Bound by a Dragon

  Chapter 1

  It was early winter, but already the weather was cold. Snow lay on the ground, and the rivers and lakes were covered in a thick layer of ice. Keira stood at the edge of the frozen river watching the five wolves on the opposite bank. She and Aaron, her husband of three months, had just been in the village, visiting her parents, but they had stopped in the forest before continuing their journey home to Storbrook. The wolves were huge; big gray beasts, with yellow eyes that stared at her alert and unblinking in the dull light of dusk. They watched her with an intense hunger, but made no move to cross the icy wasteland. At the front of the pack stood the alpha male, his posture tall and erect, while a smaller female stood at his side. They were gaunt, the deprivations of winter obvious in their dull coats. The male stood still, growling low, but his eyes were focused not on Keira, but on the creature that stood behind her. The breeze shifted slightly, blowing away from Keira and towards the wolves, and the ears of the male rose upright as he bared his teeth, his growl becoming louder. The female moved nervously at his side, but her eyes were on Keira, and after a moment she took a tentative step forward. The male’s growls grew louder, but the she-wolf ignored him, moving cautiously across the ice.

  Keira could feel the hot breath of the wild beast standing behind her, its hulking presence an impenetrable barrier to her escape. It was infinitely more dangerous than the wolves, but Keira felt no fear. Instead, her attention was completely focused on the small pack across the river, and she watched them curiously. The alpha male was watching the beast nervously, but the female, clearly not familiar with the threat, continued to pick her way across the ice. Keira was well aware of her precarious position – if the wolves managed to reach her, she could be ripped to shreds. But she knew that the beast behind her would attack the wolves before they got that close. The she-wolf was growing bolder, her tentative steps becoming more confident as she stood near the middle of the river, where a thin channel of water cut its way through the ice. A low growl rumbled through the air behind Keira, and the female paused, her eyes seeking out the threat as she sniffed the air. She glanced back at her mate, still standing on the riverbank, but before she had a chance to retreat, a burst of flame shot over Keira’s head. The blaze caught the wolf’s coat, and with a yelp she turned and ran, bounding between the other wolves and disappearing amongst the trees as the rest of the pack turned and followed.

  “You set that wolf alight,” Keira said, her eyes still on the retreating forms.

  “Don’t spare it too much pity,” the dragon said. “It would have killed you if given a chance. Besides, it will soon seek relief in the cool snow, which will put out the flames.”

  Keira turned to look at the dragon. “Like other wild beasts, it was just looking to assauge its hunger.”

  “That is true,” the dragon replied, “and if it had set its sights on any other creature in this forest, I would not have interfered. But it was hungering after you, my sweet, and that is quite unacceptable.”

  Keira smiled as she stretched out a hand to stroke the smooth scales on the dragon’s neck. “I love you,” she said.

  The dragon smiled, revealing a mouth of sharp, pointed teeth. His scales glimmered and shone a pale gold in the dull light, while huge wings lay folded across his broad back. A tail, armed with fierce spikes, curled around his body, the tip stretching beyond where Keira stood and curling around her protectively. He bent his long neck, lowering his massive head with its sharp horns which stood stark against the light, and brought his eyes down to her level. They were blazing as brightly as the fire that had streamed from his mouth, and his breath was hot and musky. “And I love you, my beautiful wife.”