CHAPTER ONE
Deep night. Tiny lights, both above
and below. Her arms and legs wrapped around the back of her magnificent flying
beast, for the second time. Stacey Caversham’s destination was the city
mainland, and Firebound Island far behind them. She recalled the past afternoon
whereby she had come to the island by helicopter, and even with all those
chains and straps, she still hadn’t felt completely safe. One wrong turn, one
false move, and gravity would yank Stacey back to the ground. If she fell off
Zane’s body now, she would just be a dark blip in the space above the ocean for
a matter of seconds. The waves would splash briefly, and then it would be as
though she had never existed. She supposed that she should be even more afraid of
falling now – especially since it was on her mind – but in spite of that, she
actually did feel safe. Inside something else was making her giddy – both in
response to seeing The Dragon King beheaded, and her developing love for Zane.
It disturbed her that the two contrasting events had become so intertwined. She
also felt that she was a bit silly, allowing herself to be carried away (both
figuratively and literally) by Zane just because he had come to her defense.
And that he was a super hot dragon.
As they
neared the city, Zane swooped higher into the clouds, perhaps to reduce the
chance of being seen. Stacey’s cheek gently rested on the base of his scaly
neck, looking down below them with one eye closed. Even at this hour, she could
just make out the constant stream of cars that moved along the roads. The
sparkling streetlights and the dazzle of night clubs, fast food restaurants,
and hotels. So many people down there, people just like her, and they were
oblivious to them in the sky. Although The Dragons were no secret to the
public, Stacey still felt privileged for experience among them on the island.
Perhaps on one hand she had been cursed by her wrongful conviction, but that
curse had led to her blessing of Zane’s pure love. If only she could convince
herself, that it was truly real…
From what
could have lasted an eternity for Stacey, their final destination was drawing
near. Zane had gradually descended once they’d passed over the city, and now
they were crossing through fields and fields of nothingness, until the outline
of an old barn could be seen. Zane swooped down and set them in front of it;
Stacey quickly climbing off his back and hitting the grass with both feet.
Through the dark of the night, Zane was just a man again, and the two of them
were together. Alone.
“I suppose
you enjoyed that,” Zane said casually. “Or has the thrill begun to wear itself
out?”
“Oh no,”
Stacey gushed. “It was really exhilarating.”
“Well. Just
one of my many perks.”
Stacey
returned his smile, but there was no real joy between them. The nervousness had
begun to set in.
“Just so
we’re on the same page,” he continued, “we’re both in a lot of trouble here. If
the authorities find out about you, they’ll no doubt either re-imprison you, or
– they might even send you back to the island. Which would be far worse.”
He put his
hand through his hair and walked a couple of paces away from the barn. He stared
out at the endless darkness in front of them.
“If the
dragons find me, they’ll take my head, as I have taken our King’s. Everything
has changed now. For both of us.”
Stacey went
to his side. “But we’ll be okay, right? You know what to do, don’t you?”
Zane looked
down at her. “I’m still figuring that out. I don’t have many friends here.”
“But isn’t
there some way, you can make it right with the clan?”
“Maybe,” Zane
said. “That’s one thing to look into. But we have to be very careful, whatever
we do. We can’t afford to risk much because all we have is each other.”
Stacey bit
her lip. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For
protecting me from the King.”
Zane blinked.
“And
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