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Sevrrn was drawn back to the present by the soft sound of Madja’s laughter. He had never known such a soothing sound in all of his life and once again he was struck with the urge to hold her. He refrained.
“You’re being a little dramatic,” she said, giving him a lop-sided grin.
He wasn’t at all. During his time in the town, he had seen many humans afflicted with various ailments. From what the i
Before he could figure out how to frame this into a response, Madja began tapping her chin.
“Hey, did you make me chicken soup?”
He frowned. “In a ma
Madja beamed. “I thought I remembered that! I had no idea you knew how to cook.”
There was admiration in her gaze and Sevrrn felt his chest puff out. For a moment, he almost felt proud. Then, he remembered something that made his mood darken.
“It did not help,” he told her. “Nothing I did helped you.”
Her hand moved to his and she patted it as though to reassure him. Instead, it reminded him that he needed reassuring. It was only one of the many new needs she had created in him, just like the need to talk to someone and the need to mate and the need to be touched. All of these new imperatives, and somehow she was the only solution. How convenient.
“I’m fine now,” she told him. “You don’t have to worry, I’ll be okay.”
“Until the next time you become ill.”
It was only when she recoiled that he realized how harshly he’d made the statement.
“I’m human, Sevrrn. There’s nothing either of us can do to change that.”
“You ca
She let out a heavy sigh. The sound normally a
This again?
“I do not care about the island, nor which humans presume to own it. I care about you, and only you.”
Her mouth fell open. It was a bold declaration, and perhaps a bit exaggerated by his tumultuous mental state. Of course there were other things he cared about, but he could not seem to remember what those were at the moment.
“When we return to the lair, I will be leaving for the other realm,” he told her. “There is a way to make you immortal, and I will find it.”
“And how long do you plan on searching?”
“However long it takes.”
“And for what?” she said, sounding exasperated. “Even if you could find a way to make me stay young forever and never get sick, I could just as easily die some other way. What are you going to also find a way to make it so that my bones never break, so nothing can pierce my skin, so I can never drown—”
“I will keep you safe,” he growled. Both of his hands had become fists at his side and he could feel his claws digging into his flesh.
“You can’t keep me safe from everything! One day, I’ll die, and there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s natural. Look, maybe I’m just young and naïve, maybe one day I’ll wake up and beg you to make me immortal, but right now, I’m not afraid to die.”
I am afraid.
He couldn’t force the words from himself, so instead they festered inside of him, making him belligerent.
“As you are, there is no place for you in my life,” he said coldly. “You can either accept immortality, or stay here amongst your own kind.”
The small amount of color in her face drained, and Sevrrn felt some satisfaction. But when she hesitated, that feeling was replaced by something else.
Apprehension.
He had said the words merely to force her hand, but now she was considering them, as though leaving him were actually an option. He wanted to backtrack, but knew that if he did, she would see his weakness. He could not allow that, could not let her know how much power she had over him.
Madja looked down at her hands, which were now clasped in her lap.
“I’ll go with you,” she said. Then, more to herself, she added, “It’s not like I have much of a choice at this point.”
It was the answer he wanted, but he regained not even the smallest semblance of satisfaction. Instead, her response left a sour taste in his mouth.
6
Chapter Six
They stayed another day in Bern. Had Madja’s health not been in jeopardy, Sevrrn may have been reluctant to leave the town this time around. Once her life had no longer been in danger, he had almost come to enjoy himself.
He had always taken comfort in routines, and their simple lives provided much of that. Every day was the same. They woke up at the same time, went to the fish market at the same time, set out for the market at dawn, and returned back to the i
The old man had procured them two horses for their travel back to the capital. Of course, he had no idea that Sevrrn and Madja were actually heading to the mountain, or that Sevrrn had no need for the pack animals. But once Madja had seen the horses, she had become terribly excited, asking if they could keep them.
“I was not aware you were fond of horse meat,” Sevrrn had said.
Madja had appeared shocked. “We aren’t going to eat them!”
What else would they do with them?
Still, Sevrrn did not object. It was the first time she had seemed happy since their fight the afternoon before.
Fight.
Sevrrn had always associated that word with claws, teeth, and blood, not with words and feelings. He much preferred his former definition.
They left Bern, guided by early morning sunlight. Madja rode, while Sevrrn dragged his belligerent beast along. Unlike the humans, it could see through his human façade and refused to allow him to mount, not that he cared. It was bad enough that Madja would now smell like a horse. He’d probably be picking fleas from her by the time they arrived back at his lair.
They traveled in silence, which left Sevrrn to his own thoughts—dangerous territory as of late. But for once, he wasn’t thinking of Madja, but rather of the i
That is not my concern, he decided. He was a dragon. He had much more important things to do than spend time with an old human.
When they arrived back at the lair, Madja took a bath while Sevrrn tried to figure out what to do with the horses. She was clean and wearing fresh clothes by the time he returned, and he was pleased that she did not smell like a horse. He had wanted to mate with her, but she still appeared tired, a fatigue that seemed to go deeper than her flesh. He did not have to attempt anything to know that she wouldn’t be ‘in the mood.’