71. Aurelia
Chapter 71
Aurelia
T he cursed dragon watches me with those supernatural, golden eyes. He is eager to care for me, eager to allow his ancient powers to heal my broken body and mind.
I accept it hungrily.
Much has been taken from me. Much is owed.
He lies next to me, his massive heat comforting to my cold bones, and he curls his big wing around my body as if he’s trying to shelter me from the pain. Old, volcanic power seeps through my scales and down my long spine. It settles into the crevices, the fractured places, and soothes away the pain that lies so deep into my core. Like lava moving in the hollows of the earth, it moves slowly and deliberately.
Under his power, the screams in my mind fade away until they are faint, as if smothered by a heavy blanket.
It allows me to peep past my anima and see what he does in between staring at me.
The cursed dragon nudges forward food on a tray with his big snout. It has the air of a disciple setting down an offering to his patron goddess.
Sometimes I choose to take it. Sometimes I do not.
One day, alongside the fresh, dragon fire-seared meat, he sets down something wrapped in red foil. A small, familiar sweet.
I rear up and hiss at it.
White smoke streams from his nostrils and he uses his power to snatch it up and take it away from my sight.
Handsome bastard creature.
His massive head snaps towards me as eyes flare a brilliant gold.
I go still, staring at him because I had not meant to communicate.
The cursed dragon edges closer on those big claws, sniffing the air. Sniffing me.
With no intention of entertaining this, I lower myself to the floor and coil up, ignoring him.
He snorts in annoyance before lumbering away to a pile of gold coins in the corner.
It’s pitch black at night in the cavern where we are. That evening, when he finally settles down next to me and places his wing in its usual position, I wait until his breaths turn deep and slow.
Sliding away, I let the edge of his wing thump onto the blanket and venture out of the nest. This is my first time looking around at this location. I sense we are high above, in mountains where the air is a little bit thinner, encapsulated and isolated in mountainous rock.
And within this rock are piles and piles of treasure.
Stacked high on gilded tables, on the rocky floor, on antique chairs are things that smell of gold and jewels. In one corner, gold bars are stacked as high as a human male, and in another corner, antique paintings that must be worth millions. One corner glints with a silver engine, and upon further inspection, I find a row of motorcycles.
With a distant shock, I realise this is a dragon’s treasure horde.
Exploring further into the maze of shining trinkets, I taste the air and sense the direction it blows. The cavern is huge, big enough that I become weary travelling to the other side. Finally, fresh, cool night air brushes my face.
I surge forward until a gaping maw opens up into the night. The cavern entrance is circular and easily three stories tall, big enough to fit a dragon, and just as wide. Lifting my gaze, I finally get to see just how high up we are.
A sky of stars shines above us, the full moon bright. Before me, a mountainous expanse stretches out, peaks and valleys covered with dark foliage. There is no snow as we’re headed towards the end of summer, but the mountain air is still cool on my scales.
A soft, draconian snort sounds.
My entire body whips around as Xander, quiet as a predator even as a dragon, has come up behind me.
I let out a breath before looking out over the misty land. But my human eyes would reveal a little more colour…
Swallowing the lump of fear in my throat, I concentrate on my body and feel myself elongate. Scales disappear and make way for human skin. My hood disappears into my head, making way for human hair to come through. And limbs. Four limbs grow from my body. I flex my fingers as they appear, but as for my feet?—
Pain burns through the length of my right thigh and I immediately raise my foot, shifting my weight onto my healthy left one.
I feel different. I cannot be the same person I was before. This Aurelia feels like glass. As if all it will take is one decision and I will shatter. They have not broken me. That, is a privilege only I am allowed.
Holding my breath, I look down at my newly grown leg. It is, thankfully, whole, if a bit pale compared to my other, but anatomically identical. The only difference is the pain. I gingerly set the foot flat, testing the feel of it. Bone deep pain shoots like lightning from my heel to thigh and I hiss in agony.
The dragon growls with worry.
I look over my shoulder at Xander, looming over me, his dragon’s head swooping low to peer at my face, golden glowing eyes flickering just slightly with some emotion.
“It hurts,” I mutter. “Obviously.”
I don’t know how to reconcile the dragon I felt in my head with this dragon. With this Xander who looks uncertain.
He makes a rumbling sound that turns up at the end like a question.
Frowning at him, I ask, “Are you in a treasure haze again?”
He blinks, those glowing eyes disappearing just for a second before they reappear, lowering his head even closer. He’s showing me his eyes are clear.
Silence stretches between us as we stare at one another. Does he hide in this form, as I did just before? Is the human side too painful? Too…distasteful?
I hope he doesn’t shift back.
He suddenly leans down, draconian nostrils flaring as he sniffs me. Without another word, he turns around and shuffles away into the cavern.
After a moment, I follow at a snail’s pace, limping so I don’t place too much weight on my right leg. Each step makes pain shoot through the length of the limb and I grimace, irritated at myself. How many days had I spent healing?
The dragon ahead of me turns around and takes a step towards me before indicating my leg with his snout and then making a strange, polyphonic sound from his chest. It’s high and low at the same.
Is he…whining?
“It’s fine. I can do it,” I say through gritted teeth.
He watches me, standing by a circular black stone basin with a spout that looks like it was made with dragon magic.
The dragon indicates it with his snout. The spout magically turns on, crisp mountain spring water gushing out.
I cup my hands and place it under the water and let it fill, before bringing my hands up to my lips to drink. It’s cold, mountain spring water that feels perfect against my hot, parched throat. I wipe my lips with the back of my hand, suddenly weary.
My hand slaps onto the edge of the basin before I fall, steadying myself as a wave of dizziness slams into me.
Xander makes that whining sound again before lowering his head right next to mine. With infinite slowness and great gentleness, he presses the side of his snout against my cheek. I close my eyes against the feel of his mighty power, his warm, rough skin against mine. His breath fans out against my back, hot and wet, and it sort of reminds me of when Henry used to sit on my shoulder, guiding me to breathe.
I don’t even know where my little nimpin is now.
The tears start, barrelling over my cheeks in thick droplets. My nose runs and I press a hand against my mouth, trying to stifle the sobs.
Warm air wraps around me and I screw my eyes tightly shut, hugging my arms around my body. Something hot and sharp digs into my sides, but it doesn’t hurt me. I’m tilted sideways, and before I know it, I’m moving slowly and steadily through the air. I don’t open my eyes as Xander’s mouth encompasses my body, carrying me like a pup and setting me onto the soft blankets of his nest. Only then do I crack open my eyes, snot and tears running down my face, to see golden light staring back at me.
Then he opens his mouth?—
And the tip of a giant red tongue snakes out and licks my face, wiping away my snot.
“Ew, stop,” I say, throwing up my arms and turning away with a grimace. When I’m sure he’s put his tongue away, I frown at him. “That was disgusting.”
He snorts like he disagrees.
Sighing, I make sure my new leg is bent at an angle so I don’t trigger the pain and rest my head on my arms.
When I wake up, it’s to something warm and wet gently scraping against the skin of my thigh. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I sit up to see the dragon curled about me, licking my leg.
“Not again,” I mutter.
My leg is warm with his magic, the skin glowing like he’s been filling my muscles with his power. He makes that strange whining sound again and nudges my face with his massive snout.
“I know,” I say. “It’s not all the way right yet.”
My stomach grumbles.
His head snaps to attention, his eyes wide and alarmed.
“It’s just my stomach,” I say quietly, rubbing across my abdomen. “Don’t look so panicked.”
With the type of agility only dragons have, he uncoils himself from around me and bounds away at breakneck speed.
I shiver against the cold, my naked skin erupting with goosebumps. “Do you have any clothes around here?” I ask, looking around at the tall piles of treasure.
The dragon reappears, lumbering back with multiple items levitating before him. He sets them gently before me: a plate of cooked, cut vegetables, and a length of red material.
I place a piece of sweet potato in my mouth and begin chewing before I reach for the material. He’s seasoned the vegetables with salt, paprika and oregano. When did he have time to cook this?
The material is a soft type of cotton, and when I hold it up, I realise it’s a dress, except the stitches look like they were done by hand and the hem is very uneven. Without looking at him, even though he sits on his haunches staring at me, I shove my head and arms through it.
He doesn’t try to help me, which makes me believe he really isn’t in a treasure haze. If he were, he’d be stuck to me like mould, fussing and fluffing about. Instead, he maintains a sort of distance, even though his eyes are stuck on me.
Finally covered, I tug at the dress, wiggling to the feel of it. It’s strange being covered after so long of being a naked animal, and one part of me doesn’t even like it.
But the mountain air is cool, and human skin isn’t nearly as protective as scales or fur, so I don’t have a choice.
I eat from my plate as Xander watches, snorting softly when I finish and removing the plate with his power. We both watch the white porcelain sail away onto a stack of other dishes by the black stone basin. Dragon eyes then turn to me and he proceeds to coil around my body carefully once again, forming his own sort of nest, his head falling in line with my new leg.
Exhaling a slow breath, I lie down, and using his claw as a pillow, fall into a slumber.
The next time I wake up, it’s a human male body coiled around me.