Bijoux by K.B. Torres (classic literature list .txt) 📖

You went into Elijah and Olivia's territory, some Wyverns! They'll come to kill you!

Austin fled. Naturally, I followed him, shooting forward to catch up. I dropped out of the sky to Austin's cave, when I heard it.
A load beaming roar, followed by a screech.
I changed back, literally running into Austin's human arms, trembling.
"Get inside." Austin commanded.
I obeyed, hiding under the massive hay bed.
"Bijoux!" Austin said, grabbing me and dragging me over to a wall corner. He pushed on the wall, and it slid aside, mimicking the motion of a sliding door.
Austin pushed me inside, standing in the doorway.
"Austin, let me stay, I'll fight. I can help." I begged.
I had known from the moment he told me to get inside he meant get away, but I wouldn't just leave him. How could anyone abandon a person as nice to me as Austin was? I mean, maybe there was a future between him and I. But if I left now, I would never know.
"No, you must go. You are the future of our kind, for all I know is that us dragons, our kind, are at war with other dragons, such as Wyverns, Drakonians, Basili, and Jabberwocks." Austin said. There was a crash, before Austin shoved me further into the path. "Go! Go to the western mountains and wait. If I am not there in two weeks, seek out Carter and Aaron. Tell them you are my apprentice. They will help you."
Before I could run back and convince Austin to let me help, the wall slid back.
I sat and cried, nearly howling like a wolf.
I could hear the cries of dragons, screeches of wyverns, the heat from fire, even the panting of a tired Tarragonian.
Dear god, he's dead. I thought.
I put my face in my hands, but the next thing I heard made me look up.
Don't cry child. I am not dead. Not yet. I only need you to be safe. A gentleman must protect his lover. Go, I am going to lose if I have to talk to you more.

I flushed at the 'A gentleman must protect his lover' part, but had no time to say anything. Austin's image disappeared, leaving me alone.
I walked through the tunnel, until I reached the opening of the cavern. I phased and flew, flying west towards the west mountains.

--Chapter 1--

It had been two days since I had started flying. When I reached a suitable hill, I carved a cave, carefully, exquisitly, all the time staying in my dragon form. You could tell a lot about a person by the cave they dig, whether they were in a hurry, took pride in their work, or just plain didn't consider that someone else may take refuge in that cave someday.
A week passed;I didn't, nor phase back to human, I just sat waiting.
Another two weeks passed.
I waited a total month, before I set out to find Carter and Aaron. I flew deeper into the western mountains.
I spent another week searching, before I finally met someone.
Who are you? What do you want?

A male voice snapped, sounding much like Austin.
I paused, coming face to face with a male dragon. He was a massive 8 yards tall. His feet were long, silver talons in place of toes and toenails, double the size of my head. his wings were extended, long enough to cover his body. he had a long tail, long enough to circle his dragon body. His eyes were a lethal slim-eyed black. his had dragon gills and deadly spikes. His skin, a emerald green, slightly blue. It callused with scales, which glistened in the moonlight. The spikes extended down his back, down to the tip of his tail.
P-please, don't harm me. I am only seeking a few friends. Carter and Aaron, I believe. Do you know them?

I willed my thoughts to sound innocent and sweet.
I didn't know it was possible, but the dragon boy raised an eyebrow.
Come with me.

He barked the order.
The dragon turned the direction I was facing, and started to slowly fly north. I followed, like a duckling following it's mother. An hour passed, before the dragon boy dropped to a warm cave.
The dragon fazed back, turning to a 18 year-old boy.
I gawked in shock. He was absolutely beautiful!
He was dressed like Austin, in gray sweatpants, his chest the same golden-shade as Austin. He had ink-black hair, and slim, amber eyes that glistened in the sun like, well, gold. He was tall, taller than Austin, with a pointed chin, and a sort of foriegn beauty. I stiffled a lovestruck sigh.
Why was I falling for every Tarragonian guy I see?
"Carter! Wake your ass up-pardon me-and get out here! I have someone here that would wish to speak with you and I." the boy called into the cave.
Wait...Austin had told me to seek out Aaron and Carter. If Carter is in there, and this boy said you and I...Oh my god! It took me a minute to realize it.
I phased back to my pale-skinned, brown-haired, gray-eyed self, but instead of just a bra and underwear, I was in a flowing solid white dress, with gold trim.
The boy, Aaron turned, before becoming slack-jawed. I flushed, turning away in an attempt to hide it.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you must be in a tight schedule miss, should I get him myself?" Aaron said, rather loudly, bearing into my eyes with an intensity.
A moment later, a rumpled looking boy of 18 came out, still not quite dressed, hopping into his jeans. He wasn't as muscular as Aaron, but he was still ripped. He had slightly paler skin, shown through his not-yet-buttoned white tee. He had brown hair, and black eyes that were as dark as ebony.
"I'm here. What do you want-" Carter broke off, when he saw me.
He flushed and worked at his appearance, ignoring Aaron's laughter.
Carter buttoned up his shirt, fixing at his hair as he talked.
"You called me out here to meet your new girlfriend?!" Carter exclaimed, pissed off.
I flushed, speaking up, "WH-no! Austin sent me. He told me to come to you. I'm his apprentice-or was. I have a feeling he was murdered by those Wyverns that attacked him."
I sounded frail and scared, but mostly desperate.
"So, you aren't Aaron's new girlfriend?" Carter asked, continuing at fixing his looks.
"No!" Aaron exclaimed. He turned to me, speaking softly. "You say Austin is dead? Killed by Wyverns? Why would Wyverns mess with him?"
I nearly dropped to my knees.
"It's my fault. I accidently went into their territory, and Austin was protecting me, since I know next to nothing. Please. Take me in. I am a good student, I've never done anything wrong, besides daydreaming while flying-that got me into this mess. Please." I begged, slipping down on my knees.
"Well, you...female...if you die...species dies...Fine." Aaron muttered, attempting to help me up. I ignored his help, getting up on my own.
Carter scanned my body.
"You're a thin one. How long has it been since you ate?" Carter asked.
"I don't know, a month and a half. I think." I answered, shrugging.
Carter turned to Aaron.
"Go get something for her. I'll take her inside." Carter ordered.
"Don't you dare try anything." Aaron snapped, before phasing to his black-eyed,turquoise-skinned dragon form.
I felt small from his size.
"Come on miss..." Carter trailed off, a question mark look on his face.
"Bijoux." I filled in.
"Yes, yes, Bijoux." Carter said, slipping his hand in mine and leading me inside.
The cave was surprising light, unlike the one I had met Austin in, with modern kitchen ware, and even a window was cut out of the side of the mountain. There was a door in the cave wall, which I figured was for a bathroom. The open space was taken by two massive hay beds, just like the one Austin had. Carter took me over to one of the hay beds and sat down, cross-legged. I copied, mostly, since I was in a dress, I sat with my legs to the side.
"We haven't seen a female of our kind for over one hundred years! How old are you, miss?" Carter asked.
"Call me Bijoux, please. And, I'm 17. 18 next month." I answered simply.
Carter looked shocked.
What was so shocking about my age? Dear god, do I look old?!
"Y-you're not kidding, right? You're actually only 17?" Carter stuttered.
"I'm not kidding. I was born June 17, 1995." I said, crossing my arms. "And by the way, girls don't like it when you react like you did when I said my age."
I looked away, crossing my arms.
"S-sorry, it's just that I didn't know that there was a female Tarragonian that wasn't sterile that had offspring. You're so young

, it's such a shame you have to deal with our world the way it is." Carter said.
"I'm not young, I'm almost an adult." I snapped.
"You're young, girl. I'm 300 years old. Our looks don't change or age after 17. So you'll always have that pretty face, and the body to go with as well."
Seriously? He's hitting on me now?
"I suddenly not attracted to you anymore." I announced.
Carter leaned closer and said, "Age is only a number when you're one of us. As long as your at least 17, you're are considered old enough to breed with. That's like the car thing your country has, or the alcohol."
Breed? Eesh! Hell to the no.
"Yeah, I'm not gonna ever do that. Ever." I said, getting up brushing off my dress.
"Drink? Or drive?" Carter asked, a grin on his face.
"Breed. Hell no will I be in a relationship. Ever. Again." I said, backing away from the bed Carter sat on.
"I think you'll answer differently come Summer." Carter said, getting up.
I wanted to scream. Really bad.
I heard a roar from a dragon and froze growing rigid.
That roar, it sounded too much like...Austin!
I turned around, to see Aaron the one approaching with two cattle and a horse.
Austin dropped them on the ground, before he landed and phased back.
"CARTER! What did you do? She should not be over here, looking rigid and scared." Aaron scolded.
Carter shrunk back, like a puppy with it's tail between it's legs.
"I didn't do anything. I said the word breed and she got all like that. I swear." Carter exclaimed, looking small, and scared.
Aaron looked at me, a question mark look on his face.
"I don't want to talk about it." I answered, sitting on the other massive hay bed.
"You're a weird one, I must say. Most Tarragonian girls would be more than happy to breed, if they could." Carter shrugged before going to help Aaron drag in the dead animals.
I might as well tell them.
"You two are lucky, how I was brought up was horrible. My biological parents didn't want me, so I was adopted. My adoptive parents were alcoholics, spending almost every dime we had on beer. When my adoptive mother was at work, and my father was drunk, he'd...My own adoptive father would rape me. I couldn't tell anyone, because he threatened to kill me if I did so. I can't stand the idea of children or sex." I blurted, looking away, tears shining in my eyes.
Aaron and Carter stopped preparing the meat, coming over to me.
"He also beat me." I muttered.
Aaron and Carter plunked down next to me.
I sobbed into Aaron's shoulder, while Carter talked.
"No wonder we didn't know about you. Your parent's gave you up so no one would know about you. But, you happened