I’d never.
Unless . . . unless I would.
A swarm of emotions flitter through me. Anxiety. Rage. Anger. Fear. It’s all there, and my beast absorbs it all. I feel her inside me like a second heartbeat. She’s a pulse of an existence. A beautiful, magical creature.
I need her now more than ever.
She purrs to life without hesitation. It’s like now that we’ve met, our bond is stronger than ever. She is me, and I am her. And this cunt of a queen has threatened us both.
And our loved ones.
Her sweet purr turns to a growl. My chest hums. My bones vibrate. My body prepares for the pain that rips from the inside out that I know will soon be coming. And I fucking want it.
The tear of flesh is a quick lashing. The breaking of bones is like nothing. It’s a kiss of agony that passes so quickly, it doesn’t even register in my mind as my flesh morphs into scales and heat and fire and fury.
The ground distances itself as I’m lifted higher and higher. Wings tear from my spine, and I enjoy—no, Irevelin the feel of total power.
Heat billows from my snout, and the blurring sight of my surroundings is hard to take into focus, but I hear her.
It’s a gasp of pleased pleasure.
It’s a threat.
A threat of what’s to come.
And I won’t wait for those days to beat me down.
The smoke from my throat wafts out as I tilt my head slowly down at the dark image below me. A small palm strokes along my foot.
It—fuck, that tickles. I shake him off, and he tumbles away from me before I spot Roman sitting in the dirt on his ass.
Oops. I’d say sorry, but how dare he tickle a monstrous beast like myself!
Snorting fire brews at the back of my throat, and I lower my head down, down, down and finally, his pretty features come into focus.
I blink at him, and he shakes his head slowly at me.
Once more saying, “Don’t fucking be stupid,” without really saying it.
My teeth bare to him. His dark eyebrows lift high, and it’s almost laughable how puny my little hellhound looks right now. To think I used to have to look up at him like his height was impressive or something.
My jaws open wide, and ever so gently, I snip up one of his dirty boots and throw the little man up in the air. A small grunt is heard as he lands with a thud somewhere on my back.
He’s fucking adorable.
So cute.
“Fuckin’ crazy woman,” he mutters.
So cute.
But serious business is to be had in this moment. The queen’s pleased squeal is no longer sounding through the night air, and I’m very aware of how little time I have to steal up the other little pup down below, take out the castle wall just behind me, and snatch up the last sweet little hound before flying our asses out of here and heading for the Upper Realm.
“Cersia, listen to me,” Roman whispers against my neck, tickling the scales there with the heat of his breath. Damn, why are dragons so ticklish? I don’t recall that being an issue in any of the folklore I’ve heard about my kind... “Cersia, we can’t go back to your pack. They’d never accept you as one of their own, and Creatchin will expect you to hide there. She’s not a fool, and you know it!”
I blink slowly at that. It was a feeble plan, but it was something. It was a promising thought to think about. It was—it was wishful thinking.
My breathing comes in slow heaps.
