Page 33 of Upon Buried Embers (Upon Buried Embers #1)

Elf

“You heated stones fine the other day, Drogonah. Why not now?”

The grumpy dragon turns his head away from me, closing his eyes.

“Unbelievable. I know you also kept me warm the other night.”

He huffs.

“You can’t deny it.”

A growl.

I shake my head and move to the next dragon. Blaise is curled up as tightly as possible and… snoring?

I tilt my head and watch small puffs of smoke come out of his nostrils on every exhale, and a giggle slips out.

I pause, lifting a hand to my mouth.

I’m giggling now.

It’s been a few days since I slept in the cave with the dragons and Rohan told me he would keep me. I’ve been feeling a mixture of emotions, but most of all I just feel… warmth.

I’ve never been wanted in any other way than to hurt, but Rohan said he wants to keep me and wants me in his bed?

My stomach flutters and I bite my lip.

I know what he means by it, but what if I do go to his bed like that? Could I satisfy a man like him? Do I want to?

I imagine he has bedded many, but I haven’t seen any interactions between him and the others in a way I thought meant more.

Maybe Darcia, but he always seems to brush her advances aside.

Or maybe they meet when I’m busy with chores…

Irritation spikes.

Am I jealous?

I’ve felt jealousy with others before. When they ate food, when they weren’t sent to the barn, when they were allowed warm clothes and a proper bed.

That’s what I’m feeling now at the thought of Rohan and Darcia.

I look down at myself.

Though I’ve been filling out more, my breasts are still too small and my body is still skin and bones.

I think back to the times Rohan wouldn’t even look at my body and frown.

I’m not surprised he doesn’t find me attractive.

But he came all over your back.

I shiver.

Shaking my head at my own thoughts, I move further into the cave. Most dragons seem to be sleeping, or some, like a darker blue one who turns its head away from me, ignore my presence altogether.

Doren still isn’t too friendly with me, like his sister, Solia, but at least she just ignores me and doesn’t try to eat me. Hakon is curled up further down, legs twitching in his dream while Alter, a darker green dragon eyes me warily.

He’s an older dragon and quiet, but I find him quite charming.

“Hi Alter,” I say, as I walk to him. He huffs his greeting, eyes drooping. “Are you tired?” He closes his eyes as I stroke his snout, but quickly opens them. “Why not rest like the others?” He blinks. “Drogonah is here, he will look after you all.”

Said dragon growls.

“See? He will scare danger away.” Alter sighs, then wraps his tail around and under his front legs, laying his head on it. I continue to stroke him, uncaring of my empty bucket and begin humming to him.

I don’t know what the melody is, but it feels familiar, and it seems to relax Alter. His chest rises and falls steadily, fast asleep in no time.

I smile softly, hesitating for a moment before I place a gentle kiss on the tip of his nose.

“Sleep well.”

I rise, empty bucket in hand and walk over to Drogonah. He ignores me, but I know he’s listening.

“Is he having trouble sleeping because of me? Am I causing him to feel unsettled?”

Silence.

“He seems worried,” I bite my lip. “I know you’ll look after him, like you’ve been doing with them all, but he seems troubled.” He blinks a purple eye open at that. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

He stares at me for a moment, then he lets loose a rumble. I’m confused at first, but then I realize this rumble is different from the rest.

It starts off in long bursts, but then short ones are added into it and before I know it, I’m humming along with him until he stops.

“That will help?” I look back at Alter, and to my surprise, Drogonah moves his head up and down. “I will do it every night if I have to.”

He stares at me for a moment before he spurts a little fire at me, and I jump back.

“Okay, okay. I’m going,” I say, walking away. “And I won’t tell anyone you’re secretly a softy.” His answering growl is loud enough to shake the walls.

I laugh lightly, but then I look down at my empty bucket and sigh.

How am I supposed to fill this now?

A chuffing sound comes from behind me all of a sudden, and I spin, locking eyes with Escor who sits before me.

“Oh, hi.” His ear twitches. “I didn’t even hear you come in. Would you like to help me heat some stones?” His tail moves back and forth and I blink at it in astonishment as he turns and prances over to his stone circle.

I follow, a smile on my face as he sits down on his back legs, tongue out.

“You’re an unusual one, Escor.” I place a stone before him. “But I like you.”

He purrs softly, and then the heat of fire tingles my skin as he warms a stone.

“Good job!” I tell him, and hear the smacking sound of his tail bouncing off the floor.

I huff out a laugh, giving him more stones.

Once the bucket is full, I lift a hand hesitantly, but his snout is right there in an instant, pressing against me as I stroke him in thanks.

“I shall come to you from now on. You’re a good boy.” A growl comes behind me and I turn to find Drogonah watching us. “The other grumpy dragon won’t help at all. How mean!”

Escor huffs, and Drogonah growls, standing up and turning his back to us.

“Do you think we hurt his feelings?” I whisper to Escor, who nudges my head.

Placing the bucket down, I head on over to Drogonah, again, and walk around his large body until I’m in front of him.

His one eye opens, and I kneel before him.

“I would always like your help with the heat stones.” He huffs.

“Tomorrow, would you do one for me after I hum for Alter?” He yawns, mouth gaping open and I swallow at the sight of so many teeth.

A nudge at my side has me looking down at the stone that’s pushed toward me with the end of his tail.

I smile.

“Tomorrow.”

Getting up, I walk away and stop short at Escor waiting for me. The bucket hangs from his mouth by the handle.

“Thank you, Escor.” We walk out of the cave, his head held high, almost like he’s proud of doing this little job.

We make it back to the cabin in no time, and Escor waits outside while I place the stones. This is the fastest I’ve ever done this.

Once done, I make my way back outside and laugh at the patch of now-thawed snow around Escor’s body. He sits near the back steps, waiting for the treat I said I would give him.

It’s just some leftover meat but he’s been salivating since I told him.

“You really are warm,” I tell him, rubbing a hand down his front leg. “Shall I get the trea—”

I pause when I spot something red beneath his back claws. Bending down to inspect it, I realize the red trails up to the cabin, beneath the mounds of snow. It spans the whole back of it.

I place a hand to the ground and dig a little, realizing, to my complete astonishment, that it’s roses.

Frozen roses.

“Escor, look!”

I start digging away the piles of snow along the back of the cabin, Escor helping, or at least, trying to, as we uncover dozens upon dozens of roses along the way.

I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.

Some are thawing more than others, and I have Escor sit next to them, the heat from his body helping thaw the snow.

“They freeze during the winter months, but closer to spring, they come back to life.”

Rohan’s voice comes from behind me, but I can’t take my eyes off the flowers.

“How many are here?” I ask as he greets Escor before he crouches beside me.

“I haven’t counted, dozens probably as they span the right side of the cabin too, and they trail up the walls in spring.”

“And they’re all wild ones?” I look around, imagining them once winter ends.

There’s silence, and I turn to look at Rohan who shakes his head. “My mother’s favorite.”

I want to ask where his mother is, but the pain that flashes across his face, and his solemn tone stops me.

“Will I see them?” His eyes come to mine. “In spring? We go to The Games in spring don’t we? But… will I see them before we leave?”

“With you removing the snow and the heat from Escor’s body, I think they’ll be fully thawed before we leave.”

I smile, excitement rising when he suddenly stills, eyes on my mouth.

Turning, I run my finger over the frozen petals as my cheeks heat.

“You like them?” He murmurs.

“I like the smell, but mostly, I love how beautiful they are whilst being guarded by such dangerous thorns.” I look into Rohan’s confused gaze. “They protect it, isn’t it wonderful? You have to be ready to bleed to be able to touch a rose, so much so that most won’t even try.”

He looks at me deeply, searching my gaze before he looks back to the roses. “Luckily, there’s already a thorn here to protect what’s beautiful.”

“Drogonah is quite a big thorn,” I smile, referring to him as the protector of the clan. I see him smirk before he shakes his head.

“I’m the only thorn here, Little Whisperer.”

I pause my ministrations on the frozen flower and peek at Rohan, tilting my head. “I don’t think everyone has to bleed if they were to touch you.”

I’ve seen him with his dragon, his horse and his people. He can be soft if he lets himself.

I pick a nearly thawed-out rose, careful of the thorns and hand it to him, unscathed.

He huffs out a laugh. “There will always be blood where I go.” He gets to his feet, holding out a hand to me. “It’s just that I clean it very well.”

I shake my head. “But you still protect.”

“Always.”

A pause.

“You like the idea of being protected?” He asks. “Has someone been that for you?”

“Been what?”

“Thorns?”

I scoff. “No.”

He huffs out a laugh. “Maybe you aren’t looking hard enough then.”

I go to ask what he means, but he’s already walking away, the rose still in his hand.

“Escor, do take care where you step if you plan on following the Little Whisperer around,” he calls back, and I turn to Escor as he looks at me, head tilted.

“Do you plan on following me around?”

A lick to my face is his reply.