Page 143 of Monsters in Love: Lost in the Fire

The endlessness of the sky has always beckoned and I wish it would swallow me whole in this moment. Sinking into that thought, I breathe deep, but am suddenly pulled from that peace when a large shadow crosses the moon’s light. I sit up slowly, bringing my hands to the steering wheel, peering up through the windshield.

What…?I shake my head, not convinced in my current mental state to believe I’m actually seeing anything at all, until the shadow passes by again.

A shiver causes goosebumps to race across my arms and I bring them across my chest as a hint of smoke fills the air. A cautious glance around does not immediately show any cause for smoke to be present. The flatlands of the valley are wide and serene, with only the occasional tree dotting the skyline among wild grass that dominates the landscape. The mountains in the distance create a void across the night horizon. For a moment, I forget about that shadow in the sky and feel a pull in the center of my chest while I stare at the rocky outline in the distance.

A suddenwhooshand a gust of air permeated with that smokey scent–like kindling before the flame—hits the car, causing it to rock slightly. The calm that had settled over me is gone and my heart pounds in my chest.

“I guess it’s time to go.” I say out loud in an attempt to cut the fear overtaking my senses.

Leaning over, I dig through my bag for my phone–which was carelessly thrown into the passenger seat–thanking the part of me that had the forethought to grab it at all. A low rumble that sounds eerily like a growl vibrates the car. The sound amplifies my growing panic and I turn the bag over, dumping the contents all over to locate my phone faster, not caring about the mess or anything else other than getting the hell out of here.

Idiot!I grumble to myself. My car lights up as my thumb swipes over the screen. “You’re such an idiot. Was it worth it? This moment of peace? Now you’re stranded, and instead of feeling better, you’re about to jump out of your skin, scared shitless,andyou’re talking to yourself, out loud.” I huff at myself, scrolling through contacts and hitting the one for roadside assistance.

Except it does nothing. A quick glance at the top right corner of the screen shows no bars, just an X where they should be. A pitiful laugh escapes me,of course.I toss my phone into the mess next to me and throw my head back against the headrest, closing my eyes once more. After taking a few slow, deep breaths to stave off the panic rising in my chest. I open my eyes… and scream.

I am very much real, human

A human.Ascreaminghuman. I lower my stance, keeping my belly to the ground and my eyes fixed on the human inside the horribly distasteful metal contraption they call avehicle.It has been an awfully long time since I was this close to one, and those that have dared to enter within my domain are quick to grasp the severity of their decision to do so, whether or not it was intentional.

They have now gone silent, and extraordinarily still for a creature whose heart is beating so wildly I can taste it. My tongue flicks out and I watch their eyes dart to the movement and then back to my own. I shift forward, moving slowly before I inch closer to the vehicle. The human registers the motion and suddenly calls out, jutting a hand in my direction, “NO!”

I pause, cocking my head. Rising to a sitting position, I extend my wings out in a stretch.

I hear a choked whisper, “Oh Gods, oh Gods, I’m hallucinating…”

“I am very much real, human." I give my wings a shake after stretching, and draw them back in. Dark hair and darker eyes stand out against the glow of their pale skin in the moonlight. The impulse to touch, taste,devour…"Come out of that contraption or I shall pull you out.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? Absolutely not!And now I am talking to it, it’s talking to me. I’ve officially lost my mind. I?—”

I cut them off with a hard flick of my tail against the metal box, my impatience growing, “Out human.” They stare at me, and I observe a multitude of emotions flit across their face in rapid succession before an arm moves slowly and I see a door open on the side of the vehicle. My wings twitch in anticipation.

The faint glimmer I had seen from afar now flares the closer they become, churning the growing heat that is filling the emptiness inside me. Their movements are slow and drenched in so much fear that it abruptly diminishes their light. My instincts hum with a need to set them ablaze, a need to claim, so strong, my scales shudder.

Standing next to the vehicle, there are no more mumbled words. They simply stare with a very visible sense of disbelief draped across their features. Bits and pieces of their hair dance in the breeze. Hidden colors beneath the dark tresses make it appear as if they are aflame.Do they know how fitting that is?This human is small—though all humans are inconsequential when facing something so drastically contrasting in size—and rounded, the curved lines of their body begging to be explored and worshiped.

This small, soft human…mihi unum verum flamma.

A dragon is feeling me up

There comesa time in every self-proclaimed mentally unstable woman's life where they will joke, sometimes poorly, about being certifiablycrazy. I wonder now if I truly am insane as I step outside of my car, keeping one hand on the door—clinging to the knowledge that it is tangible, real—and looking straight into the eyes of a monster.I've really gone and cracked now.

A massive, towering beast that belongs on the pages of some fantasy novel, not twenty feet in front of me. The scent of smoke and charred earth is dizzying in their presence and yet not…unpleasant. I shake my head,get it together Lia.The eyes, terrifying but also warm, watch me with such intensity I hesitate before breaking the stare to take in the immense being. A deep red, nearly black body, covered in rough looking skin and scales, a faint sheen of gold can be seen hidden beneath patches of crimson. A set of threatening looking horns protrude from the crown of their head. An enormous pair of wings fold at their back and a tail extending from behind them to rest near the front of the car, so close,too close. The tip, almost diamond like in shape, flicks back and forth.

I know the monster spoke, still I refuse to believe it, refuse to respond directly to this creature straight out of a nightmare.Though you've always been drawn to the monstrous and fantastical.That thought is at odds with the fear I feel, and I quickly dismiss its implications. An overwhelming desire to run away from, or towards…no!I need to wake up—that’s it, I fell asleep in my car and I’m simply letting all the heaviness I was feeling warp my subconscious.

A light touch of something hard against my shoulder shakes me from the free-fall into my thoughts and I refocus on the—oh Gods, how did it move so fast, so silently—my head tilts up,up, upand I stop breathing. Their head is tilted down as they stand over me, the burning gaze setting me alight. I feel the soft graze again against my shoulder and whip my head to the left. A huge claw is trailing from my shoulder down my arm with surprising gentleness.

A dragon is feeling me up.

“What is your name, human?” The deep, gravely voice rumbles, so close it sends vibrations through my chest.

I look back up into the eyes of the monster and blurt out the first thing that pops into my head, “Don’t eat me!”

A huff of air hits my face, but it didn’t sound angered, more like- “Did you just laugh at me?” I ask on an incredulous gasp. It huffs again and I take a step back.

“You’re laughing at me! I cannot believe this.” I throw my arms up and turn to open the car door. “This is ridiculous. I’m hallucinating. There is no other explanation for adragonto belaughing at me, much lesstouching me.”

I scream when I’m abruptly picked up, kicking my legs out in defense. My screams are interrupted when I come face to face with a giant maw and blazing eyes.

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