Jaydon, where are you? Ralem’s voice called into his mind, but Jaydon didn’t respond immediately. His thoughts were distant… on that beautiful dragoness who had loved him. It was only when Ralem’s voice became desperate that he responded. Jaydon! Jaydon, why have you left me? His cries tore at Jaydon’s heart.

            “Jaydon?” Jaydon realized that Sarah was looking at him strangely.

            Jaydon nodded brusquely at her, running his hands down the muscles of his arms. “Leave us alone for a moment, Sarah.”

            She nodded and eased herself away from Ralem’s bed. “I’ll get you some clothes.” She was eyeing Jaydon’s burned pants. Then she stepped out and lightly as a feather closed the door.

            The second she was gone, Jaydon curled up next to his Rider, fanning his wings over his body and sliding his hands under his neck, forcing them to be face to face. Ralem groaned as he was touched, frown lines wrinkling his forehead. Ahh…. His mental voice was laced with pain.

            Brother, I am here, Jaydon spoke, his voice purring.

            Jaydon, where were you? I couldn’t feel you anywhere! I thought I had lost you-

            You will never get rid of me, Saelfien. Jaydon chuckled.

            There was a slight pause before Ralem’s voice filled his mind. Jaydon.. are we going to die? Don’t lie to me.

            Not tonight. Jaydon leaned forward until he was nose to nose with his mirror image. Then he let loose a long, laborious breath. Power, like a lightning bolt flowed through their connection, setting alight Ralem’s blood and causing his heart to beat like a frenzied drum. His eyes fluttered as his whole body started rapidly healing, fresh skin emerging to replace the burned, his whole body trembling with the shot of energy.

            Jaydon… what’s happening? Ralem’s voice came, scared. Then his eyes shot open and green floodlit the room. His eyes were unfocused, their pupils large and wondering. Then they narrowed and he saw Jaydon, smiling at him with pure joy shining on his face.

            “Jaydon!” Ralem yelled. Then his eyes widened. “I can talk!”

            “Yes, you can talk,” Jaydon chuckled.

            Ralem tackled Jaydon right off the bed and they landed in a heap of limbs and wings on the floor. “Haha, Jaydon, we’re alive!

            “That we are!” Jaydon said back, smiling so wide that his smile muscles hurt. He rolled so that he was the one on top of Ralem. Then he started tickling Ralem where he knew he was ticklish- the crease of his jaw.

            Ralem screamed in laughter. “Jaydon- you- oaf- get- hahahaa!”

            At that moment Sarah swung in, her face bright with hope. “Ralem- is that- woah, what are you guys doing?”

            Jaydon got off Ralem and stood up awkwardly, still chuckling to himself. Ralem laughed too, wiping his face with the back of  his hand… before realizing he had no hand. His eyes about bugging out of his head, he held his arm directly in front of his face, twisting his wrist just to make sure it wasn’t there. “Wh- what?” he croaked.

            Jaydon’s face strained. “What- I thought that it would work-”

            “WHERE’S MY HAND?” Ralem screamed, almost falling over himself in a frantic attempt to shoot to his feet.

            Jaydon grabbed his wrist and stump, his gaze firmly catching Ralem’s. “I will heal you completely, Rider. Peace, you won’t be without your hand for long.”

            Suddenly Ralem was tackled by his sister and he rocked backwards as she wrapped her arms around him, pecking him on the neck as she rocked him back and forth, her body shaking in emotion. “Ralem… I hate you!”

            Ralem cast a wild glance at Jaydon, who shrugged.

            “You nearly killed my poor heart! This is second time you came in half-dead- oh, little brother, I’m so glad you’re well. Now I’m never letting you out of this house again.”

            Ralem gently returned the hug, wincing as she hugged his bruised ribs a little too tight. “I’m sorry, Sarah.”

            She sniffled and drew back to wipe her nose with the back of her hand. For a second she just sat there on  her knees, smiling stupidly at her brother.

            Ralem was starting to feel a little uncomfortable by the time she slowly eased herself to her feet, her eyes never leaving Ralem’s face. “Well.. I suppose I’ll get a bath for you to wash up in, Baldy. You look like a piece of burned meat.” She winked at Jaydon. “And you too, my angel. You have a big day tomorrow.”

            When she left Ralem raised an eyebrow at his dragon. “Why does she call you her angel?”

            Jaydon smiled cheekily. “I have that effect on women. How do you feel?”

            “A lot better than I have in a while,” Ralem admitted, “But.. my hand,” his voice trembled a little but he covered it up with a cough.

            Jaydon crouched down in front of Ralem, threading his hands behind Ralem’s neck and pulling him close. His eyes sparkled as he spoke, “Ralem, do not worry. I promise you will have your hand back. But until then, I will be your hands, I will be your strength, I will be your aide.” He pulled one hand back to uncurl Ralem’s fingers before pressing their palms together so that their identical fingers pointed towards the ceiling. With his other hand he pressed his wrist to the stump so that it looked like it was Ralem’s own.

            Ralem fell into silence, but Jaydon could feel his gratefulness wash over him. He sighed. “If only I could put a bubble around you at all times and protect you. Then you wouldn’t get hurt.”

            “Jaydon, I-” Ralem started to say, but Sarah rushed in, wiping her hands with a towel.

            “Your baths are ready. Who wants to go first?”

            They looked at each other, sizing each other up.

            Jaydon pushed Ralem on the chest, laughing as he was bowled over before making a dash for the living room.

            “Ah! My arm!” Ralem cried, cradling his stump to his chest.

            Jaydon skidded to a stop, turning around with a stricken look on his face. “Did I-“

            “Hah!” Ralem blew past him before reaching the living room, where a barrel of water was set by the fireplace. As he ran, his scabs cracked painfully and he winced with every step. Sarah followed him with a scrub-brush in her hands.

            He eyed her balefully. “What are you doing, Sarah?”

            “Helping you out. Come on- get in.”

            “No way- you’re not going to scrub me, Sarah! Get out!”

            “I’ve helped you clean yourself plenty of times!” Sarah snapped.

            “When I was four!” Ralem screamed back, blushing.

            Jaydon started laughing.

            “You stay out of this, lizard!” Ralem pointed accusingly at him, his steely gaze not leaving his sisters.

            “I was just joking,” Sarah laughed, handing him the scrub brush. “It’s nice to have you back, Baldy.”

            Ralem took the scrub-brush from her, but he still had an eyebrow raised. “You’re not touching Jaydon either.”

            She rolled her eyes at him, but gestured at the chair. “There’s two pairs of your clothes. You need it.” She nodded at Jaydon, whose burned pants were hanging haphazardly off his hips by a string, revealing his hip lines.

            Ralem thanked her and she left with an annoying older-sister smile that had always grated on his nerves. “When you’re done, meet me in the kitchen!” she called. When she left, he fingered through the clothes. “Why’s there only one doublet in here?”

            “She knows I don’t need a shirt,” Jaydon chuckled, flashing his tongue in merriment.

            Ralem rolled his eyes as he started stripping- which was more like peeling- most of his clothes were clinging to his body or hung loosely off his frame in burned fragments. When he relaxed into the water, he let out a relieved sigh. “Now I’m starting to realize why you like baths so much.”

            Ralem awkwardly handled the brush with his left hand, but there wasn’t much power in it, and his dominant hand was gone. Ralem sighed heavily, glaring at the stump of his other hand as if somehow it would come back. Suddenly he found different hands slipping the brush out of his grip. “I’ll do it for you,” Jaydon said softly.

            “No, I can do it-” Ralem said feebly, but Jaydon already had a hand latched onto his shoulder, the other scrubbing his skin raw. “Hey, come on, easy on my back!” he hissed as Jaydon struggled to scrape the charred flesh off. Ralem blindly tried to reach a hand back and grab the brush from the dragon’s hands but Jaydon slapped it away. “I’m trying to help you here, calm down!”

            He scrubbed his back until it was a light shade of pink, then began attacking Ralem’s head. Ralem grit his teeth as his newly-grown hair was almost pulled out of his head. It took almost ten minutes to get the dead remains of burned skin off his skull and Ralem’s head started bleeding, mixing red with the black water. “Jaydon! Stop! You worthless lizard, get off me!”

            “Have patience, I’m almost done,” Jaydon rumbled. And with that, he took off a large scab and Ralem roared, tears pooling in his eyes. He uttered nothing but ragged pants for a few seconds, gripping the edges of the tub, before his scalp healed. Then Jaydon helped with his arms, this time much gentler. Soon, healthy shades of tannish pink were showing through the black, a beautiful sight to Jaydon’s eyes. When he reached Ralem’s collar bone, his fingers lingered on the side of his neck. When he had paused for a full moment, Ralem laughed nervously. “Jaydon?”

            Jaydon’s hand slid down his throat, his fingers reaching the indent above Ralem’s collar bone. “I can feel your heart beat,” he whispered.

            Ralem bit his lip.

            Jaydon took a long, shuttering breath. “I thought…. I thought we were going to die, Rider.” His words were so heavy that Ralem felt his heart sink within him, but he said nothing. Jaydon went on, “I never knew how special, how precious this heart beat is to me until it was almost taken away. I, who thought I was invincible. I, who thought I could keep you safe always.” Jaydon’s voice cracked. “I didn’t know how easy this heart could stop pumping, how fast and uncontrollable life is.” He sighed, feeling the steady buzz of life under his fingers, letting the steady thump become the sole noise. “And… I’m just… so glad.”

            Ralem’s eyes widened with recognition. “Jaydon… I … I think I know your true name.”

            Jaydon’s heart went to his throat. He had never told Ralem about his true name. If he had really found out, then… “What is it?” his voice was barely audible.

            Ralem spoke it. It was a beautiful name, like the wind breathing on the face of the earth, rustling through the trees. It was sound of life, the sound of light and storm. It was chaos and peace, of spirit and most of all, love. As the name flowed through the air, Jaydon’s eyes lit up like beacons and on Ralem’s back, his dragon sign shone like the moon, swirling violently. When he was finished it felt like time could resume again and Jaydon let out a deep breath, his tension decreasing. If Ralem had said one syllable wrong, things could have turned ill.

            Jaydon leaned forward until his curling lips were next to Ralem’s ears. “Now that you know my true name, you know my heart of hearts.” Ralem turned his head to look at his dragon with wide, wondering eyes. Jaydon knew it was time. He took a deep breath. “Would you like to know your own? Your true name? Only then will you truly understand yourself.”

            Ralem didn’t say anything for a moment and the crackling of the fire became the only noise. When he spoke, his words were heavy with emotion. “I’m not sure… I don’t think I want to know just yet… if that’s okay.”

            Jaydon smiled. “That is a wise choice.” They fell back into silence as Jaydon finished.  The dragon was surprised that Ralem didn’t argue with him about helping him out, but just stared into the fire numbly, his fascinating eyes distant. Even as Jaydon wiped his face clean, he didn’t protest about being able to do that himself. Finally, when Jaydon let him go, he reverently wrapped the towel around Ralem’s body and helped him out of the barrel tub. “You better go see your sister.”

            Ralem smiled at him, “Thanks.” He dried himself off before struggling to put his clothes on with one hand, but was too proud to call for Jaydon who was starting to tug the barrel to the door, where he’d dump the foul smelling water.

            When he returned, Ralem was already gone and Jaydon could hear a soft conversation from the kitchen. After filling the barrel again with water from the well, he sighed as he settled himself into the water. The second it touched his skin, a thick wreathe of mist floated up, tickling his nose. He inhaled deeply, exultant in the feeling of cool water against his skin, letting his wings slump against the side of the barrel. “Thank you, Vira,” he whispered to the ceiling.

            Half an hour later, Jaydon called Ralem into the room. Little did they know, Sarah had followed him in. When he saw them, he inched higher in the barrel tub, fanning his wingspan. From wingtip to wingtip they took up the entire room. “Could you help me scrub my wings?” Jaydon asked sweetly.

            “Wow,” Sarah breathed, suddenly alerting Ralem of her presence. He whirled around. “Sarah! Get out of here!”

            “No, it’s fine. I poured so much soap in here she couldn’t see me. Come on, Sarah. I know you want to touch them.”

            Sarah gaped, openmouthed as she slowly advanced. Jaydon smiled and handed her a washcloth. “Go on.”

            Ralem tried to interject but he gave up. Sarah reverently ran the washcloth down his wings, hesitantly reaching out a hand to feel where the sails connected to his back. Then she fingered the thick muscles of the wing bones that were covered in hard scales and green leather. Dumbly, she started wiping the wing leather clean, gasping as the dirt and ash were washed off and beautiful emerald sparkled underneath. Excited, she started cleaning faster and faster, her pale hands brushing the smooth wings. “It’s so… beautiful,” she whispered. Jaydon purred as she scratched him harder.

            Ralem tried to take the rag away from her. “He’s my dragon. I can do it.”

            She smacked him in the face with the wet rag. “No way, Baldy. It’s not every day I get to clean an angel’s wings.”

            “He’s not an angel,” Ralem protested.

            “Ah, but you’re my little angel aren’t you?” Sarah crooned, wiping the last of the ash off his luxurious wing before dunking it in the water and starting on the next.

            Ralem rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’m going to bed.” He tromped off and Sarah laughed silently to Jaydon.

            “Thank you for keeping him alive,” she said.

            Jaydon positioned his body so she could reach the tops of his wings. “It wasn’t all me… I had help.”

            “No matter, you’ve done a lot for us, green angel. And if this is what I can do in thanks, then I will do it the best I can.”

            After a while she was done and she let him get dressed in privacy. His eyes lingered on the door where he knew Ralem was waiting… but he had to make one last stop.

            Arianna tossed and turned in her bed. It was a makeshift bed of blankets on the hard floor, and she could feel Drake, puffing her pillow, trying to make her more comfortable. But nothing could help the ache in her bones, the bitter soreness that stuck to her muscles like needles. Every move she made made her cry out in pain. Her movements were feverish and few. “Water… please… water,” she moaned. In the corner, shadows grew and curved, white teeth flashing from the fire. She could see those pitch black eyes, staring into her very soul. They crept closer and closer, their disfigured bodies emerging from the blackness, ready to…

            “Arianna,” a deep voice soothed her. She found herself staring into those beautiful kaleidoscope eyes, fragments of green swirling in a gorgeous array of emerald. “Arianna, don’t be afraid. You are under my protection.”

            “But… the cats!” Arianna whispered hoarsely.

            “They can’t hurt you,” Jaydon’s fingers crept behind her jawline. “Do you still have my gretchshivisk?”

            “Ye-yes..” Arianna said, her shaky hands fumbling with her corset. With a light jerk, it came tumbling out, pinging against the wood floor.

            “Good,” Jaydon purred, grabbing it and settling it on her chest. Immediately she felt healing flow through her body. Why hadn’t I known this before? She thought miserably.

            Jaydon smirked, “Gretchshivisks are good for more than just summoning me, you know.”

            “Where’s… where’s Ralem?” Arianna coughed weakly.

            Jaydon checked on Ralem mentally and found his thoughts consisted of crawling into bed. He seemed to have forgotten most everything that had happened that day. “He’s… going to bed.”

            “Will he… make it?”

            “Yes, Princess,” Jaydon smiled, displaying those fearsome teeth. “And so are you. Do you feel well enough to sit up?”

            Arianna nodded dumbly, letting Jaydon drag her to a sitting position. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she nearly choked.

            Jaydon crouched beside her, shirtless, his body still slick with bathwater. His chest muscles, firm and well developed, shone in the firelight like tan bronze. His arms, reached out to steady her, were bulging with muscle, and his dazzling curling smile made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. Wet hair was slicked back, already curling upwards. Ah, she loved that thick hair, she had always wanted to run her hands through it… she was already reaching her hands up to touch it before she caught herself. And those wings… they rose up on either side of him, bright from the fire’s glow, their bright green like freshly shined emerald. He was just so beautiful…

            He pulled her hand to his face, letting it rest on his cheek. His eyes seem to smile at her as he spoke. “Princess… you are attracted to me, are you not?”

            Arianna shot straight up. “Wha-what?”

            He chuckled, his wings shifting to the side as he sat down. “Don’t lie.” His hands curled around her jaw, drawing her closer to him. She could smell his spicy scent, his delicious aroma that emanated power. She bit her tongue as his full lips drew closer, his long eyelashes fanning his cheeks. She could feel his sweet breath on her face. Her heart spazzed in her chest. She could hardly breathe. His hand moved down her back, lingering on her waist. He pulled her even closer….

            SMACK!

            He drew back in surprise as she slapped him hard across the face. “Ari-”

            “Jaydon, I can’t believe you would do that!” Arianna yelled, her words muffled, as she jumped onto her bed and stuffed her face into her pillow.

            She could hear him crawl closer, but she didn’t look at him. “Go away!” she mumbled.

            “I didn’t mean to-” Jaydon whispered.

            Arianna shot up to smash the pillow into his face. “Yes you did, you… you horrible dragon! How dare you look like him… like that!” she gestured to his shirtless chest and he laughed.

            “Stop… laughing…!” She pelted him again and again with her pillow until he was bowled over.

            “Truce! Truce?” Jaydon gasped out, raising an arm to defend himself. Finally she stopped and he heaved himself up, still laughing. She glared at him until his smile retreated into a slim line. Then he squatted next to her, pulling a stray strand of hair away from her face. “Arianna- I am glad for what you did.”

            Arianna raised an eyebrow at him. You better have a good answer for this, those icy blue eyes seemed to convey.

            He cocked his head, smiling that heart-thumping way he always did. “What you did shows me that you don’t love Ralem for his outward appearance, but for who he is. And I’m glad that you realized that I am not yours, I belong to Ralem, just as he now belongs to you.”

            “So this was all just a test?” Arianna asked, folding her legs to her chest.

            He shrugged nonchalantly. “Yes and you did well. I had my aura going pretty good there.”

            “Aura?”

            “Tell me the truth, do you think Ralem is beautiful?”

            “I wouldn’t call him beautiful… he’s very handsome-” Arianna said awkwardly.

            “But..” Jaydon said, and all of a sudden he looked like a complete angel. He was so gorgeous… Arianna could feel all her brain processes melt. And then he blinked and he was normal Jaydon again smiling in that annoying way of his. “He’s not drop-dead gorgeous.”

            “You… you can do that?” Arianna mouthed.

            Jaydon nodded mischievously, “Don’t let my secret get out, okay?” He put his fingers to his lips.

            “Don’t worry, I won’t,” a high voice sounded right behind Jaydon.

            In a quick reflex, Jaydon flipped around, his talons curving in a wide arc through the air, slashing at… nothing.

            Drake cracked into existence, his dark eyes twinkling merrily. “Hey, you almost got me there.”

            “Dra-ake!” Jaydon hissed.

            “Yes?” Drake replied sweetly, his fangs shining in a weak smile. 

            Jaydon felt like ringing the little vampire’s neck. But if he wasn't so mad he would notice how Drake's face was more sunken than usual, his dark eyes bloodshot.

He jabbed a taloned finger in the vampire’s direction. “You say a peep and I’m going to eat you whole!”

            Drake threw his hands up in the air. “Okay, okay. I won’t say anything. But that was a sly move you made there. I thought Arianna was going to kiss you for a second.”

            Jaydon? Jaydon felt Ralem’s presence invade his mind and quickly he looked into the fire, focusing on thinking about different things than what had just transpired. “Yes?” he said, accidentally out loud. Why are you so nervous? “Nothing.. Drake just scared me.”

            Drake started laughing hoarsely. Without looking, Jaydon whipped a talon to the vampire’s neck. Drake gulped and shut up.

            Are you coming? Ralem said at last. Jaydon sighed. Yes. He slowly got to his feet as Ralem retreated from his mind. He glanced at Arianna. “Good night, Princess. I’ll see you in the morning. Keep the gretchshivisk on your chest.” He brushed by Drake without a word.

            When he opened the door to Ralem’s room, Ralem rolled around sleepily, blinking at his dragon. “Where have you been?”

            “Just checking on Arianna,” Jaydon replied back smoothly, shutting the door.

            Ralem shot up in bed, his sheets flown around him. “Arianna! Oh my- I can’t believe- Is she okay?” he gushed

            “She is fine,” Jaydon consoled. “Now we should rest. We have a long day ahead of us.”

            “You okay on the floor?” Ralem mumbled sleepily.

            Jaydon slid into Ralem’s bed, wrapping his arms around his Rider. “You know I’m not.”

            Ralem sighed. “You know when I get married, you won’t be allowed on my bed anymore.” He smiled at the thought.

            Jaydon read his mind and chuckled. “Why not? I’ll make the bed cozy when it’s cold outside.”

            If Ralem hadn’t been so tired he would have slapped the dragon. Don’t even think about it.

            But he didn’t protest as Jaydon’s wings fell over him like a blanket. As Ralem fell asleep, Jaydon stayed wide awake, listening to the beautiful drum inside Ralem’s chest, beating on and on.