Bonds of a Dragon (Book 3 of the Northern Territories Series)

Chapter 9

Bonds of a Dragon

Chapter 9

Ilayda’s POV

I dive into the cool water and swim out into the river. I turn to see where he is when I feel his hands wrap around my waist. He drops the concealment around us. I look back toward the kayak stand and find the bed gone. He kisses me again as patrol walks out on the dock. “Ormr?”, the patrolman calls out.

“Apep.”, he corrects.

“The dam opens in about an hour. Be safe.”, the patrolman calls out to us.

I recognize his voice now, “We appreciate it, Gustav.", I call to him. He chuckles and mumbles about when he was young as he walks back toward the trail. Apep treads water around me, studying me closely.

“What are you thinking, stalker?”, I ask him in my best imitation of his voice.

I can see his smile in the moonlight as he tilts his head back to let the water pull his hair from his face. He locks eyes with me as he moves closer, “That you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen and I can’t imagine ever having enough of you.”, he replies in his deep sexy voice that heats my blood even in this cold water.

“You’re not too bad yourself.”, I reply cheekily.

He grins and moves toward me; I teasingly move back. “Are you running again, Aziza?”, he asks tilting his head.

I smile, “If that is what I get when you catch me.”, I say seductively, throwing his words back at him. He chuckles and pulls me to him, kissing me deeply. I feel his hardened shaft pressing against me. “Not in the water, I don’t want all that inside me.”, I tell him. He chuckles and kisses down my jaw. “Are you going to warn me before you bite me?”, I ask as he nips at my neck.

He looks up at me, “Did Anavrin tell you what happens after a dragon drinks from his mate?”

I shake my head; I don’t think he is talking about the orgasm. It sounds more serious than that.

“Dragonian enter blood lust a couple times a year. Blood lust is where we become very aggressive and volatile, blood calms it in us. We hunt when we enter blood lust. Once a dragon has tasted his mate, only she can tame that lust. He will always seek her and drink from her.”

“What if she wasn’t there and he couldn’t find her?”, I ask him.

“That is highly unlikely, but if it occurred… he remains in the blood lust and anyone around him is in some serious trouble. Don’t offer your blood to me if you’re not prepared to tame that lust.” I smile and play with his long hair.

“Yes, we will pass on having you running rampant in a rage for blood. How much blood do you need?”, I ask out of curiosity.

“Of yours, not much. You would be a little tired, but otherwise fine. In general, I can drain several large creatures dry before it tames.”

“So, I could save 6 creatures a year?”, I ask playfully. He furrows his brows then laughs.

“I guess… if you looked at it that way. That wasn’t the point of this conversation though.” he replies, running his hands up my thighs wrapped around him.

“I know what you’re saying. For the safety of the community, do not feed the wildlife.”, I tease him.

He chuckles, “Only feed the wildlife if you intend for them to become dependent on being fed… or wish to have entire populations demolished.”

He releases me and we swim back up the bank and he conceals us as we exit the water, handing me a conjured towel and drying himself. He gathers my clothes from beside the kayak rack and conjures a bag to throw them in as his own clothing appears on him. He turns to me, throwing the bag over his shoulder and tying his hair up so it isn’t soaking his shirt. He conjures the clothing I was wearing and drops the concealment. I offer him the towel and he waves it away, taking my hand in his. “Walk or fly back, little one?”, he asks.

“I want to walk, it’s nice out tonight.”, I answer. He walks alongside me back down the trails to my cabin. Things heated up in the shower and I rode him in my bed and made him beg for me. Now I’m laying on his chest, cuddled into his side with my leg over his thigh, tracing the contours of his chest. He runs lazy circles over my back and my body hums with a euphoric peace through our bond. Then it occurs to me that Ormr feels it. I wasn’t thinking about blocking him. My face burns bright red and I bury my head in Apep’s chest.

He runs his fingers through my hair and chuckles, holding me to him. “What are you suddenly embarrassed about, Aziza?”, he asks.

“It just occurred to me that Ormr knows what we’ve been doing this whole time. I forgot to block him in the Falls and tonight.”, I mumble into his chest.

He laughs, “If he mentions it, demand that he thank you.”, he tells me, kissing my forehead. I giggle, imagining the shock on Ormr’s face if I actually said that to him. I relax back against him and kiss his shoulder. I sleep peacefully against my stalker.

The alarm on my phone startles me awake and Apep’s arms tighten around me. He releases me and I turn the alarm off, then roll back against him, not ready to get up yet. “What are we doing, little one?”, he asks, rubbing his open palm over my back.

“We have 30 minutes to get dressed and leave for the main house to train.”, I tell him.

“Mmmmmmm.”, he hums and kisses my forehead. “Only for you am I getting up at 4am to go play with lycan.”, he says and I laugh climbing out of the bed and going to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

Apep comes in behind me and grabbing a handful of one ass cheek and smacking the other as he leans down and kisses my shoulder. Pleasure courses through me, heating my core. I push his hand down and he chuckles. We take a quick shower and he conjures my workout clothing onto my body and his own, making sure I see him adjust himself in his shorts. I want him so badly and I know he senses it. He brushes his teeth at the other sink.

I grab a few bottles of water from the cabinet and throw them in a bag just as Apep enters the kitchen. He takes the bag and throws it over his shoulder, holding the front door open for me. I take his hand, interlacing our fingers and enjoying the tingles I feel from his skin.

We meet Ormr, Anavrin, and Lilliana at the ‘y', Ormr smirks at me, “Did you have fun, Ilayda?”, he asks knowingly.

I smirk right back, “Did you, Ormr?”

Apep chuckles and Ormr laughs then looks at Anavrin. “What a naughty girl.”, he says in fake disapproval. She giggles and shakes her head at him.

“Your scents combined is really nice.”, Anavrin compliments. I smell myself then lean into Apep, he grins when I smell his shirt.

“The eucalyptus is stronger on him but it does smell really nice on me.”, I agree with her, smelling myself again.

Ormr chuckles and says something to Apep in Draconic. Anavrin tells him to cut it out and he promises he is all done. We see the others in the field when we exit the trail.

Apep’s POV

“Are you going to mark her?”, Ormr calls out to me in Draconic while he is sparring Clay.

“She doesn’t love me. There’s a physical relationship now, which I’m beyond pleased with, but I can’t mark her.”, I reply in Draconic before coaching Clay’s attack on Ormr.

“Make her love you.”, Ormr calls simply, again in Draconic.

“Really, Ormr? Such simple, yet profound advice. I never would’ve figured that out without you.”, I reply dryly and he chuckles.

“f**k her harder than Don then.”, he suggests.

My blood boils and without fully registering that I’m interrupting Clay’s sparring, I swing at Ormr, connecting with his temple, his ribs, then twice with his face. It gets intense between us quickly, the others forgotten.

“Apep, I wasn’t being serious. It was meant to be funny. I apologize for being disrespectful toward your mate. Too much time joking with witches, they don’t see mates the same way, Apep. It was completely unacceptable and I apologize.”, he calls, trying to stay out of my reach, without swinging back.

I lunge for him and he turns, but not fast enough. He is caught narrowly in my grasp. I manage to pin him beneath me and tighten my hold, crushing his ribs and neck, he grabs my arm as I growl angrily in his face.

“I apologized profusely… and… explained myself, Apep… Release me.”, he grunts.

I stand, pulling him up with me and shove him away from me. “Watch your mouth, Ormr! You wouldn’t allow someone to talk of your mate that way.”, I growl out at him.

He replies, “I would not. It was disrespectful; I sincerely apologize, brother. I joked without thought. I will be more cautious with my words.”, he replies and offers me his hand.

I glare at him for a second, then accept it. He smiles, “I knew you loved me.”

I release his hand and push him away, “You play too damn much.”, I reply, looking around and realizing everyone has stopped and is watching us. Anavrin and Ilayda have crossed the field to us. Our conversation entirely in our language so only Anavrin, Kara, and Tania know what transpired.

Ormr stretches and speaks to them, “We’re good, he forgave me. Come back Clay.”

He eyes me for a second before walking toward Ormr. “What the hell did you say to piss him off like that?”, Clay asks.

Ormr smirks and starts sparring with Clay again, “It would be a death sentence for me to repeat it.”, he responds wisely.

Ilayda runs her finger tips up my forearm and across my back. I’m still incredibly angry, her touch brings a calm that is almost a shock to my system. I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her, holding her in front of me as she holds my forearms across her collarbones.

They continue their match, I call out advice to Clay. He does really well, but Ormr eventually gets Clay pinned. They stand to grab their water and I move back to wait for the next match. Ilayda stands in front of me in my conjured chair, “Are you okay?”, she asks softly.

“I’m fine, Aziza.”, I assure her, pulling her down to sit in my lap.

Ormr turns to her but speaks to the group, “I made a crass joke and was disrespectful. That was on me, not him. Any man here would’ve done the same. We’re good now.”, Ormr turns to everyone still eyeing us cautiously.

“There’s no issue.”, I confirm, they nod.

Rayne and Jayce spar with Tania and Kara.

Natalia spars with Clay. Ormr sits with Anavrin and Lilliana. I can tell by the look on her face, she is scolding him.

“What was that about?”, Ilayda asks me.

“He made a stupid joke about you and Donovan, that’s all it was. He apologized.”, I tell her.

She nods studying me. “Get up, spar with me.”, she says standing and pulling me to follow. I follow her out on the field and spar her, pushing and swatting her when she leaves an opening. She moves to spar with Tania and I spar Jayce. We wrap up training and head to the diner for breakfast.

I conjure a shirt for Ilayda after she dries the sweat from her body. She grins, “Kiss me, Apep. You’re too tall for me to reach.”, she tells me.

I smile and lean down to her and kiss her briefly before taking her hand and following alongside her. I’m still a little annoyed with Ormr, but I leave it alone. He has been spending more time with witches as his mate helps a great deal with security. They may joke that way, but know better than to joke about Anavrin.

We order and eat, agreeing to go to the prison when we’re done here. I’m only worried about finding Vritra and they can’t help do that, but Ilayda wants to know about other cells.

“She’s going to make you hunt cells the rest of your life.”, Ormr tells me in Draconic.

“None of that.”, Anavrin tells him immediately, “You speak where everyone understands you, it will keep you from saying something foolish.”

He smirks at her, “I say foolish things in all the languages, Gersemi.” She chuckles and shakes her head.

I ask Ilayda what she is looking for from the prisoners, she insists that she wants to talk to them herself. “That isn’t a good idea, little one.”, I try to tell her.

She gets angry, I can feel it. We get out of the truck and she pulls me aside. “You are not my father. You don’t get to decide what I can or can’t do, Apep. I’m not yours to control.”, she says angrily.

“You are mine, Ilayda, whether you want to be or not. There is no reason for you to speak to them. We can ask anything you’d like us to.”, I reply calmly.

Her eyes begin to glow, she is losing her temper. “I don’t want to be your trinket, Apep. I don’t want you to do everything for me. I was just fine without your help.”, she says through gritted teeth.

“Aziza, I…”, she cuts me off, “No! Stop placating, Apep!” I’m not sure how to fix this, but she’s not talking to them. “Whatever, you can just tell me what they say. There is no reason for me to be here.”, she says, turning and crossing the field, headed back toward the town.

I link Ormr that I’m following Ilayda, though that’s obvious. I follow without attempting to catch up with her. She goes straight into the Elders building and closes the door behind her. I wait for her to come back out. It doesn’t take long.

She glares at me before turning and walking away again. “Ilayda.”, I call to her on the trail. She turns around and stares at me, her jaw clenched.

“I don’t want to upset you or anger you. I know you can take care of yourself. I don’t want them reaching Vritra with your location. You are the only way he can stop me.”, I try to explain to her, “We can go and ask anything you want.”

She shakes her head and walks away. “Ilayda, tell me why it needs to be you.”, I call as I follow her.

“I don’t want to hide behind you, Apep. I don’t need you to protect me. I don’t need you to make decisions for me. I’m not your toy.”, she says without stopping or turning around.

Goddess, why me? You let Ormr have it easy, his mate happily stands behind him. I don’t have the skills to handle these tantrums.

“I have never suggested you were an object, Ilayda. Regardless of whether or not you think you need my help or protection, you have it. You are my weakness; you are what has the power to hurt me. Can you try to see it from my side here?”, I ask her.

She spins around and I stop abruptly to keep from crashing into her. “I didn’t ask to be your weakness, Apep.”, she says angrily.

I sigh heavily. “I know you didn’t, Ilayda, but you are. That makes you a target. I’m fortunate that no creature, other than dragonian, has any chance against you. Unfortunately, a dragon is exactly what is hunting you. You aren’t afraid of the fae prisoners, you have no reason to be. You should be afraid of Vritra though, Ilayda, and the fact that you’re not concerns me.”, I tell her, praying she gets what I’m telling her. She clenches her teeth, but doesn’t speak. “I can handle being angry, talk to me, Aziza?”, I request softly.

“I don’t want to be a possession, Apep. I don’t want to be told what I can and can’t do or with whom I can speak. You follow me everywhere I go, we are in a ward Vritra cannot even enter without us knowing he is here the second he tries. They are in iron cells, their power does not work inside the prison and they’ll never see a day outside it again. It isn’t about them, or my need to talk to them. This is about you being overprotective and crushing me. Your need to control everything is the problem here, I’m not for you to control.”, she replies.

I don’t trust the lycan, they could give them a way to contact him. I know that my admitting that will cause problems because she does trust them. “I’m sorry I make you feel that way, Aziza.”, I tell her.

She raises her brow, “What does that mean, Apep?”, she asks.

I know she is asking whether that is an agreement to approach this differently or a dismissal. “I will try to be less constricting.”, I reply. She turns and walks away. “Do you not wish to speak with them?”, I ask.

She continues up the trail. “Anavrin will handle it.”, she says dismissively.

She is so damn frustrating. “Ilayda, you pick a fight with me and when I give, you don’t want it anymore?”, I ask.

She glances back at me and furrows her brows, but continues walking. “I don’t want it because you’re deciding what I can have again.”, she replies.

I chuckle humorlessly. “So you’re set on being upset with me rather than fixing anything?”, I ask.

She answers condescendingly, “You don’t get to decide when I’m done being angry with you either.”

This is why Donovan didn’t talk to her. I think to myself as I follow her silently. We reach the cabin and she put on headphones, turning the music up so loud, I hear it across the room. She walks outside and starts weight training. I sit off to the side. I’m not sure how long we’ve been out here, but Ormr, Anavrin, and Liliaina come around the side of the house.

“I warned you… feisty.”, Ormr calls in Draconic.

“You failed to mention incorrigible.”, I reply dryly. He chuckles. “Do I just let her do whatever the hell she wants?”, I ask after a moment.

They sit, Anavrin and Liliaina are reading something on her phone and ignoring us.

“Decide what is worth fighting her over and what isn’t. If it isn’t worth the fight, stay close and protect her.”, he suggests.

Ilayda’s POV

I’m not mad at Apep anymore, but I’m still not ready to talk to him. I feel him watching me. It’s probably not a good thing that his stress pleases me, but he deserves it.

I turn and see Ormr, Anavrin, and Liliaina sitting with him. I pull the headphones off and lay them over my shoulders. “What did you get?”, I ask as I walk over to them.

“The Captain was originally from the North Rock cells and started his own with the help of Vritra. He knows that Vritra is helping others, but he doesn’t know where they’re located. Long is sending me a list of locations he has tracked Vritra to. We will check those out, but that’s all we can do for now.”, Ormr tells her. “Apep, you and I can fly through and scan those areas for any conjuring.”, Ormr says.

“It isn’t that simple. He is placing overhead blocks so we won’t sense it unless we are on the ground in that general area. That’s what he had done in Brecken. I didn’t feel it until we were there.”, Apep replies.

“What’s your suggestion?”, Ormr asks.

“I’m not sure, Ormr. I only know of the one cell we’ve been to and the handful I found when looking for Lilliana. You’ll have to catch me up.”, Apep tilts his head, studying Ormr.

“I’ll send you all the reports I have for each of the other 3 cells found. I told you about the cell Anavrin was taken to and you found Liliaina. The third was around the time I finally caught Anavrin and convinced her she liked me…”, Ormr winks at Anavrin and she grins, shaking her head, “Anavrin found a couple pixies running in the woods. She insisted we go help them. We found the men they were running from with a deceased girl in their van, found North Rock, and found another pixie…”, gesturing to me, “We searched around for 5 years, waiting for girls to start going missing so we would have somewhere to look. We pinpointed Brecken, the only place in that area that Vritra stayed put, within a few months of the last 2 girls disappearing. You found us there, leading us to where we are currently.”, Ormr finishes.

“So we are waiting for girls to go missing again?”, Apep asks.

Ormr tilts his head at Apep, “I was hoping for tracking Vritra, he has been at 2 of the 3 cells we are aware of at this point.”, Ormr answers irritably.

Apep growls lowly before he gruffly responds, “I’d say one of us stays here with Anavrin and Ilayda, the other goes to search out the areas… but, she is going to say she is coming with whichever of us leaves.”, they both look at me.

“Yes, I’m going.”, I reply definitively.

Apep sighs heavily and returns his gaze to Ormr, “Anavrin is pregnant and has no business out there. You find out which areas have missing elementals, Ilayda and I will go to search. I’ll summon you if we find anything.”, Apep finishes. Ormr agrees.

Apep looks at me, “Same team, Aziza?”, he asks.

I nod, knowing this is his way of asking me if I’m going to cooperate with him, and reply, “Same team.”

Anavrin smiles, “When Long sends the locations, I will do searches in those areas.”

We agree to meet again in the morning and work out the next step. “Did you close down the cells you found when you were looking for Liliaina?”, I ask Apep.

He tilts his head studying me, “I would not leave women chained up to be r***d, Ilayda. I’m not completely immoral.”

I nod, happy he had. I don’t know that I could ever accept him if he could turn away from seeing something like that when he has the power to stop it.

“Are you hungry, Aziza?”, he asks me.

I nod, “I want to take a shower first.”, I tell him as pass by him into the house. He follows a few steps behind me. I kick my socks and shoes off and leave them by the door, everything I’m wearing was conjured this morning. He will just make it disappear. He walks in and turns to me curiously, tilting his head as he watches me pull my bra over my head and I toss it to him. He catches it and smirks.

***

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