Finding Fae

Things settled into a bit of a routine. Before school, I would still spar with Mal, who had also taken up residence in the former strip club, much to Zane’s annoyance. His excuse being that he rarely was in the same house as Bianca anyhow, so there wasn’t any red flag going up there, so long as he occasionally made an appearance at school.

Then, they would leave me with a detailed lesson and a book that was taken from one library or another. I was to spend as much time inside as possible while there was no one there. Nando had put down his alarm thingy, but Zane was a little nuts when it came to my protection. They all were, to a degree, but at least the others had a little faith in my abilities to get the heck out of Dodge when the alarm went off.

The day after we got there, Ben and Blaine went outside for a little while and we ended up with electricity, water, and gas. I had no idea what they did, nor did I want to know, but I was very glad for it when the temperatures fell later that week, leaving ice and frost on the ground in the mornings.

It was now the beginning of February and, thankfully, the weekend. After being cooped up for a month, I lived for the weekends when at least two of the guys were there the whole time. We had a plethora of games stacked up and even a small TV and DVD player. It wasn’t a trip to the park, but it was something. I was trying so hard to deal with the cabin fever, because I knew it was a risk. But it was like Sisyphus rolling that stupid boulder up the mountain only for it to come rolling back down.

“Fae, shut up,” Mal said, interrupting the tirade I was unleashing on Zane because he wouldn’t let me cut a lemon. “You need to get out of here.”

Before anyone could say anything, I was smacked into a body and felt the wind snapping at my face. I smelled fresh air and nearly squealed in happiness as he flew us out from the club and away from the town. It was freezing, yes, but I didn’t give one fart. I was free!

We landed rather quickly, which made me pout a little bit before Mal turned me around and pointed at this massive rock that would barely fit anywhere I’ve been.

“That rock is volcanic, isn’t it?” I asked after a second.

“Yes, but it’s not really a rock,” Mal said, wrapping his wings around to encapsulate us both.

I felt a little warmer, like a small heater was working. Useful things, fairy wings.

“It looks like a rock,” I said, staring through the nearly transparent wings. Who am I kidding? I was staring at them. They were brighter than they were before and the tiny ridges that made the unique patterns on the surface were a little bolder.

“His name is Brutus and he loves his naps,” Mal said. “It’s best we don’t wake him while standing close, but he’ll be more than thrilled to meet you.”

“Why?” I asked, looking at his amused smirk.

“He gets tired of talking to just me,” he winked.

“O-kay,” I said slowly and turned back to the not-a-rock. “How does one wake a sleeping rock?”

A shrill whistle nearly broke my ears as I slapped my hands over them and glared over my shoulder at Mal, who looked to be enjoying this far too much. Jerk.

I watched as a part of the boulder broke away from the res. Then another. And another. Slowly, the rock turned into something very much not a rock.

“A dragon!?” I squealed and pushed out of the wing cocoon and made a dash for what was now the head.

I stopped several yards away as Brutus yawned and shook his great horned head and turned so he could use one big golden eye to look at me.

“Isn’t this a surprise, little fairy,” he spoke. His voice was like an earth slide, grating and rumbling and deep enough to rattle your bones, but it wasn’t unpleasant at all. It was actually the opposite. “Most maidens run from my kind and yet, you bring me one that runs to me.”

“Not a snack, sir,” I made a face.

“I would never eat such a beautiful maid,” he chuckled.

“Brutus is a little different than the usual dragon,” Mal agreed. “Wait. Did you think I would bring you somewhere dangerous?”

“Of course, but you’d warn me first and, if things get sketchy, I know you’ll be the one getting me away,” I smiled back at him.

“Your faith in my abilities are astounding, but I’d rather not test them, thanks,” he rolled his eyes at me.

“She speaks the truth, little fairy,” Brutus chuckled again before he hooked a claw, motioning me to come closer. “Come, let my belly fire warm you, fair maid.”

“As long as it’s from the outside, I have no objections,” I grinned and quickly went closer, running my hands over his scales.

Some were as large as my head, while others were smaller than my smallest nail, but each was harder than diamond. They were layered and made a soft rasping noise as they great body underneath moved. Being a dragon, Brutus was very warm to the touch and the air around him was quite a bit warmer than farther away. He also had no wings, which I found slightly strange, but chose not to ask.

“Tell me a story, young maid,” Brutus said, rolling a little so his legs were out to the side, looking like a cat on a pillow. “It has been a very long time since I have heard a story from such a fair voice.”

“Not to mention you always complain about mine,” Mal muttered and Brutus knocked him over with the end of his tail.

“You have a terrible form when recounting tales,” Brutus chides as Mal rolls over and sits on the ground with his legs crossed and a smile on his face.

“I’m afraid I don’t know many stories,” I frowned.

“You know yours do you not?” Brutus asked.

“Not a lot, really,” I sighed.

“Sounds like one worth telling, if you would gift this old dragon the tale,” he said, crossing his two front feet.

I shrugged and started talking. Brutus was polite, rarely interrupting when he asked for clarification about something I said. By the time we got to the more recent events of my life, I was sitting down, leaning my back on the softer belly scales of a dragon, quite comfortably and Mal was laying on his back, his head on his hands and eyes closed, though I knew he hadn’t gone to sleep.

“So much for one so young,” Brutus tsked when I finished. “And you have managed to hold on to your pure heart through it all. You truly are a rare type of marvel, young Fae.”

Mal cracked an eye open and looked over at us, an eyebrow raised, and a look of amusement on his face, like it had been the whole time. He really was a jerk sometimes.

“Thanks?” I tilted my head to the side.

“May I ask you return for your Awakening?” he asked. “I very much would like to know the outcome of such a wonderful event. It is much like our fledging, is it not?”

“I don’t know what that is,” I said.

“It’s when the wings grow,” Mal supplied.

“Oh. Is that why you have none? You’re too young?” I asked.

“No,” Brutus said sadly. “I fledged long ago, young maid. The story of my handicap is a long one, filled with betrayal.”

The last word was spoken harshly, making smoke come from between his teeth in his ire.

“It happened recently, didn’t it?” I asked and put my hand on one of his front feet. “I am sorry it happened, Brutus, whatever it was.”

“It was my own fault,” he sighed and bought his head around to look at me again. “The signs were all there, and I foolishly chose to ignore them all.”

“Hindsight is always clearer,” I nodded.

“A wisdom not common of humans,” he chuckled.

“We should be going back soon, Fae,” Mal said. “Zane is about to blow a gasket as it is.”

I pouted but got up all the same, dusting the dirt off my butt. A great tail came around and wrapped around my legs before I could take a step and I looked at Brutus, confused.

His golden eyes were completely white, giving me the heebie-jeebies as he pushed his snout into me. From nasal ridge to chin was close to my whole body size as he hummed softly in the depths of his belly and bathing me in wet warmth that smelled slightly of sulfur and old meat.

You have a Soul Bonded near you, young Fae, I heard him speaking in my head. He is reluctant to proceed the Bonding, but it is inevitable. Be careful of the one who are false, for there are many that will surround you in the future to come. One, above the others, will harm you greater than you can bear. It is then, young maid, that you must keep your faith.

He blinked a few times and the white lid slid away from his eyes as he huffed out a steamy breath and nicked my forearm with the barb on his tongue. His nostrils flared and his pupils dilated nearly three time their original size as he did it again, slower and his whole body vibrated.

“Seriously, Brutus?” Mal huffed and crossed his arms.

“I’m confused?” I said, more like a question as Brutus once again licked my arm, making another small scratch.

“He’s marking you as his,” Mal rolled his eyes. “Protected by him, actually. Not really claimed, though most dragons take the whole thing a bit far on occasion.”

“Meaning what?” I asked.

“Nothing really,” he shrugged. “But he’ll always be able to find you now and he’ll always know when you feel threatened.”

“I like you, young Fae,” Brutus said, once again breathing on me before he pulled his head away and moved his tail. “I would very much consider it an honor to be counted as one of your guardians, crippled as I am.”

“You’re a dragon, Brutus,” I pointed out. “Wings or not, you’re still quite terrifying.”

“But none resides in you,” he cocked his head to the side.

“You’re more magnificent than scary to me. I’m kind of weird that way,” I shrugged.

His eyes grew large for a second before he laughed, shaking the earth with the rumble of it and sending birds flying as Mal grabbed my arm and pulled me away as the huge tail lashed the ground and Brutus rolled to his back, his hind legs clawing at the air as his front claws held his stomach.

“We should go before he starts spewing,” Mal snorted as he put his arms around me and took off easily. “He’ll understand our absence when he calms down.”

“Mal,” I said, as Brutus’s words in my head sank in. “He said I had a Soul Bond.”