Page 13 of Bound by Fire and Scales (The Dragons of Earis #1)

Sabrina crumbled into my arms and I didn’t think twice before I rushed through the hallways with her in my arms. I could feel her heart beating fast—too fast—and her breaths came in shallow, uneven gasps. My hand grazed her temple, and the heat of her skin sent a jolt of panic through me. She was burning up. Damn it. I tried to keep myself calm as I quickened my pace, cradling her closer. Nothing else mattered now. All my focus, all my strength, was locked on one thing: keeping her safe.

I had been in my office, signing up trading papers, when I felt it. Something had shifted inside me, a sharp tug in my chest that stole my breath. It wasn’t pain, but it was urgent, insistent, like a thread tied to my very soul pulling me in her direction. Sabrina. I didn’t know how I knew, but she needed me. The feeling grew stronger until I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I abandoned everything to go to her, my heart pounding in rhythm with the inexplicable pull. My alpha whined in distress. Omega needs us. She’s in pain; we must go to her.

The moment I stepped into the library, my gaze found her, and my heart clenched. Her face was pale, her body trembling, and I knew instantly that something was wrong. A roar ripped from my throat before I could stop it. My dragon bristled, ready to hunt down and destroy whoever had hurt her. But I forced myself to stay grounded, to swallow the rage for her sake. I moved to her side, scooping her into my arms. She was mine to protect, and no matter what had happened, I would keep her safe.

When we finally reached our quarters, I gently laid her on the bed, brushing her hair away from her face. She was still out of it, her body limp, her breathing too shallow. “Sabrina,” I whispered, my voice softer now, my hand resting against her forehead. “Please… Stay with me.”

Moments later, the healer finally arrived, his hurried steps echoing in the silence. I remained at the edge of the room, my arms tightly crossed, every muscle in my body rigid with impatience. I needed answers. Now. Each passing second felt like an eternity as I watched him approach her, my eyes never leaving her pale, fragile form. The healer moved quickly, checking her pulse, his brow furrowed in worry, prying her eyelids open with a gentleness that only made me feel more anxious.

“It looks like she’s taken too many suppressant pills,” he said, looking at me with a grave look. “Her body is in shock.”

Suppressants. Of course. The pills she took to hide her omega scent, to avoid attention from other alphas. Anger flared inside me again, but it wasn’t aimed at Sabrina. No, it was at the fact that she felt she even needed those damned pills in the first place.

I looked at the healer, a surge of frustration and anger rising within me. “What can we do? ”

“We’ll have to let her body push the chemicals out on its own, but it might take time.”

“How long?” I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper, the concern bleeding through despite my attempt to keep it under control.

The healer shook his head. “I can’t say for sure without knowing how many pills she’s been taking or how long this has been going on. The omega body can only handle so much. And it seems she’s been abusing them for a while now.” His words hit me like a physical blow. I felt my chest tighten with guilt. I should have known. Since coming to the Fire Island, she’s been living under the same roof with many alphas, and as an unmated omega, it was only natural that she had to double her intake of suppressants to keep herself from drawing unwanted attention.

“But,” the healer continued, “with rest and time, she can make a full recovery. Although, she needs to stop taking the suppressants, Alpha Zephyr. Her body can’t handle this strain much longer.”

I didn’t know how to process the relief that flickered through me. She would be okay, but only if she stopped. All I had to do was to convince her to stop before it was too late. I thanked the healer with a tight nod, dismissing him as my mind immediately turned back to Sabrina. She had shifted slightly, her eyelids fluttering as she struggled to wake. My chest tightened at the sight of her, so fragile, so vulnerable. I sank down onto the edge of the bed, my gaze softening as I watched her.

“Sabrina, I’m so sorry I didn’t notice what you were going through before.”

She blinked, her eyes unfocused at first, clouded with confusion, but they slowly began to clear. When her gaze found mine, it carried a weight of guilt that made my heart ache.

“Zephyr, I–I have to protect myself...” Her voice was barely a whisper, fragile and broken, but the undercurrent of shame in her words didn’t escape me.

A sharp sigh left me as I traced my thumb gently over the back of her hand, feeling the softness of her skin soothe my nerves. “You’re not alone anymore, Sabrina,” I said, my voice firm, yet full of tenderness. “You don’t have to take those suppressant pills any longer. You’re under my protection and no alpha will touch you. I promise you that.” I would keep her safe, no matter the cost. She didn’t have to carry this burden alone. Not while I was here.

Her lips parted, and for a moment, I saw something shift in her eyes. Something like relief. Then she swallowed hard and nodded. “I’ll stop taking them. I–I was going to stop, anyway. I... I have to give you an heir.” She looked away, almost ashamed, as if that admission carried a weight she didn’t know how to bear.

I frowned. That wasn’t the point. It wasn’t about the heir. It was about her health, her safety. I didn’t care if it took time. The last thing I wanted was for her to put herself in danger, thinking she had to live up to some expectation.

“You don’t have to do this alone, Sabrina,” I said, my voice softer now. “I’ll take care of you.”

Her gaze met mine, and I saw the way her hazel eyes fought back tears. “Thank you, for being so kind.” She was thanking me for doing the decent thing? I realized then how much she had endured, how little care she’d been given. For all her strength and independence, she’d been surviving on her own for too long.

I watched her blink back tears, and I squeezed her hand gently, reassuring her with the only thing I could give her at that moment: my presence. “Rest now,” I murmured, brushing a loose strand of soft blond hair from her forehead. “We’ll figure the rest out later.” As she drifted back into sleep, I stayed by her side, my hand still wrapped around hers.

Right then, I decided she would never have to put her body through danger again. Not if I could help it.

?? ?

Later in the night, while Sabrina rested, I brought a warm cloth to clean her sweat. She was coming off her suppressants, and as the healer had told me, she would have some fever and cold sweats during the night. I brought the warm fabric close to her forehead, making her flutter her eyes open.

“Zeph—”

“Shh, it’s okay, rest. I’m here. I’m taking care of you,” I told her, while bringing down the cloth to her neck. She was too sweaty, she couldn’t remain in those clothes. I went into the closet, picking a soft white nightdress for her. “Sabrina, you need to help me take you out of those clothes. They’re too warm.”

She nodded, pushing herself up from the bed as I offered a hand to steady her. She wobbled slightly, her balance still off from sleep.

“I can stand, I’m not a baby,” she grumbled, her voice thick with drowsiness. The way she pouted made me smirk. Her stubbornness was adorable, even like this.

I carefully unlaced the ties of her gown, loosening the fabric until it began to slip down her body. I tried to keep my gaze respectful, focused only on her head, but then something caught my eye—a mark on her collarbone. My breath hitched. It was a deep bite mark, unmistakably from an alpha.

An attempted bonding mark. One that hadn’t taken.

The moment I saw the mark on Sabrina’s collarbone, something in me snapped. A deep, primal growl stirred in my chest, my alpha roaring and rising within me faster than I could control. My eyes locked onto the jagged bite that marred her skin—a mark left by someone else.

My blood boiled at the sight of it. Who had dared? The thought alone made my vision blur with hot-blooded fury. I reached out without thinking, brushing her hair away from the spot, revealing it fully. Sabrina tensed under my touch, but she didn’t pull away.

“Who did this?” My voice was low, a dangerous edge to it I could barely control.

Her hand instinctively moved to cover the mark, but I stopped her, gently grasping her wrist. She looked down, as if the sight of it brought her shame. That only enraged me more.

“It doesn’t matter,” she muttered, her voice small, trying to brush it off.

“It matters to me!” I growled, a possessiveness I couldn’t rein in coursing through me. My dragon stirred, snarling beneath my skin. No one harms what is mine, was what I wanted to say but didn’t. “Someone tried to force a claim on you.” My voice hardened, anger simmering beneath the surface. “An omega should never be marked against their will.”

She flinched slightly at my words, but her gaze shot up to meet mine. I could see the conflict in her eyes. She wasn’t used to someone standing up for her. Protecting her. Did she think I would shame her for this? Blame her? A growl raised deep in my chest. I wasn’t going to let some phantom from her past have any hold on her now. She was under my protection.

“My father sold me to alphas when I first presented as an omega,” Sabrina confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes fell to the floor, the weight of old shame pulling her down. It was the same look I’d seen when she stood in that tiny room at the inn. She was afraid that I would judge her for this. I clenched my fists at my sides, the pain from the pressure grounding me as I fought to keep my anger in check.

“One of these alphas tried to claim me, but I fought him before he could finish it.”

Her words were laced with a bitterness that pierced through me. I had to force myself to breathe, to control the fury coursing through my veins. “And where is he now?” I managed to ask through gritted teeth, every muscle in my body tense .

Sabrina looked up at me, her gaze searching mine as if gauging my reaction. Then, with a hollow laugh that sent a chill down my spine, she said, “The alpha? He’s dead. I drove my blade into his gut and watched him bleed out on top of me. And my father? He’s gone too. That worthless bastard choked on his own vomit.”

Before I realized what I was doing, I stepped closer to her; the anger melting into something else entirely. My hand lifted to cup her chin, gentle but firm, lifting her face so that her eyes met mine. She didn’t flinch, didn’t pull away. She just stared up at me, her vulnerability clear in the depths of her gaze.

“Do you want me to erase that pain for you?” My voice was softer now, the protective instinct roaring within me, but tempered by the need to comfort her.

Her breath hitched slightly at my words, surprise flickering in her eyes. “Zephyr… You would do that for me?”

“Only if you want me to,” I said, my voice low, the offer hanging between us. Dragon saliva had a unique healing power, especially on the skin. Most parents often used it on their young before the children developed their own ability to heal quickly. After a brief pause, she nodded, as she reached up, gathering her long hair and sweeping it over one shoulder. She exposed the bare skin of her neck, offering it to me without hesitation.

I stepped forward, my heart pounding in my chest as I leaned down, knowing exactly what to do. I lowered my head until my lips hovered just above the bite. My breath brushed against her skin, and I heard her sharp intake of breath. My pulse thundered in my ears, the heat from my dragon mixing with the need to fix this, to make it right.

I let my tongue dart out, lightly grazing the edges of the mark.

Sabrina gasped, and I felt a shiver run through her. The taste of her skin mingled with the faint remnants of that claim, a foreign scent that didn’t belong to her or me. I darted my tongue along the mark. The magic in my blood surged, flowing from me into her, a low hum of energy filling the space between us. I licked the mark again, slower this time, feeling my dragon’s magic working, erasing the scar from her skin. As I dragged my tongue over the bite once more, the edges of it began to fade, dissolving under the heat of my touch. My dragon’s magic cleansed her, healing what should never have been there in the first place.

An impure thought crossed through my head, as I pictured how that soft and warm skin of hers would feel against my fangs, her blood dripping off my fangs, her sweet and metallic taste in my mouth. A low rumble of possessiveness rumbled in my chest at the thought of claiming her with my mark. Branding her as mine for all to see. I felt Sabrina’s breath catch, her body trembling against mine, but she didn’t pull away. I stood back to admire my work, my heart still pounding in my chest. My dragon was restless, screaming for me to claim her. To make her mine for once and for all.

Sabrina blinked up at me, her eyes wide, her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but no words came. I met her gaze, my voice rough as I whispered, “No one will harm you ever again, Sabrina. Not while I’m here.”

With that, I leaned in, pressing my lips against hers. It was a gentle but firm promise, my heart racing as our mouths connected. The world around us faded, leaving just the warmth of her body and the taste of her on my tongue. Her lips were soft and hesitant at first, but then they began to respond to mine. I cradled her face in my hands, deepening the kiss, wanting to erase every trace of pain she had endured. I wanted to fill her with a sense of safety, of belonging, and above all, with the knowledge that she was cherished. That I would cherish her.

When we finally pulled apart, I brushed my thumb across her cheek, searching her eyes for any hint of fear. Instead, I found a flicker of something else—trust, perhaps. “You’re safe with me,” I murmured, my brow furrowing as I searched for any signs of doubt in her expression.

Her gaze softened. “I know, Zephyr.”