MARRIED TO THE DRAGON LORD

CHAPTER NINETEEN The Magician _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ••••••

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•••••• I leaped away from Dracul, stumbling back until I fall against the door itself. My heart was still racing as I frantically straightened up my hair, taking a few deep breaths. Dracul was straightening up and tidying his shirt. He looked composed if you could ignore the flush on his cheeks the way his eyes looked gazed. He has been as into it as I was. “Yes?”He said. When he spoke, it sounded curt and refined, like he knew exactly what he was talking about, like a ruler who was composed. Like he hadn’t just kissed me until there was no more air in my lung. Like he hadn’t just kissed me as he meant it. I felt a flood of warmth in my stomach at the memory of his touch. So recent, my skin was tingling, my lips burning where he kissed me. I could smell the smoke of the wood fire over my skin. I could still taste him on my tongue, sweet and musky all at the same time. I could still feel him pulling me closer. “We are here, My Lord.” The driver said through the door. He didn’t open it up, but that was likely a preference than Dracul had. “ We’ll be out shortly. ” He said, glancing at me. Our eyes met and for a split second, I wanted to kiss him again. For a split second, my mind ran away from me, asking me to kiss him harder, to pull him in, to make this happen. I wanted him. I wanted him so much that the ache was thundering all the way through my body until it felt like I couldn’t breathe. I took a deep breath, trying to make the moment last forever. Tension crackled between us, unspoken. But we both knew it was there. When our tempers got the better of us when we wanted nothing more than to argue and let our passion go… In those moments, we gave in to the chemistry that was humming between us. We had only kissed so far. How long will it be before we give in and go all the way? I was frightened to find out. Frightened, but intrigued. No one had ever made me feel this way. No one had ever made me feel these things so strongly before. No one had ever pulled me in and kept close, not like this. No one had ever turned my head like Dracul. I never dreamt of anyone else. No one made me lose my composure. The Dragon Lord. The worst possible choice for me. So why did I want to give in? Why did I want to let go and sink into him? I didn’t understand it. He cleared his throat and the silence was broken, “We should go.” He said. His voice was very low and soft, not like when he talked to his driver. It was different somehow. The way he looked at me, talked to me… if was different somehow. “Okay,” I said, the silence humming between my words. Dracul looked at me for another moment and I felt like there were a hundred sentiments packed into that look, into that moment. Then he turned and opened the door. As he stepped out, I followed, my feet hitting the crunch of gravel as I did. I looked around and took in the scenery around me. There was a forest surrounding us, thick and dark, and a house that was in a Carter of sorts. It was like a meteorite had crashed into the earth, breaking a hole in the forest, and this person had built a home in the wreckage. It had a grandeur and a mystique surrounding it that I had never seen before. I didn’t know what I was, but I had a feeling that this place was important. I shivered and looked up at the cloudy sky. Nothing ever seemed bright in this world. Nothing ever seemed to shine in this kingdom. It always seems to be steeped into the darkness of some sort of heady darkness that made me feel whacky and sick at the thought. Dracul was a comfort, as strange as it was, and I took a step closer at him. “Let go .” He said simply glaring at me. I nodded and followed him down in the carter. There were stairs cut into the sides of the hole, steep and uneven, but sturdy beneath my feet. Dracul went firsthand j was grateful. A few times I felt like my legs were going to give out from underneath me, but I steadied myself without having to grab onto Dracul, and we made our way down. In the cavernous hole, things felt even darker and I shivered as I looked around. It was more than just a house. There were several buildings clustered together. I wouldn’t have known where to go but Dracul knew the way. He walked with confidence and made his way towards a large set of large doors. He used to knock but didn’t wait for an answer before pushing the door open. I was greeted with a cloud of dust and strange smalls as we entered. I looked around and was filled with a scene of awe. There were books everywhere, clutter and bottles and runes, symbols on every surface. “My Lord, you came earlier than I expected .” A voice came from inside the dark space. I looked up to see a tall man step out. He was slender and dressed in a robe. Everything about him made me think that he dabbled in magic. Everything about him screamed magician. He was a magician, I was sure of it. He worked with magic and spells. He was the advisor that Dracul was going to see. I felt a shiver move down my spine. To consult magic meant that all else was failing as a solution. Whatever Dracul was up against, it held some cloud. Whatever Dracul was up against, it was a real problem. I felt a flash of sympathy for him in my chest. “Yes, things went better than planned .”

Dracul answered curly. He wasn’t smiling and he didn’t seem relaxed. Maybe he wasn’t the sort who liked to consult the ancient arts. My father had been the same. Personally I felt my own shiver when j walked through the door, my own sense of unease, my own uncertainty. I didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was just the sense of the unknown. Maybe it was more or an instant. But whatever it was, the alarm bells were going off in my head, letting me know on uncertain terms that I should be careful. The man smiled at Dracul and then glanced at me. He nodded in a low bow, “And you must be the princess .” “Oh, yes,” I said surprised and taken off guard. Dracul glanced at me and back at the sorcerer, “I needed to talk to you about what comes to next Cannis,” He said. He seemed impatient, uneasy. There was a shift in him, but n the way he carried himself. He was weary, edgy. It made me feel edgy. Dracul usually came and was in control. Smug, even. He had this kingdom under his control. He had servants and a castle and a powerful kingdom. He had every right to be confident. So what made him so uneasy now? “Yes of course,” Cannis said turning around and making his way to his books. “We I’ll be staying the night .” Dracul said as Cannis rummaged through a few books on his desk,“ Have you servant prepared a space.” “Of course .” Cannis answer quickly. I felt like I was holding my breath, just standing there. I didn’t know why Dracul needed me to be here. I don’t know why he had called me, why he wanted me here in the first place. I didn’t know what was happening, or what he needed an advisor for. While I had been angry in the carriage, now I was only subdued, waiting for what happened next. Now, I had a heaviness on my chest, a weight that spoke of the importance of this. The significance. I had a feeling it was more than I had first understood. Staying silent and observing was probably the best way to get my answers right now. Maybe that was why Dracul had brought me. Either way, he had a huge real problem. That much I was starting to understand. He wasn’t lying to me when he said something was going on, going wrong. There was more to this than I first saw. There was something more serious going on here. I looked at Dracul and his jaw was clenched. Was this why he had been so tense in the carriage? I wanted to know more. Cannis turned and looked at me and I felt like the spell was broken. “The princess will need to leave. I need to speak with you in privacy, My Lord.” T. B. C