by Lilly Pink
Standing before her, crouched beneath the tree branches, was a dragon. A literal fucking fire-breathing, winged reptile. Zoe loved dragons, on principle. She liked to draw them, to read about them, to see movies about them. But seeing one in person was another story, and she scrambled backward, trying to get to her feet so she could flee in terror, while a small part of her mind said, See? You are obviously losing your marbles.
“Jãné del-am,” said a voice, achingly familiar. “Please, do not be afraid. I told you I would come for you.” It was the plaintive, almost desperate tone that stopped her panicked flight, and the hazy memory that she’d heard the voice before that made her turn around. The dragon crouched still lower, resting its chin nearly on the ground, and it looked more like a beaten puppy than a fearsome beast of legend.
But it was the eyes that really got her, when the dragon turned its head so that the faint glow of the streetlight above made them glint in the darkness. They were warm gold. Zoe knew she had seen eyes like that before.
Hesitant and still trembling, she took a step toward the dragon, then another. As she got closer she could see that its scales, which had looked black at first glance, were actually deep blue. It was a strange cross between an eastern and western style of dragon, with a long, sinuous body and a fringe of silvery fur down its back.
Large wings like those of a bat were folded close against its sides. The dragon’s head was more canine in shape than reptilian, and its eyes had cat-like pupils whose gaze never faltered from her face as she approached. Zoe reached out with shaking fingers until her palm rested on the warm scales on the top of the dragon’s nose.
A series of images, memories, flooded her mind, and she gasped. It was him, she remembered, and he was real. Or maybe you’re in a coma, her mind added unhelpfully, a suggestion which she ignored. “Kian!” she said, a sob of joy, and love, and desperate longing all at once, and she threw her arms around his head, as that was all of him that she could reach.
“My love,” he said, a choked gasp of withheld emotion, and she felt his body coil around her protectively. “I am here, at long last.”
CHAPTER TWO
It was a long moment before either of them broke the silence. Zoe was trying to process her suddenly recovered memories, and for the time being, Kian was content just to breathe in her scent and feel her arms wrapped around him, her cheek resting on his forehead. But finally Zoe looked up, eyeing him critically. “So are you going to tell me why you’re a dragon? I feel like that’s something that should have been discussed. If I lay an egg, I’m never going to forgive you.”
“I can assure you that you will not lay an egg,” he replied with a snort. “I will explain. Make yourself comfortable.” He sank down to the ground so he could stretch out, and Zoe sat down between his front legs, leaning back against the scales of his chest, which were as warm as sun-heated bricks. His sinuous neck wound around her side so that his head rested in her lap, and he gazed at her with one golden eye.
With only a little hesitance, she reached out and laid her hand on his brow, stroking backwards toward the crown of slender horns that curved from his skull. His eyes closed and he sighed out a contented breath. It was actually a little crazy how unbothered she was to see Kian like this. Now that she knew it was him, she wasn’t at all frightened, though she did slightly wish he would go back to himself, because kissing a dragon didn’t seem all that appealing. “I can’t believe you’re really here,” she murmured. “I’m sorry that I doubted you. I don’t know why I could never remember.”
“You have nothing to apologize for, Zoe. Even in my world, it takes training to travel the Dreaming consciously. You did remember, after all, it was only that the memories were stored in your sleeping mind.” She noticed for the first time that he didn’t open his mouth when he spoke. Probably dragon mouths weren’t made for forming words, but it was odd that whatever sort of psychic thing he was doing, she still perceived it as a sound she was hearing.
“You come from another world? What do you mean, like another planet?” She felt stupid the minute she said it, because of course it made no sense. Kian hadn’t come from a spaceship, and that wouldn’t have explained why he was a dragon now, when she knew him as a man. Or the dream-sharing pregnancy thing.
“I believe it is more like another plain of existence. Another universe that lies close to this one, like adjacent pages in a book. In my world, Kumarinatu, all of the people are as I am. The spell that I cast to come here physically was more exhausting than I imagined. I do not have the power to assume my human appearance, especially if I am to return there.”
There were several questions she had regarding that statement, and they were all fighting to make themselves heard. What Zoe finally did speak, she was annoyed at how small and pathetic she sounded. “You’re leaving? But… I thought we were going to be together.”
“There is nothing I want more, my love,” Kian said, coiling himself around her in a scaly embrace. “Unfortunately, my presence is required back in my world, and will be for the foreseeable future. I was hoping I might convince you to come with me. I can hardly bear the thought of being away from you.”
Zoe drew in a sharp breath. “Come with you? Is that possible?” None of this is possible, you idiot, said the voice of cynical logic. You’re probably still dreaming. Or you got hit by a bus, and you’re lying in a hospital bed.
“It is. But I am afraid it will likely be a one way trip. This is a complicated and dangerous spell. I cannot be sure I could perform it more than once. As it is, I can only hold myself here until sunrise.” Zoe could hear the hesitation and sadness in his voice. “I know it is not truly long enough to make such an important decision, and I would not blame you for choosing to remain. Of course, I will still visit you in dreams as often as I can, but I cannot promise that you will remember them any more than you did before.”
The words were raw with emotion, and struck Zoe in the heart more sharply than a blade. It was a difficult choice, on the face of it. Never see her parents or sister again? Leave her friends, her cat, the life she had worked so hard to build? But the thought of being without Kian, or worse still, forgetting him again, made her heart feel as if it might break in two.
And then there was the matter of the child. Unless she was having the longest, most convoluted dream ever, she was still pregnant, and the baby could only be Kian’s. How could she even consider raising their children alone when she could give them a father that would love them? This is obviously some sort of hallucination. You should stop drinking coffee so close to bedtime. Soon you’ll wake up, and you’ll be back in your apartment with your cat and your normal, boring life, her rational mind assured her.
She wrapped her arms around Kian’s neck. It was meant to comfort him, to reassure him of her continuing love, but it helped her too, to feel him there, solid and real. If it was a dream, it hardly mattered what she decided. She could throw caution aside and follow her heart. “I’ll come with you.”
He hadn’t expected that answer. She could tell by his sharp exhalation, a hot gust of breath that blew her hair into a tangle. “You will? I expected to have to work much harder to convince you to give up your whole life to be with me.”
“I’m a little sad, I guess. There are things and people that I’ll miss. But I love you, Kian. I don’t want to lose you again.” And that was true. As much as she doubted that any of this was real, if there was a chance, however slim, that it was, she had to grasp at it. The moments she had spent with Kian, even the few she could fully remember, she had felt… whole. Complete, secure, and loved in a way she had never imagined she could be. There was no way she would let that go.
“You cannot know how happy this makes me,” he said roughly, nuzzling her with his great head so forcefully that she nearly fell over. “Every day since I first found you, I have longed to wake and find you there beside me.”
“I’m just glad you’re real and I’m not losing my mind,” she replied, leaning into
his warmth, breathing in his scent of wood smoke, musk, and cinnamon. Or I’m going so crazy I’m long past saving. “How do we get to your world? Are we leaving now, or do we have to wait until sunrise? Do I need to bring anything? Can I even bring anything?”
She briefly considered asking him if she could go back to her apartment and leave a note, but she couldn’t think of anything to say that would sound even remotely sane. I’m fine, just went off to another universe so I can live happily ever after with my magic dragon boyfriend, since I’m already pregnant with his baby. No, her parents were better off thinking she’d drowned or something.
“We can leave now, if you are ready. You may bring anything you wish, but I doubt you will need anything that you cannot easily acquire in Kumarinatu. I can at least promise you that you will not want for anything material.”
“Will I be the only… regular human there?” Zoe asked, biting her lip with anxiety. If everyone else was like Kian, would they see her as a person or more like a pet? Or even worse, a snack? By dragon standards, did Kian just have a really weird kink?
“You are far from regular, Zoe, even here,” he rumbled reassuringly. “But you needn’t worry. All my research indicates that once you cross over, you will come into your own magic, and be able to assume a draconic form as easily as I do.”
“Oh!” Now she knew it couldn’t be real. She would be able to do magic, and become a dragon? Meaning she could fly? It was something out of her wildest imaginings, too good to be true. “It doesn’t seem possible.”
“I know it hardly sounds believable to you, my love, but I swear to you that it is all quite real. You are not crazy, or dreaming, though I suppose that is rather hard to prove. I hope that once we arrive, you will be reassured.” He nuzzled her with his face again, reminding her amusingly of a very large cat. “Are you ready to go now? Though sunrise is the limit of this spell, the quicker we return, the less exhausting it will be. I do not really want to spend our first days together sleeping off magic shock.”
Zoe took a deep breath in, and then out, letting her eyes travel over the weedy clearing, the river, the graffiti covered overpass. Was there anything here she would really miss? Her family, she supposed, and her cat. But they would want her to be happy, wouldn’t they? And Lauren would take care of Nahuel, at the very least. If she was dreaming, then she was dreaming. There was nothing she could do about it, and she probably wouldn’t remember in the morning.
If not, she would be with Kian. When put into such terms, there wasn’t even really a choice. “I am ready.” She decided to grab her backpack, mostly for the sketchbook and pencils, but she also thought that if she could keep it charged, it might be nice to at least have all the music on her phone.
“Climb onto my back then, beloved, and we will go home together.” He ducked his head, and she pulled herself astride his neck by grasping one of his horns. Home. Somehow, when he said it, it had a much deeper meaning. When she settled herself across his shoulders, her chin resting in the soft mane of fur that ran down his neck, she felt contentment settle over her, no matter her doubts and fears, and she realized what he meant. Perhaps from the moment they had first met, her true home would always be wherever he was.
Tendrils of glowing light danced into being all around them, and the air hummed with energy. As she watched, the lines of light grew and spread, connecting into a shining net that surrounded the both of them. “You are sure this is what you want?” she heard Kian say, his voice seeming to echo from the magic around her rather than coming from his body.
“I’m sure, Kian,” she replied, squeezing his neck, and pressing a kiss to the midnight blue scales. He shivered beneath her, and she raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t thought he’d be able to feel such a light touch through his thick skin. He recovered his composure with a little toss of his head.
“It should only take a moment, but the journey may be somewhat frightening,” he said in a voice that was trying to sound confident and casual, but Zoe could tell that he was afraid, excited, and elated all at once.
“Everything is going to be fine. We’ll be together, that’s what matters,” she reassured him. The net of magic was now a sphere of scintillating color that began to spin. It gained speed quickly, and the air hissed and crackled with electricity.
“Together,” he agreed. There was a flash of light and a muffled popping noise, and then they were gone, leaving a circle of singed grass and an abandoned picnic.
They were flung into an ocean of light and color, floating, flying, falling, and despite trying to keep a tight hold on Kian’s neck, the chaos of the spell wrenched him from her grasp. She knew she was screaming in terror but no sound was coming out, and then she hit the ground hard, driving the air from her lungs in a gasp. Her vision swam with color, and even lying still, vertigo made her nauseous. She let her eyes fall closed, concentrating on breathing in and out, and as the fear ebbed, exhaustion set in. A familiar embrace surrounded her in warmth, and with a soft sigh, she was asleep.
***
When she next awoke, it was to golden sunlight streaming in through a high arched window. Zoe blinked against the bright light, momentarily confused, until a soft sigh in her ear alerted her to the presence of a sleeping companion. Her eyes widened, and she rolled over, sucking in a surprised breath when she saw him. Even with his arm thrown carelessly over his eyes to shield out the light, there was no mistaking Kian, his blood red hair fanning out behind him in stark contrast to the pale bed linens. It wasn’t a dream.
At least, she was fairly sure she’d never dreamed about waking up before. She reached out for him, part of her afraid he would disappear the moment they touched. But her fingers met the cool, smooth skin of his chest, and he sighed, but did not wake. Zoe felt a nearly overwhelming urge to sob with relief, and tried not to acknowledge the fear and guilt that followed. Scooting closer, she tentatively laid her head on his chest, and listened to the steady thump of his heartbeat, letting it soothe her almost back into sleep.
There was a sudden hitch in the rhythm, a skip followed by an increase in tempo and a sharply inhaled breath. Kian’s arm slipped around her back, pulling her more closely against him, and Zoe turned to look up into his face. His amber eyes were regarding her with awestruck wonder.
“Zoe,” he said, his voice strangled by the strength of his emotions. “Jãné del-am, you are here in truth.” He pulled her up so that their faces were level, his fingers brushing her cheek in tender reverence. “I admit that I too had wondered if I were not dreaming.”
“How do you know we’re not?” she asked, partly teasing, and partly because she was honestly concerned and wanted to know if there was some trick to it.
“It was an important part of my training. I will teach you, if you wish, though now hardly seems the proper time,” Kian replied with a half-smile, running his hands through her hair, her thick curls gone wild in their tumultuous journey. “I have so longed to touch you in the waking world, my heart. As much as the Dreaming resembles reality, it could never compare. And I feel I must make up for the times you will never recall. It hardly seems fair, all the pleasant hours I have spent with you, while in your eyes, I must seem almost a stranger.”
“You are definitely not a stranger, Kian,” she said softly, before giving him a gentle kiss. At least, it was meant to be gentle, since by some definitions it was their first, but when her lips touched his, they were soft and warm, and when he sighed out a breath she couldn’t help but trace her tongue over the curve of his lower lip. She felt his fingers flex in her hair, and he lifted his head to capture her mouth again.
This time it was Kian who slipped his tongue between her parted lips as Zoe twisted eager hands into his hair. There was a part of her that had intended to take things slow, to discover Kian, his mind, as well as his body. Although she knew that they had been together before, and even had scattered memories of some of those times, everything still felt new. At least to her mind. Her body, however, knew exactly what to do.
She tugged her fingers through his hair and slid them over his chest, letting her nails scrape lightly over his skin. An answering hiss of breath told her that it wasn’t unappreciated, as did the fact that Kian’s hands had suddenly worked their way inside her shirt. Zoe shivered as she felt his fingers trailing over her spine while his mouth kissed down the line of her jaw and found a spot just under her ear. The faintest brush of his lips there made her back arch and her hair stand on end, a reaction that gained her a pleased chuckle from Kian.
He drew her shirt slowly over her head, his pupils wide as he took in the sight of her bare skin, fair and spattered with freckles. Zoe felt suddenly self-conscious in his gaze, acutely aware of every part of her body that she didn’t like, every dimple and awkward hair. She was seized by a strong desire to cover herself with her hands.
“I did not think it possible,” he said quietly, “but you are far more lovely in person than my dreams could ever allow.” If Zoe hadn’t known better, she would have thought he was reading her mind and purposefully attempting to soothe her insecurities. She wasn’t sure whether she felt more like snorting in derision, gasping in surprise, or starting to cry.
What actually ended up happening was that Kian caressed her nipples with the slightly roughened pads of his thumbs and a little whimper of need escaped her unbidden. Her hips arched into him, and he made a noise, a growling purr deep in his throat. He rolled them over so that now he was straddling her hips and looking down at her with a smoldering gaze. Zoe could feel his arousal pressing into her. They could take things slow another day, she thought with a husky chuckle, and she reached up to pull him close, tongues tangling with growing need.
“Zoe…” he said, breaking away with a ragged gasp, “I should… I apologize… I meant to show more control, but it is difficult. I have missed you.”
