A Kiss A Day

7: The Secret

Arrakis felt used and lied to. He was feeling guilty for having unconsciously put Astraluna at the back of his mind the whole weekend he was with Cassiopeia. He almost doubted himself about his feelings for his mate. Fortunately, he realized soon that it was all because of an elaborate scheme and now he will no longer be influenced by her.

He assumed that this primitive and animalistic way that he craves for her must be magically-induced. There is no way that his inclination to protect her and his delight with her kisses could be genuine. It has to be a spell or some magic potion she secretly had him take, otherwise what does that make of his feelings for Astraluna?

Arrakis decides that he needs to stay away from the dangerous dragon maiden. He roars in rage but contrary to his resolve, he found himself stepping towards Cassiopeia. His hands clenched into fists to prevent himself from holding her.

"What have you done to me?!"

A frown creases Cassiopeia's forehead, "I don't understand." She backed away from the furious Imperial Prince.

"You don't strike me as someone who practices sorcery, so how do you do it?"

"Do what?" Cassiopeia was bewildered by the sudden intense change in Arrakis's mood.

"Don't play coy with me! I know you're doing something to me, admit it!"

She took another step backwards and felt her back touch the wall.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. What sorcery?"

He was exuding palpable power and presence beyond anything she has ever known and it scared her to her core.

Gone was the ignorant and naive man-child she was used to seeing. This man in front of her is no doubt a mighty crimson dragon, the next emperor, ruler of the great slaver of kingdoms, Drakonia.

She shuddered.

Seeing fear in her eyes, Arrakis heaved an angry breath and turned away. He needed to get himself together. The look in her eyes told him that she was afraid that he'd hurt her. And that was the last thing he wanted to see on any woman's eyes. Let alone his wife. Even if it was just an arranged marriage and he doesn't love her, he is not a savage crimson dragon that rumors make him out to be.

He took several deep calming breaths but the dragon inside him still wants to come out. Because while he admits that he doesn't want to hurt her, he was still angry at her.

He's angry at her for making him want her. There is something instinctive and basal about his wanting her. And if he's wrong and these feelings are completely natural, then that is something he's not ready to admit to.

He needed to remove himself from her presence. Maybe the spell she casted is to blame for his mind being clouded with thoughts of feeling her in his arms and tasting her tongue in his because it sure as hell isn't the blood oath anymore. They already kissed for the day and yet he's still thinking about kissing her senseless.

"Tancred!" Arrakis mind-linked the guard.

The doors to the chamber swing violently open and standing at the entrance, sword drawn and eyes frantically searching the room for danger was Arrakis' personal knight.

As the protector of the throne and dragon knight of the Imperial Prince, Tancred sensed the flame within the Prince and knew that he was fighting to control the dragon from overtaking his body.

"At ease," Arrakis told the knight who have charged into the room. "There is no danger here. At least not yet."

Unconvinced, Tancred hesitantly returns his sword to its scabbard. Stopping a few steps from the foot of the bed, he had one last look around for threats when his eyes landed on the shaken and underdressed Princess. He blushed and immediately turned his attention to the Imperial Prince.

"My Lord," he greeted Arrakis on one knee. "You called."

"Yes. I will be needing your chambers tonight. It appears that my wife's condition will not permit me to stay here."

And before Tancred could even blink, Arrakis was by the door, briskly walking out and into the knight's chamber next door.

Cassiopeia slumped on the floor as soon as the door slammed shut.

"What just happened?" She whispers to herself.

Tancred, who was dressed in full armor save for his helmet, stood up still avoiding for his eyes to stray on the exposed princess. "Forgive me my Lady, my lack of knowledge on the situation prevents me to answer your question."

She stared blankly at the knight before she burst into giggles. "You have a great hearing." She complimented the knight called Tancred. She didn't mean for him to catch the rhetoric question she murmured to herself.

Looking at the knight, she saw that he has a striking face. With his dark locks, defined jaws, and emerald eyes, she could tell that he's probably quite the ladies' man. "You have a great face too," she decided to tell him nonchalantly.

Tancred bowed to hide his burning cheeks, "Thank you my Lady."

She stood up and he stepped backwards, deliberately averting her eyes.

"Oh don't worry, my condition isn't contagious-"

"It's not that, my Lady. You...you..." And as he couldn't continue with his sentence, he unfastened his scarlet cloak and wrapped it around the exposed princess.

Tancred bows low and without another word, he went to the doorway to leave Cassiopeia alone.

She stared at his retreating figure and clutched at the cloak dumbfounded. It was amusing that her lack of clothes made the knight more uncomfortable to warrant his abrupt leaving than the idea that she has an infectious malady. She didn't even realize that she was flashing the poor knight.

Cassiopeia sighed as she thought about how peculiar Drakonian people are. Was it a western thing to have erratic behavior? One minute they are being serious and protective, and then sensitive and absurd the next. She touched her lips and was reminded of the kiss.

The kiss had been… she wasn't sure what the kiss had been. It had been great. It had been butterfly-inducing, knee-melting, heart-rate-increasing great. And that is what's wrong.

It has been her well-kept secret that while she was chosen to be the dragon maiden, she couldn't summon the Cerulean Dragon. She can feel the dragon living inside her but not once did the beast showed itself to her. She had been training tirelessly with Garrett in swordfighting and combat for this exact reason. She was expected to protect the Kingdom with her mighty dragon but she can't even will it to come out.

Ever since Cassiopeia got her dragon mark, she was told about the dragon's powers that was now hers and the corresponding duties that followed such blessing. She was told that the Mark that began on her chest and spreads to her back is the Cerulean Dragon that she can summon and will to life. However, the mark only spread faintly on her back that it was almost invisible to the eyes. She thought at first that it will become vivid in time but it never did, and with it her ability to call on the dragon.

Her missing dragon and the serious threats of insurgents and dark mages against their Kingdom forced her to agree to a marriage alliance with the west. Drakonia's army of weredragons will be of great help in the anticipated war.

When she first kissed the Imperial Prince at their wedding, she felt her dragon stirred and noticed that night that a portion of the mark on her back slightly brightened. She didn't know how or why but the prince's kisses might be what she needs for her dragon to come out of its stupor.

Cassiopeia stayed up late that night to come up with a plan to test her theory about the kiss. She surmised that with enough kisses from the prince, the whole mark on her back will grow vibrant and her dragon would reveal itself. And once she gets her dragon, she won’t need the Western Empire’s power anymore. She can take on any threat that comes to Cyranda with the Cerulean Dragon by her side.

Lucky for her, the prince agreed to her proposal seeming to want the same thing – the benefits of the alliance, without the burden of marriage.

But with each kiss the dragon's need for the prince grows. For the past week, Cassiopeia has been purposely keeping the kisses short because she's starting to have this all consuming need for him. And she can't tell if it is hers or the dragon's; they are separate yet one at the same time. It's all very confusing for her.

And now with that kiss...she sat on the bed and bit her lip. She's certain without even looking that a large portion if not the whole mark on her back is now clearly visible.

At this rate, she won't be surprised if her dragon decides to show itself tomorrow. That would be great if not for the fact that they now have a problem with the grounds for divorce and she has this sinking feeling that after that kiss, the dragon does not want her to get a divorce.

And this strange emotion is surprisingly not solely her dragon's.