Page 36 of Kingdom of Flames & Flowers
SLAP.
“ZARIAH! WAKE UP!” I shook the sting out of my hand as a red mark appeared on the side of his face, but he barely cracked his eyes open at me.
SSSSSSTTTTTT.
Fear spread through my body like a poison. I yelped and jumped up on the rock next to him, trying in vain to keep all our arms and legs off the ground. Could they smell fear? I huddled close to Zariah, trying to present a smaller target.
I nearly cried with relief when his eyes snapped open, his nostrils flared wide. With a shriek of pain, he shifted, one massive dragon claw stamping down and squishing two of the little monsters. The others made disturbing shrieking sounds and scuttled away. I didn’t even mind that he’d thrown me a few feet away as his larger dragon body took over.
“T-thanks. I guess we can’t stay here,” I managed, standing up and resting one hand out on his massive head. The scaled skin was warm and comforting.
He swung his head around and looked at me with concerned golden eyes.
“Yeah, I know you’re hurt. Can you get us back up? We can rest then, and I promise I won’t do any more cliff diving.”
The sound he made could have been a disgruntled, barely amused huff, but maybe I was just imagining it. Regardless, he jerked his head to the side in a very human motion that was clearly an invitation to climb aboard.
“Right. Ok. Get on the dragon.”
With very little grace, I climbed up onto his back, trying to be careful of his wings and settling myself in between them on his back, and close enough to his neck that I could hang on to the thick spikes around his throat. The moment my fingers closed tightly around them, Zariah leaped straight up onto the side of the cliff. I shrieked a bit as I went completely vertical, clutching onto his horn spikes and digging my heels into his sides like my life depended on it.
Which it did.
Roughly and laboriously, he climbed the mountain, each move difficult for him as he huffed and puffed. Eventually, we made it back to the top. I slid off him quickly, and he collapsed onto all fours, his belly on the ground.
“Can I do anything for you?” I asked him sincerely. He’d gotten hurt diving after me and preventing me from becoming a splat on the hard ground below, so I felt responsible. I swear I didn’t imagine the sarcastic look he shot at me. Dragons couldn’t be sarcastic, could they?
“Right. I’ll just … be in the cave, then.”
It only took a few steps inside before the darkness swallowed me. I wished for a candle or … something. I turned around and nearly had a heart attack as a giant dragon head filled the entryway.
“Warn a girl next time, will you?” I huffed.
He nudged me to the side of the cave with his snout and then blew out a small stream of fire.
“HEY! I—”
I shut my mouth as fire erupted in a small fire pit dug into the center of the cave. Moonlight shone through the top smoke hole.
“Oh. Thanks.”
I sat in front of the fire, trying to get the cold out of my bones. It wasn’t nearly as freezing inside the kingdom. Was it because of the walls and the dome? It had to be. I wasn’t used to this … wind. Even though I was out of it now, the chill had settled in my bones and wouldn’t leave.
“A-any b-blankets?” I joked wearily, my teeth chattering. The fire was a good start, at least.
The dragon pushed itself further into the cave, filling most of the small space with his head and one arm. He scooted toward me and the fire on his belly, then wrapped an arm around me and tucked me into his chest.
I resisted at first, then realized how gloriously warm his scales were. And laying on his arm was far more comfortable than the floor of my hut had ever been. Between that and the fire, my eyes grew heavy. A sense of safety I didn’t know existed settled around my shoulders. Nothing was going to fuck with a dragon, after all.
Reveling in my newfound sense of freedom and protection, I drifted off quickly to sleep.
ChapterTwelve
My eyes fluttered open, the smell of smoke and charred wood filling my nose. I was so warm and covered, glorious heat wrapped all around me. I sat up and yawned, pushing away the arms that held me. Had I ever slept so well in my life?
Wait.
Arms?
