Dragon's Blood

ROUGE (N) USUALLY USED TO DESCRIBE A LONE WOLF ONE WITHOUT A PACK; A HOME

“Little Mate.”

His words hung heavy in the small space between us. Despite the frosty winter air his hand on my cheek filled me with a type of warmth I wasn’t accustomed too.

“Mate.” His eyes darkened at the dazed look on my face. “I don’t…” The words died in my throat when his gaze shifted to my lips. “…a mate.”

“So beautiful,” He whispered head dipping so his lips brushed mine tentatively, he pulled back quickly. “So fragile.”

Fragile, it was a word I’d heard before. We used it to describe jackrabbits and flowers.

“I’m not fragile,” My voice was more breathless than I intended.

“No?” He mused his hand trailing further down.

“No,” I affirmed weakly, his lips caressed my skin softly and I bit my tongue. “I’m not.”

Even as I said it, I could feel his chest rumbling lightly. It was evident that he did not agree with me, despite that he buried his head into the nape of my neck and inhaled sharply. Due to our proximity, I was forced to do the same.

His scent was exhilarating.

“Are you my…my…” I couldn’t speak, he was touching my skin with the tip of his nose. “My mate?”

He pulled back—suddenly I was colder than I’d ever been in my life. His hands now at his side were in balled fists he looked up at the sky above me. He was tall, probably a few inches above six foot two—I’d never thought a height could be so perfect.

“We can't.” His words cut through my thoughts and I flinched.

“What?”

“I—”

“Aether!” A pink dreaded dark-skinned girl appeared in a flurry of glitter and confetti, Orion jumped back in alarm. “The little gremlins are destroying my roses again! You said you’d take care of it so—” She froze eyes stuck on Orion a mischievous smile appeared on her face “—oh goodie, who’s he?”

Sucking in a mouthful of air I turned my head to the girl. Nophe, resident house fairy. She lived with Atlas and I ever since we were young kids and in defiance of her youthful appearance and childlike demeanor the fairy w,as closer to three hundred years in age.

“N-Nophe! You’re supposed to be getting the house ready.”

Squinting her sand colored eyes at me she placed one hand on her hip. “Well those pesky little toads are pulling my roses again. So, sorry that I’ve been distracted.”

Nophe had been cultivating a patch of roses on a secluded plot of pack land (her and all the other fairies saw to its survival) for as long as I could remember. They were her pride and joy but sometimes some of the younger children in the pack enjoyed pulling them out of the ground.

“I’ll go talk to them.” Turning back to the Prince I cleared my throat; I couldn’t quite meet his watchful look. “Nophe here will take you the rest of the way your highness.”

That being said I started down the road only faintly hearing Nophe’s loud; “So you’re the prince!”

My head was a flurry of thoughts. A mate! I had a mate. Me! A mate.

I stopped walking. All my thoughts suddenly meshed into one in the back of my head and a drumming sound filled my ears.

A mate who didn’t want me.

Breathing. I needed to focus on breathing. Even as I thought it I wheezed and crumpled. The snow seeped into my clothes and the effect was deafening. A burning fire blossomed in my chest and I nearly cried out from the sudden pain. On my hands and knees, I dragged myself into the trees. Collapsing up against a bush I rolled into a tight ball.

Do you feel that?

Black shapes filled up the space in front of me, a chilling laugh wrapped me up. I felt a slick finger slide down my neck and with a harsh tug pull my cloak off from around me. I thought I was dreaming—or hallucinating—but the black shapes were taking on a form. Soon it said dragging its hand over my chest and to my stomach. It stopped, looked back up at me and thrust its whole hand into my gut.

I screamed, loud and powerful my whole body shook from the force—it laughed again. The trees rattled in response; the floor quaked. When I thought it was over I felt it twist it’s hand in my stomach, I arched my back screaming again and again in pain.

Suddenly I felt it pull back, through blurry vision I could feel it’s surprise and see it’s clear annoyance. It stepped back stared down at its hand in a mixture of shock and rage. It was melting, it’s hand dripping like black ink off a piece of paper.

I screamed again my back arching again as the fire in my chest burned a million times hotter. The fire shrunk and then quickly expanded, exploding through every inch of me. The sensation was surreal, the fire in my chest climbed up and out of throat and out into the space around me.

Before I passed out all I could feel was the heat, and all I could see was an orange light. The creature scowled it’s sharp teeth glaring at me threateningly. It opened it’s mouth to roar and I was swallowed up by a nightmare.

In my dream the sky was a harsh red color, I was sat on the floor clutching to my chest a small bundle. I was watching myself cry.

“Fret not, for all that can will burn,” Someone in front of me spoke, but their voice was distorted—strange. I tried to crane my head to get a better look but it was like my eyes had been permanently glued to my own self. The bundle in the me (but not me’s) hands moved drawing my attention to it.

“Aether!”

Someone called my name but I was transfixed staring at thepair in an odd sense of fascination. The bundle moved again and a tiny head of silver strands poked through.

“Aether!” My mind was jolted, I felt my consciousness snapped back like a rubber band and suddenly a white light engulfed my mind.

Forcing my eyes to open I stared up at the white sky. A pair of light green eyes stared down at me in concern.

“Atlas?” I slurred my voice sounding different to my own ears.

“Let her sleep,” A muffled voice hushed, a cold towel was placed over my eyes. I instantly succumbed to the darkness.