Daughter Of The Dragon Princess(35)

"I regret that this time will, of necessity, be swift. I have a  hankering to go home, but don't worry, there will be time later for us  to indulge ourselves. You know, it's quite amazing the damage a human  body can take, and a drop of dragon blood and you're ready to start all  over again."

He leapt onto the altar stone and stood over her, then kicked at her legs. "Open them."

She fought then, writhed against the hands that held her, but they were  too strong. Vortigen's hands gripped her ankles, parting them so he sank  to his knees between her legs. She lay open to him, sobbing and panting  from the exertion. He appeared some sort of devil framed in the  wavering light from the portal. He jabbed her between the legs with his  fingers and she screamed and bucked against the restraining hands. He  smiled and began to unbuckle his belt. Lily closed her eyes.

***

Mal had watched her open the portal with pride. She was magnificent, his  Dragon Princess, his mate. He had watched as his brothers went home,  seen them step through the portal and been engulfed with a fierce tidal  wave of envy that almost dropped him to his knees. For two thousand  years, he had dreamed of nothing but returning to his homeland. Now he  knew that he would never see Ankesh again. He'd made his decision in the  clear knowledge that it would mean his certain death, and he accepted  that, but how he wished he could fly again in Ankesh, just one more  time.

Maybe if the Goddess was merciful she would let him return for one last  ghost flight through the fire lakes, but he expected no mercy for what  he was about to do.

He didn't fear death, but regretted that he had found Lily only to lose  her again so soon. They'd had such a short time together. He'd spent his  whole life alone before Lily, had moved through crowds untouched,  believing he needed no one. Now he knew he couldn't live without her. He  could see no way of saving them both, and so he would give up  everything to see her safe.

And Vortigen dead.

He forced himself to wait. Now, he was decided, he was eager to see it  through, but first, he wanted his people home safe. Once he made his  move, the portal would close to them. Forever.

At last, only Vortigen and his four sons remained. Still Mal waited,  hoping for what he didn't know, maybe for a few more moments in a world  that held Lily. A miracle, perhaps. He almost made his move when the  sorceress attacked, but held himself back. He watched as they laid Lily  upon the altar, her hair hanging like a living flame. Then Vortigen  knelt between her open thighs. Lily screamed. At the sound, he closed  his eyes and reached deep inside for his true self, and for the first  time in over two thousand years, he let his dragon go free. The change  came easily, smoothly, with a fierce wave of exultation that made him  roar his delight. He heard the sound of shots as he broke free of the  chains but the bullets glanced from his scales as he launched himself  into the sky.         

     



 

***

The crackle of flames filled her head as she lay with her eyes closed,  her body tight with anticipation. Then she heard gunshots. Mal.

Her eyes flashed open. Vortigen knelt poised above her, horror and  disbelief flashing across his face as he gazed across the circle. The  hands restraining her were no longer there, and she jerked herself  upright. She looked across to where Mal had been chained. He was gone. A  scream tore the night sky and she stared upward, a sense of wonder  filling her as she saw the beautiful creature. Its long lithe body  scaled in iridescent black, gleaming with a multitude of colors in the  flickering light.

The huge wings beat as he soared into the air. Mal, as she had seen him  in her dreams, behind her closed lids as they made love. He had changed  and he was going to save her.

Vortigen still knelt on the altar, gazing upward, Lily forgotten. She  kicked out with all her strength, knocking him to the ground. He cursed,  but scrambled to his feet. There was a flash of flames and she glanced  at the arch to see two of her guards disappear to the safety of Ankesh.  Of the other two guards, one was down, the other standing in the shelter  of the guardian stones, his face raised in horror.

Mal had flown high, as if reveling in his freedom. Now he turned and  swooped toward them, his streamlined form piercing the sky like an  arrow. He stopped above the stones and circled almost lazily, a dark  shadow against the star-strewn sky. He called out to them in some  language she didn't understand, and Vortigen gave a howl of enraged  fury. She turned to him and then backed away as she realized what was  about to happen. One moment the king stood before her, the next he was  gone, and in his place was a golden dragon with a long body and a huge  crested head. Jaws opened, revealing jagged teeth. Fire exploded as a  roar of fury rent the night. It turned to her and dark blue eyes blazed  in hatred. Then it launched itself into the sky towards the black dragon  that hung effortlessly in the air above them. Lily held her breath  waiting for the clash. At the last moment, Mal flicked out of the way,  easily evading Vortigen who turned clumsily and charged again only to  have the black swoop once more from his grasp. The battle followed a  pattern. The black almost seemed to be playing, teasing, until the other  attacked, then evading the charge with ease. Lily watched in awe as Mal  dove and spun, at one point flying low over the stone circle so she  could see his gleaming golden eyes. Vortigen's long tail lashed in fury.  She recognized the moment the black stopped playing. He rose high into  the sky, higher and higher until he was almost out of sight and then  fell. Vortigen rose up to meet him and they clashed with a scream of  rage, flames leaping from their wide-open jaws. Their long bodies coiled  together, black with the gold, twisting and turning as they hurtled  towards the Earth. Then, when it seemed impossible that they wouldn't  crash, Mal's talons gained a hold, sinking into the flesh of the golden  dragon's belly. With a scream of triumph, they raked down, piercing  beneath its armor of scales, ripping the skin, tearing an opening and  showering the stone circle with a rain of dragon blood. Then the black  reared back and lunged. Lily heard the crunch of flesh and bones as he  took the golden dragon's throat in his huge jaws. He shook it and the  long body lashed out, then with a final vicious twist, he hurled it to  the ground. It landed across the circle from where Lily stood, its vast  bulk unmoving. Lily edged closer. The dark eyes were open and lifeless,  and a wave of euphoria washed over her.

The black swooped down and landed lightly on the stone altar, his huge  shape silhouetted against the glow from the arch. As she approached, he  lowered his massive head. The heat of his breath brushed against her  face, the smell of smoke filled her nostrils. His eyes glowed, flashing  with flecks of red. She stroked her hand across the gleaming scales of  his nose. They were warm, full of life, and smooth under her fingers.  They were alive. Vortigen was dead.

"Thank you," she murmured.

Then Mal stood before her, human again, and she hurled herself into his  arms. He pulled her tight against him, stroking the length of her body,  crushing her to him until she wriggled away in protest.

"Sorry," Mal said. "But I thought I would never get to hold you again."

She pulled back so she could look up into his face. "Why didn't you tell me what you planned? I thought it was over."

"I wasn't sure I would go through with it. I waited for your miracle,  hoping I wouldn't have to, but in the end there was no other way to stop  him."

Something was wrong here, something she didn't understand. The euphoria  drained away leaving a cold sickly lump in her middle. "But is it so  bad? You won. You beat him. We're together, and the gateway is open. You  can go home."         

     



 

"No," Mal said. He dropped his hands from her arms and stepped back. "I can never go home now."





Chapter 19





"I don't understand," Lily said. "The portal is open." But even as she  spoke, the fires grew dimmer. The fierce buzz receded to a gentle hum as  though the land of Ankesh was fading into the distance.

"What's happening?" she asked. "Why is it closing?" She ran around the  altar and stood before the arch. Nothing happened. "Mal, tell me what to  do. How do I open the portal?"

Mal didn't meet her eyes for long moments. When he did, she could sense a  sadness in him, but also acceptance. "Come here," he said.

She came to him. He held her against him then lifted her into his arms  and sat on the altar stone with Lily cradled in his lap. Suddenly, she  wanted to close her ears, shut out whatever he was planning to say, and  cling to him.

Mal stroked her hair back from her forehead. "I told you once that our  most sacred law is never to take dragon form while on earth. If one of  our kind breaks this taboo, then the portal will close forever. It was  the only way that the god of men would allow the dragons access to  Earth. Lily, I can never return to Ankesh."