14
LUCKY
I've always had something to do, somewhere to go. There was food to find, shelter to secure, enemies to avoid. Even during the apocalypse, I had purpose because of my sister.
Now, I don't know where the fuck I'm going. I'm treading over snow, the warmest part of my body being my cheeks, which are drenched in tears. Once upon a time, it would have been strange to cry in public. Now, though, there is no one on the surface to judge me. The streets are empty except for me and my despair.
Too much has happened today. It feels like the sky is falling on top of me. I'm confused and suffocated. Not only because of Daisy's dismissal of me, but because of the dragons. They're not guilty of their crimes against humanity. They're not the monsters I so easily called them.
The hate I clung to is slipping through my fingers like melted snow, and feelings of attraction are solidifying.
I care for him. The half-man, half-beast that kidnapped me. Walking away isn't easy because I know he's in the facility drugged and unconscious on the floor, surrounded by humans that would prefer him dead.
He is more than a dragon that gives rude commands and offends by walking around naked. He got under my skin. I can't stop thinking of how he protected me, how his lips felt against mine when I so boldly kissed him.
It has been an hour since I left. Is he up now? Is he coming after me?
I open the door of an abandoned car, check inside, and sit in the passenger's seat to rest. I press my freezing palms against my face, but the tears keep coming. If I get away, I may not be able to see him ever again. That thought pains me more than the thought of not seeing my sister again. Why am I so broken?
After a few minutes, I step back into the cold. I look over my shoulder and at the sky every thirty seconds, hoping to see him, but he's never there with his offensive nudity, infuriated expression, and curious gaze.
I never even got his name. This male that breathed fire into my life will forever remain a stranger in my memories. I know his quirks, his tragic story and that of his people, and that he doesn't only burn to destroy but warm to protect.
All I have to go by is his face, but I fear that with time, it will fade.
The train station is close. All I have to do is go down the steps and slip into a colony. The stench of the underground will mask me, separating us forever. Part of me doesn't want to go home.
I look over my shoulder again. He's not there. His imposing form isn't cutting through the snow. Like a fool, I'm hoping to be chased by ghosts.
I turn my whole body around, staring at the footprints I made in the snow. I counter my last step, and then another, and now I'm running in the opposite direction toward him.
The wind slams into my face. The tears that once comforted me have become my enemies as they freeze on my cheeks. I've endured worse, though, so I keep running.
He— whatever his name is, can't fade away. I'm willing to abandon the underground and fly with him.
I've never been so reckless in my life. I've always rationed food, followed days on the calendar, observed the weather, respected the rules of a colony. All to keep Daisy alive. Now look to where it got me. I've lost my purpose. I'm no longer a protector of my beloved sister. There's a sadness in me I thought I'd never experience again. It's eating me alive, desperate to starve me for good.
I need him. I want to explore whatever is between us, so that I can find a purpose in this grey world again.
Like a dog, I pant. My thighs are burning with exhaustion, and my toes are numb. The wind wants to bully me back into the underground, but I know that if I cave, I might not see him again.
I rest against a car, my eyes locked on the horizon.
Please... please.... come back.
With every passing minute, both my body and hopes become numb. I should have known better than to hope because I've learned in the dark tunnels of the subway that this world has no color anymore. It's all white and grey.
A dot appears in the sky. It grows, becoming more detailed with scales. It's a dark canvas exploding with color until it consumes me.
He slams onto the ground, making the car behind me tremble, and snow to jolt. I hear a hundred bones break as he leaves scales to become flesh, but even in his human form, he's formidable.
"Thought you could get away?" he snarls, stomping toward me, looking so angry that he's probably hot to the touch.
I choke on a sob and jump into his embrace. He's taken so off-guard that he stumbles.
I've never been happier to see his grumpy face.
He came for me. Of course he would.
"Are you injured?" he asks, as if that would be the only explanation for my behavior.
I snuggle deeper into his warmth and ask, "what's your name?"
"What?"
"Your name." I repeat.
"Drakkon The First Of Continental Fe'ros."
I have it. I have his name, and I won't ever forget it, no matter how long it is. No matter how much time passes, and how grey the world becomes.
"I'm Lucky." Lucky to have run into him again.
"You will tell me if you are injured right now." He pulls back and tips my head to the side in search of injuries. He takes my hand, flips it, and pulls back my sleeve. Years of scars of self-harm are revealed.
"Explain!" he roars, throwing his free arm around me to pin our chests together.
I sigh. "Not now. Not today. I'm tired."
He slips an arm under the back of my legs, sweeping me off the snow.
"What are you doing?" I blurt.
"Taking you. You have met your incompetent sister, and now you have business with me to complete."
He hoists me higher up his chest.
"What do you mean that you're taking me? Where?"
I become nervous, because while my intentions with him are innocent, I don't know what he wants with me. I know he wouldn't hurt me physically. He has had enough opportunities to slap me for my insolence, but all he does is take blows for me.
"To see an elder. I will explain to him how humans have manipulated our minds. Perhaps he will know how to get us off this retched planet. I want to go home."
"Us?"
He looks at me as if I just asked an outrageous question. "Of course. You are coming with me."
"What!" I gape. "No. You took me because you wanted to understand why I have no effect on you. We have found our answers thanks to the scientist. You never mentioned anything about taking me to your planet!"
He shrugs. "That is inconsequential. I enjoy you, and I want to keep you. Forever."
"So that's it? You keep me and decide what happens with my life?"
"You sound upset. You will explain why."
I know he's from a different culture — planet even — but he can't possibly be this dull.
"Is there a concept of autonomy in your world? Or do your people keep slaves?"
"Ah, I see. You wish something in exchange for me to keep you. Name it. What jewels do you request? Gold?"
"I'm not a prostitute!"
He nods. "It is good to know that our sexual intercourse will be free, then."
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