Page 56 of Claimed By the Dragon
Eli grunted in frustration, wanting to tug Trahern’s hair, so she pulled him back and blew against his neck. Her son squealed, and she did it again before saying, “How about I tell you another of Daisy’s stories? Even if some of them aren’t quite finished, we have fun making up our own endings, don’t we? Let’s see. How about the one with the dragon girl who watches all of her friends start talking with their inner dragons and hers hasn’t yet?”
And as she told the tale of the girl feeling like an outcast, wondering what was wrong with her, until she finds out she has two inner dragons—Grace didn’t know if that was even possible—Eli settled and his eyelids drooped.
All the while she eyed Trahern, willing him to wake up and join in. Maybe to lecture about how impossible it was tohave two inner dragons. Or if it were possible, then about how difficult it would be to manage and keep three personalities in harmony in one brain.
Or any other scientific interpretation of a children’s story.
She missed his literalness. Sometimes it was irritating, but sometimes it helped her learn something about dragon-shifters she never would’ve thought to ask.
Oh, Trahern. Please wake up.
Not that she let her worry show. If her sons picked up on it, Trahern might too.
Trahern and his dragon stopped often to rest.
The network of tunnels and open spaces inside this pocket of his mind was both fascinating and never-ending.
Not for the first time, he marveled at how young dragons could navigate their way out. Yes, his dragon had said he’d used Trahern’s inner voice to find him. But it still took a lot of intelligence and stubbornness to accomplish.
Even with Grace’s voice filtering through often, there were times when it stopped and he and his beast had to rest.
Now was one of those times, and Trahern relaxed on his dragon’s back and hated how tired he was. He was a mental figure, and yet he still experienced exhaustion.
His dragon snorted.It’s funny you still wonder about that. We’ve always been mental projections inside our minds. This is no different.
I didn’t understand how deep it went.
At least you can use this for your research.
Since Grace’s voice hadn’t returned, he asked his beast,You never answered my question about before you exited thetunnels, found me, and we talked. Did you understand English earlier than me?
I don’t remember. That was a long time ago.
While it wasn’t the answer he’d been hoping for, Trahern didn’t let it deter him. He spent an untold amount of time devising new hypotheses and tests for when he was well again. It helped distract him from the constant yearning for Grace’s voice.
Eventually it returned, along with some faint sounds of one of the boys.
His dragon stood, and they started in the same direction they’d been going for a while, sometimes entering pitch-black areas where his beast relied on instinct to guide them through turns and crevices.
Once they exited into another bright part, he blinked. There was a small lake surrounded by trees. And a fake-looking sky was above, one that was utterly still and silent.
Despite the bright light, it was eerie.
He asked,Where is this?
His dragon replied,This is the exit, where we can return to the main part of your mind.
How? Tall cliffs surround the lake.
We leave by going through the water.
He blinked.Pardon?
It’s a test of determination, of how much you want to be united with your human half.
Pushing aside his skepticism, he said,Show me what to do.
His dragon walked to the lake’s shore, and then onto the smooth surface. Although it wasn’t really water—it was solid and held their weight.
