dragon archives 05 - forever a dragon (42 page)
Read dragon archives 05 - forever a dragon Online
Authors: linda k hopkins
“Her fear was for you. As long as you were hunting, you were in danger. She knows you’re no longer in danger.”
He wrapped an arm around her waist and stared into her eyes. “I heard there’s a dragon lair somewhere in the hills. Should we go hunt it down?”
A slow flame started to burn in her eyes. “What will you do when you find the dragon?”
He laughed low. “Oh, my love, I intend to devour it.”
“Let’s go,” she whispered.
A few weeks passed before Lleland saw Scott again, but one evening there was a knock on the door, and Hannah ushered him into the room.
“There was a League meeting last night,” he said as Lleland passed him some wine.
“Oh? What happened?”
“Callaway and Elliott are back. Callaway has convinced the others that the black dragon is a threat and must be hunted.”
“What about the rest of us?” Zach asked.
“They’re no longer interested in you. But they’re determined to hunt Lleland down and kill him.”
Zach nodded. “Well, brother,” he said. “It seems we’ll have to stay hidden in plain sight. But remember, no matter what happens, we’re on your side.”
Lleland nodded. “Thank you,” he said.
“Now pay your spy,” Zach said, “and let’s go hunting!”
Epilogue
Lleland stared down at Lydia as she lay spread out on the cave floor, her tail stretched in one direction, her neck in the other.
“Are you sure you want to stay here?” he said. It was early spring, and the scent of crocuses drifted through the hills into their hiding space.
“I’m sure,” she groaned. “I’m too exhausted to move.”
“Hmm.” Lleland cocked his head as he took in Lydia’s form. Her belly spread over the hard floor of the cave, bulging on either side. “I’ll return when my classes are done,” he said.
“Bring me something to eat when you come back,” Lydia said, closing her eyes. “An elk, perhaps.”
“Maybe that’s why you’re feeling so tired,” Lleland said. “You’ve been eating constantly.”
Lydia’s eyes opened as she flashed him a blazing glare. “Are you telling me I’m getting fat?”
Lleland backed away, almost tripping over his tail. “Of course not,” he said. “Nothing of the sort.”
Her eyes closed again. “Good. I’ll see you later.”
Lleland watched her for another moment, then turned and flew out of the cave. It was deep in the hills, hidden by a pile of rock. He changed a few miles from the city, and walked the rest of the way to the university. Only a few weeks remained before the term was done and he was free to start his role as Aaron’s scribe. Hopefully Lydia would be back to her usual self by then.
He entered the university building and headed towards his classroom, almost walking into Zach in the process. “
Bonum mane, Frater
,” he said. “Nice to see you again.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Have you taken such an aversion to my presence that you stay away from Drake House so much?”
Lleland sighed. “Lydia didn’t feel up to returning.”
“Ah! Blame it on Lydia.” Lleland mustered a small smile, but remained silent. “That’s not it, is it?” Zach finally said.
“Lydia’s been feeling … unwell,” he said.
“Unwell?” Zach’s eyebrows came together as he frowned. “That’s impossible.”
“She’s always hungry, sleeps all the time, and says she’s too exhausted to move.”
“Where is she?”
“In the hills?”
“Should I send for Aaron?”
“Not yet. Give it a few more days, and let’s see what happens.”
Lleland returned to the cave that evening, a deer clamped in his jaws as he flew. Lydia smiled at him sleepily. “Is it already evening? I think I slept all day! Did you bring me something to eat?” Lleland dumped the fresh carcass in front of her and watched as she heaved herself up. If possible, she looked larger than she had that morning. She crawled forward and sank her jaws into the still-steaming flesh, ripping it delicately. She licked her claws when she was done and lay back down on the ground. Her stomach was definitely spreading over the rock more than it had before. “Mmm, that was good, but I’m still hungry. Can you get me some more?”
“You can’t be serious! You’ve fed every day for the last week.”
“But I am.” She turned to look at him. “Please, Lleland.”
“Very well! Stay here.”
She smiled. “I won’t be going anywhere.”
Lleland was back an hour later, this time with a small doe. As he landed in the cave, he saw Lydia scratching the ground with her claws. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“I was getting bored,” she said. “Did you get something?”
He dropped the carcass on the ground and watched as Lydia ate. She closed her eyes when she was done, and immediately fell back to sleep. Lleland lay down next to her with a sigh.
He woke a few hours later to the sound of groaning, and turned to see Lydia on her feet, her body hunched over her stomach. “What is it?” he said. “What’s wrong?”
“My stomach. It hurts. I can’t lie down.”
He rose to his feet. “Can you change?”
“No,” she moaned. “I tried, but it’s impossible.” She groaned again as Lleland watched helplessly. “What can I do?” he said.
“I don’t know!”
“I’m going to get Zach.”
“No! The pain’s passing. I’ll be fine.” Slowly, the tension eased from her body and she lay down on the ground again. “There, I’m already feeling better.”
He lay down next to her. “Something’s not right,” he said. “Perhaps I should send for your parents.” But she was already asleep.
The next morning, Lleland was woken by the sound of scratching. He opened his eyes to see Lydia scraping sand out of the hole she had started making the night before. She smiled guiltily when she saw him watching.
“How’re you feeling?” he asked.
“Hungry!”
“Are you going to hunt with me?” Her smile vanished and her expression grew pleading. He sighed. “I’ll be back in an hour,” he said.
When he returned, Lydia was on her feet, panting. Wisps of flame curled through the air with every breath. She groaned and hunched over her stomach. Lleland dropped the animal in his jaws and landed at her side. “Lydia!”
“It’s … all right,” she panted. “Just a … passing pain.”
A spasm shook her body, and she lifted her head with a roar. Her tail flicked through the air, arching down to the ground, and her eyes grew wide. The spasm passed, but a moment later she was rearing back onto her hind legs, roaring again as another gripped her. Lleland saw her stomach tighten, and she gritted her teeth. “Must get … it out,” she panted.
“What?” Lleland said.
She turned to him with a snarl. “This thing inside me,” she roared. Lleland pulled back slightly, surprised at her ferocity, and glanced at her back end. Her tail was raised, and beneath it he saw something gleaming white. His eyes widened as his glance flew back to Lydia. She gritted her teeth as another spasm racked her body, and her whole frame shook as a roar tore from her throat, and then she relaxed as something slipped from her onto the ground. It rocked slightly as Lleland and Lydia both turned to stare at it.
“You laid an egg!” Lleland finally said. “My wife laid an egg.”
“I can see that, Lleland!”
He reached out a claw towards it, but drew back hurriedly as Lydia growled. “Don’t touch it,” she snarled. She dropped to the ground and pulled the egg to her side with her tail, wrapping herself around it. He stepped backwards, and her expression changed to remorse. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m being a dragon!” Lleland smiled as she uncurled her tail. “Come look at our, er, egg.” Lleland stepped forward and peered at the object. It was a brilliant white, and from one end to the other, measured about two feet.
“How’s this even possible?” he said.
“I don’t know.”
“How long do you think it will take before something, er, hatches?”
“Something?” He looked up to see her eyes glittering dangerously.
“Our child.” She smiled. He tentatively reached with his claw, pausing to see if Lydia protested, then touched the smooth, white surface. It was as hard as stone, and rocked slightly beneath his touch. He withdrew hurriedly, glancing at Lydia, but she just smiled.
“You can go now,” she said. “We’ll be fine without you.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Just make sure you hurry back.”
He leaned forward and touched his snout to hers. “I love you,” he said. “You’re amazing.” He pulled back with a laugh. “You laid an egg!”
“How’s Lydia this morning?” Zach asked later that morning, joining Lleland as he walked towards his classroom.
“Well …” Lleland started. He turned and met Zach’s gaze with a grin. “She laid an egg!”
“What?” Zach’s expression turned incredulous. “You’re jesting.”
“No.” Lleland’s grin grew wider. “My wife laid an egg.”
“Well.” Zach stared at Lleland. “I’m not sure I have the words.”
“Quite!” Lleland said.
Lleland rushed back to the cave after his classes were done to find Lydia sleeping, her body curled tightly around the egg on the ground. She had moved it to the shallow hole she had dug the previous day, and nestled it in some furs. Her body had lost the extra weight of the last week and was back to its usual, sleek form. The egg rocked slightly, and Lydia opened her eyes. “You’re back,” she said with a smile. She glanced at the egg. “He’s been doing that all day.”
“He?” Lleland settled down next to her, his head next to hers, and his body curled around both of them.
“Yes. Definitely a boy.”
He smiled and tapped lightly on the egg. “Are you a boy?” he said. It started to rock, and Lydia smiled.
“He knows your voice,” she said.
“You think so?” Lleland placed his paw on the egg and leaned forward to whisper against the shell. “You took us quite by surprise, but I’m looking forward to meeting you.” The egg began to rock more violently, and a tapping sound was heard from within. Lleland’s eyebrows flew up and he looked at Lydia. She looked as surprised as he felt.
He leaned forward again. “Are you as eager to meet us?” he said. The tapping grew louder, and a crack appeared on the hard shell, spreading along the surface. There was another loud knock, and the shell fell open. Curled within, eyes blinking furiously, was a baby dragon, as white as glistening snow. It lifted its tiny wings and gave a little yelp as sparks fluttered through the air. A long neck uncurled, and it looked up at the two dragons staring down at him in shock.
Lleland glanced at Lydia, then back at the hatchling. “Hello, son,” he said.
Thank you for reading this ebook. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to review it at your favorite ebook retailer.
Thank you,
Linda K. Hopkins
Other Books by Linda K. Hopkins
Books in
The Dragon Archives
series:
Bound by a Dragon
Pursued by a Dragon
Loved by a Dragon
Facing a Dragon: A novella (a free ebook for subscribers only)
Dance with a Dragon
Forever a Dragon
For more information about these books go to
www.lindakhopkins.com
. May sure you sign up to receive free access to short stories not available anywhere else (including
Facing the Dragon
, which covers the time period between Books III and IV), updates about new books and a chance to enter into prize draws. You can also connect with Linda on
Facebook
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Acknowledgements
Thank you, Tara, for so diligently reading my books and providing valuable feedback! Couldn’t do it without you!
About the Author
Linda K. Hopkins lives in Calgary, Canada, in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, with her husband and two daughters, but originally hails from South Africa. She also spent a few years living in England. Linda loves reading, dark chocolate, coffee and travel. Sometimes she even tinkers on the piano, her teen daughter is the better musician!
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