by Lucas, Naomi
I will not be human, I bellow.
I will meet the darkness as the mighty beast I am.
5
A Big, Dead Dragon
My foot aches, but it goes ignored as I stare at the—the giant monster before me. My breaths are shallow, my throat tight, and blood rushes from my face.
I want to scream for Haime, I want to run, but I do neither, waiting for the beast to rise and eat me whole. This wasn’t just a forgotten cave—or a naga’s nest—that Haime stumbled upon. It’s a den.
A dragon’s den.
My eyes water as I stare at the muscles and meaty curves of the beast. Minutes pass as my heart races, waiting for death, praying Haime is far away and hidden, when it occurs to me the dragon’s crooked leg hasn’t so much as twitched. The gleam of my torchlight glints, but the light does not shift upon its glistening scales.
It’s not moving.
It’s not even breathing.
Is it… is it dead?
As the thought takes over my mind, I remember what I’m staring at: a dragon. My back straightens, and my breathing eases. If it tried to attack Haime or me, it would’ve done so by now, and if it had… all I had to do was touch it to save us. That doesn’t mean the beast isn’t dangerous, but the realization gives me relief anyway.
Come to think of it, I could reach out and touch the dragon now. I’m not even an arm’s length away.
I could claim it.
I frown, glancing down at my foot that had rammed into it, curling my aching toes. My sandal shielded my body, but even if it hadn’t, would such a clumsy touch bond me and this dragon together?
I try to think back at all that happened to Aida when she encountered Zaeyr the first time. She touched his wing. Her touch had been deliberate.
Right?
Licking my lips, my eyes rove the shadowy mass. My skin prickles. It still hadn’t made a noise, still hadn’t moved, and the longer my thoughts whirl, the more I believe it has to be dead. Fate wouldn’t bind me with a dead thing, would it? And the touch of my foot hadn’t been deliberate, but then again, I don’t think my skin made contact.
Did the skin need to make contact? My brows furrow. That was a question I didn’t have an answer for.
I’m not even sure it’s male, but what if it is…
I bite down on my tongue.
Why am I even thinking of this? I take a step back. The last eight years flash through my head. The pain, the want, the envy.
The red comet, the dragons, the very few males remaining in the tribes of the Mermaid Gulf. The days upon days, months upon months, years of wishing I would have a male of my own—a family of my own. I never cared about power or being a matriarch. I loved hunting and teaching the young daughters of Sand’s Hunters how to protect themselves and provide for others—but I desperately always wanted one for myself. A daughter of my own. A little girl who would curl up under my arm, snuggling with me as we gazed upon the crackling fire in the safety of my hut.
A babe to hold against my chest and stare up at me with wide-eyed wonder. A beautiful child who I could call my own, that no one could ever take away from me. I never knew how badly I wanted to be a mother until I matured and began training the girls younger than me. Now, they are all older, huntresses themselves, and I’m enveloped with pride every time I see them.
But they go to their mothers when in need, not me.
No, consideration for the tribe matriarch and a mate were taken from me and my sisters when Aida and Delina were born. There were more males in their ancestry.
I swallow, staring at the giant hind leg of the dragon without really seeing it anymore. And it is a giant leg. Though laid out and crooked, the bend of the knee comes to my chest. I squeeze the handle of my dagger, distracting my hand.
I’m desperate to reach out and touch the beast. Eight years ago, I would’ve done so without hesitation.
My fingers shake.
What harm would it do if it’s dead? A self-deprecating laugh runs through my mind. Everything I have always wanted is right before me, yet not.
Taking a step back, I move my torch around, trying to figure out how large the dragon really is instead. But the darkness is thick, and its body goes well above my head and into the cave ceiling. Cocking my head, I discover that the dragon has been here so long that the cave has partially formed atop it.
Maybe that’s how it died?
How long has this creature been here? I pull my bottom lip into my mouth.
Carefully moving along its side, I follow its length, dazzled by its scales. They gleam deep purple and black—I have never seen colors of the like in the wild. I want to covet them. And strangely enough, it seems a deep, shadowy smoke emanates from them, dimming out my torchlight, but when I try to take a better look, the smoke dissipates, making me wonder if I’m seeing things. I shake my head and continue on.
There are spikes and long claws but I refuse to dwell on them. I want to see its face, look at it head-on, capture its mightiness in my mind so I can remember this forever. My heart bleeds, longing for this dragon to be mine—my mate—my lover.
My throat tightens.
Zaeyr, Aida’s dragon, is the most virile and attractive male along the Mermaid Coast, only matched by Kaos, another dragon who lives in a neighboring tribe. But I can’t help but imagine that this dragon—if human, if male—would put those two to shame.
He is mine. Even if he’s dead, he will forever be mine. I squeeze my eyes shut but soon reopen them, knowing I can’t linger.
Finally, I reach the dragon’s neck, and my heart thunders. I’m almost to my destination. Enthralled. I’m enthralled. I’ve barely breathed and now stop altogether. Picking up my feet, I quicken my steps to the front.
The first thing I see is his very long snout, much longer than expected, and streaks of purple and black scales alight the dragon’s features. My eyes glisten with them. They’re like lightning at night, seen from the shore, a storm far off the coast. Following them from the snout, I lift my torch higher, catching a glimpse of the dragon’s firmly shut eyes. They’re huge, like the rest of him, but my focus doesn’t linger, moving to the glassy jewel-like appendage between them, at the center of his forehead.
The giant deep purple stone captures my attention, and my lips part. Nearly as big as my head, a jewel I have never seen the likes of fills my vision. This time, I’m certain I see wisps of black coming off of it. Glancing down at the dragon’s scales once more, I find the tendrils again.
I’m not seeing things.
Why would it be smoking? My gaze returns to the jewel. I sniff the air but smell nothing but dirt. Putting my dagger into my belt, I reach out to touch the jewel—
I stop short and snatch my hand to my chest.
“Milaye!”
Startling, I twist around. “Haime?”
What am I doing? I shake myself, dashing away from the dragon’s corpse. I’d completely lost focus. Anything could’ve snuck up on me—attacked me. I would’ve let them. I’m never this absent-minded, especially in such a dangerous place.
“Milaye, say something again!”
Haime needs me. I hasten back to the direction I think I heard her from.
“Haime!” I yell. I come to the cave wall when something runs out of the shadows. It’s heading straight for me. Tensing, I swing out my torch with a cry, but the figure stops short. Haime’s features come into view, her arms outstretched.
Without pausing, I drop the light and fling my arms around her, pulling her hard to my chest.
“Stooop—” she whines, but I don’t.
I lean down and bury my face into her hair. “You stupid, stupid girl. You could’ve gotten killed.” Tears well in my eyes. “Never—and I mean never—run away from me again!”
Haime tries to tug free, but I grip harder. “He ran away,” her voice is muffled by my chest.
“I don’t care!” My frustration returns. I release her enough to hold her gaze. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed
, or worse! He could’ve been bait to lead you into a trap. You could’ve been hurt! And you ran into a cave, of all places! A cave I had no idea existed. If I hadn’t found it, what would you have done? Wander around in the dark and hope you found a way out? That is if you didn’t get hurt in the process? Do you know what kind of monsters makes their homes in caves? Some of the worst!”
The dragon’s body comes to mind.
“I didn’t know it was going to be so dark,” Haime gripes.
“I don’t care. You never do something like that. Ever!” I want to shake her, make her understand, but she’s still a child, and ultimately it was me who failed her. I tug her back to me and wipe my tears away.
I’d never forgive myself if something had happened to her while I was preoccupied with the dragon. If something had happened to her at all.
“Promise me you won’t do that again?”
She sighs, shoulders shrugging, like my question annoys her. “I promise.”
“I mean it, seashell. I’ll never take you out on a hunt again if you don’t.”
“I promise,” she says again. “You won’t tell Mama and Father, will you?”
“I am most definitely going to tell them.”
“But—”
I let her go. “Just because you’re sorry doesn’t mean you didn’t know better. This wasn’t some mistake, Haime, you could’ve gotten us both killed. We will tell your parents and deal with the punishment, you and I both. That is what a Sand’s Huntress does. We face all things with courage despite the situation. We make mistakes, and we own up to them.”
“Yes, Milly.”
I gaze at her for a moment longer, sucking my lips into my mouth before nodding. “Good. Then let’s get out of here and go home.” I grab the torch from the ground. “Stay close to me,” I order.
“But what about the naga boy?”
I move around Haime, looking for the exit. “What about him? We’re not going after him, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“But he looked hurt and sickly! He might need food.”
I frown, a little disoriented in the darkness. There’s nothing around us but more darkness. “I know, but he’s not ours to care for. He’s a dangerous creature of the jungle, one that could sooner hurt us than accept our help, and from the looks of him, he didn’t want our help. He wouldn’t have run otherwise.” Part of me fears running into the dragon with Haime in tow. It’ll just dredge up old memories and wants again, and I don’t want Haime to see it.
My gut churns at the thought.
Haime’s half-dragon. I don’t know what it would do to her if she saw one of her kind, and in such a state. There’s no precedent for it. No one in the tribe—not even Haime’s father—thought we’d encounter another dragon once the red comet left the sky.
But it wasn’t only that, the dragon is mine. Something in me claimed him. It seems ridiculous but I felt that way. Like an invisible string attached itself from my soul to him.
“I thought a Sand’s Hunter protector was always to help those in need,” Haime argues.
“Those, meaning humans,” I correct. “Nagas aren’t human.”
“My dad isn’t human.”
I stop and face her. “Haime, that’s different. Your father is an intelligent creature, an ancient, and one able to bond with a human. He may not have been human once, but he is now. He is family.”
Haime pouts.
“No more arguing. At this rate, we won’t be back to the tribe until well after dark.”
“Then we should camp here and maybe—”
“No.”
I lead her further in the direction I think the exit is, but only darkness greets us. A chill dances across my skin. At first, the cave didn’t seem like it would be so big, but now I’m not sure…
When we reach a rocky wall, I nearly sigh in relief, but soon realize there’s no ledge above, and when I look down, my feather isn’t there. I glance to either side, no idea which way to go.
“Haime, do you see anything nearby?” I ask.
She peers around. “Big shadows and rocks.”
“What about the ledge we came in by?”
She shakes her head.
“Alright,” I keep my voice calm. I pick a direction and follow it.
Haime tugs my hand. “There’s something over there.” She points ahead of us and slightly to the left. “I think I saw it when I was looking for the boy.”
I inhale and nod. “Good.” Good. Hopefully that means we’re still close to the ledge, that we haven’t accidentally gone deeper. I swear this cave seemed much smaller. I move us from the wall, in the direction Haime pointed.
“Why aren’t my eyes adjusting?” Haime asks.
“I don’t know. Perhaps it’s how deep the cave is.”
I recall the inky black smoke that came from the dragon’s scales and jewel. Could it be…? I shake my head, pushing the thought away. I don’t want to know if this darkness is something more than the absence of light.
“I can see in the caves near home.”
I fail to respond. Something appears before us, glistening and filmy. It catches the flames, and glittering light purple streaks fill my vision. It takes me a moment to realize… it’s part of the dragon’s wing.
“What’s that?”
I grab her and turn her away. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
Waters, no. Please no. I try to lead us back the way we came.
But Haime tugs free and pushes past me. She rushes past the torch and I fling it away so it doesn’t harm her. I lose my footing and trip.
“Milaye?” she cries, and I hear the horror in her voice as I fall.
Dizziness fills me. My heart drops into my stomach. I caught myself with my palms—but my hands aren’t pressed against stone or dirt. I’m touching something smooth and silken. I look up to see Haime is touching the dragon too.
My fingers curl inward.
“It’s a dragon!” I hear her scream.
My dragon.
Heat shoots up my arms.
6
Bonded
I’m frozen, staring at the purple sheen of wing under my hands. It twitches and then moves. My arms grow hot, burning, and I jerk back, grabbing my fallen torch and Haime at the same time.
It’s alive.
I force Haime away, and for once, she doesn’t fight me. But even though I’m no longer touching the dragon, the heat in me grows, expanding from my arms to my chest. A blast of air strikes us, sending our flames dancing. Something crashes nearby, and I grapple with Haime. Another crash, and then I hear it.
A low, echoing growl. It should’ve been lost among the falling rocks, but it’s not. The growl fills my ears, and I’m pierced with another jolt of warmth.
Staggering, I drop my torch again and clutch my chest. My heart is on fire. In my haze of shock, Haime picks up our light—and a rock crashes beside us. We both jump.
“Milaye, it’s waking up,” Haime yells.
“Run!” I scream.
Our fingers intertwine, and we surge into the darkness. Despite the warmth bursting through me, I search wildly for the ledge, desperate to find the exit as Haime waves the torch. She tugs me to the left just in time when another boulder falls. We dodge the impact and—I see my feather. It flutters on the ground.
I’ve never witnessed a more beautiful sight.
“Here!” Pulling Haime after me, I run to it, and the dark line of the ledge appears.
I waste no time and grab Haime’s waist, lifting her. She drops the torch above and climbs up. A second later, she turns around, watching as I reach up and grab the ledge.
“Run! I’ll be right behind you.”
She hesitates. Tears are falling down her cheeks.
“Go!” I scream. “Don’t wait for me!”
Dust litters the air, rocks are raining everywhere, but it’s the growling roar that sends terror through my bones as it grows louder and louder still. The dragon’s too big for this cave. I knew it upo
n first sight of him. We’ll be crushed if we don’t make it out before he awakens. The cave will be destroyed.
There’s another crash, and Haime flinches. I slip from the ledge. This one was right behind me, and far too close for comfort.
“Go!” I shout again, and she finally disappears, taking the torch with her.
The light vanishes in moments. I pray that the way ahead of her is clear.
Pressing my foot to the wall, I use it as leverage and jump up. But my arms are still burning, they’re shaking and won’t take my weight. I slip back down. I do it again, harder this time, and miss again. Worried now, the heat building inside me, I try a third time and manage to fling one arm over to hold me up. A cacophony of noises blasts my ears as I climb my feet up the wall.
“Human!” a deep, guttural voice bellows. A deeply angered male voice. It fills the cave. It slams into my soul.
Stunned, I lose my footing and fall. My head slams into the ground. Searing pain darkens my mind.
Everything falls into the abyss.
I awake sometime later.
I don’t know how long it’s been. But time has passed because I’m surrounded by silence. Not even the shudder of pebbles reaches my ears. There’s nothing but darkness and pain radiating from my head. For a while, all I can do is open and close my eyes, checking that my eyes really are opening because it’s dark either way.
I lick my lips. I need to move.
I need…
Haime? Is she okay? I groan.
I manage to lift my arm and press my fingers to the back of my skull. My fingers come away sticky and I smell the blood. Tentatively, I return them to my head, trying to learn how badly I’m wounded. Wincing, I shut my eyes and discover a cut, nothing more. My hand drops and I smear what I can of my blood onto the ground, wiping the last of it on my top. When it’s as clean as it’ll get, I pull my legs into me and brace my elbow on the ground.
