Sixteen
Vermillion
Saber steadied himself against the plank building and fought to retain control of his mind. Once he managed to push the pressure away, he debated on returning to his home. It had been weeks since he slept in his own bed. A safe haven, his lair was located high up in the Death Ridge Mountains, not far from where he grew up. Then he dismissed the idea. No, he needed to go check on Maya’s Young. Make sure they were all right. Cass used to be a doting father, but ever since Maya broke their bond and left him, he’d been a shadow of himself, and didn’t always take care of his progeny properly.
Saber understood, and he ached for his friend. Cass had been so completely broken, not only had he lost Maya, but he also missed out on finding his missing family. Then he grew desperate in his search. Saber joined him as often as possible, when Cass would let him. It was as if finding his family would fix what was broken.
Saber knew it wouldn’t fix anything, but he didn’t have the heart to stop Cass … no matter how hard he drove himself or how ragged he grew in his quest.
The rest of the village took up the slack in caring for Cass’s young, still, Saber checked on them as often as possible. Though he wasn’t sure if it was for their benefit or his own peace of mind. It didn’t matter. Skye and Aries helped ground him.
Between his own quest for the female, his duty to patrol those of his kind threatening to go rogue, and keeping himself semi-sane, it took everything Saber had. Still, it was hard to stay encouraged as the number of dragonkind, in all the fifty-two realms, was at an all-time low and steadily declining, just like his mind.
It was the same old story, over and over again. The females of their kind somehow held onto their humanity, while the males, if they failed to find their soul mates, did not. As an immortal, a male dragon eventually got to the point where he needed his other half in order to continue. Without a soul mate, and after living a long and mostly solitary life that never ended, a male’s soul began to dry up. Then he fell into depression. All too soon, the lack of a soul drove him from rage to insanity, and finally a screwed up desire to scorch everything in sight.
Dismay swamped Saber at the knowledge that this was happening to him, and he wondered how much time he had left. If his violent visions were any indication, it may not be long. He should have told Zales.
His thoughts shifted back to the female who had evaded him all these years. He’d found all the soldiers who were there that day, yet none knew what spell had been used to suck Adarias into the underworld, or how to get him back. After delving into their minds and learning they told the truth, Saber made quick work of them. But the female … Over time he often caught a whiff of her sweet, spicy scent, and his pulse would race at the possibility that he was close. Then she’d up and disappear. Again.
No longer caring if anyone saw him, Saber shifted into his dragon, then shot into the sky. He flew swiftly to Cass’s village and then landed. As soon as he shifted back into human-form, fourteen-year-old Skye ran up and hugged him, and his heart somewhat eased.
“Where have you been?” she scolded, light-blue eyes flashing with ire.
He tugged on her long, wildly tangled brown hair. “Aw, did you miss me, princess?”
Skye rolled her eyes and punched him, as eleven-year-old Aries shyly stood by. It had been distressing watching these two grow up without their loving parents by their sides. Sure, Cass was around, but never emotionally available. Skye had ended up wild and uncontrollable, while Aries only grew meeker.
“C’mere.” Saber pulled the boy into their hug and breathed in their unique scents. He let them calm him and savored their closeness.
Then Skye drew away. “I learned how to fly upside down.”
Suddenly, a faint tingle of magic echoed through Saber. It was a portal opening somewhere.
“You did? That’s great.” He started to ignore the strange magic of a gate being activated, when his dragon grew agitated.
With a frown, Saber let Aries go and drew on his own power. He reached out with all his senses and searched around, only to find nothing of note. Disappointment settled upon him as Skye regaled him with village life.
“Where is your father?” he asked.
Skye shrugged and looked away. “You know.”
“Skye?” Saber waited.
Skye sighed deeply. “No idea. You know what Cass is like. He’s worse than you, coming and going without telling anyone.”
“He’s not Cass to you, he’s Pepaw, or Father, or Sire,” Saber reprimanded.
Skye growled at him, and Saber growled right back. He couldn’t allow this behavior. Then satisfied when she grew quiet, his gut clenched in sympathy for the two. He knew how badly they ached to have their father more involved in their lives, and he wished he could change the situation.
But if anything, it was growing worse, and he couldn’t help but wonder if either he or Zales would have to one day soon put Cass out of his misery. The very idea was abominable, and besides, how could he take another parent from Skye and Aries?
Saber pushed the thought from his mind and spent the evening with the two. Their presence soothed his soul just enough to let him relax. At least until the scent of honeysuckle drifted to him on the breeze the next day, making it impossible to concentrate on what Skye was saying. “Sorry, what?”
Skye explained, but his mind was drawn miles away to a pair of amber eyes that haunted him.
“I’m sorry, I have to go.” A brutal need suddenly urged him to move.
Skye just smiled and hugged him. “Don’t stay away so long!”
Saber drew on his power and shifted, shooting into the sky without thought. Mind buzzing, his dragon was in an unsettled frenzy, and he let his beast dictate the direction. It was as if there were a tether leading him south.
A short while later, Saber landed and shifted back into his human-form. He frowned as he recognized the town as Vermillion. Why am I here? The same intense need pulsed through him again, only stronger.
His pulse quickened, and following the burning need, he began to walk. A moment later he halted as pain pierced his skull. Saber sucked in a breath and held still until it cleared, then he continued down the town’s only road.
Despite the agony of moving, he slowly made his way past all the shops and drinking houses, checking everyone out, until he ended up at the other end of town. He hadn’t spotted anyone he knew, and no one stood out.
Saber stared at the darkening forest in front of him. Maybe this need was a side effect of turning rogue? If it was, well, that would be a bitch, wouldn’t it? He scanned back the way he’d come, ready to fly away home, when the need pulsed again, beckoning.
Yeah, okay, not sure he believed it was his mind going, he started back, trying to tell himself that it could just be a severe lack of sleep.
If I were wise, I’d head home to my lair and get some rest. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to fly away. Well, no one ever said I was wise. He spied a familiar drinking house, and absently made his way over to it. Yet as he found himself in front of the Taverna, suddenly his mood for drink vanished.
As Saber debated on going inside, the faint scent of honeysuckle set all his senses tingling. He narrowed his eyes and scanned all around. There was no mistaking that sweet aroma. She was here. Somewhere. His breathing picked up as his heart raced even faster in his chest.
Yet even with his keen eyesight, he didn’t see her anywhere. There weren’t many people out, and the ones who were, appeared to have a purpose. Saber eased silently onto the porch of the drinking house, as the door to the grocer across the street creaked open. Then it closed and his whole body trembled.
Saber melted back into the shade of the building and called on his power. He drew in the tantalizing smell and sighed. It’s really her. Finally! His dragon waited, tense and eager, while his body thrummed with excitement.
Saber watched the female he’d been hunting for ten long years. She appeared nervous as she scanned furtively one way down the street, then the other direction. The witch started to walk, then hesitated as she drew alongside where he stood in the shadows of the Taverna.
Saber inhaled again, reveling in the taste. Then his blood quickened and his cock hardened. He sucked back a groan. The female paused and looked straight at him, and Saber drew on his power. He dove into her mind, only to run smack into a solid steel wall. What the hell?
Not all dragonkind could read minds, but it was his specialty. Some Supes were a little harder to read, but Humans were generally easy, and while he’d heard that some of them had natural shields, Saber had never run across anyone whose mind he couldn’t breach.
Until now.
Saber swallowed. Demons, she is fucking glorious.
Though the witch who had haunted him for so long couldn’t see him, Saber knew she was uneasy when she picked up her pace and hurried away.
He itched to shift and fly after her but stopped himself. He needed to wait until she was out of town. Away from prying eyes. He didn’t need any witnesses to what he was going to do with her.