Page 19 of Redeeming the Dragon

Again, he made no response.

“Lights on,” I whispered. This time, the magic did not comply. The lights would not come on.

“Hello? Sir? What are you doing here? Answer me!” I whispered fiercely.

No response except…a gentle snore.

A snore? He slept?

A strange man came into my room, crawled into my bed, and refused to answer my demands. How could this be?

Irritated rather than frightened, I sat up, clutching the blankets to my chest like a shield, even though I was fully dressed. I swiped the hair from my face in a gesture of frustration.

How dare you?I thought. At the very least, he might have identified himself or informed me why he boldly came into my chamber and lay down without a word.

He is not harming you,my good sense rationalized.Be grateful for that.

I was grateful. I was grateful that the dragon had not eaten me, had not dropped me into the sea when we flew over the ocean, had not locked me in a dungeon, and hadn’t made me his slave. I was grateful to be alive and unharmed. That did not mean I had to be grateful an unknown man had climbed into my bed and now lay here asleep, snoring!

Frustrated, I climbed out of bed and stood over him in the dark, fuming. If only I had a light! Why did the magic of this place, which had so far provided for my every need, fail me when I needed it most?

I was uncertain what to do. I paced beside the bed, listening to the strange man snore, while rubbing my upper arms for warmth. As thenight wore on—and I assumed it was night, for there was no daylight wherewith to judge—the cave grew colder and colder. Standing there, caught up in these strange circumstances, I weighed my options.

I could go to the wardrobe, pull out more clothes, and create a nest on the floor to sleep. I could sit here beside the bed until this fellow wakens, discover who he is, and forbid him from returning to my room.

That seemed the least likely. After all, with him being bold enough to enter my room and climb into my bed, it stood to reason he would care little for my orders.

Sighing, I dropped my forehead into my palm.

The most practical option was the one I disliked the most. Climb back into bed and go to sleep. With the fellow snoring his life away, it seemed doubtful that he planned harm.

Do I dare?

Lowering my hand, I gazed at the bed, attempting to pierce the veil of gloom. My shivering increased. I wanted the warmth of the blankets, the softness of the mattress and pillows. The comfort of a real bed when my life had been torn to pieces.

Sleeping on the floor will not help should he choose to harm you,I reasoned.You could leave the room and seek a place to hide, but where would you go in the darkness? You could easily drop off a precipice or wander so far down a tunnel that you never find your way back. No, better to stay here.

Resolved, I crept forward until my knees struck the edge of the mattress. The gentle bump caused the stranger’s snoring to cease momentarily. I froze. Had I awakened him?

No, thank the Light, the snoring resumed. Reassured, I crept back into bed, lying on the very edge, distancing myself from him to the greatest extent. This time, rather than face the wall and pretend tosleep, I lay on my side, facing him, attempting to pick out any features I could.

Who are you?I wondered.What do you here in this strange place? What am I doing here in this strange place? How are we tied together? Why are you in my bed?

The longer I lay there, puzzling over the matter, straining to pierce the darkness and see this newcomer, the more I became alert to certain things. There was the slightest smell in the room—not unpleasant, by any means. Simply that of another living creature. Another human. And yet it was…oddly familiar. How could this be? How could this stranger’s scent be familiar? He smelled of wind and sea, of dark places, rich earth, and thick forests. As I continued to study the newcomer, my senses, deprived of vision, strengthened. My ears picked up the sound of a beating heart, its rhythm also oddly familiar. And then there were the breaths—in and out. In and out. In a pattern that I was certain I’d heard before.

Wait…

I pressed myself up on my elbow. My lips parted in shock.

This is—no. No, it cannot be. Can it?

The distinct scent. The rhythm of the heartbeat, which I’d heard during my flight to Aerisia’s mainland. The sound of his breathing.

This is the dragon!

Shocked, terrified, awestruck, I scrambled up in bed, scooting to the foot, away from the sleeping creature.

It is him!I thought, cupping a palm over my racing heart as I strove to quiet its thunder.This man is the dragon? How? How does a man shapeshift into a dragon? How does a dragon shapeshift into a man? Why would this man bring me here, to this underground cave of magic? Why creep into my bed with no explanation, simply to sleep? What does he intend? Am I to be a dragon’s bride?

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