Authors: Natalie Frost
They climbed high into the air, up the side of the cliff, and weaving seamlessly through the branches of the extremely large trees. They didn’t look so large from the ground. The wind blowing by tickled her cheeks, and the rush of the experience filled her with excitement.
When they reached the entrance to the cave where they were headed, however, a sinking feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach. She remembered Silas’ words about his kind being cruel—hardened by their struggle. Inhaling deeply, she tried to calm her racing heart and prepare herself for what lay ahead.
CHAPTER SIX
Inside the cave the bright, green and colorful environment of the outside was sharply contrasted. It was dark, and the harsh stones jutting out of the sides of the walls gave it a dangerous, ominous feel.
The cave itself wasn’t very deep, and against the back wall, Chelsea could see a small group of people gathered. The group that had escorted them to the top changed once again into a human form and began ushering them all forward. Chelsea felt her heart leap into her throat.
In the middle of the group was a man—a large, imposing man. He turned to face them as they meekly approached him. His tan skin appeared darker, and his black eyes blacker than the others from their planet.
Silas stepped forward. Chelsea was amazed that even he, with his massively muscular frame and impressive height, seemed to be dwarfed by the man.
“Darius,” Silas mumbled slowly, nodding his head.
“Silas,” the man replied, stepping up to him. “How many did you bring?”
“Fifteen,” Silas answered.
“Good,” the man replied with a quick nod. He stepped around to get a better look at the newcomers. He eyed them all, one-by-one, examining them slowly. “They’ll do,” he said turning back to Silas.
Silas replied with a quick nod. Turning to face the group as well, he began, “you will all be shown to where you will be staying. In the morning, we will begin the tests.”
With that, a murmur filled the cave, echoing off the walls and filling Chelsea with a looming sense of fear. What tests would they be doing? Wasn’t that what they were doing on this ship? The little blinking light and the data recordings?
The woman who had led her off the ship placed a firm hand on her shoulder and began to lead her back to the entrance of the cave. Just before turning around to leave, Silas’ gaze met hers. His expression was hard and cold, but his dark eyes seemed to lighten slightly when they fell on hers. She shot him a nervous look, wishing she could run to him, ask him what was happening and let him comfort her.
He seemed to sense her uneasiness, because his expression, momentarily, softened to one of concern. The man standing next to him began speaking in a hushed whisper, and he turned away quickly.
Her heart fluttered in her chest as the woman continued to pull her to the edge of the cliff. She then stepped out onto the branch of one of the trees. Not waiting to make sure Chelsea was following; she began to walk gracefully and gingerly away.
Chelsea wasn’t as sure of herself as she set a shaking foot onto the branch. She watched as the woman weaved her way ahead of her, and quickened her step to keep up. The branch was just wide enough that she could stand with her feet shoulder-width apart. One wrong move, one misstep and she would go tumbling down, probably to her death.
The woman didn’t go far before stopping at the entrance of another, smaller cave. “You’ll be staying here,” she said, motioning into the darkness.
“Here?” Chelsea asked, peeking in.
The woman didn’t respond, but turned and continued delicately making her way deeper into the thickening leaves and branches.
Chelsea had to make a small leap to get into what was apparently going to be her temporary home. The air inside the cave was cold and refreshing. It was dark, but as her eyes adjusted she saw that it was somewhat furnished. There was a bed, a table, and a chair.
She walked over to the small, hard bed and sat herself down. Burying her face in her hands, she let the tears begin to flow. She didn’t want to go home; surprisingly enough, she didn’t miss anything about her life back on Earth. She was scared, though. She found herself thinking of Silas and once again longing for his presence.
Curling up and lying back, she realized how exhausted she was. She hadn’t been able to sleep much the night before, due to the abrupt arrival to their planet. Closing her eyes to stop the tears from flowing, she found it extremely difficult to open them again. Before she knew it, she was drifting off to sleep.
CHAPTER SEVEN
She was awoken suddenly when the room became filled with a soft, but noticeable heat. Sitting up quickly, she looked to the entrance of the cave. The sun had gone down, and the night sky had a soft green glow. It was beautiful, and she would have loved to have enjoyed it, but the feeling that she was not alone kept her frozen in place.
A movement in the far corner drew her eye. Immediately she recognized Silas’ outline.
“Sorry I woke you up,” he said as he crossed the room slowly and stood next to her bed.
“I’m glad you did, actually,” she said, wiping the sleep from her eyes and letting the comforting feeling of having him there wash over her.
He shifted his weight around, nervously. Staring down at her, his dark eyes seemed to sparkle in the soft light pouring into the space.
“I won’t be able to come see you as often, now that we’re here,” he began.
Her heart sank slightly at his words. “I think I’m starting to become afraid,” she confessed to him softly.
“I understand that,” he replied sitting down on the bed next to her. “I wish I could say I’ll protect you, that I won’t let anything bad happen to you, but I can’t. I can’t promise something like that.”
A shudder ran through her. “At least you’re honest,” she said with a sigh.
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. She rested her head on his chest and let herself become enclosed in his strong frame.
“So, you’re a dragon,” she whispered in the most light-hearted tone she could, not wanting to talk about her situation anymore. She just wanted to enjoy the moment with him. There was a good chance they wouldn’t have many more.
He let out a soft chuckle, “yes, I am. We all are.”
“That’s pretty interesting,” she said with a wry tone.
“I suppose if you’re not used to it, it would be.”
She turned her face to look up at him. He was smiling down at her, the same smile that was so rare, but so beautiful on him.
“When you’re here, I’m not scared,” she confessed. “Maybe I should be. I really don’t know that much about you. But still, you make me feel happy.”
He kissed her forehead and squeezed her tight. “You’re the only thing in my life that has ever made me feel happy, Chelsea. Before you, all I cared about was my duty—my responsibility.”
“And now?”
“Now, I don’t know. You came along and everything became less clear. It’s not that I don’t still want to find a way to save my kind. It’s just, suddenly, that’s not the only thing on my mind anymore. It’s like I’ve found this other thing that’s slowly becoming just as important to me. I found you.”
“Me?” she asked, feeling her heart quicken in her chest.
“You’ve made me realize something. What’s the point of saving our people if our people don’t even enjoy life? The existence we have isn’t fulfilling. It’s empty. My life was empty before you.”
He reached down and nudged her chin, causing her to look up at him again. He leaned in and kissed her, slowly. She returned the kiss, with passion and desire. All she wanted, in that moment, was to be with him.
He had also given her something more in life. Back on Earth, she had nothing. Here, she had him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself on top of him, her legs straddling his waist.
Already her body was filled with a lustful longing to feel his touch again. She pushed herself back and rested her hand on his chest. His heartbeat was strong and his breathing heavy.
She leaned back and lifted the shirt off over her head. He sat up and buried his face in her breasts, kissing them greedily. His lips against her skin sent a shiver of desire surging through her.
Slipping quickly out of her shorts, she waited while he did the same. When she returned to her position on top of him, he slid his member inside her slowly. She leaned forward, the feeling of satisfaction consuming her. He wrapped his arms around her back and held onto her tightly as he lifted his hips, driving himself deeper inside of her.
In the soft light, his body seemed to shine, covered in sweat. The lines of his chest and stomach muscles were even more defined, and the chiseled features of his face seemed even more predominant. But still, there was something soft in the way he looked at her.
As their bodies moved together, she felt a connection with him. It was something that she didn’t quite feel the first time. Before, being with him was a simple act of lust. Now, it was filled with passion, desire, and caring. It was a longing to be close.
The feeling of being with him her sent a surge of pleasure and longing simultaneously flowing through her. The more satisfaction he gave her, the more she wanted. His strong, sure movements filled her in a way that no man had done before, and she wished the moment never had to end.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The next day the tests began. They came to her room in the morning, waking her up from the blissful sleep that Silas had left her in.
The small space seemed to fill completely. They were all carrying different devices in their hands and had serious, empty expression on their face. She could hear screams coming from outside—others that were taken with her, she assumed.
She didn’t scream. She wouldn’t let herself scream. The tests ranged from everything as basic as a blood sample to being restrained while they plunged large needles down into her flesh. One injected her with a clear fluid that burned. She could feel it spreading through her veins, sending tears to her eyes and a stifled cry to her throat. Another needle served to extract—blood, tissue, she wasn’t sure what, but, it was almost as painful as the liquid fire they had poured into her.
The same tests were run day after day. Each day, even though she thought she had mentally prepared herself for the pain, it still bolted through her in such a way that she felt like she was living it for the first time.
Silas came to see her again three nights after the test began. Her body hurt, and even breathing sent a dull ache spreading through her.
“Shit!” he said upon seeing her.
He rushed over to the side of her bed and lifted her to him. She leaned her head against his chest, listening to the beating of his heart. It was strong and hard, fast and deep
“I should have come sooner.”
“I can’t do it much longer,” she replied, her breathing shaky. “It’s too much. It’s too hard.”
He lifted her face to his and let his eyes burn down into hers. “You can’t give up,” he urged her.
“When will it end?” she asked, tears stinging her eyes.
A soft rustling at the entrance to her cave caused Silas to stand to his feet quickly. There was a sudden tension in the room that made the pain she was feeling subside. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her hands started to shake as a large, dark figure started moving towards them.
“Don’t worry,” a deep voice said, “it’ll be over much sooner than you think.”
“Darius,” Silas said, stepping forward, blocking Chelsea from his view.
“You know, Silas,” Darius replied, “I have long suspected something like this would happen one day. But, I never expected it from you. My hand picked second in command—I’m deeply hurt.”
“Sir, if you’ll let me explain,” Silas tried to begin.
“You’ll have your chance,” Darius said harshly.
Suddenly, Silas was knocked to the ground. She could see more men pouring into the small space, apprehending him and coming for her.
She didn’t scream. Not because she was trying to be strong, though. She couldn’t. She opened her mouth and nothing came out. Two men lifted Silas up by the arms and pushed him forward. He didn’t look back at her but kept his head down at he shuffled away.
When two more men reached her bed, they grabbed her by the wrists, and aggressively lifted her up, forcing her to follow as they led her to the edge of the cave. Her vision became blurry with tears as all around her the sky became filled with dragons. She had no idea what was about to happen, but she knew it wasn’t going to be good.