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Chapter Twenty-Four

Elena

W hen I saw Anaki in pain, a part of me was desperate to reach out and help him, yet those ungodly sounds he made were terrifying beyond belief. I felt torn between wanting to comfort him and the fear that I would do more harm than good.

My heart raced, and any arousal that had plagued me vanished when I saw his bones break, his neck arch and lengthen. The screams and the roars were unbearable. My body trembled in fear for him, not for my life, but for his.

He was a shifter. I’ve seen the product of when someone had shifted, but I never witnessed the actual shift. I’ve heard Bear and Nadia’s bones break from behind the tree so they could show us their animals, but this? This was beyond anything I had anticipated.

Nadia and Bear didn’t scream in anguish like this.

Anaki roared, the scales pierced through the skin and bled.

The long teeth I’ve seen in his mouth before doubled, tripled in size.

Anaki grew into something much larger than what Nadia and Bear did.

He was… ot herworldly. I was caught between awe and disbelief, unsure of how to feel.

This was wrong. It wasn’t supposed to hurt him like this, was it?

Then, when he told me to run, I did without looking back. If Anaki said running was the best option, I would listen. He never let me out of his sight, and if he wanted me gone now, there was a reason.

Was there something wrong with his dragon form?

I did what I was told and jumped into the pond. I’m guessing it was my scent that he was trying to get me to hide.. I didn’t stay long and climbed up on the other side of the embankment only to cover myself in mud.

A place full of shifters, they were all animals. They had strong senses of smell, as Beretta mentioned in passing. I would not be found.

I ran, at first not sure where to go other than staying close to the ground. This dragon could be huge. Maybe he couldn’t spot me.

The idea of going closer to town would be wise.

The dragon wouldn’t want to be caught, at least I hoped it wouldn’t.

I kept running until the beautiful, luscious plants slowly faded around me.

I passed through the invisible barrier that contained the beautiful oasis; I knew this because the heat vanished and the more Earthly forest appeared.

The cooler spring night air hit my cold, muddy skin and I sucked in a breath through my teeth.

Great, now I’m naked, muddy and freezing.

I kept moving. My naked body wouldn’t last long in acres of forest, but I had little choice. If I kept moving, kept my heart rate up, I’d stay warm. The temperatures weren’t even close to freezing.

My adrenaline was the only thing that was going to keep me going, and I prayed my muscles weren’t going to ache by the time all this was over.

As my feet pounded against the forest floor, I could feel the crunch of dry leaves, the prickly pine needles, and the soft, springy moss beneath my soles.

Birds erupted from the branches above in a flurry of wings, startled by the noise.

I watched them jump from the branches in flight, their feathers glinting in the dappled sunlight, and silently prayed they wouldn't give out my location to Anaki's dragon.

My heart thundered in my chest while I continued to run through the late afternoon.

I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, he couldn’t.

Not when Anaki was part of the dragon, Bear and Nadia said so, what little they told me.

Bear said his animal knew how much Nadia meant to him and would never do such a thing.

Then why is Anaki having me run away? Was he sick? Was there something really wrong? Should I get help?

I half ran and walked for hours until I couldn’t anymore.

My body was tired, and the breakfast I had wasn’t enough.

I finally collapsed on the other side of the clearing right as the sun set and curled myself up into a ball.

I could hear the road not far from me. If I could just rest for a while, perhaps I could get some strength and find a trail to the cabin where we stayed.

My brain went foggy, my eyelids felt heavy from the run, until I heard heavy footsteps running through the woods.

It was a woman’s laughter, similar to Emm’s.

It was that deranged laugh she would get as a child when she would get in trouble for stealing eggs from the neighbors and bringing them home, cracked and broken.

I raised my head from the makeshift nest of pine needles and bark. My body shivered in the cold when I poked my head up, and a snarl came from behind her. She turned with a shriek, and a beast pounced on her and snarled. They spoke, but I missed what they said because the sight shocked me too much.

It was like a damn werewolf. He had a big, long dick between its legs and a ball at the base. It leaked precome everywhere while it ripped off my sister’s clothes. I dared to sit up and poke my head out of the bush, but stayed hidden as she moaned and bared her chest to him .

Alright, she wants it, so I’m gonna stay here.

There was more scuffling, like she was fighting. He snarled at her and pushed her over the log and inserted his—

?Dios Mio!

I gasped and hugged my legs. This was not happening. I’ve seen my sister twice now get it on with two different guys! Well, technically a beast, or are they the same person?

Does she know all about this? Shifters of the town?

Probably, and was into it. She was kinky.

Runs in the family, I guess.

“So gross!” I whispered and covered my eyes before I lowered my head to my knees again. I rocked back and forth to try and keep those terrible sounds away.

What a family reunion this was.

Suddenly, I felt hot breath fanning the top of my head. I slowly looked up, only to see big, dragon eyes staring straight at me. His body was low to the ground, but by how massive his head was, I knew he was much, much larger.

“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 with nothing 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 is that?”

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 the night.

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.

“He also thought I might claim you there, prematurely binding your soul to ours. I still might do it if you aren’t cooperative.”

My mouth hung open in astonishment as he crawled into the cave on all fours, his movements fluid and animalistic.

A low hum resonated from his throat when he gently pushed aside the tent drapes, revealing the dimly lit interior.

He carefully placed me down in the center of the large area.

His eyes met mine with an intense glare, a silent command not to budge, before he turned away.

With a deliberate stride, he exited the tent, leaving me alone in the quiet, shadowy space.

Being who I was and not taking his shit, I grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around me.

Before I could see what he was doing, I heard a loud scraping sound at the entrance of the cave.

I stood, hurried to the flap of the tent, and saw on the other side of the cave that the dragon was moving a giant boulder in front of it.

That stupid fuck! Now I will never get out of here!

I stomped in annoyance all the way back to the bed. My hair was wet, my body cold on the outside, but my insides still roared from this afternoon’s time with Anaki. Life was not going how I wanted, right now.

I cannot be horny around a damn dragon. That would be insane. He was such a prick, picking me up with his dang tail, telling me I was his. Anaki would never be such a…

I crossed my arms over my chest, and I felt his presence just over me. He was a sneaky dragon. I didn’t hear him move the flaps when he reentered. He circled around me on the bedding, and he took his time to get comfortable on the plush blankets.

How long did he hunt me in the forest? Did he make me suffer the whole time this afternoon? Was he punishing me for running?

I balled my hands into fists, my anger already seething the more he stayed silent.

“You are a strong female, I see why the goddess has given you to us.”

I scoffed and jerked my head toward him. “What are you going on about?”

The dragon’s shoulders shook as he chuckled.

“The Moon Goddess, my soulkin. She has paired us. Anaki has been too afraid to tell you, since your relationship with your elder has been strained. I’ve grown tired of waiting for him to tell you, so here it is.

You are ours, female. Ours to have, to hold, to fuck, to breed, to love.

For the rest of eternity. And if the goddess dared tried to change her mind, I’d fucking eat her and not let her correct the wrongs she’s done to the rest of the world. ”