Page 8 of The Exiled Dragon

These Fairies were in the enlarged form. Usually, Fairies stand a foot tall, but using the bit of magic they have, they can remain taller for several hours of the day. "Hello there," one spoke. His hands raised, free of weapons. "We are searching for someone; we thought we caught her scent." My steps slowed, reaching the light, and bracing my spear. The light hit my face while the Fairies gasped in shock. If these were to be dark Fairies and know the monsters of the night, then the monsters near their home must not be as shocking as me.

Everyone is afraid. They will never know the real me only by gossip or by my scars. They are too terrified to see the Dragon that brought down ten fire breathers on its own. "It's Creed," one of them whispered to the other. Their dark wings shook in fright.

"We have to ask; we have to find her. The Duke is furious." My head tilted, my braids swaying to the left of my head when I approached. They both kneeled.

"Please, don't hurt us," one shook. "We are looking for a girl, purple gown. It is the Duke's future mate."

My Dragon growled. The wind churned the leaves around them, knocking them over on their asses while my Dragon snarled once more. Smoke infiltrated their lungs. "Leave," my dragon spoke. "Come again, and you'll be minced meat." Smells of urine wafted in the air as they grabbed hold of each other like hatchlings in a storm. Smoke escaped from my nostrils. The Fairies couldn’t fly due to their trembling; they lay sitting in their piss.

"Please!" the one on the left yelled. Pulling the speaking one up with one arm, he choked, returning to his original form of just a tiny Fairy. "P-please. We will leave. We thought we smelled her, that is all." Venom dripped from my fangs, brushing the scar on my lip.

"You smelled wrong," my Dragon spoke. The other hand gripped his wing, bending it in half vertically. An ear-piercing scream scorched the air. My Dragon closed our eardrums to ward off the pitiful cries. Once my hand let go, they scurried away, heading away from the cave and back down the mountain. My heart reverberated in my chest.

Odessa needed to be protected. She had no clue what she was in for, running from a Duke of all people that wanted her for a mate. My Dragon's tongue escaped my mouth, sniffing the air. It did smell like her. While she shook in the tree, she had no smell. It was void of anything alluring with the caked mud and sludge. She had her own fragrance, a soft hint of citrus since her bath.

Razak understood why I sniffed the air and followed. If a beast like him could smile, he would. He trotted back to the cave, waiting for me to follow, but I had other important things to do. Hiding the scent of Odessa so no other Fairy or Vampire could find her. She would hide within the walls of my cave until they stopped looking.

And they would stop looking, for the plan I had would make them think she was dead.

A Fernleaf Yellowcress was a plant that lived deep in the forest under damp areas. Typically found in summer because of their love for humid climates, it would be difficult to find. We were approaching winter; none would be around this mountain area.

Once the Fernleaf Yellowcress is dried and ground into a fine powder, it can be spread around the primary source of the smell. She would be safe within ten wingspans. Many deer and bears rub the live plant into their furs to hide if they are lucky to know someone is hunting them.

Alpha Dragons and a well-trained Werewolf would be able to pick up Odessa's scent, but the Vampires wouldn’t. Their smelling abilities were not as strong.

Leaving Odessa now would be foolish. She is still weak, but this would prove to be a wise choice in the long run. I couldn't let the dark Fairies return with more Vampires. I was only one Dragon; I could take them all, but what if one slipped by me and entered the cave? Odessa would be helpless.

The quickest way to obtain the Yellowcress would be to fly to Moon Kingdom's market. Even there, I wasn't welcome. On top of it all, it would take me four hours round trip of flying. I wasn't prepared to do that in Odessa's state. Growling, Razak stepped away, whimpering. His ears pricked back, and he walked into the cave. His safe place. Odessa's secure place.

There was one place I could go, but it hurt to think of it. I only went when I was called for battle and to protect the tribe. Coming without proper reason, Adam, my brother, would see it as a threat. Cracking my knuckles, I threw my weapons to the ground, stripping my leather bags from around my waist. My furry boots were thrown to the side. Calling upon my Dragon, he released a mighty roar while the dark smoke blew around the air. Razak withdrew into the cavern protecting the most precious treasure.

She was not my mate, but she was the closest I could consider one. If she could see past my scars, this face, and is willing to let me know her, that is all the love and companionship I would hope for.

My black wings stretched, and my hind legs bolted forward into the sky; I would arrive in a few minutes instead of the hour walk into the woods. Hopefully, Adam would be drunk or visiting the Cerulean Moon Kingdom to notice my stealth around the tribe.

Huts sat in a circle, the smoke trailing upwards from a sizeable bonfire from the night before. Small male children ran around with rocks and sticks, pretending to blow fire or ice. Quietly landing ten wingspans away, I changed back into my human appearance, securing my loincloth. Werewolves have it rough. They can shift quickly but are always naked. Primitive creatures in that aspect.

Amora, my childhood friend, liked to stay in her tent mostly. She was loved by all, but even the elders talked about how she was not a full Dragon. Once Amora and Adam have children, they would either be of Fae or a Dragon, with no mixing. That was how the goddess had allowed mixed races to bond. So far, all mixed-race bonding had produced the opposite of what the Dragon race needed. Female Dragons.

No female Dragons in many blue moons had been born. The female Dragon race was dying. All that was left now were males.

Many moons ago, there was a tribal argument over mates. The Dragon Shifters at the time had low numbers of unmated female Dragons. Each hatchling born had been male for many cycles of the moons. Many Dragons wished to have chosen mates to expand the prospect of more female Dragons. A deal was made with a neighboring tribe once the last 18-year-old female was of age. She was to be delivered the next sundown promptly, for her offspring would guarantee nothing but Dragon hatchlings. Unfortunately for the male receiving the female, she found her true mate along the way to our tribe. A non-Dragon.

The selfish Dragon held onto the agreement in his heart. He demanded that the female was his and that the true mate bond didn't matter. He wanted his woman to bear his children. There was no guarantee she would deliver more female Dragons; his ignorance proved futile.

A war broke out, many were lost, and with those Dragons, my mother and father. The elders proclaimed that there had not been a battle so fierce for many centuries, but the hunt for women was becoming brutal. Full-blooded Dragon Shifters were now considered on the brink of extinction.

Many would not find this disturbing in other races, have the men take up the Shifter title and continue to mate with their true bonded mates, dragon or not. With Dragons, it was different. Dragons were a different breed than most Shifters. Without a female Dragon, the magic will die in a few generations. There is no more fire, ice, or acid breathing, no more clothes to cover our bodies after a shift. Our bodies would break into pieces, just like any other Shifter.

Just a lizard with wings.

Recently, there were many mixes of species along with the lands. Sirens, Faes, Elves, and Wolves, the list goes on. A true mate knows no species; the goddess Selene does not discriminate. In fact, my half-brother was the first Dragon to accept a mate of another species and not care about the elders. Amora was a kind Fae; her family lived at the bottom of the Dragon Shifter's mountain, and she often visited to play with both of us. Adam swore that she should have been born a Dragon; his love for her as children made me realize she could be the mate he had always wanted.

But Adam was a jealous Dragon. He envied the relationship I had with Amora. She was nothing but a sister to me, the only other person that would even speak to the product of rape. I was the outcast, the unloved one of the tribe. Amora didn't care; she cared for me like a sister to a brother.

The day that my mother and stepfather died, the dynamic between all of us changed. Rumors spread that I should be the next Alpha of the tribe, but I was quickly shot down since my father, the Alpha of the tribe, did not sire me, even if his mate bore a child before their mating. I did not care for any of this; I wanted a peaceful life, to stay out of the moon’s rays and get my mate one day.

Even that was denied me.

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