Page 78 of Anaki

“Mine,” he purred.

I opened my mouth to scream, but his tail wrapped around my mouth. A rough purr sounded in his throat, and his body drew nearer to me.

My eyes darted to the clearing where Emm and the beast that stood on two legs were. They were obviously busy and not paying attention to us.

Emmie, for once, don’t think about the cat between your legs and save me!

The dragon's scaly tail coiled softly around my mouth, its texture rough yet surprisingly gentle, as it took its leisurely time enveloping the rest of my body in a serpentine hug. My eyes widened with anxiety. The dragon's lips curled into a smirk—a smirk eerily reminiscent of Anaki's, filled withnothing but mischief.

He was in there, somewhere.

The dragon pulled me closer, and I watched as his reptilian pupils expanded and contracted with an intense focus. His scales were a stunning mosaic of deep blue intertwined with shimmering silver and pristine white. It created a mesmerizing pattern that caught the moonlight with every movement. Unlike the typical menacing dragons with large, curved horns, his head was crowned with an intricate formation resembling strong white piped coral. It was different and beautiful.

The dragon huffed and turned away from our spot. His footsteps were silent as he kept me wrapped in his tail and near his face. He didn’t keep me behind him while he walked, but instead with him.

I was surprised by the size and how stealthy he was as he tread through the forest on all four legs. The further we got away from Emm and her monster, the quicker his footsteps became.

“Hmm, you are a smart female covering your scent. You made me hunt for you.” His chest rumbled, and I felt the vibrations through his tail. “I will have to train better in case you ever evade me again.”

His speaking was different than Anaki’s. Deeper, raspier, obviously for how big he was, but also in how he spoke. Anaki was playful. He was not.

The dragon slowly unwrapped the tip of his tail from my mouth so I could speak. I coughed several times and cleared my throat. “What are you going to do with me?”

I wiggled in his hold; the mud I had spread on me earlier had long dried and cracked on my skin.

The dragon chuckled and pulled me closer to his face. One enormous eye looked down at me. “Nothing other than what soulkins should do, little human. There is nothing to fear, unless you plan on rejecting us.”

I stopped moving within his grasp and tilted my head. “Soulkin, what isthat?”

The dragon huffed and continued to move at a faster speed. We reached the fae’s territory within minutes, and the warmth of their home immediately stopped my shivering. He went over to the water and slid inside. “Hold your breath,” he said before he pulled me under.

I was under less than ten seconds before I broke the surface. The dragon then held me in his large, clawed fingers and helped wash away the mud.

I winced at the thought of those sharp talons near my head, but to my surprise, the dragon's touch was gentle and careful of his claws. While there wasn’t soap, he was rather thorough in washing me. There wasn’t a speck left, and I made sure to use the water and my hands to wash any private areas.

He huffed when I slapped his massive caws away when I did so. He would have to get over it. I was very naked and vulnerable. He was an animal, while still part of Anaki, which made him part human.

Then it occurred to me. Did he see Anaki and me doing things? My eyes drifted to the red willow.

The dragon chuckled deeply. “I have seen everything Anaki has seen.”

“Can you read my mind?” I spat back at him.

“No, but you are easy to understand.”

I stuck my tongue out at him and covered my chest. Bastard!

I was still wary because of Anaki’s earlier words. Especially now that this dragon called me a soulkin and said I was his. What was that? And what if I ran? Anaki told me to do it. Do I need to continue trying to get away?

Before I could think further, his tail wrapped around my body, including my arms, and I struggled to free myself. “Isn’t this excessive?”

The dragon didn’t answer me, instead he slithered with all four of his clawed hands on the ground and went a different way from the town as if not to disturb the fae that were probably already in their homes for thenight. I saw lights hung throughout the small town from afar as we climbed back up the trail to the cave.

“Oh, not talking now?” I ground my teeth together. “Better speak now, because it makes you look all the more suspicious. Anaki wanted me away from you for a reason.”

The dragon stopped just outside the cave. He pulled me right in front of his snout. His nostrils opened and closed, and his eyes glared at me. “He wanted to prevent me from detecting your arousal. He thought I would take you there in my dragon form.”

My mouth fell open in shock.