ZARAMANNI (BOOK ONE)

The face that housed its blazing, pointed orbs showed off pointy teeth that Zara wished to guess had torn the limbs of many men apart.

While she scared herself some more with her thoughts, she noticed the length of the creature’s trachea which wore a skin that was a shade lighter and faintly smoother than other parts of its body.

Once again, when her gaze fell on the slowly pulsing belly of the beast, she wondered how many bodies its throat had swallowed.

Quickly, as the silence grew, Zara’s eyes roamed the short, carved horns of the monstrosity that seriously stared at her, and her mind instantly replayed the voice of the creature which could be likened to having the depth of a raging sea.

“Y-you are a… a d-dragon,” Zara stuttered after she swallowed hard and decided to squarely face the surprising sight in front of her.

She earlier wished to run for her life after she heard its thunderous voice, but the beast in front of her didn’t look like it was about to attack her and roast her to death before eating her well-cooked body.

So, her voice still stuttering, her eyes still slightly bulged, she continued, “B-but y-you can t-talk.”

The dragon slightly tipped its head toward her as its large, clawed feet took a step backward. “Why are you surprised, half-fairy?”

A chill wrapped her in reaction to that voice. Releasing a sharp exhale, she asked, “How do you know who I am?”

“I come from the land of The Holies. We are the all-knowing kingdom. We are aware of all that goes on in this realm,” the dragon replied, and its mouth revealed the pinkish tongue that kept rolling backward as the creature spoke.

“Is that so?” Zara asked, her eyes narrowed. She crossed her arms over her chest to stop her cloth from giving in to the passing breeze that kept getting stronger thanks to the creature’s prolonged presence. Taking another look at the streaks of gold on the beast’s body, she asked, “What did I eat yesterday?”

The dragon tilted its head to the side, and that motion granted the moon above a peep at the unexpected sight on the manor’s grounds. “And, why would I know that?”

“You said you are all-knowing,” Zara responded, her gaze a little daring.

Contrary to the furious reaction she expected, the creature released a huge huff of air which caused a shift in the position of nearby clouds. “I have a message for you,” the dragon returned its attention to her, clearly not in the mood for useless chit-chat.

“A message?”

“War is coming to Zenrada.”

“War?” The girl’s frown deepened instantly and her arms lock felt weak. “Didn’t Zenrada just suffer from a huge attack? They have barely recovered but there’s another war coming?” Zaramanni found the creature’s words highly ridiculous.

Paying no mind to her questions, the rough, somewhat slow voice of the dragon continued, “The news of the Overlord’s death has reached the ears of the vampires of Skullis and…”

“The Overlord’s death? The Overlord is dead?” Zara quickly caged her mouth with her palms as she looked around, a look of caution on her face.

It would be unwise to scream such shocking details into the wild. As they say, walls have ears.

Wondering when the Vampire Overlord met such doom, another loud huff sound dragged her out of her troubled thoughts and Zara raised her head to meet the dragon’s fiery gaze.

“Does it trouble you?” the creature asked.

Zaramanni sighed. She recalled her conversation with the Overlord. Considering how she and the vampire didn’t have a prior relationship, his sudden appearance in her life was not something she wished to take lightly since he came to her with a warning.

As her mind raced, she replied to the dragon whose presence she was gradually getting used to.

“I just find it strange because I met him days ago and…”

“You have bigger things to worry about, Zaramanni,” it curtly said, shutting her up instantly. “Your powers have grown a lot.”

“Well…” Zara drew a long breath with her mouth as she narrowed her eyes. “… I wouldn’t say they have grown a lot, but-”

“Your presence in this realm is a blessing and a curse.” Zara wore an angry pout. She found the dragon’s constant interruptions annoying. “In the coming war, you are going to play a huge role. You will be Zenrada’s saviour.”

“Me?” Zara pointed to her chest, a clueless look on her face. The words the dragon uttered were yet to sink into her mind.

"I am here to grant you access to the hidden parts of the powers you have and…”

“I will be Zenrada’s saviour?” Zaramanni finally processed the earlier statement. Her gaze fixed on the scaly body of the dragon who had not moved an inch since it started talking, she wondered how that would come to be.

She was merely a human who was yet to get used to her new side. At that point, all she wanted was to stay in the arms of her mate. Leading a war or saving wolves from the approaching ruins of another war was not something she saw herself doing.

“Your full powers need to be unlocked, Zaramanni,” the dragon said with its voice that sounded old and tired the more it spoke. “Without them, you won’t be able to save those that matter to you talkless the whole of Zenrada.”

Zara's eyes wore the worry her heart felt. “But I am merely… me. I am just plain old Zaramanni who just happens to be a half-fairy.”

“The one and only half-fairy,” the creature concluded sternly. “The most powerful.”

While it was strange to hear such words about herself, she took a deep sigh, her feet walking backward by a few steps. Zaramanni tore her gaze off the huge, talking beast and trained her sight on the depths of the hardly noisy night.

And silence followed.

That moment would be quite a sight to any passer-by.

A girl like Zaramanni was standing before the rarely seen dragon from the land of The Holies.

She looked so little in front of the calm creature whose dark, wrinkly eyelids kept blinking in a somewhat majestic way.

As Zaramanni delved into her thoughts, something told her that there was no way she could escape what the dragon was telling her if indeed war was coming.

Her eyes went shut and she recalled the moments she had with Zoey so far. Zara’s heart reminded her about the way she felt about the man-wolf she knew to be her mate.

Then, to her despair, Zara’s mind created a picture where Zenrada and its wolves fell into the misfortune of war and Zara hated the sight instantly. Zenrada may not be her real home, but it was a place she was willing to keep alive.

So, when Zaramanni opened her eyes, she said, “I am ready.”

“You never had a choice, Zaramanni.” Zara sighed. The creature was being sassy again. “Close your eyes.”

Her shoulders wrapped and she wore caution on her face. “Why?”

The dragon's wings twitched and it took a step forward. “Close your eyes.”

“Uh…” As she loosened up, Zara hoped things wouldn’t take a drastic turn. “Okay…”

Standing straight, taking a sharp inhale then releasing it, she slowly closed her eyes and as she did that, her brain reminded her once again that she had been talking to a dragon.

The dragon’s thunderous voice continued speaking as its steps made the floor vibrate. “After this, you will wake up from a long slumber. You will awake with a surge of power in your body and you will certainly feel the change.”

As Zara listened and waited for the creature’s next move, she asked, “Don’t you think I should tell the people of Zenrada about the war?”

“Your words will fall on deaf ears,” came the dragon’s sharp response.

“Oh.” Zara thought the same but she was going to try regardless. “Do you have a name?”

After some silence, Zaramanni instantly felt a rush of strong air blow against her face. Her hair flew in scattered directions while her face wore deeper frowns. Her hands were pulled into fists as her mind asked questions her lips couldn’t utter.

She found the moment highly ridiculous because she was trying hard to make sure she wasn’t blown away by the dragon’s breath.

Then, it all came to a halt.

Before Zaramanni could open her eyes, her ears picked up the flapping sounds that earlier announced the dragon’s entry.

Eyes narrowed, she looked up at the huge tail of the dragon which wagged after the creature as its wings used their strength to pull the creature further and further into the bright yet cloudy sky.

Zara felt a sudden itch on her palms. As she stared at her hands, she wondered what would change about her after that moment.

While her mind searched for answers, her gaze returned to the sky. Then, she heard a faint whisper, ‘You may not remember this when you wake up.’

Zara scoffed at the last message of the dragon whose presence had vanished totally. She was more than certain that she would remember every detail. Even the dragon’s frequent interruptions which Zaramanni found highly disrespectful won’t be forgotten.

~

"Zara, wake up.” That statement was accompanied by a warm kiss on her forehead.

As she stirred and did a little stretch, she relished the feel of Zoey’s lips on her skin as well as the particular scent that came with his presence.

“We have somewhere to be,” she heard him say as she groaned with satisfaction when her stretch soothed her bones.

With one of her legs roughening the mattress sheet, Zara opened her eyes. “Where?” her voice asked, having a crack in it as she spoke.

Zoey who was squatting in front of her caressed his thumb over her brow. As she watched his bold face wear a serious look, she realised that it had been a day or maybe two since she saw Zoey.

“You will find out soon.” Another kiss landed on her lips. “Get dressed as soon as you can, I will be waiting for you.”

Zaramanni’s smile grew wider. She changed her position and sat up. Zoey got up as well and pushed her mattress in with his weight.

With her knees pressed to her chest, Zara planted her chin on her kneecaps and she watched Zoey stare at her with a look she was yet to believe he could display.

“Is this some kind of surprise?” she asked.

Zoey’s thick brows jerked and he ran his hand through his hair.

“Oh!” Zara exclaimed softly. “You cut your hair.”

Zoey chuckled almost shyly, his head ducked slightly, his gaze falling on her pillow. “I needed a haircut badly.”

“You look really handsome.”

The short layered hair which was side-parted showed that his mane was well taken care of. Looking lustrous and tempting her hands to touch, the haircut made Zoey’s face look bolder. She could suddenly notice things she had never noticed before like the tiny holes he had around his brows.

And… there was something else.

After a few seconds of more stares and paying no mind to the growing silence in her room, Zaramanni finally noticed it.

It was hardly visible, but it was there.

Her finger was about to point when she quickly withdrew it and said, “Your eyes… They are changing colours.”

Zoey laughed heartily. “I was wondering how long it would take you to realise it.”

“What happened?”

“Now that my wolf is fully back, my eyes will take half of its red colour.” While Zara stared into his eyes some more, she recalled the day she met his wolf. She barely paid attention to the wolf’s eyes. There was barely time to do such a thing anyway.

“Your eyes are so beautiful.”

“No, you are beautiful,” Zoey calmly dropped and in reaction, Zara's heart thudded.

“Wh-what was that?” Zara was highly flustered, it showed as she waved her hands carelessly. “That was so cheesy.”

“Give me your hand,” Zoey said, acting like he didn’t just rouse his mate’s heart. She stretched her right hand toward him, and he reached for something on the ground. When she felt something cold against her palm, Zara looked down and Zoey said, “Clarissa said to give you the fresh mouthpaste she made. You should not forget to brush your teeth.”

Zaramanni wore a small pout, slightly disappointed because she expected something else, something heart-rousing. “Why would I forget to brush my teeth? I am not a baby.”

“Well,” the corner of her eyes watched Zoey's shoulders shrug, “you are my baby.”

“Oh my goodness!” Zara’s face broke into a shy smile. “That’s too cheesy, stop it.”

Zoey relaxed into the bed, his body sprawled over the bed, his arm supporting his head. “You want me to stop it?” he asked and she wondered how he was so calm.

“Well…” Zara mumbled as she stared at the tubed paste in her hold.

“What?”

“I am going to bathe,” she said and hurriedly got up. Zara was about to land her feet on the ground when her body fell on Zoey’s after a sudden pull on her arm.

The next second, with his hold still on her arm, Zoey ravished the taste of her lips and gave her a gift that eased the disappointment she felt earlier.

When the kiss ended, Zoey looked into her eyes and said with a low voice, “Go and have your bath. I will be patiently waiting for you, my little mate.”

When Zara advanced her steps to the bathroom, the Beta's words continued to warm her insides and her lips just smiled more and more. And her heart flew just like it did when he claimed her under the bright moon and next to the shimmering river.