Dragon

Chapter 19

A hand raised to shield her eyes from the sunlight, Maay watched Jaimin rise above the treetops. He circled the clearing several times, climbing higher with each loop, before veering off towards the mountains. She peered through the trees, hoping to spot the pale rock-face peeking out from behind the branches. Seeing nothing, she plonked herself down on a fallen log.

Return to Byron's Peak and forget? She drew a knee towards her breast, wrapping fingers round the shin. There was nothing for her back at Byron's Peak. As for forgetting about being a dragon ... how could he possibly expect her to do such a thing? She had just started to enjoy it. Although, the council's plan for her was something she'd prefer to avoid.

There are other females. The lairs no longer needed to rely on her alone now they had their kidnapped females back. Was that why Jaimin seemed so determine to return her?

Maybe it was the kiss which had decided it for him. He'd said it was forbidden for them to mate. Though they'd hardly done that, perhaps kissing was also frowned upon. They must be connected after all for she'd seen many couples around the castle do so.

Maay jumped to her feet, running towards the trees, stumbling to all fours as she altered her form. What did it matter anyhow? She knew how he felt and if he didn't know how she felt about him, he soon would.

She raced through the forest, sliding to a stop at the sound of a ferocious bellow. The mountains were visible now; just the tip of a peak or two sticking above the trees. That roar had sounded awfully loud, she had to be close.

Creeping through the underbrush, she glanced up at the darkening sky, sighting two dragons flying against the gossamer clouds. They were illuminated by a blast of fire, revealing one to be stark white and the other a dull grey.

Jaimin. She dashed forwards, struggling to keep the two dragons above in her sights. It had to be him. Another bout of fire blazed across the sky, this one in the other direction. Who was the other dragon? Why were they fighting?

The branches slowly grew thinner, unveiling the mountainside. She scrambled along the stony footing, hugging the forest edge to skirt the mountain's base. A shriek from above turned her attention back to the two dragons. They appeared to have locked together like two tomcats. Closer now, she could make out Jaimin's thrashing, his wings seeming to grow tattier with each flap of his opponent's wings.

"Jaimin!" The cry erupted from her lips as he slipped from the other's grip. Heart thumping hard against her breastplate, she ran along the rocks. He was falling, tumbling like a scrap of meat that'd been thrown to the dogs.

His form disappeared round the hump of the mound before her. Maay froze at the sickening crunch of what could only be him hitting the ground. A cloud of dust rose and settled. Faint over the sound of her breath, she caught the scrape of something large struggling to move.

Head carried low, she slunk over the crest of the tor. Eyes all but squeezed shut, she peered through her lashes at the steely bulk, looking for a sign of movement. Please don't be dead. Had she mistaken the slight rise and fall of his chest? She snaked her head closer.

Feathers dotted the ground around him, some longer than her human form. Blood streaked his wings, turning the tattered feathers a muddy brown. There it was again. Stronger this time, making his belly twitch and his nostrils flare. He lived. Barely.

Was that movement in the sky? Flattening herself against the ground, she glanced up.

Teero hovered high above them, white coat stained a ruddy golden-orange by the setting sunlight shimmering across it. He roared as he looped around the mountain's peak, a stream of fire blasting from his open maw. Then, with a flick of his wings, he dove, hugging the mountainside.