Page 18 of Ensnared
And wings. Holy fuck, he’s growing wings, great leathery membranes the size of sails. I take a step back because he’s so big, the beam of the flashlight can’t even illuminate all of him.
Finally, I shine the light down his long, scaly neck and focus on his head. Just like in his human form, he flinches away from the beam, but this time, I don’t lower my hand. I stare, rooted to the spot, at the dragon’s large head.
My knees go soft, and I sit heavily on the wet rocks. My breath leaves me in a rush, and I’m growing light-headed. Finally, I put my head between my knees and focus on breathing in and out, my eyes squeezed shut.
After several seconds, I look up again.
Nope. The dragon is still there.
Witches have stories about dragons, dark, bloody tales that parents use to scare little children. And we learn, as part of our formal education, about the great dragon wars of the previous century. They killed hundreds of witches. And witches retaliated with a bloody, ruthless massacre.
I was taught that all dragons had been exterminated.
But I guess some survived.
“Jack?” I say, tentative.
I have no idea how much he understands in this form. I put the flashlight down. It’ll get wet, but I don’t care at this point. The dragon slowly steps forward and lies on his stomach in front of me, his great body lowering to the ground. I can’t tell what color he is, exactly, but the scales and spikes on his back seem to glow white in the darkness.
“Holy shit.”
I don’t dare move in case he’s about to eat me. But I don’t think he is—there’s nothing threatening in his movements. Instead, he’s waiting and presenting himself to me. He exhales and blows warm breath over me, and I instantly feel less chilled.
“Do that again.”
He huffs, and I think he’s laughing at me, but he obeys. At the back of his throat, a glow burns orange, and I wonder whether he can breathe fire. It’s a definite possibility.
What I don’t understand is his insistence to drag me to the shore. I pick up the flashlight again and shine it along his body.There. He’s got fins. His feet are webbed. I stand on shaky feet and walk around him, cataloguing his features, while rain pours down on us and he lies completely still. Three slashes are visible behind the spot where his head meets his neck.
“Are these gills?” I ask, incredulous.
He’s clearly breathing air, yet he seems to be amphibious. It’s fascinating, and the analytical part of my brain wants to askallthe questions. The other part of me is still in shock, screaming silently. Seeing your worst childhood nightmare brought to life is…a formative experience. This moment is searing itself into my brain.
I circle him, splashing through shallow waves. My walking boots might be ruined after this, but I don’t care. Finally, I end up level with his head.
“Can you talk in this form?” I peer into one great silvery eye from the side because facing him directly is difficult.
He shakes his head in a quick negative.
“Okay. Um.” I sit back down as the burst of energy that propelled me to inspect him fades away. Exhaustion comes with the realization that he won’t bite me in half with those wicked teeth. “This is a lot.”
The dragon shimmers again, his body convulsing, then shrinking down, becoming softer and smaller, until Jack is crouched on the shore, studying me with apprehension.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
I don’t answer because I don’t know. Am I okay? I have no idea.
He hurriedly pulls up his jeans, boots, and t-shirt, though I think it’s more to cover his nakedness than to gain warmth. His clothes are wet through, and besides, I know he’s warm enough. It finally makes sense that he’s such a furnace at all times. It’s because he’s a fuckingdragon.
I giggle. I can’t help it. It’s either that or start sobbing, and I’ve cried enough today.
Then a thought occurs to me. “Oh shit. Is this whole village full of dragons?”
Jack stops mid-crouch. I shine my flashlight in his face because I don’t want to miss his reaction. And his expression confirms it.
“You’re kidding.”
He flops on the ground next to me and shakes his head. “Nope.”
