Dragon's Claim

Chapter 10-1

Chapter 10

In the morning, before the first light could touch the curtains over her window, Layla pulled herself from the bed. It was no small feat when their limbs were as entwined as they were. His legs were over and under her own, his arm resting beneath her head like the hardest pillow she’d ever slept on. Still, free of his touch, she looked down at the sleeping man and smiled.

This was her future. Or, part of it. The other half was upstairs, asleep in the master bed Drake had sacrificed to a five year-old. It had all happened so quickly that she didn’t know the exact moment either of them had found their way into her heart. Perhaps it was when Miri crawled out of her little cave and clung to her. Perhaps it was when Drake agreed to drive her to his Territory.

And she would protect her future at all costs. The bravery she’d felt the night before had worn off and fear was a pulse that beat beside her own heart in a frantic rhythm. But, she would not be the i***t she’d been before they left Wales. Layla would do things her own way, more often than not facing her problems head on, but she would try to be smarter about it.

There were other things Layla had to attend to before she was ready to face what stood before them. She had to assess herself and what she’d become. Quietly as she could, she pulled on a sports bra and the camisole she’d worn the day before. There was something she needed to do and for that, she needed privacy.

Layla slipped out of the cabin’s back door, but the familiar prickle of eyes on her tickled across her skin. The beautiful creature that was one of the twins lay curled in the grass behind their monstrosity of a home. The rising sun glinted across rainbow colored scales, the color morphing as it readjusted in the sun. A snake-like tongue flicked in the air. It readjusted its head, iridescent eyes following her as she walked boldly across the grass. It was too calm, taking in too much of the world to be the rowdier twin.

“If he asks,” Layla began, knowing the creature could hear her, “you’re welcome to tell him where I went, Marc.”

The dragon blinked, as much of a response she was going to get out of him it seemed. She nodded and turned back toward her mission. Unease churned in her stomach, so she set into a run to see if she could shake it out of her system. It wouldn’t hurt putting some distance between her and the cabin.

A couple of miles out, she found a nice field to work in. The rolling hills ahead of her gave her a view of distant roads and more farm land. At least, there were no homes in sight. This wouldn’t be the worst place to see what she’d become.

Ever since the voice of her beast had faded and the monster inside her rose to power, Layla avoided taking on her dragon form at all costs. It was what had nearly cost them Marc and gained them Miri. It was a double-edged blade, but it was time that she learned to hone it.

It was time to see what waited inside of her. Was her dragon still there? The small beast with wine colored scales and a streak of violet down its spine. Or, was there something else in its place, the dragon’s wounds morphing as it healed?

Layla let her head fall back and studied the cloudless sky above her. It was a beautiful day, she thought as she released the monster and let it surge toward the surface. The feeling was familiar and welcome, like stretching long dormant muscles. Fighting against the change hadn’t been a fun experience. It’d felt much like fighting against herself. A smile spread across her face as she unfolded into something new.

Black claws pierced the earth beneath her, sharper than they’d ever been before. She shook out her new body, releasing tension in the unused muscles while she swung her long tail back and forth. It was hard to tell what shape her dragon was in, but she knew the most important thing.

The monster did not overpower her. Instead, it sung beside her mind, the two of them in tune as the dragon moved about. She only wished that she could see her reflection. Taking a chance, she beat at the air with her wings to see if they would carry her weight. Last she knew, her wings had been in shreds, unable to do much more than dangle uselessly after white claws had dragged through them.

Layla was astonished to find them stronger than before. Her claws lifted from the earth and landed with a thud when she stopped. The witch’s magic had sunk deep, healing even the creature Layla refused to show to the world. She wondered what else the witch’s magic had done for her.

Behind her, she heard the soft rustle of leaves against branches. The wind was blowing in her direction and carried Drake’s scent to her, only it was mingled with her own scent after their night of love making. The monster purred, a sound that her beast had once made. Slowly, almost shyly, she turned to face him.

His face was filled with emotion. It took Layla and her monster a while to sort out what they were seeing. There was devastation, but there was also awe, and pride, and love. She didn’t know what to make of what she couldn’t see. Drake’s hand reached into the air and she lowered her head so that he could touch her. The connection warmed her and the monster.

“I learned something,” Drake began. “This was back in my youth, right after my parents died and I was slowly healing after my run in with the one-eyed dragon. It seems that after a dragon recovers from the kind of wounds that could have killed them, they lose whatever color they once had. I don’t know if it should be a mark of shame, a signifier that you are no longer part of your family, or if it should be a mark of pride for having lived through the worst.

“I have my own opinion, of course. I’m a bit biased on the subject.”

Layla watched him let his beast cascade over his hand. Black scales unfolded across his skin before folding back into him. She glanced down at herself and found that her own scales were no longer the deep wine color of her hair, but the color of unburnt charcoal. Twisting, she searched for the places that the white dragons had plucked her scales and found them newly returned.

Drake traced a line down her forehead and a smile reached his eyes. “It seems you haven’t lost all color. Was this streak of purple always there?”

Layla bobbed her head in response. This change was unexpected. She’d feared the worst, feared her change might release some devious creature upon the world that she could not control. Instead, she’d simply evolved. It made her sad to know that her family’s color was all but gone, but she was glad to know she was not a danger to anyone.

“I would say let’s give those wings a try, but I don’t want Miri waking up by herself in that big house. Come home with me?”

She c****d her head to the side. If she could have used her voice to ask him for a moment, she would have. Instead, she spun around, careful not to hit him with her tail, and surged into the sky. Her wings bore the weight of her body as she glided through the air. The ground below her grew further and further away. Her heart beat with excitement. It was a cathartic experience, even just for that short moment. To know that she could fly again filled her with joy.

The monster tilted her tail back and forth, allowing her to bank in different directions and spin through the air. It was working beside her, like they did in her human body when she fought, but they weren’t fighting. They were simply enjoying the open space of the sky.

On the ground, Drake hesitated before turning around. She knew he must think her selfish, must feel the weight of disappointment. How could she have told him all she wanted was a moment to feel the open air again? Together, Layla and her monster cut to the side and turned toward him. Their descent was graceful and she felt the change ripple over her, magic running over her like static.

Human feet hit the ground running. The momentum carried her into Drake’s back, colliding so that both of them staggered forward. Drake twisted and caught her in his hands. Laugher, light and wild, filled her. Her joy seemed to be contagious, because Drake’s smile returned and he bent to lay a kiss on her lips.

For a split second, she froze.

It was hard for her to remember this was her life now. She’d already let him in, little by little over the past couple of days. She didn’t love him, not yet. That was something she knew could happen over time.

“I thought you might spend all day out here,” Drake said as his hand moved to push her hair back from her face.

She pulled back. Reality hit her and the confession slipped out, unbidden, but needed all the same. “I was afraid. I had to know if I’d changed for the worse. The color change was unexpected, to say the least. I’d feared the worst. I-I feared that if I changed, I wouldn’t be myself anymore.”

Drake nodded as though he understood. He’d undergone the same transformation, probably brought on by the attack he suffered in his youth. Perhaps he did understand. Layla wondered if there was a monster instead of a beast curled beneath his skin, but she didn’t know how to ask so she kept her question to herself.

As they walked back to the great home disguised as a cabin, he reached out and took hold of her hand. He’d done it several times before, a gesture she hadn’t understood. Now, she knew it meant something else. It carried weight; it connected them like an electrical current. He couldn’t help but touch her, keeping it restrained to only the touch of a hand on a hand.

Layla knew she would protect what she had here at any cost. Not only had she found a mate and unintentionally started a family with him, because neither of them would give up Miri for anything at this point, but she had an Embassy to protect. This was her future and she was going to tackle it head on.

There was no way Drake could know what she wanted to do. He would lose his mind again, much like when they lost Marc. No, she would do this on her own.

Back in the little town, the space that looked like people had built homes on a camping site, dragons were already milling around. There were a few female dragons that cast glares in Layla’s direction. One stood out, her gaze lighting like fire on Layla’s skin. Her hair was cut at a severe angle and her eyes had an elegant tilt at the corners that spoke of an Asian origin. She glared at Layla with transparent jealousy. They should have known, Layla thought, that there was no chance with Drake if there was no mating bond.

To her left, Marc caught her eye and nodded. Isaac was busy with something, half suspended from the outside of their home while he fiddled with an electrical line. Luc held the rope that suspended the hanging dragon, playfully pretending to drop it from time to time. Atop the modular home, Luc waved exuberantly.

Drake informed them to get ready to help him. They were going to have the feast he’d promised them a couple of days ago. Luc let Isaac plummet toward the ground after Drake’s command, only to catch him moments before the ground. The curly haired dragon was oddly unfazed by it, probably trusting Luc to catch him or prepared to land on his feet like a cat.

Layla smiled. This was a good family. The women would have to move on and find their own mates, a thing that only fate could do for them.

Inside, Layla climbed the stairs and crawled into Drake’s bed. His scent now mingled with Miri’s and brought a feeling to Layla’s heart that she’d thought she’d lost when her family shipped her off to the States.

Home.

Miri snuggled into the blankets after cracking an eye to see who was there. Layla’s presence now meant safety to the small girl. Especially if she could live through meeting the One-Eyed Dragon, the only name she had for the entity that acted like a dragon vigilante.

There was a laptop on the nightstand and, remembering what Drake had told her the other day, she reached for it. Miri was going to need a room of her own. While the computer booted, Layla reached and brushed the girl’s hair out of her face, thinking that the child looked surprisingly like the twins. Had her family been refugees from a southern country?

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