Chapter 33 #2
“But there are only dark witches in these parts.” He should know; it was close to his mountain overlooking the sea.
But the witches here were aware of his – and many other dragons’ – presence, and wouldn’t dare venture near the mountain ranges unless they wanted to court death. The fact that they’d even gone near them to obtain Selene was difficult to fathom.
When Carwyn didn’t answer him, he glanced up once more to find her expression pensive. He halted.
“A dark witch, Carwyn?!”
“I wouldn’t say a dark witch,” she grumbled, lifting a hand to nibble on the nail of her forefinger nervously. “She’s not a white witch either. We consider her neutral. Grey, perhaps?”
He flapped his wings for speed as he galloped to her. “There’s no such thing!”
“Her powers are quite unimaginable. Even we’ve struggled to comprehend them. She’s somehow managed to stave back the corruption, despite using such horrible magics.” At his snarl, she peeked at him, then winced. “You will understand when you see her.”
He grabbed the back of her dress to halt her. “Absolutely not. You will not take me to such a creature, and I won’t allow you near it.”
She ripped her dress from him. “Then go back to your lair, Kier.”
“You cannot be considering seeking help from–”
“Yes,” she stated, cutting him off. “I made this decision before I left my home. In every step I took as I crossed this continent for weeks. Even when I was in danger, I continued on this path.” She stormed forward as she whispered, “And if you forcibly take it from me, I’ll never forgive you.”
His head tipped back as he groaned. Blasted!
He chased after her, then grabbed the back of her dress. When she spun around with a gasp, he climbed her skirts and curled forward when he got to her back. Once he was up on her shoulder, he held on for dear life.
“Know that I am displeased,” he growled.
Her nose almost brushed the end of his snout when she twisted to look at him, and her large, beautiful eyes blinked at him. He considered licking her cheek just so she could feel how infuriated he was, but surely his quaking body and digging claws were enough.
When she didn’t say or do anything, he gestured forward with his entire head.
“Walk, female.”
He made himself comfortable on her shoulder just as she hesitantly took a step. Then another, and another, until she had resumed her earlier marching pace. She kept peeking at him, even when the sun reached its highest point and started to shine upon her.
He appreciated his new position when sunlight made her eyelashes glitter.
When it glowed upon her lovely face, his perch made the view pleasant and close.
Oh, how it made her eyes shine with molten pools of russet brown that spoke the hidden depths of her gaze.
Even her hair took on stray golden highlights that streaked throughout the darker strands.
He noted the little dark spot above her eyebrow, and how she had one on the back of her neck he’d never seen before.
Her pulse throbbed right next to his little ear, and he peered at it for a long while, seeing her lifeblood thrumming through her. Strong and steady. He sniffed her nape where it met her hair, taking in her heady and gentle, feminine scent. It mollified him – slightly.
He scanned the forest for a moment to check that their surroundings were safe before something caught in his peripheral vision. Her breasts jiggled with each of her footfalls, and now that he was so small, he could perceive it more than normal. Her skin literally bounced with plumpness.
“Are you seriously going to make me carry you the entire way?” she eventually asked when the terrain became a little rockier and unwieldy.
“Yes,” he answered, staring at her breasts. “Consider this your penance.”
They looked soft as always, like a pair of cushions perfect for resting himself upon. I wonder if I’ll fit between them. Then he could bask in their feel, her warmth, and her scent, rather close and intimately. It’s not beneath me to seek such comforts.
“Lazy.”
His lips quirked at that, especially as hers had as well.
Carwyn glanced at Kier’s teeny-tiny head, that she could easily cover with her entire fist, and once more had to hold in a giggle. I didn’t actually think he’d do it.
He looks so adorable. Would he be mad if I petted him like a kitten?
The temptation was nigh overwhelming, but she didn’t want to upset the little dragon any further. I’m surprised he’s actually coming with me.
His weight on her shoulder was light enough that she could almost forget he was there. Admittedly, her pulse was elevated over it.
I thought he’d be gone when I woke up. And then she’d expected him to leave when she’d explained her condition for him joining her. Commanding a huge and arrogant dragon to be the size where he’d nearly fit in both her palms? She thought his pride wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Yet there he was, lazing on her shoulder as he basked in the hot sun, and he looked so proper and poised when he eventually found a way to balance himself so he could cross his wrists.
I’ve always wanted to walk around with a dragon like this. On her shoulder like a bird, traversing the world together as if they were companions.
“So, this grey witch you are taking us to, even though such a thing is impossible and ridiculous,” Kier scoffed, wiggling his head. “Explain her to me. I’ve never heard of such a gift being taken away without ridding you of your magic entirely. Why do you believe she has the ability?”
Carwyn shrugged, and his eyes widened, his claws stabbing into her to balance himself. “I don’t know if she has the possibility, only the knowledge. She’s a soothsayer.”
“A seer?”
She nodded. “Just so. She hinted it to me when I last visited her with Valerie, but she sent me a scroll recently.”
“And you trust her?”
“Admittedly... no.” A familiar wave of uncertainty crawled down her spine in an icy shiver. “But she also doesn’t mean me any harm.”
I’m so desperate that I don’t care either way, her mind whispered, her determination as strong as ever.
She didn’t care if this was stupid, foolish, or insane. For a long time, the idea of death sounded better than living a life where she was alone, unloved, and untouchable. Locking her magic away was her only alternative, but she struggled with the idea, as it would be akin to locking away her soul.
She cupped her hands anxiously. And I’m unsure if I have the same strength as Valerie.
To feel the cold burn marring her skin forever... the way it would singe down to muscle and bone... she didn’t know if the price was worth it. Could she live a life of pain and spiritual absence in exchange for the potential of a normal existence?
Her eyes slid to Kier, and her heart swirled with yearning and fear all at once.
The potential for a different path lay on her shoulder with a maw tightened in thought, and the unknown of it petrified her.
Why couldn’t I have been gifted the ability to see into the future? She thought she could handle blindness over her current predicament, which was what many seers faced after so many possibilities were seen – each one, over time, slowly clouding their vision until they saw nothing but the future.
The more they chose to do it, the faster it happened.
“I’m surprised you embarked on such a journey alone.”
“No one else could come with me. Kaeylyn is too young, so Mother had to remain behind, and Aldora hasn’t left our cottage since she was taken.”
“Why not reach out to the ShadowHunter’s mate then?”
A warm spark skittered beneath her chest for Valerie. She was thankful to finally know the truth as to why Valerie was protected under such strong wards, and that she was hopefully content. It made Carwyn so happy.
“I didn’t know where she was,” she stated, peeking up at the blue sky with a small smile. “Had I known that she was at the palace, I might have gone there and asked for her assistance. Maybe he would’ve been kind enough to fly us himself at her request and we could have done it together.”
Instead I’m doing it with him. Does that mean I can have both? Would the end of this journey result in her being freed of this curse and becoming his mate? Her heart fluttered so hard and fast it pounded in her ears as shy, bashful heat flared in her cheeks.
And the longer she thought about that possibility, the deeper it set its claws into her chest until it felt like her heart was trying to turn inside out.
It tingled her entire being, and strange places in her body throbbed: her stomach, the back of her head, and between her thighs, where liquid pooled. Even the delicate places on her wrists and her fingertips became more sensitive.
Kier lifted a paw to brush the side of her ear. “Your ears have turned red. What’s wrong?”
His tiny claws tickled so much that a gasp tore from her throat. A wave of goosebumps trailed down her skin, instantly making her nipples taut in reaction.
She raised a trembling hand to hide it, wishing her hair was free. Her own skin was hot against her palm, and the fact that he pointed it out only made her pulse unsteady. It didn’t help that his rough, deep voice was right next to her ear.
“N-nothing,” she croaked. “I just had a strange thought.”
Is this what humans feel when they have a crush? It was so nauseating that she wanted to jump out of her own skin from the gooey giddiness that assaulted her from head to toe. How awful.