Page 15 of The Exiled Dragon

"Sorry," my voice came out low, growling. Odessa sat up straight, still holding the blanket tight around her chest.

"You talk?" she questioned. Nodding slowly, she looked everywhere but me. "Does it hurt to talk?" I nodded again. Her hand covered her mouth. "Then don't talk if it hurts." Shaking my head again, I held out my hand, wanting to feel her touch. Hesitating, she placed her tiny hand in my palm.

"Not worried Vampires." I gritted my teeth, feeling the scarring rub my vocal cords. "Mad at your pain. Come back." Odessa stared at me bewildered; her eyes looked into mine. She wanted to believe me, but the hesitation was there.

"You scared me," she muttered. "Really scared me. I thought you were mad and thought you would hurt me until you stormed out. I left because I was afraid for you to come back.”

I pulled my hair, stepping away from her. If she didn't come back with me now, I didn’t know what I would do. I had grown so attached to her in a short time, and I couldn't understand why. This wasn't a mate bond; it couldn't be, could it? My own mother didn't elaborate on what it was like to find your mate; no one did. The elders said I was cursed, and Selene would not even look at me in pity.

My mother shielded me from mates. It has hurt more than helped. As I grew, I saw the way mates came to be Dragons, Elves, and Fairies would run into each other's arms, so happy, yet I stood dumbfounded. How did they know they were mates? My mother would deter the question and tell me not to worry about such things. Mother had to have known I wasn't a complete idiot.

My Dragon was growling in my chest. He wanted Odessa; he wanted her with us to be safe. We both didn't know how the Vampires would react, how long they would search for her. Her name had spread through a dingy bar in the center of town, her name could be widespread, and if Duke Mortus found her, he would take her as his or kill her.

"Prince Charming?" How could she call me that? After all I had shown her? I could only convey how I felt through actions, and I had lost control of my Dragon and growled, almost breathing fire in her face.

"Hey." Her gentle hand touched my forearm. How could she touch me? Didn't I just frighten her? Odessa's wet hair fell on her forehead, glistening under the fake moon of the window.

"Listen, we kind of fell for one of the oldest tropes in most drama novels. Miscommunication." She smiled. "I also have a feeling you aren't some human Viking like I thought. Are you like… the Vampires?" Her voice grew lower, afraid to speak of what drained her the past months.

I shook my head, putting my hand on hers. "Don't worry about it now; I'll figure it out later. I'm just glad you aren't mad at me, and you aren't going to eat or kill me." She giggled while I held onto her hand tighter.

"Never," I growled. Odessa's smile softened. I would speak to her as often as I could. I would let my throat continuously bleed if it made her happy.

"Shh, don't hurt your voice." Odessa looked back at the pixie in the corner. Now that the threat was gone, it was happily sleeping. "I found him in a cage; he led me here. I don't know what this place is, but it's dry. Do we stay here for the night or go back to the cave?”

The rain that entered the mountains would last a few more hours; having Odessa in my arms, pulling her back into my cave with my own scent sounded best. However, her wounds were reopened, and the rain threatened them to become infected. I pointed to the ground; she understood that we were staying. Her body was entirely covered with the blanket as she headed back to the floor.

As she lay there, I picked her up and put her into the bed even though she protested. "No, I'll ruin their bed!" Pulling the covers up to her chin and putting my finger over her mouth, I lay beside the bed on the floor. If she was going to sleep, she would sleep on a cloud while I took the floor.

The furs smelled of her, calming the beast inside me. Soon Odessa would share my nest with me; my Dragon won't allow any less. I was succumbing to my Dragon’s call to her. If this was a mate bond pull, it was a wondrous feeling. I would have to travel back to the tribe to talk with Amora; only she could help me and answer my questions. Could the goddess surely bless me?

Odessa peeked over the mountain of pillows, watching me lay on my back with my hands behind my head. "You got a lot of muscles. Does it feel like you sleep on rocks?" The one side of my face that didn't scar curled up into a smile. She laughed again, staring at me intently. "Goodnight, Prince Charming," she sang.

My eyes were closed but immediately opened to the nickname. "Creed," my voice shook. Odessa's eyes looked away, thinking.

"Creed? That is your name?" I nodded, staring back into her amethyst eyes. "So, I can't call you Prince Charming anymore?" Her lip stuck out playfully. Snorting, I shook my head.

Chapter Eleven

Odessa

Themattressonthefloor was softer than my bed at Dad’s. The fluffy blankets covered my entire body, and at one point in the night, I burrowed deeper into the duvet. The cold air rushed around my head when I felt the blankets thrown off unceremoniously. Fluttering my eyes open, I was greeted by Creed with his brows high and breath ragged. Did he just run a mile?

I squealed, pulling the blankets back down. I was still naked under here and didn't need to flash him so early in the morning.

"I'm still here! I was in the blanket!" Was he scared I ran away? I wouldn't get very far; I managed to climb the tree but getting down was a different story.

Creed sighed, rolling back on the floor. The bed I was in was only a few inches off the ground from where he lay; he was so close throughout the night I could almost feel his breath in my face. Not that I minded. I slept better knowing he was there. Knowing he wasn't going to eat me or throw me out into the cold, I had settled back into the comfortable silence we shared. I noticed that Creed had a smokey smell, probably from tending to his fire in the cave so often, but with a hint of lavender mixed in. It was a bit weird since he was some big, burly guy, but it was nice.

The not-a-Fairy man had already dressed, taking the long way around Creed. His wings were dry, fluttering them a few times. His head turned before he walked out the door, giving me a quick wave and flying out the magic door. He didn't want to stay, maybe because Creed gave him a death glare.

I guess big burly men do not like Fairy-looking people.

Creed stood up, stretching his body; he didn't have a tunic on, his muscles were stretching underneath his skin. I hadn't taken the time to look at his body before this, and it was unmistakably beautiful. It was a different kind of beautiful: the scars he bore and the tattoos he decorated his body to keep them hidden. I wanted to know where each mark on his body came from. He made me question my sanity already, and it had only been a few days since I met him. I already had one Vampire trying to claim me; I didn't need to go sneaking glances at other un-humanly people.

Creed pulled on his leather vest; the tunic I had washed and was now dry laid on the vanity chair next to a large mirror. Creed walked immediately past it and rummaged through the drawers. "What are you doing? You can't go through their stuff!" I exclaimed.

What if the people that lived here came back finding no clothes? I had already taken their bed and now their clothes!

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