by Lucas, Naomi
For a brief moment, her eyes flash with white light. I blink and her eyes are back to normal.
“I get it,” she says. “You’re struggling, dragon. We both are. I did not come into this cave thinking this would happen, and you did not…” She shakes her head, and I see her flinch. Her head still hurts her. “But we can’t let these changes defeat us.”
“I have already been defeated.”
“Have you? Really? You don’t look defeated to me.”
I bare my teeth. “What do you know of defeat?”
Her eyes glaze over as she looks towards the darkness. “More than you can know. Haime…” She turns away, her face falling into a look of grave concern.
Haime? She said that when I could not understand her.
Then it occurs to me… The other human. The other one she was with before I turned.
Where is the other human?
But before I can ask, she faces me again, the graveness now gone. “In the time I went to collect roots, you’ve managed to rise and walk—you trapped me. If you’ve done so much in such a short time… Think of what you can do a day from now, or even two. This isn’t defeat. This is just the beginning, and beginnings are always the hardest.”
“Such wise words from such a young creature.” I cannot help being snide. She has offered wisdom I know is true, but they are words I do not want to hear.
“Wise words? Common sense. That’s all it is. Now let me help you back to the camp so we can rest—” She starts to brace under me.
“No. I will do it.” Though I do not push her away.
I could never willingly push my mate away.
“Are you sure?” she asks, hesitating.
“Collect the kindling.” I untangle my arm from hers. “I will make it back myself.”
She moves away, and I almost grab her back to me but clench my bloody hands away from her.
“I’ll meet you back there… then.”
I watch as she quietly collects the fallen roots and gathers them under her arm. She picks up her torch, which is now little more than burning embers. She stares at it for a moment before waving it before her. The light is pitiful, but she takes a cautious step away.
I grab her ankle. “Wait.”
She stops.
Pressing my hand to the wall again, I rise. It is easier this time, this new body is becoming more familiar. Once I am standing, I take a moment to steady myself before reaching for her burnt-out torch. I hate that she sees this side of me. But she cannot move around in the dark. She is human.
I will lead her back to safety.
She gives me the torch.
In silence, we head back to the campsite. It is slow going, but she remains with me the whole time, not once complaining. Not once mentioning my weakened state.
When we arrive, it is to find that, like the torch, the fire has nearly died out. Milaye makes her way towards it.
The scent of the naga fills my nose.
“Stop,” I order, stiffening. She stills, stiffening as well, glancing back at me.
“Something’s been here,” she says more than asks.
“Yes, the naga.”
“So that’s where he’s been…”
“You know it?”
“Yes. Well, not really. I found his den when I was searching for kindling. He lives down here. Though, I don’t think he means to harm us.”
I shake my head. This is vital information. “Perhaps not, or perhaps he is biding his time. Is anything lost?” I ask, nodding to the pile of supplies on the ground.
Milaye takes the torch from me and checks, kneeling. I scan our surroundings. I think I see something shift behind a rock, but it is far away and I cannot be sure…
“My shells are gone.”
“Is that all? Are they important?”
“Nothing else has been taken, and no, they’re not… Apparently he likes to collect pretty things.”
My eyes snap to hers, but she is not looking at me. Instead, she takes an oddly foamy item from a pouch and crushes it over the meager fire. It flares back to life, but doesn’t grow until she adds the new roots. Then it blazes, drenching everything in light.
I wince. I do not like light, at least not so much of it, but I do not tell her this. The more light I am in, the more darkness I crave—though the effect is slow, and I can handle it for a while.
But my human is a light bringer.
I will always crave the darkness near her. In all ways…
“You went into his den?” I bark. I dislike this far more than the light.
“I did.” She nods, sits back, blinks her eyes away from the flames, and grabs another thick leather pouch, raising it to her mouth. She gulps from it then turns, handing it to me. “It’s water. Old water at this point, but it’s something.”
Moving to her side, I take it, swallowing some down. Heaven. It’s delicious and fresh. Old is the last thing I would call it, considering I have not had water in ages.
I take another swallow and scan the area again. “Do not enter a single male’s den again,” I tell her. “You are mine now.”
Her eyes slant. But she hands me a small cloth. “I won’t.”
“Good,” I growl. “What is this?” I ask, peering at the cloth curiously. Humans are curious.
“Something to wipe the blood off your hands.”
Once again, she is taking care of me, I realize with a glower. I wipe my hands anyway, satisfied to find the wounds are small and already healing, and toss the cloth into the fire. “Now, you should rest.”
“There’s—”
“No. I sense you are tired, and unlike you, I am not openly wounded. I will watch over you while my strength rebuilds, as I should have been doing all along.” Her face hardens, but it does not last, her tiredness returning too quickly. I hand her back her water pouch. “Finish this. You need it more than I.”
“We should save it. We may not get anymore.”
“I will not have you go without!” I will force it down her throat if I have to. My frustration can only be pushed so far.
She glares at me as I meet her head-on, and we enter a battle of will. My female is stubborn and wants to be in charge, but that will not happen, not anymore.
Eventually, she sighs and drinks another sip of water, but takes something from one of her pouches first to dab on her tongue. With a huff, she lies down by the fire, facing away from me, her body tense. I am temporarily mesmerized, pulled from my brooding by the glow of the light that falls upon her curves.
And the way her skirt rides up slightly, tempting me with what is waiting underneath. My shaft jerks, more pained now than before. There, I will dominate. There, I will rule.
Soon.
I lower myself to the ground and slide the dagger from her belt. She twists back to gaze at me angrily.
“You are right, female, I am not defeated,” I say. “But I will take this and remain so. You need it no longer.”
“Someday, dragon, you will realize that human women are nothing like the females of your kind. We do not have alphas. Take my dagger. You’re right. I don’t need it.”
She turns back around and settles.
And leaves me in silence with my angry thoughts.
13
Alpha’s Claim
Once again, something is tugging on my hair, but this time it hurts.
And I know who it is.
I stiffen. He must be behind me because I’m still facing the fire. I squint my eyes as they adjust, but only a little because the flames are already beginning to die. My throat tightens. Already? It frightens me. The fingers in my hair distract me though.
Something cool drenches my head, and I jerk, flinging my hand to protect my wound, but it’s caught in a firm grip before it can land on my head. “What’re you doing?” I twist to face Drazak.
His dark pupils reflect me and the flames. His scales twinkle a deep purple. “I am cleaning the wound. You will not touch it while I do.” He keeps my hand hostage. �
�Lie back down.”
Slowly, I do as he says. Part of me doesn’t want to get up anyway. I know I’ve been sleeping a lot, but I still feel exhausted. I’ve been hurt before, had long bouts of recovery, but it was nothing like this—like a slow-building sluggishness spreading throughout my body. Maybe it’s the cave or the darkness… Maybe it’s the bond or the wound. Maybe it’s none of those things or all. Regardless, I bring my hands up and rest them under my chin and cheek.
Drazak’s fingers return to my hair, combing through it with his claws. Sometimes more water is added, and sometimes there’s a spike of pain, more than the usual throbbing, but overall, it’s soothing and threatens to lull me back to sleep. For a time, I can forget everything. He doesn’t know it, but it’s the best gift he could give me.
My skin prickles from his ministrations, and I bring my knees into my body. Pleasure blooms. A sneaky, comforting pleasure right in the core of me. I can feel myself becoming wet, and it only worsens when he runs his nails over the top of my scalp.
I moan into my hand, unable to help myself.
His fingers stop moving, and I could cry from their loss. “Don’t stop,” I beg.
He goes right back to it. He starts again with my scalp, avoiding my wound, and ventures to the hidden skin behind my ears. He rubs it so softly it almost tickles, before trailing my hairline with the pad of his fingers. The tips of his nails graze my neck several times.
He doesn’t know it, but he’s stoking a heat within me. The heat I’ve been denying since I first touched him. I curl my legs harder into me.
His nails leave my neck, and I whimper in protest, but his hands gather my hair, making sure it’s loose enough that it doesn’t tug where I’m hurt. He undoes the last of my braids and brushes my strands. When I think he’s done, when he has piled all my hair up by my head, I force myself to rise.
His hand presses down on my shoulder. “Not yet. I am not done.”
My heart thumps. I’ve never been taken care of like this. It’s self-indulgent to allow him to continue. I don’t know if I can take much more without melting into a puddle.
But I lie back anyway, remembering how we left things off earlier.
I don’t want to argue anymore.
I’m weary. Everything is darkness around me, except him. I don’t know if I could’ve stayed sane if I was trapped here alone not knowing what happened to… My fingers twitch.
Drazak gives me hope, and though we have a lot to learn about each other still, he gives me comfort.
Maybe it would be okay if I let him take care of things for a while…
I trust him, I realize. I don’t know why, but I’m certain he would never hurt me. Maybe it’s the bond, or maybe it’s him alone, but my soul recognizes his—as if we’ve always known each other. Though I’m sure we’ve only been trapped a handful of days.
His hand leaves my shoulder, the other leaves my hair, and they cup the back of my neck. I stare into the fire hard because his hands don’t stay put, they move down my sides, sliding the ties of my shirt off. The cloth sags in my front, and I suck in my stomach, pressing my arms to my chest. His hands skim down my body to slip off my sandals.
I wiggle my toes when they’re free.
I trust him. The thought blooms inside me, giving me butterflies.
“What are you doing?” I ask as he tugs on my shirt.
“Feeling you. Feeling what is mine.”
My butterflies dance. “Yours…” I murmur.
His hands work themselves under my shirt to spread across my back. “You are soft, human, so very soft. I have never felt such softness before. Dragons… we do not have hands like you do. How much of the world have we missed, not being able to experience such pleasure?”
I don’t know. I can’t answer him because his hands are kneading into my back and his nails wreak havoc on my skin, grazing lightly. Bowing my mouth into my hands I moan again. I loosen my arms. He pulls the rest of my shirt off.
The top of me is bare to the flames. My nipples are hard when I cover myself.
Will he like me? Will he like the look of me?
I face him when his hands don’t fall back on me.
He’s got his nose burrowed into my top, his chest expanding with each deep breath. His wicked black eyes meet mine, and I’ve never needed a male more in my life. I don’t need to look down to know his shaft is hard under his covering.
“Drazak,” I breathe his name. “I want you.”
He holds my gaze. “Show me how I can have you,” he says, dropping my shirt. The next moment, he’s above me and his arms cage me in.
My heart thrums as my eyes shoot straight to his double horns, cast like fine-tipped spears in the glow of the flames. When I find his face again, he’s staring at me as if he’s never seen me before.
I lie back on my elbows to peer at him in return. His breathing grows heavy, and it’s all I hear.
His heavy breaths.
His heady scent consumes me.
A fierce intensity crosses his face, and I swallow. His eyebrows arch, sharp and devastating, leading to those horns of his, but it’s his mouth that steals my gaze. It’s parted. His tongue slides out to lick his bottom lip. Oh, waters, how that simple action disarms me. He dips lower, and I fall the rest of the way to the ground, leading him to me.
My head hits the floor a little harder than anticipated, and I flinch, reaching up to cup the back of my head, to cushion it.
Drazak catches my hand. “We should be careful of your wound,” his voice rushes over me, concerned and commanding all at once. “You split your head open. I cleaned it as well as I could, but…” He slips his hand behind my head. “Rest on me, Milaye.”
I let my head drop upon his hand. It’s big and cupped slightly to protect me. “Thank you,” I whisper. He’s so close now that our noses nearly touch. Our breaths mingle.
Our eyes meet again. “I want us to mate, human.”
A lump forms in my throat. “Me too.” I barely get the words out.
“I have wanted us to mate since the moment I transformed, since the bond formed. Even though I could not move, could barely speak.”
Me too… I lick my lips.
“But,” he starts, then his eyes narrow. His mouth twists into a momentary sneer.
Worry tightens my gut. “But?”
“But I do not know how it is done between humans.” The sneer on his face morphs, and now I can’t tell if it’s anger, frustration, or derision.
Either way, his answer relieves me. It’s not that he finds fault in me.
“A male should know how to mate his female. It is a basic instinct. I know this human root—this prick—between my legs thrusts into you, as is the way for all mammals, but where?”
“Drazak—”
“A femdragon bears herself to her male and opens for him, but a human?” He shifts to the side, and his free hand drops down to cup my sex, pulling up my skirt—making my knees come up and my thighs clasp around his hand in shock. “You are covered here, you have not bared yourself to me, and—”
“Drazak!” I stammer when his fingers curl and press into my opening. “Stop!”
“Why?” he rasps, clearly as affected as I am.
“You’ve found it,” I gasp. His hand nestles against my most sensitive spot. And with my thighs still holding it in place, I can’t help myself—I curl up and push against it. A moan slips from my throat. “You’ve found where your prick goes.” I grip his wrist with both my hands.
His hand leaves the back of my head as I lift to rub myself upon him like a sex-craved banshee. I’m wet, so wet, I realize when his hand—which has stayed gloriously still for my sake—grows slick. My thin shreds of undergarments are soaked.
They’ve been soaked for days. It’s wanton of me to have wanted him so badly.
“Are you okay, human?” he asks because I am literally using his hand to get myself off, practically trying to mate it. “Is this part of mating?”
“Don’t
move,” I beg, jerking my hips. If this were a human male, they would think me possessed. I almost think I am, but I can’t help it. Drazak presses his fingers harder against me, and I almost scream, clutching him. My nub is a ball of nerves and my sex won’t stop clenching. “I want you,” I cry. “I want you inside me. It’s not part of mating,” I tell him. “I just can’t stop!”
Drazak flips me over, and right in that moment, my nerves unravel. My body seizes. Unnatural noises fall from my lips as I find bliss. And through it all, I feel Drazak snarling behind me as he bends my knees under me and tears off my undergarment, exposing me to his view.
“Show me where, human!”
I rock my hips, still riding the sensations I stole, already feeling the need for more.
He’s bared me for him. I press one fist to my mouth to quiet my moans, and then reach back and press my finger just above my clenching sex. It’s torn away a moment later.
Something thick and hard is pressed to it instead. My body shivers in anticipation. A scream for another release lodges in my throat.
I’ve never learned sex from the mated elders in my tribe, but I know what happens. You can’t be a huntress without knowing what the animals and beasts do in the wild.
Drazak leans over me as I think this, and I press up against him, wanting his body to cover every inch of me, wanting even more for him to do to me as the creatures in the wild. After all, we’re in dangerous terrain and there’s nothing civilized about our predicament. I’m not being civilized, at all.
“I will seed you, human, and you will bear my young,” Drazak says into my ear.
I push back, urging him to take me. “Yes,” I mewl, squeezing my eyes shut, sucking in a breath.
“I will seed you, give my essence to you, and dominate you.”
I’m shaking, wiggling, barely able to hear his words.
“I am the alpha in this mating,” he hisses.
“Yesss, please, please don’t make me wait any longer,” I cry. I will agree to anything if it would end this torture. The bliss I stole wasn’t enough, it barely took the edge off. “Drazak,” I whimper. “Please!”
His shaft penetrates, slickened by my arousal, presses into me. My lips part.