The Dragon in the Stone (6 page)

“
Then
we have a problem, Johannes.”

Drorgan’s clipped voice put an end to the
underlying whispers that filled the room, and Rhonda grasped the wooden arm
supports on her chair in a white knuckled grip.

“
I
don’t understand why, my lord Drorgan. She is my daughter, my property to see
fit to do with as I please, and I will not have her disgrace herself by
marrying beneath her. I’m your steward. I demand the respect owed to me. I—”

He blanched and took several steps back when a deep
growl erupted from
Drorgan’s
massive chest. The
vibrations of that growl shook the floor, and Rhonda watched in stunned
fascination as Drorgan shot to his feet. Waves of heat emanated off of him, and
he seemed to grow taller, more menacing, as though he was struggling to contain
his dragon. Any rational person ought to have been frightened, but Rhonda
seemed to have lost all sense completely, because she found herself wishing he
would change.

She’d been too out of it to appreciate his
transformation from dragon to man last time he’d changed. The crowd in the hall
thinned, several of them taking off through the open doors at the back, while
the rest drew back. Strangely enough the young couple and the old man didn’t
move. Rhonda did wonder why they didn’t seem afraid of
Drorgan
,
before his deep voice bellowed through the air. It held the growl of his
dragon, raspy and far too arousing for Rhonda’s peace of mind, as her body
responded to the deep command in that rough timbre like a puppet on a string.

“
Owed
to you, you say. You forget yourself, steward. I pay you well for your services.
I don’t owe you anything.”

The steward looked as though he wanted to protest,
but then thought better of it, and sheathed his sword. Bowing his head, he
dropped to one knee.

“
Forgive
me, my lord. I chose unwise words. I merely meant that—”

“
I
know full well what you meant, as do all of those here assembled, Johannes.”
Drorgan interrupted the man again, and Rhonda had to smile at the goldfish
impressions this Johannes was now making, as Drorgan stepped off his dais and
approached the young couple.

“
What’s
your name, sweet thing?” he asked the young woman. She blushed a deep crimson
and dropped a curtsy while her lover’s hand tightened on his dagger.

“
Lucinda,
my lord,” she whispered, and Drorgan smiled, while placing his hand on the
young man’s arm.

“
That’s
a pretty name for someone as fair as you.”

If that was possible she blushed more, while
throwing a worried looking glance toward her intended.

Johannes, meantime, smirked, some of his superior
air returning to his stance, and Rhonda didn’t dare breathe.

Surely
Drorgan wouldn’t…

Looking between Johannes and Drorgan brought her no
clues, especially as sweat broke out on the young man’s brow, and he staggered
as though he was in pain.
Drorgan
didn’t act as
though he had a particularly strong hold on the other man’s wrist, but, then
again, his dragon’s strength far exceeded that of any mere human, so who knew
what he was doing to the man.

After what seemed an interminably long time, but
could have only been seconds in reality, the white knuckled grip the farmer’s
son had on his dagger eased, and Drorgan turned his attention to the lad and
nodded.

“
That’s
better. Relax, son of Duncan. I have no intention of invoking the lord’s claim
on this young lady, and you should know better than to try to draw your dagger
on your Lord.”

“
My
lord, please, he didn’t mean anything. The lad is in love and…”

Duncan’s hoarse plea on behalf of his son petered
out as Drorgan held out his hand to stop him, and he shook his head.

“
Ah
yes, love makes fools of us all.” Drorgan glanced Rhonda’s way, and her heart
turned into a jackhammer at the odd expression that softened his fierce face
for the length of one heartbeat before he turned back to the couple.

“
Tell
me, son of Duncan James, are you in a position to look after my steward’s daughter
in the manner she is accustomed to?”

The young man’s face fell, and he shook his head.

“
No,
my lord, but I can offer her my heart, my hard work, and my devotion ‘til the
day that I die.”

Rhonda blinked back tears at the wealth of emotion
behind those words, and Drorgan nodded again.

“
And
you, Lucinda, what say you to this young man’s proposal?”

“
I
say yes. I love him, my lord.” Her father swore under his breath, but Lucinda
paid him no heed. She clung onto her young man’s arm instead, and Duncan cleared
his throat.

“
It
will be a hard life we’re offering the lass, for sure, but my son is a good
man, and he will do the best he can for any wife of his. Rest assured on that,
my lord.”

Silence fell on the great hall, as Drorgan stepped
back and resumed his seat on the dais. The very air seemed to hold its breath
as to what he was going to say.

“
Very
well, Duncan. You and your family have been loyal supporters of my clan these
many years since at great personal cost to yourself.” He paused, ran a hand over
his face and sighed, as he scanned the great hall. “You all have suffered for
your association with me, and will continue to do so unless…” Drorgan glanced
her way, and Rhonda wanted the ground to swallow her whole as everyone’s
attention seemed to shift to her. What the hell was that all about?

“
Be
that as it may, I grant my permission for the wedding, Duncan.” A grim smile
kicked up Drorgan’s full lips when the young couple whooped in delight. “Let
Eugene know if you need anything. Call it my wedding present.”

A gasp went around the room, and Duncan’s eyes grew
huge as he bowed as deeply as his advanced age would let him.

“
That
is most generous of you, my lord.”

Drorgan waved him away.

“
‘
Tis
nothing, Duncan.”

The steward Johannes let out a stream of obscenities
under his breath, and Drorgan’s jovial mood dissipated in a cloud of smoke as
his dragon roared again. Rhonda was half expecting him to breathe fire, the way
his nostrils flared and he pinned his steward in place with the sheer force of
his will it seemed. The fine hair on Rhonda’s exposed arms rose in response to
the silent power display, and she swallowed hard, fearing for the hapless
steward.

“
If
you have something to say, do have the courage to say it to my face, Johannes.”

The steward paled and shook his head.

“
Nothing,
my lord.”

Drorgan smiled.

“
Good.
That will conclude today’s audience, unless anyone else has something
particularly pressing for me to see to?” He swept his gaze across the room, and
when no one stepped forward he extended his hand to Rhonda with a silent
question in his crystal blue gaze. Heat flared in the blue orbs, when she took
his hand without a moment’s hesitation and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
She was once again struck by his presence as he pulled her closer, so near that
his body heat infused her, and she had to fight the urge to lean in even more,
to wrap herself around his tall, hard frame and to never let go.

It was the damnedest thing, the way their
connection pulsed between them like a living entity. It made the rest of the
great hall fade in the background as Rhonda stared up at him, waiting for his
next move.

Drorgan pulled her closer still, and Rhonda forgot
to breathe altogether, when he cupped her face with his free hand, and rubbed
his thumb over her lips in slow, lazy moves that made her heart rate go into
overdrive. His jaw tightened, and in the next instant he blinked and pulled
away, releasing her from whatever strange hold he’d held her under.

His fingers flexed around her hand sending a surge
of heat up her arm, and he shook his head and mumbled something that she didn’t
quite catch.

Turning them both so that they faced the hall he
raised his voice.

“
Let
me make one thing clear. If I hear of any attempts to stop this wedding, or any
unfortunate
accident
should befall the young couple or indeed Duncan, I
shall be very displeased. Do we understand each other, Johannes?”

His steward blanched and bowed his head.

“
Perfectly,
my lord.”

“
Good,
likewise if I hear any rumors or speculations about Lady Rhonda here...” He
stopped to glance at her and raising their joined hands up to his lips, dropped
a kiss on the back of hers. Rhonda clamped her lips together to stop herself
from moaning out loud, but the feel of his soft warm lips on her bare flesh,
even if engaged in such an innocent act, sent her libido into overdrive.
Amusement showed briefly in his gaze, before he addressed the hall again.

“
The
lady is my guest, and as such will be afforded every courtesy. I will not
tolerate anyone filling her head with nonsense, nor do I want any of you to get
hopeful this is more than me extending my hospitality to a lady in need. Now be
off with you.”

He waited until the last villager had cleared the
hall and only Magda and Eugene remained with them.

Eugene cleared his throat and winked at Rhonda.

“
Luncheon
is served, my lord. I took the liberty of having it arranged in the library as
Lady Rhonda expressed an interest in seeing it, and at this time of day the
light is best in that part of the castle.”

Rhonda wanted to kiss the old butler, and some of
her enthusiasm must have shown on her face, because the old man beamed at her.

Drorgan seemed less enthused at this answer, if the
low growl that erupted from him was any indication. Sure enough he released her
hand and gave a formal bow in Rhonda’s direction. While the act was perfectly
courteous it still felt like a slap in the face, and her happiness evaporated
in a flash.

“
Very
well, show her the way. I will be eating in my room.”

Magda shook her head and glared at him, and
Rhonda’s temper rose, when he jumped off the dais, seemingly all set to leave
her on her own again.

“
Don’t
leave on my account, Lord Drorgan.” Her words stopped his retreat, and his
shoulders tensed.

“
I’m
not. I just have things to do.”

“
You
said you’ll eat in your room. That means you’re hungry, but for some reason
don’t want to eat with me. I’m sorry that my appearance is so abhorrent to you
that you can’t bring yourself to eat in my presence.”

That got through to him at last, because Drorgan
spun around. Rhonda was half expecting to be doused in a stream of fire. He
looked utterly furious right now. Head down, hands fisted by his sides,
nostrils flaring he looked menacing and so damn sexy that Rhonda squeezed her
thighs together to stop the hot liquid evidence of her arousal from sliding
down the inside of her thighs.

Where were a girl’s favorite pair of comfy knickers
when she needed them? Better still lady pads, if he kept glaring at her like
that.

And why on earth was that such a damn turn-on? Maybe
she had hit her head too hard in that assault she had barely escaped from. Yes,
that had to be it.

“
Did
I say that? Damn it, woman, what do you want from me?”

Drorgan ground the words out through clenched
teeth, as he slowly advanced on her. Something in his expression made her
retreat until the back of her legs hit his chair and she sat down with a thump.
Immediately he was on top of her, crowding her, his hands either side of her
head, grasping the backrest with so much force that the wood creaked under his
fingers.

Every feminine cell in her body sighed in
submission, but she refused to let him see how much he affected her. So instead
of closing her eyes and leaning in to claim his full lips in the kiss she so
desperately craved, she put her hands on his chest instead and pushed. Not that
it had any effect on moving him. His breathing sped up, and his pupils dilated,
and he angled his head studying her.

“
Why
the hell aren’t you afraid of me, woman?”

Rhonda curled her hands into his tunic, not to push
him away this time, but to pull him in closer. Not that he let her do that
either and she groaned her frustration.

“
Why
should I be?”

Chapter Six

She was going to be the death of him. Quite
literally, unless he got this thing between them under control. He had to get
away, to keep his distance from her. She was a woman, and Magda notwithstanding
they couldn’t be trusted. Human women even less so, and regardless of what his
mind, heart, and dragon were screaming at him, she wasn’t the one. She couldn’t
be, and besides he couldn’t, wouldn’t condemn her to this half-life stuck in a
world and time that had to be completely alien to her. Despite the prophecy
there was no way out of this curse. How could there be? They had been stuck
like this for too many goddamn centuries.

So he forced himself to pull away, ignoring her
soft exhale and the disappointment in her gaze as he withdrew one again.

“
If
you had any sense you would be, especially having seen Geva.”

Fire flashed in her expressive brown eyes, and two
high spots of color appeared on her cheekbones. It should have warned him
really, but before he could blink she had shot to her feet and the flat of her
hand connected with his left cheek. The resulting slap echoed around the still
hall, and it seemed to bring her to her senses. Not that she seemed afraid of
him, rather shocked at her actions, and rubbing her hand on her dress shook her
head.

“
I-I’m
sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I don’t. I’m sorry.”

She jumped when he put his hands on her shoulders,
and slid them upward until he could frame her face. He was playing with fire,
but the soft skin of her neck called him, and tipping her head up forced her to
look at him.

“
I
have had worse, little dragon.”

A tremulous smile played around her lips, and
Drorgan sighed. Releasing her he stepped back and offered her his arm.

“
If
it means that much to you, would you please do me the honor of escorting me to
luncheon in my library, of all places.”

He gave a little bow, and Rhonda giggled.

The sound made his heart feel lighter, especially
when she slid her arm in his, accepting his olive branch.

“
As
you ask me so nicely, my lord.” She grinned up at him. “I hear the library has
quite a fascinating history, and I reckon you’re just the man to tell me all
about it, if you don’t run out on me again.”

Eugene hooted in laughter, and Drorgan shook his
head.

“
Watch
it, Eugene. You can be replaced, you know.”

His old butler bowed his head, but his insolent
smile never left his face as he led the way to the library.

Rhonda slowed her steps, as did Drorgan, to make
sure they didn’t overtake the old man, and she whispered her question to
Drorgan.

“
You
wouldn’t really replace him, would you?”

Drorgan shook his head and winked at her. Her
answering smile made him feel ten feet tall, and a comfortable silence fell
between them, while they followed the slow progress Eugene made around the
castle, while holding a running commentary on the surroundings.

Rhonda seemed to lap it all up, her brown eyes
shining in barely disguised excitement. Nothing could have prepared Drorgan for
her reaction, however, when they entered the library.

A shriek of excitement escaped Rhonda, and letting
go of his arm, she spun around in a big circle, seemingly as enamored with what
she saw like a child would be on Christmas morning, having found her favorite
toy under the tree.

Eugene rubbed his hands in glee, and both men
stopped to simply admire Rhonda’s joy. Tracing her fingers along the spines of
the old, dusty books she seemed utterly absorbed in her task. A strange feeling
spread through Drorgan’s chest, as the tiny seeds of long forgotten hope
blossomed into tentative shoots. His old butler was already there it seemed,
because he beamed from ear to ear in a grin so big it was in danger of
splitting his face.

Drorgan ought to put a stop to this, right here and
now, but he was as fascinated in her reaction to a bunch of dusty old books as
Eugene was. He couldn’t even recall the last time anyone had shown such utter,
unadulterated glee in his company, let alone a female. Having run up the length
of the library, Rhonda gave another small shriek and ran down the other side,
before she stopped in front of the fairytale section, of all things, and
reached up to pull something down. Unfortunately, or fortunately as the case
might be, she overbalanced and the whole lot threatened to come crashing down
on her. It gave him the perfect excuse to touch her, as he leapt across the
space separating them, and hauling her body up against his, hunched his
shoulders to take the full brunt of the tomes descending upon him, instead of
her.

In truth he hardly felt the weight of the books
pummeling his back, too engrossed in the feel of this woman in his arms. Still
clutching the ancient looking volume of fairytales her shoulders shook as
though she was laughing, and amusement washed over him, too, when he heard her
whisper.

“
Oops,
this is getting to be a habit, this, you rescuing me.”

He reluctantly let her go, when she pushed against
his chest, and try as he might he couldn’t find the distance he needed, not
when she was grinning up at him, fairytale collection held to her heaving
bosom. A faint blush spread across her exposed cleavage when he couldn’t tear
his gaze away from the creamy flesh.

“
I’m
afraid the library is in need of organizing,” Eugene said from somewhere to his
right, and Drorgan snarled when the old man struggled to bend down to retrieve
one of the books off the marble floor. Since when had the library floor been
marble?

“
Leave
that, you’ll do yourself a mischief, Eugene. It’s only books.”

“
Only
books?” Rhonda’s outraged question forced his attention back to her, and he had
to grin at the way she glared at him. “There is no such thing as
only
books. You have an amazing collection here, one that seems sadly neglected, but
I can fix that. It’s the least I can do to repay you for your kindness, after
all.”

Drorgan could think of far more entertaining ways
for his little dragon to repay him, and it was on the tip of his tongue to
suggest that, before he realized what he’d just thought.

His
little dragon?

She was no more
his
than
he was hers, and he had to put a stop to this right here and now, no matter how
inherently right it felt to think of her as
his
.

“
Kindness
is not a word folks would usually associate with me.”

Rhonda pursed her lips, and gave him a visual once
over that made his fingers itch to put her over his knees for her cheek. Where
was the respect due to him? Completely and utterly lacking, as brought home by
her next words.

“
Well,
maybe that’s because you try so hard to be the big bad, when I know that you’re
really just a pussycat underneath all that bluster.”

She giggled when he took a step back, crossed his
arms over his chest and glared at her. While her breathing sped up, and the
sweet, ever present musk of her feminine arousal increased, the little minx
mimicked his actions. Spreading her legs wide, which only served to give his
dragon renewed palpitations, and meant his damn cock would stand no chance of
deflating any time soon as a fresh wave of her intimate scent hit his nostrils,
she tried her best to glare back at him.

When that didn’t work the infuriating woman stuck
her tongue out at him, and when he made a playful lunge for her, shrieked and
put the width of the table between them.

The action reminded him that he was indeed hungry,
and he simply shook his head at her.

“
One
day, your boldness will catch up with you, Rhonda,” he said, and immediately
regretted saying that, when her hand shot up to the faint bruises on her
throat.

“
Don’t
even go there, woman. That lowlife attacking you was not your fault. You just
happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Waving an anxious looking Eugene away, he stepped
round the table, and placing his hands on her shoulders, urged her to sit down.

“
Cook,
Eugene, and I dread to think who else, went through a lot of trouble to lay out
this luncheon, and to bring the table and chairs in here, so let’s eat, shall
we, and not worry about might have been? There’s no point in that, believe me.
I’ve had centuries of learning the truth about that.”

The thud of the heavy door guarding the library
signaled Eugene’s departure, and having pushed her chair in for her, Drorgan
rounded the table, and poured them each a glass of wine before he sat down.

He lifted his goblet in a mock salute, and his
agitated dragon side calmed his frantic pacing when she smiled and clinked her
glass to his.

“
To
the future and big bad dragons who make it a habit to rescue silly librarians
in distress.”

****

He so did not look happy when she said that, and
her heart broke a little for him. Lord only knew why he was so determined to
make her think the worst of him. Rhonda was under no illusion that he had a
dangerous side. No doubt he deserved having been placed under whatever magic
spell held
him
and the entire castle suspended in
time, but like he said, he had a long time to think on his past sins. As far as
Rhonda was concerned his current actions spoke volumes, and besides she refused
to believe she could be this attracted to someone if he were a complete ass.

She had a very good asshole detector, thank you
very much, and not once had that come on in his presence. Maybe that simply
meant she was a deluded fool, but Rhonda didn’t think so.

“
Stop
glaring like that. My foster mother would have said your face will get stuck
like that if the wind changes direction.”

A flicker of amusement replaced the intensity in
his gaze, and Drorgan shook his head.

“
Foster
mother?” he asked. When she shrugged her shoulders in feigned nonchalance he
reached across the table to take her hand in his. As prepared as she now was
for the immediate jolt of connection and belonging that shot up her arm at the
contact, she still couldn’t stop her body’s immediate reaction. Her breathing
sped up, gooseflesh chased up her exposed arms, and she hastily dropped her
eyes to the table, lest they gave away her thought processes.

The pressure on her hand grew painful for one
second, before Drorgan released a rather shaky breath and loosened his grip on
her fingers. He didn’t let go, however, and seeing him reach under the table to
presumably adjust himself, gave her the courage to address the elephant in the
room.

“
Are
we going to do something about this?”

Drorgan pulled back as though she had slapped him
again, and she was half expecting him to take off. When he didn’t, she
reluctantly raised her gaze. The sheer longing and intensity with which he
studied her when their gazes collided, meant that time stood still. Who knew,
maybe it literally did. They were caught up in some sort of magic thing, after
all.

“
No.”
He ground that one word out through clenched teeth, and the table creaked under
the white knuckled grip he had on the edge of it.

“
Why
not?”

Flames flickered in Drorgan’s blue irises in
response to that question, and emboldened by his reaction, Rhonda pressed on.

“
You
must know I want you.”

Drorgan shut his eyes and shook his head, as though
he was in pain.

“
I’ve
never felt this attracted to anyone, and before you say, this is just because I
feel obligated to you, then let me reassure you I know the difference. Yes, I’m
grateful for you rescuing me, of course I am. But that’s not the reason I can’t
sleep without imagining you in me, taking me, making me yours. I want you,
Drorgan, and I think you want me, too, so why are we dancing around this
attraction?”

A growl erupted from Drorgan’s chest, the
vibrations of which shook the table and made the fine bone china rattle. By
rights it ought to scare her to death, especially as he grew bigger, more
menacing. The air shimmered around him, as though he was about to shift into
his dragon. His muscles bunched, and the veins on his neck and arms stood out,
yet Rhonda had to press on.

“
Don’t
fight this, and besides you need to break the spell.”

He thumped the table with his fist, making all the
contents fly in the air, before they settled back down. The resulting crack of
the artfully arranged fish dish in the middle of the spread made him open his
eyes and mutter something under his breath.

“
Better
to break the spell, than more of Cook’s best china. I don’t know her, but I’d
wager a guess that she’ll be cross about that.”

Drorgan opened his mouth as though to say
something, but nothing but a growl erupted. The heat of his breath singed the
few tendrils of hair that had escaped the braid holding them back, and the
smell of burning filled the air.

“
Fuck
this.” Reaching across he pulled the ruined strands of hair off her face, and
cupped her face with surprising gentleness. “It’s too fucking dangerous. I will
not risk you, and besides, don’t you think I’ve tried to break this spell? It
never does. There’s no point in giving my people false hope. The spell holds
fast, and it’s only what I deserve. I’m no good for the likes of you, little
dragon.” He whispered the last word, and Rhonda placed her hands over his when
he tried to withdraw.

Another gust of hot air, laced with the spicy musk
of aroused man hit her face, and she inhaled deeply.