branches rustle.
“She’s gone,” I say. “You should go after her.”
Iskursu answers with a hiss. The branches dance again, but he slithers away. If I had to guess, he’s going to follow her until she’s safely back at Sand’s Hunters. Which is why I don’t think he actually dislikes Haime…
I have a feeling nothing will harm Haime while he’s around. Even if she didn’t have my marking to protect her, Iskursu will keep her safe. And despite her age, Haime is becoming a fierce huntress in her own right. One day she will outpace me and every female in the tribes along the Mermaid Coast.
That will be a good day.
I crane my neck and glance at the bright noon sun. The light soaks me.
After a moment, I shake my head, pick up my basket of fruit, and walk into the cave. In the past year, the entrance has been widened, the ledge has been reworked into a rockway of stairs, and torches now line the walls. And those same walls have been draped with hides and flowers that dispel bugs.
Most bugs at least.
The other exit is barred off. It’s easier to protect one cave opening than two. And in the past year, Drazak found the water source and dug us a pool at the back of the large cavern where we reside. Once I saw how easily it was for his tails to crush rocks and cleave stones, I vowed never to underestimate his strength.
I’m nowhere near as strong as him while I’m human. I can’t wait for the day he turns again, when he relearns how, and I can find out who really is the stronger dragon.
I will enjoy being the mightiest one while it lasts. My lips twitch into a smile.
I head for the central fire where he and my daughter rest. Drazak raises his finger to his lips. My daughter is asleep in the basket next to him. I set down my fruit.
My heart warms. I kneel at her side. She coos in her sleep. She has the peakings of both purple and white scales on her neck and hands. I reach into the basket and gently lift her into my arms, hide wrappings and all.
I take my daughter to our cot and lie her down beside me. She stirs but doesn’t wake. I curl myself around her.
Drazak walks over and wraps himself around me. I settle into his embrace as I gaze at my little girl.
I’ve never been happier.
Later, Drazak will chastise me about Iskursu and Haime, but for now…
For now, this is all that matters. I close my eyes and this time, I let Drazak win.
Naga
An Exclusive Short Story
1
The Hunt
Caressing the leaves between my fingers, I study their branch. A gorilla moved this way recently. By scanning the foliage, more broken twigs and ripped vines come to my attention. They tell a story. Something startled the gorilla. Something that woke it up and scared it away.
Looking at the branches above me, my mind wanders.
An eagle? No. A Titanoboa? Maybe.
I chew on my lip and sniff the air. My nostrils fill with the scents of the jungle—and a fearful gorilla. It was the gorilla’s fear that created a trail, leading me to this spot.
I smell nothing else. Which means…
My lips curve up into a smile.
Him.
Iskursu, my naga, never leaves a scent trail.
My aunt Milaye must have taught him well. For if anyone ever instructed Iskursu, it would be her. She is the only femdragon among us, the only one in all the tribes along the Mermaid Coast. No other female can transform like she can, not even me, and I’m half-dragon. My father, Zaeyr, was once a water dragon, and he ruled the gulf near my home.
But when my mother, Aida, touched him, he turned human. Mostly human. Now my siblings and I are all mostly human as well. I have blue eyes and scales like Father—and his tail and white hair. All my other features come from Mother, her dusky skin and wavy curls, as well as her fearlessness and courage.
Though I did not inherit her pragmatism, or so I’m told. Edenth, my sister, always complains that I'm reckless, and worst of all, uncaring. “Haime,” she complains, “you’re too selfish.”
I do care. I pout. I just care about different things.
Like Iskursu.
My smile widens. Climbing the trunk of the tree, I grab hold of a branch and haul myself up, looking for signs of Iskursu’s passing. He may bathe daily to imitate the smell of the jungle,