“Pretty sure I’m stuck with you until you get me back home. Doubt I’d be able to find my way back alone.”
We would not keep you here, young one.
Dimitri’s grin stretches wider as he watches my shocked face. He leans closer and whispers, “Be rude not to answer, Mari.”
“Um, that’s not what I was saying?”
Dimitri’s shoulders shake, and he tucks his chin to his chest. Bastard.
You do not need to speak out loud, though if you’re more comfortable doing so, proceed.
“Dimitri, stop,” I hiss.
He gestures toward me, but I have no idea what the fuck he’s trying to get me to do. I can’t see a dragon, and I certainly don’t know how to address them. He really gave me nothing. I totally wanted to come, I just wish I had more information.
“I’m sorry. The demon didn’t tell me what—that is, I have something that belongs to you.” I hold out the dragon egg, and it glows from within. The dragon makes a humming sound I feel in my soul.
The fog clears just enough to reveal a huge dragon. I don’t know what Dimitri was talking about. It looks like every other dragon I’ve seen in movies, though it’s glowing a soft orange. Not under their scales, more like their entire body shimmers when it moves, much like the egg I’m clutching. I didn’t realize how large they’d be. This one has to be as tall as two of my sister’s houses stacked on top of each other. Maybe more. I was never good at dimensions.
I’d wondered where they got to. Thank you for returning them to our domain. Their giver will be grateful.
“I don’t believe the p-person who took it understood.”
A booming laugh echoes inside my head, and I wince.I can guarantee the demon had no clue. The whelp you’re holding did, though. I imagine they thought it was a grand adventure. They’ll hatch soon and regale us with their tales of other dimensions.
“Okay, well, where do I…” How the fuck do I ask a dragon to hold out his hand? Is it a paw? A claw? Dropping it on the ground and nudging it over with my toe seems uncouth, and I doubt they’d appreciate that.
I pull from Dimitri’s grasp and elbow him in the side. He glances at me from the corner of his eye, humor still twinkling in them. I swear if he makes me figure this out alone, I’m going to steal his dagger and poke him with it.
Dimitri cocks his head, his eyes turning glassy, then presses his lips together. “I’d rather keep all my organs on the inside, so why don’t you just go put it in the nest, hmm?”
He points to a spot within the fog I can’t see. A whimper leaves me, and the thought seriously crosses my mind to stomp my foot. Then the smoke clears and an entire landscape of dragons appears. Lava flowers grow everywhere, including on top of what looks to be large caves. They sway softly in the warm breeze, infusing their song into the air. Some dragons lounge outside the caves while others fly overhead.
It stretches on for miles. We could stay here for years and probably never see all of it. A peace settles around me as I watch a dragon poke their nose directly into a bonfire. Ringing the flames are stones. They’re the same dark rocks that make up the wall—obsidian, I’m pretty sure. Unless they’re some type we don’t have in my world. I suppose it doesn’t matter, but I have the need to know everything.
I swallow hard, then shuffle closer to the surprisingly small nest made of grey coal. I nestle in the dragon egg between two others, and it pulses, setting off the rest. Crouching next to them, I stare as they surge in a pattern only they can understand. It’s as if they’re saying hello. Or perhaps asking what happened, where they went, and what of the other worlds they visited. It’s mesmerizing.
I don’t know how long I stay there, but my legs have gone numb and my neck has a cramp. Dimitri’s warm hand lands on the sore spot and I moan, tipping my head forward. As he massages my muscles, my knees hit the rocky ground, digging into the leather. He chuckles, yet instead of annoyance rising within me, warmth gathers in my chest.
The middle of a dragon realm isn’t the place to get enamored with a demon. After today and what he’s shown me, I don’t knowif I’ll be able to resist him. I can’t even remember why I wanted to in the first place.
“Time to go, spitfire,” he murmurs, the deep rumble of his voice echoing through my body.
I glance up and find the fog firmly back in place. “I should have said goodbye. And thank them.”
“Having you be mesmerized enough not to know they were walking away is enough. They know. Besides, I can bring you back whenever you’d like.”
With that promise, I struggle to my feet. He grips me under my arms and lifts me. Heat filters through my veins and settles on my cheeks. I was so caught up in the dragon eggs I forgot Dimitri was here. I’m sure he would have just handed it over and left. Instead, he was stuck here watching me cry over them.
When I’m upright, I let out a heavy sigh. My worries have disappeared, or at least quieted while I was here. They stay in the corners of my mind, allowing me this small moment.
“Okay. I’m ready.”
He smiles softly, and I turn to go back the way we came. He wraps his arm around my waist, his fingers splaying across my hip. Within seconds, the world goes dark and my ears pop, then we’re…right back at the lava flower field.
“Whoops,” he mutters. “Was shooting for your living room.”
He drops his hold on me, stepping back, and I mourn the loss of his touch, his warmth. When I face him, he’s looking at everythingbutme. Then I realize he’s naked. Very fucking naked. When I glance down, I notice I am too. My first instinct usually would be to cover up—ask where my clothes went. Unless I sew some flowers together, I’m going naked and, I don’t know how to sew. At least I don’t have to tell him to avert his eyes.
