I stop and face her. “Haime, that’s different. Your father is an intelligent creature, an ancient, and one able to bond with a human. He may not have been human once, but he is now. He is family.”
Haime pouts.
“No more arguing. At this rate, we won’t be back to the tribe until well after dark.”
“Then we should camp here and maybe—”
“No.”
I lead her further in the direction I think the exit is, but only darkness greets us. A chill dances across my skin. At first, the cave didn’t seem like it would be so big, but now I’m not sure…
When we reach a rocky wall, I nearly sigh in relief, but soon realize there’s no ledge above, and when I look down, my feather isn’t there. I glance to either side, no idea which way to go.
“Haime, do you see anything nearby?” I ask.
She peers around. “Big shadows and rocks.”
“What about the ledge we came in by?”
She shakes her head.
“Alright,” I keep my voice calm. I pick a direction and follow it.
Haime tugs my hand. “There’s something over there.” She points ahead of us and slightly to the left. “I think I saw it when I was looking for the boy.”
I inhale and nod. “Good.” Good. Hopefully that means we’re still close to the ledge, that we haven’t accidentally gone deeper. I swear this cave seemed much smaller. I move us from the wall, in the direction Haime pointed.
“Why aren’t my eyes adjusting?” Haime asks.
“I don’t know. Perhaps it’s how deep the cave is.”
I recall the inky black smoke that came from the dragon’s scales and jewel. Could it be…? I shake my head, pushing the thought away. I don’t want to know if this darkness is something more than the absence of light.
“I can see in the caves near home.”
I fail to respond. Something appears before us, glistening and filmy. It catches the flames, and glittering light purple streaks fill my vision. It takes me a moment to realize… it’s part of the dragon’s wing.
“What’s that?”
I grab her and turn her away. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
Waters, no. Please no. I try to lead us back the way we came.
But Haime tugs free and pushes past me. She rushes past the torch and I fling it away so it doesn’t harm her. I lose my footing and trip.
“Milaye?” she cries, and I hear the horror in her voice as I fall.
Dizziness fills me. My heart drops into my stomach. I caught myself with my palms—but my hands aren’t pressed against stone or dirt. I’m touching something smooth and silken. I look up to see Haime is touching the dragon too.
My fingers curl inward.
“It’s a dragon!” I hear her scream.
My dragon.
Heat shoots up my arms.
6
Bonded
I’m frozen, staring at the purple sheen of wing under my hands. It twitches and then moves. My arms grow hot, burning, and I jerk back, grabbing my fallen torch and Haime at the same time.
It’s alive.
I force Haime away, and for once, she doesn’t fight me. But even though I’m no longer touching the dragon, the heat in me grows, expanding from my arms to my chest. A blast of air strikes us, sending our flames dancing. Something crashes nearby, and I grapple with Haime. Another crash, and then I hear it.
A low, echoing growl. It should’ve been lost among the falling rocks, but it’s not. The growl fills my ears, and I’m pierced with another jolt of warmth.
Staggering, I drop my torch again and clutch my chest. My heart is on fire. In my haze of shock, Haime picks up our light—and a rock crashes beside us. We both jump.
“Milaye, it’s waking up,” Haime yells.
“Run!” I scream.
Our fingers intertwine, and we surge into the darkness. Despite the warmth bursting through me, I search wildly for the ledge, desperate to find the exit as Haime waves the torch. She tugs me to the left just in time when another boulder falls. We dodge the impact and—I see my feather. It flutters on the ground.
I’ve never witnessed a more beautiful sight.
“Here!” Pulling Haime after me, I run to it, and the dark line of the ledge appears.
I waste no time and grab Haime’s waist, lifting her. She drops the torch above and climbs up. A second later, she turns around, watching as I reach up and grab the ledge.
“Run! I’ll be right behind you.”
She hesitates. Tears are falling down her cheeks.
“Go!” I scream. “Don’t wait for me!”
Dust litters the air, rocks are raining everywhere, but it’s the growling roar that sends terror through my bones as it grows louder and louder still. The dragon’s too big for this cave. I knew it upon first sight of him. We’ll be crushed if we don’t make it out before he awakens. The cave will be destroyed.
There’s another crash, and Haime flinches. I slip from the ledge. This one was right behind me, and far too close for comfort.
“Go!” I shout again, and she finally disappears, taking the torch with her.
The light vanishes in moments. I pray that the way ahead of her is clear.
Pressing my foot to the wall, I use it as leverage and jump up. But my arms are still burning, they’re shaking and won’t take my weight. I slip back down. I do it again, harder this time, and miss again. Worried now, the heat building inside me, I try a third time and manage to fling one arm over to hold me up. A cacophony of noises blasts my ears as I climb my feet up the wall.
“Human!” a deep, guttural voice bellows. A deeply angered male voice. It fills the cave. It slams into my soul.
Stunned, I lose my footing and fall. My head slams into the ground. Searing pain darkens my mind.
Everything falls into the abyss.
I awake sometime later.
I don’t know how long it’s been. But time has passed because I’m surrounded by silence. Not even the shudder of pebbles reaches my ears. There’s nothing but darkness and pain radiating from my
