“Yes,” I say.
“What about all those other structures we passed?”
“They are the homes of others in my tribe or places for the animals we keep. Come by the fire. You’ll dry quicker.” We’re both still soaked to our bones. I watch as he moves to sit across from me.
“You do not live alone? You do not have your own territory?”
“This hut is my own, and I have lived here alone since I came of age, but no, there are people living in the other structures we passed. Those are their territories. We do not need a lot of space to thrive,” I say, leaving shortly to bring forward some of the hide blankets stacked on my cot, pulling one around me, handing him one as well.
He steps into the room and copies what I do—wipes some of the water off of his skin. His wings shake and water sprays across the space.
His face is dark when he sets the hide down, strained tight, and almost menacing. It takes me by surprise.Is something wrong?“We’re safe. Home. My home,” I say quietly. “What’s wrong—”
The door to my hut crashes open. Kaos is on his feet the next instant, standing with arms spread, claws out, blocking me.
“Issa!” a familiar voice yells. “You’re back…”
22
Kaos Rules
It isanother female who stands on the threshold to Issa’s territory.A female, not a male.Not an adversary for me to fight. Her eyes go wide, finding me instead of Issa before her. Baring my teeth, her mouth drops. “You are lucky you are not a male,” I snap, unable yet to break my aggression.
“Tulia!” Issa tries to dash around me but I stop her with an outstretched arm, pulling her to my side.
“Tulia?” I ask, barely holding the snarl back. My gaze has not left the new human. There is a stick in her hand with a curved handle at the top. It is perfect and smooth, unlike any stick I have seen before.
She has not moved during my perusal, even though rain is pummeling her back. Good.
Gaping, this Tulia stammers. “Issa, who is this?”
“Kaos. His name is Kaos. Come in,” she says, tugging toward the woman but my hold tightens, “please, and I’ll explain.”
Tulia takes a step forward using her stick for leverage and I growl. She stops. The hut door rattles from the wind.
Issa pushes me. “Kaos, she is my sister. She is allowed in my home.” Her voice is reprimanding.
Unrelenting to her will, I move to allow Tulia entry, pulling Issa back in the process. Circling around her to close the door, my gaze never drifts away. She stumbles away from me as I corral her to the fire, where she quickly finds a stool and sits.
I notice her tipping, uneven movements, as if she has a problem with her legs like I did not that long ago.She clutches her smooth stick and uses it to help her balance,I realize. She stretches one of her legs out in front of her, and I come to the conclusion that it is hurt. The other remains bent at the knee, fine.
Issa glowers in my direction and settles next to her sister. It takes every ounce of control to not shove them apart and hide my mate away, but I end up allowing her near this new female, if only because I now know she is of little threat.My mate trusts her.
Pivoting back to the entryway, I barricade it with a big wood structure that has things atop it. Some of these human things fall to the floor as I push the wood piece in place. But now no one else will come in, and no one will be allowed to leave, not before I can stop them.
Turning back, the females are whispering to each other.
“Who is he, Issa?Whatis he?”
“It’s a long story,” she says, rubbing her brow.
“I am a dragon,” I fume, annoyed at this invasion.
Both females look at me.
“A dragon?”
My eyes snap to Tulia. “Yes.”
