I move away. I don’t want him to touch me. My body aches for him, but… “It is not a negotiation. I am more than capable of protecting myself, and others too. I even train—”
“Not anymore, human.”
“My name is Milaye,” I snap. A spike of pain shoots through my head. I palm the back of it.
A rumbling growl fills my ears. Drazak tries to grab me, but I get up and move to the fire and out of his reach. Darkness flashes in his expression, and my throat constricts.
I bend down and find my dagger, sheathing it.
“Milaye,” he says, deep and raspy. The sound does things to my body, and I nearly go back to him.
Instead, I dig my heels into the ground. “I need to find us more roots to burn. The fire moss will keep these going for a bit longer but not forever. Eat.” I nod at the ration he’s dropped. I grab mine and bite into it, hoping it’ll take away my arousal. It doesn’t. “It’ll help you regain your strength.”
“Milaye, it is dangerous. I will join you.” Drazak presses his hand to the boulder and tries to rise, but slides back down. An annoyed snarl tugs his lips, and his tails curl.
Good.
I stuff the rest of my ration into my mouth and move to his side, but not before taking a half-burned root from the fire. I put it beside him. “One thing you should know, dragon, is that I am a huntress, a good one. I may be a human, but I have survived this world like you have. I may want to be a mother, but I will not lose what else I am in the process. It’s your turn to rest. You can use the torch as a weapon if you need, but I’ll be back soon.”
I shift back. He grabs my hand. “There’s a naga lurking, be careful,” he says. I can see this omission takes a lot out of him. There’s frustration and something else in his eyes…
He knows I’m going to leave and there’s nothing he can do to stop me.
He stares at me with such intensity it nearly roots me to the spot.
Some of the butterflies return to my belly.
“I will,” I say, swallowing.
Drazak squeezes my hand and then lets go.
11
Will He See Me?
So the naga is here in the cave. I grab my still-burning torch and head back into the darkness. He hasn’t attacked yet, and may not attack at all, but I remain vigilant anyway.
Maybe he knows a way out of here…
I scan the darkness. How would I even ask him if he did? Humans and nagas speak different languages, if the noise a naga makes could be considered a language at all. I've encountered enough of them to know they hiss in different tones to communicate, but that was it.
And even if the naga did know a way out, and even if we could communicate, I’d have to find him first.
I rub my fingers together, the place where Drazak squeezed them.
His touch lingers. His warmth. My fingers twitch, and my hand opens and closes as the sensation of him spreads. Like the bond, it fills me, comforting me. Each step away becomes more difficult. All I want is to return to his side and be within his presence.
I want to press up against him and absorb all that he is. I shudder thinking about it. I’ve never felt like this before.
But if he’s going to try and take my honor…
I inhale sharply. I’ve earned my title. I will not give it up unless I absolutely have to, and nothing Drazak says could change that. I’m not some little girl unable to throw her spear or set up a cockatrice trap or impale a sand shark. It’s been years since I had one of the elder huntresses with me checking if I could survive out in the wild.
I’m that elder huntress now. I watch over and keep our younger huntresses safe. I take the jobs that the eldest of our huntresses no longer can.
I may have thirty-two years, but that does not mean I don’t have another thirty-two left to be what I am. And as long as I’m not maimed, my next thirty-two years will be full of dangerous adventures—always for Sand’s Hunters.
Always for my sisters, my people.
Haime’s face appears in my head. Has she made it back to the tribe? Is she safe? Is she… My thoughts shift back to the cave-in, and I shiver. I can’t think about it. If I do, I may lose my remaining strength and wither. The loss of Haime would be my biggest failure.
Then I would lose my honor. I wouldn’t have any left to give to Drazak. I’d never recover if I lost her. My chest constricts.
I realize my feet are taking me in the direction of the cave-in. I halt.
No, I need to find kindling for the fire. Losing my only source of light wouldn’t be good. I straighten. Fire moss can keep anything burning for days, if there’s enough to burn, but the roots don’t make good kindling, I think. I frown.
How long have we been down here? There’s no way to tell time. I’d been unconscious and asleep for part of it, but for how long? There’s no way of knowing. The only thing I’m certain of is that the dried meat ration barely sated me, and my stomach feels as empty as it’s ever been.
Right now, I need to push myself until Drazak and I are safe. I’ve rested, I don’t have the luxury to do so again. At least not so soon. And I don’t want Drazak to see me weak or in pain. I know the other dragon men are protective of their mates, but I never really imagined how that would be for me if I ever bonded with one. I’d never really thought about it.
Maybe because I gave up on that hope as well. Everyone else had.
But Drazak
