Author's Note: Well, I'm five chapters in now, and starting to feel like I'm getting the swing of this story. I've tried outlining for the first time (I know, it's wild), and so far, I feel like its helping consistently write more often. I've kept myself fairly on track, and that feels like an accomplishment on its own.

Anyway, here's a content warning before I go. There's explicit language in this chapter (and I think in other chapters too, I'll have to go back through those) along with some sexually explicit imagery, so if you'd rather avoid that, skipping down to the end of the chapter to get the more plot relevant information is advised. Thank you, and enjoy this new chapter into Starlight and Ebonfire!

Xeraxes leans against the wall, holding his breath and hiding in the shadows. It's not too much longer before he watches Annalei bolt out of the dining room. She's upset, he can tell, and he knows he only has himself to blame. He breathes out deeply, steam escaping his nostrils. It annoys him, the feeling of the condensed moisture leaving his nose. It annoys him because it reminds him of the fires that burn down in his belly, that ever present coal of heat and destruction. It always flares up when his temper gets the better of him, and he hates the reminder.

He wants to be able to admit to himself that he's frustrated, and it's because clearly, yet again, another human has lied to a dragon. Annalei only smelled of terror, and he couldn't sense any deception within her. Well, she didn't only smell of terror. Under the acrid reek of her human hormones, was the faint smell of lavender. He remembers the salty taste of her skin, and he finds a different hunger rising in him that no meal could sate.

Pushing off the wall, he storms down the hall, head lowered, watching his feet, talons gripped tightly into fists. He couldn't imagine desiring a human woman, yet here he is, his mind swimming with thoughts of her, no matter how spoiled she seemed. He turns around a corner, and leans his head against the wall, his horns thunking pleasantly against the stone. He digs his claws into the wall, groaning. What kind of creature has he been reduced to, that he only can think of his most base desires?

"Oh, Your Majesty! Um... I'm sorry. I don't mean to intrude." It's one of the maids. He searches his brain, trying to remember her name.

"Ah, Nertia. What are you doing here?" He looks at the towels in her hands, and knows that was an incredibly stupid thing to say. She's doing her job, and now he's frightening her too.

"Oh, I'm just...taking some towels down from Princess Annalei's room." He hears her unspoken, just doing my job, loud and clear. He steps up closer to her, hand resting on the soft towels. He fingers a loose thread, noticing the maid's breathing is heavier now. It irritates him when humans fear his very presence that way. They act like he is something dirty, and turn their nose up at him, use words like beast-

He interrupts his own train of thought, feeling the towels shift subtly under his fingers, the maid pulling up her arms and shifting them closer together. His gaze is drawn to her breasts, and he realizes quickly what she's up to. He smiles, resisting the urge to laugh. He's known for awhile this maid has had an unhealthy interest in him, but he's never felt the need to act on it, until now. He realizes he could use a little distraction.

He flicks his eyes from her face, to her chest, and back again. The maid licks her lips, parting them slightly. He's caught her interest, even though that wasn't all that hard of a task. "Nertia, can I ask you something?" He says, letting his pupils dilate. He's learned that humans are always a little more friendly towards him when he looks more like them, even though all it does for him is let in a little more light in his eyes.

She stutters out a reply. "What is it, Your Majesty?" She swallows, her eyes growing wide. It's almost too easy to draw her in, he reflects, not like...Annalei.

He blinks his eyes slowly before speaking again, trying to avoid saying anything too foolish. "What about me draws you in? And before you deny it, I can smell it on you. I know you want me Nertia. Your body cannot lie to me." She draws back from him a moment, maybe for once developing some sense, but he smiles, trying to put her at ease. "You're not in trouble, if you're worried. I just...want to know. I find you... interesting." It's a lie, but he knows enough about her to guarantee she won't see through it.

"I-" She begins, lost for words. "Well, you're tall." She answers, and he's disappointed. Was the size of a man all humans cared about? In this form, he felt small and insignificant by comparison to his true shape. Maybe it would have been better to go out for a flight than entertain this maid.

"Is that really all?" He asks, teasing her on, and pulling the towels out of her hand one by one and letting them drop to the floor.

"Well, it's...you're very handsome, Your Majesty." She says, holding the last towel in her grasp. He gives a firmer yank and she lets go, hands emptied. She looks lost and confused now, and he likes it. He likes the power he feels when he unbalances someone, that lingering odor of fear rich and powerful in his nose. Or at least, he thought he did until he managed to make a pretty girl cry.

"Hmm, handsome you say? Horns and all?" His tone is playful, and he takes a step forward, negotiating Nertia towards a wall. He's not going to let another woman run away from him today.

"Oh, umm...yeah. I guess." She says, distracted and looking for an exit. She's uncomfortable now, and is quickly losing interest in his little game. He gets her back against the wall, and puts both of his large arms up, trapping her.

"What if I told you I thought you were irresistible, Nertia?" He leans in close, whispering in her ear. "What would you let a handsome dragon like me do to you?"

He meets her gaze again, and the earlier panic seems to drain away from her, but she's not as pleased as he hoped she would be. There seems to be some disappointment lingering on her face, as if the last thing she wanted to do was actually catch him. Xeraxes doesn't know it, but Nertia has much more fun fantasizing about him than she ever would acting on her desires.

At first, it seems he's run out of fun to have with Nertia, and yet again he's run up against the fickle nature of humans, and is about to leave her when she touches her hand to his face. It's a bold gesture, but it's all the approval he needs. He bends down to her face and kisses her, biting down on her lip. There's a moment of satisfaction, and his earlier wants come back to the surface. He feels her hands on his body, clutching below his shoulders and twisting into his shirt.

He lowers his arms from the wall, sweeping underneath her legs to wrap them around his waist, hiking up her skirts in the process. She yelps, then giggles playfully. For a moment, he's able to revel in her feminine scents and sounds, pressing her up against the wall and devouring the taste of her mouth. He flicks his tongue against her lips, and she opens her mouth with enthusiasm. She isn't quite ready for the length of his tongue and gasps. He pulls back for a moment, grinning.

"Is a dragon too much for you? Would you like me to stop?" She shakes her head emphatically. He smiles, bending down to kiss her neck and the tops of her breasts. His hands migrate further up her skirts, and he's sure that if he wanted to, she'd let him fuck her there in the hallway, for anyone to see.

A vision of blonde hair and blue eyes staring up at him in defiance flits through his mind. He knows Annalei would never allow such beastly behavior. She's a princess after all, and raised to be proud of herself and have some damn self respect. He releases his hold on Nertia, letting her slump to the ground in a pile of her own skirts. "I just remembered something." He says. "I need to speak to Michel. If you see him, send him to my study." He walks away, Nertia watching him retreat. The look on her face says she feels more than unhappy by him leaving her so suddenly.

He reaches his study, slamming the door aggressively. He's behaving like a brute, and he knows it. Just what is it about having a princess in his castle that's caused him to come so unglued? He never expected her to fall at his feet and weep for the gratitude she felt for him, but he'd expected her at least to be cold and removed from him, not full of enough passion and fire to match his own.

While he was ruminating, Michel knocked on the door, letting himself in, his eyes wide and curious. "I just had the most...interesting conversation with Nertia. I'm assuming you'd like to explain?" He starts muttering under his breath "If you want me to dismiss her I'll be more than glad to."

Xeraxes heard him clearer than Michel had intended. "No, that won't be necessary. Follow the normal protocol, and only send her away if there's reason to do so. I know she's not the best of workers, so...if reason arises... No more second chances for her, Michel."

Michel nods and finds a chair on the opposite side of Xeraxes' desk. "So...is there a reason she thinks you assaulted her in the hallway?"

Xeraxes' eyes flicker up, the pupils narrowed down. Two glowing orange orbs stare maliciously at Michel. "Is that what she said? When she's been chasing after me since she started here?" His voice was raising, and with it, his body was inching up out of his chair. Steam rolled out of his nostrils with every breath.

"Well, no, that's how she started, but not how she finished her sentence. I'm sorry I assumed the worst, Your Majesty." Michel did his best to smooth out whatever wrinkles were growing over his king's hot-tempered hide. "Nertia doesn't always make sense when she gets overly excited, I'm afraid. And she overshares. I don't mind whatever games you wish to play with the staff, Your Majesty. I came here more so because she mentioned in passing that you wanted to see me."

Xeraxes settled back into his chair, his explosive temper avoided for the moment. "Please, Michel. You don't have to be so formal. I'm not mad at you. I think I'm mad at myself." He rubs his face in between his hands, sinking further into his chair.

"If I may...can I ask what led up to this incident? It's not like you to throw yourself at anyone, let alone a human." Michel leans forward, interested in what Xeraxes has to say. He couldn't get a tangible picture formed from what he managed to glean from Nertia when he found her on the floor in a pile of towels. "I know some dragons appreciate a human woman, but well...I've never gotten that impression from you."

"I didn't think I was the type myself, Michel. I let myself get carried away with the maid." He paused for the moment, thinking. "I've been letting myself get carried away with a lot of things lately."

"If it's bothering you so deeply, Xeraxes, allow me to give you some peace of mind. Nertia isn't upset in the slightest. In fact, I think I'm going to have to chase her away from your bedchamber tonight...unless..." He trails off, hoping Xeraxes will finish the thought for him.

"No, I don't want her in my bed, Michel. Have no fear of that. I'm not really interested in her, at the end of the day." He slumps into his chair. "It's someone else." He admits reluctantly.

Michel fights back a smile. He watched Xeraxes grow up, and now he feels he knows quite well when Xeraxes has been denied something he wants. The pout on his face is unmistakable. "It's Princess Annalei, isn't it?"

"If that's even who she is. I'm still not sure of it. She looks...different than I imagined she would." Xeraxes rests his chin on his hands.

"I have to admit, she surprised me too. But I highly doubt King Harland would waste all this time and effort on some scullery maid. You know he just wants his daughter safe."

"So I am led to believe. What did the reports from our spies say again?" Xeraxes wouldn't normally stoop to using espionage, but the original agreement put before him had seemed too good to be true. He could feel the weight of the Gilded Egg in his hands now, if he thought long enough about it.

"There is indeed a presence in Faraley, though no one could get close enough to verify more than that. Country folk are fleeing the land in droves. For all appearances, Faraley is at war." Michel feels more certain about it than he sounds. Xeraxes would never notice the things that mark out a member of royalty, but Michel can never afford to miss it, so he knows better than most that the girl in question was certainly raised to be the heir, even if she didn't look like it.

"I feel I may have misstepped then. She certainly isn't happy with me." Xeraxes doesn't go into detail about what happened at dinner that evening.

"Well, you'll just have to start over then." Michel encourages.

"How? Every time I talk to her it turns into a shouting match and I-" He cuts himself off. "I'm having a hard time controlling myself. If she were a dragon I-"

"But she's not, Xeraxes. She's human, as much as I am. She cannot hold up to your constant thrashings. Perhaps, you could show her some kindness? She's here in a land she doesn't understand with a host she fears. The sins of her ancestors are unknown to her. You're going to have to give her a chance, and besides, who better to teach her than yourself?" Michel tries to remain hopeful, as he'd like to see the two come to agreement for their own sakes, especially if Xeraxes was this infatuated with the princess. Dragons never went into anything lightly, in Michel's experience.

"Hmm. Perhaps I could. Though she'll have to earn it." Xeraxes lets the words hang, and Michel doesn't have a proper response to give him. They sit together for a moment, before Michel remembers his duties to the castle. He also has to set some things straight with a certain maid, Michel reflects. He eases himself out of his chair, bowing deeply.

"Do think about it, Xeraxes. Kindness goes a long way with us humans, you know. Who knows, perhaps you'll win her over in the end, and won't have to harass the maids." Michel laughs softly on his way out, letting the door shut with a soft click.