He was gone for less than a minute, and then he stepped back out of the cave, holding out his hand. I took it, and he led me inside.
This wasn’t any ordinary cave. The ceiling was so high that it defied the rules of physics, and I half expected the inside of the mountain to come tumbling down at any second. To the left, a collection of bones warned visitors that continuing to walk deeper into the cave was a very bad idea.
Syclla lounged in the middle of the cave, her tail flicking back and forth along the dirt floor like a cat’s. The dragon’s scales ran the gamut from violet to a deep purple so dark it appeared black in places. Her bright gold gaze was currently steady on my face as she silently warned me not to come any closer.
She stretched, her long, serpentine neck arching as she turned her attention to Samael. He let go of my hand and stepped closer to croon softly to the dragon, scratching her under her chin the same way I scratched Lia.
My breath caught in my throat as a tiny form shuffled forward, moving into the light.
“Oh my gosh,” I breathed.
Samael glanced at me and smiled. “This is Syclla’s daughter, Nuri.”
The baby was about the size of a golden retriever. Like her mother, her scales were shades of purple, darkening to black in places. Her wings were oversized, almost comically big compared to the rest of her body, and they draped on the ground as she opened her mouth, revealing small, sharp teeth.
Two bright gold eyes gleamed at me as she took a stumbling step closer.
And tripped over her wings.
I stepped forward, as she face-planted, with some weird idea of helping the dragon to her feet. Syclla let out a warning snarl. I froze.
Nuri got to her feet, blinking wide eyes at me, as if shocked by her fall. She cocked her head, examining me from head to toe.
I fell a little in love.
My gaze slid toward Samael as the baby stepped even closer, this time managing to keep her feet. Syclla watched closely, but as long as I kept still, she didn’t seem to have a problem with her baby exploring.
Nuri was incredibly cute, but she was still a dragon, and I was a warm pile of meat to her. A bead of sweat ran down the back of my neck as she tripped again but this time she stayed standing, moving forward until she was close enough to touch.
I heroically kept my hands to myself, caught between fascination and terror.
“Uh, should she be doing that?”
“She’s merely saying hello.”
Samael didn’t seem at all concerned. In fact, it was amusement I could hear in his voice as I kept my eyes on the baby dragon. I ran through a few exit strategies as I watched her. She was cute and all, but she was also a predator with extremely sharp teeth.
Nuri leaned her head up, until she was staring right in my eyes.
“Uh, hi,” I said.
She snuffled my belly, and it chose that moment to let out a grumble. Nuri jumped, and a tiny growl left her throat as she bared her teeth at my stomach. I couldn’t help but laugh and she narrowed her gold eyes as she watched me.
Unlike her mom, who was all sharp planes and spikes, Nuri had tiny nubs where her horns would grow, and her head was rounded.
An image popped into my mind and my mouth dropped open.
Samael frowned as my eyes met his. “What is it?”
“She… showed me something.”
“Interesting.” He glanced at Syclla, who was still watching closely. “Dragons don’t usually attempt to speak with demons until they are much older.”
I’d forgotten. It was my demon side that allowed me to have a connection with dragons. If I was wholly human, Syclla likely would’ve eaten me by now.
“What did she show you?”
“Ah, a bone, sliding across the floor.”
