Dragon Bound (Elder Races, #1)

by Thea Harrison

“Shut up,” he snapped. He locked a second manacle to his other ankle. She grabbed his arm. “Dragos, there’s some kind of bad magic in those!”

He whipped around and snarled at her, eyes blazing. She flinched and cowered from him. Her thoughts flatlined.

When she was pretty sure she had her balance back, she opened the locked cell door and walked out.

A battered, filthy Pia backed into the room, and Dragos became sane.

“Oh, for crying out loud.” She rolled her eyes. “Two sets of manacles? Now I suppose we need two sets of keys. This day keeps getting better and better.”

“Come here. Come here.”

Then that first Goblin had driven his fist into her stomach, and he had gone bat-shit crazy.

He had clung to his self-control by the merest thread, by the realization of how much worse it could get for her if they got the reaction out of him they were searching for.

They hurt her, and that hurt him inside somewhere, in a place he had never been hurt before.

he had made her cower from him. He had never before hated himself, but he thought he did at that moment.

“What?” he said. “What are you saying? Stop talking that way. Shut up.”

“I snarled at you. I didn’t mean it.”

“You cringed from me. Don’t ever cringe from me again.”

“If you turn on me and snarl like a wild animal when I’m not expecting it, I think I might cringe again. Call me a girly girl if you want, but that’s just how it is.”

“I won’t do it again,” he...

“Locked things can’t hold me caged,

He had learned to pick locks as soon as locks were invented. People liked to lock up all kinds of pretty things that he wanted.

“Your wrist is a mess.” “Don’t be such a girly girl,” he told her.

They’re disgusting.” “They taste bad too,” he said.

“You’ve eaten Goblin!” she exclaimed. “No,” he said, “I’ve bitten Goblin.”

“Still not right in the head,” she muttered. He sent her a gleam of that machete smile over his shoulder. “You are going to explain what you mean by that very soon now.”

“Did you or did you not promise no arguing?” “Fuck you. You’re not the boss of me,” she mumbled against his palm.

“You promised not to argue when you don’t want to argue. Is that it?”

“Okay, girly girl. You’re going in the cell, I’m locking the door behind you and all the fuck-yous in the world aren’t going to change that. It’s the safest place for you.

“Tough,” he said. “I’m going hunting and you don’t want to be there.”

A fat tear splashed onto his hand and he looked as if it had seared him. He swore under his breath.

Then he bent his head and brushed her mouth with his. “I swear to you, Pia, they will not hurt you again. You have to trust me.”

She showed him the switchblade she was holding against her thigh. His severe face lit with a smile. “Surprise number one hundred thirty-four and counting.”

“No, your nature’s too gentle for that, isn’t it?” He stroked her hair and pulled her with care into his arms.

She leaned against him, her world settling back into place. On a deep level she didn’t have time to examine, it was a very disturbing experience.

He pointed the sword at her and mouthed, “Stay put.” She nodded back. She wanted to obey that one.

“None of these grunts have keys. Now it’s your turn to do your stuff. It’s ugly,” he warned her.

“If you’re going to vomit, make it quick,” he told her in a matter-of-fact voice.

Her dilemma was solved as Dragos grabbed her by the elbows and gently swung her over to the other side.

“Now we have to haul ass,” said Dragos. She looked around at the alien, wild landscape, and just like that, she fell into the crack. “That’s it,” she croaked. “I’m done.”

I don’t have anything else. You’ll have to go without me.” “You are a stupid woman,” he said. He sounded furious.

The world tilted as he swept her into his arms. “I’m not done.” Holding her tight, he started to run.

“Hush,” he told her. “I’ll explain later. You just have to keep trusting me.”

That seemed to matter a lot to him. He kept bringing it up. She turned her face into his neck. “Okay.” It wasn’t like she had any choice at the moment.

He broke off an end of the wafer she held and coaxed it between her lips.

He smiled a little and touched the corner of her mouth.

He reclined on his side, propped his head in his hand and watched her enjoy the wayfarer bread.

Then he started to pull other things out of the pack and lay them in her lap. A light woolen Elven blanket, a tunic and leggings, a packet of soap—soap!—and a hairbrush. She stared at the treasures.

“I know how much you hated it in there,” he said. “Oh. My. God.” She looked at him, teary. “I think this is one of the nices...

His long hard fingers massaged her scalp and worked the soap with patience through the long wet rope of hair that trailed in the stream.

He wrapped the blanket around her. He had her sit with her back to him. Then he brushed out her hair.

He pulled her onto his lap, wrapped his arms around her and coaxed her head onto his shoulder.

He traced the elegant curve of her brow with a finger, followed the delicate arch of her ear.

The dragon held her sleeping figure closer. He lowered his cheek to her head

She felt stronger, freer and wilder than she ever had before.