Page 8

8

Jinn

T hey way Coltan had switched from a semi-nice alpha in a bar to this obsessive person and feral dragon had been so abrupt and unexpected. I knew him, now. He would circle overhead in the night until he couldn’t stay awake. I was no longer a person to him. I was a thing he owned. And like a dragon protecting his hoard, he would have it no matter the cost.

I looked up, gulping at the darkness. The leaves were thick, and I couldn’t see the stars, but I knew he was out there.

“Here.” Lyric grabbed a hand towel and threw it over the lantern, dimming it. “Better?”

I nodded.

“Lyrican will protect you. I promise.”

“He already has. He’s so fast and strong. If I’d met any other dragon out here, we’d both be dead by now.” My breath suddenly stuck. Tears warmed beneath my eyelids. “And it would be all my fault.”

“Your fault? No. Get that out of your mind right now. You did nothing wrong.”

Lyric’s words should have helped calm me. But everything was still chaos in my mind. I didn’t have any strength to hold back, and my words came unfiltered.

“But I would be responsible. I made bad choices. I drank too much at the bar. It felt good. I let myself loosen up. I danced a bit with others. Then Coltan broke in. He was so strong and smelled like fresh air.” Tears spilled. I gasped.

“Hey, slow down,” came Lyric’s soft voice.

But I couldn’t stop. “He said he had something that would make me feel even better. I watched him slip something from a vial into my drink. I thought, Why not? Then I was lost in his big arms.” I smacked my forehead. “How could I be so stupid?”

“You’re not.”

I shook my head at him. “I let him spend the night. It’s not something I normally do. The next day I ghosted him, but he started coming around my house and my work. First with gifts. Then he started threatening me. I had to get that restraining order. Why did I think it would help?” I started to cry. “It only pissed him off more.” I put my hands over my face to keep from sobbing outright.

An arm came around me. Naked across my bare back. I couldn’t help myself. I leaned into him, my head against his shoulder. Here I was with another alpha and I still didn’t have the intelligence not to be taken in by a gallant gesture. Was I so needy?

But Lyric was one of the good ones. I could sense it.

He said softly, “On behalf of all alphas, I apologize for the bad behavior of so many of them.”

I wanted to laugh. And cry some more. He was so nice. And he was famous. How could I not be taken in just a little?

But no, I never learned, did I?

Darkness closed in on us. I was so tired I kept slipping sideways.

Lyric brought out another pillow and told me to lie down. “I’ll keep watch.”

“You need sleep, too, after fighting him twice.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

I fell asleep before I could argue any more.

I slept like the dead at first. Then the nightmares came. I tossed and turned. Every time I relaxed, Coltan’s fiery snout appeared before me. I heard a voice break through my dreams telling me I was safe. Lyric’s.

I started to shake. From somewhere, another blanket was placed over me. I thought I heard a dragon’s purr.

When I opened my eyes, the forest was approaching dawn. I could make out the shapes of leaves. Smoky pink light turned them silver and blue.

I lifted my head. A giant purple-gold dragon sat on what I thought of as the porch of the roost, away from the shelter. He breathed in and out steadily like a bellows. His long tail curved around my makeshift bed.

I sat up, gazing at him.

Lyrican was known as the fastest dragon in the world. He had too many first-place medals to count. His scales glistened. His closed eyelids looked silver-frosted, the lashes as long as my hair and jet black.

What were the chances I’d meet someone like him out here in the middle of nowhere?

I couldn’t stop looking at him.

His eyelids twitched. He must’ve sensed me staring. One eyelid opened and a big golden eye looked directly at me.

The purring started. I smiled to let him know I heard him and that I wasn’t afraid.

“Thank you, Lyrican,” I whispered. “For everything.”

A sparkling fog filled the air and then the human sat in front of me, legs crossed, elbows on his knees. Now that I'd slept, my mind had cleared.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Much better now. Any sign of him during the night?”

He shook his head no.

“Maybe we should leave. I think I might be able to fly now.”

“How's that ankle?”

I moved my foot under the blankets and winced. “It hurts, but I don't need my foot to fly.”

“It's a long way. At least two hours flying. We can stop and rest if we need to, but I'd prefer not.”

I sighed heavily. “I'm not used to flying for periods that long.”

“You could ride Lyrican and that way he could go faster. But are you in any shape to hang on for that long?”

“I'm a little shaky, but I think I could.” Could I? In truth, every muscle in my body burned. When I tried to move my legs and arms, the pain screamed at me. “Do you have any ibuprofen on you?”

Lyric held up one finger and raised both eyebrows. “In fact, I think I might. Lyrican suffers from stiff joints and muscles. He flies hard to win and there's a price sometimes. When we shift to human I feel it, too.”

He turned his back on me and shuffled around in one of the bins. All I could do was stare at his beautiful backside. He was fit all over, his skin taut and firm even on his ass. I had to laugh at myself. With all that had happened, I still noticed how attractive he was. How he attracted me.

He returned with two pills and a bottle of water. I downed them immediately. Maybe I would get home by today. Maybe even alive.

But then what?

Even if Colt was arrested, knowing him he’d demand a trial, get out on bail, and I’d still be looking over my shoulder.

I couldn’t think about those things right now. It was all too much.

Cooking smells wafted over me and my stomach growled.

Lyric brought me a bowl of hot cereal covered in brown sugar.

“It was the best I could do,” he said.

“This smells wonderful. Thank you.” I dug in.

Again, Lyric and I discussed getting me home while it was still early.

“We’ll wrap you in blankets. I’ve got some rope. You can tie your wrist to one of his spikes in case you slip.”

“Wh-what if Coltan shows up?”

“If you know Lyrican, you know he’s faster than any other dragon. Coltan won’t be able to keep up.”

Of course, I knew that. What good fortune I’d had to run into this particular alpha when I’d lost all hope.

Together, we figured out how the rope would fit when I climbed onto Lyrican. My heart opened at the kindness of Lyric. At his willingness to go out of his way to help. I realized I leaned toward him to fully catch his clean, river-water scent as often as I could while we were preparing to leave the roost.

The ibuprofen he’d given me was doing its job. I still limped, but the aches in my body receded to manageable levels.

The sun had fully risen but was still low on the horizon when Lyric shifted. Lyrican lowered himself flat onto his belly so I could climb onto his upper back. I situated myself between two of his large blue spikes and slipped the rope over the one in front of me. There was a noose-like knot at the end where I attached it to my wrist. I felt completely secure but in the event I slipped, or he did a sudden dive, I wouldn’t go flying off into the air.

I loved that Lyric thought of everything like that, as if he really cared about me. He had discussed all the points of keeping me from harm, like a checklist. But all the while there was a softness in his gold-green eyes that shone with worry and excitement—and something else I couldn’t quite define. Something I wanted to explore but couldn’t right now.

Later for such things.