XXVI

If it was cold, Lillian did not feel it.

It was the one drink that she was offered that contained an enchantment, explained meticulously by Aëghan that she needn't consent to imbibing its contents should she not wish it. Warmth had seeped through her veins gradually upon the first sip of the pungently sweet liquid, but other than that there was little other affect.

Judging by the scantily clad beings surrounding them, she wasn't the only one to have sampled the enchanted drink that evening.

She sat beside Aëghan at the head of a long banquet table that was lavishly sprinkled with colourful spring blooms and greenery, sweets and fresh food of the finest quality, and rich carafes of wine and other fluids that he wouldn't let her touch. They were outside in the clearing of the forest village, surrounded by the dark shadows of looming pines and the intriguingly formed habitats of his tenants. For his part, Aëghan hovered over her protectively, possessively almost, especially when one of the faeborn offered her a plate of intriguing confections or a drink. Most were denied her, for which she was grateful. Having been afflicted by enchantments unwittingly during her time in the Other realm, Lillian was no stranger to the humiliation that followed consuming an item that had been designed to snatch away her autonomy.

Beside her, Aëghan turned to brush tendrils of her hair from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. He leaned close; his voice barely audible over the cacophony of noise surrounding them in the centre of the inhabitants' forest village. "See anything you like in particular?"

She tilted her head to regard him, their faces so close together she could feel his warm breath against her cheek. Above their heads, the boughs gleamed with the flickering glow of lanterns that hovered sporadically about them, his mesmerizing eyes catching the glittering light. "Is there something you would like me to see in particular?" she quipped.

Unconsciously, her gaze dipped to the dark handprint centred on his chest, as it had been since she had placed it upon his bare flesh. Seeing her mark there, knowing that she had put it there and it wasn't a mere chance of fate, made a tingling awareness shoot through her veins- a possessiveness she knew she had no right to lingering and settling heavily in her core. To her, it seemed more than the mark that banded across both their arms for she had chosen him, it was her decision to mark him, to allow all those present that evening to know that this powerful male had been chosen and branded by her and vice versa.

His smile was captivating, a warmth infusing his intent gaze that was rapt on her every nuance. Aëghan angled his head closer until the tip of his nose grazed the skin behind her ear, his low sigh audible to her even over the ruckus of the clearing. "Perhaps something has caught your eye," he murmured. His lips moved against her skin, a giddy rush following his every suggestive word. "Something that you'd like to recreate..."

A tangible pause and Lillian scanned the clearing, truly absorbing what was unfolding before her. It was, Aëghan had told her earlier, a festival of newness- of growth and fertility, of connection and reconnection. The end of the bitter winter season that was soon to commence with the new beginnings of spring.

It was, essentially, an excuse to promote any form of licentious behaviour that was normally frowned upon in more public and human infused circles.

There was music, loud music with no form or unification prevalent in its coordination- a cacophony of melodies that permeated the night air like shattered glass; not wholly unpleasant. There was dancing, an intriguing combination of human routines and more liberal proximity of limbs.

There were illicit embraces, imbued with throaty laughter and suggestive giggles.

They had not been present long, but he had escorted her among the celebrators with an amiably patient smile, keeping her tucked against his side as they conversed with a few eager individuals. If it was unusual for Aëghan to bear a mark upon his chest that evening, none remarked upon it though Lillian had noted a few coquettish looks from the younger females present.

But the wine and his attentions over the period of time had emboldened her, more so than she ever thought possible, and she knew that she was enjoying herself.

As the festivities unfolded about them, Lillian knew she was safe and, more importantly, in control. There was not a thing that could happen that wouldn't be overseen by the male beside her, hovering over her, and he was acting in accordance with their tenuous agreement. He was doting and attentive, feeding her morsels of food he deemed appropriate for her consumption until she was near to bursting and had to force him to stop, and he looked at her with just enough wickedness to keep that familiar ribbon of anticipation unfurled and fluttering along her spine.

Perhaps it was the wine, or perhaps it was simply her excitement that for once she wasn't a bundle of fluttering nerves and sadness, but her next words were bold and clearly caught him off-guard judging by the surprise that raised his brows. "And what would the dragon recreate on a night such as this?"

"The dragon?" He turned so that he straddled the bench they were sitting on, his hand snaking along her back to curl his fingers into her waist and pull her against him. "You appear to be more interested in the dragon of late."

She was intrigued by his ability. During her stay at his court in his realm, it was not uncommon for his people to harbour the extraordinary ability to shape their form into that of another creature, though the dragon was coveted by the only the most powerful. Instinctual beasts, designed in the likeness of the penultimate predator, Lillian knew that it was inordinately difficult to grapple with the domineering nature of the creature so as to not entirely overwhelm one's own.

"I am curious. What would the dragon desire? Tonight... wearing my mark." She lightly tapped the handprint on his chest for emphasis, the brief contact making his muscles and flesh contract.

He caught her hand as she retracted, twining their fingers together and settling their entwined hands on her thigh. Emphatically, he brushed the parting of her skirt aside, leaving most of her thigh and leg closest to him exposed.

"Tonight?" His expression turned thoughtful and he paused, considering. "Tonight he desires you... to hunt you, claim you. To dominate and possess."

She met his gaze unwaveringly, not immune to the effects of his fingers that were drawing lazy circles along the inside of her thigh. "Hunt?"

"The thrill of the chase to make you mine." His grin was somewhat rueful. "He should be appeased considering you have already submitted-"

Her brows shot up. "Excuse me, but have I?"

His smile faltered and for the first time she witnessed an uncertainty cross his normally confident features. "Well... I thought... that is to say-"

If confident and wicked Aëghan was irresistible, then this bashful version of him almost undid her entirely. With little thought to her actions, she leaned into him and crushed her lips against his, stalling his words entirely. His fingers curled into her thigh, pulling her closer into him, and he sunk against her with a muffled groan.

She could, she realised giddily, kiss him for hours endlessly just like this as their surroundings melted away and she was only aware of him, of the way his breath hitched and caught when she shifted into his hips, when she allowed her hand to curve around the back of his neck.

But there would be time for that later, because tonight she would use her boldness, use her excitement, to the advantage of her inhibitions.

She broke their connection suddenly, a moan of protest escaping Aëghan at her extraction, and it was her turn to throw him what she hoped was her own wicked smile. "Just because you have marked me as yours, does not mean you shouldn't fight a bit to have me." At his confused pout, Lillian sidled from his grasp and rolled to her feet. "If the dragon desires the thrill of the chase, then I suppose he will have to catch me."

She left him, but not before she trailed a fingertip across the expanse of his strong, bare shoulders, and certainly not before she witnessed the heated, predatory look that flared across his countenance. Even when she turned away from him, hitching her skirts slightly, she could still feel his gaze following her with an intentness that burned her exposed skin, and then she dipped into the foliage surrounding them and was submerged in shadows.

➶

Somehow, she found a path rather quickly.

It was illuminated by soft, glowing lights that danced in muted trails along one side of the path, and they flickered brighter by her proximity. Her bare feet sunk into the damp earth, the forest almost ominously dark about her, yet her fear was absent.

Nothing but anticipation lit her blood.

Her trust in the male undoubtedly soon to follow her helped alleviate most of her concerns that the forest was dangerous and she was sure that Aëghan would never had let her enter the forest to her own peril, and once she was on firmer ground and her path unhindered by brambles and ferns, Lillian hitched her skirts higher and leapt into a light sprint.

Behind her, the sounds of the revelry became distant and dulled, her ears pricking intently for any indication of the male in pursuit of her. There was none, and only the sounds of her breathing, of her heaving thudding footsteps against the soft earth, met her ears.

A soft breeze skittered over her skin and she could tell it was cool as it played in the ribbons of her hair streaming behind her, yet she felt almost feverish. Her lips curled, pulling her cheeks tight with a giddy smile, and she almost laughed at the exhilaration. For the first time in a long while, her concerns were a distant worry- her responsibilities to Ravensfield, her sister, her past fraught with the torment she had experienced, her father... none of it mattered right then.

For tonight it was simply her and Aëghan.

She did not have to run much further before a forbiddingly large, sleekly black serpentine form suddenly landed before her with predatory grace that made the smile disappear from her lips. Her feet stumbled to a halt, her heart pounding with the unexpected entrance of the dragon blocking her path.

Lillian froze and for a moment neither of them moved. She knew that she would have been caught- it was never about not being- yet the sheer size and look of him in this form caused her to pause, to scrutinise him with equal measures of awe and trepidation. There was very little she could do to protect herself from being torn to shreds by his talons, by being overwhelmed by his size and power alone. He was, she realised, possibly one of the most powerful fae that she had come across.

Then Aëghan moved, his scales glimmering in the dim light like slick oil convalescing on the surface of water, his large body swaying ominously as he took a silent step towards her.

It snapped her out of her trance and spurred her to action. Lillian pivoted, beginning to bolt in the other direction, but she only managed a couple of steps before his talons surrounded her. She was cradled to his plated chest, tenderly and securely, and then the dragon's trajectory became vertical. Leaves rustled and whipped about them as she let out an involuntary yelp, ducking her head against his hard chest and clinging to him as wind rushed past.

When he finally levelled out and the world calmed around her, Lillian pried open her eyes she had been squeezing shut. They were above the canopy of the forest.

Her head spun. Even if she trusted the male clutching her protectively to his chest, the height was daunting to her and her mouth went dry. As if sensing her unease, Aëghan rumbled soothingly and held her tighter. Refusing to look at the world below, she focused her gaze on the world above adorned with thousands of stars, dotted with sparse slithers of clouds.

Thankfully, wherever Aëghan intended taking her did not seem to be of that much a distance away and soon they were dipping low, settling in a wide clearing that parted the trees.

When her feet touched soft grass and his hold on her was released, Lillian allowed herself a moment to recover from her unprecedented flight by stumbling forward, crossing her arms around her waist, and throwing him a put-out look. "Next time you wish to throw me into the air, some prior warning would be much welcomed," she told him pertly.

His head tilted to the side, his scales shifting as he dropped to his haunches, as if curious of her words and demeanour. When the air began to shimmer with the beginnings of his change, Lillian reached out a hand, stepping towards him quickly. "Wait!"

The dragon stilled, his slitted eyes considering her questioningly.

"I just..." Lillian swallowed audibly, quelling the mild nervousness that suddenly overcame her and made her extended fingers tremble. She stepped closer to him, until the snout of his huge head almost brushed against her. Up close, his size was intimidating. Undeterred, she pressed her shaking fingertips against his slender muzzle. His breath huffed gently at her subtle contact, stirring her hair falling over her shoulders, the wings he had tucked against his spined back quivering.

Her hand flattened and splayed, his scales smooth, silken and warm against her flesh. His large eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, a slow blink capturing and holding her gaze while she skirted her touch against his cheek, careful to avoid the wicked curving horns that framed his face.

"You are... beautiful," she whispered into the silence, her senses calming the longer he allowed her tentative ministrations to continue.

Her words seemed to provoke a response from him, for his wings seemed to shift and elongate, and then where once the dragon loomed over her now stood a man- a devastatingly handsome and naked man- who was looking at her as if he wished to consume her very essence.

Her hand suspended in the small space between them, Aëghan caught it and pulled her closer until she pressed against him. With the fingers of his other hand, he tilted her chin up until she met his midnight gaze, hooded and shadowed. "The dragon may have caught you," he murmured, "but it is I who will bask in the rewards of his prize. If you desire to torment something with your touch and your gaze, then let it be me."

~~~~~~

A/N

Super sorry about the delay!

I have been travelling- wifi has been spotty at best with loadshedding and all the wonderful things my home country has to offer lol!

But in amidst all of this was my wedding, the scattering of my mum's ashes at her favourite place as per her request and thankfully my siblings and I, along with all of our spouses and my brother's recalcitrant children, were able to reunite for both occasions. 

On top of this, I've been onboarded by Wattpad to become one of their creators. This means that updates will occur more often, and my stories will continue to be free and available to all you... because all of you are so wonderful! Still processing that little ol' me got chosen- introverted, prefers to hide away under a duvet with a bottle of wine than do all this social media stuff, but that has to change! 

Anyway, the next update will follow soon as I'll be back in my familiar apartment next week. And it'll be a steamy one (finally I'm sure...) 

Thank you all so much for everything and more!

Toodles, 

Ash xxx