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  Anya must choose between not believing in folktales and the actual giants who have taken her under their wings.

  A peaceful world becomes the target for alien treasure seekers who kill all the inhabitants of the castle in their bid to find the hidden object. They are successful in wiping out all the occupants…almost.

  Running through the forest, Anya doesn’t bother to look back. Her family and friends are dead and those who did the deed are coming after her next. An exhausted night’s sleep ends in a shocked waking when she finds herself surrounded by strangers.

  In the caves of the dragons Anya is pressed into service of the two males who rescued her, and they find it hard to keep control of their instincts when impulse seems far more attractive.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Anya’s Dragons

  Copyright © 2012 Gabriella Bradley

  ISBN: 978-1-77111-334-2

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books

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  Anya’s Dragons

  By

  Gabriella Bradley

  Chapter One

  The castle was in uproar. Anya didn’t know what to do or where to run. Her guards had abandoned her—she was alone, hiding behind a fallen and broken statue of her father where a royal guard had pushed her. Before he continued his flight, he told her the royal family was dead. There were no survivors. A tear seeped from beneath her clenched eyelids. When she and her attendants had heard the uproar outside, she’d left the pool, wrapped a small towel around her waist, and run to the balcony overlooking the courtyard. She’d witnessed the beams coming from the alien crafts vaporizing her family and the aliens who had landed in the courtyard brutally slaughtering the guests gathered there for her sister’s nuptials. Within such a short time, she’d lost her parents, her siblings, her friends. Only the Goddess knew who else was dead and how many more people the invaders would slaughter.

  She needed to flee, but debris fell around her, columns were broken, and she knew the roof would soon cave in and kill her if she didn’t make a run for it. Self-preservation was uppermost in her mind, pushing the memory of the massacre of her loved ones to a corner of her heart and closing the door. That door would open later, after she’d escaped—if she could even get away from the castle alive.

  The savages were everywhere, looting, plundering and destroying everything in their wake. Anya stealthily crept to the foot of the statue. The coast seemed clear. The rogues had found nothing of interest in the women’s bathing chamber. Their growls faded as they continued into the castle, hunting for the king’s treasure.

  Anya sprinted to the balcony, keeping low as she ran. Crouching behind a trellis hanging askew, the flowers broken, their red petals scattered on the balcony floor resembling drops of blood, she peeked through the vines. Bodies and small piles of ashes littered the courtyard amidst broken tables, food and floral arrangements. Large patches of blood stained the light flagstone ground, but she saw no savages. Thankful she’d always played with the boys, and much to her mother’s chagrin was more a tomboy than a lady, she scrambled over the stone railing and leapt for the trellis. Holding on to the vine’s strong branches, she climbed down.

  Crouching, she let her gaze sweep the courtyard one more time before running to the open gates, zigzagging between bodies and the festive debris. She had no idea what she’d find outside the castle walls, but if she didn’t try to escape, the savages would discover her eventually and that would be the end of her. After darting through the gates, she ran at full speed to the edge of the forest without looking back. The trees would give her some measure of shelter and protection from the brutes. Their trunks were enormous, at least the size of a house. She hid behind one and sat on the spongy moss, her breath coming in short puffs, her lungs burning. After her racing heart and breathing had calmed, she scanned her surroundings.

  Their father had instilled fear in their hearts with his tales of the monsters, the giants and their dragons that lived in the forest. At the moment she was more afraid of the savages. The dragons were real. She’d seen them flying high in the sky, but they were harmless and never bothered her people as long as they didn’t trespass on the dragons’ domain. Some curious men had gone into the forest and never returned, presumably killed by either the monsters or the giants and their dragons.

  Anya wondered what she should do next. Did she dare stay near the forest’s border and make her way to the city? That was probably not a good idea. A fleet of ships had darkened the sky and only two of them had landed on the palace roof. The others had most probably invaded the townships. She gazed at the dense shrubbery, at the tall exotic flowers with their gorgeous white blooms the size of her bed, tall ferns and other flowers she’d never seen. Vaguely she thought it a scene of beauty, but there was no time for admiring nature. Did she dare? “I’ve got little choice,” she muttered and started to walk. She had no knife, no sword to make a path through the shrubbery, nothing to defend herself with if necessary. All she had were her hands and arms. Heedless of the branches that scratched and marred her tender skin, she fought through the brush.

  Not long after that, she spotted a trail and followed it. Constantly alert for any sign or sound of predators, she continued along the path looking for a place to hide and rest. Her mouth was dry and she felt faint from hunger when darkness fell. With the trees hiding any moonlight, she couldn’t see where she was going. Shivering from the cool night air, she curled up against one of the gigantic tree trunks, the mossy ground her mattress.

  “Oh, Goddess, I can’t survive here. Just let me die and allow me to dwell in the afterlife with my family,” she whispered.

  Don’t despair, child. You have a great task awaiting you. Sleep now.

  Was it her imagination, or had she really heard the soft feminine voice? It didn’t matter. The voice helped to soothe her misery. For a moment, she thought about her slain loved ones, but exhaustion won and she slept.

  Chapter Two

  “Look what I found,” Cyton called to his best friend.

  “What is it?”

  “Look for yourself, Yerith.”

  “I’ll be damned. It’s a girl, and she’s almost naked.”

  “Her feet are bleeding. She’s walked far.” Cyton bent to inspect the girl closer. “I wonder how old she is. She’s covered in dirt and dried blood. I bet she came from the castle.”

  Yerith nodded. “That’d be my guess, too. I still think we should have gone to their aid.”

  “And be killed? We can’t fight against the alien technology. All we can hope for is that they leave soon.”

  “After they get what they came for, they will,” Yerith said.

  “And what do you think was their reason for the attack?”

  “The king’s treasure.”r />
  Cyton shook his head. “The king doesn’t keep the treasure in the castle or on the castle grounds. You know that.”

  “They apparently don’t. You saw how they’re destroying the palace and the towns. They can’t find it.”

  “Well, hopefully they’ll give up and return to their own planet. This is the second time in history the Kalamatians have invaded Vorcia.”

  Yerith lifted the girl’s dirty hair and looked more closely at her face. “The first invasion was well before our time. Many of our people were killed. That’s when we still had a good liaison with the royals. I wonder what happened to put a rift between them and us. The elders refuse to talk about it.”

  Cyton gazed at the girl. “She’s beautiful under the dirt. Look at her perfect features, and her hair looks to be a golden color.”

  “Yes, but she’s very fragile. We’d better take her with us. We can’t leave her here.”

  “If we bring a gentile into our compound, the elders will have a fit. But you’re right. We can’t leave her or take her back to the castle. The elders will be angry anyway. We’re supposed to bring back food, and our hunt was unsuccessful. Arriving home empty-handed is already cause for their wrath.” Cyton touched the girl’s arm and shook her a little, but she didn’t wake. After slinging his bow and adjusting the quiver of arrows over his shoulder, he slid his axe in its holder. He bent and picked her up. She was as light as a child.

  Yerith picked up his weapons and headed along the trail. “We should hurry. The Gonks will be hunting for food and I don’t aim to be their next meal.”

  Cyton followed behind, always on the watch for the feared Gonks. They’d fought and killed many, but traveling at night there was a much bigger risk of them being attacked unawares. The Gonks were huge beasts that were covered in dark fur, stood at least twice as tall as a man, and had long snouts, huge teeth as sharp as his sword, and nails as long as a man’s forearm. They could tear a human to shreds. He gazed down at the small elfin girl in his arms and shuddered. If he and Yerith hadn’t happened upon her, she’d have been their next meal.

  For such a small female, she had remarkably well developed breasts, with large rosy nipples that were quite hard from the cold night air. His cock stirred. The scrap of cloth around her hips was torn and hung in tatters, displaying her feminine charms. Her pubes were devoid of any hair, unlike the women of his tribe who were quite abundant in that area. A small triangle peeked from between rosy pussy lips. He had the sudden urge to bend and suck on the delectable nub. What the hell is wrong with me? It’s not as if I’m starving for a woman. Only last night, I bedded Lon, and this waif appears little more than a child.

  “You’re lagging behind, mate,” Yerith said over his shoulder.

  Startled out of his musings, Cyton concentrated on the trail and sped up. They weren’t far from their city now.

  They arrived at the gates just before they closed for the night. A high fence made from large tree trunks surrounded the compound. The tops of the trunks had been carved into sharp spikes and capped with metal. Once the gates were closed, the elders would activate the spell that kept the Gonks at bay. If any of them tried to climb over the barricade, they incinerated instantly when any part of them touched the metal spikes.

  Several people ran to greet them, Lon one of them. “That hardly looks like food,” she yelled, pushing others aside to get near him. “What is it?”

  “A mortal waif. We found her in the forest,” Yerith said and grunted.

  “A mortal? Why was she in the forest?” Lon wanted to know.

  Cyton shoved away her questioning hands as she tried to paw at the girl. “I think she might be from the castle. You saw the alien fleet and heard the attacks. We couldn’t take her back to her people and neither could we leave her in the forest for the Gonks.”

  “Why not?” Lon asked callously. “Who cares about the royals? I sure as hell don’t.”

  “She’s just an innocent. I’m not as hard-hearted as you, Lon. Where is Uleirlel? The girl needs tending to.”

  Lon stepped back. “I’ll go fetch her. You didn’t bring back food. The elders won’t be pleased.”

  “The Gonks interfered. We killed several Thrath, but before we could collect our trophies, the beasts got to them. We’ll hunt again tomorrow and we’ll take more warriors with us.”

  He watched her shift into her dragon and fly up the side of the mountain. Uleirlel lived in one of the highest caves and seldom came down to the compound unless she was summoned or needed food.

  Lon returned fast, followed by a large red dragon. Within seconds, they took on their human shapes.

  “What do you have here, Cyton?” Uleirlel asked as she approached him.

  “A mortal girl. She’s hurt and needs your help.”

  Uleirlel’s gnarled hand rested on the girl’s belly. “She has a good heart. Cyton, son of Otora, I’ll agree to heal her if the first of your next kill is mine. If you agree, bring her to my house.” Within seconds, she reverted to her dragon and flew back to her cave.

  A tall, older man pushed his way through the gawking throng of people. “Cyton, you brought back no kill? We are almost out of food. What is this I hear? You’ve brought a mortal among us?”

  “Yerith and I found her in the forest. She escaped the aliens. I think she’s from the palace, Yurkis.”

  Yurkis, the eldest member of the council, also called The Timeless One, frowned, his golden eyes thunderous. “You know our laws. No mortal is to enter our compound.”

  “She’s an innocent. We couldn’t leave her for the Gonks.”

  “She’s a royal. I can tell by her elfin form. You know where we stand with them. If the royals had not been so stupid many years ago, we would have helped fight the aliens. But their brains are small. What can we expect from them? Take her back to where you found her.”

  “No.”

  “You dare disobey me?”

  Cyton watched small silver scales appear on Yurkis’ chest and arms, his eyes changing to bright silver. He’d angered the man and it boded no good. “Look at her. She’s an innocent. The Gonks will eat her in a millisecond. What if it were one of our own children?” How he dared speak up to the most honored man of their clan, he didn’t know. He didn’t have the heart to take this beautiful girl back into the forest where he was sure she’d be slaughtered. He watched the scales slowly fade and Yurkis’ eyes return to their golden hue. It wasn’t often The Timeless One listened to the opinions of the young.

  “Very well. I will allow Uleirlel to heal her wounds. After that, she will be your and Yerith’s responsibility. She will serve you and can never go back to the palace.”

  “I don’t think there’s much left of the palace. The Kalamatian weapons are fierce and they destroyed much of the palace and the towns.”

  “No doubt in search of the king’s treasure.”

  “Probably. How can the girl live among us?”

  “She’ll learn to adapt. I see you’ve brought no food at all back with you. The hunt was a failure?”

  “It wouldn’t have been but for the Gonks.”

  “I’ve spoken for the council. Take the girl to Uleirlel and remember my words. She’s both your and Yerith’s responsibility when she’s healed.”

  Cyton glanced at Yerith, who nodded. He carefully laid the girl on the ground and called out his dragon. The crowd scattered. He flapped his wings until he hovered over the waif and carefully picked her up with his talons, then flew up to Uleirlel’s dwelling. He landed on her platform and tried to release the girl as gently as possible. Shifting back into his man, he picked her up and entered Uleirlel’s cave.

  “I was expecting you. I knew Yurkis would allow you to keep her. Put her on that cot over there.” She pointed at a cot against the far wall. Made of rough wood, it was covered with animal furs. He gently lowered the girl onto it and gazed down at her. She looked so innocent, so vulnerable.

  “Go now. I’ll return her to you when she’s healed. It won
’t take long. Her wounds are merely on the surface.”

  They all feared Uleirlel’s wrath. Cyton quickly left the cave and returned to the compound, where he found Yerith waiting for him.

  “What are we going to do with a young mortal girl?” Yerith asked.

  “I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. I’m tired. I’ll see you tomorrow, my friend.”

  Chapter Three

  Anya struggled awake. “Where am I?” she asked softly while her eyes became accustomed to the dimly lit interior. Looking at her surroundings, she seemed to be in a cave, although a cave with many decorations and conveniences.

  “You’re with the dragon people, child. My name is Uleirlel. I am the medicine woman for our clan.”

  “Clan? Dragon people? You’re one of the giants?”

  “Do I look like a giant?” Uleirlel chuckled.

  Anya looked at the old woman whose hair was silver-white. It hung well below her buttocks. She wore an animal skin wrapped around her body that covered her from her chest to her knees. Boots made from animal hide and fur covered her feet and legs. Bracelets made from bone covered her forearms and she wore a heavy gold chain around her neck with a milky pendant dangling from it. A fur cape hung from her shoulders. Her face was lined with the map of age and wisdom, but her eyes were a bright blue and still looked young. She was at least twice Anya’s size. “You’re tall, but no. My father—”

  “Who is your father, child?”

  “King Daanos. I am Princess Anya, his youngest daughter.”

  “A princess? Oh, wait until I tell the council. What happened to your father? The rest of your family?”

  Memory returned in full force and for the first time she cried. Anya’s heart felt as if it were torn into a million pieces as pictures flitted through her mind of the slaughter. Tears soaked her cheeks and her body shook with sobs.