Page 25 of The Dragon Maiden

The being tsked in disappointment. “Well, that won’t do at all. I get to choose,” they said. “Now let’s get you warm.” They snapped their fingers and a flash of fire appeared in their hands. “Come over here. I’ll keep you warm.”

I moved closer as instructed, a sigh escaping me as immediate warmth flooded my body when I held my hands over the small flame. It reminded me of when Dracul had warmed me up the other night and I batted away the memory. Just as I got comfortable, the figure jerked the fire away and instantly, I was cold again.

“For now,” they said, shaking a finger at me. “If you behave, I will keep you warm.” They brought the fire back and the heat flowed into my body, warming me quickly.

“Thank you.” I knew I would have to tread carefully tonight to stay on the being’s good side—and in the fire’s vicinity.

“Now, how did you get here?” they asked.

I frowned, not knowing where to begin to answer the question. “You mean why I ended uphere? I told you that yesterday.”

Once more, the fire disappeared. “We both know you lied about that,” they said so matter-of-factly that my heart skipped a beat in fear. “So how about you tell me the real reason? You can start with how you became a Dragon Maiden. How you were chosen.” The flame returned.

My eyes flew to their face, the reflection of the fire rippling in the pools of their eyes. “I wasn’t chosen,” I snapped. Everyone fawned over how it was a privilege to be chosen, but I’d never felt that way. “I was kidnapped, taken. I’m not even from the town I was taken from. I was just passing through.”

They backed away from my vehemence, clearly surprised by my sudden anger. “Why were you passing through?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it, trying to think of an answer.

“No more lies,” they warned.

“I was looking for my brother. He left home and did… something. I’m not sure what.” I paused, preparing for the rest of the story. “I think that whatever he did, some men came in retaliation. They killed my parents and left me for dead. I was searching for him when I was taken.”

“Which means you never found out what he did,” the figure said.

I nodded.

“And what did you do to end up here?”

A sigh escaped me. “I’ve become too comfortable here, so I escaped to try and find him. Instead, I was caught and the boy I had given the note to got caught as well.”

“What did Lord Dracul think?” They laughed harshly at the look of surprise that overcame my face. “You think I didn’t know you are his Maiden? So what did he think?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” I admitted. “He seemed… disappointed, I guess. Betrayed? He’s hard to read sometimes.”

The figure began to shake with laughter. “That he is,” they said. “And what do you think he wants my verdict to be?” They leaned closer to hear my answer.

I gulped, noticing the increasing severity of the questions. “I would hope he would want me to live,” I said softly. “We’ve had good moments despite… everything.”

“Very interesting,” they said. “That is the end of my questions for tonight. I will leave the fire to keep you warm.”

They moved away, taking the fire with them, and a chill entered my body once again. They knelt on the ground and whispered a few words. The flame spread slightly to make a nice blazing fire.

“That should keep you warm until tomorrow night,” they said, before whisking back into the pool.

I jumped at the suddenness of the action before huddling by the fire. At least I wouldn’t spend one more night freezing on the floor.

* * *

On the third night, as I watched the sun set and the moonlight begin to stream through the window, my stomach was in knots. I felt nauseous.

Like the previous two nights, the being rose up and stepped from the pool, the water forming their body glimmering in the moonlight. “Tonight is the night,” they said, rubbing their hands together. “Tonight, I’ll decide whether you live or die.”

“You don’t need to sound so excited,” I said dryly, clenching my hands together to concentrate on something other than the sick feeling in my stomach.

They smiled. “Tonight, we will do things a little differently. You may ask me one question.”

I jerked back in surprise. “Really?” I could not fathom why they were giving me this opportunity, what they could gain from this.

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