Captive 0f The Dragons (Bonfire Falls Paranormal Romance Book 3) Read online

  “I will.”

  Sybil turns to leave, her mind-slaved shifter wolf in tow. I don’t dare believe I’ve really duped her until she actually disappears into the thick forest.

  I head deeper into the forest and put Sybil literally and figuratively behind me. I don’t know if she really bought my story or not, but at least she let me leave.

  Right now, she’s the least of my worries. The dragons can be even more dangerous than Sybil, and to navigate this forest at night bears its own hazards, even for a witch like me. But the dragons are our only hope for peace, so I bury my fear and march into the dense woods.

  2

  Blaze

  In the dark and quiet midnight hour, I amble past houses made of red cobblestones. Whenever sleep eludes me, a walk relaxes me more than the blank walls in my bedroom.

  After enjoying six cups of coffee earlier today, I’ve probably had too much caffeine. Oh, well. One day I’ll actually listen to my friend Ember’s lectures about too much caffeine and its effects on a dragon shifter’s sleep patterns at night. He won’t touch the stuff after noon. That’s his cut off and he sticks to it. I, on the other hand, insist on sipping coffee throughout the day. It keeps me alert and ready for any potential danger. We haven’t had conflict for years, but there’s a stillness to the air that portends a coming storm.

  Most of the time, I grab a torch before I stretch my legs with these nightly walks, but tonight the bright moon and constant blasts of magic from Bonfire Falls light my way. I suspect the magical attacks signify another war between the shifters and witches. It has been a century since the last war raged down in that town. They can’t seem to hold onto peace for any length of time, at least not lately.

  They need to find peace like my people have. I shake my head and grimace in disgust at the sounds of combat that drift up the mountainside.

  I only hope this show of their inability to get along doesn’t make its way to my dragon enclave. We aren’t interested in the war. The other shifters and witches only seem to care about overpowering each other. That kind of greed sickens me.

  As I turn around in front of Mr. Sandston’s Apothecary store, I scrape my boots against the loose rocks that form a path to the door. Mr. Sandston’s business borders the forest. It’s close to a rarely used trail that leads deep into the forest. I can’t venture into the woods without more light to guide my way. I don’t want to bump into a tree.

  I should try to catch a bit of sleep before dawn. An early start is required since I have a new client who keeps pestering me about the sword I’ve been working on for him.

  As a blacksmith, I get to do what I love. I’m my own boss but dealing with irritable people isn’t my favorite part of the business.

  A shadow moves near the edge of the forest. I glimpse the silhouette of a woman. She breathes heavily as she slowly makes her way through the moonlight. She hasn’t spotted me lurking in the shadows. Her gaze darts from side to side. Fear lingers in her eyes. I’m intrigued. What is she doing here?

  God, she’s beautiful. She’s radiant, almost supernaturally stunning.

  Oh shit, she’s a witch!

  “Fuck,” I mutter under my breath. What the hell does she want?

  Her blue eyes are wary, but strength and determination radiates from them. Her expression almost makes me hesitate to interrogate her. Then, the rumble of magic from Bonfire Falls sends a sudden flow of anger through my blood. She’d better not try to pull a fast one on us. If this is a trick, I’m about to find out.

  I step out of the darkness into a pale shaft of moonlight, directly in front of her.

  “Who are you? Why the hell are you here? You don’t belong here.” I huff the words into her face. I tower over her, hoping my intimidation will force her to answer honestly.

  This woman doesn’t seem as scared as I hoped she would be, so I grab her arm. She stands straighter and gazes directly into my eyes. The hint of defiance in her gaze heats my blood.

  “My name is Ariadne and I’m from Bonfire Falls. I need help. I’m looking for the dragon shifters’ village. If you can point the way, I’ll leave you alone.”

  I loosen my grip. An amused smirk spreads across my lips.

  “My name’s Blaze. Why do you need our help?” My crisp reply is short, but she’s got my attention now. I narrow my eyes at her, since I’ve already figured out what her next words will be.

  Magical warfare sparks in sky above Bonfire Falls. Devastation briefly crosses her face, so quickly, that I wonder if I’d imagined it.

  “Shifters and witches are at war down there. Can’t you see that? There isn’t a lot of time before they kill everyone I know and love. I’m here to ask you for help.”

  She’s a brave little one—I’ll give her that. To come up to the enclave all alone, especially given the situation that Bonfire Falls seems to be in, took guts. I admire her courage.

  “What are we supposed to do about it? Fight the shifters off for you?”

  “Yes… No. We only need your help.” She grunts and looks a little frustrated. “We need the dragons’ firepower. It’s the only way to stop the bloodshed. Not all of the witches and shifters want war. It’s only a small group within each clan, but it’s enough to ruin everyone’s peace. I want them both to stop this nonsense. They could destroy the whole town over nothing.”

  “Are you serious?” I try to breathe calmly, but it’s useless. My mouth starts to get hot. I need to spew fire, but I hold it in. This gorgeous woman wants us to step into the crossfire of those imbeciles and put all of us in danger. They don’t deserve our help. “How dare you come here with your problems. I can’t believe you expected us to help you fight a ridiculous war. We’re safe up here, far from your peasant squabbles. Go home, little girl.”

  The glow of the moon illuminates her hardened jaw. Passion and anger glisten in her eyes. Ariadne’s too beautiful to be in the crossfire of war, but her actions might endanger my own people. I can’t allow that to happen.

  I don’t care how beautiful she is, there’s no way dragon shifters would join the fray. Those witches and shifters got themselves in this mess, so they’ll have to figure a way out on their own. This doesn’t concern us.

  She presses her lips tightly together.

  “I’m out of options,” she says. “What else am I supposed to do? My parents are down there with the other innocent people who aren’t a part of this war. I know you don’t like to interact with our town anymore, and you live in isolation, but I have no one else to turn to. Please. You have to help me.”

  Her voice starts trembling over her words. Some of my tension and anger drains away. Her emotional speech sways me. She only wants to stop the war, yet I can’t put my own people in danger for any of them.

  I glance toward our silent village. It’s too late to alert the others. There’s no real reason to wake anyone until morning. However, the dragon council needs to be informed of this situation. We won’t step in, but the council should be alerted to possibility of danger from below. If Ariadne managed to make it to our enclave, other witches may try to ask us for help too. We need to send the message back with Ariadne so she can tell her people that we have no intention of helping them.

  The moon hides behind a cloud. There are only a few more hours until sunrise. This can wait. The only question now is, what will I do with her? I can’t let her run around the village asking everyone for help. She’s bound to be burnt to a crisp if she wakes the wrong dragon. She’s no threat to me, but others might not see her the same way. I must keep her safe until morning.

  I can’t trust that she’ll agree with my decision.

  Should I hold her captive until morning?

  If she stays at my house until daybreak, it will be safer for her, and for us. After all, she’s still a witch. She seems to be on the side of good, not evil, but it could still be a trick.

  “Come with me. We’ll go to my house.” I snag her arm and tug when she resists. “It’s pointless to wait out here in dark.
You can stay with me for the rest of the night.”

  “Will you help me then?” Hope echoes in her words as she hurries to keep up with my pace. She’s far shorter than I, so she’s forced to scurry alongside me. I slow my pace slightly.

  “No.” My voice is more rigid than I’d intended. A heavy sigh escapes before I can hold it in. “I don’t want to get involved in this war. I won’t risk of the lives of my people. Maybe this war is killing innocent people, but that doesn’t mean that stopping it with dragon fire will be easy. Some of us will die. Innocent people from my enclave will die. It’s inevitable. We only want peace up here on the mountain. We don’t want any trouble from witches or other shifters. Your people could destroy the entire enclave.”

  “What? That’s it? You won’t even consider it? A simple no is your answer? Have you looked at the chaos down there?”

  “I’m sorry, but that’s not our concern.” I shrug my shoulders.

  I harden my expression to conceal my emotions. Her story does sound terrible, but that doesn’t mean much to me. The world is full of pain and suffering. It’s not our place to fix it.

  “You don’t have the balls to face witches and other shifters. You’re too scared, aren’t you?” Anger darkens her beautiful eyes. Sparks of magic glimmer in their depths.

  I laugh at her audacity to bravely say all of this to my face. A woman this fiery would probably be wild in bed. I try not to let the idea linger too long in my head, but her soft skin is pure temptation. The scent of rose petals wafts off her hair. My imagination goes crazy with lustful scenarios about what we could do once she’s alone with me. These thoughts are ridiculous, of course. She’s given me no indication that she’s interested in anything more than just our help. I quicken my pace and push away the strong urge to kiss her rosy lips.

  “I thought dragon shifters would want to help us. I had no idea you’d prefer to sit on your asses while innocent lives are being destroyed by the greedy leaders of Bonfire Falls.” Her voice grows louder and more confident.

  “You don’t know a goddamn thing about us,” I snap back. “Now, let’s get to the house so we can get some sleep before I send you back tomorrow morning.”

  She spins out of my grip and starts to run.

  “Fuck.” I quickly chase her and snatch her forearm.

  Instead of giving in, she performs fire magic. I dodge her blast and quickly shift into my dragon form. My enormous blue-green wings expand to fill the space before I flap them to take flight. I hover over her and glare at her with vibrant green eyes.

  Ariadne’s mouth hangs open. She stands transfixed, too surprised by my dragon form to cast any more defensive fire magic. Apparently, she’s never seen a dragon shift before.

  I breathe fire into the sky, a warning not to fuck with me. I can be fierce if I need to be. She doesn’t stand a chance against me when I’m in my dragon form, but I don’t want to do that to her if I can help it.

  Her shoulders sink as she seems to give in. The utter defeat in her eyes almost makes me sorry for her and the situation she’s in. I shift back into my human form and grab my shredded clothes. I do my best to cover myself as I lead her along the jagged rocks to my humble home. It’s not much, but my father built it when he started a family with my mother thirty years ago. It’s been my home since they passed away a few years ago.

  As I take my boots off at the door, I begin to doubt my decision to take her into my home. Can I trust her not to sneak out in the middle of the night?

  For some unknown and illogical reason, I trust her not to kill me in my sleep. Yet, I don’t know what she would do in the village without me by her side. Maybe this has been her plan all along, to get me to take her in, only to escape once I’m asleep, so she can commit unspeakable horrors in the center of the village.

  I eye her with suspicion as she removes her boots. At least she’s being polite about not tracking dirt into my home. Still, I can’t trust her.

  The safest option might be to hold her captive.

  Better safe than sorry.

  I snatch her hand once again and lead her into my bedroom.

  “You’ll sleep in the living room, right?” Uneasiness rattles her voice. She squeezes my hand tightly.

  I open my closet and grab a rope I used during last month’s rock-climbing adventure with my friends, Copper and Ember. We could just fly up to the top, but we enjoy the challenge of climbing. I’m glad I have the rope handy.

  When I take the rope out, however, Ariadne wriggles and claws at my arm.

  “Stop!”

  “Let me go.” She tries to pry my firm grip off her arm, but there’s no point. She may have magic, but I’m still stronger than her. She twists and turns her arm to slip free, but nothing works. “You don’t have to do this, please.”

  “I’m not going to do anything.” I’m offended that she would even consider it. I’m not that kind of guy.

  I sigh and tie the rope around her wrists and then the bed frame. I make sure it’s not too tight. I don’t want her to get rope burn, although with the way she’s flailing, it might happen anyway.

  She struggles with the rope, which only tightens around her dainty wrists.

  “What the fuck! Let me go! I’m only trying to get help so I can save my family and my home before it’s all destroyed.” She continues to pull and twist as she tries to break free.

  “Stop struggling. I’m not going to touch your hot little ass.”

  She stills at my joke. Her gaze is murderous. I highly doubt she’s as intrigued by my body as I am by hers. She’s probably planning on slaughtering me. And I don’t blame her. I can see why she’s scared, but she has nothing to fear from me.

  When she starts to whisper under her breath, I grab another line of rope and use it to gag her. I can’t risk having her cast a spell on me.

  “Calm down. Morning is just a few hours away. I’m doing this for your own good,” I say.

  She glares.

  I pull the covers around her small frame and tuck her in. Hopefully she won’t get too cold tonight. I need to put more logs in the fireplace to warm the house. It’s coldest right before dawn.

  I lean over her and check to make sure she’s secured, but that nothing is too tight.

  Instead of another frown, her breath quickens. Interesting, maybe she isn’t as offended by my ass comment as she pretended to be. Is it lust or anger that drives her swiftly rising chest? Maybe I’ll never know, but for the first time in years, the stir of desire is hard to resist. If I sleep near her tonight, I may be tempted to find out if she’s as aroused by me as I am by her. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but her gaze has darkened, and she watches me though lowered lashes. This could be part of her magic. She could be trying to seduce me with her witchy ways.

  I back away so I don’t forget we’re not on the same side. She’s a witch, and I’m a dragon shifter. We have nothing in common. To think that she has anything but scorn for me is a trick. She could be getting into my head to twist my thoughts.

  A chill runs down my spine.

  “I’ll sleep in the living room. Goodnight.”

  I quickly close the door.

  She won’t be able to escape my bedroom since there’s only one way out, and that’s through the living room. I can keep watch and get a good night’s sleep without being tempted by the curvy witch in my bed.

  Of course, if she attempts to escape tonight, I’ll burn her to a crisp. That will solve both problems. But I’d hate to lose all those luscious curves.

  Damn.

  It’s been a while since we’ve had any new women in the village. I can’t think of the last time I’ve ever seen a woman as gorgeous as Ariadne. Her fiery nature makes her even more irresistible. Too bad she’s leaving in the morning, but I’d love to see how she is in bed. Under other circumstances, I’d let her seduce me. But not tonight. There’s too much at stake.

  3

  Ariadne

  The gentle light of dawn wafts in through the wind
ow of Blaze’s bedroom, a welcome but annoying phenomenon considering I’m still tied spread eagle to his bed. I can’t move my eyes out of the blinding shaft, so I keep them shut. Hopefully he’s not the type who likes to sleep in.

  I didn’t get much sleep last night. For starters, it’s quite difficult to sleep when your movement is restricted. Several times, my eyelids grew heavy, and I drifted off. But then I would try to roll over and the ropes would cut into my skin. Wide awake once again, I lay in the darkness, seething. He was smart to gag me too because I would have been out of these ropes in a heartbeat if I’d been able to whisper an unbinding spell.

  A flash of anger hits me. Blaze is such a jerk. First, he said he wouldn’t help, then he wouldn’t let me talk to his people, and to top it all off, he tied me to his bed. In other circumstances, I might have welcomed being tied to his bed. He may be a jerk, but he’s an incredibly hot jerk.

  I can’t stop thinking about what he said, something about not touching my “hot ass”. I didn’t get a creepy vibe from him at all. I guess I’m lucky in that I found a dragon who respects women. Well, maybe that’s not the right word considering I’m still tied to his bed.

  No matter how angry I am with him, I can’t deny the effect he has on me. However, just because I find him attractive doesn’t mean I’ll cut Blaze one ounce of slack. Dragon shifter or not, to treat someone like this is barbaric. I’m tied down like an animal and he’s denying me the basic right to pee. I’d cross my legs if I could.

  "Blaze!" I try to yell through the gag. The resulting sound is unintelligible, but hopefully loud enough to get his attention.

  Footsteps sound, coming my way. I tense. As I hear Blaze’s approach, my bound hands form into fists.

  He steps into the room. His eyes are still blurry with sleep, but he somehow manages to look gorgeous anyway. Ugh, why are the hot ones always such a pain in the butt?