One Year Later
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Nope, not doing thisagain.
Twelve months. Twelve agonizingly long months I’ve been trying to get back to them, but I’m completely fucking lost. I’m not sure what exactly they did to me, but something sure as hell changed when they rubbed their stupid, sexy faces all over my head.
Wincing, my claws dig into my palm. I can’t be sure when they’re going to come or go, what annoyance I’m going to deal with any given day. All I know is that I don’t fit in anywhere, human world or dragon. But what Iamsure of?
I need them.
My soul broke the day that I was dumb enough to walk away, splintered into three pieces and each of them seeks a Veles brothers like I need them to draw my next breath. No matter how far I run, something in the back of my head always rages, wanting that sense of security that I left behind.
I’m not a damn dog, I don’t need a pack.
A sharp pain lances through my head as I even think it, pissing me off as it always does. I left so I wouldn’t drag them down with me, and this? I have no doubt it will bring a whole shitstorm of trouble with me. But still, I’m selfish enough to want to live, and after this last year of things getting increasingly worse instead of better, I can’t think of any other plan.
They turned me into a monster.
Not a dragon, not a human. I justhurtand I’m so tired of surviving the pain. I want more, need to either stop this from happening or let it finish. The people in that mountain didn’t just scar me for life, they turned me into an abomination, and the triplets are the key. They seduced some primal part of me to the surface and I need them to either shove it the fuck back down, or finish dragging it out. I’ve spent the last year in a sort of stasis and I can’t take it anymore.
Random heats, spontaneous partial shifts. Not to mention I barely recognize myself in the mirror anymore. My once blue eyes are so crystalline now they’re practically made of ice, and the dark hair that used to help me blend into the shadows has been replaced by a shock of bright blue hair that I constantly need to coat with mud to keep from giving myself away.
A sudden rush of pheromones may be enough to convince other dragons that I’m one of them, hide my lineage enough that they won’t kill me on sight, but when they see wings an unmated female shouldn’t have? Scales coating my very human shaped body?
The possibility of unlocking their powers without having to find a mate to accomplish it?
Word gets out about that and any survivors from the lab will be the least of my concern. No matter how decent a person might be, with as rare as their females are and most giving up hope of ever being able to shift, the temptation would be too great. No one would stand up for me even if Iwasone of them; the greater good, and all that bullshit.
Their females might be born with abilities to aid their survival, but even they can’t change forms until mated. And the men, hell, they don’t have anything beyond superior strength and healing abilities, not a puff of smoke or a spark to their name unless they convince a woman to not only accept them into her bed, but complete the ritualistic mating ceremony that unlocks all of their potential.
I whimper, backing up against the rocky cliff at my back to appear trapped, weak. Not that difficult with as thin and filthy as I am right now, I’ll admit. Shimmering sapphire scales coat my arms that I can’t hide in what’s left of my destroyed shirt. I was forced to tie it at the neck and bottom, leaving my back permanently exposed since I never know when my wings are going to make an appearance. I’d rather a pathetic piece of fabric that at least covers my tits than becoming a half-naked, feral monster.
The man before me is built like a grizzly bear; he might even give Ezra’s mate, Soren, a run for his money. But he’s nowhere as kind, the cruel glint in his eyes giving himself away despite his smooth words.
“It’s alright there, little one,” he rumbles, like he’s speaking to a spooked doe. “I’m not gonna hurt ‘ya. Why don’t you come back to camp and we’ll get ‘ya something to eat, yeah? And we can talk.”
I fight the desire to snort and roll my eyes, but manage it. Barely. There’s no way I’d be able to overpower him, so I have to be smart, use any tool at my disposal. And as grating as it is to my pride, Ilookdefenseless; tiny and feeble. I wish I was some badass that people flinched at the sight of, that they could recognize just how capable I am, but they always underestimate me. Pride before the fall and all that, so I don’t let it bother me too much. Their opinions don’t matter when they’re the ones bleeding out and I’m the one living to see another day.
A scuff sounds on the ledge above me, a few pebbles getting knocked loose to give away his friend’s position. It’s harder to deal with someone that has the high ground, so I take a tentative step forward, keeping my movements slow.
“There ‘ya go, come on. It’s okay,” he coaxes, muscles uncoiling as he gets ahead of himself, believing he’s won. It will mean the other will hesitate before jumping down here, not wanting to send me running. It’ll buy me a few seconds, and that’s all that I’ll need.
When I get just outside of his reach I stumble, falling to my knees on the hard ground as I work my knife free of my boot. He bends down to help me up, bringing his throat within reach and his guard down, thinking this pathetic creature couldn’t possibly be a threat.
I slash, hand quick as lightning and cutting to nearly his spine. This is the one thing I have left, my gift from Kaiden, and I ensure it stays as sharp as the day it was given. Start a fire, take down a buck, stab your enemies; all comes down to a good blade.
His blood coats my face and hair as he gasps, clawing at his neck like he can hold it together. His buddy starts shouting and I hear the thump as he jumps. I bolt, not so much as risking a singular look behind me. I sprint, for once not weaving on the chance of him having a gun, because there isn’t time. If I sacrifice those few precious seconds, I won’t make it, and there’s already a strong chance this won’t work.
My shoulders start burning while I muffle a scream of pain and gratitude to all that is holy that I estimated this right. Blood coats my back as my wings tear through the skin, shredding it like paper. Despite the weight dragging me down, I run flat out, taking a leap of pure faith. While I may currently have wings, I have no clue how long they’ll last.
I jump from the cliff, because it’s that or continue a fight I’ll lose now that I don’t have the element of surprise on my side. Occasionally I get an extra head start when a rush of pheromones drives the men around me mad with lust, but it never lasts for long. They can sense there’s something wrong with me and it only serves to amp up their aggression. They hate me as much as they want me, and gone are the days I let anyone hurt me just so I could see tomorrow.
I’ll gut them and tear them apart if I must, and it’s their own goddamn fault for not leaving me alone.
Stab first, don’t ask questions later.Kaiden’s words echo through me, and with every day that passes, I wonder if I’m remembering his voice correctly. Every time some jackass flirts with me before realizing I’m defective, I compare him to three fiery redheads that I can’t forget no matter how hard I try.
Now, all I want is to get back to them. I need that sense of security and belonging, can’t keep going on in this state any longer. But all I have is...me. And I come up lacking no matter what angle I check from.
