3
Kassius
A warm image manifested among the darkness.
Halo laughed - a beautiful sound like chiming bells. My heart ached, like I missed him, even though my mate stood right beside me. I would’ve given anything to hear him laugh again.
“She does not look anything like me,” Halo argued, his lips turned upwards in a smile. “I swear, she only looks like you.”
“Not her hair,” I countered, “or her eyes.”
Halo rolled those gold-green eyes and sighed. “Fine. But just look at her, Kass. She’s got your face. Don’t you think?”
She was beautiful, nothing like the gruff alpha I was. All I could see was my mate’s expression in her. She resembled a goddess, she same way Halo looked like a god.
“Hm,” I said in acknowledgment, not really meaning it. “I say she takes more after you. And I’m glad about that. You’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. In the world, probably.”
A deep blush filled Halo’s cheeks. He always got embarrassed when I fawned on him like this, but how could I stop myself?
I stepped closer and wrapped my strong arms around his waist, pulling him close for a kiss. He sighed and snaked his hands up my sides while kissing me back.
“You’re not gonna get rowdy in front of the baby, are you?” he murmured with a quirked brow.
“No,” I replied. “But I’d be lying if I said you weren’t tempting me.”
He laughed again. My heart squeezed with affection. There it was again - the most wonderful sound in the world.
* * *
I woke with a choking gasp.Air flooded my lungs. Overwhelmed, I jerked my head up and hit the rock hard ceiling above. Pain seared through my skull and I let out a cry of agony. My draconic voice echoed through the cavern.
Both the pain and initial panic from my dream faded. I shut my eyes and sucked in measured breaths until my heart rate slowed, then I opened my eyes with a slow exhale.
Darkness surrounded me. The surface beneath me was cool and solid. The dark granite walls around me were familiar.
I groaned as another sharp pain shot through my skull. I clutched my head in my claws like it would explode. Why was I so disoriented?
I waited out the worst of the pain, but the memory of Halo still burned like a blinding light in my mind. Dreams about him were always the worst. Even when they were good ones.Especiallywhen they were good ones. I frowned at how warmly I felt towards him in that dream, then felt betrayed by my own subconscious.
It’s just a dream,I reminded myself firmly.It doesn’t mean anything.
I staggered to my feet again, determined to get up properly this time. Still in my dragon form, I lumbered to the source of light at the cavern’s mouth. Some fresh air would do me good. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gotten any.
Ancient boulders blocked the cavern entrance. At first I placed them there for safety, hoping to stop anyone from finding me. Then decades passed, and I was sure no one would come. Now I rearranged them back and forth just to have something to do every day, even though on some days I didn’t bother leaving the cavern at all.
With my sore muscles I shoved away the boulders and stepped outside. The cool breeze ghosted across my scales, making them tingle pleasantly. I inhaled a deep gulp of the crisp air, and found it so enjoyable that I did it again. It felt like the first true breath I’d taken in a long time.
Puzzled by that thought, I gazed to my surroundings. All around stood the Cinderhollow wilderness I knew so well. The same mountain. The same trees and rocks. Like time hadn’t passed. But I felt tired, my bones weary. Fatigue hit at the same time that the memories slowly seeped back into my mind.
The truth was that I’d been alive for a very, very long time.
As if every bone in my body would snap from exertion, I sat carefully and slowly, then curled my spiny tail around myself as I surveyed the mountain valley below.
The more time passed, the more it seemed to slow down. I couldn’t remember what I’d done in the past year, or the year before. I couldn’t remember what I did yesterday. The last clear memory I held must have been a few decades ago. Or was it the last century?
In any case, it didn’t matter. Time meant nothing to me anymore, and neither did memories. All I had was the present. A horrible past, and no hope for a future.
Early morning mist rolled over the mountain. In the distance stood Cinderhollow proper, the bustling town - or was it a city now? - filled with shifters of all kinds. My old home. The tribe I gave upeverythingfor. And all for what? Nothing was ever worth it, in the end.
