TAKEN BY THE DRAGON KING

Carriage Ride

Elena pov.

The carriage rock slowly, a gentle rhythm as it moved along the road.

I had no idea where we are going and so far, Dracul hasn’t been so talkative. We were sitting beside each other in the carriage and he looked consistently ahead.

There was a focused expression on his face.

I had gotten ready quickly, throwing a few supplies into one of my smaller trunks. They had been loaded up with the rest of the luggage and I had been the first one in the carriage.

Dracul had swept in a few minutes later, giving order to the coachman, before sliding into the seat beside me.

My heart had been pounding in my chest. Maybe this was my chance for conversation. Maybe he’d tell me what was on my mind, what we were doing, what was next.

Maybe we could talk, and I could share what I knew. I had hope, the certainty that everything could be smoothed out.

But he didn’t say a word, brooding with the darkest expression. I had stuck back against the chair and sit in silence as we started our journey. I didn’t want to anger him, not when I needed him to believe me.

His moods seem to change rapidly, but that could very well just be because he had a lot in his mind. I don’t know and I wouldn’t know until he spoke to me.

So, we sat in silence and j wondered what came next. What did his advisor want, or have, that warranted a trip like this? Why did I need to come with him?

Why didn’t he mention last night?

I don’t know. The answer dance beyond my vision and beyond my grasp, pulling away every time I got close. I didn’t know.

Sighing I leaned back against the carriage wall. I shifted and looked out of the window, peering past the curtains.

I couldn’t see much at all, and I leaned closer to the glass.

“Close those.” He said. It was the first time he had spoken since we got into the carriage.

I looked at him in shock. He wouldn’t say a word to me except to admonish me for looking at the window.

“Why?” I bit back.

I could already feel my frustration rising and I hated how this man-made my emotions swing already without even trying. It was infuriating.

He looked at me as if I should already know that answer, “You’re not a dragon. Don’t make your face known like that.”

I stared at him, “You brought me here.”

He was the ruler of this kingdom right? What did it matter if I was here or not?

“I did. And now I’m telling you to close the curtains.”

I drop the fabric with a flourish, staring at him in anger burning in my soul. I didn’t know why he was being like this. He kept me in the dark at every turn and I felt like my head was spinning.

I no longer felt terrified of him. He was powerful and dangerous, but if he wanted me dead, he would have killed me already.

I was nervous, but not terrifying. He was someone to respect, but so was I.

“When are you going to tell me, what’s going on?” I asked, trying to keep my voice low.

“Since I got here, everything has been a complete mystery.”

He frowned but he didn’t answer so I pressed onwards.?

“You want my help, but you won’t tell me why. You want to take me on this trip, but you won’t talk to me. You want..” I swallowed, “You ran away from me in the middle of the night. What’s going on, Dracul?” I asked.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

I felt strange saying his name out loud. I didn’t call him by his title and for a fleeting second, we felt like equal. Even though I was technically a prisoner, I felt like I was finally speaking my mind with him.

He started at me and I could see a flicker of anger in his eyes, “You don’t understand what you are talking about.” He said slowly.

“I’m doing what is best for my kingdom. I am behaving as a ruler must and it none of your business.” He said.

“Of course, it is.”

I felt like a repeat of last night, but this time, the anger was rising quickly inside of me.

“Why? Because you are so eager to help us?” He said hissing out the words “Because you think so fondly of my kind?”

It felt like a slap in the face. I straightened my shoulder. I wanted to grab his jacket and shake him. I balled my hands into a fist instead. “You don’t know me.”

“I know your kind well enough.” He said.

“My kind.” I asked, my breath catching into my throat.

When did he get so close??

It just like last night, the distance between us shrinking into nothing, closing until there is was nothing left between us, the sweet pull of a distance nothing but a memory.

“Humans.” He said. He said it like it was a dirty word, as people in my kingdom spoke of Dragons.

I didn’t want to face the truth.

“If you had just asked me, I meant have helped. If you just talk to me, I will.” I said raising my voice.

“No , you wouldn’t.” He scoffed.

“Yes, I would.” I answered, vehement.

Suddenly and without warning, he grabbed me and pull me close. It was gentle enough, but there was a strength in his hands as he held me, pressed up against the strong, firm muscle of his chest.

“You sure?” He said. There was a dark glint in his eyes.

He was testing me. He expected me to tell, to push him away, to be repulsed.

I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. Surged on a passionate desire to prove my point, I grabbed him back and kissed him.

I felt a surge of triumph as his eyes widened in surprise, and then it was gone, melting into the heat of my desire.

A desire that I thought I had buried after last night. A desire that thundered through my chest until it was all I could feel.

Damn him!!

The heat rises inside me, as strong as last night, just as intense and pounding and all-consuming.

I groaned as he kissed me back.

I grab his hair and he pushed me down against the soft, plush seats of the carriage. I could feel his heartbeat against mine as he pressed against my soft skin. The fabric that separated us felt like it was too much and not enough all the same time.

His body we got against mine, and it’s still wasn’t enough. I felt like I could breathe, I felt like I have been starving for years and he was the only meal I wanted to eat. I felt like I was consumed by my emotions and my passions.

He did this thing to me, consumed my thoughts and my mind. I arched as I kissed him, my hands pulling his clothes, running through my hair.

He was tall and strong beneath his fabric and I longed to feel the curve in his body beneath his clothes.

I longed to feel everything, every part of him. It was like a prayer in my throat, like a hum in my body. It was something I couldn’t deny, something I couldn’t ignore. It was an aching surety that I wanted him.

I wanted this and I wanted more.

He tasted smoky and sweet all the same time. I parted my lips and his tongue met mine. He felt wonderful and my eyes slid shut as the heat rose inside of me forcefully and unbidden. I had never felt desire like this.

I had never felt want like this, desire like this.

I had never wanted to touch a man more than I wanted to touch Dracul.

Dracul was dangerous, I knew that so well. He was a dragon, the ruler of his kind. And I was a human. But I don’t care.

Right now, it just didn’t seem to matter. On the plush velvet seat of his carriage, in most arguments, I just didn’t care.

It didn’t matter what the world thought. It didn’t matter what was proper. It only mattered that we are here right now, entwined with each other and that I never wanted it to stop.

The carriage lurched and I arched up against him. His hands were all over my body and I moaned softly at the feeling of him so hot, and so close.

The arched inside of me was too much. I wanted him right now. I didn’t give a fuck that I was supposed to hate him.

Every time he got close, I wanted him with the utmost sense of desperation.

A knock on the carriage broke us both out of our revere.