Page 38 of Asmodel

Tivessa guided her to a secluded corner of the cave. There, a bed of soft furs and handwoven blankets beckoned with a promise of a peaceful night’s rest. Eyes drooping, Izzy’s body lost all mobility as she lay down. How nice, the elderly female pulled a warm fur over her, enveloping her in welcome warmth. With a gentle stroke, Tivessa’s soft paw wisped across the top of Izzy’s head like herabuela’spalmdid so long ago.

As she drifted, an image came of a man so beautiful he took her breath away. He sported a perfect square jaw accented by a manly cleft. Full lips, a nose as straight as an arrow, high cheekbones, and a broad forehead. His hair, a rich chestnut hue with deep undertones, was thick and wavy, cascading down his back in luxurious waves. Blazing hazel eyes of ginger brown and leaf green combined with a starburst of gold flecks looked into her soul.

And good golly molly… his body was as spectacular as his face and hair. Thickly muscled, big-boned, and not an ounce of fat in sight. His copper-hued skin was smooth and flawless.

“Izzy, don’t worry. I’ll be there soon.”

She melted at the sound of his deep baritone as it whispered in her mind. A sensation caressed her forehead as if a gentle touch came from his large, soothing hand. With a happy sigh, she surrendered to slumber.

Chapter Eight

Izzysettleddeeperintoher dream of the dazzling, handsome, totally irresistible man.

“Isabella.”

His sensual whisper made her shiver.

A loud scream jerked Izzy awake.

“Criminy sakes!” She sat up with her hand against her chest, her heart racing. “What in the world?” Her eyes widened at the chaos in the large cave.

Pardalions of all shapes and sizes, ages and sexes, were running around like a bunch of cats in a room of rocking chairs. There was an unsettling symphony of hisses and guttural growls that echoed in the large chamber. Her groggy senses made it hard to understand why they were acting like that.

She caught sight of young Zolune running on all fours, her ability to walk on two legs long gone. Age didn’t seem to cause this change.

One guard did the same, galloping on all fours with the silky fur on his back bristling.

Several of the cat-people were hiding under tables and chairs, their ears back. Some hissed, some shivered, not uttering a sound.

“Hurry, human!” The mature female cook, Tivessa, rushed to her, still on her two hind legs. “We must hide before it finds us!”

Izzy jumped out of her nest of warm furs and soft blankets. “Who? Are the zaltrixan attacking?” Another horrible thought occurred to her. “Or is it that yellow crystal lady coming to kill everyone?”

“No, worse!” The feline put her paws in the air. “It’s some kind of evil demon, adrur’az,coming to steal our souls!Ay-eee!Run for your life!” She hopped and turned to run out of the cave.

“Goodness me.” Izzy watched the cat-people run around howling, with no coordination.

Several of them in thick guard uniforms sprinted to the cave entrance, their weapons ready for action.

She narrowed her eyes. That’s where she needed to go.

The guards lined up, their fur bristled, and their tails puffed up to twice their normal size. The primal fear in the air was thick with the electricity of their collective terror.

Keeping a respectful distance from the sentries, she reached the edge of the cave and dared to step outside. Below her, the verdant forest stretched into eternity, a canopy of colorful whispers. The crisp air smelled of pine as well as a hint of rain. Her gaze lifted skyward, caught by an unusual shadow. In the distance was a silhouette cleaving the air with unwavering purpose. Placing the edge of her hand against her forehead for shade, she narrowed her eyes, hoping to see better.

She glanced at the female guard next to her. “Is that what all the fuss is about?” She glanced at the incoming… plane? “Don’t you have some kind of flying machines here?” These folks might be living in a cave, but the technology she’d seen them use so far was beyond what they had on Earth. Air flight had to be something they’d conquered a long time ago.

“That’s not a machine.” The hissing words from the guard's mouth told Izzy how terrified the female was. “Our sensors tell us it’s organic. And there’s nothing on CeluriaVO like that. The damn thing has a wingspan that would rival any aircraft we or the zaltrixan have!”

The figure approached, gliding and rolling on a wingspan that blotted out the sun, casting a copper hue over the land below.

Now that it was closer, Izzy’s eyes widened as her heart thrummed in her chest, a rapid drumbeat of excitement laced with a touch of fear. She stood rooted to the spot as the pardalion next to her hissed and growled, rushing back into the cave.

It was a dragon.

A dragon as magnificent and awe-inspiring as any fabled creature could be. Copper scales shimmered with a fiery palette of a blazing sunset in the rising sun. Each beat of its vast wings sent ripples through the air, a display of power that was as terrifying as mesmerizing.

The creature drew closer, and its massive eyes were clear to see. A sense of déjà vu struck her. Those captivating orbs of hazel carried browns and greens with shots of gold flecks that teased her memory. She couldn’t look away from those deep pools of wisdom and mystery now locked on hers.

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