Dragon's Claim

Chapter 7

A shifter transforming into its animal form is a phenomenon that should not be allowed to be looked directly at, not just because of how glorious and otherworldly it was but also because it puts pain into perspective for a lot of people, with one of those people being Catriona. She watched on as she had the last time the dragons had transformed in front of her, her breath stuttering, pupils blown wide and lips trembling as Domenico's skin was literally torn apart as his dragon emerged. It was only because of the dragons' superior healing powers and an ungodly pain tolerance level that they survived each transformation.

Their fiery breaths were pained, she could tell. The transformation has to be the time when the dragons were the most vulnerable. Even with such a glaring vulnerability, however, the dragons were the most powerful beings in the knowable universe.

They were at the edge of the ocean, having walked to the shore so that the dragons had room to transform. Catriona could see her breath fogging in the cold; she wondered if her lips were blue yet and if the mist had formed icicles in her hair yet.

Mysteria's climate was no mystery. The terrain was desert-like; the days were swoon-worthy hot, while the nights were frigid. It was confounding as the Mysteria was a tropical island, not that Catriona had ever bothered to put much thought into it.

Uncaring for how she was on the verge of getting hypothermia, she looked on as skin shredded and blood splattered on the wet sand, burning away just as quickly, leaving no trace.

It was impossible to look away; their pain was hypnotic. It almost seemed like it was over too soon, making her wonder if she was discovering some hidden sadistic side of hers. She turned away jerkily, taking a moment to collect herself, her body shivering and not just because of the cold.

Turning back towards them, Catriona gasped loudly and lurched back, falling over in the process, her palms scraping against the rough edges of the rock that made the cliff. Heart in her throat, she realized it was impossible to become used to being in close proximity to a dragon. Plus, she couldn't believe that one of them had been a hair's breadth away from her face, and she had failed to notice until she had turned to look back at the troupe. It really was unfair how stealthy the beasts were, given their temperament and size. But then, in her world, what wasn't?

Backing away, she swore the dragon gave her an unimpressed look. After a once over at her condition, he turned away, tilting its head and twisting its neck to look at the gleaming night sky. Soon after, the others followed suit, seemingly entranced by the stars that decorated the otherwise blank, dark canvas.

Catriona tried to understand the motives behind their actions, failed and immediately gave up. Focusing her attention instead on tending to herself. Picking herself up, she wiped her hands against the sorry excuse of a gown that adorned her.

Feeling a breath on her neck, her immediate reaction was to fall over again, but she willed her heart to calm down and instead took measured breaths, knowing that another one of the troupe had sneaked onto her and that she was on the verge of feeling his fire-breathing maw against the damp skin of her nape.

Straightening up, she turned around slowly, the rest of the troupe now at her back, still trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe.

Lifting her chin to gaze at the dragon, she held her ground for a change. Maybe the bravado came from the knowledge that she was safer with them, and as far as their word is concerned, she was protected.

Twisting its neck to the side, the dragon narrowed his eyes at her, growling low in his throat. He gave up the intimidation act when he realized that she was unaffected. Huffing as she felt a gust of warm air on her face that had the undertones of blood in it, he pulled back while she recoiled a bit.

Slowly, the dragon laid his entire body on the ground in sort of a plank-like pose. It was her cue to climb, and climb she did, feeling the rough scales against her bare skin. It was Vincent, she was aware, taking in his silver skin. Settling down and holding firm, she was ready for the second flight of her life. She held on as he shifted under her, crouching and about to take flight. However, she was not expecting to let out an earth-shattering roar that made her crumble into herself as she yelled out in surprise, curling into a fetal position on top of him.

It was a war cry.

It couldn't possibly have been anything else, given its ferocity. The rest of the troupe let out answering roars, and suddenly, Vincent was moving like a great wave under her, about to take off. Righting herself with great difficulty, she weakly held on to the stone-hard scales covering his back. He was gentle, though, in contrast to the bellow he had let out moments ago, and she didn't feel like she was about to grace the ocean again once they finally took to the air.

She turned her head to look back, and the rest of the troupe was there, guarding their trail, and it became apparent to Catriona exactly why the dragon-kind were the most feared species.

With the wind in her hair and her body moving with the clouds, Catriona realized that in a few hours, she would know if the gamble she had just taken on her life was going get her the jackpot or leave her bereft of life itself. Should the thought have scared her? Probably. But did it? Yes, but considerably less than how much it would have frightened her six months ago. And in her book, it was a win.

Catriona might have been a lesser woman given her species, but she was better than her past and considering the seven dragons that surrounded her and protected her, the universe seemed to agree.

She knew they were a long way from their destination, and the scales on Vincent's back beckoned. Somehow, the fact that dragon-back is not the safest place to nap had eluded her. However, it did seem like she was carrying decades-worth of exhaustion with her. She also knew that Vincent wouldn't let her fall, so giving into her urges seemed less and less foolish to her. Plus, she knew there was no way she was going to be able to stay awake for the hours of the journey that awaited them, and so before she knew it, she had found the entrance to dreamland.

It was different this time, though. Instead of devastating horrors with the power to wreck her circadian rhythm, it was smouldering eyes that awaited her. Hiding an unimaginable amount of fury, just waiting to be unleashed, they took her in. Dragon eyes, as they were, hovered over her, bringing into focus the stark contrast their size difference posed. Looking up at those eyes and smelling that fiery breath, Catriona felt out of breath with fear. That fury, that hatred, was familiar. Maybe there was a difference in intensity as these seemed ready to engulf her. She wasn't even sure if she had it in her to protect herself. She was exhausted. She was also conditioned to trust the dragon gaze. Plus, instinct told her to give in.

So she did.

And she fell.

Into that supermassive blackhole of blaze and fury.

The scales that brushed against her back were the softest she had ever experienced, considering her limited experience of feeling dragon scales against her skin. There were no abrasions, even in her dreams, as she slid down the dragon's back, slipping like against oil. The fiery breath against her skin was comforting. Protective, her mind supplied. The wings? They enclosed her, hiding her from those who dared hurt her. And the eyes? They had claimed her already; no words were required. They had claimed her in silence, as in silences, there were no arguments, no criticism and restrictions. So, in that silence, she was claimed completely.

Her soul had found her mate.

Surprisingly, she had never felt safer than she did in those moments, hanging between lucidity and unconsciousness. The dream seemed too vivid for it to be a dream, and when she woke up, it was not abrupt like it had been every other time in the past few months. She was at ease, unafraid, and, dare she think, happy.

She was going to be alright.

In the lessening distance, blaze and fury awaited, unaware as he yet was of the destiny that crossed miles of oceanic surface every second to get him.