Dragon Tamer

Two months later

I woke up to one of my brothers banging on my door. Grumbling, I rolled out of bed and changed for the day. A tight, long-sleeved shirt, riding pants, and my hide jacket. I threw my hair up in a ponytail and followed Tallinn downstairs. I narrowed my eyes on each of my brothers who were dressed in armour with weapons hanging at their hips. Tallinn peered over at me, looking as annoyed as I was to be woken up before the sun.

“What’s going on?” I demanded. The bells hadn’t gone off, so we hadn’t been attacked.

Dad came in from the front door and handed Casper a map; he dropped a coined purse on the table. “Lord Smythe has hired us to kill a few griffins in the mountains. They’ve run off with our sheep again. At this rate, we’re not going to have any for the winter.”

Tallinn groaned. “He couldn’t have asked the warriors to do it? You know, the guys who are supposed to stop monsters from stealing our livestock?”

Kaden smacked the back of Tallin’s head. “Didn’t you hear Da? They’re in the mountains. Our warriors are skilled fighters, but they can’t track like a Dricino. Track and kill--our specialty.”

Giles grinned like a madman. “I’ve never burnt a griffin before.”

“Let’s not bring Dragon Vain,” Harry advised, as uncomfortable with Giles’ eagerness to burn new things as we all were.

“Guys, it’s fine.” Giles waved it off, slinging his personal bag of Dragon Vain as if it wasn’t a highly explosive rock that could destroy the whole house with a single spark.

Casper booted him outside before we had to rebuild our house again. We followed suit one by one, calling upon our go-to dragons.

Elesor arrived swiftly and landed in front of me, rearing her head back in excitement. It’d been a while since we’d gone for a flight through the valley. I’d been so busy with the dragonlings, breaking all the bad habits Spence and Kain had let them develop while I guided Prince Camden. Why did they think giving them jerky to stop chewing on the fence was a good idea? We had to fix the cage at least four times last month alone. Dragons will do anything for jerky. Especially cheeky buggers like Xenu.

Harry, being the best tracker in the family, took the lead. We followed a trail of sheep bones and griffin feathers heading north in the valley. As the sun rose, I shed out of my cloak and Elesor flew in the sunbeams to warm up her scales. Her scales glimmered as she moved in and out of the shadows, like the fish in the Walan River; though, if I compared any part of her to a fish, she’d glady drop me where we were--the middle of nowhere--and not think twice about leaving me behind.

Bored out of his mind, Tallinn laid back on his dragon and stared up at the white clouds passing over us briskly. I swear he was asleep, but whenever Casper called back to us to make sure we hadn’t been plucked off our dragons’ backs by harpies, he replied instantly, most of the time mockingly.

Up ahead, Harry slowed down and gestured for us to land. We banked right for a small hill in the middle of a field. Elesor wandered a little away from the rest to drink some water; I hopped off her back to see why Harry wanted us to land.

It only took him to point at Thorn’s Forest for me to guess why. “The trail leads in there, guys. No fly zone.”

“No fly zone?” Giles repeated. “Do you hear yourself sometimes, Harry?”

While Giles mocked our brother for his jargon, Casper shook his head at both of them. He wiped sweat off his brow and continued the motion through his hair, which spiked it all over the place. Since he started dating Bianca, he’d grown his hair out; I guessed she liked it longer. Not that I blamed her. I’d liked Camden’s hair longer, it gave him a more carefree look, less princely. I still sometimes wondered what it would have been like to play with it; would it be soft or coarse, silky or knotty?

And you’ll never know.

I sighed at the depressing thought. I thought about him less often now, but when I did think about him, a wave of emotion hit me like a runaway wagon and seemed to throw the accumulated times I hadn’t thought about him at me all at once. Like right now. We were in the middle of a field, discussing our game plan, but all I could think about was the ache in my heart.

Get over it.

I’m trying.

“Kali?” Casper called, snapping his fingers in front of me.

“Hmm?”

“Have you been paying attention?”

“Of course not,” Giles teased, bumping my hip with his. “She’s daydreaming about her boyfriend.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, Giles,” I grumbled.

He was quite adamant that instead of sulking alone by Tipping Point, I was in fact with a secret lover. Dad didn’t find the joke very funny. Neither did I.

I sighed. “We’ve been over this. You’re too fugly for any man to want to get through to get to me.”

“You totally have a boyfriend.”

“Lay off her, man,” Tallinn snapped, the only one of my brothers who knew how I felt about Camden and that I was having a hard time trying to forget those feelings. “When she has a boyfriend, she’ll tell us and risk whatever we might do to him-- including taking him up to the mines,” he added for Giles’ benefit.

Giles snapped his fingers, dancing on the balls of his feet excitedly. His eyes basically glowed like an afternoon fire. “Ooo, that’s a good idea. Nothing says, ‘hurt my sister or spend the rest of your days paying for it,’ quite like fire does. I like it.”

“It involves fire, of course you like it.” Tallinn rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Enough,” Casper snapped, bringing everyone back to the task at hand. “We’re entering Thorn’s Forest, so pair up and keep your eyes sharp. There’s a lot more than sheep-stealing griffins in there.”

“Tallinn would know,” Kaden jided.

Giles hissed theatrically. “And he goes below the belt!”

“How was I born last? You’re all a bunch of children.” Here we were about to step into a forest that had killed more people and dragons than anywhere else in the world-- that we were aware off--and my brothers bickered away like ten year olds.

“Someone has to be the baby, and that ain’t me,” Tallinn said, hopping to my side. “Partner?”

“Of course. We have to show our big brothers what we’re made of.”

Giles and Harry went first, while Casper and Kaden went in after Tallinn and I. Elesor paced around the other dragons, already anxiously awaiting our return. We only took a few steps inside when a thick layer of fog fell over us and I could no longer see the blue sky in the valley. The tree-like thorns twisted and snaked along the ground, waiting for the right moment to snare us in their traps.

I kept my shortsword at the ready, just in case. I’d thought I was maybe a little too tense, but then I saw that all my brothers had a weapon drawn, eyes snapping at anything that made a noise--including Giles when he squealed.

Following in his tracks, I soon discovered the cause of his squeal; we walked by something that smelt like the rankest pit of sulphur. Aside from Giles’ noises, though, the forest was utterly silent. It was eerie beyond measure. There wasn’t even a peep from a bird. Probably because they had been eaten or were smart enough to stay out of this forest.

We trekked through the marshy lands, ducking and weaving through the endless thorny vines, for seemingly hours but there was no way to keep track of time. My sweat chilled against my skin and sent a shudder through me.

Tallinn shuddered too. “Is it me, or is it getting colder?”

“It’s getting colder,” Casper agreed grimly. “How fresh is the trail, Harry?”

I couldn’t even see what he was following anymore. The feathers and bones were back in the valley. Harry knelt down beside something--a footprint?--and touched the edges. “Very fresh. Within the hour. We’re close.”

“How many griffins are there supposed to be?” Kaden asked, eyeing a mangled corpse dangling from a vine. How I’d missed it--I went straight passed it!--was beyond me. It was a gnarly-looking thing; I couldn’t even tell what kind of animal it used to be.

“Three?” Casper answered, unsure.

A caw split the air behind us. Casper and Kaden whirled around. A griffin landed behind them and screeched again. Another griffin appeared in front of Giles and Harry.

“Look out, Kali!” Tallinn tackled me to the side, right when a griffin descended from above and landed right where I’d been standing. It locked eyes with me and cawed, wings flapping wildly. My whip went into action, snapping out and capturing its beak. I yanked on it; the hard material cracked under the pressure. It reared back, talons flailing. Tallinn rolled to the side and sliced into a leg. While it snapped at him, I lunged for its chest and rammed my sword into it. Bone shattered as I thrust it deeper and twisted. The white feathers stained red then it fell. I hopped back in time before it landed on me.

Tallinn and I split up to help our brothers. I ran to Harry and Giles, sliding behind the griffin and wrapping my whip around its throat. I pulled it back, exposing its chest. Harry ducked under a wing and sliced his sword down its side. Giles finished it off with a quick flick of his sword across its throat.

Panting, he stood proud in front of the fallen beast as if he’d done it all by himself. “Well, that was easy.”

Casper and Kaden just finished up their griffin with Tallinn. My oldest brother flipped his griffin over so its chest was exposed to him. He frowned at the feathers. I knew why: the true white of a griffin’s feather hadn’t come in yet. These were only young ones. Maybe two or three years old.

“Shit.”

“They’re only babies,” I said, feeling his horror. “We just killed their young.”

Right on cue, a much lower pitched caw announced its presence. An adult. A very pissed off male.

“Everyone out,” Casper ordered, gesturing to the trail we’d made coming here.

Giles pouted. “Oh, come on, it was about to get interesting.”

“We are not fighting enraged griffins,” Casper barked, grabbing him by the scruff and shoving him down the trail. We quickly followed suit. So did the griffins. Their caws grew louder, wings beating against the vines as they took flight.

“Watch out for a flank!” I called, running as fast as I could to keep up with my brothers. Their legs were much longer than mine and they easily traversed the bog, while I had to jump harder and leap further. The fog was quick to separate us, but I stuck to the trail, knowing they would do the same.

Sunlight came up ahead. My heart pounded in releif. Almost there. Just a little bit further-

Feathered wings surrounded me, a heart-stopping squawk right in my ear. I screamed then ducked as a beak came slamming down for my head. I rolled--and found myself head to head with another griffin. Cursing out at them, I darted underneath the female and crawled to the other side. Blue sky was so clear-

Talons took hold of my shoulders and then with one beat of the male’s wings, we were airborne. I screamed out of terror more than the pain digging into my shoulders. We flew up and up, tearing through the thick thorns. The forest clawed at my clothes and flesh, fighting the griffin to keep me within its grasp. The griffin broke free of the canopy. Sunlight blinded me for a moment, and then it became all too clear how high we were. My brothers were ants on the ground, rushing to the dragons. Elesor was ready to take off when another griffin launched out of the forest and attacked her and my brothers.

The male griffin loosened his talons around my shoulders. Knowing that he intended to drop me then eat my splattered remains off the ground, I clutched its leg in time for it to fully release me. I clung for dear life as he kicked and screeched at me to let go. He snapped at my hands; my grasp slipped down his leg. Biting back a scream, I swung my legs, praying I had had enough grip left in me to hold on just a little bit longer. I swung my legs again, aiming to hook a foot around its wing. My heel slipped off the smooth feathers. My grip slid further down the leg. I gave it my all in my next swing. My leg got a firm hold on the wing-

The griffin cried out and teetered. I was too heavy for my weight to be on one side. My leg slipped out of its hold. This time I did scream as I hurtled in the air towards Thorn’s Forest. I pulled my whip out and hoped the branch I connected with was strong enough to slow down my descent.

Only, I never got the chance to aim for a vine. A dragon swept in underneath me. I collided in someone’s arms.

Gasping, I looked up to see Prince Liam, sunkissed hair dancing in the wind as he looked down at me. He winked. “Thanks for dropping in.”

“I bet you’ve always wanted to say that line.”

“I really have, but I don’t find many girls falling out of the sky. Only on this side of the valley.”

At the sound of a vicious roar, I peered up to see a dragon tackle the griffin out of thin air and tear it into tiny little pieces. A piece of intestine landed on my shoulder. Gagging, I pushed it off and watched it fall down to the forest.

“Ugh, my little brother needs to learn how to kill more cleanly. A simple broken neck would be nice.”

I looked up at the dragon again; he had dark green scales and golden eyes. If memory serves me right only one dragon in the Acker clan had those colourings.

“Camden.”

“Aw, that’s a cute little smile,” Liam teased. He glanced at Balthazar and nodded. “All right, we’ll land. We’re a little heavy for him,” he added to me.

“My brothers. . .” But when I looked over Balthazar’s shoulder, Princes Alaric and Quinnton were on the ground with them, fire swords swinging at the griffins that had them surrounded. Between our dragons, their dragons, and the seven of them, the griffins were dispatched by the time we landed.

Liam, still insistent I remain in his arms, slid off his dragon and sauntered over to my brothers. Kaden raised his eyebrows at the sight of me being draped in Liam’s arms--not by choice--and winked at me. He better not get any ideas. Giles had plenty of those on his own without my other brothers adding onto it.

Casper took one look at us and frowned disapprovingly, hand on his sheathed sword. However, he said nothing.

On his way in from the sky, Camden shifted in the air, landing on his human feet. It was one of the coolest things I’d ever seen but he played it off as nothing special and casually raked a hand through his hair; he’d had it cut short on the sides, leaving a little more length on the top. It suited him far more than it was fair.

I bet his floozy likes it.

I’d convinced myself that he was still dating the girl he’d escorted to our ball two months ago. It made it easier to move on if he wasn’t single whenever I thought about him. Not that it helped right now with his member hanging out for everyone to see. “I knew you were big, but now you’re big,” she’d said. She wasn’t kidding.

I looked away before anyone noticed me staring.

Clearly very used to his brother’s nakedness, Prince Alaric tossed him a pair of pants from his bag while the young Dragon Prince made his way over to us.

“Liam? Kali, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I replied coolly, keeping my eyes anywhere but on him. I didn’t know what he was doing here or how long it would be for, but if I kept a distance, I was sure I could survive his visit. Moving on wasn’t working as well as I wanted it to, anyway. “Your brother is an idiot. Put me down, Liam.”

He held me tighter to his armoured chest. “That’s no way to thank your savior. How about a kiss for my gallant efforts?”

“How about I don’t kick your teeth in?”

“Always the charmer.” He dropped me unceremoniously.

I fell on my butt with a yelp and quickly recovered, standing by my brothers.

Giles hung his arm over my shoulders with a cocky grin. “Sorry, man, she’s spoken for. Her boyfriend would totally kick your ass if he found out you were feeling her up.”

I dropped my head in my hands, wondering why the Gods, out of anything they could have created, gave me him as a brother.

“Boyfriend?” Camden inquired. I didn’t need to look at him to know he was frowning. After spending over a month with me, he of all people should find it hard to believe I had a boyfriend. I still couldn’t believe Giles was so convinced I had one.

“Oh yeah, been going steady now for, what, two months, Kali?” Giles supplied merrily, having imagined all of this apparently very thoroughly. “Like, right after she dropped you off.”

“Can we go home?” I asked, suddenly very drained. The claw marks in my shoulders didn’t even bother me, I just wanted to get away from people. I wanted to sit on my rock at Tipping Point alone and wallow.

“Right, gotta get you home so you can shack up with your man.”

Tallinn smacked him in the back of the head and growled something in his ear, which only made Giles laugh louder.

“Hold up,” Casper said, regarding the four princes warily. They were suited up in their black dragon scale armour--except Camden--a few knives in their boots, and a pouch on their hip undoubtedly containing Dragon Vain. “What are you doing here? Is Plum in trouble?”

“Depends entirely on your definition,” Liam said, winking at me, clearly not worried about my imaginary boyfriend kicking his ass. I wouldn’t worry about it too much either, even if he was real. Let’s see anyone go up against fire magic with a regular sword. “It has come to our attention that Plum has been neglected in our efforts to protect our people. Camden said you’ve been having troubles with dragon scavengers and the wildlife in the area lately, so we’ve decided to expand our base of operations. We’ve come to talk to Lord Smythes about building an outpost for us. We’ll take turns staying here for a few months and help protect you or with whatever you need.”

I couldn’t stop myself; I peered over to Camden. “This was your idea?”

A smile lifted on his face, eyes dazzling in the sunlight--or were there flecks of gold dancing amidst all that green? “Yes. I told you the people of Plum have grown on me. I don’t want to go quite yet.”

My heart did a funny skippy-thuddy thing; I could either be dying or really, really happy. I hadn’t dropped dead yet, so it must be the latter. Though, should I really be happy? What did this mean? Was his girlfriend coming out here too or would they do long distance? Was having him around all the time really a good idea when I was trying to forget I’d fallen in love with completely the wrong person?

All the initial joy died and turned into a thick lump in my throat. “That’s nice,” was all I could muster without conveying all the pain I’d felt the last two months and would now feel until he grew bored of Plum.

“We don’t need the help,” Tallinn snapped, glaring at Camden. “Thanks but no thanks.”

Camden crossed his arms, returning my brother’s glare ten-fold. If he was in his dragon form, black smoke would be puffing out of his nostrils by now. “Oh yeah? Well, it looked like you needed it ten minutes ago. If it weren’t for Liam, Kali would be a pancake somewhere in Thorn’s Forest.”

“Would not. I had a plan,” I said defensively. “But thanks for the vote of confidence. Is that why you came back: you don’t think we can protect our own village?”

He caught my eyes with his heated gaze. “No, I don’t think that. I just thought you’d want the help. I thought. . . you might like. . .” His face flushed and he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “I thought you’d like it if I stayed.”

Does it really matter if he has a girlfriend or not? He clearly still wants to spend time with you. Isn’t that enough? If it was all I could have, it was better than never seeing him again.

With that in mind, I smiled at him; I couldn’t bear a true full-hearted smile with all the emotions going on in my head, though. This could end up being an utter disaster and my heart could be left as flat as I would have been if Liam hadn’t swept in. Or it could be the best thing for me to finally move on, to let him go, and get it through my thick, thick skull that a prince could never ever have feelings for me.

“Well, if you put it that way,” I said, hoping my voice wasn’t too thick to override the teasing in my tone, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt if you stuck around a little bit longer.”

He cracked a bright smile, eyes flashing gold with a thick, beaded pupil.

Tallinn swung his head my way with a dubious frown. “Kali, are you sure. . .?”

“What’s wrong with our company, Tallinn?” Liam jided. “Afraid we might bite? I mean, I do, but my brothers are more gentlemanly.” He winked at me.

Kaden ruffled my hair, leaning in to whisper in my ear. “Liam is totally into you. . . In case you’re looking for someone to help you get out of your funk.”

I did not need to be told that. It was very clear what Liam’s intentions were.

Camden narrowed his eyes into a sharp glare on his brother, showing off a set of pointed dragon teeth he had suddenly grown out. “You don’t bite nearly as hard as I do, Liam. Keep that in mind the next time you feel the urge.” The warning came out in a guttural growl.

Liam paled and stepped back between Alaric and Quinnton, who were doing their best--unsuccessfully--to hide their snickering. Despite being a Dragon Prince himself and quite powerful compared to the rest of the world, Liam still couldn’t shift into a dragon like his brother--no one could--and it was only moments like this when we were reminded that sometimes Cam’s dragon half was more dominant than his human half.

“Hmm,” Casper murmured, peering back and forth between Camden and I, seeming to know something I didn’t. “I don’t think biting will be of any concern to us. We’ve all taken our fair share between a dragon’s teeth. Come on, let’s head out before it gets dark. Harry, Kali, you’re going straight to the healing hut.”

I peered over at Harry to see he had a slash across his chest. It wasn’t mortally deep, but it didn’t look pleasant either, much like the throbbing in my shoulders.

“Who put you in charge?” Quinnton frowned.

Casper scowled at him. “I’m the oldest. It’s my right to direct my siblings, and since Eli isn’t here to clearly corral you four, I’m in charge of you too.”

Giles leaned towards Quinnton. “It’s best to just let the man believe he’s in charge or he’ll fill your afternoon with speeches.”

Realisation flashed in the prince’s face. “Oooh! I remember now! Man, it’s been a while since I’ve been here. I forgot how much I liked this valley.”

It suddenly dawned on me that maybe the princes hadn’t seen us as tools; they’d enjoyed their stays here and the people, but they’d gotten so busy with work that time blurred and they didn’t realise they hadn’t once been back to see us.

“All right, oh great leader,” Quinnton relented. “Lead us back to Plum.”

“I’ll see you guys there,” Camden said, sliding to my side with a mischievous glimmer I wasn’t sure I liked in his eyes. “I’ll take Kali to the healing hut.” He swept me into his arms in one smooth motion and winked at me.

“If you drop me, I’m still open to being a dragon slayer.”

There was no point in fighting the fuzzy butterflies in my stomach. Just by lying in his arms, I felt the strength of them--and the determination of his gaze that I wasn’t leaving his grasp until he was satisfied.

“I’d never drop you.”

He knelt low then, with one powerful leap into the air, we soared thirty feet above our brothers, giving him enough space to shift in the air. He held me close to his body in his dragon claws and set a course for Plum.

~~~

We landed in Plum a few hours later, Elesor in tow, though she was thoroughly upset she couldn’t join us in the healing hut. She made a big thing of it in my backyard, stomping around, swishing her tail, and huffing like a stroppy child--ruining the yard that had only just recovered from its desecration after the dragonlings spent a few days in the back.

Camden, in human form, grinned at her, holding her muzzle between his hands to calm her down. “She’ll be okay, Elli. I promise I’ll take good care of her.”

He was surprisingly gentle and patient as he stroked her jaw. She shut her eyes and leant into him, a soft rumble escaping her lips.

“She did, eh? Thank you,” he added when she rubbed her nose against his chest. He stepped away from her and looked at me with a tender yet knowing smile.

“What did she say?” I asked warily. They were talking so quietly, I couldn’t pick up on the kinds of noises she was making.

“You’re the dragon tamer, not me.” He winked, strolling around the fence post for the road--completely forgetting he was in the nude.

I ran inside and stole a pair of pants from Casper’s room and tossed them at the back of his head as I caught up with him. He seemed surprised but not bashful that he hadn’t noticed his clothless state.

“Yeah, but you are a dragon--sort of,” I reminded him, too curious to let it go. “You can literally understand her, while all I can do is my best to interpret her.”

He spun on his heel, facing me while he walked backwards, hands laced behind his head. A cocky smile danced on his face. “She said you missed me.”

A flush was quick to work its way up to my cheeks. “I, err, uh. . . I might have,” I stammered hopelessly.

I made a mental note to pay a certain devious dragon a visit later. What was she thinking, telling him I missed him? I didn’t want him to read into it and run away because he thought I was in love with him, especially when I’d only just got him back.

Smirking, Camden turned back to face forward, strutting a little more confidently. People in the streets turned their heads as we passed by, surprised to see him again. Much like me, they knew the princes never came back, so the fact he was here. . . well, it just didn’t happen. It was baffling to us all. Of course, he probably thought everyone was into his new broad, muscular chest, which now had crevasses as deep as the valley sculpting his heart-palpitating body. I mean, some people--including me--were enjoying the view.

Including Cadence. She was walking by with a basket full of healing supplies; it looked like she’d just come from a house call, her white blonde hair falling loose from her bun and her skirt smudged by whatever poultice she’d used.

The basket fell from her hands and she gaped at Camden. “You’re back?”

He stood straighter, looking down on her in that princely way that made anyone feel small and insignificant in comparison to his presence. “Of course I’m back. I wasn’t about to leave Kali alone.”

“Actually, I haven’t been alone,” I corrected him proudly. When Amelia wasn’t with Giles, she was usually with me and the dragonlings. She’d left the healing hut in favour of strictly healing dragons. Not that I blamed her considering the company the hut kept, so I gave her tips to soothe dragons in pain or to coax them into submission while she checked up on them.

“Oh, right,” Camden grumbled gloomily. “Your boyfriend.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned his head away from me.

Cadence cackled for much longer than it was attractive--and then she kept going, doubling over, exploding into laughter that couldn’t be good for anyone.

“Hah!” she managed between fits. “Boyfriend? Kali? Like that’ll happen in a million years. Have you seen her?” She meant the plethora of scars detailing my skin, and yeah, he’d seen them.

Camden frowned at me, eyebrows wrinkling together. “Giles said. . .”

“Giles thinks I have a boyfriend because I’ve been spending a lot of time alone by Tipping Point,” I explained, exasperated. “He thinks I’m sneaking off with someone instead. Fighting with Giles can be exhausting, so he can think what he likes.”

You’re kidding. Like I could move on that fast. I wish. Being hung up on you isn’t a picnic.

“Oh.”

“I was talking about Amelia,” I explained further, feeling a little devious. “We meet under the cover of darkness and plot how we’re going to poison all the healers without them knowing so they all croak before they can heal themselves.”

I gave Cadence a cutting look.

She sobered right up, staring at me in horror. “You. . . haven’t. . . actually. . .?”

Of course I didn’t! I hated their guts and envisioned pounding their faces in daily, but it’d never drive me to kill them. Besides, poison was so boring. There were far more exciting ways to exact my revenge.

“I dunno. How’s your appetite been lately?” I flashed her the evillest grin in my arsenal and threw it at her full force.

“I, um, I actually haven’t eaten today.” Terror skewed across her face and she ran for the healing hut down the street.

Camden laughed. “You’re diabolical.”

“Serves them right. Bitches wanna fight with fire, I have a whole shed full of Dragon Vain.”

Grinning, he bumped my side. “You have the fire of a dragon. You should be the shifter, not me.”

“I don’t think dropping me into a volcano will go as well for me as it did for you.”

“No, I don’t think it will.” He smiled anyway, a twinkle in his eye as the sun angled over Plum in preparation to dip behind the mountains in a few short hours. His hair lit up with silvers, golds, and a tinge of orange. Since it was shorter, it didn’t shimmer nearly as much; it was darker, but he was all the more handsome for it. I’d forgotten--as impossible as it sounded--how undeniably gorgeous his transformation had made him. I imagine it was for the predator within, luring his prey towards him rather than having to go search for it. Not that he’d ever consider eating the humans he had sworn to protect.

“Kali?”

It took me a moment to realise I’d been staring at him for quite some time and he’d been talking the entire time. He had the door to the healing hut open for me.

“Sorry,” I apologized quickly, ducking inide. “I-I still can’t believe you’re here.”

My confession made him frown, so I turned away from him and searched for an available healer. Cadence and Amber were in the corner, the latter thoroughly unimpressed by whatever Cadence had to say--most likely her worries that I’d poisoned them. She stopped hissing at her when we entered the room.

Amber rolled her eyes and marched over to us, choosing to ignore the prince for the moment. “Get out. You’re not welcomed here.” When she sneered, her chipped tooth was visible from when I’d slammed her face into a pillar.

I had a feeling this would be my welcoming. I’d been avoiding this place and going to Amelia whenever I got hurt for this very reason.

“Kali’s injured, you can’t turn her away,” Camden demanded.

She seemed to finally notice he was here and took him in as if it was her first time seeing him, which, I guessed, was true; she hadn’t seen his new body yet. And she loved it. Her sneer turned into a pretty smile. “Of course, you’re always welcomed here, Prince, but after she--” she thrust a finger at me “--nearly got you killed, I can’t stand the sight of her.”

“You mean more than usual?” I remarked bitterly. “But we’re, like, equals now, Amber. I have scars, you have a nasty-ass chipped tooth. If you can’t stand to look at me, what does looking into the mirror every morning do to you?”

Her face flamed with many promises of a slow, painful death the next time she healed me. “Get out you filthy, boorish, pathetic excuse of a-”

“You don’t want to finish that sentence, Amber,” Camden growled. It was a deep guttural sound, more dragon, less human. “I may have decorum, but my dragon does not. Say one more thing about Kali and I can’t promise he won’t come out and tear you apart.”

I couldn’t believe he’d say something like that. Prince Camden would never say anything like that--but apparently the Dragon Prince would. Without having issues following through with it. The shuddering flesh rolling down his back said that much. His dragon was ready to come out.

Was it wrong that it was hot?

Amber couldn’t seem to believe his words either, because all she could do was open and close her mouth over and over again, like she’d forgotten how to do anything else.

“Is there anyone in here who will heal Kali?” he snapped, a growl hiding behind his words. His eyes raked the hut with predator efficiency.

Indyca, one of the older healers in the hut this afternoon, slipped through the crowd and nodded me over to an empty cot. “Come on, Kali. Let’s see what needs to be done this time.” She gave Camden a curt look when he followed. “Nuh-huh. You can wait outside with that attitude.”

He glared at her, but I punched his shoulder playfully. “I’ll be out in ten minutes, big guy. Go eat a sheep or something.”

He gave me a dry look.

“What? Not funny? I thought it was.”

Without waiting for him to answer, I followed Indyca to the cot. She inspected my wounds, made a poultice, whispered some ancient words, and lathered my shoulders. It stunk, but I didn’t say anything as she wrapped me up in bandages; it took the pain off and I knew I’d be fully healed in the morning, so it was worth the attack on my nostrils.

As promised, Camden was outside, pacing like an animal stuck in a cage. Once he saw me, he slid to my side and smiled. “How are you feeling?”

I shrugged it off. “I’m fine. Like actually fine,” I added when he gave me a short glare. “Indyca gave me a numbing poultice so I can’t feel my wounds and they’ll be all healed up by the morning.”

He nodded his approval. “Good. I don’t like that they don’t treat you right. I thought being my guide would have changed things for you around here.”

I rolled my eyes, giving him a little shove. “Whether you’re here or not, their opinion of me will never change, but I don’t care. I don’t need them.”

He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear then cupped my cheek softly. “Well, I’m here now and I won’t let anyone talk down to you.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“No, but I want to. You’re important to me, Kali. You deserve to be treated better than you have been.”

His gaze was too intense, made me think he might actually care about me as much as I cared about him--but that wasn’t possible. . . was it?

I tore my eyes away from him before my hope rose too high and looked down the road towards my house. “Our brothers should be back by now. We should check in with them.”

If it was truly his idea to build an outpost here, surely he’d want to be the one to pitch it to the lord. He deserved to take the credit.

“They can take care of things,” he dismissed, then he gently tilted my chin back towards him. “Is there somewhere we can go talk in private?”

I blinked, surprised. At this time of day, the streets were mostly empty and we were far enough away from the healing hut that they couldn’t hear us, but if he wanted private. . . .

“I know a place.”

I led him down the streets to the other side of town, over the bridge, passed all the houses but just before the meadow. We came to a stop in front of a jagged cliff face.

I pointed up, hoping he could see what I couldn’t in this lighting. “There’s an alcove up there. Elesor made it when I gave her Dragon Vain for the first time. We go there to watch the sunset sometimes.”

Without another word, he stripped out of his pants and handed them to me before shifting it to his magnificent, fifty foot length. With the light on its way down, his scales appeared black against the cliff face, but his golden eyes were as bright as the sun itself when they looked down at me.

He lowered himself, so I could climb onto his back. He didn’t have to climb the air currents very far before he found the alcove. Except, it was already inhabited by Elesor. She fluttered her wings at his surprise entrance and scooted to the side to make room for him. He glided beside her and lowered himself down again so I could slide off. She gave me an accusatory look, like I’d cheated on her.

I tapped her snout. “Don’t give me that look. I told you, no one can replace you. I just wanted to show him this spot, that’s all. It’s not like we’re the only ones who know about it. Tallinn’s told everyone this is our hiding spot.”

She puffed smoke, flicking her tail like a rattlesnake behind her.

Camden made a noise behind me, still in his dragon form. He pawed at the ground before changing into his human form. His eyes held hers for a moment.

She rolled her eyes, tossing her head sassily to the side. With a huff, she angled towards the edge; her tail swung around, slamming into my back. I teetered forward into Camden’s chest, and before I could complain to her, she was gone, gliding effortlessly down to the valley floor.

“What’s her problem?”

Was she really that jealous? Had I been neglecting my friend that much?

“I asked her to leave,” Camden confessed, his breath spilling over the nape of my neck. It was then when I noticed his arms hadn’t moved from my sides after he steadied me. They were incredibly warm and kept any threat of the cold away, yet a shudder ran through me.

All too quickly I’d forgotten what his touch did to me. My stomach flopped anxiously as a heat filled me and pooled between my legs. Gods, he smelt delicious, like the ocean and smoked jerky. All I wanted to do was melt in his arms, feel the heat of his chest on my cheek, to open myself to him.

But that’s not what he wants. You just got him back, don’t scare him off.

When I tried to step away, however, he held me tighter, snaring me into an impossibly strong yet gentle grasp.

“I wanted to be alone with you, Kali,” he confessed, green eyes as smouldering as his tone. “Two months is a long time to wait to tell you I love you too.”

“What?”

I couldn’t have heard him right. I never expected to ever receive those words. Giles had told Amelia he loved her, Casper had confessed his love to Bianca, even Kaden had been in love for a time or two. But me? The boorish woman of Plum, riddled with scars, who would rather spend time with dragons than her own people?

“You were supposed to be sleeping.” Even as breathless as I felt, I still managed to sound angry, though I was far from that. More confused than anything.

He smirked, tilting my chin up to make me look at him. His green eyes dazzled in the sunset’s light. “I thought it was a dream at first, but when I woke up you were gone. That night. . . albeit, not what I had planned, was one of the best nights of my life and I never wanted it to end. I didn’t know you had felt the same way as me, or we would have spent the night a much different way, but if all I could have was you near me as we flew, I would take it, because I’d rather be with you in some way than not at all.”

“But what about what’s-her-name?” Hadn’t she been giving him unforgettable nights while I was gone?

He rolled his eyes, unbelieving he had to convince me of his feelings. “Karly was my escort for tradition’s sake. My parents set her up with me before I could tell them I’d rather go with you. I love you, Kali Dricino, tamer of dragons. With your fierce heart, you’ve tamed the dragon inside me, even before we knew I had one. Will you be mine to love, to treasure?”

“Cam. . . I-I. . .” My mind buzzed. This was what I’d always wanted from him, but I’d convinced myself I could never have it because other people told me I was too different to be loved. He was different too. Just like me, there was no one else in this world like him. We were--corny or not--made for each other. “I can’t believe it took you two months to come back and tell me that.”

He scowled playfully, hoisting me up, so my legs wrapped around his waist and my eyes were level with his. “I was busy, you know. It wasn’t easy to convince my father to build an outpost in the middle of nowhere just so I could be closer to my heart.”

“I feel like you could have tried harder.”

I had spent two months trying to get over him. Two months trying to mend my aching heart. It had felt like I would never be the same again. And it turned out I didn’t need to go through any of that. Yeah, he should have come sooner.

“Harder?” he laughed dubiously. He only needed one arm to hold me against him while his free hand cupped the back of my head and pulled me in for the hottest kiss of my life. The pressure of his mouth would swell my lips later, but right now all I could think about was how he wasn’t close enough.

And then he pulled away, leaving me panting and squeezing his shoulders to make sure my head didn’t fall off from how dizzy I was. His breath was hot on my cheeks, mouth tantalizing close.

“I’ve been thinking about all the things I’ve wanted to do to you when I saw you next,” he rasped, eyes flicking to my mouth. “Two months away from you was too long.”

I could see in his eyes that if he could have come sooner, he would have. There wasn’t a person or creature that could keep him away from me. He really did love me.

My heart soared.

“What else did you want to do?”

If that kiss was just the tip of the iceberg, I was eager to see what else he had planned.

He flashed me a handsome smile then took me deeper into the alcove and showed me.

THE END

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Thank you so much for following me to the end on Kali and Camden’s journey! Your support means a lot to me. Follow me to keep up date on the sequel. Please leave a review if you enjoyed it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. <3