Page 8 of His Curvy Mate

His eyes scanned the landscape below with fierce determination. The storm raged around them, the winds howling like banshees, but the dragon's roar was louder, a deep, resonant sound that echoed through the mountains. There was no need to keep his presence a secret. The wizard would see to that. Best to let the world know he had awakened and meant to take his rightful place amongst his kind.

The jagged peaks of the mountain range loomed below, their icy surfaces slick and treacherous. His hot breath came out in visible puffs of steam, each exhalation a testament to the fiery core within him, defying the freezing temperatures. His claws, sharp as daggers, flexed and gripped the delicate cargo he held in one talon while the other helped him to manipulate the air as he maneuvered through the storm, expertly navigating the perilous descent.

Snowflakes clung to his wings, creating a shimmering frost that only added to the degree of difficulty getting them to safety. His tail, long and sinuous, trailed behind him, cutting through the blizzard with graceful precision. Below, the base of the glacier came into view; the remainder of the mountain was still a desolate landscape of ice and rock, shrouded in the swirling storm.

With a final, powerful sweep of his wings, Andreas descended gracefully to the base of the glacier, his form a dark, majestic silhouette against the white fury of the storm. As he neared the ground, he extended three of his legs, preparing to land. The snow and ice erupted around him in a flurry as his massive body touched down, sending shockwaves through the frozen terrain.

Andreas folded his wings with a sense of finality, steam rising from his nostrils as he surveyed the surroundings. The storm raged on, and they were both exhausted, but he stood resolute. He would rest and then find a place more hospitable for Caye to fully transition and heal. Amidst the fury and beauty of the icy wilderness, they would find a refuge and figure out their next move.

CHAPTER 5

CAYE

Caye wasn’t sure when she had blacked out or how long she had been asleep. The last thing she remembered was the fight and how Andreas had shifted, lifting off and flying with her grasped in one of his talons. She’d come to for a few moments to hear the blizzard raging around her but feeling safe and warm. Andreas had wrapped his body around her, sharing his warmth and using his wing to shield her from the storm.

Now as she came to, she could smell food, hear a crackling fire, feel warmth and a soft bed of sorts beneath her. Caye had camped out enough to know she wasn’t lying in a bed, but it was a damn sight more comfortable than the cold hard ground.

“Hungry?” asked Andreas, who had shifted back into his human form and managed to find clothes and boots that fit.

“Yes, and whatever it is that’s cooking smells great.”

“It isn’t fancy, but I managed to snag us a snowshoe hare. I borrowed some money from your stash and managed to get some clothes for me, groceries, and some other supplies.”

Caye looked down at the bed—an air mattress as well as bedding including flannel sheets, a down comforter and a heavy quilt—and then at her surroundings. The stone walls, ceiling and floor indicated Andreas had found them a cave to hole up in. No wonder she was so comfy—something soft beneath her and shelter from the icy cold of the mountains. She hated the cold. She really, really hated the cold.

He turned a spit over a small open fire he’d made on the floor of the cave. The rabbit smelled wonderful. “I figured we’d eat roast hare and vegetables tonight and then I’d make a stew for tomorrow.”

“You know how to cook?”

“You forget, I was alive during the Klondike gold rush.”

“How?”

“The spell or curse, if you will, was slow-acting and I was able to counter it enough to delay it until I could put enough time and space from those who thought to destroy me to build my sanctuary and encase myself in ice. So yes, over an open fire like this one, I can cook. But one of the things I picked up along with some pots and other things was a book about campfire cooking.”

“You know how to read?”

“I am a dragon, not an idiot.”

“Sorry. I didn’t really know how old you were or if reading was something dragons did. I noticed there is only one bed.”

“We are mates, and even with the fires I have lit, it is still cold.”

“Why not take me down to wherever you flew?”

“I don’t know who we can trust and who we can’t. For now, I figured we were safest up here on our own. The entrance to this cave is fairly well-hidden, and this chamber itself is well ventilated. I must say there were many things of which I had no knowledge. You will need to help me with all of it.”

She drew her knees up to her chest. “What makes you think I will?”

“We are fated mates. I know you can feel it, too. You are now drakaina as well as hellhound.”

“I’m not admitting to anything. I still think you’re a bastard for turning me without my consent, but it is mitigated by the fact that I am still a hellhound, although I have to admit, I’m a bit surprised. I would have thought dragon DNA could overwrite anything.”

He nodded. “Anything but a hellhound. From what I’ve been able to learn, little has changed since Apophis cast the spell that sent me to sleep.”

“So, it was Apophis who defeated you?”

Andreas shook his head. “Apophis was dragon first and wizard second. He knew I was a threat to him and his kind. If he was to rise to power, he needed me gone for he knew I would never allow him to live. He could not defeat me—not in the true sense of that word. No wizard had the power to defeat one of my kind, but he crafted a spell that forced me to retreat from my world and find a place to sleep until my fated mate came to release me.”

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