Page 48 of The Dragon Maiden

Quickly, I went to Dracul and worked to open his mouth. In his unconscious state, his teeth were clenched shut. Carefully, I opened his mouth slightly and reached past the razor-sharp teeth, pouring the potion in so he swallowed it. My adrenaline rush swiftly left me and my body began to crash, exhaustion overwhelming me. I collapsed next to Dracul and began to stroke his snout, wishing for a noticeable change. After several minutes with no change, I began to despair, feeling sick to my stomach.

“I did everything correctly,” I whispered. I looked to Dracul and pleaded, “Please, don’t die.” Tears pricked my eyes at the thought of him dying, of how I would have failed him, one more person in my life. I had been unable to save my parents, and now, with the opportunity in front of me, I was unable to save Dracul too. The pain was too overwhelming. My heart felt as though it split in two. Just as I had been worried about—I had grown too close and too fond of him.

“Just don’t die,” I breathed, tears beginning to trail down my cheeks, my hand still on his snout. I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face to muffle my cries as I began to sob harder. The book said he should have begun to improve by now. Obviously, I was too late, and now he was going to die.

I did not register at first when the snout beneath my hand began to move slightly. In between my sobs, I felt him move, and when I realized what was happening, my head snapped up, met with two kind silver eyes watching me. Ones that I thought I would never see again.

“Don’t cry, Lora,” he said gently, bringing forth a claw to carefully wipe away my tears. My heart stuttered at the nickname, at how easily the endearment slipped from his lips. His eyes darted to my hand and clouded slightly. I could see that he was upset over what I had to do to save him. “I’m sorry about that,” he said. “I can heal you, if you would like.”

“But… but you need to get better.” My mind struggled to accept that he was still alive, that I had done it. That I had saved him. “You need to rest.”

He smiled at me. “Thank you for what you did,” he said. “Though I wish there had been another way, I wish you didn’t need to mutilate yourself for my sake.”

“I was lucky enough to spot the book you left out for me.” I waved away his concerns. “I wasn’t sure what to do next.”

Dracul’s gaze was tender as he stared at me. “I knew you’d be smart enough to figure it out,” he said.

I stood and stared at him, trying to realize that he was alive—to calm my heart. Since he had returned, it had become a constant source of pain, seeing him injured. Suddenly, I felt the overwhelming need to embrace him.

I rushed to him and encircled my arms around his neck. “I thought you were going to die, Dracul,” I said, my voice muffled by his scales. “I was so worried.”

A scaly arm wrapped around my body, holding me close. “I’m going to be fine, Lora,” he said. “One of my wounds had been poisoned and I did not realize it at the time. But a potion concocted by my Maiden, containing her blood, is enough to overcome any poison and any ailment. It’s an old remedy that only a few know.” A small smile graced his lips. “When Borthen injured me, I don’t think he realized I have an official Maiden, otherwise he wouldn’t have dared to try such a bold move.”

Suddenly conscious of the heat growing within me, I pulled back, my face flushed. “I should look at your other injuries,” I said. “To make sure they are doing fine.”

Keeping my gaze averted, I moved to check his other wounds, feeling his watchful eyes focused on me. I was unable to hide my shock as I pulled up the bandages and found the wounds almost completely healed.

I looked up at Dracul, my mouth open. “How?” I asked.

“The blood of a Maiden has a very interesting effect on her Lord,” Dracul explained. “Because of our bond, that potion you made can heal my injuries, even the more serious ones.” He moved his wing to show me that it was almost completely scarred, the bloody mess from the night before completely gone. “Could you remove my stitches?” he asked.

Mutely, I moved to do as he asked, shock overloading my brain into complete silence. I could not believe the power my blood held for Dracul, how it could have so many uses. Carefully, I removed the stitches, noticing Dracul wincing at the foreign feeling. Quietly, I apologized, and at last, all the stitches were gone. I cleaned the area to ensure no residue remained. After a quick once-over of all his wounds, I started putting the supplies away.

“There’s still more potion left,” I said, earnestly not looking at Dracul. “We should save it in case you need it again.” I found a few empty vials and moved to the cauldron to bottle up the remaining potion. Dracul moved his tail, and I found my path blocked.

“Valora, look at me,” he said gently, so gently.

After a few seconds, I did as he asked, my heart beating rapidly. Ever since he had awakened, I had made a fool of myself, first by crying and then by hugging him. Dracul used his tail to herd me, and I was forced to take a few uncertain steps closer.

“Why the sudden change?” he asked. “Does it make you uneasy to know that your blood has such fantastic powers?”

I nodded silently, hoping he would drop the topic, but he could see right through me.

“There is no reason to be embarrassed over how you acted.”

I blushed furiously as he correctly guessed what had been bothering me.

He leaned closer. “It’s nice to know you care,” he said. Carefully, Dracul reached out a claw and gently took my hand, pulling apart the messy bandage to reveal the cut I had suffered. “I’m going to heal this now,” he said, his voice instructing me not to argue.

Slowly, he let out a steady stream of fire over the injury, not burning me, but I could still feel the unpleasant intensity of the focused heat. After a long minute of expelling the fire, he stopped and examined my hand before showing it to me. My mouth dropped open. The cut had completely disappeared.

“Is this another thing that has to do with the bond between us?” I asked.

“Yes.” Dracul nodded. “Your blood can heal me, and my fire can heal you.”

“Oh.” My mind raced. I examined my hand for several more moments before looking back to him. “Dracul, what happened? How did you get hurt?” I asked. “You said something went badly.”

He let out a sigh and moved his tail so I could finish filling the vials with the remaining potion. “We went to negotiate with Borthen,” he said. “He was obviously not pleased to see us, but nothing seemed amiss at first. After a few days, it was apparent that negotiations had not gone anywhere, but we decided to try a couple more days before leaving. Our last day, his soldiers attacked us, accusing us of stealing. I think he hoped to kill me so he could take over the clan. And that’s how I became injured. Firenze and Verhorn tried to defend me, but the sole focus of their attack was on me.”

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