Mathias'eyes bore into mine, unrelenting, unyielding, and I knew that he meant his words. The price for my revenge would be me.

But that didn't matter.

As long as I got my revenge, he could do everything with me what he wanted.

"Very well." I said and stepped forward. The spikes driven through his body bound him to this place, and they could only be removed by the hand of a member of the Bondevik family. I slid a finger over the metal of one spike that stuck in his right shoulder; I could feel the tingle and the hint of power engraved into the device. Mathias followed my movements with his eyes, almost like a predator who was after his prey.

My grip tightened around the spike and I slowly pulled out the metallic shaft. A look of suppressed pain washed over Mathias' face but he kept his eyes open and on me. I dropped the spike on the floor and pulled out the next. With every spike a little bit of live seemed to return to Mathias, his skin regained color, the mold disappeared from his body and the dark rings under his blood ridden eyes faded. The spikes fell down with a heavy 'clonk' echoing through the dark cavern bouncing back from the far away walls and dancing around us.

I reached the last one, but before I pulled it out I hesitated. "You will grant my revenge, and in exchange I'll become yours." Mathias eyes shone eerily in the darkness as he answered: "So it shall be." I gripped the cold metal and pulled and with another resonating 'clonk' Mathias was finally free, after more than thousand years.

I didn't know what I had expected, maybe that he'd jump up the moment the last spike was removed and transform or that he would turn on me and kill me, but in reality he did nothing. He just sat there, where he had sat for the last millennium and looked at me. Then he slowly moved, first a hand then an arm and then he pushed himself to his feet, leaning on the stony pillar behind him for support.

While standing I got a full view of his body, spells in form of dark tattoos were scattered over his body, I couldn't put a use to most of them, muscles rippled underneath his skin and even through the dirt and blood that caked him it became obvious that he was beautiful.

And then he stepped forward, bare feet on cold ground, and into the light that shed from the hole in the ceiling. He closed his eyes and sighed, reaching out the palms of his hands to face upwards, his skin shimmering in the pale light.

"How I missed the sun." His voice had lost most of its rustiness, and now I could hear the sound of it echoing through the wide hall, he had a warm voice full of life. But then he winced and it was obvious that he was still weakened from his long imprisonment and that the spells driven into his body made every movement painful.

I didn't even need most of them.

"Come." I said and turned towards the stairs that led up into the castle and without a question he followed me, placing his feet carefully, until he grew steadier with every step he took. I led him up the stairs and through the corridor that was as dusty as it had been the first time I had walked through it and through the hidden door behind the wooden panel and into his new home.

By the time we reached the part of the castle where my rooms, now the master rooms, laid, his steps no longer made any sound. And something else changed too, but I noticed that later when we reached the bedroom and when I turned around for the first time since we left the cavern.

He was grinning.

It was a broad and cocky grin that he flashed at me and it seemed to grow with every detail he took in of his new surroundings. His grin irritated me, and to be honest it was even a little unsettling, I wouldn't have expected that a mighty dragon who was chained for over thousand years would just grin happily at some plush carpet. "What?" I snapped.

His grin didn't falter. "I don't know maybe I am just happy to get out of that stuffy cave." That cave and stuffy? But then again he was a dragon, for his true size that cavern was probably small.

My eyes trailed once again over his body as I took in all the tattoos that were too many to count. What fear my ancestors must have had felt, for them to bind him with so many spells. Mathias followed my gaze that was locked on a spiral pattern on his lower abdomen; a portion of the tattoo reached down and hugged his genitals. An almost sad look crossed his face and took with it the wide grin.

"What's that for?" I asked; why would someone need to impair a dragon's sex with a spell?

"Punishment." He simply said, and his tone signaled that he wouldn't talk about it further. I could have forced him to tell me, but I didn't, even a dragon needed his secrets. "Sit down." I commanded and he obeyed, sitting down on the edge of the bed, most of the dirt and blood that had covered him had fallen off on our way here, like the skin a snake shed to grow, leaving him in all his naked glory. I wondered briefly if he would be able to disobey me with all these spells that subdued him. Looking at his proud form that refused to lower his eyes from my gaze, I was sure that he would fight me, if I ever gave him reason to.

I reached out and my fingers tapped over one of the tattoos, black mist swirling around where my skin connected with the black color. A master needed to know what a spell was about, so the information was embroidered within the magic and poured into the mind of the master upon touch. The spell controlled the use of the body part it was placed upon, in this case the right leg. One thought and Mathias would no longer be able to use this leg, only if the command was reverted would he be in control again.

Useless.

My fingers dug into the skin and pulled out the spell, black swirls transforming into a carved pole, albeit smaller than the form it took once the dragon changed forms. The pole was neither made of metal nor any other material I knew, it was dark and strange symbols covered it. The material was warm and seemed almost alive in my hands. And then it dissolved into black dust, the spell that was no longer needed ceased its existence. Only a sorcerer could redo it now.

Mathias watched with the lazy interest of a predator who knew there was no reason to strike yet, as I proceeded to remove spell after spell, until the only ones left were the two in his shoulders and the one on his genitals. I would have removed those in his shoulders too, what bound him to me was not the spells but our pact after all, but I couldn't, not if I wanted to become a Dragon Lord. They wouldn't let someone join who flew a completely uncontrolled dragon. And to become a Dragon Lord, or rather take up my place as one, was essential to my plan, for I had reason to believe that the murderer of my parents came from one of the head families. Aside from that, being a Dragon Lord would grant me the necessary power to conduct investigation, and keep of much of that a secret as possible.

I hesitated before I brushed a finger over Mathias' abdomen and the spiral that was imprinted there. Mathias had been silent throughout all this, but now he sucked in his breath. Knowledge poured into me, but I blocked it off, I didn't want to know and according to Mathias reaction he didn't want me to know and that was fine with me.

I didn't know who placed this spell and for what purpose, but I didn't care. This would be of no use for my revenge so I dug in my fingers for the last time and materialized the spell in my hand. I couldn't read the look on Mathias' face as he saw the pole dissolve. It was a mix of relief and regret, but it showed only briefly and was soon replaced by yet another grin.

"You know that was probably stupid."

I stood up from the kneeling position I had gotten into to remove the last spell and looked at him with cool eyes. "Those two are enough." I indicated the remaining spells in his shoulders. As on cue, he stretched and relished in the feeling of moving around almost painless.

"I will advise the servants to find suitable clothes for you; they have already prepared a room for you, next to mine." I said; his nakedness had started to bother me.

"I don't think so." His voice was low and had an almost dangerous edge. I took a step back in reflex, suddenly doubting my earlier decision to remove all the control spells.

"What do you mean?" I asked and took another step back, when Mathias rose from his seated position to look down on me. "I won't sleep alone, you're mine." I stood there for a moment, not comprehending what he had just implied, and that moment was all he needed to grip my arms and pull me around and onto the bed, where he pushed me down. "You're mine." He growled. "And I will carve that into your body." With that he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine, forcing his tongue in and devouring me in a forceful kiss.

The abnormal heat that resided in him, that resided in every dragon's body poured into me through his mouth, flowing in every part, every limb in every toe and finger. I couldn't move; I didn't want to move when Mathias' hands conquered my body.

He pressed down on me with his body, and the heat it was radiating made me overly aware of his nakedness. His hands were everywhere, on my back, on my hips, on my chest, unbuttoning my shirt, unbuckling my belt and then they were on my skin, setting it ablaze with their heat.

A moan escaped my lips and was swallowed from Mathias' lips on mine. I knew I should push him away and not let him have his way with me, but every time I gathered enough resolve to do so, his hands brushed against an especially sensitive spot and I was lost in a firework of bliss and pleasure.

I was naked, my clothes piled on the floor but I couldn't remember shedding them, but it didn't matter because Mathias lips were on my chest, tongue spiraling around one nipple and when he finally licked the small bud, I moaned shamelessly. And then he bit the nipple and pain mixed into the pleasure and I writhed underneath Mathias, wantonly craving more of his touches.

He mined his nails down the sensitive skin of my chest, on the search for blood and when he found it, he followed the trace with his tongue and consuming the red liquid with a satisfied sigh. "You will never forget," He whispered his lips painted red from my blood, "That you are mine." A finger drew along the lines his nails painted into my skin, sending shivers of pained pleasure through my spine. "As long as these marks are here, you will be mine, and they will never disappear." His words seemed to bore right into my soul, every time his vocal chords sounded I could feel my heart rate increasing, hastening the blood through my veins.

And I couldn't deny that I liked it.

I wanted to be his.

I wanted to be consumed by him.

I wanted to be completed by his heat.

I wanted him.

His fingers continued their journey over my body, now reaching down to my legs, caressing the thighs, my lower abdomen, circling around my member until they finally touched it. A ghostly graze over the tip, but it was enough to make me voice my pleasure and lift my hips into his touch.

I couldn't wait any longer, I knew it would be painful, but I didn't care, as long as I could feel him.

"Take me." I whispered, my voice filled with lust.

"As you command." I knew it was an empty saying in this case, for he would have taken me even without my consent, but it still sent shivers down my spine.

He pushed my legs further apart and lifted my hips up onto his kneeling legs. His deep blue eyes were locked onto mine when he pushed the head of his erection against my entrance. I tried to relax as much as possible but it was difficult with the position. And it didn't help that this was my first time or his member had quite some girth.

It felt as if my body split open and I bit back a scream. My fingers clawed into his legs as he pushed in, inch after agonizing inch. His cock was even hotter as the rest of him and soon the heat drowned out the pain. And from the heat pleasure was born as the tip of his length brushed against my prostate.

Mathias' lips were once again on mine, tongue demanding entrance and for a moment I forgot his fully sheathed presence in me, but then he moved, pulled out and slammed back in and I screamed into the kiss, screamed in the feeling of immense pleasure. From then on he knew no mercy, he buried himself into me to the hilt again and again, and every time when he would hit my prostate I screamed out until my voice was hoarse and cracked. And yet he still continued, hands in an iron grip on my hips so that I would not escape and every thrust was accentuated by a throaty groan.

Every nerve was on fire, stars danced in front of my eyes and wave after wave of pleasure washed over me until finally it was too much, and I screamed his name as I came violently between us. He followed only seconds later, filling my insides with liquid fire.

I panted heavily, the aftermath of my orgasm was still raging through my body and it took some time for me to calm down at last. Mathias released his tight grip on my body and I slid down from the position on his lap, his member slowly gliding out of me. There were spots of red mingled in with the creamy white of his semen. I could feel the light throbbing of pain through the bliss of post-orgasm; this would probably hurt for a while.

But it was worth it.

Mathias slid his arms under me and lifted me up into the air and then cradled me against his chest. "What are you doing?" I demanded to know, my voice was a mere whisper, scratchy from overuse. "Taking care of your wellbeing, Master." He added the last part, almost mockingly, I thought I heard a trace of affection in his voice though.

But that was probably just my imagination.

The blood on my chest had dried, but now the wounds had begun to sting slightly, I looked down to take a look at them for the first time. There were four straight parallel lines across my chest, almost like the claw mark of a dragon. No, I corrected myself it was the claw mark of a dragon, my dragon.

I didn't know it back then, but the mark of a dragon's claw during a most intimate situation was their way of forming a bond. What was marked by a dragon belonged to that dragon, in body and soul. As he had said, Mathias had laid claim to me, and what a dragon marked, he would never let go again.

It was almost like a declaration of love.

But I would learn that only much later.

For now we had created something like trust between us.

He carried me into the bathroom after that and cleaned me up; with a gentle care I would have never expected someone like him being capable of. When he was finished he carried me back into the bedroom and laid me down onto the cushions.

It was only afternoon, too early to sleep yet, but I was in no condition to move around so Mathias tended to my every need. And it was then that we talked and made our first steps on the long path of getting to know each other.

I told him why I wanted revenge, and who I suspected to be responsible. I had narrowed the suspects down to one of the other head families. The way every form of investigation was hindered by the court and the fact that no ordinary burglar would have been able to cross the palace wall convinced me that it had to have been an inside job. That left the imperial family, the palace guards and of course the noble families that resided inside the palace or the few houses inside the inner wall. And of those only the head families would have any form of benefit from my parent's death, even though I didn't know what benefit. But it was a start.

Mathias told me about how his name came to be how his black form patterned with red gave him the look of slowly dying ember, thus earning him his name Ember. I knew there was so much more to his story, but he refused to give anything away that happened before his imprisonment.

A dragon had two names, the name of his dragon form often hinted at his coloring or look, the name of the human form was mostly chosen to blend in with the human customs of name giving, and could be changed. Mathias had stuck to his name though; there was no use in constantly changing it.


That had been two years ago.

During that time, we had joined in the Empire's army as a Dragon Lord and his dragon, the lack of spells binding him sparked many discussions, but in the end the two that was still in place were enough, for there were no laws regulating the amount of spells. Most people just shoved as much spells as possible into their dragons out of fear or simply because they were addicted to the feeling of ultimate control.

During that time Mathias would continuously claim me as his, the marks on my chest had turned into four long thin scars that gleamed against my pale skin. His lust was insatiable, and no matter how inappropriate the time or location, I would never refuse him. Because that was, after all his price.

I had gotten a clue recently, pointing towards a village at the northeastern border of the Empire, where my parents ostensibly had visited on some occasions for no apparent reason. By now I was desperate for any clue as small and insignificant as it was.

So we flew along the Eastern border, over burned land and ashen fields, gunfire and explosions echoed in the distance, towards the village, the cloudy sky above us, hoping that this time we would finally find something that would bring us closer to our goal.