“There it is,” I whisper, my belly tightening.
Drazak grunts. “Your tribe is unsafely exposed. Any dragon could come along and rain fire down upon you.”
“Dragon’s never bother us.”
“Except me. What will your people say when they see me?”
I purse my lips. What have I told him about the other dragon men?
I forgot. I didn’t mean to forget.
“About that…”
Figures appear on the beach ahead of us, holding spears, stepping out of the jungle. I recognize them immediately. My two sisters, and… Zaeyr. My belly tightens further. I stop and grab Drazak’s hand. “You’re not the only one,” I say.
“What?” Drazak asks.
One of them spots us and stops. The others turn to face us soon after. For a long minute, all we do is stare at each other.
“Milaye?” Ola, my eldest sister shouts. “Milaye! Is that you?”
Drazak tenses beside me.
“It’s me!” I shout back, suddenly dreading facing Zaeyr. He is only soft toward Aida and his children… If Haime didn’t make it…
I just realized he may kill me.
He may kill me. My heart thunders.
My sisters run towards us, and I step forward. They cry out and wrap me in their embrace. I hug them back—too absently—all too aware two alpha males about to clash. Waters! This is all happening faster than I expected. Two ancient predators are about to meet…
My misgivings are founded.
“A dragon dares approach my female!?” I hear Drazak blare. A roar erupts, and the sound of flesh meeting flesh follows soon after. One of my sisters screams, and I jerk myself out of their embrace.
Drazak is on top of Zaeyr, slicing him with his claws.
“Stop!” I shriek.
Zaeyr flips Drazak over, streaks his nails down Drazak’s chest, and bends one of his tails between his hands. There’s a cracking. The sound sends dread down my spine, and I dive between them. “Don’t hurt each other!”
“Milaye, stay back!” Drazak bellows.
I’m shoved away, a hand shunts against my chest, sending me backwards. I don’t know who’s. Limbs, tails, everything is flailing, obstructing my view. Ola catches me and helps me rise.
Zaeyr slams his fist into Drazak’s face—but Drazak jerks his horns forward at the last second. He spears Zaeyr’s hand. A harrowing, deep scream shakes me. My dread skyrockets when blood gushes between them.
“You have to stop! Zaeyr, he’s my mate!”
I want to lunge forward, to step in between again, but my sister holds me back. “Don’t!” she warns. “You’ll get hurt.”
“I don’t care. Drazak, he’s part of my tribe! No!” They’re tearing into each other, not even hearing me. I struggle in Ola’s grip.
Drazak throws Zaeyr onto the sand as the water dragon pulls his gored hand back. Zaeyr cocks his long, sharp white and blue horns forward.
They stop Drazak before he surges, preventing Zaeyr from spearing him with his own horns. An animalistic, horrid sound emanates from both of them as Drazak rises into a crouch, looking for an opening.
“Drazak, stop!” I implore. “Zaeyr isn’t an enemy.”
“He approached you!”
“He is already mated!”
Zaeyr growls. “You are rabid, dragon male.”
Smoke oozes from Drazak’s jewel at the taunt. Zaeyr’s eyes go to it. They narrow, and he bares his teeth.
The light around Drazak vanishes. His form wavers. “A male coming near my female is rabid. I will keep her! You have chosen death, snake.” He snarls and jabs his horns into Zaeyr’s.
Finally, I slip away, tearing out of Ola’s hold and pouncing on Drazak’s back. He tries to knock me off him, but I hold on.
“Milaye!” he growls, shooting to his feet when he realizes I won’t let go willingly. He thrusts us away from Zaeyr’s vicinity. “I will keep you!” he yells. “I will destroy him!” He tries to pull me into his arms, but I bring my legs up, wrapping them around his waist. He will not attack Zaeyr with me on him.
“Listen to me. Listen to me! He doesn’t want me. He has a mate, like you and me. He is human now too, see? We are not dragons. You are not a dragon anymore, Drazak. He is Haime’s father!”
I hear a scream, and Drazak spins around. Aida is running out of the jungle, and to my surprise—my relief—Haime is right behind her. Zaeyr rises and catches Aida in his arms. She lets out a sob that shreds me when she sees Zaeyr’s hand.
Drazak is tense under me, and I squeeze him tighter. He backs up, but I know he’s confused. Still, his form fades in and out of the darkness he continues to create.
“Milaye!” Haime shouts, seeing me. I want to run to her, to catch her in my arms the way Zaeyr caught Aida, to hold her close. But I’m afraid for Drazak.
“Stay back, little one!” I yell as she makes her way to me.
Zaeyr reaches out and pulls Haime into his arms, tucking her between him and Aida. I’m thankful and sad all at once.
Drazak snarls at Zaeyr, and the other dragon male snarls back.
“See, Drazak?” I lower my voice to his ear. “He has a mate, and children. He wants nothing from you or me.”
Drazak remains tense. So very tense.
Everyone is staring at us.
Another dragon male, I get it. They are rare, beautiful, and deadly beyond belief. They are everything to our tribe of females.
Zaeyr’s eyes sharpen on us. “You are right. I want nothing from either you, and especially a strange male of my kind,” he barks.
We have no relationship, but I’ve trained his daughter. Despite predicting it, his rejection stings.
“I told you we found a dragon, Father!” Haime quips, and I treasure the sound of her voice.
“So you did…” Aida inhales, staring at us, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. There’s awe and something else in her gaze… Concern? Uncertainty? Fear? It worries me.
Drazak’s chest rises and falls, his breaths growing rapid. This time, when he tries to tug me into his arms, I drop my legs and let him. It allows me to get between him and my tribemates. That barrier might help him also.
“Drazak, please,”
