Monster Sex Stories (25 page)

Will
dragged her through the last passages, the air around them growing
smoky. She was coughing, holding a hand over her mouth.

And
then, they broke into the forest, stumbling across the stony ground
to the small track that ran at the edge of the maze. The held each
other, looking back as the maze burned, the flames crackling and
snapping. As the outside edge of the maze caught fire and burned,
there was a loud booming noise and as suddenly as it started, the
fire shrank, pulling back to the center, leaving a charred spot on
the forest floor. There was nothing left, not even the standing
stone.

Will
turned to her, pulling her against him, burying his face in her neck.
She felt him shaking, felt the wetness on her skin. She realized he
was crying.

“
What
is it?” She pulled his face to hers.

He
looked down at her. “I’m free, Lisandra. But I have no
home.” He gestured back to the charred maze, tendrils of smoke
rising slowly in the morning light. “That was my home. I’m
not really sure what comes next.”

Lisandra
touched his face. “I have no home either, Will. I cannot return
to my village; they will not know what to do with me. I cannot bring
you there.” She kissed him gently and took his hand into her
own. “We will make a home…together.”

And
just like that, without another word between them, Lisandra and Will
headed off into the rays of the rising sun.

Eva
watched the growing shroud of wild flames from her window. The small
village was so close to the castle that the crackle of the flames
could be heard, even at this great height. Drifting on the breeze,
the smoke cast a gray pall across the land, swirling up into the
blackened sky, drowning everything in its dying mist.

“
There’s
not much more of the kingdom left for the dragon to burn.” King
Josiah grumbled as he stood behind his daughter. He placed a firm
hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. His eyes were a dark
grey that bled sadness, but his voice remained firm.

“
We
both know there’s only one way to stop this madness, Eva.”
He gazed off at the burning village, the orange hues flickering in
his glistening eyes. “You are the only one who can put an end
to this.”

Eva
lowered her eyes. “I know, Father.”

Josiah
tipped her face up, his fingers beneath her chin. “Daughter, if
there were any other way, you know I would search for it. But there
isn’t. You are the sacrifice the dragon demands; you are the
right age, you are a virgin and you are the Princess.”

Eva
looked out the window. Villagers displaced by the fire were lining up
at the castle gates; the castle would be responsible for food and
shelter now for these people. She could see women carrying small
crying children, fathers leading cows and donkeys, carrying bundles
of belongings, everything they’d saved from their burning homes
in a matter of minutes. Everything that was important to them.

In the distance, Eva
could see the dragon, making slow circles in the sky, as if awaiting
the kingdom’s next move. Eva shuddered with the knowledge of
what she needed to do.

***

The
small wagon arrived at the burned village at dawn. Eva was dressed in
sacrificial robes, a simple white linen dress knotted at the waist
with lush red cord, her long black hair held back in a single braid.
That morning, her father had held her a long time.

“
You
look so much like your mother, with your green eyes and black hair. I
miss her daily and I’ll miss you as well, daughter. My two
loves of my life are now gone.”

Finally,
he kissed her forehead before turning away. Eva thought she saw tears
in his eyes. Two castle guards took her then, helping her up into a
small wagon, riding the short distance to the village, finally
carefully picking their way through the rubble of the burnt buildings
to the center of the town. The acrid stench of the fire hung heavy in
the cool morning air, the horses whinnying and stamping, spooked and
jumpy.

One
guard helped Eva down from the wagon. He took her to the center of
the empty square, where the only thing still standing was a tall sign
post from one of the shops that had ringed the village square. He
stood Eva in front of the post, quickly tying her to the charred ruin
with thick ropes.

“
Princess,
I thank you.” He bowed deeply, rising up to meet her eyes.
“Your sacrifice is honored by all of us. We will not forget
you.” He bowed again, turned quickly and trotted back to the
wagon. The driver clucked to the horses and Eva was alone.

She
looked up at the pale sun rising over the horizon. The day was
cloudy, the sky a pearly gray. Mists hung over the fields, trailing
away where the forest started. She sighed; hopefully the villages
would rebuild here. It was a lovely spot.

A
shadow crossed her face and she looked up. Her heart skipped a beat
and then began thudding in her chest. The dragon was approaching the
village, flying toward her from the east. She heard the flap of his
huge wings, watched, as his shape grew bigger in the sky, his shadow
racing ahead of him, his body blocking out the sun. Eva shivered,
mesmerized by what she was seeing.

The
dragon landed in front of Eva, his massive wings stirring up dust and
ash. She looked up at the massive beast. His scales were deep black,
so black they seemed to absorb light. The massive talons on his feet
dug into the charred ground as he walked toward her. He cocked his
head, looking at her with one glowing red eye.

He
gazed down at her a moment, then bent his long neck, bringing his
face close to hers. She could feel his hot breath on her body as he
sniffed the air around her. She cringed; his snout was covered with
spikes, complex patterns of bony scales and spines running up over
his head. His wings stirred restlessly, moving the air around her,
chilling her even more. She glimpsed his tail, wave slowly behind
him, long and sinuous, ending with a set of wicked looking spikes.

“
You
are quite beautiful, Princess.”

Eva’s
head snapped up, looking up at him, startled by the deep resonance of
his voice, amazed that he spoke. She wasn’t sure what she
expected, but this beautiful sound wasn’t it.

“
You’re
staring, dear. Close your mouth.”

Eva
snapped her mouth shut, horribly confused, her face flushing. Dragons
weren’t supposed to speak, they were just supposed to burn and
destroy.

“
You’ve
never heard a dragon speak? Well, we all do, just not all that often.
Especially not to humans.” The dragon walked around her,
folding his wings against his body. Eva was amazed by his grace; for
being such a large beast, he was completely silent as he circled the
post.

He
stood in front of her, reaching out with one front foot, gently
capturing a strand of hair with a talon. Eva flinched. Before she
could react, his forked tongue slid out of his mouth, briefly licking
her cheek.

“
You’ll
do.” He released her hair. With one quick cut, he slashed
through the ropes with his talons and they fell in a pool at her
feet.

“
Come.
I’ll carry you.” He held out his front legs, his talons
winking in the dull light.

She
hesitated. Snorting with impatience, he quickly scooped her up in his
claws. They were cold against her skin and she didn’t know
where to grab to hang on. Everything looked sharp and deadly. But
with surprising gentleness, he curled them around her, holding her
securely.

He
took off, flying toward the north, cradling her against his chest.
Eva watched the countryside below grow distant, the hills and trees
tiny, the farms and villages like child’s play things.

She
looked ahead. They were flying toward a range of mountains, heading
for the largest peak. As they drew closer, she could see a cave
opening. The dragon banked, circling the peak, coming to land on a
shelf of rock in front of the cave opening. He set Eva on the ground
and walked into the mouth of the cave.

“
I’d
rather this be a civil arrangement, that you come to this situation
rather willingly. I do not really wish to force you into anything,
but know that if I must, I will.” He walked into the cave.

“
Come.
You will stay here.” He disappeared into the dark.

Eva
hesitated. There was nowhere for her to run; the ledge was wide but
surrounded on three sides by sheer cliffs falling away into fog
below. Somewhere below her she could hear the crashing of waves
against rock. Above, the mountain rose in a vertical wall. There was
no escape, save throwing herself from the ledge. But that wouldn’t
save her kingdom.

She
walked into the cave, hearing the sound of footsteps ahead of her. It
wasn’t completely dark; there was a dim light ahead. She walked
toward it, the light growing bright. It was a torch in a bracket
mounted on the cave wall. There were others ahead; she could see
pools of pale yellow light on the cave floor. She crept ahead slowly,
trailing one hand along the cool stonewall.

Rounding
a turn in the cavern, she was surprised to find a small chamber. And
she was more surprised to find a man standing in the chamber, one
hand holding a torch. She stopped, hand to her throat, an involuntary
cry on her lips.

“
I
am sorry to startle you, maiden.”

Eva
gasped again: it was the voice of the dragon. But there was no
dragon, only this man in front of her.

“
Come.
I won’t bite…yet.” The man smiled, gesturing her
to come forward. She took a few hesitant steps toward him. In a very
gentle manner, he took her arm, pulling her into the small space.

In
the dim light she saw chairs and a table. The man lit a set of
candles in holders and the room sprang to life. The walls were
covered with rich brilliant tapestries; a thick rug in a complex knot
pattern covered the floor. The chairs and table were dark and richly
carved, inlaid with silver and precious stones.

“
Not
what you expected, is it? Please, have a seat.” The man held a
chair for Eva and she dropped into it. She looked more closely at the
man. He was tall, with long black hair tied back away from his face.
The light caught his high cheekbones and straight nose. The shadows
from the candles played around his mouth, giving his smile a cruel
cast. But she drew a sharp breath; he was exquisitely handsome. Her
heart fluttered in her chest and she felt her face grow warm.

He
wore a long black coat over a white linen shirt and black breeches
tucked into tall black leather boots. The coat almost reached the
floor, of some material Eva had never seen. It shimmered and caught
the light; she realized with a start it looked just like the scales
on the dragon.

“
Your
face says it all, my dear: confusion, bafflement, exhaustion. I
suspect you didn’t sleep or eat well last night. And now, all
this.” He waved his hand, indicating the room around them.

He
sat in the chair opposite her at the small table. “Here, you
must be hungry.” Set between them was a plate with bread and
cheese. The man poured a goblet of wine for each, placing one in
front of Eva. She looked at it with longing, and suspicion.

“
It’s
not poisoned, if you’re worried. I have no reason to kill you.”
He cut slices of bread and cheese, took a bite of each and washed
them down with a swallow of wine. Eva watched him a moment, then
reached forward, taking a small piece of cheese. She bit off a corner
of the slice, closing her eyes at the wonderful flavor. She hadn’t
eaten since the day before; her nerves had gotten the best of her.
She took a drink of the wine. It was an excellent pale golden drink,
smooth and sweet, tiny bubbles bursting on her tongue.

“
A
bit about myself. You’re probably curious.” The man took
another drink of wine.

“
I
am Lord Galef Evered. This is currently my home, although not my
kingdom.”

“
But…where
is the dragon?”

“
Oh,
you’ve found your voice. Good. One sided conversation is so
dull.” Evered leaned forward, his voice a low growl.

“
I
am the dragon.”

Eva
blinked. The world was suddenly fuzzy, the man far away. She blinked
again, shook her head. He was leaning toward her, a smile curling the
edge of his mouth.

He
rose, moving toward her, sitting on the edge of the table. He looked
down at her goblet.