Page 7 of Veras
“I love you, Nito. Thanks for being my friend.”
The beast paused and glanced over its back as if it’d heard me.Ay, chingado. Some of my satisfaction was quickly replaced by bone-numbing fear. It charged at me full speed, and I shut my eyes, too terrified to look.
Don’t let it hurt. Make it fast. I—
A vice gripped my waist, and I was flying through the air. My eyes popped open as I landed on the beast’s back. The spikes on its spine shifted and grew over and around me, plastering my hips to the scaled back of the dragon.
I sat high atop the beast! Stuck! And I had a front row view to total destruction. It plowed through Aavvee, chomping off limbs, tossing their frail bodies in the air.
But I… I was surrounded by warm, lush luxury. I wasn’t even struggling because this beautifulbrutoowas surrounded in a golden mist that smelled so delicious it was like a warm blanket for the soul. It’d been over five years since I felt this safe, all because of the delicious golden mist painting me, rushing through my nose and mouth as I gulped in air.
A blast of laser fire cut through the haze. I turned in its direction to see that some of the Aavvee had procured a craft. They were using it as a weapon, blindly shooting into the arena. Their target was most likely the beast, but their aim was pitiful. Most of the shots landed in the stands, killing the spectators.
Idiotas.Every last one of them.
The beast huffed and turned to look at me. Golden eyes penetrated mine, and if I weren’t almost dead, I would’ve tried a little harder to figure out what the hell was going on. A second shot whizzed over our heads and landed at the base of the stage. The left side of the platform crumbled, and I heard the supreme squawking through the advanced sound system.
Thebrutootook off and instead of headinginsidethe mountain, he sprinted toward the open gates—and the giant friggin’ tornadoes that couldn’t be far away.
“No! Don’t go out there!” My words were snatched up by the gale-force winds that only increased the closer we got to the barrier.
We breached the gates, and I took in the endless black stone. But traveling faster than a bullet train, plastered to the back of an eight-legged alien-dragon, I couldn’t focus on details. The landscape blurred into one fuzzy ebony line. I heard the rumble before I spied the tornadoes barreling toward us. The beast must have spotted them, and yet… we made a sharp turntowardthe massive twisters.
“No! Go left.” Again, my shouts might as well have been whispers.
We sped toward spiraling golden cyclones that loomed larger and deadlier than anything I’d ever witnessed. Nito’s warm caresses grew fainter as we flew forward.
“Please, turn around!” I pulled at the beast’s scales, even tried to bite it but quickly realized the mist tasted as good as it smelled. My lips lingered far too long, and I ended up giving him more of a hickey than a bite.
Thebrutoodug in and ran faster, evading the smaller tornadoes, but I could see the granddaddy of them all zeroing in. The beast feinted to the left, and the twister was right in front of me, and I… couldn’t process words.
Because despite my terror and the delicious mist coating my tongue, I could only register awe at the sentient tornadoes. Whirling bands of sparkling gold. The big one was made of unique slivers, as alive and lovely as Nito. They were lit by flame, emitting the same mist as the monster beneath me.
“You’re so beautiful,” I whispered as it rushed toward us.
At my words, the tornado paused, hovering for the briefest of seconds, long enough for the beast to pivot toward the wall of black mountains.
I couldn’t appreciate our victory because I felt the last of Nito’s presence fade away. The strong winds stripped him from me. My joy at looking into the face of something so terrifyingly beautiful was overshadowed by my loss. I knew it in my bones. Nito was gone.
That hurt me worse than the idea of my own death.
I looked up and saw the mountains looming ahead, and my startled scream was snatched away. Luckily, the world faded to black right before we smashed into the side of a mountain.
CHAPTER 4
Pain. Searing agonypierced my gut and my head. A not-so-subtle reminder that I wasn’t deadyet. I must still be bleeding out. Plus, the withdrawals from the Oro felt severe. I’d lived on the brink of death so long; I should have been used to it.
But pain is pain. Hurts just as bad every time.
Too traumatized to open my eyes, I wasn’t ready to see my crumpled body being eaten by a massive beast. So, I concentrated on the most delicious smell I’d ever inhaled, even before abduction. It lilted over and around me. As I focused on its warmth, the pain faded—inch by inch. Eventually, I felt good enough to take in my surroundings, realizing my head rested on scaly heat. If this were death, I’d be content. Throw in sometamalesandhorchata,and I’d be a happy camper.
While floating in bliss, I felt the slightest pull on my hair. Goosebumps erupted on my scalp.Aah…It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who was touching me, but I chose to block out reality for a few seconds more.
When the tugs grew bolder, I pried open an eye and came face to face with a giant swirling ball of tangerine-colored intensity almost the size of my face. I should have jumped. Internally, I freaked the fuck out, but my body didn’t have the capacity to react. It had reached its limit.
He studied me for a few seconds more, huffed, and then nudged at my legs, burying its head between my thighs.
“Oh, hey. Stop it!” As weak as I was, I still protested, though the warm gust of air coasting over my uncovered lady bits felt amazing. The Aavvee had given me no undergarments… noclothes of any kind. I had fashioned my tarp-dress out of a sack they used to haul the killer caterpillars they sucked up like caviar.
