I'd cursed the slippery volcanic sand on the way up the slope, but I thanked my lucky stars for it on the way down. It made gliding down to the base easier than surfing down an icy mountain in the heart of winter.
After seeing how I skidded down the volcano, some of the dragon scavengers followed suit, leaning back as their hands behind them stirred them towards me. What they didn't anticipate was for me to chuck a piece of Dragon Vain at them when they got too close. The explosions shook the mountainside, making some of them lose their footing and tumble down. The men cried out, on fire or limbs torn away from their bodies. At least ten were already out of commission. As much as that should excite me, it also pissed them off and made them all the more eager to catch me.
A whip struck out and caught my wrist; it jerked my arm back and stopped me in my tracks. Screaming, I ripped my sword out and cut the line before they got too close. I threw another piece of stone at them then ran the rest of the way to the base. Before I knew it, I was running through the jungle, jumping over ferns and fallen logs. Their shouts were muffled by the broad green leaves between me and them, but I knew they hadn't stopped their chase. I'd taken away their prize--they wouldn't let me get away with it.
I stumbled onto a gravel trail and slipped on the unexpected material on the ground. Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I saw a pair of horses and the ballista cart sitting at the end of the trail, waiting to be ridden.
This must be how they got around so quickly. A trail was nothing for horses, they could run along this path all night if their masters wanted them to. I could get away from these men faster.
I'd never ridden a horse before, but assuming it was like riding a dragon, I freed their reins and swung up into the saddle, kicking it into a gallop. I nearly fell off, the ride was so bumpy. Snapping my senses back into gear, I dug my heels in and clutched the horn of the saddle.
"She stole a horse!" one of the scavengers called, leaping out of the jungle onto the trail. He thrust a finger in my direction, as if that was going to help any of them in catching me.
Soon more horses jumped into view and galloped after me. One of the men brandished a bow and arrow. Panicked, I kicked the horse to go faster. It wasn't quite like riding a dragon; it wasn't very fast and there were no air currents for us to ride along to go faster. It was insanely infuriating when trying to escape a band of dragon scavengers.
An arrow whistled passed my head. Yelping, I ducked against the horse, grabbing hold of its mane. More arrows soared through the air, narrowly missing me. Luckily the horse appeared to be used to being in battle and paid the arrows no mind. Not until one embedded itself into its hindquarters.
The horse reared up and threw me off. The impact raked my back in pain and a flash of white was all I could see for far too long of a time.
Coughing on all the dust filling my lungs, I rolled to my feet--and was met with a sword swinging my way. I ducked and swept a leg underneath him. While he was down, I sliced my blade across his throat, having no time to think about the blood staining my pants.
Another scavenger came my way with a club. I dodged him and rammed my shoulder into his chest. He staggered back but quickly fixed his stance and caught my hair. He yanked down hard; I fell to my knees, screaming. My eyes came level with his crotch--I rammed the hilt of my sword into it, kicked him back then cut his hand off. He cried out, wailing his stump around.
The others were swiftly approaching, but seemed to hesitate when they saw what I'd done to their comrades. I took that moment to dive into the forest. They couldn't shoot me with arrows with all the broad leaves and trees in the way.
My legs burned with every leap and bound over the flora in my way. My lungs screamed for me to stop and take a moment to breathe properly. Unfortunately for my body, it didn't quite understand how much trouble I'd be in if I slowed down for even a minute. The scavengers were hot on my tail, more pissed off than a ravenous dragon.
However, my body appeared to have had enough. I stumbled on a root and getting back up took more effort than it should have. Three scavengers were on me in a heartbeat. Two grabbed my arms, holding me still while the last one stood in front of me and clocked the side of my face. White flared in my vision--and then pain flared on the other side.
"Easy there, Pat," the man beside me grunted while I tried to jerk free. "Don't damage the face. I want something good to look at when I fuck her."
Here I was hoping they would be too angry with me to want to rape me. I'd hoped for a quick death, but it looked like they were going to drag it out.
Pat, a man with a mop of dark red hair, nodded to his accomplice in agreement. "Good idea, Gronk. It's been a while since I've fucked something pretty." He then proceeded to sucker punch me.
Even though it would only make him more angry, I spat the blood filling my mouth onto his face.
He cried out, staggering back. "Bitch!"
Roaring as fiercely as any dragon, I stomped on Gronk's foot and shoved him away. The other one held me tighter against his chest, reaching for a knife. I threw my head back; his nose crunched against my skull. He wailed and dropped to the floor. I stole his knife and hucked it at Pat, catching him square in the chest. Gurgling, he slowly teetered to the ground into a pool of his own blood. I whirled around for Gronk just in time to duck under his swing. Sword in hand, I spun around him and sliced into the back of his legs. While he was on his knees, I ripped my blade across his throat.
The rustling of the jungle didn't give me the chance to breathe. Before they caught up to me again, I booked it for the cave hidden within the leaves not too far from where I stood. It was dark, the only illumination was the sunlight glinting off the damp walls. The deeper I went, however, the less light came through and then it was pitch black. I kept my hand on the wall and followed it by touch. I feared too much to light a torch in case the scavengers saw it in passing. The cool air was a relief on my skin after being hot for so long; I'd almost forgotten what it was like to be cold.
As I traversed the cave, I stole big breaths to catch up on all the air I'd deprived of myself earlier. It was crisp in my lungs--and a little dank. The further into the cave I went, the more rank it became. And then my foot landed in something hot and squishy. I didn't need to take a deep breath to know what I'd stepped in.
Something lives in here--and it's still here.
"Shit. My day couldn't get any worse, could it?"
Right on cue, I heard the dragon scavengers. "Check the cave! I want that bitch found!"
I looked up at the ceiling, on the off chance someone upstairs was watching me. "You know how to make a girl work, don't you?"
Grumbling, I continued my path down the cave a little faster. The grunts of the scavengers weren't too far behind. Torches lit their way through the dark maze. At this rate they were going to find me before I found the exit--if there was one.
No, don't be pessimistic now. There's a way out. There has to be. I was not going out being tortured and raped by dragon scavengers.
A light revealed itself up ahead. Sunlight. I rushed towards it, more confident in my steps with every passing minute. I was nearly running when I came across a large cavern. The sunlight came in through a massive hole in the ceiling. Vines and roots dangled inside, filling the otherwise bleak cave full of colour.
The hole wasn't what had stopped me in my tracks, though. There were at least ten dragons curled around their nests or cuddling with their mates in the far corner.
Ten pairs of eyes snapped in my direction then their various snarls filled the cavern.
I sucked in a breath. Being attacked by wild dragons for flying in their skies was one thing, wandering into their den was a whole other thing. This was their home, where they bred, where they raised their young. No one was allowed to enter their den.
"There she is!"
I glanced over my shoulder. The scavengers were right behind me. An archer let the others run ahead while he pulled back the string of his bow. The arrow sailed in the air, missing my head by an inch, and whistled past me, striking a dragon that had crept up behind me. The arrow wasn't strong enough to pierce its scales, but it was enough of a hindrance to piss him off. The dragon reared back and roared so loud it shook the cavern.
There was no time to think. I darted past the dragon and ran for the vines dangling from the hole. A scavenger followed me, grabbing my shirt and yanking me back before I could reach them.
I screamed in frustration.
He fisted the front of my shirt and lifted me up then rammed me back into a stalagmite. His knife was colder than the air around us against my throat.
"Got ya." His eyes raked me in slowly, as if it was the first time he'd seen a woman. Who knew, maybe it was. His teeth were rotten enough to keep any sane woman away from him. "Boss, is gonna be real happy when he gets a good look at ya. Don't think he'd mind much if I got first dibs."
He ripped my shirt open and cupped my breasts. His mistake was sheathing his knife to do it. I shoved him back and got in two punches before he'd staggered too far away from me. I stepped forward to show him what I thought of his grope fest-
A dragon stepped between us and took Rotten Teeth wholly into his mouth. He tossed his head back and swallowed the man. The green dragon turned his head to me, and I thought I was next--until I recognised him as the male I'd met in the forest.
He regarded me a moment, seeming to also remember me.
More scavengers cried out, and the dragon turned to help his fellow den mates to dispatch the humans who'd dared to enter their den.
I took that as a "thank you for saving my mate," and rushed for the vines, ignoring the screams filling the cavern.
I'd just reached the top when someone grabbed what was left of my shirt and hauled me the rest of the way up. Before I could run away, a club came down on the back of my head.
The world filled with darkness.
~~~
I couldn't have been passed out for long. I was still by the hole leading to the dragons' den, only my hands had been tied behind my back and two pairs of hands had my shoulders, pulling me off the ground.
Groaning, I lifted my head to see at least twenty dragon scavengers surrounding me. They looked more pissed off than the last one. They were covered in sweat and dirt; some bore scratches, their armour sliced through, while one man in particular held his bandaged stump, glaring vehemently at me.
Dread filled my chest.
The man with the eyepatch and jagged scar stepped through the crowd and caught my chin. He bared his black teeth, a single golden nugget shimmering in all the rot. "You've caused my men a lot of trouble, girl. You're going to bring me my prize or I'll let them have their way with you."
I spat on his face. "I'd rather die."
He couldn't have Zellar. It was why I'd told him to take Camden once he was better and get out of here. I wasn't worth the life of a dragon.
An evil smirk splayed across his face. "Oh, I'm sure you'll be begging for your end soon enough. Maybe after a few of my men have taken out their frustration on you, you might change your mind on how precious that dragon is to you." He looked up at his men. "Let's get away from the den and set up camp for the night. . . . And then you can have your fun."
The two men holding me, dragged me after their leader--like hell I was going to make this easy on them. I caught roots with my feet, jerked on my shoulders whenever I could, and cursed them all to Seven Hells. When we passed a tree, I rammed my captives into it. I wanted them to think twice about touching me tonight, because if they wanted to get their cocks near me, I was going to unleash a world of hurt on them first. It'd be better for their safety to just kill me now.
"Fuck! Boss, she dislocated my shoulder!" The man on my right released me to hold his shoulder. I yanked myself free of the other man and spun around, landing my heel into Dislocated Shoulder's jaw. He flopped onto the ground.
The men stood in stunned silence.
I ran.
Not very far.
I tripped and face-planted into a pile of ferns. With my hands tied behind my back, I felt like a turtle stuck on its shell.
Hands seized me.
"No! Let me go!" It was a cry of frustration. Why couldn't they just kill me? I would never give Zellar up, no matter what they did to me.
My cries turned into hopeless sobs as they dragged me back to the group. I could be the biggest pain in the ass, but they wanted Zellar and they would do whatever they could to get me to call on him. My last few hours--or days--were going to be the worst of my life and there was nothing I could do to stop it, save give up my friend. I wouldn't--couldn't--do that to him. The thought of them taking him apart piece by piece, selling his horns, bones, scales, and blood. . . . All for what? Money.
A roar filled the air above us. Birds flew out of their perches in the canopy. The whole forest fell silent for all but a moment.
A dragon dropped from the sky, crushing half of the scavengers under its claws. I gaped as the massive beast swung its spiny tail, impaling several men on the six thick horns at the end. He snapped a man in half with his powerful jaws and tossed chunks of him at the others.
The men holding me quaked in fear when he set his fierce golden eyes on them; black smoke puffed out of his nostrils. He released a roar fit for a king in our faces. The men dropped me in favour of taking arms.
I didn't know where this dragon came from or why he was helping me, only that he was very efficient at killing the men who wanted to rape and torture me, so I put my two feet together and kicked the butt of the man closest to me. He staggered into the dragon's jowls, screaming until it was suddenly cut off.
"Jeb!" the other man cried in horror. He whirled around for me, sword swinging. "You bitch!"
Yelping, I rolled out of the way--and then he was flying into a tree head first; the dragon had swatted him away seamlessly as he approached me. I held my breath, in case I'd been wrong about him wanting to help me. We might have just wandered into his territory and pissed him off.
His muzzle brushed against my face softly, the rough dark green--mistakenly black--scales rubbing against my cheek. The pair of nostrils on either side of my face flared as they took in my scent. A purr started in his throat, vibrating out of his jowls.
Surprised by the tenderness of his tone, I reached out--or at least tried to. My hands were still tied behind my back.
Noticing my struggle, the dragon bumped my shoulder, flipping me over; I teetered, falling face-first into the ground. I stiffened when I felt the dragon's teeth on my back. One nudged its way between the knots and tugged it apart; my arms sprang free and I used them to climb to my hands and knees.
I lifted my head in time to see more scavengers running for the dragon with rope and weapons. Boss cracked his whip, the leather tendril wrapped around my wrist and jerked me out from under the dragon. He dragged me to his feet. With a conniving, smug smile, he pulled me to a stand by my hair, a knife to my throat. His breath was unbearable up close. "Thanks for my biggest prize yet, girl. Now you may get your wish."
I heard a solid click on the other side of the dragon. The ballista was lining up a shot for the dragon's heart. Never mind the knife at my throat, I screamed for the dragon to turn around. The arrow pulled back-
Zellar landed on top of it, crushing the weapon and the user with a powerful roar.
The cool blade bit into my skin, reminding me that I was the only one in danger now. I squeezed my eyes shut--and then the blade and Boss were no longer there but in the jowls of the dark green dragon. He shook the man trapped between his teeth violently then tossed the remaining parts at the last few scavengers. They paled and ran.
They were all gone in less than a minute, leaving me alone with two dragons.
I patted myself down to reassure myself that I was still alive and had miraculously survived something I was a hundred percent sure there was no chance of surviving. Everything was in check, not even any major injuries.
In disbelief, I turned to Zellar and wrapped my arms around his thick neck. "You came back for me. And you brought a friend!" I'd never been so grateful a dragon ignored me in my life. The dragon tucked me in with his neck in the most dragon-like hug he could make.
"Well," Camden said behind me, "'friends' implies we're on good terms, which we are not."
Surprised to hear his voice, I spun around. Camden stood a few feet away in all his six foot five pure muscled glory. His arms were crossed, ashen hair, which appeared to have taken on a green tinge in the jungle, tousled into a complete mess atop his head. The fury in his green eyes cut into Zellar, but I could hardly feel the heat of his gaze because my eyes were on the utter nakedness of his body.
Zellar snapped his teeth at him with a growl.
Camden glared harder. "Oh please, you would have left her. Some loyal friend you are, after everything she's done for you."
Zellar pawed at the ground, insulted by his accusation.
"I don't care if she told you to leave her. You ignore her and come back anyway--not wait until I make you help me find her."
I blinked as the two bickered. Now I'd seen everything: Camden was talking to a dragon like I would.
And then I noticed the dragon who had saved my life wasn't here anymore and the last time I saw Cam he was being taken into the heart of a volcano.
"Cam, how did you get here? Where are your clothes?"
He stopped arguing with Zellar to look at me. The hard edge in his eyes softened, but only for a moment then he seemed to realise that I could see his member swaying as he moved and stood a little straighter, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Lava has a tendency to burn everything it touches--including clothes--and I flew here."
"Did you ride with Zellar?" I peered back at the red dragon; I hadn't noticed him hop off the saddle when he arrived. And even if he had ridden here, his legs would have been chafed to bits--which I could confidently verify they were not. In fact, they were as fine as a cool glass of water on a hot summer's day.
A cocky smile sprouted on Camden's face. "No. I used my wings."
He stepped back, flesh trembling. And then his body began to change. His skin thickened, dark green scales running over his flesh. The green of his eyes fluttered to gold with vertical slits dividing them down the middle.
Then it all happened so fast: he grew, neck elongating, a tail sprouting from his spine, wings unfurling from his back, face extending into a snout. In less than a minute, he transformed into the dark green dragon that saved my life.
All I could do was gape in awe.
"You. . . can. . . turn. . . into. . . a dragon?" It seemed impossible as I spoke, but I'd literally just watched him transform. There was no denying it. "Is this. . . normal? Like, can your brothers do this too?"
Had my brothers left out a very important part of guiding a Dragon Prince as some big joke?
Camden transformed back into his normal human self, flexing his arms and back as if he'd just finished a workout. "No, they can't. They're going to be pissed," he said rather smugly.
When I said I'd help him find a powerful bond with a dragon, I didn't have this in mind. This was a million times better!
"Do you feel any different?" I asked, intrigued.
He grinned at my enthusiasm. "Loads, but in the best of ways. Apparently my eyesight was abysmal, because now I can see the faintest of details in everything. The world feels so much bigger now that I can see clearly. I smell. . ." His nose fluttered and he frowned. "I'm not sure what I smell, there are so many scents, but there's one I know--lavender. You." His eyes went inhumanly black in an instant. He stepped towards me possibly with more grace than he'd ever moved before his transformation.
Zellar sat beside me, coiling his tail around me, purposely putting three feet between Cam and I. Cam might have saved my life, but the sharpness in the dragon's eyes suggested he didn't trust the new Camden with me. He snorted and bounced his head up and down in a threatening display.
Cam glared at him, clearly wanting to argue, but then he he gave in with a sigh and took a small step back. "Fine. You're right, anyway." He looked down at his hands, smooth and untainted by the scars he once bore. "I can feel him trying to influence me."
"What?" All my curiosity was suddenly replaced with concern.
He only had sad eyes for me. "Zellar doesn't want me near you until I have a better grip on the dragon inside me. He thinks I might hurt you."
Doubtful, I crossed my arms. That was an excuse to not go near me if I ever heard one. He could just say he'd rather be anywhere but near me instead of using his new transformation to get out of it. "So, not only can you speak to and understand dragons, you have one inside you, too?"
"Yes," he said matter-of-factly. "He gives me strength like you wouldn't believe. He taught me how to shift back to this form so I can talk to you. He taught me how to follow your scent; I found you in this ridiculously enormous jungle because of him. But he is an animal and has animal instincts, which he's convinced I should act on."
"Like what, flying?"
Gold eyes flaring, he inched towards me; they burned like a thousand suns when they landed on the large tear in my shirt. "Amongst other things."
Moistening his lips, he took another step; his hands trembled at his sides, like he was fighting the urge--fighting his dragon, I guess--to move them.
Zellar growled a warning to Cam, guiding me to his side with his tail.
Camden shut his eyes and massaged his temples. "Quiet. Not right now."
"Cam?" I stepped out of Zellar's grasp and touched his arm out of concern. He was muttering and sneering but it wasn't directed at me. This wasn't normal. This wasn't Cam.
As soon as my hand came into contact with his hot skin, his eyes flew open. Abruptly, he seized my arms with a fierce grip that scared a scream out of me. The dragon scavengers had handled me so roughly; I never expected him to be so violent, especially not towards me, even after I nearly got him killed. Despite how I felt about him and everything we'd overcome, in this moment, I feared him.
"Don't!" he cried, squeezing his eyes closed, as if to shut out everything around him. I didn't know if he was talking to me or his dragon. He shook vigorously, releasing me as he staggered back. "Stay away from me, Kali. Don't touch me."
I backed up to Zellar's side, feeling as though he'd struck me with his new strength. "Sorry," I murmured. I didn't want his words to hurt me. I didn't want to feel distraught or rejected. All along I knew this was how he was going to react. Amber had said he didn't want to see me, and I didn't blame him. Yet, I'd still somehow convinced myself he wouldn't hate me.
He turned away from us, taking deep breaths, still muttering away. I assumed he was talking to his dragon--however that worked. Meanwhile, Zellar watched him like a hawk, claws dug into the earth, ready to pounce in a second's notice.
I peered up at the faded sun nervously. "Hey, Cam? I know I've asked a lot of you these past few days, but we should probably get going, make a camp. We'll be safe in the trees. . ."
"No," he cut me off. He faced me, panting, doing everything in his power to not look me in the eye. "It's time to go home."
I didn't like the idea of spending the night alone with him either, not when all I wanted right now was to be alone and ride the pain out, but we didn't have many options. "It's almost dark. Do I need to remind you how dangerous it is to fly at night?"
"You'll be safe," he promised, calmly confident in his new abilities. "The sooner we head back, the better."
"Fine. If you want to go home that badly let's go." At this point, did it really matter if we were attacked? At least the pain would stop.
Zellar watched me as I climbed into the saddle with sad eyes. It was like he knew how dejected I felt. When I looked over to Camden there was a pain in his eyes I didn't understand. There was no reason for him to hurt. I wasn't the one who'd treated him like a disgusting bug.
Ignoring him, I slipped into my jacket, thankful to have some cover from the chilly night ahead of us, and leaned forward for the handles.
"All right, Zellar, let's go home."