Page 6 of Galadon
As I flew near the Faegud jakhal, I noted two burnt orange dragons on patrol. One look at them told me they couldn’t shift. Usually, that meant they were less than a quarter human, and the rest of their lineage was full dragon blood. They had to have at least a tenth, or they would be green—at least in this region. High in the mountains, they’d likely be gray, and water dragons were typically varying shades of blue.
It should have been difficult for me to shift, but somehow, both sides were stronger than expected. My beast form was unusually large for a shifter, yet I could change to my human body with little trouble like now. Until more recent years, though, I preferred to live as a dragon.
The two guards beat their wings hard to fly out of my way, proving wise enough not to challenge me. After a few more minutes, I found the scorched circle for the landing area and set down. Formations of rocks were all around the open area in intricate designs. Each one paid homage to the Faegud clan’s worship of the dragon goddess, Zorya, and had some significant meaning. Some were for protection, some for strength, and a few were for fertility. While I had only been in the toriq for a little less than six years, and nothing had changed in that time, I’dheard some of the rock formations had been there for thousands of years.
As I allowed my flames to consume me, I noticed several nearby dragons quickly finding somewhere else to go. It never made sense to me why I repelled most everyone—human or dragon—but it had been that way since shortly before my mother took me away from her toriq, and that was part of why she had to rush me far away. Even when I put effort into lessening the effect, everyone trembled near me.
Some days, it felt like a curse, but I found it to be a gift at other times. I could only stand most dragons and people for short periods, and sometimes not at all. Most were quite annoying, with only the rare exception. Perhaps it came from living alone most of my life and lacking social skills.
As I emerged from my shift, I drew a set of black pants and a tunic fromshiggara—a sort of pocket dimension where we could store a few items. Thecamriumgarments and boots I donned were the preferred cloth of shifters. It was harvested from thesude camriaplant, treated, and spelled with magic, so it was fireproof and acted as light armor for protection. Humans often described it as having a leather-like appearance when designed as battle garb, but it depended on the process. Most casual clothing was soft and pliable, with more color variations.
I looked around and noticed no one remained among the worshipping stones. They’d all fled. Several paths led from the open area, but I chose the widest. Moving in swift, long strides, I made my way quickly through the Jakhal.
Newer stone buildings dotted the place since they’d repurposed many of the bunker stones to create homes and shops for the humans and any shifters who preferred living above ground. Like my mother’s house, they were all slategray. Smoke rose from their chimneys as they kept the fires burning to warm their homes as sunset and cooler temperatures approached. There were still numerous tunnel entrances along the way since most Faegud still favored dens beneath the earth.
Spotting a warrior ahead whose back was to me, I surged forward to grab him and spin him to face me. “Where is Lorcan?”
“Wha-a-t?” he asked, amber eyes filling with fear.
He was one of the toriq’s elite fighters and battled valiantly during the last war, fending off the Kandoran. It was unfortunate that he wasn’t immune to my intimidating charm. The only ones who appeared capable of pushing past it were those who were around me frequently, slayers, and idiot bullies who lacked common sense. I ran into those upon occasion, which made life more interesting.
“Where is Lorcan?” I repeated in a calmer tone.
He swallowed. “I, uh…”
Maybe if you let him go and give him some space, he can answer you,said a soft female voice in my head.
I glanced toward her, where she crouched about ten feet away, which muted some of my effect. It was Felienne. She was the only Faegud I’d ever been intimate with, though that had been nearly two centuries ago. Her family had tried to arrange a mating for her that she didn’t want, so she flew to my territory and begged for sanctuary. I’d been lonely then and hadn’t minded the company. She was typically submissive and quiet, which suited me, and she’d kept her distance at first in one of my numerous tunnel dwellings.
It didn’t take too long before she overcame her fear and showed interest. Since I was an isolated male with needs, andshe was a beautiful dragon, I didn’t try to resist her. She couldn’t shift, but I’d never been with a female in human form at that point anyway.
It lasted about a month. Then, I caught her doing something intolerable. I forced her to leave that day and avoided her ever since. She wasn’t a warrior, so thankfully, I’d never seen her during the war.
I let go of the male I held, who promptly escaped, and narrowed my gaze on her. “Do you know where Lorcan is?”
The training field,she replied, then cocked her head.Is it true that you copulated with one of the slayers during the Kandoran war?
I worked my jaw. After our intimate time together, a few shifters and dragons had caught my scent intermingled with Rayna’s. I hadn’t thought that part through when I seduced her and failed to consider washing alone wouldn’t have rid me of her unique fragrance right away, especially not without a heated bath and scented soap. Something hard to find amid a war. Word had spread rapidly, though few were brave enough to bring up the topic.
“Yes,” I replied, baring my teeth.
Felienne trembled.So brave of you, but you would not give her a child, would you?
I blanched at the very thought. The idea had not occurred to me except to use special herbs, so such an occurrence didn’t happen. That was a matter of habit since I did not want to risk having hatchlings I didn’t know about and would have no hand in raising. Few females could stand being near me for long, so I had no illusions on the matter. I’d undoubtedly die without progeny.
“No, of course not,” I said.
She relaxed a little.That is good. If you ever decide you wish for a hatchling, I would be happy to give you one.
Felienne was likely the most beautiful and submissive dragon I’d ever met. Though I’d been angry with her at the end of our short relationship, I harbored no long-term ill feelings toward her. She’d read the situation wrong with me, and I wasn’t exactly known as the best at communicating.
Still, my body didn’t respond to her shapely form anymore. Thanks to that damn slayer, no one else interested me. Thoughts of Rayna’s incredible human curves consumed me each dawn when I laid down to rest, and I tossed and turned with memories of her before finally claiming sleep. At some point, I had to get over her and find a more suitable dragon, but not yet. The last meeting with her remained too fresh.
“Thank you,” I said, dipping my chin. “But I am not interested in such a match at this time.”
Before she could argue her case further, I hurried away toward the training field. Humans and dragons darted out of my way as I barreled down the path with a scowl on my face. The walkway narrowed at one point where a human man crouched where he’d dropped several parcels and attempted to regather them. He took one look at me and froze. I leaned down, grabbed the brown boxes, and shoved them into his arms. As he stood gaping, I gave him a nudge to move since he blocked my way.
“Thank you,” he said in a whisper and scurried in the opposite direction I headed.
