… he somehow commanded us and made us shift. I don’t know how he did it but he is no normal human.”

Commanded?

“He said something… fendres.”

Tus fendres?! Ephraim’s body went rigid.

“Lord Steele said that?”

“Yes.”

He was a dragon tamer! Ephraim had waited for the next dragon tamer to appear for a long time. He was here and he could even speak the ancient language. He also made weapons and fought dragons already.

“And he had this female dragon with him. Very powerful. I haven’t fought anyone like her before.”

Female dragon? She must have been defending her breedmate. Ephraim was delighted by the news.

“What dragon was she?” Ephraim wondered.

“White.”

But white dragons had a king?

“I am not sure if you should meet him.”

Oh, he should. He had been waiting for this man and he could just be the ally he needed.

He went to look at one of the bullets and put it in his handkerchief to study it closer later. “Oh, some advice. You may be dragons but you should also always carry weapons.” He said and then walked away.

As he walked back to his study he saw a dragon in the sky, from the large hall windows. She was here. He went outside to go see what she wanted for a moment.

Dysis shifted and landed gracefully, a smile curving her lips. “Ephraim,” she was one of the very few who knew his real name. She knew him for a long time before, when he was still a boy.

He wondered what happened that she came to report.

“How are you?”

“Never been better,” he said putting his hands in his pockets. “And you?”

“As usual, I am alright but I am getting old Ephraim.”

He frowned.

“Are things going as planned? I want to see you take back your rightful place before I die.”

She had lived for a long time and he could tell she wanted to be on her way and find peace, but she was just like any priestess. She had a mission.

Ephraim looked down, not sure if he ever wanted to go back to those lands. The lands where his whole family was slaughtered.

“I am working on things. Did you know that a tamer is among us?”

She paused. “I came to tell you that I have heard the king of dragons has a human breedmate.”

King of dragons? Malachi.

He had a human breedmate but Ephraim just found out that the tamer was a male and he was with white dragons so this female could only be a breedmate.

“I don’t know if she is a tamer or not but you know how it is with those who end up with a Katharos.”

Ephraim nodded. “I know.”

There was a woman with a Katharos but the tamer was with an unknown female. He would have to meet Lord Steele sooner than later.

“Let me know if you find out more,” he told her.

She gave him a nod and then flew away. Ephraim walked back to his room, while trying to put all the pieces together. Right now, he could only tell from what he was told that Lord Steele is a tamer. Anyone could learn the ancient language but no one could command unless they had the power.

And his rightful place? He never took the thought seriously. After all his plan had been to leave this world once he accomplished his mission. Now things were different. What he feared happened. He surrenders to his desires and greed. He gave his heart away to the woman who had already built a home in his mind.

He watched her from afar again as she chattered with her crew members. He remembered the first day he saved her. She could barely speak. She was so frightened of everything. It took her awhile to look people in the eyes and speak to them.

Then he watched her slowly grow more confident, stronger until she fully blossomed. He had managed to stay away at first because he didn’t want to frighten her, then it became harder with time as she grew to be more strong and he got to know her more. The more he saw the woman behind the frightened girl he saved the harder it became to resist. Even when he told himself that he wasn’t supposed to find his own happiness, that he wasn’t supposed to settle down in this world. For so long, he had a plan and it was to leave once he reached his goal. It had become so much a part of him that he didn’t know how to let go of it until he did.

He watched her from the upper hall, as she put her feet on the table, crossing on over the other even as she wore a dress now. He smiled to himself as he notices the tall boots under the dress. She was different when she didn’t know he could see her. Perhaps she was ashamed of her usual behavior. She very much behaved like a man, but he liked that about her.

She was focused, deadly, a fast thinker in stressful situations, and brave. When needed she could pull the trigger and send a bullet right through one’s forehead. But he also enjoyed her feminine side. The demure and caring woman.

He stepped away from the large window in the hall and went back to his room. That woman made him happy but also very frightened. It felt as if his heart was outside his chest, unprotected by skin and ribs, and could easily get hurt. He did not want any harm near her.

Ephraim’s sleep was plagued by nightmares again. They came back from time to time depending on what happened in his daily life, but he was back to that very moment in his life that had haunted him and broken his spirit.

It was the day his brothers hid him being the youngest and he… afraid while hiding could only watch them be killed.

“Ephraim. No matter what happens, don’t get out of here. Do you understand?”

He had been crying and shaking his head violently.

“Listen to me,” his older brother grabbed his face. “One of us has to live. You have to live. For all of us. Stay here and don’t come out.”

Ephraim like always listened to his brothers as they went off to fight. Being half-breed they weren’t as strong, and Ephraim watched from his hidden place, with a shaking body and a hand over his mouth how his brothers were killed.

He woke up, wet with tears and sweat. He sat down on the edge of his bed. It was still dark and with a wave of his hand, he set fire to the hearth. He took a moment to relax and cool off before going to the table and pouring himself some water. That was when he sensed her, wondering at night again.

He put the cup away and went to see. He could smell her scent from right outside his door. When he opened it, she jumped startled. The hall was dark and she had been trying to navigate through.

Ephraim studied her from head to toe. She had not changed to sleep and she looked a little worried.

“Darcy?”

“Uh… am I… I know it is late,” she said nervously. “I thought maybe you were awake. I didn’t mean to disturb.”

They had spent more time together during the week but she was still new to this. Still nervous sometimes and her heart remained just as wild.

“You are not. Do you want to come inside?”

He stepped out of the way and she walked into his room, her heart picking up the pace even more. His tightened as her scent filled his personal space. She smelled of spring and blossom. Of strawberries and honeysuckle.

Her eyes scanned his room and then she met his eyes. Concern colored her eyes as she studied him. “Are you sick?”She asked.

He ran his fingers through his damp her to look decent. “No.” He leaned against the table.

“You look pale,” she said walking over.

“I just had a bad dream,” he smiled faintly.

She looked sad as she stepped closer. “I hate nightmares.”

“Is that why you are roaming instead of sleeping?” He asked.

She looked at him with that shy gaze again. “No. I just… missed you,” she said pink coloring her cheeks.

God, help him and she was even in his room in the middle of the night. She wasn’t aware of what she was doing to him. He sucked in a sharp breath, fighting the urge to just grab her arm, pull her into his embrace and devour her. Would that scare her?

He reached for her and drew her closer. Her blue eyes searched his nervously, “I am glad you came to chase away my nightmares and replace them with sweet dreams.”

Her blush deepened and her hands came to rest on his shoulders. She felt so perfect in his arms. He didn’t know how he could have denied himself this feeling for so long. “I really hope I can at least do that for you.”

He touched her face, and caressed the soft skin of her cheek. She closed her eyes to his touch and he loved how she reacted to him. How unlike what he thought, she welcomed his nearness and his touch.

“You already have,” he spoke his hand sliding to the nape of her neck. He leaned closer, feeling her chest rise and fall heavily against his. “I don’t remember any nightmare,” he said and then kissed her.

The sweet taste of her and the softness of her body in his arms was enough to make him stiff and aching. Her fingers went into his hair as she opened her hot mouth for him to take. She was warm and welcoming. Pleasuring and torturing and the sweet sound of her moans made him want to suck the air from her lungs.

As if he did so, she pulled away for while gasping for air, but he wasn’t ready to stop yet. God, he never was. And now more than ever as her intoxicating scent of arousal surrounded him. It hit him strongly and made him hard beyond what was tolerable.

He released her before he magically made them both end up naked in his bed. He placed soft kisses near her mouth and on her cheek to ease her out of it and allow her to become steady on her feet.

Darcy held onto him still, more flushed than before. “Do you want to stay here?” He asked despite the pain he was going through. The more of her he had the more he wanted. He wasn’t ready to let her go.

Her heart changed rhythm.

“Just to sleep,” he assured.

She nodded slowly.

They lay in his bed, facing each other with their hands entangled. “The physician said he would take Russell to the mountains. Will he be alright?”

Ephraim didn’t want to promise anything even if he felt like the man would recover if he had survived this far.

“He is in the best care I can provide him with.”

She nodded.

He hadn’t been able to gather a lot of information about king Russell since Balkae was busy grieving the old king and welcoming the new one who was already making confident promises of changes his father could never make.

There were rumors that princess Ravina was already dead, after being taken by dragons but Ephraim wanted to be sure before delivering such news. He hoped he wouldn’t have to and that Russell would be fine.

“Come here,” he said pulling her closer into his embrace when the worried look remained on her face. “Sleep for me and let me worry for you instead.”

She smiled. “Sleep with me instead.”