by Ruby Dixon
You’re just making trouble for yourself, Amy. I swallow my fears. I’m stalling, mostly because I’m a little worried about making the leap into the next chapter of my life. I hope my sister understands. I’ve left a note tucked onto the table explaining that I’ve gone to meet my dragon and that I’m safe and not to follow me. I hope she and Kael listen.
No more stalling, I tell myself. It’s time to go.
I suck in a deep, steadying breath. I can do this. I can be brave. My loneliness is stronger than my fear. I get up from my bed and move to the door, listening. There’s not a sound. I know Claudia wanted to wait up for the dragon, but the pregnancy makes her tired, and I think Kael convinced her to rest for a while, because she went to bed before I did. I don’t hear him moving around either, so I suspect he’s with her. I crack my door and peek out, just in case. When I don’t see anyone, I quietly shut my door again and throw the lock, just because I might need a few extra moments that it’ll buy me. Kael can just turn the entire thing into melted slag anyhow.
With that done, I turn back to my bed and put my shoes on. Not my sandals that I wear around the building here, but real, sturdy, lace-up shoes that never get much use from me. They feel stiff against my skin, but I’m glad Claudia made me take them “just in case.” I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder, then head for my hidden grate, moving aside the scarves. It’s dark inside, and I don’t dare carry a candle or use my flashlight, but I know the way by heart. I crawl inside and slowly make my way toward my “secret” room, the one with the window.
When I get to the other side, I’m so nervous that I half-fall out of the air duct and land heavily on the floor. A shooting pain spikes up my bad leg and I remain utterly still, worried that Claudia—or worse, Kael—is going to come and investigate, and all of this will be over before it started.
No one comes, though, and after a few nervous minutes, I take another deep, shuddering breath, and pick myself up off the floor.
Moonlight pours in through the dusty window and the city ruins are nothing but shadow. I approach the view, thinking about how it used to be back when there were things like electricity. I remember thousands of clustered lights everywhere, dotting the landscape like a bed of fireflies and so bright that they drowned out the stars above. Now, the night sky is so brilliant that it’s like a light show of its own, and it’s the city itself that’s dark and uninviting. In the gloom, the ruined buildings look more like skeletal hands reaching up from the earth, and that’s enough to make me shiver. Luckily the stars are so bright that they light up the nighttime sky, and I approach the window.
I’m breathing hard, nervous. Is he out there? Is he waiting for me? Can he sense my thoughts? Or did he give up and leave? The thought fills me with a surge of panic. Please, please still be out there. Don’t leave me just yet. Give me a chance.
I just need to get far enough out of the window to let my scent carry on the breeze. If he’s around, he’ll smell me.
I think.
I study the window. It’s made up of several panes, all of the glass gorgeously thick and strong for having held up this long, given the dragons and apocalypse and everything. Each pane is as big as a wall, and I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to get one of them open. The ledge outside is easily two feet deep, big enough for me to stand on even with my bad knee.
I put a hand against the glass, frowning as I push against it. It feels solid. Strong. I’m not entirely sure how to get this open. What do I do? I don’t have a baseball bat like Emma carries with her. Even if I did, I’m not sure I’d have the strength to break it. I run my hand along the glass until I hit the seam. The sealant looks cracked and old, and on a whim, I slip my bag off my shoulder and pull out my knife. I jam it into the grout and drag downward, and the grout falls away like dirt, dry and hard.
Progress!
I continue working along the seam, digging out as much of the grout as I can. I go as high as I can reach, but I can’t quite get all of it, so I move along the bottom instead. When I’m done, the window looks the same, though. Frustrated, I make a fist and shove my knuckles against the center of the glass.
I don’t know what I was hoping for—maybe a nudge, or a slight shift of the glass that would tell me I’m on the right track. Instead, the glass itself just creaks and then the massive slab of it is tumbling from the skies. I lean out, staring in horror as it descends hundreds of feet, and I cringe when I hear the faint smash of it on the sidewalk, the tinkling of broken glass filling the air.
Surely that’s going to wake up my sister?
I’d better act fast, then. I shove my knife back into my pack and step out into the open air.
Immediately, the ledge doesn’t feel big enough. It looked enormous and roomy on the other side of the glass. On this side? It’s not nearly enough separating me from falling hundreds of feet down to the broken sidewalk below. I cling to the wall and shuffle along it, my butt plastered to it for safety. The wind up here is crazy, and I wish for a moment that I’d tied my long hair back, but there’s nothing to be done for it now. It’s cold, too, and I wonder if I should have worn something other than one of my normal, simple dresses, because my skirt is whipping around my legs.
I wonder how long I’ll have to wait for my dragon to pick up my scent?
I scan the night sky, but it looks as empty as ever. As the minutes drag past, I begin to get anxious. What if Claudia and Kael see me here before my dragon does? How am I going to explain that? Of course, it won’t matter if he doesn’t come…my fragile heart might break.
“Oh please,” I whisper out into the air. “Come and find me. I’ll be a good mate, I promise. The best mate.”
The only sound is the wind whistling around me.
My knee begins to throb, and I glance down at the ledge I’m perched on. My situation starts to take a more alarming turn. If my knee keeps getting worse, my entire leg could go out from under me. This is not the ideal spot to have that happen, because it’d send me right over the edge. Do I try to sit down, then? Or go back inside? I lean heavily against the wall, feeling frustrated with my body. If I was as strong as Claudia, this wouldn’t be a problem—
The beating of wings interrupts my thoughts.
Elated and terrified all at once, I watch as the dragon circles in the air, drifting out of sight to maneuver around the building. I hold my breath until he appears again, watching as his tail flicks. This is him.
This is my dragon. My mate. I’m shaking with excitement. This is where my life changes. He’s going to be my prince, my love, my protector and my best friend all in one. I watch him eagerly as he shifts his wings and swoops low, then glides toward my spot on my perch. He’s getting close enough that I can see whirling black and gold eyes, a noble golden head with a lovely crest of horns and gleaming golden scales. Oh. He’s so beautiful. The sight of him overwhelms me. This is all so romantic. I needed him to come and save me, and here he is. He—
Out of nowhere, another dragon crashes into him.
I barely catch a glimpse of long, white fangs and eyes black as night as the second dragon swoops in and grabs my dragon by his neck. They go tumbling through the skies, and I bite back my scream of horror. This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen! I watch as they whirl through the air in a flurry of wings and limbs, and the second dragon—who is much bigger and far more menacing looking—still has his jaws locked on my dragon’s neck.
As I watch, the large, evil dragon whips his head back and forth, shaking him with impossible strength. There’s a horrifying crunch of bone, and then his jaws loosen.
My dragon slides out of his grasp, boneless. He tumbles down to the ground, and even from here, I can tell that he’s dead.
I’m going to vomit.
Utterly sick at what I just witnessed, I choke back my tears and start to inch back toward the broken window. How could things go so wrong so quickly? Within the span of a moment, my dream has been shattered. I feel as destroyed as the window scattered on th
e pavement below. My sight blurs with unshed tears but I don’t care. All I need is enough vision to get me back into the window. I don’t care what happens after that. My dragon’s dead. He’s been killed by another.
I hear the rush of wings as the other dragon moves closer, heading for me.
No. I can’t let that happen. I don’t want my dragon’s murderer to grab me. I don’t want anything to do with him. Panicked, I fling myself forward—
And then my bad knee gives out.
There’s a flash of pain and I tumble to the concrete lip of the ledge. I claw at it, desperate to find purchase, but there’s nothing to hold on to. My hands scrape uselessly over the rough ledge, and then I’m falling.
Falling.
Falling. I close my eyes. This is how I’m going to die.
The wind changes.
I thud into something—not hard enough to be concrete, but just hard enough to knock the wind out of me.
I open my eyes…and look up at the throat of the second dragon. It’s still spattered with blood from his brutal victory. I’m in his claws.
It’s too much for my brain to process. The world blurs and goes black around me and I faint just like a heroine in a fairy tale.
4
RAST
My mate’s scent appears on the air, strong and delicious, a moment before a second dragon’s smell touches my nose.
The growl starts low in my throat and won’t let up. A challenger. I refuse to let him touch her. I will destroy him first. She belongs to me.
Furious, I pump my wings fiercely as I push through the winds, heading for the source of her scent. I knew it was here in this strange, tall place, but I did not know how to get to her. Every time I approached, her scent would disappear, cloaked by that of the dragon and his bonded mate. They would not leave, either. No matter how many rocks I threw down into their nest, the big gold would not flush out and abandon his mate. It has given me a grudging admiration for him, even if his tenacity is frustrating my efforts to get my own mate. But I have not given up…and now this. She has emerged, only for another to appear on the winds, surging in at the last moment to try and steal her.
It will not be done. I will not let him have her.
I see her a brief moment before the other dragon swoops in, and she is so beautiful and perfect it makes my spirit flare with warmth. She has long hair the golden color of a dragon’s scales, a slim, delicate figure, and the most enticing scent ever. She remains in her two-legged form despite the approach of another. Does she not wish to battle him, then? I am puzzled by her reaction, but it is a good thing—I only have the male interloper to fight for her favor, then. She will wait and challenge the victor, I suspect.
I plan on being that victor.
With a snarl, I dive for my enemy. I can tell right away that he is young and untried. He does not react as a warrior does. He is surprised at my attack and leaves his throat open—and so I take it. I snap my jaws around his throat easily and begin to use pressure. It takes mere moments before I crush his throat, and then it is a matter of time. He knows he is dead, that he is defeated. When he relaxes fully, I whip my neck, snapping his.
It is over within the space of heartbeats. Arrogant fool.
I let him fall to the ground, full of disdain. He is not worth any female, much less my perfect one. With a beat of my wings, I surge forward again, ready to face my female. I am prepared for her challenge. I welcome it with eagerness, because once I have conquered her…we can mate. It is a ritual as old as time and my spirit craves it.
To my surprise, though, my female falls from her high perch, her body limp. It takes a bare moment for me to realize that she is not simply changing to battle-form. I adjust my wings, fly toward her, and scoop her from the air, cradling her protectively close to my chest.
She glances up at me and then goes limp, unconscious. Is she sick? Frightened? Have the others that have kept her from me harmed her? I do not know, but I will take her away from here to find out.
Full of glee, I clutch my mate to my chest and soar through the air, flying as far from this place as I can possibly take her. The others will come after us, but that does not matter. What matters is that she is mine and she is in my grasp. When she assumes battle-form, I will claim her as my own and then no one will be able to take her from me ever again. I hold her up to my muzzle and breathe deep of her scent. Just that is enough to clear my mind enough to focus. It is not perfect, and the rage still simmers close beneath the surface, but it is less overwhelming than it was before.
And when my mind is clear, with her at my side, I will be able to return home.
For such a heavily protected female, no one comes after her. I chafe with irritation at this—the warrior in me wants to fight for her. The male in me craves a challenge. The drakoni in me just rages to destroy something. As she slumbers in my arms, my thoughts become more chaotic, less peaceful. I need her to be awake to settle my mind. I need her thoughts touching mine to calm them, but we are not bonded.
Yet.
I will fix that soon enough when I claim her.
I fly away from the clustered human scents. They are focused in the sprawl of ruins, in stone buildings and strange surroundings. It is out in the open that I smell prey and nothing but greenery, and I head in that direction. That is where it is safest to take my mate, even if my battle-crazed mind demands that I remain in the center of things, seeking to take on all others to prove my strength. Even when my thoughts are at their wildest, I know that is wrong.
The female in my grip is fragile. Delicate, especially in her two-legged form. Until she shows me her strength and shifts to battle-form, I must do all I can to protect her. Until then, we must go as far as we can from others. Part of that is the selfish male inside me that wants to keep her out of the sight of all other drakoni males. She is my mate and mine alone.
I continue on as the ruins flatten out to mere ropes of stone sprawled across the grasses and the scents grow faint. Soon, she is the only human I smell, and the sun in this terrible place begins to rise, chasing away the stars. I have flown all night without stopping. I consider continuing on, but my mate will need sustenance soon. That means hunting…and that means battle-form.
Excitement flares through my senses at the thought.
I descend from the clouds and fly lower to the ground, looking for a safe spot to nest with my female. Something protected, I think, but able to fly from easily. I cruise along the breezes, scanning the grasses, and then in the distance, I see the perfect place. It’s a cluster of flat, oddly shaped buildings. I see two columns and a strange ball in front of one of the buildings. Off to one side there is a taller place, perfect for a nest. I head there, circling. There are no good places to land—strange—so I move back to the odd places with the long, flat tops and land atop one.
I gently set my mate down from my claws and examine her. She does not move or get up to challenge me, and that is disappointing. I study her instead. Now that she does not have my claws around her, she looks less delicately fragile than before. She wears a long, loose skin of a pale pink over her flesh, and I poke at it with a claw, unsure of what this means. I have seen many humans since becoming trapped in this world, but when I try to recall what they look like, my mind fogs. I do not recall their battle-form, or if they all wear these odd skins over their limbs.
Her hair is pleasing, though. It is pale golden, like a…I frown to myself at the surge of angry memories that brings up. Like what? What is it that I find pleasing to look at but so hateful when I try to think of it? I blow out a frustrated breath.
The female’s eyes fly open and she makes a little gasping sound as she focuses on me.
At last. Now, she will challenge me. I ruffle my wings and straighten to my full height. I am ready.
AMY
I stare up at the massive dragon looming over me and try not to scream with terror. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been this close to a dragon, and always with his mate at his
side. Never alone.
Never after he just murdered another dragon in front of me.
I hold my breath, hoping he hasn’t noticed that I’m awake. That maybe he’s sleeping or staring down at something else and I’ll be able to somehow crawl away. But then the large head dips, the eyes focus on me, and he leans in.
I bite back a whimper of terror.
Where am I?
I do a quick glance around, but I don’t recognize my surroundings. I’m not entirely sure where he’s taken me, but the fact that the sun is rising tells me that quite a few hours have passed. “Claudia?” I whisper out to the world, just in case my sister’s nearby and I don’t see her. Then, “Kael? Are you guys here?”
There’s no answer, only the lonely gusts of wind and the dragon in front of me. He watches me from above, unblinking and unmoving. His gaze is focused entirely on me, and my heart pounds in my chest out of sheer terror.
In all of my fantasies, I never dreamed that I’d be stuck at the side of the dragon that murdered the one I wanted. I don’t know what to do. I always thought I’d find my Prince Charming and we’d be happy and together, and I’d have what Claudia has. I didn’t think about what would happen if another bloodthirsty dragon happened upon him.
Lost in my girlish dreams, I’d forgotten completely that dragons are monsters. That they’re ravenous, rampaging killers who would just as soon rip a person to shreds with their claws as look at them. The dragon standing over me? This is the reality. These are the creatures that destroyed billions of people and shattered our world. It doesn’t matter that my sister loves one. It doesn’t matter that Sasha and Emma found kind ones to love and care for. All that matters is that this terrifying monster has me in his clutches.