Aemion
~Artemis~
I went into the room not expecting her to be awake yet.
I had been updated an hour ago and told she was still asleep.
I only headed over to check on things when I found her sitting up in bed, eating.
Eating like she hadn’t seen food in weeks.
Her face was covered in little bits of chicken, and her fingers were greasy from eating with her hands.
Even still, she had this strange charm about her.
There was something authentic about her.
She didn’t seem to care how she looked while she ate.
She wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
She wasn’t pretending to be something she wasn’t.
Just another reason she intrigued me.
Aemion agreed.
Artemis, I’ve never felt such stillness coming from someone.
What?
There’s nothing.
No heaviness.
No fire burning inside her.
Just quiet.
I don’t understand what you’re getting at.
Explain.
Okay, it’s like this.
When I reach into her soul, to feel her…
it’s more than a soul.
It’s wide.
Like an ocean.
The surface was smooth, yet it still flowed.
How could someone’s soul be like that?
I don’t know.
Let me out.
Let me get closer.
No.
I shoved him back into his little mental box and closed the door.
I didn’t need him being weird right now.
I hadn’t sensed even an ounce of fear from her when she first saw me.
You’d think someone would sense an aura as powerful as mine.
But no.
Not her.
It was almost like I, a dragon prince, didn’t intimidate her.
The thought made a smile creep onto my lips.
“That’s a creepy smile, Artemis.
What are you plotting?”
It was my second in command, Desmond, a green dragon.
“Lots and lots of fun.”
“Care to clue me in?”
“You’ll see.”
“Hiding your plans like you hide your cards?
Up your sleeve?”
Desmond elbowed me.
“I only cheat with you, Desmond, because it’s fun to watch you get mad and do nothing about it except blow smoke from your ears.”
I had a sense of humor, but typically, Desmond was the only one who had the privilege of knowing that side of me even existed.
That’s why he could get away with so much.
If I had friends, he’d be the one I’d consider.
“That’s just cruel.”
“I know.”
“Are you going to tell me what…
or who…
is in that room?”
“Probably not.”
I walked away, and Desmond followed behind me.
“Is what’s in that room why we’re on the ship instead of in the dorms getting ready for the new semester?”
“Could be.”
“You’re just a man of mystery today, aren’t you?”
“Maybe I feel a shadow in the water with his little fish ear pressed to the boat, eavesdropping.”
I slammed my foot against the floorboards hard enough to make the ship creak beneath us.
Outside, the water rippled violently away from the hull.
Desmond’s eyes narrowed.
“Sneaky bastard.”
“How do you do that?” Desmond asked.
“Do what?”
“You can always tell when someone is somewhere they shouldn’t be.”
“Part of being a Sect leader is being sensitive to the whereabouts of the other sects.
When I’m close enough to someone from another sect, I can tell.
Both Earth and Water Sects can do this.”
“I know that, but I guess I’ve never actually seen it in action like this.”
“Mmm.”
I continued walking toward the deck.
Being stuck without air was a dragon’s worst nightmare, and being trapped inside a ship’s hold was the perfect combination of too much wall and not enough space.
My dragon wouldn’t even fit inside the ship’s hull.
The minute I stepped onto the deck, salty air kissed my skin.
I took a deep breath through my nose, appreciating the smell of the ocean and the open space around me.
I was done here.
“Let’s go.”
Aemion, come forth.
Fuck off.
You shut me out when we went to visit her.
Yeah, because I didn’t want you blubbering in my ear.
Well, shift yourself.
Too much work.
It’s harder without you being a willing participant.
You don’t want to hear my blubbering?
Fine.
Deal with theirs.
You’re a dick.
As are you, Artemis.
I huffed.
I rolled my shoulders, forcing wings to rip through my flesh and extend to half the length of my dragon’s wings.
You’re such an asshole.
I was met with silence. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Usually, he would rip me a new one.
Why was he being pouty?
Fuck you.
I’m not pouty.
I’m salty.
Perfect for the beach.
Silence again.
My wings stretched out.
Desmond didn’t shift either.
It would be seen as a challenge.
My dragon would even take it as one.
Maybe…
Don’t you dare finish that thought, or I swear on the gods, I won’t let you shift the whole first week of school.
I will even keep the wings.
Now that’s cruel.
Then don’t do it.
Afraid you’ll lose against him?
Artemis.
Aemion.
Fine.
My bones started cracking and lengthening.
My wings pulled back in.
Muscle ripped and reattached as my body began to change.
Joints shifted, bones realigned, and my body stretched into its true form.
The realignment of my joints after the growth and shift was the worst part.
It was never not painful.
The bigger your dragon, the more painful the shift.
And of course, Aemion was massive.
And he wasn’t even fully grown.
Desmond shifted after me.
The moment we pushed away from the boat, it drifted viciously from side to side, no doubt making everyone still aboard feel sick.
Flying felt right.
It always did.
There was nothing like the freedom of open air beneath my wings.
No walls.
No ceiling.
No one telling me where I could go.
“I’m going.
Don’t disturb me.”
“Alright.
Is that a command?”
“Yes.”
“As you wish, my prince.”
Desmond bowed to me before backing away, turning around, and shutting the door behind him.
The familiar smell of my dorm hit me.
I hated it.
Nothing about this place felt good.
At least here, I was away from home.