Dane's Lair

  Chapter 3

  Athens gasped at Dane’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. He stood in the doorway, staring down at the jagged edges of her black hair, dizzy from her blood scent. His eyes met hers and as she spun around to face him, he could hear her heart thudding in her chest. A red gash flamed against pale skin at the side of his head and Athens gaped. Her hand trembled as she stepped towards him, reaching to lightly brush his hair aside. Her softness teased him, mere inches away from his rigid frame.

  “What happened?” said Athens.

  Dane’s steel eyes moulded into her teal ones and he savoured her warmth in silence. “I had a nasty fall,” he said finally.

  “Looks serious,” Athens whispered. “You should see a doctor.”

  “There’s no doctor that can help me,” he said. Except Noah. Dane had broken his word to return to Noah that night. After his failed transformation, he had hiked to his lair in the cliff, in his human form. There, he had spend the day fighting to regain his dragon figure with nothing more than the warping of his hands and the accompanying soreness to show for it. Hunger for human life overwhelmed him several times and he nearly abandoned the safety of his sanctuary to seek fresh life, without Noah’s help. The only thing that had kept him oriented was the thought of Athens’ teal eyes and her newly ignited life force.  Just after dusk, Dane had returned to the inn. He waited until Noah left the main desk and snuck into Athens’ room, intending to consume her life before she consumed his. As he stood in her presence, his resolve dwindled.

  “Are you sure?” Athens said, frowning as she brushed her fingers against Dane’s temple, just under his gash. “Looks like you need stitches,” she said.

  Dane reached up and grasped Athens’ hand as it lit fire to his skin. He held her wrist and gently lowered her hand to her side. “I’ll be fine,” he said. At least he would be, as soon as he could absorb enough life energy to regenerate.

  A smile brightened Athens’ face and Dane’s stomach tightened with desire. He let himself drown in the blue-green depths of her eyes. The heat from her body intoxicated him as she rested both hands gently against his chest, where his heart thumped an erratic tune. Dane inhaled deeply, welcoming her woodsy scent. When he had walked in, the scent of her blood had been faintly subdued compared to the previous night. Now as their breaths mingled, her life essence flared up, spiraling through his mind in a giddy combination of yearning and hunger. Her victim’s blood scent from the night before was all but gone and Dane relished the strength of her will to live, knowing that he had restored it.

  Athens tiptoed to press her lips to Dane’s jaw and a shiver ran through him. He pulled her to him and she moulded her body to his, nipping playfully at his neck. Dane lost all sense of time and his need for sustenance as he surrendered his life to her once again.