“What is it?” I asked him. His head whipped around to look at me, and I could see the urgency in his eyes. Something was wrong.
“We must leave now,” he said. “They’re coming.” Greylore ran into the cabin. I listened carefully. I concentrated, attempting to isolate what exactly he had heard to cause him to panic. I heard birds. I heard the trees rustling in the wind. I heard the cry of a wolf in the distance, which caused my body to tense slightly. I hurried into the house after Greylore.
“I don’t hear anything,” I said. “Are you sure?”
“Trust me, my love,” he said. “My hearing is much better than yours.” Greylore darted around the room, tossing items into a dark brown satchel. Shirts, pants, a pair of shoes, a bag that made a clinking noise, a metal box, two books, and a small bag of apples. “I know the sound of a cavalry.”
“They must have found out I’ve escaped my room,” I said. A knot formed in my stomach. How did they find out so soon? I should have had more time. Did Davian report me? He wouldn’t. He said he wouldn’t. But if he’s loyal to my father, and he’s trying to win his approval…“My father will send everyone. You should have heard him. I don’t think he’s in his right mind anymore.”
He opened a drawer, pulled out two small boxes, and pushed them toward me. “Here,” he said. “Put these in your bag. In case anything happens to me—”
I looked down at the boxes in his hands and refused to take them. “What would happen to you?” This is too much. My father betrayed me. Davian may have reported me. and now Greylore thinks something may happen to him? No. I can’t do this. “Greylore, can we slow down for a moment?”
Greylore set the boxes on the table, gave me a sweet grin, and put his hands on the sides of my face. “You are so loving, so trusting, so beautiful,” he said. “But you must understand, I’ve been running from soldiers and hunters for decades. I know what I’m doing. Please, trust me. I promise I will not let anything happen to you.”
Leaning into Greylore, I did my best to hide my fear and reservation. The smell of wood, ash, and apple on his hand was almost calming. I do trust you. I’m just scared. But I couldn’t tell him that. I could never tell anyone that. I could never speak of my fear. I was Hensley Ekard. The epic soldier. The fearless hunter. The heartless killer. I looked into Greylore’s eyes and nodded.
“I trust you,” I said. “What do you need me to do?” Greylore grabbed the boxes from the table and held them out.
“Put these in your bag.” This time I took the boxes from his hands. One was heavier than the other. I placed both boxes in my bag still hanging over my shoulder. Greylore continued to dart around the room. He grabbed a large winter coat from the stand in the corner and moved to stand next to me. Why does he need a coat? It’s nearly summer. Glancing around the room and took my hand and led me outside. “All right,” he said. “I think we’re ready.”
“How are we getting to…to wherever it is we’re going? Are we…we’re not…” Greylore didn’t answer, but simply nodded. A sudden surge of sadness and panic rushed through my body.
“Wait!” I said. I moved into his path, put my hand to his chest, and pushed him to a stop. “What about Aurora? I can’t just leave her here.” Greylore turned toward the stable where Aurora was quietly enjoying her fresh mountain water and apples. Fresh water and apples. Wait. Fresh water? Apples? If he wasn’t expecting us why…? “How did you know to put fresh water and apples out for Aurora if you didn’t know we were coming?”
Greylore scoffed and shrugged. “I told you. I have great hearing.”
“Then why did you act surprised when I got here?”
“At the time I wasn’t aware that you knew who I was, so I couldn’t exactly tell you I heard you coming, now could I?”
I glanced at Aurora and I knew what I had to do. I walked to the stable, and led her out, fighting back the tears. Once in front of the cabin, I put my head to hers. “I’m sorry, girl,” I said. “I can’t take you with me this time. But I will try to come back for you. And if I don’t, you let Marcum take good care of you. He loves you almost as much as I do.” Aurora stomped her feet several times, nuzzling her head against mine. “Okay,” I said. I tied her reins onto the saddle, making sure they wouldn’t come loose and get tangled. “Go home, Aurora!” I backed away and pointed for her to leave. She paused and nudged me. “No. You need to go. Hurry. Go! Go home!” She still didn’t move. “I love you, Aurora. But you need to go.” I slapped her back end. “Hi-ya!” Aurora darted down the trail and I watched until she disappeared into the tree line.
My most loyal, oldest, and dearest friend and I was sending her away. She’s going to hate me. She thinks I’ve betrayed her, deserted her. But at least she’ll be safe. She will be safe…or will she? The wolves?
“Greylore! What about the wolves? What if she’s attacked again? I won’t be able to help her!”
“Don’t worry about the wolves,” Greylore said. “She will be safe all the way back home. I promise.”
“How can you be so sure? How do you know they won’t—”
“Because, dragon,” he put his finger to his chest, “wolf,” he pointed out to the trees. Continuing the pointing gestures, he repeated himself several times. “Dragon. Wolf. Dragon. Wolf. Draaagooon. Wooollfff.”
“Oh, yeah,” I chuckled. “I forgot.” I guess no one messes with the friends of a dragon shifter. Take that, you stupid wolves!
Fifteen
“Stand back, my love,” he said. Greylore removed his shirt and placed it in the bag at his feet. He reached down and unfastened his pants, pushing them over his hips, and carefully pulling them from one leg than the other. He shoved them into the bag with his shirt, and then held the bag and the coat out to me. “Take these,” he said. I reached out and our hands touched. He paused, grabbed me, pulled me in close, and kissed me. Hard. Deep. Passionate. He released me, and it took me a moment to gather myself. Damn. Can we do that again?
“And I promise you, no matter how awful it looks or sounds, I am okay.” Slapped with the reality of our situation, I pressed my forehead to his chest. He gently ran his hand down my body, from my neck to my back. “We need to go,” he said. Hesitantly, I took a few steps backward, tightly gripping the coat to my body, keeping my eyes on Greylore.
Greylore took a deep breath and leaned his head back, looking up to the sky. A look of agony washed over his face. His mouth opened, and I awaited a cry or a scream. But it never came. Greylore bent at his waist, doubling over, moaning as if he were in great pain. I covered my mouth and resisted the urge to run to his aid. His body jerked, convulsing, his arms twitching, lifted to his sides, he fell to the ground, landing on his hands and knees. My heart ached to see his body contort. Hearing the pops and rips, I knew he must be in horrendous pain. I wanted to yell out to him, to tell him to stop, to tell him we’d find another way. But, as I watched the color of his skin change I knew we had passed the point of turning back. Greylore pushed his neck out. It stretched, as if made of rubber, and his face began to lengthen. Teeth jutted from a large jaw. His body seemed to pulsate, a wave beginning from his lower back and washing over him. His fingers stretched, growing longer, spread wider, his nails turning to claws. Scales appeared over the surface of his skin, blooming like the petals of a flower. His muscles began to tighten, growing larger with each contraction.
Two large growths formed lengthwise down his back, protruding up and out, continuing to bulge until finally long bone-like spines burst outward, opening to reveal skin webbing. His legs pushed back, and his spine began to elongate into a tail, wrapping around the length of his now enormous body. I ducked as the fully formed wings jetted open, bursting toward the sky. A final stretch and a deep growling bellow told me that his transformation was complete.
I recognized the creature from the lake. The beautiful emerald green dragon. Now, here it was again, close enough for me to touch. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this creature in front of me and th
e man I had fallen in love with were the same.
“Greylore?” I spoke softly, unsure if he would know me, or love me in his dragon form. The long neck arched, turning his head to me. His eyes blinked slowly, and he lay down on the ground.
“It’s me,” he said. The voice was no longer one I recognized. It was a deep rumbling tone, like the vibrations of ground during an earthquake. “Please, don’t be scared.”
“I’m not afraid,” I lied. I was doing that a lot lately. I was terrified, and I hoped dragons couldn’t smell fear. Please don’t eat me. “What do we do now?” I asked.
“Grab my bag and put it across your body, opposite of yours.” I did. “Next, put on the coat.”
It’s like seventy degrees. Why do I need a coat?
You’re going to need it.” I did what he said. You don’t argue with a dragon. “Now, climb onto the middle of my back, near the top of my wings. Stay down and hold on tight. It’s going to get windy and cold.” Now the coat makes sense.
Climbing onto Greylore’s back, I was shaky and nervous. I was afraid of stepping in the wrong place and hurting him or falling off. Once I reached the middle of his back, I settled in and tried to find something to hold onto. I leaned forward and felt two large spiny protrusions on either side. “Is it okay if I hang on to these? Or will that hurt you?”
“It tickles a little,” he said. “But yes, you can hang onto them. You won’t hurt me. I promise.” He stood up and I could feel his muscles flexing and contracting underneath me. He walked forward, and his body rocked me back and forth. “Hold on,” he said. “Here we go.”
I squeezed my eyes closed tight, clenched my body and held onto the spiny protrusions with every ounce of grip strength I had. Greylore pushed himself from the ground, his wings opened with a loud foop! He flapped them several times and we went higher and higher. The familiar whooshing sound of his wings I had heard at the lake was much louder from this vantage point. I opened my eyes for a moment, stretched my neck, and peeked around his body to look down at the ground.
Holy shit! Greylore’s cabin was the size of a dollhouse. Seeing how high we were, I squeezed tightly with my legs, my arms, my hands, I even shoved my head into his muscular neck hoping it would keep me safely on his back. He continued to flap his wings and we moved higher and faster. I could feel the cool sting of the wind on my face. The air here was different than on the ground. There was a moisture to it. It felt like tiny droplets of snow were landing on my skin. Is my face wet? It feels wet? I wasn’t about to release my grip to find out. I didn’t care that much. I am so glad he told me to put on this coat. But wait. Do dragons get cold? I need to remember to ask him.
I attempted to concentrate on holding on, but the longer we were up in the air, the more thoughts I had, and the more open my mind became. A thousand varying scenarios ran through my mind. If I fell off, would he fly to catch me? Could he get to me in time? What if I fall asleep? I think Mom would have loved him. She would have loved flying with him. I wonder what my life would have been like if she were here. Would I have been a soldier? Would I have done all the things I’ve done? Would I have ever met Greylore?
I turned my head to the left and watched the sun as it began to set, taking the warmth and the light of the day with it. We’ve been flying all day. I felt Greylore’s muscles constrict underneath me. The angle of his wings changed, and the air began to warm against my skin. I think we’re landing.
Greylore’s feet touched the ground and he took a few steps before bending down so I could climb off his back. My legs were sore, cramped, and my hands hurt from keeping such a tight grip on his body. I dropped to the ground, rolled to my back and flung my arms out to my sides. I heard Greylore moaning and I put my hands over my eyes. I can’t watch. I can’t bear to see that again. The popping of his joints and bones as he transformed to his human form seemed to echo through the trees. Then, it was quiet. I waited. Nothing. I pulled my hands from my eyes and looked up. A naked Greylore stood over me, smiling. I felt a warmth rush over my neck and face. Why does he keep doing this to me?
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi.” He smiled. “You okay?” I nodded. “Well, you can either continue to stare at my naked body, which I’m okay with, or you can give me my bag, so I can get dressed.”
“Oh, yes,” I said. “Of course.” If I must. I’d rather you stand there naked. I stood up, took off the coat, removed the bags from my body, and held his bag out at arm’s length. He reached into his bag and handed me a blue box.
“Why don’t you go freshen up and do whatever you need to do, and I’ll do the same? Take your time. I’ll get a fire going.”
I took the box from his hand and opened it. A bottle of water. A washcloth. A small bar of soap. Toothpaste. A toothbrush. And toilet paper.” I smiled.
“I love a man who comes prepared,” I said. Still naked, he leaned over and kissed me. Dammit! You’re killing me.
After cleaning up, I joined Greylore who was sitting on a large log next to the fire. “Something smells good,” I said, realizing at that moment I was starving. Greylore served me a dish of rice, bacon and a bit of apples for sweetness. It was delicious. We ate our meal and spoke very little. I watched Greylore clean up the site and realized what a wonderful man he was. I knew what he was, but I didn’t see that. I saw a beautiful, charming, kind, caring, sweet man.
“I wish our families weren’t at war,” I said.
“There are always families at war in one way or another,” Greylore replied. “There’s nothing anyone can do about that.”
“But no matter what we do, our families are always going to be at war, hating each other, fighting.” Greylore turned to look at me. Why do we have to be on opposite sides? “My father forbids me to see you again,” I said. “And now that I’m here with you, he will probably disown me.”
“My grandfather disowned me when I refused to take up arms against the humans long, long ago. That’s why I left, and why I haven’t been back.”
“I’m so sorry, Greylore.” There was a pain in my chest that I had never felt before. “I am so sorry for everything I have done. I didn’t know. My father betrayed me. He knew, and he allowed me to hunt and kill…I’m so sorry.”
“Hey, hey, hey.” Greylore quickly moved to my side, wrapping his arms around me, comforting me. “I know that. You have nothing to be sorry about. You were only doing what you were told, what your father had taught you. How can you blame yourself?”
I pushed Greylore back and looked into his eyes. “I’m terrified your people are going to want revenge on me for what I did,” I said. Tears began to streak down my face. “And to be honest, I couldn’t blame them if they did.”
“They aren’t going to blame you,” he said. He knelt in front of me as I sat on the log, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “You did what you did based on beliefs that were taught to you by someone you loved and trusted. That is not your fault and my people are going to understand that.”
“What about your grandfather?” I said, my voice panicked. “He hates humans. When he learns what I’ve done, he will have me killed for sure!”
“My grandfather is no longer in power,” Greylore said. “He died many years ago of a wound inflicted during a battle he started against the humans. My father is in power, and he feels as I do.”
I stared at Greylore, in awe that a man such as him existed. “I wish I could take it all back.” I ran my fingers down his cheek. “I wish I could undo everything I had done before I met you.” I ran my thumb over his bottom lip. “I don’t deserve you. You are too good for me.”
Greylore kissed my thumb before wrapping his lips around the tip of it and sucking on it very lightly. “I love you, Greylore.” Greylore leaned in and kissed me, reaching his arms around and grabbing my ass, picking me up from the log. He stood up, walked to a patch of moss and leaves he had spread by the fire and gently laid me down. standing over me, he took off his shirt and tossed it nearby before lowering himself on top of m
e.
“I love you, too, Hensley,” he said. “And you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Greylore and I had made love before, that night in the lake. But this was different. I felt he gave himself to me that night, mind, body, and soul. And I know I gave everything I was to him. I was his. Now and forever. I allowed him to take me that night. How he wanted. Where he wanted. Whatever he wanted. And he took. Every. Single. Part. Of. My. Body.
Sixteen
Flying the second day, I found I didn’t need to hang on so tight. I wasn’t as scared, but I still couldn’t grasp the vastness of the land below. I lifted my head from time to time to take in the view, but if I lifted too far, a waft of bitterly cold air would hit me, making my lungs feel stiff and frozen. Having never had that type of sensation, it was both frightening and invigorating.
We flew from sunrise to early afternoon, taking a short break when the sun was at its highest peak. As Greylore slowly descended, I realized where we were. This is the Forbidden Lands. Tales of the Forbidden Lands are told to children as bedtime stories as a lesson, or perhaps a warning.
I remembered my father telling me the story.
“We must never travel to the Forbidden Lands, for it is where the darkest demons of our world dwell. Many have ventured there, attempting to discover its mysteries and conquer the monsters. But only one man has ever returned, and he returned bearing a curse. Some say he was sent back as a warning to others to stay away. Others say he escaped only because he sacrificed the rest of his traveling party. His body was badly burnt. He spoke in demon tongue. And he had been forced into madness by what he had witnessed.”
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