The Reluctant Lord (Dragon Lords) Page 12

  Vlad sucked her clit gently. Her toes curled and her legs automatically widened, opening her body up to him. She hooked her leg over his back, touching flesh with the bottom of her foot. The firm glide of skin and hard muscle caused a shiver to work its way over her. She couldn’t process the overwhelming flood of sensations, yet she couldn’t even consider stopping him. Nothing matter, thoughts escaped into pure desire.

  As if sensing her complete submission to her feelings, he probed his tongue forward into her body. Soon a finger followed, working inside her to give her wave after wave of intense pleasure. She made a weak noise and turned her face to the side. She bit at the pillow beneath her head, unable to capture it in her teeth. She lifted her hands over her head, finding hold on the cool stone wall as she pressed down against his fingers.

  He stroked her as he came over her. His hips forced her legs wider. He slipped his finger out of her, leaving her sex empty and aching.

  “No,” she gasped. Her hands slapped his shoulders to try to push him down again. Her hips searched, needing the contact to continue. A self-satisfied groan sounded over her. Through the haze of eyelashes and barely parted eyelids, she saw his confident smile.

  “Please.”

  “As you wish, my lady,” he said into her neck. He pressed his hips forward.

  The hard length of his arousal replaced the fingers. She made a weak noise of approval. The feel of his cock was much more satisfying than his hand had been, and he filled her completely. Her legs fell open and she let him control the pace. Thankfully, he was as eager as she, and he thrust into her with hard, precise strokes. She arched her back slightly. The change in position rewarded her with an intense undulation of ecstasy.

  His movements became more frantic and wild. Her breasts bobbed. He hooked her knee with his arm, lifting her leg up, opening her more. The shift of yellow intensity filled his gaze. Though he did not shift otherwise, she felt the untamed beast inside him. All she could do was hold on as he rode her.

  “There,” he managed, the sound gruff. “That’s it, Clara, there.”

  As if obeying, she climaxed. Clara inhaled a sharp breath as her entire body stiffened. She couldn’t move, could barely breathe. Tremors radiated over her. Seconds later, his release joined hers. They basked in the overwhelming sensations for a long moment before he finally collapsed next to her on the bed.

  “Perhaps the mines can wait until tomorrow. I don’t want to leave this bed today,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

  Vlad adjusted his limbs, pulling her next to him. Within moments, the even rise and fall of his breathing indicated he slept. She didn’t join him. Instead, she rested in his arms, trying to process everything that had happened. Touching her lips, she wondered what it looked like when she smiled. The concept still felt odd.

  “Lovely,” he mumbled in his sleep. “You look lovely.”

  Chapter Ten

  Over a week passed before they were able to go to the mines. First, Vlad didn’t want to leave the bed or more specifically his wife in the bed. Then a rainstorm came and kept them inside for days, pelting the village in a continuous onslaught of water. Whereas Clara was sure the men would have easily gone out in the weather, she was grateful for her husband’s consideration in not making her brave the storm.

  Clara was used to there being many people in one home, she just wasn’t accustomed to that home being as small as a cottage. With only a few rooms, even fewer if she only counted those where she was welcome to go, there were little options for privacy. This forced her to either hide in the guest room she shared with Vlad, or join the family. The logical choice in company was Arianwen, being as she was female, yet in many ways her hostess was as tough as any man. Plus, she was surrounded by men. Tomos teased his wife endlessly and she scolded him in return, often lecturing him and ordering him about like she was a lord herself.

  The sons were all tall, thick specimens, very indicative of the planet’s population. Sven watched her, always curious. Sometimes his eyes lingered too long on her face, but she did not feel threatened by him. Matus spoke to her like an equal and always remembered to include her in his conversations. If she didn’t understand a reference in one of his many stories, he seemed to read that on her and adjusted his tale to include more details. The man spoke quite a lot, but what he said was always interesting. Nolan was the most incorrigible of the group. His joking often ran to the inappropriate, but he delivered his humor with such levity she could hardly find it in her to correct him and remind him of his station. Perhaps the most curious was the fact that none of them seemed to think station mattered. They treated Vlad like they treated each other. They were more cautious with Clara, but she had the feeling it was only because they did not have personal history. She could well imagine in a year’s time being the recipient of one of Nolan’s pranks, or the highlight of Matus’s stories.

  Without asking, Sven spooned more food onto the plate in front of her before helping himself to the fluffy yellow substance. The amount he gave her was well above a lady’s portion. She lifted her hand in protest too late.

  “You’ll need your strength today,” he said, stopping anything she might say. “There will be some climbing involved to get to where we’re going in the mines.”

  Clara looked at the mound in front of her and knew there was no way she would be able to eat all of it. Already her stomach was pushed to the limit. Out of everything, that fact annoyed her more than others. They kept trying to get her to eat more and commented on her weight as if it needed to be corrected. All her health scans said she was in perfect condition. She hated feeling like they were monitoring her intake.

  Vlad was seated at the side opposite Sven. His arm wound around her back and he leaned closer to her. Matus was finishing his story about how Sven used to walk in his sleep and how they found him naked in a tree chirping like a bird.

  “No such thing happened!” Sven protested. “I was naked, but I wasn’t chirping like anything and I wasn’t in a tree.”

  “You were asleep, so how can you be so sure?” Nolan inserted.

  “I didn’t see it, but you were pretty scraped up when they brought you home,” Tomos added, joining in his sons’ teasing.

  Clara glanced at her plate and tried a little of the fluff. It was overly sweet. Vlad reached his utensil onto her plate and helped himself to the dessert. She glanced at him in surprise and he winked. Clara nodded her thanks. There was no way she would be able to stomach so much sweet food. Already the taste left her a little gaggy in the back of her throat. She took some water to wash the flavor out. No one seemed to take note of Vlad’s food thievery.

  “What kind of ore do you mine?” Clara asked when the teasing died down.

  All eyes turned to her in surprise, even her husband.

  “You don’t know?” Arianwen questioned, as if such a thing was unheard of. “I thought the entire universe knew about our mines.”

  “Galaxa-promethium,” Tomos answered.

  Those words meant nothing to Clara.

  “It’s a semi-radioactive mineral with stable properties that can fuel a space ship longer and stronger for deep space travel,” Matus explained. “Captains like it for long voyages because they need less fuel weight to go farther distances.”

  “These mountains are loaded with it,” Nolan added. “And we mine it.”

  Sven glanced at her now empty plate and nodded in approval. Apparently, he hadn’t noticed she’d had help with the dessert.

  “It’s rare. We’re one of the only planets that have an abundance of it,” Matus continued.

  “And you oversee the whole system?” Clara looked at her husband, curious. If what they said was true, it was quite possible her husband was in charge of his people’s entire economic prosperity. That was a large amount of power to be entrusted to a man not born into nobility. Vlad must be very well respected indeed.

  “Day-to-day operations, production, worker wellbeing…” Vlad’s words trailed off as if his part in
Qurilixen economics were no big deal. “The mines are a long-standing family duty. Mirek handles the ambassadorial, political side of things when it comes to shipping and trading.”

  “And will this malfunction injure the economy?” Clara asked.

  “We’re lucky there is a surplus of ore,” Tomos said. “This accident won’t put us behind our shipping schedule.”

  Vlad nodded. “We still need to find out what happened. If the equipment malfunctioned and needs to be replaced then waiting for the parts or a replacement unit could set us back.”

  “Agreed.” Tomos nodded. The gesture was silently mimicked by the others. Clara felt how seriously they took their jobs.

  “The Federation can expedite things for you, yes?” she asked.

  Arianwen stood and started gathering plates.

  “The Federation has very high demands and we deal with them as little as possible. For the most part it works out to our benefit. They have little interest in us as a people, but for our mining operations.” Vlad lifted her plate, stacked it on his and then handed them to Arianwen. The woman carried them to the kitchen. He continued, “As long as we mine, they’re satisfied. As long as they pay for their ore like everyone else, we’re satisfied.”

  Arianwen returned from the kitchen with a satchel. She handed it to her husband. “Send one of the boys if you’re going to be late this time. I know you are always safe, but don’t leave me up all night worrying because you lost track of time. Again. Here’s food.”

  Tomos nodded and smiled lovingly at his wife as he went to her. “How is it a man can be so lucky?” He kissed her without thought of those watching.

  “The gods took pity on you and sent you me,” she answered, though her soft look took any seriousness out of her playful teasing.

  Tomos glanced at Clara, catching her watching them. His smile turned polite before he kissed his wife once more and led the way from the home.

  “Thank you for your kindness, Arianwen,” Clara said as she moved to follow Vlad.

  “Did you put on the rock boots I lent you?” Arianwen asked. Clara nodded. “Good. Be careful in those mines. Stay close to Vlad, he’ll protect you.”

  The warning made her uneasy, but she nodded again as she walked outside. Clara glanced down the street, making sure the ceffyls were not still in the area. The ground had begun to dry though there were still puddles dotting the streets. She’d only just recovered most of her energy from the last mind attack. Children played in the street, shouting and waving absently as the workers made their way toward the waterfall.

  There was a calmness to the men, a quiet appreciation for the morning. The path they traveled was well walked, curved down into the surrounding earth from decades of use. In a few places she was forced to hop over the muddiest patches of earth or risk ruining her borrowed rock boots. Parts of the trail were near the edge of a cliff, leading down into the thick underbrush. A few places were worn as if men slid down them on the heels of their boots into the forest below.

  A breeze came by way of the waterfall, cool but not wet. The sound of water rushing on stones echoed around them. Trees grew below in the dense valley, a few of the treetops high enough to touch. She lifted her hand, letting her arm rustle its leaves. It shook, sending a red bird out of the branches with an angry squawk. Clara gasped and jumped back. The men laughed as Vlad caught her.

  Vlad’s touch instantly turned her attention from their surroundings to him. The fresh air became tinted with his scent. She liked the smell of him and found herself breathing deeper.

  The mouth of the cave was hidden by a rock jutting up from the ground. Tomos and his sons leapt up on the rock and then disappeared down the other side, as if the movement was habitual. Vlad took her arm and led her around the outcropping to an easier entrance. Bright green vines grew along the cave’s opening, spreading out over the landscape. Aside from the obvious marks of foot traffic going in, she would not have guessed this hole in the earth was anything special beyond its pretty features.

  The whole of the Draig economy’s fate was through this hole?

  Inside, the cave opened up into a large cavern, which was illuminated by light reflecting off giant crystal formations. Smaller stones clustered the ceiling and floor, with giant columns crossing haphazardly through the large space joining floor to ceiling to walls. The columns blocked the path leading inward and the men were forced to climb over the structures.

  Clara touched the crystal with the back of her wrist. The smooth, cool texture was slick. Though the men didn’t seem to have a problem with climbing, Clara looked doubtfully at her skirts.

  “I’ll help you,” Vlad said. “Follow my steps.”

  Clara nervously nodded. The rock boots’ tread adhered to the crystal’s surface, giving her traction. Vlad climbed ahead of her and reached down to take her hand. Her fingers tingled where she touched him, but she held on and let him pull her up. Standing on the crystal, she smiled proudly. For the men it might be one tiny feat, but for her she’d just climbed her first rock. Such a thing would never be allowed on her planet.

  “So this is where you get your crystals,” she commented, gesturing to the nearby Nolan’s neck.

  “No, these crystals are useless except to stand guard over our shafts,” Nolan answered. “It keeps the forest beasts from venturing in.”

  “And the cave creatures from venturing out,” Matus added as he reached the end of the crystal formations and jumped down. Clara stepped carefully from one inclined perch to another, grateful she’d worn the borrowed boots and not her own stiff pair.

  “Our crystals come from the bottom of Crystal Lake closer to the palace. When our first child is born, I will take you there to see it when I get his stone so that he may someday be as blessed as we are.” Vlad turned, leading her over the crystals.

  Clara hid her expression as she thought of her parents’ plan for her. They expected her to return home with the child and would not allow him to wear the uncarved crystal necklace of his father’s people. To them, the stone would be crude and barbaric. They would insist he instead wear formed jewels and the clothing of a proper Redde gentleman. Would taking away the crystal curse the child somehow?

  She didn’t want to think of it, not now.

  “If you could have those babies soon, Vlad, we’d appreciate it. I think the whole reason why our mother wants us to go to the Breeding Ceremony is so that we’ll give her babies to spoil and sew for,” Sven said.

  “She secretly dreams one of us will give her a girl,” Matus added.

  “She thinks girls throw knives better than boys,” Nolan explained, “and she wants to pass her skills forward to the next generations.”

  Clara made it across to the last crystal column and watched as Vlad jumped down. She reached for his upstretched hand and let him help her back to the cave floor. The exercise flushed her skin and she tried to take calming breaths. The men did not look affected by the journey.

  The blue stone of the cave walls were threaded with a silvery grey. The opening only grew as they ventured downward. Loose stones covered the floor, crunching beneath their boots. The silver veins came together, giving a high glossy sheen to areas of the cave. It reflected a warped image back to her. Clara paused seeing her unpainted face and the hair wound at the nape of her neck rather than on top of her head. In such a short time, she looked so different. She doubted her siblings would even recognize her.

  “Clara?” Vlad asked quietly.

  “My apologies. I was thinking that my sisters and sisters-by-marriage are probably being taken out of stasis to have their children soon.” She turned sadly away from her reflection. “I will miss the births of my thirty nieces and nephews.” She then straightened her shoulders and stiffened her back. “I should not be dwelling on my former home. We are here to do your duty by the miners. Please, continue. I will keep up.”

  The cave began to narrow as they left the silver-blue room for a smaller pathway. They walked in silence a great distance un
til the sound of rushing water echoed all around them. The natural pathway molded into a cylindrical mine shaft. The tool marks on the walls attested to the fact this section was manmade.

  A female dragon had been carved into the stone. Her fierce, scaled skin was worn from time. Around her, smaller dragons gathered as if worshipping her.

  “That is Trolla,” Matus explained. “Protector of the mines. The goddess keeps us safe.”

  “Mining superstitions,” Nolan said.

  “Quiet, boy,” Tomos warned. “You will respect our gods.”

  Nolan looked guiltily to the floor and said nothing.

  Vlad took her arm as the passage widened and broke off into two directions. “We are close to the waterfall.”

  “You can’t reach it now,” Matus put forth. “The crawl tunnel leading to that area was above where we’re standing. The rock slide cut it off. Luckily, it is never in use for we have no reason to go to the falls.”

  “The shaft is just up ahead,” Tomos said. He stopped near a wall of stone. “The drone is on the other side.” He lifted a handheld unit that had been left on the floor and began pressing buttons. “It’s not responding to our signal anymore.”

  “It was probably damaged.” Sven took the unit from his father and began working his fingers over it. “I tagged its last location when I was down here. It wasn’t moving so I’m sure it’s still there. If we can recover it, we can see what happened.

  Clara didn’t feel so well. She tried to monitor her breathing as she stared at the stone wall. Support beams had been lodged against the ceiling and some of the stones had been rolled to the side of the passage.

  “Perhaps I should not have agreed to let you come,” Vlad said quietly.

  “If my husband is in charge of the mines, I must understand that duty. It is right that I came.” She shivered but hid her growing discomfort. “I will maintain.”

  “If the readings were right, we should be close to the hollow pocket. Until we see with our own eyes though, we won’t know if the drone malfunctioned and sent wrong messages or if the sonar is off and we need to replace the unit.”