“You’re being foolish, girl.”
“If I wasn’t here, I’d probably be cleaning some old man’s house in the slums,” Abigail said. “He’d probably slap me when he’s wrong and rape me when he’s happy. Or both.”
“I didn’t have very good prospects, either,” Priya said. “I’d be one of five wives for my husband.”
“I had a great husband,” Mara lied, trying to get them to shut up. She didn’t know why she said what she said next, but the words just flowed out of her. “He was a brave knight who worked for the king of Escrimea. He was going to take me back to his big house in Atherny and together we were going to live out our days with all the riches we got from killing dragons. It was going to be wonderful.”
“A dragon slayer?” Raylene asked. “That’s dangerous to be talking about around here.”
“Indeed it is,” a voice said from the doorway. The other maids turned and yelped as Aleksander strode into the room. He paused and looked at Mara with the same cold fury he had when he’d told her off before. “Leave us now.”
The other maids quickly jumped at his command, scurrying out of the room like rats. Mara turned her back to Aleksander, trying to cover her exposed breasts with her arms. Even though he wasn’t interested in her, she was still afraid to show him the true glory of her naked female form.
To her surprise, he sat down at the edge of the tub behind her and began to comb her hair with a jeweled comb that had been sitting there. He expertly worked the comb through the tangles of her hair, not pulling on it or getting stuck in a tangle one bit. His hands were fast and dexterous, just like when he was counting the coins in dragon form.
“So you say you have a husband?” he asked.
“Yes,” she lied. “He was the one you fought on the mountain.”
“What kind of husband sacrifices his wife to a dragon?”
“It’s a ploy we use to slay dragons. We’ve used it before to kill dragons.”
“I see. It did not work this time.”
“No, it didn’t. You were…” Mara searched for words that would please him. “Too powerful and great.”
Aleksander snorted. “Of course I am. You don’t have to tell me that.”
“It doesn’t bother you that we’ve killed other dragons?”
“No,” Aleksander said flatly. “I have no use for the other members of my kind.”
“Are all dragons so solitary?” she asked.
“For the most part.”
“Do dragons ever take brides?”
Aleksander paused for a moment, letting the comb hang in her hair. She could tell she had stumped him with this question and that gave her a small bit of satisfaction. “I have heard about others of my kind doing so.”
“Have you ever?”
“Don’t be stupid,” he scolded. “We have already discussed this.”
“My husband will come back for me,” Mara said. “You haven’t ever been in love, so you don’t know what it’s like. He wouldn’t just leave the love of his life to be a dragon’s slave.”
“I want you to quit using that word,” he said.
“That’s what he’ll see it as. And he’ll want to rescue me.”
“I look forward to it,” Aleksander said. “He was a worthy foe and I would enjoy finishing our battle. He ran away like a coward.”
“He was being smart and tactical.”
“Well, when he returns I will be waiting and I will relish the battle.”
Mara stood up and turned to Aleksander, letting the water run down her body. Her hair was finally silky and smooth. She saw his eyes grow wide as they traveled up and down the curves of her body, lingering for some time on her large, round, full breasts before traveling up to her eyes.
“My father once told me I had the bluest eyes in the kingdom,” she said. “Do you think that is true?”
“Your eyes are very blue,” he conceded, his own eyes still scanning her.
“So are yours,” she said. “They’re amazing.”
“Of course they are,” he said. “They’re a dragon’s eyes. Yours are the
“If I wasn’t here, I’d probably be cleaning some old man’s house in the slums,” Abigail said. “He’d probably slap me when he’s wrong and rape me when he’s happy. Or both.”
“I didn’t have very good prospects, either,” Priya said. “I’d be one of five wives for my husband.”
“I had a great husband,” Mara lied, trying to get them to shut up. She didn’t know why she said what she said next, but the words just flowed out of her. “He was a brave knight who worked for the king of Escrimea. He was going to take me back to his big house in Atherny and together we were going to live out our days with all the riches we got from killing dragons. It was going to be wonderful.”
“A dragon slayer?” Raylene asked. “That’s dangerous to be talking about around here.”
“Indeed it is,” a voice said from the doorway. The other maids turned and yelped as Aleksander strode into the room. He paused and looked at Mara with the same cold fury he had when he’d told her off before. “Leave us now.”
The other maids quickly jumped at his command, scurrying out of the room like rats. Mara turned her back to Aleksander, trying to cover her exposed breasts with her arms. Even though he wasn’t interested in her, she was still afraid to show him the true glory of her naked female form.
To her surprise, he sat down at the edge of the tub behind her and began to comb her hair with a jeweled comb that had been sitting there. He expertly worked the comb through the tangles of her hair, not pulling on it or getting stuck in a tangle one bit. His hands were fast and dexterous, just like when he was counting the coins in dragon form.
“So you say you have a husband?” he asked.
“Yes,” she lied. “He was the one you fought on the mountain.”
“What kind of husband sacrifices his wife to a dragon?”
“It’s a ploy we use to slay dragons. We’ve used it before to kill dragons.”
“I see. It did not work this time.”
“No, it didn’t. You were…” Mara searched for words that would please him. “Too powerful and great.”
Aleksander snorted. “Of course I am. You don’t have to tell me that.”
“It doesn’t bother you that we’ve killed other dragons?”
“No,” Aleksander said flatly. “I have no use for the other members of my kind.”
“Are all dragons so solitary?” she asked.
“For the most part.”
“Do dragons ever take brides?”
Aleksander paused for a moment, letting the comb hang in her hair. She could tell she had stumped him with this question and that gave her a small bit of satisfaction. “I have heard about others of my kind doing so.”
“Have you ever?”
“Don’t be stupid,” he scolded. “We have already discussed this.”
“My husband will come back for me,” Mara said. “You haven’t ever been in love, so you don’t know what it’s like. He wouldn’t just leave the love of his life to be a dragon’s slave.”
“I want you to quit using that word,” he said.
“That’s what he’ll see it as. And he’ll want to rescue me.”
“I look forward to it,” Aleksander said. “He was a worthy foe and I would enjoy finishing our battle. He ran away like a coward.”
“He was being smart and tactical.”
“Well, when he returns I will be waiting and I will relish the battle.”
Mara stood up and turned to Aleksander, letting the water run down her body. Her hair was finally silky and smooth. She saw his eyes grow wide as they traveled up and down the curves of her body, lingering for some time on her large, round, full breasts before traveling up to her eyes.
“My father once told me I had the bluest eyes in the kingdom,” she said. “Do you think that is true?”
“Your eyes are very blue,” he conceded, his own eyes still scanning her.
“So are yours,” she said. “They’re amazing.”
“Of course they are,” he said. “They’re a dragon’s eyes. Yours are the
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