Chapter 18
Zsekhet
I pulled Cosima along with me in the fading sunlight, urging her to the edge of the camp where my tent should still remain.
I’d always preferred the peace and quiet of being close to the open desert, and close to where Ses would sprawl on the sand to sleep.
It would not surprise me if he’d dug a sleeping pit in his usual spot and was already snoring away.
“That went well, didn’t it?” Cosima asked quietly.
She was gazing around herself with a curious expression, not appearing to be intimidated by the many stares she was still getting.
A small crowd of younglings was trailing at our back, whispering urgently together as they stared at my mate.
She took all of that in stride, not a hint of fear, despite how closely this resembled what we’d gone through inside the Hearth Caves of Bitter Storm.
“It did,” I confirmed. “I think the Queen is convinced Haven is no threat to Serqethos. Zsandex is a suspicious bastard though, but he’ll do as she says.
” As the mate to a sister of the former Queen, he’d been one of the only surviving Clan members left with any position of authority.
Until Alshara got older, he’d been our interim leader, and he’d made it his life’s entire focus to avenge our fallen or rescue the females that were stolen from us.
It was hard to unbend from that kind of anger and bitterness when the task was over.
I spotted the long, barbed tip of Sesethul’s tail lying in front of the sand-blown entrance to what was once my home.
The tent had sand dunes piled up against the sides, but not nearly as much as three months’ worth, someone had been by to maintain my abode.
The dragon’s large shape rose up behind the tent, a bulwark of tough scales and heat against the desert sands and rapidly dropping temperatures.
“Tomorrow,” I said as I appraised the crowd of younglings behind me, “You and I will visit the gate for our blessing. Tonight, I will pack anything I wish to take with me to Haven. It won’t be long until we’re flying home, in time to finish building your greenhouse.”
I couldn’t wait to show the ruins and the gate to my mate, certain she’d be excited to see it all.
I knew how much she loved to study buildings, their construction, and that designing them really excited her.
I was eager to discover what she’d think of the history here at Serqethos.
The ruins were built right up to the edge of the lake but they spread far and wide beyond it.
Most of the ancient city had been entirely covered by sand, we were unable to keep up with the sand that covered everything, though my people tried to keep the most important buildings clean.
A job assigned to young dragon riders, who could use the wind their dragon generated like a giant sweep.
I remembered the task fondly, having spent many hours with Ses on it myself as a youngling.
I wiped all thoughts of the ruins and the gate from my mind when we reached my tent.
I’d lived here on my own for many years, the small structure less of a home than Arakash’s tent had been.
Still, I was excited to share it with Cosima for the night.
Sheltered from the cold of the desert nights, with just enough privacy to convince my mate to let me make love to her.
My cock pulsed eagerly in my pouch, already slick and ready for when she’d welcome me between her silky thighs.
***
Cosima
I smiled as Zsekhet slithered casually over Ses’s tail and flung open the leather flap to his tent.
It wasn’t very big, just big enough to hold a nest and some sacks of belongings, a lantern dangling from a pole that he lit.
When the tent flap closed behind us, a chorus of complaining noises went up behind us and I saw a glint light up in Zsekhet’s eyes.
“Oh boy, what’s that you’re thinking?” I asked, warmth and happiness already bubbling through my bloodstream. That was a glint of mischief, he was up to no good, and I loved how much he knew how to have fun.
His tail flicked the flap open just enough to give those youngsters a glance at the two of us, then he swooped down and planted a kiss on me.
I giggled, catching on, and tilted my head to receive another.
The tent flap dropped when his forked tongue slipped out to tangle with my own, our audience forgotten, and passion rising between us.
I let him sweep me away, wrapping me up in his warmth, his nearness. The promise he offered that I’d be safe and happy for the rest of my life, with him at my side, I felt like I could face anything. Strong, whole, and myself once again.
The top furs on his nest were a little dusty so he shoved those away, quickly throwing down the furs from our pack of supplies.
Then we were lost to the world for a while, swept into passion, and that was followed by dreams. I did not have nightmares anymore, or if I did, they were soothed by the warmth and weight of my mate’s coils sprawled over my legs.
In the morning, Zsekhet rushed to pack what he wanted to keep and then went around camp to give away what he no longer needed.
I stayed with Sesethul, perched on the dragon’s paw, shaded by a giant wing.
The dragon had placed his head next to my feet, one slitted, golden eye gazing at me with what almost felt like that kind of loving, loyal look a golden retriever might give you.
I couldn’t believe how silly I’d once been to fear this beast would eat me, and now look at me.
Reaching out, I stroked my hands over his wide nose and grinned when that made him slide his nictitating eyelids shut over his large eye.
Very gently for such a giant beast, he pressed his nose closer, snuffling my hand, then my legs, and up against my chest. His head was bigger than I was, it was an intense experience but I loved it.
A dragon hug or kiss, it was kind of like a fantasy come true.
“Ses seems to like you,” a male voice announced from nearby.
The dragon didn’t stop the gentle press of his nose against my chest, which made me feel like he didn’t consider this Naga a threat.
When I glanced over my shoulder, I recognized the older, grizzled-looking male as Arakash.
I’d learned from Zsekhet that this male had been his trainer, and in some way, a stand-in for a dad when his parents had perished in the attack.
Next to Arakash hovered a female Naga with a jaunty, cheerful smile on her face, her hair a shimmering gold with black streaks.
She looked vaguely familiar, her expression open and curious.
The leather apron around her hips and a hammer dangling from a loop gave her away as the goldsmith that so eagerly had greeted us yesterday.
The one who thought my eyes looked like the sky.
I nodded unsure what they wanted of me but not feeling threatened yet. It was hard to feel threatened when you had a dragon next to you the size of an airplane who’d readily come to your defense.
“I know you can understand us,” the male continued, slithering a little closer so that he could duck into the shade Ses’ wing provided.
“So I wanted to ask you to take good care of Zsekhet. He’s…
like a son to me. And he’s a good male, with a soft heart.
” When Arakash called Zsekhet’s heart soft, the female next to him started to laugh, her grin wide and infectious.
“Ah, that’s precious. Zsekhet can take care of himself!
” she announced. She dared to slither much closer than the male had, coming to a stop right next to the long black dragon claws.
Ses was no longer nuzzling me, his golden eye focused on this female though his posture remained relaxed. I took my cues from him.
Tapping my fist over my chest, I hoped I conveyed consent and understanding when I nodded at the older man.
Then I flicked my eyes up at the female and met her grin with one of my own.
She smirked, and then she dug her hand into the pockets of her apron and withdrew a long golden chain.
“I noticed Zsekhet wasn’t wearing one like this anymore,” she said, her golden gaze dropping to the simple but elegant gold bangle around my wrist. “So I made a replacement.”
She dropped the chain in my lap, spinning around to leave. “You could come visit. Or we might?” I offered to her back, cursing the fact that they wouldn’t be able to understand me. The female glanced over her shoulder, giving me a nod as if she had, and then she rushed away.
“That’s Zsekhet’s baby sister,” Arakash offered gently as an explanation.
“And once upon a time, she—and everyone else—believed that Zsekhet’s sigils would light for Alshara, the Queen.
” Cold washed over me for a long moment, but I shook off the feeling.
Now I better understood the Queen’s responses, how she’d fought down more aggressive urges, and I found I respected her all the more for it.
I wasn’t sure why he was giving me this information, maybe he wanted me to know how much Zsekhet was giving up to be with me.
Maybe he wanted me to change his mind about where we lived, or convince me to leave Zsekhet.
When the male slithered a little closer, I held my breath, fear skittering up my spine.
Then Ses curled his head a little closer on his long, thick neck, effectively putting his maw between me and the male and I relaxed again.
“But I can see how happy he is, how much lighter. Customarily, the father of a female about to receive the gate’s blessing gives her this, but since you are alone…
I thought. Well here!” He dropped a small pouch in my lap on top of the golden chain, and with a slightly awkward shrug and bow, he turned and slithered back into the camp.