Dragon Matchmaker

Chapter 11

The trip back was long and hard, especially when tricky weather hit. For the third time since they left, Kinsey slipped and fell into the mud, getting herself covered in dirt and muck. She groaned and shook her head, standing up laboriously. The thick mud and dirt was causing her legs to become tired from all the trudging they'd done so far.

She was suddenly swept off her feet and carried uphill faster than she could ever do by herself. She glanced up and saw Aldwin's face behind the hood pulled over his head. It did nothing to hide his bright green eyes in his tanned face.

After what Ceruleo had revealed to her, she couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked. Before, she'd been trying not to notice it, but now that she knew what Ceruleo wanted, she couldn't stop noticing how attractive he truly was. At the top of the hill was a small cave under an overhang created by a fallen tree's roots. He set her down gently beneath it and sat down heavily beside her. "I don't think it's any use trying to build a fire in this sloppy weather."

She glanced up and saw that beneath the trees roots were dead grasses and old twigs, packed in under the caked dirt. "No. We have this stuff. Break off a few roots and pile up the grass. We cam make something that'll at least warm us up a little."

After a long hearty sigh, he sat up on his knees and pried roots and sticks loose from the dirt, placing it in a pile. Kinsey cleaned off as much dirt as she could before setting them up and lighting them with a few sparks from her knife. The fire they conjured was small and weak, but gave them enough heat to get slightly dry by. Kinsey licked her lips and glanced at Aldwin, whose expression said that he was feeling upset. "Is something wrong?"

He looked up at her and shook his head, glancing down and shifting away a little. "Just thinking about something."

"About what?"

He glanced up again as she scooted closer. "Nothing you should be concerned with. Don't you have an explanation to come up with? As to why your necklace is gone? Audrey's gonna be mad."

She scowled and crossed her arms. "I'm not even sure if I should go for Audrey. He seems like the kind of guy who'll just have sex with me and then move on. I want more than that. If any man gets the courage to treat me that way, I'll convince dad to stay away from him."

Aldwin's shoulders jerked and then he huffed, a little too nonchalantly. "It's up to you I guess. Not my decision."

Kinsey's lips quirked up in a smile. "Why would it be up to anyone else? Much less your decision?"

He froze and she heard him gulp. She smiled again as he struggled for an answer.

I've got him. Time to admit it Aldwin.

He opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by another voice.

"Kinsey? Aldwin?"

They jerked their heads up and saw, standing under a low hanging pine branch a few yards from their cave, was Audrey. He stumbled over and sat down under the ledge with them. "What're you doing here?"

She asked fervently. After thinking carefully about him and Aldwin, she wasn't even sure if she wanted him here. He smiled and ruffled her hair, kissing her cheek. "Coming to hang out with you two. Leading the squadron was boring. I told the king I was heading out on a solo mission to scout out dragon territories. I lied."

Kinsey glanced at Aldwin and saw his face had fixated itself into a bored apathetic glare, but in his eyes, she saw he was upset. The signs were clear. He probably liked her. Audrey smiled and leaned back. "So how'd the dragon killing go?"

Kinsey reached back to he pack and brought forth the dragon claw, bringing it forward. He smiled and touched it, tracing the scale patterns. "Wow! I see you vanquished the beast. I didn't expect it to be that quick."

She paused and glance up at him. "You didn't expect us to do good on this mission?"

Audrey snorted and shook his head. "No. You're a girl and Aldwin is just Aldwin. I didn't expect much. Now, shrimp, beat it for a few minutes. I want some privacy with her."

Aldwin didn't complain and didn't hesitate. He was gone in a moment off into the rain. Kinsey saw him sit down on the ground a few dozen yards away, a dark sad lump out in the cold. She whirled on Audrey and sent him a glare, clenching her fists. "Why'd you do that?"

"Because he means nothing to me, while on the other hand, you do."

His big hand traced its way up her arm to stroke and cup her cheek. His touch used to excite her and make her feel good, but now it merely made her feel ashamed for ever seeing him that way. She smacked his hand away and shoved him back. "No! I've thought it over and I don't think I wanna be with a man who just wants my body."

His expression, for the first time ever, hardened, and she saw the cold dark man beneath. "Oh, and who else is gonna win your daddy over like I've done. He's already given me his blessing. Why do you think I came to find you, sweetheart?"

The word sweetheart came from his mouth like oil, slipping over her ears and making her grimace. "He gave you his blessing?"

Audrey smiled and grabbed her hand roughly, pulling it towards him. "Yep. Now hold still."

A ring appeared in his fingers and it approached her hand like a poisonous snake. As soon as it hit her finger, it would be all over. There wouldn't be any more choices. She'd have to marry Audrey, for whatever reason he wanted. She clenched her fingers into a fist and yanked it back. "No! You can't force me to do this. There's no one for you to threaten. My mother is dead and you can't kill my father. He wouldn't let you."

Audrey sighed and shook his head, looking down at the ring. "That's funny. I thought you liked me in return. I guess there's always plan B."

It felt like spiders were crawling up her back. What is he planning? What's plan B?

Suddenly, his hand surged upwards, grabbing her throat and forcing her back into the wall of dirt behind her. He covered her mouth with his other hand and snarled, getting close to her. "Plan B, is where I rape you, force that ring on your finger, kill Aldwin, and take you home to be my bride. Now be a good girl and hold your hand out."

She clutched at his hand, trying to get him to release. He let go of her throat, but kept his hand on her mouth. "Hold out your hand. Or it's plan B."

She had to do it. She could deal with the rape, but she wouldn't be able to live it down if Aldwin died because of her. She held out her hand and the ring slipped itself on, signifying their joining. Audrey smiled an evil malevolent smile and leaned forward, kissing her lips as his hand released her. When he pulled back, her tears had escaped and were running down her cheeks.

"That's a good girl. Now stop crying. We need to break the news to everyone don't we?"