Dragon Memories: A High Fantasy Reverse Harem Romance (Legacy of Blood and Magic Book 2) Read online

  Dragon Memories

  Legacy of Blood and Magic: Book 2

  Lacey Carter Andersen

  Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Also By Lacey Carter Andersen

  About the Author

  Copyright 2021

  Published by Lacey Carter Andersen

  Cover Art by Valued Creations

  This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only. All characters are over the age of eighteen. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.

  Dedication

  To my oldest child— whether I’m with you or not, I’m always here.

  ~ Lacey Carter Andersen

  1

  Kadelynn

  After four days of traveling, Kadelynn and Acker came to a dip in the landscape, almost as if they’d been climbing a hill and suddenly come to the top. Below them, the long grasses gave the rolling hills the impression of an amber sea of waves. Trees alight with color dotted the landscape, shouting of fall.

  Unlike her familiar Wipendrow trees, whose only acknowledgment of the change in seasons was their leaves turning brown and falling to the ground, these trees stretched into the pale blue sky, shimmering of red, orange, and yellow. Green and brown bushes crowded amongst the trees, seeking shelter beneath their shade. And far off in the distance, there were strange grey and black mountains clustered together.

  Acker only paused for a moment before continuing to steer them through the long grass, which sometimes gave way to a small trail. It was difficult to hold back the many questions she longed to ask him, but she’d already accepted that he was a poor traveling companion. One moment he was cheerful and flirtatious, and the next blunt and short-tempered. His unpredictability had begun to grate on her, especially because of how desperately she longed for his good moods to give her a brief reprieve from her almost obsessive thoughts about killing a Dragulous and returning to her father and gain the right to choose her path in life.

  By the time evening was upon them, they’d passed the painfully slow day in almost complete silence. She was all too hopeful for a pleasant conversation, food, and sleep. If Acker is even capable of it.

  They crossed through a large, slow-flowing river and then steered towards a huddled grove of trees, their leaves blazing orange in the setting sun. Their resting place lay a short distance from the path, but they had to trample a significant amount of thick, long grass before reaching it.

  As they unsaddled their horses, she felt a strange sense of seclusion beneath the protection of the trees. The world moved almost in slow motion as she stared out at the grass, bending in unison to the strength of the wind. Black Hawk trotted to the river, his muscled, sleek body moving with elegance as he drank. She sated her own thirst, moving slowly and enjoying the peace of the cool night air, filled with the sounds of birds and bugs calling to one another. Finally, she returned to their camp to stand beside Acker and the already blazing fire.

  He looked up at her, a wicked grin dancing across his handsome face. “Sometimes magic comes in handy.”

  She held back a sigh of relief. He was in a good mood.

  A ring of rocks encircled the fire, and two huge logs were positioned next to each other, on one side, just a couple feet from the fire. A thick layer of leaves settled on the ground by her feet. It was a comfortable place to rest, and after a day of worrying, the tension in her muscles slowly eased.

  She settled onto one of the logs. “Do you rest here often?”

  One of his brows rose. “Often enough. Do you like it?”

  “Very much.” She smiled, then looked down at her feet.

  “You’ve been quiet today,” Acker observed.

  She shrugged, not wanting to admit she’d been avoiding his possible foul mood. “I have a lot on my mind.”

  “Rethinking your suicide?” There was a teasing note to his voice, but his face was grim.

  “Not that, although you’ve made your thoughts on the matter pretty clear.” She took a deep breath and decided to share a fraction of her concerns. “I was just thinking how abandoned my father likely feels.”

  “Do you really care how he feels?”

  His question took her breath away. Of course, I care how my father feels, how could I not? And almost more than her father, she cared what Sergeant thought of her. He trained her as if she were a man. And no matter what happened next, she wanted him to be proud of her. To not see her as a woman running away from a terrible marriage, but as a woman running toward a better destiny.

  But even though she’d been reluctant to expose this weakness to Acker up until then, she’d never imagined Acker could think her so heartless as to not care about her own father or her family. The realization left her feeling strangely wounded.

  “He’s my father,” she explained, trying to hide her hurt. “My leaving likely caused him a lot of problems, something I hate.”

  “He’s the one who tied you to that monster of a man. This should be his mess to sort out. You shouldn’t be out on some ridiculous quest, that’s going to get you killed, because of his dumb decision.”

  “He meant well.” She stopped herself from saying any more. She wanted to defend her father, but she still couldn’t excuse what he’d done, so instead, she changed the subject. “Are we following some kind of path?”

  Acker spoke too quickly. “It’s just an old game trail.”

  The heavy smell of lies wafted from him, like smoke formed from copper and vinegar. She turned to regard him and was surprised to find him staring straight ahead, his back rigid. He’d made every attempt over the past days to project the image of a man calm and collected in every situation, but sharp of wit. Whatever truth he concealed from her had him rattled.

  “I’m going to try my luck at fishing.” He said, suddenly watching her closely for her reaction.

  She seized his change in topic, not wanting to ruin his good mood. “Again? I’m already tired of a diet of jerky, wheat cakes, and fish.”

  “Well, we won’t have another choice until we find a place to trade.”

  His words startled her. Never had she considered they’d need to stop for provisions. At first, she’d always assumed the land would provide what they needed on their mission. But very quickly, it’d become apparent that not much riding would occur if they spent their days hunting. Large parties could send hunters out as they traveled, but with just the two of them, it wasn’t practical. But still… she’d thought that after they’d run out of supplies, they’d be forced to slow their pace and hunt. There hadn’t seemed to be another possibility, at least one that wouldn’t lead to her getting caught.

  A sickening feeling washed
over her. What did he have planned for her? If he took her to a town, would he simply turn her in for the reward? Had he rethought their deal, or had he always planned to betray her? “We’re going to trade?”

  “Yes. There are a few safe places along the way.” His eyes didn’t meet hers, but his words seemed carefully chosen. “And Esterden is not far from here if we get desperate. But if we have to go there, it’ll cost us more time than we want.”

  Her stomach felt hollow. Not only was it possible Acker planned to betray her, but they might have to go to Esterden? Her cousin’s town? Other than her home, that was the last place she wanted to go. Betrayal still left a sour taste in the back of her throat. She’d trusted her cousin. He was her best friend, or so she had thought, and he’d been unforgivably cruel.

  “Why do we have to go to a town at all? Can’t we just hunt as we go?”

  He shook his head. “The place I’m taking us, where the Dragulous prefer, is far from any town, and game is scarcer. We’ll have to be well-stocked before we get there.”

  Her thoughts spun, wondering if she was yet again trusting the wrong person. “So where will we go?”

  “We’ll keep heading toward the Dragulouses, just like we’ve been doing.” Acker’s words held a mocking tone like he was speaking to a child.

  Uh oh.

  She didn’t want to anger him, but she couldn’t help but press him further. “But where do we plan to trade if we don’t go to Esterden?”

  He frowned. “People often set up little trading spots along our path.”

  “So, we’re following a trading trail?” she asked, remembering her earlier unanswered question.

  “Yes.”

  His clipped response said the conversation was over, but she pressed on.

  “Where does this trail lead?”

  He sighed. “Look. We have secrets, ones my people wouldn’t appreciate me sharing with a Stonebuilder, okay?”

  “Okay.” She couldn’t tell if he was lying, but his response soothed her nerves. A bit.

  He returned her searching gaze. Then, a smile touched his lips. “You can trust me.”

  With great effort, she forced herself to return his smile.

  “I’ll see if I can catch some fish.”

  A nervous energy filled her as she moved around the campsite, busying herself with tasks that would need to be done before nightfall. It wasn’t the tasks that made her feel nervous though, it was her thoughts. She kept thinking about the strange way she felt when Acker smiled at her. Seeing him smile was like watching a candle flicker to light. In his dark eyes, she could see the ghost of a happy man who made her heart race. This ghost of a man brought the strange desire within her to run her fingers through his dark hair, or stroke the stubble on his chin. She wondered if his arms were as strong as they looked, or how his hands would feel on her skin.

  That smiling man… I want him like I want the man from my dreams. I… desire him.

  Yet, she was no fool. There were the other sides of him that made her hesitate to even want to investigate the way his smile made her heart flutter. But even though she warned her heart over and over again to stop thinking about the way he smiled, and the dimples in his cheeks, she couldn’t shake the image. It seemed a great deal of time had passed when Acker finally returned with three large fish, and she focused on him, trying to shove her unwanted feelings down.

  He’d already cleaned the fish, so with a practiced finesse, he ran sticks through them and set them over the fire, while she tried her best not to watch him too carefully. Because his arms were strong, and his hands large and impressive. Then there was the way he moved, he had the confidence of someone who knew their body, and knew it well. Like a warrior.

  Had she thought he was frightening the first time she met him? Now, it wasn’t fear that made her watch him, but the realization that the man had big arms with tightly corded muscles that made her mouth go dry. Once she’d seen him by a river with his shirt off, and the sight had made her feel flushed and embarrassed.

  She’d never seen a man built like him before. He was tall and muscular, with a smooth belly and a chest she longed to touch. Every part of him looked hard. But is he?

  The second she thought of the question, she felt her cheeks heat. Was it really not enough that he had silky, black hair that nearly hung to his shoulders and intoxicating dark eyes? He had to be built like every woman’s fantasy too?

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked, and she jumped a little.

  “Nothing.”

  “You were blushing,” he said, amusement in his voice.

  “I wasn’t,” she denied, not meeting his gaze.

  He chuckled, but she was grateful when he simply went back to work arranging their campsite. The last thing she needed was for the Seer to realize that she found him so attractive. Nothing good could come of it.

  Nothing at all.

  After a few minutes, he unrolled his bedding, not far from her own. In fact, closer than usual, and then fished around in his bags.

  “I’ve got a surprise.”

  For some reason, his surprise worried her more than intrigued her.

  He came and sat down beside her, his thigh grazing her own, before showing her the bottle. A proud smile touched his lips as he held it out. “It’s Wipenhol.”

  “Wipenhol?”

  He unscrewed the bottle and smelled it, before holding it out to her.

  She held back her smile as she smelled the liquor. “Very nice.”

  Confidently, he sipped from the bottle, then held it out to her again. “Want some?”

  “Sorry, I don’t drink Wipenhol,” she said, trying her best to soften her reply.

  The disappointment that filled his expression made her instantly regret her words, but she’d never drunk Wipenhol, and she wasn’t about to do so just because it disappointed him. Wipenhol was made by her father. During her life, she’d learned a lot about the process of taking the pods from the Wipendrow trees and had no desire to drink the beverage, under any circumstance.

  “Why not?” His voice held an edge of annoyance.

  “My father says it’s very addicting.”

  “And you always do what your father says, isn’t that right?”

  She stiffened, surprised by the malice in his voice. “I’ve always tried to.”

  “Yet,” he waved the bottle around as he spoke, “here you are, running away from your father. With me.”

  It was as if someone had doused her in cold water. Acker was unlike any man she’d met before. He flattered and flirted most of time, but when she displeased him in any way, even ways she was unsure of, he struck back. It made her wonder if most men held this dark side, and her father had simply protected her from it, or if it was something Acker alone had perfected.

  “What, no argument?” he asked, taking a long swig from the bottle. “Finally decided to stop behaving like a child and have a drink?”

  She took a slow, steadying breath. “No, thank you.”

  “No, thank you,” he repeated, mockingly. “How proper of you.”

  Uneasiness coursed through her as she considered her situation. Night came with a vengeance. Her only companion was an unpredictable Seer who no doubt grew drunker with each passing second. Maybe she felt deep inside that he could never hurt her, but she’d been wrong about people too many times in her life to trust her instincts.

  Swallowing the lump in her throat, she dug her fingernails into her palms. “Wipenhol is pretty expensive. How did you afford it?”

  He froze, the bottle halfway to his lips. “Are you implying I stole it?”

  “If I thought you stole it, I would’ve said so.” She leaned forward and turned the remains of her fish, which had already begun to burn on one side.

  When she settled back down, she casually sat further from him.

  He hadn’t moved since she’d spoken, but when she sat back down, he shook himself as if just awakened. “I know your dear papa might have told you only lor
ds can afford the finer things in life, but this trader doesn’t do so badly for himself.”

  What is his problem?

  She suspected it was more than just the sweet liquor aggravating his temper, but wisdom kept her from asking him the question. He wanted to goad her into a fight, at least that much was clear, and she had no idea why. So, she focused on turning the fish over the crackling fire as the sun slowly disappeared from the horizon. Grey spread across the sky, then a black blanket glittering with stars. The rest of the fish were terribly overcooked, but she hesitated to break the silence.

  Luckily, she didn’t have to.

  “You ladies never been taught to cook a fish?” When she didn’t answer, he gently pushed her aside and took two of the fish from the fire. One he handed to her, almost like it was a sword rather than a fish. She took it reluctantly, as he pulled the third fish from the fire and laid it on the hot stones encircling the blaze. “Eat, why don’t you!” he commanded, making her jump. “Or is the simple food of a trader not good enough for you?”

  Instead of eating, she put down the fish and stood up, all logic fleeing. “Do you have a problem that needs to be addressed?”

  He stayed sitting, but the look he shot her was like a curse. “I’m just getting tired of you thinking you’re better than me.”

  “Better than you?” she put her hands on her hips. “Where is this coming from?”

  He stood slowly, towering over her. “I bet if I was some wealthy lord, you would’ve drunk with me and climbed into my bed.”

  “You think…” she struggled with the words, torn between anger, embarrassment, and confusion before finally gathering her thoughts. “I’m a lady. I plan to remain, well, a virgin, until my wedding night.”