11
Will He See Me?
So the nagais here in the cave.I grab my still-burning torch and head back into the darkness. He hasn’t attacked yet, and may not attack at all, but I remain vigilant anyway.
Maybe he knows a way out of here…
I scan the darkness.How would I even ask him if he did?Humans and nagas speak different languages, if the noise a naga makes could be considered a language at all. I've encountered enough of them to know they hiss in different tones to communicate, but that was it.
And even if the naga did know a way out, and even if we could communicate, I’d have to find him first.
I rub my fingers together, the place where Drazak squeezed them.
His touch lingers. His warmth. My fingers twitch, and my hand opens and closes as the sensation of him spreads. Like the bond, it fills me, comforting me. Each step away becomes more difficult. All I want is to return to his side and be within his presence.
I want to press up against him and absorb all that he is. I shudder thinking about it. I’ve never felt like this before.
But if he’s going to try and take my honor…
I inhale sharply.I’ve earned my title.I will not give it up unless I absolutely have to, and nothing Drazak says could change that. I’m not some little girl unable to throw her spear or set up a cockatrice trap or impale a sand shark. It’s been years since I had one of the elder huntresses with me checking if I could survive out in the wild.
I’m that elder huntress now. I watch over and keep our younger huntresses safe. I take the jobs that the eldest of our huntresses no longer can.
I may have thirty-two years, but that does not mean I don’t have another thirty-two left to be what I am. And as long as I’m not maimed, my next thirty-two years will be full of dangerous adventures—always for Sand’s Hunters.
Always for my sisters, my people.
Haime’s face appears in my head.Has she made it back to the tribe? Is she safe? Is she…My thoughts shift back to the cave-in, and I shiver. I can’t think about it. If I do, I may lose my remaining strength and wither. The loss of Haime would be my biggest failure.
Then I would lose my honor. I wouldn’t have any left to give to Drazak. I’d never recover if I lost her. My chest constricts.
I realize my feet are taking me in the direction of the cave-in. I halt.
No, I need to find kindling for the fire. Losing my only source of light wouldn’t be good. I straighten. Fire moss can keep anything burning for days, if there’s enough to burn, but the roots don’t make good kindling, I think. I frown.
How long have we been down here?There’s no way to tell time. I’d been unconscious and asleep for part of it, but for how long? There’s no way of knowing. The only thing I’m certain of is that the dried meat ration barely sated me, and my stomach feels as empty as it’s ever been.
Right now, I need to push myself until Drazak and I are safe. I’ve rested, I don’t have the luxury to do so again. At least not so soon. And I don’t want Drazak to see me weak or in pain. I know the other dragon men are protective of their mates, but I never really imagined how that would be for me if I ever bonded with one. I’d never really thought about it.
Maybe because I gave up on that hope as well. Everyone else had.
But Drazak seems different from them…
Like he’s afraid, afraid I’ll go away.
I have to make him understand I won’t. But will he trust me? He’s been stuck down here for so long I can’t even comprehend it.What would that do to his mind? Being alone. In the dark. Without food or companionship. Without having anyone know you’re gone or missing? What would that do to any being? Dragon or not?
I force myself not to look his way.
I turn away from the direction of the cave-in and make my way around the cavern. Far to my right and in the distance, I see the fire and Drazak beside it. I know he’s watching me. I can feel it.
His eyes burn my skin. He’d be able to see me even without the light from my torch. I’m certain. There’s still disbelief that I’m even bonded at all, that I have a male to call my own.
That I have my own dragon. I have always envied Issa and Aida for their virile men.
I’ve barely had time to process him being mine, so little time has passed since seeing him for the first time, since the taut, sizzling heat in my soul sprang to life and knotted with his. Finding more kindling for the fire was a chore needing done, but it was also an excuse. I need to get away and clear my head. I’ve never needed someone or something as badly as I need him.
Years of lonely nights wishing for a mate did not prepare me for this. Years of overhearing the sounds of bonded pairs mating never heated my blood like this.
