Raven and the Dragon

He Brought Me Flowers

Raven

“I’m your mate?” I breathe out in disbelief. I am stuck in this cave high in the mountains with this dragon, and I just found out that I am his mate.

Nicodemus grins, and I hate how hot he is. His muscles gleam in the low light of the cave, and he stands at almost seven feet. “Yes, you are my mate.”

“f**k,” I grumble. “Is that why you aren’t letting me go?”

“Yes,” He responds. “But- “

“Stupid f*****g dragon, f*****g asshole,” I curse at him. “I don’t want to be stuck in this f*****g cave. I don’t care that I am your mate. Let me go!” I scream and stomp my foot.

His icy blue eyes turn to a deep yellow as he snarls. He backs away from me and takes off his shorts. I try to ignore the giant member swinging between his legs as he transforms into a giant black dragon.

The dragon’s snout gets in my face and with a low growl. I push it away, “Leave me alone,” I say as I flatten myself against the cave. I try to get away, but the dragon has me blocked. I close my eyes as the dragon nudges me. I slide to the ground, pull my knees to my chest, and sob. “I just want to get out of here.”

The dragon seems to sigh and backs away from me. He walks to the cave entrance, spreads his big black wings, and leaps into the air. I watch him ascend into the sky and feel his eyes on me before disappearing. I drop to the ground feeling hopeless until I can feel my powers return. I grab the stone from my pocket. “Grandpa,” I shout as I rub it. “Grandpa, please answer me,” I plead.

“Raven?” My grandfather’s familiar voice responds as I see a faint image of his face in the polished rock. “Where are you? We couldn’t sense you,” he tells me.

“I’m stuck in a cave,” I inform him. “I- “I am cut off by a deep roar that echoes through the cave. Grandpa’s face disappears, and I feel my powers go dark again. I look up to see the dragon flying towards me, and I scramble to my feet and back into the cave as he lands.

Those golden yellow eyes stare at me as he drops a clawful of wildflowers at my feet. He almost seems to smile as I stare at him. I fold my arms and turn away from him. “I just want to go home,” I whimper. I close my eyes and hug myself and lean against the cold rock.

I jump when I feel a hand on my shoulder, “Morax wanted to show you that- “

“I don’t care,” I interrupt Nicodemus and pull away from him. “When can I leave this cave?” I look at Nicodemus, and he presses his lips together.

“Never,” He answers.

I shake my head, “Great. I finally get freedom, and here I am trapped,” I wander back toward the cave entrance and look over the vast landscape. I look down, wondering if I would survive if I jumped.

“It’s at least two thousand feet down,” Nicodemus says from behind me.

“So, I am trapped here forever?” I huff and sit down.

“Don’t think of it as a trap,” Nicodemus tries to soothe me. “This is your home now.”

I back away when he reaches his giant hand towards me. “Trap, prison, whatever. I don’t want to be here. Your dragon- “

“Morax, his name is Morax,” Nicodemus smiles.

“I don’t give a f**k,” I hiss and sit on the cold ground.

Nicodemus growls but then walks away from me.

A cold breeze makes me shiver as I stare out of the cave. I try to think of ways to get away from this place, but none make sense. Flowers drop beside me, and I look up at Nicodemus.

“Those are a gift from Morax,” He declares.

I pick up a handful of the flowers and toss them out of the cave.

He growls again. “You are being ungrateful. We rescued and healed you.”

“I never should have left home,” I grumble, ignoring Nicodemus. “I’m sorry, Mom. You were right.”

A crack of thunder booms overhead, and then a cold rain begins to fall. I shiver but remain sitting. I rock myself while my teeth chatter.

“Come out of the rain before you freeze,” Nicodemus demands, but I ignore him.

I become soaked to the bone and begin shivering violently. I scream when Nicodemus scoops me into his arms. “Let me go,” I whisper as I am too cold to shout. I can’t struggle as my whole body is near hypothermic.

He sets me on the bed, “Take off your clothes.”

“No,” I whisper.

“You will freeze, Raven,” He argues.

“I don’t care,” I mumble.

“Raven,” He pleads with me and holds up a blanket, “Please?”

I glare at him as I slowly peel off my soaked clothes. He drops the blanket on me and wraps it around my shivering body. I curl up on the bed and face the wall. Tears begin to fall as I shiver to warm myself.

“Let me hold you,” Nicodemus says. “I can warm you right up.”

“Don’t touch me,” I growl and close my arms. I tense up when I feel his arms wrap around me. I am too weak to push him away.

“I won’t hurt you,” He whispers in my ear, and I must ignore the tingles that spread through my body where my skin contacts his.

I close my eyes and breathe heavily, trying to ignore my attraction to this infernal man.

“Sleep,” His hot breath fans the back of my neck, my eyes close, and I am out.

My dreams are filled with me riding Morax through the clouds as I scream with delight. There is a castle ahead of us, and Morax veers off before getting close to it. He roars, flying away from the castle.

“Raven?” Nicodemus’s deep voice wakes me up, and I glare at him. He is hovering over me with a bowl of stew in his hands. “You need to eat.”

I sneer at him and curl up in a ball facing away from him. I say nothing and close my eyes again.

“Raven,” Nicodemus huffs.

I fall asleep again, and I don’t know how long I sleep. I wake up a few times to Nicodemus sitting on his chair, staring at me. He pleads with me to eat, but I ignore him and stare at the wall.

“You can’t lie there forever,” I hear him say.

I say nothing to him as I let myself fall in and out of the darkness. I feel empty and sore as I have laid on this makeshift bed for too long. I finally sit up, and Nicodemus is standing in what he calls a kitchen. He turns to me with a smile.

“You are awake,” he says.

I look away from him and hug my knees.

He steps towards the bed and places a plate of greens and other vegetables on the bed, “Fresh-picked vegetables from my garden,” He explains.

“You have a garden?” I huff and look around the dank cave.

“Yes,” He nods with a smile remaining on his face. “Please eat,” He nudges the plate. “You have been lying there for three days.”

I push the plate away and stare at the wall.

He sighs, “You can’t starve yourself.”

“It’s my body,” I grumble.

“Please, Raven,” Nicodemus pleads. “Morax can’t stand to see you hurting.”

“Then tell the asshole to let me go,” I snarl.

He frowns, “I can’t do that.”

I roll my eyes and continue staring at the wall while rocking myself. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

“It’s in the corner,” He points to the back of the cave.

I look at where he is pointing. It’s a sheer curtain in front of what looks like a hole. “Are you serious?”

He nods, “It’s a deep hole,”

I sigh and try crawling out of bed. My legs collapse, and I fall to the floor. Nicodemus tries to help me up, but I shove him away. I manage to get to my feet and stumble shakily toward the hole. I realize I am naked and dirty. “Let me guess, I have to bathe in a bucket,” I say as I hover over the hole to do my business. I stumble back to the bed and flop back down.

Nicodemus is sitting in his chair. “You can bathe there,” He points to a metal stock tank in another corner of the cave. “I can heat up the water for you.”

“Great, I get to bathe in something that cattle drink out of,” I grumble as I turn away from him. “And what about clothes?”

The chair creeks as Nicodemus stands up. I glance back to see him walk to another part of the cave, “I retrieved your things from your hotel room,” He picks up my backpack.

“What? How did you- “I trail off. “Right, you stalked me.”

He sets my bag on the bed, “You are starting to smell,” He laughs.

“What does it matter? I am trapped in a f*****g cave,” I pull my backpack towards me. I open it to find everything I brought stuff into it. I pull out my phone charger, “I suppose there is no place to plug this in?”

Nicodemus shakes his head, “No.”

I toss the cord across the cave, pull out my wallet, and see that all my money and cards are still in it. “So, you are just a kidnapper and not a thief,” I grumble as I look through my bag.

Nicodemus sighs and sits silently.

I find a picture of my family, and I cry, “I’m never going to see them again, am I?” I show it to him. “That’s my parents, siblings, and grandparents,” I sniffle as I look at it.

“Family isn’t everything,” Nicodemus rises from his chair.

“It is to me,” I counter.

“Then why did you leave?” He huffs and folds his arms.

“I just wanted to see the world. I just turned twenty-one, and I wanted to spread my wings. But I still love them,” I whine. “I still love them.”

Nicodemus makes a hmph sound and moves towards his stove. He stirs something that smells too good on the cooktop. “Roasted rabbit with root vegetables,” He mentions.

I press my lips together to keep myself from drooling. I am starving, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing me eat. I stare at the picture of my family. “I should have listened to my mother.”

“I miss my mother too,” He mumbles.

“What happened?” I wonder.

“They turned their backs on me,” He responds while dishing food onto plates.

“You probably deserved it,” I mutter under my breath. He sets a plate on the bed, and I ignore it.

“Eat,” He grumbles.

“I’m not hungry,” I say as my stomach growls.

“Your stomach says otherwise,” He sits in his chair and picks at the rabbit. “It’s good.”

I eye the food and then push it off the bed with my foot. The plate crashes to the floor, and the food falls into the dirt. “I don’t want you god damned food,” I hiss. “I don’t want anything from you.” I sneer and lay down on the bed, hugging my bag and staring at the picture.

Nicodemus growls, and I listen to him gather the discarded food from the floor. “You can’t lie there in misery forever.”

“What else am I supposed to do? I am trapped in a f*****g cave!” I yell at him.

He sighs and moves away from me.

I start to cry again and bury my face in the smelly pillow. “I just want to go home, Nicodemus.” I cry myself to sleep again. I wake up sometime later to find myself alone in the cave. “Nicodemus?” I call out. I smile when I realize my powers are awake again. I dig the black stone out of my still-wet pants, “Dad, Grandpa,” I yell at the rock.

“Raven?” My father answers.

When I see his face, “Daddy,” I cry.

“Where are you?” He asks. “We can’t pinpoint your location,” He explains.

“I am in a cave being held by a dragon,” I respond. I slide off the bed and walk to the entrance, and my father’s face becomes clearer in the shiny stone. “I think I am in the Rockies,” I say as I look up. I don’t see the dragon anywhere. “I don’t have much time before he comes back.”

“I’ll try to get to you,” Dad responds.

I stand anxious, waiting. A mist forms and my father steps out. “Dad!” I shout and drop the stone. A thunderous roar shakes the cave, and I see Morax flying toward us.

“s**t,” Dad curses as Morax opens his mouth and breathes fire at my father.

“DAD!” I scream when the smoke clears, and there is only a burnt silhouette where my father had been standing.