Chapter 6 #2
She pulled her legs to her chest as she opened her eyes to look at him. “Yes. It was years ago now but…” But some pain never truly went away. “But yes, I do. What happened to your family? Could they not clarify the agreement when it changed?”
“My brother used to come every few years.”
Years? Her eyes bulged.
“We have a longer life than humans, and it’s a long journey.
” His leg moved in something like a shrug.
“As the new heir, he had many responsibilities. I do not blame him for not lingering with me. But the final time he came, there was a misunderstanding. Many had come for some festival in the city, and my brother arrived in dragon form. There was panic among the foreigners.” Bitterness filled his tone.
“During the chaos, he was attacked and captured.”
Briannis’s chest grew tight. The dragon behind her seemed to shift and tense.
“He fought back, with lethal consequences. By the time the locals freed him and came to me, many humans had died, and my brother…” Zain’s head dropped. “He was beyond saving.”
“No.” She clutched his leg again.
“In my anger and grief, I…” He glanced away. “That was when the fear began. When things changed for the worse.” He laid his head down and closed his eyes. “One misunderstanding can be a like a rock tossed into a pond. So small, but the ripples can be so large and grow and as they spread.”
“I… I’m so sorry.” She knew the pain of loss. Of seeing loved ones suffering and being unable to save them. It was torture. The kind that left its scars on your heart.
Briannis snuggled in against his leg. “So now we just give you one bride every five years, which probably makes it impossible to find your mate, right? I mean, what are the odds?”
A deep grumble left his chest, which she took for agreement. Absently, she noted that he was much better at shielding his thoughts from her than she was from him.
“Why not just swoop down to the middle of the square so you can check out all the women?”
He lifted his head and drew it closer to hers. “How do you think that would work out?”
She swallowed, thinking of the way the women had dove toward the stage, the way everyone in the city seemed to panic when the dragon flew too close.
“Okay, terrible idea. But it’s so unfair to you and to all of us.
The women who were picked and sent here—” Fates, they understood so little. “They really did not die?”
Zain looked away and lowered his head to the ground once more.
For a moment, she thought he would not answer.
“Some did, though I did not kill them.” He cracked open one golden eye.
“I could not speak to them like you. Some died of fright. Others in attempts to escape. The one who was sent back, Sheena, I could not get to her to heal her. She died of her wounds.”
Somber truth filled the air with heaviness until finally Zain continued. “Most lived.”
A held breath whooshed from her lungs. They lived. It was as much a revelation as if one of the Fates took human form and appeared in front of her. Or a dragon speaking into her mind…
“Before the incident with my brother, none were taken. The years after were…strange. I cannot say how it happened exactly, but the fear spread and grew. No longer would the women come before me, or any humans at all. They fled. Time passed. I fell into despair. And then there was a particularly bad drought. Many died and I could not help them. I feared then the city as a whole would be lost, and I too would be doomed forever. Soon after, the sacrifices began. Women sent to the hills. I would return them to the city if I could. Though some struggled. There were a few times in a row when I failed to help them, to return them. Another drought struck. That was the year they sent Sheena.” His eyes slid closed.
“She survived. At first. She left and found her way home. But shortly after, lightning ignited a fire that burned much of the city and the fields. The people must have believed it was me. That I was angry and caused the fire. So they sent her back, injured and left to die as a sacrifice to the dragon.”
Briannis shook her head at the ironic tragedy of it all.
Zain opened his eyes again and stared at Briannis. “So then, I started taking the women away when I could. Across the sea. Somewhere they could be safe and live but not return here.”
“There was a woman ten years ago. Blonde. A little plump. Very kind.” A spark of hope burned deep in Briannis’s chest. Could she be alive? “Her name was Merilee.” Not that he likely knew it, but she felt the need to speak it anyway.
“I remember her,” Zain replied. “She was frightened and cried much.”
Briannis held her breath.
“But I was able to take her safely to a new city.”
“She’s alive!” Briannis nearly spang to her feet at the joy of it.
He nodded. “She was two years ago, when I was last there. The people there think me some sort of God, I believe, and the women I bring are sacred. They are treated well and come to see me when I visit.”
She laughed in disbelief. All this time, the town mourned them as dead.
She could change that, let them know that their family members lived.
And not just lived, but thrived! They weren’t the only people she could help.
“I can help you find your mate!” She flung out an arm in her exuberance and grazed his wing. Zain’s body shuddered.
“So sorry.” Briannis whipped her hand back.
Damn. Her nails were probably sharp thanks to scrambling around on the rocks.
“But I really think I can help you,” she hurried on.
“I can explain what happened. Bring back the old tradition so that people will not fear you and you can meet everyone to see if anyone is your mate. Just take me back and—”
A loud grumbling roar silenced her. Zain had thrown his head back and bared his fangs. Briannis stilled, fighting the urge to bolt. His wing tucked in closer and she shuffled back toward his side instead. “I will not risk you with them.”
Oh. Oh. “You think they’d treat me like Sheena?” Would they? If she came walking back into the city claiming to have spoken to the dragon…
Her heart sank. He was right. They’d think she lost her sanity in the escape. No one would listen to something so outrageous. But what if he went with her?
Zain grumbled again. “No.”
“But how will you find your mate?”
He stared at her for a few moments before looking away. “We will discuss this another time. The sun is setting quickly.” He glanced at the ceiling above. “You must be tired.”
Sleep had been the last thing on her mind, though now that he mentioned it, she really was exhausted, especially after rising so early that morning and the fear of earlier burning away her energy.
“Fine. But we’ll figure something out. There must be a way.” She glanced around, suddenly unsure. “Where should I sleep?”
Deep laughter rolled through her as Zain tucker his wing closer. “Right here. I will keep you warm.”