The Dragon's Consort

Chapter 24

ZARA

She cursed under her breath she paced through the woods. How could they treat her like that? She wasn't some trophy, or some fragile thing. She knew that her title would change their dynamics, but she couldn't imagine it would be like this.

She wanted to feel wanted. She wanted to be useful and reliable. She wanted something to do. She liked her chores, the simple monotony was enough to make her happy.

She was grateful Cadmus was willing to let her patrol. It was perhaps the least mentally stimulating of jobs, but it was something. And more importantly, it felt useful. She was protecting her brotherhood.

Her brotherhood. It was odd, she never thought she'd say something like that. Though she was annoyed that they were treating her differently, she couldn't exactly blame them. To be honest, she had expected far worse.

She was glad she felt like she still had a place amongst them, even if it wasn't what it once was. She still felt like it was too much of a risk to have her with them, but she wanted to stay, so savor every little moment with these people she'd grown to care for.

The branches rustled behind her, and she turned to look, seeing Zurden making his way towards her. She stood straighter, watching carefully as he grew closer.

"I brought you breakfast," he said, offering a small wooden plate, "you ran off before you could eat."

"Thank you," she smiled, accepting the plate.

She sat down on a nearby log, and he sat beside her. He had brought his own meal, and they ate in mostly silence, simply enjoying each other's company.

It was an astounding array of cured meat and fruit, the ingredients he no doubt had stolen from Armos' supply of plants. He would riot if he knew his precious herbs were used merely as spices. She would pay money to see it.

Zuri finished before her, and patiently waited for her to do the same. Once she did, he took the empty plate and set it aside with his own.

"I had something I wanted to ask you," he rested his hands in his pockets.

"Yes?" she prompted.

"The charm you made for me broke during the battle yesterday," he pulled the small dragon trinket, the string he had used to wear it was indeed broken, "I was wondering if you could help tie it to one of my horns?"

She could feel the blush immediately rise to her face. Only mates touches each other's horns. It was a very intimate thing, and the gesture wasn't lost on her. But he looked just as nervous as she was. As if he was anticipating rejection.

But she wasn't against it. She was perfectly happy to this for him, fully aware of the meaning behind it. If anything, she wanted to do it.

She took the charm from his hand, "I'll do it."

He gave a wary smile, watching as she stood, trinket in hand. The remaining string attached was short, and she'd actually have to touch his horn to fully tie it on.

She then realized that he had never told her which one, and there were four options available. She remembered all too quick that males possessed four horns, unlike her two. The second pair were stationed lower on the head, were shorter, and pointed more backwards than upwards, unlike the first pair. They were also reserved for mates.

So, remembering the gesture behind this, she started to tie it to one of the secondary horns. From the corner of her eye, she could see a small smirk creep onto his lips. She tried her best to be careful, but her hand brushed against his horn a few times. He subtly tensed everytime, clearly trying to hide how much it was affecting him.