Page 10 of A Kiss From a Dragon Lord

“Lassar,” he says, coming down to sit beside me. I lean back, letting the silk blanket I’m still wearing drop off my shoulder. His gaze licks over the slope of my shoulder as my stomach flutters. This feels different than when I’ve flirted with men in the past. It was about stroking their ego, making them feel powerful. But the longer I say under Lassar’s golden stare, I find myself becoming the powerful one.

It seems this dragon would be content to just stare at me until the end of time.

“Interesting name, for a dragon, I mean.” I furrow my brows. “Though, I don’t recall the dragons in the stories ever having any names. Beyonddestruction-bringer, of course.”

Lassar nods his head, his lips pulling into what I can now confidently say is his version of a smile.

“I was not always a dragon.”

“Oh?” I ask.

“I was a man once. A lord. From a kingdom on the other side ofThe Woods,a long time ago.” There’s a sadness in his honey eyes, and my hand moves to touch him, to comfort him. I stop myself before I do, shocked by my body's response. This is a part I’m playing, I don’t care about this man-turned-dragon at all.

Right?

“How did you become like this?” I ask. Lassar is silent for a moment, and I think he isn’t going to answer. His claws scrape along the floor, picking up a gold coin. The metal shimmers in the dim light, and Lassar shakes his head.

“I made a bargain with the demon who lives here. I came to him a greedy mortal; my only care in the world was gold. Having it, keeping it, hoarding it, and then finding more. It consumed me day and night. I came to him asking if there was a way for me to have endless amounts of gold.” He closes his fist around the coin, scales flexing over his knuckles. “The demon told me there was a way to have more gold than any man in this land. In my desirous state, I took the deal, and it wasn’t until a few moments later when my bones began to snap, and scales grew through my skin, I realized that I had made a terrible mistake.”

“Lassar, I—” But what can I even say? His anguish is clear. A greedy man who has amassed such wealth all for it to mean nothing ultimately. No one to share it with, no companions. A lonely, sparkling life. The demon ofThe Woodsis just as foul as the rumors about him suggest.

More than anything, though, I understand Lassar a bit more. More gold would certainly fix my problems. After all these years of running, I could buy my own home and be safe and alone. As I look around this beautiful cave, filled with treasures only kings would dream of, I wonder if my own life isn’t heading in the same path as Lassar’s.

“I do not wish to burden you, my Anwyn, with such a sad tale.” He reaches out slowly and skims a claw down the side of my cheek. “The curse is not all bad; it’s the reason I have you now.”

I laugh and shake my head.

“That’s true, it’s odd that my path would cross with a dragon before a rich lord, but here we are.”

“And I am grateful for it. A rich lord wouldn’t have appreciated you as he should,” he says, and I duck my head. The raw emotion in his eyes makes me look away. My hand rubs along my wrist, no marks are left, but they still feel sore. Lassar makes a sound in his throat. “I’m sorry for shackling you. I just couldn’t risk it, Anwyn, especially not now.”

I look up and meet his eyes.

“I understand, Lassar. You gave up your humanity for this gold. It’s reasonable that you would want to protect it at all costs.”

His mouth opens slightly, and he leans forward. My spine straightens as his face comes closer to mine. For a moment, I think he may kiss me. Instead of being scared or disgusted, I find myself intrigued by the possibility of what those scaled lips would feel like against my own.

An absurd thought.

I don’t find out what his lips are like, but the breath is stolen from me all the same when he speaks these next words against my lips. All of them are far more precious than jewels could ever be.

“My gold isn’t the treasure I was worried about keeping safe.” My heart pounds in my chest as his eyes glow brighter in the dark cave. My thighs squeeze together as his warm breath bathes my lips.

“It was you.”

6

LASSAR

Anwyn is not asleep, though she pretends to be.

I’ve stuffed enough pillows and silk blankets under her to make sure the hard floor doesn’t come in contact with her delicate skin. The fire burns next to her, the flames licking over her small body assure me that she is warm enough. However, I can tell she’s awake. Her form is too stiff under the silk blanket, her breathing too uneven.

Still, I stay vigilant as I watch over her from my perch in the corner.

Now that I have my precious Anwyn, I must always stay on guard so she can rest peacefully, knowing I’m watching over her. My Anwyn is so lovely. Albeit a bit quiet. After I had confessed to her being my treasure and not this frivolous gold around me, she had polished off her wine and gone silent. Only spoke to tell me she was ready for bed, and I got to work making her pallet on the floor.

From the moment she settled into the mess of blankets and pillows, I have watched over her.

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