To Wake a Dragon: A Venys Needs Men Book (Tropical Dragons 3) Read online

  Because I need to see the dragon male. There’s an image in my mind of a fiend, and it frightens me. A creature with multiple tails and horns. I don’t know what to make of his forehead. I know he’s a human male, but my imagination runs wild…

  Gathering a cluster of roots, I pick one out to light and set the remainder aside. I pull off my satchel and search for my fire moss and flint. After rubbing the fire moss on the end of the root, I take out my dagger and cut off a little bit of my hair for kindling. It takes several tries, but I manage to start a small flame. Wrinkling my nose, I grab the root and stick it into my kindling. It blazes to life.

  Golden light casts around me. I can see again! I could cry for such a small miracle.

  Blinking several times, my eyes adjust, and I hold up my makeshift torch and peer around me. All I see is rocks, debris, and darkness.

  Not wanting to waste time, I gather my things and look for the dragon man again.

  When I hear a raspy moan. I head in that direction. Thank the waters I don’t have to stumble about in search of him…

  He’s hurt. He has to be. Why else hasn’t he risen? I didn’t find a wound, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t one. It reminds me of my wound. My fingers twitch to check on it. I’ll need another dose of Mermaid’s Breath soon. I’m weakening.

  The dragon male’s body comes into view. He sparkles where my light reaches him, purple and glassy black. Brilliant and breathtaking. My eyes widen. My jaw drops. If I didn’t already know he was once the giant dragon, I would now. His scales are unmistakable.

  I move to him and drop to my knees. A blush rises to my cheeks. My head clouds when I scent him.

  He’s… I swallow. He’s beautiful.

  Dark and—I lick my lips as my eyes trail over his body—unlike anything in Venys.

  I see his hard prick and quickly glance away. And naked. He’s naked and primed. I suck in my stomach. I will my lust away, but it builds instead. Closing my eyes hard, I force myself to remember the situation we’re in. That we’re both hurt. That we don’t even know each other. It doesn’t work—I’m still lustful—but I reopen my eyes and manage to focus on creating a fire anyway.

  I don’t know how hurt he is. I can’t waste time.

  Piling the roots I gathered, I sprinkle fire moss over them and ignite them. The cave opens to my view as the flames roar upward. Soothing heat blankets my skin, and I sigh in satisfaction.

  “I hope this helps,” I say, turning to the male. I don’t know if he’s awake enough to hear me or if he even understands, but I say it anyway. Pulling off my satchel, I shuffle to his side. Now with more light, I can see him clearly.

  He’s got two sets of horns, that’s for sure, and a jewel embedded on his brow. Frowning, I notice wisps of black smoke rising from it, like it had when he was still in his true form. I recall the glassy feel from when I’d searched him for injuries, but I don’t know what the jewel is to him or why it is there. I want to touch it again but decide not to. It may hurt him, or me.

  He’s got unkempt ebony hair that’s long enough to pool on the ground around his head. I dare to brush my fingers over him and move several strands from his face. My fingers flutter over his horns—there are four—but drop soon after.

  My eyes dip.

  Lo and behold, he does have two tails. They’re lax at his side next to my knees, but they’re under him and lifting his hips off the floor. That can’t be comfortable. But there’s nothing I can do about it right now. I won’t move him until I know what’s wrong with him.

  Setting my torch on the far side of him, I sit back and straighten.

  “I can see now,” I tell him. “I’m going to touch you again to see what’s wrong.”

  I check his face for a response, but there isn’t one, not even a groan. His eyes are closed, but I could have sworn they were open earlier, when my fingers traced his face. I shake my head.

  “I’ll try not to hurt you,” I add.

  Carefully, I shift my hands under his head, sliding my fingers through his hair. It’s silken and so fine that I’m temporarily distracted by the feel of it. I suck in my stomach and force myself to move on.

  Pressing into his skull, I feel for a wound like mine but find none. I remove my hands.

  I was certain he hit his head. It had to be his head, right? If he’s unconscious?

  He’s warm to the touch, and his chest rises and falls, so I know he’s alive, just not responding.

  “Dragon?” I ask hesitantly.

  Again, he doesn’t respond.

  He’s unconscious. Has to be. Which doesn’t bode well for us if he remains this way for long. There’s nothing wanting to eat us right now, but that doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way. I look around.

  We’ll have to spend the night here… Assuming it’s night. I turn back around, facing where I believe the ledge once was. I need to see if the opening still exists.

  I can’t put it off forever.

  Turning back to the dragon, I reach over and take hold of my torch. “I need to leave again, scout for a way out and make sure we’re safe. I’ll be back soon.” I don’t want to leave him, but I rise anyway.

  He groans.

  I frown. So he is awake? Is he faking? Something tells me he’s not…

  “I promise I’ll be right back,” I whisper. “I won’t leave you. I won’t be going far.”

  When I step away, no groan stops me.

  Brandishing my torch, I head into the cavern and make my way toward the nearest wall. It’s different than before—which I already knew—with dust and dirt everywhere. When I come across the larger boulders, I’m thankful none of them hit Haime or me… or the male now in my care.

  What am I going to do about him?

  We can’t stay here. I don’t have the strength to move him. It’s dangerous beyond measure, staying here. The naga boy is gone, but where did he go and who was he with? Besides, I hate being confined in enclosed spaces. If I need to run, I don’t like worrying about not having an exit.

  I can’t leave him. Not while he’s so defenseless. He’s a male, a humanoid male now, which makes him extremely precious—incredibly rare. And not only that, he’s mine now. We’re linked. Even now, the bond between us is growing stronger, and I sense… My brow creases. I sense a heaviness inside me. It wants me to stop moving. My muscles are stiff when my mind lingers on it.

  There’s something inside him that shouldn’t be there.

  I don’t know how I know it, but I do. I clench my fingers then loosen them, fighting off the stiffness.

  I need to find Haime, I realize with an uncomfortable jolt. Need to know if she needs me, if she’s safe. A fresh wave of tiredness washes me and a niggling of fear threatens to worm its way in. She’s safe. I have to believe it. She made it out, and the way is clear…

  She’s probably already back at the tribe, and help is on the way.

  I come to the wall, and this time it doesn’t take me long to find the ledge. Placing my torch on top of it, I grip it and jump, using my momentum to haul myself up. Stars shoot over my vision as I drop onto my back and rest for a moment. I press my hand to the back of my head and wince.

  The next second, I’m back on my feet and searching for the entrance. I find it quickly. Thank the waters. Ducking into the crevasse, I make my way down the path.

  I reach the fork and find my shells still on the ground. There’s some dirt on them but I leave them for later. Turning toward the exit, I move slowly, knowing the walls will close in. Tree roots gnarl around me.

  Then it occurs to me… Why Haime hasn’t come back to check on me? Has she waited or gone to the tribe like I hoped? Fear takes hold.

  The dirt loosens under my sandals, and the walls narrow even more. I stop, staring at them. The pathway’s gone, vanished under rocks and roots. My mind blanks, my heart races. I take a deep breath to stop my rising panic.

  Lowering my torch, I press both hands against the obstruction and gently push. Nothing gives but fo
r some loose dirt that crumbles to the ground. I press again, same result.

  My nails bite into the dirt.

  Don’t panic, Milaye. Don’t. But my throat tightens anyway. Haime’s made it to the other side, I know she has. She’s a stubborn little dragon girl, she wouldn’t let some cave-in beat her.

  “Okay, there has to be another way out,” I tell myself. “There’s another path.” Taking one last look at the blocked path, I wipe the dirt off my hands, grab my torch, and turn back. At the fork, I step over my shells and make my way down the other path. Only a few steps in and it’s already curving sharply to the right. I follow it for a time, not realizing how far and deep it goes. It is also getting smaller and tighter. I grow uneasy and keep my free palm on the hilt of my dagger.

  Each step shoots a chill through my veins.

  I’m getting farther from him.

  When it occurs to me that there’s no end in sight, I pause. My vision is beginning to blur.

  But I take another step anyway.

  Leaning against the cave wall to rest, I place my hand to my heart and feel it thunder under my palm. I roll my head to the side, pressing my brow upon the stone wall. Its coolness gives me a moment of ease, and I check the wound on the back of my head, squeezing my eyes shut when there’s pain.

  What am I going to do?

  Tears threaten to fall, and I almost release them… I’m not trapped. We’re not trapped. There’s a way out of this. I’m sure of it. There’s no time for tears, not right now. Just because the entrance is shut and this path spirals downward, it doesn’t mean all is lost. I have to hope. I’ll do everything I can to survive. If I wallow now, I’m not Milaye, Protector of the Mermaid Coast, leader of Sand’s Hunters Huntresses, and Watcher of the Young. I’ll dig my way out if I have to.

  I right myself.

  But it pains me to imagine taking another step forward, knowing the bond will protest. I’ll have to come back later when I’m stronger… when he’s stronger. I’ve lost a lot of blood.

  And I’m getting so tired. It’s unsafe for me to wander around in the dark, risking my life when there’s someone who needs me.

  The male’s face surfaces in my mind. A rush of warmth floods me, and for a moment, I’m revitalized. My panicked heart calms, and a small smile lifts my lips. It gives me enough strength to keep pushing through my exhaustion, my fear.

  If I can stumble upon a rare dragon and he can become a man, then anything is possible, right? Even surviving this.

  I make up my mind.

  We’ll escape together.

  I turn around and go back to him.

  9

  Drazak and the Invader

  I hate that she can leave me at any moment and I am powerless to stop her. All I have to remind me she was here at all is her delicious, lingering scent and the fire beside me. Its crackles fill my ears, making it harder to hear my human as she gets farther and farther away.

  Then there is the smoke the fire gives off. It is bitter and strong, and to my frustration, the longer it burns, the more it clears away the human’s smell. Soon, it will be gone, and I will be alone again.

  A growl tears from my throat. I open my eyes and gaze in the direction she went.

  Human, come back. Another growl comes forth. First, you bind yourself to me, and now you leave willingly? The daring of this female frustrates me.

  I do not even know what she looks like. I kept my eyes closed when she lit the fire. The sudden light hurt too much for me to bear. But I am healing, I realize, and with each minute that passes, the poison dragon’s toxin lessens within me. Liquid beads my usually cold body—from the fire, no less—and it is helping me expel the poison’s effects.

  Perhaps that was all I needed these long years—a way to sweat it out of me. If dragons could sweat…

  Why has she not returned? My weak human fingers twitch at my sides. She should be here where I can see her. Can protect…

  Yet another growl expels from me. I cannot protect anything, not even myself right now.

  A dragon male protects his mate. That is his sole duty after his mate has been claimed and seeded. Until a dragonling is born, and even then, the male remains, lingering until the dragonling is grown enough to protect itself—then and only then do the femdragon and offspring leave.

  But dragons bond differently with humans. That bond is unique because of the red comet that shifted Venys. When the comet first appeared, the world twisted, and all species upon it suffered.

  The red comet brings out the heat in dragons—the wild urge to reproduce. It was a boon as much as it was a curse.

  I do not know whatever blight fell upon the other species of Venys from the comet. It had never been my concern.

  I have missed many comets though, I am certain… stuck in this cave. Does Venys even suffer the red comet anymore? For all I know it is possible, after all, long ago when I was young, the red comet did not exist.

  Is this why a female human has found me? Is the red comet in the sky at this very moment? My tails lift and my fingers curl. Bond or not, my need to mate is powerful. And with a human female no less. Where is she!?

  As soon as I can rise…

  Thoughts whirl through my head. She will never leave my side again, and I—I will reclaim all that has been taken from me! I will start with her.

  I flick my tails, purposely this time. And that… that is everything. Excitement joins my annoyance. I may never fly, but I will be able to eat and rut. I will be able to run and hunt. I will be able to move again.

  I can search for the bones of the poison dragon and ruin them.

  But first… Where is my human? My nostrils flare. Too much time has passed.

  My human is hurt, I know this. Is the hurt on her head? I like it less and less that I cannot rise to care for her. My gaze shifts to the cave ceiling, and I watch the golden cast of the fire’s light dance over it. It is an easy trance, and it dulls the pain I sense from her. I can be stable while she is in the dark.

  A hissing noise pricks my ears. A second later, it happens again, louder this time.

  My eyes drift from the fire, searching for the source.

  I see something move. A long and angular mass. It slowly gets bigger. It pauses when I move, managing to drop my head to the side. The first thing I notice is its tail-like body, it’s gaunt frame.

  Not a human. I inhale. It is not the other human who was with mine from earlier. But I know this already…because of the tail.

  A naga?

  White and yellow eyes pierce the shadows to pin mine.

  This time when I growl, a growl comes out. The naga does not flee, but it also does not come closer. I strain and flex again, urging my body to do something, anything. If the naga attacks, there will be nothing I can do to defend myself. Nagas are base beasts of the jungle, a staple of any dragon’s diet.

  I taste its flesh in my memories.

  The beady yellow dots of its eyes flash in the dark. I am prime food offered up on a platter. Any beast as gaunt as this one would not balk at the opportunity to engorge.

  I manage to make a fist with my hand closest to it, bracing, readying it. I do not want to die, and I growl again, but the noise is not nearly as loud or as frightening as it used to be.

  I wait for the attack but the naga only stares at me.

  What is he waiting for?

  Suddenly, the bond inside me flares up. I hear my human’s footsteps. No! My useless body goes rigid.

  “Watch out,” I try to say in my human’s language, but it comes out as a gurgle. I try to move my head in her direction, but I fail.

  The naga hisses once more, a warning, and then slithers back into the darkness.

  “You’re awake,” my human gasps, dropping next to me with a huff. Her hands cup my face and shift my head so I might face her. My eyes linger, staying on the spot the naga disappeared.

  When her face fills my vision, I am struck by her beauty. “Naga,” I warn. “Not safe.” It comes out a croak.


  Her brows furrow. “Grala no safee?”

  “Naga.”

  She shakes her head.

  I flick my eyes back to the shadows.

  And she gets it, glancing up. Her lips flatten, and she pulls out a sharp weapon from her side. Pride swells. My human is brave.

  She stands with her fire stick and steps over me. I lose sight of her. Fear for her safety gives me the strength to thrash my tails and lift one hand—but it thumps to the ground.

  If she is hurt on my account, I will perish dishonorably. I will never forgive myself!

  I claw the dirt.

  I can do nothing but wait, nervous that any sound might be the last sound I ever do from her. I had only gotten a glimpse of my human. A single look. It is not enough and never will be.

  Then her footsteps reappear, and relief temporarily strangles me. Her leg falls into my vision as she steps back over me and sits down to face me.

  Her eyes meet mine. Dark brown orbs framed in thick black lashes with striking, arched brows.

  I capture them to memory. We have only just met, and yet I am uncertain if we will live long enough to know each other.

  Her eyes flicker away and peer around us, and my human cants her head. She is listening for something. For the naga I saw. Knowing it is still there bothers me greatly. I hope that it will not return until I can rise. My fingers continue to curl at my sides.

  “I didn’t find anything,” she says. “But I laid out some shells and some sticks in case there is something.”

  I do not understand, but she places her dagger at her side instead of putting it away. That is enough to assure me she is being vigilant.

  She glances out again into the dark, and her eyes vacant as if she is lost in thought.

  “I won’t leave you again unless I absolutely have to.” She looks back at me. “The cave…” She shakes her head. “We’re in a cavern of some sort, and there’s a path that leads out.” Her lips purse. I am momentarily distracted by how full and enticing they are. “There’s a path, but it goes too deep, and I was getting too far away… When you’re better, we’ll leave together.” Concern etches her face, at least what I think is concern.