“Josie, is everyone ready to go?” I linked once we got back to the village.
“Yeah, you thinking baskets?” She linked back.
“Yep. How many have we got going out tonight?”
“Fifteen. I’m using Ian and Jace for transport.”
“Sounds good. I’ll create a couple more baskets.”
I created the baskets and we helped everyone get loaded into the baskets. They left for the plane while the rest of us helped finish packing.
About an hour and a half later Jace and Ian were back, “Everyone got off okay. Need anything from either of us before we hit the hay?”
“Nope. We’ll try to leave out in about five hours,” I responded, packing the last of my pack. They nodded and walked off to find somewhere to sleep for the night.
I smelled him walking up before he said anything, “Amaya. I was just wondering if…if you and…” Fox cleared his throat, I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, “Well I was wondering…if you want…if you would like to…um…like to sleep…ehrm…sleep with…uh…me tonight. You said it would help you sleep and I figure you need as much sleep as you can get right now, so if you would like to I wouldn’t mind that.”
He cleared his throat again with a cough, “Thank you but I’m sleeping in my dragon form tonight. Niamh doesn’t have a chance to protect me from the nightmares when I’m in human form but in dragon form she can protect me. This way if anything happens during the night I’m already ready too.”
He bobbed his head several times, “Right. Okay.”
As he turned to leave I stood and caught his arm, “Fox. Thank you really. I appreciate the thought. Will you let your guys know we’re leaving in about five hours?” He nods and walks over to the other SEALs.
Niamh urged me to sleep with him, but I knew once I did I wouldn’t be able to sleep well again. I couldn’t risk that with him barely having a foot in this relationship. “Maybe once we sleep with him, he will see he needs us too,” she insisted.
“No. We’ll sleep in your form tonight otherwise we might sleep too soundly putting our clanmates in danger. You don’t want that after just finding them do you?” She growled her response knowing she couldn’t argue with my logic and faded to the back of my mind. I created more baskets for our trip tomorrow, and once I was satisfied everything was ready I shifted.
“Holy shit. She’s actually a dragon, a huge fucking dragon,” one of the SEALs said quietly from where they were standing, making me snort.
I was only laying there for a little while when I smelled Fox walking back up, I didn’t open my eyes but when he touched my back Niamh began to purr. “What happened? Why do you have dried blood on your back?”
I gave him what I hoped was a sardonic look and linked Jax who was standing not far away, “Tell him would you? The dingus seems to have forgotten that I can’t speak as a dragon.”
Jax laughed and Fox looked over at him, “What?”
Jax shook his head, “She can’t speak to you when she’s in her dragon form. She called you a dingus.” A smile crossed Fox’s lips, “She was shot down earlier when we went to return Esteban. A large iron spear tore her wing, so she crash landed on her back.”
“Fuck. I’m glad you guys are okay. What was the cry about when you guys first left?” He looked from me to Jax.
Jax shrugged, “She didn’t tell me, and I don’t think she will tell me. All she said was ‘Niamh is upset,’ can you think of a reason she might be upset?”
Fox looked down at his feet, but I turned my head away from both of them, tucking it under one of my wings. “I can,” he finally said, “I just didn’t realize it was going to be that bad.”
“What did you do?”
“Jax, just leave it alone,” I linked him.
“I, uh, I told h-”
Jax cut him off, “Amaya told me to leave it alone, and for now I will but you need to get your shit together.”
Fox didn’t say anything, I heard Jax walk away. Fox stroked my neck for a little while before also walking away. He came back in a little while, and I lifted my head to look at him. He had his sleeping pack with him, “Is it okay if I sleep out here with you?”
I huffed and nodded. I tucked my head back under my wing. Niamh started purring again when he laid directly against us. We were asleep for a couple of hours when Niamh woke me up saying there were people in the village who shouldn’t be here.
Taking in my surroundings I barely caught the movement to my left. Niamh and I let out a low growl waking Fox up, “What is it?”
I shifted back into my human form, “I’m not sure. Niamh says there are people here that shouldn’t be. I smell wolves. Go wake up Jace, Ian, and Jax. Stay inside.”
Then a voice rang out, “You said you killed all the hunters. You failed to mention this one,” Marina said motioning to Fox.
“That’s because he isn’t a hunter,” I said, just barely holding onto the growl that threatened to escape.
“Oh? And I’m just supposed to take your word for it?”
“No. Take mine,” Jax’s voice rang out, “Marina. We were in the States yesterday and everyday before that. Just because he’s human doesn’t make him the enemy.”
“So you say, yet humans slaughter us by the hundreds,” a new wolf spoke up from the side.
“We will be taking Joseph with us,” Marina said with a sense of finality in her voice.
“Over my dead body,” I growled.
“We can do that too,” Marina said, motioning to the wolves surrounding us.
“Jax, take Fox and put him with the other SEALs. Tell Ian and Jace to guard the cells, I want you, Alanza, and Matt on the humans,” I linked him. He grabbed Fox pulling him along, but the wolves refused to allow them to pass. “Let them through,” I said with dominance in my voice.
“Don’t move,” Marina gave her alpha order.
I turned to face her and smirked, “Tell them to move.”
She twisted her neck barely able to hold back showing her neck as a sign of submission. She cleared her throat, “Let them through,” she said quietly.
The wolves did and Jax and Fox moved quickly toward the building holding the SEALs and my team. “You and your pack would do well to leave now.”
“We’re not leaving until we get what we’ve come for. We will leave with Joseph one way or another,” she said, but she zoned out slightly indicating she was mind linking with someone.
“Care to share with the class?” I quipped.
Marina smiled, “Your men were too late. You really should have fortified against wolves as well, and not just dragons.”
I growled, “Please tell me you dumbasses have him in irons at least.”
Marina looked to the other wolf that spoke, and everything in their body language told me what I needed to know. “We don’t need them. We can control him.”
I laughed humorlessly, “Okay. Sure. Tell your goddess I said hello when he kills you.” The wolves around me growled.
Soon I smelled him, then I saw him being led toward us by two wolves, unchained. “Amaya, where is he?” Jace’s voice rang in my head.
“Wolves got him first. I don’t need more bodies to protect here. Make sure they didn’t find the hunter at the back, then get back to the SEALs,” I linked back.
“But-”
“No buts Jace. Just do as you’re told for once, please.”
“Are you listening?” Marina asked.
“Nope. What did you say?”
She growled but Joseph laughed, “Oh dear niece I cannot wait to see that light go out in your eyes, but first,” he moved to strike the wolves closest to him with his lightning. I quickly bent it up into the sky and away from its intended targets. He tried to hit me, but I redirected it again.
He growled and his eyes flashed between human and dragon eyes. He bent water around all of us, slitting a couple of wolves’ throats before I could stop him. He threw everything at us he could, and I bent all of it away or redirected it. He snuck a strike of lightning behind me. I screamed as it entered me and bent it back out into the sky. “When are you going to learn, Joseph? Lightning doesn’t affect me like other dragons,” I asked out of breath.
I ripped the iron spears Marina’s wolves are holding from their hands and bent them around Joseph’s neck and hands. I then bent the ground up and around his feet and hands pinning him to his spot. “What are you? The truth this time Princess,” Marina demanded.
“Jace, can you bring out some oil in a syringe please?” I linked him. “Alpha, you don’t get to ask questions. Two of your wolves are dead because of your arrogance and general stupidity.”
Joseph laughed, “What are you afraid of, niece? Afraid she’ll find out you’re the real danger here, Queen?” Jace walked up with the syringe, “Ah and what about you son? Doing everything your precious little Queen tells you to do?”
Jace and I both growled, “You’re Joseph’s son?”
“Yes he’s my son,” Joseph managed to get out before Jace injected him with the oil.
“If you won’t let us take Joseph, then we’ll take his son in his place.”
I let out a menacing growl, and when I spoke Niamh and I spoke as one, “You will leave this village, take your dead and do not return.”
“What are you?” Marina asked again, shaking where she stood.
“I am Niamh, Queen and Goddess of the Dragons. LEAVE. Now.”
Most of the wolves scurried away, but Marina and her beta stayed put. “We’re not leaving empty handed,” the beta growled, grabbing Jace.
Jace didn’t have time to fight him as I grabbed a hold of the water in his body and forced him away from Jace. “Get out of this village while you still have your lives,” I said with all of the dominance I had in my voice.
This time Marina did show her neck in submission with a growl, while her beta, still under my control, stared on with wide, frightened eyes. “Please forgive me, goddess,” the beta said, causing Marina to growl again.
I released him and he and the rest of the wolves that were left ran back to their village, with their dead, leaving Marina alone in the village with us, “Try this again or anything like it and I will kill you.”
She shivered and had an internal struggle with her wolf, “Understood, your Majesty. It won’t happen again.”
She breezed past me before shifting and disappearing into the jungle, “Thanks for your help, little cousin.”
“I should thank you, especially for letting me inject this monster with oil. Are you okay? We heard the scream.”
“Yeah. He got me again with his lightning before I got him under control. It hurt like hell,” Jace growled, “I’m fine, Jace.”
“Yes but one day it’s going to happen and you might not be. You need to be more careful.”
I sighed, “It’s not like I was looking to get hit. He’s been using his powers longer than me, so one would think he would know a few tricks I don’t.”
“Whatever. Let’s get him back into his cell. The hunter was still in his cell, the wolves didn’t even go that far back.” We walked back out of the cells to find Fox waiting for us, “See you in the morning, cus.”
“Yeah, see you in the morning.” Jace jogged off in the direction of the building everyone else was staying in, “What’s up Fox?”
“Here,” He took off his shirt and handed it to me. I was very distracted by his body and Niamh sent me images of the things we could do to him, “Amaya. Are you listening?”
His hand waved in front of my face, finally getting my attention, “Hmm? Oh? No. Niamh and I were discussing something. What were you saying?”
He gave me a look but didn’t call me on my bluff, “I was asking if now you would sleep with me.”
“No, I’m going to shift again.” He looked disappointed, so I followed it up with, “I might take you up on that though when we get to Alanza’s clan. I don’t think they would be overjoyed to have a massive dragon sleeping in the middle of everything.”
He smiled slightly, “Okay. Can I still sleep next to you?”
I smiled at him, “Yeah. Stay here for a minute so I don’t hit you when I shift.”
I took his shirt off and handed it back to him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him, “May I kiss you,” he whispered breathlessly against my lips.
“No,” Niamh growled loudly in my head, causing me to wince, but I pulled back from him completely. “I need to shift so we can get a little more sleep.’
“Right,” he said, clearing his throat as he released me.
I walked to the center of the square and shifted. I curled up and Fox got comfortable leaning against me, making Niamh purr, and we soon fell asleep.
Author: Kailan Counahan 