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  “Now what’s your suggestion, Keira?”

  She lifted her chin. “Let’s get out of here. We’ve met etiquette obligations. Everyone’s dancing. The rest of the night people will mill in their own crowds. But…I want to spend Valentine’s Day…in a special way.”

  “My most brilliant Keira! You just read my mind,” he assertively agreed.

  “Dillon, call for your transport. My quarters are quite near. I’ll run back, change out of this gown, and meet you out front in half an hour,” she suggested.

  “You’ve got it. But half an hour. No longer,” he said. Then he drank the rest of his champagne and stood as a broad smile spread across his face.

  She watched him stride quickly away before picking up the hem of her gown and moving fast.

  Chapter Five

  Having donned a dark blue tunic, leggings, and matching blue knee-boots, Keira stood on the marble steps outside the auditorium and waited. Hooked in the crook of her left arm was a food hamper with samplings of the feast they’d both left inside. Now, neither of them could use hunger as an excuse to part for the evening. Something else might do it, but not the lack of food or beverage.

  Scant moments later, Dillon brought a class one, ultra-luxurious touring shuttle to a stop a few yards away. He quickly jumped out and she saw he’d taken an opportunity to rid himself of royal trappings.

  Instead of the formal clothing he’d had on, he now wore the traditional dark green tunic, leggings, and tall brown boots of a Mythrealian country gentleman. Like her, he’d let his hair down for the evening. It flowed like a silver banner over his shoulders. Light from a hundred outside lanterns, strategically placed for romantic effect, clearly illuminated his features. And just like her, his expression displayed excitement. He was as eager to leave and follow fate as Keira.

  “What’s that?” he gaily asked as he glanced down at her hamper.

  “I raided the kitchen on my way out.”

  “Excellent!”

  He took the hamper from her, laid it on the floorboard of the expansive, conically-shaped, silver flying shuttle, and then opened the nearest door for her. “Give me some coordinates, Keira. Anywhere you want to go. So long as it’s away from crowds.”

  She sat in the soft, form-fitting gray cloth seat while he quickly got behind the driver’s console, noting there was an appropriate amount of room in the shuttle for several couples, even if the weather should change and the top had to come up. Indeed, there’d be enough space for her suggesting a very romantic interlude leading to tomorrow morning.

  “So…where to, milady?”

  “Dragons. I…I want to see dragons up close. As a member of the royal household you can take me where they live. It’s my understanding that no one else but royalty or a gamekeeper could grant permission.”

  Without taking his eyes off her, he reached out his left hand and punched in three, obviously well-memorized coordinates. “I know exactly where they’ll be tonight. I go there whenever I have time.” He moved closer as the shuttle lifted and began its gravity-defying course forward. “But since I’m taking you to my favorite spot, I’ll insist on certain conditions.”

  She saucily lifted her chin and smiled. “I’m game.”

  “You must promise to do everything I say. Everything.”

  Keira leaned into him and snuggled her head against his right shoulder. “No problem. I’m yours to command for the entire evening.”

  “Lieutenant,” he began as he jokingly referred to her by rank, “you just made my year!”

  ****

  As the breeze picked up, she curled her legs under her and cuddled closer.

  With the coordinates laid in, all he had to do was concentrate on breathing in such a way that this ethereally, lovely girl wouldn’t know how deep he’d been affected.

  Never in his entire life had Dillon wanted one woman so badly. She was everything other woman weren’t. She had qualities that called to him on every level—unselfishness, loyalty, intelligence, and courage.

  Women in his circle never revealed a flair for the spontaneity he so loved. All would have been concerned about their wind-blown hairstyles by now. By contrast, Keira shook her beautiful, soft, red-brown mane back and looked ahead with anticipation.

  What might the night bring? And why did he feel this evening was more profoundly important than all others he’d experienced?

  Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the edge of the Draconian Mountain Range, just outside the capitol city of Illusia.

  The evening was warm, stars sparkled overhead, and light from the console illuminated Keira’s features as she leaned forward to get her first, close-up look at dragons meandering in a lowland pasture for the evening.

  “They’ll be guarding their hatchlings on the lower ground tonight. Most are too young to fly into the cliffs.” He gazed into the darkness and picked out two new hatchlings about a hundred yards from their vessel. “Look there, Keira. We can watch them from this distance but dare go no closer. I’m sure their parents would recognize me, but they’re still ultra-protective of their young.”

  Keira leaned forward and strained to see where he pointed. Then he saw her grin broadly as she picked out the two gray hatchlings from forest fauna. “They’re spectacular,” she whispered. “And look how big the parents are. They’ve got to be at least sixty feet…from their nose to the tip of their tails! And those huge wings…my God…how thrilling! How absolutely inspiring!”

  They watched for a full half hour, not speaking but sharing the wonder of nature and a fantastic moment most people never got to witness.

  Finally, the two gray adults sauntered off with their youngsters following. He turned to find unchecked tears in Keira’s eyes.

  Backlighting from his console couldn’t diminish the sincerity on her face. She was as bewitched by the beauty of nature as he. And, in that moment, he knew he could never find another woman who’d so capture his heart.

  She turned to him, suddenly flung her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him hard.

  Whether she’d indulged the impulsive gesture as thanks or something more, he quickly pulled her into his embrace and kissed her back…long, hard, deep, and earnestly.

  He ran his hands down her back, heard her moan and answered with one of his own. His body was on fire—his heart filled with longings he’d have never believed possible.

  The woman glowed. She was spirited and passionate. There was and never would be anything fake about her.

  Eventually, she pulled back but only a few inches.

  “Thank you for bringing me here, Dillon. I won’t ever forget it. I love animals. All kinds. And dragons are…they’re a childhood passion. Thank you,” she softly repeated as she nuzzled her cheek against his.

  “Speaking of dragons. I…I have something for you. Whether by fate or coincidence, the timing is just right, I think.”

  He reached inside his left tunic pocket and brought out a small, black velvet bag. “I…I found this stone and made it…well…I thought of you when I saw it.”

  She gently took the bag he offered, emptied the contents into her palm and stared at it for a long moment.

  “It’s a heart. A little, oblong heart,” she whispered.

  “A dragon stone. And yes, the shape is reminiscent of a sort of elongated-shaped heart. Oddly, I happened upon it several nights ago. It was lying in the bottom of a small brook behind my estate.”

  She smilingly held it up to the light of the stars and caressed the perfectly smooth, ruby-colored jewel.

  “The stones are named for the Dragon Mountains.” With no response other than her silent awe, he babbled on. “You see…while making their homes in caves, dragons dislodge large boulders. These boulders roll to the bottom of the forest floor, get washed into streams by heavy rains, and are eventually broken down into smaller stones and tumbled smooth. For this one to have been formed into its current shape is very unusual. When I saw it, I knew you had to have it. I just drilled a small hole
in the middle, added cord and—”

  “It’s absolutely lovely! Put it on me,” she breathlessly commanded as she handed him the necklace with one hand, simultaneously lifting her long hair off her neck with the other.

  She briefly turned her back to him, so that he could tie the cord. When she turned back, the red, elongated heart nestled exactly in the hollow between her full breasts, in the vee of her deep blue tunic. The sight it made against all that cream flesh almost undid him.

  “I’ve never been given anything so beautiful,” she whispered. “And I’ll never take it off. Never!”

  He swiftly pulled her into his embrace, so pleased was he with her response. But before he could kiss her again, she put her hands in the middle of his chest, momentarily halting him.

  “You found the stone and made it into a gift for me. Even when you thought I was a Plain Jane. Don’t deny it! You didn’t give a damn what I looked like but gave me this sweet gift anyhow.” She blinked back tears that shimmered in the night. “You can’t possibly know how much more special such a gift is. You didn’t know what I really looked like, but you still thought of me. I…I have no words, Dillon Greenleaf.”

  “Keira?”

  “Yes?” she sniffed.

  “I’m going to kiss you hard. Right now. Right in the middle of this woods and right where you sit. And then…”

  She grinned, touched her jewel with the fingers of her left hand and nodded. “And then?”

  “If you were thinking of going back to the embassy, consider staying with me tonight, Keira. The sky is awash with stars. The night’s warm, and nobody’s expecting us back. So…stay, Keira. Let’s let the night take us where it will.”

  “You don’t have to convince me, big guy.” She moved closer as a way to show support for his idea. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Dillon.”

  “It’s one Earth holiday I’ll happily adopt. From this moment on, I’ll always treasure it,” he softly told her as he gently pulled her body against his chest.

  ****

  Valentine’s Day, 10 years later, exact same spot

  Dillon poured two glasses of champagne, and turned to the love of his life. Keira pulled a blanket around her body before taking the glass he offered.

  They’d just made love for the third time, after watching the dragon hatchlings saunter across a field at the base of the mountains. This was a Valentine’s custom they’d kept and held dear all through the years.

  For the first time, he asked one question he hadn’t before. “Any regrets, sweet lady? Anything you’d have done differently?”

  “We’ve got three strong sons, and have watched old friends leave our lives. And though I miss those who’ve gone on, I know we’ll see them again.” She sighed and moved closer to him. “We’ve dreamed and watched all our wishes come true. Even through the bad times, there’s nothing I’d change,” she answered.

  “Nor I.” He lifted one hand to caress her cheek and stared deeply into her eyes. He glanced down at the necklace he’d made for her—the one she still wore after all these years. “I must confess something, though.”

  “What’s that, baby?”

  “I can no longer feel remorse for planting that bug. As bad as it seemed at the time, had I not done it I wouldn’t have you now. And you…”

  “What?” she prompted. “What about me?”

  “I look at you and I have no words…I could say you’re the sun in the morning, the moon at night, and the next breath I take. I could say you’re the best and most wonderful thing that’s ever happened to me. I could say that your beauty has filled my life with awe and mystery. There’s never been a day I’ve regretted asking you to be my mate. Even during those times when we fought over strategy and diplomacy, yours was and still is the brightest and most imaginative mind I’ve ever known. I could say you’ll be the last thing on my mind and in my heart when I leave this life. I could say all that and so much more. But words…simple words…would never do my feelings justice. There are no mere words for the way you’ve made me feel, the joy you’ve bestowed and the family and life we’ve made together. It’s just like Immy used to say. We’ve grabbed onto life.”

  She caressed his cheek before quickly nuzzling it. “Too bad you can’t express yourself, my man. It’s a terrible fault,” she softly joked. Then she ran one hand through his long hair and over his shoulder.

  He chuckled as they clinked champagne glasses.

  After they sipped a little of the golden, Earth beverage, Keira took their glasses and placed them on the console of their shuttle. With the seat all the way back as it currently was, they had a comfortable, huge bed to behold an unspoiled, fantasy setting. Dragons sailed in the sky near them, pixies drifted by while gathering nectar from thousands of flowers. All this glory played out in a garden setting that outperformed anything in any old fairytale.

  “Enough talking, my man. My wonderful, brave and handsome elf. Let’s get back to celebrating Valentine’s Day. I want to remember this night.”

  Dillon quickly moved over her. “You will, my love. For now and ever after.”

  A word about the author…

  Candace Sams (also writing erotica as C.S. Chatterly) graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Agriculture. She worked as a police officer with the State of Texas, the San Diego PD, and in a teaching capacity for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

  She is the senior woman on the US Kung Fu Team (working on her fourth black belt), and has been awarded the Medal of Putien and the Statue of Tao by the Chinese Martial Arts Confederation in Quanzhou, China. She holds international martial arts titles. As confirmed by members of the US Senate, she serves as a martial arts ambassador between US and China and has trained with the Shaolin Monks in Quanzhou as well as exhibiting martial arts throughout Quanzhou, Putien, and Fouzhou.

  Candace is available for speaking engagements on how to write fight scenes in story plots. Please contact her at the web sites below.

  Hobbies include: weight lifting, martial arts, gardening (as a Master Gardener), collecting rare and unusual reference books, collecting minerals and Halloween paraphernalia. She also looks after one dog and one cat who’ve adopted her. She has been married for more than twenty years. You can frequently meet her at Romantic Times Conventions and other author/reader venues. To find out more about her appearances, you can join a free, non-spam newsletter list (join from one of her web sites).

  www.candacesams.com

  www.cschatterly.com

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  this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.