AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Smiling, I slowly open my eyes…and stared directly into the red, cat like eyes of a dragon.
Chapter 14
Malix
Rose’s scream accomplishes two things: fear and action. The only way I know how to describe the coldness that enters my body is that of overwhelming dread rooted in fear. Not for myself but for Rose. The moment reminds me of just how human my wife is, despite her larger than life personality.
“My gods…” Aeron says, eyes wide with disbelief.
I mentally prepare myself for the worst as I turn around, taking in the scene. Suddenly I realize why Aeron’s face is the way that it is.
A hatchling is awake.
The red hatchling is disoriented and unsteady on his feet. Small cries of confusion and helplessness erupt from him, but none of it is coherent. Compared to full-grown dragons, the hatchlings are small, but compared to a human? They could cause serious damage, especially if they aren’t fully in control of their bodies.
“Rose.” The deep tenor of my voice catches her attention immediately. My heart lurches at the fear in her eyes, but I clamp it down, hardening my features even more. “Don’t move and stay exactly as you are.”
Rose looks ready to dash, but I fear any sudden movements will cause the hatchling to attack. “Malix, I—” The hatchling responds to Rose’s voice, crouching into a defense position. “Shit…” she squeaks, which would be adorable in any other context, but this one.
“Aeron,” I bark out for my advisor to join me. To his credit, he’s at my side immediately, staring at Rose and the hatchling with more interest than appropriate. “Make sure Rose is unharmed and keep her away.”
I don’t wait for his response as I move in between Rose and the hatchling. This close, I can make out his features better and he’s younger than I originally estimated. Young hatchlings are always unpredictable, especially when spooked.
“No one’s going to hurt you, hatchling. Tell me your name,” I order.
Instead of answering, the hatchling lunges for me. I hear Rose gasp behind me and I can only hope Aeron is doing as I instruct and keeping her out of harm's way. The young dragon swipes at my legs with his talon, shredding the bottom half of my pants.
He tries to come at me again, but this time I’m ready. The moment the hatchling lunges for my legs again, I make a grab for his head, holding him tightly in my grasp. “Name,” I growl, letting my dragon peek through the surface.
It was enough.
The young dragon stops moving, whimpering softly. Recognition colors his features and his body slumps into my grasp. “Cyrus, My King.”
“Do you know where you are, Cyrus?”
His head swivels from side to side, taking in all the bodies of the sleeping dragons. “N…no,” he chokes out, barely containing the sobs.
“I can hear him,” comes from Rose behind me, surprise in her voice. I can’t acknowledge her yet.
“You’re in my castle. Or rather, underneath. You’ve been asleep for some time now.” I don’t know when Cyrus was brought to the castle. It could be anywhere from a month ago or a day ago. “How are you feeling?”
“Scared. Where’s my mommy and daddy? My sister?” This time Cyrus doesn’t try to hide his sobbing. His whole body shakes and his tail curls around his body, making himself smaller.
I’m shit at trying to comfort people. Give me a battle to fight with brute strength, but present me with tears? I’m as well equipped to handle that as a penguin is to flying.
My movements are awkward as I pat the top of his head. “It will be okay,” I say as if I’m reading from a script. Even Cyrus eyes me warily.
“That was pathetic.” I turn to see my wife glaring at me, pushing away from Aeron. He goes to grab her, but I hold up a hand. If anyone is going to restrain my wife, it’s me.
“Care to do better?” This woman infuriates me and challenges me at every turn. And yet I find myself enjoying our small battles.
Rose is back to crouching down in front of Cyrus, clearly forgetting that she had been terrified of him mere seconds ago. “Will he understand me when I speak to him?”
Cyrus and I both answer ‘yes’ at the same time. “The cup you drank from on our wedding day allowed you to communicate with our people.”
“Good,” she says out loud. Then her gaze softens at Cyrus, a warm smile spreading across her face. Something simmers deep in my belly. Jealousy? No, but it feels awfully close.
“Cyrus, that’s a strong name.”
