by Zoe Chant
Then, he held up his hand – which not only didn’t seem to be causing him any pain whatsoever, but also looked utterly unburned.
Holly stared at him. “How – why – what –”
Stefan drew in a deep breath. “This is what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Unprotesting, Holly let him take her by the hand and lead her into the lounge, guiding her into one of the massive armchairs. She had to keep looking down at his hand to reassure herself that it was true – that it really was as undamaged as it appeared to be.
But there wasn’t a single mark on it – not even a little redness to show for the fact it had been just moments ago sitting in a pan of hot oil. She shook her head.
“Are you like… one of those guys who can walk on hot coals?” she blurted, realizing she wasn’t making any sense, but unable to stop herself. “I read about them, they train themselves so they can’t feel the heat or something, and over time they… well, they…”
Realizing she must sound idiotic, Holly trailed off. That was clearly not what had happened here. She knew full well there were all kinds of perfectly logical reasons why firewalkers didn’t get burned that could be explained with the laws of physics – and none of them applied here.
Stefan slowly shook his head. “No. No, I’m afraid the real reason is a little more complicated than that.” He sighed. “I didn’t think. I’d hoped that… well, that I might be able to tell you some other way. But at least now maybe you won’t think I’m completely crazy.”
No, you just plunge your hand into grease fires, Holly thought wildly. What could be crazy about that?
“This is going to sound odd,” Stefan said. “But… did you ever read fairytales when you were young?”
Holly nodded, her brows drawing together. “Yes, of course. You mean like… Hansel and Gretel, poisoned apples, Sleeping Beauty. That kind of thing?”
“A little,” Stefan said. “I meant more along the lines of dragons and… and, well, dragons.”
Holly could only stare at him. She knew she was doing her whole ‘fish-out-of-water’ routine again, but really, she didn’t know what else he could possibly expect. What did dragons have to do with anyth–
Then it hit her.
“Are you saying,” she said slowly, “that you’re a dragon?”
The look of joy that spread across his face was almost comical. “Then you believe me? You know it can be possible?”
Holly shut her mouth with an audible click. She stared down at his totally unburned hand.
This is way weirder than firewalkers, she thought to herself.
“I – I don’t –” she stuttered, for the moment completely lost for words.
Dragons don’t exist. They can’t exist.
Her rational mind was re-asserting itself, telling her to be sensible. Just like firewalkers didn’t really possess mythical powers that allowed them to walk barefoot across burning hot coals, it simply wasn’t possible that there could really be dragons in the world. They were like unicorns, or trolls, or griffins, or –
“You don’t believe me.” Stefan’s face had fallen.
Holly blinked, biting her lip. She didn’t know what to say. It didn’t seem possible that someone as kind and gentle and, well, normal as Stefan could also really, truly believe he was a dragon.
But his hand. He shoved his hand into fire and it didn’t get burned. Some other inner voice, totally at odds with her sensible, rational self suddenly barged into her brain.
Holly stared down at his totally unblemished skin again, before reaching out and taking his hand in her own, turning it over.
Totally unmarked. How do you explain that? Her inner voice sounded intolerably smug.
“I just… it seems too unreal,” she said softly. “Do dragons really exist? How can that be?”
“I swear to you, it’s true,” Stefan said, learning forward and capturing her hands with his long, calloused fingers. His green eyes were burning. “I would never lie to you. Never.”
Holly stared into his eyes. Just like before, she felt a great wave of feeling crash over her – feeling that she somehow knew was coming from him. Just like how she’d been able to sense his sadness when he spoke about his family, she could sense his urgency now – his need for her to believe him.
Her skin tingled where he was touching her.
Could it really be true?
“You don’t look like a dragon,” she said at last.
Stefan shook his head. “This is my human form. I can… change. I shift between my human body and my dragon body, depending on what I need to do. But the dragon is always here.” He touched his hand to his chest. “Just like my human mind is with me, even when I’m a dragon. I always have control over myself.”
He was trying to reassure her, Holly realized. Even if he turned into a mythical beast, he’d still know her and wouldn’t try to gobble her up, or fly off and chain her in a tower for some passing knight to rescue.
Her eyes passed over his body. He looked so normal.
Well… not normal, Holly thought. A hell of a lot more well-built and handsome than any of the men she normally saw around. But certainly no hint that he was anything other than human: no scaly skin, no wings, and definitely no tail.
“Will… will you show me?” Her voice was so soft that Holly almost couldn’t hear it herself. She felt fear clawing at her throat, but ruthlessly she swallowed it down. “If it’s true, and you really are a dragon – if dragons really exist – will you show me?”
At last, she dared to look up into Stefan’s face. He was looking at her steadily. There was nothing evasive about it. No matter what, Holly thought, he definitely thought he was a dragon.
“Of course,” he said, his soft voice matching hers. “But only if you promise that you won’t run away. Dragons can be… well, big.”
Holly ran her eyes over his muscular form as they stood, his hand still engulfing hers, and he led her toward the door. If his dragon form was as relatively huge as his human form, she could well believe what he said.
Opening the door, Stefan glanced back at her. “Are you sure about this?”
She forced herself to nod. Firmly. “Of course.” She could hear the tremor in her voice, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.
“Sit here, please.” Stefan said, guiding her down to the front steps of the porch. “I’ll need some space.”
Holly sunk down onto her backside, her fists clenched, as Stefan moved away from her and into the clearing that surrounded the cabin. He glanced back at her as if to check that this was still what she wanted, and she nodded to him, reassuring. Nonetheless, she still wasn’t exactly sure what she was expecting to happen.
It can’t really be true, she thought to herself again. She loved fantasy movies and novels, but they were fiction. Was she really about to find out that –
“Holy… holy shit…!”
Holly leapt to her feet, her hands going to her mouth in shock. For in the next second, Stefan had suddenly vanished.
Or no – he hadn’t vanished at all.
The opposite, in fact.
His body had rippled, his tanned skin changing into golden red scales. His arms had become massively muscled legs as he dropped onto all fours, a tail swinging behind him, a long neck in front. In an instant, he’d grown larger than the cabin itself, and from his back…
… From his back had sprouted the most beautiful pair of golden wings that Holly had ever seen. Despite his massive size and obvious strength, they looked delicate, almost fragile, the sun shining clearly through the tightly-stretched membrane.
Holly felt her legs go weak, and she sat back down again with a thud.
How… how can this be?
But there was no denying it. Standing right in front of her, looking at her with its glowing green eyes, was a dragon.
“I guess they really are real, then,” Holly murmured, only vaguely realizing she had spoken out loud.
The dragon moved its long, thic
k neck, turning its head as if to show itself off. It extended its wings, flexing them, its tail swishing from side to side.
“Well, you definitely are magnificent,” Holly said when she found her voice. It was still shaking a little, but, to her surprise, she found she wasn’t frightened. It was clear that the dragon meant her no harm.
And it’s Stefan.
She knew that he’d been telling her the truth now. And she was certain that he’d never harm her.
“Can I touch you?” she asked, gripping the porch railing to help her stand again and taking a few steps toward him.
The dragon grunted – though grunt seemed like an ugly word for the sound it made. It sounded almost like a purr, or like it was growling deep down in its chest.
I’ll take that as a yes, Holly thought as she approached. The dragon lowered its body as if inviting her closer, and her fingers brushed against its side.
“You’re warm.”
She hadn’t been prepared for just how warm Stefan’s new form would be: it was like there was a fire burning inside him, heating him from the inside out.
Oh – but maybe –
Holly looked up at him. “Are you a real fire-breathing dragon?”
If dragons could look offended, Holly thought this one might be doing so now. Huffily, it let out a little growl, and then smoke started to spool up from its jaws, drifting into the summer air.
“Okay, okay!” Holly said, laughing. “You’re a real fire-breathing dragon! I don’t need you to start a forest fire just to prove it!”
The dragon went back to looking placid again as she stroked her hand over his side. His scales were surprisingly smooth, almost soft. It wasn’t anything like what she’d imagined touching a lizard or a snake would be like.
But Stefan wasn’t either of those things.
He was a dragon.
“This vacation can’t get any more bizarre,” she said aloud as she slowly walked along his flank, stroking as she went, listening to him purr. “If anyone had told me that I’d be seeing a dragon while I was out here…” She suddenly blushed deeply as she recalled that seeing a dragon was the least of what had happened between them.
She wondered if she could bring this up at her high school reunion. That ought to be worth some kind of trophy. Only student to have slept with a dragon.
She giggled, and then wondered if she might be getting hysterical.
“I’m not going to ask you if you can really fly, or if those wings are just for show,” she said.
The dragon crooned a little, its tail swishing. Then it lowered itself to the ground, twisting its neck to look at her. Holly could read encouragement in its eyes.
“You want me to get on your back?” she asked, somehow reading its intent perfectly. The dragon dipped its shoulder, inviting her on board.
She didn’t give herself time for second thoughts. Going to his shoulder, Holly pulled herself up over the thick muscles, settling herself just behind his neck. There were blunt spines that stretched up from his shoulders – maybe some kind of defensive armor, Holly thought – but for now, they made excellent handholds.
“Okay,” she breathed, leaning forward and gripping tightly. “Okay, I’m read– oh my God!”
She couldn’t stop her surprised shout as the dragon suddenly leaped upward, powerful wings scooping the air to launch them almost vertically straight up. Holly caught her breath, staring in wonder at the ground rapidly disappearing beneath them. Even the ancient trees of the forest seemed tiny from all the way up here.
Spreading its wings, the dragon soared, sunlight blazing on its golden scales. Wind whipped past Holly’s head, her hair streaming out behind her. Exhilaration thrilled its way through her veins. As Stefan wheeled, she chanced a look down to see the gorgeous green of the forest below them, stretched to the horizon on one side, and out to the exquisite blue of the ocean on the other.
She cried out in exhilaration, the sound bursting from her involuntarily. Stefan’s movements were smooth and fluid, never jostling her. She felt as if she belonged here – that soaring far above the trees was her place. She and Stefan together, moving through the clouds, the sunshine sparkling over his scales and the wind whipping through her hair…
Never before in her life had Holly felt so alive.
Laughing out loud, she felt her own voice carried away by the whistling wind. She wanted to stay out here forever – leave the earth far below them, with all its trouble, confusion, and strife. Up here, it was just her and Stefan, the wind in her hair and the sun on her skin.
She didn’t know how long they had been sailing through the air when Stefan at last dipped lower, carrying her out closer to the sea. The wind was chilling, but somehow, Holly didn’t feel it as he brought her lower to the earth.
Not yet! she wanted to tell him. Let’s keep flying!
As if he had read her mind, the dragon let out a low, apologetic rumble, before descending.
Holly nodded, understanding. I guess we can’t keep going forever. And anyway, I have so many questions…
Again, she felt the strange wash of unease spread over her as before.
Maybe there’s something he’s not telling me, she thought to herself as Stefan swooped lower, circling toward the ground.
But after finding out he was a dragon, what more could there possibly be to tell?
Chapter Eight
Holly
Stefan at last touched down again, the massive claws of his feet leaving furrows in the earth. Holly slid down from his back reluctantly – she missed his warmth immediately, and she realized with a shock that she was still only wearing the bedsheet, tied fast around her body. With everything that had happened, she hadn’t even thought about what she was wearing.
Looking around the forest, Holly realized she had no idea where they were. The trees were thicker here, and the bracken and undergrowth far wilder. She guessed this wasn’t a part of the forest that people came to very often – it was obviously far off the beaten track.
She turned just in time to see Stefan shrinking back down to his human form, his glittering scales becoming skin once more, his clawed front feet becoming hands, his tail disappearing back inside his body. She marveled as she watched.
How does it work? she asked herself. Does even Stefan know?
As if in answer to her thoughts, he shook his head. “No. I’m afraid the origins of dragon shifters are lost to the mists of time. Maybe someone knows, but I’m afraid I’m not much of a historian.”
Holly shook her head. “Can you read my mind, too?”
Stefan smiled a little. “Not really – not the way you mean. But I can sense your thoughts, just a little. If you were a dragon, then the chances are I could make out a lot more, but since you’re human, I’ll need more practice.”
Holly watched him as he came toward her, totally naked now. As much as she tried to stop them, she couldn’t prevent her eyes from drifting southward.
“All right, smarty no-pants, what am I thinking now?” she asked, a wicked grin on her lips.
To her instant gratification, a blush immediately spread across Stefan’s face. It looked almost incorrigible, given how huge – and how naked – he was.
“I have some idea,” he murmured gently, drawing her to him and kissing her.
Holly gasped as their lips met, feeling searing heat gathering in her belly.
She wondered if Stefan being a literal dragon should have put her off him a little – or at least made her question her choices. But as it was, the only thing it did was make her want him more.
She opened her mouth to him, drawing his tongue between her lips.
You can’t have sex with him right in the middle of the forest, her rational, no-fun-at-all brain complained to her.
Sure you can, her much more fun inner voice countered. Dragons exist. I’m pretty sure that means every other thing you thought was true doesn’t matter either.
She wound her arms around him, pulling him close – only to h
ave him pull away.
“Holly,” he said, his voice sounding husky. “We need to talk…”
“Can’t we do it later?” Holly whispered, standing on tip-toes to nip at his lower lip with her teeth.
For a moment, Stefan’s eyes glistened, turning an even brighter green – but in the next second he blinked, and shook his head as if to clear it.
“I’d love nothing more than to… well, you know what I’d love to do with you,” he said. “But there’s something I need to tell you. And it can’t wait. It may change how you feel about me – about what we do next – and I want you to have all the facts before we do anything else.”
Holly was silent as she followed Stefan to the base of a mighty old fir tree, before he gestured for her to sit on a fallen log. She recalled how she’d felt while up on his back – the strange unease that had filled her heart. And suddenly, she knew that it was somehow connected to the weird dream she’d had last night: the one she could barely remember now, but which had woken her up with its strangeness.
And then there’d been the sense of sadness she had detected when Stefan spoke of his parents…
Were all of these things connected?
Holly suddenly had a better sense of what Stefan meant when he said he couldn’t read her mind, but he could sense her thoughts. She wondered if that was just because they had slept together, or there was something more to it than that.
“I have so many questions,” she blurted out, before she could stop herself. “Are there more like you in the world? Dragons, I mean. How did you keep yourselves so secret? And… are we psychically connected because we slept together? Is that the reason I can –”
She cut herself off as Stefan held up his hands, saying, “Whoa, whoa – one step at a time. I promise, I’ll try to answer all your questions. But there’s a few things I need to get out of the way.” He took a deep breath, as if gathering himself. “You asked if there are others like me in the world, and the answer is yes. There are other dragons. But dragons belong to different clans, and the clans aren’t always… friendly to each other.”