Her clear, dark eyes have such innocence and youth in them when she looks up at me. And fear. Indeed, terror. Her breath is fast and shallow, and she smells of fright — the intoxicating scent of prey.
It’s only appropriate. But she’s not nearly as scared as a soft, round female should be of a dragon like me. Certainly she has known other ones. In her own village, even. But that shouldn’t lessen my impact this much.
“It’s of concern to me.”
Her voice is small, and she can’t take my gaze. But still she’s not backing down. Remarkable!
I’m surprised to find it gives me a bit of a thrill. Every lesser being cowers before me. Every single one. They can feel in their very center that I am more powerful, more ruthless, superior. And they grovel. But this female… doesn’t.
She must feel it. She must feel the danger, that I could kill her on the spot without any effort at all. And yet here she stands.
She stands! In front of me! She’s not throwing herself on the ground, mewling for mercy.
This is almost refreshing.
Let’s see how much she can take.
I reach out with both hands, make sure she sees the claws, then touch each claw to the sides of her face, lightly.
“You have a rebellious streak? Not a healthy thing. If you wish me to tear your face off, all you have to do is keep resisting.”
She trembles, but remains standing and dares to give me a sour glance.
I have a strong urge to pierce her skin in ten places, see the little beads of blood drip down her face, hear the squeal of pain and the fear of death in her eyes. Judging from the tiny red veins in her eyes, her blood must be dark red, creating a striking contrast. The beauty of it!
But that would be too easy. And ultimately the pleasure would be less than toying with her for a while.
“I can do whatever I want.” Impossibly, she’s able to find her voice, even now, even like this. A thin voice it is, but she’s not reduced to babbling.
I laugh in delighted surprise, then let one hand stroke along the side of her head, like a soothing caress across her mess of dull hair. “Oh, I will have some fun with you. Now tell me this. You’re used to being this low, bound to the ground at all times. I am not. I always soar above, free and mighty. In which direction is your village?”
“It’s far away.”
“Was that the question?” I tilt my head and lean in.
“I think it’s that way.” She quickly raises one hand and points in the same direction I would have guessed. But being on the ground is not something I’m used to, and the confirmation is welcome.
“Indeed,” I state with certainty. I sense no deception in her. “That is the way. Now if you wish to remain alive for a while still, walk ahead of me and make for your village.”
She looks at the woods, then at me. “It’s too far to walk. You should fly instead.”
This genuinely confuses me. “Are you giving me advice, little lesser being?”
“You seem to need it.”
No, this is too rich. My hand shoots out by itself and grabs her throat.
She gasps and desperately holds on to my forearm with both her hands.
For a moment we’re locked like that, her rapid heartbeat resonating up along my arm and clear fluid leaking from the corners of her eyes.
“I will say this again, because you appear to be a slow learner,” I drawl. “Keep resisting, and I will tear you apart on the spot.”
I stare her down for ten beats of her heart, then let go of her.
She almost falls to the ground, but catches herself and stands on trembling knees, breathing hard.
“We will walk,” I state. “Now walk.”
She pulls herself up and staggers away in the direction she indicated.
I can’t let her know that flying is probably not an option right now. We only came to this spot in the woods because I fell out of the sky.
Indeed, she must not know how weak I’m starting to feel. If she knew, she would pounce and finish the job she started.
That sliver of poison in my chest is rapidly taking away my normal powers.
I felt it the moment it hit me — not just the incredible sensation, which I immediately realized was something as outrageously beneath me as pain. But also the fact that it penetrated me at