INFERNAL - 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐲𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫

FOURTEEN

Ndette shivered violently.

She'd never known this kind of cold before. It bit at her skin with sharp teeth, leaving a deep ache that settled quickly into her bones.

How could she have been so stupid?

Humans had no hide, no scales to protect them from the elements. Their skin was tender and delicate, and alive with sensation. At the moment, that sensation was freezing. Even as the last moments of the shift began to fade, she spun, searching for something to protect her. The snow that looked so pristine and lovely on the ground was an implement of torture, sending pain shooting from her toes up her legs, as if her feet were sending an alarm to the rest of her body.

The ground at the base of the trees had less snow and a few small patches of brown. She stumbled toward them, wincing when the needles from the towering pines pierced her already tender skin. Still, it was better than the snow. She balanced on a small bare circle of needle-covered earth. The branches above her waved in a breeze that she would have called gentle just a few minutes ago. Now it was a brutal, biting wind that seeped into every crevice and sucked the warmth from every inch of bare flesh, leaving it raw and red.

How did the humans survive it?

She fell back against the trunk, yelping when the cold, sharp bark bit into her back. A surge of hot anger flared through her, nearly initiating the shift back to dragon form. She could shift back, she realized, and avoid the cold, but how was she supposed to approach the humans like this? She needed something to cover herself with.

Why hadn't Opala said anything?

Letting her anger fuel her inner fire, she forced herself to step back into the icy snow, feeling a moment of satisfaction as it melted to a puddle beneath her foot with a soft hiss. Her victory was short lived. Even a dragon's heat was no match for a frozen world. There was simply too much of it. The ice didn't care who she was, or what she was doing here. It offered no mercy or reprieve.

She quickened her steps. Maybe if she could just get closer to the human camp, she could figure out how to find something to protect herself.

Her teeth began to chatter.

Goose flesh covered every inch of her, even her scalp.

Honor save her! She would die out here if she couldn't find something soon. Blast Opala! She had half a mind to go back and take out her fury on the dragon, Farallon's sister or no!

The trees around her were denser here, but at least the canopy had let in less snow. Rather than covering her feet, now it was just a frozen dusting on the leaves and needles beneath. She moved as fast as she could while stepping gingerly over rocks and sharp, frozen brush.

She wasn't sure who she was madder at: Opala for not warning her, or herself for not realizing she would need coverings. Her teeth clacked together so hard her jaw began to ache. When she saw Opala again she was going to—

"Oh!"

Ndette's breath caught in her throat. She skidded to a stop. Her foot caught on a branch, pulling her smallest toe away from the others. A small yelp escaped her lips before she could stop it. She reached down and grabbed it, wincing.

"Are you hurt?"

She forced herself to let go and stood back up slowly, letting her eyes lift first, her head following.

The woman's raven hair was threaded with parts the color of the snow, as if the cold had seeped into her and frozen the fragile strands. She regarded Ndette with dark eyes that were large and round. Those eyes took in the sight of her reddened body, abraded by the cold wind, stopping at her frozen, pained feet. She made a clicking sound with her tongue.

"Come, child. Before you freeze to death." She held one arm open as if to embrace her.

Hesitantly, Ndette walked closer.

This was what she had wanted... wasn't it?

As soon as she was close enough, the woman bundled Ndette against her side, wrapping her arm around Ndette's shoulders. The warmth of her reminded Ndette of how cold she was, and a shiver twisted through her again.

"It's all right now," the woman soothed. "You're safe."

Ndette's brows twitched, but she remained silent. The woman glanced at her, giving her a squeeze as she began to walk, pulling Ndette with her.

"Was it the female?" Her voice lost some of its gentleness. "The tall one with the blue flecks?"

Ndette almost tripped.

The woman was speaking of Opala!

She gave a tentative nod in response.

The human woman spat out a word Ndette didn't understand. "Most of them are content to hunt Elk," she growled, "but that one! She's taken more humans than the rest put together. There's something about her. It's in her eyes. She enjoys brutality."

Ndette had no idea what the woman meant about taking humans, but felt sure it was Opala she was talking about.

"If I could get my old hands to work again I'd slap a few scales off her grizzled hide."

Ndette had to press her lips together to suppress a smile. Already she felt warmer, and it was more than just the proximity of the woman's warm clothing and protective arm.

By my scales, I think I'm going to like these humans.