Burning Vengeance
5.

Her piercing scream echoes over the sharp mountain crags as she plunges to her death. She's sure it's the last thing she'll ever hear, until a new sound fills the air. The sound of wings.

Alarik's enormous obsidian dragon form cuts through the clouds, heading straight for her. But the rocks feel like they will reach her sooner.

She reaches for Alarik, her hand outstretched, but he's too far away. She braces herself for her grizzly demise. But with a deafening roar and a flash of ice blue eyes, Alarik thrusts himself beneath her just in time.

"Alarik, you-" his speed is too great. He can't stop. They both plunge into a small mountain cave at high speed. His powerful wings flap hard to slow them down, but they scrape along the jagged cave wall, shredding before her eyes. Suddenly, her marked arm explodes with pain, as though it were her who was just sliced open. "Ahh!" She screams and Alarik roars. He pulls his wings around her as a protective cocoon as they both slam into the cave floor.

When she opens her eyes, Alarik is human again, pinning her to the ground. "Are you.... all right?" His voice is husky and low, completely out of breath. And his right arm is shredded to ribbons, bleeding profusely.

"What? Am I all right?"

"You were pushed from a cliff, so yeah. I'm asking if you're all right."

"But you took the blow. Your arm-"

"Just answer the question, Fay. Are you all right?" His eyes flash as he looks down at her, his breathing labored.

"I'm fine. But you must be in a lot of pain."

"I'll be okay. Just need to rest." Alarik tries to smile, but a sharp pain stops him. He clutches his arm and doubles over. "Fuck." Blood seeps through his fingers. When he squeezes his arm, her own arm seizes with pain.

"Ahh!" Tears prick her eyes as she claws at her bandaged mark. Alarik stares at her in shock.

"I thought you were all right, what's wrong?"

"M-my arm. It feels like it's on fire! Are you punishing me?"

"No, of course not." Alarik carefully removes her bandage to reveal her marked arm.

"There's nothing wrong with it. It's not even bruised."

"It's the Dragon's Mark, our bond. My pain must cause you pain."

"What?"

"Think about it, you've felt it before. Moments where you could feel what I feel, even my emotions."

What he says rings true. The moments where her arm would throb. Where she'd feel his jealousy, his rage. "At the ball.... when Xander grabbed me...."

"You felt me then? So, you know I wanted to kill him." She nods. A fresh wave of pain overtakes Alarik and she feels it too. "There's only one way for us to take care of this." He begins pulling off his shirt.

"Alarik, I can't have sex with you."

"What? That's not what I.... what do you take me for?" He pulls shirt off slowly and for a moment, she forgets to breathe. His rolling muscles flex in the dim light, the reflection from the nearby pool dancing on his skin. "I need you to set the bone in my arm."

"What?"

"I can heal fast, but if the bone is out of alignment, it will cause more pain. For me and for you." Alarik holds out his virile, sinewed arm to her. "Please, Fay. I'd do it myself, but I can't move much at all right now." She can see in his eyes that he's telling the truth. "Try. For both our sakes."

"I'm really sorry, Alarik. I just don't think I can do it." She turns away from him, hiding her face. Alarik nods.

"It's okay. It was a lot to ask. Just do me one favor? Cover your ears." Before she knows it, Alarik is sprinting for the cave wall. He slams his injured arm into it and screams. Her mouth falls open.

"Alarik!"

He hits his knees, completely exhausted. He gives her a weak smile. "I think I got it. We're back in place."

Once they've both regained their footing, she replaces her footing and looks around the cave. "It's so dark. I can't see the exit."

"Hang on." Alarik takes out flint and creates a small flame in the palm of his hand.

"Why not just breathe fire yourself?"

"I'd have to transform. And believe me, you don't want to deal with my blue fire."

"Why? Is it cold?"

"No. It's brighter and hotter than any regular fire. In fact, it's lethal. It's the only fire that can kill other dragons."

Her heart pounds. She stares at Alarik, his body looking that much bigger in the shadow of the flame. With the fire flickering in the palm of Alarik's hand, they both look around the illuminated cave. And that's when she realizes they're caved in. Alarik looks up at the freshly fallen rocks covering the entrance. "Damn it. We're trapped." His chest heaves, fear flashing in his eyes.

"We just need to dig ourselves out."

"That will take too long, even with my strength. We'll suffocate before we're free."

"Well, we can't just do nothing."

"Just let me think, Fay."

"We need to try something even if it's dangerous for me-"

"Fay, please!" Alarik's hand cuts through the air with too much force. The flame flies out of his hand, heading right for her. "Fay!" In a flash of panic, she throws her hands up. But the fire doesn't strike her. It doesn't come anywhere near her. "Wh-what in the world?" She opens her eyes to replace the fire floating right in front of her outstretched hands. Her Dragon's Mark starts to hum softly beneath her flesh, as if awakening for the first time. Warm but not hot, a lick of inviting flame flicks down the webbing of her Dragon's Mark. A calm confidence falls over her as she feels every vein in her body spark with power. "Fay." Truly awestruck, Alarik takes a step toward her.

"I can get us out of here, Alarik. I think I know how." The answer surfaces inside her as if it has always been there: use the flame. But the buzzing power in her veins becomes too strong and in an instant, she severs the connection.

"Are you okay?"

"S-sorry. That was just too much for me, whatever it was."

"It looked like you were controlling the flame for a second there. Extraordinary."

"Yeah. Not that extraordinary. I couldn't hold onto it." With a sigh, Alarik kicks a rock into the water. The ripple webs out away from the shore and reveals a small, hidden pathway. "I didn't know that was there."

"Me neither. Let's check it out."

They slip through the passageway. When it opens back up, they both gasp. The chamber is illuminated by enchanting, shimmering ore, like thousands of lunar moths flickering above them.

"Wow. It's beautiful."

"It doesn't compare to what you just did back there, Fay."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more use."

Alarik looks down at her, his eyebrows raised. "You've been useful more than once, Fay."

"My family always told me I was lazy. I kept falling asleep during my chores. They said five hours of sleep was too much so they cut mine down to three."

Alarik growls, his hands balling into fists. "They're wrong. You've never been lazy, not a day in your life."

"I've caused problems for you too, though. Look at the mess we're in."

"No, I put you in this situation. And I'm sorry about that." Alarik hangs his head in the aquamarine light. "I've hurt you, humiliated you.... just like I was taught to. We treat all humans like you're beneath us."

"Because your kind wanted our territory?"

"We were told humans were vicious. That you coveted bombs and guns and killed for the fun of it."

"Dragons are the ruthless ones. You're huge, breathe fire, shift at will and seem impossible to kill."

"You're right, I should've known better. The only humans I've known have been weak servants under the heels of dragons. I should've done more to change things."

"There's still time."

A familiar, anguished shadow falls over him. He shakes his head. "There isn't as much time as you'd think."

She wants to ask Alarik what he means, but she's cut off as they reach another small passageway. They duck through it and come into a wide chasm that opens up to the clear night sky. "We did it. Now, we can-" but she's unable to finish her sentence. An intense surge of dizziness makes her sink to the ground.

"Fay, what's wrong?"

"I feel weak. I can barely breathe."

Alarik presses his hand to her cheek, his brow furrowed in worry. "You're freezing, thanks to that new power of yours. You're not used to it and your body's drained from the effort." She shudders. Alarik eases himself down next to her, tugging her close. "Come here."

"What are you-"

"Don't talk." He threads his hands around her waist. Flushing, she eases herself down within his arms. For the first time, she's close enough to inhale his heady scent. A scent of smoke and leather, crisp and deep all at the same time. "I won't lie to you, it's going to be a hard night, but I'll try to make it bearable for you." He gently pulls her closer to his body, to his warmth. She feels her mark hum quietly between them. But more than that, she feels safe. A feeling she has barely known a day in her life. "Close your eyes, Fay. I'm right here."

"I'm fine. The only person who's ever taken care of me is me. That's not going to change now." She gently untangles herself from him, scooting her body to the other side of the cave. Alarik sighs quietly, but he doesn't push her. She squeezes her eyes shut and curls up into a ball, willing herself to sleep, despite her chill. "Is this normal? Feeling this cold after a power like that awakening?"

"Fay, no one has ever done anything like that. There's nothing normal about it."

"Really?"

"The first human to bond with a dragon and now this." Alarik sighs, spreading out on the caveside opposite her. "You're special, Fay. There's no denying it."

"Special?" The word reverberates in her ears until she drifts into a fitful sleep.

~W~

Her dreams are of human hunts, glittering balls and the roars of dragons. When the roars grow closer and far more real, she wakes with a start.

Alarik is above her, his finger pressed to her lips. "Shh." He points up and an enormous dragon shadow passes overhead. "Palace guards." When the shadow passes, he stands. She pushes to her feet, re-wrapping her mark.

"Why are they so close? Are they patrolling the area?"

"I wish that were the case. But you fought with a noble. Publicly. My guess is they're looking for you."

"I was worried you'd say that." Wringing her hands, she paces. "You shouldn't have come me. Now, you're involved."

"It will be alright."

"No, it won't. I've seen slaves punished for far less than what happened back there. I could be handed over to Xander."

"I'll protect you from that."

"You couldn't protect me from the hunt, could you?" She turns to run back into the safety of the dark cave, but Alarik catches her wrist. "Please. Just let me go. It'll be-"

"Ride me."

"What?"

His words are dark and dangerous, shifting as he shifts. "You heard what I said. I wasn't able to help you before, but I will now. Ride me and I'll get you out of here." Her hair blows back as Alarik twists into his enormous, glittering black dragon form. He bows, lowering his neck before her in invitation.

"But.... no human has ever ridden a dragon. Not once in history." His shining blue eyes lock with hers and his feelings are clear. This is what he wants. "Maybe it's best if I stay here. Go on without me!" Alarik roars and spreads his massive wings. With one sweep of his massive claws, he scoops her up and launches into the air. "Let me go!"

They arrive at a majestic cliffside overlooking a great expanse of ocean. Alarik releases her as he lands. As he shifts back to human form, she marches up to him. "Alarik, you've really got to stop taking me against my will. This is-" but he doesn't respond to her. He stares out at the crashing waves, his body rigid.

"I have something to tell you. Something I should've told you the minute we bonded."

"What's that?"

"The reason I need to take a wife. The reason I need to bear an heir..." Alarik's eyes reflect the churning sea. "It's because I'm cursed."

"What?"

"I'm cursed, Fay. As all Dragon Kings have been throughout history. We are granted awesome power, but for a steep price."

His words fall flat on her ears, so stunning she doesn't believe them. "What..... are you saying....."

He turns to her, his hair blowing gently in the ocean breeze. "In one month's time, I'm going to die."

Her heart practically stops beating in her chest. Shock, confusion and fear make her dizziness return. "That can't be true." But she doesn't have time to ask more. The ground beneath them quakes.

"Found you." Her last remaining hope dies when she turns to see Xander standing next to a massive dragon.

"Xander-" but Xander ignores Alarik. He grabs her by the hair and forces her on her knees. "Fay. For the crime of assaulting a noble, you are sentenced to death." He holds her fast before the deadly dragon. Its throat glows with fire building within.

"Fay!"