Page 51 of Consumed By Fire
Fuck!
“I like you, Trinity. I like you so much. It feels wrong, but it also feels right. It’s messing with my head. With everything I believed in for so long. I’m confused.”
“There is nothing to be confused about.”
“How can you say that? There’s everything to be confused about. I don’t know what to believe anymore. It was always so clear to me.”
“We Reds are supposed to all be the enemy, but now you’re not so sure.”
“No, I am sure. I’m sure that you’re not my enemy. I’m sure that you are good, which means that Reds are not all bad. You’re not all…the same.”
“Of course not,” she says. Then she smiles. “Just like you’re not all bad…and evil and wrong. Grumpy at times? Arrogant? Hell, yes, but an evil monster?” She shakes her head. “No…not even close. Most of you are good. You’re doing what you’re told. What you were taught. Hate can be taught.”
“Is that what your kind think of us?” I sound shocked. “As evil monsters?” I can’t believe it.
“Yes. You’re seen as power-hungry oppressors.”
“You’re not serious!”
She starts laughing. “You should see your face. The shock. The horror.” She laughs a whole lot more. “It’s what Draigers are to us. Since meeting you and Shadow and Goliath and Devil and the others, I’ve come to realize that it isn’t true. I see things very differently now, too. You’re not all evil monsters.”
“Even after what happened? Even after I treated you so badly? I threatened to take your child.”
“You never treated me badly. I was never hurt. You may have threatened to take him, but I know that you would never have gone through with it. It’s not you. Not in here.” She slides her hand to above where my heart is.
I close my hand over hers.
“It is true that many of my people firmly believe that Draig is a terrible place with evil dragons. You make awful rules and kill to uphold them. I know better.”
“No, I think your people are right, to a degree. We’re not evil, but what we are doing is wrong. It is oppressive. We’ve lost so many people in this conflict.” I swallow thickly, thinking about it. “I wish we could end it.”
“The Reds have also lost so many. I’m with you, Octane. I want peace. There are those among my people who feel the same.”
“We are a good start, Trinity.” I reach up and kiss her. “You asked me about my past,” I say as I pull back.
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to. I want you to know me, even if it’s only the really important parts of me.”
“I know you,” she says. “The parts that count…but tell me, anyway. I get the feeling that our time is running out.”
I don’t say anything because she is right. “My father showed me that cave. We used to sleep there sometimes when we hunted on that side of the island. Back then, it wasn’t as bad as it is now. The good old days. Dangerous, but still not like it is today.”
“You guys were close?”
I nod. “Very. He was my best friend first and my father second. He taught me all I know about the jungle. What plants are edible, and how to find them. He taught me how to fish and how to hunt both in my human and my dragon forms.” I pause, feeling both warm at the memories and cold at what came after. “He was a frontline dragon. Then, one day before my sixteenth birthday, he went to work and never came home. He was killed by a Red. I was told that it was in cold blood. That several trespassed onto Draig soil. My father lost his life to a Red. I vowed to become a frontline dragon, too. I was going to finish school, go to the academy, and then bond with a human so that I could make a difference. I had a clear plan and plenty of focus.”
“I’m sorry about your father.”
“Me too.” My voice hitches a little. “I guess I was in that time of my life when a boy needs his father. I looked to him as an example. I have a much younger brother, so it was up to me to look after my family after my dad died. I took the responsibility very seriously. I got a part-time job, and I worked hard. I didn’t do any of the things that normal teenagers do. I didn’t drink and party. I had no time for females.”
“So, I was your first?” Trinity smiles. I know that she is trying to ease the tension that is so thick between us.
I smile. “I would have liked that, but no…”
She laughs. “I know that. I was making a joke. Probably not the best idea. I’m sorry. I feel your pain and wanted to… It’s stupid.”
“It’s not stupid. You’re sweet.” I smooth some hair behind her ear. “I’ve fucked…” I lick my lips. “There was no time for sweet sentiments. I took my pleasure, and I moved on. You are the first female I have lain with like this. I’ve never had time for tender moments. I guess I have been missing out. I’ve come to realize that my bitterness and my anger haven’t been spurring me on; they’ve been holding me back.”