Kelly Lucille Read Free

responsibilities.  You will be better off with me.”
    “What does that
mean?”
    “You will not
leave my side, and I will see to your care.”
    Morgan opened her
mouth to rage at his arrogance but swallowed it back and attempted reason
instead.  “I am a mage.  I can take care of myself and my family.”  She took a
deep breath and grudgingly added, “I do appreciate your worry for me, but it is
not necessary.”
    She stepped away
from him, turning once again, to head for the cave mouth.  He grabbed her arm
and pulled her back.
    “You will stay
with me.”  The grip on her arm was thoughtlessly rough, and she could feel the
heat of his anger building.  Like the child he didn’t resemble he was set on
getting his own way.  He was not going to listen to reason.
    Morgan called her
power and sent it in a flash through the hand holding her so tightly.  This
time it was not fire she called, but ice.  He released her with a curse, his
hand iced to the elbow.  He sent heat pulsing down his arm to combat the cold,
and then narrowed angry dragon eyes at her when he could once again feel his
hand.
    “Be careful that
you do not mistake me for powerless.  I am no dragon’s plaything.”  Her eyes
flashed green mage fire in the dark, her words echoing eerily.  “I will stay
with you tonight and feed you again of my blood so that you can make your
journey.  But then we will go our separate ways; I will find my family.  Push
me on this and I will leave you shivering in the dark.”
    Every muscle in
his body clenched at the threat, then released.  He pointed a big finger at her
nose, anger vibrating from every cell.  “You threaten me?!  Then leave.  We
will see how far you get without wings to fly.”
    Morgan turned and
headed for the exit.  Arrogant Dragon.  Like I need his permission!
      However, when she
got to the opening her stomach crashed to her toes.  They were in a cave that
nature had carved out of a cliff wall.  She could barely see the ground from
here and there was not even a single shrub to halt the deadly plunge to the
rocky stone floor.  Unless she suddenly developed shapeshifting abilities and
turned into a bird, she was not going anywhere unless the dragon took her. 
    She felt his
radiating heat at her back before she heard him whisper in her ear.  “Perhaps
it is you who will be left shivering in the cold my fierce little falcon.”
    Morgan swallowed,
fear causing her chin to jut stubbornly, even as his voice sent shivers down
her spine.
    “You will do as I
say.  You will go to the back of the cave and take care of your frail human
business.  Then you will come back to me.”  He nipped her earlobe with sharp
white teeth and wrapped an arm around her when she would have pulled away. 
“You will give me the blood and heat I need for the journey, and you will sleep
in my arms, tonight and every night.”
    “Wha...”  He
stopped her speech with a hand over her mouth. 
    “No.  No
arguments.  No discussions.  Do as I say.”
    She wanted more
than anything to put his arrogant dragon ass down, but it would be foolish.  Even
if she could win the skirmish, and she certainly would, where would she go
without him to carry her out? 
    So fine, she would
do as he said for now, but the moment she was out of this prison in the clouds,
she would take back control of her life.  She pulled out of his restraining
arms and headed for the back of the cave.  She found his set up complete with a
pile of dirt and a bunch of leaves, joy.  When she had done her “frail human”
business, she decided to follow the cave farther back for a bit.  While she was
lucky enough to find a small trickle of water, she couldn't chance further
exploring for fear of getting lost.
    After cleaning up
as best she could with the slow trickle, she drank what she could get down her
parched throat and headed back.  
    The dragon was
already on the, now cooled, rock floor.  When she hesitated at his side,