Page 10 of A Lick of Flame

His mouth twitches as if to smile, but he doesn’t. “You won’t let me?”

“You heard me. No, I won’t let you.” I pull a knife from a sheath at my thigh, thankful that Mother Trinity forces us to practice daily but still not exactly hopeful I will be able to stand up to this brute. He may be injured, but he outweighs me by a furlong or two.

“That’s just it; the whelp is not alone and helpless. You are in grave danger.” Something growls from behind the fae. Something big, with huge golden eyes. Why didn’t I notice those eyes before now? They’re narrowed in on me. They flash with anger. I smell sulfur. It’s much stronger this time.

Kakara help me! I think this might be the mother.

The little creature comes to stand at my side. It nuzzles my hand.

“I think your mother might be here, little girl,” I tell her. I’m not sure how I know that this baby is a “her,” only that I do.

“Don’t touch the whelp,” the fae snarls.

I ignore him, watching as she continues to nuzzle my hand, and I stroke her back.

“Stop that, human! Do not touch the whelp. It is forbidden.”

“I’m not touching her. She’s the one touching me. I don’t care about your silly fae rules!” I yell, unable to take my gaze off of the slitted eyes behind the fae. They narrow further, this time in confusion, before widening. The creature growls again. This time, it sounds like more of a rumble. Like it isn’t all that angry anymore.

I clutch my shoulder as I suddenly feel a sharp pain there. It comes from out of nowhere with no warning. I moan and stagger forward, falling to my knees, but somehow, I manage to keep a hold of my knife.

The fae mutters a hard curse.

What is wrong with me?

I groan, clutching my shoulder even more tightly, my eyes squeezing shut. Almost as quickly, the pain subsides, and I can breathe. I look up into green shards. It was probably him…the fae. Him and his magic.

“What did you do to me?” I throw at the brute.

“Me?” He touches his chest, looking innocent. Well, as innocent as a fae can look, which isn’t very innocent at all.

“Yes, you. What kind of magic did you use?” I rub my arm, which still throbs a little.

“That had nothing to do with me.”

I don’t buy it.

The dragon rumbles again. The baby sniffs at my hand and then nudges me as if telling me to get to my feet.

I do, still clutching my shoulder because there is a mild residual ache that seems to come from my bones. I rub at it, and thankfully, the last of the pain subsides. I stroke the sweet girl at my side, and she makes these adorable little noises.

“What in Hades have you done?” the fae growls at me. “How can this be?” he says more to himself; his bright green eyes are blazing. He paces backward and forwards a few times before facing me.

I’m not sure why he is so angry all of a sudden. The good news is that I don’t think the dragon is going to attack me. It seems to have calmed down.

“Who are you?” he growls at me.

“That is none of your business!” I yell, holding the knife up again. “Go away! Raila needs to be with her mother. Not anywhere near the likes of you.”

“Raila?” He lifts his brows.

“It’s her name.” I glance at the dragon at my side.

“And how do you know that?”

I shrug; the pain in my shoulder has been reduced to almost nothing. “I just do. I don’t know how. Just like I know the dragon is a she and not a he.” I frown. “I shouldn’t know all of this,” I mutter. I don’t like it. “What did you do to me?” I narrow my eyes.

“Nothing,” he deadpans. “Pull your shawl away and show me your shoulder,” he says in such a commanding voice that I am almost inclined to obey.

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