The creature holding me cupped in its hand or foot is a…dragon.
I reach up a shaky hand and prod at my head. Pain explodes through my scalp and into my brain, and I yelp.
Still alive. Not dreaming.
The dragon’s scales are blue. No…green. No…both. His wings cast a shadow over me, and I glance down. The ground is spinning, that huge shadow demonstrating the wingspan of the beast.
Too far to jump.
The hand…or foot curls around me, the huge claws rising as if the dragon has read my mind. I look up again, and I can’t help but tremble as it tilts its head, one bright gold eye narrowing as it examines me.
I lean over and vomit, getting most of it on the creature’s scales. I raise my head in time to see a curl of smoke rise from one of the dragon’s nostrils as it chuffs.
My head swims, and I finally lean back, too sick to care that I’m about to be eaten.
Dragix
The female creature slumps against me, and I fly faster. I can smell her blood through the underlying sickness that seems to radiate from her.
If I do not get her back to my lair quickly, she will die. I tilt my head at that. When I swooped down to collect the strange two-legged female, I thought I was drawn to her scent for a meal.
No. The female creature smells good but not for eating.
She smells like…family. Like laughter and joy. Like fighting and mating.
My mountain looms in the distance, and I pick up the pace, catching an air current as I soar through the sky.
When I approach the long, flat rock, I make sure my landing is gentle, unwilling to further jostle my new possession.
The female groans weakly against me, and I waste no time. I place her gently on the ground and get to work, licking at her bleeding.
My saliva will heal most wounds, but it cannot bring back the dead. And I can hear the dull thump of this female’s heart, the beats spaced further and further apart, as if it is close to giving up.
I glance up, narrowing my eyes at the movement as Maez steps through the rocky entrance to my lair. If she is surprised to see the wounded creature on the rock in front of me, she doesn’t show it, instead dropping her eyes submissively.
I wait one long moment. Maez has served me faithfully, as her kind once served and lived in harmony with my people. When the Braxians came, my race was not the only race to be slaughtered.
I give her a warning look as she raises her eyes, and she waits for my nod before she approaches. I don’t need to tell her that this creature is not for eating. She angles her head, her gaze immediately falling on the wounded female’s head.
“Oh no,” she murmurs, crouching down next to her. “She is very close to death, Dragix.”
I snort, and she glances up at my displeasure.
“You expect honesty, and I’m giving it to you. She may not last the night.”
I narrow my eyes again, and Maez sighs.
“So much blood,” she tuts. Her hands are gentle as she moves the female’s hair away from the deep wound. I reach out one claw to feel her hair. When I let go, the black lock bounces back into place.
“Curls,” Maez says, but her attention is elsewhere. She frowns as she examines the female’s ear, where blood has pooled. “There’s a small break in her skull here…see? If you want her to live…” She raises her eyes as if checking that this is still correct, and I nod. “In that case, you’ll need to ensure your saliva gets deep right here. If her bone can knit back together and her brain is not injured, she will live.”
I nod and get to work, licking at the injury. Maez directs me, and I ensure that my saliva is deep enough to heal.
This healing is one of the many reasons creatures on this planet attempt to hunt me. They believe it is my blood that can heal almost any injury.
I return my attention to the female. Maez murmurs something about water and steps away. When she has returned, I am finished, and I watch as she manages to trickle a few sips of water down the female’s throat.
“Now all we can do is wait,” Maez says, and I resist the urge to snarl at her. She has been the one loyal creature in my life for years now. If she says that there is no more to do, I will believe her.
She leaves me with the strange female, and since Maez has wiped some of the blood away, I can examine her properly. The female’s skin is white and pallid, and her body is much smaller than the other two-legs’ on this planet. I don’t know the color of her eyes, and I find myself interested, wishing she would open them so I can see.
It is worth keeping this two-leg alive for that curiosity alone. I have not felt interest in anything other than the sun on my scales and the occasional hunt for…too long.
If this two-leg breaks the boredom of my long life, then I will keep her.
Chapter Two
Charlie
I wake to warmth. Someone is bathing my face, and the feeling of anyone touching me with gentleness is strange enough that my eyes pop open.
One huge gold eye stares back at me.
I yelp, pushing my hands into the hard rock beneath me as I attempt to sit up.
The dragon.
Oh God. He hasn’t eaten me yet. Maybe he prefers his prey conscious.
My hands shake at the thought. Why can I never catch a break? Now instead of dying while unconscious, I get to do it while completely aware of what’s about to happen to me?
No one has my kind of luck. No one.
The dragon lowers his head again, and I yelp as I
