Clarissa throws herself at me, her body transforming to Triger mid-air. Normal female tigers weigh around two hundred and forty pounds, but when her body flattens mine, I'd put her at three hundred and twenty pounds.
Her huge jaws try to snap at my neck for the kill, but I hold her neck with my talons. She realizes the tactic doesn't work, and slashes at me, her huge claws running from the side of my left rib cage to my mid-thigh. I let out a feral screech before whipping my talons down her belly, tearing through her thick fur. Her dark blood sprays over my pants and face before she yowls, getting off of me. I push myself to my feet using my wings, just to be smashed against the wall by Clarissa's huge paws. She swipes at my head but I duck and send a wild punch into her nose, forcing her away.
She backs off, but keeps her eyes on me while she growls, "You are strong for a female Slytherin, but weak if you compare yourself to Dargon."
"Males have testosterone though, and my system doesn't run as much as his." I point out, "So it makes sense."
"You know that's not where I'm going with this." She smirks through the face of her Triger, "He's a sexy boy."
"First off, you have no right to talk about him that way. Second, he's not a boy." I snarl as my blood pressure rises and I feel my heart beat faster.
"Correct, he's not a boy. He's a man." Clarissa says, "My man."
"Wrong again. He's not a man. He's my Slytherin." I spit furiously before throwing myself at her, my claws spearing her straight through the shoulders. She lets out a nasty hiss before we tumble to the ground. We roll around as we rake each other with our claws, and we separate once more, after I have torn fur off of her face and pulled out multiple whiskers. Her fur is matted in her blood and mine, but I look no better.
My shirt is no good from her claws, my blood soaking it. My forehead is leaking blood that runs into my left eye, and she managed to bite off one of my talons.
I stagger to my feet as she takes in garbled breaths, and she spits out a mouthful of blood before saying, "You are pathetic."
"Give up on the insults, moron." I shoot back before whispering, "I wish to be a black mamba."
As I transform to the smaller body, I know I'll be a harder target and have twice the dangerous quality if I bite her properly. She looks down at me with a hint of fear in her eyes but pounces as I dart out of the way. I slither under the couch amidst some mothballs and dust bunnies, and I think I'm safe when the couch is tossed aside. Clarissa looks down at me in fury before slamming her paw on my back, and I let out a hiss before whipping my bendy neck around. I bite down on her paw as I feel my venom drain into her, and she bounces back as I mumble the transformation.
I turn back to my Slytherin form as she shakes her paw back and forth. She suddenly quits and throws herself at me, barreling me over before I can fully regain feeling.
She doesn't waste time and clamps part of my shoulder and neck in between her canines as I let out a loud roar. I reach my hand up and slash my talons through her gums as she starts to drag me out of the living room, but she doesn't lessen her grip. I feel myself losing blood as she drags me out the front door and to the gravel driveway, tossing me against the trunk of a tree. I gasp as I taste blood filling my mouth, and I spit it at her as she gets into a threatening position.
"Why drag me out here?" I question as I look to her, the blue eyes surrounded by gray fur turning victorious.
"You should die under the blue sky, seeing what you'll miss as the life drains from your eyes." She growls as I swallow down the blood and press my hands to my wounds, gritting my teeth as stinging ensues.
I feel my vision flickering and see black spots drawing nearer in the bright sky, and I feel sad my life has come to an end so quickly. A lone tear streaks down my cheek as the dots in the sky fall behind Clarissa, and she whirls around before I see a familiar set of black and white wings come rocketing at her. I open my eyes wider as Dargon smashes into her, his claws going straight into her chest. My vision starts to clear as I see it isn't Dargon or Dixon.
The hair is the color of wet soil and the eyes a unique yellow and green. The head is set upon wide shoulders and a small torso with long legs, one that shoves Clarissa aside. The character kneels beside me and calls, "Dargon! Over here buddy!"
I look over to see Dargon come charging over, sitting in front of me. His gold eyes fill with tears as he says, "Amethyst? Can you hear me?"
"Yes, Dargon." I nod my head which sends pain up my spine, "I can hear and see you."
"Thank God." Dargon mumbles before pressing his hands to my chest, helping stop the flow of blood.
"Where can we take her? Back home?" Dargon asks as Dixon joins, then Jandro and Jario. They all have concerned looks, but seeing them all gives me a deep strength. A pure sense of joy floods my system as I realize this is my family, they are mine and I am theirs. I sit up slightly as the mystery Slytherin replies, "Back home to Julissa and Koray."
"Alright." Dargon nods before I see Clarissa approach, and I shout, "Dargon! Look out!"
He whirls around and then sends a thunderous punch into Clarissa's nose, splitting it down the middle. The Triger flies backwards before I watch Dargon descend upon her, looking down at her in pure hatred.
"You were going to kill the ones I loved." Dargon growls before stabbing his talons through Clarissa's thick neck, then ripping them sideways, tearing her head from her shoulders. Her blood sprays everywhere, dousing Dargon in a barbaric look as her head rolls away. He turns back to us and then bends down before pulling me into his arms, as if he didn't just kill his true enemy.
"Let's go." Dargon says curtly before I say weakly, "Grab Jericho and kill Carlley and Jerod."
"What? Why?" Dargon furrows his eyebrows in confusion as I swallow down my sobs, "They are cursed by Clarissa. They won't stop coming until they kill us all."
"Why take Jericho then?" Dixon questions as I respond, "He's part of our family. We should help him."
"True." The new Slytherin agrees before Dixon and Jario wander into the house, and Dargon looks down at me. His tear falls to my cheek as he whispers, "I thought you were dead."
"She will be dead if we don't get her back to our Clan." The Slytherin replies before Dargon nods, then says, "I will leave now with her. Come with the others when you're ready."
"Yes, Dargon." The green and yellow eyed Slytherin nods his head in respect before Dargon turns around and launches into the air at a speed I've never seen. We disappear from the ground faster than I've ever felt, and as I tilt my head up, I see Dargon's face still contorted in sadness.
"Why are you sad?" I question as I wipe the tears from his cheeks, and he replies, "Seeing you in pain hurts me worse than ever, but we will fix you. I will fix you."
"Good." I nod my head before Dargon pushes himself to a faster pace, his wings almost a blur of black and white. I huddle closer to his chest as I feel my bloody shirt slide in between us, and I swallow down more blood.
We arrive shortly in Scotland, and Dargon warns me to hold my breath before we plunge into the water. I feel my ears pop, but it's muted because I'm still losing blood. We burst out from the water as Dargon charges into the place, shouting, "Julissa! Get to the infirmary!"
He rushes into the makeshift hospital and lays me in one of the beds before tearing my shirt off and looking down at my wounds. I feel uncomfortable with a bare chest, but when he collapses against the bed, his shoulders shaking as I feel his tears drip onto my hand, I realize my wounds must be worse than I think.
"Dargon, what. . ." Julissa's voice trails off as she runs in, dropping beside me. I feel her inject something into my arm before I feel myself drifting away, and the last thing I hear is Dargon asking, "Will she live?"
My head tilts to one side as my eyes shut, and I hear, "Dargon, I'm not sure."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Amethystine." Is the first thing my ears collect, a low baritone voice that sends my skin into a heated frenzy. I feel a warm hand clasp mine and then feel it squeeze, and I send a shaky one back.
"Amethyst, can you fully hear me?" Dargon's soothing voice is enough to convince me to open my eyes, and I see him, his perfect gold eyes looking down at me in concern. They brighten when he sees me looking at him, and I say sarcastically with a weak smile, "No, I'm sleeping."
"Well, then, I will leave you be." Dargon fakes a pull away, but I grab his arm with a renewed strength and pull him back, his lips only centimetres away.
"Don't ever leave me." I whisper before he smiles and hisses huskily, "Wish granted."
He leans forwards into the bed as I slide a hand out from underneath the blankets covering me, pulling him even closer as our lips collide. His venom explodes against my lips before I let my mouth open, swallowing down the thick liquid. It adds to my strength before my tongue erupts in shivers, and my venom floods out of my mouth, streaming into Dargon's. As he moves, his elbow accidentally hits my gash from Clarissa, and I feel my whole body flinch. He pulls back and asks, "I hit you, didn't I?"
"Maybe." I say lightly, "It's alright."
"It's not okay." Dargon corrects before running a hand through my hair, and I take the time to look at him. His lips are a dark green once again, and as I look further down, his shirt is gone. His whole body is relaxed, but his muscles are still refined and taut.
"You certainly know the art of romance, Dargon." The mystery Slytherin comes from the shadows, his yellow and green eyes locked on me. Dargon twists his head around to look at the fellow, then grins broadly when he turns back to me.
"Amethyst, this is Colvin." Dargon grips the Slytherin's shoulder, "He told me that he acted dead for days after people came to check on him, and only when he was sure no one was around, did he get out of that coffin. He was assumed dead until he tackled me outside your house."
"That's incredible." I smile at Colvin before he asks, "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been put through a paper shredder." I reply with a slight chuckle, "But otherwise good, after seeing Dargon again."
"Oh, she's as obsessed with you are you are with her?" Colvin looks to Dargon before he growls, "Is that a bad thing?"
"I don't mean to ruffle your feathers." Colvin immediately backpedals, "I am just curious."
"Well then, yes." Dargon responds calmly as he presses a colored kiss to my black lips, and I feel my face heat slightly when he pulls away and Colvin is looking shocked.
"What's with the face?" Dargon barks at his brother before Colvin responds, "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to you doing that. It's been however many years since I've been in a civilization of some sort."
"It's alright." I say for the second time in ten minutes, "I know how it feels to be new to things."
Dargon casts me a grin before Dixon walks up, then Jario and Jandro. They all crowd around behind Dargon's huge wings that make a barrier, keeping them back.
"How are you feeling?" Jario asks as his hazel eyes with blue squint under his arched eyebrows.
"Better than before, now that I've come back to life, literally." I grin as I look to Dargon who's glaring up at all the male Slytherins behind him.
"Maybe you should back up before-" I'm about to suggest when Dargon tackles them all, and I watch in fascination as they fight each other. I realize it's just for fun when no talons are piercing flesh, and I start to laugh when I see Dargon get accidentally slapped in the arse. He whirls around to glower at Jario who's eyes are wide, and I guffaw harder when Dargon bowls into him, both males rolling across the floor.
"What on Earth?" Koray shouts over the noise of laughter and fake screams before the tackling and horsing around comes to complete stop. Everyone assembles themselves properly but not without the aid of laughter, and finally Colvin responds, "We were just having fun."
"No one got hurt." Jandro adds before Dargon scoffs and says as he comes back to me, "Well, my butt hurts. Did you need to hit that hard, Jario?"
"I didn't mean to! I was aiming for the back of your leg so you'd fall. But when you crouched, my aim was suddenly high." Jario protests before Koray rolls her eyes and announces, "It's time for lunch. Jandro, come on."
He leads her out before everyone follows, leaving just me and Dargon. He kneels beside me, grabbing my hand in his. Our talons knock together as he leans forwards, his chest by mine. We just look at each other, but it's more than words at the moment.
His gold eyes carefully look at me, the love in them evident. They look a piece of the sun melted around a black pebble, and the emotions swirling in them is mystifying. I find my eyes tearing up though nothing is happening; it's just the fact I can see how he loves me so. He finally makes the first move to catch my tear on his black claw before he wipes it on the blankets covering me.
"Why are you crying?" He questions before I smile and whisper, "It's because I can see the love in your eyes."
"Am I that obvious?" He laughs before I join him, then quit as my cuts start to sting.
"No laughing." I warn with a grin before taking a deep breath, and he chuckles before moving to sit by my hip. He slides his hand out of mine so he can run his claw down the center of my forehead, then nose, and pauses as I look straight into his eyes. He runs his claw over my lips before he suddenly leans forwards and presses his lips to mine with a deep fire. I instantly feel his venom against my lips, and there's no hesitation or question. I let myself devour his saliva as I feed him mine, and he moves his other hand out of mine to wrap it around my back, sitting me up. I feel the blankets fall from me as my bare chest flashes in my mind, and I instinctively move my head down. I hear him laugh as I see I'm wearing a black bra, and I ask, "Since when did I have one of these?"
"Julissa flew out to get you one while you were healing." Dargon replies before he lifts my head back up, and I gaze into his gold eyes before he tilts his head sideways, his lips bearing down on mine. The taste of a dying fire and a hint of charcoal clouds my senses before I let my tongue gyrate with his. I feel my breath running out, and just when I'm about to take a break, his lips shift off of mine and run down my cheek, streaking across my jaw. I hug his huge frame as his lips dance over my skin, running from my neck to my shoulder. I grit my teeth to keep in the noises of pleasure until he gently fits his four fangs around the side of my throat, his tongue making patterns over my skin.
I let out a low groan that sounds an awful lot like Dargon's, right before he pulls away, then kisses my lips slowly. I feel my heart stop tripping over itself as he releases his lips and tongue from mine, and he whispers with a extremely low voice, "I was going to continue until you made a noise."
"I was trying to hold them in from the start." I hiss back before he chuckles and then says, "Shall I fetch you a shirt?"
"Sure, then we can have lunch." I nod my head with a broad grin before questioning, "How long was I asleep for?"
"Three days." Dargon replies before getting up, then flying up and away. I sigh as I lean back in the bed, and I take a deep breath in. I calm myself from the moment and then look to my shoulder and smile. The whole side of my neck is black with four small holes from Dargon's fangs, and I can feel his venom on my cheek as well as lips.
Dargon returns when I am chuckling quietly, and he asks, "What are you laughing at," while handing me one of his shirts and a pair of sweatpants. I slide the shirt on and then shimmy into the pants before responding, "The fact I'm going to walk in there with all of this on me."
"Is that a bad thing?" Dargon asks almost shyly, and I press a kiss to his hairline before replying, "Of course not. I want them to see I'm yours."
"There's more than one way to do that." Dargon responds coyly before helping me to my feet, wrapping a strong arm around my waist and pulling me to his side. We walk to the bottom of the cliff which leads to the great hall, and Dargon asks, "Are you ready?"
"Are you?" I reply before he laughs and then jumps, propelling both of us up and onto level ground. He doesn't release his grip on my waist as we walk to the table where everyone is sitting, Colvin at the head of the table. I sit beside Dargon as I realize there's no seating arrangement, and I'm about to ask why, when Dixon says, "Nice marks, Amethyst."
I look to him to see he's sincere, and I reply, "Thanks, but you've got to give the credit to Dargon."
"Oh, we know where to give credit." Colvin smiles wryly before looking to Dargon who's looking back and forth between his brothers, and he asks, "What are you two getting at?"
"Just the fact that you two are so bold, and all of us here are happy for you, brother." Dixon grins warmly at Dargon before he nods his head, then says, "I just want to thank you all. For the things you've done for me, and finally welcoming Amethyst."
"She's family." Koray smiles at me before I grin and lean my head against Dargon's shoulder, letting myself relax. We all sit in a nice silence before Jandro delivers human on sticks, cooked to perfection.
"What's up with the seating plan?" Dargon asks before putting the whole stick in his mouth and pulling it back, leaving all the human pieces to fall into his mouth. I do the same and see him grin before Dixon replies, "I made an order that we're all our own leaders. You can do as you please, sit and eat where you like, go and fly when you feel the need to."
"That's new." Dargon tilts his head sideways before devouring a second stick, his muscular body needing the protein. I take my eyes off of his torso before I stare, and then listen to Dixon.
"Our society has been good, but we've never been great at adapting. I decided we need change, and especially with Colvin and Jericho back, it was a good idea, if I do say so myself." Julissa's elbow buries itself into her husband's ribs before he lets out a laugh, and Colvin says with a shake of his head, "You guys are all so cute together. I'm just curious where Huntly has gone?"
Everyone goes silent as we look to Dargon who swallows his mouthful.
"I killed him after he attempted to take Amethyst from me." Dargon responds casually as he fits another stick of meat into his mouth, practically inhaling the food. I see Colvin raise his eyebrows before he asks, "You must think highly of her?"
"Well, I did call her my wife in your absence." Dargon says as he grins, "And I did kiss her at the table as people were eating."
"Question answered." Colvin nods his head before I ask, "Where is Jericho?"
"He's in the cell above us." Dixon responds as he pushes his empty plate away, "He's going psycho up there as Clarissa's curse wears off on him."
A loud scream rips from the grate of the cage to prove the point, a chilling one that sends chills down my spine.
"Speak of the devil." Koray mumbles before we all laugh, and Dargon reaches across me to pull one of my sticks off of my plate. He slides the human into his mouth before I ask, "How do you keep eating?"
"I'm not sure." He responds with a chuckle, previous to a loud belch that comes his black mouth. I look at him in astonishment before I say, "You pig. Learn some manners."
He laughs and then says, "Sorry, Mrs.Ague."
I smile and then say, "I have a feeling that's going to become a very real name."