The horizon stretches before me, a realm of roaring fires and erupting volcanoes on a scale that could never exist in the waking world.
In the distance, I see him—Arawnoth.
His colossal form rises, engulfing the heavens, setting the very stars ablaze. I crane my neck, struggling and longing to see him—all of him—feeling his glorious presence filling my soul to bursting with a lust for life I crave. His eyes shimmer with thefires of creation itself, and I raise my arms to the scorching sky, yearning for him to claim me as he has in the past.
But then... he hesitates.
Despite the distance, I feel his gaze bore down upon me—judging, finding me wanting.
“No,” I whisper, panic gripping my chest like a vise.
The raging infernos around me begin to dim, their once-mighty flames reduced to embers. I whip my head back and forth, desperate, my breath ragged as the searing heat gives way to cold, lifeless rock.
“No!” I fall to my knees, the ice beneath me biting into my skin.
Arawnoth is merciless, stripping every flicker of warmth, leaving only endless cold and desolate stone. Teeth chattering, I stare into the darkness—endless, oppressive void that I loathe with every fiber of my being. Arawnoth turns, his colossal back fading into the abyss, the final light snuffed out.
“Don’t abandon me!” I scream into the frigid air, my voice echoing in the emptiness, until the dream shatters.
I bolt upright, yanked back into reality—back in this freezer-like cave. Awareness floods my senses, each detail like a pointed stiletto kick to the shins.
Ugh, the crazy fight with Dracoth. I sink further into my furs, wanting them to swallow me whole, unable to handle the cringe and embarrassment.
What the hell was I thinking? Didn’t I decide to work with him?
But when he mentioned my past... I just lost it. I’m lucky to be alive after almost killing him. Flashes of the twisted joy I felt crushing him against the wall steal my breath with their dark implications.
What is wrong with me?
But he was the same! I could feel him enjoying the pain we were inflicting and reflecting on each other. Batshit crazy.
“I won’t abandon you.” Dracoth’s low voice rumbles, startling me from my thoughts.
I peek from beneath the furs, seeing him across the firepit, roasting strips of meat on the end of his long claws.
“I won’t abandon you.”Have I ever heard sweeter words? And from Dracoth, I know he’s sincere—all super serious, Mr. Frowny Face. But the truth is, I don’t deserve them. The closer he gets, the harder I push back—except you can’t push Dracoth. Oh no, he’s immovable, as solid as the mountains. It’s terrifying... too terrifying.
If he gets too close, he’ll see the real Lexie—the broken woman hiding underneath. I can’t let that happen. I stifle a groan, the memory of the twisted things I said to him making me wince.
Ugh, he probably already knows how fragmented and fragile I am now. The bond we share is too strange, too raw. I feel his endless rage, his lust for power—and he must feel my fear, my instability.
It’s madness! How does he keep that blank, boring expression when I can sense the fury burning inside him? It’s... unsettling. And yet, somehow admirable. How does he control his emotions when I can’t? And what the hell is he so angry about, anyway? Like someone’s been spitting in his coffee every morning.
“Here,” Dracoth growls, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I peek out from my furs to see him offering a piece of charred meat. The fire crackles, casting flickering orange hues over the crystalline blue-white walls. I spot Todd, the little scamp, nestled on the edge of the firepit, soaking up the heat.
“Thanks,” I say tentatively, taking a piece of the moist, sizzling meat.
“Ow, that’s hot!” I yelp, juggling the scalding morsel between my hands.
It soon cools as I press it to the freezing, misty ground, wondering if it’s safe to eat the meat from that giant mutant turtle-thing he slaughtered. Even now, its disgusting, mangled remains near Dracoth send a shiver down my spine.
I pop the meat into my mouth, bracing for imminent revulsion. But as I chew, I’m surprised—it’s... good. Smoky, tender, like barbecued chicken. With a little seasoning, it might actually be great. I suppose I shouldn’t expect better, lost in a giant alien supermarket freezer. I almost sigh but stop myself, remembering I’m already in Dracoth’s naughty books.
“That’s... delicious!” I feign enthusiasm, wincing internally at my lousy acting.
Dracoth’s crimson eyes snap to mine, his expression unreadable, though I can’t help suspect he somehow knows every thought flitting through my head. I flash him a nervous smile, struggling to hold his gaze. But he just silently hands me more food, sliding it from his long, sword-like claw.
