When her sobs subsided, Olivia pried herself from her dragon’s embrace. She dried her face on her sleeve and turned to face Kaden. One hand placed between his horns, she caressed him, while she put the other on his cheek, and pressed her forehead next to it.
“I was so worried about you.” She breathed out, rubbing her forehead reassuringly against his scales.
“About me?”
“Yes. They were looking for you,” Olivia said as she leaned her cheek against his, arms weaving around his head, embracing tight.
“I don’t care about that. I care only for your safety…” Kaden spoke through the ache in his wing as he folded it against his body.
“Oh! I am such a fool… You are hurt, are you not?” Olivia stepped back and looked him over.
“It’s… It’s just a scratch,” he mumbled, sounding unconvincing even to himself as he plopped down, exhausted. Smoke swirled out of his nostrils in a long exhale. He closed his lids for a few moments to gain composure.
“Kaden?!” The alarm and worry in Olivia’s voice made him open his eyes again. She was staring at him wide eyed. “Tell me what’s wrong… Please. Where are you hurt?”
I wouldn’t be less of a dragon if I admit to hurt. Not to her.
“Right wing, I think he hit one of the wing bones,” Kaden said and then hissed as he slowly spread his wing out for Olivia’s inspection.
She examined it, searching for the wound. “What was that loud boom as we were getting away?” Her fingers whispered over his wing. She bit her lip, the sting grounding her, pushing away the panic and fear.
“I don’t know. A new weapon of sorts? I have never seen…or felt…anything like it.” Kaden winced when she found the injury. “There.”
Oily wetness coated her fingertips. Tears welled up in her eyes as she beheld the crimson liquid. She wouldn’t cry again, she needed to focus, to stay coolheaded.
“What should I do?” Olivia withdrew her hand and instinctively wiped the blood on the skirt of her dress.
“There is something stuck inside. The wound is not healing and closing as it should. I need you to look, and if you can’t see, try feeling for it.” He craned his neck and turned his head so he could see what she was doing.
“Feeling for it? You mean put my fingers in?” Olivia leaned in so she could take a closer look. She was glad for the sun, providing her with light. Not for long though, as darkness threatened to take over the sky, creeping up behind her. She had to hurry because it was her turn to help Kaden, to take care of him.
“Yes, you will need to get out whatever is stuck inside. It will heal once it’s out.” He offered a reassuring nod.
Olivia took a deep breath, inhaling courage from thin air. “Alright.” As she leaned closer, she discerned a circular wound but nothing was sticking out of it. “I do not see anything. Can you lift your wing a bit for me?”
“Anything for you, love.” His eyes smiled and he raised his wing above her head.
Olivia walked under, sliding her fingers over his silken membrane as she searched for the wound on the other side.
“No exit,” she said after a few moments. “It should be here, judging by the location of the wound on the other side, so there is definitely something still in there.”
Finishing her examination, Olivia stepped out from under his wing and he lowered it again with another wince.
“Alright, I can do this,” she said more to herself than to him as she rolled up her sleeves. “I do not know anything about surgery or – even butchery. Which might be a help right now. Wish I knew how to do this properly.”
“You’ll do just fine. I have no doubt about it. Once it’s out, we’ll rest until late night. The darkness should provide us the cover so we can fly back home, hopefully undetected. I still owe you that tasty lunch of yours.” He reassured her, distracting himself from the pain as he braced for what was to come.
Olivia gave back one of her own small smiles. “I would like that very much.”
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment before she began. Inserting her index finger inside, it sank into warm, squishy flesh. Swallowing down the rising bile, Olivia grimaced but never looked away as she prodded deeper, past the soft muscles, until she reached the bone. Kaden tensed, holding his breath, and his muscles cramped around Olivia’s finger.
“I am sorry,” she mumbled as she clenched her own teeth and felt around for the intruding projectile. A few moments later her finger brushed metal, imbedded into the tissue right next to his bone. It had probably grazed the bone itself, making the damage that much worse. Fortunately, it hadn’t broken it.
Kaden hissed through his teeth, holding back the curses that wanted to escape from his lips.
“I found it, just need to get it out now.”
Olivia talked Kaden through everything she was doing. It took her a few tries. Kaden sliced the wound wider open with his claw so she could gain better access to it.
Kaden endured it all without so much as a twitch but only a few hisses and painful groans. He held his gaze locked on Olivia. He watched her brow furrow in concentration, while she bit her lower lip as she tried to get the thing out as gently as possible. Beads of nervous sweat rolled down from her temples to her jaw and she wiped them off on her shoulder.
“There!” Olivia held out her hand to display a round iron bullet proudly in her palm. She wondered how such a small object could do so much damage.
Kaden exhaled in relief as his jaw muscles went slack. He had to work out the cramp before speaking. “Finally.” He felt like he had flown halfway across this kingdom at full speed while holding his breath.
He was exhausted from it all: the adrenalin and worry that had hit him the moment he heard Olivia’s scream, rushing to her, swooping down for her, coming under attack, saving Olivia, getting hurt, flying her to safety with a seriously damaged wing and now enduring the painful process of getting that tiny round thing out. It felt like a week had passed, not a day, the ending of it such a harsh contrast to the soft and tender beginning.
But seeing the relief and a small proud smile on Olivia’s face as she stood safe and unharmed in front of him made it all worthwhile.
“Thank you. You really did a great job.” Kaden lowered his head to the ground as well, with his hurt wing stretched out and the other tucked in. “I just need to rest a bit and let it heal.” He couldn’t move any more, and didn’t want to.
Olivia’s brows furrowed seeing Kaden like that as she cleaned the bullet and then pocketed it. She was past being disgusted by the blood covering her hands, and wiped the last smears on her dress.
“Well, I think that for my excellent skills in dragon care I deserve a new dress,” Olivia said in hopes of lightening the mood.
Kaden turned his head so he could look at her better. The sleeves of the dress were rolled up and tied at her upper arm. The fine fabric had blood smeared all over it, but only his blood. He was thankful that none of it was hers.
She couldn’t get all the evidence of fishing out the bullet off of her hands. Besides the blood soaking into the fabric, her dress was damp, dirty and dusty so its color was no longer recognizable as light blue.
Kaden’s eyes traveled up to her face. Her features, too, were covered in dirt, with a few smears of blood where she had wiped the sweat away with her bloodied hands. Her blue eyes weren’t sparkling with life as they usually did. They were clouded with worry and sadness. The exhaustion was evident by the dark circles surrounding them. Some of her hair was plastered against her face with sweat while the rest was a tangled mess around her head, twined with an occasional leaf picked up during their frantic flight.
She looked glorious in Kaden’s eyes, his love for her growing. She was no brat, as she had described herself, at least not anymore, but a wonderful woman, although at times quite demanding. The adoration and protectiveness she invoked in him left him baffled.
He also hated seeing her like that - bloody, dirty, worried and exhausted
. She deserved better, only the best there was to offer.
“I think I owe you more than just one dress.”
“Yes, it seems I could use a clean pair of hands as well.” Olivia waved her blood-streaked fingers in front of him.
“Only you could say a thing like that.” Kaden shook his head. “Come closer,” he commanded gently.
Olivia obliged and stepped closer to him. “Yes?”
“Hold your hands out. I can clean them. It’s the least I can do… I’m sorry it’s not very – pleasant,” Kaden said.
“After what I have just done, hardly anything can be more unpleasant,” Olivia responded as she held her hands out. She could only guess what he was about to do.
Her guess was right.
Kaden’s forked tongue darted out, and with gentle flicks he licked his blood off her hands. At first, it felt weird, but since his tongue was soft and warm as he cleaned her, Olivia got used to it quite quickly. She didn’t mind the wetness of it at all, not after his blood had already painted her hands in red. At times it tickled, so a few giggles escaped past her lips.
It didn’t take him long to get the job done as best as he could. His last lick wasn’t aimed at her hands but the side of her face where she had a bigger smear of blood across her cheek. It was a playful taste which had Olivia squealing in surprise, and her laugh enveloped him like a soothing remedy.
“Kaden!” she said, another bout of laughter shaking her body when he couldn’t resist licking the other side of her face as well. The happy glint was, for the moment, back in his eyes.
“I’m just returning the favor,” he defended himself.
“Uh-huh, I bet you are.” Olivia winked at him. Her eyes sparkled again, making Kaden’s heart feel that much lighter.
“Are you feeling better now?”
Kaden lifted his wing gently before lowering it back down.
“Yes, it already feels less painful. It should heal in a couple of hours.”
“I could always kiss it better?” Olivia giggled.
Kaden groaned. “Don’t say things like that.” He shook his head, but a chuckle escaped him as he lowered his head to the ground, sinking into the overgrown grass, exhaustion taking its toll on him again.
Olivia approached him and planted a smacking kiss between his nostrils. “There, that is my final medicine for full recovery.”
“Oh, if it’s like that, I should get hurt more often.” He winked.
“Kaden!” Olivia glared at him with mock anger. “Actually, you shall only get those if you do not hurt yourself. That should be a good incentive, do you not agree?” She plopped herself next to his head and leaned against his neck.
“Agreed. I don’t really enjoy getting hurt, and besides, who could decline an offer like that?”
Olivia sighed and yawned.
“This has turned out to be one… very eventful day. I should have listened to you and your instincts. I am sorry for that.” Olivia brought one of her hands up and absentmindedly caressed her dragon. The motion came to her so naturally.
“It’s not your fault, love, and you know it.” Kaden lowered his lids, enjoying her touch. They faced the sun, catching the last rays on their faces as they watched it set behind the trees.
“But… you would not have gotten hurt.”
“And that still isn’t your fault. None of it is. I could have argued with you and stayed. I could have been closer, I could have hidden. They could have walked by. They could have ignored you. You didn’t invite them. You didn’t… Actually… What happened out there?”
Olivia retold the story of what transpired, with no details held back. Kaden deserved to know the truth, no matter how much it bothered him that someone had seen her naked, made advances towards her and said the things that bastard did as well.
His fury was suppressed by her gentle touch. It kept him grounded. He couldn’t understand what was going on inside him, his emotions in turmoil, almost out of control, burning a raging storm inside his mind.
“I won’t let him take you away. At least not against your wish.”
“I know you will not. Hopefully your plan will work and they will follow us out here. Do you think they will figure it out?”
“If they’re smart enough to figure out our plan, they will probably think us smart enough not to go back where they first found us. Hiding in plain sight and all that,” Kaden said with a shrug. “And if they do come, we will just fly away from there. They’ll give up the chase after a while.”
“I hope so, because that man… Magnus he called himself, seemed very determined.” As the sun set, its warm rays no longer reached Olivia. She pulled her knees to her chest, rolled her sleeves down and hugged herself for the lingering warmth.
“Magnus you said? It sounds familiar.” Kaden tried to remember why that name sounded important but couldn’t figure it out.
“Yes, Magnus. It really does sound familiar, but I never did memorize the noble families, or the royals… The king is called Magnar, that much I know. Whoever named him Magnus must have wanted a conceited child. I think he really believes he is his own name. He is probably one of the higher nobles.” Olivia shrugged and yawned. “Oh! The prince is called Magnus! What if it is the prince?”
“What would the prince be doing out in that forest?”
“I thought the same thing… Maybe… Maybe it is just someone named like him. You know, royal names always tend to be popular.” Or so she hoped. She winced at the memory of throwing the rock at his head. Although she’d probably still do the same even if she knew for sure he was a prince; maybe she would have been a bit more reluctant, though.
“Maybe; probably not. It doesn’t matter now. Come on Liv, snuggle up. We should try and catch some sleep before we fly back. It should be safe to nap. They can’t catch up with us that fast,” Kaden said as he lifted his other wing for Olivia to crawl under and cuddle closer to him for warmth.
“Good night, my dragon.” Olivia smiled against his scales when she settled close. “Thank you for everything.” She gave him a soft peck before she rested her head on her hand which was curled under it. She was facing Kaden and her whole body was pressed up against him, her other hand placed against those silky scales. She just couldn’t help but keep physical contact with him. It was very reassuring.
“Good night, my love,” Kaden murmured as he twisted his head and rested it above hers. His breath made her hair dance around her neck.
It was comforting.
She inhaled his woodsy scent mixed with the aroma of fire dancing on his breath.
It made her feel safe.
And the sound of his breathing mingled with the sound of his heartbeat made her relax.
It lulled her to peaceful sleep.
Chapter 16
Theo kept his sharp, light brown eyes trained on the fleeing dragon and the woman it carried in its clawed hands. Jaw hanging open, he could barely believe what he had just witnessed. He wasn’t even sure there was a word for how confused he was. Did the dragon just save the woman from Magnus? Or was she calling out for someone else and it just stole her away? But that thought didn't seem right to him.
His ma would have said ‘befuddled’. He was befuddled by the whole event. He had seen the relief on the woman’s face when she had heard the beast roar and he couldn’t forget the way she had just stood there, in the middle of the stream, trusting it with her life. He knew the feeling very well, trusting Damien just as much. He pitied them though, because knowing Magnus, the prince was never going to give up on his chase now. The stakes had gotten even higher for the prince. Not only had he failed to kill the dragon, he had just encountered the first woman ever to deny him. Magnus had lost face twice.
As Theo kept his gaze on the retreating forms of the dragon and woman while they veered to the right, his eyes roamed around and he filed in his memory the necessary orientation points. It would help with following the dragon and its maiden as precisely as possible. He didn't want to, but he also didn
't think he had much choice at that moment. Nothing was as simple as it seemed. Staying with Magnus, Damien and he might be useful. For whom or what, he didn’t know yet.
Down below, Magnus paced, stomping back and forth. He had raw, shiny burns on his arms and chest in the interlacing pattern of his chainmail, heated by the dragon’s fire. It had felt like he was trapped in a cauldron being boiled alive. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up, his arms an angry red because the heat under the armor had almost reached the blistering point. He was glad he had managed to protect his face, though. A lot depended on his handsome features, but his hair hadn’t avoided the damage. It would have to be cut, much to his disappointment. Women loved running their fingers through his golden locks.
When the redheaded scout descended back to the ground, Magnus raised an eyebrow at him. Fury scored his face in a deep scowl, and Theo noticed that there were still streaks of dried blood on his forehead. Magnus tapped his foot, arms crossed over his chest as he waited for an answer to his unspoken question.
Theo nodded. “If we don’t stop for rest, we might reach them during the night. The dragon was fast and managed to fly far. But you did manage to hurt it, Your Highness, much to our advantage. They were forced to land. For how long, I don’t know.”
Magnus’s eyes glittered triumphantly, a nasty smile snaking across his lips. “They had it coming! The monster was fortunate this time, but next time it won’t be. There will be no stopping tonight, not until we reach them!” Magnus swiveled and stalked away to cool off in the stream once again.
The men checked the horses and supplies, and shared some food, their last meal of the day. An ominous silence settled over their little unit. Now that they had seen the dragon with their own eyes and witnessed what it was capable of, everybody was very wary. Even Reed was quiet, and far more cautious than usual. He checked his armor for weaknesses three or four times, testing the strength of his belt and practicing with his shield, bringing it up to cover his head over and over, keeping his reflexes sharp. Nobody liked the idea of dying by burning to a crisp.
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