Creed

I couldn't sleep. I was too enthralled with my mate. She was sleeping peacefully, her body completely limp as the soft snores left her pouty lips. Her eyes twitched as she dreamed. My hand constantly stroking my mark, now with a healed scar and a lightly colored dragon's head in the middle. Dragons were one of the few shifters known to leave a tattoo like head that matched that of our dragon.

I had only seen it on my mother a few times. It was very light, but Odessa's seem to grow darker and darker by the hour. In fact, several dragons in the tribe had dark marks. Maybe it was because my father was an alpha and my mother's descended blood from several generations ago might have been a factor for the lightly colored tattoo because I had seen no others with the same.

The beautiful gold designs adorned on Odessa's body had been smeared and smudged by my fingerprints in all the right places. My fingers still continued to stroke every last part while she slept. I had completely forgotten to look for her name that was adorned somewhere on her body, but that was the least of my worries. I didn't have time to play, my voice could only last so long, and professing my love to my mate was most important, along with my dragon urging me to mark her.

Odessa's tears of joy, listening to me say her name made my dragon rumble with amusement. She was so pleased and even with the warning that Glinda had given me about no more of the beautiful flowers that could heal most ailments, I would find another flower. I would search until the ends of Bergarian to find a whole one, make sure that we could collect seeds and create more of them so others could be healed. Then, have my voice permanently fix.

My lip curled, feeling Odessa push her naked body closer into my hairy chest. My finger trailed down her back, causing goosebumps to erupt over her body. It was close to high-noon, but she was sleeping so soundly. Trying to speak, only grunts and groans escaped me. My voice had faded into the night, thankful that the last words that Odessa heard from me were my undying love for her. If I ever failed in my endeavors to fix my voice, at least those last few words would echo into her mind.

My nose trailed her mark, smelling her while her arm pulled me tightly against me, but her eyes would not open. My thumb grazed her cheek. She was still mostly skin and bone, filling her stomach to continue to heal was a challenge. She needed complex foods such as stone fruits, bread and cakes like the Elven territory. Maybe a trade could be made so I can help with her diet. My Fawn would take time for her body to recover, but hopefully with my mark she will have some of my power, especially seeing that my mark is already scarred.

If we decide to have fledglings later, I will have to take that into consideration. She still would not heal as fast as a normal shifter. I would not allow her to leave the nest while swollen with child. I would have to feed her, keep her here in the cave. Her feet will not grace the floor until she gave birth and even after, I would cater to her and the fledgling. My heart expanded. Never had I thought about having my own fledgling. I wonder what they would he or she would look like, if they would even be dragon or that of a human?

Mixed races were becoming so new in bonded couples, with Queen Willa being half siren and fae it came to be a beautiful pairing. My mind still couldn't wrap around how that happened, I let my dragon take control by biting her shoulder but that was the extent I knew about bonding. Was there a special ceremony to cause her to be part dragon? Had we already completed it?

I pushed part of her curled hair away from her face. Gently shaking her, she still would not wake. Becoming worried, I checked her heart, her breath with my finger under her nose. My Fawn was deeply sleeping, no distress in her body signs. It was selfish of me wanting to wake her up, but I wanted to hear her voice, know that she was alright from the exciting night we just shared. Maybe I was also being selfish too, wanting to repeat the night over again.

Untangling my legs from hers, I stepped out of the bed, only to hear claws scratching down the cave. Razak came in, his head low, whimpering for permission to enter. I had told him to stay, but he had followed us home. Clicking a few times, he went to lie in his own nest, quickly falling asleep.

I heated the fire, preparing food for Odessa, hoping that aroma would arouse her but to no avail, she still laid still, no longer moving like she did before. Checking her body once again, my dragon stirred, uneasy she had not awoken. Taking the dirty furs off the bed, her naked body laying before me. My eyes wondered the rest of her, making sure I did not bruise her. It was then I saw her name. It was on her lower back in beautiful Elven cursive, close to the English equivalent. My dragon huffed a laugh inside me. Yes, we were more interested than what was on the front of her body, but I wouldn't mind exploring her back later.

Scooping her into my arms, took her to our hot spring in the cave and washed her body thoroughly. The gold paint immediately faded into the water as the oils washed her body clean. The extremely soft leather that Odessa had made for bathing I used washed her eye paints. She sighed, curling up into my body, but she still would not wake. My dragon growled, wanting for her eyes to open.

Her body now dried, the nest now clean of the dirty furs and placed with fresh ones I stood near the bed. My body pacing the room, rubbing my hand through my hair. It was now evening, and she still had not awoken. It was too long, too long for her to sleep. Even when she was sick and recovering when I first brought her here she would flutter her eyes open and fall back asleep. This time she did not, and now she did not move.

"Creed?" The whisper echoed through the cave. My tongue slithered from my mouth, smelling the air down the cave. It was Amora.

"Creed? I'm coming in." With in a few seconds, she had run down the cave with a covered head of her cloak. Amora was covered in Yellowcress Root, keeping her smell hidden. "There you are!" She said exasperated. Amora leaned on the cave wall, holding her chest.

"I have waited for our hot spring all day today and you never came. I was so worried that you had run into Adam or..." Amora sniffed the room, her eyes widening, covering her mouth. "You have mated!" She gasped. My eyes looked over to Odessa, her hair spread out over the thickness of a cushion and her body covered by my best furs.

"Creed, a human." She sighed, wringing the large bag she had brought.

"Did you force her?" My beast growled loudly in my chest, shaking the cave. Razak jumped onto my Fawn's nest to shield her but it only caused anger to rise further. Stomping over, Razak bared his teeth, hissing at my attempt to get him the bed and away from my mate. Clicking my tongue before my dragon killed him on the spot, he jumped off, scattering out of the cave.

Turning to Amora, still staring on in confusion, I shook my head. I grabbed the spare leathers on from the table, carving the word, 'mate,' into them. Amora shook her head. "How do you know?" She whispered. "No one as taught..." before she continued, I put my finger to my nose, to my fingers that danced across my forearm and then to my heart. Amora's eyes softened, looking back at Odessa.

"And you didn't force her?" I rocked my head. 'Why would I force?' I wrote on the leather.

"Dragons are possessive. They want what is theirs no matter the cost," Amora sighed heavily. "Males apologize after and try to make up for it, but that is just how it is." I shook my head again.

'No, I love her, no force.' I wrote again. Amora's eyes filled with a look of uncertainty, maybe thoughts of her own past. Could Adam have forced himself upon her when she turned eighteen? Surely this isn't the case with all dragons. My mother showed so much love to her mate when I was old enough to understand.

'You forced?' I wrote, my eyebrows knitted together harshly. Amora shook her head, chuckling to herself.

"Creed, not now," she swallowed. "I'm happy for you. I'm so happy for you. You have a mate," she sniffed. "I never thought I would see the day. Your mother would be so happy." I smiled the best I could. Her arms came around me, hugging me tightly.

Adam had forced Amora, he didn't ask for permission, the tension, the sadness in her embrace told me so. My dragon was stewing, wanting to protect my sister. Adam was evil and if it weren't for the bond, I would have killed him. With a mate bond, if one died, the other usually followed. Maybe that was holding me back all these years, not necessarily my promise to my mother, but to protect the one I considered a family before any other.

Our hug released Amora, continuing to stare over at Odessa. "A human," she muttered. "Oh gods, is this the human girl, O-O-Odessa!" She stuttered. "That everyone is looking for?" Panic set in her eyes, my hand pulling on my braids. Nodding, she let out a heavy breath. "You both are in for some hardships, Creed. You have a Duke claiming to be her mate and your step-brother that is out to try to find any evidence to kill you. The world is against you both." Amora tried to sit on my nest with Odessa peacefully sleeping, but my dragon hissed out a cry through my damaged cords. Wincing, Amora stood back.

"She really is your mate," she chuckled. "I'm sorry," she backed away. Her eyes trailed over the furs, watching her sleep. "You not only bonded her, you changed her, I can smell it." My head tilted to the side, pulling Odessa's hand into my lap as I sat on the nest.

"Did you not know?" Shaking my head, I pulled the leather back out. 'She won't awaken.'

"You bit her down to the bone. Your dragon released its venom. You marked her, sure, but you also gave her the gift of your dragon," she explained. I rubbed my forehead, pacing away from Odessa. I didn't even ask if that is what Odessa wanted, she is going to be so confused when she wakes up. Sensing my distress, Amora shuffled to me, putting her hand on my forearm.

"This is normal, it's alright. Most dragons won't let their mates choose; they choose for them. Her being a human though, it's a blank slate. She is going to be a full-blooded dragon." Amora's eyes drifted back to Odessa. "Good, gods, she is going to be a full-blooded female dragon." Amora stood back like I shocked her.

"No wonder you both were fated to be mated. She will bring back the magic to the dragons."

My fawn? She was to bring back the magic? It had been centuries since we had a full-blooded female dragon come into existence, the magic slowly fading over time and now, my mate was to full fill the loss that every dragon shifter has been feeling.

"Maybe this is a good thing," Amora nodded her head, chewing on her nails. "Once her dragon arises from her body and she shifts, the magic could come back. Adam will not be as tense," her voice faded as she paced. "Maybe he will calm down."

The way she began talking about Adam had me blowing smoke from my nose. The fire heated in my belly. More and more desire to end him had filled me.

"What is that?" Amora pointed back to Odessa. "May I approach her?" Her pleading eyes couldn't let me say now. I walked with her, pulling her to the bed. Amora's hand pulled the fur down my Fawn's shoulder, the tattoo now dark and standing out amongst the lightness of her skin. "It's so much darker than mine," Amora rubbed her shoulder. "When I saw your mother's, it was light, too. I thought it was just the way Alpha's tattoos were, but technically, your mother has alpha blood in her lineage, so shouldn't Odessa's be lighter too?" I shrugged my shoulders, not sure of the answer.

I wasn't taught anything about any bond; her asking me these questions made more restless and agitated.

Amora absentmindedly rubbed her own shoulder. "Things are not adding up," she shook her head, "and I am going to get to the bottom of it." Gabbing her shoulder, I shook my head at her. She couldn't get in trouble for the sake of my mate and me. If I had to, I would fly us somewhere else. There were many lands undiscovered and uncharted. I could find us a new home and live in peace.

"No Creed, something is wrong. First, the elders mistakenly say you cannot have a mate, not even allowing you to know what a mate is. Then you find her, mate with her, and now your mother and my marks are different despite having alpha blood," she hissed. "I'll be discrete, don't worry." Amora grabbed her cloak, throwing it back over her head.

"She will be out for at least three days. Her dragon may not appear for many more since the dragon spirit is so large. Keep her hidden and you will need to visit Adam soon. He's been looking for you. I can come tomorrow and watch her while you go." Shaking my head again, she stared at me.

'Not leaving her,' I wrote. Adam would dare not to come into my cave.

"Fine," she huffed. "I'll hold him off. I'll tell him you stopped by while he was gone patrolling. Be on the lookout for dark fairies and sprites. They are looking for your mate. I packed more Yellowcress root to spread." Amora tossed me the bag, full of clothing, food, Yellowcress root and cotton. I was not sure of why it would be there. "You may not understand, but she will," she winked.

Amora was halfway to the exit of the cave when she turned. "Tell Odessa hello when she wakes up. I'll be excited to gain a sister," she smiled, now running down the echoing cave.