Текст книги "The Dragon's Favorite Strays"

Автор книги: Ruby Dixon

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 26 страниц)

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 53

MURR

I shift into my two-legged form and follow after Rabbit, curious. She says we need to talk, but I find this confusing, as she is already talking. “Do we talk same time?”

She turns and gives me a weird look. “What do you mean?”

“You say talk. You talk now. What different?”

Rabbit waves a hand. “It’s just me telling you that I want to talk with you in private. Away from Mom and Aggie and Dottie.”

Ah. “I away. Talk now.”

She steps deeper into the building, eyeing the mounds of trash and debris that are now covered in piles of hay. There are no cats to be seen but I can smell them underneath the scent of the cut grasses. “Are the cats in here?” she asks. “Can you tell?”

“Cats here,” I agree. Is this what we came to talk about? “Want…find?”

“No, I don’t want to scare them. I hope they’re all right. I worry about the cats, that’s all.” She crouches low and puts a hand in her pocket, pulling out a clear bag that is filled with dried meat chunks cut fine. She tosses them in front of her, and when one cat—a big fluffy gray—appears and hisses at us, Rabbit clicks her tongue. The cat growls a warning but moves forward enough to steal a few bites of food. Another cat emerges and sneaks towards the food as she tosses it. This makes Rabbit happy. She smiles at me over her shoulder. “Whew.”

I am still puzzled by all of this. What does this have to do with talking? “Cats here. We talk?”

“Oh. Yes.” She tosses another handful of chunks, and another cat emerges, covered in hay. She scoots back a bit to seem nonthreatening and casts a look behind her at me. “What’s going on with you and my mom?”

“Going…on?” These are familiar words, but I do not understand the context. “Explain.”

Rabbit finishes tossing the food and backs up carefully so as not to scare the cats. “I want to know how you feel about her. Do you like her?”

“I like.” I want her to be my mate, but I do not have the words for this. There is no human word they have taught me yet. “I like big yes.”

“Do you love her?”

“Explain.”

“Love is…big like. Big, big big big big like. All the like in the world.” She gestures, moving her arms in a giant circle as if to encompass everything. “Is she your favorite person ever?”

I nod. This is easy to answer. “I big like Dakota. All like is yes.” It seems we are thinking along the same lines, and I want to confess to someone my intentions. “I…want bite.”

“Bite?!” Her jaw drops.

“Good bite,” I say defensively, worried about her response. “Makes…dragon and human…” How do I explain mating bites to a human child? I lift my first fingers in the air and then bring them together, rubbing them. “This Dakota. This Murr. Kiss, kiss. Bite, bite…big happy⁠—”

“Whoa, okay, okay.” She grabs my hands before I can do more. “I get the picture. You want Mom to be your wife.”

“Wife. Yes. I want Dakota wife. I wife, too. Dakota Murr wife together.” Then, I sigh. “But no.”

“Wait, why no?”

I drop my hands. “Murr…broken.”

“Broken? What do you mean?”

“I no have words. Dragons no speak…” I indicate my mouth, then point at my temple. “Speak here. No sounds. Murr no have head speak. Murr broken.”

Rabbit’s eyes grow sad with understanding. “You lost your telepathy? Is that how all dragons speak?”

“All but Murr.” My shoulders droop with the shame and isolation of it all. “Murr no good wife.”

“Now that’s not true.” Rabbit gives me an affectionate slap on the upper arm. “You are the nicest dragon I have ever met.”

“Only dragon,” I correct, amused.

“That’s right. That’s because all the others eat humans and set everything around us on fire. That makes you the best and the nicest.” She beams up at me. “But I understand why you feel like you can’t be with her, if you feel like you’re less than. Have you tried telling Mom this?”

Tell her about my flaws? Bring them to the forefront? I shake my head slowly. “Easier to not talk, only kiss.”

She makes a strangled sound. “I haven’t seen you kiss Mom. You guys act super weird around each other. I wasn’t sure if you were together and just not saying anything or if there was something else going on. Are you guys having sex?”

I don’t catch a lot of that. “Kiss only. Kiss, sleep, kiss.”

“Oookay. I am going to take that as a no, no sex. Are you…shy or something?”

Shy? I do not know this word. “Explain?”

“Embarrassed? Don’t want anyone to see you kissing Mom? Are you worried what others will think?”

I frown. “Mouth kiss only in dark, yes?”

“Er, no?”

Interesting. I do not know what to make of that. Does she not want the others to see us kissing? Is that why she only instigates it at night? “Dakota cover Murr.” I indicate my hips, where I normally wear a wrap at Dakota’s urging. “Is not…” I struggle for the words. Is it not a claim of some kind? Her acknowledging me as her personal territory?”…wife?”

“Does Mom cover you up because you’re hers? Is that what you’re asking?” She shakes her head. “It’s probably because you’re going balls out and she’s weird about me seeing it. Or Aggie. Aggie’s kind of a horn dog.”

So it’s not her claiming me. She is “weird” about it. “Explain ‘weird’.”

Rabbit tries to, rambling on and on with many words…but a new thought enters my head. Is it possible that Dakota does not want to kiss me or see me bare because she is ashamed to be with me? That she acknowledges I am not worthy of her attention?

OceanofPDF.com

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 54

MURR

“Dakota…not love Murr?” I ask, disappointed. Have I been wrong about all of this the entire time? Am I a fool for imagining that someday she will ask for my bite?

Rabbit puts her hands up, surprise on her face. “Wait, whoa, that’s not what I said. Back up.”

I take a step back.

She shakes her head again. “No, no. Let’s start over, Murr. Forget what I just told you, okay? I’m messing this up.”

Rabbit seems distressed that I am misunderstanding her. “I no forget⁠—”

Her hands go up in the air again. “I’m using the wrong words. Wait, okay?”

I nod, aching. This conversation has been a terrible one and I am left questioning everything. Dakota always seems so enthusiastic when we kiss. I love the sounds she makes, and I can smell her arousal when we are together. All of this makes no sense and conflicts with what I thought was happening between us.

Rabbit eyes me. “Do you like my mother?”

“Murr love,” I declare. “Dakota love Murr?”

“I don’t know. That’s between you and my mom. I do think she likes you a lot,” Rabbit says. “Being around you makes her very happy. She smiles a lot and she watches you all the time.”

This does not sound bad. Some of my anxiety eases.

She purses her lips. “But my mother loves to control everything.”

“This…is bad?” It does not sound bad to me, but perhaps I misunderstand again.

“Look at how she treats Dottie and Aggie. She fusses over them. Bosses them around. Puts them to bed at night.” She thinks for a moment, scanning our surroundings. Then she lights up. “She thinks of them as her kittens and she is the mama cat.”

I nod, thoughtful. I have seen this. Dakota has a big heart and wishes to care for all around her.

“You need to make sure she does not see you as a kitten,” Rabbit tells me. “She needs a partner, not another kitten.”

This is…interesting. “Dakota not see Murr as…wife?”

Her hands go up again. “Again, I don’t know. But I’m saying that if you want her as your wife, then you need to make sure she knows. I like you and I’m giving you two my blessing.”

“Bless-ing. Explain?”

“I’m saying it’s okay if you’re my dad.” She points a finger at me. “But you need to let Mom know how you feel. She will push you away if she thinks it’s not safe. Mom loves safe. Don’t let her push you away if you want to be her…lover.” Rabbit chokes on the last word.

I think I understand now. Dakota must see me as an equal to her if I wish for her to be my mate. If she fusses over me like she does Dottie and Aggie, I am not a partner, I am another thing she must safeguard, must take care of. Dakota’s instinct is to protect all those she comes into contact with, but who will protect her?

She needs me to be Murr, her protector.

“Yes,” I say to Rabbit, letting her know I am following. “Murr kiss Dakota. Show…lover.”

She blanches. “I mean, maybe not in front of me. Young eyes and all. Kissing is okay in front of others, but nothing else. OK? But I think it’s a great idea that you show Mom you want her to be yours. Show her you want her to be your wife, not just for kisses.”

This is encouraging. It is not that there is something wrong with me. I have been patiently waiting for Dakota to give me a sign that she wishes to be my mate, but I have not shown her enough. Rabbit thinks if I do not indicate that I am looking to Dakota to be my mate that she will assume I am another stray to be tended to.

I can show Dakota what I want. Tell her that I want to be this “lover” word and not friends.

I like this idea very much. “You are…good, Rabbit.”

“I know,” she says proudly. “Regular matchmaker over here.”

“Explain?”

“Never mind.” Rabbit waves off my confusion. “Let’s check on the strays a little longer and then head back. I want to make sure the hay is doing the job.”

We move around in my old nest for a time, checking on the cats that fear humans and only show up for feedings. Rabbit seems to be satisfied that they are warm enough, and we head out of the doors and into the sunshine.

The moment we do, a shadow flies overhead, casting the parking lot into momentary darkness.

Only one thing can be that big. Another dragon.

Instantly, I shift into my battle-form and launch into the air, ready to defend my humans and cats.

OceanofPDF.com

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 55

MURR

I take to the air immediately, a natural instinct in response to a threat. Power surges through my wings, my shift from two-legged form to battle-form something that takes place between one breath and the next. As I rise to meet the other drakoni, I send my thoughts out automatically, looking to touch the mind of the stranger, to find out who it is and what their purpose is.

The sensation of reaching to be met with nothing is as jarring now as it was the first time it happened, and just as disappointing. I circle higher, trumpeting a warning sound that is universal. Go no closer to my territory. Dakota is mine. Rabbit is mine. Aggie and Dottie are mine. Stella and Kermit and all the cats are mine.

I will protect my new family from anyone that approaches and means them harm.

The strange dragon bugles an affirmation and rises higher as I do, an agreement without words that she acknowledges my claim. A female. Unmated, judging by the scent of her. She smells like fire and ash and drakoni…but also faintly of human settlements. Her color is a dull red, a signal that she is not crazed with a mating heat. This strange female is not a danger. She is not flaming, not attacking. She is letting me set the pace. When I fly higher, she goes higher, as if to reassure me. I try to send her a greeting once more, but it fails again. There is nothing but silence on the other end, and as we circle each other, I realize this will go nowhere unless something changes.

So I decide to land.

I glide down carefully to the ground, where the females are in a panic. Dakota is covered in fear scent and squatting on the ground, loading her weapon. Rabbit is behind her, gathering up cats and herding them into the building. Aggie and Dottie’s chairs are vacated, and they are probably hiding inside, too. Their fear makes me feel bad. The female has indicated to me that she is no threat. She is likely just curious and wondering why I do not touch my mind to hers in greeting. I need to calm my humans and somehow explain to the female drakoni that I have lost my telepathy.

When my feet touch the ground, I shift to my two-legged form and straighten. I move quickly to Dakota’s side, putting a hand on her weapon when she raises it. “Is ok, Dakota. Is friend.”

“W-what?” She’s shaking with fear, her face colorless.

“Friend,” I say again, and cup her face. “Murr protect Dakota. Yes?”

Her mouth works quietly, no sound coming out. She thinks for a moment and her shoulders relax. She nods. “Okay. Thank you, Murr.”

I turn around as the female lands. She tucks her wings in daintily, and as she does, I can see one of her horns is slightly twisted and crooked atop her head, marring her otherwise perfect frill.

I…know that horn. It matches a slightly twisted tooth.

The female drakoni immediately switches to her two-legged form, getting to her feet and beaming a wide, human grin at me. “I know you!”

“Yes,” I say slowly, my mind buzzing with awareness. I know this female. She is younger than I am, easy in her own hide and with a fierce streak of rebellion. She served alongside me when we were a fighting unit under the Salorians. I have forgotten all of that.

Fothessa. I know her name and how it feels in my mind, but I do not know how to say it aloud.

She moves forward, smiling, and that crooked tooth is evident in her mouth. “I didn’t know you were nearby, Murtades.”

Oh.

My name.

All of it. I had forgotten so much of it.

“Murr-ta-deez?” Dakota echoes, surprise in her voice. Her hand touches my back. “Is…is that you?”

“Me,” I agree, tasting the word on my tongue. “Mur ta des.” It feels a little different in the mouth than spoken in the mind, but it still feels comfortable…and like it belongs to me. “I did not remember.”

“Some of us recover faster than others,” Fothessa says, all smiles and delight as she approaches. “I’m Fothessa in the human tongue, but you can call me Thess. I’m from the nearby fort, and I mean you all no harm.”

OceanofPDF.com

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 56

DAKOTA

Thess is gorgeous.

Unabashedly naked and perfectly made, she’s got the same scale-patterned skin that Murr does, but instead of a rich gold, hers is a dull brick red. Her features are sharp and almost catlike, making her seem impish and fun. Her hair is a thick, wavy fall of red that flows down her back. Her eyes are the same bright gold that Murr’s are, and when she smiles, she has the same sharp teeth.

I don’t hate her. I want to be her. I’m envious that she can stand in front of us, so comfortable with her gorgeous body, and not care a whit about being naked in front of strangers. Hell, I’ve been snuggling with Murr for a month now and always make sure I go to bed fully clothed. Why? Fuck if I know. It’s stupid to think about being modest around a couple of nudists. I guess my worry was that I wanted to be ready in case Rabbit needed me in the middle of the night, like she did when she was younger and had bad dreams.

Looking at Thess, I feel supremely stupid.

I also feel like I’ve somehow lost the battle. Like Murr has been taken from me and I didn’t even realize I should have been fighting.

They’re gazing at each other with such joy. He’s found a friend again. I’m thrilled for him. He’s said a few times in his halting words that he has huge gaps in his memory, that he doesn’t recall why he’s here or how he got here. I’m genuinely thrilled that he’s going to get some answers.

“Murtades,” he says, rubbing his chin. “My full name.”

“Makes you wonder how you forgot any of it, doesn’t it?” Thess says, full of smiles. She has a strange way of speaking, some of her syllables not as crisp as they could be, and it sounds a lot like how Murr speaks. Thess walks up to me, her nostrils flaring, and I know she’s taking in my scent. A moment later she puts out her hand. “Hello. I’m Thess.”

“Oh god, where are my manners? Hi, I’m Dakota.”

Thess glances around. Murr does, too. In this, they’re united.

“I’m not actually looking for manners,” I clarify, and some of my stress over Thess’s arrival disappears at her confusion, mimicked in Murr. “It’s something humans say. I’m sorry. I’m Dakota. We live here.”

She smiles, showing a crooked fang that only adds to her impish look. “And you are friends with Murtades.”

“We are.” She says his name as if it rhymes with “ladies” or “Mercedes.” How did you know he was here?”

“I did not. I am flying in from Fort Dallas. They asked me to come and look for you.” Her hand is still out for a handshake, and I grab it. She squeezes mine, so tight that I yelp in surprise. Immediately, she releases me, her expression contrite. “Oh, I still do not have that right. It is not a show of strength? I thought I was doing it proper.”

I shake my head. “It’s just a friendly greeting. You just kinda…hug hands for a bit.”

Her mouth turns down in a miserable frown. “May I try again?”

We do, though I’m bracing for my hand to be squished once more. This time she holds it gently, pumping our hands together like a used car salesman, and her expression changes to delight once more. “Like that?”

“That was great, thanks.” I extricate myself. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“I like meeting you, too,” Thess gushes. She turns to Rabbit, who’s been hovering behind me in silence, and holds out her hand. “Hello! I am Thess.”

Rabbit shakes her hand, and the greetings continue. Dottie and Aggie reluctantly emerge from the building and eye Thess with skeptical looks. “Are you here to steal Dakota’s man?” Aggie asks point-blank.

“What? Oh no, I am not in heat.” Thess laughs as if the thought amuses her. “Murtades is simply an old friend. We were warriors together back home.”

“Hmph,” is all Dottie says.

I glance over at Murr. He’s being awful quiet, but perhaps he’s just in shock from his friend arriving again? It’s hard to tell. His eyes are swirling fast, usually a sign that he’s agitated, but he looks calm. I don’t know what to make of it.

“Do you want to come and sit near the fire?” I ask Thess. “Join us for some hot tea and wrap up in a blanket? The weather is cold today.”

“You are kind. I would love tea.” She beams at us, oblivious to Murr’s silence or the scowls Aggie is sending her way.

OceanofPDF.com

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 57

DAKOTA

“I can’t believe we’re meeting another dragon,” my daughter says, squeezing my arm. “I’m freaking out.”

“Me too,” I whisper, but probably for different reasons.

Thess sits by the fire, wrapping a blanket modestly around her long, beautiful limbs. She takes the cup of tea handed to her and smiles sweetly at Dottie and Aggie, asking about Stella. She can scent her (and the blood from the birthing) from afar and wants to make sure she’s not in pain. They chat as Murr approaches our fire, and I automatically hand him his loin wrap. He pauses, giving it a thoughtful look before putting it on.

“Tell me more about how you arrived here,” Thess says to us as we gather around. “I am very curious.”

“We don’t have solar panels, if that’s what you’re asking,” Dottie says, a hint of aggressiveness in her tone.

Thess isn’t bothered. Her smile remains friendly. “I figured. No one does, and if they do, they have a lot more of a protective set-up than what you have here.”

Aggie waves a hand at the female dragon. “So now you can go back and tell the fort that they don’t need to come rob us. We’re just a bunch of old ladies and a kid.”

“Hey,” I protest. I’m not an old lady.

“And a dragon,” Aggie amends. “And a dog.”

My confidence withers a bit more. Bad enough that Thess is besties with Murr and knows him from before, but now I’m just another old lady?

“The fort checks out every report of ‘marauding’ nomads in the area, but that doesn’t mean it’s a problem. I’m going to report to them that you’re all healthy and harmless, and you have nothing of interest. Fort Dallas is very nice, even if it’s run by a Salorian.”

Murr makes a choked sound at that.

“What’s a Salorian?” Rabbit asks.

“Bad,” Murr says immediately, his eyes flashing so dark that it makes me hold my breath. I’ve learned that his moods follow his eyes and so when they turn jet black, I panic.

Thess holds up a hand before Murr goes any further. “They are, yes. Salorians were our enemies on the other side. There is one in Fort Dallas that lives with a human woman and she makes him behave. I was skeptical until I found out he was the one that managed to close the Rift. It’s what freed us all from insanity.”

“Wait, that had to do with the Rift?” I ask, surprised. “It was what made the dragons crazy?”

“We call ourselves ‘drakoni,’ and yes, it’s a long story.” Thess takes a sip of her tea and launches into a convoluted tale of drakoni warriors enslaved by evil Salorians on the other side of the Rift, and when they were pulled through to this side, their psychic abilities were corrupted. It made them wild and insane, with only a few drakoni taking human mates and reclaiming their sanity. The Salorian in Fort Dallas feared something worse was going to come through the Rift, so he closed it, trapping the drakoni here on this side. Once he did, it also destroyed their ability to speak to one another. “We have all learned human words,” Thess says. “It has been a very interesting time.”

I look over at Murr, feeling all kinds of sympathy for him. He must have been so lonely to wake up on this side, alone and confused, and without anyone’s mind connected to his. No wonder he’s gathered every cat in the vicinity. He needs a family. My heart squeezes and I want to fling my arms around him.

“No…mind talk?” Murr asks slowly, his gaze locked on Thess. “No one?”

She shakes her head. “No one at all. It’s because the Rift closed with us on this side.”

His shoulders sag and he buries his face in his hands. All is quiet. I can’t stand to see him struggle. I reach out and touch his arm, rubbing it gently to remind him that I’m here, that he’s not alone.

He sits up after a moment, features composed but eyes whirling a wild kaleidoscope of shades. “Murr not…broken?”

“Oh, no, it’s not just you,” Thess says. “It’s all of us. After I ‘woke up’ from the madness, I didn’t know who or where I was, so I went looking. I found Fort Dallas and a few other drakoni are there. We’ve had a few humans working with us to help us learn language in exchange for hunting, and while we’re alone up here”—she taps her brow—“we were still together.”

Murr exhales slowly, then nods.

“You can join us, if you like. They’d be happy to see another drakoni,” Thess says, then waves her mug of tea at all of us. “You all can. I promise the fort is very safe.”

“What about the cats?” Rabbit asks immediately. She reaches behind me, locking a finger into my jeans belt loop as if she needs to hold on to something. “We couldn’t just leave them. This is their home. This is where they expect to be fed. If Murr left, they’d go hungry. Could they come with us?”

“I…don’t know.” Thess glances at Murr. “There aren’t many pets in the fort, but things change all the time. We can always ask.”

My heart sinks because I know the answer to that. Pets are a luxury, another mouth that needs to be fed specific food in a time when resources are incredibly scarce. I knew the cats would break Rabbit’s heart. Even so, it’s not up to us. “It’s Murr’s decision, sweetheart. If he wants to join his people at the fort, he can.”

Murr looks over at me, and I realize I’m still stroking his bare arm. We’re like a chain– Rabbit holding on to me, and me holding on to Murr.

“Murr home here,” he says. “No fort.”

OceanofPDF.com