A Dragon's Heart

TIFFANY. This book starts six months before Lycan Prince. * “Tiffany Fawz Lakos, is now the wife and mate of Bilal Imran Al-Amin by the payment of fifty gold pieces as mahr (bride price). May Karani bless this union. Amin.” Effendi yelled, and loud cheers rose from outside the cave. A tingle started from my spine, settling itself at the wrist of my right hand, directly where the mark I had gotten a month ago when Bilal had kissed me back at Zambele. I pulled my hand slowly from his, but he didn’t let go. Instead, his big hand held mine tighter, giving it a light squeeze as I kept my head down staring at the clear contrast between my thick hand and his hard, calloused, muscled one. We were married. I was now not only his mate, but his wife too. Legally. Officially. It's been only a week since I got here, and I was already married. Wow! “Pay your respects to Karani,” Effendi continued, placing an incense burner on Bilal’s outstretched hand. Without saying a single word, he tugged me up, and with my face still covered with the see through white veil, trudged to the fire burning atop a golden bowl. The orange and blue flames were captivating, and for some reason, I was feeling a certain connection to it. Like a beckoning call. Bilal squeezed my hand again, and I turned briefly to look at him, only to find his piercing brown eyes staring back at me. I turned away quickly, but not before I caught the small smirk spreading on his face. I sucked in a sharp breath, my insides turning in firm knots pinching at my chest. ‘I say we act cool and unaffected by his tummy rolling looks and occasional touches,’ Janeiro, my wolf sighed. ‘I can’t seem to control the strong pull I feel around him whenever he is this close,’ she added quietly. ‘You and I both, Jay. You and I both.’ ‘You think he’ll speak more today or will there be more action than talk tonight?’ she suddenly asked. ‘Jay! Can you please stop? We are in public!’ She huffed, licking her snout. ‘I was just asking. Stop acting like you aren’t curious what he’d do when he gets his hands on you tonight. I wonder if his dragon will be present and what he’d do to me or you, or perhaps…’ ‘Jay!’ I whisper yelled, feeling heat wash all over me. ‘Stop it, please. We are about to pay our respects to the god.’ ‘Duh! Doesn’t mean I can’t let my imagination run wild, Tiffy. I am just helping you voice the crazy in your head.’ ‘You’re the crazy in my head. Now hush.’ She might have been right, but I was not going to admit to that any time soon. The truth was we had no idea what to expect and it was driving me insane. ‘I have to admit that his grumpiness is hot though. Don’t you think? I mean, he can literally bend you over with…’ Jay continued without skipping heading my demand to hush. ‘SHUT UP!!!’ I yelled, and watched as Jay stared back at me in shock. ‘Can you behave just for today? Please?’ ‘Only because you said please,’ she rolled her eyes. ‘And we both know this little outburst of yours has nothing to do with my behaviour, woman.’ She kept quiet after that, while I focused my attention back at the priest who was circling the fire and chanting some things I couldn’t quite understand. The flames grew brighter, as though being fed by something. Effendi paused for a moment before his body began to shake, the cave glowing more and more as the intensity of the fire increased. I sucked in a breath, shielding my face from the heat. Then something pressed at my back. A soft velvety touch that burned from the inside, causing me to hiss involuntarily. “It is okay,” he whispered into my ears. “The fire wouldn't hurt you.” Then he straightened back up, as though he wasn't the one that just spoke to me: ‘I can’t hold back anymore!’ Jay suddenly bursts out. ‘My legs are shaking Tiffy. I am nervous! Do you think I will be able to handle the dragon? Or just the man? Or neither? Dear Nyala! I can’t believe I am shaking!’ I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. I should’ve noticed that since she started her rambles, because that is what she does every time she gets nervous. “You can bow now,” Effendi said. Bilal carefully placed the incense burner before the fire. With my hand still clasped in his, he bowed, his free hand pressed to his chest. I copied his actions and bowed as well, my free hand to my chest. Effendi then sprayed one of the most aromatic perfumes I had ever smelt on our faces as we rose. “The ceremony is complete, Commander.” He smiled, bowing a little before he moved back. Then Bilal was suddenly standing before me. He lifted the veil covering my face, the one Yasmina, Bilal’s sister, had insisted I wore as it was part of the ceremony. Without the veil now, my senses were assaulted with his scent, his intense gaze, and his appearance. I felt lightheaded as I stared back at him. Dressed in a white thobe, he also had a white and black dotted keffiyeh wrapped around his head and tied into a knot. It left the lower part of the hair down, while the braided upper part stayed hidden beneath the keffiyeh. Despite having part of his hair down, I could easily see the one earring he had dangling on his left ear. Tall myself, I rose up to his shoulders, albeit thicker than him, and, maybe, most of the women present to witness our wedding. His caramel skin color seemed to glow under the light, in contrast to my dark brown skin. His black classic beard appeared to be shining under the glow of the fire burning. He had a long pointed nose I was extremely jealous of. This might be a good time to point out that no lie, a lot of times I feel extremely conscious of my appearance and weight when standing before him. And even more times, I found myself asking if he’d preferred me slim rather than thick. But he never said a word about my weight, and I wasn’t about to ask, in case my fears were confirmed. “My wife,” he murmured, bringing both of my knuckles to his mouth before he pressed a soft kiss on them, his eyes still trained on mine. All thoughts of insecurity went flying out as soon as he spoke. A tingling shudder ran through my whole being, and this time, when my insides turned, it didn’t just stop there, it curled and ripped through my nerves, spreading a wild fire all through my body. ‘That right there is what I am talking about!’ Jay swooned, falling on her back with all of her paws raised up. ‘I am a goner when it comes to this man!’ Yeah. So am I. I wished Natasha was here to advise me on what I should do, cause I swear by Nyala I have no idea how to handle this man. He’s too much of everything. All thought however, drifted from my mind when he leaned in, cradled my face in his hands, and pressed a chaste kiss on my forehead, his lips lingering even after he was done. “My wife. Zaujatiyy. Debbo am. My woman,” he murmured again, this time he kissed my nose. He just called me his wife in three different languages. English. Arabic. Fulani, my Ngunlian language. How did he know how to say that? In the two months since I met Bilal at Natasha and the Lycan king’s mating ceremony, he had always been full of surprises, which was one of the reasons why I was concerned I may not be able to handle his intensity. “Gorko am,” I answered, my voice sounding a little bit hollow to my ears. But I didn’t care. I was with my man. When he asked that we get married the moment we got here last week, I didn’t think he was being serious. But he wasn’t joking. Infact, marriage seals everything in their culture, and it shows the level of commitment the couples are offering each other. So even though my Ummi couldn’t come, I had looked forward to it. After all, we'd also be having a ceremony back at the Ngunli pack in six months, one that my Ummi insisted on planning, so that my family could witness our union too. Not that I really care what she does, but the thought matters. We had been staying separately, and I only saw Bilal once a day. I attributed that to the preparation for the wedding, and I was eager to see what tonight had in store for us. “Ready to step out?” he asked, licking his bottom lips, and my legs instantly turned jelly-like. ‘I swear he wants to end us both before we even get to our room, Tiffy,’ Jay whined, and I totally agreed. I nodded, seeming to be unable to find the right words, and he just grinned, before he held my hand and led me outside the cave. Once we stepped out, the sun was dipping down the horizon. A lot of people were standing in front of the cave, and just like when Effendi announced our wedding was complete, they cheered when they saw us. The men had only sirwals on, and shirtless, sweating profusely under the desert heat. They had tasseled turbans on their heads. While the women wore sirwals and knee length dresses, paired with shawls wrapped to cover their hair, just like I did. “Mabruk mabruk Yaa akhi! (Congratulations brother!)” Yasmina, sang as she stopped before us. She had on a dress similar to the one I wore, only hers was maroon and black, while mine was white to match Bilal. If I remembered correctly, she called the clothes the ceremonial caftan. Golden embroidery covered the length of my dress , including the hands, which was another difference between our dresses. “Thank you, Mina. Don’t you dare hug…” He was too late though, because just as he was asking her not to, Yasmina pounced on him. “Come here you grumpy man!” she laughed, squeezing his cheeks when she pulled back. “You are already shining!” “Don’t be silly,” Bilal grumbled, as he swatted her hand from his face, squeezing my hand that was in his. “Congratulations and welcome to the family, Ukhti (sister),” Yasmina said with a huge smile on her face as she moved closer, probably contemplating if she should give me a hug or not. “Thank you, Yasmina. And, unlike your brother, I do not mind hugs,” I answered, returning her big smile. As she made to hug me, Bilal suddenly moved, standing before me and then pulling me into his chest in a fierce soul shattering hug. His scent of smoke and citrus filled my senses, as he placed his jaw atop my head, his hands circling my waist while the other held the back of my neck. He was big, muscles everywhere. And we just had our first hug. Oh dear Nyala… “I haven’t even hugged my wife yet, and you want to steal her first hug,” he grumbled, tucking me deeper into his chest. “Wait for your turn, which is certainly not today.” “Akhi!” Yasmina cried, but Bilal only held me closer and I sank into his embrace, savoring it like I had just been offered a new meal to try. I don’t know how long the hug lasted, but when he finally pulled away, I couldn’t meet his gaze, so I kept my head down as we accepted greetings and congratulations from the people around us. I scanned the gathering once, hoping I would see the only members of my family who had been able to come, my two step siblings, but I couldn’t find any of them. By the time the celebration ended and Bilal helped me into a waiting carriage, I was dead tired, and the only thing I wanted was to take a hot bath and rest for the night. As the carriage rolled down the cobblestone ground, I couldn’t help but wince at the constant jiggle, which made my body hurt even more. A sigh escaped my mouth as I leaned my back against the leather seat adorning the inside of the carriage, and closed my eyes. I missed Natasha. I missed Zambele. I missed everything back home, and I wondered just how long it would take for me to get used to being in this strange empire with no electricity, cell phones, or even television. Would I be able to get books here or will I have to ask Natasha to send me some? Another sigh escaped me as my chest grew heavier. Now that it was only us left, I couldn’t help but feel a certain helplessness wash over me. I had no one here to call mine, except for Bilal. And we would need time to finally get used to the idea of each other. To get to know each other, well enough to establish a relationship as beautiful as my friend, Natasha and the king’s own. But then I found myself wondering if such love exists anywhere, or if it stays with them alone. If Nat had been here, I was sure she’d have been able to help calm the wrecking nerves tingling on the inside. I wasn’t even sure what it would be like, having a wolf like me mated to a dragon. What a combination! “Come here,” Bilal’s voice suddenly cut through my thoughts as he pulled me to him. He rested my head on his chest, then wrapped his hand around me and held the other in his hand on our crushed laps. I smiled against his chest. From the little I understood from him, Bilal is more of an action than words person, and I totally do not mind, especially because… “You’re now my wife,” he suddenly said, and I couldn’t help but recall the day I found out he was my mate. How he called me his in the presence of all the people around during Nat’s mating ceremony. How he had chased me after I panicked and ran away. And when he found me, how he simply stood and watched me cry without saying a word. And when he finally moved, it was to wipe the tears from my face. I remembered how I snapped at him, asking him to say something, he asked me what I wanted him to say. I chuckled again, as the memory of our first encounter kept floating through. I remembered how he broke into the kiosk close to us and gathered all sorts of soft drinks and dumped them before me. And then afterwards, he kissed me on the cheeks, causing a mark to appear on my right wrist, snapped a picture of himself on my phone, gave me a small whistle and walked away. I sulked for days over that. But after talking to Natasha about it, I felt better. And two weeks after our first meeting, I blew the whistle in the morning, and Bilal was in Zambele by noon. And today, here we are, as husband and wife. “Thank you for agreeing to marry me,” he continued, slipping off the shawl Yasmina had tied on my head before the ceremony and playing with my locks. “We are mates so…” I trailed off. “Hmm. You are right,” came his reply, before another round of silence settled around us. ‘Ask him about his dragon, Tiffy. I need to have a good look at that beast.’ ‘Can’t it wait until we get home? I hope you know we are currently in a carriage right?’ ‘Oh, right,” she sighed. ‘His scent is so intoxicating that I may seem to have lost it,’ she answered cheekily. ‘Silly wolf.’ I chuckled, at the same time the carriage slowed and finally came to a stop. “Wait here,” Bilal ordered as he stepped out. A moment later, the door to my side was pulled open. He helped me out of the carriage as I came face to face with a looming castle. “This is Samira. She is your handmaid. The carriage is for you to use in case you wish to go anywhere, but make sure before you leave the castle that you let me know by blowing the whistle I gave you. Yasmina will be here to stay with you tomorrow as well as my grandmother.” What was going on? “I will see you in a week.” And with that, he snapped his hand, as scales instantly appeared on his right arm, before a large black dragon instantly materialized in front of us. I looked at the black bottomless pit of the dragon’s eyes, and something swelled inside me. The dragon shifted once, bringing his big face in front of me, and then before I could react or move away, it licked my whole face, let out a small growl and moved back. I watched, with my heart in my throat, as Bilal hopped on it and flew away. What the heck was that?