Tonight, I can sleep with Drazak in the safest place I know: my hut. Where there are no bugs. My male will be with me in the home I built for myself, for the family I only daydreamed would come. Now that I am here, I can finally, finally rest. I have never been so tired.
It seems like I’ve been keeping myself going, and passing my limit, for days. Abruptly. Oddly, my stress vanishes. It’s strange but I don’t dwell on it. The fire in my chest expands, filling my limbs. Goosebumps rise from my skin. The last rays of the setting sun infuse me.
The fire wants to fill me up like Drazak has filled me. I let it, allowing it to soothe my soul.
I press my lips softly to Drazak’s skin.
He grips me a little tighter, and I let myself feel… good.
18
Drazak’s Nightmare
I cannot sleep.
I pretended for Milaye’s sake, but she fell into a slumber once the other humans started the fire. She dozed in my arms on the walk to her tribe, only rousing long enough to eat. I have never seen her relax so willingly but take it as a good sign, she trusts me.
Though I find it odd that she does not want to show me her home, or speak more than a few words to the other humans. Not even the little girl, Haime, can wake her enough to answer her tirade of questions.
Guilt nips at me. Is it me who she trusts… or is it the other humans?
I am taking her away from them.
I shake my head. It is for the best. I will ensure our nest is near enough that she can visit. Milaye was right about having younglings… I do not know how a human gestates, and if it is beyond my ability to help, I want her close to those who have done it before. Seeing Haime, and the other half-dragon children convinced me.
Do human females lay eggs like femdragons? I stare at the crux of my female’s thighs. Her sheath is soft enough for the delicacy of eggs, but it is also extraordinarily tight.
My prick bulges at the thought.
Though dragon eggs are hard and not easily broken, humans are not dragons…
For one, they can mate a lot more often with a lot more vigor. I grab my shaft, shifting it so it does not chafe the cloth wrapped around me. I am eager to bare her again, all the way to my root, but I do not have the cruelty in me to rouse her.
I will bare her for rutting when she wakes.
Zaeyr, the other dragon male, pervades my mind. My shaft softens thinking of him. Now that we have met, I sense him, feeling him in the way all alpha dragons sense other alphas nearby.
It is a mechanism to defend our territories—and our hard-won mates—from the theft of others. Rutting Milaye will be risky with Zaeyr around. I am sure of it.
But as the night deepens, and the raucous noises of the other human’s outside my mate’s hut lessens, I relax. I stoke our fire. One of the humans brings me slabs of raw meat, and I eat my fill, but no one else disturbs us.
Which is good, because I may snap at any time. I have already had to stop myself from lashing out whenever others near. I hear their breaths outside our walls, the crunch of their footsteps. Every sound puts me on edge.
Where are the thick terra walls to keep us safe? Where are the rocks and stones that block out the noise? Milaye’s hut is made of wood slats, reeds, and leaves, all under one large jungle tree. Not safe at all.
Not suitable for my mate, nor my younglings… If I were still a full-blooded dragon, I could curl around my human so she might be protected everywhere, but that is no longer an option.
And worst of all, I now sense a second alpha dragon, another besides Zaeyr. I do not know where he is, but he did not make himself known to me when we arrived. And I am certain Zaeyr does not live with another alpha in his midst.
There was a mention of Kaos… I shake my head, pushing the concerns aside. Regardless, the other alpha’s presence grows stronger as the night grows longer.
He will be mated too. I am sure of it. With this many females, he would have taken one to rut. Still, I will kill him if he nears my human. I will kill any male who nears her. My hand's clench. A male, a human one named Leith, gave me clothes, but he was smart and fled before I lost control.
My jaw ticks. There are far too many males here for my liking. Even one is too much.
I distract myself by studying Milaye’s belongings. It calms me for a time.
Her hut is round, and hides are draped upon every wall, across the floors, and around the firepit. Each from a jungle beast far larger than my human. Her kills bring me pride, but fear as well—any one of these animals could have killed her before she came under my protection.
There are also weapons. Many of them, and I am curious about most of them. There are spears, some with multiple prongs, and others that are stunted. There are daggers made of bones and unidentifiable items carved from rocks or wood. There’s a bow—I know it is a bow from the times the humans of old attempted to use them against me when I neared their homes. I pick it up. With these memories, it is strange to hold it in my grasp.
Once I have scrutinized everything in my view, I pull some hides from the walls and begin collecting the weapons within them. We will bring these with us wherever we go.
My nostrils flare. There is a strange smell in the air.
Milaye moans. Sweat beads her brow, and her face is creased. My eyes narrow. I go
