The Last of His Kind by Doris O'Connor Read Free Book Online Page A

her hair, her delicate skin red and
bruised. She was too fragile and precious to see him like this, and he couldn't
bear the look of disgust in her eyes he was sure would be there when she opened
them.
    He
was responsible for her being tied in this cave, branded a witch, and almost
burned at the stake. No, she was not his. He would take her home and stay far,
far away. It was the only way to keep her safe.
    “Son,
you may be last of our kind, but sometimes I wonder how you ever survived this
long. Why do you think we're here? She summoned us. She knows who you are, son.
You're connected through the ages, fated to break the curse. Ancient blood runs
through her veins. Do not make the mistake of turning from your destiny. Our
kind did this once, and it spelled our doom.”
    No,
he couldn't be right. Doric blinked and howled his agony, as the images of his
family faded into clouds of mist. He knew he would never see them again. He
trotted over to Penelope, curled his long tail around her freezing form and
waited for her to wake up.
    ****
    For
the second time that day Penelope came round tied to that damn pole. She was so
over this whole tying up thing. She shivered in her damp robe, her skin raw
from the pebbles in the water and the heat of the fire. A comforting cool
presence surrounded her, and she relaxed marginally when the hold on her
tightened like a smooth breathing blanket. When she'd started chanting, the
heat consuming her had been immense, until the two giant shapes had surrounded
her, and she'd blacked out. Her last vision through the strange opaque shapes
had been the sight of Doric rising from the lake like an avenging dragon
breathing fire. Only it hadn't been him setting her alight. That had been Euan
and his cronies. Her eyes flew open in sudden panic and connected with warm,
golden ones in the smooth head of what was commonly referred to as Nessie.
    Her
muscles tightened for an instant as adrenaline swamped her system, her body
preparing her in the flight or fight instinct. She yanked on her restraints,
and the creature's hold on her loosened. He uncurled his tail from around her,
and his very human sigh raised the ends of her hair off her face. He flicked
his sharp claws out, and she screwed her eyes shut. With two sharp tugs her
bonds fell off her and she would have fallen to her knees, had his tail not curled
round her again to steady her. Her hands encountered smooth scaly skin, and a
tingle of awareness and recognition zinged up her arms. The creature shook and
released her. He turned away from her, his whole posture defeated, or at least
as defeated as a ten foot dinosaur-like creature could look.
    Penelope
felt the loss of connection like a punch to the gut, and she instantly
regretted her reaction. This wasn't some unknown creature. This was Doric, the
man she loved. And he'd come for her.
    She
closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer of thanks to the elements. Blood
splattered his sides from a multitude of bullet wounds, and her heart clenched.
He was hurt, and he was walking away.
    "Doric,
I'm sorry."
    His
head whipped round, and she held her breath when his mouth full of razor sharp
teeth came to rest on her shoulder. He rubbed his head along her neck, ever so
carefully, and tears rose in her eyes. He pulled back, cocked his head to one
side, and his long forked tongue swiped the tears off her face. The move just
made her cry in earnest, and he trumpeted his frustration, or at least that's
what it seemed like. He stomped his feet, and the expression in his eyes was so
forlorn that Penelope had to smile. He stuck his tongue out at her, and she
laughed, making him grin, showing several rows of sharp teeth. He nudged her
towards the water's age, and Penelope froze. There was only a thin shaft of
light entering the cave now, and it wasn't from the entrance. That seemed
completely blocked. The only escape appeared to be that skylight-like opening
right above them, miles above them. How huge was this cave?