Second Chance with the Dragon King

Chapter Five

Elizabeth's POV

The road that was covered on either side by trees suddenly broke away into a wide clearing. Directly beyond stood a great stone wall and heavy iron gate. The wall itself stretched both left and right into the forest, and had to be nearly two hundred feet high. It was something straight out of a medieval fantasy.

"Welcome to Draganan," Nicholai said with a smile.

"What, no drawbridge?" I asked.

"Not for the last five or six hundred years." He turned to smirk at my flabberghasted expression.

We stopped at the gate. Nicholai rolled down his window as a warrior approached. The man was so tall he had to bend at the waist to see into the car.

"Nicholai. Who is this?"

"Just a human girl I picked up on the highway. I'm going to dump her on the king and then go to bed."

Both men snickered, but my heart accelerated and I was sure from their amused expressions that they could both hear it. He has to be joking. Of course he is. That's what I told myself, though I wasn't sure if I believed it.

The warrior gestured to someone and the gate began to rise. Nicholai hit the gas in the same second. Shockingly, the iron didn't graze the car as I expected it to. The dirt road wound and curved through the trees in a complicated pattern. Twice I was positive Nicholai was headed straight for a tree before he skillfully maneuvared away, and like before, the forest unexpectedly gave way. We drove past houses now, modest, charming houses, all dark due to the hour. And, in the distance, a much, much larger structure that loomed above it all. From here, it was nothing but a silhouette, a part of the night that had taken form.

The castle was unlike anything I'd ever seen before, and I was only seeing it for the first time at night. Tiny specs of light danced high, high above in the windows in the rooms where someone was awake. I was sure that in the light I would be able to properly take stock of such a place, but for now, it was a hulking mass that seemed to grow straight from the rock it was built on. Regardless, I was awestruck.

"Wow," I breathed.

"It's something, isn't it?"

I could only gape. It seemed like only seconds later that we were pulling up to the front door. Lights were everywhere; in the gardens, on either side of the door, and a few were positioned around the fountain we'd parked beside, illuminating the water. I pulled my eyes away from the endless height of the castle to look at Nicholai.

"What am I supposed to do now?" I asked.

"You can stay here tonight. There's more than enough spare rooms. Tomorrow I'll take you to the king and we can figure something out."

The breath I took was unsteady. "If you think that's a good idea. . ."

"What do you mean?"

I looked back at the castle. "Won't he be very angry with you for bringing me here?"

He frowned. "It's definitely an unusual situation. But he won't be angry." Suddenly, he was grinning at me. "Are you afriad?"

I thought of all the tales I'd heard of King Rígan. The fierce, merciless protector of our lands who could, and would, decimate and destroy his enemies without sparing a thought.

"I think I would be foolish not to be," I admitted.

"Look at this way. . . you already ran from the big bad wolf."

I rolled my eyes heavily and opened my door. The moment I did this, I was enveloped in the most wonderful scent. I inhaled deeply, immediately searching for the source. My eyes roamed over roses, daisies, lilies, shrubs with small white blooms, trees. . . nothing fit. I was positive I'd never smelled this smell before and yet it was something that I instinctively recognized. Nicholai led me up to the door, talking the whole way but I couldn't concentrate enough to really listen. Inside, the scent hit me like a wall. Cedar and. . . honey and. . . something else I couldn't quite put my finger on. It was nearly overwhelming. Intoxicating.

"Don't move," Nicholai whispered urgently.

Though I was distracted, his tone was such that my feet froze in place and my muscles locked down. The only thing that moved was my eyes. A second later, I located the source of the smell.

A hulking man stood a short distance away. Someone was behind him, but they could have been a shadow for all the attention I gave them. Good Goddess. I gulped. And I thought Nicholai was tall? This man towered over everyone, even from a distance. Everything about him was huge! I'd never seen a man with more muscle and I definitely had never seen a man who carried it so well. Long legs in dark blue jeans, a white t-shirt that did nothing to hide the abs or the broad chest but did wonders accentuating his long, thick arms. His face. . . Goddess, what a face. Full lips below a straight nose, surrounded by a well kept black beard that matched his raven black hair. Finally, I looked into his eyes. Gold, blazing eyes.

The second our gazes locked, he was moving, the action so fast that I barely had time to blink and then he was in front of me. One hand grasped the back of my neck, tilting my face up at the same time his lips crashed down on mine. The honey cedar and something else smell overtook me but my body didn't react the way I thought it would. My eyes widened in shock and I gasped against his mouth. My hand moved without my knowledge or consent, connecting with his cheek. Hard. Three distinct gasps echoed in my ears, the loudest coming from him.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

I glanced at Nicholai, who seemed to be having a stroke. His mouth opened and closed like a fish and his eyes had to be as wide as my own. I couldn't see the other person in the room beyond this mountainous man, but I was sure the other gasp had come from them.

"You don't recognize me?" The man asked. His voice was rough, deep. It settled over me like a blanket. I shook my head.

"Of course I don't! How could I know someone I've never met?"

Something flickered in his eyes. It almost looked like pain. It was gone in a blink, replcaed by amusement. "How do you tell a little human girl that the one she just slapped is a king?"

I felt the blood drain from my face. "K-king?" I whispered.

Oh my Goddess. He's the king. I just slapped King Rígan!

His hand on my neck dropped slowly to my back. He leaned in and I thought he was going to kiss me again. Instead his other hand hit the back of my knees and he scooped me up into his arms effortlessly. I gasped. He held me close to his chest and walked with me, faster than I would imagined possible. All I could do was stare ahead, too scared to look him in the face again. I didn't see the door, only registered the fading of the light. He set me on my feet facing a. . . Oh.

The bed was massive. A four-poster with a dark green spread and golden pillows, illuminated by a single lamp. Behind me, the click of the lock sounded like a gunshot. I started to tremble.

And then his lips were at my ear. His breath tickled. "I suppose I should have asked permission before kissing you," he breathed. "I'll need to hear you say it before it happens again."