In the moments that followed, I understood something crucial about Tynan and the others. They were survivors. They made rules that kept them alive, one day at a time. All the things I knew about the world did not apply to this land; ravaged by monsters and abandoned by the gods. I hugged my knees and my eyes closed almost against my will.
Together we sat on the floor side by side in complete silence, waiting for the sunrise.
“Alina. Alina. Wake up!”
I opened my eyes, startled. My head was pressed against Tynan’s chest and the wet spot on his leather suit made me realize that not only I had passed out in his arms, I also drooled all over him. I wiped my mouth and moved away, feeling disoriented and embarrassed all at the same time.
“The dragon’s moved on. We need to take our chances and get the hell out of here,” he said, getting up to his feet.
I tried to fix my hair, avoiding looking at Tynan. When I did, there was a shadow of a smile playing on his lips. Almost immediately my cheeks flushed.
Gods, I hated the paleness of my skin that plainly showed me blushing even before I realized it was happening.
“I still don’t want to go with you,” I muttered.
“You can’t stay here. We need to leave the wastelands. You can figure out how to escape next time,” he said and I stared at him, not believing my ears.
“Do you have any water?” I was silently praying he had some on him. He did not respond as he scrutinized my face. “What?” I asked.
“Did you . . . leave . . . without any?” he asked quietly, and I immediately felt defensive.
“I didn’t have time.”
He looked like he was going to say something, but changed his mind and handed me his leather flask.
I could not drink fast enough, but realizing that I was not being very lady-like at that moment, I turned away.
“Finish it up,” he said quietly when I tried to return the pouch back to him.
“What about you?”
“I’m fine,” he said, averting his eyes when I placed the flask back to my lips.
Tynan offered me his hand, and I got completely lost in his eyes. Almost against my will, and my better judgment, I reached up. A slight tingling prickled my skin when his fingers closed around my hand. Still holding my gaze, he helped me get to my feet as if I weighed nothing.
Unable to take it any longer, I lowered my gaze, and the odd connection between us broke, all at once.
“Thank you.” I returned the water pouch and he strapped it back to his belt without saying another word.
The next moment, he opened the storage room door and we entered the corridor, heading toward the storefront. The bright morning light shined through the cracked glass, shards of which were everywhere on the floor and surfaces.
The bodies of two crawlers were lying on the floor. The monster did not gorge on the dead creatures. The smell and the memories of the previous night, the growls and the suffocatingly sweet scent of the decaying corpses made me want to empty my stomach. I looked away, biting the inside of my cheek.
Tynan stopped by the broken window, looking out at the clearing and the well in the distance. Two lone figures of the undead stood aimlessly between buildings further away. There were no signs of the monster dragon anywhere.
“Get on my back as soon as I turn,” Tynan said, his eyes searching the horizon.
“I can fly,” I protested.
“It will be easier for me if something goes wrong,” he said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” he said and I nodded.
I watched him step through the wide window frame. Tynan was built like a warrior with his strong arms and wide back. Every movement of his body was well thought through. I caught myself staring at his powerful shoulders, and dark, straight hair that almost reached his shoulders. The lines of his body went blurry and stretched out into a dragon form, still, I could not take my eyes off him. The sunlight played with the pitch black scales as his limbs elongated, his wings spread wide. I have never seen anyone more beautiful in my life. His dragon was truly magnificent, one of a kind gorgeous.
I cleared my throat and stepped through the broken glass. Trying hard not to be embarrassed, I climbed on his back, realizing how inappropriate it was that I was lying on top of the man, every part of my body fitting tightly against his. I could not believe that even in his dragon form, I found him attractive. My cheeks flushed and I bit my lip. Another disturbing idea entered my mind.
