Abandon (4 page)

Chapter 6

"Ah, that’s better.” Her voice echoed in the cavern, and she smiled at the only noise she had heard all week. At first she had been straining to hear from
Rikard
, but after three days, she had relaxed her guard.

She had taken off her clothing, only wincing a little at the stiffness of the fabric. It was bizarre. She had never neglected personal hygiene for intellectual pursuits before, and she hoped it never happened again.

The pool was wide and still on the surface, but there was a current underneath that swept away the handful of dirt that she dropped in to test the water’s ability to clear itself. As soon as the dirt cleared the surface it was swirled away by the movement of the water. It was a relief as she planned on soaping her skin until it was raw.

Her clothes were first. The jeans and t-shirt fought the soap for a few washings and then gave in. The cloud in the water quickly dissipated as the residue of the suds swept away by the light undertow.

She was next. Her hair was a rat’s nest of tangles and greasy locks. It really didn’t like the washing, but she forced it clean.

The lather that she built on her arms and legs relaxed her, her body beginning to feel clean at last. She shook her head as she soaped and rinsed the rest of her. Wow. She was able to relax as the water pulsed gently around her.

George leaned her head back against the stone lip of the pool and let her body go limp. It was a rare moment when she could just relax outside of her home with no worries. She found it strange that while she was hiding in a predator’s lair she could be so comfortable.

Ah well, it must be a nesting instinct. Her body had acknowledged his as mate from the first moment he touched her, she just wanted to make sure that he worked for it.

She was almost asleep when she heard the slow and rhythmic applause coming from the entrance to the pool’s cavern. With an extreme effort of will she kept her eyes closed. “About time you got here. With your affinity for water, I suspected that you would show up soon.”

“Well, watching you bathe was very entertaining. Have you been here all week?” His voice was coming closer, his clothing rustled as he removed it to join her in the pool.

A slight splash and she was no longer alone.

Rikard
displaced the water only slightly, but his control over it was confirmed as it began to tease her from neck to toes. “Why did you run,
Graylin
? That is your name isn’t it?
Graylin
.”

She sighed and settled more deeply into the water enjoying the caresses. “Yes. But you know that. You had my mother Questioned.”

“I would say it was necessary, but I wanted to know who you were as quickly as possible.” Based on his tone, he was next to her, leaning in the same manner she was.

“Well, my mom is pissed. The next time you meet her, you should really apologize.”

“I will. Your father was surprised to learn of your existence.”

“Matthias, right? Mom has mentioned him on occasion.”

“You mean to say that you didn’t know who your father was?”

She
slitted one eye open at him. “I didn’t really care. I have done enough research to know how the majority of dragons treat their women. My mom didn’t care to be one of them, and that was fine with me.”

His blue eyes were intent on her. “So, why did you come to me? You had to know what would happen. I have been attracted to you since the first day that I met you.”

“And I knew I wanted you before I met you. Since the day I first started researching dragons and found your picture.” Both her eyes were open now. She watched to see how he handled the news that he had been stalked.

“You came after me?” He looked both bemused and flattered.

“I did. You were a good match for me, both physically and mentally.”

He seemed to be at a loss. “That seems a little…cold.”

“Oh, I thought we managed to heat things up.” Her smug smile recalled their hours of enjoyment.

Lust flared in his eyes for a moment,
then
was pushed to the background. “So, you deliberately chose me.”

“Yup.”

“Then why did you run?”

She waited for a long moment. “Because I didn’t know what happened next. I have control over every part of my life. Handing it over isn’t going to be easy.”

He accepted that and absorbed it. She could see it running through his mind and saw the moment that he came to grips with being the object of her hunt. A brilliant grin broke over his features. “Trust me; I will take good care of you.”

Trust him? She barely knew the real him. “I need to know more about you than just your sexual habits.”

His smile reached into her soul. “Was that the extent of your research?”

“Well, it was my main concern.” She felt her face heating in the onslaught of his amusement.
“That and your bloodlines.
I needed someone who would be able to stake a claim on me and get the council to enforce it.”

He pondered her declaration. “And from what you have learned while going through my documents?”

“You are old. You are one of the Sleepers, those who came to earth and slept centuries away in the mountains.”

“I am indeed. I could not find a mate amongst my own generation. No one felt right. So I went to sleep.” He moved to face her, bracketing her with his hands beside her head on the lip of the pool. “And I only woke up fifty years ago.
When my mate entered the world as an egg.”

That shocked her cold. But the kiss that he delivered did a wonderful job of heating her up. His lips were magic against hers, his body not touching her anywhere but her lips.

She felt her blood pounding in her veins as she tried to raise her hands to grip his hair. He stopped her as he simply moved away.

“Come with me.” With a surge of water sheeting from him he left the pool and held his hand out for her to take. It was now or never. She had to choose.

Her trembling,
pruney
hand slipped into his and he drew her from the water with a whoosh. Naked and wet, she padded after him as he led the way through the tunnels, back to his house.

A fire was in his study, warming the smaller room. A cushioned bench sat in front of the fireplace and she was escorted to the seat. He disappeared from her view for a few moments until he came back with his hands full of hair brushes and combs.

 
“Your hair needs some serious
untangling,
I brought all the tools that I thought necessary for the job.”

“And you are just going to do it? Brush my hair for me.”

“If you will sit still.”
He took a stance behind her and started to gently untangle her long black locks.

She was completely at a loss. No one had combed her hair for her since she was a child. It made her feel warm and safe, and protected.

He began his work at the base of her hair and slowly worked his way up using spray-on conditioners, combs and brushes as the tangles called for it. Each lock of strands was carefully braided to keep them neat and he moved on to the next.

It took him the better part of two hours to tidy her hair. Some of the tangles were so ingrained as to require teasing of individual hairs out of the mess.

“There.
All done.”
He set aside his implements of torture. “You really should brush it a few times a day, or keep it in a braid.”

“I haven’t washed it since last week, until today. And I drove here with the wind in my hair. I must have been a sight.” A blush would have formed, but it was too little too late. She was naked in front of the fire with a dragon as her hairdresser. It was far too late to blush.

“You need some rest,
Graylin
. Let me take you to bed.” He held out his hand once again. She took it again, and quietly followed him to his bedroom. Repairs had been made to the linens and furnishings, but the rest was just as she had last seen it.
With one exception.

A large wardrobe was occupying a space previously occupied by an empty wall. She opened it and looked astonished at all the women’s clothing there.
All in her size.

“You went shopping for me?”

“I knew that you would probably be naked when I found you, so I shopped around and made a few selections.”

“That was very thoughtful.
And kind of creepy.”
She yawned in exhaustion. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until this moment.

He drew back the covers for her and, once she had climbed in, he tucked her in and got into the bed on the other side. “Goodnight,
Graylin
. We will talk more in the morning.”

He leaned back and closed his eyes. She looked over and felt a twinge of disappointment. Fatigue quickly washed over her and she was out like a light, all her lust banked for the next day.

Chapter 7

The smells of breakfast woke her. A tray being lowered into place over her got her to open her eyes more than anything else would have. She sat up as he held the bed-tray in place and surveyed his offering.
Eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, fruit, juice and coffee.
Everything a growing carnivore needed.

“Thank you,
Rikard
. This is very thoughtful.” She tucked in to the meal and groaned in delight at the flavours bursting on her tongue. She had been eating dehydrated food for only a week, but it seemed like forever.

“I found your camping gear and figured that a change might be welcome from the dry rations and peanut butter sandwiches.” He grinned at her, and in is white starched shirt, open at the collar, and blue jeans, he looked a lot more casual than she had ever imagined him.

“So, what do you have planned for today?” She tried to be coy, but while munching on a strip of bacon, it was tough to pull off.

He snatched a sausage from her tray. “Well, you are going to get dressed and we are going to Realm to register you with the council. As you are an adult, you have to appear in person.”

“I thought that it was handled by you when we first…you know.” She waved her hand to indicate the bed.

“If you had been pregnant, then yes.
But as you are not, it means that you need to register your pedigree with the council.” He gave her neck and shoulders a look, “Why aren’t you pregnant by the way? You were in heat when we mated.”

“Uh, anti-pregnancy spell?
It has been most useful over the years.” The damned blush was back.

“Again you have told me of a spell that I have never seen or heard of before. Tell me, is the tale they are telling of a living Archive true?”

“What are they saying?”

“That there is a female Archive, unaffiliated with any council, and she was a member of your little group of friends.”

“Do they know where she is?”

“No, not yet.
But they are looking, with every means they have.”

George closed her eyes and thanked the powers for small favours. The more time Jinx had, the better her chance of escaping a fate of incarceration.

She methodically made her way through the food, her previous enjoyment squelched by the news about Jinx.

“Are my clothes dry yet?” She changed the topic with her usual subtlety.

“I am afraid not. You will have to wear something from your new wardrobe.”

“You picked out clothing for me?”

“Well, your mother did help.” He opened the wardrobe and gestured to the collection of clothing within. “She gave me your sizes. I made the selections.”

“So, we are really going to Realm?” She stood and made her way to the dozen dresses, selection of jeans and pile of t-shirts. The underwear was in a drawer, as were socks and stockings. “Um, I don’t wear stockings. I just wear dresses with bare legs.”

“Hmm.
Not proper, but with your skin tone, you can pull it off.” He eyed her legs. If she wasn’t mistaken, he licked his lips.

Perhaps putting on an extra layer wouldn’t hurt. A garter belt was in the lingerie drawer and after selecting a matching set of bra and panties she slipped it on and began to carefully work the silk of the stocking up her thigh.

It took patience and a good manicure to put on stockings; she had to be extra careful as her nails hadn’t had any attention for a week.
Rikard
was no help. He had pulled up a chair to watch her.

As the straps fastened the stockings, she sighed with relief. It was the hardest part of getting dressed, and she had done it without a run.

The dress she selected was understated, yet daring enough to push the line between her underwear and her outerwear. Fortunately she had chosen a matching color.

“Alright.
I am ready. Shall we go?” With a little digging she had found shoes in yet another drawer. They fit perfectly.
Black satin stilettos that matched her bra, and also the trim on the dress.

The possessive lust in his eyes was unmistakable. “I have been ready since I saw you in the cave, but yes. Let’s go.”

The dress was a combination of cotton and satin. It was full enough to fall to her ankles and swirl when she moved, and swirl it did as she waited for
Rikard
to change forms and hover outside the balcony.

Each flap of his wings blew the dress around her ankles and every now and then it flared up to reveal a hint of thigh. As he held steady, she jumped to his neck and settled astride it with a minimum of fuss.

As soon as she was settled his heavy wings took them high into the sky. She could feel the power of his muscles under her and carefully kept herself from settling too tightly against him.

One of the last things she wanted was to arrive in Realm aroused and flustered. Leaning forward and letting the ridge of his neck rub against her clit would do precisely that.

The braids that he had placed into her hair were still in place and actually kept
her
from having her hair witch locked as they entered the portal into Realm two miles in the air. The bright shine of magic surrounding them warmed and welcomed them.
 
The silvery tunnel opened before them and she gasped at the feeling of power in on the other end of the portal.

As they exited the gateway they came out into something that George had never seen. Over a dozen dragons were waiting for them, hovering in the air, and followed them down to the courtyard where her mother waited, standing next to a male that shared George’s eye colour.

She had wondered where it had come from.

Her dismount was graceful, a lifetime of climbing off dragons, and she stood in front of
Rikard’s
dragon form and did not leave it until he shifted to escort her.

He stood beside her, formal robes swirling around him, and she marvelled at the outlay of magic that it must have cost to clothe himself. He held out his arm and she took it.

As one, they approached her parents, stopping only a few feet in front of them.

“Mom.
I am glad to see you are in good shape after your ordeal.” She nodded to her mother and a wink was
Arabel’s
response.
“Father.
It is nice to have seen your face at long last.”

“Daughter, I am Matthias. And I am your father.” He looked over her shoulder to the crowd of men that had transformed from their dragon shapes. “And as such it is my responsibility to make sure that you have the best possible mate of all of the candidates.”

“It is with that in mind that I have called upon the males who are here today. They will compete for your admiration and for the right to be your mate. It is my right as your father to do this, and your duty as my daughter to comply.”

George was not as surprised as she thought she would be. It seemed right and proper that they be given a chance.
But…
“
Rikard
, will you join them in trying to win me?” Her gaze searched his. He was angry, but resigned.

“I will indeed take all comers for your hand. No one shall part me from my destined mate.” He stood aside and gave her hand over to the keeping of
Arabel
. “Keep her safe for me lady. I will return when I have been victorious.”