The Preacher's Daughter

by Valerie Reyes

  Casey stopped, feeling sweat building up under his jacket. He wondered why it was suddenly so hot, and even contemplated taking off his jacket. The loud rumble sounded once more, bringing Casey back into reality until he took a few steps forward, gasping loudly at a sight he never thought he would lay eyes on.

  Chapter 3

  Casey rubbed his eyes violently and blinked a couple of times trying to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. He couldn’t believe what he was looking at. Could it be real? He took a tentative step forward as visions of his childhood came flooding back to him.

  Lying in front of him, curled up in a tight yet enormous ball, was a ruby-red dragon. The dragon’s scales shone in the dull light provided by Casey’s flashlight. Its large chest moved up and down with its steady breathing. A large, barbed tail wrapped around the hulking figure until it rested on one of its large claws like a slithering snake. Large, dark spikes emerged along its spine.

  Casey stared at the creature in disbelief. He had to be dreaming. Dragons didn’t exist. He thought back to all the fairytales he had read and all the movies he had seen. Dragon’s weren’t real. But this large creature looked like a dragon. He tried rubbing his eyes once more. He pinched himself, but the dragon was still there.

  Maybe he wasn’t sleeping. Casey took another step forward, as an unknown force drew him toward the creature. He felt himself gravitate toward it slowly. The warmth radiating from the dragon was slowly seeping into Casey’s body, making him feel warm and sleepy. With a sheepish smile on his face, he continued to move forward, tiptoeing his way closer and closer.

  He was now inches away from the beast. He could feel the ground vibrating ever-so-slightly with the dragon’s breathing and could feel soft tufts of air shoot out from its nostrils. With a shaky hand, Casey reached out, his fingertips almost touching the blood-red scales that covered the dragon.

  With his heart pounding in his chest, Casey pressed a hand against the creature, feeling its warmth. He looked at the contrast between his own pale skin and that of the dragon’s. His eyes were locked on the dragon’s head in case the giant lizard happened to wake up. But the dragon, to Casey’s surprise, continued its slumber.

  Casey stood like that for a moment, enjoying the warmth that now surrounded him. A few seconds later, he moved his hand away, becoming even more daring as he leaned down and gently touched the dragon’s massive claws. He passed his finger across the blade-like talons as he shivered in fear. Still, he continued to probe and prod the dragon, his curiosity getting the best of him. He looked at the tail before slowly picking up the snake-liketip, then dropped it with a soft thud.

  Grinning, he got up and walked around toward the dragon’s back, shining his flashlight on its massive wings. He reached out and touched them. An even bigger smile erupted on his face as he felt the soft leather.

  He turned to the dragon’s head next. He looked at it curiously, examining the small scales swirling around its skull in a complex design. Casey’s let his fingertips slowly trace this design, mesmerized by the tight swirls and contours. He smiled to himself, feeling a sense of bliss running through his body as he looked down at the storybook legend. If only this was real. Taking a deep breath, he gently laid his cheek on top of the dragon’s head. Old boyish dreams came back to him as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to be pulled into the realm of fantasy.

  Eventually he stepped back, looking down at the creature. He had never expected to find a dragon in this cave, but luckily it seemed to be in some sort of deep slumber. Maybe dragons hibernated too. Taking a risk, Casey suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs and looked at the dragon intensely, waiting for it to wake up. It didn’t.

  Thinking himself safe enough, Casey took off his jacket and tossed it to the side before cuddling up against the dragon. At least he would stay warm. He laid his head on the dragon’s large paw, using it as a pillow. He closed his eyes and, with the warmth of the dragon surrounding him, he quickly fell asleep with a smile on his face.

  As he drifted off, his mind tried to convince him that this was all some sort of wild dream. He pictured himself waking up back in the lodge, safe and sound, the snowmobile safely returned to the old man within the time constraint. He dreamed of drinking some hot chocolate beside the large fire at the lodge.

  To Casey, dragons were something of myths and fairy tales. They didn’t exist, and they certainly didn’t hibernate. This was just some crazy dream, some sort of hallucination from being caught in the freezing cold. Maybe this was a of byproduct of minor hypothermia. Nonetheless, Casey was sure that he would wake up soon with everything back to normal.

  As he slept, however, he was oblivious to the blizzard raging outside. The snow was coming down hard, filling the land with inches of a white, fluffy cover that would take its time to melt, if at all. The wind was whipping around the snow, creating huge mounds the size of modern-day houses. The world was painted in white, trapping everything in its icy grip.

  Somewhere out there, the snowmobile no longer existed, lost under the never-ending snow. Its bright blue paint could no longer be seen, and its engine would never be heard again. The world was slowly being consumed by Old Man Winter.

  Down at the lodge, skiers retreated from the cold to drink hot chocolate and wrap themselves with blankets as the wind howled outside the windows. Families huddled together, keeping each other warm.

  Meanwhile, Casey slept by a dragon’s side.

  Chapter 4

  The dragon was in a deep slumber indeed. Every year he traveled to the southern Alps in order to hibernate in his winter nest. It was nothing fancy, just a cave on the side of the mountain. He slept there every winter, peacefully, undisturbed by the human world.

  But this year a small human had entered his cave and was now sleeping by his side. Still asleep, he could not react to the small human male next to him, but his instincts slowly took over. As he slept, his body started to transform. His wings shrank, his tail withered into nothingness, and his body slowly grew smaller and smaller until he took human form.

  He smiled in his sleep, as he wrapped his bare arms around Casey, pulling him into a tight embrace. Casey moaned softly in his sleep, before subconsciously cuddling up close to the dragon. He laid his head on the dragon’s chest, smiling to himself. The dragon tangled his legs together with Casey’s until they were locked together like a loving couple.

  The heat that had settled around the cave soon dissipated as the dragon slept in his human form. Casey began to shiver as the temperature plummeted below freezing. The dragon’s instincts kicked in once more. His large wings began to reemerge from his back before wrapping around the fragile human. The velvet-like material worked like a blanket that kept Casey nice and warm. He nuzzled into the dragon’s chest, gravitating toward the heat that radiated from it. Soon enough he had his own arms locked around the man, holding on to him slightly, just like he held on to his pillows when he slept alone.

  Casey was now trapped in a lover’s embrace. The dragon’s body was reacting, treating Casey like a mate. His arms flexed slightly as he pulled the human even closer, almost protectively. The dragon’s head lay near Casey’s, their cheeks touching.

  Hours went by like this. The two men slept soundly. Eventually, however, Casey woke up and opened his eyes slowly. He looked around, seeing nothing but darkness. He could feel something wrapped around him, but had no idea what it was. Still groggy from sleep, he tried stretching.

  He quickly found his limbs trapped in some unknown grip. His eyes grew wide in surprise. He looked around, trying to strain his vision, but he was still blind in the darkness that filled the cave. He fumbled in his pockets, looking for his keys. After a moment, he managed to pull them out before feeling his way through the keys and finding the flashlight.

  He pressed the switch quickly, but nothing happened. He pressed it again and cursed under his breath when he realized the battery was gone. His breathing became ragged as fear crept under his skin, making him panic. His heart
beat quickened in his chest, threatening to emerge from his torso, as a cold sweat built on his neck. He had to calm down.

  He closed his eyes, trying to relax. His chest rose and fell as he took deep breaths that filled his lungs to their capacity. A few minutes later he opened up his eyes, his mind cleared of the fog that had threatened to take him over. He looked around, still blind. Slowly he reached out his hands and felt around, hoping it would give him some sort of clue.

  His fingertips brushed against the velvet wings of the dragon. He recognized it from earlier. Was he still dreaming? Regardless, he continued to trace his fingers along the dragon’s wings until he made his way to the creature’s chest. Casey froze as he felt the sensation of human skin. He tilted his head in confusion as he tried again to see something in the darkness of the cave.

  But his eyes couldn’t adjust to the darkness. So he continued his search, running his fingertips along the chiseled chest. He shivered slightly, wondering who this person was and what they were doing with the dragon. His hands continued to slither along this unknown body.

  Casey’s eyes grew large as he felt his hand gripping a large member. Casey froze in place with his hand wrapped around this man. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t move a muscle as he felt it twitch slightly in his hand, reacting to his touch. He suddenly snapped out his trance, recoiling his hand.

  As he lay there, he couldn’t help but feel the man’s body pressed against his. His cheeks turned red at the thought of it. He tried to squirm away from the man’s embrace, but the wings just tightened around him further.

  As he struggled, the cave slowly lit up with an unknown light. He couldn’t pinpoint the source, but eventually it illuminated the cave enough for him to see.

  He blushed even harder when he looked at the man’s face, inches from his. He had angular features with stubble on his chin, giving him a rugged look. His hair was dark and disheveled, small wisps falling toward his eyes. His skin was flawless. His lips were sharp and supple-looking at the same time. Casey leaned forward gently, as he looked at the man, almost mesmerized by him.

  Casey wondered where this man had come from for a moment. Surely Casey had been the only person in the cave. He tried to think of how the man could have ended up in the cave and why on Earth he was naked. The thought of the man’s bare member in Casey’s hand made him blush anew.

  He suddenly felt the urge to get away from the unknown man. As he did, he noticed the wings emerging from the man’s back. He froze in shock for a moment. Was this man related to the dragon somehow? This thought caused Casey to renew his struggles, squirming as much as possible, trying to wiggle his way out of the winged cocoon.

  As he struggled, his movements began to wake the man. His eyes fluttered opened and his arms wrapped even tighter around Casey, making him stop. The man looked at the small human and their eyes locked. The man grinned to himself, his lips curling upwards as he peered into the pale blue eyes of an omega.

  Chapter 5

  The men looked at each other for a moment. Casey gazed into this person’s dark eyes in a sense of disbelief. He didn’t know this man, and yet he felt some sort of gravitation toward him, like he wanted to stay in the man’s embrace. This scared Casey, causing him to squirm again. The man, an alpha dragon, sighed before letting go of the omega.

  The dragon watched as the small man got up quickly. His eyes lingered over his body for a moment as his tongue flicked over his sharp teeth. His eyes seemed to blaze with delight.

  Casey, on the other hand, looked panicked as he searched for his jacket. Spotting it in the corner, he grabbed it without even glancing at the naked man lying on the ground. Tossing it on he made his way back to the mouth of the cave, hoping to leave this weird experience behind.

  As he reached the entrance, his hopes were crushed. Where the entrance of the cave should have been, there was now a wall of frozen snow. Casey looked at it as he ran his fingers through his red hair in desperation. He was trapped. He looked toward the back of the cave, knowing he couldn’t go back there. He quickly began to dig his way through the snow until his fingers grew numb.

  He shivered as his body grew cold. He sighed and kept trying for a while longer, his need to escape growing into an obsession. He was forced to stop, however, as he completely lost all feeling in his fingers. He got up and began rubbing them together, trying to bring them back to life.

  Wrapping his arms around his body, he tried to keep himself warm, but it was hopeless. If he wanted to keep warm he would need to venture back into the cave. Sighing, he followed the soft, glowing light coming from the back.

  As he walked back into the cave, he felt the warmth return to his body. He smiled ever-so-slightly.

  “Welcome back.” Casey froze in place as he heard an unknown voice ring through the cave. He looked around before spotting the man standing there. He was now dressed in tight-fitting jeans and a red shirt. His wings were gone. Casey looked at him in utter disbelief. He looked normal.

  “Wh…who are you?” Casey stammered, as he pressed his body against the wall. He took a step backward when the strange man took a step forward. He ran a hand through his hair nervously as the man grinned at him.

  “I’m Andries,” the man introduced himself. “And who are you?”

  “C…Casey…” He no longer knew if he was stammering from fright or from the cold. His eyes looked at the tall man before him, watching his every move. He shied away as the man stepped closer.

  “And what brings you to my humble nest, Casey?” the man asked plainly as he flipped his hair to the side, getting it out of his eyes.

  “Nest?” Casey asked in confusion. The man nodded, confusing Casey even further. “What do you mean ‘nest’? This is just some cave.”

  The man smirked as he looked at the quivering human. “That’s where you are wrong. This is my cave. I have hibernated here for centuries. It is guarded with very powerful magic. This magic keeps away any enemies who might stumble upon it. The only people who can enter are dragons, like me.” His voice was calm and steady as he explained this impossible feat.

  “You…you’re lying! Dragons don’t exist!” Casey yelled, trying to defend his sanity.

  “Is that so?” Andries had a mischievous look on his face as he looked at Casey. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as his wings slowly began to emerge from his back and his body started to turn once more into that of a dragon. Casey stepped back, shying away from the large beast.

  Andries, now a dragon, moved forward, his tail swaying back and forth as he stared Casey down. His eyes were a blazing red. Tilting his head back, he released a thunderous roar that shook the entire cave. Casey covered his ears, pressing himself against a wall, naively hoping to blend into it and go unnoticed by the dragon.

  After a moment, Andries slowly turned back into his human form and looked at Casey. “So then, care to explain that?” He raised an eyebrow waiting for an answer. Casey shook his head, trembling as he looked at Andries. What was going on? This had to be some sort of a nightmare. “Well,if you want to keep cowering in fear, so be it.” The dragon turned on his heels, moving back into the cave.

  Casey watched him disappear beyond the bend. He stood there for a moment, a million questions buzzing around in his mind. What was he to do? He couldn’t leave through the entrance blocked by compacted snow. With a sigh of despair, he tried to get a grip on his emotions and fears before following Andries, prepared to ask him everything that was on his mind.

  “Are you really a dragon?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “Hibernation.”

  “Why do you protect your cave with…magic?”

  “Safety.”

  “Can you fly?”

  “Yes.”

  Casey continued to assault him with an everlasting barrage of questions. The dragon quickly answered all of them with an air of indifference. He seemed to be slightly annoyed with Casey, but nonetheless he answered all of his q
uestions with honesty. With his curiosity quenched, Casey had one final question to ask.

  “How do I get out of here?”

  “Well, I can take you to my other nest. It is much nicer than this one,” the dragon answered, looking at him with a mysterious emotion playing in his dark eyes. Casey bit his lip, looking at the man for a moment.

  “What…exactly do you mean by…‘nest’?” Casey questioned as he felt his skin prick with nervousness.

  “It’s where a dragon lives.” Casey thought about this for a moment. “My other nest is much warmer than this one,” he added, as if this specific detail was very important.

  “How?”

  “Hmm?” The dragon raised an eyebrow.

  “How can we get to your other nest?” The dragon nodded before reaching inside of his shirt. He pulled out a necklace. It was composed of a heavy-looking gold chain, and there were two golden rings hanging from it. One of the rings was decorated with rubies and the other with aquamarines. Casey stared at the rings for a moment, impressed by their obvious value.

  “These allow me to travel between my two nests,” he explained, looking at Casey, who seemed a little bewildered. “So, would you like to see my other nest then?” Casey thought about this for a moment. His mind returned to the entrance packed with snow. At this point, he had nothing to lose.

  Still, he hesitated a bit before nodding. Andries grinned wildly before reaching out a hand, waiting for Casey to grab it. Casey hesitated once more before placing his hand in Andries’. The dragon gripped it tightly and Casey closed his eyes.

  In a moment, he felt a soft, salty breeze caress his skin. He opened his eyes to find himself standing on a balcony looking over a beautiful ocean. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked around before noticing the man standing a few feet away from him. “Thoughts?”

  “Where are we?” Casey asked as he walked forward and leaned against the railing, nearly falling over. He was mesmerized by the view, much like when he stepped onto the balcony back in the ski lodge. The dragon quickly grabbed him and pulled him back.