His wings started to beat, and they lifted off the ground.
A small part of her was captivated by this dragon treating her like a precious jewel—never too firm as he held her. It was as though he thought she would shatter.
The dragon ascended, keeping his massive body as steady as he could, even against the force of her storm. He rose and rose, and she could barely see through his claws and the onyx scales surrounding her, but flashes of night and wet wind seeped through the cracks, stealing her breath.
She saw nothing but exposed air, not the stars, not the moon—thick, dark clouds producing thicker sheets of rain.
Then, the dragon faltered.
Luellafelthis huff of annoyance as he flew, swift as he dared in the raging storm. The wind chilled her, but the heat coming off the dragon’s scales offered warmth, and she found herself leaning into his chest, cheek pressed against it in this cocoon of darkness.
Possession lanced through the thread connecting them, frayed edges lifting and fusing back to the strong, golden, burning thread. Strengthening.
They flew and flew, and after a while, the air grew calmer, and the dragon did not waver any longer in his flight.
They had been right. Her stormwascentered around the castle.
She had half a mind to send a thankful prayer to the fae gods, but she paused, the beginning words stalled on her tongue. After seeing the product of a god in the Temples of Aedis, she suddenly felt inclined to acknowledge the… Lux.
"Thank you," Luella murmured into the darkness of the dragon’s hold, whispers of chilled sea air curling through his claws and cascading over her in answer. "Lux."
The dragon’s curiosity enveloped her. A sense of starry peace warmed her from the inside out.
It was evident they were away from the central part of her storm, so she placed a cold palm on the dragon’s chest, uttering, "May I see out?"
The dragon huffed—she was not sure if it was in exasperation or endearment. But one claw closest to her moved ever so slightly to the side, letting in dark night and cold air.
Slow, the dragon demanded.Careful.
Luella scooted forward, fingers curling against the dragon’s talon as her head peeked forward, staring out into the abyss ofdarkness. Her wings drooped behind her, folded tightly to her back.
Water.
It was all around.
Under them was the sea, inky darkness with rolling waves and sea foam dotting the surface. They were high enough that she could not hear the crashing waves, but she knew they would be deafening. Rain fell, not as thick and violent as it had in the castle, but hard enough it would sting.
Towers of storm clouds filled the night sky, overshadowing every bit of light. Ominously, they swiftly moved through the sky, some funneled down, down, down into the sea. Thin streams of spouts unfurled as they wrought their vengeance upon the waves. Tendrils of air rushed in cyclic motions, forking out into two, three, and four spouts as they lashed the sea. She knew, even without seeing, where those clouds were headed.
The castle.
Enough. The dragon used a claw to coax her back, closing her view of the destruction.
Luella sat back on his scales, knees pulled to her chest as she stared into the darkness.
"I’m sorry," she said softly. "I never wanted this to happen."
The dragon did not respond.
2
JEWELS
VALE
The dragon flew through the night, wind battering against his large body as his wings carried him to his den, where his mate could be protected and out of sight.
Good.
