Leyloni stopped beside him and turned toward the lair as well, adjusting her hold on Serek.
“I have denned here for long enough that I never imagined leaving,” Arysteon said softly.
She brushed her fingers along his arm. “I know what it is like to leave home behind. To…to know you may never see it again.”
Arysteon’s scales tingled beneath her fingertips, and a soft hum rose from his chest—the first note of his song for her. But the reminder of what she had so recently suffered put Arysteon’s sadness into perspective. She had not only lost her home, but her people, all in a single night. Everyone she’d loved. Voluntarily leaving his lair behind was so insignificant in comparison, but he could not shake the feelings it produced in him.
“This is only a place, nothing more. My sorrow is for what it might have been, had I found it sooner. Had I found it before my clan was gone.” He drew in a deep breath through his nostrils, relishing the damp, fresh forest air. “This should have been a place filled with joy and contentment for many long years. It did not reach that potential until you and Serek arrived.”
“However special the place, it is always the people that are hardest to lose,” Leyloni said softly.
Arysteon’s spark pulsed and buzzed, and he knew it was perfectly in aligned with what she was feeling. They understood one another’s pain in this matter. They were, in some ways, bonded by it.
He took hold of her chin and tipped her face up toward his. “You and Serek are all that matter to me now, and I will rip apart the heavens and earth alike before I allow anything to take you from me.”
Leyloni smiled, leaned toward him, and stood on her toes. Her soft lips touched his jaw. It was like when she’d pressed them to his mouth, only this was fleeting, over too soon, and left a hint of warmth behind. Arysteon longed to have those lips on him again, longed to have his on her.
“What was this place?” she asked. “It is like no cave I have ever seen.”
He tamped down his growing desire. “I do not know what it was for, but it was built by humans long, long ago.”
“Humans built this?” She turned her face toward the lair, eyes wide with wonder. “But…it is made of stone. How could anyone lift stones that size high enough to build that?”
Arysteon shook his head. “I do not know. The humans who constructed it had long since passed before I found this place. But I have seen ruins like this scattered across the world, remnants of what your people were once able to achieve.”
“Our huts were built high off the ground within the trees using wood and grass, and it was often difficult enough bringing up those materials when we needed to make repairs or build new structures. I…cannot imagine creating something like this.”
“And in time, it will be lost. Swallowed by the forest.”
Serek wriggled in Leyloni’s arms, arching his back and pushing against her as though attempting to escape.
Arysteon turned toward his mate and reached out, carefully taking the baby from her. Serek calmed, wrapped his arms around Arysteon’s neck, and laid his head down.
“But perhaps, one day, your people will learn to build such things again.” Arysteon cupped the back of Serek’s head with one hand, smoothing the baby’s soft, dark hair as he had seen Leyloni do so many times. “Come. Let us begin our journey.”
Arysteon took the lead, picking a path through the forest with Leyloni close behind. Everything was so much larger than before. In some ways, that made it easier to navigate—he could fit through spaces he’d never even noticed in his natural form, and no longer had to worry about large branches smacking his head. In other ways, it was more difficult than ever, especially with the many puddles and patches of hungry mud.
But the forest was vibrant and alive, smelling strongly of earth and vegetation. Birds were singing, and occasionally made the leaves overhead rustle with their movement as they flitted from branch to branch. The sun was warm and bright.
Despite the newness of his form and the unique perspective and challenges it presented, despite remaining alert for any signs of danger, Arysteon kept a leisurely pace. He understood Leyloni’s need to find the other tribe and connect with other humans, but at the same time he could not fully resist his desire to spend as much time with her and Serek as possible.
It helped him justify that pace when he thought of this as a test. This was his first time out and traveling in his human shape, his first time traveling any significant distance with his two humans. Would he tire faster in this form than he would have in his old one? If he pushed to a more natural speed, would it be too much for Leyloni to easily keep up with?
He doubted she’d have trouble keeping pace with him, regardless. Whenever he looked back to check on her after navigating a particularly troublesome obstacle, it was to see her overcoming that obstacle with practiced ease. She’d been traversing the forest like this for her entire life—it was natural to her. And it only served to highlight her inherent grace and strength, offering him glimpses of the toned muscles beneath her pale, speckled skin.
Serek remained content as they walked, one of his little hands opening and closing against Arysteon’s scales while he sucked on his other fist. His attention roamed all around, often attracted by movement and bright colors, both of which were in abundance.
“You said the males of your clan left to seek mates,” Leyloni said. “Why did you never seek your own after you were alone?”
Arysteon glanced at her over his shoulder, flashing a smile. “Ah, but I have found a mate, my heartsong. The most beautiful mate for whom a dragon could ever hope.”
She ducked her head, but not before he caught a glimpse of the pleasure in her eyes and the smile that curled on her lips. Her cheeks took on that lush pink he had come to find so endearing.
His smile fell as he looked forward again. “I did search. It took time to overcome my grief when I first arrived in this area, but when loneliness began to settle on me with all the weight of a mountain, I looked for companionship, for a mate. That is where the benefits of the place I had chosen to make my lair became hindrances.
“It is a sanctuary in part because it is territory that was not claimed by any other dragons. That meant safety, but it also meant there were no females nearby. There were no dragons at all. I pressed out farther and farther, but I could not sever what ties I had already formed to my lair. I was bound by what it could have been for my people, unable to see it for what it was.”
Arysteon stroked his hand down Serek’s back, and his heart clenched as the baby nestled his cheek against Arysteon’s shoulder.
“I cannot deny a certain desperation in those years,” he continued. “Finding my lair should have meant the end to my searching, but the goal had simply changed. The worst was when the red comet appeared in the sky. As a clan, we had largely been able to resist the worst of its effects. The Heat it instilled in us was not enough to drive us to ravage our own kin, though it was enough to drive some of the males away in search of females to claim. By myself, however…I was little more than an animal for most of the time the comet stained the sky red.
“The comet’s last appearance was many years ago. I gave up seeking a mate afterward…until I scented you.”
“But it was not a dragoness you found,” Leyloni said.
“Certainly not,” he replied with a chuckle. “I could never have known what I had found when I first saw you, could never have known what I would gain. I only knew that you were female, and that I wanted you.”
“What if the stories had not been true? What if…I had touched you, and you remained a dragon?”
Arysteon halted and turned to face her. She came to an abrupt stop and tilted her head back to meet his gaze. He lifted his hand off Serek’s back and slid it along his mate’s jaw, delving his fingers into her soft, curly hair as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. She covered his hand with her own and smiled. The sunlight shining through the leafy canopy brightened her green eyes and made her coppery
hair glow.
“I would have desired you regardless, Leyloni. Whatever my form was, I would not have let you leave my lair alone. You and Serek had become my clan well before we made this bond, and it would not have changed.” He leaned closer and touched his forehead to hers. “My heart’s song was made for you.”
12
Arysteon paused and looked up at the patch of sky visible through a break in the leaves overhead. The soft, fluffy clouds that had been drifting lazily across the heavens all day bore the faintest hints of orange and gold, heralding the sunset that would arrive within a few hours. The forest’s shadows were already deepening, and the layered chorus of bird songs that had ushered in the morning had long since faded, but the woods remained peaceful and soothing, a calm place in the wake of the storm.
Serek twisted in Arysteon’s arms to wave a hand at the sky, babbling excitedly.
The tiny human had been in surprisingly good spirits since they’d departed from the lair. He clearly preferred it when the person carrying him was on the move, and the forest’s natural beauty had provided him with plenty of distraction. He’d even napped for a little while with his head on Arysteon’s shoulder and spittle dribbling from his mouth.
The frequent stops they’d made had undoubtedly helped maintain Serek’s mood. Most of those stops had been to tend to the baby’s various needs—food, drink, and changing his diaper cloth. But they’d stopped a few times for Leyloni to tend to her own needs, as well. She’d fashioned a means of catching her blood, thus diminishing its scent and ensuring she did not leave an easily followed blood trail through the woods. The solution was impressively simple—just a long strip of cloth and some dry moss. Unfortunately, it also seemed quite uncomfortable, and he’d seen her adjust it several times as they walked.
Arysteon smiled at Serek before stopping and turning to face Leyloni. She arched a slender brow as her eyes met his, and her lips curled into a soft smile. But that smile had not come quickly enough to mask the tightness that had been in her features a moment before, and it did nothing to distract Arysteon from the stiffness in her gait.
“Have you already grown tired, dragon?” she asked.
Even without physical evidence of her pain, even had it not crept ever so slightly into her voice, he would have known of her suffering. He felt echoes of it in his heart, felt it pulsing in his spark.
“My endurance is far from exhausted, Leyloni.” One corner of his mouth quirked up. Despite her discomfort and pain, Arysteon could not stop his imagination from suggesting several uses to which he could have put said endurance.
Mutually pleasurable uses.
Those thrilling imaginings, however potent, would not distract him from the truly important matter—Leyloni’s wellbeing.
He looked skyward again before surveying their surroundings, flicking his tongue out to taste the air. “It will be dark soon. Shall we find a suitable location to make our…what is the word? Camp?”
Leyloni nodded and glanced around. Her features tightened slightly, and she lowered her gaze, dropping a hand to her waist, just over her pelvis. Arysteon felt a flare of pain in his spark as she released a slow breath.
A moment later, her expression relaxed a bit. She pointed ahead and to the left. “That clearing would work for tonight.”
Arysteon took a step toward her, leaned down, and held her gaze with his. “What is wrong, Leyloni? You cannot hide your pain.”
She started, her eyes rounding. “What do you mean?”
He glanced down at her hand, which was still over her pelvis, and lowered his brows. “You have made no complaint, but I have seen it. I have felt it.”
Serek turned and reached out, settling a palm over Leyloni’s cheek as he smiled and chattered in his nonsense words, making sure he was part of the conversation.
Leyloni returned his smile, took his hand, and pressed her lips to it before releasing her gentle hold. “It is the bleeding pains. It is natural and will go away in time.”
Arysteon was beginning to despise whatever power had decided it should be natural for his female to bleed and suffer pain every moon cycle. The only consolation he had in that moment was that he’d not rushed their journey. A swifter pace would only have caused her more discomfort, and he knew she still would not have voiced a single complaint.
“Then you will guide me in arranging our camp while you rest,” he said.
Her gaze softened, and she raised her hands to cradle his jaw. “I will be fine, Arysteon.”
She tugged him down until he was low enough for her to press her mouth to his. She had told him earlier that this was called a kiss. Her lips were warm and yielding, and he slipped his tongue out just in time to taste them.
She was grinning when she dropped her hands from his face and stepped back. “We will set up camp together.”
Serek squealed, slapped his palms over Arysteon’s cheeks, and pressed his open mouth against Arysteon’s face in a slobbery kiss.
Leyloni made no attempt to stifle her laughter, and her grin only widened.
“Thank you, little one,” Arysteon said with a chuckle before returning his full attention to Leyloni. It was hard for him to look away from that amused sparkle in her eyes, that light that somehow eased any worries he might have harbored.
They walked into the clearing and set to work, Arysteon following Leyloni’s directions. They cleared a spot for their fire, gathered whatever dry sticks and kindling they could find, and built a small circle of stones like she had in his lair. Leyloni spread her blanket on the ground nearby.
Serek did his part by sitting patiently in the grass, gnawing on a stick until Leyloni took it from him. His face scrunched up and he let loose an angry cry, slamming his hands down on the ground to grasp fistfuls of grass. His angry outburst halted abruptly when he tugged his hands up and the grass in his hold came with them. That quickly, his attention was captured by tearing up handfuls of grass and watching the loose blades fall to the ground over and over again.
When Leyloni knelt in front of the ring of stones to prepare the fuel for the fire, Arysteon eased back, sank into a crouch, and watched her. But only part of his attention was on the way she arranged the sticks, leaves, and moss. The rest of his mind was preoccupied with a question that had only just occurred to him.
Could he still use his spark?
He felt it inside himself, just as strong as ever—perhaps too strong for this body—but was his new shape capable of harnessing that spark like he could before?
Tentatively, he turned his focus toward his spark, willing it to grow hotter, stronger, more charged. Faint tingles swept through his limbs to the tips of his fingers, toes, and tail. It was certainly in there, certainly receptive. There was only one way to know if it would work the same as it had before.
Leyloni opened her bag and reached in, withdrawing a pair of stones. She took one in each hand, held them close to the fire, and scraped one across the other. Tiny sparks sprayed from the stones, falling onto the leaves and moss at the base of the fuel.
Arysteon moved forward and caught her wrist before she could bring the stones together again. She looked at him with a questioning gaze.
“Allow me to attempt it,” he said. “I need to know if I still can.”
Her expression shifted to something decidedly more troubled—as though she, too, had only just realized this potential consequence of his change. She nodded, returned the rocks to her bag, and backed away from the stone ring, picking up Serek.
Turning his face toward the pile of wood, Arysteon released a measured breath. He’d never had to put much thought into harnessing his spark before. What reason was there to do so now?
He internally latched on to a tiny sliver of his spark and forced it upward. When he opened his mouth, the energy leapt out in a flash of light, arcing down to the dried moss and leaves. The tiny crackle of lightning was followed by a faint whoosh as the fuel ignited.
The powerful sense of relief and elation that swept throug
h Arysteon made him realize just how worried he’d truly been. He did not regret having welcomed Leyloni’s touch, did not regret taking on this form, but he couldn’t deny how disheartening it would have been to have lost such use of his spark—to have lost that part of himself. This meant he still had a potent means of protecting his clan, a powerful weapon to use in their defense. It was valuable information considering he was unaware of his new form’s capabilities and limitations.
When he glanced back at Leyloni, she was smiling, the concern in her expression having faded completely. Delightful warmth spread through Arysteon’s chest at the sight of her proud, compassionate smile, and his spark danced.
Once the flames had been built up and Leyloni had seen to both Serek’s needs and her own, the trio sat before the fire with their backs leaning against a large tree to rest and eat.
Arysteon was only vaguely aware of the passage of time. He knew the sky was darkening, knew the shadows were thickening as evening crept toward night, but he acknowledged those facts only because the growing darkness made the fire—and Leyloni—seem all the brighter. Though he still sensed that pain of loss deep within her and knew it would never fully fade, she was happy as they talked and laughed. That happiness gleamed in her eyes and sparkled in her smile.
Serek crawled to Leyloni, climbed onto her lap, and sat with her, content to watch the fire and occasionally shove his hand into his mouth. But not long after night fell fully, there was something else to entertain the baby—tiny orbs of yellow light drifted between the trees just beyond the fire’s glow, each one lasting but a few seconds before flickering out.
The raw wonder on Serek’s face warmed Arysteon’s heart. To be so young, so innocent, to view the world as though every aspect of it was new and astounding…it had been so long since Arysteon had been able to do so. But watching Serek experience all this was in some ways like seeing it all for the first time himself.
To Love A Dragon; Venys Needs Men Page 11