“What are you doing? Have you gone mad?” she yelled over the brutal storm. It had plagued them all the way from Gwenvael’s den to Briec’s. The dragon had been able to keep ahead of it until a bit ago.
“Don’t you trust me, sweet Talaith?”
“No!”
He chuckled as the waterfall—and the stone wall behind it—came closer and closer.
With a screech, Talaith buried her face into Briec’s neck, her hands gripping his mane. She knew the moment they hit the waterfall as even more water drenched her and a roaring sound assaulted her ears, then it stopped and she was in complete darkness. She thought it was over, until the dragon went free-falling into the blackness.
His humming during all this didn’t help either. It competed with her screams.
When the dragon suddenly stopped, she thought for sure whatever remained in her stomach would come flying back up. He spoke a charm and torches lining the cave walls burst with light.
“Finally. Home.”
Without releasing the beast, Talaith looked up and saw the enormous cavern the dragon had dropped down to get to this level. Bastard. He could have warned her he wasn’t planning on some kind of poetic suicide.
Briec flew slowly down the cavern and Talaith marveled at the size of Briec’s cave. Gwenvael’s hadn’t been this large.
The deeper they went, the brighter it became with more and more torches lighting the way.
After a good fifteen minutes, the dragon pulled to a stop, gently landing.
“You all right?”
She yanked his hair and he rewarded her with a short grunt of pain. “No. I’m not all right.”
He began walking, heading deeper into his cave. “You really need to get used to flying. And stop pulling my hair. It’s irritating.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s attached to my head.”
“Not why should I stop pulling your hair, dragon. Why should I get used to flying?”
“Because, it’s the easiest way to get out of here. Unless, of course, you’d prefer the long walk out.”
Knowing there was another way out, even one, gave her much ease. She’d have to find it later when the dragon slept.
“Do I have to ride bareback all the time? Can’t you wear a saddle or something?”
Briec abruptly stopped walking. “Don’t ever say that to me again.”
She didn’t know he’d be so sensitive about it. “Sorry.”He nodded his enormous horned head and walked on. After another ten minutes, Talaith noticed large caverns filled with treasure. Also like Gwenvael’s cave. Eventually, he entered an enormous chamber and that’s when he finally stopped walking. Briec lowered himself to the ground and Talaith slid off his back. She leaned against him as her legs took a moment getting steady again.
Once she had some control, she pushed away from his body and slowly made her way deep inside. She gasped in surprise. “Briec…it’s…um…”
“Yes?”
“It’s beautiful.” She stared at the tapestries covering the walls. Beautiful ones that told stories of dragon heroes from long ago. He also had an immense dining table, silver-accented chairs surrounding it; couches for lounging, and one of the alcoves from the main chamber held the biggest bookshelf she’d ever seen, filled from top to bottom with books. More couches and chairs littered the alcove as well so one could rest and read.
It was warm. Cozy. And she’d never felt safer in her life. She fell in love with all of it immediately.
“I thought it would be like Gwenvael’s. Maybe even a little worse.”
Briec moved up beside her, his tail encircling her feet but not touching her. “Gwenvael doesn’t stay in his home much.”
She could believe that. The few days they all stayed in due to the storms, Gwenvael kept leaving and risking the weather so he could get a few minutes outside. He was not a dragon who liked being away from other beings for too long, unlike his brothers.
“So you do like it?”
“Yes. I love it.” She stepped away from him, pulling off her wet cape, and glanced into the different alcoves.
Briec cleared his throat. “If there’s something you don’t like, we can change it. Get you something nicer.”
“Nicer than what?” Everything before her was of the finest quality. Briec was definitely a dragon who liked his comforts expensive. “All of it is beautiful, Briec. Truly.”
She stopped at one of the alcoves only to find the largest bed she’d ever seen.
And, for some unknown reason, she felt bitter jealousy at the sight of it.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
She felt heat at her back and knew he’d shifted. So when his big arms wrapped around her shoulders, his hard body pushed up against her back, she wasn’t surprised. Although the extremely affectionate gesture confused her to no end.
“You don’t sound like it’s nothing.”
“You can’t expect me to sleep there.”
His head leaned over her shoulder, staring at the bed. “Why not? I know you wouldn’t prefer the floor.”
“I simply don’t want to.”
“I need something better than that, Talaith. What is it?”
She sighed. Might as well be honest. Couldn’t hurt. “I won’t stay in the same bed with you…”
“Why the hell not?” he demanded, suddenly angry, but unaware she wasn’t done.