Page 60 of Caress of Fire
The direct thought reached Nyra but she stayed silent. Her wings inflated as she opened them wide abruptly, soaring high above the male. As they went from prey to predator, Fedryc got a good look at the dragon, then his mind rebelled against the information.
No rider? This can’t be.
This was a feral dragon. But there were no ferals on Earth. A feral was a creature that supposedly existed only in the most remote parts of Dagmar. Yet there it was, bestial and dangerous.
A large male who had apparently claimed his territory in the remote desert on the border of Fedryc’s kingdom with Anion’s. A danger for which neither he nor Nyra were prepared.
Then Nyra blew his mind again. She barreled over on herself, all the while sending a rolling, lulling call to the male below. Fedryc opened his mouth in astonishment, suddenly understanding her entire transformation.
Fedryc admonished himself, cursing under his breath as the brown dragon answered Nyra’s call with a seductive purring that echoed off the canyon walls. Nyra reacted with a purr of her own, alluringly opening her wings wide to show off the bright orange colors underneath.
Nyra was in heat. How could he not have noticed? It was only normal, since he’d found his Draekarra, that Nyra’s body would react this way. Her body also longed for her true mate—and this large, feral brown dragon was responding to her scent.
“Nyra!” Fedryc spoke loudly, his hand flat on the dragoness’ scales, screaming down the link at the same time. “Snap out of it! This male is not for you!”
His words didn’t seem to even scratch the surface of Nyra’s mind as the dragoness flew down, making a beeline for the brown male in a lightning sharp challenge. The brown male evaded Nyra’s attack and the dragoness roared into the empty air. Fedryc could feel the arousal coming off Nyra in waves of female satisfaction as she came to the conclusion that the brown male was worthy of her.
This was too much. He had to take Nyra’s mind away from the feral dragon. Without thinking further, Fedryc yanked on one of Nyra’s bright red scales.
Sharp pain was shared through the link and he was rewarded with her full attention.
“We have to leave, now.” Fedryc spoke through the link as well as aloud. “This male is dangerous. We have to lose him and get back home.”
Nyra rebelled under him, refusing to accept his words. Far away to the right, the brown dragon sensed his female had taken her attention away from him. He roared, taking a swift turn toward Nyra, his fury instinctively directed at her rider.
A flow of bright white flames came out of the monster’s gaping mouth, directed at Fedryc. Deadly.
Nyra swerved down, dodging the attack easily thanks to her years of training, then she sent a reluctant agreement down the link.
Time lost all meaning as they flew, the brown dragon hot on their tail. They dove into narrow canyons then straight up at the sky only to dive sharply to the side. And again, and again, until Nyra’s thoughts were a blank and neither of them knew where they were or where they were going.
The only thing Fedryc knew for certain was that they were escaping certain death. The feral dragon, in his ignorance, wanted to kill his perceived rival in the attention of his female. That rival was him. The feral had no idea that if he destroyed the rider, he would also kill the female.
And Fedryc wasn’t staying behind to explain it to him.
Time melted away as Nyra and Fedryc flew, their minds melded to each other as they became one. Finally, after a long while, the brown dragon abandoned his pursuit, and his chosen female. The feral turned, letting out one last roar filled with wrath as Nyra and Fedryc disappeared into the sky.
It didn’t take long for Fedryc to get his bearings back and direct Nyra toward the castle—and toward Marielle.
As they flew together, resentment and longing came off Nyra in waves, growing stronger and stronger. The dragoness wanted to go back to the brown dragon.
Finally, as the sun was going down, Aalstad castle appeared on the façade of the cliff far away. A half-hour later, Nyra landed on the platform, her large form casting deep shadows over the rocks in the early evening. Fedryc jumped down from her and she took to the skies without waiting.
He watched her disappear, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Their search hadn’t just been useless. It had been destructive. He almost lost his Bound to a feral dragon, a beast without sentience but with the power to match his dragoness.
It was only the force of a lifetime of training that had made Nyra fly away from the male after he had shown his interest in her.
Now, she was flying back, victim to her own biological imperatives, and he knew she would seek the male out. Fedryc could only hope she would come back in time.
“Why the long face?” Henron approached, staring up at the sky as Nyra disappeared into the distance. “And what is that about?”
“Nyra met a feral dragon on our flight.” Fedryc didn’t react as Henron’s face slackened almost comically. “She almost dropped me to go away with him.”
“A feral, on Earth!” Henron shook his head. “How is that possible?”
“I wouldn’t know.” Fedryc walked past his friend, not bothering to hide his annoyance. “But it was there. Big, brown, moody and without a rider. A feral, for sure.”
