hapter 45
+5
Five
I wake up in the middle of the night to see Henrik’s whole b*dy shaking. He is breathing hard and gives me an apologetic, almost sheepish look.
“Growing,‘ he sounds embarrassed and avoids meeting my eyes as he says, ‘Mama is small. Sleep on my back?”
“Sleep on your back?” I question. “But baby, what if I weigh too much?”
Henrik snorts at that. I’m much bigger than you.”
“And?”
“You can use me.”
“No, I can’t selfishly use my own baby as a bed.”
“You can.”
I sigh heavily. Sleeping on top of Henrik doesn’t feel right, but deep inside, I know he won’t take harm from it.
…maybe I should just rely on him this once?
“Fine!” I relent. “But you’re still my baby. This changes nothing, young man.”
‘I’m a big baby then, I can hear the pout in his voice. It amuses me how he has gone from being embarrassed by his growth spurts to being proud of his size.
“Right, well, you do have a point.” I chuckle softly. “Let’s try it.”
Shuffling around, I climb onto Henrik’s back, nestling between two rows of his large, scale–covered dorsal plates. A ripple of warmth spreads beneath me as he exhales a deep sigh..
‘Better?‘ he whispers uncertainly.
“Much better, love,” I assure him.
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Finding a comfortable position proves to be easier than expected. The rhythmic rise and fall of his breathing soon lulls me into a peaceful slumber – my fears momentarily calmed by the steady beat of his enormous heart beneath me.
I wake up at dawn to find myself staring at the stone celling of our shared cell from my perch on Henrik’s back. But it’s not the stone above that surprises me; rather, it’s the vast expanse of Henrik’s wings that now span the entire length of the cell.
“Oh Henrik…” I breathe out. And even though my voice shakes, I force a smile onto my face. “They are beautiful.”
His large leather–clad wings – blue with shimmering silver veins running along their edges – twitch at my words. ‘Do you really think so, mama?”
“I know so,” I murmur to him, reaching out to touch one of his wings before I freeze. There are people running upstairs right above my prison cell, and I cock my head to the side before eavesdropping.
“The Wintercrest pack is here!” Ada exclaims. “The Alpha twins believe we have something that is theirs–their Luna! Dad, what should we tell them?!”
“Nothing!” Alpha Johan growls. “Deny their claims and send them away!”
“But Dad, they are ready to attack us! They can feel their Luna’s presence!”
“Nonsense!”
“But-”
I hear the sound of a slap and wince at the sound. Alpha Johan must have hit his daughter, yet I don’t feel any remorse. Ada is terrible, but what she just revealed is of use to me and Henrik..
“Looks like we might be getting out of here tonight,” I tell my baby dragon…who really isn’t a baby anymore. He is huge and can’t even stand inside the prison cell.
His mind, however, is childish. ‘Really?‘
“Yes, your daddies are here, so all we need is to-” My eyes widen when Henrik suddenly groans. I’m forced to hold on to his scales not to fall down. “What is happening?”
‘Growth spurt…big one…
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“Oh…”
“It will help us escape. Henrik getting big, Mama. Big enough to keep you safe.‘
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My heart swells with love for my child. I’ve been drugged every day and can’t shape–shift or use my magic, but it looks like I won’t have to–Henrik is finally becoming the beast he was born to be.
“Be brave, Henrik,” I whisper, stroking his scales as another spurt rocks him. He writhes, growling low in his throat, his b*dy convulsing with the sudden growth. His wings spread wider, scraping against the stone walls of the cell in an echo of caged power.
‘Will it hurt?‘ He asks in his baby voice through telepathy, voice quivering.
“I won’t lie to you, my love. It might.” I admit, smoothing my hands over his trembling hide. “But the pain will make you stronger.”
He nods, his eyes determined yet filled with fear. ‘To protect you… Will endure.‘
The cell shakes as another violent tremor courses through Henrik’s b*dy. His shape distorts and bulges, sinew and scale straining to contain the dragon that is growing within him.
Suddenly there is a loud howl; Logan and Eric. My heart starts pounding with excitement as I listen to my mates. Gosh, I can hardly believe it’s them. The twins are finally here to save me and their timing couldn’t be more perfect!
I stroke Henrik’s back. “Looks like your daddies are here, baby. So I need you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“I need you to stop holding back on your growth and just let it all out. Outgrow this house and embrace the dragon within you. Let the fire consume you and just go big.”
He is quiet before asking, ‘Can I burn our enemies?”
“Yes,” I won’t deny him his birthright. He is a dragon, and the Swani pack are our enemies–he can turn them to dust and eat them for all I care. “Go wild, baby.”
‘Not a baby… he mutters.
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I giggle. “No matter how big you will become, you will always be my little baby. My tiny Henrik.”
‘Bigger than you…”
“Still my Henrik.”
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“Yes,” Henrik rumbles inside my head, his voice filled with affection ev ! he is rapidly becoming the size of that terrifying dragon in Game Of Thrones. “Mama’s Henrik.”
And with those words, he roars, a thunderous sound that echoes through the cell and shakes the foundations of our prison. I can feel him start to grow even more underneath me as he gives in to his nature. His scales gleam brighter, their edges sharpening into deadly spikes. His wings unfurl, tearing at the walls and carving deep furrows into the stone. The ceiling begins to crumble under his size and strength.
“Ouch…“I mumble when a rock lands on my head, but Henrik, my sweet child, uses his wing to shield me.
“Better, Mama?”
“Much better.”
I smile at my baby, but the moment is ruined when another growth spurt hits, Henrik. He is rapidly becoming a monstrous dragon, and I feel myself being lifted higher up from the floor as his legs grow taller and taller.
Suddenly, the door to our cell is flung open with a loud crash, and the guard who beat me with the rope strides in, a menacing scowl on his face. His eyes widen when he sees Henrik’s transformation, but those eyes quickly harden into a determined glare.
“You’re not going anywhere!” He snarls and lunges at me.
But before he can reach me, Henrik turns towards him, his slitted eyes blazing with fury. In one swift movement, he lashes out at the guard with a massive clawed hand. There is a scream, cut off abruptly as the guard is sent flying across the room.
“Good boy,” I whisper as I watch the guard sprawl on the floor, unconscious or dead–I don’t care which.
Henrik releases a satisfied huff, and I hold on to his scales as he stares outgrowing the house.
The roof of the cell shatters and gives way, cascading pieces of stone and dust all around us. Henrik’s mighty wings beat powerfully, stirring up a wild gust in the small space, his b*dy continuing to swell until he is a
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massive figure of scales and power.
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*Big enough to protect Mama, he says with satisfaction. His size finally matching Drogon, the dragon I’ve seen in Game Of Thrones. He spreads his wing to their full length now that no restriction of stone or bars remain.
As I cling to his back for dear life, an undeniable feeling of pride swells in my chest. This is who he’s meant to be: powerful, majestic, unyielding, a dragon of legends.
His muscles ripple beneath me as he stretches, relishing the freedom from his confines. He is so large that I wonder if anyone can see me sitting on his back and when I look around, I notice that the members of the Swani pack who never left the house are all staring at us.
I’m about to ask Henrik to burn them alive, but one growth spurt later, Henrik staggers forward and accidentally steps over a screaming werewolf. Ouch…
“Oh my god, the dragon killed Ragnar!”
“It’s a huge monster!”
“Fight it!”
“How? It’s bigger than an apartment complex!”
Below us, I can see wolves attacking Henrik, but he doesn’t even seem to notice their bites.
‘Scrat, bugs,’ he mutters dismissively, unfazed by the frantic werewolves trying to bring him down. Suddenly, one of the wolves leaps high off the ground, reaching his whiskered snout. The wolf is big and strong, but my Henrik is bigger and stronger.
With a flick of his massive head, Henrik sends the wolf flying across the distance. It lands in a heap, whimpering,
while others scramble to regroup.
I laugh with joy, holding tighter onto his scales as Henrik unfurls his wings and leaps into the air. The wolves scatter in panic as his colossal figure takes flight, casting an enormous shadow over them.
As we rise higher and higher, I can’t help but gape at the sight beneath us – our tiny house looking like a doll’s house from this height and the frenzied Swani pack appearing no larger than ants.
“Mama…‘ Henrik rumbles questioningly in my head.
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“Yes, baby?” I respond, my eyes brimming with pride.
“Fire now?”
I give a nod before shouting above the wind’s roar, “Burn them! Leave nothing but ashes!”
The response is immediate. Henrik’s b*dy shudders beneath me, and I c. fel heat radiating from him. He
his mouth and lets out a jet of golden flames aimed directly at the werewolves below.
opens
And since I watched most of them hurt me, I don’t feel one bit sad when they melt and scream.
Karma is best served warm.
“Find daddies?‘ Henrik suddenly asks.
“Yes…that might be à good idea. They are probably fighting Alpha Johan right now.”
…the man who ordered the other ones to hurt Mama?‘
Bitterness churns inside my belly. “Yes, he is the one.”
‘Can I eat him, Mama? Please? Can I end him for you? Henrik wants to be useful.
My lips curl into a savage grin. “Yes, baby. We’re going to make him pay. He’s going to wish he never laid his filthy
hands on us.”
Henrik’s eyes flash with a deep, primal rage that mirrors my own. His wings beat harder against the night air, carrying us swiftly in the direction of the battle. The intensity of the fire billowing from his maw is hotter than before–my baby is ready for revenge and so am I.