Page 20 of To Charm a Dark Prince

“Perfect,” he murmured.

Suddenly, the fire that was burning all around her…just snuffed out. She was normal again. She squeaked and quickly covered herself.

“Iron is the foil to all the magic of the world. With it, one can control—and contain—the wild energy of this isle,” he quietly explained. He reached out again, and she flinched as he gathered up a lock of her hair. She saw it had changed colors again—now it was a series of oranges, yellows, and reds—like fire. Almost like the color of his eyes. “To an extent. While a skilled elemental such as myself could find a way around the limiting nature of the necklace you wear, I doubt you will.”

Hotandegotistical. Great.

The knight in the silver armor quickly approached and pulled a cloak off his shoulders. It was made of thick, white fur. He handed it to the prince, who draped it around Gwen’s shoulders, covering her nudity. His arms lingered there for a moment, and she wondered for a second if he was going to pull her close.

She wondered if she’d mind. “Thanks…” Well, there was that problem solved at least. But she felt like this was going to get worse before it got better.

“You are welcome. Now, if you will.” He gestured toward his enormous metal dragon, who was still sitting on the ground like an enormous loafing cat.

“Wait. What? You want me to ridethat?”

“Do you want to walk?” He smirked. “You will be safe.”

“Uh-huh. Sure. Says the guy who just killed two people. And who owns a giant stabby dragon. And who has knives for hands.”

He laughed. One of his hands settled on her shoulder, fingers curled around the back of her neck. “I can be a bit intimidating, I admit.”

“Understatement of the year,” she muttered under her breath. “Where are you taking me?”

“To my home.” Simple question, simple answer. He gestured wide with his other arm toward the big rusty metal dragon.

She started walking at his insistence, and tried not to get too distracted by the sensation of his hand on her mid-back, guiding her. “This might be a stupid question. Am I your prisoner?”

He smiled. It wasn’t an unpleasant expression, perhaps even a little bit pitying of her situation. “Yes.”

That wasn’t anything to laugh about. She glanced back at the body of Grigory on the ground, and winced. “I really wish you hadn’t killed him.”

“I have killed thousands in my day. And I will kill thousands more. Such is the way of Avalon. Now…please.” He gestured to the dragon. She could see a saddle way up on its back. She pulled the cloak tighter around herself and hesitated.

The dragon tilted its head around to look at her. Its head alone was the size of a damn car. It peered at her with those strange, glowing, eerie white eyes.

“Um. Hi. Hello, Mr. Dragon. N—Nice to meet you.”

It made a strange clicking sound, like metal tapping against metal.

“He says hello. And he is impatient to go home. As am I.” The prince gestured at the dragon. “Do you need assistance?”

“N—no. I think I—I think I can do it.” She chewed her lip, and started climbing up the side of the monster. It was easier said than done, but luckily the dragon was covered in jagged, pointy bits. It gave her things to hold onto. It was made even more difficult by the cloak she was wearing, which she was definitely prioritizing over a speedy climb. She reached the saddle and sat there, nervously waiting.

Now what?

Then she realized what, and her cheeks went warm. She’d ridden enough horses to know what was about to happen.Ah, shit.

The prince climbed up after her, much more quickly and smoothly than she had. He sat behind her and, before she could even process what was happening, she found herself between his knees, his arm wrapped firmly around her.

It was like being held by a truck. She went rigid, and felt her breathing start to grow fast and shallow again.

“Calm yourself, firefly.” He held her firmly to his chest. It felt reassuring, even if he was the reason she was about to have a panic attack. “Lest you pass out.”

“Probably too late for that, thanks for—” She broke off in a scream as the dragon stood.

She kept screaming as the dragon spread its wings and jumped into the air.

The last thing she remembered was the prince laughing behind her.

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