Page 13 of My Treasure
The chamber was empty. Dirty footprints covered the floors, and three ropes hung from the balcony.
They’d taken my treasure.
How dare they!
Roaring, I soared into the sky, my fury fueling my muscles. I dove through valleys and over cliffs, along the main roads and across the fields. In bright sunlight, many might have seen me, and stories would be heard around the pubs tonight about a dragon on the hunt.
They couldn’t have gotten far in the few hours I’d been away. Finally, I spotted them in the valley below, dozens of men on horseback, and among them, my mate’s golden hair shone in the sun like a beacon. He sat slumped in the saddle, bound and defenseless.
I swooped down and slashed the ropes with my claws. The horse started, taking off like an arrow, but I was faster. Gillam screamed, kicking and squirming as I cradled him to my chest.
Around us, horses whinnied and reared in terror, throwing the men off. Before the knights remembered they had weapons, we were high above them, skimming the clouds.
11
GILLAM
Now I remembered.It hadn’t been a dream.
The cold wind, the heat on my back and thighs, the claws big like swords… The demon lifted me as I kicked helplessly around. My stomach swooped, and the trees disappeared around us, replaced by wispy clouds.
It was the same creature that had taken me from the clearing, stealing me from under the wolves’ noses. Terrified to the marrow of my bones, I hung from the demon’s claws, my heart beating its way out of my chest and my stomach roiling. My tears got blown away by the wind, drying almost instantly. I couldn’t see where I was going. We were surrounded by white clouds, flashes of blue sky peeking through.
The creature adjusted its hold on me, cradling me to its chest. It held me tenderly and seemingly avoided grazing me with its talons. Was it careful with me? Why? Its skin was hot and smooth against me, and I could feel its enormous muscles glide as it waved its wings…
And then I realized.The scent!
I’d recognize it anywhere. Like a meadow when it rains in the spring.
“Fergus!” I cried.
“You’re safe, my darling.” It was his voice, but so powerful, it boomed like thunder.
I closed my eyes and pressed my face against the hot skin, breathing him in. I didn’t care which magic he used, white or black. He was my mate. I’d feared I’d lost him forever, but now I could inhale his scent again and hear his heartbeat.
We flew for hours, over the mountains and roaring sea. The ache in my back and stomach grew, but I simply clung to my mate, knowing he’d take care of me.
By the time we began descending, I was shivering, my underbelly cramping up. My hole felt hollow and wet.
Shrieks of seagulls reached my ears, and when Fergus gently laid me on the ground, soft sand warmed my palms. I sat on a grassy sandbank by the sea, deserted coast stretching endlessly in both directions.
For a heartbeat, silence fell, before a heavy thump made me turn my head to the shore.
Finally, I saw my savior in his full size and glory.
The dragon stood on the beach, flexing his wings while seagulls shot into all directions, flying for their lives. His skin was blackened silver, shimmering in the sunlight, and his eyes glowed like hot coals. He had a huge muzzle with glistening white teeth, and his forehead and cheekbones were lined with rows of uneven thorns. His sharp talons, twenty of them, dug into the ground. He was massive, larger than a house, his wings sending sand spiraling around. Growling, he shook his huge head. He stood on his hind legs and roared, his skin brightening. For a moment, he towered above me, his shadow swallowing me up.
But then he seemed to shrink.
He charged toward me while he changed… My mate.
With every step, I saw more of my Fergus, yet the dragon stayed too.
Fergus stared at me with the dragon’s eyes, his pupils thin like a snake’s. He licked his lips, sharp teeth gleaming. His body was almost human now but taller, his long legs and powerful torso bulging with muscles. The thorns still stuck out from his forehead and temples, his wings obscured the sun, and his long tail swished through the air like an enormous whip. His skin glittered with streaks of silver.
His hard cock looked even bigger than ever before. Long and fat with thick ridges underneath the bulging crown and a swollen knot, it pointed toward me as if it were a weapon.
“Nobody steals my mate from me,” Fergus spat, voice rumbling. “Nobody touches you but me.”
