Blood-Bound Ch5
#5 of Blood-Bound
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Ch5
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I tugged quickly, my last tooth coming out painlessly. Setting it aside I sighed and leaned back in the chair. A small pile of teeth sat on the table in front of me, having been steadily falling out for the last hour.
My beak was now longer and reached into my peripheral vision. It retained very little flexibility from this morning, but was still more so than Tiran's. I looked over at him, watching as he collected my teeth and put them in a small box.
I wrapped myself in my lengthening wings, enjoying the break from the wind in the outdoor dining room. So far they were four feet across when I spread them, only a third of what their final length would be.
"Tiran?" I asked quietly, trying to get his attention without startling him. "Are you sure you want to go to The Je'weel?"
"Are you only asking because you don't want to glide down?" he responded, bringing me a small drinking glass designed for beaks. He always seemed to know what was on my mind. I smiled nervously and nodded. Even though Tiran assured me that my wings were now large enough to glide down the cliff, I was still nervous. I had never been a fan of heights, but now that I had wings I had to face it.
I leaned into Tiran, snuggling into the feathers on his side as I sipped at the small fruity drink. He placed an arm around me and pulled me closer, wrapping his wings around us both. I leaned up and kissed him, moving my now elongated tongue into his mouth and receiving the same from him.
"Hmm... If your still scared about it, I could carry you down. Or if your just a little nervous, I could catch you." Tiran suggested. It was a brilliant idea and I leaned against his neck.
"If you would catch me, I'll do it."
=<><><><><>=
The sun pressed closer to the horizon and we stood at the edge of the balcony, peering down on the city below. Tiran gave my hand a squeeze and dove off the edge, his form rising immediately after and spiraling back. He waited nearby as I climbed onto the rail, trying not to think of falling, only flying. I mean, flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss, right?
I stretched my small wings and looked down again. Vertigo hit me hard, and instead of diving, as Tiran had advised, I fell. My body twisted around, the ground and sky changing positions quickly. I flailed my arms and stretched my wings once again, trying to straighten out.
My fall turned suddenly, my stomach still dropping as the rest of my body stopped. Wind brushed by under my wings and I let out a cry of joy. Tiran swooped down near me and signaled down, displaying how to tilt my wings to go in the direction I want to go.
I followed his example and glided behind him as we headed to the restaurant. The city below was beautiful, the sun casting its setting colors across the roofs. I watched as people walked on the streets, many coming back from their shopping. A small cart piled with sacks was leaving the town, obviously having sold all of its wares for the day.
I watched as small birds darted between the window sills, chirping at each other happily. Curving, I followed Tiran into a steeper dive as we prepared to land. Then something crossed my mind. Tiran hadn't told me how to land.
A dozen feet ahead of me Tiran pulled back, his wings flapping to slow down. He gently landed and turned to where I was heading in. I tried to copy his motions, but my wings gave against the stiffer wind, effectively throwing me into free fall. I yelled out as the wind whistled by, my panic resurfacing and taking over my thoughts.
Then, suddenly, I wasn't falling anymore. Tiran held me in his arms, gently lowering me to the ground as I regained my balance. I sighed in relief and hugged him.
I folded my wings behind my back and smiled up at my wonderful hawk-man. "I guess I didn't have to worry. You kept your promise."
"I am a man of my word!" Tiran said, his voice at a deep gruff as he mock saluted. We both burst out laughing and he pulled me to his side, moving us through the front doors of the restaurant we had met in yesterday.
It was amazing that it was only yesterday. I felt like a year had passed since I left, and it was surprising that everything was the same here. A blood-bound greeted us politely and led us into the restaurant, going to a table near the middle. The atmosphere was nice, most large families having already eaten and left. Most tables were occupied by couples or single people, all quiet or engaged in soft conversation.
Taking our menus as we were seated, both of us immediately flipped to the back cover. I looked over the list of items, giving quiet remarks to Tiran on what each meal was and how good it was. After deciding on our meal, I leaned into Tiran, kissing the tip of his beak gently.
"Why is kissing so fun?" I asked, half serious, half mock. "It seems like a waste of time till you actually do it."
"You know, there are things better than kissing..." Tiran trailed off, his face turning red and his breathing speeding up a little. My own face flushed as I realized what he was talking about. Clearing my throat slightly, I decided to change the subject.
"What do you think Grash would do if he saw me. Blow a blood vessel, or pee himself?"
"Why do you think his reaction would be that drastic?" Tiran questioned, his voice smoothing more with his confusion on the subject.
I sighed happily, loving Tiran's voice. "He is a lover of the old magics, and if i'm not mistaken, a form change is pretty big."
"Well, you are right about that. I found the coin in an old cave, but I hear there are those that pay out the nose and then some for the things."
"I'm sorry that you had to waste so much on me." I said, definitely feeling that I wasn't worth it. He had gave so much, and gotten so little.
"Believe me," he whispered in my ear, sensing my sadness. "You are worth more than I can say. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you. I love you."
"I love you, too."
=<><><><><>=
Very little of the food remained, and we were both stuffed. I had my head laying on Tiran's lap as I ran my hand over his lower leg. Tiran had one hand running over my chest, as the other played with my crest. I sighed happily, gently letting out a whistling hum.
The table was near enough, so I lifted an arm and retrieved a small dish of sherbert. I filled a spoon and held it against Tiran's beak, slipping it in as he opened his mouth.
"You know," I whispered quietly, embarrassed by the thought. "When we get back, do you want to... um... try some of those things that are better than kissing?" My face burned bright and hot, my position in Tiran's lap doing nothing to ease the discomfort that came with saying the words out loud.
Tiran lifted me into a sitting position and kissed me, depositing some of the sherbert into my mouth. Our tongues wrapped around one another's and I felt as he swallowed the sweet dessert left in his mouth. I followed suit, swallowing the small bit he had gotten in my mouth and drawing his tongue in further with the same move.
He moaned softly as we broke the kiss, both of us panting slightly. "Thant sounds absolutely wonderful!" Tiran gasped out, his face holding a happy smile.
I hugged myself against him once more, rubbing my hand over the green vest he had worn today while he rubbed my thigh through the gold and silver shorts he had given me last night. As I was leaning in for another kiss, the curtain around our table opened, the blood-bound bowing low.
Grash walked in, his eyes piercing me and Tiran. His scales were as polished as ever, the suit ending at his wrists today. I eyed him warily, wondering what had brought him out. It was completely unlike him to come to a customer's table. Something else was off too, it seemed as if he was giving off pure rage.
"So you left the worthless shit wherever you came from and brought your boyfriend, eh?" Grash spat out, his anger apparent. "I want to see that slave again, now. He took something that belongs to me!"
I ran this over in my head as Grash stared daggers at Tiran. I had never taken anything from the old dragon, and even if I had, he was not able, by law, to force another's slave to do anything. Not that I was a slave anymore, but he didn't know that.
"And what, pray tell, did he take?" Tiran asked, a polite tone covering his usually wonderful voice. It seemed that he realized something was wrong, too.
"He took an ancient medallion that I was wearing yesterday. There's no use denying it, I know he has it, and I will see him punished for it!" The dragon was losing his usual calm. Something about the medallion had upset him, but then it could all be a trick. This dragon in front of us seemed half crazed, and definitely not all there.
"Well," Tiran stated calmly. "If you want to make false accusations to his face,at least have the decency to take back your meaningless lies."
"To his face?" the dragon questioned angrily. "What do you mean!?"
"I mean that it is very rude to both make false accusations and ignore the person you're accusing when he is right here."
I paled as Grash turned his attention to me. I squeezed against Tiran tightly, wishing he had not let out the fact that I was here. A gleam entered the dragon's eye as he reached into his pocket.
"So, you have been turned into a bird, eh? All the better. You will give me my medallion, or I will be forced to retrieve it from you." he snarled, the glint in his eye showing that he wasn't telling the truth.
"I do not have a medallion." I said politely. "Perhaps you have misplaced it."
As soon as I finished, Grash bellowed, his blue scales turning scarlet as he lost his temper. I backed against Tiran and hoped for the best. The Grash imposter launched himself across the table, and I launched myself backwards, trying to avoid his grasp. Tiran was struck across the side of the face, letting out a grunt as he sprawled across the floor.
I squawked, the sound harsh to the ears, and jumped to Tiran's form. I placed a hand on him and he moaned, regaining consciousness quickly. His eyes fluttered open just as a hand closed on my wing. I turned, panicked, and tried to pull out of the scarlet dragon's too tight grip.
I couldn't escape. I turned my claws out, trying to gauge my attacker, but the scales protected him. A pop resounded from my wing. The pain was unbelievable, worse than any pain I had felt before. My breathing became shallow and my muscles loosened. The grip released and I fell to the floor.
The scarlet dragon towered above me, looking confused for a second. A small silver point stuck out from his chest, and he toppled backwards. Standing in the now empty space was Grash, the real one.
"Hello Thirty-Three."
I turned away and crawled to Tiran, my dislocated wing dragging behind me. He had his eyes open, but the were unfocused. I moved in and kissed him on the forehead, tears of pain slipping into my feathers.
"I guess we'll have to wait for the stuff better than kissing." Tiran said, chuckling as I lay in his arms.
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