Title: Spying Shadows

Summary: Little does Alys know, she's stumbled upon Selendrile's resting spot by the river. Being the devious dragon he is, Selendrile stays in hiding to spy on her.

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Dragon's Bait was written by Vivian Vande Velde, not me.

The French countryside blurred beneath Selendrile as he swept higher into the clouds. Green pastures surrounded the town like a moat, with the only wilderness guarding the nearby river. Selendrile dived back to earth, golden scales shimmering in the height of the noon sun, flying so swiftly to appear as merely a streak of gold in the sky. Immediately, the forest hushed with his descent, birds stilling and warily eyeing the new aviator.

The massive golden dragon settled in the shade gracefully, controlling his breathing so as not to disturb the peace of the wilderness. From where Selendrile lay his head, he could see a wide section of the river, just four dragon lengths away. After a few moments of stillness, the birds and the rest of the forest seemed to forget the newcomer.

Tuning in his senses to the river, Selendrile let the gurgle of water soothe his anxieties of his human companion. Alys hadn't been well the past few months, but it wasn't quite an illness that troubled her. The dreams had started a few months ago, and while they didn't necessarily deprave Alys of needed sleep, they made her act unusual the following night. Selendrile could tell very easily what she dreamed of; the soft moans she breathed upon waking tempted him to make those dreams reality. But he held himself back.

He could not touch her in such a way, not if he wanted her to retain her humanity. Dragons mated for life. If Selendrile slept with Alys, it would bind her inextricably to him, and he remained unwilling to risk that, perhaps, Alys would find peace among her own kinfolk and leave him at last. He couldn't deny her that peace, painful as it would be to himself.

So he ignored the occasional heated look, the whispers of his name, the sighs both captivating and painful lies of what could be, what wouldn't be. Little did Alys understand the torment such dreams brought to him as well. It tested his will every time he laid eyes on her, but his will proved strong, shielding desire with a calm demeanor. But, Selendrile wasn't the only one to notice the allure of his companion, and in this matter he found even less restraint.

Alys dismissed her other admirers, at least thus far, but what if she met a human that she fell in love with? It was then Selendrile gave her a wedding ring. He remembered her startled look upon seeing the golden band, how he had hurried to explain it was merely a piece to their disguise, lest she object. He still had yet to tell her he had crafted the rings himself.

The birds silenced and Selendrile's ears picked up the heavy footfalls of someone headed to the river. Alys emerged from the clearing on the other bank, dropping her load of laundry and starting to undress. Even through his dragon eyes, her human form stirred desire in him. He watched her hike up her shift, and thought of pulling the slinky fabric off of her altogether. Selendrile could tell by her stance she was upset though, and he focused on her anger as a means to halt the flow of dangerous thoughts inspired by her state of undress.

"But he doesn't seem to notice," Selendrile's dragon senses easily picked out Alys' voice above the sound of the river. "Of course, he doesn't seem to notice the throng of lovesick women at towns either."

Oh, he noticed the women alright, but he felt repulsed at the thought of returning their admiration. Alys had been the only human to coax such a flame into being with him, never mind that she wasn't a dragon. He watched her hang up one of his shirts to dry and fetch a pair of trousers from the bag.

"Just stop thinking about him, and wash the clothes Alys," she told herself with grim determination. Selendrile's blood warmed, knowing it was him she was thinking about. Her expression suddenly soured and she burst out, "You really want to wallow in misery today, don't you? Remember: Selendrile is a dragon and you are a human. It's clear he doesn't like you like how you want. Dragons probably can't even feel romantic love for humans. So all this dreaming nonsense needs to stop!"

How very untrue, Selendrile reflected wistfully. A dragon could love a human; he stood as proof of that. But he agreed the dreaming needed to stop, he felt unsure as to how much longer he could resist making her his own. He listened to her continue, "If you don't stop, you'll end up ruining what you already have. You won't have a dragon at all, just some silly dreams and memories. So what if he doesn't ever kiss you aside from keeping up pretenses! Stupid little pecks on the cheek…"

Those "stupid little pecks on the cheek" were all he could offer her in the meantime without stealing her humanity and freedom. Well, those and a few feather soft caresses while she slept. She ought to take what she could from dreams, Selendrile thought, for that wouldn't transform her at least.

"Maybe," Alys said tersely, "You should leave him now while you still can. Who knows, perhaps you'll meet some nice human man to wed."

Rather some nice dead man, Selendrile seethed. If Alys wanted to leave him, then he would comply. He knew that would entail the possibility of her actually marrying another, but the thought of her sighing any name but his own was enough for him to want to raze a country or two to ash. He wondered if ever he could truly let her go. Perhaps he was already bound to her.

Selendrile watched Alys finish the washing, hanging up the rest of the clothes to dry and settling beside the tree. She set her head in her knees and Selendrile heard her crying. His head jerked up, the impulse to come to her aide powerful but he kept himself from approaching her. Alys hated being caught in a moment of what she perceived weakness, and for now he understood she needed this time to herself.

Silent and unnoticed, Selendrile lay back down. As Alys drifted to sleep, he resolved that he would offer her the choice of staying with him forever, if choice it may still be by now. In the past years, Selendrile had gained strength enough to transform as soon as the sun touched the horizon, so when it did, he shifted to his raven form. He glided over the river, startling the other birds and landed in Alys' dress.

Deciding he rather liked watching her with nothing on but her shift, he carried her dress and deposited it in the high branches of a tree. Then he fetched his own clothing from a nearby tree. He dressed in the clearing and felt that Alys' washing had dried. He debated putting it away, then decided he should move Alys somewhere warmer before the night chill set in. Within his arms would certainly be warmer, he thought.

Selendrile knelt down to pick her up, spotting tear stains on her cheeks. As soon as he set his hands over she started to awaken. Her brown eyes flashed in alarm, then recognition. "Selendrile! What are you doing?" she demanded, allowing him to pull her up.

"You were crying," he replied. Her grief disturbed him, especially so if he couldn't help her. Alys' face reddened, but Selendrile kept to his resolve. He ignored her blatant lie about splashing water on her face, and watched with some amusement as she realized her improper state of dress. Her missing gown sent a wave of fury in Selendrile's direction, but he would rather deal with her familiar temper than her strange sorrow. That didn't mean he would ignore it though. He caught her from touching the dry clothes, lying instead so he could admire her, just a little longer. His sarcasm fed her anger further.

"Take off your shirt then," Alys demanded. Enjoying this new direction of conversation, Selendrile complied with her demand. He wondered how bossier she'd get once she turned dragon inside. Alys snatched his shirt from where he had dropped it and pulled it on, backing away a few steps and crossing her arms. He smelled her excitement, could hear her heart pounding, and knew now he could draw the truth from her, if only he could stop himself from taking her then and there. The few steps between them were meaningless to his dragon mind.

"Alys," Selendrile said her name slowly, almost in a sigh, pleased with her shudder in reply. "Why were you crying?"

"If you really must know, dragon, I was crying because I'm human," Alys snapped. This grievance he could cure, but would she accept it?

"What if you didn't have to be?" Selendrile asked, setting his expression to the still mask he so often used to conceal his growing desire.

"I would miss the feel of sunlight on my skin," Alys replied. He heard hope in her tone.

"You would still be human in form, but like me inside. And," he paused, his mask slipping to reveal his uncertainty, "you wouldn't be able to leave me, not for long periods of time at least. I wouldn't be able to leave you either."

"Why?" Alys questioned.

"Mates are weaker when they are farther apart," he explained. Selendrile watch hope creep to her features now: the slight widening of brown eyes, her full lips parted to release a sigh of relief. Long ago he had memorized the nuances of her countenance and how she let her emotions dance there.

"Mates," she said quietly. "Humans and dragons can… be together in such a way? How?"

Willing to meet her eagerness, Selendrile leaned in towards her and just barely brushed his lips on her throat. Even through that little contact he felt her blood rush, and took it as invitation to continue. He kept his caresses light, worried she still might choose to leave, but his desire pulled her forward into his embrace. Her own hands slid up his bare chest to entwine around his neck as she kissed him back in earnest. She felt so lovely and perfect against him, so he broke their kiss. He needed to hear her acceptance, before he lost strength to release her at all. He breathed lightly on her hair, "This is how. Do you still want to loose your humanity?"

"Yes," Alys replied firmly. Her reply filled him with elation, thrilled that all those hopes and desires could finally be fulfilled. "Very much."

A/N: Well, as you can see, I've had a bit more time to edit the formant of stories. PLEASE review, even if just to say nothing more than "cool story." It's better than getting absolutely no reviews and thinking "OMG! Me = epic fail!" Just kidding! There'd only be one exclamation mark in my mind, not three! ;)

^_^ Anyways, I am thinking of writing a story for Dragon's Bait (more than just oneshots), but I have a few original works that I've been neglecting lately so I might not post anything else for a while. Tah-tah for now dear readers, and don't forget to review (I accept anonymous reviews too!).

~Alice