Dragon Keep Me

Chapter Fifteen

Cass

I scooped up Natalie, but had to rally myself to stand with her. My legs shook. I was so weak without Crux, and I stumbled through the forest toward the street where the car was parked, tripping like an oaf over branches and rocks. My coordination was shot.

I finally made my way to the GTO. I’d hidden the keys in the wheel well and it took me several seconds to find them while still holding Natalie. By the time I got her into the passenger side, I was breathing hard. I clicked her seatbelt on for her and then walked around to my door, using the car to steady myself.

It was a rough drive. I was barely able to keep my eyes open because of the headache, and I would nod off until the gravel of the roadside ditch vibrated me back to attention. I focused on Gideon, knowing I needed his help.

Finally, blessedly, I pulled up to the ruined garage door. It was just past midnight, but Finn must have told the guards to tell him when the car arrived. He glared at me through the window as he stalked around to my side, yelling the entire time.

"You can’t take my f*****g car and then not answer your phone! River shows up and says there’s trouble and no one can get ahold of you! I called you five-hundred f*****g times, gods damn you Cass…"

When he opened my door, I fell out, slumping against him.

"Woah, woah. Cass? What happened?"

I heard him sniffing.

"Are you a-a human?" he shouted, shaking me to keep me awake. "What happened?"

"Morga. She took Crux," I croaked.

"Took Crux?" He paused and then started yelling, "Hey! Help! I need help over here! Get the Alpha and River!"

I heard gravel crunching and then River’s voice."Oh thank the Goddess, he found her!"

"Yeah," Finn muttered. "But I think it was at a great cost."

I felt cold hands on my temples and then a gasp.

"Yes," River whispered. "His dragon is gone. He's... a human."

Natalie

I rocketed upright with a gasp. They’d had me. I was being taken. I expected to be in another dungeon, but to my surprise it was the fancy room at the wolf shifter house again. The first light of morning was peeking through the curtains. Cass was slumped in the recliner next to my bed, and I swallowed, unsure what to do with him. My True One.

Remembering I was hit, I reached up to feel my head. Where the rock had struck me was completely healed. I knew that couldn't be right, so I scurried to the bathroom, checking in the mirror. It was. There wasn't even a scab or a scar. When I returned, Cass was awake and holding his head in his hands.

"Cass? What happened? They had me! I thought I was going to be taken by that old witch."

He shook his head in his hands. His emotions were powerful, stifling me in sorrow.

"Cass…?"

"He wouldn't let them take you," he said into his hands. "So Crux went in your place."

"What? Who's that?"

"My dragon, his name is Crux." His voice thickened, but he cleared his throat. "He’s the other half of my soul, and now he's gone."

"And she…took him? How?"

"A soul stone. She trapped his soul inside it so she can use its power for dark magic."

I paused, and whispered, "Cass, are you saying you…gave up your dragon to save me?"

He looked up at me, his eyes framed by large, heavy bags. "No, I can’t say that. Crux went. He chose. It would be wrong of me to say I did it."

"Why would he do that?" I asked, blinking away tears. Since when did I cry?

Cass shrugged and looked away, closing his eyes. "It is strange because dragons are usually very selfish, but he likes you."

"Oh. It's this, isn't it?" I asked, holding up my arm to show the tattoo. "River said it might play on his emotions."

"Maybe. He's convinced I’ll save him, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to do that. I'm just a human now. I'm weak, like a little baby, and I couldn't even find Morga when I had him."

"We will save him! I promise. I’ll do everything I can to help. River will help. The wolves are your friends, so I'm sure they'll help. We can save him."

I took his hands, and ceased my rambling, staring down at where I held his fingers. Everywhere our flesh touched felt…amazing. It felt right, as if my hands didn’t belong anywhere else in the world except right there.

A thought hit me and I looked up at him, surprised to see he was now gazing down at me. The intensity in his expression made my face heat.

"Did you see Nadaria? She was back there in her house with them. Oh god, Cass, is she okay?"

Tears stung my eyes. I couldn’t imagine if she’d been killed.

"I got her out, and Eris healed her. She should be okay."

"Oh, thank God for you, Cass! You saved us both."

For reasons I couldn't exactly explain, I pressed up onto my tippy toes and kissed him. His body jerked in surprise and I braced for him to push me away. He didn’t, and that scent of his, like the finest cologne I’d ever smelt, filled my nostrils.

I felt his right hand wrap around the nape of my neck and his left hand around my waist. He pulled me closer to him, making my knees wobble and my stomach twist in a warm knot. I moaned, a soft little sound in the back of my throat, and our lips parted together, a brief exploration by our tongues before he pulled away.

When our lips left eachother, he asked, "Why would you kiss me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you want more." His nose wrinkled, and he flapped his hands at his sides. "But, I'm a yucky, floppy human."

"Huh?" I asked. He was so weird.

He grabbed my upper arms, but a knock on the door brought us back to reality. I stepped back, blushing like a high school girl caught kissing her boyfriend. My breath was shaky, and I marveled at that. I’d never been left breathless by a kiss before. His hands were still on my upper arms, holding me there as he studied me with a quizzical expression.

The knock sounded again, softer this time. Cass called out for them to come in, and it was Eris. She looked at us, sensing the mood in the room. Cass still held onto my arms, and I chuckled awkwardly.

"Sorry," Eris said. "I just wanted to make sure you were both okay."

"Is Nadaria okay?" I asked.

"Yes, she's a tough woman. She just woke up. Cass, Gideon is ready to talk about your situation with your dragon and what we can do to help."

He released me, blinking twice, and said, "Then we should go. I don’t know how much time Crux has."