Page 17 of The Dragon Maiden

Lord Dracul looked at me. “Because why would I care about humans when I’m a dragon myself?” he asked, his mouth quirking into a smirk.

I nodded.

“Well, I want those I care for and protect to thrive,” he said, picking out a couple chunks of ginger. “Are you able to cut these up into small pieces for me?”

I took the ginger and grabbed a nearby knife, beginning to chop across the table from him. Briefly, I was reminded of a time when I would help my mother prepare herbs for our homemade tinctures and a small smile crossed my lips. Quickly, my sleeves got in the way and I rolled them up to my elbows, continuing with my work. I suddenly felt the air go still and looked up to see Lord Dracul staring at my arms, at the scars left behind by the men who had attacked. Immediately, I pulled my sleeves back down, my face flushing with embarrassment. The scars were still pink; not enough time had passed for them to fade yet.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice quiet. Even though my sleeves were pushed back over my arms, he still stared at them.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said, my tone short. The last thing I wanted to do right now was relive that horrible night.

“Valora, who did this to you?” he asked, his gaze meeting mine, silver eyes smoldering with anger.

I shook my head, tears suddenly pricking my eyes. “I said I don’t want to talk about this,” I said, taking a couple steps away from the table. “It happened before I came here.”

His face looked pained as he took a step around the table towards me. Immediately, I backed away, my thoughts once more on that night, and I felt cold, like ice had suddenly been dumped over me. I wanted to flee, to run away from this conversation, and I felt myself beginning to slip away—slipping away to somewhere deep in my mind where I could hide and not process what happened.

“Valora, I’m not going to hurt you,” Lord Dracul said, holding up his hands. “But please, let me come closer.” He took another step towards me, and I stepped to the side of the table, now closer to the entrance of the cave than he was. “Valora, please,” he begged. “I’m sorry. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

My mind raced, my breath coming in gasps as I was overwhelmed with the feelings from that night. I could feel myself starting to mentally retreat and knew I needed to get out of there before panic began to consume me. I took another step towards the entrance, and Lord Dracul cried out in alarm. That was all it took before I turned and sprinted out of the cave into the hallway. My feet flew beneath me as I ran down the corridors, through twists and turns, not sure of where I was headed. All I knew was that I needed to get away before I fell to pieces.

Finally, I found myself in a seemingly abandoned hallway and collapsed to the ground, my chest heaving. A strangled sob escaped my throat and my chest tightened painfully. I curled into a ball, shaking while I tried to escape the nightmare, tears streaming down my face. The pain increased and I clutched my arms tighter, trying to ground myself back to reality.

I was frozen for what felt like ages, unable to move, even as I heard footsteps approaching. A presence settled next to me and I felt a slight amount of comfort washing over me as they sat there, not saying anything. Eventually, the panic lessened to the point where I could breathe properly again, and I lifted my head, wiping away my tears as I did so.

To my surprise, Lord Dracul sat beside me, looking at the wall across from us. He glanced at me when I sat up, his eyes sorrowful. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I shouldn’t have pushed.”

Exhaustion washed over me, and after a moment’s hesitation, I leaned against him, my head resting on his shoulder. I could feel him freeze at the action, but after another moment, he relaxed, moving his hand to cradle my head. The tightness in my chest lessened further. I let out a shuddering sigh and rubbed my arms.

We stayed like that for several minutes, listening to each other breathe. Focusing on Lord Dracul’s breathing helped me calm down further, and the final dregs of the nightmare washed away. Eventually, I pulled away from him, immediately missing his warmth, my chest feeling hollow. My face flushed at the thought that he had seen me in such a vulnerable position.

“I just… can’t,” I said, not looking at him. “It’s still too fresh.”

“I understand,” he said, putting a hand gently on my arm. Once more, I felt the sparks dance in my stomach, but I was too drained to focus on them. “I’m sorry. I was just shocked.” Lord Dracul stood and offered me a hand.

Without a thought, I took it and he pulled me upright, catching me in his arms as I collapsed against him. He held me softly for a moment, and my arms encircled his waist after several seconds, burying my face in his bare chest. He smelled like fire and wood, which was somehow comforting, even after my memories. Despite being brought there against my will, that contact, that warmth was welcomed. It had been a long time since I last received physical affection, and I suddenly realized how much I craved and missed it.

After several moments, we stepped apart. I tried ignoring the way my heart fell at the loss of contact. “Thank you,” I said, wiping away a few lingering tears.

“Shall we head back?” he asked, holding out a hand to me.

I nodded and took it as he led me back through the hallways. I was surprised at how far I had gotten when I ran away. From what I knew of the caves and hallways, we were somewhere near his hoard, but it was definitely somewhere I had never gone before.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with cutting ingredients—no more reference made to my scarred arms—and crushing some of the herbs in a mortar and pestle. It was soothing to work side by side with Lord Dracul, letting my mind focus on the mundane task in front of me. I enjoyed the rhythm of our work, and that night when I went to bed, I fell fast asleep immediately.

Chapter Twelve

Valora

One day, bright and early, Lord Dracul came to the Dragon Maiden cavern to fetch me in his human form. I followed him, curious where he led me as we walked further through tunnels I had not explored before. After a few minutes, we came to a doorway. On either side was a dragon guarding the entrance. They nodded towards Lord Dracul as we walked through.

“Where are we going?” I asked at last when it seemed he would not elaborate.

“I’m going to show you where the rest of my clan lives,” he said. “To give you an idea of everyone I’m responsible for.”

He led me through more winding hallways before we reached another doorway. As we stepped through, my eyes widened. The cave system there was much more complex than I could have ever imagined. The doorway we just came through opened into an enormous circular cavern that stretched multiple stories high with the center completely open. I could see dragons walking around on other levels, completing their daily activities. Some were in their human forms, while others remained as dragons. There was a general volume of noise that I would expect from a small city.

I turned to Lord Dracul. “Everyone lives here?” I asked.

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